Want to help save a team? . . . Tigers, Royals move on . . . Hitmen, Ice go 7

My dads first birthday since he has been gone.....why not get my first pro hatty! Happy birthday dad, hope you liked your present
— Adam Hughesman (@Hughdog17) April 5, 2015

The move to get hockey back into Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops is staring a hard deadline squarely in the face.
The B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League has given those working to save the program a deadline of May 3 to gain re-entry.
“It was our plan to get accepted by TRU at some level, then create a hockey operations department and begin fundraising,” Trevor Bast, who is heading up the drive to save the team, told Taking Note on Saturday. “With only 30 days to prove all requirements, I have to start asking for money.”
All along, Bast has planned on raising money through sponsorships and fundraising. Now, though, things have changed.
“Considering where we have come from and where we need to go, we need to have some guaranteed money to assure our survival for the next few years,” he explained. “In my opinion that needs to come from supporters or donors as opposed to sponsors.”
Bast has done a lot of work and research on this project; in fact, he has been working at it since the university pulled the plug on the WolfPack prior to the start of the 2014-15 season. He has calculated that the “minimum survival budget” is $70,000 per season.
As he put it: “That's what we can spend to survive, not thrive."
He added: “We can work on thriving down the road. The players, through player fees, will provide $45,000 of that $70,000.”
Each player will be on the hook for $1,800 per season to play and won’t receive help towards books, tuition or housing. Thus, Bast said, the players shouldn’t “be under any pressure to provide that next $25,000 to survive. As a team they will be responsible to fund raise, acquire sponsorships and be great ambassadors of TRU. But the year-to-year stress to survive as a team should not be on them.
“It is my goal to have that $25,000 provided for them,” Bast said. “Since TRU won’t provide that money, I must ask the private sector.”
It is that $25,000 that will allow the project to move ahead . . . or, on the other hand, to wither on the vine.
“That next $25,000 is critical to proving to the powers that be that we have a long term sustainable model,” Bast said. “It doesn't matter to us if one person offers that money or a combination of 10 people make up that amount. What is important is that we find that sort of support lasting over a three-to-five-year period to help this program get back on its feet and be around for many years to come.
“The hockey world within B.C. is vast and generous. This program needs help now. The BCIHL is a great league. There is potential to have an eight-to-10-team league similar to the ACAC in Alberta, but it needs an Okanagan presence now.”
This is Bast’s last-ditch effort. He knows that the door closes on May 3.
If you are able to help, would like to get involved, or have any questions, email him at trevorbast@gmail.com.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:

In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice forced a seventh game with a 4-2 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . They’ll decide it Monday night in Calgary. The game will be televised by Shaw. . . . The Hitmen had won 7-2 in Cranbrook on Wednesday to take a 3-1 lead in the series. The Ice then won 5-4 in to in Calgary on Friday. . . . Last night, Ice F Jaedon Descheneau broke a 1-1 tie with his fourth goal at 14:55 of the second period. . . . That goal came after F Adam Tambellini pulled Calgary into a 1-1 tie with his sixth goal at 11:19. . . . F Tim Bozon had given the home side a 1-0 lead with a PP goal at 13:40 of the first. . . . Ice F Luke Philp added insurance with his fifth goal at 17:45 of the third. . . . That goal was needed, too, because Tambellini got his seventh goal at 18:35 to make it a one-goal game. . . . Kootenay’s Sam Reinhart added an empty-netter at 19:59. . . . Ice G Wyatt Hoflin stopped 25 shots. . . . Calgary starter Brendan Burke gave up one goal on 14 shots before leaving at 12:31 of the second with an apparent injury. He departed after stopping a shot by Ice F Ryan Chynoweth. . . . G Mack Shields came on to stop 11 of 13. . . . Burke is to be re-evaluated today before the Hitmen will be able to decide on their goaltending for Game 7. . . . The Ice was 2-for-3 on the PP; the Hitmen were 0-for-3. . . . Attendance was 2,645. . . . BTW, the game-winning OT goal in the Ice’s 5-4 victory in Calgary on Friday has been changed to F Luke Philp, his fourth goal of the series. It had been credited to F Levi Cable. Philp finished the game with two goals and three assists. . . . Trevor Crawley of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has a game story from Saturday right here.

In Medicine Hat, F Trevor Cox broke a 3-3 tie at 18:14 of the third period as the Tigers beat the Red Deer Rebels, 4-3. . . . The Tigers won the series, 4-1, and now await a winner between Calgary and Kootenay. . . . Medicine Hat has reached at least the second round in seven straight springs and 12 of the past 13. Yes, think about that for a moment or two. . . . Red Deer will be the host team for the 2016 Memorial Cup tournament. . . . The Rebels didn’t have an answer for the Tigers’ top line in this one as it accounted for all four goals. . . . F Steve Owre had two goals and an assist, while F Cole Sanford had his fourth goal and two helpers, and Cox had one of each. . . . Red Deer F Evan Polei gave the Rebels a 3-2 lead at 3:29 of the second period, on the PP. . . . Owre tied it with his second goal of the game, and third of the series, at 18:03 of the second. . . . Cox had three goals in the series. . . . F Riley Sheen had a goal and an assist for the Rebels, with D Brett Cote adding two assists. . . . Tigers G Marek Langhamer turned aside 28 shots, while Red Deer’s Rylan Toth stopped 32. . . . Red Deer was 2-for-7 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 1-for-5. . . . Attendance was 4,006.

In Victoria, F Brandon Magee scored at 1:42 of OT to give the Royals a 5-4 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Royals won the series, 4-2, and will meet the Kelowna Rockets in the second round. That series will open with games Friday and Saturday nights in Kelowna. . . . Magee finished the series with six goals. . . . F Alex Forsberg, who was selected first overall by Prince George in the 2010 bantam draft, had the primary assist on Magee’s goal. . . . Prince George F Brad Morrison forced OT when he scored a PP goal with 1:14 left in the third period. . . . The Royals led 3-1 after one period and 4-3 late in the third period. . . . Victoria G Greg Chase scored three times, his third goal providing a 4-3 lead at 15:16 of the third. He’s got five goals in the series. . . . F Zach Pochiro scored the Cougars’ first three goals, giving him four. He cut Victoria’s lead to 3-2 at 15:14 of the second on a PP and then tied the game at 14:00 of the third. . . . F Jack Walker and F Tyler Soy each had two assists for Victoria. . . . F Jansen Harkins drew two assists for the Cougars. . . . Victoria G Coleman Collrath turned aside 34 shots, 12 more than Prince George’s Ty Edmonds. . . . The Royals were 1-for-3 on the pp; the Cougars were 2-for-5. . . . Attendance was 5,839.

