1. The Brandon Wheat Kings were being built for the 2015-16 season, weren’t they? A trade here and a tweak there, and the Wheat Kings finished first overall this season. Which means Kelly McCrimmon should be the WHL’s executive of the year and the coach of the year. Right?
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2. McCrimmon was the WHL’s exec of the year for 1994-95 and 2009-10. He won CHL honours in 2009-10. He has never been the WHL’s coach of the year.
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3. Whoops! McCrimmon wasn’t even nominated as the Eastern Conference’s coach of the year. That honour went to John Paddock of the Regina Pats.
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4. Of course, Mike Johnston was never honoured as the coach of the year, despite his accomplishments with the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Of course, Johnston never won the executive-of-the-year award either. . . . And look where not winning either award got him.
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5. F Oliver Bjorkstrand of the Winterhawks is the most exciting talent this league has seen since . . . F Nino Niedereitter, who also played for Portland.
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6. Bjorkstrand led the WHL in goals (63) and points (118), all in 59 games. Wouldn’t it have been great if the WHL had decided prior to this season to track individual shot attempts and shots on goal? Had that happened, we would know just how much shooting Bjorkstrand did in what has been a truly remarkable season.
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7. How many WHL teams and observers are hoping that the Kelowna Rockets don’t go all the way? Why? Because those people are of the opinion that the deal in which the Rockets landed F Leon Draisaitl from the Prince Albert Raiders, by order of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, stunk to high heaven.
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8. Bruce Hamilton of the Rockets is the Western Conference’s nominee as executive of the year. Some people thought the honour might go to Craig MacTavish of the Edmonton Oilers.
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9. In hindsight, one of the best trades, in terms of helping both teams, at the WHL deadline involved Portland and Calgary Hitmen. The Winterhawks sent G Brendan Burke to Calgary, a move that freed up their starting job for Adin Hill, an 18-year-old freshman from Calgary. . . . With Calgary, Burke went 13-3-1, 2.38, .918. . . . Hill finished up 31-11-1, 2.81, .921.
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10. I have yet to figure out what the WHL gets out of having its games on TV, but what I really don’t understand is how the league ends up with games on Shaw TV and Sportsnet at the same time. For example, on Friday, March 20, Shaw was showing Everett at Victoria, while Sportsnet gave us Kelowna at Vancouver.
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Another Sutter has made his way into the WHL. F Riley Sutter is skating with the Everett Silvertips, who selected him in the sixth round of the WHL’s 2014 bantam draft. . . . Riley’s father, Ron, is one of the six Sutter brothers to have played in the NHL. Ron and his twin brother, Rich, both had NHL careers. . . . Riley, who won’t turn 16 until Oct. 25, played this season with the midget AAA Calgary Rangers, putting up 50 points, including 22 goals, in 36 games. . . . Should Riley play in a WHL game at some point, he will become at least the 11th member of the Sutter family to do so.
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Shaw’s coverage will begin with Games 1 and 2 between the Calgary Hitmen and the Kootenay Ice. Those games are to be played in Calgary on Friday and Sunday.
Then it will be over to the series between the Regina Pats and Swift Current Broncos. Shaw will televise Games 3 and 4 from Swift Current on March 31 and April 1.
Shaw will return to the Calgary-Kootenay series for Game 5, if necessary, which is scheduled for Cranbrook on April 3.
If the series between the Red Deer Rebels and Medicine Hat Tigers goes six games, Shaw will show Game 6 from Red Deer on April 5.
And, finally, if the Hitmen and Ice need seven games to decide their series, Game 7 from Calgary on April 6 will be shown.
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Two games in the first-round series between the Brandon Wheat Kings and Edmonton Oil Kings have had their starting times changed. Games 4 and 5, the latter if necessary, are scheduled for Edmonton on March 31 and April 1. They now will begin at 8 p.m. Mountain, rather than 7 o’clock, as originally was scheduled. . . . That series opens tonight in Brandon.
