Showing posts with label Brian King. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brian King. Show all posts

Sunday, June 25, 2017

Doing some scattershooting ... Hunchak a Hall of Famer ... Gulutzan keys up Coaches Conference

Scattershoot

Prior to the first round of the NHL draft in Chicago on Friday, the NHL sequestered eight potential early selections and their families in a ‘green’ room, rather than have them in the stands with the commoners. It was a disaster. Russian F Klim Kostin and his family were left all alone for a long while before the St. Louis Blues took him with the last pick of the first round, 31st overall. . . . Here’s hoping the ‘green’ room was simply a one-and-done experiment.
——
After LaVar Ball, the king of hype, said his son, Lonzo, would get the Los Angeles Lakers into the NBA playoffs in his first season with them, Janice Hough, aka The Left Coast Sports Babe, wondered: “So is he buying them tickets?” . . . Upon hearing reports than Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors won’t exercise a US$28-million option and take $24 million instead, all aimed at allowing the team to keep Andre Iguodola, Hough asked: “How will he feed his family?”
——
It always amazes me how anyone thinks they can pick the winners and losers from the NHL draft less than 24 hours after it concludes. Let’s check back in four or five years. OK?
——
Headline at TheKicker.com: Umps go to video replay to see if they’re slowing game down too much.
——
Judging by the empty seats at home-openers in Vancouver and Toronto this weekend, at least a couple of CFL teams have some work ahead of them to get bums back in the pews.
——
About 24 hours before F Nolan Patrick of the Brandon Wheat Kings was taken second overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL draft, Bauer Hockey announced that it had signed him as an “official partner.” That means that Patrick will use Bauer gear in 2017-18. It’s worth noting that Bauer also suppled WHL skaters with equipment, so there won’t be a conflict should Philly return Patrick for another season of major junior.
——
BTW, F Nico Hischier of the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads, who was taken first overall by the New Jersey Devils, has signed with CCM.
——
After the U.S. Open golf tournament earlier this month, Mike Bianchi of the Orlando, Fla., Sentinel noted: “Erin Hills isn’t just playing easy, it’s more forgiving than the Tallahassee Police Department.”
——
A tip of the cap to head coach Ryan McGill and his Owen Sound Attack for leading the CHL’s 60 teams by having six players selected in the weekend’s NHL draft. Yes, that’s a franchise record. . . . McGill, of course, is a former WHL player and coach. He also is the OHL’s reigning coach of the year.
——
Donald Trump, the U.S. president, “has made travel more difficult to Americans,” notes Richmond, B.C., blogger TC Chong. “It will remain that way until a new Havana Trump Hotel and Golf Course opens.”
——
The best response from a player to a question during the NHL draft came from Swedish D Erik Brannstrom, who was selected 15th overall by the Vegas Golden Knights. He admitted to never having been to Las Vegas, but added: “I’ve seen The Hangover. I’ve seen all three.”
——
“Charles P. Thacker, a pioneer in early personal computing, died last week at age 74,” reports RJ Currie of SportsDeke.com. “Out of habit, doctors tried rebooting him.”
———

