ASK THE COMMISSIONER:
Mr. Commissioner, do you really think it is appropriate for the WHL to have a Facebook page on which fans are permitted to unceremoniously rip players by name?
(Example: What a joke . . . Gotta bench (player name) . . . Worst defenceman ever in the whl. Who else tries too go thru 2 (other team’s) players in front your own net. Do us a favor (player name). Retire now before you screw up our chances of making the playoffs.)
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JUST NOTES:
I meant to mention this yesterday in report on the Edmonton Oil Kings’ 9-5 victory over the host Calgary Hitmen. . . . Calgary D Brock Sutherland scored his first goal of this season, in his 53rd game. He played two games with the Tri-City American and 51 with the Hitmen. . . . He now has eight goals in 237 career games. . . . As he tweeted: “Me, Chris Phillips, and Scotty Gomez all just takin' a casual year off before we decide we're due to score! #iamwhatiam #worldjs” . . . Sutherland had last scored on Feb. 19 as the Americans lost 6-2 to the visiting Spokane Chiefs.
Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun reports that F Dominick Favreau of the Brandon Wheat Kings didn’t practise Thursday. Favreau came back from a shoulder injury to play in a 3-2 victory over the host Regina Pats on Wednesday, but left in the first period after absorbing a check. . . . Brandon is at home to the Swift Current Broncos tonight. . . .
The Wheat Kings will honour two players prior to tonight’s game. D Brodie Melnychuk, 20, became the eighth player in franchise history to play 300 regular-season games in a Wheat Kings uniform last weekend. The others? Randy Ponte (300), Ryan Craig (302), Dale McMullin (309), Aaron Goldade (310), Tim Konsorada (311), Lance Monych (319) and current assistant coach Dwayne Gylywoychuk (323). . . . As well, the Brandon Sun will present F Mark Stone with the prestigious 2011 H.L. Krug Crawford Memorial Medal. It goes annually to a sportsperson of the year in southwestern Manitoba. . . . Stone is the 13th player from the Wheat Kings organization to be so honoured, joining Brayden Schenn, Mark Derlago, Eric Fehr, Jordin Tootoo, Cory Cyrenne, Marty Murray, Trevor Kidd, Ray Ferraro, Glen Hanlon, Ron Chipperfield and Juha Widing. As well, Kelly McCrimmon, Dunc McCallum, Jack Brockest and Jake Milford, all members of Brandon’s front office, were recipients of the medal. . . .
The Calgary Hitmen have lost three of four after winning 14 of 15. The Hitmen are at home to the Moose Jaw Warriors tonight and Kootenay Ice on Sunday before heading into the B.C. Division and games in Victoria, Kelowna and Kamloops. . . . The Hitmen, who won 9-3 in Victoria on Jan. 3, will have a travel day between the games in Victoria and Kelowna. . . .
The Vancouver Giants have signed F Carter Popoff, 16, who was placed on their protected list in October. Popoff, from Richmond, B.C., has 52 points in 35 games with the junior B Richmond Sockeyes. . . .
F Brendan Gallagher of the Vancouver Giants needs one goal to tie F Adam Courchaine’s franchise career record of 126. Gallagher needs 10 points to equal Courchaine’s franchise record of 273 and is 17 assists short of D Jonathon Blum’s franchise record 155. . . . The Giants are at home to Everett tonight.
Alistair McInnis of the Prince George Free Press reports that the Cougars may get some of their injured plays back for a Friday-Saturday doubleheader with the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . G Drew Owsley, F Alex Forsberg, F Jarrett Fontaine and F Caleb Belter should all be back in action. However, D Dan Gibb is questionable, while D Reid Jackson and D Shane Pilling won’t play. As well, F Brock Hirsche and F John Odgers both have shoulder injuries that may have ended their seasons. . . .
The Everett Silvertips are 7-9-1 since D Ryan Murray returned from the World Junior Championship. . . . The Silvertips now are three points out of a playoff spot. They go home-and-home with the Vancouver Giants tonight and Saturday. They are north tonight and south on Saturday. . . . Of the Royals’ next 13 games, six will be against Prince George and Everett. The Royals will spend next weekend in Prince George. . . .
