Thursday . . .

The stuff posted here this morning is dedicated to Graham Tuer and all of the WHL scouts who approached me Wednesday night and Thursday during the draft to let me know how much they enjoy Taking Note. . . . Gentlemen, all of this is for you. Enjoy it with your morning coffee. . . . And to Peter Loubardias and Bob Strumm and Jamie Heward and Kurt Wickenheiser . . . it’s always great to relive the memories. . . . And it was great to see all of you. . . . Now on to Brandon. . . . Oh, wait, there's a hockey game in Calgary on Friday night, isn't there?
---

THE MacBETH REPORT: F Tyler Beechey (Kootenay/Calgary, 1997-2002) signed a one-year contract with the Frankfurt Lions (Germany DEL). He had 24 goals and 33 assists in 56 games for Augsburg Panther (Germany DEL) this season. That was good enough to tie for ninth place in DEL scoring. Beechey led the DEL in playoff scoring with five goals and nine assists in 14 playoff games. . . .
F Garrett Festerling (Portland, Regina, 2003-07) signed a one-year contract with the Hamburg Freezers (Germany DEL). He had two goals and three assists in 18 games for the DEL-champion Hannover Scorpions this season. . . .
F Joni Lindlöf (Kelowna, Lethbridge, 2002-04) signed a one-year contract extension with Briançon (France Ligue Magnus). He had 14 goals and 10 assists in 22 games this season. . . .
F Björn Svensson (Saskatoon, Moose Jaw, 2003-06) signed a one-year contract extension with Timrå (Sweden Elitserien) He had 12 goals and 11 assists in 55 games this season. . . .
D Brad Zanon signed a one-year contract with the Coventry Blaze (UK Elite). He had one goal and 11 assists in 68 games for Florida Everblades (ECHL) this season.

Some draft notes . . .

CLEANING OUT THE DRAFT NOTEBOOK . . .
The Kootenay Ice used the 147th overall pick on F Jackson Elynuik of Calgary. His brother, Campbell, plays for the Everett Silvertips. Their father, Pat, is a former WHLer who went on to play in the NHL. . . .
The Saskatoon Blades took F Conner Kortko in the sixth round. His father, Roger, played for the Blades (1980-83). . . .
The Portland Winterhawks used the 112th pick on F Connor Hutchins, a native of North Richland Hills, Texas, who played for Detroit Honeybaked, a team that won the U.S. Nationals. He had seven goals in six games at Nationals. One observer noted that more than one OHL team felt Hutchins, were he eligible for the OHL draft, would have been a first-round pick next year. . . .
Word during the day was that the Detroit Red Wings have signed Kelowna Rockets F Mitchell (Dirty Harry) Callahan. He was the 180th pick in the NHL’s 2009 draft. . . .
The Swift Current Broncos used the 165th pick to take F Matthew Gelinas of Calgary. He is the son of former NHLer Martin Gelinas. . . .
The Medicine Hat Tigers took F Cameron Gotaas of Sherwood Park, Alta., with the 168th pick. His father, Steve, played for the Prince Albert Raiders (1983-87). . . .
Many draft observers felt that F Brian Williams of the bantam AAA Los Angeles Selects easily was a first-rounder were he to commit to the WHL. Without that commitment, he fell to the 173rd pick where he was taken by the Tri-City Americans. . . .
The Everett Silvertips used the 212th pick to take G Casey Parker of Regina, who played at Notre Dame. He is the son of Regina Pats general manager Brent Parker. . . .
The Prince George Cougars dropped Czech D Petr Senkerik, 19, whom they acquired in January from the Kootenay Ice. . . . The Cougars also deleted D Daniel Medland-Marchen, who played with them this season. He originally was a second-round pick by the Kamloops Blazers in 2007. . . .
The Chilliwack Bruins dealt a 2011 sixth-round pick to the Edmonton Oil Kings for Czech F Robin Soudek, 19. Swedish F Alexander Wiklund and Czech F Roman Horak both are eligible to return to the Bruins but Wiklund as a 20-year-old, would be a two-spotter. So the acquisition of Soudek might indicate that Wiklund won’t be back. . . .
The Bruins dropped F Cole Penner, who was taken by the Prince Albert Raiders with the fourth overall pick in 2006. Could it be that the Cole Penner Saga is over?

Got some more draft notes or something on bloodlines? Email me at speditor@telus.net.

In the end, Blazers got their guy

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
EDMONTON — At the end of the day, the numbers and the bloodlines were too much to ignore.
So the Kamloops Blazers selected forward Matt Needham with the eighth overall pick of the WHL’s 2010 bantam draft on Thursday at the Fantasyland Hotel.
The Prince George Cougars began the draft as expected, by taking forward Alex Forsberg of the Saskatchewan midget AAA league’s Beardy’s Blackhawks. His brother Jesse, 16, is a defenceman who just completed his first WHL season with the Cougars. Jesse was the 11th overall pick in the 2008 draft.
It took the 22 teams more than seven hours to draft 235 players.
The Blazers selected nine players all told, taking the sons of former Kamloops players with their first and last picks.
Needham is the son of Mike Needham, who played three seasons (1987-90) with the Blazers, scoring 59 goals and totalling 125 points in 1989-90.
With their last pick, the 162nd overall, Kamloops took forward Mackenzie Ferner, the son of former player and coach Mark Ferner, now the general manager and head coach of the BCHL-champion Vernon Vipers.
Leading up to the draft, there was speculation that Matt Needham wouldn’t commit to playing in the WHL, and that teams had been told he wanted to keep his options open, at least through next season.
Needham, who was coached by his father this season, said last night that, while he wants to keep open those options, he definitely will be in Kamloops when training camp opens on Aug. 26.
“I’m excited about that,” he said. “I’ve always liked Kamloops and (being drafted by the Blazers) was nice.”
Needham’s commitment to attend training camp was enough to sway the Blazers’ management team.
“He’s very interested in playing in Kamloops,” general manager Craig Bonner said, “and we really feel strongly that, when we get him to camp and show him our program and our coaching staff, he’ll be very proud to be a Blazer.”
This season, playing for the bantam Penticton Vees in OMAHA, Needham, the team captain, picked up an amazing 253 points, including 94 goals, in 64 games.
“There are a lot of positive things there,” Bonner said. “The first two things that come to mind are his compete and character.
“The numbers he put up speak for themselves but the character and compete are the direction that we believe we have our team at and those are the two things that are very important to us.”
The Blazers may well have made the decision to select Needham after Matt Recchi, the team’s director of player personnel, and head scout Ken Fox watched a bantam AAA tournament in Lethbridge in January.
“(Penticton) beat some quality teams there,” Recchi said. “He put his team on his shoulders and led them to the final and they ended up winning the tournament.”
That particular tournament was a season highlight for Needham.
“We beat some teams that most people didn’t think we should have,” he said. “We were short a couple of guys and we came together as a team and won it.”
Recchi added: “He’s a tremendous two-way player. He has a lot of character. He shoots the puck as well as anybody in the draft. He’s a natural and gifted scorer but he’s also a gifted playmaker. He’s ultra-competitive. He’s relentless on the forecheck.”
Asked about his offensive numbers, Needham chose to talk about his team.
“I had a pretty good season,” he said. “The team goal was to make it to provincials and we did that, so it was a successful season.”
As for next season, Needham said he expects to play for the major midget Okanagan Rockets in Kelowna or the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton.
With the eighth pick of the second round, 30th overall, the Blazers took forward Cole Ully from the bantam AAA Calgary Bronks. He was the seventh Calgarian taken, but the first in the second round. Six of the draft’s first 11 selections were from Calgary.
After taking defenceman Tyson Harvey of Nanaimo with the 35th pick, the Blazers raised a few eyebrows by using the 61st selection on defenceman Josh Connolly of Prince George. He is the younger brother of Cougars star Brett Connolly.
The Blazers also dropped five players during the draft, including Slovakian forward Matej Bene, who had 14 points, including five goals, in 59 games as a freshman.
“We expected more out of (Bene),” Recchi said. “All the talk was that he would come in and be a scoring winger in that 1992 age group. He had lots of opportunity to do that and it just never worked out for him.”
The Blazers plan on having Slovakian centre Dalibor Bortnak back for a third season, so will be making one selection when the CHL holds its import draft on June 29.
Also dropped by the Blazers were defencemen Luc Lemire of Prince Albert and Brendan Enns, who played midget in Campbell River, and forwards Kyle Buffardi of Westminster, Calif., and Mitch Vanteeling of Brandon. Enns was a fourth-round selection in 2009, Buffardi was taken in the fourth round in 2008, and Vanteeling was taken in the eighth round in 2008.
JUST NOTES: The Tri-City Americans moved up in the draft to pick Eric Comrie, the first goaltender taken, with the 13th selection. From Newport Beach, Calif., he is the brother of F Mike Comrie of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. The Americans dealt the 19th overall pick and a 2011 second-rounder to the Vancouver Giants in order to take Comrie with the 13th pick. . . . The Blazers had their eyes on G Brendan Burke of Scottsdale, Ariz., but the Portland Winterhawks traded up and took him with the 49th pick. He is the son of former NHL G Sean Burke. . . . With the second pick in the second round, the Everett Silvertips took F Ryan Chynoweth, who played this season in Lethbridge. He is the son of Jeff Chynoweth, the president and GM of the Kootenay Ice. A proud father said prior to the second round that the Ice wouldn’t be picking his son. “It isn’t fair to the team,” Jeff said, “and it really isn’t fair to the player.” . . . The Ice used the 15th overall pick to take F Sam Reinhart of the Hollyburn Huskies. His brother, Max, has played two seasons with the ice. Another brother, Griffin, was taken third overall by the Edmonton Oil Kings in 2009. All three are the sons of former NHL D Paul Reinhart. . . .
The Oil Kings took F Curtis Lazar of the Pursuit of Excellence team in Kelowna with the second overall pick. In each of the last five drafts, the No. 2 pick has played in that year’s KIBIHT — Lazar, D Morgan Reilly, who was taken by the Moose Jaw Warriors in 2009, F Ty Rattie, who went to the Portland Winterhawks in 2008, F Luke Moffatt, taken by the Kelowna Rockets in 2007, and F Landon Ferraro, taken by the Red Deer Rebels in 2006. . . . F Cole DePape, the younger brother of Blazers F Ryan DePape, was taken 77th overall by the Kootenay Ice.

EDMONTON — While there were two players selected from Neepawa, Man., and two from Thompson, Man., not even one player from Kamloops was taken during Thursday’s WHL bantam draft.
It was the first time since 2003 that no Kamloops players were selected.
Last year, the Edmonton Oil Kings took F Morgan Zulinick with the 52nd pick and G Wade Moyls with the 145th selection.
In 2008, the Prince Albert Raiders took F Brock Balson with the 61st selection.
There were two Kamloops players taken in 2007 and 2006, one in 2005, and five in 2004.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com

The Blazers' picks . . .

