Ex-WHLer eligible for NCAA hockey . . . Steel pens note to young fan . . . Rebels win sixth in row

It doesn’t indicate it in F Brayden Gelsinger’s bio on the Lake Superior State Lakers’ website, but the Regina native did play 14 games with the Kamloops Blazers.

Gelsinger was pointless in two playoff games in the spring of 2012 and pointless in 12 regular-season

BRAYDEN GELSINGER

games in 2012-13. He later played with the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals, West Kelowna Warriors and Victoria Grizzlies, putting up 51 goals and 104 assists in 169 games.

Now he’s a freshman forward, wearing No. 11, for the Lakers. He’s contributing, too, with three goals and four assists in four games.

That’s right. Gelsinger, now 21, signed a WHL contract and played in the WHL, and now he’s playing for an NCAA Division I hockey team.

You’re thinking . . . hmmmm, I thought signing a WHL contract meant a player lost his NCAA eligibility. I thought playing a WHL game meant a player no longer was eligible to play in the NCAA.

Well . . .

Gelsinger was playing with the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies on Jan. 7, when he accepted a scholarship to Lake Superior State, which is based in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.

It turns out that Gelsinger and his family worked with the NCAA and its Eligibility Center to get him on the Lakers’ roster.

“The NCAA Eligibility Center is responsible for determining a student-athlete's initial eligibility status based on their pre-enrollment athletic history,” Jen Constantino, LSSU’s NCAA compliance officer and deputy Title IX co-ordinator,” told Taking Note via email. “Brayden and his family worked with the Eligibility Center prior to his enrolment at Lake Superior State University to answer the NCAA's questions and provide them with the information they needed to make their decision.

“The NCAA made the determination that Brayden Gelsinger would be immediately eligible for competition. Our athletic department has followed the direction given to us by the NCAA.”

So it would seem that signing a WHL contract and even playing a handful of games need not be the death knell for a young man should the opportunity arise to go to a U.S. school.

——

The story of the WHL, the governing B.C. Liberals and how the cabinet moved to exempt the league from minimum-wage legislation may not be finished. Ian Mulgrew of the Vancouver Sun reports that, according to the B.C. Office of the Registrar of Lobbyistys, the league “did not register as a lobbyist before leaning on B.C.’s cabinet to exempt major junior players from the minimum wage law.” . . . Ron Robison, the WHL commissioner, told Mulgrew that such a move wasn’t necessary. . . . According to Mulgrew, the regulator now is taking a look at the situation. . . . Mulgrew’s story is right here.

——

You can bet that F Sam Steel of the Regina Pats has a fan for life in the person of Benson Broda.

Benson’s mother, Krista, posted his on Facebook:

SAM STEEL

“Benson started skating lessons a few weeks ago and was so frustrated that he couldn't stop falling, he just wanted to just be able to go out and skate like a hockey player. He told me when he got home that he never sees Sam Steel (his absolute favourite Regina Pat ever) fall. He basically thought you either could skate or you couldn't, and he couldn't, so he wanted to give up. The lessons were expensive, so I did what any crazy mom would do and emailed the Pats asking if there was any way Sam Steel could somehow tell him he used to fall too. I got a reply from the Pats office saying that he was at Anaheim Ducks training camp, but asked for my address and said they would try and get something out for him when he got back. . . . I assumed they forgot (because it was a totally weird request and he's pretty busy scoring goals) but we opened the mail to this on Friday.”

——

D Duncan Campbell has cleared WHL waivers and now is a free agent. Campbell was placed on waivers as the Wheat Kings got down to the maximum three 20-year-olds. They chose to go with F Tyler Coulter, F Reid Duke and G Jordan Papirny. . . . Campbell, a Brandon native, now is free to move to the OHL or QMJHL, should the opportunity arise. Or, should he choose, he is free to play junior A. . . . The Penticton Vees hold his BCHL rights and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him end up with them. . . . Campbell was pointless in six games with Brandon this season. In his previous two seasons, he totalled 22 goals and 21 assists in 140 regular-season games.

———

JUST NOTES:

The Portland Winterhawks have dropped F Brett Clayton, who is to turn 18 on Nov. 22, from their roster. He is expected to join the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits. From Abbotsford, B.C., Clayton had a goal and two assists in 57 games with Portland last season. This season, he was pointless in three games. The Saskatoon Blades selected him in the 10th round of the 2013 WHL bantam draft. . . . 

The Russian team that will meet Team WHL in the CIBC Canada-Russia series has revealed its tentative roster — three goaltenders, 13 defencemen and 20 forwards. . . . Included are a few WHLers — D Artyom Minulin (Swift Current Broncos), D Dmitriy Zaitsev (Moose Jaw Warriors), D Sergey Zborovskiy (Regina Pats), F Nikita Popugaev (Moose Jaw). The roster also includes F Klim Kostin, who was selected by the Kootenay Ice with the first overall pick in the CHL’s 2016 import draft. Kostin chose not to join the Ice and has played this season with Dynamo Moscow of the KHL and the VHL’s Dynamo Balashikha. . . . 

Dale McFee has stepped aside after 10 years as president of the Prince Albert Raiders. McFee, who is a former Raiders player (1982-86), cited time constraints in making his decision. Long-time board member Gord Broda has been elected president of the community-owned franchise, with McGee as vice-president.

——

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

———

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:

Congratulations to @Kelowna_Rockets Nick Merkley. The 19 year old's assist on Tomas Soustal's goal was his 200th point of his WHL career.

— Regan Bartel (@Reganrant) October 27, 2016

At Kelowna, F Kole Lind had a goal and three assists to lead the Rockets to a 6-4 victory over the Victoria

KOLE LIND

Royals. . . . The Rockets held a 3-2 lead midway through the second period when they took control by scoring the next three goals. . . . F Rod Southam and F Calvin Thurkauf each scored twice for Kelowna. Southam gave the Rockets a 4-2 lead at 13:13 of the second, with Thurkauf scoring at 17:26 of the second and 3:25 of the third. . . . Southam has three goals; Thurkauf has six. . . . Lind’s sixth goal, at 4:03 of the first period, tied the game 1-1. F Ryan Peckford’s fourth goal had opened the scoring at 3:24. . . . D Jonathan Smart and D Lucas Johansen had two assists each for the Rockets, with F Tomas Soustal getting a goal and an assist. . . . G Michael Herringer turned aside 25 shots for the Rockets. . . . Victoria starter Griffen Outhouse surrendered five goals on 23 shots through two periods. Dylan Myskiw played the third, stopping 10 of 11 shots. . . . Kelowna was 3-8 on the PP; Victoria was 2-7. . . . The Rockets have won four in a row to get their record to .500 (7-7-0). . . . The Royals are 8-7-0. . . . Announced attendance: 4,570.

——

At Cranbrook, B.C., F Jansen Harkins scored two goals and added an assist to help the Prince George

JANSEN HARKINS

Cougars to a 5-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . F Brogan O’Brien, who also had two goals, got the visitors started at 8:05 of the first period. . . . F Austin Wellsby pulled the Ice even with his first goal at 14:04. . . . Harkins scored on a PP, giving the Cougars the lead at 7:01 of the second. . . . O’Brien made it 3-1 with his fourth goal of the season at 16:40. . . . F Brad Morrison added a goal, his seventh, and an assist for the winners, with F Jesse Gabrielle and F Colby McAuley each getting two assists. . . . G Nick McBride stopped 33 shots for the Cougars, while the Ice got 28 saves from Jakob Walter. . . . The Cougars were 1-1 on the PP; the Ice was 0-2. . . . The Cougars (12-2-1) have points on five straight (4-0-1) and now are 7-0-0 on the road. . . . The Ice (1-8-4) has lost seven straight (0-5-2). . . . Announced attendance: 1,542.

——

The 6 game win streak is now longer than any streak last year for @Rebelshockey. 2 win streaks of 5 games in 2015-16.

— Paul Figler (@RDFigs19) October 27, 2016

At Red Deer, the Rebels scored the game’s first three goals, all in the second period, en route to a 5-2

MICHAEL SPACEK

victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . F Brandon Hagel snapped the scoreless tie with his fourth goal at 9:32, with F Grayson Pawlenchuk getting his third at 15:48, and D Jared Freadrich scoring his first, on a PP, at 19:10. . . . Brandon F Stelio Mattheos got Brandon on the board, with his fifth goal, on a PP, at 1:30 of the third period. . . . D Alexander Alexeyev got that one back for Red Deer, scoring his second goal at 5:39. . . . F Tyler Coulter’s PP goal pulled the Wheat Kings to within two at 8:40, but D Josh Mahura’s fourth goal, on a PP, put it out of reach at 17:59. . . . F Michael Spacek had three assists for the Rebels, running his point streak to nine games, while Alexeyev, Hagel and Mashura each added an assist to his goal. . . . G Riley Lamb stopped 22 shots for the home team, with Brandon’s Logan Thompson blocking 51. . . . The Wheat Kings have been outshot 101-40 over their past two games. The beat the host Edmonton Oil Kings, 5-3, on Tuesday. . . . Red Deer was 2-4 on the PP; Brandon was 2-5. . . . The Rebels (8-3-2) have won six in a row. . . . The Wheat Kings (6-4-2) had been 4-0-1 in their previous five games. . . . Brandon F Reid Duke missed a second game in as many nights as he tended to a family matter. . . . Announced attendance: 4,025.

——

At Saskatoon, the Spokane Chiefs scored the game’s first three goals and went on to a 6-2 victory over

KAILER YAMAMOTO

the Blades. . . . F Ethan McIndoe’s second goal, on a PP, got the Chiefs on the board first, at 10:43 of the first period. . . . They made it 3-0 in the second on goals from D Trent Huitema, his first, at 3:07 of the second period, and F Kailer Yamamoto, at 9:51. . . . Saskatoon F Gage Ramsay scored his first goal — a native of Saskatoon, he was acquired from the Vancouver Giants last week — at 17:01, but Yamamoto got that one back just 42 seconds into the third period. . . . Yamamoto has 10 goals. . . . F Riley McKay’s first goal, at 2:17, made it 5-1 and school was out. . . . F Taylor Ross and F Curtis Miske each had two assists for the Chiefs, while McKay and McIndoe added one apiece. . . . D Bryton Sayers had two assists for the Blades. . . . The Chiefs got 27 saves from G Dawson Weatherill. . . . Saskatoon G Brock Hamm turned aside 24 shots. . . . The Chiefs were 1-2 on the PP; the Blades were 0-9. . . . Spokane (5-6-2) is 2-2-0 on its East Division trip. . . . The Blades (6-6-1), fresh off a five-game B.C. Division trip, have lost three in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 3,178.

——

THURSDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Tri-City at Everett, 7:05 p.m.

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.

Raiders looking for GM . . . Hurricanes, Thunderbirds swap veterans . . . Unhappiness in The Hat

KHL news . . . some old . . . some new . . .
The Associated Press reported April 9 that Sochi hadn’t paid its players since January, but promised that they would be paid in full by the end of April. That didn't happened so the players have filed suit in Russian court to get their money. League rules require teams to resolve all debts to players by May 31 if they wish to continue in the league in the following season.
This AP report also noted there were Russian media reports that put at least five teams at risk of withdrawing from the KHL for financial reasons. The AP named Slovan Bratislava, Atlant Mytischi and Admiral Vladivostok as three of the five.
While Slovan Bratislava hasn’t officially left the KHL, it has applied to rejoin Slovakia's Extraliga.
——
From the April 30 edition of the online Russian website Sport-Express (it has been all World Championship since then):
1) Valery Kamensky, president of Atlant Mytischi, said that from May 1 all members of the team would be dismissed. According to him, the future of the club is unknown. "Today is the last day for all staff of Atlant. From 1 May, they will be fired,” Kamensky said."With regard to the future of the club, for the moment I have nothing to say. There is no news. We are planning that the youth team will continue to serve in the region and the Youth Academy also continues." On April 28, Atlant GM Alexi Zhamnov confirmed that Atlant has transferred the rights to 10 players to SKA St. Petersburg as compensation for money SKA gave to Atlant earlier in the season so that Atlant could finish the season.
2) Alexander Pavlinov, vice-president of Amur Khabarovsk, admitted that the club had sent a request for deferral of the KHL deadline to provide financial guarantees for the coming season. It was reported earlier that difficulties arose with the co-operation necessary for confirmation in the documents. "We have appealed to the leadership of the league for an extension of the deadlines for submission of documents,” Pavlinov said. "A technical hitch, so we still need time. Asked to extend until the end of May and we are waiting for a response.”
——
Slava Malamud, who is a Washington, D.C., area correspondent for the Russian media outlet Sport-Express, tweeted last month that SKA St. Petersburg players were each paid a US$800,000 bonus for reaching the KHL final. SKA won the league championship so one can only imagine what kind of bonus the players got for that. How this falls under the KHL salary cap is unknown.
——
The 2015-16 KHL regular season is scheduled to open on Aug. 24. The league had announced during this season that it plans to align the schedule more closely to the needs of the Russian national team. As such, Russian Hockey Federation president Vladislav Tretiak has said that the KHL won’t adjust its schedule to fit in with the proposed NHL/NHLPA World Cup in 2016. If this holds, there won’t be any KHL players available to play in the World Cup.
———


It wasn’t a surprise when the Prince Albert Raiders announced Friday that general manager Bruno Campese won’t be returning.
It had been rumoured for a while now that Campese wasn’t likely to be back, that he was wanting to return to West Kelowna, B.C., for family reasons.
The Raiders and Campese, 51, said that the decision to part company was mutual, and that the Raiders

BRUNO CAMPESE

wouldn’t be exercising their option on his contract.
“There’s no doubt that I would’ve loved to come back,” Campese told Brett Smith of the Prince Albert Daily Herald.“I love my job and I love the people I work with but, at the end of the day, it’s been a family decision to move back home. I’m good with it, my family’s good with it and I think when I look at it perspectively from the Raiders’ point of view, and I had mentioned this to our executive board, that the right time to do this is now.”
If there had been any doubt that this would happen, it likely was erased on April 21 when the Raiders announced that head coach Marc Habscheid had been signed to a four-year contract. At that time, nothing was said about Campese’s future.
As well, nothing definitive was said earlier this week when the Raiders announced they had re-signed associate coach Dave Manson to a four-year deal and assistant coach Kelly Guard to a one-year contract.
Raiders president Dale McFee plans on having a new GM in place in short order. The way McFee sounds, Habscheid, who was GM/head coach with the Chilliwack Bruins/Victoria Royals, isn’t a candidate.
“Marc is a qualified candidate, but I think we’ve been through that experience once already,” McFee told Smith. “We had a coach/GM and it didn’t work.
“We feel the ultimate model for Prince Albert is one where we have a coach and a general manager that are separate and that we actually can focus in and make sure that obviously our business product, being a community-owned team, is aligned with our on-ice product and that’s not something we feel we want to give up on.”
Of course, if it isn’t Habscheid, the next GM will be brought in knowing full well that he won’t have any of his hires on the coaching staff. And how often does that work out?
Campese, who will work with the Raiders until a replacement is named, spent eight seasons with the Raiders. He was hired as the head coach prior to 2007-08 and was also the GM before that season ended. In 2011, he stepped aside as head coach and has been strictly the GM since that time.
The Raiders had their struggles on the ice, making the playoffs in three of Campese’s eight seasons in Prince Albert. However, they did make the playoffs in the two seasons prior to this one, and it’s fair to say that things looked pretty good a year ago.
In fact, I think it’s fair to say that he and the Raiders deserved a better fate than not making the playoffs this season.
After going 35-32-5 in 2013-14 and suffering a second-straight first-round exit, the Raiders and their fans looked forward to this season, knowing they would have two of the WHL’s premier players — D Josh Morrissey and F Leon Draisaitl — on their roster. However, Draisaitl, the third-overall pick in the NHL’s 2014 draft, opened the season with the Edmonton Oilers, who later refused to return him to the Raiders. The Oilers told the Raiders that if Draisaitl was to return to the WHL he would only play with the Kelowna Rockets. (Bruce Hamilton, the Rockets’ president and GM, is tight with a number of people in the Oilers’ organization, which made the optics even worse.)
Faced with that news, Campese was forced to try and cut his losses, so Morrissey and Draisaitl both ended up with the Rockets.
Kelowna won the WHL championship on Wednesday night; two days later, Campese announced that he was done.
Now that he’s available, perhaps the Oilers need an assistant GM.
——
The Lethbridge Hurricanes have traded F Jamal Watson, their captain, to the Seattle Thunderbirds for F Cory Millette and a 2016 fifth-round bantam draft pick.
Both players are preparing for their 20-year-old seasons.
Watson, from Calgary, is coming off a career season. He had 56 points, including 26 goals, as he set career highs in all three major offensive categories. He was named team captain prior to what was his fourth season in Lethbridge. In those four seasons, he had 148 points, 69 of them goals, in 270 games. Only six players in franchise history played more games.
Millette, from Storthoaks, Sask., split last season between the Thunderbirds, Prince Albert Raiders and Saskatoon Blades. In 71 games, he had 47 points, including 24 goals. He also has played with the Red Deer Rebels. In 238 career games, he has 121 points, 60 of them goals.
Millette is the lone 20-year-old on the Hurricanes’ roster.
The Thunderbirds’ roster also includes two 20-year-old defencemen — Jared Hauf and Jerret Smith.
——
Things are turning nasty in Medicine Hat where the Tigers don’t yet have a lease to play in the Regional Event Centre, a $75-million facility that is to open in time for next season. . . . Collin Gallant of the Medicine Hat News has more right here.
——
If you have ever wondered what it costs to operate a facility like the Medicine Hat Arena, Alex McCuaig of the Medicine Hat News has a chart right here that shows how that facility lost $1,866,827, not including administration costs, over the past six years.
——
The Thrill Is Gone, bluesman B.B. King having died on Thursday evening. He was one of a kind and there will never be another. . . . Right here, Rolling Stone takes a look at his 10 greatest songs. Enjoy!
——
Tim Weiner has The New York Times’ obituary on B.B. King right here. Just in case you don’t know what B.B. means . . .
———

THE COACHING GAME:

While the Prince Albert Raiders may be reluctant to have one person as the general manager and head coach, that isn’t the case with the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s. On Friday, they announced that head coach Jeff Brown, 49, a former NHL defenceman, also will be the GM. He is coming off his first season as head coach, one in which he guided the 67’s into the playoffs for the first time in three seasons. They were 38-25-5 in the regular season. . . . Brown takes over from Pat Higgins, who resigned after the season and now is Ottawa’s head scout.
———

McDavid and his dad once the media scrum ended. pic.twitter.com/OoD9Aupu7j

— Steve Dangle Glynn (@Steve_Dangle) May 16, 2015

In the OHL, the Oshawa Generals beat the visiting Erie Otters 6-2 to win the championship final, 4-1, before 6,125 fans. . . . Oshawa F Cole Cassels had four assists as the Generals won their first OHL championship since 1997. . . . Erie F Connor McDavid was selected as the playoff MVP. It was only the second time that a player from a non-championship team won the award, the other being D Marc Staal with the Sudbury Wolves in 2007. . . . McDavid was held pointless in what likely was the final game of his junior career. He led the OHL playoffs in goals (21), assists (28) and points (49), all in 20 games. He finished 18 points ahead of Cassels and Oshawa F Michael Dal Colle. . . .

In the QMJHL, the visiting Quebec Remparts beat the Rimouski Oceanic 3-2 in OT to take a 3-2 lead in the championship final. . . . F Massimo Carozza’s fourth goal of the playoffs won the game 10 seconds into the first OT period. . . . Attendance was 4,732. . . . Game 6 is scheduled for Sunday afternoon in Quebec City. . . . With the Remparts the host team for the Memorial Cup, both teams will play in the tournament.
———

I get that Babcock is a good coach... But who really cares where he coaches, I don't pay to watch him behind the bench!#makeadecisionslready

— Drew Schoneck (@TCCoachShoe) May 16, 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.

Winterhawks in front of 'Tips . . . Former WHLer next top cop in Toronto? . . . Gong show in NHL

F Stanislav Balán (Portland, 2005-06) has signed a one-year contract with Vítkovice Steel Ostrava (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, with Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he had 13 goals and 18 assists in 51 games. . . .
F Roman Horák (Chilliwack, 2009-11) has signed a one-year extension with Vityaz Podolsk (Russia, KHL). This season, he had 31 points, including 18 goals, in 53 games. . . .
D Michal Hlinka (Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, 2010-12) has signed a one-year extension with Dukla Trencin (Slovakia, Extraliga). He had 15 points, seven of them goals, in 43 games this season.
———

THURSDAY’S GAME:

In Portland, the Winterhawks scored the game’s first five goals as they skated to a 5-3 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . Portland takes a 2-1 lead into Game 4 tonight at home. . . . The teams hadn’t played since Saturday because of arena availability issues in Portland. . . . Portland D Anton Cederholm opened the scoring with his first goal at 17:52 of the second period. . . . By coincidence, freelancer Scott Sepich wrote a feature on Cederholm and his father, who is in Portland this week from Sweden, for The Oregonian. That piece is right here. . . . F Nic Petan got his sixth goal at 18:13 of the second, on a PP, and F Oliver Bjorkstrand scored twice, giving him eight, in the third period. . . . F Dominic Turgeon upped it to 5-0 at 14:27. . . . Everett scored three times in 1:46 late in the period, with D Kevin Davis, F Ivan Nikolishin and F Graham Millar scoring. . . . Petan also had two assists for Portland, as did F Miles Koules and F Chase De Leo. . . . F Logan Aasman had two assists for Everett. . . . Winterhawks G Adin Hill stopped 16 shots. . . . Everett starter Carter Hart gave up four goals on 34 shots. Reliever Austin Lotz was beaten once on two shots in 6:26 of playing time. . . . Portland was 2-for-5 on the PP; Everett was 0-for-2. . . . Everett F Dawson Leedahl returned to the lineup after a five-game absence, but the Silvertips remain without D Noah Juulsen and D Tristen Pfeiffer. . . . Leedahl was involved in a fight with F Keegan Iverson at 10:27 of the second period, then took a cross-checking minor at 19:01. Leedahl didn’t return to serve out his penalty to start the third period. Nikolishin actually finished serving the penalty. . . . Attendance was 5,518.

Joke that'll kill at your next dinner party: Q: What do you call it when Everett hockey players pay gratuities in quarters? A: Silver tips
— Portland Winterhawks (@pdxwinterhawks) April 17, 2015

———


D Connor Hobbs of the Regina Pats has drawn one of those ‘tbd’ suspensions from the WHL for a hit in Game 4 against the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings on Wednesday night. Hobbs took out Brandon D Ryan Pilon, whose status for Game 5 in Brandon tonight isn’t known.
Here’s Rob Henderson, the Brandon Sun’s sports editor, with some thoughts earlier Thursday:
“It would be in the Wheat Kings’ best interest to end the series as soon as possible. In addition to the obvious desire to not let the Pats force a Game 6 on Sunday in Regina, the physical series is also taking a serious toll on both teams’ lineups.
“Wheat Kings Jayce Hawryluk, Rihards Bukarts, Colton Waltz and Ryan Pilon have all been injured since the series began, with Pilon being knocked out of Game 4 by the hit that led to Hobbs’ major. . . . Pats defenceman Sergey Zborovskiy still has one game left in his suspension for the hit that sidelined Hawryluk, while Regina’s Rykr Cole and Chase Harrison have also gone down to injuries in the series.”
Henderson added that Kelly McCrimmon, Brandon’s general manager and head coach, “didn’t divulge any information when asked if any of his injured players would return for tonight’s game.”
Brandon F Morgan Klimchuk, who has sat out six games, took part in Thursday’s optional skate.
——
The Calgary Hitmen can eliminate the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers tonight and book a berth in the Eastern Conference final. . . . The Hitmen are coming off a 2-1 OT victory in Medicine Hat on Wednesday night that gave them a 3-1 lead in the series. . . . Calgary F Adam Tambellini, who leads the WHL playoffs in assists (10) and points (19), missed Game 4 with an undisclosed injury, but was back on skates Thursday. He likely will skate again this morning and then be re-evaluated. . . . You can bet that the Hitmen go into tonight’s game with their first-round series victory over the Kootenay Ice fresh in their minds. Calgary was ahead 3-1 in that series and it ended up going seven games. . . . The Tigers may be without F Blake Penner, who left Game 4 with an undisclosed injury. . . . Laurence Heinen wrote this story for the Calgary Herald.
——
The NHL’s Colorado Avalanche is dropping its affiliation with the AHL’s Cleveland-based Lake Erie Monsters. . . . The NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets are expected to announce today that they are moving their affiliation from Springfield, Mass., to Lake Erie. . . . There is speculation that the Arizona Coyotes will hook up with Springfield, at least for one seasno. . . . Former WHL GM/coach/player Dean Chynoweth is Lake Erie’s head coach. . . . Jared Bednar, another former WHL player, is the head coach in Springfield. . . . Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch, who broke the story, writes that the Springfield coaching staff, which includes another former WHLer in Nolan Pratt, would move to Lake Erie. . . . Portzline’s blog piece is right here. . . . Mike Chambers of the Denver Post reported last night that the Avalanche will affiliate with the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage, which had been hooked up with the Florida Panthers. Next season, Florida will be affiliated with the AHL’s Portland Pirates, who had been Arizona’s farm team. Arizona, of course, will end up cutting a deal with Springfield, and the circle will be complete.
——
The Globe and Mail is reporting that former WHLer Dale McFee, who is the president of the Prince Albert Raiders, is the “wild card contender” to become Toronto’s next police chief. McFee, who played four seasons with the Raiders (1982-86), also is a former Prince Albert police chief; he now is Saskatchewan’s deputy minister of corrections. . . . Robyn Doolittle’s story is right here.
——

SUN FRONT: Game 2 btw #Sens & #Habs goes Friday. All we gotta say is HEADS UP, P.K. #ottnews #NHLPlayoffs #slashgate pic.twitter.com/qYJwF18yTL
— Ottawa Sun (@ottawasuncom) April 17, 2015

As Pierre LeBrun of ESPN notes in this piece right here, the NHL series between the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators already has degenerated into a “gong show,” and it's only one game old. . . . It could be that Ottawa F Chris Neil, who didn’t play in Game 1, will be doing his thing tonight in Game 2.
——
Just as things heat up in the NHL players and we are wondering if something might relieve the pressure, if only for a few minutes, along comes a video starring ESPN’s Britt McHenry. . . . If you haven’t seen it or read about what happened, well, it’s like something out of Dumb and Dumber and Dumbest. Seriously, you thought stuff like this only happened in Judd Apatow movies. . . . At one point, McHenry says to the attendant at a towing company’s lot: “Maybe if I was missing some teeth they would hire me, huh? . . I’m in television and you’re in a f------ trailer, honey.” . . . Sheesh, wouldn’t you think that someone who is in the TV business would realize that she just might be on camera in a place like that?
Richard Deitsch of SI.com has more right here.
———




The Seattle Thunderbirds have signed D Jarret Tyszka, who was the 16th overall selection in the 2014 bantam draft. From Langley, B.C., Tyszka played this season for the midget team at the Yale Hockey Academy, putting up 10 points, three of them goals, in 23 games.
—
F Tyler Jeanson of the MJHL-champion Portage Terriers has signed a letter of intent with the Colgate University Raiders. Jeanson, 17, was selected by the Kamloops Blazers in the ninth round of the 2012 bantam draft. The MJHL’s rookie of the year last season, he had 54 points, including 23 goals, in 56 regular-season games this season.
—
The Melfort Mustangs won the SJHL championship last night, beating the host Notre Dame Hounds 4-0 to win the series, 4-0. Trevor Blevins, the Mustangs’ head coach, is from Melfort. He was a player with the Mustangs when they last won the SJHL title, in 1996. . . . The Mustangs went 12-2 in their playoff run, with both losses coming in OT. . . . In the BCHL, the host Penticton Vees beat the Nanaimo Clippers 3-2 last night. The Vees take a 3-2 series lead into Nanaimo for Game 6 tonight. The Clippers had won Games 1 and 2, both in Penticton. . . . In the AJHL, the Spruce Grove Saints hold a 3-1 lead on the Brooks Bandits with Game 5 scheduled for Spruce Grove tonight. . . . Three teams — the host Fort McMurray Oil Barons, Melfort and the MJHL-champion Portage Terriers — now have spots in the Western Canada Cup. It runs in Fort McMurray, April 25 through May 3. The top two teams move on to the Royal Bank Cup, the national championship tournament. This year, it will be held in Portage la Prairie, Man.
———

I hear contract talks with Canes head coach and GM Peter Anholt are proceeding and they hope to have him signed soon.
— Dylan Purcell (@dylpurcell) April 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.

The Victoria Royals have signed D Isaac Schacher, who turned 18 on Feb. 7, and he made his debut in Wednesday’s 4-1 loss to the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound Schacher, from Kimberley, B.C., was pointless and plus-1 in his first game. He plays for the junior B Kimberley Dynamiters of the Kootenay International Junior League, for whom he has 36 points and 44 penalty minutes in 45 games.
———
After a 22-game absence, sophomore F Logan Nelson is scheduled to return to the Victoria Royals’ lineup tonight as they meet the Rebels in Red Deer. Nelson was out with an undisclosed injury that, according to Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times Colonist, “put him on crutches.” . . . Nelson, 19, has 31 points, including 23 assists, in 34 games.
———
F Gage Quinney, a list player from Las Vegas, is spending a few days with the Prince Albert Raiders. He has 40 points, 24 of them goals, in 37 games with the Las Vegas Storm of the U.S. U-18 Tier 1 Elite Midget Hockey League. . . . Quinney, 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, is the son of former WHLer Ken Quinney (Calgary, 1981-85), who now is a firefighter in Las Vegas.
———
A total of 34 folks from Prince Albert, all of them involved with the Raiders, civic politics or local businesses, toured Mosaic Place in Moose Jaw on Tuesday. . . . “We’re not going home and getting into a debate about whether we should build a hospital or a bridge or a rink,” Raiders president Dale McFee told the delegation, as quoted in a story by Perry Bergson of the Prince Albert Herald. “That’s not why we’re here … The last thing we want is to go home and start this debate with ‘We’re building a rink tomorrow’ and have everybody up in arms in Prince Albert. There’s a lot of homework that needs to be done. This is just step one.”
The Raiders’ home arena, the Art Hauser Centre, has 2,580 seats and standing room for 786. It is the smallest arena in the 60-team CHL.
Bob MacDonald, who is on the Raiders’ board, told Bergson that the team’s budget has gone from $1.2 million to $2.1 million in 10 years.
“We need revenues,” MacDonald told Bergson. “I think we’re going to find that there’s going to come a point and time when we can’t support a team in a 2,500-seat arena. The league is fine as long as we’re paying our bills.”
Bergson’s complete story is right here.
———
The matchups, if the WHL playoffs opened today:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Edmonton vs. Lethbridge
Prince Albert vs. Swift Current
Calgary vs. Medicine Hat
Saskatoon vs Red Deer

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Portland vs. Seattle
Kelowna vs. Everett
Kamloops vs. Tri-City
Victoria vs. Spokane
———
THURSDAY’S GAME:
In Kelowna, G Jackson Whistle stopped 20 shots and the Rockets three PP goals as they dumped the Everett Silvertips, 4-1. . . . The Rockets had beaten the Silvertips 3-2 in Everett on Sunday. . . . Were the playoffs to begin today, Kelowna and Everett would meet in the first round. . . . Whistle is 13-2-1, 2.01, .927 since being acquired from the Vancouver Giants. . . . F Ryan Olsen scored twice for the Rockets, giving him 30, and added an assist. . . . Kelowna captain Colton Sissons scored his 24th goal and added two helpers. . . . D Landon Oslanski scored for the Silvertips at 19:29 of the second period. However, the goal wasn’t awarded until after a lengthy video review following the end of the period. It was then determined that Oslanski’s shot had gone through the net’s mesh. . . . Everett has lost eight in a row. . . . The Rockets lead the B.C. Division by seven points over the Kamloops Blazers. The teams play tonight in Kamloops and Saturday in Kelowna.
---
CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None
---


From Saskatoon Blades F Logan Harland (@LoganHarland): “Well Dairy Queen Blizzard, looks like its just you and me this Valendines day :) but I’m okay with that because you’re so good it’s rDQlous!”


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.

Dale McFee, the president of the Prince Albert Raiders, is leaving that city in September and moving to Regina. McFee will retire as P.A.’s chief of police to become Saskatchewan’s deputy minister of corrections and policing. . . . McFee was a forward with the Raiders when they won the Memorial Cup in 1985. . . . McFee told Tyler Clarke of the Prince Albert Daily Herald that he will remain president of the Raiders for at least another year.
Clarke’s complete story is right here.
———
F Zach Hamill, who won the 2006-07 WHL scoring title with 93 points for the Everett Silvertips, was traded by the Boston Bruins to the Washington Capitals for F Chris Bourque on Saturday. . . . Hamill, 23, had 21 points in 41 games with the AHL’s Providence Bruins this season. . . . A pro for five seasons, he has four assists in 20 NHL games with Boston. . . . Bourque, the 26-year-old son of Hall of Fame D Ray Bourque, won the AHL scoring title this season, putting up 93 points in 73 games with the Hershey Bears.

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.

