Michaud leaves Rockets for Vees . . . Oilers make changes . . . Border Bruins have new coach

D Jesse Dudas (Lethbridge, Prince George, Swift Current, Regina, 2003-09) signed a one-year extension with Miskolci Jegesmedvék (Hungary, MOL Liga). Last season, in 34 games, he had 11 goals and 32 assists. This spring, he had a tryout with TPS Turku (Finland, Liiga). . . .
G Mark Guggenberger (Portland, Swift Current, Kelowna, 2007-10) signed a one-year contract with Miskolci Jegesmedvék (Hungary, MOL Liga). Last season, with the Gwinnett Gladiators (ECHL), he was 3.46 and .893 in 23 games. In two games with the Fort Wayne Komets (ECHL), he was 1.95, .905. This summer, he is playing with the Perth Thunder (Australia, AIHL). In seven games, he is 5-2-0, 3.29, .909.
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David Michaud is leaving the Okanagan Rockets after five years as their general manager. The Rockets play in the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League. Michaud has signed on with the BCHL’s Penticton Vees, as their director of player development and corporate sales. . . . Michaud had been with the Rockets since 2010 and helped turn the organization into on of the best in the BCMML. The Rockets was the league championship in 2013-14 and went on to finish third at the Telus Cup tournament.
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The Edmonton Oilers fired amateur scouts Brad Davis and Kent Hawley on Saturday, at the same time they moved out Stu MacGregor, their head amateur scout, and Morey Gare, their head pro scout. . . . Davis is a former WHL on-ice official whose late father, Lorne, was a long-time scout with the Oilers. . . . Mark Spector of Sportsnet points out that Lorne joined the Oilers in 1980, “so this will be the first time in 35 years that a Davis won’t sit at Edmonton’s draft table.“ . . . Edmonton’s moves come just prior to the two-day NHL draft that begins Friday in Sunrise, Fla. . . . The Oilers hold the first oveall selection and will take F Connor McDavid from the OHL’s Erie Otters. . . . Joanne Ireland of the Edmonton Journal has more right here.
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Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada takes a look at all kinds NHL trade rumours in his latest 30 Thoughts. It’s right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:

Emery Olauson is the new head coach of the junior B Grand Forks, B.C., Border Bruins of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. Olauson, 33, is from Canmore, Alta. He spent last season as head coach of the SPHL’s Fayetteville FireAntz, who let him go in April. He took over the FireAntz during the 2013-14 season, going 7-15-2. Last season, the FireAntz were 21-27-8. . . . Prior to joining the FireAntz, he was an assistant coach with the SJHL’s Flin Flon Bombers.
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THE CONCUSSION REPORT:

Curtis Baushke thought he might have chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and, in death, he was found to have been current. He was a soccer player. He was 19 years of age when he figured out that he might have CTE. He was 24 when he died. . . . Dan Barry of The New York Times has his story right here.
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Re golf. Can someone pls invent TV technology that filters out fans yelling "get in the hole". It just never ends & it's never been clever.

— Dan Russell (@DanRussellST) June 22, 2015

Why doesn't the #USGA & #PGA hire that @DollarShaveClub blow dart guy to take out every 'get in the hole' 'mashed potatoes' assclown.

