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F Riley Holzapfel (Moose Jaw, 2004-08) has signed a one-year extension with the Vienna Capitals (Austria, Erset Bank Liga). Last season, he had a 22 goals and 31 assists in 54 games, leading the team in goals, assists and points in the regular season. In the playoffs, he had 12 goals and 11 assists in 12 games, leading all league scorers in goals and points. . . . Holzapfel won the Ron Kennedy Trophy as the league’s MVP. That trophy is named after a former Austrian national team head coach. Kennedy played (Estevan/New Westminster Bruins, 1970-73) and coached (Medicine Hat, 1988-90) in the WHL. Kennedy, who passed away on July 9, 2009 from cancer, was Austria’s head coach from 1996-2002. . . .
F Brady Ramsay (Lethbridge, 2010-14) has signed a one-year contract with the Sheffield Steelers (England, UK Elite). Last season, he had three goals and eight assists in 42 games with the Indy Fuel (ECHL).
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The Seattle Thunderbirds have signed D Ty Bauer to a WHL contract. Bauer, who is from Cochrane, Alta., was a second-round selection in the WHL’s 2017 bantam draft. Last season, with the bantam AAA Airdrie, Alta., Xtreme, he had three goals and 14 assists in 36 games.
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F Alex Swetlikoff, a third-round selection by the Seattle Thunderbirds in the WHL’s 2016 bantam draft, said Wednesday that he will attend the U of Denver and play for the Pioneers. Swetlikoff, who is from Kelowna, will turn 16 on July 6. Last season, he had 19 goals and 26 assists in 28 games with the Yale Hockey Academy’s prep team in Abbotsford, B.C.
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The WHL released its 2017-18 exhibition schedule on Wednesday. It begins on Aug. 29 when the Swift Current Broncos visit the Moose Jaw Warriors. The WHL’s release and the schedule are right here. . . . According to the WHL, it will release its regular-season schedule later this month.
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F Thomas Foster, who played five WHL seasons, will attend UBC and play for the Thunderbirds in 2017-18. Foster, 21, played most of his WHL career (2012-17) with the Vancouver Giants, who dealt him to the Moose Jaw Warriors last season. In 289 regular-season games, he had 53 goals and 93 assists. Last season, the native of Slave Lake, Alta., had 21 goals and 27 assists in 68 games.
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Former WHL D Bryan McCabe has been promoted by the NHL’s Florida Panthers to director of player personnel. He had been director of player development. McCabe, 42, played in 1,135 NHL games after having played four seasons (1991-95) with the Medicine Hat Tigers, Spokane Chiefs and Brandon Wheat Kings.
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If Don Matthews wasn’t the best defensive co-ordinator and/or head coach in CFL history, he certainly is in the conversation. Matthews died on Wednesday at the age of 77 after a lengthy illness. He truly was one of the great characters in CFL history. I was at the Regina Leader-Post while Matthews was the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ head coach, so got to sit through a number of his news conference. At the time, Darrell Davis was on the CFL beat at The Leader-Post; he remembers Matthews, on and off the field, in a wonderful piece that is right here.
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The OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs have added Dave Matsos to their staff as an associate coach. He spent the last four years with the Sudbury Wolves, the last two-and-a-half as head coach. Matsos, 43, also has been an assistant coach for three seasons with the Windsor Spitfires. Earlier, he guided England’s Sheffield Steelers to three straight EIHL championships. . . . In Hamilton, he will work alongside head coach John Gruden.
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The OHL’s Kitchener Rangers have signed Andreas Karlsson as an assistant coach, after announcing that associate coach Jason Fortier’s contract won’t be renewed. Karlsson spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach with the York U Lions. Prior to that, he was the head coach of Frölunda HC J20 in Sweden’s top junior league. A sixth-round pick by the Calgary Flames in the NHL’s 1993 draft, Karlsson enjoyed a 19-year pro career that included stints with the Atlanta Thrashers and Tampa Bay Lightning. . . . In Kitchener, he will work alongside head coach Jay McKee and assistant coach Matthew Barnaby.
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That moment when Joe Hicketts decides it would be a good idea to put the octopi on his head. @griffinshockey Calder Cup Champs #news8 pic.twitter.com/vYhshzZ9Az— Larry Figurski (@larryfigurski) June 14, 2017
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D Juraj Valach (Tri-City, Vancouver, Regina, Red Deer, 2006-08) signed a one-year contract with Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, KHL). He had been on a tryout with Medveščak Zagreb (Croatia, KHL). Last season, with Slavia Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he had six goals and seven assists in 43 games. . . .
F Edgars Kulda (Edmonton, 2012-15) signed a one-year contract with Dinamo Riga (Latvia, KHL) after a successful tryout. Last season, with the Edmonton Oil Kings, he had 13 goals and 17 assists in 47 games. On Thursday, he played in a 3-1 exhibition game victory over Lada Togliatti. He was on the first line with Lauris Dārziņš (Kelowna, 2004-06) and ex-NJ Devils C Tim Sestito.
— Latvian Rodrigo Abols and Swede Carl Ericson — are forwards. . . . Abols, 19, had 38 points, 20 of them goals, in 35 games last season with HK Riga of the Molodezhnaya Hockey League. He also got into 15 games with Dinamo Riga of the KHL, putting up a goal and four assists. He also played for Latvia at the IIHF World championship. . . . Ericson, 19, had 42 points, including 16 goals, in 43 games with Leksand’s U-20 side. He also got into 11 games with the Leksand team in the SHL, a Swedish pro league. . . . The Winterhawks may lose their top three scorers from last season — Oliver Bjorkstrand, Nic Petan and Chase De Leo — which means Abols and Ericson will be looked to for some offence. The Winterhawks will be wanting both to be in their top six forwards.
Meanwhile, Vojtech Budik tweeted on Monday afternoon: “Next season I will play for @PARaidersHockey.” . . . Budik, a 17-year-old defenceman, is from Czech Republic. He was selected by the Raiders in the CHL’s 2015 import draft. . . . Last season, he had 12 points, including three goals, in 12 games with the Czech U-18 team, and added five assists in 19 games with the Czech U-20 side.
If you are a Brandon Wheat Kings fan living in Manitoba, you are able to purchase a specialty license plate that salutes your favourite team. Brian Smiley, a spokesman with Manitoba Public Insurance, has told Brandon radio station CKLQ that almost 800 Manitoba motorists have purchased the plates, which go for $70 apiece. . . . CKLQ reports that “part of the proceeds from Wheat Kings plates go towards supporting the Brandon Humane Society.”
down to a short list of three candidates. . . . DeGray is looking to replace Greg Ireland, who resigned earlier this month and now is the head coach of Adler Mannheim in Germany. . . . DeGray told Bill Walker of the Owen Sound Sun Times that he heard from more than 60 applicants. . . . DeGray hopes to have a coach in place before Aug. 6. He is managing Canada’s U-18 team that leaves then for Europe and the Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament. . . . DeGray also told Walker that “I don't hire friends . . . I would prefer to keep friendships than to have to fire a coach and lose a friend. There are lots of qualified guys out there.” . . . Walker’s complete story is 
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