THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Garrett Festerling (Portland, Regina, 2003-07) signed a one-year contract extension with the Hamburg Freezers (Germany DEL). He had four goals and 15 assists in 50 games for the Freezers this season.
———
The WHL has suspended F Evan Bloodoff of the Kelowna Rockets, but the name of Brandon Wheat Kings F Shayne Wiebe doesn’t appear on the list of disciplined players.
Wiebe took a major penalty for boarding during an 8-4 victory over the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors on Saturday night. But he won’t be suspended. His penalty was reviewed by the WHL office and it was decided that a suspension wasn’t warranted.
Bloodoff, meanwhile, was hit with a major penalty for a hit on Vancouver Giants D Joel Rogers on Saturday night in Kelowna. Rogers, who recently returned from a concussion, left the ice on a stretcher and was taken to hospital. Rogers is a 20-year-old and it seems doubtful that he’ll return this season.
Bloodoff is shown on the WHL website as having been suspended “tbd” -- to be determined.
Doyle Potenteau of the Kelowna Daily Courier described Bloodoff’s hit as a “leaping, high hit.”
On Sunday, Bloodoff told Potenteau: “Whatever the league decides, I’ll be fine with. It’s out of my hands. It was a spur of the moment thing and I’m glad he’s alright.”
Bloodoff told Potenteau that he recognizes that “it’s still all on the player.”
He continued: “You have that last second to decide to hit the brakes . . . I dunno . . . it seems like there’s nothing I could have done there.”
———
Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun reports that the Vancouver Giants have some serious injury problems as they prepare to open a first-round series against the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick, Wash., on Friday. That story is right here.
According to Pap, the Giants have picked up three more concussions over the last few days, to D Joel Rogers, F Michael Burns and F Anthony Ast, who had been recalled from the major midget Greater Vancouver Canadians.
Three more concussions means the WHL has seen at least 100 concussion/head injuries this season.
———
Allan Maki of The Globe and Mail spoke with Dave Adolph, the head coach of the U of Saskatchewan Huskies hockey team, about the concussion problem. Adolph is the father of Kelowna Rockets F Max Adolph, who has been plagued by concussion woes this season. That piece is right here.
———
The Saskatoon Blades are hopeful that they’ll have their top offensive unit back together for Game 1 of their first-round series with the Prince Albert Raiders on Saturday.
F Jake Trask, who sat out the Blades’ last two games after being hit from the blindside by Moose Jaw Warriors F Brett Lyon on March 16, just might be ready to go Saturday.
Trask, who was acquired from the Kamloops Blazers early in the season for a sixth-round bantam draft, pick, scored a career-high 30 goals. He has 20 goals in his last 25 games.
Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reports that Trask will go back onto a line with Brayden Schenn and Curtis Hamilton. That allows Josh Nicholls to rejoin Marek Viedensky and Darian Dziurzynski, with Matej Stransky, Brent Benson and Chris Collins reuniting.
———
D Brenden Dillon of the Seattle Thunderbirds will finish the season with the Texas Stars, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Dallas Stars. Dillon, 20, signed a three-year NHL deal with Dallas on March 1. Dillon, Seattle’s captain, spent four season with the Thunderbirds.
———
The Regina Pats have had five players leave for the pro ranks. F Garrett Mitchell, who signed with the NHL’s Washington Capitals on the weekend, joined the AHL’s Hershey Bears.
Four other players signed amateur tryout deals. D Brandon Davidson will finish up with the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons, while F Jordan Weal is with the AHL’s Manchester Monarchs, and F Shayne Neigum and D Art Bidlevskii have joined the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
Davidson was selected by the Edmonton Oil Kings in the sixth round of the NHL’s 2010 draft, while Weal went to the Los Angeles Kings in the third round of that same draft.
———
Groups in Kamloops, Ottawa and St. John’s, Nfld., have submitted official bids in hopes of playing host to the 2013 IIHF world women’s championship.
The City of City of Kamloops, Ottawa Senators Sports and Entertainment, and Destination St. John’s/Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador submitted bids to Hockey Canada by the deadline and will make formal presentations in Calgary on April 6.
Originally, the Vancouver Island Amateur Hockey Association and the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association also expressed interest. The VIAHA has since withdrawn, while the OWHA joined forces with Ottawa Senators Sports and Entertainment.
———
Ken Campbell, a senior writer with The Hockey News, has an interesting take on the situation involving Max Domi and the apparent decision by he and his family to skip the OHL and move to the USHL in time for next season. Campbell’s piece is right here.