In Everett, F Riley Whittingham scored at 15:25 of OT to give the Spokane Chiefs a 4-3 victory over the Silvertips. . . . The Silvertips still lead the series, 3-2, with Game 6 set for Spokane on Tuesday night. . . . The goal was Whittingham’s first of these playoffs. . . . Spokane D Nick Charif’s first goal, at 17:42 of the third period, forced extra time. . . . Everett F Kohl Bauml had broken a 2-2 tie at 12:44 of the second period. . . . F Markson Bechtold got the Chiefs on the board at 12:19 of the first period. . . . Everett took the lead on second-period goals by F Carson Stadnyk, at 2:59, on the PP, and F Brayden Low, his third, at 10:17. . . . Spokane F Liam Stewart pulled his guys even at 11:14. . . . Chiefs F Garret Hughson turned aside 36 shots, three fewer than Carter Hart of the Silvertips. . . . Spokane D Evan Fiala was tossed at 2:28 of the second period with a kneeing major and game misconduct for a hit on Everett F Patrick Bajkov. . . . The Silvertips scored one goal on the five-minute PP. . . . Everett was 1-for-4 on the PP; Spokane was 0-for-1. . . . D Ben Betker was back in the Everett lineup after sitting out two games with an undisclosed injury. . . . Everett F Dawson Leedahl sat out his second straight game with an undisclosed ailment. . . . Attendance was 4,249. . . . Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald has a game story right here.

In Portland, F Paul Bittner scored twice to help the Winterhawks to a 5-3 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Winterhawks hold a 3-2 lead in the series as the teams return to Kent, Wash., for Game 6 on Tuesday night. . . . Portland scored the game’s first two goals and Seattle never was able to equalize. . . . F Oliver Bjorkstrand, who had a goal and two assists, was in on both goals, from F Keegan Iverson and Bittner. . . . Seattle F Scott Eansor got his third goal, shorthanded, at 19:49. . . . The teams alternated goals from that point on. . . . Bittner’s goals were his first of the series. . . . Bjorkstrand, who led the WHL in goals and points in the regular season, has eight points in his last two games. . . . Portland F Chase De Leo had two assists. . . . Seattle got two assists from F Cory Millette. . . . Seattle F Matt Barzal scored his fourth goal of the series. . . . Portland G Adin Hill stopped 27 shots, three fewer than Seattle’s Taran Kozun. . . . Portland was 1-for-3 on the PP; Seattle was 1-for-1. . . . Attendance was 7,119. . . . The game story Scott Sepich wrote for The Oregonian is right here.
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F Carter Rigby, who completed his junior eligibility with the Swift Current Broncos earlier this week, has signed on with the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder. Rigby, from Penticton, B.C., started the WHL season with the Kelowna Rockets and finished in Swift Current, totalling 46 points, including 18 goals, in 62 games. . . . The Thunder is affiliated with the NHL’s Calgary Flames and New York Islanders and the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers. . . . Rigby made his professional debut last night against the Ontario Reign. He had two shots in a 7-4 loss to the host Ontario Reign.
D David Musil, 21, made his NHL debut with the Edmonton Oilers last night. Musil, whose father, Frank, also played for the Oilers, was a second-round selection in the 2011 NHL draft while he was playing for the Vancouver Giants. After playing three seasons with the Giants, he was traded to the Edmonton Oil Kings 14 games into 2012-13. Musil, who has been with the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons, is the first ex-Oil Kings player in modern franchise history to play in a game with the Oilers. . . . The Oilers, of course, own the Oil Kings.
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D Justin Hamonic, who played out his eligibility with the Tri-City Americans, made his pro debut last night with the ECHL’s Anchorage Aces. He had one shot on goal in a 3-0 loss to the host Utah Grizzlies. . . .
F Colby Cave, who captained the Swift Current Broncos, is likely to join the AHL’s Providence Bruins after signing a three-year contract with the NHL’s Boston Bruins. Cave, 20, was an undrafted unrestricted free agent. . . . He previously had attended camps with the Arizona Coyotes and San Jose Sharks.
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“The Prince Albert Minor Hockey Association will be adopting new measures in their concussion protocol beginning in the 2015-16 season,” writes Brett Smith of the Prince Albert Daily Herald. “PAMHA technical director James Mays said the matter was discussed at a recent board meeting in order to protect both the players and the coaches. . . . The information will be in the coaches’ and parents’ manuals handed out at the start of the year. . . . One of the changes to the protocol is that if a doctor diagnoses any player with a concussion, the player will have to follow up with the doctor before being cleared to get back on the ice.”
Smith’s complete story is right here.
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from the WHL website: Dewey beats Truman pic.twitter.com/01I6Inw2Pr
— Dylan Bumbarger (@dylandb) April 5, 2015