Dave Hunchak, a former WHL coach, was among the inductees when the SJHL held its 2017 Hall of Fame induction dinner in Kindersley on Saturday evening.
It was a homecoming of sorts for Hunchak, 43, who was an assistant coach with the Klippers (1997-
DAVE HUNCHAK
2000) and the general manager and head coach for four seasons (2000-04). Under Hunchak, who is from Warman, Sask., the Klippers won SJHL championships in 2002 and 2004. In his playing days, he spent time with the Saskatoon Titans, who later morphed into the Klippers.
In the WHL, Hunchak spent three seasons (2004-07) as an assistant coach with the Swift Current Broncos, four seasons (2007-11) as the head coach of the Moose Jaw Warriors, and two-plus seasons on the Kamloops Blazers’ staff. He leaves next month for his first season as an assistant coach with HC Banska Bystrica of the Slovak Extraliga.
Hunchak was inducted in the coach category, joining builder Terry Shea, a long-time Klippers executive; players Troy Schwab, Derek Dorsett and Chris Winkler, all from the Klippers; Kindersley native Devin Edgerton (Humboldt Broncos) and Greg Paslawski, a Kindersley native who played for the SJHL’s Prince Albert Raiders.
The 2003-04 Klippers, who reached the RBC Cup final with Hunchak as head coach, also were inducted.
——
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.
——
Glen Gulutzan, the head coach of the NHL’s Calgary Flames, is just one of the keynote speakers line up for The Coaches Conference that is scheduled to be held in Vancouver, July 14 and 15. . . . Gulutzan is preparing for his second season as the Flames’ head coach. . . . Also on tap as presenters are Mike Snee, the executive director at College Hockey Inc.; Jim Paek, the head coach of the South Korean national team; Craig Cunningham, who is heading into his first season as a pro scout with the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes; and Ray Ferraro, the highly popular analyst with TSN. . . . Snee has been CHI’s executive director since Aug. 28, 2012; he also is on USA Hockey’s board of directors and USA Hockey’s junior council. . . . Paek also is the director of hockey for the Korea Ice Hockey Association. South Korea will play host to the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. . . . Cunningham had his playing career cut short last season when he suffered an on-ice cardiac event prior to an AHL game. He was the captain of the Tucson Roadrunners. . . . For more info on the conference, click right here.
——
Some NHL teams have developing camps starting today (Monday). I’m not tracking invitees but stumbled on three undrafted WHLers with invitations — G Cole Kehler (Portland Winterhawks) will skate with the Winnipeg Jets; F Tanner Jeannot (Moose Jaw Warriors) will join the Washington Capitals; and F Jayden Halbgewachs, a 50-goal scorer with the Warriors last season, will be with the Vegas Golden Knights. . . . If you know of more invitees, email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
——
F Brian King of the Everett Silvertips was the valedictorian recently as Everett High School held its graduation ceremony. Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald has a good piece right here on King, what he said and his off-ice accomplishments, including a 4.0 GPA, to this point.
——
If you’re a regular here, and even you aren’t, feel free to contribute to the feeding of the Drinnan family by making a donation to the cause. You are able to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
BTW, if you want to contact me with some information or just feel like commenting on something, you may email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
I’m also on Twitter (@gdrinnan).


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.
PhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucket
Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 8:32 PM
Labels: , , , , , , , , , ,

Monday, June 19, 2017

Americans get d-man from Blazers ... Pats lose forward to Sweden ... Meet Silvertips' valedictorian


