F Johannes Salmonsson (Spokane, 2005-06) signed a one-year contract with the Cologne Sharks (Germany, DEL). Last season, with Linköping (Sweden, SHL), he had five goals and four assists in 46 games.
———
It could be that we are on the verge of some interesting moves in the world of hockey.
On Friday morning, Over The Boards (@OTBPuckWatch) revealed via Twitter that two — and perhaps three —
WHL draft picks are headed to Austria.According to two tweets, F Carson Dimoff and F Ryan Savage are to join the EC Red Bull Salzburg organization, while F Riley Stotts is “rumored to be joining them . . . as well.”
The Everett Silvertips selected Dimoff in the seventh round of the 2014 bantam draft. In the 2015 draft, the Silvertips took Savage in the fourth round. Dimoff and Savage are from Scottsdale, Ariz.
Savage is the son of former NHLer Brian Savage, who is working with Red Bull Salzburg in the area of skill development.
Stotts, from Winnipeg, was selected by the Swift Current Broncos with the 10th pick of the 2015 bantam draft.
We have grown so accustomed to European players coming to North America when the pipeline runs the other way it is a bit of a shock.
Of course, earlier this summer, we heard that F Auston Matthews, an 18-year-old from Scottsdale, had signed to play professionally with the Zurich-based ZSC Lions, a Swiss team.
Since then, it has come to light that Matthews, whose WHL rights are owned by Everett, has been unable to get a work permit that would allow him to play for the Lions. In Switzerland, a soccer or hockey player has to have played professionally for one season in order to receive the OK.
Matthews, who is a prospective No. 1 selection in the NHL’s 2016 draft, and his representatives are believed to be working to resolve that situation.
And let’s not forget that Bill Gallacher, the owner of the Portland Winterhawks, has purchased the Kloten Flyers, who play in the same Swiss league as the Lions.
How long before the Winterhawks have prospects playing over there?
Dimoff had 17 points, 10 of them goals, with the U-16 Phoenix Jr. Coyotes last season, after putting up 21 points, including 12 goals, in 18 games with the bantam AAA Jr. Coyotes in 2013-14.
Savage had 13 points, including six goals, in 23 games with the U-16 Jr. Coyotes last season. In 2013-14, he had 17 points, nine of them goals, in 18 games with the bantam AAA Jr. Coyotes.
Last season, Stotts scored 39 goals and added 29 assists in 29 games with the the bantam AAA Winnipeg Monarchs. In 2013-14, he had 76 points, including 43 goals, in 30 games with the Monarchs’ bantam AAA Division 2 team.
Red Bull Salzburg has U-16, U-17, U-18 and U-20 teams, among others, as part of its organization.
——
Despite missing the playoffs for a third straight season, the Moose Jaw Warriors showed a profit of $306,136 in 2014-15. That was the word at an annual general meeting that lasted 30 minutes on Thursday
evening. . . . The financial report also showed retained earnings of $917,270. . . . “A community-owned team with the revenues that we bring in, we do a great job of managing our expenses,” said Warriors president Chad Taylor is quoted as saying on radio station CHAB’s website. “At the end of the day, salaries are in a good spot, expenses are in a good spot, but there is more opportunities for us to generate more revenue on the ticket side. We've got to go find them though, they're not going to come to us.” . . . Taylor also talked about the attendance challenges that may be in the team’s future. “From a league side, this is something that the 21 other teams are all talking about,” he said. “Some of the bigger franchises are seeing their season-ticket holders go away. I don't think the Moose Jaw market is that way, but we definitely have to be prepared for it.” . . . The Warriors reported $1,529,119 in ticket revenue, down about $60,000 from 2013-14. They also got $320,600 from their booster club, an increase of $115,290 from the previous season. . . . On the education front, the Warriors paid out $142,000 to 25 recipients. . . . The Warriors have shown a profit for at least five straight seasons now — $144,457, $394,646, $343,890, $61,566 and $306,136.——
Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to send an email to greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
———
Mike Gabinet is the new head coach of the NAIT Ooks. He had been the associate coach under Serge Lajoie, who was named Thursday as the head coach of the U of Alberta Golden Bears. . . . Gabinet, who is from Edmonton, has been the Ooks associate coach for three seasons. He is a grandson of Canadian coaching legend Clare Drake.
