Rebels' Musil week-to-week . . . Giants d-man signs with Avalanche . . . WHL draft lottery today

F Andreas Eder (Vancouver, 2013-14) signed a one-year contract with Red Bull Munich (Germany, DEL). This season, with Red Bull Salzburg II (Austria, Molodyozhnaya Liga), he had 21 goals and 25 assists in 54 games. The MHL is the top Russian junior league.
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The Red Deer Rebels will begin the playoffs without F Adam Musil, who suffered an ankle injury in Saturday’s final regular-season game, a 3-2 loss to the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate reports that Musil will miss a first-round series against the Medicine Hat Tigers. That series opens Saturday in Medicine Hat. “It’s a significant injury and he’ll be week to week with it,” Brent Sutter, the Rebels’ general manager and head coach, told Meachem. . . . The Rebels have added D Ryan Pouliot, 16, from the major midget Vancouver-North West Giants, and G Trevor Martin, 18, who finished the season with the SJHL’s Melville Millionaires. . . . Pouliot was an 11th-round selection by the Saskatoon Blades in the 2013 bantam draft. Martin was acquired earlier this season from the Blades.
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Despite not making the playoffs, the Moose Jaw Warriors’ braintrust feels the team made considerable progress this season. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald has more on that story right here.
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The Saskatoon Blades missed the playoffs for a second straight season, but management is convinced that the franchise is on the right track to get back to responsibility. Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix takes a look right here at the pros and cons of the season just past and the one ahead.
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The Prince Albert Raiders are playing the “what if . . .” game now that the season is over and they didn’t make the playoffs. In Prince Albert, that games goes like this: “What if Leon Draisaitl had returned for a third season?” . . . Jeff D’Andrea of paNOW has more right here.
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Myles Fish of the Prince Albert Herald writes of the Raiders that “the questions about the team now centre around its staff. Effectively the entire hockey operations staff with the Raiders have contracts that are set to expire in May.” . . . That story is right here.
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If you aren’t aware, I have been writing stories on hockey coaches for The Coaches Site (thecoachessite.com). With that in mind, I recently had occasion to chat with former SAIT athletic director/hockey coach Ken Babey, who now is the head coach of Canada’s national sledge hockey team. . . . That story is right here.
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D Mason Geertsen of the Vancouver Giants has signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. Colorado selected Geertsen, 19, in the fourth round of the NHL’s 2013 entry draft. Geertsen, from Rocky Rapids, Alta., had 38 points, 13 of them goals, in 69 games this season. . . . He began his career with the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . In 245 regular-season games, he has 78 points, including 19 goals.
F Jackson Houck of the Giants has signed an amateur tryout (ATO) with the Oklahoma City Barons, the AHL affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers selected him in the fourth round of the 2013 NHL draft. . . . Houck, who turned 20 on Feb. 27, is from North Vancouver. He had 51 points, including 22 goals, in 65 games this season. In 256 regular-season games, all with Vancouver, he has 189 points, including 87 goals.
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Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reports that Blades D Brycen Martin and F Brett Stovin will be finishing this season in the professional ranks. . . . Martin is to report to the Rochester Americans, the Buffalo Sabres’ AHL affiliate. Buffalo selected Martin in the third-round of the 2014 NHL draft. Martin, who has yet to sign with the Sabres, missed the Blades’ last two games with a back injury, so it’s not certain that he will play for the Americans. . . . After being acquired from the Swift Current Broncos, Martin had 22 points, five of them goals, in 30 games with Saskatoon. . . . Stovin is expected to join the ECHL’s Missouri Mavericks, whose head coach is former Blades D Richard Matvichuk. This season, Stovin, 20, had 50 points, including 29 goals, in 72 games. He will finish this season with the Mavericks, then return home and decide whether to chase a pro career or go to school. . . . Nugent-Bowman’s story is right here.
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The WHL is scheduled to hold its draft lottery today. During this draft, the order for the first six selections in the 2015 bantam draft will be decided. The six teams that didn’t make the playoffs take part in the draft lottery — Saskatoon, Lethbridge, Vancouver, Kamloops, Prince Albert and Moose Jaw. . . . Keep in mind that Spokane holds Saskatoon’s first-round selection from a January 2013 trade in which the Blades acquired F Collin Valcourt. . . . Also remember that Moose Jaw holds Kamloops’ first-round pick from a January 2013 deal in which the Blazers got D Joel Edmundson. . . . The most a team is able to move up in the draft lottery is two spots. . . . The order of the second round and all subsequent rounds will be the inverse order of the regular-season standings. . . . The bantam draft is scheduled for May 7 in Calgary.
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The Kootenay Ice has signed a new three-year broadcasting deal with The Drive 102.9 FM. The contract runs through 2017-18. . . . It covers all 72 regular-season games and all playoff games, as it has for each of the previous 15 seasons. . . . Jeff Hollick, the play-by-play voice since 1999-2000, will remain in place.
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THE WHL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE:

If you came here looking for a WHL playoff schedule, click right here. You will find the complete first-round schedule, with graphics courtesy of Terry Massey of thirteenletter.com.
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THE COACHING GAME:

The QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats have signed head coach Darren Rumble to a two-year contract that runs through 2016-17. Rumble was working on a two-year deal that was to expire after this season. The club had an option on a third season. . . . The Wildcats are 79-51-0-6 in two seasons under Rumble. They open a first-round playoff series at home to the Chicoutimi Sagueneens on Thursday.
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Here’s a look at the 20 WHL head coaches who have more than 300 regular-season victories to their credit:
1. Ken Hodge (Edmonton, Portland), 742
2. Don Hay (Kamloops, Tri-City, Vancouver) 637
3. Don Nachbaur (Seattle, Tri-City, Spokane) 631
4. Lorne Molleken (Moose Jaw, Saskatoon, Regina) 603
5. Ernie McLean (Estevan, New Westminster) 548
6. Pat Ginnell (Flin Flon, Victoria, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, New Westminster) 518
7. Jack Shupe (Medicine Hat, Victoria) 466
8. Dean Clark (Calgary, Brandon, Kamloops, Prince George) 465
9. Peter Anholt (Prince Albert, Seattle, Red Deer, Kelowna, Prince Albert) 464
10. Mike Williamson (Portland, Calgary, Tri-City) 460
11. Bob Lowes (Seattle, Brandon, Regina) 453
12. Kelly McCrimmon (Brandon) 417
      Doug Sauter (Calgary, Medicine Hat, Regina, Brandon) 417
14. Marcel Comeau (Calgary, Saskatoon, Tacoma, Kelowna) 411
15. Bryan Maxwell (Medicine Hat, Spokane, Lethbridge) 397
16. Brent Sutter (Red Deer) 367
17. Marc Habscheid (Kelowna, Chilliwack, Victoria, Prince Albert) 365
18. Graham James (Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Calgary) 349
19. Bob Loucks (Lethbridge, Tri-City, Medicine Hat) 340
20. Willie Desjardins (Saskatoon, Medicine Hat) 333
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Broadcast booth in final reg season game at The Arena. @BobRidley_CHAT on left. @Bladesvoice on the right. #WHL. pic.twitter.com/48jjWfilYF
— Darren Steinke (@StanksSports) March 25, 2015

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A little of this and some of that from the WHL and beyond

F Zdeněk Blatný (Seattle, Kootenay, 1998-2001) has been released by mutual agreement by Dornbirn (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had eight goals and two assists in 25 games. . . .
F Richard Mueller (Brandon, Saskatoon, Calgary, 1998-2003) has signed a one-year extension with Löwen Frankfurt (Germany, DEL2). This season, in 38 games, he leads his team in scoring with 47 points, including 28 goals, in 38 games. . . . The Frankfurt general manager is Rich Chernomaz (Saskatoon, Victoria Cougars, 1979-83 . . . Frankfurt’s head coach is Tim Kehler, who was an assistant coach with Swift Current (2007-10). . . .
F Jakub Langhammer (Spokane, 2002-04) has signed for the rest of this season with Dresdner Eislöwen (Germany, DEL2). He had been released on Wednesday by Regensburg (Germany, Oberliga) at his request so that he could sign with Dresden. He had two goals in two games with with Regensburg.
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The Saskatoon Blades visit the Broncos in Swift Current tonight. That means Blades D Brycen Martin gets to face his former team for the first time. Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has more right here, and Martin doesn’t mince words when he explains how he believes things went south for him in Swift Current.
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No WHL player has put up better numbers of late than G Evan Sarthou of the Tri-City Americans. Before losing 7-5 in Portland on Sunday, Sarthou had put up four shutouts in his previous five starts. With G Eric Comrie on the roster of Canada’s national junior team and now injured, Sarthou has made 20 straight starts. . . . Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald has more right here.
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In the last few games, the Kootenay Ice has lost twice to the Saskatoon Blades and once to the Lethbridge Hurricanes, two non-playoff teams. The Ice gets a chance to undo some of the damage when it begins a seven-game homestand tonight against the Regina Pats. . . . Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has more right here.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors, under general manager Alan Millar, have taken a long, hard look at all aspects of their scouting game. It resulted in the firing of head scout Rob MacLachlan last week, even though he had the rest of this season and next left on his contract. Marc Smith of discovermoosejaw.com takes a look right here at all that happened and why it happened.
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Dave McLellan, the GM and head coach of the junior B Nelson Leafs, has been suspended for the balance of this Kootenay International Junior Hockey League regular season. The ruling came down after the Leafs were found to have played an ineligible player for nine games. . . . Bruce Fuhr of the Nelson Daily has more right here.
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F Charlie Zuccarini of the BCHL’s Trail Smoke Eaters has been suspended for the balance of this season and the playoffs after he slashed a referee during a game last weekend. . . . From Shelton, Conn., Zuccarini is a 20-year-old, meaning that his junior career is finished. . . . He has committed to Arizona State U. . . . During the game against the Coquitlam Express, Zuccarini was hit with a match penalty after slashing referee Kirk Wood on one wrist. . . . According to a news release from the Smoke Eaters, Zuccarini “took responsibility for his actions and did not question that he was in the wrong.” . . . He had 56 points, including 27 goals, in 45 games. . . . The Smoke Eaters' news release is right here.
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Note to Jim Hiller: All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr. If you haven’t already, put it on your reading list.
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The CFL’s B.C. Lions announced Thursday that they have signed received Austin Collie, who has a history of concussions. A couple of days before he signed, but with Collie's signing somewhere in the CFL said to be imminent, Gary Lawless of the Winnipeg Free Press filed an interesting column that is right here.
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“The rate of concussions among NFL players fell 25 per cent this season, according to the league, even as injury reporting and trips to injured reserve list rose overall,” writes Howard Fendrich of The Associated Press from Phoenix, site of Sunday’s Super Bowl. . . . That is especially interesting considering the increased attention on concussions these days. . . . Fendrich’s story is right here.
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Here’s how Ray Ratto of CSNBayArea.com summed up the NFL’s concussion report:
“The NFL said concussions were down 25 percent in 2014, which is fine. They said it. Means nothing though, since their protocols for reporting are still laxly supervised and are left to individual teams and (worse) to individual players who feel pressure to play through the haze. Plus, the NFL has lost its right to be believed anyway.
“So congratulations to all players who didn’t have a concussion in 2014. Whoever you are.”
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“A new study of NFL retirees found that those who began playing tackle football when they were younger than 12 years old had a higher risk of developing memory and thinking problems later in life,” writes Ken Belson of The New York Times. “The study, published in the medical journal Neurology by researchers at the Boston University School of Medicine, was based on tests given to 42 former NFL players, ages 41 to 65, who had experienced cognitive problems for at least six months. Half the players started playing tackle football before age 12, and the other half began at 12 or older.” . . . The complete story is right here.
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If you are wondering about concussions in the WHL this season, it is impossible to keep track. There is no transparency in the WHL when it comes to injuries and it’s impossible to count concussions by anecdotal evidence.
In many WHL markets, the media types who cover the teams don’t concern themselves with trying to identify injuries, other than going with upper- and lower-body information, as supplied by the league.
However, judging by anecdotal evidence and the number of “upper-body injuries” there have been and continue to be in the WHL, I would suggest that the number of concussions incurred by WHL players isn’t decreasing.
There also have been at least three players suffer concussions in fights in recent games.
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F Barrett Sheen, 16, has signed with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. An undrafted list player, Sheen is from Airdrie, Alta. The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder is playing for the midget AAA UFA Bisons, who play out of Strathmore, Alta. . . .
Vancouver is scheduled to visit Everett tonight, which means Giants D Mason Geersen and Silvertips F Nikita Scherbak will renew what has turned into quite a rivalry. . . . Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province has more right here. . . . Ewen also points out that the Giants have yet to say who will replace injured G Payton Lee on their roster for the weekend. . . . Vancouver D Clayton Kirichenko, out since Nov. 26 with an undisclosed injury, is expected to return tonight. . . .
The Saskatoon Blades, who are expected to be without D Kolton Dixon, F Luke Gingras and F Mitch Skapski due to undisclosed injuries tonight in Swift Current, have added F Brayden Uhrich and D Mackenzie Dwyer to their roster. . . . Dwyer is a 17-year-old Winnipegger who is playing for the MJHL’s Selkirk Steelers. He was an 11th-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. . . . Uhrich is the younger brother of Saskatoon F Josh Uhrich. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reports that F Brett Stovin, the team’s captain, is listed as probable due to an undisclosed injury.
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Only in Canada. Stick tape and sock tape in the vending machine with the candy and chips pic.twitter.com/ISDOc9s3g6
— Thom Beuning (@ThomBeuning) January 29, 2015