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The Prince Albert Raiders have signed G Curtis Meger and D Ty Prefontaine. . . . Meger, a list player, is with the Regina Pat Canadians who are playing in the Saskatchewan Midget AAA League final. In 23 regular-season appearances, he was 16-5-0, 1.91, .934. . . . Prefontaine, from Saskatoon, was a fifth-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft. He had 36 points, including seven goals, in 36 games with the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts.———
They’re working hard to raise money for a new arena in Assiniboia, Sask. With that in mind, they are holding their Sports Celebrity Supper and Auction on April 11, at 5:30 p.m. . . . Former New York Islanders star Clark Gillies, who is Moose Jaw’s favourite son, will be in attendance, as will Bob Bourne, who also is a former Islanders skater. Amber Holland, a world curling silver medallist, also is to be there. . . . Among the items available via silent auction: autographed Olympic Team Canada sweaters from the likes of Patrice Bergeron, Shea Weber and Ryan Getzlaf; a diamond ring; a northern Saskatchewan fishing trip; a trailer for a golf cart or ATV; a whole lot of autographed memorabilia and a trip for two to New York to watch the Islanders play. The latter trek includes seats in the Islanders’ Alumni box alongside Gillies. . . . Tickets? Email springfever@sasktel.net.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The Vancouver Giants are looking for their fourth head coach in three seasons. The Giants announced
yesterday that Claude Noel, who joined the team on Nov. 30, won’t return.According to the team, the decision was mutual.
The Giants were one of 10 WHL teams to make a coaching change during the last offseason. They also were the last of the 10 to fill the vacancy when they hired Troy Ward.
However, management chose to dump Ward when the team was 9-16-0 and on a road trip into the Central Division. Assistant coach Matt Erhart stepped in and went 1-2-0 before Noel was hired.
Under Noel, the Giants went 17-23-4.
Overall, they finished 27-41-4 and missed the playoffs.
In a revealing conversation with Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province earlier in the week, Noel talked about the future of the Giants organization:
”They have some work to do. They need to decide where they’re going to go and how they’re going to get there. There are some things that the organization is probably going to reassess. You always wonder: you were here, how did you get there? There are reasons you get from one to the other, and how do you get back? They have some young players. Their young players all look bright, but they’re just part of it. That’s just part of the equation. Who are your overages? Where’s your goaltending? Where’s your defence? Who are your forwards? Who’s going to score?”
Ewen’s blog piece is right here.
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“Chalk up a win for former players in their battle with the NHL over hockey-related head trauma,” writes Allan Muir of Sports Illustrated. “A motion filed by the league to dismiss the master complaint brought by the players was dismissed today in United States District Court in Minnesota.” . . . Muir’s piece is right here.
The order denying the motion is right here.
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Adam Proteau of The Hockey News takes a look right here at the above-mentioned lawsuit, the decision and the direction in which this whole thing appears headed.
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Centre Jack Miller, the Michigan Wolverines’ best offensive lineman in 2015, won’t play his senior season and he tells ESPN.com it’s because of the risk of brain injuries.
“I know I've had a few, and it's nice walking away before things could've gotten worse,” Miller told ESPN.com. “And yes, multiple schools have reached out. But I'm ready to walk away from it. My health and happiness is more important than a game.
“I know it's pretty unorthodox for a 21-year-old to see past his own nose. This game requires such a passion to excel, and my flame is burned out. However, I'd be lying if I said that the concussion thing doesn't scare me a little.”
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Oh man this made me very sad. Me too, Chuck. Me too. RT @AaronG80: Hey @ArielHelwani....... pic.twitter.com/1xKb956ZK0
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) March 25, 2015
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In Calgary, the Hitmen won their seventh Central Division banner with a 3-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . The same teams will open a first-round playoff series in Calgary on Friday night. . . . The Hitmen were 4-2-1 in the season series; the Ice was 3-4-0. . . . Calgary’s victory means the Medicine Hat Tigers finished second in the division. They draw the Red Deer Rebels in the opening round. That series opens Saturday in Medicine Hat. . . . On Sunday, Calgary D Travis Sanheim broke a 2-2 tie with his 15th goal at 15:43 of the third period. . . . F Levi Cable gave the Ice a 1-0 lead with his 28th goal at 3:15 of the second period. . . . Calgary F Kenton Helgesen got No. 21 at 12:41, on a PP. . . . Calgary took the lead on F Jody Stallard’s sixth goal at 1:43 of the third. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart tied it with his 19th goal at 9:16. . . . Calgary G Brendan Burke stopped 23 shots; two fewer than the Ice’s Wyatt Hoflin. . . . Calgary was 1-for-5 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-for-3. . . . Calgary (45-22-5) has won five in a row. . . . Kootenay (37-31-4) has lost two in a row, both against Calgary. . . . 
