D Jordan Thomson is joining the Saskatoon Blades, at least for three games. The Kamloops Blazers selected Thomson, now 17, with the fourth overall selection of the 2011 bantam draft. He left the Blazers earlier this season and subsequently was traded to the Blades, along with F Mitch Lipon and a first-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft for F Matt Revel, a third-round pick in 2016 and a conditional second-rounder in 2014. . . . After the trade, Thomson joined the MJHL’s Dauphin Kings, for whom he has two points in 13 games. He is expected to finish this season with the Kings, who are the host team for the Western Canada Cup. . . . Thomson, who hasn’t said he will join the Blades next season, is expected to practise with Saskatoon today and play Friday against the visiting Kootenay Ice. . . .
The Seattle Thunderbirds announced Tuesday that their 16th annual Hockey Challenge raised $200,000 for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Western Washington and Alaska. The Hockey Challenge was held Saturday, featuring six different games plus one between the Thunderbirds and Kamloops Blazers. . . . The event now has raised more than $4.5 million in its 16 years of existence. . . .
Nick Vitucci has resigned after almost five years as head coach of the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye. . . . The resignation is effective immediately. . . . Vitucci will remain with the organization, while assistant coach Dan Watson will serve as head coach through the rest of this season. . . . Toledo, which has lost eight in a row, is 16-31-4 and is fifth in the five-team North Division. Toledo’s 36 points leave it 13th in the 13-team Eastern Conference. ---
IF THE PLAYOFFS BEGAN TODAY:
Eastern Conference
Edmonton (1) vs. Prince Albert (8)
Regina (2) vs. Brandon (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Swift Current (6)
Medicine Hat (4) vs. Kootenay (5)
---
Western Conference
Kelowna (1) vs. Tri-City (8)
Portland (2) vs. Everett (7)
Victoria (3) vs. Vancouver (6)
Seattle (4) vs. Spokane (5)
---
WEDNESDAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
Lethbridge at Brandon, 7 p.m.
Kootenay at Moose Jay, 7 p.m.
Regina at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Kamloops at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Prince Albert at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Kelowna at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
---
TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Regina, F Dyson Stevenson scored the game’s first three goals, all in the first period, and finished with four as the Pats drubbed the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 8-0. . . . Stevenson scored his first three goals in a span of 6:08, then added a fourth in the third period. . . . He has 33 goals this season. . . . F Morgan Klimchuk had a goal, his 26th, and four assists, while F Chandler Stephenson drew three assists. . . . Klimchuk has 14 points, including seven goals, in his last five games. . . . F Patrick D’Amico scored twice, giving him five this season. . . . Regina G Dawson MacAuley stopped 29 shots for his fourth shutout this season and the fourth of his career. . . . The Hurricanes have lost six in a row and been outscored 42-8 in the process. . . . Lethbridge F Seth Swenson played in his 300th regular-season game. He has played 19 games with Lethbridge, after suiting up 149 times with the Seattle Thunderbirds and 132 times with the Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Pats (35-22-6) are 8-0-1 in their last nine games and now lead the East Division by eight points over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Hurricanes (12-47-5) have the WHL’s poorest record. . . .
In Saskatoon, F Sam Fioretti broke a 2-2 tie in the third period and the Moose Jaw Warriors went on to a 5-2 victory over the Blades. . . . Fioretti scored his 15th goal of the season at 1:41. Teammate Josh Uhrich got his ninth at 2:35 and D Alexey Slepstov added his third, via the PP, at 3:48 as the Warriors put it away. . . . Warriors F Brayden Point had three assists. . . . Saskatoon F Nikita Scherback had one assist, running his assist and point streaks to 10 games. . . . F Logan Harland scored twice, giving him 10 goals, for the home side. . . . The Warriors and Blades hadn’t met since they went home-and-home on Nov. 8 and 9. They will meet again on March 7 in Saskatoon. . . . The Warriors (16-37-9) are 10th in the Eastern Conference, four points ahead of the Blades (16-42-5). . . .
