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A question for WHL fans: Is F Keegan Iverson, the captain of the Portland Winterhawks, the first player in WHL history to play in at least one playoff game in each of six consecutive seasons? He dressed for one game as a 15-year-old. Now finishing up his 20-year-old season, he will play in his 69th career playoff game tonight at home against the Kelowna Rockets.
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On Friday, Sheldon Kennedy was in Red Deer taking part in a celebrity dance off that raised around $1 million for the Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre in Calgary and Central Alberta’s Sexual Assault Support Centre, which soon will have a child advocacy centre under its roof. . . . On Monday, Kennedy was in Winnipeg where the Manitoba government announced that the Respect in Schools program, which has been in Manitoba schools since 2011, has been renewed for three years and is to expand into First Nations and private schools. The program was developed by a group that was co-founded by Kennedy and Wayne McNeil. . . . Yes, it really is time for the WHL to add an award to its roster, one named in Kennedy’s honour, one that would go to a WHL grad who is making a difference.
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I would suggest that the next head coach of the Vancouver Canucks rent and not buy green bananas. Yes, Willie Desjardins, who was fired as head coach on Monday morning, deserved better, but such is the nature of the beast. The two men responsible for the roster, Trevor Linden and Jim Benning, provided Desjardins with a hodge-podge of players with which no one could have won. Then, when the season was over, Linden and Benning tsk-tsked and said all the right things, while Desjardins was kicked out the door. In truth, a coaching staff comprising Scotty Bowman, Toe Blake and Joel Quenneville couldn’t have brought that roster home any higher than 29th.
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One more thing about the Vancouver Canucks — it won’t be much better, if at all, next season. Unfortunately, the Sedin twins are a year past their best-before date and their ice time needs to go to younger players. But that’s not likely to happen before 2018-19. . . . Hey, Canucks fans, just don’t go having a drink every time you are told to “be patient” over the next two years.
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I don’t know what it means, if anything, but the Vancouver Canucks, under the ownership of Francesco Aquilini, and the Dallas Stars, who are owned by Tom Gaglardi, both fired their head coaches after failing to make the NHL playoffs this season. You may recall that Aquilini and Gaglardi once were part of a triumvirate, with Ryan Beedie, that hoped to purchase the Canucks. Aquilini went rogue and purchased the franchise on his own. Gaglardi sued, lost, and ultimately purchased the Stars out of bankruptcy. Unfortunately, things haven’t turned out the way either man had hoped.
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A note from Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post: “Good news: The Stanley Cup playoffs begin Wednesday. Bad news: At least two months of hockey panels. Please send all participants to the panel-ty box.”
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One more Vanstone-ian observation: “WHL officiating is maddeningly erratic in the playoffs. In Game 1 of the Regina Pats-Swift Current Broncos series on Friday, the referees were basically out for a skate. One night later, Game 2 was called by the book. Even so, an obvious check from behind was overlooked shortly before a lesser infraction led to a power play.”
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A lot of observers have Travis Green pencilled in as the next head coach of the Vancouver Canucks. After all, he is the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets. But why not Mike Johnston, who is in his second go-round with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks? Yes, he was fired by the Pittsburgh Penguins, but he had a 58-37-15 record with them. Oh, he also owns a home in Blaine, Wash., which is just a slapshot from Vancouver.
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There now are five head-coaching vacancies in the NHL. Gotta think Ken Hitchcock gets one of them.
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A year ago, the Florida Panthers were seen as one of the NHL’s top, young teams. Then someone decided to juggle the deck chairs and now they’re a mess and out of the playoffs. Dale Tallon was in charge, then he wasn’t, now he is. But the scouting staff that had such a good track record is gone now, and there’s isn’t a head coach. It will be interesting to see how long it takes to put this Humpty Dumpty back together again.
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Olten (Switzerland, NL B) has announced that F Codey Burki (Brandon, 2002-07) has retired. Burki hasn’t recovered from a concussion suffered in practice in October 2015 and hasn’t played in a game since. In 2015-16, he was pointless in three games. . . .
F Petr Stoklasa (Tri-City, 2007-09) has signed a one-year extension with Val Vanoise Méribel (France, Division 1). This season, in 24 games, he had 13 goals and 18 assists. He also was the team captain.