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Kenndal McArdle (Moose Jaw, Vancouver, 2002-07) signed a one-year contract with Västerås (Sweden, Allsvenskan). He had seven goals and 15 assists in 31 games with the Greenville Road Warriors (ECHL) and three goals and two assists in 30 games with the Rockford Ice Hogs (AHL) this
season.
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In a piece headlined Might and Right, Charles Pierce writes that with another season on the horizon "this is a perilous time for the NFL." That piece is right here, and hockey people should read this with interest.
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The Portland Winterhawks won the WHL championship in Edmonton on Sunday evening, and arrived home later that night. Paul Buker of The Oregonian has a piece right here that details the arrival and the beginning of Memorial Cup preparations.
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"Even without him at games, the Hawks didn't get there without Mike Johnston," writes Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune. His column is right here.
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The Vancouver Giants will make it official today – Bruce Allen, who manages some big names in the world of entertainment, has purchased a chunk of the WHL franchise. Among Allen’s clients if Michael Buble, who also owns a piece of the Giants. . . . Ron Toigo remains the franchise’s majority owner.
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The Kamloops Blazers have re-signed Craig Bonner, the organization’s executive vice-president and general manager. Bonner’s original five-year contract was to expire this offseason. . . . The Blazers didn’t announce any details, except for it being "a multi-year contract extension." . . . Kamloops is 188-143-29 with Bonner as GM, thanks to a pair of back-to-back 47-20-5 seasons in 2011-12 and 2012-13. The Blazers finished atop the B.C. Division in 2011-12 and were eliminated by the Portland Winterhawks in the second round of playoffs. This season, they were ousted by Portland in the Western Conference final. . . . Head coach Guy Charron and associate head coach Dave Hunchak, who have worked together for two seasons, are on contracts that expire this offseason. Don’t be surprised if Hunchak ends up as the head coach before another season gets here, with Charron, should he choose to stay on, remaining on the coaching staff in a secondary role. . . . Of course, there has been speculation that Dean Chynoweth could end up as the next head coach of the NHL's Colorado Avalanche. Should that happen, might he make an offer to Hunchak to join him as an assistant coach? The two spent three seasons with the Swift Current Broncos, with Chynoweth as head coach and Hunchak as assistant coach.
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The Seattle Thunderbirds have signed F Scott Eansor, 17, of Denver to a WHL contract. Eansor played for the minor midget Colorado Thunderbirds Tier 1 team in 2012-13. Seattle G Danny Mumaugh and D Griffin Foulk both came through that same Colorado program.
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The Tri-City Americans made it official on Monday – they have signed F Parker AuCoin, their first-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft, to a WHL contract. AuCoin, from Calgary, was the 15th player taken in the draft. Playing with the Calgary Northstar Sabres, he scored 63 goals in 33 games last season, the second-highest total in Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League history. F Ty Rattie scored 75 for the Airdrie Xtreme in 2007-08. . . . Including playoffs and tournaments, AuCoin had 135 points, including 91 goals, in 56 games.
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Three members of the Edmonton Oil Kings – F Travis Ewanyk, D Martin Gernat and D David Musil – have joined the AHL`s Oklahoma City Barons. . . . All three were selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL`s 2011 entry draft – Musil in the second round, Ewanyk in the third and Gernat in the fifth. . . . The Oil Barons are in an AHL playoff series with the Texas Stars. Last night, the Oil Barons beat the visiting Stars 4-0 to take a 2-1 lead in the series. Game 4 will be played in OKC on Wednesday night.
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A note from an avid fan of the Portland Winterhawks:
Here is an excerpt from an article I found on the official Memorial Cup website . . .
The Hawks will be making their fourth trip to the Memorial Cup tournament, having won the Memorial Cup in 1998 as WHL Champions and in 1982 as the host team. Portland opens their Memorial Cup round robin schedule versus Halifax on May 18th.
WRONG ... WRONG ... WRONG - This will be the Hawks FIFTH trip to the Memorial Cup:
1982 - WHL Champs
1983 - Host Team
1986 - Host Team
1998 - WHL Champs
2013 - WHL Champs
And finally – how many times will we hear the "talking heads" on Rogers refer to the upcoming Memorial Cup – as the "national championship" . . . (or something like that) – despite the fact a team based in Portland, Oregon, is competing?
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THE COACHING GAME:
Al Sims, the director of player personnel and head coach of the ECHL’s Fort Wayne Komets, has retired. Sims had been the Komets’ head coach for 10 seasons, including the last six in a row. This also was his 38th season in professional hockey, since he was a freshman defenceman with the NHL’s Boston Bruins in 1973-74.
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The Memorial Cup field is set after the host London Knights scored a 3-2 victory over the Barrie Colts in Game 7 of the OHL final las night. . . . This one ended in thrilling fashion as London F Bo Horvat broke a 2-2 tie with less than one second remaining in the third period. In fact, the clock showed 0.1 when Horvat scored. . . . It was his 16th goal of the playoffs. He had three winners in the final series. . . . Barrie was without F Mark Scheifele, who was injured during Game 6. . . .The Knights are the third team in OHL history to win a series after trailing 3-1 in games. The 1979 Peterborough Petes and 1990 Oshawa Generals also did it. . . . London is the 10th team in OHL history to win back-to-back championships. . . . The Knights will open the Memorial Cup on Friday against the host Saskatoon Blades. . . . The WHL-champion Portland Winterhawks meet the QMJHL-champion Halifax Mooseheads on Saturday. . . . Ryan Pyette of the London Free Press has more on Horvat's winning goal right here.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From Passive Voice (@ZKlineWHRB): "How the hell does Hadfield let that happen? Does he know nothing about hockey? If you're in space and your team is winning YOU STAY IN SPACE"
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From Steve Murray (@NPsteve): "Well, if @cmdr_hadfield landed and the Leafs had won he wouldn't believe he was on earth."

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Shayne Putzlocher of Trilight Entertainment is off to Berlin and the Berlin Film Festival today as he begins to spread the word about plans to turn the book Sudden Death: The Incredible Saga of the 1986 Swift Current Broncos into a movie. . . . Oh yes, he’s also looking for financing. . . . Before leaving, he appeared on Saskatoon radio station CKOM and, among other things, touched on the chances that the movie might be filmed in Swift Current. That interview is right here.



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F Tyler Benson of the Edmonton-South Side Athletic Club Southgate Lions is in the process of rewriting the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League record book. There also is speculation that he may apply for ‘exceptional status’ in order to allow him to play in the WHL next season on a full-time basis, even though he will be only 15 years of age. Kristen Odland of the Calgary Herald examines that issue right here.
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If you have always wanted to own a piece of a hockey team, here’s your opportunity.
For $2,000, you now may purchase a share in the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos, who are calling this membership campaign ‘Saddle Up For Success’.
According to a news release from the Broncos: “All members hold a vote at the Annual General Meeting, provide influence on the organization through the Board of Directors and receive a charitable tax receipt issued by the City of Swift Current.”
Liam Choo-Foo, the chairman of the Broncos’ board of directors, adds: “I certainly acknowledge those people that stepped forward over 25 years ago as the original members, but as time has gone on we have lost a majority of that membership and it’s now down to less than 100 people. We would like to see it renewed and bring in new energy and enthusiasm as we go through this whole renewal of the Bronco organization.”
If you’re interested in this program, visit www.scbroncos.com.
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While the Broncos were announcing this initiative in an attempt to raise money and help guarantee their future in Swift Current and in the WHL, the league’s pooh-bahs were meeting in Las Vegas.
Yes, that Las Vegas.
You are free to wonder why the pooh-bahs wouldn’t gather in, say, Swift Current, if for no other reason than to spread some goodwill in a community that certainly does a lot to support its franchise.
You have to think the WHL folks left a fair chunk of change in Nevada, but not one penny of it will have done the league any good in terms of marketing or public relations in any of the communities in which it plays.
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The WHL has suspended D Tyler Yaworski of the Brandon Wheat Kings for six games. That’s the result of a headshot major and game misconduct for a hit on Pats D Luke Fenske in Regina on Saturday. Yaworski is a repeat offender, having served a three-game suspension for the same infraction during a game in Vancouver on Oct. 24. . . . Fenske, who is concussed, didn’t play in Regina’s 5-2 loss to the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes last night.
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The way Ryan Lambert of Yahoo! Sports sees it, the NHL is doing less to prevent and deal with concussions than is the NFL. And we all know how much concussion-related heat the NFL is receiving these days.
Lambert explains the way he sees things right here.
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Bill Simmons of ESPN and Grantland is a prolific writer who also happens to be a fan of all teams Boston. That, however, is something that hampers his thinking only on occasion. The vast majority of the time he writes with clarity and this piece right here is no exception. The title on it is Daring to Ask the PED Question.
Pour yourself a cup of coffee and dig in.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Regina, F Jamal Watson scored twice to help the Lethbridge Hurricanes to a 5-2 victory over the Pats. . . . Hurricanes G Ty Rimmer stopped 48 shots. . . . Lethbridge jumped out front 2-0 by 6:03 of the first period and never looked back. . . . Regina G Matt Hewitt left at that point, having been beaten twice on four shots. . . . Watson has 14 goals this season. . . . F Sam Mckechnie got his 24th goal for Lethbridge. . . . The Pats scratched D Luke Fenske (concussed) and Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reports that they lost D Tye Hand with concussion-like symptoms during the game. . . .

