Ex-WHLer heads to Vegas ... 'Canes add assistant coach ... Ice gets forward from Rebels

ICYMI, former #Oilers gathered to share memories & honour good friend & loyal teammate Dave Semenko: https://t.co/iTbwDSZn73 pic.twitter.com/5Q3H69P2ab

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) June 30, 2017

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F Garry Nunn (Vancouver, Edmonton, 2007-10) has signed a one-year contract with Frisk Asker (Norway, GET-Ligaen). Last season, with the San Antonio Rampage (AHL), he had eight goals and 10 assists in 53 games. . . .

F T.J. Foster (Edmonton, 2008-13) has signed a one-year contract with Frisk Asker (Norway, GET-Ligaen). Last season, with the Orlando Solar Bears (ECHL), he had two goals and three assists in 12 games. He also had 23 goals and 32 assists in 50 games with the Norfolk Admirals (ECHL). He led the Admirals in goals, assists and points. . . .

D Daine Todd (Medicine Hat, 2003-08) has signed a one-year contract with Örebro (Sweden, SHL). Last season, he had four goals and 11 assists in 36 games with Luleå (Sweden, SHL). . . .

F Roberts Libsbergs (Seattle, 2012-15) has signed a one-year extension with Dinamo Riga (Latvia, KHL). Last season, he had three goals and four assists in 31 games.

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#OHL: During the 2016-17 @OHLHockey season, there were 0 head coaching changes.  There's been 7 since (ER, GUE, KGN, OTT, OS, SBY, WSR).

— Geoffrey Brandow (@GeoffreyBrandow) June 29, 2017

RYAN McGILL
(Photo: attackhockey.com)

Ryan McGill, a former WHL player and coach, has left the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack to join the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights as an assistant coach. McGill, 48, spent two seasons as the Attack’s head coach and was the OHL and CHL coach of the year for 2016-17. With the Golden Knights, he joins head coach Gerard Gallant and fellow assistants Mike Kelly and Ryan Craig. . . . In the WHL, McGill began his coaching career as an assistant with the Edmonton Ice (1996-98), and took over as head coach during the 1997-98 season. . . . He was the head coach of the Kootenay Ice (1998-2002, 2012-15), guiding them to the 2002 Memorial Cup title. He played four seasons (1985-89) in the WHL, splitting that between the Lethbridge Broncos, Swift Current Broncos and Medicine Hat Tigers. He helped the Tigers to the 1988 Memorial Cup championship.

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The Lethbridge Hurricanes have added Jeff Hansen as an assistant coach. Hansen, 35, spent the previous four seasons as video coach with the Calgary Hitmen. For the first two of those seasons, Brent Kisio, the Hurricanes’ head coach, was an assistant coach with the Hitmen. . . . Before joining the Hitmen, Hansen was an assistant coach with the AJHL’s Calgary Mustangs. He also has coached in the Alberta Major Midget Hockey League. . . . With the Hurricanes, Hansen fills the vacancy created when Mike Craig left the team in May. He had been on staff through four seasons. . . . The Hurricanes' staff also includes Darcy Wakaluk, a former goaltender coach with the Hitmen.

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Bruce Gordon played three seasons (1979-82) in the WHL, starting with the Medicine Hat Tigers (71 games) and finishing up with the Saskatoon Blades (112 games). A grinding, tough forward who played hard at home and on the road, he totalled 22 goals, 65 assists and 818 penalty minutes. . . . Gordon, 54, has been incredibly fit. He’s an Ironman triathlete. He lifts, he cycles, he does it all. He was a member of the Saskatoon Police Service, then, at 50, he decided to become a defence lawyer. . . . The other day, things changed when he was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. . . . Dan Zakreski of CBC News has the story right here.

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CAMERON HAUSINGER

The Kootenay Ice has acquired F Cameron Hausinger, 18, from the Red Deer Rebels for a fourth-round selection in the 2018 WHL bantam draft. . . . The Ice had gotten that fourth-round pick from Lethbridge on Jan. 8 in a deal that had F Zak Zborosky, F Matt Alfaro and a sixth-round pick in 2018 go to the Hurricanes for F Brett Davis, F Colton Kroeker and a 2018 second-round pick. . . . Hausinger, who is from Anchorage, had seven goals and eight assists in 61 games split between Red Deer and the Saskatoon Blades last season. . . . The Blades selected him in the seventh round of the 2014 bantam draft. He had six goals and five assists in 58 games with the Blades in 2015-16. . . . The Blades traded him to Red Deer on Nov. 25 for two draft picks — a seventh-rounder in 2017 and a fifth in 2018.