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Ice adds defenceman . . . Three other deals . . . All the deadline numbers

The WHL's trade deadline arrives Saturday at noon MT. (Note that I had the time wrong a time or two earlier, but it is noon MT. That’s 11 a.m. Pacific and 1 p.m. in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.)
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THE NUMBERS:

(Since Dec. 10)
Trades: 25.
Players: 46.
Draft picks: 36.
Conditional draft picks: 5.
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BEHIND THE SCENES:

“It’s a crappy week,” Regina Pats G Daniel Wapple tells Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post in reference to the days leading up the WHL’s trade deadline.
Harder writes:
“For many outside observers — and even a few on the inside — the days leading up to the deadline represent one of the most thrilling times of the season. The whole thing takes on a life of its own as rumours swirl about what players may be available and which teams might sell the farm to get them.
“It's a time when armchair GMs speculate on potential moves and even devise trades of their own. It's mostly harmless fun, except when Twitter and other online forums become a means for passing off guesswork or false information as fact — with no regard for the human side of the equation.
“The media has helped create that monster with an epidemic of wannabe ‘insiders’ who are desperate for their piece of the action. In reality, there's a fine line between satisfying the public's craving for information and recklessly throwing names against the wall in hopes that some might stick — all to take credit for a ‘scoop’ that will be forgotten in a day.
Harder’s complete column is right here, and it’s a good one.
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FRIDAY’S TRADES:

Jeff Chynoweth, the president and general manager of the Kootenay Ice, isn’t about to turn seller at this WHL trade deadline and he hasn’t made any bones about it.
He’s got the likes of F Sam Reinhart, F Jaedon Descheneau, F Tim Bozon and D Rinat Valiev on his roster. So, hey, why not try to treat your season-ticket holders to a deep playoff run?
Who knows what might happen once you get into the playoffs and you’ve got four players like those on your roster. After all, this is junior hockey and they still have to play the games.
So rather than having to try to explain to the paying public why he traded away Reinhart, Chynoweth has been shopping for some veteran help on defence.
On Thursday, he brought in Lenny Hackman, 19, from the Lethbridge Hurricanes, and all it cost was a 12th-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft.
For whatever reason, the 5-foot-9 Hackman fell out of favour in Lethbridge and hasn’t played since Dec. 16. So you know that he’s itching to get back on the ice.
In 175 regular-season games, the native of Airdrie, Alta., has 21 points. This season, he had a goal and two assists in 31 games with Lethbridge, which selected him in the ninth-round of the 2011 bantam draft.
Hackman’s not all flash and dash, but that’s not what the Ice braintrust wants.
Chynoweth and head coach Ryan McGill have done a masterful job of piecing things together this season.
In the beginning, Reinhart was with the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, Bozon returned from the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs with an injury and there was a whack of other injuries. For example, veteran defenceman Tanner Faith’s season is over as he prepares for shoulder surgery.
You may recall that the Ice started 3-13-0 and the rumour-mongers had the franchise headed for Lethbridge or Winnipeg. But the pieces of the puzzle returned and the Ice is 18-5-1 since then.
That has Kootenay going into this weekend at 21-18-1 and tied for fourth in the Central Division with the Edmonton Oil Kings. The Ice holds down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card playoff spot, but there is a lot of hockey to be played.
Chynoweth obviously feels that his team is a whole lot close to the 18-5-1 bunch than the 3-13-0 crew, so he has been searching for some experience for his back end. Earlier, he brought in Tanner Lishchynsky, who turned 20 on Monday. A Saskatoon native, he had been with the SJHL’s Flin Flon Bombers.
And now Chynoweth has gone and gotten Hackman, who should have a positive impact on the club’s young defencemen — the Ice is carrying eight, not including Faith, with three of those having been born in 1997 and one in 1998.
Of course, the Ice also has McGill, a former NHL and WHL defender who knows more than a thing or two about playing a touch game in your own zone.
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The Saskatoon  Blazers added some depth to their forwards by acquiring F Mitch Skapski, 18, from the Victoria Royals. Skapski, from Abbotsford, B.C., is a younger brother to former Kootenay Ice G Mackenzie Skapski and an older brother to D Marshall Skapski, a third-round pick by the Medicine Hat Tigers in 2013. . . . Mitch was a fourth-round pick by the Portland Winterhawks in 2011. . . . He had a goal and three assists in 34 games with the Royals this season. In 118 career games, the first 35 with the Everett Silvertips, he has six goals and 10 assists. . . . Skapski was among the players dealt to Everett by Portland for D Seth Jones on April 23, 2012.
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Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has a good story right here on D Brycen Martin, who was on his way to the Kamloops Blazers when he was told the trade had fallen through. Shortly after that, the Swift Current Broncos dealt him to the Saskatoon Blades.
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes acquired G Jayden Sittler, 18, from the Victoria Royals for a seventh-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. . . . Sittler, from Red Deer, joined the Royals in a deal with the Kootenay Ice in October. In 10 games with Victoria, he was 2-6-0, 2.29, .921. . . .  He became expendable in Victoria earlier in the week when the Royals acquired veteran G Justin Paulic from the Moose Jaw Warriors. That leaves the Royals with the experienced pairing of Coleman Vollrath and Paulic minding their goal. . . . After making the deal, the Hurricanes dropped G Zac Robidoux, 18, from their roster. He is expected to join the MJHL’s Portage Terriers, the host team for this season’s RBC Cup national junior A championship tournament. He was 1-12-3, 4.48, .881 with the Hurricanes this season. The Hurricanes had acquired Robidoux from the Medicine Hat Tigers for a third-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2017. The latter pick is conditional on Robidoux being on a WHL roster in 2016-17. . . . With the Hurricanes, Sittler joins starter Stuart Skinner.
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F Cory Millette is off to join his third WHL team in less than two months. The Prince Albert Raiders dealt Millette, 19, to the Seattle Thunderbirds for a sixth-round pick in the 2015 or 2016 bantam draft. . . . The Raiders acquired the Storthoaks, Sask., native from the Saskatoon Blades on Nov. 20. . . . After putting up 14 points, including five goals, in 22 games with the Blades, he had four points, three of them goals, in 17 games with the Raiders. . . . In 206 regular-season games, he has 92 points, including 44 goals.
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TRADE DEADLINE DEALS:

(All draft picks in bantam draft unless otherwise noted)
Dec. 10 . . .
To Kelowna: D Josh Morrissey (95), F Gage Quinney (95).
To Prince Albert: D Jesse Lees (95), F Austin Glover (96), 2016 second-round pick, 2017 third-round pick.
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Dec. 12 . . .
To Red Deer: D Nelson Nogier (96), F Austin Adamson (96).
To Saskatoon: F Mason McCarty (97), 2015 second-round pick, 2016 first-round pick.
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Dec. 16 . . .
To Calgary: G Thatcher Demko, 19, who is at Boston College.
To Spokane: Conditional draft picks. Guy Flaming of The Pipeline Show tweeted that he had it as a second-rounder in 2015 and a second- or third-rounder in 2016.
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Dec. 27 . . .
To Swift Current: D Griffin Foulk, 19.
To Lethbridge: Conditional eighth-round pick in 2016.
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Dec. 27 . . .
To Red Deer: D Colton Bobyk, 18, and a 2016 fourth-round pick.
To Spokane: D Nick Charif, 19, a second-round 2015 pick and a conditional sixth-round 2016 selection.
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Jan. 2 . . .
To Brandon: F Morgan Klimchuk, 19.
To Regina: F Jesse Gabrielle, 17.
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Jan. 5 . . .
To Medicine Hat: D Kyle Burroughs, 19, and F Dryden Hunt, 19.
To Regina: D Connor Hobbs, 17, and two draft picks -- second-rounder in 2016 and third-rounder in 2015.
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Jan. 5 . . .
To Saskatoon: D Kolton Dixon, 19.
To Red Deer: G Trevor Martin, 18.
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Jan. 5 . . .
To Red Deer: F Connor Gay, 19, and three bantam draft picks -- a first-rounder in 2016, a second in 2015 and a seventh in 2017.
To Regina: F Jake Leschyshyn, 15, and a fourth-round pick in 2017.
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Jan. 5 . . .
To Brandon: D Reid Gow, 20.
To Spokane: A fifth-round pick, Spokane’s option for 2015 or 2016.
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Jan. 6 . . .
To Kelowna: F Leon Draisaitl, 19.
To Prince Albert: F Tomas Schmidli, 18, D Dalton Yorke, 18, and three bantam draft picks -- a first-rounder in 2015, a fourth-rounder in 2016 and a conditional fourth-rounder in 2016 or 2017.
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Jan. 6 . . .
To Prince George: D Tomas Andrlik, 19.
To Prince Albert: A 12th-round pick in 2015.
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Jan. 6 . . .
To Moose Jaw: D Connor Clouston, 18.
To Kamloops: A fifth-round pick in 2017.
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Jan. 6 . . .
To Calgary: G Brendan Burke, 19.
To Portland: G Evan Johnson, 18, and a fourth-round pick in 2016.
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Jan. 6 . . .
To Lethbridge: D Brady Reagan, 17.
To Regina: F Taylor Cooper, 19.
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Jan. 6 . . .
To Victoria: F Alex Forsberg, 19, a third-round pick in 2015 and a fourth-round pick in 2016.
To Saskatoon: F Brayden Dunn, 16, and a first-round pick in 2017.
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Jan. 6 . . .
To Portland: D Adam Henry, 20.
To Saskatoon: A second-round pick 2017.
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Jan. 6 . . .
To Moose Jaw: F Axel Blomqvist, 19, a third-round pick in 2015 and a fifth-round pick in 2017.
To Victoria: D Alexey Sleptsov, 18, G Justin Paulic, 19, and a sixth-round pick in 2015.
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Jan. 7 . . .
To Tri-City: F Tyler Sandhu, 18.
To Red Deer: Fourth-round picks in 2015 and 2016.
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Jan. 7 . . .
To Kamloops: D Marc McNulty, 19, and a 2016 sixth-round draft pick.
To Prince George: D Josh Connolly, 19, and a 2015 sixth-round draft pick.
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Jan. 7 . . .
To Saskatoon: D Brycen Martin, 18, and a conditional 2017 fifth-round draft pick.
To Swift Current: D Jordan Thomson, 18, and a 2016 first-round draft pick (originally belonged to Red Deer).
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Jan. 8 . . .
To Kootenay: D Lenny Hackman, 19.
To Lethbridge: A 12th-round pick in the 2015 draft.
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Jan. 8 . . .
To Saskatoon: F Mitch Skapski, 18, and 2015 fifth-round draft pick.
To Victoria: A 2016 fifth-round draft pick.
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Jan. 8 . . .
To Lethbridge: G Jayden Sittler, 18.
To Victoria: A 2016 seventh-round draft pick.
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Jan. 8 . . .
To Seattle: F Cory Millette, 19.
To Prince Albert: A sixth-round pick in the 2015 or 2016 bantam draft.


