Secret out on Royals . . . No. 1 draft pick heads for Wild

F James Wright (Vancouver, 2005-10) signed a one-year contract with Medveščak Zagreb (Croatia, KHL). He is scheduled to join the team today. Last season, with the Winnipeg Jets (NHL), he had two assists in 59 games. . . .
F David Rutherford (Vancouver, Spokane, 2004-08) has been granted his release by Visby/Roma (Sweden, Division 1) for personal reasons. Last season, he had six goals and three assists in 21 games with the Orlando Solar Bears (ECHL) and 14 goals and 20 assists in 27 games with the Arizona Sundogs (CHL). . . .
F Jakub Šindel (Brandon, 2004-05) signed a one-year contract with Kaltern/Caldaro (Italy, Serie A). Last season, with Fassa (Italy, Serie A), he had 43 points, including 16 goals, in 40 games. He led Fassa in assists (27) and points.
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A year ago, the Victoria Royals were coming off a pedestrian 35-30-7 regular-season, followed by a first-round playoff loss.
My, how things have changed!
Last season, the Royals, under Dave Lowry, the WHL’s coach of the year, went 48-20-4 as they put their first 100-point regular season. They got into the second round of the playoffs, before losing in five games to the Portland Winterhawks.
Today, then, the secret is out.
“The way we are perceived by other teams has changed. We’re not an underdog anymore,” Royals GM Cam Hope, the WHL’s executive of the year, told Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times Colonist. “Now, other teams look at us as a challenge. We’re not sneaking up on anybody anymore. And that’s a change for this franchise.”
A lot of the prognosticators expect the Royals to be in the Western Conference’s top four, if not the top two.
They went 2-3-2 in the exhibition schedule; a year ago, they went 3-1-1.
Dheensaw’s complete story is right here.
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The exhibition season wrapped up on Sunday, with the Prince George Cougars the only team without a regulation-time loss. They finished 3-0-2.
The Kamloops Blazers (4-1-0), Portland Winterhawks (4-1-0) and Brandon Wheat Kings (3-1-0) were next, each with only one setback.
On the other side of the coin, the Kootenay Ice (1-4), Kelowna Rockets (2-4), Lethbridge Hurricanes (2-4) and Seattle Thunderbirds (3-4) each lost four times.
And there are the Moose Jaw Warriors and Victoria, both of whom lost three times in regulation and twice in OT. Moose Jaw wound up 1-3-2, while Victoria was 2-3-2.
Of course, it’s the exhibition season, so don’t be putting any weight on those numbers.
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The Everett Silvertips trimmed their roster to 26 on Monday by releasing G Mario Petit, 17, who is from Ile-Des-Chenes, Man. . . . Everett still has three goaltenders on its roster -- veteran Austin Lotz, 19, who was with the Vancouver Canucks’ team at the Young Guns tournament in Penticton, B.C.; Nik Amundrud, who turns 17 on Oct. 20, and Carter Hart, 16. . . . Lotz showed enough that he has been invited to the Canucks' main camp. . . . Everett’s roster now includes 15 forwards and eight defencemen.
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F Stelio Mattheos, the first pick in the WHL’s 2014 bantam draft, will play this season for the midget AAA Winnipeg Wild. Mattheos, who is from Winnipeg, was released from training camp by the Brandon Wheat Kings on Monday. At 15, he is too young to play regularly in the WHL. He had two assists in three exhibition games with the Wheat Kings, who have 29 players, including 10 defencemen and 17 forwards, on their roster.
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Elliotte Friedman has taken 30 Thoughts with him from Hockey Night in Canada to Sportsnet. The first edition from the new home is right here.
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What was the intent of Minnesota Vikings RB Adrian Peterson when he allegedly took a switch to his four-year-old son? And should it matter? . . . Amy Davidson of The New Yorker has a terrific read right here.
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THE CONCUSSION REPORT:

Two recent studies claim that many more athletes suffer concussions than what the numbers are showing.
