Scattershooting about NHL draft ... McGrew, Ferguson intriguing picks ... Emotional week for Patrick

SCATTERSHOOTING ON NHL DRAFT:

The NHL draft’s first round was held on Friday night in Chicago. Once again it was a gaudy celebration of middle-aged white men parading across the stage and shaking hands with Gary Bettman, the NHL’s commish, on the way.

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The star of Sportsnet’s first-round coverage had to be Sam Cosentino. He isn’t on Twitter, but that doesn’t stop him from knowing his stuff when it comes to draft-eligible hockey players.

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The goofiest thing of draft week may have occurred early on when Colin Campbell, the NHL’s executive vice-president and director of hockey operations, told reporters the league had taken an in-depth look at four playoff games and discovered 60 to 110 uncalled slashes per game. . . . You were watching the playoffs and you saw that; I was watching the playoffs and I saw that. So why did the NHL have to study video to see it?

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The NHL has a rulebook in which slashing is declared illegal. So how could that many go uncalled in one game? Hey, that’s a lot of uncalled hacking and whacking. . . . It was TSN’s Gord Miller who tweeted: “Take out the rulebook and call it.” … Gee, what a crazy idea.

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The Portland Winterhawks had four players selected off their roster during the draft. Two went in the first round, with F Cody Glass going to the Vegas Golden Knights sixth overall and D Henri Jokiharju to the Chicago Blackhawks with the 29th pick. As well, D Brendan De Jong was taken by the Caroling Hurricanes in the sixth round (166th) and F Skyler McKenzie went to the Winnipeg Jets in the seventh round (198th). . . . Meanwhile, four players whose WHL rights belong to the Winterhawks also were drafted. . . . F Ryan Poehling of Lakeville, Minn., was selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round, 25th overall. Poehling, 18, was a freshman at St. Cloud State last season, putting up seven goals and six assists in 35 games. He is a Portland list player. . . . With the very next pick, the Dallas Stars took G Jake Oettinger, a good friend of Poehling’s who also is from Lakeville. Oettinger, who is to turn 19 on Dec. 18, has completed his freshman season at Boston U. The Winterhawks selected him in the ninth round of the WHL’s 2013 bantam draft. . . . F Scott Reedy of Prior Lake, Minn., was picked by the San Jose Sharks in the fourth round, 102nd overall. Reedy, 18, played last season with the U.S. National U-18 team and is committed to the U of Minnesota for 2017-18. Portland picked him in the fourth round of the 2014 bantam draft. . . . F Cole Guttman of Northridge, Calif., was taken in the sixth round, 180th overall, by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Guttman, 18, played last season with the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints and will be the team captain in 2017-18. He has committed to St. Cloud State for 2018-19. The Winterhawks selected him in the eighth round of the 2014 bantam draft. . . . All of this is worth mentioning because F Kieffer Bellows, 19, has decided to leave Boston U after one season and join the Winterhawks, who selected him in the seventh round of the 2013 bantam draft. The New York Islanders took Bellows in the first round, 19th overall, of the NHL’s 2016 draft.

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One of the draft’s more intriguing selections came in the sixth round when the San Jose Sharks took F Jake McGrew of the Spokane Chiefs with the 159th pick. McGrew, an 18-year-old from Orange, Calif., didn’t play at all last season after suffering a knee injury. An eighth-round pick by the Chiefs in the 2014 WHL bantam draft, McGrew had a goal and two assists in six exhibition games when he was hurt in practice. . . . In 2015-16, he put up 29 goals and 18 assists in 32 games with the U-16 Los Angeles Jr. Kings.

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Another intriguing move came in the seventh round when the Dallas Stars took G Dylan Ferguson of the

DYLAN FERGUSON

Kamloops Blazers with the 194th overall pick. Ferguson, from Lantzville, B.C., spent the past two seasons backing up Connor Ingram with the Blazers. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Ferguson got into only 16 games in 2015-16, going 4-10-0, 4.13, .875. Last season, he played in 31 games and was 16-10-2, 2.74, .922. . . . Ferguson played most of those 2016-17 games in December and early January, while Ingram was with Canada’s national junior team. Ferguson lit it up, too — he was 9-4-1 while Ingram was away — resulting in a lot of scouts showing up in Kamloops after Christmas when they knew he would be starting. . . . With Ingram, 20, expected to play in the Tampa Bay Lightning’s organization in 2017-18, Ferguson, who turns 19 on Sept. 20, should be the Blazers’ starter. . . . Don’t forget, too, that Tom Gaglardi, the Stars’ owner, also is the majority owner of the Blazers.

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What a monster draft for Sweden and Finland. Sure kept @shoffren busy. pic.twitter.com/8QyGTiVCs4

— James Mirtle (@mirtle) June 24, 2017

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The WHL-champion Seattle Thunderbirds had one player selected on Saturday and another traded. . . . D Jarret Tyszka, 18, was taken by the Montreal Canadiens in the fifth round, 149th overall. He will play

KEEGAN KOLESAR

his third season in Seattle in 2017-18. . . . Meanwhile, veteran F Keegan Kolesar was acquired by the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday. They gave the Columbus Blue Jackets a second-round selection, No. 45, in return. Originally, that pick had belonged to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Golden Knights got it from Tampa Bay for agreeing to take D Jason Garrison off the Lightning’s roster in the expansion drafat. . . . Columbus promptly took French F Alexandre Texier. . . . The Blue Jackets had taken Kolesar in the third round of the 2015 NHL draft. . . . The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Kolesar, now 20, is from Brandon. He had 26 goals and 34 assists in 54 games last season, then was the leading scorer in the WHL playoffs with 31 points, including 12 goals, in 19 games. . . . Kolesar signed with the Blue Jackets on Dec. 20, 2015. He is expected to begin the season with the Knights’ AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.