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MASSIMO RIZZO

The Kamloops Blazers have yet to sign F Massimo Rizzo, their first pick in the WHL’s 2016 bantam draft. But he hasn’t yet turned them down, either. . . . Marty Hastings of Kamloops This Week reports that “the Blazers brought the heavyweights — (majority) owner Tom Gaglardi, part-owner Shane Doan, general manager Stu MacGregor and head coach Don Hay” to a meeting with Rizzo and his father in Vancouver on Wednesday. . . . Last season, Rizzo put up 84 points in 48 games with the midget prep team at the Burnaby Winter Club. Rizzo also played in a few games with the BCHL’s Penticton Vees. He was pointless in three regular-season games and had one goal in seven playoff games. But he really hit is stride at the Western Cup, where he had a goal and four assists in five games and got some power-play time. He also had a goal in five games at the RBC Cup. . . . Hastings’ story is right here.

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The OHL-champion Erie Otters have signed Chris Hartsburg as their new head coach. He takes over from Kris Knoblauch, who now is an assistant coach with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers. . . . Hartsburg, a former assistant coach with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips 2009-13), has been the head coach of the USHL’s Lincoln Stars for the past three seasons. . . . He spent 2013-14 as an assistant under Knoblauch with the Otters. . . . From Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., he is the son of former NHL player/coach Craig Hartsburg, who also did a stint (2009-11) as Everett’s head coach. . . . The Otters also signed GM Dave Brown to a three-year extension through 2019-20, and promoted assistant coach B.J. Adams to associate coach. Adams and assistant coach Wes Wolfe were extended through 2019-20.

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The QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads have signed Sylvain Favreau as an assistant coach to work alongside head coach Jim Midgley. Favreau, 39, had been the director of hockey operations and head coach with the CCHL’s Cumberland Grads. From Orleans, Ont., he has been coaching in the CCHL, with Cumberland the Gloucester Rangers, since 2009.

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D Jordan Wharrie, who has played the past three seasons in the WHL, has decided to play for the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers in 2017-18. Wharrie, 20, is from Port Moody, B.C. . . . The Everett Silvertips selected him in the fifth round of the WHL’s 2012 bantam draft. . . . He played seven games with Everett in 2013-14, then spent 2014-15 with the Silvertips. In 2015-16, he played for the Victoria Royals. He split last season between the Brandon Wheat Kings and Vancouver Giants. . . . In 162 regular-season games, he had eight goals and 10 assists.

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The junior B Creston Valley Thunder Cats of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League have signed Brad Tobin as their new general manager and head coach. He takes over from Jeff Dubois, who has signed on as assistant GM/assistant coach with the BCHL’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs. . . . Tobin joined the Thundercats a year ago as assistant GM/associate coach. He had been an assistant coach with the BCHL’s Surrey Eagles (2010-16). . . . Creston also promoted assistant coach Jeff Wagner to assistant GM/associate coach. . . . Dubois had been the head coach in Creston for three seasons, going 97-42 with four ties. He is the KIJHL’s reigning coach of the year.

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Very Happy to see former @WHLPats  @adambrooks77 sign with the @MapleLeafs Quality player and quality person!

— Brent Parker (@Patguy65) June 29, 2017

F Adam Brooks, who completed his junior eligibility with the Regina Pats last season, has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs. They selected him in the fourth round of the NHL’s 2016 draft. . . . Brooks, who is from Winnipeg, won the WHL scoring title in 2015-16 when he put up 120 points. In 2017-18, he totalled 130 points and finished second to teammate Sam Steele in the scoring race. . . . Brooks finished his WHL career with 335 points, including 119 goals, in 317 regular-season games. He added 49 points, 33 of them assists, in 42 playoff games.