Medicine Hat Tigers F Emerson Etem has 49 goals in his first 48 games this season. He also takes a 16-game point streak into a game against the visiting Prince Albert Raiders tonight. He has 21 goals and seven assists in those 16 games. . . .
A tip of the cap to Andy Neal, the former radio voice of the Prince George Cougars who now works with the Victoria Cougars, for some of the info and stats here today. . . . Check out his latest Neal’s Notes right here. Lots of good stuff in this package. . . .
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F Ryan Johansen, who could still be playing with the Portland Winterhawks, was a healthy scratch for a fourth straight game last night. He plays for the Columbus Blue Jackets, the team with the NHL’s poorest record. Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch blogged about Johansen’s situation on Thursday. That is right here.
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In an open letter to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, Ralph Nader (yes, that Ralph Nader) has called for an end to fighting.
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Just when you thought you have heard/seen everything, you gain access to a YouTube video from an Ontario junor A game that goes to a shootout. But one goaltender gets tossed and the first shooter gets to take four shots. It’s all right here, and you can decide for which team the play-by-play guy is cheering.
Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports has more on this debacle right here.
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Cam Tait of the Edmonton Journal has a piece right here on Jesse Pearson. His career was cut short by concussion-related problems and he now is an assistant coach with the Edmonton Oil Kings.


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Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reports that Giants D Blake Orban will be out for a couple of weeks after suffering an undisclosed injury during Thursday’s practice. The Giants will play tonight and Saturday in Prince George and hope to have D Neil Manning (back) in the lineup again. When healthy, Manning makes the Giants’ PP go from the back end. . . . The Cougars will be without D Martin Marincin, who was hit with a four-game suspension for an intereference major he incurred on Tuesday in Vancouver. He has sat out one game. . . . Vancouver F Anthony Ast was injured on the play and may not play this weekend. . . .
The Brandon Wheat Kings may have D Brodie Melnychuk, 20, in the lineup tonight for the first time this season. He suffered a broken wrist during training camp and finally has been cleared to return to game action. . . . The Wheat Kings are at home to the Moose Jaw Warriors tonight. This is the Wheat Kings’ first home game since returning from a lengthy road trip, during which they acquired G Brandon Anderson and F Darian Dziurzynski in deals. . . . The Warriors hope to have D Dylan McIlrath back in their lineup tonight. He practised Thursday after sitting out a Wednesday game with an undisclosed injury. . . .
In Prince Albert, the Swift Current Broncos scored the game’s first three goals and went on to beat the Raiders, 6-3. Prince Albert has lost four straight and has changed goaltenders in midstream in each of the last two. . . . Former WHL D Bruin McDonald has joined the BCHL’s Coquitlam Express. McDonald, 19, is attending Douglas College. After playing two seasons (2008-10) with the Prince George Cougars, McDonald started last season with the Spokane Chiefs, then joined the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies, before making a five-game stoip with the QMJHL’s Gatineau Olympiques. . . .
The Everett Silvertips have assigned D Tye Hand, 16, to the AJHL’s Drumheller Dragons. Hand hadn’t gotten into a game with Everett this season. . . . The Pipeline Show is reporting that the Edmonton Oil Kings are about to add D Cody Corbett, a Minnesota high school product, to their roster. There’s more right here.
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The OHL has announced another lengthy suspension, this time to Oshawa Generals F Christian Thomas. He drew a 10-game sentence for a high-sticking match penalty. The video is right here.
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Jess Rubenstein is a blogger who pays particular attention to New York Rangers’ prospects over at The Prospect Park. And, as you will see by reading what follows, he has a bone to pick with the WHL:
“Dylan McIlrath (NYR 2010 1st) was not in the lineup for the Moose Jaw Warriors as they faced off with the Prince Albert Raiders (on Wednesday night). We have a reliable source who tells us that McIlrath is ‘day to day’ due to an upper body injury.