"I left Winnipeg for Columbus at 7 (a.m.) because we have development camp this weekend," Kolesar told Mike Sawatzky of the Winnipeg Free Press on Saturday afternoon. "I land in Chicago and they call me and tell me I just got traded to Vegas. I'm in Columbus in a hotel room right now and I've gotta leave tomorrow or the next day for camp in Vegas. So, it's been a whirlwind, not even 24 hours for me.” . . . That story is right here.

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2017 NHL draft by league. pic.twitter.com/kpAK30YZdO

— James Mirtle (@mirtle) June 24, 2017

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The NHL’s 31 teams combined to select 89 players off the rosters of the 60 CHL teams — 42 from the OHL, 33 from the WHL and 14 from the QMJHL. . . . The number of players selected from WHL teams, starting in 2017 and going back to 2007: 33, 34, 35, 37, 33, 32, 33, 43, 31, 37, 37. . . .

All told, 17 of the WHL’s 22 teams had at least one player selected. . . . The Portland Winterhawks and Tri-City Americans each had four players go, while the Brandon Wheat Kings, Medicine Hat Tigers and Spokane Chiefs were at three. . . . The Swift Current Broncos, Regina Pats, Kootenay Ice and Kelowna Rockets each had two players taken, with one player being drafted from each of the Moose Jaw Warriors, Lethbridge Hurricanes, Red Deer Rebels, Prince Albert Raiders, Victoria Royals, Prince George Cougars, Seattle Thunderbirds and Kamloops Blazers. . . . Shut out of this draft were the Calgary Hitmen, Edmonton Oil Kings, Everett Silvertips, Saskatoon Blades and Vancouver Giants.

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Interesting night for Bomber family as Willard Reaves' son Ryan is traded to Penguins & Steve Patrick's grandson Nolan drafted #2 by Flyers! pic.twitter.com/qa1ogVeLoA

— Blue Bomber History (@BomberHistory) June 24, 2017

And, finally, condolences to Nolan Patrick and his family on the death of their grandmother and mother, June. Nolan, a forward with the Brandon Wheat Kings, was the second overall pick in the draft, taken by the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday. He had a big week, too, including throwing out the ceremonial pitch prior to a Wednesday game at Wrigley Field. You can bet that he did it all with a heavy heart, his grandmother having died on June 16 in Winnipeg. She was the mother of Nolan's father, Steven, and uncle, James, who is the Kootenay Ice's head coach. . . . A complete obituary is right here.

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F Dustin Sylvester (Kootenay, 2004-10) has signed a one-year extension with Dornbirn (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). Last season, he had 14 goals and 22 assists in 46 games. . . . 

F Tomáš Netík (Medicine Hat, 2000-01) has signed a one-year contract with Medveščak Zagreb (Croatia, Erste Bank Liga). Last season, with Sparta Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he had three goals and four assists in 20 games, and two goals in nine games with Třinec (Czech Republic, Extraliga). . . .

F John Dahlström (Medicine Hat, 2016-17) has signed a two-year contract with Almtuna Uppsala (Sweden, Allsvenskan). Last season, with the Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL), he had 30 goals and 29 assists in 63 games.

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Next up: The CHL import draft is scheduled for Wednesday, starting at 8 a.m. PT. It is held via telephone. . . . The Kootenay Ice is scheduled to be the first WHL team to make a selection. That will be the third-overall pick, behind the OHL’s Barrie Colts and the QMJHL’s Moncton Screaming Eagles. . . . The order of selection is right here.

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The Red Deer Rebels have signed F Jace Isley, who was a fifth-round selection in the WHL’s 2017 bantam draft. Isley, who won’t turn 15 until July 14, is from Grande Prairie, Alta. Last season, he had a goal and 14 assists in 23 games with a bantam prep team at OHA Edmonton.

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F Harrison Blaisdell, 16, has committed to play for the BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs in 2017-18. Two seasons ago, he had 20 goals and 34 assists in 25 games with a bantam prep team at the Yale academy in Abbotsford, B.C. Last season, with the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians, he put up 20 goals and 21 assists in 40 regular-season games. . . . Blaisdell, who already has committed to attend North Dakota for 2020-21, is the son of former Regina Pats F Mike Blaisdell, who was a 71-goal man in his only full WHL season. He played one season (1978-79) at the U of Wisconsin, then joined the Pats early in 1979-80. . . . Harrison was selected by the Vancouver Giants in the second round of the WHL’s 2016 bantam draft.

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The BCHL’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs have acquired F Luke Gingras, 19, and futures from the Vernon Vipers for F Jordan Sandhu, 18. . . . Sandhu, from Richmond, B.C., was a fourth-round pick by the Kelowna Rockets in the WHL’s 2014 bantam draft. Sandhu has played two seasons with the Bulldogs. He has committed to Arizona State for 2018-19. . . . Gingras, 19, played 114 games with the Saskatoon Blades over the past three seasons, scoring six goals and adding seven assists. The Blades dropped him from their protected list during the 2017 bantam draft. . . . He was a fourth-round pick by the Blades in the WHL’s 2013 bantam draft. . . . Gingras started last season with the Blades and finished up with the Vipers.

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The BCHL’s Prince George Spruce Kings have acquired F Shawn Kennedy, 18, from the CCHL’s Carleton Place Canadians for G Tavin Grant, 19, and futures. . . . Grant played 18 games with the WHL’s Prince George Cougars in 2014-15 and got into one game with them last season. . . . Interestingly, when G Nick McBride, 20, revealed in May that he was leaving the Cougars in order to go to school and with G Ty Edmonds, 20, moving on to the U of Lethbridge, general manager Todd Harkins said told the Prince George Citizen: “I’m not too worried about it because we’ve got young goalies and we have Tavin Grant.” . . . Also on the Cougars’ depth chart is Taylor Gauthier of Calgary, who was the ninth overall pick in the WHL’s 2016 bantam draft.