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Trade voided . . . Blazers, Broncos deal with Cougars, Blades

After the frantic burst of activity on Tuesday, things were relatively quiet on the WHL trade front on Wednesday. Although there was one interesting twist, as the WHL had to void one Tuesday deal.
On Tuesday, the Kamloops Blazers traded D Josh Connolly and a 2016 second-round bantam draft pick to the Swift Current Broncos for D Brycen Martin.
On Wednesday, the Blazers dealt Connolly to the Prince George Cougars for D Marc McNulty.
Seriously . . . it really happened.
The WHL voided the deal between Kamloops and Swift Current, issuing this news release:
“. . . the trade between the Kamloops Blazers and Swift Current Broncos (Joshua Connolly for Brycen Martin) on Tuesday, January 6, 2015 was not concluded to the satisfaction of the two Clubs concerned. Consequently, the WHL has ruled the trade to be null and void.”
What happened?
Jon Keen, the radio voice of the Blazers, tweeted that Connolly refused to report to Swift Current.
Martin, 18, and that draft pick were returned to the Broncos.
Before day’s end, the Blazers and Broncos had turned around and cut deals with divisional rivals.
Connolly, 19, was dealt to his hometown team, the Cougars, for McNulty, 19. The Blazers also get a 2016 sixth-round draft pick, with the Cougars picking up a sixth-round pick in 2015.
Connolly, a third-round pick in the 2010 bantam draft, has 34 points, five of them goals, in 39 games this season. In 164 career regular-season games, he has 85 points, 17 of them goals. Before joining the Blazers, Connolly played for the major midget Cariboo Cougars, who play out of Prince George.
The 6-foot-6 McNulty, from Medicine Hat, was a 10th-round pick in the 2010 bantam draft. He was selected by the Detroit Red Wings in the sixth round of the NHL’s 2013 draft. In 170 regular-season games with the Cougars, he has 72 points, including 30 goals. This season, he has 15 points, including five goals, in 30 games.
Connolly will debut with the Cougars this weekend as they play in Victoria on Friday and Saturday nights. The Blazers are at home to the Kelowna Rockets on Friday.
And the whole thing came full circle shortly when Martin, who by now was at home in Calgary, was dealt to the Saskatoon Blades, with a conditional fifth-round 2017 bantam draft pick, for D Jordan Thomson, 18, and a first-round pick in the 2016 draft that originally belonged to the Red Deer Rebels.
Thomson, from Wawanesa, Man., was the fourth-overall pick in the 2011 bantam draft. He was taken by Kamloops, then dealt to the Blades last season. The 2017 fifth-round pick is conditional on his playing as a 20-year-old.
In 24 games with the Blades this season, Thomson has 12 points, two of them goals. In 104 career games, he has 42 points, including seven goals.
Martin, the second overall pick in the 2011 bantam draft, was a third-round selection by the Buffalo Sabres in the NHL’s 2014 draft. He had 16 points, two of them goals, in 39 games with the Broncos this season. In 181 regular-season games, he had 72 points.
Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has more on the Blades’ deal right here.
---
The Tri-City Americans have acquired F Tyler Sandhu, 18, from the Red Deer Rebels for fourth-round selections in the 2016 and 2017 bantam draft. . . . Sandhu, from Richmond, B.C., was traded by the Everett Silvertips to Red Deer on Oct. 20 for fourth-round picks in the 2015 and 2016 bantam drafts. . . . He had one goal in nine games with Everett. In Red Deer, he had 18 points, including eight goals, in 28 games. . . . In 148 career regular-season games, he has 82 points, 41 of them goals. . . . The Americans are at home to the Seattle Thunderbirds on Friday.
—-