———
F Cole Benson, who played the past four seasons with the Edmonton Oil Kings, has decided to leave the WHL and attend the U of Western Ontario in London where he will play for the Mustangs. . . . All told, Benson, 20, played in 216 regular-season and 43 playoff games with Edmonton. He was a 10th-round pick in the 2010 bantam draft. . . . He finishes with 58 regular-season points, including 27 goals. . . . An Edmonton native, he was part of one Memorial Cup-winning team and two WHL championship sides. . . . Without Benson, the Oil Kings’ roster would appear to contain four 20-year-olds — F Brandon Baddock, F Luke Bertolucci, D Ben Carroll and D Marshall Donald.
——
After posting a link here last night to a story on the life and career of Herb Wakabayashi, I heard from Dusty Imoo, via Twitter: “Herb helped me decide to go to Japan. Sad to hear of this. I did not know that he had passed:( #Seibu4ever”
Imoo played in the WHL (1987-91) with the New Westminster Bruins, Lethbridge Hurricanes and Regina Pats. He later went on to play in Japan, spending nine seasons with the Seibu Lions and three with the Oji Eagles. His journey to Japan paid off in one appearance in the Olympic Winter Games. He also played in four IIHF World championships.
After ending his playing career following 2005-06, Imoo got into coaching. He now is the Los Angeles Kings’ goaltending development coach.
———
Sale of Erie Otters is final. Court docs show former CHUM radio president James Watters paid $7.2M for the OHL team.
— Rick Westhead (@rwesthead) July 17, 2015
There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.
In Regina, F Jesse Gabrielle scored twice to help the Pats to a 4-2 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . F Riley Whittingham gave the Chiefs a 1-0 lead at 1:12 of the first period. He’s got 10 goals. . . . Gabrielle then scored twice, at 10:37 of the first on a PP and at 9:42 of the second, to give his guys the lead. . . . He’s got 17 goals. . . . Regina F Sam Steel added his 14th at 9:17 of the third. . . . Spokane F Adam Helewka got his 28th, shorthanded, at 14:14. . . . Regina had F Jake Elmer, a 16-year-old from Calgary, in their lineup and he picked up an assist. It was his first WHL point and came in his third game. . . . Pats G Daniel Wapple stopped 29 shots, seven more than Spokane’s Garret Hughson. . . . Regina (30-17-6) has points in five straight (4-0-1). . . . The Chiefs (25-23-4) are 1-1-0 on a six-game East Division swing. They are fourth in the U.S. Division, six points behind Seattle. But the Chiefs hold down the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . 
In Prince Albert, F Pavel Karnaukhov scored twice as his Calgary Hitmen got past the Raiders, 3-2. . . . F Simon Stransky gave the Raiders a 1-0 lead with his ninth goal, at 13:56 of the first period, on a PP. . . . The Hitmen scored the next three goals, with Karnaukhov, who has 19 goals, getting the first two of those, both via the PP. . . . F Chase Lang, with his 22nd, upped the lead to 3-1 at 16:24 of the third. He also had two assists. . . . Raiders F Craig Leverton got his 16th just 14 seconds later. . . . Calgary G Brendan Burke stopped 26 shots, four fewer than Nick McBride of the Raiders. . . . The Hitmen (30-17-5) have won seven in a row and now are eight points behind Central Division-leading Medicine Hat. Calgary visits Saskatoon tonight. . . . The Raiders (21-31-2) have lost four in a row (0-3-1). They are 11 points out of a playoff spot with 18 games remaining. . . . Jeff D’Andrea of panow.com has a game story 
In Cranbrook, G Jordan Papirny stopped 31 shots to lead the Brandon Wheat Kings to a 4-1 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . The Wheat Kings lost D Ivan Provorov to an undisclosed injury early in the third period. . . . Brandon scored the game’s first three goals. . . . F Tim McGauley had a goal, his 34th, and an assist for Brandon, as did F Nolan Patrick, who has 25 goals. . . . Brandon F Morgan Klimchuk scored his 21s goal and F Rya Duke got his 18th, both striking on the PP. . . . Brandon was 2-for-4 on the PP; the Ice was 0-for-4. . . . The Wheat Kings had beaten the Ice 5-3 on Friday. . . . Brandon (40-9-5) is 11-0-1 in its last 12 games. It leads the Eastern Conference by 12 points over Medicine Hat. . . . The Ice (27-26-1) has lost three straight and holds down the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card berth, one point behind Edmonton. . . . The Ice and Wheat Kings will complete their four-game season series in Brandon, Feb. 27 and 28. . . . The Wheat Kings play their fourth game in five days in Lethbridge today. . . . Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has a game story from Saturday’s game 