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Bob Woods is back with Bruce Boudreau. The Minnesota Wild announced Saturday that Woods, who has a long history with Boudreau, its head coach, has signed on as an assistant coach. Woods, 49, was an assistant coach with Buffalo last season, but lost his job as the Sabres went through another regime change. . . . Woods spent two seasons (2014-16) as the GM/head coach of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades. . . . This will be the fourth time Woods will have worked as an assistant coach alongside Boudreau. They were together with the Anaheim Ducks (2012-14), Washington Capitals (2000-12) and the AHL’s Hershey Bears (2005-07). . . . Woods also played in the WHL with the Brandon Wheat Kings (1987-89).

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The KHL season has yet to start, but that didn’t keep Dynamo Minsk from relieving head coach Craig Woodcroft of his duties. According to a release from the team, Woodcroft’s contract “was terminated by agreement of the parties.” . . . Dynamo CEO Anatoly Kurilets said the team was willing to move forward with Woodcroft as head coach, but that Woodcroft “wished for the termination of the contract, (so) we agreed . . . without paying severance pay.” . . . Woodcroft, 47, had signed a three-year contract in April 2016. . . . Assistant coaches Rob Davison and Ron Pascoe and trainer Christian Scarfagen also left Dynamo Minsk. Their departures were revealed three days before Woodcroft’s termination was announced.

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Injury bug biting Americans . . . Remembering Herb Brooks . . . Hitmen rise to top

When the Tri-City Americans filed their injury report with the WHL office on Monday, it included both their goaltenders, two defencemen and three forwards. Under ‘additions,’ the Americans listed the names of four affiliate players who have been brought in as the teams attempts to get through this adversity.
F Parker Bowles, who leads the Americans in assists (31) and points (44), and D Carter Cochrane are out indefinitely. Both have shoulder issues and might be done for the season.
F Braden Purtill is out for up to six weeks.
Richard Nejezchleb, who may be the most gifted offensive player on the roster, and D Dylan Coghlan both were listed as day-to-day, but they played last night against the visiting Portland Winterhawks.
G Eric Comrie, one of the best at his position in the WHL, will watch for up to three weeks, while G Evan Sarthou’s status has yet to be determined.
Last night, the Americans gave the start to G Nicholas Sanders, who has been with the midget AAA Calgary Buffaloes. He was a sixth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft.
Casey Kaiser, a 19-year-old from Richland, Wash., backed up Sanders. Kaiser made his first WHL appearance and start Saturday in a 7-2 loss to the visiting Calgary Hitmen.
The Americans also have recalled F Zack Andrusiak, from the junior B North Okanagan Knights of the Kootenay International Junior League; F Parker AuCoin, from the midget AAA St. Albert Raiders; and F Morgan Geekie from the Yellowhead Chiefs of the Manitoba Midget AAA League.
Aucoin was the 15th overall selection in that 2013 bantam draft, while Geekie was taken in the fifth round.
AuCoin made his WHL debut last night; Andrusiak and Geekie were scratched, as was freshman F Max James.
Tri-City didn’t show D Brandon Carlo on its injury report, but he missed his third game last night since taking a puck to the head. Carlo played for the U.S. at the 2015 WJC.
Bob Tory, the Americans’ general manager, has been working in the WHL since at least 1982, including stints with the Prince Albert Raiders, Portland and Kootenay Ice. He told Taking Note that he has never experienced anything like this season.
“This is the worst year yet,” he stated in a text. “One year in Kootenay we were hit hard but nothing like this, and not one is a concussion.”
On top of it all, Tory pointed out, that the Americans have had others players “out long term before this who have returned. And others who have had two long-term injuries this season.”
Through it all, the Americans are clinging to the Western Conference’s second wild-card playoff berth, five points ahead of the Prince George Cougars.
“I hope we can hang on for playoffs,” Tory said. “The kids are trying.”
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Mike Priestner, the owner of the Saskatoon Blades, was in Saskatoon on Tuesday so he and GM/head coach Bob Woods chatted with season-ticket holders during a luncheon. . . . The Blades won’t be in the playoffs, but that doesn’t surprise Priestner, who believes the rebuild is going in the right direction. . . . He also said the franchise is losing money. “We’re not losing a bunch of money. We’re losing some money,” Priestner said. “It was expected coming in. I didn’t think the crowds would be where they’re at. I probably thought they’d be in that 4,800 to 5,000 range.” . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix was there and his story is right here.
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Tim Speltz, GM of the Spokane Chiefs.

 Tim Speltz, the general manager of the Spokane Chiefs since 1990, has been added to Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence management group for 2015-16. He will work in support of the U-20 program, which primarily involved the Canadian national junior team that will play in the 2016 WJC in Helsinki, Finland. . . . Speltz is no stranger to Hockey Canada, having worked with the management group for the Canadian U-18 team that won gold at the 2014 Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament. . . .  Bruce Hamilton, the owner and general manager of the Kelowna Rockets, worked with the U-20 program for 2014-15.
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You know it’s baseball season when fans of the Chicago Cubs crawl out of the snowbanks and try to convince themselves that, yes, “this is our year.” . . . Dan Epstein, who is not related to Theo Epstein, is a Cubs’ fan and he has a readable piece on this subject right here.
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The Prince George Cougars continued their trek to Kent, Wash., by stopping in Williams Lake, B.C., on Tuesday. After a day of skating with minor hockey players, signing autographs and making friends, the Cougars presented a cheque for $1,500 to the local minor hockey association. The Cougars, who meet the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent on Friday, will spend today in 100 Mile House. . . .
If you haven’t seen this right here, it’s definitely worth a read as TSN’s Bob McKenzie remembers the late Herb Brooks.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:

