Nothing like a hockey action photo to get us started on a day when the temperature in Kamloops was well over 30C. . . . That’s Luke Schenn on the breakaway with Kris Westblom in goal. The picture, by good friend Doyle Potenteau, was taken during the Kelowna Rockets’ alumni game on Sunday. . . . For more on the game, check out Doyle's blog, DubNation, over there on the left.
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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Adam Taylor (Kootenay, 2000-05) signed a one-year contract with the Edinburgh Capitals (UK Elite). He had 13 goals and 18 assists in 69 games for the Victoria Salmon Kings (ECHL) last season. . . .
F Patrik Valcak (Lethbridge, Kelowna, 2003-04), F Jakub Rumpel (Medicine Hat, 2006-07), D Josef Melichar (Tri-City 1997-99) and F Ivan Dornic (Portland, 2003-05) signed try-out contracts with HC Lev Poprad (Slovakia, KHL). . . . Valcak had six goals and 21 assists in 36 games with Dukla Trencin (Slovakia Extraliga) and HK 32 Liptovsky Mikulas (Slovakia Extraliga). . . . Rumpel had 10 goals and five assists in 45 games with Nitra (Slovakia Extraliga) and Banska Bystrica (Slovakia Extraliga). . . . Melichar had five goals and nine assists in 52 games for Ceske Budejovice (Czech Republic Extraliga). . . . Dornic had 12 goals and 12 assists in 45 games with MHC Martin (Slovakia Extraliga) last season. . . .
HC Lev is an expansion club in the KHL this season. It is Czech-owned and was planning to play in Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic, this season. However, the Czech Ice Hockey Federation didn’t grant permission for the club to play in the KHL, despite reportedly being offered 4 million Euros. On Friday, the KHL approved the move to Poprad, Slovakia. However, the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation must still grant its approval.
Jan Filc, the vice-president of the Slovak Federation: “The KHL agreed with Poprad but there is also the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation. We are waiting for the Russian Hockey Federation as our partner in international relations to address this topic with us. We feel left out of the decision-making process. We don’t care if they organize a pigeon exhibition, but we are talking about ice hockey in the territory governed by the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation. There are basic rules that need to be followed and some issues need to be clarified.”
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Well, the much-anticipated trading of Landon Ferraro finally happened Monday.
Only he wasn’t dealt to the Vancouver Giants as so many folks seem to have anticipated.
Instead, in a swap of 19-year-old forwards, Ferraro was traded by the Red Deer Rebels to the Everett Silvertips for Byron Froese.
Everett also gave Red Deer a third-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft, while it received a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2012 draft.
Ferraro, a second-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings in the NHL’s 2009 draft, had a much-publicized falling out with Red Deer head coach Jesse Wallin during last season’s playoffs. Ferraro, who had 46 points in 53 regular-season games, was bothered by injuries through a lot of the season and wasn’t happy when he was a healthy scratch for the Rebels’ final playoff game.
Since the end of the season, there had been ample speculation concerning Ferraro’s future, almost all of it having him end up with the Vancouver Giants. The fact that he didn’t will be good news for teams in the B.C. Division. Had Ferraro ended up in Vancouver, they would have been looking at facing him at least 10 times in the regular season. With Everett, it’ll be four times.
In 2008-09, Ferraro finished with 55 points, 37 of them goals, in 68 games.
The son of former WHLer Ray Ferraro, who still holds the WHL record for most goals in one season (108, 1983-84, Brandon Wheat Kings), Landon was taken by Red Deer with the second overall pick of the 2006 bantam draft.
“We’re happy to add Landon to our organization and lineup,” Everett general manager Doug Soetaert said in a news release. “Obviously, he has the potential and ability to score big goals while working hard at both ends of the ice. We believe that we have additional options with his ability to play centre and right wing equally well, and we’re looking forward to him having a breakout season.”
The Silvertips are rolling the dice on Ferraro, hoping a change of scenery will get him going. Froese, who was a listed player originally, actually had better numbers than did Ferraro last season.
Froese totalled 118 points in 142 games with Everett. Last season, his second with the Silvertips, he had 61 points, including 29 goals, in 70 games.
Froese has proved quite durable, having missed only two games in his two WHL seasons. He was a fourth-round selection by the Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL’s 2009 draft.
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F Louis Dumont (Regina, Kamloops, 1990-94) has re-signed with the Central league’s Mississippi RiverKings. Last season, Dumont was second on the team in goals (23), assists (40) and points (63). Dumont, going into his fifth season with the RiverKings, has played more than 1,000 games since turning pro and has scored more than 400 goals.
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The AJHL’s Olds Grizzlys are looking for a head coach following the departure of Doug Hedley. Hedley, who signed a three-year contract as director of hockey operations and head coach in June, apparently has left of his own volition. . . . He is a veteran of 17 seasons as a coach in the MJHL and SJHL. . . . With the Grizzlys, Hedley replaced Kevin Hasselberg, who resigned in March. Hasselberg later signed on as assistant GM/assistant coach with the BCHL’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors have set a franchise record for season-ticket sales, a figure they say hit 2,127 on Friday. Of that total, the club, which didn’t release the previous record total, says it has added 282 new season-ticket holders. The Warriors are selling 2010-11 season tickets for $350 each, with a purchase guaranteeing “similar or better seating in the new multiplex,” according to a news release.
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The OHL’s Niagara IceDogs have added former NHL D Mike Van Ryn to their coaching staff. Van Ryn, 31, will work as an assistant coach alongside head coach Marty Williamson and fellow assistant Billy Burke. Van Ryn retired from the NHL on Monday. He underwent knee surgery on Oct. 22 and missed all of last season. Earlier this summer, he announced that he wouldn’t play in 2010-11. He now has decided to retire as a player.
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F Craig McCallum, who completed his eligibility last season with the Prince Albert Raiders, will attend the U of Saskatchewan and play for the Huskies in the fall. McCallum, who is from Canoe Lake First Nation, had 72 points in 72 games last season with the Raiders. Prior to that, he played two seasons with the Edmonton Oil Kings, where he roomed with F Brenden Dowd, who also is at the U of S.
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