F Yannic Seidenberg (Medicine Hat, 2003-04) has signed a one-year extension with Red Bull Munich (Germany, DEL). In 46 games, he had 12 goals and 10 assists. . . .
D Colton Jobke (Kelowna, Regina, 2009-13) has signed a one-year contract with the Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL). This season, he had four assists in 20 games with the Alaska Aces (ECHL) and he was pointless in 20 games with the Augsburger Panther (Germany, DEL). Jobke is a dual Canadian-German citizen. . . .
D Craig Schira (Regina, Vancouver, 2003-09) has signed a two-year contract with Lulea (Sweden, SHL). This season, with HPK Hämeenlinna (Finland, Liiga), he had five goals and 23 assists in 55 games while averaging 24:33 in ice time per game. He also was an alternate captain. . . .
D Daryl Boyle (Brandon, 2004-08) has signed a one-year extension with Red Bull Munich (Germany, DEL). In 44 games, he had 11 goals and 21 assists. He is a dual Canadian-German citizen. . . .
D Richie Regehr (Kelowna, Portland, 1998-2004) has signed a one-year extension with Red Bull Munich (Germany, DEL). In 51 games, he had 10 goals and 30 assists.
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THURSDAY’S GAME:
In Brandon, the Edmonton Oil Kings, the defending Memorial Cup champions, scored two first-period goals en route to a 4-1 victory over the Wheat Kings. . . . It was Game 1 of their series, with Game 2 scheduled for Brandon tonight. . . . This is the only first-round series being played with a 2-3-2 format, with the middle three games scheduled for Edmonton. That means tonight’s game takes on even more importance. . . . Brandon was 27-3-6 at home in the regular season. . . . The Oil Kings scored 11 seconds in when F Tyler Robertson, who had one goal in his previous 22 games, found the net. . . . F Brett Pollock made it 2-0 at 11:55. . . . Brandon F Peter Quenneville scored a PP goal at 17:53 of the second to get his guys back in it. . . . Pollock scored off a PP rebound at 1:35 of the third for a 3-1 lead. . . . F Lane Bauer provided more insurance for the visitors at 9:07. . . . Edmonton D Dysin Mayo had two assists, while Pollock had one for a three-point night. . . . Oil Kings G Tristan Jarry was sharp in making 25 saves, five fewer than Brandon’s Jordan Papirny. . . . Edmonton was 1-for-2 on the PP; Brandon was 1-for-4. . . . Brandon had won three of four regular-season meetings, although the teams had only met once since Nov. 22. . . . The Wheat Kings had F Stelio Mattheos in the lineup. The Winnipegger was the first selection in the 2014 bantam draft. . . . Edmonton’s lineup included 15 players from last season’s championship club. . . . WHL commissioner Ron Robison presented the Wheat Kings with the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy prior to the game. The trophy is for finishing atop the overall standings in the regular season. . . . Attendance was announced as 3,086. That is 809 below Brandon’s regular-season average crowd.———
Two WHL teams are looking for head coaches. . . . Earlier in the week, the Vancouver Giants revealed that Claude Noel wouldn’t be returning as their head coach. . . . Peter Anholt, who finished the season as the general manager and head coach of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, has confirmed to Paul Kingsmith of Global TV that he won’t be back on the bench. Anholt is involved in contract negotiations with the Hurricanes. Assuming he gets a deal as GM, he will hire a head coach and a head scout. . . . There’s more from Kingsmith right here.
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The Brandon Sun has covered a lot of Brandon Wheat Kings playoff games over the years. And it always, always, always has gotten a story from the game into the next day’s paper. That streak may come to an end next week when the Wheat Kings’ first-round series with the Edmonton Oil Kings moves to the Alberta capital. . . . Sportsnet requested a change in starting times for Games 4 and, if necessary, 5, both of which are scheduled to be played in Rexall Place on March 31 and April 1. Rather than starting at 7 p.m., the games are to begin at 8 o’clock. . . . With the difference in time zones, that is 9 o’clock in Brandon. . . . The Sun’s deadline is 11:05 p.m., and it’s doubtful that it can be changed enough to make a difference.