B.C. DIVISION: All five teams had the day off.
U.S. DIVISION: Portland (12 games remaining) won on the road and now is three points behind idle Everett, which leads the division. . . . Tri-City (11) lost at home and remains in possession of the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot. Tri-City is a point behind idle Spokane (14) and five ahead of Prince George (11).
EAST DIVISION: Swift Current (12) won at home and is a solid third, eight points behind Regina (13) and 12 points ahead of Moose Jaw (12), neither of whom played.
CENTRAL DIVISION: Calgary (12) won on the road and moved into sole possession of first place in the division, two points ahead of idle Medicine Hat (12). . . . Kootenay (11) picked up a loser point on the road and now holds down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot by five points over idle Edmonton (12). Kootenay is four points behind idle Red Deer (13), which is third in the division.
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In Swift Current, the Broncos trailed 5-2 early in the third period but roared back to beat the Kootenay Ice 7-6 in a shootout. . . . Broncos F Jake DeBrusk scored the only goal of the four-round shootout. . . . Ice F Tim Bozon gave his side a 5-2 lead with his 28th goal at 9:20 of the second period. . . . F Coda Gordon, with his second of the game and 21st of the season, cut the deficit to 5-3. . . . DeBrusk then got his 36th goal at 14:03 and D Ayrton Nikkel tied it with his second goal of the season at 16:23. . . . The Ice wasn’t done, though, and took a 6-5 lead on F Levi Cable’s 26th goal at 17:13. . . . It was left for Broncos F Colby Cave to force OT with his 28th goal at 18:35. . . . F Luke Philp scored his 27th goal and added three assists for the Ice, who got three assists from F Sam Reinhart. . . . The Broncos (30-25-5) have won three in a row. . . . The Ice (31-27-3) is 3-0-2 in its last five. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., F Oliver Bjorkstrand scored twice and F Nic Petan had four assists as the Portland Winterhawks beat the Tri-City Americans, 6-4. . . . Bjorkstrand, with goals in nine straight games, has 45 goals, one off the WHL lead. . . . Petan has eight assists over his last two games. In fact, in his last six games, he has a goal and 13 assists. . . . Portland F Miles Koules broke a 4-4 tie with his 24th goal at 14:32 of the third period. . . . That came after F Beau McCue had pulled the Americans into a 4-4 tie with a shorthanded goal at 10:09. . . . G Nicholas Sanders made 41 saves for the Americans, 17 more than Portland’s Adin Hill. . . . Tri-City was 2-for-4 on the PP; the Winterhawks were 0-for-3. . . . The Winterhawks (36-20-4) have points in six straight (5-0-1). . . . The Americans (27-31-3) have lost two in a row. . . .

In Kent, Wash., the Calgary Hitmen continued their unbeaten road trip as they dropped the Seattle Thunderbirds, 3-2. . . . Calgary F Chase Lang broke a 1-1 tie with his 24th goal at 5:47 of the second period, just 4:26 after F Jake Virtanen had tied it with his 17th goal. . . . F Terrell Draude gave the visitors a 3-1 lead at 2:35 of the third. . . . Seattle F Roberts Lipsbergs got his 10th goal at 19:00 of the third. . . . According to TBird Tidbits, the Hitmen now have won six straight games in Seattle/Kent, with two of the victories coming in OT. Calgary last lost there on Oct. 26, 2002. . . . Calgary (37-18-5) is three games into an 11-game road trip and has won all three games. Overall, it has won five straight. . . . Seattle (31-22-7) had won its previous two games.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
Medicine Hat at Brandon, 7 p.m.
Kootenay at Regina, 7 p.m.
Swift Current at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Red Deer at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Calgary at Portland, 7 p.m.
Victoria at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Everett at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
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Just heard a lady in the lobby say "I'm STILL vibrating!!". @SCBroncos
— Leigh Duquette (@LadyKat75) February 25, 2015

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Giants' Osipov traded in KHL . . . Uher gets to NHL . . . WHL webcasts free

D Jakub Čutta (Swift Current, 1998-2001) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Pardubice (Czech Republic, Extraliga). Last season, with Liberec (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he had three goals and four assists in 29 games. He also had one assist in 10 games with SaiPa Lappeenranta (Finland, Liiga). . . .
Amur Khabarovsk (Russia, KHL) has traded the rights to D Dmitri Osipov (Vancouver, 2013-present) to Sochi (Russia, KHL) for F Rafael Akhmetov. Osipov was selected first overall by Khabarovsk in the 2013 KHL junior draft. He was the first overall selection, by Vancouver, in the CHL’s 2013 import draft. . . . This season, with the Giants, Osipov, 18, has a goal and six assists in 33 games.
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F Brendan Woods, the son of Bob Woods, the general manager and head coach of the Saskatoon Blades, made his NHL debut on Tuesday night. Brendan played 6:10 for the Carolina Hurricanes as they beat the host New Jersey Devils, 2-1. . . . Yes, Bob was in attendance. . . . Brendan had one hit and one shot, and was minus-1. . . . He was a fifth-round selection by Carolina, out of the U of Wisconsin, in the 2012 NHL draft. . . . This season, the 6-foot-4, 210-pounder has five goals and three assists in 42 games with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. He was returned to the Checkers following last night‘s game. . . . Brendan now has played one more NHL game than his father, although Bob spent five season as an NHL assistant coach before joining the Blades.
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The Pittsburgh Penguins, with 11 or 12 players out with illness, mostly the mumps, or injuries, recalled F Dominik Uher on Tuesday. He had been with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre Penguins. . . . Uher, who played three seasons with the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs, was selected by the Penguins in the 11th round of the NHL’s 2011 draft. He made his NHL debut last night as the Penguins lost 4-3 to the host Tampa Bay Lightning. . . . Uher played 7:17, including 27 seconds shorthanded, had one hit, and was minus-1. . . . F Tyler Johnson, who played with Uher for two seasons in Spokane, scored three times for Tampa Bay. Johnson has 13 goals this season.
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A note from Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post:
“The best part of the 2014-15 Pats: Win or lose, they play an exciting style. The players are encouraged to be creative. The coaches do not respond punitively if an attempt at a picturesque play is unsuccessful. Head coach John Paddock and his predecessor, Malcolm Cameron, helped to usher in a welcome departure from the chip-and-chase, get-pucks-deep horror.”
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When the WHL resumes play, its Saturday and Sunday webcasts will be free at whl.neulion.com. Use WHLHOLIDAYS as the promo code.
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Rob Friend of Kelowna had a terrific soccer career that included stops in Norway, Germany and The Netherlands. He played this season with the L.A. Galaxy as it won the MLS championship. However, he wasn’t able to play in the championship game. In fact, he had already announced his impending retirement thanks to post-concussion syndrome. . . . Neil Davidson of The Canadian Press has Friend’s story right here.
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There are lists and there are lists, and then there is Rolling Stone’s list of the biggest sports controversies of 2014. Written by Jeb Lund, it is rather scathing, and it is right here.
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Email convo with Kelowna Rockets' owner Bruce Hamilton...on Draisaitl's WHL rights being traded "Nothing going on. All talk. No action."
— John Shannon (@JSportsnet) December 24, 2014