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The SPHL’s Knoxville Ice Bears have named Jeff Carr as their new head coach. He had been an assistant coach with the Ogden, Utah, Mustangs of the Western States Hockey League for the previous two seasons. . . . Carr replaces Mike Craigen, whose contract wasn’t renewed after the 2016-17 season ended. Craigen had been the Knoxville head coach for seven seasons.

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More on Morrisseau . . . Blades to say thanks to Mr. Hockey . . . D-man, goalie move in trades . . . Hitmen sign assistant coach

5 years with out you guys ,We will never forget that ... 07.09.2011#RIP #loko pic.twitter.com/guEisGuwhR

— Sergey Zborovskiy (@BigZborovskiy) September 6, 2016

F Kris Versteeg (Lethbridge, Kamloops, Red Deer, 2002-06) didn’t pass his medical examination and was released by Bern (Switzerland, NL A). Versteeg didn’t play any games with Bern. Last season, with the Carolina Hurricanes (NHL) and Los Angeles Kings (NHL), he had 15 goals and 23 assists in 77 games.

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The Spokane Chiefs issued an update on the condition of F Koby Morrisseau on Tuesday:

“The Spokane Chiefs announced today that forward Koby Morrisseau returned to Spokane on Sunday, is doing well and is expected to make a full recovery from an injury sustained in Everett,

KOBY MORRISSEAU

Wash. on Saturday, Sept. 3 versus the Portland Winterhawks.

“Morrisseau, a 16-year-old from Grandview, Manitoba, spent Saturday night in an Everett hospital after being taken off the ice following a check from behind penalty in the third period. Extensive tests and X-rays revealed no fractures or soft tissue damage.

“Morrisseau will remain with the team while he completes a full recovery. No timeline has been set for his return.”

Morrisseau, the ninth overall selection in the 2015 bantam draft, was injured at 13:17 of the third period.

Portland F Brett Clayton was given a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct, and then was hit with a TBD suspension.

The WHL revealed later Tuesday that Clayton has been suspended for six games. Clayton didn’t play in Sunday’s 4-1 victory over the host Everett Silvertips. He will miss Portland’s last three exhibition games and the first two regular-season games.

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The Saskatoon Blades have announced details of Thank You, Mr. Hockey Day, the special day that is planned in honour of the late Gordie Howe.

It all will take place on Sept. 25, with the Swift Current Broncos to provide the opposition.

For starters, Saskatoon city council has proclaimed the day ‘Thank You, Mr. Hockey Day.’

A private ceremony is scheduled for 9:30 a.m., during which members of the Howe family will watch

The Saskatoon Blades will wear special sweaters that
will be auctioned off to benefit the Gordie Howe
Alzheimers Fund.

as Colleen and Gordie’s ashes are interred at the site of a Gordie Howe statue near the SaskTel Centre.

The Blades then will escort the Howe family to a local bridge that is to be christened Gordie Howe Bridge.

The Blades and the family then will return to the SaskTel Centre, where a tailgate party is to begin at noon in the parking lot.

The doors to the arena will open at 1 p.m. A number of trophies that Howe won during his playing days will be on display in the concourse.

A pregame ceremony, with Hockey Night in Canada’s Bob Cole as the emcee, is to begin at 2 p.m. The game between the Broncos and Blades will start at 2:25 p.m.

The Blades will wear special sweaters during the game. They will be auctioned off with proceeds going to the Gordie Howe Alzheimers Fund.

The Blades also announced that they are teaming up with the Saskatoon Minor Hockey Association to form the Gordie Howe Player of the Year Award.” It will be awarded annually to a player graduating from midget hockey who displays excellence and leadership on and off the ice the way Howe did. The Blades will award a $1,000 scholarship to the winner.

Also on Sept. 25, the 50/50 draw will be operated by the Zone G Saskatoon Red Wings, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Quinn Stevenson Memorial Fund. He was a former Saskatoon Red Wings player who died in a car accident three years ago. His mother, Bonnie, has been instrumental in helping with this process. 

