Silvertips have their coach ... Hitmen looking for new GM ... Giants need assistant coach

F Josh Holden (Regina, 1994-98) has signed a one-year extension with Zug (Switzerland, NL A). This season, Holden, the team captain, had 14 goals and 25 assists in 49 games. . . . Next season will be Holden’s 10th with Zub. According to Zug's website, Holden is eligible to apply for Swiss citizenship this year. . . .

F Josh Green (Medicine Hat, Swift Current, Portland, 1993-98) announced via his Twitter account that he has retired. “Walking away on my terms,” he wrote. . . . This season with KooKoo Kouvola (Finland, Liiga), he had 11 goals and six assists in 38 games. He was the team captain.

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With their arch-rivals, the Seattle Thunderbirds, flying high over Western Canada, bringing home the Ed Chynoweth Cup on Monday afternoon, the Everett Silvertips announced that they have a new head coach.

As expected, the Silvertips have brought in Dennis Williams, a 37-year-old native of Stratford, Ont., to replace Kevin Constantine, whose contract wasn’t renewed following this season.

Williams becomes the fifth head coach in the franchise’s history, which began with the 2003-04 season.

DENNIS WILLIAMS

Constantine has done two four-year stints as head coach, winning 326 regular-season and 45 playoff games in the process.

This season, Everett went 44-16-12 — for the second 100-point season in its history — and finished atop the Western Conference and the U.S. Division. The Silvertips also were the WHL’s best defensive club, allowing only 169 goals in 72 games. In the playoffs, they took a first-round series from the Victoria Royals in six games, then got swept by the Thunderbirds.

Everett management is hopeful that Williams can inject a little more run-and-gun into the Silvertips’ game.

From a Silvertips’ news release:

“Williams has 11 years of head-coaching experience across junior and college levels, carrying a lifetime winning percentage of .673 over the past seven seasons as head coach with Bloomington of the United States Hockey League and Amarillo of the North American Hockey League. After guiding Bloomington to a 29-24-7 record and fifth place in the Eastern Conference in their expansion season of 2014-15, he led the Thunder in 2015-16 to a 36-18-6 record, an appearance in the Eastern Conference final, and a victory shy of reaching the league’s Clark Cup final.”

Williams has been the USHL-Bloomington, Ill., Thunder’s general manager of hockey operations and head coach for three seasons. Before that, he was the director of hockey operations and head coach of the NAHL’s Amarillo, Texas, Bulls.

CSH International, Inc., the sports property division of The Monarch Corporation, owns the Silvertips, Thunder and Bulls. The Monarch Corporation is a private investment company that is headquartered in Medicine Hat and is headed up by Bill Yuill.

Taking Note was told last week that Williams had two years left on his contract with Bloomington.

The Silvertips’ news release didn’t mention either assistant coach Mitch Love or goaltender coach Shane Clifford. Brennan Sonne, the team’s other assistant coach this season, has left the club and signed on as head coach of Angers, a professional team in France.

The Silvertips’ news release on Williams is right here.

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The Calgary Hitmen are in the market for a general manager after they announced on Monday that their hockey operations are being restructured.

MIKE MOORE

The Hitmen are owned by the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation, the parent of the NHL’s Calgary Flames.

On Monday, Mike Moore, the WHL franchise’s vice-president of business operations and general manager since 2013, was named vice-president and alternate governor.

According to a news release, Moore’s “new role will see a continued focus on business operations while also acting as an advisor and providing support to the general manager.”

Moore has been involved in the WHL since 1997. He spent one season (1997-98) as Calgary’s assistant general manager, before moving to Kamloops as the Blazers’ GM (1998-2004). He was the Medicine Hat Tigers’ GM for one season (2004-05), before spending three seasons as director of athletics at the Calgary-based Edge School.

Moore returned to the Hitmen for 2008-09, as director of business operations, later adding assistant GM to his responsibilities, then being name GM and vice-president of business operations in 2013.

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Teams in the WHL each play 72 regular-season games as they strive to earn home-ice advantage in the playoffs.

Right?

But is home-ice advantage worth anything when the real season starts?

Well, the final figures are in and it seems that there isn’t much of an advantage, if any.

Hartley Miller is the sports director at 94.3 The Goat in Prince George and also provides analysis on broadcasts of the Cougars’ home games.

What follows is from numbers he compiled . . .

In the first round of the WHL playoffs, the home team was 22-22.

That figure was 13-10 in the second round, 6-6 in the third round, and 3-3 in the championship final.

Add it all up and the home team was 44-41 in the 2017 playoffs.

Four series went seven games. In Round 1, the home team was 1-1 in Game 7s and 1-1 in Round 2.

As Miller notes, “In the conference finals, the Regina Pats ended the series in Lethbridge and the Seattle Thunderbirds did the same in Kelowna.” As well, the Thunderbirds ended the championship final in Regina on Sunday night.

“In other words,” Miller notes, “the location of the game seems to mean less and less the bigger the series.”

Miller also took a look at the NHL playoffs, including Monday’s game.

In the opening round, the home team was 19-23. In the second round, it was 15-11.