Dr. J. Scott Delaney, who works with major teams in Montreal, co-authored two reports that appear in the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine.
According to a news release based on the reports, “They suggest that concussions continue to be a ‘hidden injury’ in sports, even in the face of significantly increased public awareness.”
More from the news release: “According to Dr. Delaney's research, which involved the surveying of 469 university athletes over a 12-month period, 20 per cent of university athletes believed they had suffered a concussion during this time and almost 80 per cent of these concussed athletes decided not to seek medical attention and chose to continue playing despite believing they had suffered a concussion.”
Dr. Delaney works with the Montreal Alouettes, Montreal Impact and McGill U football and soccer teams. He also is a sports medicine specialist and research director in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the McGill University Health Centre and an associate professor in the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University.
“The athletes' most common explanation was that they did not feel their concussion was serious,” said Dr. Delaney. “They believed it would not be dangerous to continue to play or practise. Most athletes know what should happen when they get a concussion – they will be taken out of the game. However, they are not always aware that a concussion, if not recognized and treated, can be extremely dangerous.
“Coaches should be aware that their attitudes and behaviour towards concussed athletes may encourage players to conceal symptoms. Our study found that some athletes did not reveal symptoms because they were afraid it would affect their standing with the team. The response of coaches and medical staff to concussion can have a significant impact on their players' immediate and long-term health."
Dr. Delaney and his colleagues also studied what they call the mechanisms of concussions in football, hockey and soccer.
“Impacts to the side of the head or helmet were the most common location of impact resulting in concussion in all three sports,” according to the news release. “While contact with another player's head or helmet was the most frequent mechanism in football and soccer, contact with another body part or object was the most likely cause of concussion in ice hockey. About half the concussions in soccer were related to attempts to 'head' the ball.”
The complete news release is right here.
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Late last week, there was interesting news out of the NFL concerning brain injuries.
Here’s how Ken Belson of The New York Times started his story:
“The National Football League, which for years disputed evidence that its players had a high rate of severe brain damage, has stated in federal court documents that it expects nearly a third of retired players to develop long-term cognitive problems and that the conditions are likely to emerge at “notably younger ages” than in the general population.
“The findings are a result of data prepared by actuaries hired by the league and provided to the United States District Court judge presiding over the settlement between the N.F.L. and 5,000 former players who sued the league, alleging that it had hidden the dangers of concussions from them.”
You will find Belson’s complete story right here, and it is full of interesting and scary numbers.
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The Red Deer Rebels have run into a couple of injuries to their import defencemen. Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate has reported that Mario Grman injured a foot while blocking shot during a game on Friday, while Hugo Jansons “has an upper body injury that could keep him out of the lineup for eight to 10 weeks.“ . . . Brandon Wheat Kings F Richard Nejezchleb, 20, suffered an undisclosed injury while with the New York Rangers’ rookie team in Traverse City, Mich. He missed two games but still was hoping to get invited to main camp, which opens Friday. . . . Brandon D Eric Roy (shoulder) was hurt while playing for the Calgary Flames’ rookie team in Penticton, B.C., and sat out his club’s last two games. . . . The Wheat Kings also announced that they have sold 2,312 season tickets, just down from last season’s total of 2,357 when they averaged 3,529 fans per game. . . .
Regan Bartel, the radio voice of the Kelowna Rockets, reports on his blog that the WHL has lost two veteran referees. Brett Montsion has moved to Ontario and will work in the OHL, while Pat Smith has retired after 12 seasons in the WHL. Smith, who is from Vancouver, was one of the WHL’s top referees for most of those 12 seasons. . . . Former WHL D Jordan Rowley (Kamloops, Prince Albert, 2006-11) will attend the Edmonton Oilers’ main camp. Rowley’s final WHL season was impacted by a hand injury. From Edmonton, he has spent the last three seasons at the U of Alberta with the Golden Bears. Last season, he had 30 points, including eight goals, in 28 games. . . . The Saskatoon Blades’ roster is at 27, including nine defencemen and 16 forwards, after they released D MacKenzie Dwyer and F Dexter Kuczek on Monday. Dwyer, an 11th-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft, is to join the MJHL’s Selkirk Steelers. Kuczek, who was taken one pick after Dwyer, will play for the MJHL’s Portage Terriers.