— Daryl Reaugh (@Razor5Hole) June 22, 2015

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The Everett Silvertips have acquired F Luke Gordon, 18, from the Calgary Hitmen for D Darian Henry, 17. . . . Gordon, from Terrace. B.C., had 33 points and 24 penalty minutes in 49 games with the BCHL's Nanaimo Clippers last season. Over the last two seasons, Gordon has plaed three games with the Hitmen. . . . Henry, from Strathmore, Alta., was a seventh-round pick by Everett in the 2009 bantam draft. He played 16 games with Everett last season, picking up an assist and 28 penalty minutes. He had three points and 62 penalty minutes in 16 games with the AJHL's Drumheller Dragons.
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Andy Schneider has left his role as an assistant coach with the Swift Current Broncos to join the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets as a scout. Schneider, 40, a former Broncos player, joined GM/head coach Mark Lamb's staff prior to last season. Schneider played four seasons (1989-93) with the Broncos, putting up 367 points in 309 games. While with the Broncos, one of his teammates was Tyler Wright, who now is the Blue Jackets’ director of amateur scouting and development coach.
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A reader of this blog mentioned having seen a story in the Moose Jaw Times-Herald about the impending demolition of the Crushed Can (aka Civic Centre).
Yes, it’s true.
According to the Times-Herald, fences will go up around the Crushed Can in the next few days. Equipment to be used in the demolition will show up next week.
And, if all goes according to plan, the 53-year-old Crushed Can will begin to tumble on July 30.
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Leesa Culp, one of the co-authors of the book Sudden Death: The Incredible Saga of the 1986 Swift Current Broncos, the cover for which is over there on the right, did up a trailer for our work and posted it on the Internet. . . . The good folks at 49thshelf.com saw it and listed it under the headline ‘The Best Book Trailers We’ve Seen Lately.’ . . . If you haven’t seen it, click right here. Our trailer is the fifth one down. . . . And don’t forget that you are able to order the book from either of the two links shown with the cover. If you are waiting for it to appear in stores, it is scheduled to hit shelves on Nov. 10.
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Adam Proteau of The Hockey News takes a look at the Shea Weber situation right here and hits the nail squarely on the head as he explains why the likes of Ed Snider and Craig Leipold, owners of the Philadelphia Flyers and Minnesota Wild, respectively, are “such monstrous hypocrites when it comes to collective bargaining negotiations.”
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Nick Deschenes is the new general manager and head coach of the junior B Grand Forks, B.C., Border Bruins, who play in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. Deschenes spent six seasons playing in Europe, before returning to North Americans. Last season, he was team captain and assistant coach with the Federal league’s Danbury Whalers. . . . Deschenes signed a two-year contract with the Border Bruins. . . . He will take over from assistant Matt Zamec, who coached the team following the the dismissal of head coach Brent Batten in November. The Border Bruins were 1-49-0-2 last season, with the 0 being ties.
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The NHL’s Minnesota Wild have signed D Mathew Dumba, the seventh overall pick in the NHL’s 2012 draft, to a three-year entry-level contract. Dumba, who turns 18 on Wednesday, played the last two seasons with the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels. He had 57 points, including 20 goals, in 69 games with the Rebels last season. He led all WHL defenceman in goals. . . . Because of his age, Dumba, who is from Calgary, will have to returned to the Rebels unless he earns a spot on the Wild’s roster.
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David Michaud, who is no stranger to arenas in the B.C. Interior, has joined the Portland Winterhawks’ scouting staff. Michaud also is the general manager of the B.C. Major Midget League’s Kelowna-based Okanagan Rockets.