TRADE DEADLINE DEALS:
(All draft picks in bantam draft unless otherwise noted; deadline is Saturday, 1 p.m. MT)

Dec. 10 . . .
To Kelowna: D Josh Morrissey (95), F Gage Quinney (95).
To Prince Albert: D Jesse Lees (95), F Austin Glover (96), 2016 second-round pick, 2017 third-round pick.
---
Dec. 12 . . .
To Red Deer: D Nelson Nogier (96), F Austin Adamson (96).
To Saskatoon: F Mason McCarty (97), 2015 second-round pick, 2016 first-round pick.
---
Dec. 16 . . .
To Calgary: G Thatcher Demko, 19, who is at Boston College.
To Spokane: Conditional draft picks. Guy Flaming of The Pipeline Show tweeted that he had it as a second-rounder in 2015 and a second- or third-rounder in 2016.
---
Dec. 27 . . .
To Swift Current: D Griffin Foulk, 19.
To Lethbridge: Conditional eighth-round pick in 2016.
---
Dec. 27 . . .
To Red Deer: D Colton Bobyk, 18, and a 2016 fourth-round pick.
To Spokane: D Nick Charif, 19, a second-round 2015 pick and a conditional sixth-round 2016 selection.
---
Jan. 2 . . .
To Brandon: F Morgan Klimchuk, 19.
To Regina: F Jesse Gabrielle, 17.
---
Jan. 5 . . .
To Medicine Hat: D Kyle Burroughs, 19, and F Dryden Hunt, 19.
To Regina: D Connor Hobbs, 17, and two draft picks -- second-rounder in 2016 and third-rounder in 2015.
---
Jan. 5 . . .
To Saskatoon: D Kolton Dixon, 19.
To Red Deer: G Trevor Martin, 18.
---
Jan. 5 . . .
To Red Deer: F Connor Gay, 19, and three bantam draft picks -- a first-rounder in 2016, a second in 2015 and a seventh in 2017.
To Regina: F Jake Leschyshyn, 15, and a fourth-round pick in 2017.
---
Jan. 5 . . .
To Brandon: D Reid Gow, 20.
To Spokane: A fifth-round pick, Spokane’s option for 2015 or 2016.
---
Jan. 6 . . .
To Kelowna: F Leon Draisaitl, 19.
To Prince Albert: F Tomas Schmidli, 18, D Dalton Yorke, 18, and three bantam draft picks -- a first-rounder in 2015, a fourth-rounder in 2016 and a conditional fourth-rounder in 2016 or 2017.
---
Jan. 6 . . .
To Prince George: D Tomas Andrlik, 19.
To Prince Albert: A 12th-round pick in 2015.
---
Jan. 6 . . .
To Moose Jaw: D Connor Clouston, 18.
To Kamloops: A fifth-round pick in 2017.
---
Jan. 6 . . .
To Calgary: G Brendan Burke, 19.
To Portland: G Evan Johnson, 18, and a fourth-round pick in 2016.
---
Jan. 6 . . .
To Lethbridge: D Brady Reagan, 17.
To Regina: F Taylor Cooper, 19.
---
Jan. 6 . . .
To Victoria: F Alex Forsberg, 19, a third-round pick in 2015 and a fourth-round pick in 2016.
To Saskatoon: F Brayden Dunn, 16, and a first-round pick in 2017.
---
Jan. 6 . . .
To Portland: D Adam Henry, 20.
To Saskatoon: A second-round pick 2017.
---
Jan. 6 . . .
To Moose Jaw: F Axel Blomqvist, 19, a third-round pick in 2015 and a fifth-round pick in 2017.
To Victoria: D Alexey Sleptsov, 18, G Justin Paulic, 19, and a sixth-round pick in 2015.
—-
Jan. 7 . . .
To Tri-City: F Tyler Sandhu, 18.
To Red Deer: Fourth-round picks in 2015 and 2016.
---
Jan. 7 . . .
To Kamloops: D Marc McNulty, 19, and a 2016 sixth-round draft pick.
To Prince George: D Josh Connolly, 19, and a 2015 sixth-round draft pick.
---
Jan. 7 . . .
To Saskatoon: D Brycen Martin, 18, and a conditional 2017 fifth-round draft pick.
To Swift Current: D Jordan Thomson, 18, and a 2016 first-round draft pick (originally belonged to Red Deer).

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Tuesday's WHL trade roundup . . .