In Kamloops, the Kelowna Rockets scored three PP goals en route to a 5-2 victory over the Blazers. . . . It was Kelowna’s 17th straight regular-season victory over Kamloops. The Blazers last beat the Rockets on March 3, 2013. . . . The Rockets lead the season series, 7-0-0. . . . F Justin Kirkland scored twice and added an assist for the Rockets. He’s got 21 goals, the third Rockets skater to get to 20. . . . Kelowna scored four times in the first period to take a 4-1 lead into the second. . . . The Blazers’ second goal came off the stick of F Jake Kryski, on a PP, at 1:26 of the second period. . . . When Kryski scored, Kamloops head coach Don Hay had him on the PP with Jesse Zaharichuk and Joel Hamilton. Consider that Kryski, who now has eight goals, had gone 28 goals without scoring, and that Zaharichuk has two goals this season, and that Hamilton hasn’t scored in 20 games. . . . Kelowna F Tyson Baillie got his 32nd goal, while F Rourke Chartier got his 43rd. That put him back into a tie for the WHL goal-scoring lead, with Medicine Hat F Cole Sanford, who had scored earlier in the evening. . . . Kamloops F Quinn Benjafield took a headshot major and game misconduct for a hit on Baillie at 14:42 of the third period. Baillie got off the ice under his own power but headed to the dressing room. . . . Kelowna was 3-for-8 on the PP; Kamloops was 1-for-3. . . . One night earlier, the host Rockets beat the Blazers, 5-3. . . . The Rockets (41-8-4), who are to entertain Prince George on Monday afternoon, have points in eight straight (7-0-1) and lead the overall standings by one point over Brandon. . . . The Blazers (20-29-6), who are at home to Tri-City on Monday afternoon, have lost three in a row. They are third in the B.C. Division, one point ahead of Vancouver and Prince George. . . . 
In Prince George, F Cole Benson scored off his own rebound at 2:12 of OT to give the Edmonton Oil Kings a 2-1 victory over the Cougars. . . . Cougars F David Soltes scored his 10th goal, on the PP, at 2:31 of the first period. . . . The home side nursed that lead into the third period when Edmonton D Ashton Sautner scored his 12th goal, on the PP, at 5:58. . . . On Friday night, the Cougars had ended a 12-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Oil Kings. . . . Last night, Edmonton G Patrick Dea stopped 15 shots, while Prince George’s Ty Edmonds turned aside 37. . . . Among Prince George's scratches were D Josh Connolly and F Aaron Macklin, both out with concussions. . . . Edmonton (25-24-6) had lost is previous three games. It now holds down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot. The Oil Kings will play in Victoria on Monday afternoon. . . . The Cougars (21-31-3) are tied for fourth with Vancouver in the B.C. Division, one point behind Kamloops. It is looking more and more as though only one of those three teams will make the playoffs. . . . The Cougars play in Kelowna on Monday afternoon. . . . 
In Kennewick, Wash., the Tri-City Americans erased a 1-0 deficit with four straight goals and beat the Everett Silvertips, 4-3. . . . F Nikita Scherbak gave Everett a 1-0 lead at 15:44 of the first period. . . . The Americans then scored twice in the second and twice in the third to assume a 4-1 lead. . . . F Beau McCue got two of those goals, giving him 20. F Richard Nejezchleb got his 16th and F Lukas Nickles got No. 19. . . . Everett made it interesting with goals from F Dawson Leedahl, his ninth, at 10:53 of the third and F Remi Laurencelle, his 14th, at 14:00. . . . McCue also had an assist, while Nejezchleb had two of them. . . . Tri-City F Tyler Sandhu also earned two assists. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie stopped 31 shots, 10 more than Everett’s Austin Lotz. . . . Tri-City was 2-for-4 on the PP, while the Silvertips were 0-for-5. . . . The Silvertips had beaten the visiting Americans 4-1 on Friday night. . . . The Americans (25-25-3), who play in Kamloops on Monday afternoon, had lost their previous four games (0-3-1). They are fifth in the U.S. Division, but have possession of the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot. It would appear that all five U.S. Division teams will make the playoffs. . . . Everett (33-16-4) had won its previous two outings. The Silvertips are at home to Portland today with a five-point lead over the second-place Winterhawks. . . . 