The 2010 WHL bantam draft selections by the Kamloops Blazers, showing the round pick and the number of the pick, with comments by Matt Recchi, the team’s director of player personnel:
1. (8) F Matt Needham, Penticton Vees (bantam AAA).
Needham, 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds, had 253 points in 64 games. “When he wants the puck, which is pretty much every shift, he gets it. He plays a lot of minutes on his bantam team and every shift he probably has the puck 75 per cent of the time. The puck is always on this stick. He wants it. He wants to be a difference maker.”
———
2. (30) F Cole Ully, Calgary Bronks (bantam AAA).
The WHL had Ully, a left winger, at 5-foot-11 and 160 pounds; however, he also has been shown as 5-foot-9 and 140 pounds. He had 64 points, including 34 goals, in 32 games with the bantam AAA Calgary Bronks. “Has tremendous speed. A real competitive guy. We slated him in the second round from the first time we saw him. He was tremendous down the stretch.”
———
2. (35) D Tyson Harvey, Nanaimo Clippers (bantam AAA).
There weren’t any stats available for Harvey, who is shown as being 5-foot-11 and 165 pounds. “Big, strong physical defenceman who has some offensive upside. He borders on being a mean player. Very good passing skills. Very, very good skater.”
———
3. (61) D Josh Connolly, Prince George (bantam AAA).
The 5-foot-7, 145-pounder is the brother of Cougars star Brett Connolly. There weren’t any stats available on his season “Smaller skilled defenceman with great skating ability. A natural skater. Glides on his skates with great edges. He’ll be able to run the power play one day. Sees the ice extremely well and has lots of giddy-up. Plays with a lot of poise. He’s a smaller defenceman but his brother is 6-foot-2 so there’s a chance he could grow.”
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5. (98) F Matt McLeod, Saskatoon.
The 5-foot-11, 160-pounder had 47 points, including 27 goals, with the bantam AA Saskatoon Stallions. “A big strong, winger. In a straight line, he could be the fastest skater in the draft. Relentless on the foecheck. Creates offence by getting in fast on the forecheck and being real physical. Not afraid to grind it out. Captain of his team and he can score.”
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6. (118) F Dylan Frey, Weyburn, Sask.
The 6-foot-0, 165-pounder had 50 points in 26 games with the bantam AA Weyburn Mission Wings. “A player we circled (Wednesday) night at our meeting. A player we really wanted to draft. A big hard-nosed winger who plays a power game and goes to the net as hard as anyone. A real good second gear for a big guy. Going to be a big, pounding winger who can score.”
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6. (132) D Ryan Rehill, Edmonton Maple Leaf Athletic Club.
The 6-foot-1, 175-pounder had 17 points and 54 penalty minutes in 32 games with his bantam AAA team. “Mark Blair, our Edmonton north scout, suggests he was probably the most improved player in northern Alberta this season. A big raw defenceman who is very physical . . . crushing hits. Makes a good first pass and his skating has improved dramatically. Big strong guy.”
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7. (140) G Braden Krogfoss, North Shore Winter Club.
The 5-foot-10, 140-pounder was the only goaltender selected by the Blazers. He was 27-5 with a 1.98 GAA and a .910 save percentage. He is from Cloverdale. “Played real well at the St. Albert tournament and was real good in Westerns. A real quick goalie. Never gave up on pucks. Real competitive.”
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8. (162) F Mackenzie Ferner, Vernon (bantam AAA).
The 6-foot-0, 150-pound son of former Mark Ferner, a former player and coach who now is GM/head coach of the two-time BCHL-champion Vernon Vipers. “From last year to this, his improvement is drastic. Plays with lots of poise and confidence. Skating has gotten better and better. Really competitive and passes the puck really well. And we’re glad to get the son of another alumni.” No statistics were available.

A question . . .

A reader has left this question: "Gregg, can you explain why #257,261,265,269,271 and 283 are listed as being traded picks? Did those teams really trade for those picks then pass?"

Unfortunately, I have no answer. The WHL draft is one of the more media unfriendly events I have covered. The media isn't given any kind of list -- an alphabeticized list of draft-eligible players would be nice, just so that we could at least get spellings and team names correct.

Trades or transfers often aren't announced. It will be announced that a pick has been transferred, but no one will say what went the other way. At one point, someone told me one pick had been transferred for 24 beer. I don't know if the person was joking or not.

I think Seattle transferred three late picks to Brandon. I have no idea what Brandon gave up, if anything.

12th ROUND

The final picks. . . 12th round . . . tired . . .

228. Prince George, F Eli Jarvis, Quesnel.
229. Prince Albert, D Evan Elaschuk, Calgary.
230. Prince Albert, D Eric Pfeiffer, North Battleford, Sask.
231. Red Deer, G Kirby Halcrow, Grande Prairie.
232. Vancouver, F Dexter Danks, Vancouver.
233. Tri-City, F Taylor Marr, Lethbridge.
234. Calgary, D Jameson Stoski, Sicamous, B.C.

ROUND 13
235. Vancouver, F Tanner Posch, Leduc.

End of draft.

It drives me crazy that the WHL counts 'passes' as player selections. Thus their numbers don't match the ones you see here. There were 235 players selected. Thus, the last pick should be No. 235, not whatever number the WHL shows. . . . By the way, the late numbers in all previous drafts also are done in that fashion.

11th still going strong . . .

219. Prince Albert, F Braden Farge, St. Albert, Alta.
Chilliwack, pass
Kamloops, pass
220. Kelowna, F Ryan Forbes, Kitimat, B.C.
Moose Jaw, pass
Swift Current, pass
Red Deer, pass
221. Vancouver, G Daniel Urbani, Coquitlam, B.C.
Medicine Hat, pass
222. Everett, D Andrew Wiech, Calgary.
Portland, pass
223. Brandon, D Gavin Froese, Grunthal, Man.
Everett, pass
224. Tri-City, F Andrew Oglivie, Fullerton, Calif.
225. Saskatoon, D Macklin Pichonsky, Leduc, Alta.
226. Brandon, D Maxim Powiada, Saskatoon.
227. Calgary, F Elliott Peterson, Saskatoon.

End of round

11th round

11th ROUND
217. Prince George, D Shane Teed, Regina.
Edmonton, pass
218. Lethbridge, D Daniel Sosa, Seattle.
Seattle, pass
Regina, pass

Yes, more 10th . . .

206. Saskatoon, D McKenzie Busenius, Sherwood Park.
Regina, pass.
207. Red Deer, D Tyson Madon, Winfield, Alta.
208. Vancouver, D Tanner Lischynsky, Saskaoon.
Medicine Hat, pass.
209. Everett, F Cody Depourcq, Penticton.
210. Portland, F Bryson Gore, Lethbridge.
211. Prince George, D Mark McNulty, Medicine Hat.
212. Everett, G Casey Parker, Regina.
213. Tri-City, D Clint Allbrandt, Calgary.
214. Saskatoon, F Linden Penner, Sherwood Park.
215. Brandon, F Matthew Hadley, St. Agathe, Man.
216. Calgary, F Braden Salberda, Calgary.

End of round

10th Round

198. Kelowna, F Austin Ferguson, Abbotsford.
199. Edmonton, Luke Bertolucci, Montcore, B.C.
200. Lethbridge, F Chris Thorimbert, Saskatoon.
201. Brandon, F Mitch Collett, Calgary.
202. Regina, Alex McCrea, California.
203. Prince Albert, G Matt Zentner, Red Deer.
204. Chilliwack, D Chandler Irvin, Cochrane, Alta.
Kamloops pass.
205. Kelowna, D Mitch Wheaton, Sherwood Park.

Still more ninth round . . .

191. Portland, F Chase Deleo, Los Angeles.
192. Spokane, F Jacob Romo, Fullerton, Calif.
193. Everett, D Chandler Bruychere, Parksville, B.C.
194. Tri-City, D Ryer Sawchuk, Taber, Alta.
195. Saskatoon, F Josh Smith, Chilliwack.
196. Brandon, F Hunter Smith, Carlyle, Sask.
197. Calgary, F Garrett Forster, Delta, B.C.

End of round.

More ninth . . .

Swift Current, Pass.
187. Red Deer, D Dawven Berggren, Saskatoon.
188. Vancouver, F Kevin Klishoff, Langley, B.C.
189. Medicine Hat, F Page Maul, Missoula, Montana.
190. Everett, Kyle Meservey, Sundrie, Alta.

Ninth continues

182. Prince Albert, F Sebastian Aurie, St. Albert.
183. Chilliwack, F Taylor Crunk, San Jacino, Calif.
184. Vancouver, D Scott Savage, San Clemente, Calif.
185. Kelowna, G James Fisk, Airdrie, Alta.
186. Kelowna, F Jaryd Watson, Leask, Sask.

Ninth round begins

177. Prince George, F Jade McMullen, Fort St. John, B.C.
178. Edmonton, F Cole Benson, Edmonton.
179. Lethbridge, D Lenny Hackman, Airdrie, Alta.
180. Brandon, F Quinton Usoway, Neepawa, Man.
181. Regina, Domico Hannoun, Delta, B.C.

Still the eighth round . . .

175. Brandon, C Jack Palmer, Victoria.
176. Calgary, D Keaton Thompson, Devil's Lake, N.D.

End of round

The eighth round goes on . . .

170. Prince Albert, D Arwin Atwal, North Delta, B.C.
171. Spokane, D Jason Fram, South Delta, B.C.
172. Chilliwack, D Reid Halabi, Edmonton.
173. Tri-City, F Bryan Williams, Los Angeles.
174. Saskatoon, F Nicholas Zajac, Winnipeg.

And more eighth . . .

165. Swift Current, F Matthew Gelinas, Calgary.
166. Red Deer, F Scott Feser, Red Deer.
167. Chilliwack, F Linden Bourne, Sherwood Park.
168. Medicine Hat, F Cameron Gotaas, Sherwood Park.
169. Everett, F Carson Stadnyk, Saskatoon.

More eighth round . . .

160. Prince Albert, F Regan Yew, Meadow Lake, Sask.
161. Edmonton, F Carter Zaluski, McCreary, Man.
162. Kamloops, F Mackenzie Ferner, Vernon, B.C.
163. Kelowna, F Hudson Fasching, Burnsville, Minn.
164. Moose Jaw, G Judson Paulic, Thompson, Man.

Eighth round begins

EIGHTH ROUND
155. Swift Current, F Nathan Bandet, Regina.
156. Edmonton, D Griffin Foulk, Broomfield, Colo.
157. Lethbridge, F Rene Laurencelle, Winnipeg.
158. Brandon, Daniel Tallifer, La Broquerie, Man.
159. Regina, D Nolan Parrington, Winnipeg.

Still more seventh round. . . .

148. Tri-City, D Austin Seaman, Calgary.
149. Spokane, F Cade Owad, Calgary.
150. Everett, G Austin Lotz, St. Adolphe, Man.
151. Tri-City, F Tarron Lewis, Winnipeg.
152. Saskatoon, F Drake Bodie, Thompson, Man.

153. Brandon, F Kyler Hehn, Stony Plain, Alta.
154. Moose Jaw, D Latrell Charleson, Surrey.

End of round.

Seventh round continues . . .

143. Chilliwack, D Sean Davies, Drumheller.
144. Seattle, D Brad LaLievre, Mill Creek, Wash.
145. Vancouver, D Justin Toomey, Leduc, Alta.
146. Medicine Hat, F Damon Hanson, Kent, Wash.
147. Kootenay, F Jackson Elyniuk, Calgary.

More seventh round . . .

138. Prince Albert, D Kaden Tobin, Stony Plain.
139. Chilliwack, F Brennan Clark, Kelowna.
140. Kamloops,G Braden Krogfoss, Cloverdale, B.C.
141. Portland, D Dylan Bowen, Lumby, B.C.
142. Moose Jaw,F Connor Baugh, North Shore Winter Club.

Seventh round begins

SEVENTH ROUND:
133. Everett, F Michael Bell, Maple Ridge.
134. Edmonton, F Brandon Baddock, Vermillion, Alta.
135. Kootenay, F Jonathan Martin, Winnipeg.
136. Seattle, F John Edmundh, Calgary.
137. Regina, D Nolan De Jong, Victoria.

Sixth round ends . . .

131. Brandon, F Taylor Cooper, Sherwood Park.
132. Kamloops, D Ryan Rehill, Edmonton.

More sixth round . . .

126. Spokane, D Bo Pelah, Burnaby.
127. Spokane, F Tyson Predenchuk, Regina.
128. Saskatoon,D Brent Magee, Edmonton.
129. Spokane, D Jeremy McIntosh, Calgary.
130. Saskatoon, F Connor Kortko, Saskatoon.

Sixth round continues . . .

121. Swift Current, F Denis Bosc, Dufresne, Man.
122. Red Deer, F Scott Ferguson, Sylvan Lake, Alta.
123. Vancouver, D Trevor Lima, Vancouver.
124. Moose Jaw, F Braden McDonald, Stonewall, Man.
125. Kootenay, D Kyle Krebhen, Calgary.