In Portland, F Oliver Bjorkstrand scored two goals and added an assist, leading the Winterhawks to a 5-3 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Bjorkstrand led the WHL in goals (63) and points (118). . . . Portland F Chase De Leo broke a 2-2 tie with his 39th goal at 12:06 of the third period. . . . F Nic Petan added his 15th, into an empty net, at 18:54. . . . Tri-City F Max James then scored his fifth, on a PP, at 19:17 to get the Americans to within one. . . . Bjorkstrand wrapped it up with an empty-netter at 19:41. . . . Tri-City F Richard Nejezchleb scored his 20th goal. . . . Portland G Evan Johnson stopped 18 shots, while Tri-City’s Evan Sarthou turned aside 49. . . . The Winterhawks (43-23-6) had lost their previous two games. . . . The Americans (31-38-3) had won their previous two games. . . . 
In Spokane, G Austin Lotz stopped 39 shots to help the Everett Silvertips to a 5-4 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . These two teams will open a first-round series in Everett on Friday. . . . The Silvertips snapped a 2-2 tie with three goals in the first 15:13 of the third period. . . . D Noah Juulsen got his ninth goal at 3:35. F Jake Mykitiuk got his fourth, on a PP, at 11:19. F Brayden Low scored No. 16 at 15:13. . . . The Chiefs got close with two late goals as F Riley Whittingham scored his 19th and F Adam Helewka got No. 44. . . . Everett F Gunnar Wegleitner scored his first WHL goal in his 43rd game. . . . F Logan Aasman, D Cole MacDonald and D Kevin Davis each had two assists for Everett. . . . Helewka finished with two goals and an assist for Spokane, while F Hudson Elyniuk had two assists. . . . Everett scratched F Kohl Bauml, D Ben Betker, F Nikita Scherbak and F Carson Stadnyk, while dressing D Alex Astasiewicz, 16, D Jantzen Leslie, 15, and F Bryce Kindopp, 15. . . . Astasiewicz made his WHL debut. Leslie played in his sixth game; Kindopp was in his third. . . . Among the Chiefs scratches were F Liam Stewart, D Jason Fram and F Calder Brooks. . . . Everett (43-20-9) has points in five straight (3-0-2). . . . The Chiefs (34-34-4) have lost five in a row.
In Brandon, the Wheat Kings clinched first place overall with a 9-2 victory over Moose Jaw, a loss that ended the Warriors’ playoff hopes. . . . The Warriors are out of the playoffs for a third straight season. . . . Brandon D Reid Gow broke a 1-1 tie with his second goal, at 18:52 of the first period, and the Wheat Kings went from there. . . . Brandon F Nolan Patrick scored his 30th goal. He is the first 16-year-old to reach that mark since F Brett Connolly of the Prince George Cougars in 2008-09. F Patrick Marleau of the Seattle Thunderbirds did it in 1995-96. . . . Patrick also had three assists. He finished with 56 points in 55 games. . . . F Stelio Mattheos, a 15-year-old from Winnipeg, made his WHL debut with the Wheat Kings and scored his first goal. He was the first overall selection in the 2014 bantam draft. This season, with the midget AAA Winnipeg Wild, he had 25 points, 14 of them goals, in 27 games. An undisclosed injury kept him out of the Canada Winter Games and the Wild’s playoff games. . . . F Duncan Campbell was among Brandon’s scratches. He suffered an undisclosed injury during Friday’s game in Moose Jaw. . . . D Eric Roy played his 322nd regular-season game with the Wheat Kings, leaving him in second place on the franchise’s all-time games played list. Only D Dwayne Gylywoychuk played more games (323) in a Wheat Kings uniform. . . . Roy also picked up an assist for his 200th regular-season point. . . . Attendance was 5,312, the largest crowd in Brandon this season. . . . Brandon F Jayce Hawryluk scored his 30th goal. . . . Warriors F Brayden Point ran his goal streak to nine games. He finishes with 38 goals this season. . . . F Jack Rodewald got his 35th goal for the Warriors. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny stopped 26 shots as he won his WHL-leading 44th game of the season. He was 4-0-0 against Moose Jaw. . . . The Wheat Kings (53-11-8) are 6-0-1 in their last seven games. . . . The Warriors (32-35-5) had won their previous three games. . . . Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun has a game story 
In Red Deer, F Mads Eller broke a 2-2 tie at 6:52 of the second period as the Edmonton Oil Kings beat the Rebels, 3-2. . . . F Brett Pollock gave Edmonton a 1-0 lead with his 32nd goal at 4:20 of the first. . . . Red Deer F Preston Kopeck tied it with No. 21 at 5:16, on a PP. . . . Edmonton F Davis Koch got his 11th goal at 7:02 of the first. . . . Red Deer F Adam Musil tied it with his 15th at 17:58. . . . Edmonton G Patrick Dea stopped 24 shots, 11 fewer than Red Deer’s Rylan Toth. . . . Red Deer F Brooks Maxwell had two assists. . . . F Conner Bleackley, the Rebels’ captain, was back in the lineup for the first time since Feb. 6. . . . The Oil Kings (34-31-7) had lost their previous two games. . . . The Rebels (38-23-11) went 1-1-1 in their last three games. . . . 