Including Monday, the home team is 2-2 in the third round.

To this point, then, the home team is 36-36 in the NHL playoffs.

Advantage? Not really.

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F Matt Revel, who played out his junior eligibility this season, has decided to attend UBC and play for the Thunderbirds. A native of Abbotsford, B.C., Revel split his final season between the Kamloops Blazers and Portland Winterhawks, totalling nine goals and 12 assists in 42 games. He missed a chunk of the season after suffering a collarbone injury. While recovering from that, the Blazers placed him on 20-year-old waivers and he was claimed by Portland. In 314 career WHL games, he had 71 goals and 101 assists. He played the first 104 of those regular-season games with the Saskatoon Blades.

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The Tri-City Americans have signed D Tom Cadieux, who was a second-round selection in the WHL’s 2017 bantam draft. This season, the Saskatoon native had eight goals and 13 assists in 29 games with the bantam AAA Notre Dame Hounds of Wilcox, Sask. Cadieux, who won’t turn 15 until Sept. 11, also had a goal and an assist in four games with the midget AAA Hounds.

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A lot of snow has gone into the Zamboni since Dave King was the head coach of the WHL’s Billings Bighorns. These days, the man who is one of the godfathers of Canadian hockey coaches is in Paris as an assistant coach with Team Canada at the IIHF World Championship. Lucas Aykroyd sat down with King and what resulted is a two-parter. Part 1 is right here. Enjoy!

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Tyler Kuntz won’t be returning to the Vancouver Giants for a third season as an assistant coach. The Giants revealed Monday that they have “parted ways” with Kuntz. He spent two seasons with them, working with head coaches Lorne Molleken (2015-16) and Jason McKee (2016-17). Before joining the Giants, McKee was the head coach of the UBC Thunderbirds.

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The SPHL’s Knoxville Ice Bears announced on Monday that head coach Mike Craigen’s contract won’t be renewed. Craigen was 206-151-35 in seven regular seasons with the Ice Bears. In the playoffs, he was 16-15. When the Ice Bears won the 2014-15 championship, Craigen became the first person in SPHL history to win championships as a player (2006, 2008) and coach.

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George Burnett, preparing for his first season as the general manager and head coach of the OHL’s Guelph Storm, said Monday that assistant coaches Todd Harvey and Luca Caputi will be back as assistant coaches, with Matt Smith returning as goaltending coach. . . . As well, Phil Golding has been named the Storm’s assistant general manager. He has been with the organization since 2007, working in the business operations department.

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Alex Evin has signed on with the BCHL’s Prince George Spruce Kings as their associate coach. Evin, 30, has spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach with the BCHL’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs. Before that, he spent three seasons with Selkirk College of the B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League, one as head coach and two as an assistant coach. With the Spruce Kings, Evin will be working alongside head coach Adam Maglio.

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Source: Silvertips have deal with coach ... Brooks skating, but future uncertain ... Cougars lose goaltender

The assembly line in action. Fantastic work done by all! #TeamWork pic.twitter.com/QUXqpyDvwK

— Okanagan Hockey (@OkanaganHockey) May 12, 2017

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The Everett Silvertips appear poised to introduce Dennis Williams as their new head coach.

He would replace Kevin Constantine, who was told on April 18 that his contract wouldn’t be renewed.

Constantine, in his second go-round with the Silvertips, had been their head coach through four seasons.

One source told Taking Note on Thursday that he has heard from “a few different people that Everett has a done deal” with Williams. This was the second time in two days that Taking Note has received the same information from different sources.

Williams, 37, is a native of Stratford, Ont., He has spent three seasons as the general manager of hockey operations and head coach of the USHL’s Bloomington, Ill., Thunder. One source told Taking Note that Williams has two years left on his contract with Bloomington.

Before working with the Thunder, Williams was the director of hockey operations and head coach with the NAHL’s Amarillo, Texas, Bulls.

The Silvertips, Thunder and Bulls are owned by CSH International, Inc., the sports property division of The Monarch Corporation, a private investment company that is headquartered in Medicine Hat and is headed up by Bill Yuill, its chairman.

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The WHL’s championship final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup resumes tonight (Friday) in Kent, Wash., with the Regina Pats and Seattle Thunderbirds each having won twice. The Thunderbirds posted the most convincing victory over the series on Wednesday when they skated to a 6-1 victory.

The Pats, of course, have been without F Adam Brooks since he suffered a suspected concussion when he was hit by Seattle D Turner Ottenbreit during Game 1. Brooks, who won last season's WHL scoring title, put up 250 points between last season and this one.

Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reported Thursday that “Brooks is skating but it remains to be seen when he’ll get the green light.”

John Paddock, the Pats’ general manager and head coach, told Harder: “I don’t really have an answer. I definitely think there’s a chance to a good chance (he’ll play again in the series). In saying that, he’s not a lock to play (Friday) or the next two games after that.”

After Game 5, the teams will return to Regina for Game 6, which is scheduled for Sunday, and Game 7, if necessary, on Monday.

Harder’s complete story is right here.