“We do know that McIlrath took an elbow to the head on Saturday in the Warriors game against the Kootenay Ice and he missed practice on Monday. It is sad that the WHL were the ones who were the first to announce their ‘7 point plan’ aimed at reducing injuries but now they will not say whether or not a player has a concussion.
“How are we supposed to know whether or not concussions are truly being reduced when there isn't any actual coverage of when a player has in fact suffered a concussion? We are reduced to gossip and guessing games but more importantly it damages the WHL's credibility since we have no way to verify whether or not a player has suffered a concussion.
“And really do you want New York Rangers fans who are already wondering about the status of Marc Staal and his own concussion issues wondering about a top prospect?
“Whether it is the Rangers or any other league, concussions are now a legit issue that needs to be dealt with in an open and honest manner. How are we supposed to believe anyone claiming concussions are down when you will not tell us when they happen?”
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Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post checks in with Curtis Hunt, the former Regina Pats’ head coach who, it turns out, is keeping his finger in the coaching game. That piece is right here.

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Stanislav Balan (Portland, 2005-06) was reassigned from Lev Poprad (Slovakia, KHL) to SKP Poprad (Slovakia, Extraliga). He had eight goals and eight assists in 50 games for Zlin (Slovakia, Extraliga) last season. Balan has been injured and played in only one of Lev's nine exhibition games. The KHL opens its regular season on Wednesday. . . .
D Ross Lupaschuk (Lethbridge, Prince Albert, Red Deer, 1996-2001) signed a one-year contract with the Vienna Capitals (Austria, Erste Bank Liga) after a successful tryout. He had one goal in three exhibition games for the Capitals. Last season, Lupaschuk had two goals and one assist in 15 games for Kölner Haie (Germany, DEL). Capitals head coach Tommy Samuelsson: "With Ross Lupaschuk, we have found the strong man on the blue line that we were looking for. He can decide games and also take on a leadership role." The Erste Bank Liga regular season opens Friday. . . .
D Paul Albers (Calgary, Regina, Vancouver, 2001-06) signed a one-year contract with the Tohuku Free Blades (Japan, Asia Hockey League). He had 12 assists in 46 games for the Krefeld Pinguine (Germany, DEL) last season. Tohuku plays out of Hachinohe, at the northern end of Honshu, the largest island in Japan. The Asia Hockey League begins regular-season play on Sept. 17. . . .
F David Svagrovsky (Seattle, 2003-05) signed a one week tryout contract with Nitra (Slovakia, Extraliga). He had eight goals and 16 assists in 41 games for Berounsti Medvedi (Czech republic, 1.Liga) and was pointless in one game with Slavia Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga) last season. The Slovakian Extraliga regular season starts Sept. 16.
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By now, you may be aware that F Liam Stewart, the son of actress Rachel Hunter and rocker Rod Stewart, is in camp with the Spokane Chiefs.
He was with the Chiefs during the weekend tournament in Everett. Here’s what one WHL scout saw in a brief look:
“Liam does not look out of place at all. (Spokane head coach Don) Nachbaur had him on the second line and playing on the second PK unit. I thought he didn't look out of place at all. Competed in the corners, skates well; seemed to know what to do and where to go in the period I watched. Granted, it was only one period . . .”
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JUST NOTES: The Brandon Wheat Kings have lost veteran D Brodie Melnychuk, 20, indefinitely with a broken wrist suffered in training camp over the weekend. . . . The Wheat Kings got down to 27 players, including two goaltenders and 10 defencemen following their Sunday intrasquad game. The goaltenders are veterans Corbin Boes and Liam Liston, both 18. . . . The Spokane Chiefs went 3-0 at the Everett tournament on the weekend. Veteran F Anthony Bardaro played two of the games and totalled six points, four of them goals. . . .