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The Prince Albert Raiders have acquired D Nick Heid, 19, from the Medicine Hat Tigers for a seventh-round selection in the 2017 bantam draft. Heid, from Fridley, Minn., was acquired by the Tigers from the Portland Winterhawks last season. In 2014-15, he was pointless in 17 games with Portland. Last season, he had one assist in two games with Portland and five helpers in 60 games with the Tigers. . . . The Winterhawks dealt Heid to Medicine Hat for a fourth-round selection in the 2017 bantam draft. In that deal, Portland actually reacquired a pick it had sent to Medicine Hat for F Miles Koules.

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The Kamloops Blazers sent a fourth-round pick in the 2018 bantam draft to the Edmonton Oil Kings on Tuesday, getting G Carter Phair in return. . . . Phair, 6-foot-4 and 185 pounds, will turn 18 on Dec.

CARTER PHAIR

15. He was a 10th-round pick by the Oil Kings in the 2013 bantam draft. . . . Phair played most of last season with the SJHL’s Weyburn Red Wings, going 8-4 with three ties, along with a 2.47 GAA and .925 save percentage in 19 games. He recorded two shutouts. . . . The Blazers have added to their goaltending depth and now have four on their roster, the others being starter Connor Ingram, 19; last year’s backup, Dylan Ferguson, who will be 18 on Sept. 20; and Max Palaga, 16, who is from Kamloops and signed last week. . . . The Blazers will lose Ingram later this month, as he heads for camp with the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning. He also may end up playing for Canada’s national junior team in the 2017 World Junior Championship. . . . Phair’s acquisition gives Kamloops one more option. . . . The Oil Kings still have four goaltenders in camp — veteran Patrick Dea, 19, who played in 46 games last season; Boston Bilous, 15, a fourth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft who has signed a WHL contract; Alec Dillon, 20, who missed most of last season with injuries; and Liam Hughes, 17, who was a seventh-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft. Bilous, of course, isn’t eligible to play full-time this season until his club team has its season end.

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The Calgary Hitmen have hired Trent Cassan as an assistant coach. He replaces Trent Whitfield, who left after one season to join the AHL’s Providence Bruins as an assistant coach. . . . In Calgary, Cassan joins head coach Mark French, assistant coach Joel Otto and goaltending coach Jason LaBarbera. . . . Cassan, 33, is from Medora, Man. He has been with the SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers. He was the interim head coach for part of 2009-10, the assistant GM/head coach (2010-14) and the GM/head coach (2014-16). Cassan helped the Terriers to the SJHL final four times, and won the franchise’s first RBC Cup in 2014. . . . The Terriers, in turn, have named Casey O’Brien as their GM/head coach. O’Brien, who is from Gloucester, Ont., had been an assistant coach with the Terriers for five seasons. He also was the AGM for the past two seasons.

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The Edmonton Oil Kings have signed F Carter Souch to a WHL contract. Souch was a fourth-round selection in the 2016 bantam draft. He won’t turn 15 until Oct. 28. Last season, with the bantam AAA Southside Athletic Club Lions, he had 64 points, including 34 goals, in 36 games.

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Ryan Smyth, who played three seasons (1992-95) with the Moose Jaw Warriors, has bought into the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints. . . . “The AJHL Saints ownership stake really interested Smyth,” writes Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal. “Owner Darren Myshak, who’s had the club since 2004, also brought in the Leckelt brothers, Dan and Lindsey, who own Silent-Aire, an HVAC and data centre solutions design and manufacturing company, to be owners, and Lindsey knew Smyth from being owner of the senior Stony Plain Eagles, where Smyth played last season.”

Smyth, 40, told Matheson: “We were talking one day and they said, ‘Why don’t you come on board?’ It would be great to learn the business side of things in hockey and there’s no better opportunity than to get involved in junior. The Saints are an important part of the community. This is a stepping stone to learning more about a younger crew of player, after my working with Hockey Canada and their under-18 team.

“That was a great experience, learning the scouting side of things from Scott Salmond and Ryan Jankowski. It was awesome to piggy-back off them. I have a different appreciation for what scouts go through now, for sure. How fired up they are when a player succeeds, or the team.”

Matheson’s complete story is right here.