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Giants happy with Noel . . . Ice stuns Silvertips . . . Thunderbirds derail Chiefs

F Radek Meidl (Seattle, Tri-City, 2006-08) has signed a contract with Prostějov (Czech Republic, 1. Liga). Contract terms weren’t announced. This season, he had nine goals and eight assists in 16 games with Polonia Bytom (Poland, Ekstraliga). . . .
D Jindřich Barák (Red Deer, 2009-10) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Skalica (Slovakia, Extraliga) after requesting his release from Sparta Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga). Barák played for Skalica each of the past two seasons. With Sparta this season, he had one goal in 12 games.
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THE COACHING GAME:

The Vancouver Giants have signed Claude Noel as the fifth head coach in franchise history.
The WHL team made the announcement via a press release Sunday evening, during halftime of the Grey Cup, the annual championship game of the Canadian Football League that this year was held in Vancouver.
“We’re excited to have Claude join our organization,” Giants general manager Scott Bonner said in the news release. “He has worked extensively with Ken Hitchcock, who is one of the best coaches in WHL history, and with Claude coming from the NHL, we know he’s one of the top coaches in the world. We’re confident that he can get us back on track.”
Noel attended the Giants' game in Calgary on Saturday night. The Giants snapped a six-game losing skid, beating the Hitmen, 6-3. The Giants next play on Friday when they entertain the Portland Winterhawks.
The news release didn't give any indication of contract length or terms.
The Giants fired head coach Troy Ward on Wednesday. He was 25 games into a three-year contract and had a 9-16-0 record at the time. Assistant coach Matt Erhart was named interim head coach and the Giants were 1-2-0 with him running the bench.
Noel, 59, has twice been an NHL head coach, with the Winnipeg Jets and Columbus Blue Jackets. He was 80-79-18 with the Jets when they fired him in January. During his time in Winnipeg, he coached former Giants like Evander Kane, Spencer Machacek, Kenndal McArdle and James Wright.
In a short stint as the Blue Jackets' head coach in 2009-10, Noel was 10-8-6.
A native of Kirkland Lake, Ont., Noel has a lot of coaching experience but has never been a head coach at the major junior level. He spent two seasons (1988-90) as an assistant coach under head coach Bert Templeton with the OHL's North Bay Centennials.
Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province tries to piece together the Noel hiring right here.
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The BCHL's Victoria Grizzlies are bringing in Craig Didmon to replace general manager and head coach Brad Knight. The move wll be made official today at a news conference. The Grizzlies are 11-10-0-5, good for fourth spot in the Island Division, four points out of third and five points out of second. . . . Didmon, who is taking over on an interim basis, had been with the Grizzlies, but he resigned in June. . . . Independent Sports News has the story right here.
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Bob Woods, the general manager and head coach of the Saskatoon Blades, learned a lesson on Saturday night in Moose Jaw. We'll never know if it may have cost his side a 4-2 loss to the Warriors. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has the story right here explaining how Blades F Alex Forsberg had to leave a game in the middle of the second period, even though he was healthy and hadn't taken a penalty.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors have released F Linden Penner, a 19-year-old from Sherwood Park, Alta. Penner, who was a 10th-round selection by the Saskatoon Blades in the 2010 bantam draft, had a goal and three assists in 24 games with the Warriors. . . . The Warriors had acquired Penner from the Calgary Hitmen on Sept. 24, giving up a conditional sixth round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. Perhaps the draft pick was payable if Penner was on the Warriors' roster on Dec. 1.
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The Colorado Avalanche have recalled F Colin Smith from the AHL's Lake Erie Monsters and he could make his NHL debut tonight against the Montreal Canadiens. Smith, 21, is from Edmonton. He had 271 points, including 102 goals, in 272 regular-season WHL games with the Kamloops Blazers. The Avalanche selected him in the seventh round of the NHL's 2012 draft. . . . Last season, his first as a pro, he had 34 points, eight of them goals, in 76 games with Lake Erie. This season, he has four goals and seven assists in 16 games.
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F Mason Shaw of the Medicine Hat Tigers won’t play again this season. Ryan McCracken of the Medicine Hat News reports that Shaw “will undergo season-ending surgery this week.” . . . Shaw, a 16-year-old from Lloydminster, Alta., was a second-round pick by the Tigers in the 2013 bantam draft. In his first WHL season, he has three goals and six assists in 23 games.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES:

In Everett, D Tyler King scored at 3:08 of OT as the Kootenay Ice erased a 3-0 deficit and beat the Silvertips, 4-3. . . . Kootenay trailed 3-0 early in the third period when F Tim Bozon scored his ninth goal at 1:35. . . . Ice D Rinat Valiev got his side to within a goal with his fourth goal at 5:40, via a PP. . . . D Tanner Faith scored his first goal of the season at 13:52 of the third to force OT. . . . F Nikita Scherback (bruised thigh) returned to the Everett lineup and had his 12th goal and an assist. . . . The Silvertips also had F Remi Laurencelle (ankle) back in the lineup. . . . Kootenay F Sam Reinhart had his point streak snapped at 10 games. . . . The Ice is 9-2-0 with Reinhart in the lineup. . . . The Ice (13-15-0) has won two in a row. . . . Everett is 16-5-4. . . . Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has more right here on the Ice’s weekend. . . .