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By my calculations, the #QMJHL has handed out 26 games in suspensions & collected $23,000 in fines since Aug. 15
— Sunaya Sapurji (@sunayas) September 15, 2014

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F John Lammers (Lethbridge, Everett, 2001-06) and F Tyler Spurgeon (Kelowna, 2001-06) each signed one-year contract extensions with Klagenfurt (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). . . . Lammers has 12 goals and 13 assists in 43 games. . . . Spurgeon has two goals and seven assists in seven games this season.
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I was in the press box at Interior Savings Centre in Kamloops late Saturday night when I learned of the passing of Cal Murphy, who had been in a Regina hospital after experiencing a fall.
While I wasn’t surprised as I had heard Murphy was having health issues of late, I was saddened.
During a total of 22 years at the late, great Winnipeg Tribune and the Regina Leader-Post, I came in contact with a lot of football people. The one I remember the most is Murphy, who would have been 80 on March 12.
When he smiled, he lit up the room. And no one had a laugh — nay, a cackle — like he did.
Most people are aware that Murphy, after having had heart issues and at least two heart attacks, underwent a heart transplant in July of 1992 at the London, Ont., Health Sciences Centre.
No one loved the CFL more than did Murphy. Once he was able to leave the hospital in London, he returned to Winnipeg and one of his first stops was Winnipeg Stadium where he watched the Blue Bombers beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 59-11 in the East final.
In recent times, Murphy’s health hasn’t been terrific and in early 2010 he actually was on a respirator in a Regina hospital. A month after that episode, however, he was back searching for players on behalf of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts.
Murphy spent three seasons on the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ coaching staff, starting in 1997. He was the director of football operations and head coach in 1999.
On Sept. 29, 1999, I underwent triple bypass surgery in a Regina hospital.
There was a gift basket from the Roughriders in the first batch of mail I received upon returning home.
Included was a card from Murphy, who had written: “I didn’t know you had a heart!!!”
I laughed because I could see that smile and I could hear him cackling as he wrote it.
Cal Murphy . . . he was one of a kind.
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You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to realize that the WHL has been hit by an epidemic of injuries.
The Red Deer Rebels, of course, are the best (worst?) example, but right now the Brandon Wheat Kings and Tri-City Americans also are hurting in a big, big way. The Saskatoon Blades also have had their injury woes.
The Medicine Hat Tigers have at least four regulars out of the lineup.
The Kelowna Rockets have fought the injury bug for most of the season, as have the Vancouver Giants.
And on and on it goes.
Yes, coaches regularly are heard to say that “all teams go through this” and “this gives other guys the opportunity to step up.”
That’s fine if a team is missing one, two or maybe even three players. But when a team has three or four players out on a long-term basis, it is going to catch up with it.
So . . . what do do?
I was told Sunday that there is some talk about WHL teams carrying 25 players next season. That would be an increase of two.
I would suggest that would be a good idea if the two added players both were 20 years of age. Why not increase the number of allowable 20-year-olds per roster to five from three?
That would raise the league’s maturity level, improve the level of entertainment and give some more veteran players a chance to prolong their WHL careers.
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JUST NOTES:
I meant to mention this in yesterday’s notes, and it slipped through the cracks. . . . Saturday’s game between the visiting Calgary Hitmen and the Kamloops Blazers may have been the best-officiated game in Kamloops this season. Surely, the fact that referee Brent Montsion was working by himself was a coincidence. . . .
Say what you want about the Montreal Canadiens, but nobody does special ceremonies any better. The playing of Eagles’ New Kid in Town during Sunday’s tribute to the late Gary Carter was wonderful. . . .
