Thursday, August 28, 2014

We're back and we're catching up . . .

Allow me to do some catching up after spending a few days in the Rocky Mountains, where the Internet connection was so slow that it gave me dial-up nightmares . . .
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F Kris Hogg (Kamloops, Lethbridge, 2002-07) signed a one-year contract with the Tilburg Trappers (Netherlands, Eredivisie). Last season, with the Utah Grizzlies (ECHL), he had 12 goals and 10 assists in 55 games. . . .
F Vitali Karamnov (Everett, 2007-08) has been assigned to Yermak Angarsk (Russia, Vysshaya Liga) by Sibir Novosibirsk (Russia, KHL). Last season, he had one assist in 49 games with Sibir. Karamnov is in the last year of a two-year contract with Sibir.
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Mark Lamb and the Swift Current Broncos have agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension. Lamb was entering the last year of a three-year deal. . . . According to a news release, “That year has been expunged in favour of this new contract.” That means he is signed through 2016-17. . . . Lamb spent seven seasons as an NHL assistant coach, one with the Edmonton Oilers and six with the Dallas Stars, before signing with the Broncos. He has been the GM/head coach since the summer of 2009. . . . The Broncos are 164-165-31 in five seasons under Lamb, including 38-25-9 last season when they finished fifth in the 12-team Eastern Conference. They have make the playoffs in three of his five seasons, but haven’t been able to get out of the first round. Last spring, they lost in six games to the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Lamb, one of the WHL’s straightest shooters, has brought stability to the Broncos organization. This season, led by a strong defence, they should be one of the conference’s top four teams.
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The Kootenay Ice was short two veteran defencemen when training camp began earlier this week in Cranbrook. Landon Cross and Landon Peel, a pair of 20-year-olds, didn’t show up on Monday. . . . Cross, who was acquired from the Kamloops Blazers last season, had concussion issues. From Brandon, he has decided he would rather finish his junior career in the MJHL and hopes to play for the Steinbach Pistons. . . . “As a parent, not as a general manager, I was concerned about him and what he was going through,” Jeff Chynoweth, the Ice’s president and general manager, told Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman. Cross informed Chynoweth of his decision on June 9. . . . Peel, from Virden, Man., had been expected in camp. “He told me at the end of (last season) he was definitely coming back and wanted to compete for one of the 20-year-old spots,” Chynoweth said. “He caught us a little bit off-guard.” . . . Peel wants to play for the MJHL’s Portage Terriers, who will host the RBC Cup tournament next spring. . . . For now, Cross and Peel are on the Ice’s suspended list. . . . Rocca’s story is right here. . . . The defections leave the Ice with two 20-year-olds on its roster -- F Levi Cable and F Austin Vetterl.
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Rudy Poeschek (Kamloops, 1983-87) is “facing assault and driving charges after an alleged incident in Kamloops” on July 5. Tim Petruk of Kamloops This Week has more right here.
---The Victoria Royals have promoted Jeff Harris and Grant Armstrong to assistant GM positions. . . . Harris, formerly the director of hockey operations and communications, now is AGM, hockey operations and communications. He spent four seasons with the now-defunct Victoria Salmon Kings of the ECHL, as AGM and director of media and community relations, before joining the Royals for their first season in Victoria. . . . Armstrong, the Royals’ director of player personnel for two seasons, now is AGM, player personnel. Armstrong joined the Royals in 2012 after working for four seasons as the Portland Winterhawks’ head scout.
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The Victoria Royals have signed D Scott Walford, the 18th overall selection in the 2014 bantam draft. He will play this season at the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton, B.C. Walford, from Coquitlam, B.C., played with the OHA bantam prep team last season, putting up 48 points, including 12 goals, in 56 games. . . . The Royals also signed 1997-born G Evan Smith, who is from Parker, Colo. Smith played last season with the Pikes Peak Miners U18 team in the North American Prospects Hockey League. The 6-foot-5 Smith went 1.95/.921 in 13 appearances. The Royals had placed him on their protected list in July 2012. . . . The Royals also signed F Ryan Peckford, a second-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft. From Stony Plain, Alta., Peckford played last season for the Parkland Athletic Club Saints of the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League. He had 60 points, 28 of them goals, in 33 games. . . . D Brayden Pachal, a second-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft, also signed with the Royals. From Estevan, Sask., he had 27 points, including 14 goals, in 31 games with the bantam AA Estevan Bruins last season. . . . Victoria also signed Slovakian F Kristian Ferletak, its first-round selection in the CHL‘s 2014 import draft. From Trstena, he played last season with the Slovakian U-18 team, putting up 32 points, including nine goals, in 44 games. At the IIHF World U-18 championship, he had two goals and an assist in five games.