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Derek Laxdal, a former head coach of the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings, will return for a fourth season as head coach of the Texas Stars, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Dallas Stars that plays out of Cedar Park, Texas. . . . Laxdal signed a three-year contract prior to the 2014-15 season. Although there is no news on a new deal, the organization has confirmed that he will return. . . . The Stars are 112-83-30 under Laxdal, although they won’t make the playoffs this season. After a 3-1 loss to the Charlotte Checkers on Sunday, they are 32-36-5. . . . Laxdal spent four seasons (2010-14) as head coach of the Oil Kings, winning two WHL titles and a Memorial Cup. Edmonton won at least 50 games in each of his last three seasons. In the four seasons, the Oil Kings were 182-83-23.
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Red Berenson has retired after 33 seasons as head coach of the U of Michigan Wolverines. He had an 848-426-92 record and won national titles in 1996 and 1998. . . . This season, the Wolverines were 13-19-3. . . . Berenson, 77, is a native of Regina. He played two seasons (1956-58) with the Pats, who then were in the SJHL, before playing three seasons at Michigan. He followed that with a pro career that ended after the 1977-78 season. He coached six seasons in the NHL before taking over as the Wolverines’ head coach for the 1984-85 season. . . . Berenson will remain with Michigan as an advisor to the athletic director.
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The Washington Capitals have signed F Beck Malenstyn of the Calgary Hitmen to a three-year entry-level contract. He was a fifth-round selection in the NHL’s 2016 draft. From Delta, B.C., Malenstyn had career highs in goals (32) and assists (24) this season.
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MORE ON THE MOVE: The Prince George Cougars now have five players off the roster in the AHL with F Jesse Gabrielle having joined the Providence Bruins. Gabrielle signed a three-year entry-level contract with the NHL’s Boston Bruins in December. . . . Other Cougars in the AHL are F Radovan Bondra (Rockford IceHogs), D Brendan Guhle (Rochester Americans), F Jansen Harkins (Manitoba Moose) and F Colby McAuley (San Jose Barracuda). These four all played AHL games over the weekend. . . . Meanwhile, F Adam Musil of the Red Deer Rebels has joined the Chicago Wolves, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s St. Louis Blues.
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Ryan Miller, a former NFL offensive lineman, is working to piece his life back together. Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post writes: “Miller, 27, is finally speaking out about his tears, his migraines, his memory loss, his seizures, his depression, his anger, his compassion and, now, his hope. Almost two years after he was diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome (PCS), he’s finally finding his way back to normalcy, or as close as he can get to it.” . . . Miller also has received help from former WHL enforcer Scott Parker and his wife, Francesca, who have started an organization, Parkers Platoon, that, Jhabvala writes, “was developed to help veterans, athletes and others cope with the symptoms of PCS and traumatic brain injury.” . . . Jhabvala’s complete story is right here.
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MONDAY’S GAME:
#WHL #REGvsSC: @SCBroncos Colby Sissons is team's first defenseman to score playoff game winning goal of any type since Ian White, 3/23/04.— Geoffrey Brandow (@GeoffreyBrandow) April 11, 2017
At Swift Current, D Colby Sissons scored at 1:46 of OT to give the Broncos a 2-1 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . The Broncos lead the series, 2-1, with Game 4 scheduled for tonight in Swift Current. . . . This
was the second OT game of the series. The Broncos had won Game 1 on Thursdsay, 2-1, on a goal by F Ryley Lindgren at 15:12 of extra time. . . . Last night, Sissons gathered the puck in his zone and skated it up ice before firing a 56-foot wrist shot that beat G Tyler Brown through the legs as he was going to the ice. . . . Sissons, who turned 19 on Jan. 15, scored six goals in 63 games in the regular season. He has two goals in 10 playoff games. . . . F Dawson Leedahl’s fourth goal of the playoffs gave Regina a 1-0 lead at 3:03 of the second period. . . . The Broncos tied it at 5:10 when F Conner Chaulk, who is from Regina, scored his first goal, on a PP. . . . Sissons won it with the only shot by either team in OT. . . . Geoffrey Brandow noted on Twitter that Sissons is the first Swift Current defenceman to score an OT goal in a playoff game since Rocky Thompson beat the host Red Deer Rebels, 3-2, on April 4, 1997. . . . The Broncos got 33 saves from G Jordan Papirny on his 21st birthday. . . . Brown finished with 31 saves. . . . Swift Current was 1-4 on the PP; Regina was 0-2. . . . The Broncos were without F Mackenzie Wight and he also will miss Game 4. He was hit with a two-game suspension under supplemental discipline, having been held responsible for the hit on which Regina F Adam Brooks was injured in Game 2. . . . Brooks, with 250 points and a WHL scoring title over the past two seasons, made the trip to Swift Current with the Pats, who also were without F Filip Ahl for a second straight game. . . . Regina dressed F Kjell Kjemhus, 15, and had F Duncan Pierce back after he missed five weeks with a hairline fracture to an ankle. . . . With Wight gone, the Broncos put D Dom Schmiemann back into their lineup. . . . Announced attendance: 2,890.