F Matěj Stránský (Saskatoon, 2010-13) has signed a two-year contract with Severstal Cherepovets (Russia, KHL) after his KHL rights were traded to Cherepovets by CSKA Moscow (Russia, KHL) for cash considerations. Last season, with the Texas Stars (AHL), he had a team-high 27 goals, along with 20 assists, in 76 games.
———
The Tri-City Americans have acquired D Dan Gatenby, 19, from the Kamloops Blazers. The news release from the Americans didn’t indicate what went the other way; the Blazers’ release indicates that they received a conditional seventh-round pick in the WHL’s 2018 bantam draft.
Gatenby had a goal and six assists in 41 games with Kamloops last season. In 2015-16, he had one assist in 22 games with the Kelowna Rockets.
Gatenby struggled to get ice time behind some experienced defencemen in Kamloops, especially as the Blazers made a late-season run in an attempt to finish atop the B.C. Division.
The Blazers acquired Gatenby and his brother, Joe, along with a conditional fifth-round selection in the 2019 bantam draft, from the Rockets for F Jake Kryski on Aug. 18.
Joe Gatenby, also a defenceman, is eligible to return to the Blazers for his 20-year-old season. He is one of six 20s on Kamloops’ roster, with F Rudolfs Balcers (San Jose Sharks), G Connor Ingram (Tampa Bay Lightning) and F Devon Sideroff (Anaheim Ducks) likely to play pro next season. That would leave Gatenby, F Nick Chyzowski and F Nic Holowko as holdovers.
——
One and done — that describes Swedish F Filip Ahl’s WHL career. Ahl played last season with the
Regina Pats but will spend next season with Örebro HK in Sweden’s top professional league. . . . Ahl, who turned 20 on June 12, was a fourth-round pick by the Ottawa Senators in the NHL’s 2015 draft. With the Pats, he put up 28 goals and 20 assists in 54 games, then added five goals and 13 assists in 20 playoff games. . . . Of course, had he returned to Regina he would have been trying to make the Pats’ roster as a two-spotter — a 20-year-old import. . . . Regina has six 20s on its roster — F Matt Bradley, an off-season acquisition from the Medicine Hat Tigers, G Tyler Brown, D Connor Hobbs, F Wyatt Sloboshan, F Austin Wagner and Russian D Sergey Zborovskiy. However, Hobbs (Washington Capitals), Wagner (Los Angeles Kings) and Zborovskiy (New York Rangers) may well move on to the pro ranks.
——
F Brian King of the Everett Silvertips was the valedictorian at Everett High School, and he did it at Xfinity Arena, which is where he spends so much of his time as a WHL player. The league’s scholastic player of the year graduated with a 4.0 GPA. . . . King, 18, is from Golden, Colo. He has eight goals and 19 assists in 122 games over two seasons with the Silvertips.
Jesse Gelenyse of the Everett Herald has more right here.
——
If you’re a regular here, and even you aren’t, feel free to contribute to the feeding of the Drinnan family by making a donation to the cause. You are able to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
BTW, if you want to contact me with some information or just feel like commenting on something, you may email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
I’m also on Twitter (@gdrinnan).
———




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.
PhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucket
Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:56 PM
Labels: , , , , , , ,

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Gropp burning it up with T-Birds ... Silvertips win in Regina ... Cougars beat Chiefs on funky ice


F Mitch Wahl (Spokane, 2005-10) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Oskarshamn (Sweden, Allsvenskan). Wahl was released by Västervik (Sweden, Allsvenskan) earlier Tuesday, after recording six goals and eight assists in 23 games. He started the season with with Ilves Tampere (Finland, Liiga), scoring a goal and adding three assists in 16 games.
———