More sixth round . . .

116. Medicine Hat, F Chad Labelle, Calgary.
117. Medicine Hat, F Cole Sanford, Vernon.
118. Kamloops, F Dylan Frey, Weyburn.
119. Prince Albert, D Tyler Day, St. Albert.
120. Moose Jaw, D Jordan Wiest, Lethbridge.

Sixth round . . .

SIXTH ROUND:
111. Edmonton, D Robbie Cameron, Saskatoon.
112. Portland, F Connor Hutchins, Texas.
113. Kelowna, F Cole Linaker, Edmonton.
114. Seattle, F Daniel Wray, Edmonton.
115. Regina, G Tanner Burgardt, Kerrobert, Sask.

More on the fifth . . .

104. Portland, Wyatt Noskey, Edmonton.
105. Spokane, G Brett Lewchuk, Saskatoon.
106. Everett, F Geordie Maguire, Winnipeg
107. Prince George, D Raymond Grewal, Prince George.
108. Saskatoon, G Alex Moodie, Winnipeg.
109. Brandon, D Nolan Speiss, Neepawa, Man.
110. Calgary, F Dayton Creasy, Glenboro, Man.

Break for lunch.

More fifth round

99. Red Deer, D Kevin Pochuk, Winnipeg.
100. Seattle, D Zach Douglas, McTaggart, Sask. (deletes Rob Ciolfi)
101. Edmonton, F Nelson Gadoury, Calahoo, Alberta.
102. Regina, F Brett Harris, 108 Mile House, B.C.
103. Lethbridge, F Jamal Watson, Calgary.

NOTE: Kamloops deleted D Luke Lemire after picking 98th.

Fifth round continues . . .

94. Prince Albert, G Taryn Phaneuf, Prince Albert.
95. Moose Jaw, F Kurt Keets, Winnipeg.
96. Kootenay, F Jesse Wood-Schatz, Sherwood Park.
97. Prince George, D Shane Kumar, Delta, B.C.
98. Kamloops, F Matt McLeod, Saskatoon.

Draft continues

Sorry. I didn't realize things would be so slow, so I didn't think there would be much value in my posting from the second round on. I will pick it up now with the fifth round. Lunch break after it. . . . Apologies for any misspellings as there isn't a list available for the media. . . . I will try to post five picks at a time . . .

89. Prince George, F Chase Witala, Prince George.
90. Chilliwack, D Brodie Cloves, Calgary.
91. Regina, F Ty McLean, Redvers, Sask.
92. Seattle, G Justin Myles, Calgary.
93. Red Deer, G Alex Orth, Abbotsford.

22nd pick

Calgary closes out the first round by taking F Greg Chase of Sherwood Park.

21st pick

Moose Jaw takes F Torrin White of Medicine Hat.

20th pick

The Saskatoon Blades take F Tim McGauley of Wilcox, Sask.

19th pick

The Vancouver Giants take F Anthony Ast from the Burnaby Winter Club.

18th pick

The Edmonton Oil Kings, who took F Curtis Lazar with the second overall pick, are on the stage again. This time they take D Mason Geertsen of Drayton Valley, Alta.

18th pick

The Everett Silvertips, with a dearth of picks in this draft, have dealt the 18th overall pick to Edmonton for a 2010 second-round pick (24) and a 2010 fourth-round pick (68).

18th pick

GM Doug Soetaert of the Everett Silvertips stops to talk with Edmonton GM Bob Green, who seems to be a popular man this morning. . . . Soetaert makes his way to the front of the room and it looks like he is telling Richard Doerksen of the WHL office about a deal.

17th pick

The Spokane Chiefs take D Tyler King-Cunningham from Pilot Butte, Sask. He played at Notre Dame this season.

16th pick

No deals, even after Johnston revisited Green briefly. . . . The Portland Winterhawks, with Garry Davidson doing the announcing, take F Nic Petan of the North Shore Winter Club.

16th pick

Portland GM Mike Johnston has crossed the floor to chat with Dallas Thompson of the Prince George Cougars. Johnston leaves P.G.'s table and stops to talk with Edmonton GM Bob Green. Johnston has returned to his table with the Winterhawks on a timeout.

15th pick

The Kootenay Ice take F Sam Reinhart from West Vancouver, B.C.

14th pick

The Medicine Hat Tigers take D Spencer Jensen of Airdrie, Alta.

13th pick

Vancouver trades 13th overall to Tri-City for Tri-City's first pick (19) and Tri-City's second-round pick in 2011. . . . Tri-City then takes G Eric Comrie of the L.A. Selects. He is the younger brother of NHLer Mike Comrie and the first goaltender to go in this draft.

13th pick

Scott Bonner and Bob Tory shake hands so a deal has been made.

13th pick

The Vancouver Giants are up next and have been granted a timeout. . . . Tri-City GM Bob Tory and Giants GM Scott Bonner are talking at the Vancouver table. . . . Looks like a deal in the works.

12th pick

The Red Deer Rebels take D Kayle Doetzel of Rosetown, Sask.

11th pick

The Swift Current Broncos take D Dillon Hetherington from the Calgary Broncs. That makes six Calgarians in the first 11 selections. There were four Calgary players taken in succession with picks three through six, not three as mentioned earlier. . . . Tri-City GM Bob Tory has just made his way over to the Red Deer Rebels' table, where he spoke briefly with Jesse Wallin, and now has gone back to the Americans' table.

10th pick

The Moose Jaw Warriors take F Carter Hansen from Bethune, Sask.

Five of the first nine picks, including three in a row (4-6) have been from Calgary.

Ninth pick

Lorne Frey, the Kelowna Rockets' director of player personnel and head scout, announces that the Rockets take D Jesse Lees from the Calgary Northstar Sabres.

Eighth pick

The Kamloops Blazers had Darryl Sydor, a former Blazers defenceman who spent this season with the NHL's St. Louis Blues, announce their pick. He is a part-owner of the team. . . . The Blazers took F Matt Needham from Penticton. His father, Mike, is a former Blazers player.

Seventh pick

The Chilliwack Bruins take D Keegan Kanzig from Athabasca, Alta., who played for the Fort Saskatchewan bantams. He is a 6-foot-5 defenceman who had a solid Alberta Cup.

Sixth pick

Dale Derkatch, the Prince Albert Raiders' director of player personnel, announces their pick . . . D Josh Morrissey of the Calgary Royals Gold.

Fifth pick

The Regina Pats take time out. Each team is given one minute to make its pick, with timeouts allowed at the discretion of the league. The Pats were the first team to take a time out. . . . Regina head scout Todd Ripplinger makes his way onto the stage and the Pats take F Morgan Klimchuk of the Calgary Bisons.

Fourth pick

The Seattle Thunderbirds take D Jared Hauf of the Calgary Bronks.

Third pick

The Lethbridge Hurricanes take F Jonathan Merkley of the Calgary Bisons.

Second pick

Randy Hansch, the assistant GM and director of player personnel with the Edmonton Oil Kings, stands up, sits down to chat with his GM, Bob Green, then heads to the stage and takes F Curtis Lazar of Vernon, B.C., who plays for the Pursuit of Excellence in Kelowna.

First pick

Wade Klippenstein, assistant GM and director of player personnel for the Prince George Cougars, mades the first pick . . . Alex Forsberg of the Beardy's Blackhawks.

Distinguished Service Award

Before the draft started, the WHL honoured Graham Tuer of Regina, who now scouts for the Kelowna Rockets, by presenting him with its Distinguished Service Award. No one has given more of himself to hockey at all levels off minor and junior hockey in Saskatchewan than the man known as Mister Tuer. . . . Bruce Hamilton, the chairman of the board and the president and GM of the Rockets, and Saskatoon Blades president Jack Brodsky handled the presentation. . . . "I've never travelled with a guy who gets so many hugs," Hamilton said. "He's been a wonderful person for our league. I don't know if he ever has a bad day." . . . Brodsky added: "I don't know anyone who has more respect for the game and cares more for the people in the game than Graham." . . . Tuer received a well-deserved standing ovation. "As I look around the room, I've had a lot of good relationships with the people and organizations I've been fortunate enough to work with," an emotional Tuer said. . . . Having spent 17 years working in Regina, I can tell you that Tuer means a lot to hockey in Western Canada, but especially in Saskatchewan. He is a special, special man.

Off and rolling

The WHL's 2010 bantam draft is up and running. . . . Lots of chatter on the floor in the Hollywood Ballroom at the Fantasyland Hotel on one end of the West Edmonton Mall. . . . The Prince George Cougars hold the first pick. GM Dallas Thompson told me about 15 minutes ago that the Cougars are "going off the board" with their first pick. . . . Uhh, he had that look in his eye when he said it. . . . Tri-City GM Bob Tory has been active on the floor, talking with half-a-dozen of his counterparts. . . . No deals announced yet. . . . WHL v-p Richard Doerksen just welcomed everyone and The Commish, Ron Robison, is giving his opening remarks at the moment. . . . They are hoping to have this all wrapped up by 3 p.m. MT. . . . First pick momentarily. . . . I'll provide picks through the first round as they happen. For stats, check out Alan Caldwell's site, Small Thoughts At Large.

Wednesday . . .

Bruce Hamilton, the president and general manager of the Kelowna Rockets, could hardly contain himself Wednesday night.
It was the night before the annual WHL bantam draft and it almost was as though he had cashed in a first-round pick a bit early.
“We got Colton Sissons to commit,” he said, “and we couldn’t be more thrilled.”
The Rockets acquired the rights to Sissons from the Saskatoon Blades in January, in exchange for veteran F Curt Gogol.
The 6-foot-0, 173-pound Sissons, 16, played for the BCHL’s Westside Warriors, picking up 22 points in 58 games.
Hamilton fully expects Sissons, a native of North Vancouver, to be in the Rockets’ lineup next season.
The Rockets also picked up a 2011 third-round bantam pick in the deal with Saskatoon.
---
The Kamloops Blazers, meanwhile, are in a quandary.
Their braintrust went to bed Wednesday night feeling as though it is caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.
It seems that F Matt Needham of Penticton has told them that he won’t commit to the WHL until he has completed at least his 2010-11 season. Part of the Kamloops braintrust doesn’t feel that it is in a position to roll the dice with the No. 8 pick on something that isn’t a sure thing. Part of the braintrust, on the other hand, seems prepared to go ahead and select Needham.
In the end, the decision will be made by GM Craig Bonner.
You can bet he didn’t sleep too well on Wednesday night. Don't be surprised if he climbs out of bed and decides to take the best available defenceman.
---
D Kevin Connauton of the Vancouver Giants has signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. Connauton, selected by the Canucks with the 83rd pick of the 2009 NHL draft, left Western Michigan to join the Giants. In his one WHL season, he set franchise records for goals (24) and points (72) by a defenceman. He was named a Western Conference all-star.
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F Lance Bouma, the captain of the Vancouver Giants, has joined the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat. Bouma was selected by the Calgary Flames, the Heat’s parent club, in the third round of the 2008 NHL draft. . . . The Heat is preparing to meet the Hamilton Bulldogs in the second round of the AHL playoffs.
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Steve Junker (Spokane, 1988-92) has returned to his hometown to coach. Junker, who has played in Europe since 1997, is the new GM and head coach of the junior B Castlegar Rebels of the Kootnenay International league. As a player, Junker was on teams that won the Memorial Cup, Turner Cup (IHL) and Calder Cup (AHL). He also played for Canada in the world junior championship. . . . Junker replaces Brent Heaven, whose contract wasn’t renewed after he spent three seasons as head coach.
---
F Kyle Beach of the Spokane Chiefs has made it to the NHL. Beach was one of eight players recalled Thursday by the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks from the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs. Beach, the 11th overall pick in the 2008 NHL draft, joined Rockford after the Chiefs’ season ended. He led the IceHogs with three playoff goals. . . . The Blackhawks are preparing to begin a second-round playoff series against the Vancouver Canucks.
---
Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province is speculating that the Vancouver Giants may end up acquiring F Landon Ferraro from the Red Deer Rebels. That story is right here.
With the instantaneous reaction time provided by the Internet, speculation such as this leads to things like this: Red Wings prospect Landon Ferraro on the outs with Red Deer. . . . That’s just one off the blog headlines that I spotted on the Internet after first seeing Ewen’s story. Of course, that headline could have been written after head coach Jesse Wallin scratched Ferraro (and F Andrej Kudrna) from what turned out to be Red Deer’s final playoff game.
---
The Forsberg brothers are eager to play together with the Prince George Cougars. Jesse just completed his first season as a Cougars defenceman; Alex, a forward, is expected to be selected by the Cougars with the first pick of Thursday’s bantam draft. Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has that story right here.