The WHL trade deadline arrives on Saturday at 1 p.m. MT, and over the last two days a whack of deals have been made.
In fact, if you go back to Dec. 10, when the Prince Albert Raiders and Kelowna Rockets got together on a deal that had D Josh Morrissey moving west, WHL teams have combined for 19 trades.
Unofficially, those deals have involved 38 players, 26 bantam draft picks and five conditional draft picks.
What follows is a look at what transpired on Tuesday . . .
The much talked and written about trade of German F Leon Draisaitl to the Kelowna Rockets finally was announced.
The deal involved F Kris Schmidli, who was with the Swiss team at the World Junior Championship, so couldn’t be announced until the tournament ended.
The Prince Albert Raiders dealt Draisaitl, 19, to the Rockets for Schmidli, 18, D Dalton Yorke, 18, and three bantam draft picks -- a first-rounder in 2015, a fourth-rounder in 2016 and a conditional fourth-rounder in 2016 or 2017.
This is the second major trade between these teams in a month. On Dec. 10, the Rockets acquired Morrissey and F Gage Quinney for D Jesse Lees, F Austin Glover and two bantam draft picks.
Draisaitl, the third overall selection in the NHL’s 2014 draft, had been with the Edmonton Oilers. Last season, his second with the Raiders, he had 105 points, including 38 goals, in 64 games.
“He’s a great big centre who’s going add some tremendous depth to our
team,” Bruce Hamilton, the Rockets president and general manager, told Doyle Potenteau of the Kelowna Daily Courier. Hamilton, a member of Hockey Canada’s management group, had just returned from the WJC. “Rourke Chartier is one of the premier players in the league right now, and this guy certainly
brings the same qualities he does. And he’s an experienced player; he has
30-some games of NHL experience under his belt now, so I think he’ll fit
in real well.
“I’ve had to listen to Josh Morrissey for two weeks telling me what to do
to get him. He fits in real well with him, too. He’s a real solid person;
he’ll be a great player to have here. And they’ll fit into our community
real well.”
Draisaitl is expected to be in the Rockets’ lineup Wednesday night as they play host to the Vancouver Giants. (Meanwhile, the Rockets aren’t expected to dress D Madison Bowey and D Josh Morrissey, both of whom won gold with Canada at the WJC.)
Schmidli, from Zurich, has 17 points, including five goals, in 33 games this season. Last season, as a freshman, he had 35 points, nine of them goals, in 68 games.
Yorke, from Maple Ridge, B.C., is in his second WHL season. He has two assists in 26 games, after earning four assists in 40 games last season.
The Raiders are at home to the Moose Jaw Warriors tonight.
---
The Raiders then dealt Czech D Tomas Andrlik, 19, to the Prince George Cougars for a 12th-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft.
Andrlik had 27 points, including four goals, in 109 regular-season games with the Raiders.
That move left both teams with two import players.
---
The Saskatoon Blades were involved in a pair of trades.
First, they sent F Alex Forsberg, who turned 20 on Sunday, a third-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft -- it originally belonged to the Portland Winterhawks -- and a fourth-round pick in 2016 to the Victoria Royals for F Brayden Dunn, 16, and a first-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft.
Forsberg, from Waldheim, Sask., was selected first overall in the 2010 bantam draft by the Prince George Cougars. He was acquired by the Blades prior to this season, and has 33 points, including 13 goals, in 36 games. In 167 regular-season games, he has 120 points, 43 of them goals.
With Forsberg gone, the Blades expect that freshman F Wyatt Sloboshan will play a larger role.
Dunn, from Calgary, was a fourth-round pick by Victoria in the 2013 bantam draft. He is playing with the midget AAA Calgary Northstars.
Then, the Blades dealt D Adam Henry, 20, to the Portland Winterhawks for a second-round pick in 2017.
Henry began this season with the Seattle Thunderbirds before being traded to the Blades. He has 22 points, three of them goals, in 35 games with Saskatoon. He also has played with the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
In 208 career regular-season games, he has 97 points, including 19 goals.
After that deal, the Blades were left with two 20-year-olds on their roster -- F Sam McKechnie and F Brett Stovin.
---
The Kamloops Blazers acquired D Brycen Martin, 18, from the Swift Current Broncos for D Josh Connolly, 19, and a second-round pick in the 2016 draft.
Martin, a third-round selection by the Buffalo Sabres in the NHL’s 2014 draft, was in his third season with the Broncos. They took him with the second overall pick of the 2011 bantam draft.
This season, in 39 games, Martin, a Calgarian, has 16 points, including two goals. In 181 regular-season games, he has 82 points, 10 of them goals.
Connolly, from Prince George, was a third-round pick by Kamloops in the 2010 bantam draft. An offensive defenceman, he was the Blazers’ third-leading scorer, with 34 points, including five goals, in 39 games.
In 164 games with the Blazers, Connolly put up 85 points, including 17 goals. He is the younger brother of former Prince George Cougars F Brett Connolly, who now is with the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning.
“We’ve been looking for a right-handed shot that can play the power play,” Mark Lamb, the Broncos’ GM and head coach, said in a news release. “Connolly is a solid player all over the ice, offence and defence, who can play for us next (season). The price for a guy like that is a Brycen Martin.”
Earlier in the day, the Blazers dealt D Connor Clouston, 18, to the Moose Jaw Warriors for a fifth-round selection in the 2017 bantam draft. Clouston, the son of Shaun Clouston, the Medicine Hat Tigers’ GM and head coach, was a third-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft. Connor and Warriors F Torrin White also are step-brothers. He had a goal and four assists in 81 regular-season games with the Blazers.