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The Kamloops Blazers have signed F Jesse Zaharichuk, 17, to a WHL contract. From Sherwood Park, Alta., the 5-foot-8, 150-pound Zaharichuk was placed on the Blazers’ protected list in September 2012. Last season, with the AJHL’s Drumheller Dragons, he had 14 points, four of them goals, in 48 games. He added nine points, five of them goals, in 15 playoff games. . . . He likely will see some playing time tonight against the visiting Vancouver Giants or Saturday against the Rockets in Kelowna.
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The Everett Silvertips have signed D Jantzen Leslie, the 15th overall selection in the 2014 bantam draft. Last season, he captained the bantam AAA Lloydminster Heat, which won the provincial championship. He had 40 points, 15 of the goals, in 30 regular-season games. In 12 playoff games, he added two goals and 10 assists. . . . The Silvertips also have signed F Bryce Kindopp, a teammate of Leslie’s who was a third-round pick by Everett.
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WHLThe Swift Current Broncos signed five players -- F Tyler Adams, 17; D Jaydan Gordon; D Matthew Parsons, 16; F Owen Seidel, 16; and D Colby Sissons, 16. . . . Adams, from Regina, had 50 points, 13 of them goals, in 58 games with the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians last season. . . . The 1997-born Gordon, from Cochrane, Alta., had 35 points, including 31 assists, in 36 games with the midget AA Bow Valley Timberwolves last season. He is the younger brother of Broncos F Coda Gordon. . . . Parsons, from Middle Lake, Sask., was a third-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. He had a goal and 11 assists in 54 games with the midget AAA Prince Albert Mintos last season. . . . Seidel, from Richmond, B.C., was a seventh-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. He had 36 points, 10 of them goals, in 40 games with the major midget Greater Vancouver Canadians last season. . . . Sissons, from Edmonton, had 31 points, including nine goals, in 37 games with the minor midget AAA Edmonton-South Side Athletic Club Bulldogs last season.
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The Prince Albert Raiders have signed three players -- F Parker Kelly, F Sean Montgomery and D Curtis Roach. . . . Kelly, from Camrose, Alta., was a seventh-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft. Last season, he had 58 points, including 35 goals, in 31 games with the Camrose Red Wings of the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League. . . . Montgomery, from Calgary, was taken in the sixth round of the 2013 bantam draft. He had 37 points, 19 of them goals, in 35 games with the Calgary Royals of the Alberta Midget Hockey League. . . . Roach,
from Saskatoon, will turn 17 on Oct. 22. He was invited to the Raiders’ camp and ended up with a spot on their protected list. He had 28 points, including 26 assists, in 44 games with the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts last season. . . . The Raiders also have signed F Simon Stransky, a 2014 CHL import draft selection from Czech Republic. He is the younger brother of former Saskatoon Blades F Matej Stransky, who is under contract to the NHL’s Dallas Stars. Simon will turn 17 on Dec. 21.
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The Tri-City Americans have signed three players from the 2013 bantam draft -- D Mark Drohan, a third-round pick; F Jordan Roy, who was a fifth-round selection; and G Nicholas Sanders, who was taken in the sixth round. . . . Drohan, from Calgary, had 17 points, six of them goals, with the midget AAA Calgary Buffaloes last season. . . . From Kimberley, B.C., Roy will turn 16 on Sept. 9. The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder had six points, two of them goals, in 26 games with the midget AAA Lethbridge Hurricanes last season. . . . Sanders, from Calgary, was 3.65/.890 in 39 games with the minor midget Calgary Rangers last season.