———
If you haven’t seen the Rimouski Oceanic’s answer to the defensive trap being played by the Montreal Juniors in a QMJHL game last week, check it out right here.
This comes courtesy of Neate Sager over at Yahoo! Sports and, as he mentions, this serves as some kind of a reminder that, above all else, major junior hockey teams are in the entertainment business.
———
JUST NOTES: F Mark McNeill of the Prince Albert Raiders is the WHL’s player of the week. He had seven points, including five assists, in three games last week. . . . Deven Dubyk of the Medicine Hat Tigers is the WHL’s nominee as goaltender of the week. He recorded his first two career shutouts as he blanked the Calgary Hitmen in back-to-back games. . . . D Stefan Elliott of the Saskatoon Blades has signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. Elliott, who had 81 points, including 31 goals, in 71 games, led the WHL in plus-minus, at plus-62. He was the 49th overall selection in the 2009 NHL draft. Elliott turned 20 on Jan. 30. . . . According to capgeek.com, Elliott gets an AHL salary of US$67,500, with NHL salaries of $790,000, $840,000, and $900,000. His signing bonus is $270,000, payable over three years. . . .
Mike Vandekamp, a former head coach with the Prince George Cougars, has left the AJHL’s Grande Prairie Storm after four seasons and signed on as director of hockey operations and head coach with the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers. The Clippers have offered long-time head coach Bill Bestwick a position in their front office. Bestwick had a year left on his contract when he was removed by the Clippers’ new ownership group. . . . Blaine Bablitz, an assistant under Vandekamp, has taken over as GM and head coach of the Storm. . . . The BCHL’s Trail Smoke Eaters also have undergone a coaching change. Jim Ingram stepped down as GM and head coach on Friday, and the Smokies immediately signed assistant Bill Birks to a two-year deal as GM/head coach. . . .
The WHL holds its bantam draft lottery on Wednesday (11 a.m., Calgary time), with the six non-playoff teams taking part. This will establish the order of selection for the first six picks of the first round only. (Rounds 2 through 7 will be done by inverse order of the regular-season standings.) The most a team is allowed to advance is two spots, while the Hitmen are guaranteed at least the second pick. The Lethbridge Hurricanes are guaranteed two of the draft’s top five selections. They own Regina’s first pick, thanks to a deal that had F Carter Ashton go to the Pats last season.
———
A couple of interesting notes from Graham Kendrick, the Portland Winterhawks’ director of media and public relations. . . .
1.
2. Winterhawks fans have been coming out on droves in recent weeks, including two sellouts of 10,947 over the teamCraig Cunningham has achieved an incredibly rare feat: he’s won a division title in all five of his seasons in the WHL. He won four straight B.C. Division titles as a member of the Vancouver Giants from 2007-10, and now owns a U.S. Division title with the Winterhawks. One of his former Giants teammates, Lance Bouma, was part of five straight division winners with the Giants from 2006-10, but as a 15-year-old call-up in 2005-06 he played just five games. It’s believed that Cunningham is the first player in modern WHL history to win five straight division titles while playing the majority of his team’s games.’s final four games. The Winterhawks averaged 9,597 fans per game in March, and have averaged 8,382 fans since the start of February. Overall the Winterhawks averaged 5,594 fans per game this season, a 26 per cent increase over last season.

Victoria Bruins?

One day last week a Chilliwack Bruins’ season-ticket holder -- yes, there are some! -- asked in an email if I might have any idea why the team hadn’t yet sent out season-ticket renewal notices.
Alarm bells went off immediately, although my response was somewhat more tepid. At the time, I was prepared to cut the Bruins some slack and wrote back that perhaps they were waiting to tie them into playoff ticket sales. Then, when I thought about it, I wondered why the playoff vouchers hadn’t already gone out and, if they had, why weren't season-ticket forms with them?
Perhaps we now know the answer.
Because now it would seem that, while they may not have the moving van backed up to the door, the Bruins have at least looked up the phone number.
Tyler Olsen of the Chilliwack Times has spoken with Darryl Porter, one of the franchise’s owners, and there isn’t one speck of hope there if you’re a Bruins’ fan.
Olsen’s story is right here.
At the end of the story, Porter does say that season-ticket renewals are in the works. Although it would seem the horse has left the barn and the Bruins just may want to save on the postage.