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The Tampa Bay Lightning has signed F Brayden Point, 19, of the Moose Jaw Warriors to a three-year, entry-level NHL contract. Point also signed an ATO (amateur tryout) with the Syracuse Crunch, the Lightning’s AHL affiliate, and will finish the season there. . . . The Lightning selected Point in the third round of the 2014 NHL draft. . . . This season, he had 87 points, including 38 goals, in 60 games with the Warriors. In 204 career games, he has 236 points, including 99 goals. . . . From Calgary, he was a member of Team Canada as it won gold at the 2015 WJC in Montreal and Toronto.
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The Calgary Flames have signed F Austin Carroll, who turned 21 on Thursday, to an entry-level deal. He led the Victoria Royals in goals (38) and points (77) in the regular season. Carroll, from Calgary, was a seventh-round pick by the Flames in the 2014 NHL draft. . . . In 268 games with the Royals over four seasons, Carroll had 196 points, including 95 goals.
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The Winnipeg Jets have assigned F Axel Blomqvist of the Moose Jaw Warriors to the AHL’s St. John’s IceCaps. Blomqvist, 20, was acquired by Moose from the Victoria Royals during the season. From Sweden, he finished the season with 59 points, including 25 goals, in 61 games. The 6-foot-6, 212-pounder was a NHL free agent when he signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the Jets prior to the 2013-14 season.
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The Edmonton Oilers have signed D Ben Betker of the Everett Silvertips to a three-year, entry-level NHL contract. Betker, 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, was a sixth-round pick in the NHL’s 2013 draft. From Cranbrook, Betker, 20, had 31 points, including six goals, in 64 gamers this season. In 201 career games, he has 58 points, including 14 goals.
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The AHL’s Toronto Marlies have signed F Jack Rodewald of the Moose Jaw Warriors to an ATO (amateur tryout) for the remainder of this season and to an AHL contract for 2015-16. Rodewald, who turned 21 on Feb. 14, had career highs in goals (35), assists (50) and points (85) this season, all in 71 games. . . . In 255 career games, he put up 166 points, including 76 goals.
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Cody Nickolet, over at Dub From Above, reports that only six WHLers who were selected in the NHL’s 2013 draft haven’t signed NHL contracts. Those six are F Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants (Edmonton Oilers); D Eric Roy of the Brandon Wheat Kings (Calgary Flames); D Mitch Wheaton of the Kelowna Rockets (Detroit Red Wings); G Brendan Burke of the Calgary Hitmen (Arizona Coyotes); D Mark McNulty of the Kamloops Blazers (Detroit); and D Kyle Burroughs of the Medicine Hat Tigers (New York Islanders).
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The Medicine Hat Tigers open a first-round series against the visiting Red Deer Rebels on Saturday. The Tigers were a bit banged up down the stretch, but reports out of Medicine Hat indicate that F Anthony Ast, F Matt Bradley and D Tommy Vannelli will be available for Game 1. . . . The Tigers will be without D Ty Lewington, their captain, as he serves a one-game WHL suspension. . . .
The Kootenay Ice and Calgary Hitmen open their first-round series tonight in Calgary. The game will be televised by Shaw with Dan Russell calling the play and Bill Wilms riding shotgun. . . .
The Tri-City Americans are huge underdogs as they open a first-round series with the Rockets in Kelowna tonight. The Americans have five injured players who aren’t expected to play — F Parker Bowles, D Carter Cochrane, D Riley Hillis, F Braden Purtill and F Taylor Vickerman. All five are said to be done for the season. . . . The Rockets aren’t expected to have D Josh Morrissey back for this series, but F Justin Kirkland, who hasn’t played since Feb. 14, might return. . . .
The Spokane Chiefs go into these playoffs having lost eight straight playoff games. The Chiefs open in Everett against the Silvertips tonight. . . . Spokane was swept by the Portland Winterhawks in the first round in 2013 and then was swept by the Victoria Royals a year ago. . . . The Chiefs also go into these playoffs having lost their last five regular-season games. . . .