 The Saskatoon Blades have added Cliff Mapes to their front office as vice-president of business operations. Mapes has been working as a branch manager with Prairie Mobile Communications in Calgary. Prior to that, the Saskatoon native spent 10 years with the Regina Pats, where he was the Eastern Conference’s recipient of the Marketing/Business Award for 2013-14. . . . Meanwhile, on the ice, the Blades hope to have F Markson Bechtold back in their lineup tonight (Wednesday) when they meet the visiting Everett Silvertips. He last played on Dec. 27. Bechtold, 20, was acquired from the Spokane Chiefs but played in only three games before being injured. He has one goal with the Blades, after recording five goals and three assists in 13 games with the Chiefs.
——
The Regina Pats have signed F Kjell Kjemhus, 15, to a WHL contract. Kjemhus, from Grande Prairie, Alta., was a fourth-round selection in the WHL’s 2016 bantam draft. . . . He is playing at the Pursuit of Excellence in Kelowna. He has a goal and four assists in 10 games with the prep team, and three assists in 14 games with the U-18 team that plays in the NAPHL.
——
D Jacob Bernard-Docker has committed to the U of North Dakota Fighting Hawks for the 2018-19 season. Docker, who will turn 17 on June 30, is from Canmore, Alta. The 6-foot-1, 180-pounder has 18 points, including six goals, in 46 games with the AJHL’s Okotoks Oilers. . . . Bernard-Docker was a fifth-round selection by the Swift Current Broncos in the WHL’s 2015 bantam draft.
F Jordan Xavier, 19, has committed to the U of Alaska-Anchorage where he will play for the Seawolves. Xavier was a fifth-round pick by the Medicine Hat Tigers in the 2012 bantam draft. From Calgary, he has 20 points, seven of them goals, in 19 games with the AJHL’s Okotoks Oilers. He started the season with the AJHL’s Calgary Mustangs, earning 16 goals and 14 assists in 30 games.
——
The Edmonton Oil Kings are scheduled to entertain the Kootenay Ice in the eighth annual Hockey Hooky game this morning. . . . The Oil Kings go into the game with one defenceman suspended and four on their injury list, all with “upper-body” injuries. . . . Will Warm will complete a WHL suspension by sitting out today’s game. . . . The Oil Kings show Jordan Dawson as day-to-day, Brayden Gorda out one week, Wyatt McLeod out indefinitely and Riley Stadel TBD. . . . McLeod appeared to injury a shoulder during Sunday’s 3-2 OT victory over the visiting Calgary Hitmen. The Oil Kings ended a franchise record-tying 16-game losing skid with that victory so will be trying to get a winning streak going today. They have beaten the Ice three times so far this season; this being the era of the loser point, it must be pointed out that the Ice is 0-2-1 in the season series.
——
The WHL has suspended F Jared Dmytriw of the Victoria Royals for three games after he took a headshot major and game misconduct during a 3-1 loss to the visiting Kamloops Blazers on Saturday night. . . . Dmytriw will miss Victoria’s three-game Central Division swing that features games against the Medicine Hat Tigers tonight, Lethbridge Hurricanes on Friday and and Kootenay Ice on Saturday. . . . Dmytriw hit F Deven Sideroff, who missed the Blazers’ 4-0 loss to the visiting Portland Winterhawks on Monday afternoon. Sideroff is expected to return Friday when the Blazers meet the Vancouver Giants in Langley, B.C. . . . D Ondrej Vala of the Blazers will miss that game as he completes a suspension that was set at two games on Tuesday. He was suspended under supplemental discipline, apparently for a cross-check that took Victoria F Tyler Soy out of Saturday’s game. Soy is shown on the WHL roster report as being out week-to-week and wasn’t on the Royals’ bus when it headed for Alberta. F Ryan Peckford (undisclosed injury) didn’t make the trip, either. 
——
Always on the hunt for fresh angles, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman begins his weekly 30 Thoughts in a car with Rob DiMaio, who played with the Kamloops Blazers and Medicine Hat Tigers, and his family. DiMaio now is director of player personnel with the NHL’s St. Louis Blues. Yes, it’s interesting stuff, and it’s all right here.
——
If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
———
Coaching

 Rod Aldoff has returned as head coach of the SPHL’s Pensacola Ice Flyers. He replaces Kevin Hasselberg, who was fired on Monday. . . . Aldoff, a 46-year-old Lethbridge native, had been Pensacola’s hed coach coach for the previous three seasons, winning two SPHL championships in the process. He left the Ice Flyers last summer to join the ECHL’s Norfolk Admirals, at the time an affiliate of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. However, the Oilers sold the ECHL franchise and the new owners released Aldoff, who was kept on with the NHL team as a scout. . . . The Ice Flyers were 15-15-5 and seventh in the 10-team league when Hasselberg was fired.
———

TUESDAY’S GAMES:

At Moose Jaw, F Jayden Halbgewachs moved back into a tie for the WHL’s goal-scoring lead as he helped the Warriors to a 3-1 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Halbgewachs gave the Warriors a
JAYDEN HALBGEWACHS
1-0 lead at 10:27 of the first period when he scored his 43rd goal. He is tied with F Tyler Steenbergen of the Swift Current Broncos for the goal-scoring lead. . . . F Brett Howden (29) increased the lead to 2-0 at 2:06 of the second period, with Halbgewachs drawing an assist. . . . The Wheat Kings halved the deficit as F Stelio Mattheos (22) counted at 5:43. . . . Moose Jaw put it away on F Yan Khomenko’s 13th goal, at 18:19 of the third period. . . . The Warriors got 15 saves from G Zach Sawchenko, while Brandon’s Logan Thompson turned aside 31 shots. . . . The Warriors had a 12-1 edge in shots in the first period and it was 17-7 in the second. . . . Brandon was 0-2 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 0-3. . . . The Warriors had D Colin Paradis back in their lineup, but D Josh Thrower was scratched. They continue to be without F Brendan Burke and F Noah Gregor. . . .For the first time in more than a week, the Wheat Kings didn’t have any players scratched due to illness. . . . This was the first time in seven games between these teams that overtime wasn’t needed. Moose Jaw is 4-0-3 in the series; Brandon is 3-1-3. . . . The Warriors (33-17-8) had lost their previous three games (0-2-1). . . . The Wheat Kings (27-21-8) had points in each of their previous four games (2-0-2). . . . Announced attendance: 3,155.
——

At Prince George, the Cougars erased a 1-0 deficit with six straight goals and went on to score a 7-2 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . One night earlier, the Chiefs had post a 4-3 victory. Following that game, fans were allowed to go out onto the ice and show their artistic touch. The teams played on that painted ice in this one. . . . 

F Jaret Anderson-Dolan’s 32nd goal gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 1:21 of the first period. . . . F Jared
JANSEN HARKINS
Bethune (17) tied it at 13:37. . . . The Cougars moved out front when F Aaron Boyd scored his eighth goal, shorthanded, at 15:33. . . . The Cougars scored four straight goals in the third period, getting them from F Kody McDonald (12), F Jansen Harkins (18), F Colby McAuley (20) and F Brad Morrison (21). The first two came via the PP. . . . Spokane got its second goal from F Ethan McIndoe (15), with F Jackson Leppard (2) also scoring for the Cougars. . . . Harkins, F Radovan Bondra and D Tate Olson each had two assists for the winners. . . . G Nick McBride earned the victory with 28 saves. . . . At the other end, Dawson Weatherill stopped 29 shots. . . . Prince George was 2-7 on the PP; Spokane was 0-5. . . . The Cougars are without D Brendan Guhle (ankle), who is listed as being out week-to-week. . . . Prince George (38-17-4) has lost its previous two games (0-1-1). . . . Spokane (24-24-9) had points in its past four games (3-0-1). . . . Announced attendance: 2,675.
——

At Regina, the Everett Silvertips grabbed a 1-0 lead before the game was three minutes old and went on
BRIAN KING
to a 4-2 victory over the Pats. . . . D Aaron Irving’s 16th goal, at 2:24 of the first period, got Everett out to a quick start. . . . F Brian King (3), who also had an assist, gave Everett a 2-0 lead at 11:14 of the second period. . . . Regina got to within a goal when F Filip Ahl got No. 24 at 16:51. . . . However, Everett scored twice before the second period ended. . . . D Noah Juulsen, who also had an assist, scored his 10th goal at 17:55. . . . F Patrick Bajkov (22) made it 4-1 at 19:49. . . . Regina’s second goal came from F Dawson Leedahl (27), at 2:41 of the third period. Leedahl, 20, was acquired from Everett prior to the season. . . . Regina F Sam Steel picked up an assist on Leedahl’s goal, making him the WHL’s first 100-point scorer this season. . . . The Silvertips got 26 saves from G Carter Hart, who won for the 22nd time this season. . . . Regina G Tyler Brown made 27 saves. . . . Regina was 0-3 on the PP; Everett was 0-4. . . . Everett (33-12-10) is 2-1-0 on its six-game East Division swing. . . . Regina (40-7-7) had won 11 straight games. . . . Announced attendance: 5,458.
——