In Victoria, F Tyler Soy scored three times and added an assist to lead the Royals to a 6-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . It was the first WHL hat trick for Soy, who has 20 goals. . . . He scored the game’s first goal, on a PP, at 6:58 of the first period. Then he got the game’s last two goals, the final one shorthanded into an empty net. . . . The Royals were 2-for-7 on the PP and scored two shorties. . . . Red Deer F Austin Adamson scored his fifth goal at 17:33 of the second period to get the Rebels to within one, at 3-2. . . . Victoria F Brandon Magee scored his 16th goal, shorthanded, at 19:43 to restore the two-goal lead. . . . The Rebels were without F Conner Bleackley, their captain, who suffered an undisclosed injury on Friday in Vancouver. . . . D Alexey Slepstov made his debut with the Royals. He was acquired from Moose Jaw at the trade deadline but was injured at the time. . . . The Royals (29-20-4), who are at home to Edmonton on Monday afternoon, have won three in a row and are a comfortable second in the B.C. Division. . . . The Rebels (28-17-8) have lost two straight. They went 1-2-0 in a three-game trip into B.C., and now are third in the Central Division, one point behind Calgary. . . . 
In Kent, Wash., G Taran Kozun stopped 38 shots to lead the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 3-0 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Kozun has three shutouts this season — all in his last five starts — and eight in his career. . . . F Corey Millette got Seattle started with his 14th goal, on a PP, at 2:03 of the second period. He’s got six goals in 12 games since being acquired by the Thunderbirds from Saskatoon at the trade deadline. . . . F Mathew Barzal had a goal, his ninth, and an assist. . . . D Evan Wardley had two assists. . . . Vancouver G Cody Porter stopped 39 shots. . . . With Payton Lee (hand) injured, the Giants had Griffin Baillie, an 18-year-old from Merritt, B.C., on the bench in support of Porter. Baillie plays for the junior B Aldergrove, B.C., Kodiaks. . . . Seattle (27-19-6) has won four straight and is third in the U.S. Division five points behind Portland. . . . Vancouver (21-29-3) is tied for fourth with Prince George in the B.C. Division, a point behind Kamloops. . . . Seattle will visit Vancouver on Monday afternoon.
Portland also gets an undisclosed conditional 2014 bantam draft pick in the deal, while the Rebels acquired F Presten Kopeck and undisclosed conditional draft picks in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
played on Nov. 23. In fact, he played just four games in November.
The BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies fired general manager and head coach Bill Bestwick on Tuesday. According to a release from the team: “The new ownership group, which took over operations (Monday) has decided it was important to move in a different direction immediately.” . . . Craig Didmon, who had been Bestwick’s assistant, ran the bench during last night’s 4-2 victory over the visiting Nanaimo Clippers. . . . Under Bestwick this season, the Grizzlies were 19-8-3-2, which left them second in the Island Division, five points behind the first-place Powell River Kings. . . . In his time with the Grizzlies, Bestwick was 52-21-3-12. . . . Mario Annicchiarico of the Victoria Times Colonist has more 
In Brandon, F Rihards Bukarts broke a 2-2 tie with his first of two goals at 6:58 of the second period and the Wheat Kings went on to a 5-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . It was the Latvian’s first two-goal game. . . . Brandon has won its last two games and is 8-3-2 in its last 13 outings. . . . It was the 13th straight loss for Kamloops, and that’s a franchise record. The 1981-82 Kamloops Junior Oilers had a stretch of 12 consecutive losses. . . . Bukarts’ first goal, his 10th of the season, came just 49 seconds after Kamloops F Eric Krienke pulled his side into a 2-2 tie. . . . F Chad Robinson and F Jens Meilleur each had two assists for Brandon. . . . F Jesse Shynkaruk, a freshman from Saskatoon, had the Blazers’ other goal, the first of his career. . . . Kamloops gave G Cole Kehler, who turns 16 on Dec. 17, his first career start; he stopped 26 shots. . . . The Blazers lost C Matt Needham, their captain, when he took a puck to one ear in the first period. It’s not known whether he will be in the lineup tonight against the Pats in Regina. . . .
In Swift Current, the Kelowna Rockets won for the 16th time in 17 games as they doubled the Broncos, 4-2. . . . Kelowna F Ryan Olsen broke a 2-2 tie with his 12th goal, on the PP, at 18:52 of the third period. . . . The Rockets have won seven in a row. . . . D Damon Severson had two assists for Kelowna, which trailed 1-0 after the first period and 2-1 late in the third. . . . F Zach Franko, with his seventh, pulled the Rockets even at 16:42 of the third. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 24 shots as he ran his record to 17-1-2. . . . His other numbers are 2.11 and .927. . . . Broncos G Eetu Laurikainen stopped 40 shots. . . . Kelowna (23-3-2) is tied with Portland (22-6-4) for top spot in the overall standings. The Rockets have four games in hand. . . .
