Wednesday . . .

James Mirtle of The Globe and Mail wonders today if the Memorial Cup tickets aren’t just a bit over-priced. The tournament opens Friday in Mississauga, Ont. Mirtle, by the way, is from Kamloops and grew up as a big fan of the Blazers. His blog entry is right here.
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As of early this morning, there hasn’t been an announcement from the SJHL, but it seems the junior A league has found its new president.
Wade Klippenstein, the Prince George Cougars’ assistant GM and director of player personnel, tweeted Wednesday evening: “Congrats to Spokane Chiefs scout Bill Chow, the next president of the SJHL. A fantastic choice!”
Besides scouting for the Chiefs, Chow has been a Staff Sargeant with the Prince Albert Police Service, most recently working as administrative NCO/media liaison.
The SJHL has been searching for a president to replace Laury Ryan, who resigned in March after spending eight years in that office.
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THE COACHING GAME: Former NHLer Corey Millen is the new head coach of the NAHL’s Alaska Avalanche, which plays out of Palmer, Alaska. Millen replaces Brian Huebel. He and assistant coach Sean Fish will work on the coaching staff of the NAHL’s Wichita Falls Wildcats, who are owned by Rick Brodsky, who also owns the WHL’s Prince George Cougars. . . . Former WHL and NHL goaltender Glen Hanlon has been dismissed as head coach of Slovakia’s national team. Slovakia didn’t qualify for the playoff round at the recently completed world championship. Hanlon, the first foreign head coach of the Slovak team, had been under contract through the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. He was hired after the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.
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JUST NOTES: The Swift Current Broncos have signed G Steven Myland, 17. He was acquired as part of the deal in which Swift Current sent F Cody Eakin to the Kootenay Ice. Myland played this season with the Valley West Hawks of the B.C. major midget league, going 15-4 with two ties and a 1.94 GAA. . . . F Austin Wuthrich of Anchorage has committed to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish after spending this season with the U.S. National Team Development Program’s U-18 team, although he was injured for much of this season. He was a 12th-round selection by the Everett Silvertips in the 2008 bantam draft. . . . Kelly McCrimmon, the owner/GM/head coach of the Brandon Wheat Kings, has told Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun that, other than trainer Cam McGhee, he expects the club’s hockey staff back for another season. That includes assistant coaches Dwayne Gylywoychuk and Darren Ritchie. McGhee, McNeil reports, is headed for the U of Manitoba “to complete his physiotherapy degree.” McGhee was with the Wheat Kings for three seasons.
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Kootenay Ice D Brayden McNabb has signed a three-year deal with the Buffalo Sabres, who selected him in the third round of the NHL’s 2009 draft. The Sabres had to sign McNabb, who turned 20 on Jan. 21, by June 1 or he would have gone back into the draft. McNabb, 6-foot-5 and 216 pounds, has played four seasons with the Ice, who took him in the second round of the 2006 bantam draft. This season, he had 72 points in 59 regular-season games. . . .
John Vogl of the Buffalo News has more right here, including a mention of the Sabres planning to sign Portland Winterhawks F Riley Boychuk.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
“@USAHockey surpassed 100K members in 8&under category for 1st time in 2010-11 & finished season w/105,394. Goal for 2011-12: 110K!”
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Those are rather interesting figures and should make Canadian hockey people sit up and take notice.
If you are wondering, Hockey Canada had 584,679 registered players in 2008-09. That figure slipped to 577,077 for 2009-10.
I couldn’t find figures for 2010-11 but apparently they were expected to decline another one per cent.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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