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The Spokane Chiefs and Prince Albert Raiders got the annual post-Christmas feeding frenzy started on Wednesday morning. Yes, the Jan. 10 trade deadline is fast approaching.
Obviously unhappy with their goaltending, the Chiefs dealt F Anthony Bardaro, 19, who was their leading scorer, G Luke Lee-Knight, 18, and a 2012 fifth-round bantam draft pick to the Raiders for G Eric Williams, 18, and F Todd Fiddler, 18.
(The fifth-round pick had been acquired from the Raiders in September when the Chiefs sent D Tyler Vanscourt to Prince Albert for Lee-Knight.)“Quite simply we needed to strengthen our goaltending,” Spokane GM Tim Speltz told Dave Trimmer of the Spokane Spokesman-Review. “And we needed to change the team. There wasn’t any question about that.”
Williams, a fourth-round round pick in the 2008 bantam draft from Langley, B.C., was the key to this deal going through. He is 8-15-3, 3.86, .884 this season, his second with the Raiders. Last season, he went 17-17-2, 3.71, .898.
Fiddler, a third-round pick of the Medicine Hat Tigers in 2008, had 38 points, including 23 goals, as a freshman last season. This season, Fiddler, who is from Meadow Lake, Sask., has 10 points, including four goals, in 35 games. However, he has only three points in his last 17 games.
Bardaro, from Delta, B.C., led the Chiefs in goals (18) and points (37), having played in 29 games. He is in his third full WHL season. Bardaro was scratched just prior to the Chiefs’ 4-1 victory over the Rockets in Kelowna on Tuesday night, indicating that the deal may have been done at that point.
“We’re trading a proven scorer in Anthony, but not a guy we were having success with as a proven scorer,” Speltz told Rimmer. “We felt needed to change things. (Fiddler) hasn’t gotten off the mark. We’re hoping the change will help him.”
Lee-Knight, a Calgarian, is 2-0-2, 2.91, .868 in nine games. He was dealt to the Chiefs on Sept. 15 for Vanscourt.
The Chiefs are trying to get back in the chase in the Western Conference. They have games in hand on the four teams ahead of them but are eight points behind the fourth-place Portland Winterhawks. Spokane, a team that has to work hard to score, needs better goaltending than it has been getting. Mac Engel has been the starter and two of his numbers – 2.83, 14-11-3 – aren’t bad. But his save percentage (.884) isn’t what it needs to be.
The Chiefs are a better defensive team than the Raiders, so Spokane’s management must feel that Williams will have better numbers there.
The Raiders, who have been getting some solid work from G Cole Holowenko, obviously felt they could give up some goaltending in order to add even more offence.
Still, Prince Albert, which has won four straight, is tied for 11^th in the 12-team Eastern Conference, eight points out of the last playoff spot.
The Raiders, who have won four in a row, are at home to the Saskatoon Blades tonight; the Chiefs meet the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook on Friday.
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After the deal was announced, Williams tweeted:
“Would like to thank
@PARaidersHockey for a great experience and all the fans for their support! Going to miss #hockeytownnorth”
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You may have noticed that D Tanner Mort was back in the Spokane lineup on Tuesday night in Kelowna. Having requested a trade, he hadn’t played since Dec. 2. However, the two parties ironed out their differences over the Christmas break and the 18-year-old from Post Falls, Idaho, has rejoined the team.
Unfortunately, he suffered a shoulder injury in the third period on Tuesday and is out indefinitey.
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The Prince Albert Raiders have added D Matt Waseylenko, 18, to their roster. In fact, he played his first game Tuesday as the Raiders scored a 3-2 shootout victory over the Broncos in Swift Current.
Waseylenko had been with the AJHL’s Camrose Kodiaks, putting up five assists and 23 penalty minutes in 27 games. A native of St. Albert, Alta., he was a fifth-round selection by the Raiders in he 2008 bantam draft.
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At the U-17 World Hockey Challenge, Team Pacific scored a 4-1 tuneup victory over Sweden on Wednesday. Assistant manager David Michaud reports that TP goals came from Jaedon Descheneau (Kootenay), Curtis Lazar (Edmonton), Torrin White (Moose Jaw) and Josh Morrissey (Prince Albert). White also had an assist. . . . G Eric Comrie (Tri-City) stopped 16 of 17 shots in the first half, with Tristan Jarry (Edmonton) coming on to stop all 24 shots he faced. . . . Each team was 1-5 on the PP.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
In Brandon, D Ryley Miller scored at 1:23 of OT to give the Wheat Kings a 3-2 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . It was the third goal of Miller’s career. . . . He has three goals in 33 games this season, after not scoring in the first 136 games of his career. . . . Regina F Lane Scheidl had forced OT when he scored with 4:09 left in the third. . . . F Brendan Walker had given Brandon a 2-0 lead with his 14^th and 15^th goals, both in the first period and both on the PP. . . . Scheidl scored both Regina goals, giving him 13. . . . Walker also assist on Miller’s winner. . . . F Michael Ferland had three assists for Brandon. . . . F Tyrel Seaman (concussion) was back in Brandon’s lineup for the first time since Nov. 25. . . .
