Wednesday. . . .

D Ryan Dech of the midget AAA Winnipeg Thrashers has been awarded the first Luc Bourdon Provincial AAA Minor Hockey Scholarship, as presented by the Manitoba Moose Yearling Foundation. Dech received the award from Moose head coach Scott Arniel at the Yearling Foundation’s annual gala on Tuesday in Winnipeg. Dech, a third-round selection by the Edmonton Oil Kings in the 2008 bantam draft, is the first winner of the award, which honours the memory of Bourdon, who died in a motor vehicle accident almost two years ago. . . . This award doesn’t go just to your average or above-average hockey player. Also taken into account are school and musical abilities. According to Tim Campbell of the Winnipeg Free Press: “Dech is an A student at St. Paul's High School, where he has participated in band class at the piano and trumpet. He also plays guitar on his own.” . . . Dech got into eight games with the Oil Kings this season.
———
F Garry Nunn of the Edmonton Oil Kings has joined the ECHL’s Alaska Aces. The Victoria Salmon Kings were interested in Nunn, who is from Victoria, but are thinking they may end up with F Prab Rai, who had 41 goals with the Seattle Thunderbirds. Rai was a fifth-round pick of the Vancouver Canucks in the 2008 NHL draft. However, he has yet to sign with the Canucks, so the Salmon Kings haven’t been able to add him to their roster. But they are keeping a spot open.
———
The Prince George Cougars will pick first when the WHL holds its 2010 bantam draft in Edmonton on April 29. The Cougars won the draft lottery Wednesday in Calgary.
Here is the draft order for all rounds:
1. Prince George Cougars
2. Edmonton Oil Kings
3. Lethbridge Hurricanes
4. Seattle Thunderbirds
5. Regina Pats
6. Prince Albert Raiders
7. Chilliwack Bruins
8. Kamloops Blazers
9. Kelowna Rockets
10. Moose Jaw Warriors
11. Swift Current Broncos
12. Red Deer Rebels
13. Vancouver Giants
14. Medicine Hat Tigers
15. Kootenay Ice
16. Portland Winter Hawks
17. Spokane Chiefs
18. Everett Silvertips
19. Tri-City Americans
20. Saskatoon Blades
21. Brandon Wheat Kings (to Moose Jaw Warriors)
22. Calgary Hitmen
According to the WHL, players eligible for the bantam draft are those 1995-born players who reside in Alberta, B.C., Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, Yukon, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
———
According to the Brandon Sun, the Brandon Wheat Kings, who open at home to the Swift Current Broncos on Friday, “have yet to declare a starting goaltender for Game 1.” . . . The Sun’s Rob Henderson also reports: “Wheat Kings C Paul Ciarelli (broken thumb) has been practising this week and appears to be a good bet to be ready for the start of the series . . . Still out is D Ryley Miller (broken jaw).” . . . James Shewaga, The Sun's sports editor, is reporting that the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets have signed Brandon F Matt Calvert to a three-year contract. Calvert was a fifth-round pick in the 2008 NHL draft. He had 99 points, including 47 goals, this season.
———
G Drew Owsley of the Tri-City Americans, who missed the regular season’s last nine games with a concussion, has received medical clearance to return to action.
The Americans will wait until sometime Friday, perhaps just before game time, before revealing whether Owsley, a sophomore, or freshman Alex Pechurskiy will start in goal.
———
The Americans, who open at home against the Chilliwack Bruins on Friday, will be missing D Tyler Schmidt, who will sit out a one-game WHL suspension for a Saturday night hit on Spokane Chiefs F Kyle Beach.
Beach was on crutches after that game and didn’t play in Sunday’s 3-2 victory over the visiting Everett Silvertips.
The Chiefs now are making noises as though Beach may be ready to go Saturday when they open against the Winterhawks in Portland.
“We are hoping he can play Saturday,” Spokane general manager Tim Speltz told Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald. “I think the suspension signaled that the injury wasn’t as bad as first thought. Kyle has worked really hard this week and so has our therapist. We are hopeful for Saturday.”
Beach is believed to have an injury above his right knee.
At the same time, Spokane F Ryan Letts is listed as day-to-day with a knee injury left over from the weekend.
———
The Medicine Hat Tigers have added F Boston Leier, 16, to their roster. Leier, the 47th pick in the 2008 bantam draft, had 68 points for the midget AAA Saskatoon Blazers this season. He got into three regular-season games with the Tigers.
———
Don’t forget that the WHL playoffs begin Thursday with one game as the Calgary Hitmen, who had the best regular-season record in the league, meet the Moose Jaw Warriors, the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.
F Quinton Howden skated with the Warriors on Wednesday for the first time since he suffered a broken collarbone on March 3. He is nowhere near being ready to return, but will be the only Moose Jaw player not available for Game 1.
Howden led the Warriors in assists (37) and points (65).
———
Morley Scott, the play-by-play voice of the Vancouver Giants, was in Edmonton on Tuesday where it was announced that he will be returning to the Alberta capital as the radio voice of the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos. Dan Barnes of the Edmonton Journal has more right here.
———
F Chris Falloon (Prince George Cougars, 1998-2004) has joined the Central league’s Rapid City, S.D., Rush now that his team in Denmark failed to make the playoffs. Falloon, 26, had been with the Odense Hockey Club.
———
The BCHL's Salmon Arm SilverBacks have fired head coach Matt Hughes after one season on the job. The SilverBacks were ousted from the first round of playoffs by the Quesnel Millionaires. Hughes spent two seasons as a co-coach in Salmon Arm before stepping up to head coach prior to this season. General manager Rylan Ferster, a former Salmon Arm head coach, has added the title of head coach to his portfolio.