At Kent, Wash., F Ryan Gropp continued his hot streak with a goal and two assists as the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Red Deer Rebels, 4-1. . . . Gropp ran his goal-scoring streak to eight games and
RYAN GROPP
his point streak to 14.  He has 11 goals in those eight games, and 31 points in the 14 games. . . . He also has put up six straight multi-point games. . . . Gropp now has 24 goals and 37 assists in 51 games. Last season, he finished with 34 goals and a career-high 36 assists in 66 games. . . . Gropp got Seattle out to a 1-0 lead at 13:29 of the first period. . . . F Keegan Kolesar made it 2-0 with his 18th goal 26 seconds into the second period. . . . At 2:37 of the second, Gropp set up F Alexander True for his 19th goal, on a PP. . . . Red Deer D Colton Bobyk got his guys on the scoreboard at 2:55. He’s got six goals. . . . Seattle F Elijah Brown finished the scoring with his second goal, at 9:08 of the third. . . . The Thunderbirds got two assists from F Mathew Barzal, while Kolesar had one. . . . Barzal has points in seven straight games, with a goal and 19 assists. He also has six straight multi-point games. . . . Kolesar, the third member of what right now is the WHL’s best forward unit, has points in six straight, with six goals and six assists in that stretch. He has goals in five straight games. . . . G Rylan Toth stopped 16 shots in earning his 29th victory, one off the league lead. . . . . Red Deer starter Riley Lamb allowed three goals on 19 shots in 22:37. Lasse Petersen came on in relief, stopping 15 of 16 shots in 27:23. . . . Seattle was 1-3 on the PP; Red Deer was 0-2. . . . The Thunderbirds (36-16-5) remain atop the U.S. Division, one point ahead of the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Rebels (23-25-9) have lost five in a row (0-4-1). . . . This was Seattle’s sixth game in eight nights. The Thunderbirds won five of them, the only loss coming on Monday afternoon when they were beaten 6-3 by the host Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Thunderbirds signed F Cody Savey, 15, on Monday and he made his WHL debut in a 6-3 loss to the Rockets in Kelowna later in the day. He was in the lineup again on Tuesday. If you would like to learn more about Savey, there a good piece right here. . . . Announced attendance: 4,263.
——

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Kootenay at Edmonton, Hockey Hooky, 11:30 a.m.
Victoria at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
Brandon at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Everett at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Regina at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Red Deer vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.

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.
PhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucket
Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:08 PM
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Another WHL team looking for head coach . . . Brandon boys win two in OT . . . Royals still alive








F Radek Duda (Regina, Lethbridge, 1998-2000) has signed a two-year extension with Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, as team captain, he had 19 goals and 17 assists in 46 games.
———

THE COACHING GAME:

There now are three WHL teams without head coaches.
The Kootenay Ice joined the fray on Wednesday with the announcement that it won’t be renewing head coach Ryan McGill’s contract when it expires on June 30.
"At this time, we feel we need a fresh face and voice moving forward to lead our team,” Jeff Chynoweth, the Ice’s president and general manager, said in a news release.
The Ice will be an awfully young team next season, so Chynoweth told Taking Note that a decision was made to find a new voice.
“Just looking at what we are losing this year, in terms of players, and how much of a step back I think we are going to take next (season) with a young and unproven team,” Chynoweth told Taking Note via text.
The Ice’s roster includes 11 players born in 1995 and three who were born in 1994. F Sam Reinhart isn’t expected back, while F Tim Bozon, F Austin Vetterl and F Levi Cable used up their junior eligibility.
McGill, 46, is from Sherwood Park, Alta.
This was McGill’s second stint as the Ice’s head coach. He was in his third season this time around; he also was head coach 1997-2002. In total, his record is 280-222-53. Under McGill, the Ice won the WHL championship in 1999-2000 and 2001-02, and the Memorial Cup in the spring of 2002.
Between his two tours of duty with the Ice, McGill was an AHL head coach for seven seasons and an assist with the NHL’s Calgayr Flames for two seasons.
The Ice went 37-31-4 this season to finish fourth in the Central Division and earn the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card berth. The Ice then lost a first-round series in seven games to the Calgary Hitmen.
You have to think that McGill will wait and see if any pro offers come his way before he decides on his next move.
Along with the Ice, the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Vancouver Giants also are without head coaches.
Peter Anholt, who stepped in as GM and head coach in Lethbridge in mid-season, has said he won’t be back as head coach and will be hiring. In Vancouver, the Giants parted company with Claude Noel at season’s end. Noel also had been a mid-season replacement.
Last off-season, 10 of the WHL’s 22 teams made coaching changes.
———