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The Regina Pats have signed four players -- D James Hilsendager, D Ryan Krushen, D Brady Pouteau and F Kyle Westeringh. . . . Hilsendager, from Lloydminster, Alta., was a ninth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. The 6-foot-1, 195-pounder played last season for the Lloydminster Bobcats of the Alberta Midget Hockey League, putting up 14 points, three of them goals, in 33 games. . . . Krushen, a list player from Sherwood Park, Alta., had 16 points, four of them goals, in 37 games with the Sherwood Park Squires of the Alberta Minor Midget Hockey League last season. . . . The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Pouteau, a fourth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft, is from Oak Bluff, Man. He played last season with the Pembina Valley Hawks of the Manitoba Midget Hockey League, earning 14 points, including four goals, in 40 games. . . . Westeringh, an 18-year-old list player from Rosedale, B.C., had 19 points, including 10 goals, in 55 games with the BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs last season.
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The Seattle Thunderbirds have signed five players -- F Wyatt Bear, D Reece Harsch, F Nick Holowko, F Luke Osterman and F Mackenzie Wight. . . . Bear, from Hodgson, Man., was a fifth-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft. He had 51 points, 18 of them goals, in 33 games with the bantam Interlake Lightning last season. . . . Harsch, from Grande Prairie, Alta., was an eight-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft. He had 14 points, two of them goals, for a bantam team in Grande Prairie last season. . . . Holowko, from Burnaby, B.C., was added to Seattle’s list after its 2012 camp. He had two goals and nine assists in 33 games with the junior B Delta, B.C., Ice Hawks last season. . . . Osterman, from Stillwater, Minn., was an eighth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. He had 13 points, six of them goals, with a team from Omaha, Neb., that played in the NAPH16 League last season. . . . Seattle has seven of its 10 selections from the 2012 draft under contract. . . . Wight, from Burnaby, B.C., was a seventh-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft. He played for the bantam A1-T1 team at Burnaby Winter Club last season.
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The Portland Winterhawks have signed F Cody Glass, a Winnipegger who was the 19th overall selection in the 2014 bantam draft. He had 77 points, 31 of them goals, in 32 games with the bantam AAA Winnipeg Hawks. He added 17 points in 11 playoff games.
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The Lethbrige Hurricanes have signed D Connor Rokosh and F Ryan Vandervlis, both of whom are on the club’s preseason roster. . . . The 6-foot-5, 205-pound Rokosh was a fourth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. From Edmonton, he played last season for the minor midget Edmonton South Side Athletic Club Bulldogs, putting up 16 points in 36 games. . . . The 1998-born Vandervlis, from Red Deer, has been on the Hurricanes’ protected list since October. The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder captained the minor midget Red Deer Chiefs last season, earning 26 points, including 14 goals, in 37 games.
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According to the Twitter account of G Tavin Grant, he has signed with the Prince George Cougars. Grant, 16, is from Burnaby. He played last season with the major midget Northwest Vancouver Giants. . . . F Sam Steel, the second overall pick in the 2013 bantam draft, had two goals and two assists Thursday as the Regina Pats opened their exhibition tournament with a 9-1 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. The Pats, who had an older roster, held a 65-27 edge in shots on goal. The tournament is being played in the 1,000-seat Co-operators Centre. . . . It seems the WHL has ordered its referees to give a misconduct to any player who doesn’t have his mouth guard fully in his mouth. . . . D Michael Mylchreest, a 19-year-old from Gilroy, Calif., is in camp with the Brandon Wheat Kings. The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder played two seasons (2011-13) with the Prince George Cougars. Last season, he played for the NAHL's Springfield Jr. Blues, putting up 12 points in 56 games. . . .
The Vancouver Giants have signed F Gage Ramsay, who turns 16 on Oct. 15. A 5-foot-8, 160-pounder from Saskatoon, he was a third-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. . . . According to a Twitter report, the Giants also have signed D Brennan Menell, 17, from Woodbury, Minn. He had 27 points, including 10 goals, in 25 games with the U16 Chicago Young Americans last season. . . . A note from Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix: “Brandon Kegler and Nathan Alalouf, two goaltenders who spent time as the Blades’ backup last season, are on the ice with the Calgary Hitmen and Tri-City Americans, respectively, at training camp. Both were removed from Saskatoon’s protected list in the off-season.” . . .
The Moose Jaw Warriors signed D Colin Paradis, a fourth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. He broke his collarbone last season, thus was limited to 30 games with the minor midget Sherwood Park, Alta., Squires. . . . F Aspen Sterzer, 20, who didn’t show up for the Red Deer Rebels’ training camp, has chosen to attend the U of Calgary and play for the Dinos.

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