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| COLBY SISSONS |
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TUESDAY GAMES (all times local):
Everett vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m. (Seattle leads, 2-0)
Regina at Swift Current, 7 p.m. (Swift Current leads, 2-1)
Kelowna at Portland, 7 p.m. (Kelowna leads, 2-0)
Medicine Hat at Lethbridge, 7 p.m. (Series tied, 1-1)
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In Prince Albert, the Raiders built up a 4-0 lead and then held off a furious Regina comeback before beating the Pats, 5-3. . . . Raiders G Nick McBride stopped 55 shots. . . . Raiders F Matteo Gennaro scored his 13th goal at 14:18 of the second period for a 4-0 lead. . . . The Pats got third-period goals from F Adam Brooks, his 28th, F Braden Christoffer, his 25th, and F Pavel Padakin, his 24th, to get to within one. . . . Padakin’s goal, on a PP, came at 15:44 with G Daniel Wapple on the bench for the extra attacker. Padakin was playing in his 200th WHL game. . . . Raiders F Reid Gardiner iced it with an empty-netter at 19:01. He’s got 32 goals. . . . F Jordan Tkatch scored twice for the Raiders, giving him 11 goals, while F Jayden Hart had three assists. . . . Regina F Sam Steel was helped from the ice with an apparent leg injury and went to the dressing room in the second period. After the game, Phil Andrews, the radio voice of the Pats, tweeted: “John Paddock says Sam Steel’s injury is not serious at first assessment. Will know more in the days to come.” . . . Regina was 1-for-1 on the PP; the Raiders weren’t given even one opportunity. . . . Wapple finished with 20 saves. . . . Prince Albert (28-35-3) has won four in a row. . . . Regina (35-22-9) has lost two in a row. . . . 
In Brandon, F Tim McGauley scored once and added two assists as the Wheat Kings beat the Moose Jaw Warriors, 5-3. . . . McGauley became the second WHLer this season to reach the 100-point plateau when he scored his 41st goal into an empty net at 19:44 of the third period. He now is tied for the WHL scoring lead with Medicine Hat Tigers F Trevor Cox. . . . McGauley extended his point streak to 23 games with an assist on a first-period goal by F Morgan Klimchuk. That goal, his 30th this season, ran Klimchuk’s point streak to 11 games. . . . McGauley has 16 goals and 34 assists in those 23 games. . . . The Wheat Kings led 2-0 in the first period but found themselves trailing 3-2 after Warriors F Brayden Point scored his 33rd goal with 8.7 seconds in the second period. . . . Brandon F Rihards Bukarts tied it with his 31st goal at 3:16 of the third and F Jayce Hawryluk broke the tie with this second of the game, and 28th of the season, at 8:23, via the PP. . . . Point also had an assist, while F Axel Blomqvist had two helpers. . . . Klimchuk and Bukarts also added an assist each. . . . Moose Jaw F Jesse Shynkaruk and Brandon F John Quenneville were tossed 45 seconds into the game for taking part in a staged fight. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny stopped 29 shots, four fewer than Moose Jaw’s Zach Sawchenko. . . . Brandon was 1-for-2 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 0-for-1. . . . The Wheat Kings (49-11-7) have won two straight. . . . The Warriors (29-33-5) had a three-game winning skein end. . . . 