Chasing the draft dream

This is what appeared in The Daily News on Tuesday. I am in Edmonton and will blog from the draft on Thursday . . .

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
The WHL holds its annual bantam draft on Thursday at the Fantasyland Hotel in Edmonton.
It's doubtful that there is a more aptly named place in which to hold such a function, because you know that management of each of the WHL's 22 teams fantasizes regularly about having star players in their lineups and championship banners hanging from their arena rafters.
The Kamloops Blazers, of course, are no different.
And they will be well represented Thursday morning when proceedings get started at 8:30.
The Prince George Cougars hold the first pick and, while they aren't tipping their hand, no one will be surprised if they open by taking Alex Forsberg, a forward from the Beardy's Blackhawks of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA League. Forsberg, 15, finished third in the scoring race, with 72 points in 44 games. He added seven goals and two assists in six playoff games.
As well, his 16-year-old brother, Jesse, has completed one season with the Cougars. Jesse, a defenceman, was the 11th overall pick in the 2008 draft.
The Blazers, who will make their first pick in the No. 8 slot, will be fairly busy in the early going, what with four selections in the first three rounds, including three in the first 35 picks.
General manager Craig Bonner, Matt Recchi, the Blazers' director of player personnel, head scout Ken Fox and the club's two Alberta-based scouts, Mark Blair and Warren Renden, spent the weekend watching the Alberta Cup in Leduc.
“With the four picks in the first three rounds, I think we can cover our bases with a little bit of everything,” Bonner said. “Position-wise, with that first pick, it's probably going to be the best player available, defenceman or forward.”
Bonner is heading into his third year as the club's general manager, and this will be his third time at the controls during the draft.
In 2008, he selected forward Colin Smith of Edmonton, who had 28 points in 46 games in his freshman season.
Last year, Bonner took defenceman Brady Gaudet of Redvers, Sask., who suffered a knee injury during the Blazers' training camp in August. He went on to total 20 points and 83 penalty minutes in 41 games with the midget AAA Tisdale, Sask., Trojans.
“Gaudet had a real strong second-half,” Recchi said. “That injury at training camp really slowed him at the beginning of the season. Making that transition from bantam AA to midget AAA, moving away - he moved seven hours away from home and was billeting as a 15-year-old. . . . After the Mac's tournament his game really turned on and he was really good down the stretch.”
Gaudet showed enough that the Blazers don't feel any pressure to take a defenceman in the first round.
“I want a variety,” Recchi added. “In the first round, we'll take the best available player. Whether it's a forward or a defenceman, I don't care. We're going to make a list of eight and pick the one we think is the best at the time.
“After that, we'll evaluate the situation. If we get a forward or a defenceman with the first pick, we'll look at different scenarios. We have two second-round picks and they're fairly close. If we get a forward (in the first round), one of our second-round picks will be a defenceman.”
Bonner was a defenceman in his playing days and someone who learned the value of defending during a six-season stint as an assistant coach with the Vancouver Giants. So he can be excused for being a bit partial to defencemen.
“If there is a real high-end defenceman that's there at eight, we definitely will have to look at it,” he said. “I believe it's important to have a lot of good defencemen.”
Bonner also believes there are “a lot of good, quality defencemen in the draft.”
“I don't know how many I would say are in the top 10,” he added, “but there definitely are some in the top 10.”
Still, because of their faith in Gaudet, Bonner doesn't feel pressure to add a defenceman.
“Last year, our No. 1 priority was to get a defenceman and we got Gaudet,” Bonner reiterated. “This year, we're a little bit more flexible as to which direction we go.”
JUST NOTES: G Tyler Fuhr of the Edmonton-Northeast Flyers is one of the top goaltenders eligible for the draft. He isn't related to former NHL G Grant Fuhr. . . . F Ryan Chynoweth of the Lethbridge Golden Hawks could be an early-round selection. His father is Jeff Chynoweth, the president and GM of the Kootenay Ice. . . . F Matt Needham of Penticton is the son of former Kamloops Blazers sniper Mike Needham. Matt had 253 points, including 94 goals, with the bantam AAA Vees. . . . Observers expect a lot of small skaters to be taken in this draft. As Recchi explained: “You watch the Tri-Citys and the Medicine Hats of the world with a bunch of guys 5-foot-10 and under who scored goals and are hard to play against.” Tri-City's roster includes 10 skaters who are 5-foot-10 or shorter.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com

Here are a few players who are expected to be selected in the early going of Thursday’s WHL bantam draft:
FORWARDS:
Anthony Ast, Burnaby Winter Club
Alex Forsberg, Beardy’s, Sask., Blackhawks
Morgan Klimchuk, Calgary Bisons
Remi Laurencelle, Winnipeg Warriors
Curtis Lazar, Pursuit of Excellence, Kelowna
Craig Leverton, Warman, Sask., Wildcats
Jon Merkely, Calgary Bisons
Matt Needham, Penticton
Wyatt Noskey, Edmonton K of C Squires
Nic Petan, North Shore Winter Club
Brian Williams, Los Angeles Selects
———
DEFENCEMEN:
Madison Bowey, Winnnipeg Monarchs
Kyle Burroughs, Langley Eagles
Joseph Carvalho, Burnaby Winter Club
Carter Hansen, Lumsden-Bethune, Sask., Lions
Jared Hauf, Calgary Bronks
Tyler King-Cunningham, Notre Dame Hounds
Jesse Lees, Calgary Northstar Sabres
Josh Morrisey, Calgary Royals Gold
Scott Savage, Los Angeles Selects
Joel Topping, Red Deer Rebels Black
———
GOALTENDERS:
Eric Comrie, L.A. Selects
G Tyler Fuhr, Edmonton-Northeast Flyers
Tristan Jarry, North Delta

THE FIRST ROUND:
1. Prince George; 2. Edmonton; 3. Lethbridge; 4. Seattle; 5. Regina; 6. Prince Albert; 7. Chilliwack; 8. Kamloops; 9. Kelowna; 10. Moose Jaw; 11. Swift Current;
12. Red Deer; 13. Vancouver; 14. Medicine Hat; 15. Kootenay; 16. Portland; 17. Spokane; 18. Everett; 19. Tri-City; 20. Saskatoon; 21. Moose Jaw (from Brandon); 22. Calgary.

THE BLAZERS’ PICKS:
First Round
8. Their own pick.
Second Round
30. Their own pick.
35. From Vancouver (Jan. 8, 2009: Kamloops trades D Nick Ross and F Alex Rodgers to Vancouver for D Curtis Kulchar, 2009 third- and fourth-round draft picks and a 2010 second-round pick.)
Third Round
61. From Spokane (Jan. 7, 2009: Kamloops trades F Brady Calla to Spokane for F Seth Compton and a 2010 third-round draft pick.)
Fifth Round
98. from Moose Jaw (Sept. 15, 2008: Kamloops trades 2009 fourth- and fifth-round draft picks to Moose Jaw for D Giffen Nyren and a 2010 fifth-round draft pick.)
Sixth Round
118. Their own pick.
132. From Calgary (Nov.22, 2009: Kamloops trades D Giffen Nyren to Calgary for a 2010 sixth-round draft pick.)
NOTE: Kamloops has all of its own selections for the remainder of the draft.

Tuesday . . .

The Moose Jaw Warriors have chosen not to renew the contract of assistant coach Kevin Higo. "We feel the need to go another direction moving forward," Jeff Truitt, the director of hockey operations, said in a statement. . . . Truitt said the Warriors will soon begin looking for a replacement to work with head coach Dave Hunchak.
———
Mike Johnston, the GM and head coach of the Portland Winterhawks, has added another title to his portfolio — assistant coach with the Swiss national team. Johnston will help head coach Sean Simpson run Switzerland’s entry in the world championship that runs May 7-23 in Germany. . . . F Nino Niederreiter of the Winterhawks has been invited to the Swiss tryout camp. Niederreiter also made his senior international debut with Switzerland on Saturday. Simpson used him in an international exhibition game against Germany in Fussen. The Swiss won 1-0 on a third-period goal by Damien Brunner of EV Zug. Niederreiter went into the lineup in place of F Roman Wick, who sat out with bruised ribs. (Thanks to the gang at World Hockey for the Niederreiter info.)
———
Ed Harding is the new director of hockey and varsity boys head coach at North Yarmouth Academy. Harding is a veteran of the coaching wars, having coached in the USHL and the QMJHL. Most recently, he was GM and head coach of the QMJHL’s Lewiston Maineiacs. . . . NYA is located in Yarmouth, Maine.