In Saskatoon, the Edmonton Oil Kings held a 49-20 edge in shots as they beat the Blades, 3-1. . . . F Cole Benson’s second goal of the season, shorthanded at 9:57 of the second, broke a 1-1 tie. . . . F Henrik Samuelsson added insurance with another shortie, at 19:31 of the second. . . . Saskatoon’s PP is 0-for-16 over four games. . . . The Blades have lost seven in a row and 12 of 13. . . . Saskatoon G Troy Trombley turned aside 46 shots. . . . Edmonton D Aaron Irving had two assists. A freshman from Edmonton who was pointless in five games last season, Irving has 22 points, including 16 assists, in 30 games this season. . . . The Oil Kings have won six in a row and 15 of 18. . . .
In Medicine Hat, F Logan McVeigh scored 27 seconds into OT to give the Tigers a 1-0 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . It was McVeigh’s sixth goal of the season. . . . Medicine Hat G Daniel Wapple stopped 39 shots, while Calgary’s Chris Driedger turned aside 33. . . . Wapple has one shutout this season and two in his career. . . . Calgary has points in six straight games and is 8-1-1 in its last 10. . . . The Tigers had F Blake Penner back in their lineup. He hadn’t played since Oct. 30. . . . Medicine Hat didn’t dress three players who are preparing to play in the World Junior Championship — F Markus Eisenschmid (Germany), G Marek Langhamer (Czech Republic) and F Hunter Shinkaruk (Canada). . . .
In Prince George, D Jagger Dirk’s fourth goal of the season broke a 1-1 tie at 4:12 of the third period and the Kootenay Ice went on to a 3-1 victory over the Cougars. . . . Ice G MacKenzie Skapski finished with a career-high 51 saves, 22 more than Prince George’s Ty Edmonds. . . . F Jordan Tkatch, with his seventh, gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead at 13:22 of the second. . . . Ice F Jaedon Descheneau tied it, with his 22nd, at 17:34 of the second. . . . Ice F Tim Bozon added insurance with his 10th at 15:59 of the third. . . . Attendance was 1,410 and, according to Jeff Hollick, the radio voice of the Ice, it was the smallest road crowd ever for a Kootenay game. . . . The Ice dressed 16 skaters, two under the maximum. F Sam Reinhardt, who will attend the Canadian national junior team camp later this week, was one of Kootenay’s scratches. . . . Kootenay did get back F Kyle O’Connor, who hadn’t played since Nov. 11. . . .
In Vancouver, the Giants scored the game’s first two goals, both in the first period, and went on to a 3-2 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . It was the third straight meeting between the teams, with the Giants winning the last two. . . . The Giants are tied for seventh in the Western Conference with the Tri-City Americans, one point behind the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Vancouver held a 2-0 first-period lead after outshooting the Royals, 22-1. Through two periods, shots were 31-7. . . . Victoria held a 9-2 edge in the third period. . . . Vancouver F Travis McEvoy gave his side a 3-1 lead with his sixth goal at 4:47 of the second. . . . Victoria got both of its goals from F Ben Walker, who has 12 goals. He scored once on the PP and once while shorthanded. . . . The Royals are fifth in the conference, a point behind the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Among Victoria’s scratches were F Logan Nelson (undisclosed injury) and F Steven Hodges (personal). . . . Vancouver D Mason Geertsen was hit with a headshot major for a game-ending hit on Victoria F Austin Carroll. In the resulting gathering, Victoria F Brandon Magee was given a match penalty for spearing. . . . 
In Kennewick, Wash., F Mathew Barzal broke a 1-1 tie at 2:50 of the third period as the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Tri-City Americans, 3-1. . . . Seattle has won seven in a row and now is fourth in the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Victoria Royals. . . . The Americans slipped to eighth in the conference. . . . Barzal, who also had an assist, has six goals. . . . Seattle F Roberts Lipsbergs opened the scoring with his 20th goal at 5:12 of the second. He later added an empty-netter. . . . Tri-City F Lucas Nickles tied it with his eighth at 17:24 of the second. . . . Seattle G Danny Mumaugh stopped 22 shots, while Tri-City’s Eric Comrie turned aside 29. 
Posts