In Medicine Hat, the Edmonton Oil Kings scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Tigers, 5-2. . . . Edmonton F Riley Kieser tied the game 2-2 with his 12th goal, shorthanded, at 7:14 of the second period. . . . Edmonton F Mads Eller gave his guys the lead, with his sixth goal, at 17:08 of the second. . . . F Henrik Samuelson of the Oil Kings got his 30th just 1:06 after that. He also had an assist, giving him 81 points in 55 games. Last season, he finished with 80 points, including 33 goals, in 69 games. . . . Edmonton D Ashton Sautner scored his eighth goal and drew three assists. In each of his first two seasons, Sautner, a 19-year-old from Flaxcombe, Sask., had two goals and 10 assists. This season, he has 39 points, including 31 assists. . . . Tigers F Markus Eisenschmid took a boarding major and game misconduct for a hit on F Ben Carroll at 15:47 of the third period. Before leaving, he fought Edmonton F Curtis Lazar, who took the instigating minor and a game misconduct. . . . These two teams meet again tonight in Edmonton. . . . The Oil Kings (44-15-2) are back atop the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the idle Calgary Hitmen. . . . The Tigers (38-22-3) are fourth in the conference, five points ahead of the Kootenay Ice. . . .
In Kelowna, the Rockets scored six times in the second period and went on to beat the Prince George Cougars, 9-5. . . . The Rockets scored nine goals for the second time this season. They also did it in beating the host Portland Winterhawks 9-3 on Dec. 31. . . . The Cougars and Rockets were tied 1-1 after the first period. . . . The Rockets then took a 4-1 lead, before the Cougars scored two PP goals to get to within a goal. . . . The Rockets closed the period by scoring three times in 4:18. . . . F Tyrell Goulbourne scored three times for the Rockets; it was his first WHL hat trick. He’s got 15 goals this season. . . . F Marek Tvrdon added a goal, his seventh, and three assists for Kelowna. Tvrdon, 20, is playing on a line with Nick Merkley, 16, and Rourke Chartier, 17. Merkley had two goals, giving him 18, and Chartier added three assists. . . . F Todd Fiddler scored his 42nd goal and added three assists for the Cougars, while F Troy Bourke helped out with his 26th goal and two assists. . . . This was the third straight game (and fourth in 10 days) between these teams. They split a weekend doubleheader in Prince George. . . . When the Cougars won 2-1 on Saturday, it ended a 13-game losing skid versus the Rockets. . . . The Rockets went 7-1-0 against the Cougars this season, including 4-0-0 at home. . . . Kelowna (49-9-4) leads the overall standings by five points over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Cougars (26-32-8) are one point behind the Tri-City Americans, who hold down the Western Conference’s last playoff spot. The Americans hold four games in hand as the Cougars have only six games remaining. . . .In Kent, Wash., F Alexander Delnov scored at 2:35 of OT to give the Seattle Thunderbirds a 4-3 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Delnov, who has 26 goals, has scored three times in OT this season. . . . The Raiders are 3-1-1 on a five-game swing that wraps up tonight in Everett. . . . Prince Albert D Josh Morrissey scored his 23rd goal at 18:44 of the third period to force OT. Morrissey set a single-season franchise record for goals by a defenceman. The previous record had been held by Emanuel Viveiros (1985-86). . . . F Mathew Barzal, the first pick in the 2012 bantam draft, scored twice for Seattle for the first multi-goal game of his WHL career. He has 12 goals in his freshman season. He has 47 points in 50 games. . . . Seattle D Shea Theodore drew three assists. . . . F Leon Draisaitl scored his 29th goal and added an assist for the Raiders. . . . The rosters included two goaltenders who were teammates last season with the Kamloops Blazers. Taran Kozun went the distance for Seattle, making 40 saves, but Cole Cheveldave was backing up for the Raiders, who got 40 saves from Nick McBride. . . . Seattle (38-19-6) is fourth in the Western Conference, four points clear of the Spokane Chiefs. . . . With the loser point, the Raiders (29-29-5) moved into sole possession of eighth place in the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the Red Deer Rebels. Each time has nine games remaining.---
From Kristen Odland (@KristenOdlandCH) of the Calgary Herald: “Interestingly, Brian Burke said (Tuesday) that he'd consider Kelly Kiso for the team's assistant GM job. Still no timeline on either hire.”
Kisio is the president of hockey operations and alternate governor with the Calgary Hitmen.
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