Monday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT: D Ales Cerny (Swift Current, 2000-02) won’t be re-signed by Mont-Blanc (France Ligue Magnus). He had five goals and 11 assists in 26 games for Mont-Blanc this season. Mont-Blanc finished in 14th (last) place in Ligue Magnus this season and kept its place in the league for next season by beating 13th place Neuilly sur Marne three games to two. . . .
F Sami Sandell (Brandon, 2004-06) has signed a one-year contract extension with Troja-Ljungby (Sweden Allsvenskan). He started the season with LeKi Lempäälä (Finland Mestis), getting 10 goals and seven assists in 17 games. He also had one goal in one game for Ilves Tampere (Finland SM-Liiga) before heading to Sweden. With Troja-Ljungby, Sandell had nine goals and five assists in 23 games. Troja-Ljungby's GM, Jerry Andersson, said: "Sami became a crowd favorite last year and obviously we are very pleased to retain him." . . .
F Ben Thomson (Medicine Hat, 1997-2003) signed a one-year contract extension with EVR Tower Stars Ravensburg (Germany 2.Bundesliga). He had 28 goals and 38 assists in 51 games for the Tower Stars this season to finish fifth in 2.Bundesliga scoring.
———
WHL PLAYOFFS
FOURTH ROUND
CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL
(Ed Chynoweth Cup)
Calgary (1E) vs. Tri-City (1W)
(best-of-7)
(all times local)
Friday: Tri-City at Calgary, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday: Tri-City at Calgary, 8 p.m.
May 4: Calgary at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
May 5: Calgary at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
x-May 7: Tri-City at Calgary, 7 p.m.
x-May 9: Calgary at Tri-City, 5:05 p.m.
x-May 10: Tri-City at Calgary, 7 p.m.
x — if necessary.
———
There you have it . . . the schedule for the WHL championship for the Ed Chynoweth Cup.
If it goes seven games, the Calgary Hitmen and Tri-City Americans will play Games 6 and 7 on consecutive nights in two different venues.
And here are the travel plans for the series . . .
The Americans will ride the bus to Calgary for Games 1 and 2, with both teams taking the bus to Kennewick, Wash., for Games 3 and 4.
After that, if necessary, its all jets all the time.
Both teams will fly to Calgary for Game 5, then fly to Kennewick for Game 6, and fly to Calgary for Game 7.
Following the series, the winning team will fly east as the Memorial Cup beings in Brandon on May 14.
———
Mike Williamson has covered a lot of ground, and a lot of ice, over the last year.
A former player and coach with the Portland Winterhawks, Williamson was out of the game for two years before signing on as head coach of the Calgary Hitmen last summer.
And now here he is, about to lead his guys into the WHL’s championship final against the Tri-City Americans.
The series opens with two games in Calgary, on Friday and Saturday nights.
“It’s been a bit hairy but it’s certainly good to be here,” Williamson said late Sunday night, taking a break from scoreboard watching and a viewing of Where The Wild Things Are with his children.
With the way in which the Hitmen dispatched the Brandon Wheat Kings in the Eastern Conference final -- Calgary lost the opener and then won four in a row -- it is easy to remember that they came perilously close to bowing out in the first round. In fact, they had to win three straight games after falling behind 3-1 to the Moose Jaw Warriors.
“Our guys had played pretty well other than Game 2,” Williamson said of that first-round series. “In the first game, we were a little bit overanxious, I think. We were so excited and so aggressive that we didn’t really play our game. The second game just was uncharacteristic . . . we didn’t play very well.”
When the Hitmen fell behind 3-1, Williamson said, the fact that he had an experienced roster that included a lot of players who had been to the previous WHL final meant a lot.
“When it was 3-1 our guys were pretty good about realizing that it was one game we had to focus on,” he said. “I think if it had been a younger team or more inexperienced, it would have been tougher for them to buy in. In saying that, it was still close. But the belief at least was there and that was the first thing.”
And now, as he prepares for the final, what is going through his mind?
“To be in the this situation and still be coaching, it’s an unbelievable opportunity,” he said.
Yeah, but what does he do for an encore?
Williamson chuckled and said: “Ahh, we‘ll see where this goes.”
———
Jeff Battah won’t be back as an assistant coach with the Prince George Cougars. He joined the Cougars on Dec. 11, 2008, after working as GM/head coach of the AJHL’s Drayton Valley Thunder. . . . Head coach Dean Clark will work with Jason Becker as his assistant coach. Becker (Saskatoon, Red Deer, Kamloops, Swift Current, 1990-95) signed on with the Cougars on Dec. 16. . . . Blaine Russell, the WHL’s playoff MVP with the champion Lethbridge Hurricanes in 1997, will be the Cougars’ goaltending coach. Russell also played goal for the Spokane Chiefs and Prince Albert Raiders (1995-97).
———
Greg Pankewicz, who retired as a player a year ago, will return as the Colorado Eagles’ assistant coach. He will be working under president/GM/head coach Chris Stewart. Pankewicz is a former WHL player (Prince Albert, Regina, 1989-91).
———
The IHL’s Dayton Gems have fired former NHLer John Marks as their head coach. The move was made on Friday. Marks, 62, almost certainly will find a job elsewhere. A longtime coach, he is the ECHL career leader in games coached, victories and losses.
———
Here’s a note I received via email from a follower of the Portland Winterhawks regarding Dean (Scooter) Vrooman’s playoff appearances on radio . . .
“As you are aware, he was providing ice level commentary for the Hawks playoff games.
“At the Rose Garden he was between the benches. However, at the old Memorial Coliseum he was in a corner. . . . Scooter must have had seven or eight sheets of paper (lineups, notes, names, etc.) taped to the glass and boards.
“When I first saw this, I immediately thought . . . ‘Wow, this is a guy who cares.’
“Here was a semi-retired guy who is going to get five to 10 minutes of air time a night, but he is still preparing for the job like he is doing play-by-play for a national television audience.”
We really wouldn’t expect anything but that kind of effort from the Scooter, would we? Here’s hoping that all the young wannabes were paying attention.
———
The Central league’s Wichita Thunder introduced Kevin McClelland as the 12th head coach in franchise history on Monday. McClelland is a former head coach of the Prince Albert Raiders who spent the last couple of seasons as head coach of the Central league’s Colorado Eagles. . . . At the same news conference at which McClelland’s hiring was confirmed, F Jason Duda (Saskatoon, Medicine Hat, 1992-95) announced his retirement as a player. Duda, who spent 14 seasons with Wichita, will stay with the team as its assistant coach. He is the franchise career leader in games played (730), goals (337), assists (533) and points (870). He had been the Thunder’s interim head coach since early November.
———
The QMJHL final will be an all-New Brunswick affair. The Saint John Sea Dogs advanced Monday with a 7-1 victory over the visiting Victoriaville Tigres. . . . This is the first time in QMJHL history that two teams from the Maritimes have qualified for the final. . . . The Sea Dogs, who had the QMJHL’s best regular-season record, took the semifinal in six games. They will meet the Moncton Wildcats in the final, that is expected to open on Friday. . . . The Wildcats took out the Drummondville Voltigeurs in five games, but lost F Nicolas Deshamps with a leg injury in the last game. Deschamps, who was on crutches after the game, is listed by the team as day-to-day with what head coach Danny Flynn has said is a high ankle sprain. Deschamps, 19, was acquired from the Chicoutimi Sagueneens in January and tied for the QMJHL scoring lead with 96 points, including 39 goals. A second-round selection by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2008 NHL draft, he has signed a pro deal. He has 14 points in 15 playoff games.

Some draft notes . . .

The pre-bantam draft buzz among WHL scouts is that Matt Needham, who totalled 253 points in 64 games with a bantam team in Penticton this season, has let it be known that he wants to play for the Kamloops Blazers and that his family wants him to play in Kamloops.
If that, indeed, is happening, it should come as no surprise. After all, his father, Mike, spent three seasons (1987-90) with the Blazers. Mike had 125 points, including 59 goals, in 60 games in his final season.
So while the Blazers, who hold the eighth overall pick in Thursday’s draft, aren’t about to tip their hand, it won’t be a surprise if they take Needham in the first round.
However, there also is word that Needham has said he won’t commit to the WHL — or to college — until he plays his 16-year-old season.
Meanwhile, there is a whisper out there that the Seattle Thunderbirds, who went young, young, young this season, are shopping the fourth overall selection, wanting an impact 18- or 19-year-old in return.
The Lethbridge Hurricanes, with three second-round picks, would love to move up to the four hole. They already hold the third selection, so a deal with Seattle might allow them to take Morgan Klimchuk and Jay Merkley, a pair of scorers from the Calgary Bisons, with back-to-back picks.
Merkley had a tournament-high 11 points at the Alberta Cup on the weekend, while Klimchuk had nine, including five goals.
———
You have to think that GM Doug Soetaert of the Everett Silvertips will be trying to add a draft pick or two.
The Silvertips only have five selections through seven rounds.
As of now, the Silvertips hold the 18th, 40th, 106th, 133rd and 150th picks.
The Kootenay Ice, meanwhile, hold seven picks in the first four rounds — one first, two seconds, two thirds and two fourths.
Mr. Chynoweth. A call for you, sir. A Mr. Soetaert is calling.
———
The Regina Pats, who hold the fifth overall pick, are also believed to have been chatting with the Seattle Thunderbirds about that No. 4 selection.
The Pats don’t have a second-round pick — it went to Lethbridge in the Carter Ashton deal in January. Neither does Regina have a fourth-round pick — the Swift Current Broncos got it for D Jesse Dudas in January 2009.
The Pats, at present, hold the fifth, 47th, 49th, 91st, 115th, 137th, 159th, 181st and 203rd selections through 10 rounds.
———
The draft is scheduled for Thursday and will be held in the Fantasyland Hotel in the West Edmonton Mall.

Hitmen liking deal with Blazers now

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
It may turn out to be one of those hockey trades that helps both teams.
But for now it’s fair to say the Calgary Hitmen are really liking their end of it.
On Jan. 10, the Hitmen dealt defenceman Austin Madaisky, 17, and centre Chase Schaber, 18, to the Kamloops Blazers for defenceman Zak Stebner, 19, and right-wingers Jimmy Bubnick, 18, and Tyler Shattock, 19. The Hitmen also acquired a conditional 2011 fourth-round bantam draft pick, while a conditional 2011 third-rounder went to Kamloops.
While Madaisky figures to be the leader on the Blazers’ back end for a season or two and Schaber is in line for the captaincy, the Hitmen, who also acquired defenceman Giffen Nyren, 20, from the Blazers in November, are on their way to the WHL’s championship final.
Games 1 and 2 between the Hitmen and Tri-City Americans will be played in Calgary on Friday and Saturday nights.
In other words, Calgary very much is living in the now, while the Blazers are looking down the road.
In discussing the four ex-Blazers with anyone from the Hitmen, however, one thing is made quite clear.
“We don’t call them the Kamloops guys any more,” Calgary head coach Mike Williams says. “We did that for about a month and then got away from that. Now they’re the Hitmen guys . . . Calgary players.”
Williamson, of course, is a former Portland Winterhawks player and assistant and head coach. After being out of the game for two seasons, he signed on as Calgary’s head coach last summer. Because of that absence, he didn’t know the new guys very well when the deals were made.
He certainly knows them now.
———
At the time of the deal, Stebner, a native of Saskatoon, was struggling for playing time with the Blazers. He was a healthy scratch on two occasions about six weeks before the trade and, in fact, had taken a couple of turns on a forward line.
That hasn’t been his role in Calgary.
“Stebner has been a great surprise for us,” Williamson says. “He’s been very, very stable and added a lot in different situations. He has fit in really well and played against other teams’ top lines almost since he got here.”
Stebner, who has three points in 18 playoff games, sees a lot of playing time in Calgary, as he also is on the power-play and penalty-killing units.
“He has benefited from being surrounded by other good players,” Williamson explains. “That took some pressure off him. He has very high expectations and wants to do well. If he’s put in a role where he has to be a guy to completely carry the load, I think it can go backwards on him a little bit because he cares so much.”
Stebner has often found himself paired with one of two veterans — the highly touted Michael Stone or Matt Mackenzie — which has helped his game.
“With those types of guys . . . we’re not expecting one guy to do everything,” Williamson says. “They both have a lot of responsibilities.”
———
Nyren, a smooth-skater who was a high-risk defender in Kamloops, has opened some eyes in Calgary.
“He’s been so good for us that it’s been incredible,” Williamson says. “When he first came in we knew what he was and that he was going to bring us some offence. But we thought it was probably going to be offence at the expense of the other end. He was like that for a few weeks and then something seemed to click, and he’s been responsible defensively and a catalyst offensively.”
Williamson goes so far as to credit Nyren, who is from Calgary and has 12 points and is plus-8 in 18 postseason games, with showing the way early in the playoffs.
“When the Moose Jaw series was on the line and when the Medicine Hat series was on the line,” Williamson says, “he was a guy you could tell wanted to make a difference. It was incredible where he elevated his game to. And he did it without compromising things at the other end. He surprised all of us with where his game went to.”
The Hitmen lost three of the first four games of a first-round series with the Moose Jaw Warriors, before coming back to win the last three, and then took out the Medicine Hat Tigers in six.
———
Bubnick, a sixth-round selection by the Atlanta Thrashers in the NHL‘s 2009 draft, had always played on the right wing in Kamloops. When he arrived in Calgary, circumstances — injuries and Schaber’s departure — dictated that he play centre.
“He has played centre since he’s been here and he hadn’t played centre for a long time,” Williamson says. “He has played on one of our top two lines . . . whether it’s against other teams’ top lines or in an offensive role. And he’s done really well. He’s fit in very well and done a lot of good things for us.”
That includes taking a regular shift, as well as playing on both special teams.
Williamson admitted that he would like to see Bubnick, a Saskatoon native, score a bit more.
“He finds a way to get great chances every night,” Williamson says. “He needs to bear down a little bit around the net. He gets good chances but doesn’t quite finish them, but I think he will.”
Bubnick has 12 points, but only two goals, in 18 playoff games.
———
Shattock, the Blazers captain at the time of the trade, has been everything the Hitmen thought they were getting and more.
When it was suggested that Shattock has been one of Calgary’s best playoff performers, Williamson didn’t hesitate in replying: “Absolutely.“
“We thought we needed to add a power forward,” Williamson says. “We saw right away why he was so coveted. He came in and was such a good leader on the bench. He blocked shots and killed penalties and got to the net. He’s as physical as anyone in the league.
“If we are going to continue to play, he is going to be a key part of it.”
In 16 games, Shattock, a fourth-round pick by the St. Louis Blues in the NHL’s 2009 draft, has 15 points, including five goals, in 16 games.
Shattock missed Games 3 and 4 of the Eastern Conference final — the Hitmen took care of the Brandon Wheat Kings in five games — after suffering a head injury when he was hit from behind by forward Scott Glennie in Game 2. Shattock was back for Game 5 but, with Calgary in control for most of a 6-1 victory, he didn’t play a lot as Williamson never was forced to shorten his bench.
“In a few days,” Williamson says, “he’ll be that much better.”
Against the Americans, he adds, “Shattock will be used a lot.”
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com