The starting time for Game 3 between the Medicine Hat Tigers and the host Red Deer Rebels on March 31 has been changed. Originally scheduled for a 7 p.m. start, it now is listed as TBD (to be determined). . . . Why? According to a note from the Rebels, it is “to accommodate the possibility of a TV broadcast of the game. . . . Game time will either be 7 p.m. or 8 p.m.”
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THE COACHING GAME:
The OHL’s Flint, Mich., Firebirds have signed Terry Christensen as general manager and John Gruden as head coach. The Firebirds are the former Plymouth Whalers franchise. . . . Christensen, 60, has been with the Little Caesars program and with the USA Selects Elite AAA junior program of late. He has coached in the ECHL, NAHL, Colonial league and NCAA. . . . Gruden, 44, has been in USA Hockey’s program. . . . The Firebirds have kept assistant general manager Joe Stefan and head scout Dave McParlan, both of whom were with the Whalers.There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.
In Prince Albert, the Medicine Hat Tigers scored three second-period goals and went on to beat the Raiders, 5-4. . . . Tigers F Dryden Hunt broke a 2-2 tie at 15:19 of the second period and F Chad Labelle got his sixth goal at 16:32. . . . Hunt’s 18th goal ran his point streak to 16 games. . . . Medicine Hat F Trevor Cox, who leads the WHL with 73 points, scored his 17th goal. . . . The Tigers had a 5-2 lead in the third period when the Raiders got goals from D Jesse Lees, his seventh, and F Matteo Gennaro, his sixth. . . . Tigers G Marek Langhamer stopped 35 shots, seven fewer than the Raiders’ Rylan Parenteau. . . . Tigers F Chad Butcher scored his 14th goal and added an assist, while F Cole Sanford scored No. 35 and also had an assist. Sanford now has 65 points, second only to Cox. . . . F Jayden Hart of the Raiders, who used to play for the Tigers, scored his 21st goal and added two assists. . . . Raiders F Kris Schmidli had two assists. . . . Medicine Hat has won 15 of the last 18 meetings between these teams. . . . The Tigers (30-12-2) have lost their previous two games. They lead the WHL with 18 road victories, one more than Brandon. . . . The Raiders (19-25-1) have lost two in a row. . . . 
In Swift Current, F Braylon Shmyr scored two goals as the Brandon Wheat Kings dumped the Broncos, 5-3. . . . Shmyr has 10 goals this season, and is the 10th Brandon skater with at least that many goals. . . . Brandon F Nolan Patrick broke a 1-1 tie with his 18th goal 30 seconds into the second period. . . . Brandon F Duncan Campbell added his eighth at 5:59 and the Wheaties were never headed. . . . F Morgan Klimchuk, who scored his 100th and 101st regular-season goals one night earlier, and F Tim McGauley each had two assists. . . . McGauley had been credited with two goals and three assists in Friday’s 8-5 victory over visiting Lethbridge. One of those assists was later taken away. He now has 56 points in 46 games, good for a tie for sixth place in the scoring race. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny stopped 40 shots. . . . The Wheat Kings (33-9-4) have won four in a row and are just one point behind the idle Kelowna Rockets (34-8-3) in the race for first place overall. . . . Brandon has three victories from four trips to Swift Current this season. . . . The Broncos are 21-20-5. . . . Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun has a game story 
In Moose Jaw, G Zach Sawchenko turned aside 28 shots to lead the Warriors to a 5-0 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Sawchenko has three shutouts this season. . . . F Jiri Smejkal scored two goals and added an assist. He’s got eight goals. . . . F Jack Rodewald scored his 21st goal. . . . D Ryan Gardiner, F Tanner Eberle and F Brayden Point each drew two assists. . . . Lethbridge G Jayden Sittler stopped 43 shots. . . . It was the second time this season that the Hurricanes have been blanked. . . . The Warriors improved to 19-24-4 and now are just three points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Hurricanes (10-27-6) have lost four in a row. . . . 