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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

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The USHL’s Lincoln Stars have signed head coach Chris Hartsburg to a two-year contract extension that runs through the 2017-18 season. The team also holds an option on 2018-19. . . . In Hartsburg’s two seasons, they went 18-37-5 in 2014-15 and 33-24-3 last season. . . . Hartsburg was an assistant coach for two seasons (2011-13) with the Everett Silvertips. He is the son of former NHL player and coach Craig Hartsburg, who spent two seasons (2009-11) as Everett’s head coach.

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Crazy stat (hat tip @LLoewen986) the span between #Riders last 5 wins is 668 days... for the #Bombers it's 40 days. #CFL @CFL

— Kevin Jesus (@GlobalJesus) September 6, 2016

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WHL final resumes tonight . . . 10 things you didn't know about Blazing Saddles!

G Rastislav Staňa (Moose Jaw, Calgary, 1998-2000) has signed a one-year contract with Sparta Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga). Staňa started this season with CSKA Moscow (Russia, KHL), going 2.31 and .912 in 24 games. He signed with Košice (Slovakia, Extraliga) on Jan. 28 and was 1.25, .952 in eight games. . . .

F Matt Ellison (Red Deer, 2002-03) has signed a two-year contract with Dinamo Minsk (Belarus, KHL). Ellison started this season with Biel (Switzerland, NL A), picking up one assist in seven games. He signed with Medveščak Zagreb (Croatia, KHL) on Oct. 2 and finished with 15 points, eight of them goals, in 38 games. . . .

F Konstantin Pushkarev (Calgary, 2004-05) signed a one-year extension with Barys Astana (Kazakhstan, KHL). This season with Barys, he had four points, including one goal, in 21 games. In five games with Nomad Astana (Kazakhstan, Vysshaya), he had six points, including three goals. . . .


D Gennadi Razin (Kamloops, 1996-98) has signed a one-year extension with Donbass Donetsk (Ukraine, KHL). This season, he had three points, two of them goals, in 49 games.
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1. All three major junior finals resume tonight. The Portland Winterhawks take a 2-0 lead on the Oil Kings into Edmonton for a game that is available on Shaw TV. . . . In the OHL, the Guelph Storm and North Bay Battalion are tied 1-1, with both games having been decided in OT. They are in North Bay tonight. . . . In the QMJHL, the Baie-Comeau Drakkar and Val-d’Or Foreurs also are 1-1. They are in Val-d‘Or tonight.

2. If you were wondering, Sportsnet will televise Game 5 of the OHL series on Friday night.

3. The Oil Kings, who trail 2-0 in the WHL’s best-of-seven final, spent far too much time chasing the game in Portland. So far, the Winterhawks have played with the lead for 114 minutes 58 seconds.

4. Columnist Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun was in attendance for the first two games of the WHL’s championship final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup in Portland on the weekend. He writes that the Edmonton Oil Kings, who lost both games to the Winterhawks, have gone from underdogs to longshots. . . . That column is right here.

5. Columnist John MacKinnon of the Edmonton Journal previews Game 3 of the WHL final right here, starting with the role Portland G Corbin Boes has played since taking over as the Winterhawks’ starter.

6. A couple of things from WHL Facts (@WHLFacts). . . . “2000 - The last time a team trailed 2-0 in a WHL Final series & came back to win was the @WHLKootenayICE in 2000, who defeated Spokane in 6.” . . . “75 - With 2 points (Sunday night), @pdxwinterhawks Brendan Leipsic now has 75 for his playoff career, moving him into a tie for 7th place all-time.” . . . Leipsic is tied with F Ray Allison (Brandon, 1976-79), and is two points behind F Brian Propp (Brandon, 1977-79).

7. The AHL has approved the transfer of the Abbotsford Heat, the top affiliate of the NHL’s Calgary Flames, to Glens Falls, N.Y., where it will replace the Phantoms. The NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers are moving the Phantoms to Allentown, Pa. . . . New York State now is home to six of the AHL’s 30 franchises. . . . There continues to be speculation that some of the NHL’s western-most franchises are going to relocate their AHL affiliates to the western side of the U.S. A report at MayorsManor.com in April indicated that eight NHL teams once were involved in discussions but that the Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, Phoenix Coyotes and San Jose Sharks are the teams most serious about this project. . . . The report from MayorsManor.com is right here.