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:

In Regina, F Tanner Kaspick scored at 3:36 of OT to give the Brandon Wheat Kings a 3-2 victory over the Pats. . . . The Wheat Kings lead the series, 3-1. Game 5 is scheduled for Brandon on Friday. . . . Kaspick, who is from Brandon, scored his first WHL playoff goal. He had one goal in 53 regular-season games. . . . Kaspick turned 17 on Jan. 28. . . . Regina D Connor Hobbs was hit with a kneeing major and game misconduct for a hit on Regina D Ryan Pilon at 7:22 of the third period. . . . Pilon needed help leaving the ice. . . . Brandon scored once on the ensuing PP as F Peter Quenneville scored his third goal at 7:53. That tied the score 2-2. . . . Hobbs had scored Regina’s second goal, at 6:27 of the second, on a PP. . . . Brandon F Nolan Patrick scored the game’s first goal, his second, at 19:37 of the first period. . . . Regina D Colby Williams came out of the penalty box, took a breakaway pass from F Pavel Padakin and went into to score his third goal at 4:27 of the second. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny stopped 30 shots, 15 fewer than Regina’s Daniel Wapple. . . . Brandon was 1-for-4 on the PP; Regina was 1-for-3. . . . Earlier in the game, Brandon F Mark Matsuba (headshot) and D Ivan Provorov (boarding) were given minor penalties for fouls the Pats felt could have been majors. . . . “It’s tough but it is what it is,” Wapple told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post. “We can’t point fingers but at the same time there were a couple hits that definitely could have been more than a two-minute penalty and ours is a five-minute penalty. It is what it is. You can’t do anything about it now.” . . . Regina head coach John Paddock offered:“Clearly to us Provorov should not have been in the game and clearly (Tuesday) night Reid Duke shouldn’t have been in the game (after a cross-check to Adam Brooks). Those are things we have to deal with. You have to find a way. We found a way. We played good enough to win.” . . . Regina again was without D Sergey Zborovsky, who is serving a three-game suspension for a hit on Brandon F Jayce Hawryluk in Game 2. Zborovsky had his suspension set at three games on Wednesday, meaning he will be eligible to return for Game 6. . . . Hawryluk hasn’t played since being hit by Zborovsky, who took an interference major and game misconduct on the play. . . . Attendance was 5,161. . . . The Wheat Kings have played five road games in these playoffs and each of them has ended in a 3-2 score. Brandon is 4-1 in those games. Two of them have gone to OT and Brandon has won both. . . . BTW, F Jesse Gabrielle had been credited with the game-winning goal in Regina’s 3-2 victory on Tuesday night. Sometime after that game, it was changed to F Taylor Cooper. Both are former Wheat Kings.