In Everett, F Luke Lockhart scored the only shootout goal as the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Silvertips, 4-3. . . . Everett is 1-7 in shootouts, including a 2-1 loss to Seattle in Kent, Wash., on Tuesday. . . . Everett trailed 3-1 in the second period before F Ryan Harrison scored twice, getting his ninth at 12:58 of the second and tying it with a shorthanded score at 15:00 of the third. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard, who stopped 32 shots, moved into eighth place on the WHL’s career list for minutes played. He passed Ed Staniowski (Regina, 1971-75). Pickard has played 12,095 minutes, with Evan Lindsay (Tri-City, Prince Albert, 1995-2000) next at 12,131, followed by Steve Passmore (Tri-City, Victoria, Kamloops, 1988-94) at 12,149. . . . D Cason Machacek of Seattle scored his first goal in 24 games this season. It was the fifth of his 219-game career. . . . The Thunderbirds are without F Brandon Troock (wrist), who was injured in the second period of Tuesday’s 2-1 shootout victory over the visiting Silvertips. . . . Seattle also is without D Kyle Verdino, who didn’t play in the third period of a 5-1 loss to the host Tri-City Americans on Dec. 17 and apparently may have a concussion. . . . With Troock out, F Connor Sanvido got back into the lineup after being a healthy scratch in four of the previous five games. He had one assist. . . .
In Moose Jaw, F Sam Fioretti’s shootout goal gave the Warriors a 4-3 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . F Brett Lyon’s 11^th goal of the season gave the Warriors a 3-2 lead at 17:00 of the third period. . . . Edmonton F Tyler Maxwell got his 20^th at 17:40 to force extra time. . . . F Michael St. Croix also got his 20^th for the Oil Kings, his coming on a second-period PP. . . . F Justin Kirsch (wrist) was back in Moose Jaw’s lineup for the first time since Nov. 25. He had one assist and a shootout goal after missing 10 games. . . . Maxwell also scored in the shootout. . . . The Warriors left after the game for a trip into the U.S. Division. . . . Moose Jaw F Carter Hansen was named Team West’s captain at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge. . . . The teams were missing a combined nine players between the World Junior Championship and the WHC. . . .
In Kamloops, D Bronson Maschmeyer broke a 1-1 tie at 18:48 of the second period and the Blazers went on to a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Maschmeyer, 20, began his WHL career with the Giants before being dealt to the Blazers. It was his fourth goal of the season. . . . The Giants had won three in a row, including a 4-3 shootout victory over visiting Kamloops on Tuesday. . . . The Blazers have points in five straight (3-0-2). . . . The Blazers now hold a five-point lead over the Giants atop the B.C. Division. Kamloops is one point behind Western Conference-leading Tri-City, with the Americans holding three games in hand. . . .
In Prince George, F John Odgers, playing his first WHL game, scored the winner as the Cougars got past the Calgary Hitmen, 3-1. . . . Odgers, who plays for the SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers, broke a 1-1 tie at 17:52 of the second period. He is the son of former WHL/NHL player Jeff Odgers, who now scouts for the Cougars. . . . Prince George F Austin Daae also scored his first WHL goal. It came in his 23^rd game of this season. . . . Cougars G Drew Owsley stopped 37 shots. . . . The Cougars dressed 15 skaters, three under the maximum. They are without F Brock Hirsche (undisclosed, finished for this season), D Shane Pilling (injured), D Reid Jackson (injured), F Chase Witala, F Jordan Tkatch, F Alex Forsberg, D Martin Marincin and F Jarrett Fontaine. . . . Marincin is with Slovakia at the World Junior Championship; Witala, Tkatch, Forsberg and Fontaine are at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge. . . .
In Portland, the Winterhawks unloaded 54 shots as they beat the Victoria Royals, 6-3. . . . Victoria G Keith Hamilton, who was acquired from Portland in the offseason, stopped 48 shots. . . . The Winterhawks have won 10 in a row at home. . . . Portland D Joe Morrow had a goal and two helpers. . . . Portland F Brad Ross scored twice, giving him a six-game goal streak. He has 24 goals this season. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie was unsuccessful on a second-period penalty shot. . . . Portland F Sven Bartschi, who is at the World Junior Championship, suffered an apparent upper body injury on Tuesday as his Swiss side dropped a 4-3 shootout decision to Sweden. . . . Victoria D Tyler Stahl, out with a concussion since Oct. 1, had hoped to return after Christmas. But he apparently has suffered a setback and remains out indefinitely.
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Stu Hackel at SI.com takes a look at the month that was with the NHL and concussions. Warning: It isn’t pretty.
“Last week on TSN,” Hackel writes, “veteran commentator Dave Hodge called the NHL’s ongoing concussion problem the most critical issue facing the league in its history. He’s not overstating things. The challenge is curbing this problem without excessively tampering with two of the sport’s essential characteristics that make it so appealing — speed and physicality.”
Hackel’s complete report is right here.
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Early in his piece, Hackel refers to Dustin Fink, who runs The Concussion Blog. With concussions having become THE story in hockey, I have added a link to this blog over there on the right.
This blog is sure to provide some important reading.
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The 50-50 payout at the Canada-Czech Republic game in Edmonton last night was $84,642. It was won by Mike Futa, a scout with the Los Angeles Kings.