8. If you were wondering how much Floyd Mayweather will make from last weekend’s bout, you should start at about US$70 million. On Monday, he tweeted: “$32,000,000.00 for 36 minutes. I’m waiting for the PPV numbers to come in so I can make another $38,000,000.00 on the back-end . . . making it a grand total of $70,000,000.00.” . . . Now you should pick any 36 minutes out of your life and figure out how close you have come to duplicating that.

9. Chances are you have seen the Mel Brooks movie Blazing Saddles. If not, you should. And if you click right here you will find 10 things you never knew about Blazing Saddles.
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The Portland Winterhawks have added D Blake Heinrich, who turned 19 on Feb. 17, to their roster. A native of Cambridge, Minn., Heinrich had 16 points, including seven goals, and 117 penalty minutes in 42 games with the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers. The 5-11, 195-pounder was the Musketeers’ captain. . . . Heinrich was a fifth-round selection by the Washington Capitals in the 2013 NHL draft. The Winterhawks selected him in the 12th round of the 2012 bantam draft, at which time he already was 17 years of age.
“We have had discussions with Blake since drafting him about becoming a Winterhawk and are excited to announce that he will join us at the end of the (season),” Portland GM/head coach Mike Johnston said in January when the club announced it had signed Heinrich. “He is a dynamic defenceman who is a perfect fit for our style of play. I expect he will be a big part of our future over the next two seasons as we rebuild our defence.”
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The USHL held Phase 1 of its annual draft on Monday. There is a list right here of players who were selected and have ties to the WHL.
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The OHL’s Oshawa Generals announced Monday that Jeff Twohey has resigned after two seasons as their general manager. . . . The Generals were swept by the North Bay Battalion in the Eastern Conference final. . . . The Generals were first in the Eastern Conference this season, after finishing third last season. . . . Roger Hunt, the Generals’ assistant GM, has taken over as acting GM.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Chris Hartsburg, a former assistant coach of the Everett Silvertips, has signed on as head coach of the USHL’s Lincoln Stars. Hartsburg spent this season as an assistant coach with the OHL’s Erie Otters. . . . Hartsburg spent four seasons (2009-12) as an assistant coach with the Silvertips. He is the son of former NHL player and head coach Craig Hartsburg, who did a stint as the Silvertips’ head coach. . . . With the Stars, he replaces Jimmy McGroarty, who was fired on March 21. Mick Berge, an assistant coach, served as interim head coach. . .  . The Stars missed the playoffs this season for the third time in their 18 seasons of existence.
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The OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs have fired head coach Todd Gill and assistant coach Jeff Reid. The moves come after an 84-point regular season and a first-round playoff loss to the Peterborough Petes. The Frontenacs won the first three games of that series, then lost four straight. . . . At the same time, the Frontenacs re-signed general manager Doug Gilmour and Darren Keily, the assistant GM and director of hockey operations. Gilmour has been with the team since 2008 and has been GM since 2011. Keily signed on as an assistant coach in 2008, was named AGM in 2011 and director of hockey ops in 2012.
Doug Graham of the Kingston Whig-Standard has more right here.
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THE FOURTH ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
WHL final, for the Ed Chynoweth Cup
(x - if necessary)
(All games televised live by Shaw)
(All games televised on delayed basis by Root Sports)
PORTLAND (2, West) vs. Edmonton (1, East)
(Portland leads, 2-0)
Season series: Portland, 0-0-1; Edmonton, 1-0-0.
Saturday: Edmonton 2 at Portland 5 (10,947)
Sunday: Edmonton 1 at Portland 3 (10,645)
Tuesday: Portland at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Portland at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Friday: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (Moda Center)
x-Sunday: Portland at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
x-Monday: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (Moda Center)
INJURIES
Portland: None.
Edmonton: None.
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MONDAY’S GAME:
No game scheduled.
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From David Larkins (@LarkinsWSun) of the Winnipeg Sun: “I'm taking out a restraining order on the Trivago guy. For all of us.”
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From Julius Sharpe (@juliussharpe): “My Dad lived through WWII, rock and roll, the Kennedy assassination, Vietnam and 9/11. I've updated the Adobe Flash player 900 times.”