Reports out of Kelowna indicate that Rockets F Jason Siebert, the 17th overall pick in the 2009 bantam draft, won’t play until at least after Christmas. Siebert, 17, played only 17 games last season because of a broken wrist. The injury hasn’t healed properly and Siebert needs more surgery. . . . Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun has reported that F Brenden Walker, who suffered a concussion last season in the playoffs, is being held out of the Brandon Wheat Kings’ training camp as a precaution. . . . The Kelowna Rockets have acquired F Carter Rigby, 17, from the Prince George Cougars. The Rockets also got a conditional 2012 sixth-round bantam draft pick. The Cougars ended up with a third-round pick in the 2012 draft. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Rigby played most of last season with the junior B Osoyoos Coyotes before finishing with the BCHL’s Penticton Vees. Rigby, from Penticton, was an eighth-round pick by the Cougars in the 2009 bantam draft. He has been in camp with the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies. . . . The Vancouver Giants released F Neil Tarnasky, 19, after a 6-3 victory over the visiting Kamloops Blazers on Saturday. He had played the previous two seasons with the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
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DEPT. OF DISCIPLINE: Three players have drawn ‘tbd’ suspensions for weekend fouls. . . . F Jesse Mychan of the Everett Silvertips picked up a major and game misconduct for a check to the head during a game against the Spokane Chiefs on Saturday. . . . D Dallas Ehrhardt of the Moose Jaw Warriors drew a cross-checking major and game misconduct against the host Regina Pats on Friday night, while F Mike Aviani of Spokane took a boarding major and game misconduct while playing the Seattle Thunderbirds in Everett on Friday.

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The QMJHL’s Chicoutimi Saguenéens fired GM/head coach Richard Martel on Wednesday.
Martel is the QMJHL’s winningest head coach, with 589 career victories.
Assistant coach Marc-Étienne Hubert and assistant GM Carl Bouchard were to run the bench for Wednesday’s game against the visiting Rimouski Oceanic.
The Sagueneens went into the game with an 18-22-10 record, good for 13th in the 18-team league. They were fifth in the East Division, four points behind Rimouski.
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D Brodie Melnychuk of the Brandon Wheat Kings will be out indefinitely after having been found to have a fractured left leg.
Melnychuk is the most experienced player on the Brandon roster, having played 249 games.
He was injured Jan. 11 but the fracture wasn’t discovered until it showed up in X-rays this week. In fact, Melnychuk played four games with a sore leg, thinking it was bruised, before the fracture showed up.
Melnychuk, 19, was one of seven defencemen on the Brandon roster. Of the six left, one (Ryley Miller, 18) is a veteran, while the other five are in their freshman seasons — Ryan Pulock (16), Eric Roy (16), Jordan Fransoo (17), Spencer Galbraith (17) and Rene Hunter (17). . . . The Wheat Kings are at home to the Swift Current Broncos tonight, with the Regina Pats in the Wheat City on Friday.
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Former WHL G Kelly Hrudey (Medicine Hat, 1978-81) and two partners — Paul Colborne and David Moir, both of Calgary — have purchased one-third of the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers. These three join Bill Gallacher, the Calgary-based businessman who owns the Portland Winterhawks, Ken Wagner, another Alberta-based businessman, and Bill Bestwick, the team’s GM and head coach, in the Clippers’ ownership group.
From a release on the BCHL website:
“Colborne’s background is in the oil-and-gas industry and he is currently on the board of directors for firms including Crescent Point Energy Corp., Legacy Oil & Gas Ltd. and Surge Energy. He was instrumental in the 2006 purchase of the Calgary Stampeders Football Club, helping put the team back into local hands. Colborne is also the creator of the National Sports Development Program that trains young athletes in all sports in the Calgary area.
“Moir has been involved in the NHL for 30 years and worked for the Calgary Flames organization in the 1980s, including the Stanley Cup-winning team of 1989. Since 1990 he has been a key part of the Hockey Night in Canada broadcast team as well as the TSN broadcast team in both the NHL and CFL. David has worked at seven Olympic Games, including the men's hockey games at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.”