If you were paying attention on the weekend, you may have seen former Montreal Canadiens head coach Jacques Martin in a WHL arena or two. He was checking out Tri-City Americans F Patrick Holland, a player the Habs acquired from the Calgary Flames earlier this season. . . . Martin is keeping busy. He was in Sweden not that long ago and has Denver and Boston on his itinerary.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES:
The Western Conference now has five teams with playoff berths in their hip pockets. The Vancouver Giants clinched a spot Saturday and the Spokane Chiefs are in as of Sunday. . . . The sixth spot will go to the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The conference’s other four teams are going to scrap over the last two spots and it may well go down to the wire. Right now, there are two points separating the four teams. . . .
In the Eastern Conference, the chances are that the teams that are one through eight right now are the ones who will be in the playoffs. But the Red Deer Rebels, as injury ravaged as they are, obviously aren’t prepared to lay down for anyone. They won Sunday and are seven points back with 13 to play. . . . They couldn’t, could they?

In Vancouver, F Tyson Ness broke a 1-1 tie at 18:28 of the second period and the Red Deer Rebels went on to beat the Giants, 3-1. . . . F Charles Inglis scored his 18th goal just 18 seconds into the game for Red Deer. . . . F Riley Kieser got his fourth for the Giants at 14:25 of the second. . . . Ness has 15 goals. . . . F Turner Elson provided insurance with his 21st, but it didn’t come until 19:53 of the third. . . . Red Deer G Deven Dubyk stopped 29 shots, two fewer than Vancouver’s Adam Morrison. . . . Vancouver F Anthony Ast and F Marek Tvrdon both completed WHL suspensions by sitting out this one. . . . The Rebels, who were playing their third game in three nights, went 2-1-1 on a four-game swing into the B.C. Division. . . . Vancouver was playing its fifth game in six nights — it went 3-1-1, losing the last two, one of them in a shootout. . . . Vancouver D Neil Manning played in his 300th regular-season game, the first player to do that entirely in a Giants uniform. . . .

In Kent, Wash., G Mac Engel stopped 18 shots as the Spokane Chiefs beat the host Seattle Thunderbirds, 3-0. . . . It was Engel’s first shutout of the season; he has five in his career. . . . F Dominick Uher got the game’s first goal, his 25th, at 10:05 of the first period. F Colin Valcourt, with his 14th, and F Liam Stewart, with his 11th, also scored. . . . Seattle dressed 17 skaters, one under the maximum. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 31 shots. . . . The Chiefs snapped a four-game losing skid. . . . Seattle last won two in a row on Dec. 28 and 30. Since then, the Thunderbirds have lost 21 of 25.
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SUNDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Mitch Elliot, Seattle.
D Corbin Baldwin, Spokane.
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SUNDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
F Scott Cooke, Vancouver.
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Every Sunday, I fire up the Keurig coffee maker and read the Sunday papers online. One of my first stops is the Seattle Times, where I  check in with Ron Judd. His Sunday column is a piece of work. It really is. He obviously has a lifetime supply of darts and he uses them well. This week, Judd, who isn’t believed to be related to Naomi, Ashley or Wynonna, writes about the future of the NBA and NHL in Seattle. It is today’s good read and I dare you not to nod your head in agreement as you’re reading.
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D Chris Pronger of the Philadelphia Flyers hasn’t shown any improvement with his post-concussion symptoms. This story, from Tim Panaccio of csnphilly.com, is rather frightening.
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Just for kicks, click right here and read an obituary from the Casper Tribune. You won’t be disappointed.
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Jim Jamieson of the Vancouver Province takes a look right here at D Nolan Baumgartner, who now plays for the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. He will saluted there on Friday for playing in his 1,000th professional game.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From F Matt Kassian (@kassassination) after his Minnesota Wild beat the visiting Boston Bruins 2-0 on Sunday in a game that was televised by NBC-TV: “Funny thing — during a TV timeout tonight Pierre Mcguire leaned over and told me 7 or 8 detailed facts about my life that I didnt even know.”


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