Something is wrong here

It is time for the NHL to wake up before it’s too late.
The incident on Saturday in which F Marian Hossa of the Chicago Blackhawks shoved Nashville Predators D Dan Hamhuis from behind could have ended the latter’s career, or worse, left him in a wheelchair.
By now you’re aware that Hossa was given a major penalty for boarding and came out of the penalty box to score the game-winning goal in overtime.
By now you’re also aware that Colin Campbell, who handles disciplinary matters for the NHL, chose not suspend Hossa.
It doesn’t matter what reason, or reasons, that Campbell gave, because he was wrong. Period.
Having covered the March 1, 1987, WHL game in which Brad Hornung of the Regina Pats was shoved from behind and left a quadriplegic, and having written extensively about that incident at the time, I can tell you that I fear the NHL is headed in that direction. And if that happens it will be too late for two players because there always are two victims in these situations -- the hitter and the injured player.
Unfortunately, it would seem that it is going to take such an incident for the NHL to wake up and realize that it is going about this all wrong. Hamhuis was in an awkward and vulnerable position when Hossa carelessly and needlessly shoved him from behind.
The fact that Hamhuis didn’t suffer a serious injury, or that Hossa wasn’t a repeat offender, should have had no impact on resulting discipline.
The NHL’s objective should be to get those hits out of the game. Period.
And whatever it is, if anything, that the NHL is doing in an attempt to reach that objective, well, it isn’t working. There seem to be more and more hits from behind -- hits in the numbers -- as time goes on.
I can tell you, too, that there is concern in the WHL that those kinds of hits are creeping back into its game. Don’t be surprised if next season there is renewed vigour shown by WHL officials to rid its game of such hits.
It is something that can't happen quickly enough.

Sunday . . .

The Windsor Spitfires, the defending Memorial Cup champions, are still alive. The Spitfires completed their amazing comeback Sunday when they dumped the visiting Kitchener Rangers, 4-1, before 6,545 fans. . . . The Rangers had won the first three games of the series. . . . "We were down 0-3, I went home to my billet house and I wasn't down, I wasn't worried about the season being over," Windsor F Taylor Hall told Bob Duff of the Windsor Star. "I knew that we had a really good chance to come back, and that we had a really good chance to do something special." . . . The Spitfires, of course, opened the 2009 Memorial Cup with two straight losses. Facing elimination, they rattled off four straight victories to win the title. . . . Windsor is the third team in OHL history to come back from a 0-3 deficit to win a series. . . . The Spitfires will open the OHL final on the road against the Barrie Colts on Tuesday.
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Reed Schreck of the Rockford Register Star takes a look at former Spokane Chiefs head coach Bill Peters and his future, considering that his Rockford IceHogs haven’t gotten out of the first round of AHL playoffs during his two seasons there. That piece is right here.
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In Vernon, B.C., the Vipers scored a 7-3 victory over the Spruce Grove Saints in Game 7 of the Doyle Cup series. . . . The Vipers, the BCHL champions for a second straight year, will attempt to defend their Royal Bank Cup title when the junior A championship tournament gets started in Dauphin, Man., on Saturday.
———
WHL PLAYOFFS
THIRD ROUND
CONFERENCE FINALS
(Best-of-7)
(x — if necessary)
(All times local)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Brandon (2)
(Calgary wins series 4-1)
April 16: Brandon 4 at Calgary 2 (8,669)
April 17: Brandon 2 at Calgary 3 (OT) (8,697)
April 20: Calgary 6 at Brandon 3 (4,251)
April 21: Calgary 4 at Brandon 3 (4,363)
April 23: Brandon 1 at Calgary 6 (11,222)
———
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Tri-City (1) vs. Vancouver (5)
(Tri-City wins series 4-2)
April 16: Vancouver 4 at Tri-City 2 (3,899)
April 17: Vancouver 0 at Tri-City 4 (3,875)
April 20: Tri-City 2 at Vancouver 3 (OT) (6,178)
April 22: Tri-City 5 at Vancouver 2 (7,428)
April 23: Vancouver 1 at Tri-City 4 (4,351)
Sunday: Tri-City 5 at Vancouver 2 (5,538)
———
WHL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL
(Ed Chynoweth Cup)
FOURTH ROUND
(Best-of-7)
(x — if necessary)
(All times local)
Calgary (1 East) vs. Tri-City (1 West)
Friday: Tri-City at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Saturday: Tri-City at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Rest of schedule TBA
———

Tri-City captain Jarrett Stoll hoists the Western Conference championship trophy. (Photo courtesy CJ Relke Photography)

SUNDAY:
In Vancouver, the Tri-City Americans booked a spot in the WHL final for the first time in their 22-year existence, beating the Giants 5-2 and winning the Western Conference final, 4-2. . . . The Americans had been 0-3 in conference finals, losing twice to the Kamloops Blazers (1995, 1999) and one to the Spokane Chiefs (2008). . . . The Americans will meet the Calgary Hitmen in the WHL final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup. Games 1 and 2 will be played in Calgary on Friday and Saturday nights. . . . “A lot of people thought we’d lost too much (in the way of players) to do well this year, but we had a solid core of guys coming back,” Tri-City GM Bob Tory told Lyndon Little of the Vancouver Sun. “We don’t get a lot of recognition down in our area. We just go about our business quietly and try to do our best.” . . . . F Milan Kytnar gave Vancouver a 1-0 lead on the PP at 9:27 of the first period. . . . The Americans scored two PP goals before the period ended, though, with F Johnny Lazo and F Justin Feser finding the range at 10:08 and 12:49, respectively. . . . F Craig Cunningham pulled the Giants even with another PP goal, this one at 7:35 of the second. . . . That was Cunningham’s 12th goal of these playoffs. He finished the playoffs with 24 points and is second to Calgary F Brandon Kozun, who has 26 points, in the scoring race. . . . The Americans got the winner when F Patrick Holland scored his third goal just 26 seconds into the third. . . . F Kruise Reddick, with his ninth, at 3:06 on the PP, and F Sergei Drozd, with his eighth, at 13:59, added insurance. . . . Reddick also had two assists, while D Tyler Schmidt drew three helpers. . . . The Americans were 3-for-7 on the PP as the Giants continued to have problems on the PK. The Americans won the last three games of the series and totalled five PP goals in those games. . . . F James Henry had two assists for the Giants. . . . Vancouver was 2-for-9 on the PP. . . . Tri-City G Drew Owsley, who was named the series MVP, stopped 30 shots, while Vancouver’s Mark Segal turned aside 27. . . . In the last three games, Owsley stopped 97 of 102 shots, for a .951 save percentage. He was the first star in each of the last three games. . . . The Giants lost four of eight home playoff games. . . . Attendance was 5,538.
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PLAYOFF NOTES:
The WHL final will feature two veteran coaches — Calgary’s Mike Williams and Tri-City’s Jim Hiller — who are in their first seasons with these teams. Hiller was fired by the Chilliwack Bruins after last season, his third with them. Williamson left the Portland Winterhawks after the 2006-07 season. He was out of hockey for two seasons before signing with the Hitmen. . . . Hiller replaced Don Nachbaur, who left the Americans to sign on as head coach of the AHL’s Binghamton Senators. . . . Williamson took over from Dave Lowry, who guided the Hitmen to the final a year ago and then signed on with the parent Calgary Flames as an assistant coach. . . . The Hitmen go into the final on a four-game winning streak, while the Americans have won three in a row. . . .
The Hitmen and Americans met once this season. On Jan. 31, in Calgary, the Hitmen got 35 saves from G Martin Jones and posted a 3-0 victory. G Alex Pechurskiy stopped 29 shots for the Americans. Calgary got its goals from F Jimmy Bubnick, F Ian Schultz and F Joel Broda. Bubnick scored into an empty net. . . . Interestingly, Broda was selected by the Americans with the ninth overall pick in the 2004 bantam draft. On Sept. 25, 2007, the Americans dealt Broda to the Moose Jaw Warriors for F Jason Reese. The Warriors later dealt Broda to Calgary. . . . Calgary D Ben Wilson spent part of Saturday having some dental work done. He took a high stick to the face from Brandon F Scott Glennie during Friday’s 6-1 victory over the visiting Wheat Kings, costing him half a front tooth. One other tooth was cracked. . . . Calgary F Brandon Kozun holds the playoff point lead, with 26, and it sounds as though he is ready for the final. “Everyone’s still pissed off about losing like that, I know I still have that bitter taste in my mouth,” Kozun told Sean Myers of the Calgary Herald. “I’m sick of coming so close. I want to win that championship.” A year ago, the Hitmen lost the WHL final in six games to the Kelowna Rockets.
———
Veteran referees Chris Savage and Andy Thiessen worked Game 6 in Vancouver on Sunday. Each ended up with three assignments in the conference finals, Savage working twice in five eastern games and Thiessen drawing two western games. . . . The WHL used 12 referees in the conference finals and those two are the only ones to work three times, so would seem a good bet to get assignments during the final. . . . Here’s a look at other referees who worked during the conference finals, with E signifying an Eastern Conference game and W a Western Conference game: Trevor Hanson (W), Derek Herman (EW), Matt Kirk (EW), Devin Klein (EW), Brett Montsion (E), Steve Papp (W), Graham Skilliter (EW), Regan Vetter (E), Nathan Wieler (WE) and Derek Zalaski (EW).