In Kent, Wash., the Seattle Thunderbirds scored three PP goals and beat the Spokane Chiefs, 4-1. . . . Only the game's first goal, from Seattle D Turner Ottenbreit, didn't come via the PP. . . . F Ryan Gropp scored twice for Seattle, giving him 12 goals this season. Gropp played six games without a goal after last scoring on Nov. 8. . . . F Justin Hickman had two assists for Seattle. . . . F Calder Brooks had Spokane's lone goal, his 11th. . . . Seattle D Sahvan Khaira gave his side a 3-1 lead with his first goal at 10:03 of the second period. . . . The Thunderbirds scratched F Mathew Barzal (knee) and D Shea Theodore (undisclosed). . . . The Thunderbirds improved to 11-12-4, while the Chiefs (14-8-3) had a five-game winning streak end.
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Just watched a midget game with a total of 9 coaches on the benches. Why is this necessary? #ThreeIsPlenty #Overkill
— Mike Fraser (@MikeFraser29) November 30, 2014

Chase in holding pattern . . . Playfair back with Chiefs . . . Hobbs' mother recovering

F Jakub Šindel (Brandon, 2004-05) signed a contract for the rest of this season with the Coventry Blaze (England, UK Elite). He had been released by Kaltern/Caldaro (Italy, Serie A). . . .

F Zdeněk Blatný (Seattle, Kootenay, 1998-2001) has been released by Frederikshavn (Denmark, Metal Ligaen). He had three goals and five assists in five games. His contract had a clause allowing either side to terminate it within the first month. Frederikshavn elected to terminate the contract.

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F Greg Chase remains at home in Sherwood Park, Alta., as he waits for the Calgary Hitmen to trade him. He also is a draft pick of the Edmonton Oilers, who signed him to a three-year contract in September. Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal and Kristen Odland of the Calgary Herald look at the situation right here.

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The OHL's Erie Otters suffered their first regulation-time loss of the season on Thursday when they were beaten 5-2 by the host Niagara IceDogs. . . . Erie F Connor McDavid had his point streak end at 14 games (he has 42 points in 15 games). . . . The Otters' had at least a point in 14 straight games (13-0-1), while Niagara had losts its previous six games.

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The WHL's 20-year-old dance continued Wednesday, this time in the dressing room of the Spokane Chiefs. F Jackson Playfair is back with the Chiefs, who in turn placed F Connor Chartier on waivers. Playfair was traded by the Chiefs to the Tri-City Americans last season. However, the Americans acquired F Richard Nejezchleb from the Brandon Wheat Kings on Wednesday, and that left Tri-City with three 20-year-olds, one over the roster limit. The Americans then put Playfair on waivers. When the Chiefs claimed him, it left them one over the limit, so they placed Chartier on waivers. . . . Playfair had seven points, four of them goals, in 16 games with the Americans this season. Before being traded last season, he had played 89 games with the Chiefs, recording six goals and nine assists. . . . Chartier, a second-round pick by the Chiefs in the 2009 bantam draft, had 71 points, 25 of the goals, in 209 games with Spokane.

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Bob Woods, the general manager and head coach of the Saskatoon Blades, has some history with Mark French, the head coach of the Calgary Hitmen. In fact, the two of them won an AHL championship together. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has more right here.

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Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reports that Jackie Hobbs, the mother of D Connor Hobbs, continues to recover from serious injuries suffered in an Oct. 24 head-on collision.

However, Nugent-Bowman writes, that accident didn’t have anything to do with Hobbs leaving the Medicine Hat Tigers on Oct. 30 and asking to be traded.

Hobbs, from Saskatoon, is at home waiting for the phone to ring.

According to Nugent-Bowman, Jackie Hobbs “suffered a broken collarbone, seven broken ribs, a cracked sternum, a chipped vertebrae and a punctured lung . . . She spent nine days in the hospital, but is now recovering well, according to Hobbs's agent Jason Davidson.”

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The latest edition of Elliotte Friedman’s 30 Thoughts is right here. . . . Included is confirmation that, yes, F Kris Versteeg of the Chicago Blackhawks still is interested in purchasing the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

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Cathal Kelly of The Globe and Mail has an interesting take on Alex Rodriguez and his drug situation. Were you in A-Rod’s situation, asks Kelly, what would you have done? Kelly certainly knows what he would have done. Give it a look right here.

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John Forzani, a former CFL player who became a business leader in Calgary, died last week in Palm Springs, Calif. His brain has since been donated to the Canadian Sports Concussion Project. . . . There is no doubt that Forzani experienced brain injuries while playing with the Calgary Stampeders (1971-76), but what makes his situation interesting is that he doesn’t appear to have suffered any cognitive issues in his latter years. He was 67 when he died. . . . Mario Toneguzzi of the Calgary Herald has more right here.

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Sometimes the road has its perks! Team enjoying the TrailBlazers game before tomorrows meeting with @pdxwinterhawks pic.twitter.com/irNhDJ3OrB
— Red Deer Rebels (@Rebelshockey) November 7, 2014

@Rebelshockey Going to a Portland Trailblazers game??? #SanctionsComingSoon
— Not Ron Robison (@NotRonRobison) November 7, 2014

Aces come up kings in ECHL

F Ty Morris (Swift Current, Vancouver, Red Deer, 2003-05) has signed a one-year extension with Landshut (Germany, DEL2). Last season, he had 46 points, including 15 goals, in 47 games.
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So I am embarking on a voyage of discovery to find out.
I'll be back in a couple of weeks. Until then . . .

1. Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada has an interesting note in his weekly 30 Thoughts: “Another AHL coach to watch: Norfolk's Trent Yawney. Hearing Anaheim wants him on the bench next to Bruce Boudreau.” . . . There’s an opening in Anaheim because Bob Woods, whose contract with the Ducks was up and hadn’t yet been renewed, left to join the Saskatoon Blades as GM/head coach. . . . Yawney, from Hudson Bay, Sask., spent three seasons (1981-84) on the Blades’ blue line. . . . Friedman’s latest column is right here.