In Prince Albert, the Edmonton Oil Kings erased a 3-1 third-period deficit and beat the Raiders 4-3 in OT. . . . The winner came from D David Musil at 3:31 of extra time. It was his seventh goal of the season. . . . The Oil Kings have won nine in a row and now hold a 13-point lead over the Calgary Hitmen atop the Eastern Conference. . . . D Davis Vandane gave the Raiders a 3-1 lead at 7:56 of the third on the PP. . . . F Michael St. Croix got his 27th goal at 12:10, on the PP, to get Edmonton to within one, and F Stephane Legault, with his 11th, tied it at 13:29. . . . Raiders G Luke Siemens stopped 48 shots. . . . The Raiders had won three in a row from Edmonton. . . .

In Saskatoon, the Blades twice erased deficits en route to a 5-4 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Blades have won five in a row. . . . F Tanner Eberle’s shorthanded goal gave the Warriors a 2-0 lead at 16:17 of the first period. . . . F Brett Stovin scored goals 33 seconds apart, pulling Saskatoon into a tie at 3:50 of the second. Stovin, who now has seven goals, had scored just once in his previous 23 games. . . . F Brayden Point, who had two goals, gave Moose Jaw a 3-2 lead at 11:11, only to have the Blades come back with three straight goals, the last two from F Brenden Walker, who now has 18 goals. . . . Saskatoon D Duncan Siemens had one assist and was plus-4, while D Darren Dietz was pointless and plus-4. . . . Moose Jaw G Justin Paulic stopped 50 shots. . . . The Blades now trail the East Division-leading Prince Albert Raiders by six points. The teams meet tonight in Saskatoon. . . .

In Victoria, F Alex Gogolev scored his 20th goal but later left the game with a skate cut as the Royals beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 4-1. . . . Gogolev left early in the third period with an apparent skate cut that required immediate medical attention. . . . Cleve Dheensaw in the Victoria Times Colonist reported: “In what may be bad news for the Royals, leading-scorer Gogolev was helped off the ice in the third period with his left skate off and leaving a trail of blood from his foot. The club did not have information about the extent of the cut immediately following the game.” . . . D Joe Hicketts scored his second goal and added an assist for the Royals. . . . Victoria moved into a fifth-place tie with the idle Spokane Chiefs in the Western Conference.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
D Darren Dietz, Saskatoon
D Ryan Gagnon, Victoria
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From the Edmonton Oil Kings (@EdmOilKings): “ 'I had Manson and Baumgartner both on me at the same time' — Coach Laxdal reminiscing about his playing days at the Art Hauser #OldTimeWHL”
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From Regan Bartel (@Reganrant), the radio voice of the Kelowna Rockets: “USHL reduces schedule by 4 games going from 64 to 60. When does WHL reduce schedule to eliminate exorbitant amount of 3 games in 3 nights?”

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Lipon hears from Team Canada

Right-winger JC Lipon (34) of the Kamloops Blazers likes to play his game
deep in the other team's zone, even if it means mixing it up with a goaltender
like Eric Comrie of the Tri-City Americans.
(HUGO YUEN / KAMLOOPS DAILY NEWS)

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
The Kamloops Blazers will have a player in the Canadian national junior team’s selection camp next week for the first time in six years.
Right-winger JC Lipon, a 19-year-old fourth-year player from Regina, was one of 11 WHLers on the 37-player roster that was released by Hockey Canada on Monday.
“I heard Sunday night,” Lipon said Monday evening. “I was pretty excited, especially after the game I had . . . it made me a little happier.”
Lipon and the Blazers dropped a 3-1 decision to the host Seattle Thunderbirds on Sunday.
The last time the Blazers had a player in camp and on Team Canada was 2006 when goaltender Devan Dubnyk made the grade.
This is a dream come true for Lipon, who is most familiar with the heroics of Reginan Jordan Eberle with Team Canada at past tournaments.
A midget-aged player then, Lipon remembers being at a Regina Pats game when a Team Canada was put up on the Jumbotron.
“No one was watching the real hockey game, everyone was watching the Canada game,” a chuckling Lipon said.
Although he doesn’t play golf, Lipon is a regular attendee at Eberle’s annual tournament in Regina so he knows the Edmonton Oilers winger who, with the NHL lockout in progress, now is with the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons.
Lipon has led the WHL in goals — he has 22 — and points for most of this season, although he now is tied for the points lead with linemate Colin Smith. Each has 55 points.
They will try to increase their totals tonight when the Blazers entertain the Swift Current Broncos. Game time at Interior Savings Centre is 7 o’clock.
Lipon and Smith, a 19-year-old centre from Edmonton, skated for Team WHL in one game during last month’s Subway Super Series against a Russian team. However, Smith, who has experience in Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence, isn’t on the selection camp roster.
Smith, who has a WHL-leading 34 assists, would have had to be among Canada’s top six forwards and that would have been a tough nut to crack. Unfortunately for him, he won’t get that opportunity.
“It’s sad to see a guy like that passed over,” Lipon said. “But at the same time I have to be excited for myself and be proud, too.”
The Canadian roster includes four centres — Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of AHL-Oklahoma City, Jonathan Huberdeau of the Saint John Sea Dogs, Mark Scheifele of the Barrie Colts and Ryan Strome of the Niagara Ice Dogs — all of whom likely would be playing in the NHL were it not in lockout mode. All four were top 10 selections in the NHL’s 2011 draft, by the Oilers, Florida Panthers, Winnipeg Jets and New York Islanders, respectively.
Lipon is a more physically dominant player than Smith and will be looking for a spot on the bottom half of the roster.
“I’m just going to try to play my same game, maybe think a little more about finishing every hit and being really responsible in the (defensive) zone,” Lipon said. “I want to be reliable whether it’s a third- or fourth-line position I’m battling for.”
“I’m going there to make the team,” he added, “but it should be just a great experience overall. Hopefully, I’ll learn some things from those guys.”
He also knows that his speed and work ethic will hold him in good stead as he skates with the country’s top junior-aged players.
“Maybe one guy will complement me just like Smitty and it’ll work out,” Lipon said.
The Blazers will be without Lipon for at least two games — Dec. 11 in Calgary and Dec. 12 in Edmonton — but he will miss at least eight games if he makes the final roster.
Lipon is one of 21 forwards on the camp roster. There also are four goaltenders and 12 defencemen listed. There are 18 players from the OHL, seven from the QMJHL and one from the AHL. (A complete roster is in Scoreboard.)
Huberdeau, Scheifele, Strome, forward Boone Jenner (Oshawa Generals) and defencemen Dougie Hamilton (Niagara) and Scott Harrington (London Knights) are the only players invited to camp who were on the Canadian team that finished third a year ago when the tournament was held in Calgary and Edmonton.
The camp opens Monday in Calgary, with the final 23-player roster — three goaltenders, seven defencemen and 13 forwards — to be announced early on Dec. 13.
The hopefuls will play an intrasquad game on Dec. 11, then will play against university teams on Dec. 12 and 13. Canada flies out of Calgary on Dec. 15 for a pre-competition camp in Finland.
The World Junior Championship opens Dec. 26 in Ufa, Russia. The tournament is returning to a larger international ice surface this month, after a four-year stint on smaller surfaces in North America.
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Blazers D Marek Hrbas was named officially to the Czech Republic’s 27-player selection camp roster yesterday. He will leave the Blazers after playing Dec. 12 in Edmonton. His chances of making the Czech roster are excellent — he played in the WJC last year. That being the case, he will miss at least six WHL games.
The five-day Czech camp opens in Rokycany on Dec. 15, with the team leaving for Russia on Dec. 20.
Two other WHL players — G Patrik Bartosak of Red Deer and D David Musil of Edmonton — are on the Czech roster.
———
The Blazers (21-7-3) go into tonight’s game having lost two straight games.
They concluded a seven-game homestand with a 3-2 shootout loss to the Moose Jaw Warriors on Saturday. Kamloops went 4-1-2 in those seven games.
“These last few games leading up to that camp I have to start playing my best hockey again and get in a groove,” Lipon said.
The Blazers will play the Prince George Cougars here on Saturday. That will be Kamloops’ final home game before Christmas.
The Cougars will be without F Colin Jacobs, who has been suspended for six games for a headshot he delivered in a game against the visiting Victoria Royals on Friday.
———
JUST NOTES: The Blazers’ power play is 1-for-25 over its last six games. . . . The Broncos (12-13-5) don’t have any B.C. players on their roster. However, F Glenn Gawdin, their first-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft, is from Richmond. Gawdin, the fifth overall selection, is with the major midget Greater Vancouver Canadians. . . . The Broncos will be missing F Daniel Dale, who will be completing a two-game suspension for instigating a fight late in a 7-2 loss to the visiting Spokane Chiefs on Friday. . . . The Broncos, who arrived in Kamloops early on Sunday evening, are 5-5-0 in their last 10 games. They last played Saturday when they blanked the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings, 5-0. . . . The Broncos started G Landon Bow in that game, but he left in the first period with an undisclosed injury. It’s expected that Steve Myland, 18, of the junior B North Delta Devils will be the back up tonight. . . . Swift Current G Eetu Laurikainen, 19, is scheduled to leave to join Finland’s world junior team after playing against the Royals in Victoria on Saturday. He’s 12-12-4, 2.52, .918 in his first WHL season. . . . The Broncos have acquired D Brett Lernout, 17, from the Saskatoon Blades for a fourth-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft. Lernout, from Winnipeg, was pointless in 18 games with the Blades.