Mud on the wall

It was after the firing of head coach Steve Pleau by the Edmonton Oil Kings that Mario Annicchiarico of the Edmonton Journal chose to throw a bunch of mud against a wall to see what might stick. In a story headlined “Candidates galore available”, Annicchiarico listed no fewer than 14 potential candidates to replace Pleau.
Here they are:
Boris Rybalka, the GM/head coach of the AJHL’s Camrose Kodiaks.
Steve Hamilton, the GM/head coach of the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints.
Mark Ferner, the GM/head coach of the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers.
Kevin Constantine, a former Everett Silvertips head coach who was fired a couple of weeks ago by the NHL’s Minnesota Wild as head coach of the AHL’s Houston Aeros.
Rick Carriere, a former Medicine Hat Tigers head coach who is teaching at the Vimy Ridge Hockey Academy in Edmonton these days and working with the Tigers as an executive assistant.
Ken Hitchcock, a veteran NHL head coach who was fired earlier this season by the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Shaun Clouston, the associate coach with the Medicine Hat Tigers.
Terry Virtue, an assistant coach with the Tri-City Americans.
John Becanic, a former Everett Silvertips head coach who spent this season as an assistant with the Seattle Thunderbirds and whose contract won’t be renewed.
Michael Dyck, who was fired a year ago as head coach of the Lethbridge Hurricanes and was an assistant coach with the U of Lethbridge Pronghorns this season.
Derek Laxdal, who is in his fifth season as director of hockey operations and head coach of the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads.
Kevin McClelland, who won’t be back as head coach of the Central league’s Colorado Eagles. Whoops! He will be introduced Monday as head coach of the Wichita Thunder.
Billy Moores, a former U of Alberta head coach and Oilers assistant coach who now scouts for the NHL team. He also spent one season as the Regina Pats’ GM/head coach.
Rob Daum, a former WHL and U of Alberta head coach who spent this season as head coach of the Springfield Falcons, the Oilers’ AHL affiliate.
Phew! That’s a lot of mud.
In fact, one of the men on this list emailed me, writing: “How do these guys get away with such irresponsible journalism? I guess if you throw enough names in there you might hit on one. There was sure a lot of name dropping there. I love the Ken Hitchcock one . . . sure he would love to get back on the old iron lung.”
Come on. Let’s get serious here.
Somehow, I don’t think Hitchcock is licking his lips at the thought of touring around Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest on a bus after all those years in the NHL. So stroke his name off the list.
Take off Carriere’s name, too. He loves what he’s doing right now and has no desire to jump back into the coaching game.
Billy Moores? One of the nicest men in the game, he absolutely hated the wheeling-and-dealing part of it when he was with the Pats for the 1985-86 season. Take him off the list.
Rybalka, Hamilton and Ferner? Take them off the list because it is doubtful that any WHL team in the market for a head coach will take someone out of the junior A ranks. Why not? If you are at all close to those who work within the WHL, you are aware that the animosity runs deep. There is a reason why the number of junior A coaches who move directly into WHL head-coaching jobs are few and far between. “Those Tier 2 guys are working against the WHL” is how one WHL executive put it after Pleau was fired. There is absolutely no love lost between WHL teams and the staffs of junior A clubs.
But, ahh, let’s cut to the chase . . .
The best candidate on the Journal’s list -- the stickiest piece of mud, if you will -- is Shaun Clouston. His head-coaching career consists basically of part of one season (2002-03) with the Tri-City Americans. The brother of former Kootenay Ice head coach Cory Clouston, now the head coach of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators, has been with the Tigers since Aug, 9, 2003 -- he was named associate coach in July 2007 -- and he and his family have carved out a comfortable existence in The Hat.
Whether he aspires to be a head coach, whether he would want to uproot his family, whether he would prefer to be the head coach-in-waiting in Medicine Hat all remain to be seen.
One thing is for sure, though. With the calibre of coaching in the WHL these days, Oil Kings general manager Bob Green won’t be rushing into anything. He knows that he can’t afford to make a mistake.

Saturday . . .

A real grab bag in the wee hours of Sunday . . .
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THE MacBETH REPORT: F Jakub Sindel (Brandon, 2004-05) signed a one-year contract with Tappara Tampere (Finland SM-Liiga). He had 11 goals and nine assists in 44 games for HC Kometa Brno (Czech Republic Extraliga) this season. . . .
D Matt Kinch (Calgary, 1995-2001) signed a two-year contract extension with EVR Tower Stars Ravensburg (Germany 2.Bundesliga). He had six goals and 22 assists in 52 games this season.
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Does the NHL have a great product or what? Marian Hossa about ends the career of Nashville D Dan Hamhuis but, under NHL rules, doesn’t get tossed from the game, then comes out of the penalty box to score the OT winner as the host Chicago Blackhawks beat the Predators, 5-4, to take a 3-2 series lead. . . . The hockey gods obviously weren’t working on Saturday. . . . By the way, still with the NHL playoffs, have you had your fill of video review yet? Just a thought, but how much money could the NHL save by firing all of its referees and officiating all games from the war room in Toronto?
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The Brandon Wheat Kings now will have three weeks off before they play host to the Memorial Cup, May 14-23. . . . The Wheat Kings are the fifth straight WHL team to play host to the Memorial Cup and fail to win the WHL championships. The Spokane Chiefs (1998), Regina Pats (2001), Kelowna Rockets (2004) and Vancouver Giants (2007) all did the same thing. Kelowna and Vancouver both were able to win the Memorial Cup on home ice. . . . The last WHL championship team to also be the team was the 1994-95 Kamloops Blazers, who won their third Memorial Cup in four seasons that spring. . . . When the Memorial Cup opens in Brandon on May 14, it’ll be the Wheat Kings against the OHL champions.
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There is controversy in Calgary where the owner of the National Lacrosse League’s Calgary Roughnecks is upset with the NHL’s Calgary Flames, who own the Calgary Hitmen and control the Pengrowth Saddledome. . . . The Roughnecks have qualified for the NLL playoffs and will play host to the Edmonton Rush in a May 1 game. But they have been given a 1 p.m. starting time and that has Roughnecks owner Brad Banister seething. “How does a taxpayers’ building fall into the hands of self-proclaimed billionaires?” he wrote in a statement released Friday. “The Flames should build their own arena. Instead of levelling the ’Dome, the City of Calgary should take it back. I am disgusted. I grew up in this city. I went to school here, I have businesses here, and I’m the lowest person on the totem pole as far as the Flames are concerned.” . . . The Hitmen will open the WHL’s championship final at home with games on the nights of Friday, April 30, and Saturday, May 1. The Saddledome also is home to a Simon and Garfunkel concert on Sunday, May 2. . . . “The NHL, WHL and NLL playoffs are always at the same time each season, and the Roughnecks have a proven track record when it comes to the post-season,” Banister continued. “That said, why wasn’t more attention paid to scheduling issues? Either the Flames had no intention of making the playoffs on their own, or they had no intention of giving us a playoff spot. How did the Flames expect to potentially hold their own playoff game? Did they think they would be playing at 1 p.m. on a Saturday? There comes a time when you have to stand up to bullies — that time is now.”
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Libby Raines, the vice-president of building operations, responded in a release:
"We are disappointed with Brad’s comments, as he is aware; we have made considerable concessions to support the Roughnecks as tenants of the Saddledome. We fulfill the complex obligation of booking the facility for all purposes – sporting, cultural and community – often a difficult juggling task.
"In regard to the date in question, the changeover required and the nature of the respective events (laying and removing the lacrosse field / hockey overtime) make this schedule the most viable in terms of ensuring that all three games can be accommodated.
"In addition, the Roughnecks were also provided Thursday night as an alternative, which, although unusual in the NLL, has been a game day in other markets. Thursday was not an option for the Hitmen as the WHL Draft is being held on the same day in Edmonton. We will do everything we can to support the Roughnecks' marketing of the game."
So there . . .
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However, by Saturday, Banister was apologizing.
“There’s always regrets,” Banister told the Calgary Herald on Saturday. “I probably owe the ownership group and Ken King an apology for the way I came off — especially with the billionaire comment.”
That story is right here.
And it gets even more bizarre because near the end of that story Kaleb Toth, an alternate captain and a tremendous lacrosse player, takes shots at the Flames, Edmonton Oilers and the Hitmen.
You will recall that Toth is a former WHL player, having skated for the Prince Albert Raiders, Moose Jaw Warriors and Lethbridge Hurricanes (1993-98).
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In Fairbanks, Alaska, the Wenatchee Wild dumped the Ice Dogs 7-1 on Friday to win the NAHL’s West Division title for a second straight season. The Wild is coached by former NHLer Paul Baxter, who played in the WHL with the Winnipeg Clubs in 1973-74. . . . The Wild will play host to the NAHL’s Robertson Cup championship tournament, May 4-9.
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G Clayton Pool (Kamloops, Kootenay, 1996-99) made 24 saves as the Fort St. John Flyers beat the Bentley Generals 4-1 on Saturday night to win the Allan Cup as Canadian senior AAA champions. The tournament was held in Fort St. John, B.C. The Generals were the defending champions.
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Former NHL D Mark Osiecki is the new head coach of hockey’s Ohio State Buckeyes. Osiecki spent six seasons as an assistant coach with the Wisconsin Badgers. He also spent seven seasons as GM and head coach of the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers. He was part of the Team USA coaching staff for the team that won the world junior championship in Saskatoon in January. . . . Osiecki takes over from John Markell, whose contract wasn’t renewed after more than 15 seasons at Ohio State.
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The visiting Spruce Grove Saints scored a 3-2 victory over the Vernon Vipers on Saturday to force a seventh game in the Doyle Cup series that features the AJHL champions against the best of the BCHL. Saints G Vince Marozzi stopped 36 shots and was the game’s first star for a second straight outing. The Saints have won two straight to force Game y. It will be played in Vernon on Sunday night. . . . The winner advances to the Royal Bank Cup that opens in Dauphin, Man., on May 1.
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In the QMJHL, the host Victoriaville Tigres scored a 4-2 victory over the Saint John Sea Dogs on Saturday night. Saint John leads the semifinal 3-2 and is taking the series home for its conclusion. Game 6 will be played in Saint John on Monday. . . . Tigres G Kevin Poulin stopped 43 shots on Saturday.
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WHL PLAYOFFS
THIRD ROUND
CONFERENCE FINALS
(Best-of-7)
(x — if necessary)
(All times local)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Brandon (2)
(Calgary wins series 4-1)
April 16: Brandon 4 at Calgary 2 (8,669)
April 17: Brandon 2 at Calgary 3 (OT) (8,697)
April 20: Calgary 6 at Brandon 3 (4,251)
April 21: Calgary 4 at Brandon 3 (4,363)
April 23: Brandon 1 at Calgary 6 (11,222)
———
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Tri-City (1) vs. Vancouver (5)
(Tri-City leads series 3-2)
April 16: Vancouver 4 at Tri-City 2 (3,899)
April 17: Vancouver 0 at Tri-City 4 (3,875)
April 20: Tri-City 2 at Vancouver 3 (OT) (6,178)
April 22: Tri-City 5 at Vancouver 2 (7,428)
April 23: Vancouver 1 at Tri-City 4 (4,351)
Sunday: Tri-City at Vancouver, 5 p.m.
x-Tuesday: Vancouver at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.

