SPOKANE, Wash. – The Spokane Chiefs trimmed their roster down to 27 players on Monday in preparation for their regular season opener against the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick on Saturday night. Forward Eli Zummack and goaltender Donovan Buskey will both return to their home clubs while overage winger Jacob Cardiff has been placed on waivers.

“Zummack and Buskey are both players that we are very high on and we expect to be part of our team in the future,” said Chiefs’ general manager Scott Carter. “This move puts them at a level where they can be very high-end players and get ice time.”

Zummack, a 16-year-old from Kelowna, B.C. will return to the Okanogan Rockets of the British Columbia Major Midget League. He was acquired by the Chiefs in a trade with Red Deer last season. Buskey, a 16-year-old goaltender, will head to the Northwest Giants of the same league. He was the Chiefs’ third round (53rd overall) pick of the 2015 WHL Bantam Draft.

“With the WHL’s rules on 20-year-olds, we had to make a tough decision on Jacob. We’re sad that we had to move on from such a tough and well-liked player. We hope he gets picked up by another team and wish him the best in the future.”

Cardiff, a 20-year-old from Regina, Saskatchewan, played 156 games over three full seasons with the Chiefs, scoring 13 goals and 12 assists while racking up 92 penalty minutes. He added three goals and two assists in 12 playoff games. Having been placed on waivers, he will wait 48 hours to see if another WHL club claims him.

The Chiefs’ roster now sits at 27 players including 16 forwards, nine defensemen and two goaltenders. They are currently carrying four overage players and three European imports. They will have until the league’s October 15 deadline to get to the limit of three 20-year-olds and two imports.

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The Chiefs open their regular season schedule on the road against the Tri-City Americans on Saturday at 7 p.m. Fans can catch the first live radio broadcast of the year on 1510 KGA NW Sports Talk beginning with the pre-game show at 6:30.

Bud Light Opening Night & Pre-Game Party is on Saturday, October 1. Pre-game festivities outside the main entrance to Spokane Arena begin at 4 p.m. with food, drinks, live music and the Bud Girls! Tickets are available now via the Chiefs’ Ticket Office, TicketsWest and online here.