In Saskatoon, F Wyatt Sloboshan scored with 10.8 seconds left in the third period to give the Blades a 3-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart had scored his 10th goal at 17:09 of the third to pull his guys into a 2-2 tie. . . . A scoring change well after Friday’s action gave Reinhart an assist and a share of the Ice’s franchise career points record with F Jarret Stoll (286). Last night’s goal gave Reinhart the franchise record (287). . . . D Nolan Reid had given the Blades a 2-1 lead with his second goal in as many games, this one at 5:27 of the third. . . . Reid went into Friday play with one career goal. He now has three and is on a two-game scoring streak. . . . Sloboshan also had an assist. . . . Saskatoon G Brock Hamm stopped 26 shots, three fewer than the Ice’s Wyatt Hoflin. . . . Hamm, who joined the Blades from the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos, has two victories, both over the Ice. . . . The Blades (12-29-3) have won three in a row for the second time this season. They also moved out of the Eastern Conference basement and are one point ahead of Lethbridge. . . . The Ice, which has lost three times to the Blades this season, slipped to 22-22-1. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has a game story 
In Calgary, G Austin Carroll, whose NHL rights belong to the Calgary Flames, scored twice to lead the Victoria Royals to a 4-1 victory over the Hitmen. . . . After the game, the Hitmen held a players-only meeting. . . . Carroll, who now has 28 goals, was a seventh-round selection by the Flames in the 2014 NHL draft. Carroll, 20, is from Calgary. . . . Carroll’s first goal, 30 seconds into the third period, on a PP, gave the Royals a 2-0 lead. . . . Victoria D Joe Hicketts scored the game’s first goal, his ninth, on a PP, at 14:42 of the first period. . . . Hicketts also had an assist. . . . Victoria F Brandon Magee had three assists, and now shares the Victoria/Chilliwack franchise career regular-season points record of 241 with former F Kevin Sundher. . . . Victoria D Travis Brown had three assists. . . . The Royals were 2-for-2 on the PP; the Hitmen were 0-for-1. . . . The Royals (24-19-3), who play in Edmonton this afternoon, have won four straight. . . . Calgary continues to be without F Jake Virtanen and D Travis Sanheim, both out with undisclosed injuries. . . . The Hitmen (23-17-5), who entertain Regina this afternoon, have lost three in a row (0-2-1). Calgary will make F Ryan Getzlaf the inaugural member of their Forever A Hitmen club during this afternoon’s game. . . . Scott Fisher of the Calgary Sun has a game story 
In Red Deer, F Adam Musil scored in the ninth round of a shootout to give the Rebels a 4-3 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . Musil was the only one of the 18 shooters to score. . . . The Pats erased a 3-1 deficit to force OT. . . . F Adam Brooks scored shorthanded at 10:01 of the second period. . . . He’s got 19 goals. . . . F Taylor Cooper tied it with his 18th goal at 8:44 of the third. . . . Cooper had scored the game’s first goal at 2:02 of the first. . . . The Rebels answered that goal with three of their own, from F Adam Musil, his 11th, D Colton Bobyk, his second, and F Presten Kopeck, his 14th. . . . The Rebels were 0-for-10 on the PP; the Pats were 0-for-3. . . . Regina G Daniel Wapple stopped 32 shots, six more than Taz Burman of the Rebels. . . . Red Deer (26-14-6) is 6-0-1 in its last seven and trails Central Division-leading Medicine Hat by four points. . . . The Pats (26-15-4) have lost two straight. . . . The Pats play in Calgary this afternoon. . . . 
In Kamloops, G Connor Ingram stopped 36 shots as the Blazers blanked the Vancouver Giants, 1-0. . . . Ingram, a 17-year-old freshman from Imperial, Sask., has two shutouts in his freshman season. . . . Ingram has taken hold of the starter’s role in Kamloops and has started six of the team’s eight games since the Christmas break. . . . Kamloops F Logan McVeigh sealed the victory with a big block on Vancouver D Mason Geertsen with two seconds on the clock. . . . F Matt Needham scored the game’s only goal, finishing off a 2-on-1 with F Cole Ully for his 15th goal of the season at 16:33 of the second period. . . . Ully has 58 points, 38 of them assists, in 43 games. . . . Vancouver G Payton Lee turned aside 26 shots. . . . F Thomas Foster was among Vancouver’s scratches. He drew a ‘tbd’ suspension for a kneeing major he took on Friday night in a 3-0 loss to the visiting Tri-City Americans. . . . The Blazers (16-24-6) have won two in a row. They are fifth in the B.C. Division, but now are two points behind the fourth-place Giants, who begin a six-game Central Division swing in Cranbrook on Tuesday, and four points in arrears of third-place Prince George. . . . Vancouver (19-23-2), which was blanked 3-0 by visiting Tri-City on Friday, has lost three in a row. . . . 