THE MacBETH REPORT:
Södertälje (Sweden, Allsvenskan) announced that D Jason Strudwick (Kamloops, 1993-1995) has informed the team he has retired from hockey. Strudwick had three goals and six assists in 29 games this season for Södertälje. . . .
F Todd Dutiaume (Brandon, 1991-94) signed a one-year contract extension as player/head coach of Fife Flyers (England, UK Elite). He had four goals and nine assists in 44 games for the Flyers this
season, their first in the UK Elite league. . . . Dutiaume just completed an especially horrible season — his wife, Kelly, 38, who was eight months pregnant with twins, died in late February after suffering a heart attack.
———
After the piece that appeared here this week on the retirement of Kelowna Rockets F Max Adolph due to post-concussion syndrome, a former WHL coach sent along an interesting email.
“Sad story but one that is being repeated far too often and don't get reported — unless YOU hear about them!
“Coincidentally, I was in a car accident in mid-April and suffered whiplash/concussion. I was stopped behind a van and and was rear-ended . . . driving me into the van ahead. . . .
“I am feeling lots better, but still going to physio and massage 3-4 times/week for 1.5-2 hours per time to improve my neck mobility. . . .
“I haven't been concussed since I finished playing in the mid-1980s. I had a few doozies and lots more minor bell ringers. Time tends to make one forget how you feel at the time — maybe it is a side effect of the concussions?
“All I know is it sure sucks sitting in a dark room . . . music, voices, loud sounds, certain lights, etc., set me off into brutal headaches (and I never get headaches!), dizziness, nausea! I couldn't even count to 10.
“Pretty sure the WHL would have considered me as having 'an upper body injury!'
“So as passionate as I was prior about fighting, stupid penalties (checking to the head) and the overall declining/complete absence of respect (behaviour reinforced by no penalties or mere slaps on the wrist and hidden as 'upper body injuries' by the WHL) . . . now I am really pissed! Nothing like experiencing a concussion (in an environment where I won't feel pressured to get back; like a young, impressionable kid trying to climb the ladder) to add further passion to my mandate.”
———
Drew Wilson, the veteran radio voice of the Prince Albert Raiders, filed an interesting piece to paNOW.ca earlier this week.
“The Prince Albert Raiders,” he writes, “could soon have substantial financial backing from a $1.5 million line of credit. The money is being offered by successful businessman and team Vice President Gord Broda.”
Wilson’s complete story is right here.
Broda is the president of Broda Construction. He also is the father of Joel Broda, who scored more than a few WHL goals with the Tri-City Americans, Moose Jaw Warriors and Calgary Hitmen (2004-10). Joel played this season with the AHL’s Houston Aeros.Anyway . . . Raiders president Dale McFee has told Wilson that the franchise will remain under its community ownership structure. McFee also said that the Raiders, who missed the playoffs this season, may break even on the season.
But when a community-owned and -operated team needs a $1.5-million line of credit as an insurance policy, alarm bells have to go off. After all, there isn’t any kind of expense cap in the WHL and, at least in some organizations, there doesn’t seem to be any desire to spend less money.
As time goes on, then, it is going to be really interesting to see how the small-market teams like the Raiders and Swift Current Broncos are able to survive.
Revenue-sharing anyone?
———
JUST NOTES:
A shoutout to Jason Berger, a former equipment manager with the Seattle Thunderbirds who now fills that role with the ECHL’s Florida Everblades. They won the Kelly Cup on Wednesday night. . . .
The OHL’s Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors are no more. The franchise, which changed hands earlier this month, now is known as the Mississauga Steelheads. Landmark Sport Group, under Elliott Kerr, held a name-the-team contest and Steelheads came up a winner. According to a news release, the new nickname is “in reference to the steelhead trout that inhabit the Credit River,” . . . There were more than 1,400 entries, with Hurricanes the runner-up. . . . Logo and colours are to be released later this summer. . . .
The Winnipeg Jets have decided not to sign D Kendall McFaull, the captain of the Moose Jaw Warriors. McFaull, who is heading into his 20-year-old season, was selected by the Atlanta Thrashers in the sixth round of the 2010 draft. The Thrashers, of course, moved to Winnipeg prior to this season. The Jets had until June 1 to sign McFaull. He now will go back into the NHL draft. . . .
The Prince George Cougars have signed F Zach Pochiro, 18, a Las Vegas native who played this season with the NAHL’s Wichita Falls Wildcats. The 6-foot-2, 165-pound Pochiro had 34 points, including 18 goals, and 154 penalty minutes in 52 games with the Wildcats. Interestingly, Cougars owner Rick Brodsky is the majority owner of the Wildcats. Pochiro is the first player to have played for the Wildcats to sign with the Cougars. . . . In 2010-11, Pochiro had 34 points in 31 games with the midget Los Angeles Jr. Kings. . . .
F Chris Wilkie, the son of former WHL D David Wilkie (Seattle, Kamloops, Regina, 1990-94), has committed to the U of North Dakota. Chris was a fourth-round selection by the Victoria Royals in the WHL’s 2011 bantam draft.
———
THE COACHING GAME:
The USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints are in the market for an assistant coach after Bobby Kinsella, who also worked as director of scouting, signed on with the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens as an amateur scout working out of Chicago. . . .
The University of Alberta Golden Bears are getting closer to hiring a head coach to replace interim coach Gord Marple, who now is the program’s general manager and assistant coach. . . . On Thursday, the selection committee interviewed Gord Thibodeau, the veteran GM and head coach of the Fort McMurray Oil Barons. . . . There has been speculation that Kris Knoblauch, like Thibodeau a former Golden Bears player, is in the mix but I have been told that is not the case. In fact, with interviews being conducted this week, Knoblauch apparently is visiting family in Saskatchewan. . . . Knoblauch, who just completed his second season as the Ice’s head coach, has a year left on his contract and I was told last night that president/GM Jeff Chynoweth has given him a one-year extension.

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.