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JUST NOTES: F Brendan Shinnimin of the Tri-City Americans is the Husky WHL player of the month for January. Shinnimin, 19, had 29 points in 13 games in January. . . . Darcy Kuemper of the Red Deer Rebels is the Vaughn WHL goaltender of the month. Kuemper, 20, went 9-1-1, 1.74, .937 in January.
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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
In Brandon, F Shayne Wiebe’s goal at 11:32 of the third period gave the Wheat Kings a 3-2 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Wiebe, who has eight goals over his last seven games, has 29 goals this season, three shy of his career high. . . . The Wheat Kings led 2-0 in the first period. . . . The Broncos tied it on F Justin Dowling’s 17th goal at 18:04 of the first period and D Reece Scarlett’s fifth at 9:30 of the second. . . . Broncos G Mark Friesen stopped 43 shots. . . . Brandon F Mark Stone, Brandon D Ryan Pulock and Swift Current F Jordan Peddle each had two assists. . . . Attendance was 3,298, the smallest crowd in Brandon this season. . . . Brandon, which dressed only 16 skaters, lost D Spencer Galbraith when he took a charging major and game misconduct at 2:24 of the second period. . . . The Wheat Kings have won five of seven and now are alone in eighth in the 12-team Eastern Conference, a point behind the Broncos, who have lost seven in a row, and one up on the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun reports that Broncos F Ryan Bloom, who absorbed the hit from Galbraith, Peddle and F dillong Wagner “all left the game with injuries.” . . .
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In Saskatoon, the Blades got two goals from F Jake Trask as they won their seventh straight game, this one 6-2 over the Regina Pats. . . . It also was Saskatoon’s WHL-leading 40th victory of the season. . . . Saskatoon is 23-2-1 at home. . . . F Brayden Schenn had four assists for the Blades. . . . Trask also had one assist. He’s got 17 goals on the season. . . . Saskatoon D Darren Dietz had two assists and was plus-4. . . . The season series is 2-2. . . . The Blades scored three goals in the game’s first five minutes. . . . Attendance was 3,546. . . . The Pats are 11th, three points behind the eighth-place Brandon Wheat Kings. The Pats are scheduled to play in Brandon on Friday. . . .
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In Prince Albert, F Byron Froese scored three times to help the Red Deer Rebels to a 7-4 victory over the Raiders. . . . Red Deer trailed 3-1 in the first period and 4-2 in the second before scoring the game’s last five goals. . . . Froese, who was acquired from the Everett Silvertips over the summer, has 30 goals this season. . . . F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had a goal and three assists for the Rebels, while F John Persson had a goal and two assists. . . . F Igor Revenko scored three times for the Raiders, giving him 16 goals. . . . The Raiders were 3-for-6 on the PP. . . . Red Deer G Dawson Guhle stopped 28 shots, seven fewer than the Raiders’ Jamie Tucker. . . . Attendance was 2,122. . . .
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In Lethbridge, the Vancouver Giants scored twice in the shootout and beat the Hurricanes, 5-4. . . . The Giants led 4-2 late in the second period before the Hurricanes forced OT with goals from F Brody Sutter, at 16:50 of the seocnd, and D Mike Reddington, at 7:12 of the third. . . . F Brendan Gallagher and F Andrej Stastny scored for Vancouver in the shootout. . . . Gallagher had a goal, his 34th, and three assists in regulation time. . . . Vancouver F Spencer Bennett had a goal and an assist, as did F Brendan Rowinski. . . . Lethbridge F Austin Fyten (upper body) didn’t play. . . . Attendance was 3,990. . . . Gordie and Marty Howe, both of whom played with Lethbridge GM/head coach Rich Preston with the WHA’s Houston Aeros, were in the house. . . .