You can bet that the denials are soon to start flying from all directions, and we're going to hear words like "due diligence" a lot, too. But there is far too much smoke here to ignore the fact that Victoria is closer to getting a WHL franchise than it has been since the Cougars left for Prince George after the 1993-94 season.
When you combine Porter’s comments with the story that is in Friday’s Victoria Times Colonist, well, how does Victoria Bruins sound?
According to the Times Colonist, the city of Victoria has told RG Properties that it “will extend RG Properties' lease at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre to 2046 if the company can secure a Western Hockey League franchise.”
So, when you put two and two together, along with the fact that RG boss Graham Lee apparently was spotted at a recent Bruins' game, well, it would seem things are moving right along.
The problem, of course, is that the WHL has long said it doesn’t want to go back to Vancouver Island unless there are two teams located there. And, at the moment, Victoria is the home of the only arena that meets WHL standards.
However, there now are two people with WHL ties who are involved at the ownership level with the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers. Bill Gallacher, who owns the Portland Winterhawks, and former WHL goaltender Kelly Hrudey, who also is involved with the WHL alumni, are among the Clippers’ owners, so perhaps a plan is afoot to build a new arena in that city.
And, for what it’s worth, I heard from one WHL insider today who said he had heard that RG Properties has had a deal in place with a WHL franchise since some time in October.
We may never find out whether that is true. We also will never know whether the arrival of the AHL's Abbotsford Heat had anything to do with the predicament in which the Bruins find themselves. If it did, though, Bruins ownership must be just livid with the NHL's Calgary Flames. They, of course, own the WHL's Calgary Hitmen and the Heat is the Flames's top minor league affiliate.
---
’Tis the time of the season when NHL teams are trolling the waters in search of signable free agents.
In the last week, we’ve seen the Dallas Stars sign D Brenden Dillon, 20, of the Seattle Thunderbirds. And, on Friday, the San Jose Sharks signed D Sena Acolatse, 20, of the Prince George Cougars.
Next up?
Perhaps it will be C Tyler Johnson, 20, of the Spokane Chiefs. He is said to have at least two offers on the table in front of him, with more than a couple of other teams also circling and checking out the situation.
Johnson’s numbers, his defensive play and his prowess in the faceoff circle make you wonder what’s taken so long?

Brenden Dillon, a defenceman with the Seattle Thunderbirds, has signed
a three-year contract with the NHL’s Dallas Stars.
(Photo by Kyle Scholzen/Seattle Thunderbirds)

As was first reported Monday night by TSN’s Ryan Rishaug, the NHL’s Dallas Stars have signed D Brenden Dillon of the Seattle Thunderbirds to a three-year NHL contract. Dillon, 20, was a free agent.
Here is the press release that was issued Tuesday by the Thunderbirds:
Kent, March 1, 2011 - Seattle Thunderbirds defenseman Brenden Dillon signed a three-year entry level contract this afternoon with the Dallas Stars of the NHL.
"I have appreciated the attention and interest from NHL teams," said Dillon. "I am excited and looking forward to being a part of the Stars organization."
Dillon, a 20-year-old, is in his fourth season with the T-Birds. He is currently second on the team in scoring with 50 points on six goals and 44 assists. Dillon also has 128 penalty minutes this season. Dillon will remain with the T-Birds until the end of the 2010-11 season.
"We are happy to hear Brenden has finalized his contract with Dallas," said T-Birds general manager Russ Farwell. "He has worked very hard over his junior career to earn his chance and it is great to see him rewarded by signing an NHL contract. He has matured a great deal this year and is ready to move on to pro hockey and the next step in his career."
Dillon has played in 271 games in his four seasons with the T-Birds and has nine goals and 76 assists for 85 points with 365 penalty minutes.
"It was a tough decision for Brenden with so many quality teams interested" said Dillon's agent Jarret Bousquet, of Titan Sports Management. "This was the right decision at the right time for Brenden."
And here is the release that was issued by the Stars:
The Dallas Stars announced today that the club has signed defenseman Brenden Dillon to a three-year entry level contract, beginning with the 2011-12 season. Dillon will remain with his current club, the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League (WHL), for the rest of the 2010-11 season.
Dillon, 21, spent the last four seasons with the Thunderbirds, collecting 85 points (9g, 76a) in 271 games. The Surrey, British Columbia, native has appeared in 63 games this season for Seattle with 50 points (6g, 44a), setting career highs in both goals and assists in a single season. Dillon currently leads the Thunderbirds in assists and is second in overall points.