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To Russia, with sticks and skates

Defenceman Marek Hrbas (13) of the Kamloops Blazers, here rubbing
out Mark McNulty of the Prince George Cougars on Saturday, hopes to
play in the World Junior Championship for a second straight year.(HUGO YUEN/KAMLOOPS DAILY NEWS)

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Despite having been born and raised in the nearby Czech Republic, Marek Hrbas has never been to Russia.
That is something he plans on changing over Christmas.
Hrbas, a 19-year-old defenceman with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers, will attend training camp with the Czech national junior team. Should he be selected to the team — and all signs certainly point in that direction — he will play for his country in the World Junior Championship that opens in Ufa, Russia, on Dec. 26.
“I’m excited,” Hrbas said Thursday after practice at Interior Savings Centre. “It’s a big deal.”
The Blazers were preparing for home games tonight against the Saskatoon Blades and Saturday against the Vancouver Giants.
Hrbas, who was acquired by the Blazers from the Edmonton Oil Kings prior to last season, expects to leave his teammates on Dec. 13 and fly to Rokycany, a town in the Plzen region of the Czech Republic, where the team will hold its selection camp.
“It’s about 10 minutes from my home,” said Hrbas, who is from Plzen. “I should be able to see my family.”
Hrbas, who has 11 points in 26 games with the Blazers, expects countrymate David Musil, a defenceman with the Oil Kings, to be the only other WHLer in the Czech camp, although there will be a few there from the QMJHL as well as centre Radek Faksa of the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers. Faksa was the OHL’s highest-scoring freshman last season, with 67 points.
Hrbas is especially looking forward to having a travelling partner from Edmonton.
“It would be nice,” he said. “It’s a long trip, like 20 hours.”
The Czechs will play out of the Sports Palace in Ufa, in a pool with Sweden, Finland, Switzerland and Latvia.
Before leaving for Russia, Hrbas said the Czechs will play an exhibition game against Slovakia on Dec. 17. After arriving in Russia, they will play Germany on Dec. 22.
Their first tournament game is scheduled for Dec. 26 against Sweden.
Last season, with the tournament playing out in Calgary and Edmonton, Hrbas had one assist and two penalty minutes in six games. The Czechs went 2-2 in their pool, including a 5-0 loss to Canada and a 5-2 victory over the United States. Russia then beat the Czechs 2-1 in the playoff round. Hrbas and his teammates won a fifth-place game, beating Slovakia, 5-2.
“We just want to make it through the preliminary round and then anything can happen in the quarterfinals and semifinals,” Hrbas said.
The Blazers are scheduled to meet the Hitmen in Calgary on Dec. 11 and play in Edmonton on Dec. 12.
Hrbas would play in those games before leaving. He then would miss six games before returning to face the visiting Tri-City Americans on Jan. 9.
Meanwhile, Blazers defenceman Jordan Thomson also will miss a few games over the New Year as he plays for Team West at the U17 World Hockey Challenge in Drummondville and Victoriaville, Que., Dec. 29 through Jan. 4.
Thomson, a 16-year-old freshman from Wawanesa, Man., is expected to miss four WHL games. He has six points in 19 games this season.
At the same time, right-winger JC Lipon and centre Colin Smith, who are one-two in the WHL scoring race, are waiting to hear if they will be invited to the Canadian junior team’s training camp. It opens in Calgary on Dec. 10.
———
The Blazers (19-5-2) are coming off a 2-1 overtime loss to the Regina Pats on Wednesday night at ISC.
The Blazers held a 40-13 edge in shots and outchanced the Pats, 28-9, but still came up short.
On Thursday, they spent time working on the power play — it was 1-for-5 against Regina — and also watched a video prepared by associate coach Dave Hunchak.
Hunchak and head coach Guy Charron have been working hard to get the forwards to stop passing up shooting opportunities.
Hunchak put together a video showing the number of shots from the slot area that were passed up.
———
Like the Pats, who were missing half a dozen regulars on Wednesday, the Blades (11-10-1) have their own M*A*S*H ward going.
Shane McColgan, their first-line centre, went home earlier in the week after suffering a suspected concussion during a 5-2 loss to the Royals in Victoria on Tuesday. McColgan, 19, has 23 points, including six goals.
Winger Nick Zajac, 17, is probable after taking a hit from Victoria defenceman Tyler Stahl, who drew a two-game suspension for the play.
The Blades may get back defenceman Matthew Pufahl, who missed their last two games. He came out of a 4-0 victory over the Cougars in Prince George a week ago after taking a hit from behind from forward Caleb Belter, who is serving a three-game suspension.
As well, Saskatoon headed west without defenceman Dalton Thrower, another player with a suspected concussion, and forwards Brett Stovin (shoulder) and Jessey Astles (wrist).
“We’ll move people around at different positions,” Lorne Molleken, the Blades’ general manager and head coach, told Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. “We’re going to have to really dig down here and play a real strong team game.”
After playing Tuesday in Victoria, the Blades enjoyed two days off so they should be relatively fresh tonight. They are expected to start Russian Andrey Makarov in goal. After starring against Team WHL in the Super Series last week, he beat Prince George and Vancouver (5-2) before getting the hook after giving up four goals in two periods against Victoria.
JUST NOTES: Both games are to start at 7 p.m. . . . The Blazers are expected to start G Cole Cheveldave (14-4-0) after Taran Kozun played against Regina. . . . The Blazers will be without F Dylan Willick (broken ankle) and F Aspen Sterzer (undisclosed).