In Prince George, F Oliver Bjorkstrand scored two goals and added two assists as the Portland Winterhawks dropped the Cougars, 8-2. . . . Bjorkstrand has 27 goals in 34 games. . . . Portland built a 6-0 lead before F Brad Morrison got his 17th goal of the season for the Cougars. . . . F Miles Koules scored his 20th goal and had two assists for Portland, while F Nic Petan drew three assists and F Chase De Leo had two. . . . Portland D Keoni Texeira picked up his fourth goal and had an assist. . . . Winterhawks G Adin Hill stopped 38 shots. . . . Portland F Dominic Turgeon didn’t return after a second-period fight with F Colby McAuley. . . . The Winterhawks were without F Mitch Walter for a second straight game after he took a hard punch to the face during a fight in a game in Kamloops on Wednesday. . . . The Winterhawks won 4-3 in a shootout on Friday night. . . . Portland will play the remainder of its regular-season games entirely within the U.S. Division. . . . The Winterhawks (25-19-3) have won two straight and are second in the U.S. Division. . . . The Cougars (20-24-2) are 0-3-2 in their last five. . . . 
In Everett, G Austin Lotz stopped 31 shots to help the Silvertips to a 6-0 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds before 8,317 fans. . . . Lotz has four shutouts this season and 10 in his career. . . . After a scoreless first period, Everett scored twice in the second period and added four more in the third. . . . F Jake Mykitiuk, who scored his first goal of the season in Friday’s 5-3 victory over visiting Spokane, got the winner, scoring at 4:38 of the second. . . . F Carson Stadnyk scored his 16th goal and added two assists, while F Nikita Scherbak got his 20th goal and also had an assist and F Kohl Bauml scored No. 19 and had an assist. . . . F Dawson Leedahl scored his seventh goal and had an assist, and F Remi Laurencelle drew two assists. . . . Everett was 2-for-5 on the PP; Seattle was 0-for-1. . . . TBird Tidbits (@TBirdTidbits) points out via Twitter that Seattle is 1-8-3 on Saturday nights when it also played the previous night. The Thunderbirds were coming off a 5-2 victory over the Rockets in Kelowna. . . . The Silvertips (28-12-4) have won four straight. . . . Seattle (22-17-5) is 3-1-1 in its last five outings. . . . 
In Kennewick, Wash., G Evan Sarthou blocked 25 shots to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 7-0 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Sarthou has four shutouts in his freshman season, with the last two coming on back-to-back nights. He beat the Giants 3-0 in Vancouver on Friday. . . . Sarthou was making his 16th straight start. G Eric Comrie is out with an undisclosed injury. . . . This was the first time this season that Spokane has been shut out. . . . On Dec. 31, the Chiefs beat the host Americans, 10-2. . . . F Lucas Nickles scored twice, giving him 16 goals, and added two assists, while D Brandon Carlo scored his third goal and had two assists. . . . Tri-City D Carter Cochrane, who was acquired last week from Everett, had two assists. . . . F Tyler Sandhu, an acquisition from Red Deer, got his 10th goal and also had an assist. . . . Besides Comrie, the Americans also scratched F Richard Nejezchleb (ill) and F Parker Bowles (undisclosed injury). . . . Spokane F Adam Helewka had his franchise record-tying nine-game goal-scoring streak snapped. . . . The Americans (22-21-2) have won two in a row. . . . The Chiefs (23-17-4) have lost three in a row (0-2-1).