In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice scored the game’s first three goals and went to a 4-1 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Ice F Luke Philp opened the scoring at 1:17 of the first period. That was his 29th goal of the season and his 200th career regular-season point. . . . Philp later added an assist. . . . Ice F Jaedon Descheneau scored his 30th goal of the season, while F Tim Bozon got No. 32 into an empty net at 19:47 of the third. . . . Descheneau has reached the 30-goal mark for a third straight season. . . . Ice G Wyatt Hoflin stopped 27 shots, losing his shutout bid when F Giorgio Estephan scored his 21st goal at 18:55 of the third. . . . Ice D Rinat Valiev had two assists. . . . Lethbridge G Jayden Sittler made 41 stops. . . . Ice F Jon Martin took 29 of his team’s 33 penalty minutes. He got into a dustup with D Devan Fafard at 19:12 of the first period and was given two for instigating, two for roughing, five for fighting, a misconduct and a game misconduct. . . . Ch-ch-ching! Lethbridge GM/head coach Peter Anholt picked up a game misconduct at 18:42 of the third period with his side trailing 3-0. . . . The Ice (34-29-4) ended a three-game losing skid (0-2-1). . . . The Hurricanes (20-38-8) have lost two in a row. . . . Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has a game story 
In Edmonton, the Oil Kings scored three power-play goals en route to an 8-1 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The home team scored the first four and last four goals in this one as they scored eight times for the first tie this season. . . . F Edgars Kulda and F Andrew Koep each had a goal and two assists, while D Ashton Sautner had two assists. Kulda has 12 goals; Koep has 13. . . . Edmonton F Lane Bauer scored the game’s first goal, his 24th, 53 seconds into the game and the Oil Kings took it from there. . . . The Oil Kings were 3-for-7 on the PP; the Blades were 0-for-4. . . . Edmonton G Triston Jarry stopped 34 shots, including a second-period penalty shot by F Sam McKechnie. . . . Saskatoon G Brock Hamm turned aside 38 shots. . . . The Oil Kings (32-29-7) have won two straight. . . . The Blades (19-44-4) have lost four in a row. . . . 
In Vancouver, F Dominic Zwerger broke a 1-1 tie at 13:28 of the first period and the Spokane Chiefs went on to a 4-3 victory over the Giants. . . . Zwerger has 15 goals. . . . F Jackson Playfair gave the Chiefs a two-goal lead with his 12th at 5:39 of the second. . . . Vancouver F Jackson Houck scored his 22nd goal, on a PP, at 9:30 of the second. . . . F Blair Oneschuk got his sixth goal at 17:49 of the second to restore Spokane’s two-goal lead. . . . Giants F Zane Jones got his guys close with his 28th goal at 1:10 of the third, but they weren’t able to equalize. . . . The Giants’ coaching staff moved D Arvil Atwal to the forward ranks for this one. . . . The Chiefs (32-29-4) had lost two in a row. . . . The Giants (26-38-3) have lost seven in a row.
from Dec. 15 through Dec. 26.
In Red Deer, D Brett Cote scored 16 seconds into the game and the Rebels went on to a 6-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Cote has six goals this season. . . . F Conner Bleackley, who seems to have found some chemistry with recent acquisition Riley Sheen, had two goals, giving him 12. . . . Sheen had assists on both of them. . . . It was Bleackley’s second straight two-goal game on home ice. . . . Red Deer F Preston Kopeck drew three assists and F Brooks Maxwell had two. . . . F Cole Ully scored his 14th goal for Kamloops, which got two assists from D Josh Connolly. . . . The Rebels (17-11-4) have won three in a row and have points in 17 of their last 21 games (14-4-3). . . . The Blazers (12-17-5) have lost four in a row.
Mark Lamb and the Swift Current Broncos have agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension. Lamb was entering the last year of a three-year deal. . . . According to a news release, “That year has been expunged in favour of this new contract.” That means he is signed through 2016-17. . . . Lamb spent seven seasons as an NHL assistant coach, one with the Edmonton Oilers and six with the Dallas Stars, before signing with the Broncos. He has been the GM/head coach since the summer of 2009. . . . The Broncos are 164-165-31 in five seasons under Lamb, including 38-25-9 last season when they finished fifth in the 12-team Eastern Conference. They have make the playoffs in three of his five seasons, but haven’t been able to get out of the first round. Last spring, they lost in six games to the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Lamb, one of the WHL’s straightest shooters, has brought stability to the Broncos organization. This season, led by a strong defence, they should be one of the conference’s top four teams.
The Victoria Royals have signed D Scott Walford, the 18th overall selection in the 2014 bantam draft. He will play this season at the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton, B.C. Walford, from Coquitlam, B.C., played with the OHA bantam prep team last season, putting up 48 points, including 12 goals, in 56 games. . . . The Royals also signed 1997-born G Evan Smith, who is from Parker, Colo. Smith played last season with the Pikes Peak Miners U18 team in the North American Prospects Hockey League. The 6-foot-5 Smith went 1.95/.921 in 13 appearances. The Royals had placed him on their protected list in July 2012. . . . The Royals also signed F Ryan Peckford, a second-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft. From Stony Plain, Alta., Peckford played last season for the Parkland Athletic Club Saints of the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League. He had 60 points, 28 of them goals, in 33 games. . . . D Brayden Pachal, a second-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft, also signed with the Royals. From Estevan, Sask., he had 27 points, including 14 goals, in 31 games with the bantam AA Estevan Bruins last season. . . . Victoria also signed Slovakian F Kristian Ferletak, its first-round selection in the CHL‘s 2014 import draft. From Trstena, he played last season with the Slovakian U-18 team, putting up 32 points, including nine goals, in 44 games. At the IIHF World U-18 championship, he had two goals and an assist in five games.