In Medicine Hat, the Tigers defeated the Saskatoon Blades 6-2 in what was the final regular-season game at The Arena. . . . The Tigers will move into the brand new Regional Event Centre next season. . . . The teams combined for 135 penalty minutes, with the Tigers taking 86 of those. . . . That included 32 to D Ty Lewington, their captain. At 13:03 of the third period, he was hit with an instigating minor, two fighting majors, a misconduct and a game misconduct. That’s enough to make one wonder if he might be suspended when the playoffs open. . . . Lewington also had a goal, his ninth, and two assists. . . . F Steve Owre scored his 20th goal for the Tigers, while F Trevor Cox got No. 29. . . . F Brett Stovin, the Blades’ captain, scored his 29th goal in his final junior game, while F Ryan Graham got No. 20. . . . According to Blades radio voice Les Lazaruk, the game “was nasty, chippy . . . at times dirty. Like old days!” . . . The Blades again scratched D Brycen Martin with an undisclosed injury. He could be assigned to the AHL’s Rochester Americans as soon as Monday. Martin was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the third round of the NHL’s 2014 draft. . . . The Tigers (45-23-4) are 4-0-1 in their last five. . . . The Blades (19-49-4) lost their last nine games. . . . 
In Kamloops, F Cole Ully set up three goals as the Blazers dumped the Prince George Cougars, 5-2. . . . The Blazers took a 3-0 lead into the second period. Kamloops had a 25-5 edge in shots in the first period. . . . The Blazers were eliminated from the playoff chase moments after their game ended when the host Tri-City Americans beat the Spokane Chiefs, 2-1. . . . It’s the first time in franchise history that Kamloops has missed the playoffs in two straight seasons. . . . F Matt Needham scored his 25th goal for Kamloops and also had an assist, while F Logan McVeigh, playing his last WHL game, got his 10th goal and added an assist. . . . Ully finished with 94 points, including 34 goals, in 69 games. He has signed with the NHL’s Dallas Stars so may end up with their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars, next week. . . . The Cougars scratched G Ty Edmonds, F Zach Pochiro and D Tate Olson, all of whom had played in a 3-1 victory over the visiting Blazers on Friday night. . . . The Blazers (28-37-7) had lost their previous four games. . . . The Cougars (31-36-5) had a three-game winning streak end. . . . 
In Kennewick, Wash., F Brian Williams snapped a 1-1 tie at 19:31 of the second period and the Tri-City Americans went on to beat the Spokane Chiefs, 2-1. . . . The victory clinched the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot for the Americans, eliminating the Kamloops Blazers from the chase. . . . D Brandon Carlo gave Tri-City a 1-0 lead with his fourth goal at 15:02 of the first period. . . . Spokane F Keanu Yamamoto tied it with No. 12 at 10:23 of the second. . . . F Richard Nejezchleb had two assists for Tri-City. . . . Williams’ 17th goal came via the PP. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie made 29 saves, four more than Spokane’s Garret Hughson. . . . The Americans were 1-for-9 on the PP; the Chiefs were 0-for-4. . . . F Hudson Elyniuk was among Spokane’s scratches. He had returned to the lineup Friday night after being out since Dec. 28. . . . The Americans (31-37-3) have won two in a row. . . . The Chiefs (34-33-4) have lost four straight. . . . 