In Prince Albert, F Luke Philp scored twice to help the Kootenay Ice to a 5-2 victory over the Raiders. . . . Philp, who had scored the game’s first goal, broke a 1-1 tie at 5:46 of the third period with his 20th goal of the season. . . . F Sam Reinhart had two assists for the Ice. He’s got 285 career regular-season points, one shy of the franchise record held by F Jarret Stoll, now of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. . . . Ice F Jaedon Descheneau scored his 22nd goal and added an assist. . . . F Tim Vanstone had two assists for the Raiders. . . . The Ice (22-21-1) had lost four in a row. . . . The Raiders (19-24-1) had a three-game winning streak end. . . . The Ice holds down the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot and the Raiders now are six points off the pace. . . . The Raiders are at home to Medicine Hat tonight, while the Ice visits Saskatoon. . . . Jeff D’Andrea of panow.com has a game story 
In Edmonton, F Lane Bauer scored three times to lead the Oil Kings to a 6-2 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . Bauer has 16 goals; that was his first WHL hat trick. . . . The Oil Kings scored the game’s first six goals. . . . Edmonton D Blake Orban and F Cole Benson each had two assists. . . . Benson was playing his first game since Nov. 27 as he had been out with an undisclosed injury. He missed 16 games. . . . D Marshall Donald, who was acquired from Calgary last week, made his Edmonton debut and drew two assists. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry made 28 saves. . . . Edmonton F Brett Pollock, its leading scorer, left in the third period with an undisclosed injury. After the game, Brian Swane of the Edmonton Sun tweeted that Oil Kings head coach Steve Hamilton said: “We're waiting to get an update on (Pollock’s) situation, but hopefully it's nothing too substantial.” . . . The Oil Kings, who are at home to Victoria on Sunday afternoon, improved to 22-18-5. . . . The Pats now are 26-15-3. They’ll play in Red Deer tonight. . . . 
In Kelowna, G Taran Kozun stopped 36 shots to lead the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 5-2 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Kozun was especially sharp in the first period when the Rockets held a 17-9 edge in shots. . . . Seattle came out of that period with a 2-0 goal. . . . F Roberts Lipsbergs scored his first goal since returning to the Thunderbirds from the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder. . . . Lipsbergs also had an assist. . . . Kelowna F Nick Merkley scored his 14th goal, at 6:39 of the second, to get the Rockets to within 2-1. . . . But Seattle F Cory Millette restored the two-goal lead 15 seconds later with his 11th goal of the season. . . . Kelowna F Rourke Chartier, who leads the WHL in goals, was scratched with a back injury. Larry Fisher of the Kelowna Daily Courier reports that Chartier is day-to-day “after getting hit from behind last game.” . . . Among Seattle’s scratches were F Mathew Barzal (knee) and F Alexander True (broken wrist). . . . Barzal, who hasn’t played since Nov. 4, is getting close to returning. True was injured on Tuesday. . . . The Thunderbirds (22-16-5) are 3-0-1 in their last four. They are in Everett tonight. . . . The Rockets now are 34-8-3 with six of those losses coming at home. They’ll have a lot of time to chew on this one as they don’t play again until Friday. . . . Larry Fisher of the Kelowna Daily Courier has a game story 
In Kelowna, F Tomas Soustal scored his first goal since Nov. 15 and it stood up as the winner as the Rockets beat the Prince George Cougars, 4-3. . . . Soustal, a Czech freshman, has six goals. He had gone 17 games without a goal. . . . Soustal’s goal, at 12:14 of the third period on a PP, gave the Rockets a 4-2 lead. . . . Cougars F Cal Babych got his fourth goal at 13:35. . . . Kelowna F Nick Merkley had a goal, his 13th, and an assist as he reached 61 points, four off the league lead. . . . Prince George F Brad Morrison had three assists. . . . The Rockets (31-6-3) have won two in a row. . . . The Cougars (19-21-0) have lost two in a row. . . . F Ethan O’Rourke, a 15-year-old from Penticton, made his WHL debut with the Cougars. He was a third-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft and now plays for the Okanagan Hockey Academy.
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