In Medicine Hat, F Jordy Stallard scored at 7:22 of OT to give the Calgary Hitmen a 2-1 victory over the Tigers. . . . The Hitmen lead the series 3-1 with Game 5 scheduled for Friday in Calgary. . . . Should Calgary win on Friday, last night’s game will have been the last one for the Tigers in the Arena. They will move into the Regional Event Centre next season. . . . Interestingly, attendance was 3,518 — not the usual 4,006. . . . Stallard, like Kaspick, is from Brandon. Stallard, 17, had six goals in 58 regular-season games; he has three goals in these playoffs. . . . Tigers D Ty Lewington scored the game’s first goal, his first, at 19:41 of the first period on a PP. . . . Calgary tied it when F Jake Virtanen scored his second goal, on a penalty shot, at 6:24 of the second. . . . Calgary F Elliott Peterson was awarded a penalty shot just 29 seconds after Virtanen’s goal. Peterson, however, lost control of the puck and wasn’t able to get off a shot. . . . Calgary G Mack Shields turned aside 35 shots, while Medicine Hat’s Marek Langhamer kicked out 20. . . . The Tigers had a 14-3 edge on shots in the third and 6-2 in OT. . . . Medicine Hat was 1-for-5 on the PP; Calgary was 0-for-1. . . . F Adam Tambellini, the WHL’s leading playoff scorer, was among Calgary’s scratches. He has an undisclosed injury. The Hitmen continue to be without D Jake Bean and F Chase Lang. . . . The Tigers had F Chad Butcher (broken thumb) back after a five-game absence. As a result of his return, F Mark Rassell was scratched. . . . Laurence Heinen wrote this game story right here for the Calgary Herald.

In Victoria, F Greg Chase scored at 5:30 of OT as the Royals stayed alive with a 5-4 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Kelowna, which had won its first seven playoff games, holds a 3-1 edge in the series, with Game 5 scheduled for Kelowna on Friday night. . . . Chase has seven goals in these playoffs. . . . The Rockets had 2-0, 3-1 and 4-2 leads before the Royals tied it with goals 24 seconds part in the third period. . . . F Jack Walker scored his second goal of the game and third of the playoffs at 10:42 and F Brandon Magee got his WHL-leading ninth goal at 11:06. . . . D Lucas Johansen, with his first goal, and F Tyson Baillie, with his sixth, gave the Rockets a 2-0 first-period lead. . . . Victoria F Austin Carroll got his first goal at 17:47 to cut into the lead, but Kelowna F Rourke Chartier, with his sixth, got that one back 26 seconds later. . . . Walker and Kelowna F Tomas Soustal traded second-period goals. . . . Soustal, who had eight goals in 65 regular-season games, has four in eight playoff games. . . . Kelowna went 0-for-8 on the PP, including a chance in OT after Magee was penalized for goaltending interference at 0:18. . . . Victoria G Justin Paulic stopped 36 shots, 10 more than Kelowna’s Jackson Whistle. . . . The Royals were 0-for-3 on the PP. . . . F Alex Forsberg had two assists for Victoria, including one on the winner. . . . Kelowna F Nick Merkley wasn’t able to score on a penalty shot at 4:29 of the second period, with his side ahead 3-1. . . . Attendance was 4,909.
———


There has been an interesting development in Regina where a company that is owned by co-owners of the Pats has registered a builders’ lien against the team's landlords, the Regina Exhibition Association. It all has to do with work done installing the Brandt Centre’s score clock earlier this season. . . . Austin M. Davis of the Regina Leader-Post has the story right here.
——
The Everett Silvertips have signed F Brian King, who was a fourth-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft. He was born in New Hampshire but now is from Golden, Colo. From the Silvertips’ news release: “King, 16, served as an alternate captain this season for the Rocky Mountain RoughRiders 16U AAA team based in Westminster, Colo. In 10 games at East Coast Elite League events, King scored six goals to lead the RoughRiders and tied for third on the team with seven points. Playing another 18 games in the Colorado Amateur Hockey Association, the 5-foot-11, 175-pounder had 11 points on three goals and eight assists. He attended USA Hockey’s 2014 Select 15 Development Camp last summer, notching a goal and an assist in five games.”
——
Mike Stothers, who spent the previous three seasons as head coach of the Moose Jaw Warriors, is the AHL’s coach of the year. Stothers, 53, left the Warriors prior to this season to take over as head coach of the Manchester Monarchs, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. . . . With three games still to play, the Monarchs are 48-16-6-3. They will go into the playoffs as the Eastern Conference’s top seed. . . . The AHL award is voted on by coaches and media members in each of the league’s 30 cities.
———



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.
PhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucket
Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:48 PM
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

  © Design byThirteen Letter

Back to TOP