D Matt Suderman (Saskatoon, Everett, 1999-2004) signed a one-year contract with the Hull Stingrays (England, UK Elite). He had one assist in three games with the Mississippi Riverkings (SPHL) and no points in two games with the Bloomington Blaze (CHL) last season.
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For a second straight summer, the Prince Albert Raiders have traded for a 20-year-old goaltender. A year ago, they acquired Luke Siemens from the Moose Jaw Warriors, and he went on to play in a WHL-leading 66
games (25-21-6, 2.89, .912). On Wednesday, the Raiders acquired G Cole Cheveldave and a 2015 fourth-round bantam draft pick from the Kamloops Blazers for F Jake Kryski, 15, and a 2014 seventh-round draft pick. . . . In his second season as the Blazers starter, Cheveldave, in 56 games, was 36-16-2, 2.38, .908. . . . Before acquiring Cheveldave, it seemed the Raiders would open with Andy Desautels of White City, Sask., as their starter. Desautels, 19, got into only 13 games last season, going 2-7-1, 4.01, .873. . . . The deal leaves the Blazers with Taran Kozun, 19, as the veteran goaltender on their roster. He got into 20 games 
last season, going 11-4-3, 2.36, .914. . . . Kryski was the 13th overall selection in the 2013 bantam draft. He had 118 points, including 59 goals, with the Burnaby Winter Club’s bantam AAA team last season.The plan in Kamloops as of this moment is to take five goaltenders to camp, with Kozun No. 1 on the depth chart. That would leave the 1996-born Liam McLeod of Kamloops and Cameron Pateman of Regina to fight it out for the backup spot with Ryan Ternes, a 1997-born player from Cochrane, Alta., and Cole Kehler, a late-1997 from Altona, Man.
McLeod backed up with the BCHL’s Prince George Spruce Kings last season. Pateman was with the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians. Ternes played for the minor midget AAA AC (Airdrie-Cochrane) Avalanche. Kehler played high school hockey in Manitoba.
Prince Albert’s roster now includes three 20-year-olds — Cheveldave, D Dylan Busenius and D Evan Morden. Busenius and Morden were acquired during the last season.
The Blazers’ 20-year-old situation is extremely fluid. F Colin Smith, who signed last week with the Colorado Avalanche, and F J.C. Lipon, who was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets last month but hasn’t signed, are candidates unless they end up in the AHL. Also on the Kamloops roster are F Joe Kornelsen and D Sam Grist.
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Bill Dwyre of the Los Angeles Times looks at UCLA men’s basketball coach Steve Alford and his contract and puts it all up against the legendary John Wooden. “The mud and slop into which big-time college athletics keeps descending never ceases to amaze,” Dwyre writes right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Ed Patterson has taken over as head coach of the junior B Kamloops Storm of the Kootenay International Junior League. He spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach with the Kamloops Blazers. Prior to that, he spent two seasons as the Storm’s head coach. . . . Brad Priestlay, the Storm’s head coach last season, remains with the team as an assistant coach, with Todd Rasmussen also back as an assistant coach.
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Michael George is the new assistant general manager and assistant coach with the AJHL’s Drayton Valley Thunder. He had been an assistant coach with the SJHL’s Flin Flon Bombers.
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Corrado Micalef has left his position as an assistant coach with the QMJHL’s Charlottetown Islanders. According to a news release from the Islanders: “Micalef has moved on to a new career after recently graduating from university.” . . . The Islanders now are searching for a replacement.
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The NAHL’s Kenai River Brown Bears have signed Geoff Beauparlant as their head coach. He spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach with the NAHL’s Fairbanks Ice Dogs. . . . Beauparlant, from Georgetown, Ont., replaces Oliver David, who now is an assistant coach with the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints. David had been the Brown Bears’ head coach for four seasons.
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AJ MacLean is the new assistant coach with the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds. MacLean, 29, is from Antigonish., N.S., and spent the previous two seasons as a player/coach with Scotland’s Dundee Stars of Britain’s Elite League. . . . He is the son of Paul MacLean, the head coach of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators. . . . In Sault Ste. Marie, AJ will work with head coach Sheldon Keefe and associate coach Joe Cirella. Greg Amadio has been named the club’s defence development coach with Mike Oliverio as the forward development coach.
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Reports indicate that John Anderson is returning to Chicago as head coach of the AHL’s Wolves. Anderson apparently will be introduced as the team’s head coach on Tuesday. . . . Anderson was the Wolves’ head coach for 11 seasons (1997-2008) while they were an independent operation. They now have an agreement with the NHL’s St. Louis Blues. . . . Anderson later spent two seasons as head coach of the Atlanta Thrashers. For the past two seasons, he has been an assistant coach with the Phoenix Coyotes. . . . The Wolves’ assistant coaches will be Dave Allison and Scott Allen. Allison had been the head coach of the AHL’s Peoria Rivermen; however, the Blues sold that franchise to the Vancouver Canucks, who relocated it to Utica, N.Y. . . . Allen was an assistant coach with Allison last season.
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From Portland freelancer Scott Sepich (@SSepich): “I'm on vacation, but I'm seeing rumors of Travis Green becoming coach of AHL Utica that seem to originate from pro poker player @GregFBT”
Travis Green is the assistant general manager and assistant coach with the Portland Winterhawks.
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