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If you haven’t noticed, hockey game programs in magazine format are all but a thing of the past.
That’s really too bad, but it’s simply a sign of the times.
A lot of WHL teams now post programs and lineups, in one form or another, on their

websites on game days. Fans are able to go online and read them or print them.
At a glance, none are any better than the one produced and posted by the Seattle Thunderbirds.
If you’re a Thunderbirds fan, you will want to be checking this out on game days; if you’re not in Seattle, well, it’s worth looking at anyway. And it’s available on game days at www.seattlethunderbirds.com/page/digital-program.
The program also is downloadable via iPhone, Android or Blackberry at games, so you are able to read it that way during a game.
“All of the corporate partners ads are clickable and will direct the user to the website of the corporate partner,” notes Ian Henry, the Thunderbirds’ media and public relations director.
The package also includes statistics and standings, game notes from that night’s two teams, and player profiles using the question-and-answer format. The content of the Q-and-A sessions will change every month, with anything statistically related changing every game.
“Having a digital program means we are not going to be selling paper programs at our games,” Henry said, adding that the digital program also is being promoted through the use of a  QR code.
He then explained: “We are going to have seat stuffers that we put in the seat cup holders that have a QR code on it that we want fans to scan with their mobile device to take them to the digital program page. All of our sales/information tables will have the QR code so that our Account Executives can tell fans what they need to do to get the free program.
“We will have the QR codes on posters on the walls of ShoWare Center where fans can walk up and scan the code.
“We have also made the digital program a customizable option on the T-Birds mobile app. When a fan downloads the app to their phone there are initial default settings. If the user chooses to customize the app they can pick the digital program as an option that shows when they open the app. This option will take them right to the digital program page where they can click on the link for the program PDF.”
Switching to a digital program also means that teams are able to drive traffic to their websites. The digital program is done using UberFlip and that process “tracks how many views, link clicks, downloads and social shares each program has,” Henry said. “This means we have hard data we can provide to our corporate partners that we can show them. We can them how they benefit from a partnership with us.”
UberFlip also provides another neat bit of information.
Again, Henry explains: “UberFlip tracks ‘zoom points.’ On the backend, a little green dot is shown for each spot on the page where a user touched the screen to zoom on the page. This is a very intriguing tool for us to show our partners. We can show them exactly where a user touched their ad. And we can work with them to make their ad as effective as possible with the user so they maximize their relationships with us. Several of our corporate partners are involved with us beyond just the digital program. So this strengthens our relationships with them as well, which is good.”
Back in the day, one person in a hockey team’s office would handle the program, contacting a writer or two about providing copy. Stories and statistics, if any, might be changed once a month. If a program included player mugshots, someone who had been traded away might be shown for a few weeks before changes were made.
Now something like that can be changed at any time.
The Thunderbirds’ digital program came about through a collaboration that involved graphic designer/creative director Brian Eldridge, Jason Thomsen, the director of corporate partnerships, vice-president Colin Campbell and Henry.
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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Ryan Kinasewich (Medicine Hat, Tri-City, 1998-2004) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Milano Rossoblu (Italy, Serie A). He had four goals and seven assists in 14 games with Red
Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga) earlier this season before being released by mutual agreement from Red Bull on Friday.
———
Dale Earnhardt returns to NASCAR this weekend have taking time away due to post-concussion syndrome. In an Associated Press story, Earnhardt admits he was a “mess” after suffering a second concussion in a matter of weeks. And what has he learned from all of this? “"I’m definitely going to be honest with myself and honest with the doctors," he said. "I’m going to do whatever they tell me to do. I want to be able to live a full life and not have any issues down the road." . . . That story is right here.
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The Vancouver Giants became the first WHL team to cry ‘uncle’ this season as they did what most observers expected them to do and dealt D David Musil, 19, to the Edmonton Oil Kings on Tuesday.
Musil, the son of former NHLer Frantisek Musil, was swapped for D Mason Geertsen, 17, and a 2013 first-round bantam draft pick. Losing that draft pick won’t hurt Edmonton as, in all probability, it will be a late first-round selection and the Oil Kings right now hold two seconds — their own and one they acquired from the Portland Winterhawks in the middle of last season for the rights to Cam Reid.
The Giants originally acquired Musil from Kootenay for a first-round bantam draft pick after the Ice got his rights in a secret draft, the details of which never have been made public by the WHL. Interestingly, the WHL Guide states that Musil was a list player with Vancouver.
The Giants, who are on a five-game road trip, are 4-10-0 and in the Western Conference cellar. They are to play the Tigers in Medicine Hat tonight and should have the 6-foot-3, 200-pound Geertsen, who is from Rocky Rapids, Alta., in their lineup. (Rocky Rapids is in the Drayton Valley area.)
Musil, from Delta, B.C., was a second-round selection, 31st overall, by the Oilers in the NHL’s 2011 draft. The Oilers’ parent company, Rexall Sports, also owns the Oil Kings. Which is why there has been so much speculation surrounding Musil’s immediate future since the Giants started so poorly.
Musil, who should play for the Czech Republic at the world junior tournament, had 27 points and 104 penalty minutes in 59 games last season. This season, he has eight points and 18 penalty minutes in 14 games. In 206 career games, he has 92 points and 270 penalty minutes. He arrived in Edmonton late Wednesday night. The Oil Kings next play Friday against the Raiders in Prince Albert.
Geertsen, the 18th overall selection in the 2010 bantam draft, missed some time with a concussion last season. He had three assists and 70 penalty minutes in 34 games last season. This season, he has four assists and 32 penalty minutes in 15 games.
The Oil Kings have three other Oilers’ draft picks on their roster — D Martin Gernat 122nd, 2011), F Travis Ewanyk (74th, 2011) and F Mitchell Moroz (32nd, 2012). (In fact, the Oilers have four draft picks in the WHL and all four now are with the Oil Kings.)
Gernat, who had 55 points in 60 games last season, has had shoulder surgery and may not return until early in the new year. Getting him back then will be like the Oil Kings making a deal at the Jan. 10 trade deadline and not losing anything off their roster.
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Just for fun, I have added a poll to the blog. I will try to make this a regular feature, but remember it's just for fun. The first question pertains to Wednesday's trade between the Oil Kings and Giants. While I realize that no one will know for some time just who won this trade — maybe both teams win Memorial Cups over the next two or three seasons and it's a sawoff — what do you think? Give it your best shot and vote in the poll that is located over there on the right near the top of the page.
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The Prince Albert Raiders are working to trade D Shayne Gwinner, 18, who has gone home to Drumheller to await a move. Gwinner played in nine of the club’s 16 games, with a goal and four penalty minutes. . . . “It just wasn’t working out,” Bruno Campese, the Raiders’ GM, told Perry Bergson of the Prince Albert Daily Herald. “There were expectations for him and it hasn’t been happening. He’s been in and out of the lineup and it’s something we didn’t see getting any better anytime soon with the guys ahead of him playing well. In his best interests, and the team’s because it becomes difficult, the decision was made to send him home.” . . . The Raiders acquired Gwinner from the Moose Jaw Warriors on July 6. It cost them two bantam draft picks -- a fourth-rounder in 2013 and a sixth in 2014. . . . Gwinner’s departure leaves the Raiders with 22 players, including seven defencemen and 13 forwards.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAME:
The Portland Winterhawks erased a 1-0 deficit with three goals in less than seven minutes in the second period and went on to a 5-2 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . With the Los Angeles Lakers playing the Trail Blazers in the latter’s home-opener at the Rose Garden, attendance for the hockey game at Veterans Memorial Coliseum was 2,204. . . . Portland (10-3-1) now has won five straight games. . . . Portland next players Friday and Saturday nights when the Victoria Royals are in town for a double-dip.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From Sunaya Sapurji (@sunayas) of Yahoo! Sports: “The only way this #CHLPA story could get any weirder is if aliens were involved. Real outer space aliens. #CoastToCoastAM”