2. Baseball has Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak. . . . Hockey has Billy Mosienko’s three goals in 21 seconds. . . . Brian Costello of The Hockey News revisits Mosienko’s amazing feat right here.

3. In Cincinnati, G Gerald Coleman stopped 23 shots as the Alaska Aces beat the Cyclones 4-0 and won the ECHL’s Kelly Cup final, 4-2. . . . The Aces won the last two games, both in Cincinnati, to win their third Kelly Cup, tying the South Carolina Stingrays for the most in ECHL history. . . . Former WHL F Turner Elson (Red Deer, 2009-13) had one of Alaska’s goals. . . . Former WHL D James Martin (Swift Current, Kootenay, 2008-11) was among Alaska’s scratches in Game 6. . . . According to an Aces news release, “Assistant coach Louis Mass joined Scott Burt, Jared Bednar and Patrick Wellar as the only individuals to have their names on the Kelly Cup three times.” . . . Burt (Seattle, Swift Current, Edmonton Red Deer, 1994-98) just completed his first season as an assistant coach with the Spokane Chiefs. Prior to that he played three seasons (2008-11) with the Aces and was an assistant coach for two more (2011-13). . . . Bednar, now an assistant coach with the AHL’s Springfield Falcons, played three seasons in the WHL (Saskatoon, Spokane, Medicine Hat, Prince Albert, 1990-93). . . . Wellar, who played this season with the AHL’s Hershey Bears, spent four seasons in the WHL (Portland, Calgary, 2000-04).

4. G Michael Hutchinson stopped 49 shots to lead the visiting St. John’s IceCaps to a 2-1 victory over the Texas Stars in Game 2 of the AHL final on Monday night in Cedar Park, Texas. . . . The series is tied, with the next three games in St. John’s, starting on Wednesday. . . . Hutchinson was especially busy in the third period when he made 20 saves. . . . F Blair Riley, a native of Chase, B.C., scored the GWG. He got his second goal of this postseason early in the second period, just 44 seconds after the Stars had tied the game. . . . F Brendan Ranford, who spent the previous five seasons with the Kamloops Blazers, had the lone Texas goal, his eighth of the playoffs.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:

Hearing #WHLGiants coaching search may be down to 2 guys - former #Canucks forward Tim Hunter and EDM Oil Kings assistant Steve Hamilton.
— News1130 Sports (@News1130Sports) June 9, 2014

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Blades introduce their man; Royals haven't spoken with Richardson

D T.J. Fast (Tri-City, 2006-08) has signed a one-year contract with Heilbronner Falken (Germany, DEL2). Last season, with Eispiraten Crimmitschau (Germany, DEL2), he had 34 points, including nine goals, in 49 games. In the relegation round, he added 19 points, eight of them goals, in 17 games. . . .
F Robin Figren (Calgary, Edmonton, 2006-08) has signed a two-year extension with Frölunda Gothenburg (Sweden, SEL). Last season, he had 23 points, including nine goals, in 43 games.
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Bob Woods, the Saskatoon Blades' new
GM/head coach, addresses the media
at a Monday news conference.
(Photo: Saskatoon Blades)

The Saskatoon Blades, as expected, introduced Bob Woods as their new general manager and head coach on Monday.
Woods, who had spent the last two-plus seasons as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks, replaces Lorne Molleken and David Struch with the Blades. Molleken, the team’s long-time GM/head coach, was released by the team’s new owners, Mike and Colin Priestner, after last season. Struch, a former Blades player and long-time assistant coach under Molleken, got the heave-ho after one season as head coach.
Woods got a five-year contract from the Blades.
Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix attended the news conference and, at one point, tweeted that under the terms of the contract Woods “is open to pursue NHL jobs. Terms not disclosed, but he'll one of the WHL's highest-paid people.”
Nugent-Bowman’s story is right here.
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With Bob Woods having signed on as the head coach of the Saskatoon Blades, only two of the WHL’s 22 teams are without head coaches.
The Calgary Hitmen, who fired Mike Williamson following the season, and the Vancouver Giants, who allowed Don Hay out of the final year of his contract so that he could take over the coaching duties with his hometown Kamloops Blazers, both are in the market.
Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal has reported that the Hitmen are “very interested” in Edmonton Oil Kings assistant coach Steve Hamilton.
It’s unlikely that Hamilton will make a move until the immediate future of Oil Kings head coach Derek Laxdal is confirmed one way or the other. There have been hints that perhaps the parent Oilers might add him to their staff, perhaps as an associate coach under head coach Dallas Eakins. Should that happen, Hamilton would be in line to be the Oil Kings’ head coach.
However, should the Oilers leave Laxdal in place as the Oil Kings’ head coach, perhaps Hamilton would consider a move to another WHL team as its head coach.
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1. F Evan Richardson, a sophomore forward at Boston College, won’t be returning to the Eagles. Richardson, 20, had two goals in four games last season as freshman. From Nanaimo, B.C., Richardson was selected 15th overall by the Swift Current Broncos in the 2009 WHL bantam draft. . . . On Sept. 5, 2012, the Broncos dealt his rights to the Victoria Royals for 1995-born F Justin Spagrud and a conditional second-round bantam draft pick. . . . As of late Monday night, Royals general manager Cam Hope hadn’t spoken with Richardson, who is believed to be thinking about playing junior A or transferring to another school. . . . Of course, he would be welcome to join the Royals and, as Hope told me, “fight for an overage spot with us . . . he’s a skilled player.” . . . The Royals have five 20-year-olds on their roster in D Travis Brown, F Austin Carroll, F Steven Hodges, F Brandon Magee and G Patrik Polivka. However, Hodges has signed with the NHL’s Florida Panthers, while Magee and Polivka have signed with teams in Europe.

2. The Medicine Hat Tigers have signed F James Hamblin, the 17th overall selection in the 2014 WHL bantam draft. Hamblin, from Edmonton, spent the past two seasons with the bantam AAA Edmonton-South Side Athletic Club Lions. Last season, he had 62 points, including 32 goals, in 31 games. . . . Hamblin was one of 21 prospects who attended the Tigers’ weekend orientation camp.