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In Kamloops, F Tyler Maxwell broke a 2-2 tie at 16:29 of the third period to give the Everett Silvertips a 3-2 victory over the Blazers. . . . Everett has won four in a row for the first time since the first four games of the season. . . . Maxwell scored twice, giving him 35 of Everett’s 133 goals this season. . . . The winner came on the PP. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson stopped 36 shots, including 21 in the first period. . . . Everett D Ryan Murray had a goal and an assist. . . . Everett F Parker Stanfield made two key plays that led to Maxwell’s goals. First, he tried a wraparound and the rebound went to Maxwell, who whipped it home. Then, on the winner, Stanfield set a great screen that allowed Maxwell to pick the longside corner on G Jeff Bosch. . . . Attendance was 4,428. . . .
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In Kelowna, F Evan Bloodoff scored twice to lead the Rockets to a 6-4 victory over the Chilliwack Bruins. . . . The Rockets have won seven straight, while the Bruins have lost six in a row. . . . Bloodoff has 14 goals. . . . D Tyson Barrie had three assists for the Rockets. . . . The Bruins got two goals from F Roman Horak, who has 21. . . . The teams were tied 3-3 midway through the second period. . . .Bloodoff broke the tie at 14:38 on a PP, and F Geordie Wudrick made if 5-4 with his 30th goal of the season at 15:12, on another PP. . . . Bloodoff’s first goal, at 8:40 of the second period, was a shorthanded effort. . . .. Kelowna was 2-for-10 on the PP, while Chilliwack was 1-for-6. . . . Attendance was 6,037. . . .
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In Calgary, the Hitmen halted a six-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . One night earlier, the Ice had beaten the visiting Hitmen, 8-0. . . . . The Ice also had beaten the Hitmen seven straight times this season. . . . Kootenay G Nathan Lieuwen, who left Tuesday’s game after a collision with Calgary F Cody Sylvester, wasn’t dressed. Jeff Holick, the radio voice of the Ice, reports that Lieuwen has neck and back spasms and is day-to-day. . . . G Mackenzie Skapski, 16, stopped 25 shots in his second career WHL start. . . . Calgary G Brandon Glover made 32 saves, losing his shutout bid on F Matt Fraser’s 23rd goal at 18:02 of the second. . . . F Kris Foucault and F Jimmy Bubnick each notched his 16th goal for Calgary. . . . Attendance was 7,222. . . . The Ice has returned D Mike Simpson to the junior B Port Moody, B.C., Black Panthers and F Levi Cable to the midget AAA Yorkton, Sask., Harvest. At the same time, according to Holick, the Ice is bringing in D Jeff Hubic, a fourth-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft, from the midget AAA Tisdale, Sask., Trojans for the next four games. . . .
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In Kennewick, Wash., D Matt MacKenzie’s OT goal gave the host Tri-City Americans a 4-3 victory over the Edmonton oil Kings. . . . MacKenzie scored his fifth goal just 53 seconds into OT. It came on the PP. . . . Tri-City F Jordan Messier forced OT with his 23rd goal, on the PP, at 15:39 of the third period. . . . Edmonton F Dylan Wruck had given his side a 3-2 lead with his 30th goal at 11:38 of the third. . . . Wruck, who scored twice in a 4-2 victory over Seattle on Tuesday, set the Oil Kings’ modern day franchise record for goals in a season. F Brenden Dowd scored 29 in 2008-09. . . . F Brendan Shinnimin had two assists for Tri-City, running his point streak to 20 games. He has 44 points over that stretch. . . . Tri-City G Chris Driedger stopped 23 shots to earn his second victory in his third WHL start. It was his ninth appearance of the season. . . . Edmonton G Jon Groenheyde stopped 42 shots. . . . Edmonton D Braeden Laroque left at 7:02 of the first period with a boarding major and a game misconduct. . . . Tri-City was 3-for-6 on the PP. . . . Attendance was 3,588. . . . The loser point was big for the Oil Kings, who are sixth in the Eastern Conference and now are five points ahead of the seventh-place Swift Current Broncos. Edmonton, which is in Portland on Friday, opened its U.S. swing with that 4-2 victory over Seattle on Tuesday.
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Four minors:
Prince Albert D Harrison Ruopp
Kamloops D Austin Madaisky
Edmonton F Kristians Pelss (double minor)

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