Keeping Score

When Mark Recchi scored for the Boston Bruins in their first game against the Buffalo Sabres last week, he wasn’t aware that he had just become the third-oldest player to score a goal in an NHL playoff game. Only Gordie Howe, who was 52 when he scored for the Hartford Whalers in 1980, and Chris Chelios, 45 when he counted for the Detroit Red Wings in 2007, were older. Recchi, at 42, is thinking about playing one more NHL season but said there’s no way he’ll be moving any higher on that particular list. . . . Smith & Wesson has reported that its revenue from the sales of firearms declined 10.2 per cent in the fiscal quarter ending Jan. 31. It also reported that the sale of pistols fell 33 per cent. As Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times noted: “Well, duh — Gilbert Arenas quit buying.” . . . One more from Perry: “Derrick Coleman owes creditors $4.7 million and has filed for bankruptcy, the Wall Street Journal reported — this despite an NBA career that earned him a whopping $87 million. Now that's what's known as taking it to the hole.” . . .
Mike Lupica, in the New York Daily News: “(Ben) Roethlisberger seems to be different from Plaxico Burress in this way: Burress has a few pops with a gun on him and he's a danger to everybody in the bar. Roethlisberger is a danger only to the women in the place.” . . . Lupica, on the release of Avatar on DVD, a movie he has yet to see: “I just never felt the urge to see a movie where everybody looked like they'd painted their faces at a Duke basketball game.” . . . Lupica, again: “Who would have ever thought Larry King would be this kind of catnip to the ladies? Larry's probably another guy who thinks Tiger Woods and Jesse James were just living the dream.” . . . After Roethlisberger lost an endorsement over his latest mess, the Left Coast Sports Babe wrote: “He was dropped by a Pittsburgh company that makes beef jerky. I don't know, guilty or not, when you now think of jerky, don’t you think of Ben Roethlisberger?’’ . . .
Ron Judd, in the Seattle Times, with a nonsports item: “Sarah Palin, R-Sylvan Learning Centers, told a $200-per-head crowd in Hamilton, Ont., that Americans often mistake her for a Canadian because of her, uh, distinctive dialect. ‘They think that we talk alike,’ she said. Here's where we find out if it's possible for an entire nation to sue for slander.” . . . Bob (Hound Dog) Kelly played for the Philadelphia Flyers when they were the Broadstreet Bullies. How was it? As he told HBO, which is making a documentary about the team: "There's nothing like driving somebody's head through the boards to make you feel good." . . . So if you’re a fan of the Boston Red Sox, how close are you to pushing the panic button? . . . After Reuters reported that the extra-curricular activities carried out by Tiger Woods and Jesse James have led to a new word, chexting — cheating via cell phone texting — blogger R.J. Currie noted: “Think of it as lipstick on your caller.” . . .
How sad are things with the TRU men’s basketball program when it can’t even recruit a 6-foot-9 local star — Josh Wolfram — who wanted to go to school there and play at home in front of friends and family? The Calgary Dinos, who have attracted two players off the South Kamloops Titans, announced their recruiting class this week and it’s eight players deep. . . . TRU, which doesn’t have a coach even though the CIS season has been over for a month, has yet to announce even one recruit. The WolfPack finished 3-15 last season and you wonder if things can get worse. . . . Wolfram and Tyler Jaroszuk, another 6-foot-9 forward, are on their way to the Dinos. Also headed that way is quarterback Adam Ballingall of the Titans. . . . Meanwhile, South Kam footballers Domenic Mercuri, a linebacker, and Ethan Schnell, off the OL, have committed to UBC and the Thunderbirds. . . . As one of the province’s top prospects, Mercuri recently was invited to attend the annual Orange Helmet Awards dinner, which is played host to by the B.C. Lions. . . . As well, Erica Gardham of the Brocklehurst Broncs has decided she’ll attend Camosun College in Victoria and play for the Chargers. . . .
Steve Simmons, in the Toronto Sun: “As general manager of the Atlanta Thrashers for 10 years, Don Waddell has the distinction of never having won a playoff game. That kind of record would get most GMs fired: In Atlanta, it got him promoted to team president. I figure three more lousy seasons and the man should be commissioner.” . . . The NHL playoffs are almost two weeks old and you’re wondering: Who is the first star to this point? That’s easy. Craig MacTavish. The former Edmonton Oilers head coach is a hit on TSN’s nightly panel. . . . Do you think maybe outfielder Jason Bay is starting to wonder why he signed with the New York Mets? They are off to another terrible start and Citi Field is death to right-handed home-run hitters. . . .
The legendary Curly Neal of the Harlem Globetrotters was telling Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle about playing with Wilt Chamberlain in 1958-59 and again on a tour of Europe in 1973. "Wilt was a great guy, so easy to play with," Neal said. "And first one into the shower, first one out. He'd say, 'Let's go get 'em!' " . . . Ostler added: “Because that was postgame, apparently Wilt wasn't referring to the Washington Generals.” . . . One more from Ostler: “Bud Selig — who is still mulling the fate of Pete Rose, the future of the DH and when it was Selig became aware of steroids — says he is concerned about the increasingly slow pace of games. Uh, Bud, you're the guy who took away their amphetamines.” . . . OK, because you asked for it, we close with this from Ostler: “I admit it, I was rooting for Tiger Woods to win the Masters, just to see the stampede of bimbos running out of the gallery at the 18th green Sunday to tearfully embrace him.”

Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. Email him at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca, or visit his blog at gdrinnan.blogspot.com. Keeping Score returns May 8.

Friday . . .

There is a piece on chirping (or, if you prefer, beaking) posted on the blog Hockeypolls (hockeypolls.com). It includes this gem . . .
Last season in the Western Hockey League, Los Angeles Kings prospect Thomas Hickey, while playing with the Seattle Thunderbirds, took a jab at the Tri-City Americans’ Eric Mestery.
With the teams locked up at 2-2, Mestery got a backdoor feed and shot it (into the) chest (of) the Thunderbirds netminder. As Hickey skated by the Tri-City bench, he said, “Hey Mestery, it's the third period. Goalies are warm, shoot to score!”
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World and Olympic 400-metre champion LaShawn Merritt has a problem. He is looking at a two-year suspension after testing positive for having used a performance enhancer. In his case, it seems he was taking a male enhancement pill and tests fund two steroids -- DHEA and pregnenolone -- in his system.
And you have to love the quote that was attributed to him in a prepared statement:
"To know that I've tested positive as a result of product that I used for personal reasons is extremely difficult to wrap my hands around," he said. "I hope my sponsors, family, friends and the sport itself will forgive me for making such a foolish, immature and egotistical mistake."
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F Colby Kulhanek, who played with the Chilliwack Bruins, Red Deer Rebels and Prince George Cougars, has decided to attend Simon Fraser U and play for the Clan in the B.C. Intercollegiate league. Kulhanek, 20, left the Cougars this season and finished his junior career with the AJHL’s Sherwood Park Crusaders and the BCHL’s Burnaby Express. . . . D David Boychuk (Tri-City, Spokane, 1997-2002) spent this season as a player/assistant coach with the BCIHL’s Kamloops-based Thompson Rivers University WolfPack. He is the older brother of Boston Bruins D Johnny Boychuk (Calgary, Moose Jaw, 1999-2004).
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The U.S. won the IIHF U-18 world championship in Minsk, Belarus, on Friday, beating Sweden, 3-1, in the championship final. The U.S. went 6-1 and outscored its opposition 33-7. . . . F Luke Moffatt, who was selected second overall by the Kelowna Rockets in the WHL’s 2007 bantam draft, scored the U.S.’s first goal. . . . According to a USA Hockey press release, G Jack Campbell and F Jason Zucker are the first two American men at any level to capture three IIHF gold medals after winning the top prize at the 2009 World Men's Under-18 Championship, the 2010 World Junior Championship and the 2010 World Under-18 Championship. . . . Zucker was selected by the Seattle Thunderbirds with the 84th selection in the 2007 bantam draft. . . . Zucker, who is from Las Vegas, has committed to attend Denver U and play for the Pioneers in the fall. . . . Moffatt, from Paradise Valley, Ariz., will attend the U of Michigan and play for the Wolverines.
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The Moncton Wildcats moved into the QMJHL final with a 4-2 victory over the host Drummondville Voltigeurs on Friday. The Wildcats won the series 4-1 and now await the winner of the other semifinal between the Saint John Sea Dogs and Victoriaville Tigres. The visiting Sea Dogs put up a 6-1 victory on Friday and hold a 3-1 series lead going into Game 5 on Saturday.
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In the OHL, the Windsor Spitfires dropped the host Kitchener Rangers 6-4 on Friday and that semifinal now is tied 3-3. The Rangers had won the first three games. Game 7 is Sunday in Windsor. . . . The Spitfires are the defending Memorial Cup champions. . . . The Barrie Colts await the winner.
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WHL PLAYOFFS
THIRD ROUND
CONFERENCE FINALS
(Best-of-7)
(x — if necessary)
(All times local)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Brandon (2)
(Calgary wins series 4-1)
April 16: Brandon 4 at Calgary 2 (8,669)
April 17: Brandon 2 at Calgary 3 (OT) (8,697)
April 20: Calgary 6 at Brandon 3 (4,251)
April 21: Calgary 4 at Brandon 3 (4,363)
Friday: Brandon 1 at Calgary 6 (11,222)
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
Tri-City (1) vs. Vancouver (5)
(Tri-City leads series 3-2)
April 16: Vancouver 4 at Tri-City 2 (3,899)
April 17: Vancouver 0 at Tri-City 4 (3,875)
April 20: Tri-City 2 at Vancouver 3 (OT) (6,178)
April 22: Tri-City 5 at Vancouver 2 (7,428)
Friday: Vancouver 1 at Tri-City 4 (4,351)
Sunday: Tri-City at Vancouver, 5 p.m.
x-Tuesday: Vancouver at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
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FRIDAY:
In Calgary, the Hitmen advanced to the WHL’s championship final for the second straight year as they bounced the Brandon Wheat Kings 6-1 to take the Eastern Conference final in five games. . . . The Hitmen lost the first game of this series and then won four in a row. . . . Had the Wheat Kings, who are the host team for the Memorial Cup, won this series, the winner of the Western Conference final would have gotten the WHL berth in the national championship tournament. Now it will go to the winner of the WHL championship. . . . A year ago, the Hitmen lost the WHL final in six games to the Kelowna Rockets. . . . On Friday night, Calgary F Joel Broda got the game’s first goal, his 12th of the playoffs, at 10:40 of the first period. . . . F Misha Fisenko upped it to 2-0, with his fourth, at 18:27. . . . Calgary took a 3-0 lead when F Brandon Kozun scored his sixth goal, just 15 seconds into the second period. . . . Kozun finished with two goals and two assists. He leads the playoff scoring race, with 26 points, three more than F Craig Cunningham of the Vancouver Giants. . . . Broda’s 12 goals gives him the WHL lead by one over Cunningham and linemate Brendan Gallagher. . . . Calgary D Jaynen Rissling, who was goalless with eight assists in 36 regular-season games, scored once and drew two assists. . . . G Martin Jones stopped 20 shots for Calgary and was named the series MVP. . . . Brandon G Jacob DeSerres stopped 31 shots. . . . Calgary had F Tyler Shattock back in the lineup after a two-game absence. . . . Brandon remained without D Darren Bestland, who is believed to have a facial injury. . . . The Hitmen have home-ice advantage for the championship series by virtue of having finished first overall in the regular season. That series likely will open with games in Calgary on April 30 and May 1 (Friday and Saturday).
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In Kennewick, Wash., F Brendan Shinnimin had a goal and two assists and G Drew Owsley stopped 40 shots as the host Tri-City Americans beat the Vancouver Giants, 4-1. . . . The Americans beat the Giants twice in 24 hours to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference final. Tri-City had posted a 5-2 victory -- it scored two empty-net goals -- on Thursday night in Vancouver. . . . Game 6 will be played in Vancouver on Sunday, at 5 p.m. Interestingly, the starting time puts it right up against the NHL playoff game between the Canucks and the host Los Angeles Kings. They’ll play their Game 6 starting at 6 p.m. . . . D Zach Yuen, who had a goal and three assists in 42 regular-season games, got the Americans started with his first goal of these playoffs at 4:31 of the first period. Yuen, who is from Vancouver, was the 22nd overall pick in the 2008 bantam draft. He had one goal in nine playoff games with Tri-City last season. He has played 23 career playoff games and 46 regular-season games. . . . Vancouver F Lance Bouma tied the score at 5:13 of the second period. . . . D Tyler Schmidt, who had seven goals in 71 regular-season games, got his fifth of these playoffs at 9:56 of the second period on the PP. . . . F Brooks Macek added some insurance, okn the PP, at 12:27 of the second. . . . Shinnimin rounded out the scoring at 18:09 of the third, with his eighth goal. . . . Vancouver G Mark Segal stopped 27 shots. . . . The Americans were 2-for-2 on the PP; the Giants were 0-for-1. . . . Attendance was 4,351. . . . The Giants now have lost two straight games for the first time in these playoffs. . . . This also was only Vancouver’s second loss on the road since the playoffs began. They are 6-2.
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The WHL has used 12 referees to work the first 10 games of its conference finals. . . . Not one referee has worked more than two games, with four of them having worked just once. . . . Here’s a look at who has worked in the two series, with E signifying an Eastern Conference game and W a Western Conference game: Trevor Hanson (W), Derek Herman (EW), Matt Kirk (EW), Devin Klein (EW), Brett Montsion (E), Steve Papp (W), Chris Savage (EE), Graham Skilliter (EW), Andy Thiessen (WE), Regan Vetter (E), Nathan Wieler (WE) and Derek Zalaski (EW). . . . I really hadn’t paid much attention to how many referees were working these series before I got a query from a WHL general manager. He wondered if I knew off the top of my head how many referees still were calling games. I didn’t. So I checked the online game sheets. I went in expecting to find out that the WHL had cut down to eight referees. I was shocked to find that they still were at a dozen. Officials are like players and like to get into a rhythm. Tough to do that when you aren‘t even working every second game. . . . It will be interesting to see who makes the cut for the final and then for the Memorial Cup.