3. The Prince Albert Raiders have traded F Chance Braid, who turns 20 in September, and F Lance Yaremchuk, 18, to the Prince George Cougars for F Jordan Tkatch, 19, and a sixth-round selection in the 2016 bantam draft. . . . Braid, from Chauvin, Alta., has 57 points in 201 regular-season games, all with Prince Albert. . . . Yaremchuk had a goal and two assists in 15 games with the Raiders last season. He also had 31 points, 15 of them goals, in 20 games with the midget AAA Prince Albert Mintos, who went on to win the Telus Cup. Yaremchuk was a sixth-round selection by the Raiders in the 2011 bantam draft. . . .  Tkatch, a second-round pick by the Cougars in the 2010 bantam draft, put up 82 points, 33 of them goals, in 196 regular-season games. He is from Prud’Homme, which is located 110 km south of Prince Albert, where he played for the midget AAA Mintos. Last season, he had 46 points, including 16 goals, in 72 games.

4. The deal between Prince Albert and Prince George leaves the Raiders with six potential 20-year-olds on their roster -- F Calder Brooks, F Dakota Conroy, F Shane Danyluk, F Jayden Hart, D Sawyer Lange and F Carson Perreaux. . . . In Prince George, Braid joins G Adam Beukeboom, F Troy Bourke, F Jari Erricson, F Zach Pochiro, F Brett Roulston, D Joshua Smith and D Wil Tomchuk as potential 20-year-olds on the Cougars’ roster. Bourke has signed an NHL deal with the Colorado Avalanche so isn’t likely to return.

5. When a team loses, it isn’t often that fans give the other team credit. When that happens in Game 7 of a championship series, it rarely happens. More often, the officials get the blame, it seems. So I must say I was quite pleased to get the following via email from a Portland Winterhawks’ fan:
“Has there ever been a more resilient and tough-minded WHL team than this year's Oil Kings - They took multiple ‘George Foreman in his prime haymakers’ from the Hawks . . . Storm . . . and Val-d'Or:
- Fall behind the Hawks 2-0 in games / getting shaky goaltending from (Tristan) Jarry;
- Fall behind the Hawks 2-0 three minutes into Game 3;
- Blow two three-goal leads at HOME ... lose Game 6 in epic failure fashion;
- Get beaten soundly by Guelph in the round-robin;
- Multiple OT's against Val-d’Or;
- Fall behind 1-0 . . . a minute into the championship game.
Unbelievable guts and courage shown by Edmonton.”

6. F Sam Bennett of the Kingston Frontenacs is NHL Central Scouting’s top-ranked North American skater going into this month’s draft. But at the combine last weekend in Mississauga, Ont., Bennett wasn’t able to do even one pull-up. . . . Yes, that raised some eyebrows. But, as Neate Sager of Yahoo! Canada Sports writes right here: Who cares? . . . It all reminds me of an anecdote involving F Bill Derlago, one of the great scorers in WHL history, who was selected by the Vancouver Canucks with the fourth overall pick of the NHL’s 1978 draft. When players showed up for training camp, the Canucks’ braintrust put them through some dryland stuff that included sprints. Jake Milford, who had a long history with the Wheat Kings, was the Canucks’ general manager at the time. He called Brandon head coach Dunc McCallum and admitted that he was concerned because Derlago didn’t run very well. McCallum asked Milford: “Are you putting together a track team or a hockey team?”

7. D Kyle Sheen (Kootenay, Kamloops, 1999-2004) will be bringing home at least one

souvenir from the 2014 IIHF Inline Hockey World Championship that opened Sunday in Pardubice, Czech Republic. . . . Sheen’s first goal in an IIHF competition gave Canada a 1-0 lead less than a minute into Monday’s game against Finland. However, the Finns came back for a 5-3 victory. . . . Canada, bronze medalists a year ago, had opened with a 3-1 victory over Germany on Saturday. . . . Canada (1-1) will meet Sweden on Tuesday. . . . Interestingly, F Ales Hemsky of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators has joined the Czech team. His father, Petr, is the head coach of the Czech side.


8. Hockey Canada has revealed that registration for the 2013-14 season was down 5,600 from the previous season. The number of boys played hockey in Canada decreased for a third straight season. . . . Meanwhile, the number of new players involved in soccer went up by 20,000. . . . Alan Maki of The Globe and Mail delves into why that is happening right here.

9. D Andrew Alberts’ hockey career may be over, but he’s not even thinking about that. All he wants right now is to experience one day without a headache. Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun has the story right here on what he calls “the NHL’s shame.”

10. Retired NFL star Dan Marino is part of a lawsuit filed against the NFL on May 28 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Yes, it has to do with concussions. As Massachusetts-based attorney Michael McCann, who writes on legal matters for Sports Illustrated, notes right here, these lawsuits aren’t going away any time soon.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Brandon West has been promoted to head coach of the BCHL’s Salmon Arm Silverbacks. He had been the associate coach under GM/head coach Troy Mick. . . . Mick now is the franchise’s governor, president and general manager. According to the BCHL constitution, a team’s head coach isn’t allowed to serve as governor. . . . Mick and West, who has been with Salmon Arm for three seasons, have worked together through the past two seasons.
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Tom Keca won’t be back as the assistant GM/assistant coach with the AJHL’s Fort McMurray Oil Barons. Curtis Hunt, the team’s new GM and head coach, made that revelation on Monday. Keca had been with the Oil Barons for nine seasons. . . . Hunt also said that Ryan Allen, the club’s other assistant coach, will be back. . . . Robert Murray of Fort McMurray Today has more right here.
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From the Vancouver Giants (@WHLGiants): “Be a part of our 2014/15 Dance Team! Auditions will take place on June 14 at the Coliseum. http://fb.me/2V4lENzyY”
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From Giants F Joel Hamilton (@Jhamilton181): “@WHLGiants I'm out of town until about mid august... Can I audition then? #jk”
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The Giants response: “We’ll hold a spot for you!”

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