The Kamloops Blazers have signed F Jesse Zaharichuk, 17, to a WHL contract. From Sherwood Park, Alta., the 5-foot-8, 150-pound Zaharichuk was placed on the Blazers’ protected list in September 2012. Last season, with the AJHL’s Drumheller Dragons, he had 14 points, four of them goals, in 48 games. He added nine points, five of them goals, in 15 playoff games. . . . He likely will see some playing time tonight against the visiting Vancouver Giants or Saturday against the Rockets in Kelowna.
The Swift Current Broncos signed five players -- F Tyler Adams, 17; D Jaydan Gordon; D Matthew Parsons, 16; F Owen Seidel, 16; and D Colby Sissons, 16. . . . Adams, from Regina, had 50 points, 13 of them goals, in 58 games with the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians last season. . . . The 1997-born Gordon, from Cochrane, Alta., had 35 points, including 31 assists, in 36 games with the midget AA Bow Valley Timberwolves last season. He is the younger brother of Broncos F Coda Gordon. . . . Parsons, from Middle Lake, Sask., was a third-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. He had a goal and 11 assists in 54 games with the midget AAA Prince Albert Mintos last season. . . . Seidel, from Richmond, B.C., was a seventh-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. He had 36 points, 10 of them goals, in 40 games with the major midget Greater Vancouver Canadians last season. . . . Sissons, from Edmonton, had 31 points, including nine goals, in 37 games with the minor midget AAA Edmonton-South Side Athletic Club Bulldogs last season.
The Tri-City Americans have signed three players from the 2013 bantam draft -- D Mark Drohan, a third-round pick; F Jordan Roy, who was a fifth-round selection; and G Nicholas Sanders, who was taken in the sixth round. . . . Drohan, from Calgary, had 17 points, six of them goals, with the midget AAA Calgary Buffaloes last season. . . . From Kimberley, B.C., Roy will turn 16 on Sept. 9. The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder had six points, two of them goals, in 26 games with the midget AAA Lethbridge Hurricanes last season. . . . Sanders, from Calgary, was 3.65/.890 in 39 games with the minor midget Calgary Rangers last season.
The Regina Pats have signed four players -- D James Hilsendager, D Ryan Krushen, D Brady Pouteau and F Kyle Westeringh. . . . Hilsendager, from Lloydminster, Alta., was a ninth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. The 6-foot-1, 195-pounder played last season for the Lloydminster Bobcats of the Alberta Midget Hockey League, putting up 14 points, three of them goals, in 33 games. . . . Krushen, a list player from Sherwood Park, Alta., had 16 points, four of them goals, in 37 games with the Sherwood Park Squires of the Alberta Minor Midget Hockey League last season. . . . The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Pouteau, a fourth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft, is from Oak Bluff, Man. He played last season with the Pembina Valley Hawks of the Manitoba Midget Hockey League, earning 14 points, including four goals, in 40 games. . . . Westeringh, an 18-year-old list player from Rosedale, B.C., had 19 points, including 10 goals, in 55 games with the BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs last season.
The Seattle Thunderbirds have signed five players -- F Wyatt Bear, D Reece Harsch, F Nick Holowko, F Luke Osterman and F Mackenzie Wight. . . . Bear, from Hodgson, Man., was a fifth-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft. He had 51 points, 18 of them goals, in 33 games with the bantam Interlake Lightning last season. . . . Harsch, from Grande Prairie, Alta., was an eight-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft. He had 14 points, two of them goals, for a bantam team in Grande Prairie last season. . . . Holowko, from Burnaby, B.C., was added to Seattle’s list after its 2012 camp. He had two goals and nine assists in 33 games with the junior B Delta, B.C., Ice Hawks last season. . . . Osterman, from Stillwater, Minn., was an eighth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. He had 13 points, six of them goals, with a team from Omaha, Neb., that played in the NAPH16 League last season. . . . Seattle has seven of its 10 selections from the 2012 draft under contract. . . . Wight, from Burnaby, B.C., was a seventh-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft. He played for the bantam A1-T1 team at Burnaby Winter Club last season.
The Portland Winterhawks have signed F Cody Glass, a Winnipegger who was the 19th overall selection in the 2014 bantam draft. He had 77 points, 31 of them goals, in 32 games with the bantam AAA Winnipeg Hawks. He added 17 points in 11 playoff games.
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