A few notes . . .

Jim Goldsmith and Jack Donovan, two of the Portland Winter Hawks’ owners, talked with Marc Habscheid before hiring Richard Kromm as the WHL team’s head coach. Donovan told Jayson Vondersmith of the Portland Tribune that Habscheid wanted part ownership, control of all player personnel and the head-coaching position. “Our conversation got to a certain point, but it was
a real problem for us that he was being paid by Boston and (potentially) still being able to do this job,” Donovan said. “It got convoluted, and we always had Richard in the back of our head.” Habscheid, who coached the Kamloops Blazers and Kelowna Rockets, was fired as the Boston Bruins’ associate coach over the summer. He has a year left on his contract with the Bruins.

The Edmonton Oilers are expected to announce that they have added Rob Daum to their coaching staff, filling the vacancy created last week when assistant coach Craig Simpson resigned and joined Hockey Night in Canada’s staff. Daum, who had a terrific record at the U of Alberta, has coached in the WHL with the Prince Albert Raiders, Swift Current Broncos and Lethbridge Hurricanes. He spent the last couple of seasons as head coach of the Houston
Aeros, the AHL affiliate of the Minnesota Wild. He was fired after last season and later replaced by Kevin Constantine, who had been with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips.

Former Kamloops Blazers head coach Mark Ferner is expected to be named general manager and head coach of the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers this week. Ferner, who was fired by the Blazers during the 2005-06 season, will replace Mark Holick, who left the Vipers to become head coach of the WHL’s Kootenay Ice. Ferner was an assistant coach with the Blazers in 2002-03 under head coach Troy Mick. Mick ended up resigning due to health problems and Ferner ran the bench during a first-round loss to the Kootenay Ice. Mick was the Vipers' general manager last season and helped owner Duncan Wray pick a replacement for Holick.

Former Swift Current/Kamloops D Dean Malkoc has signed on as a part-time scout with the Boston Bruins. . . . If everything falls into place, veteran WHL referee Kyle Rehman will move up to the AHL this season, and could see the odd NHL game. There could be an AHL vacancy if, as expected, former WHL referee Steve Kozari gets a fulltime NHL gig.