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David Branch, the commissioner of the Ontario Hockey League, has dropped a bomb on the Windsor Spitfires, one of his league’s highest-profile franchises.
And you can bet the shrapnel will be felt around the Canadian Hockey League for a long, long time.
In fact, that rustling noise you’re hearing right now is major junior hockey teams going through their closets as they check for skeletons.
Branch, who doubles as the president of the CHL, the umbrella under which the OHL, QMJHL and WHL operate, drilled the Spitfires with a fine of $400,000 and took away five of their draft picks after an investigation found them in violation of rules pertaining to the recruitment of players.
———
Here is the OHL’s news release, unedited and in its entirety:
The Ontario Hockey League, (OHL), has levied fines totaling $400,000.00 against the Windsor Spitfires Hockey Club and taken away three 1st round draft selections and two 2nd round draft selections from the Spitfires.
“In 2009 the Board of Governors of the Ontario Hockey League developed the OHL ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM which is designed to address and attempt to eliminate violations of the RULES and impose appropriate penalties if violations occur. The enforcement process is an integral part of the process to ensure integrity and fair play among the MEMBER TEAMS. One of the fundamental principles of the enforcement process is to ensure that those MEMBER TEAMS that are abiding by the rules are not disadvantaged by their commitment to compliance”, stated OHL Commissioner David Branch.
“The League conducted two separate investigations led by our Director of Security and Enforcement, and in considering all the facts, I was persuaded that the Windsor Spitfires Hockey Club violated the League’s Player Benefit and Recruitment Rules and Policies. While the penalties may appear to be severe, the League and its Member Teams recognize for any such violations of our Recruitment / Benefit Rules and Policies, we must send a strong message to preserve the integrity of our League”, concluded Branch.
In addition to the fine, the Windsor Spitfires shall forfeit 1st round selections in the annual OHL Priority Selection in the years 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2nd round selections in the OHL Priority Selection Process for the years 2015 and 2017.”
———
It is impossible to overstate the impact of this decision.
There have long been rumours of major junior teams using under-the-table temptations in their recruiting as they attempt to attract players from both sides of the border and keep them from taking the NCAA route, as well as paying untold amounts of money for import players.
The NCAA, and College Hockey, Inc. (CHI) have barked about this for a long time. But, until now, there has never been any proof.
Ironically, neither the NCAA nor CHI ever did come up with any evidence. Rather, the OHL has served itself up on a platter and there will be a lot of people south of the 49th parallel saying “I told you so!”
You also are free to wonder if this validates the story that appeared in the Michigan Daily a short time ago, the one pointing a finger at the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers for this same thing? The hockey team has since filed a lawsuit over the matter.
You have to wonder now, though, if that lawsuit might just disappear over the horizon in the next little while, although Branch has said the OHL enforcement officer didn’t find anything nefarious when he looked into the Kitchener situation.
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Sunaya Sapurji of Yahoo! Sports tweeted a short time after the OHL’s announcement: “Windsor Spitfires denying allegations: ‘We will pursue all avenues of appeal regarding the decision made by the Commissioner, David Branch.’ ”
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Sapurji later filed a story for Yahoo! Sports. That story is right here.
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Right here is a blog entry from Jim Parker of the Windsor Star.
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In the WHL, there have long been rumours about players/families receiving off-the-radar benefits as part of the recruitment process. I think the first time I heard anything like this was in 1997 when the Tri-City Americans, then owned by Ron Toigo, who now owns the Vancouver Giants, were pursuing F Scott Gomez. He eventually would join the Americans and play two seasons with them, putting up 157 points in 103 games.
But while there were whispers, no one was able to produce any evidence.
———
“Elsewhere in the WHL,” reads a story by Dan Weaver that appeared in the Spokane Spokesman-Review in the summer of 1997, “the Tri-City Herald has reported that the Tri-City Americans’ deal with highly regarded center Scott Gomez is caught up in reports Gomez received a $200,000 incentive package.
“The alleged agreement, initially reported last week in the bi-weekly Peace Arch, B.C., News, would exceed the league’s education and benefits package. The standard is one year of college tuition and books for each year a player is in the league.
“Penalties for exceeding the standard inducement could include a fine and loss of first-round picks in the bantam draft.
“Gomez was on the protected list of the Chiefs, who dropped his name in late January after they were unable to recruit him.
“Gomez signed a national letter of intent to attend Colorado College but the coach at Colorado, Don Lucia, told a Colorado Springs radio station that Gomez decided in favor of the WHL because of a deal that includes cash, insurance and benefits, the Herald reported.
“The Americans deny any improprieties.
“WHL president Dev Dley said that ‘there is no on-going investigation because, as of now, there’s nothing to investigate.’
“Gomez, 17, had a sensational last season with the Tier II South Surrey, B.C., Eagles. The Americans recently hired South Surrey coach Rick Lanz as an assistant. That could be construed as an effort to smooth the 5-11, 176-pound Gomez’ transition to the Americans.”
The story went on to say that Spokane GM Tim Speltz, who had dropped Gomez from the Chiefs’ list after being unsuccessful in attempts to recruit him, asked Toigo and Ams’ general manager Bob Brown about rumours involving a Gomez deal.
“They denied everything,” Speltz said. “We didn’t ask for an investigation (by the league). We have no reason to pursue it.
“In hindsight, I never should have dropped (Gomez).”
———
Since then there have been rumblings involving the arrival of the odd player in the WHL but, again, there hasn’t been anything in the way of concrete evidence.
Since the advent of social media, especially Facebook and Twitter, I have felt that if it was happening, word would get out simply because the players are always going back and forth on these mediums. To date, however, nothing like that has emerged.
But the announcement out of the OHL office on Friday means the rules have changed because you have to think that where there’s this much smoke there is more than one fire.
While the OHL didn’t reveal much in the way of specifics – Branch has said Windsor’s transgressions involved more than one player and that the investigation too more than a year – Chris Peters over at the United States of Hockey blog writes:
“The rumors have swirled around the Spitfires for years now, only intensifying after the Spits were able to haul in back-to-back Memorial Cups in 2009 and 2010.
“Team GM Warren Rychel has had a lot of success luring college recruits from their commitments, which has made him Public Enemy No. 1 in a lot of college hockey circles.
“Over the last four seasons, Rychel has lured top Americans with a regularity that has long raised eyebrows. In recent years, the Spits have acquired Cam Fowler, Kenny Ryan, Jack Campbell, Austin Watson, Craig Duininck Nick Ebert, Brady Vail, Ben Johnson, Nick Czinder, Andrew Yogan, John Cullen and Josh Unice just to rattle off some names.
“That’s not to implicate any of these players in the accepting of improper benefits, it’s just a list to show how prolific Rychel has been.
“The big names like Fowler (Notre Dame), Ryan (Boston College) and Campbell (Michigan) all had big-time college commitments and were considered big losses for the programs they were set to join.”
For more from Peters, click right here.
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One other thing that this decision does is point out, again, just what a big business major junior hockey has become. Fining a team $400,000 is not a trifling matter.
People who aren’t that close to the game at this level may not realize how profitable some of these teams are. Granted, not all of them are in the same boat; teams in smaller markets and some without new facilities in which to play may be hurting. But there are a large number of the CHL’s 60 teams that are rather well off.
Labour costs are minimal and haven’t changed significantly in recent times. At the same time, ticket sales have soared, the value of franchises (expansion and established) have skyrocketed, the cuts teams get from the Memorial Cup and World Junior Championship pies have increased substantially. Oh, sorry, it’s the MasterCard Memorial Cup, so we should mention that sponsorship money has also rolled in like a blizzard hitting Regina in January.
The Windsor Spitfires obviously are profitable enough that David Branch felt a $400,000 fine would serve as punishment and a deterrent but wouldn’t cripple the franchise.
———
And now a few words about David Branch.
There isn’t a better commissioner/president in the world of sports today than Branch. A long-time minor hockey coach, Branch gets it. He really does. He is one authoritative hockey person who is ahead of the curve. He also understands the importance of credibility and the importance of transparency if you hope to maintain that credibility.
With Branch, the game comes first. He was the first of the leaders to come down hard on players who venture over the line when it came to hits from behind and headshots. He also has long been against staged fights and in recent times has appeared to be leaning towards moving to get rid of fighting altogether.
He also is extremely comfortable in his own skin and obviously operates without fear of reprisal from the team owners who sign his cheques.
Or perhaps it comes back to his understanding of the importance of credibility.
———
If something like this happened in the WHL, you have to wonder if we would ever hear anything official about it. The WHL operates more and more in a world of secrecy; of late, it has had all the transparency of midnight in Moscow.
This is the league that no longer issues any information regarding the number of concussions suffered by its players. All we know is that there were more than 100 concussions in each of the last two seasons.
Also, the WHL never did let its fans in on the details of the draft in which the Kootenay Ice ended up with the rights to D David Musil, who then was traded to the Vancouver Giants.
When Swiss F Alessio Bertaggia showed up illegally in the camp of the Portland Winterhawks, the WHL never did reveal what disciplinary measures, if any, were taken.
And, no, the WHL doesn’t employ an enforcement officer, although this latest development proves that it should. Considering how much recruiting the WHL and its teams are involved in, an enforcement officer certainly could help monitor things.
The WHL, if you aren’t aware, is recruiting peewee hockey players these days and had players in that 1999-born group at a camp in March. It’s a good bet that some of those players hadn’t yet turned 13 years of age. Mind you, there was registration fee of $350.
This week, the WHL held a by-invitation-only camp in Calgary for 102 1998-born players. These are players who are eligible for the 2013 bantam draft.
Here is a paragraph from a WHL news release on that camp:
“Players attending the WHL Prospects Camp will be provided with a unique hockey experience and be introduced to the tools they will require to develop to their full potential. WHL Alumni will serve as camp coaches, while the presenting partner Reebok CCM will provide participants with full work-out apparel. This camp will also give the players the unique opportunity to display their talents to WHL scouts leading into the season in which they are eligible to be selected in the WHL Bantam Draft.”
The question has to be asked: Does accepting “full work-out apparel” from Reebok CCM violate NCAA rules?
———
And, finally, here are a couple of tweets from AJ Jakubec, the former radio voice of the Edmonton Oil Kings who now calls the play for the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s.
“It's not exactly a coincidence that 10 of the last 11 OHL Champs have come from the West. Tough to compete when teams are buying players.”
“When agents set a price of 100k for an import player to come over, you know their player isn't coming for free when they make the jump.”