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THE MacBETH REPORT:

F Steve Regier (Medicine Hat, 2000-04) signed a one-year contract with the Nuremburg Ice Tigers (Germany, DEL). He had 11 goals and 20 assists in 50 games with Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga) this season. . . .



Liberec (Czech Republic, Extraliga) announced it won’t offer a contract for next season to F Lukas Vantuch (Calgary, Lethbridge, 2005-07). Vantuch had one goal and four assists in 31 games with Liberec, one assist during a five-game loan to Sparta Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga), and was pointless in two games on loan to Benatky nad Jizerou (Czech Republic, 1. Liga). . . .

F Jaroslav Svoboda (Kootenay, 1998-2000) signed a one-year plus option contract with Chomutov (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had two goals in 25 games with Lev Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga) and three
goals in four games on loan to Sparta Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga) this season.
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As expected, D Tyler Hansen won’t return to the Kamloops Blazers for his 20-year-old season.
A native of Magrath, Alta., Hansen, who turned 20 on March 17, is forsaking the final season of his junior hockey career in order to go on a mission for his church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Hansen posted on his Facebook page yesterday that he has been “called to the Argentina Buenos Aires West Mission! Speaking Spanish and report July 31st. So excited for this opportunity to serve the Lord.”
“My church is very important to me. My faith and my religion . . . it’s something that I have very close to my heart,” Hansen told me late in February.
At that time, he admitted that the decision was weighing on him.
“It’s hard,” Hansen said. “There’s been a lot of nights when I’ve been on the phone with my parents or Skype, or thinking myself.
“I’m just trying to make the best decision for myself. Obviously, I’m trying to take the team into consideration and what’s best for the team, but ultimately I have to look at myself and what’s best for me and my life.”
Hansen just completed his fourth season with the Blazers. In 254 regular-season games, he had 64 points, including seven goals.
This isn’t the first time the Blazers have lost a player to a mission. F Nathan Grochmal, who is from Yorba Linda, Calif., spent two seasons (2003-05) with the Blazers, then left on an LDS mission to South Africa after his 19-year-old season.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Mike Mueller is the new general manager and head coach of the AJHL’s Drayton Valley Thunder. . . . Mueller, who signed a three-year contract, has been on the Thunder’s coaching staff since 2009. . . . He replaces Fran Gow, who resigned in order to move to Edmonton where his wife is pursuing a business opportunity. . . .


Chris Hartsburg has signed on as an assistant coach with the OHL’s Erie Otters. Hartsburg had been with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips, until he and head coach Mark Ferner were fired on Jan. 8. . . . Hartsburg will work alongside Erie head coach Kris Knoblauch, the former Kootenay Ice head coach.
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The WHL’s championship final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup opens tonight in Portland.
The fun begins with WHL commissioner Ron Robison meeting with the Portland media at 6 p.m. It is Robison’s first chat with the Portland media since the Winterhawks were severely disciplined for what the WHL called “player benefit violations” on Nov. 28.
After that, there will be a game.
Paul Buker of The Oregonian takes an advance look at the series right here.
Buker also filed a notebook and it’s right here.
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The WHL’s playoff situation:
CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL
Portland vs. Edmonton
(All times local)
Game 1: Today, at Portland (Rose Garden), 7 p.m.
Game 2: Saturday, at Portland (Rose Garden), 7 p.m.
Game 3: Tuesday, May 7, at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Game 4: Wednesday, May 8, at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Game 5: Friday, May 10, at Portland (Rose Garden), 7 p.m.
x-Game 6: Sunday, May 12, at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
x-Game 7: Monday, May 13, at Portland (Rose Garden), 7 p.m.
x – if necessary.


All games will televised by Shaw in Canada. They also will be televised in Portland, with Games 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6 on Comcast SportsNet, and Games 2 and 7 on Root Sports. Comcast and Roots will pick up the Shaw telecast that will feature play-by-play man Dan Russell, along with Bill Wilms, Peter Loubardias and Andy Neal.
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THURSDAY’S GAME:
No Game Scheduled.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT (21):
None

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT (7):
None
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From Portland D Josh Hanson (@HansoloCup4): “Hey does anyone know who we got with our first round pick...? #OhWait”


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