In Kelowna, F Leon Draisaitl scored two goals and added an assist as the Rockets got past the Vancouver Giants, 5-2. . . . The Rockets scored the game’s first four goals. . . . Draisaitl, who joined the Rockets from the NHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings in January, finished with 53 points, 19 of them goals, in 32 games. . . . F Gage Quinney had four assists for Kelowna. . . . Giants F Zane Jones scored his 29th goal. . . . Rockets G Jackson Whistle stopped 21 shots, 25 fewer than Vancouver’s Payton Lee. . . . D Mason Geertsen, 19, was among Vancouver’s scratches. A fourth-round selection by Colorado in the NHL’s 2013 draft and is believed close to signing with the Avalanche. Should that happen, chances are he would finish the season with Colorado’s AHL affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters, who are coached by former WHL player/GM/coach Dean Chynoweth. . . . The Rockets (53-13-6) are 3-0-1 in their last four outings. . . . The Giants (27-41-4) went 1-1-1 in their last three games. . . . 
In Kent, Wash., F Ryan Gropp scored two goals and added an assist to lead the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 6-3 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . The result set up a first-round playoff meeting between these two teams. . . . Gropp, who scored three goals on Friday night, wound up with 30 goals. . . . Seattle erased a 1-0 deficit with four straight goals, but the Winterhawks got back to within one, at 4-3, when F Oliver Bjorkstrand scored on a penalty shot at 12:50 of the third period. . . . Seattle D Jerret Smith provided insurance with a PP goal at 13:11. He’s got 11 goals. . . . Seattle D Shea Theodore got his 13th into an empty net at 18:41. . . . Bjorkstrand scored three times. He leads the WHL in goals (61) and points (115), all in 58 games. With one game remaining, he is assured of winning the WHL scoring race. . . . Bjorkstrand is the first Portland skater with 60 goals since F Lonny Bohonos scored 62 in 1993-94. . . . Thunder birds G Logan Flodell stopped 35 shots, six more than Portland’s Adin Hill. . . . Seattle was without D Sahvan Khaira. He drew a one-game suspension for a kneeing major and game misconduct he incurred on Friday in Spokane. . . . Attendance was 6,220, the largest crowd in Kent this season. . . . The Thunderbirds got a scare in the third period when F Mathew Barzal took a shot off the right ankle and needed help getting to the bench. He was back in action shortly afterwards. . . . Barzal and F Roberts Lipsbergs each had two assists. . . . Seattle (38-25-9) has won four straight. . . . The Winterhawks (42-23-6) have lost two in a row. . . . 
In Everett, F Brandon Magee scored in the fourth round of a shootout to give the Victoria Royals a 4-3 victory over the Silvertips. . . . Victoria F Jack Walker and Everett F Ivan Nikolishin exchanged goals in the first round. . . . Victoria D Joe Hicketts scored his 12th goal, on a PP, at 17:46 of the second to tie it 2-2. . . . Everett F Matt Fonteyne got his seventh goal at 19:50 of the second. . . . F Taylor Crunk of the Royals tied it with his 10th goal at 9:57 of the third. He finished with two goals and an assist. . . . Victoria G Justin Paulic stopped 23 shots. Everett F Kohl Bauml came up short on a penalty shot at 17:02 of the third period. . . . G Carter Hart, 16, made his eighth straight start for Everett and stopped 24 shots. . . . The Royals (39-29-4) had lost their previous two games. . . . Everett (42-20-9) has points in its last four games (2-0-2).
The BCHL's Victoria Grizzlies are bringing in Craig Didmon to replace general manager and head coach Brad Knight. The move wll be made official today at a news conference. The Grizzlies are 11-10-0-5, good for fourth spot in the Island Division, four points out of third and five points out of second. . . . Didmon, who is taking over on an interim basis, had been with the Grizzlies, but he resigned in June. . . . Independent Sports News has the story 
In Everett, D Tyler King scored at 3:08 of OT as the Kootenay Ice erased a 3-0 deficit and beat the Silvertips, 4-3. . . . Kootenay trailed 3-0 early in the third period when F Tim Bozon scored his ninth goal at 1:35. . . . Ice D Rinat Valiev got his side to within a goal with his fourth goal at 5:40, via a PP. . . . D Tanner Faith scored his first goal of the season at 13:52 of the third to force OT. . . . F Nikita Scherback (bruised thigh) returned to the Everett lineup and had his 12th goal and an assist. . . . The Silvertips also had F Remi Laurencelle (ankle) back in the lineup. . . . Kootenay F Sam Reinhart had his point streak snapped at 10 games. . . . The Ice is 9-2-0 with Reinhart in the lineup. . . . The Ice (13-15-0) has won two in a row. . . . Everett is 16-5-4. . . . Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has more 
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