F Bud Holloway (Seattle, 2003-08) signed a one-year contract extension with Skellefteå (Sweden, Elitserien). He had 21 goals and 28 assists in 55 games, good enough to finish fifth in league scoring, and led the league in power-play goals with 12. Holloway followed up the regular season by leading the league playoffs in scoring, getting 10 goals and 13 assists in 19 playoff games. Skellefteå lost in the best-of-seven Elitserien final to Brynäs Gävle, 4-2. Skellefteå GM Lars Johansson: "It is of course very positive. Bud is a great guy, both on and off the ice, who fits very well into our organization, so it feels great that we have agreed on an extension. He had a great season and it's fantastic that he now chooses to continue his development here in Skellefteå." . . .
F Frantisek Mrazek (Red Deer, 1997-99) signed a one-year contract extension with Landshut Cannibals (Germany, 2.Bundesliga). He had 25 goals and 23 assists in 46 games for the Cannibals this season. . . .
D Burke Henry (Brandon, 1995-99) signed a one-year contract with Orli Znojmo (Czech Republic, Austria Erste Bank Liga). He was pointless in four games with the South East Prairie Thunder at this season's Allan Cup final. In 2010-11, Henry had four goals and three assists for Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia, Austria Erste Bank Liga). . . .
D Tomas Mojzis (Moose Jaw, Seattle, 2000-03) signed a one-year contract with Lev Prague (Czech Republic, KHL). He had six goals and 26 assists in 59 games with TPS Turku (Finland, SM-Liiga) this season. . . .
F Dominik Volek (Regina, 2011-12) signed a junior contract with Färjestad Karlstad (Sweden, J20 SuperElit). He had 14 goals and 18 assists with the Pats this season. Volek, who turned 18 on Jan. 12, is from Praha, Czech Republic, and had been expected to return to the Pats for a second season. Regina selected him with the ninth overall pick in the CHL’s 2011 import draft.
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THE COACHING GAME:
A couple of coaching-related notes from Aaron Portzline, who covers the Columbus Blue Jackets for the Columbus Post-Dispatch. . . . First, he tweeted this: “Confirmed #CBJ asst Brad Berry is a candidate to return to Univ of North Dakota as an assistant. Safe to say he's a favorite for the job.” . . . Berry may have ended up as the Kamloops Blazers' head coach over the summer of 2008 had he not taken his name out of the running. . . . North Dakota has a vacancy because it chose not to bring back associate head coach Cary Eades, who now is the GM/head coach of the USHL’s Sioux Falls Stampede. Eades was out of work for all of a week. . . . Portzline also tweeted this: “Also, #CBJ looking for coach to replace Rob Riley @ AHL level in Springfield. All signs point to former NHLer Brad Larsen getting the job.” . . . Larsen is a former WHLer, having played with the Swift Current Broncos (1993-97). . . .
It hasn’t yet been announced but I’m told that Kelowna Rockets assistant coach Dan Lambert has signed a new two-year deal as an assistant coach. Lambert, who was one of the best offensive defencemen in WHL history during his four seasons (1986-90) with the Swift Current Broncos, works alongside head coach Ryan Huska and assistant Ryan Cuthbert. Lambert handles the back end and is having the time of his life working with young up-and-comers like Madison Bowey, Jesse Lees and Damon Severson. . . .
The Central league’s Bloomington Blaze has hired Brian Gratz as its head coach. He spent the last two seasons as head coach of the Central league’s Dayton Gems. He is a 30-year-old native of Fort Wayne, Ind. With the Blaze, he replaces Paul Gardner whose contract wasn’t renewed after a 23-30-7 record in the franchise’s first season in the league. . . .
The Central league’s Wichita Thunder has extended the contract of head coach Kevin McClelland through 2014-15. McClelland, a former head coach of the Prince Albert Raiders, has been with the Thunder for two seasons. He was named the league’s coach of the year after guiding the team to a franchise-record 44 victories. He also got the Thunder into the league final. . . .
The BCHL’s Coquitlam Express has added the general manager’s duties to head coach Jon Calvano’s portfolio. He takes over from Darcy Rota, the club’s president and governor, who stepped aside after 11 seasons as GM.
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JUST NOTES:
D Bronson Maschmeyer has decided to head for St. Francis Xavier in Antigonish, N.S., and play for the X-Men next season. "That's where I committed," Maschmeyer confirmed via text late last night. Maschmeyer played out his eligibility with the Kamloops Blazers this season. The Blazers acquired him from the Vancouver Giants prior to the 2009-10 season and he never missed a game while with Kamloops, playing in 231 consecutive regular-season and playoff games. . . . Maschmeyer’s sister, Emerance, is off to Harvard after playing this season with the AJHL’s Lloydminster Bobcats. She’s a goaltender. . . . And their brother Brock, a defenceman, will head for Northern Michigan and the Wildcats for 2013-14. Brock plays for the AJHL’s Fort McMurray Oil Barons. . . .
The MJHL’s newest franchise is the Virden Oil Capitals. The team that played out of Winnipeg as the Saints before being sold and moved to the south-western Manitoba community made the announcement Wednesday. . . .
With the threat of a lockout looming, the NHL has started making moves in preparation. That includes the cancellation of the annual Young Guns tournament that has been played in Penticton, B.C. Last year’s tournament featured the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets.
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David Shoalts of The Globe and Mail has chatted with Scotty Bowman about the way the NHL game is being played in these playoffs. The result is a terrific piece, with Bowman going back to the 1979 playoffs to find a series in which one team collapsed in its zone in order to protect its house.
That piece is right here.
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Earlier in the week, also in the pages of The Globe and Mail, the Calgary-based Allan Maki wrote of a family that is waiting to find out whether their husband and father’s brain contained signs of CTE. Yes, he was a former football player. Doug MacIver Sr. was a solid defensive lineman.
Maki’s story is right here.
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