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Canucks up 2-0 on Bruins!

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Marcel Hossa (Portland, 1998-2001) signed a one-year contract with Spartak Moscow (Russia, KHL). He had 16 goals and 15 assists in 51 games with Ak Bars Kazan (Russia, KHL) last season.
F Ian McDonald (Tri-City, 2000-06) signed a one-year contract with Eaters Geleen (Netherlands, Eredivisie). He had 12 goals and 17 assists in 34 games with the Nottingham Panthers (UK, Elite) and one goal and five games in 10 games with Elmira Jackals (ECHL) last year.
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F David Rutherford (Vancouver, Spokane, 2004-08) has signed with the ECHL’s Florida Everblades. Rutherford spent the last two seasons with the Central league’s Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs. He helped the Mudbugs to the 2010-11 playoff championship, after which the franchise folded.
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THE COACHING GAME:
A few signings that were mentioned here earlier in the week were announced Tuesday. . . . The Regina Pats introduced Pat Conacher as their new head coach on Tuesday. Conacher, who replaces Curtis Hunt, had been the assistant GM/assistant head coach with the Victoria Royals. The Pats have yet to sign an assistant coach, while the Royals obviously now are in the market for one. . . . The Regina Leader-Post’s Craig Slater has more on the Conacher signing right here. . . .  Of course, this means that the Royals are in the market for an assistant coach. Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times Colonist has that story right here. . . . The BCHL’s Westside Warriors signed Rylan Ferster as their GM and head coach, and gave him a three-year contract. He takes over from Darren Yopyk, who has joined the scouting staff of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild. . . . In the college world, Western Michigan University has signed former NHL coach Andy Murray as its head coach. He got a five-year deal. Murray takes over from Jeff Blashill, who now is an assistant coach with the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings. . . .
Spencer Carbery is the new head coach of the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays. He was an assistant with the Stingrays last season. Carbery takes over from Cail MacLean, who signed on as an assistant coach with the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat.
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BC Hockey is holding its U17 provincial camp this week in Salmon Arm, which means the competition for the Ted Hargraves Cup is rolling. . . . In the first game, on Monday, the Canucks beat the Bruins, 3-2, in a shootout. F Curtis Lazar and F Nick Petan gave the Canucks a 2-0 second-period lead, with F Riley Hunt and F Sam Reinhart, the latter early in the third, pulling the Bruins even. The Canucks took the shootout, 2-0, on goals by F Chase Witala and Petan. . . . On Tuesday, the Canucks went to 2-0 with a 4-2 victory over the Bruins. Petan, F Dryden Hunt, D Joseph Carvalho and F Ryan Forbes scored for the Canucks, with Riley Hunt and Jackson Houck replying for the Bruins. Carvalho broke a 2-2 tie at 3:30 of the third period, with Forbes adding an empty-netter. The teams were tied 2-2 after one period and played through a scoreless second period. . . . They’ll play again today at 2 p.m., at the Sunwave Centre.
David Michaud, the assistant director of operations, reports from the camp:
“There are 41 players in camp. We will shortlist 20 or so and will eventually take that down to the 11 players who will combine with 11 players from Alberta to play for Team Pacific at the 2012 World Hockey Challenge.”
As an added note, Hockley Canada is expected to announce one of these days that the WHC is being moved from Winnipeg to Windsor, Ont., thanks to the rebirth of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets.
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JUST NOTES: Kelly Moore, a former radio voice of the Kamloops Blazers, is heading back to Winnipeg. Moore, the program director at CJKC-FM (Country 103) in Kamloops, is going back to Winnipeg to work for CJOB as part of its coverage of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets. Even though it didn’t get the play-by-play rights to the Jets, CJOB apparently is beefing up its hockey coverage. Moore was the radio voice of the Jets for their last two NHL seasons before they relocated to Phoenix. He also called the play for the AHL’s Manitoba Moose before returning to Kamloops to help Country 103 get off the ground. . . . Marc Paquet is the Everett Silvertips’ new athletic therapist. Paquet, 24, has a masters of education in kinesiology from Bowling Green State University. He spent the last two years at Bowling Green, where he was the supervising athletic trainer for men's soccer and softball and an assistant to men's hockey and football. He replaces Chris Walker, who left for the AHL. . . . The Edmonton Oil Kings have signed F Cole Benson, an Edmonton native who was the 178th pick in the 2010 bantam draft. Benson, 5-foot-7 and 148 pounds, played last season with the midget AAA South Side Athletic Club team, putting up 32 points, including 12 goals, in 29 regular-season games.

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