WHL notebook

From The Daily News of Tuesday, July 10

The Portland Winter Hawks are talking contract with head coach Mike Williamson.
But, according to the Portland Tribune, nothing has been signed.
Williamson, who took over as the Winter Hawks’ head coach during the 1999-2000 season, has been without a contract since Saturday at midnight.
“We’re talking,” Williamson told The Tribune. “I feel like I’m coming back.”
Williamson, who spent three seasons playing for the Winter Hawks, joined Portland’s coaching staff for the 1995-96 season. He took over as head coach with 24 games left in the 1999-2000 season.
Portland and the Kelowna Rockets, who lost Jeff Truitt to the AHL’s Springfield Falcons, are the only two WHL teams without head coaches. The Rockets are expected to promote assistant coach Ryan Huska, although general manager Bruce Hamilton continues to explore his options.
The Swift Current Broncos finally got around to announcing what had been one of the WHL’s worst-kept secrets. They have re-upped GM/head coach Dean Chynoweth, who has been there through three seasons, for two more seasons with a club option for a third season.
The Broncos are one of a handful of teams who have an opening for at least one assistant coach. They lost Dave Hunchak, who now is the head coach of the Moose Jaw Warriors.
The Brandon Wheat Kings don’t have any assistant coaches under contract, although Dwayne Gylywoychuk and Brad Wells, whose contracts expired after last season, have ties to the Wheat City and aren’t likely to go anywhere.
The Tri-City Americans have had an opening on head coach Don Nachbaur’s staff since Gord Frantti left after last season.
The Rockets, of course, will have an opening should Huska be promoted to head coach.
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ON THE MOVE: The Red Deer Rebels have dealt D Patrick Kozyra, 18, to the Spokane Chiefs for a 2008 sixth-round bantam draft pick. Kozyra, the 76th pick in the 2004 bantam draft, had five points in 55 games with the Rebels last season. . . . Tri-City has traded LW Chris Inglis, 19, to the Lethbridge Hurricanes for D Colin Frederickson, 17. Inglis, 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, has played three seasons in the WHL. He had eight points and 78 penalty minutes in 56 games last season. The 6-foot-2, 198-pound Frederickson got into three games with Lethbridge last season. . . . The Everett Silvertips have hired Chris Walker as their new head trainer. Last season, Walker, who is from St. Paul, Minn., was the assistant trainer for the Central league's New Mexico Scorpions. He also worked with the U of New Mexico Lobos athletic department. . . . Tri-City has signed two more products of the midget AAA Winnipeg Thrashers program — LW Mason Wilgosh, 16, and C Brendan Shinnimin, 16. Wilgosh, 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds, had 49 points in 49 games with the Thrashers last season, while Shinnimin, 5-foot-7 and 150 pounds, had 37 points. LW Adam Hughesman, LW Colan Jackson and C Johnny Lazo, all of whom played for the Thrashers, also will be at the Ams' training camp.
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JUNIOR JOTTINGS:
LW Chris Stevens, who played out his WHL eligibility with the Medicine Hat Tigers last season, has signed with the ECHL’s Phoenix Roadrunners. However, he is expected to go to training camp with the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage. . . . G Bryce Christianson, 20, who was in camp with the Kamloops Blazers in 2003, has signed with the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers. Christianson, from Anchorage, Alaska, split last season between the USHL’s Lincoln Stars and Tri-City Storm. . . . Lethbridge has announced the formation of an alumni association and the start of a Hall of Fame. And the hall’s first inductees are former C Steve Tambellini, now the Vancouver Canucks' assistant GM, former G Jamie McLennan and longtime broadcaster Steve Fallwell, who was the radio voice of the franchise for 21 years. . . . Not to be outdone, Moose Jaw is planning for its first Legends Hall of Fame Dinner. Inducted as Legends will be former players Troy Edwards and Mark MacKay.

EUROPEAN REPORT: Former Blazers D Nikita Korovkin has returned to his native Russia. Korovkin, who finished last season with the ECHL’s Pensacola Ice Pilots, has signed with Traktor Chelyabinsk in the Russian Superliga, that country’s top league. Korovkin, who played his 20-year-old season with Tri-City, had two points in six games with the Phoenix Roadrunners and 20 in 61 games with the Ice Pilots last season. . . . Former Medicine Hat and Regina Pats C Tyson Mulock, whose brother T.J. played for the Blazers, has signed with the Berlin Eisbaren of Germany's top league. He led the 2.Bundesliga in scoring (101 points in 52 games) with Moskitos Essen last season. . . . T.J. also played in Germany last season, totaling 74 points in 46 games with Bad Toelz of the 2.Bundesliga. . . . Former WHLers Richard Mueller, Dennis Pederson and Deron Quint play for the Eisgbaren, which is coached by former Edmonton Oilers D Don Jackson. . . . F Andy Schneider, who played in the WHL with the Seattle Thunderbirds and Swift Current, has signed with Klagenfurt of Austria’s top league. He has spent 10 seasons in Europe. Klagenfurt, which is coached by former Prince Albert Raiders D Emmanuel Viveiros, also signed former Medicine Hat C Ben Thomson.