Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Report: Pats to get WHL support . . . Import* goalie cut by Everett . . . Minulin leads Broncos to win

F Petr Kalus (Regina, 2005-06) has ended a tryout agreement with Zvolen (Slovakia, Extraliga) in order to sign a one-year contract with the Nottingham Panthers (England, UK Elite). Kalus played for Nottingham in 2013-14.
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Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post is reporting that the Regina Pats are expected to get complete support from the WHL and its teams in their bid to serve as the host team for the 2018 Memorial Cup tournament.
That will be the 100th anniversary of the Memorial Cup; it also will be the 100th anniversary of the Pats.
The WHL’s board of governors is meeting in Calgary and Anthony Marquardt, the Pats governor and co-owner, is scheduled to ask for support today (Wednesday).
“Multiple league sources have told the Leader-Post that the Pats are a shoo-in to receive a full endorsement from the WHL,” Harder writes. “Once the formalities are complete, the nominee will be presented to the CHL for final approval.”
The CHL has said it will announce in November the successful applicants from each of the three major junior leagues.
Harder’s complete story is right here.
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One of the more interesting stories in the WHL may have come to an end on Tuesday when the Everett Silvertips dropped G Lasse Petersen from their roster.
LASSE PETERSEN
Petersen, 19, is expected to join the MJHL’s Swan Valley Stampeders.
Petersen is from Denmark; in fact, he has played for Denmark’s U-16, U-18 and U-20 teams. He also is a goaltender, and you will be aware that the CHL moved to ban import goaltenders more than three years ago.
Petersen’s father, Erik, is a Canadian, who played and coached in Denmark. Thus, Lasse has dual citizenship and isn’t considered an import by the CHL. Mark him as an import with an asterisk.
Petersen was 3-2-0, 3.13, .879 in seven games with the Calgary Hitmen last season, before moving on to the Spokane Chiefs with whom he was 
9-5-1, 2.95, .894 in 18 appearances. He also was 2-4, 3.25, .883 with the Chiefs in the playoffs.
This season, with Everett, he was 1-0-0, 1.00, .923 before being released on Tuesday.
The decision to drop Petersen means the Silvertips have decided to go with the same goaltending tandem that they used last season — Carter Hart, 18, who signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers on Monday, and Mario Petit, 19.
Everett’s roster is down to 25, including two goaltenders and eight defencemen.
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes got F Giorgio Estephan back from the camp of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres on Monday.
Meanwhile, F Keegan Kolesar returned to the Seattle Thunderbirds after being with the Columbus Blue Jackets. However, Kolesar had surgery for a supraumbilical hernia and will be out for perhaps another five weeks.
By my count, and it’s strictly unofficial, the following WHL players remain in NHL camps, not including 20-year-olds:
Brandon Wheat Kings — D Ivan Provorov, Philadelphia Flyers.
Calgary Hitmen — D Jake Bean, Carolina Hurricanes.
Prince Albert Raiders — D Brendan Guhle, Buffalo Sabres.
Seattle Thunderbirds — F Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders.
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JUST NOTES:

F Eetu Tuulola of the Everett Silvertips was at practice on Tuesday but wasn’t on the ice. One of his arms was in a sling. He’s week-to-week. . . . 
F Tyler Popowich and F Owen Hardy, both of whom have been out with undisclosed injuries, practised with the Vancouver Giants on Tuesday. They should be available tonight against the visiting Victoria Royals. . . . The Giants also may have F Tyler Benson back in their lineup. He hasn’t played since a Sept. 11 exhibition game when he sat out the last eight minutes of the third period. He was in camp with the Edmonton Oilers — they took him in the second round of the NHL’s 2016 draft — but he didn’t see any game action.
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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:

At Cranbrook, B.C., the Moose Jaw Warriors scored the game’s last two goals and beat the Kootenay Ice, 3-2. . . . F Dylan Stewart gave the Ice a 1-0 lead at 14:53 of the first period. . . . D Jett Woo pulled the Warriors even at 7:49 of the second. . . . F Keenan Taphorn gave the Ice a 2-1 lead just 1:32 later. His twin brother, Kaeden, drew the primary assist. . . . Moose Jaw F Brett Howden tied the game at 4:31 of the third and F Nikita Popugaev got the winner at 14:49. . . . Popugaev also had an assist. . . . G Brody Willms stopped 32 shots for Moose Jaw (3-0-1). Kootenay (0-3-2) got 32 saves from Jakob Walter. . . . The Warriors were 0-1 on the PP; the Ice was 0-2. . . . Warriors F Dakota Odgers played in his 200th regular-season WHL game. . . . Announced attendance: 1,538. That is the smallest announced crowd in Cranbrook since the Ice moved into what now is known as Western Financial Place in time for the 2000-01 season.
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At Swift Current, D Artyom Minulin had a goal and three assists to help the Broncos to a 7-3 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Broncos held a 3-2 lead late in the second period when they struck four times in 3:24. . . . F Glenn Gawdin, who also had an assist, scored two of those goals, at 16:25 and 19:59. F Tyler Steenbergen and F Aleksi Heponiemi also scored in that burst. . . . The Broncos also got a a goal and two assists from F Lane Pederson. . . . F Cody Glass had two assists for the Winterhawks. . . . The Broncos (4-2-0) got 25 saves from G Travis Child. . . . Portland starter Michael Bullion gave up seven goals and 28 shots through two periods. Cole Kehler came on in relief and stopped 14 shots in the third. . . . The Broncos were 1-5 on the PP; the Winterhawks (3-2-0) were 1-4. . . . Both teams were without their head coaches as Mike Johnston of the Winterhawks and Manny Viveiros of the Broncos attended meetings in Calgary. . . . Associate coaches Kyle Gustafson (Portland) and Ryan Smith (Swift Current) ran the benches. . . . The Winterhawks scratched Latvian F Rodrigo Abols, 20, for a second straight game. . . . Portland had only one 20-year-old dressed (F Keegan Iverson). It had both of its freshman imports in action — F Joachim Blichfeld scored once, while F Henri Jokiharju had an assist. . . . Announced attendance: 1,697.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Tri-City at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Kelowna at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
Portland at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Kamloops at Red Deer, 7 p.m.

Victoria vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7 p.m.

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