The Blazers’ decision to keep D Dawson Davidson, 16, for the remainder of the season left them with nine defencemen, so they were able to move Clouston. Davidson, who had been the captain of the midget AAA Moose Jaw Generals, has two goals in four games with Kamloops.
---
The Portland Winterhawks traded G Brendan Burke, 19, for G Evan Johnson, 18, and a fourth-round pick in the 2016 draft.
Burke was in his fourth season with Portland. This season, he was 7-8-3, 3.63, .888. His career numbers are 72-25-10, 2.95, .902. He has eight career shutouts. Burke, the son of former NHL G Sean Burke, was a sixth-round pick of the Phoenix Coyotes in the 2013 NHL draft.
He will join Mack Shields as the goaltenders on Calgary’s roster.
In 15 games with the Hitmen, Johnson, a freshman, was 5-3-2, 2.84, .894.
Of late, G Adin Hill had taken over the starter’s role in Portland. He has put up shutouts in each of his last two starts.
---
The Lethbridge Hurricanes traded F Taylor Cooper, 19, to the Regina Pats for D Brady Reagan, 17.
Cooper, from Sherwood Park, Alta., has 28 points, including 12 goals, in 38 games this season. He was a sixth-round pick by the Brandon Wheat Kings in the 2010 bantam draft. In 167 regular-season games, he has 77 points, including 33 goals.
Reagan, a second-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft, has a goal and six assists in 61 regular-season games. He’s from Blackie, Alta.
The Pats also have recalled D Ryan Krushen, 16, from the midget AAA Sherwood Park Kings. He played in three games with the Pats earlier in the season.
—
After dropping a 6-1 decision to the visiting Calgary Hitmen on Tuesday night, the Moose Jaw Warriors announced a three-player swap with the Victoria Royals.
The Warriors acquired Swedish F Axel Blomqvist, 19, and two bantam draft picks — a third in 2015 that originally belonged to Kamloops and a fifth in 2017 — for Russian D Alexey Sleptsov, 18, G Justin Paulic, 19, and a sixth-round pick in 2015.
The 6-foot-6, 212-pound Blomqvist has 29 points, 14 of them goals, in 34 games this season. He also played with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. In 158 regular-season games, he has 118 points, 45 of them goals.
Sleptsov, a sophomore from Moscow, has 18 assists in 34 games this season. In 100 regular-season games, he has 43 points, including four goals. In Victoria, he will be reunited with D Travis Brown, who was his partner in Moose Jaw last season before he was dealt to the Royals.
Paulic, from Thompson, Man., has appeared in 18 games this season, going 6-8-2, 3.50, .895. He has one shutout. In 132 WHL appearances, he is 40-61-19, 3.39, .895 with the one shutout. He was an eighth-round pick by Moose Jaw in the 2010 bantam draft.
With Paulic on the move, the Warriors have brought in G Brody Willms from the Okanagan Hockey Academy to back up Zach Sawchenko for the remainder of this season. Willms, 16, is from Coquitlam, B.C. He was an eighth-round pick by the Warriors in the 2013 bantam draft.
—
TRADE DEADLINE DEALS:
(All draft picks in WHL bantam draft)
Dec. 10 . . .
To Kelowna: D Josh Morrissey (95), F Gage Quinney (95).
To Prince Albert: D Jesse Lees (95), F Austin Glover (96), 2016 second-round pick, 2017 third-round pick.
---
Dec. 12 . . .
To Red Deer: D Nelson Nogier (96), F Austin Adamson (96).
To Saskatoon: F Mason McCarty (97), 2015 second-round pick, 2016 first-round pick.
---
Dec. 16 . . .
To Calgary: G Thatcher Demko, 19, who is at Boston College.
To Spokane: Conditional draft picks. Guy Flaming of The Pipeline Show tweeted that he had it as a second-rounder in 2015 and a second- or third-rounder in 2016.
---
Dec. 27 . . .
To Swift Current: D Griffin Foulk, 19.
To Lethbridge: Conditional eighth-round pick in 2016.
---
Dec. 27 . . .
To Red Deer: D Colton Bobyk, 18, and a 2016 fourth-round pick.
To Spokane: D Nick Charif, 19, a second-round 2015 pick and a conditional sixth-round 2016 selection.
---
Jan. 2 . . .
To Brandon: F Morgan Klimchuk, 19.
To Regina: F Jesse Gabrielle, 17.
---
Jan. 5 . . .
To Medicine Hat: D Kyle Burroughs, 19, and F Dryden Hunt, 19.
To Regina: D Connor Hobbs, 17, and two draft picks -- second-rounder in 2016 and third-rounder in 2015.
---
Jan. 5 . . .
To Saskatoon: D Kolton Dixon, 19.
To Red Deer: G Trevor Martin, 18.
---
Jan. 5 . . .
To Red Deer: F Connor Gay, 19, and three bantam draft picks -- a first-rounder in 2016, a second in 2015 and a seventh in 2017.
To Regina: F Jake Leschyshyn, 15, and a fourth-round pick in 2017.
---
Jan. 5 . . .
To Brandon: D Reid Gow, 20.
To Spokane: A fifth-round pick, Spokane’s option for 2015 or 2016.
---
Jan. 6 . . .
To Kelowna: F Leon Draisaitl, 19.
To Prince Albert: F Tomas Schmidli, 18, D Dalton Yorke, 18, and three bantam draft picks -- a first-rounder in 2015, a fourth-rounder in 2016 and a conditional fourth-rounder in 2016 or 2017.
---
Jan. 6 . . .
To Prince George: D Tomas Andrlik, 19.
To Prince Albert: A 12th-round pick in 2015.
---
Jan. 6 . . .
To Moose Jaw: D Connor Clouston, 18.
To Kamloops: A fifth-round pick in 2017.
---
Jan. 6 . . .
To Calgary: G Brendan Burke, 19.
To Portland: G Evan Johnson, 18, and a fourth-round pick in 2016.
---
Jan. 6 . . .
To Lethbridge: D Brady Reagan, 17.
To Regina: F Taylor Cooper, 19.
---
Jan. 6 . . .
To Victoria: F Alex Forsberg, 19, a third-round pick in 2015 and a fourth-round pick in 2016.
To Saskatoon: F Brayden Dunn, 16, and a first-round pick in 2017.
---
Jan. 6 . . .
To Portland: D Adam Henry, 20.
To Saskatoon: A second-round pick 2017.
---
Jan. 6 . . .
To Kamloops: D Brycen Martin, 18.
To Swift Current: D Josh Connolly, 19, and a second-round pick in 2016.
—-
Jan. 6 . . .
To Moose Jaw: F Axel Blomqvist, 19, a third-round pick in 2015 and a fifth-round pick in 2017.
To Victoria: D Alexey Sleptsov, 18, G Justin Paulic, 19, and a sixth-round pick in 2015.

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