The 6-3, 209-pound defenseman participated in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2009 training camp. Prior to his four seasons with Seattle, Dillon played with the Hope Icebreakers of the Pacific International Junior Hockey League (PIJHL), a junior league team in British Columbia during the 2006-07 season and scored four goals and 27 assists along with 54 penalty minutes.
———
One of the week’s best hockey reads comes from Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada. This week’s offering is right here.
———
F Brayden Schenn of the Saskatoon Blades is the WHL’s player of the month for February. Schenn, 19, had 32 points, including 13 goals, in 13 games. . . . As Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix tweeted: “(Schenn) also solved the Caramilk secret.” . . . The WHL’s goaltender of the month is Mac Engel of the Spokane Chiefs. Engel, 17, got his chance to play when James Reid went out with an injury. In February, Engel was 9-2-0, 1.83, .930, and he had two shutouts. . . . The 13th annual Hockey Challenge, which was held last weekend at the ShoWare Centre in Kent, Wash., raised $170,000 for Ronald McDonald House charities of Western Washington and Alaska. The Seattle Thunderbirds and RMHC made the announcement Tuesday. The Hockey Challenge has raised more than $4 million over 13 years. . . .
In  Swift Current, the Prince Albert Raiders, with F Justin Maylan enjoying a five-point night, posted a 6-2 victory over the Broncos, who have lost eight in a row. . . . Raiders F Jonathan Parker scored twice, giving him 41. . . . The victory lifted the eighth-place Raiders two points ahead of the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Broncos now are eight points out with seven games left. . . . Shawn Mullin, the radio voice of the Swift Current Broncos, reports that F Killian Hutt may return to action next week. Hutt hasn’t played since suffering a concussion during a game in Kamloops on Dec. 10. According to Mullin, Hutt finally is symptom free and has rejoined the Broncos. . . .
F Dylan Hood scored three goals to lead the host Moose Jaw Warriors to a victory over the Regina Pats. The Pats lost G Damien Ketlo in the second period when he took a Spencer Edwards shot off the mask. Ketlo stayed in the game for a few minutes, but then skated to the Pats’ bench and was replaced by Matt Hewitt. . . . The Warriors erased 2-0 and 3-2 deficits. . . . Hood has 28 goals. His 27th broke a 3-3 tie at 11:03 of the third period. . . . Moose Jaw head coach Dave Hunchak (ill) sat this one out, meaning assistant coach Mike Vandenberghe ran the bench. . . . The Warriors clinched a playoff spot with the victory; they are fifth and likely will finish there. . . . Regina, with eight games to play, is five points behind Prince Albert. . . . The Pats will be back in Moose Jaw on March 12 for their final regular-season appearance in the Crushed Can. Perhaps former Pats radio voice Kevin Gallant could put in an appearance wearing that Donald Duck costume. Ahh, the memories from the Crushed Can. . . . .
G Tyler Bunz stopped 40 shots as the Medicine Hat Tigers skated out of Red Deer with a 4-2 victory over the Rebels. It was the Tigers’ 40th victory and lifted them to within four points of the Central Division-leading Rebels. . . . Medicine Hat came out of the first period with a 2-0 lead, despite being outshot 21-9. . . . Medicine Hat F Linden Vey had a goal, his 41st, and an assist. He leads the WHL with 107 points, three more than Spokane Chiefs F Tyler Johnson. . . . Medicine Hat is within four points of the Central Division-leading Rebels. The Tigers have a game in hand. . .
The Seattle Thunderbirds got two goals and two assists from F Burke Gallimore, who now has 30, and beat the visiting Vancouver Giants, 4-2. . . . The Thunderbirds move into a tie for ninth with the Chilliwack Bruins, five points out of the Western Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . The Giants remained two points behind the B.C. Division-leading Kelowna Rockets. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., the Portland Winterhawks got four points from each of their Swiss imports, F Nino Niederreiter and F Sven Bartschi, as they got past the Tri-City Americans, 6-5. . . . The Winterhawks, who top the Western Conference, now are three points ahead of the Spokane Chiefs and 11 up on the Americans. . . . Niederreiter had two goals and two assists; Bartschi was one and three. . . . The Americans dressed 16 skaters as they have F Adam Hughesman (knee), F Mason Wilgosh (knee), F Jordan Messier (shoulder), F Neal Prokop (charley horse) and G Drew Owsley (knee) all listed as being out week-to-week.
———
TUESDAY’S CFB COUNT:
One minor:
Regina D Brandon Davidson

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter