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F Roman Tvrdoň (Spokane, 1999-2001) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Landshut (Germany, Oberliga). Last season, with Piešťany (Slovakia, Extraliga), he had three goals and four assists in 27 games. . . .
F Eric Johansson (Tri-City, 1997-2002) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Herning (Denmark, Metal Ligaen). Last season, he had seven goals and 19 assists in 23 games with Riessersee Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany, DEL2). . . .
D David Hájek (Spokane, 1998-99) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Weiden (Germany, Oberliga). Last season, he had three goals and one assist with Heilbronner Falken (Germany, DEL2).
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The NHL’s New York Islanders returned F Mathew Barzal, 19, to the Seattle Thunderbirds on Wednesday. Barzal, the 16th overall selection in the 2015 NHL draft, had played in only two of the
Islanders’ first 13 games this season, seeing a grand total of 19 minutes 30 seconds in ice time. Last week, he was said to be battling strep throat.
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| MATHEW BARZAL |
Barzal will be playing in his fourth WHL season. He put up 88 points, including 27 goals, in 58 games last season.
The Thunderbirds next play Friday in Kent, Wash., against the Calgary Hitmen.
Barzal’s return will give Seattle head coach Steve Konowalchuk the option to reunite one of the WHL’s top lines pf last season — Barzal between Ryan Gropp and Keegan Kolesar. However, that may not happen until some time in January.
Kolesar had surgery to repair a supraumbilical hernia while with the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets and isn’t expected back for another week or two.
Meanwhile, Barzal is certain to be invited to attend the Canadian national junior team’s selection camp. That list is to be released on Nov. 29. Should Barzal be on Team Canada’s final roster, he would be lost to the Thunderbirds until after the 2017 World Junior Championship, which is to conclude on Jan. 5.
Barzal had two goals and an assist for Canada at the 2016 WJC.
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| KOLE GABLE |
The Swift Current Broncos have acquired F Kole Gable, 18, from the Edmonton Oil Kings for a conditional seventh-round selection in the 2018 WHL bantam draft. . . . Gable, from Fort McMurray, Alta., had six goals and five assists in 53 games as a freshman last season. This season, he has one goal in eight games. . . . The 5-foot-10, 170-pounder was a ninth-round selection by Edmonton in the 2013 bantam draft. . . . In 2014-15, Gable had 22 goals and 22 assists for the midget AAA Fort Saskatchewan Rangers. . . . “We have injuries and a stretch of games against divisional rivals. We can’t afford to be short any bodies,” Manny Viveiros, the Broncos‘ director of player personnel and head coach, said in a news release. “We’re really ecstatic that we have a young man here who could be a two-and-a-half year player that we didn’t have to give up any players or prospects for.”
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The Oshawa Express is reporting that there are three teams left in contention to play host to the 2018 Memorial Cup, which will be mark the 100th anniversary of the trophy. Joel Wittnebel of the Express writes that “according to sources, (the) list now has been narrowed down to three possible host teams who have submitted bids: the Hamilton Bulldogs, Regina Pats and Oshawa Generals.” . . . RoccoTullio, the Generals’ owner, said: “That’s what we’ve been told.” . . . Wittnebel’s story is right here. . . . The Pats are the oldest junior hockey team in North America; they will mark their 100th season in 2017-18. However, they are embroiled in nasty negotiations on a new lease, something that may well end up knocking the city out of the bidding.
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The BCHL’s Salmon Arm Silverbacks fired head coach Brandon West on Wednesday. Troy Mick, the franchise’s president and general manager, made the announcement. . . . West was in his fifth season with the organization, the third as head coach. The Silverbacks were 91-83-20, with eight ties, under West. This season, the Silverbacks are 8-14-0, good for sixth in the six-team Interior Division. They are three points out of fifth place and four out of third. . . . Assistant coaches Brooks Christensen and Darrell Hay are running things on an interim basis while a search continues for a new head coach. . . . Last season, the Silverbacks finished 29-20-5-4. They wound up third in the division and made the playoffs for the first time since 2012-13. . . . On June 6, West was signed to a contract extension, the duration of which wasn’t revealed.
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The SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers have added Mat Hehr to their staff as an assistant coach. He had been the assistant general manager and associate coach with the SJHL’s La Ronge Ice Wolves before leaving following the firing of GM/head coach Shawn Martin last month. . . . With the Terriers, Hehr will work alongside GM/head coach Casey O’Brien.
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JUST NOTES:
The Edmonton Oil Kings, who are at home to the Saskatoon Blades tonight, have brought in G Boston Bilous, 15, from the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds of the B.C. Major Midget League. A native of Langley, B.C., he was a fourth-round selection in the 2016 bantam draft. . . . As a 15-year-old, Bilous is eligible to play five WHL games before theThunderbirds’ season concludes. The Oil Kings have two other goaltenders — veteran Patrick Dea, 19, and freshman Liam Hughes, 17 — on their roster. . . .
The Swift Current Broncos will be without freshman F Riley Stotts, 16, for up to six weeks. Stotts, the 10th overall selection in the 2015 bantam draft, had his skates off in the Canada Red dressing room during last week’s U-17 World Hockey Challenge when he was stepped on by a teammate. The resulting damage to one foot has put Stotts on the shelf. He has four goals in 12 games this season. . . .
Last week, a Vancouver radio station (News 1130 Sports) reported that D Tyler Brown had left the Vancouver Giants. The roster report released this week by the WHL lists Brown as having retired. . . . Brown, from East Olympia, Wash., was a fifth-round pick by the Moose Jaw Warriors in the 2012 bantam draft. This season, he had two assists in 16 games with the Giants, who acquired him from Moose Jaw last season. . . . In 167 career regular-season games, he has three goals and 27 assists.
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First Taco Tuesday of the season! 21 players and 13 pounds of meat! @iverke @keoni_texeira @coltonveloso17 pic.twitter.com/h1JmPBtXr4— Teresa Forni (@teresaforni) November 9, 2016
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):
No Games Scheduled.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES (all times local):
Saskatoon at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Regina at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Prince George vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7 p.m.
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organization in Austria. Thankful for the opportunity. All glory to Jesus #RedBull”
The Saskatoon Blades have added Cody Nickolet to their scouting staff. This is an excellent more for the Blades and, of course, for Nickolet, but likely not for WHL fans.
The Portland Winterhawks received an enormous boost on Friday with the news that D Jack Dougherty, 19, had signed with the NHL’s Nashville Predators. Dougherty, a second-round pick by Nashville in the NHL’s 2014 draft, played last season with the U of Wisconsin Badgers.
In Moose Jaw, the Warriors scored five goals on eight second-period shots as they beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 8-2. . . . F Jesse Shynkaruk scored three times for the Warriors, giving him six this season. He’s got five goals in 18 games since being acquired from the Kamloops Blazers. . . . F Tanner Eberle added two goals for Moose Jaw, giving him 23, while F Jack Rodewald scored his 19th goal and had two assists. . . . After a scoreless first period, the Warriors scored four times in a span of 8:21 in the second. . . . Warriors G Zach Sawchenko stopped 25 shots. . . . The Warriors were 2-for-3 on the PP; the Raiders were 0-for-4. . . . Prince Albert is without D Tomas Andrlik, who suffered an ankle injury while playing with his billets on an outdoor rink. . . . The Warriors (16-20-4) snapped a seven-game (0-6-1) losing skid. . . . The Raiders (16-23-1) have lost five in a row, scoring only six goals in the process. . . . The Warriors are fourth in the East Division, three points clear of the Raiders. Moose Jaw is six points behind the third-place Swift Current Broncos and seven points out of a wild-card spot. . . . 
In Saskatoon, F Kohl Bauml scored twice to lead the Everett Silvertips to a 6-2 victory over the Blades. . . . Everett is 2-0-0 on its six-game East Division swing. . . . F Sam McKechnie got Saskatoon on the board first, with his 14th goal, on a PP, at 6:54 of the first period. . . . The Silvertips scored the game’s next five goals. . . . Bauml, who is from Saskatoon, has 17 goals. He tied the game at 8:17 of the first and gave his guys the lead 28 seconds into the second on a PP. . . . Everett F Nikita Scherback, who was acquired from Saskatoon early in the season, had two assists. . . . Saskatoon G Nik Amundrud, who began the season with Everett, gave up five goals on 20 shots before being replaced by Trevor Martin at 9:16 of the second. . . . Everett D Noah Juulsen also had two assists. . . . Everett G Carter Hart stopped 26 shots in winning for the second time in as many nights. . . . Saskatoon F Garrett Armour was given a charging major and game misconduct at 9:48 of the second period. . . . Everett was 3-for-4 on the PP; Saskatoon was 2-for-3. . . . The Silvertips now are 23-11-4. . . . The Blades (9-28-3) have lost three in a row. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has a game story 
In Brandon, F Morgan Klimchuk broke a 4-4 tie at 5:43 of the third period and the Wheat Kings went on to a 7-4 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Klimchuk, who also had an assist, scored his 15th goal in his first game with his new team. He was acquired from the Regina Pats on Friday. . . . Calgary F Jody Stallard, who is from Brandon, gave the Hitmen a 3-1 lead with his fourth goal at 7:01 of the second. . . . The Wheat Kings took a 4-3 lead on goals from F Rihards Bukarts, his 14th, F Nolan Patrick, his 17th, and F Jayce Hawryluk, his 17th, in a span of 3:34 late in the period. . . . Calgary D Michael Zipp scored his second goal of the game, and sixth of the season, at 4:05 of the third to tie it at 4. . . . Patrick also had two assists, while Hawryluk finished with two goals and an assist. He added one of Brandon’s two empty-net goals. F Tim McGauley got the other, his 25th goal this season. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pilon had three assists and was plus-4; D Macoy Erkamps had one assist and also was plus-4. . . . The Wheat Kings (29-7-4) have points in 10 straight (8-0-2). . . . The Hitmen, who play in Regina tonight, are 20-15-3. . . . Calgary, Kootenay and Edmonton are tied for third place in the Central Division. . . . Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun has a game story 
In Edmonton, F Davis Koch broke a 1-1 tie at 14:00 of the second period as the Oil Kings beat the Kootenay Ice, 3-1. . . . Koch has two goals this season. . . . Edmonton F Brett Pollock opened the scoring at 10:16 of the first, scoring his 17th on a PP. That was Edmonton’s first PP goal in five games. . . . The Ice tied it on F Matt Alfaro’s sixth goal at 10:12 of the second. . . . Edmonton F Lane Bauer got his 11th goal into an empty net at 19:18 of the third. . . . The Ice was 0-for-7 on the PP; the Oil Kings were 1-for-3. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry stopped 32 shots, three more than Kootenay’s Wyatt Hoflin. . . . The Oil Kings were able to dress only 10 forwards, and only four of those are veterans of the Memorial Cup-championship team. . . . The Oil Kings (19-16-5) have won three in a row. The victory allowed them to pull into a tie for third in the Central Division with Kootenay and Calgary. . . . The Ice (21-18-1) had points in each of its previous seven games (6-0-1). . . . Prior to the game, the Ice announced that D Tanner Lishchynsky will stay with the team for the remainder of the season. He went into last night with two assists in four games. A Saskatoon native, he had been with the SJHL’s Flin Flon Bombers. Lishchynsky, who turns 20 on Monday, was a 10th-round pick by the Vancouver Giants in the 2010 bantam draft. . . . 
In Lethbridge, D Brett Cote scored in the sixth round of the shootout to give the Red Deer Rebels a 3-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Lethbridge F Ryley Lindgren and Red Deer F Brooks Maxwell also scored in the shootout. . . . Red Deer F Preston Kopeck forced OT with his 10th goal at 18:09 of the third period. . . . The Hurricanes took a 2-0 lead into the second on goals by F Miles Warkentine, his second, and F Tyler Cooper, his 12th. . . . Red Deer D Nelson Nogier scored his second goal of the season at 17:53 of the second. . . . Lethbridge G Stuart Skinner stopped 36 shots, five more than Red Deer’s Taz Burman. . . . The Rebels improved to 21-14-5 and remain second in the Central Division. . . . The Hurricanes (9-23-6) have lost four straight. . . . 
In Medicine Hat, G Marek Langhamer turned aside 46 shots, including 25 in the third period, to lead the Tigers to a 2-1 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Tigers F Chad Butcher returned from injury to score his 12th goal of the season at 7:11 of the second period. He hadn’t played since Dec. 7, missing seven games with a concussion. . . . Tigers F Curtis Sanford notched his 31st at 7:36 of the third. . . . Broncos F Zac Mackay scored his fourth goal, shorthanded, at 10:45 of the third. . . . Broncos G Landon Bow stopped 30 shots. . . . Each team was 0-for-2 on the PP. . . . Tigers F Trevor Cox, who leads the WHL with 65 points, had one assist. . . . The Tigers (27-9-2) have won three straight. . . . The Broncos (19-17-4) have lost two in a row. . . . 
In Kamloops, the Blazers scored twice in a shootout and beat the Vancouver Giants, 3-2. . . . F Deven Sideroff got the winner in the fourth round, after teammate Jake Kryski and Vancouver F Jackson Houck had earlier shootout goals. . . . Vancouver D Josh Thrower’s third goal of the season, at 16:15 of the third period, forced OT. . . . Kamloops F Matt Revel had broken a 1-1 tie with his 14th goal at 9:04 of the third. . . . Kamloops F Deven Sideroff opened the scoring, with his 14th, at 7:17 of the first. . . . Vancouver D Anwar Atwal scored his fifth at 18:41 of the first. . . . Kamloops G Connor Ingram stopped 43 shots, while Vancouver’s Cody Porter turned aside 32. . . . Referees Kevin Bennett and Mike Langin officiated a penalty-free game. . . . Kamloops F Matt Needham picked up his 100th career assist on the game’s first goal. . . . Among the Blazers’ scratches were two of their 20-year-olds, D Brady Gaudet, who is injured, and F Mike Winther, who hasn’t scored since Nov. 19. . . . D Conner McDonald, a second-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft, made his WHL with the Blazers. . . . Kamloops (14-23-5) had lost its previous five games. . . . The Giants (18-19-2) had won their previous two games. . . . The loser point allowed Vancouver to pull into a tie with Prince George for third in the B.C. Division. They are five points ahead of Kamloops. . . . Kamloops F Luke Harrison wasn’t suspended by the WHL after taking a charging major and game misconduct in the third period of a 6-4 loss to the visiting Kelowna Rockets on Friday night. . . . 
In Victoria, F Austin Carroll broke a 2-2 tie at 11:57 of the second period and the Royals went on to a 4-2 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Royals had beaten the visiting Chiefs 8-1 on Friday night. . . . Carroll has 26 goals. . . . Spokane F Kailer Yamamoto’s 16th goal, at 19:30 of the first, on a PP, gave his guys a 2-1 lead. . . . Victoria D Travis Brown tied it with his 15th at 8:49 of the second. . . . Royals F Tyler Soy scored his 13th into an empty net at 19:14 of the third. . . . Spokane F Adam Helewka got his 20th goal of the season. . . . The Royals (20-18-3) have won three in a row. . . . The Chiefs (21-14-3) have lost two straight. . . . The Royals beat the Chiefs 8-1 on Friday night. . . . 