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Codey Burki (Brandon, 2002-07) signed a one-year plus club option contract with Lausanne (Switzerland, NL B). He had one goal and two assists in 13 games with Lugano (Switzerland, NL A) and two assists in three games while on loan to La Chaux-de-Fonds (Switzerland, NL B) last season. Lausanne notes in its announcement of the signing that Burki is expected to obtain Swiss citizenship before the start of the season and thus will not count as an import player. . . .
F Tyler Beechey (Kootenay, Calgary, 1997-2002) signed a one-year contract with the Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL). He had 15 goals and 18 assists in 52 games with Dusselsorf (Germany, DEL) last season.
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D David Musil of the Vancouver Giants has signed his first NHL contract with the Edmonton Oilers. Musil, 19, was the 31st selection in the 2011 NHL draft. He has played three seasons with the Giants, who acquired his rights from the Kootenay Ice after it obtained them in a WHL draft that was so secret it was like something out of a John le Carré novel.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Terry Murray has taken over as head coach of the Adirondack Phantoms, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers. . . . This will be Murray’s third go-round with the Flyers organization. . . . He started last season as head coach of the Los Angeles Kings but was dismissed in December. . . . With the Phantoms, Murray, 61, replaces Joe Paterson, who was fired in May. He had been the head coach since December 2010.
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Denis Chalifoux is the new head coach of the QMJHL’s Shawinigan Cataractes, who won the 2013 Memorial Cup as the host team. Chalifoux, who signed a three-year contract, takes over from Eric Veilleux, who resigned following the season. . . . Veilleux now is head coach of the QMJHL’s Baie-Comeau Drakkar.

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