Wednesday . . .

The Tri-City Americans are the only WHL team presently without a head coach. While we don’t yet know who the new head coach will be, we do know that it won’t be assistant coach Terry Virtue. That’s because Virtue has been promoted to associate coach. Virtue, a former WHL and pro defenceman, has spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the Americans. . . . Tri-City GM Bob Tory said Wednesday that he will have a head coach in place by “Aug. 17 at the latest.” He added that he is hoping to have an announcement Aug. 13 or 14 but that he is prepared to wait because his is “still negotiating and talking to the top candidates as they also have other options.” . . . Tory has been looking for a head coach since July 16 when Don Nachbaur resigned to take the post as head coach of the AHL’s Binghamton Senators. . . . Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald has reported that former Lethbridge Hurricanes head coach Michael Dyck was on Tory’s short list but isn’t a finalist. . . .
———
Rich Preston, the new general manager and head coach of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, has confirmed his staff for the approaching season. Matt Kabayama has been promoted form assistant coach to associate coach, while Rich Sutter has been hired as assistant to the general manager/hockey operations and Chris Chisamore has been named assistant coach. . . . Kabayama has been a Lethbridge assistant coach through three seasons. . . . Sutter was brought on board in the middle of last season in a consultant’s role and later, following the firing of GM Roy Stasiuk, campaigned publicly in hopes of landing the GM’s job. . . . Chisamore was a goaltending consultant with the Hurricanes last season. . . .
———
I’m sorry but I still don’t understand how it is that the WHL was able to hold a special draft in order to get D David Musil, the son of former NHLer Frantisek Musil, onto a team’s roster. . . . If you tuned in late, David Musil, 17, ended up being selected by the Kootenay Ice and his rights were subsequently traded to the Vancouver Giants. . . . And now Musil, who was born in Edmonton, is on the roster of the team that will represent the Czech Republic at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament that opens Tuesday in Piestany, Slovakia, and Breclav, Czech Republic. . . . Does this mean that Musil is a resident of the Czech Republic when it comes to that country’s national teams, but a Canadian citizen and a Canadian resident when it comes to the WHL? . . . Does this mean that the WHL will hold special drafts for any other players off the Czech roster who were too young for the CHL import draft but may want to play over here? . . . Why does this have to be so confusing? . . .
———
D Jared Cowen of the Spokane Chiefs is in Saskatoon at the summer development camp being held by Hockey Canada for national junior team prospects. But as he still is recovering from reconstructive knee surgery, he isn’t participating in any scrimmages. . . .
———
Former WHLer Cam Severson has taken over the PacWest Hockey School that operates out of the Eagles Ice-A-Rena in Spokane. Severson (Kamloops, Swift Current, Lethbridge, Prince Albert Spokane, 1994-99) has run his own hockey camps for five years and will merge his operations with PacWest. Severson, 31, and his wife, Kim, who has a power-skating background, make their home in Spokane. . . .
———
The ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers have signed F Chris Cloud, who played out his WHL eligibility last season with the Seattle Thunderbirds. He had 34 points and 143 penalty minutes in 68 games with Seattle. Cloud also played three seasons with the Saskatoon Blades and one with the Vancouver Giants. . . .
———
Jesse Wallin, Red Deer’s vice-president of hockey operations and head coach, indicates that the Rebels are still hoping to have F Curtis McKenzie on their roster in the upcoming season. McKenzie, 18, led the BCHL’s Penticton Vees in scoring last season, putting up 64 points in 53 games. However, he has committed to Miami of Ohio where he will play for the RedHawks. In fact, he is shown on the 2009-10 roster that is posted on their website. . . . A fifth-round selection by the Rebels in the 2006 bantam draft, McKenzie was taken by the Dallas Stars in the sixth round of the NHL’s 2009 draft. . . . “We’re still holding out hope that he’ll come and he hasn’t entirely ruled it out,” Wallin told Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate. “We’re really hoping to get him here. I know he would be a great addition to our team. He’s built for this league and the style of play. Curtis has been drafted and it would be great to see him develop in our league before going on to play pro hockey. I think he’s well suited for our league and would probably be among our top six forwards.”