In Kelowna, F Tomas Soustal scored his first goal since Nov. 15 and it stood up as the winner as the Rockets beat the Prince George Cougars, 4-3. . . . Soustal, a Czech freshman, has six goals. He had gone 17 games without a goal. . . . Soustal’s goal, at 12:14 of the third period on a PP, gave the Rockets a 4-2 lead. . . . Cougars F Cal Babych got his fourth goal at 13:35. . . . Kelowna F Nick Merkley had a goal, his 13th, and an assist as he reached 61 points, four off the league lead. . . . Prince George F Brad Morrison had three assists. . . . The Rockets (31-6-3) have won two in a row. . . . The Cougars (19-21-0) have lost two in a row. . . . F Ethan O’Rourke, a 15-year-old from Penticton, made his WHL debut with the Cougars. He was a third-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft and now plays for the Okanagan Hockey Academy.
The Kamloops Blazers might be without two veteran defencemen when they play host to the Spokane Chiefs on Friday. The Blazers had neither Josh Connolly nor Brady Gaudet in their lineup on Saturday when they lost 4-3 in OT to the Winterhawks in Portland. . . . Both defenders sat out with undisclosed injuries. . . . Kamloops will have F Jake Kryski, 16, back in its lineup as he has returned from the U-17 World Hockey Challenge. He's got 11 points, including five goals, in 16 games. In Kryski's last game, the Blazers beat the host Tri-City Americans, 2-0. Since then, the Blazers are 0-3-2. . . .
D Evan Wardley of the Seattle Thunderbirds is awaiting word from the WHL office on what will be his second suspension in less than a month. Wardley was hit with a seven-game suspension for a headshot major during a game against the Winterhawks in Portland on Oct. 11. On Saturday, Wardley was ejected from a game in Saskatoon with the Blades for a checking-from-behind incident. . . . The Thunderbirds are 1-1-0 on an East Division swing that continues Wednesday in Moose Jaw. . . .
The Red Deer Rebels have released F Cole Chorney, 18, who is expected to play in the AJHL. Chorney, from Beaumont, Alta., had 11 points, including six goals, in 58 games with the Rebels last season. This season, he had one assist in six games as he had trouble getting into the lineup. . . .
On the weekend, Cody Nickolet tweeted: “Mathew Barzal roaming around on crutches. Have heard the diagnosis of ‘a couple of weeks’ is very optimistic. Tough news if that's true.” . . . Barzal was the No. 1 selection by the Seattle Thunderbirds in the WHL’s 2012 bantam draft. . . . If what Nickolet heard is correct, you have to wonder if Barzal will be back before Christmas. The Thunderbirds have four games left on an East Division tour that continues Wednesday in Moose Jaw. All told, Seattle has 15 games remaining before the 10-day Christmas break, with eight of those at home and eight of them inside the U.S. Division. . . . Barzal has 18 points, including seven goals, in 16 games. Last season, his first in the WHL, he had 54 points, 14 of them goals, in 59 games. . . . Meanwhile, the Thunderbirds should have D Shea Theodore, 19, back in their lineup on Wednesday in Moose Jaw. He was returned to them by the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks over the weekend. Theodore played five games with the Ducks’ AHL affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals, scoring three times and adding two assists. . . . He played for the WHL in the Super Series game last night in Saskatoon. . . .
Former WHL D Wil Tomchuk, 20, is back with the AJHL’s Fort McMurray Oil Barons. Tomchuk was released last week when the Prince George Cougars acquired G Jared Rathjen, 20, from the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The Oil Barons were at the maximum of six 20-year-olds and to make room for Tomchuk they dealt G Jesse Gordichuk to the Olds Grizzlys. Gordichuk had requested a trade -- see, it doesn’t only happen in the WHL! . . . Tomchuk played with the Oil Barons in 2011-12 before moving on to the Tri-City Americans and then to Prince George. . . .
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