D Alexander Boikov (Victoria/Prince George, Tri-City, 1993-96) signed a one-year contract extension with Dynamo Moscow (Russia, KHL). He had one goal and six assists in 41 games with Dynamo this season. . . .
By my count, Boikov, Winnipeg Jets G Chris Mason and D Dwayne Newman (Chelmsford, England National League) are the only players still playing pro hockey who played for the Victoria Cougars. Victoria relocated to Prince George for the 1994-95 season.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Twenty years to the day after he celebrated a Memorial Cup victory, Tom Renney was dumped as head coach of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. On May 17, 1992, Renney’s Kamloops Blazers beat the OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 5-4 in the Memorial Cup final in Seattle. On Thursday, Edmonton GM Steve Tambellini travelled to Castlegar, B.C., and informed Renney that his contract wouldn’t be renewed. . . .
Chris Johnston, who played in the WHL with Brandon, Red Der and Regina (1990-95), is the new head coach of the midget AAA Southwest Cougars, who play out of Souris, Man. This season, he was the head coach of the bantam AA Brandon Wheat Kings. Johnston, who is from Brandon, replaces Troy Leslie, who now is the head coach of the MJHL’s Virden Oil Capitals. . . . Johnston is the son of former WHL player and coach Mark Johnston. . . .
Mark DeSantis, an assistant coach with the Central league’s Rapid City Rush, has signed on as head coach of the Southern Professional league’s Fayetteville FireAntz. . . . DeSantis is a former Rush captain who has been an assistant coach for three seasons. . . . The FireAntz began the season with Sean Gillam as head coach; he was fired Feb. 16 and Todd Bidner was named interim head coach.
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Jason Becker, the lead assistant coach with the Prince George Cougars, has been named head coach of Team Pacific that will compete in the 2013 U-17 World Hockey Challenge. That tournament runs Dec. 28 through Jan. 4 in Victoriaville and Drummondville, Que. . . . Wade Klippenstein, the Cougars’ assistant GM and director of player personnel, has been named Team Pacific’s head scout, while Steve Hamilton, an assistant coach with the Edmonton Oil Kings, will work with Becker as an assistant coach. . . . Also on the staff will be athletic therapist Brian Cheeseman, also of the Oil Kings. . . . Brent Polischuk of Victoria is the director of operations, while Brandon West of Kelowna is the other assistant coach and Troy Clifford of Kamloops is the equipment manager. . . . Team Pacific will comprise the top 22 players from the Pacific Region (Alberta and B.C.), with 34 players from each region taking part in a camp in Kamloops, July 25-29. The final 22-player roster will be announced in November.
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Shane Malloy at The Art of Scouting has posted his top 40 eligibles for the NHL’s 2012 draft. That list is right here.
Malloy has D Griffin Reinhart of the Edmonton Oil Kings listed fourth overall, proving once again that a draft-eligible player can only do himself a whole lot of good with a deep playoff run.
Interestingly, Malloy is swimming a bit against the stream as he has Red Deer Rebels D Matt Dumba ranked No. 25.
The list is right here.
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Jesse Wallin, the general manager and head coach of the Red Deer Rebels, along with his wife Jenn, will be taking part in an awareness session on concussions. Concussion: A Game Changer is scheduled for June 9, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., in the Frontier Room at Westerner Park in Red Deer. The Wallins know of what they speak as Jesse’s career ended because of concussion problems.
Jim Claggett of the Red Deer Express has more right here.
“As a traditionalist I’d love to see hockey maintain a physicality in the game," Wallin tells Claggett. "I think that’s a big part of hockey but I think if we’re going to be able to do that there’s going to have to be a level of respect in the game.
“It’s the old adage, do unto others as you would have done to you.”
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JUST NOTES:
G Drew Owsley, who played out his eligibility last season with the Prince George Cougars, has committed to attend St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S., and play for the X-Men. . . . Owley announced the move via Twitter last night: “Excited to announce I committed to StFX university of be an X-men!” . . . D Bronson Maschmeyer, who finished up his WHL career with the Kamloops Blazers this season, announced Wednesday that he, too, will attend St. FX and play for the X-Men. . . .
F Joe Antilla, who played five seasons with the Kootenay Ice, will attend UBC and play for the Thunderbirds next season. He has been accepted into the UBC School of Kinesiology. . . . In 340 regular-season games with the Ice, he put up 140 points, including 56 goals.
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Rob Facca is an assistant coach with the Western Michigan Broncos whose four-year-old son, Louie, 4, has been diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a fatal genetic disorder.
Rob’s father, Bob, was devastated by the news and has decided to go for a long, long walk.
Their story is right here.
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