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G Nick McBride has told the Prince George Cougars that he won’t be returning for his 20-year-old

NICK McBRIDE

season. Ted Clarke of the Prince George Citizen reports that McBride informed the Cougars of his decision “about a month ago.” . . . This season, McBride played in 22 games, going 14-5-1, 3.05, .903, as he backed up Ty Edmonds, 20, who made 53 appearances. . . . A native of Maple Ridge, B.C., McBride started his WHL career with the Prince Albert Raiders. He played two seasons there, before being dealt to the Cougars. . . . McBride, a former WHL scholastic player of the year, is expected to attend school rather than return to the Cougars. . . . Tavin Grant, 19, would appear to be No. 1 on the Cougars’ depth chart now. He played this season with the BCHL’s Prince George Spruce Kings. Also on the depth chart is G Taylor Gauthier, the ninth overall selection in the WHL’s 2016 bantam draft. Gauthier, 16, played this season with the midget AAA Calgary Buffaloes. . . . According to Clarke, the Cougars also will bring in Ty Taylor, who turns 18 on July 5. He played this season with the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers. . . . McBride is the second goaltender to leave the WHL for school in recent days, rather than return for his 20-year-old season. Zach Sawchenko won’t be back with the Moose Jaw Warriors, choosing instead to attend the U of Alberta and play for the Golden Bears. . . . Clarke’s story is right here.

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D Dallas Valentine, who played out his junior eligibility with the Kamloops Blazers this season, has decided to attend the U of Lethbridge and play for the Pronghorns. Valentine, who is from Red Deer, played four seasons in the WHL. Six games into his third season, the Moose Jaw Warriors traded him to the Blazers. . . . In 260 regular-season games, the 6-foot-4, 205-pounder had 10 goals and 55 assists.

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Aaron Keller, who has played and coach in Japan since 1997, announced his retirement via Facebook on Thursday. Keller, 42, is a native of Kamloops. A defenceman, he played four seasons (1992-96) with the Kamloops Blazers and was part of two Memorial Cup-championship teams (1994 and 1995). . . . Keller played one season of pro in North America, before joining the Snow Brand Sapporo in Japan for the 1997-98 season. Since 2002-03, he has been part of the Oji Eagles’ organization. He also represented Japan in various international competitions. Keller last played in 2013-14. This season, he was the Eagles’ head coach.

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The Red Deer Rebels have brought back a familiar face as their athletic therapist. The team announced that Josh Guenther has left the team, “due to personal reasons,” after one season, and that it has hired Terence Robertson as athletic therapist. . . . Robertson was the team’s athletic therapist from 2004-13. Since 2013, he was with Collegiate Athletic & Sports Medicine in Red Deer.

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The Tri-City Americans have signed F Kaden Kohle to a WHL contract. The Americans selected Kohle, who is from Humboldt, Sask., in the first round — 12th overall — of the 2017 WHL bantam draft. This season, Kohle, 6-foot-2 and 170 pounds. had 66 points, including 38 goals, in 29 games with the bantam AA Humboldt Broncos. In 2015-16, he had 12 goals and 14 assists in 26 games with the Broncos.

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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.

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Sneak peak into some of our marketing, this will get posted next week. Renewals May 15 and Season Tix on sale May 24...can you please share? pic.twitter.com/n75sIMxQQh

— Greg Fettes (@greg_fettes) May 11, 2017

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THURSDAY’S GAME:

No Game Scheduled.

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FRIDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Regina vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m. (Series tied, 2-2)

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Seattle sniper to miss Game 1 ... Silvertips closing on head coach? ... WEHP set for bantam draft

Thrilled that we have committed to forward @myles_mattila12 from the BCMML Champs @cariboocougars. The @KelownaChiefs welcome Myles. @KIJHL pic.twitter.com/rQmGyBtZpL

— KChiefsCoach (@KChiefsCoach) May 2, 2017

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D David Musil (Vancouver, Edmonton, 2009-13) has had his KHL rights traded by SKA St. Petersburg (Russia) to CSKA Moscow (Russia). Musil was St. Petersburg’s first-round pick (12th overall) in the 2010 KHL draft. Musil's rights were traded with the rights to Marcus Johansson (Washington, NHL) in return for the rights to Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay, NHL), Nail Yakupov (St. Louis) and CSKA player Danila Kvartalnov. This season, Musil had four goals and 10 assists in 47 games with the Bakersfield Condors (AHL), and four assists in 13 games with the Tucson Roadrunners (AHL). Musil becomes an RFA in the NHL on July 1. . . .

D Dave Sutter (Seattle, 2010-12) has signed a one-year contract with the ZSC Lions Zurich (Switzerland, NL A). This season, with Biel-Bienne (Switzerland, NL A), he had two goals and 15 assists in 50 games. . . . 

D Kirill Vorobyov (Portland, 2012-13) has been traded by Sibir Novosibirsk (Russia, KHL) to CSKA Moscow (Russia, KHL) as part of a 5-for-1 deal. This season, with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (Russia, KHL), he had three goals and four assists in 35 games; he also had one goal in 16 games with Sibir Novosibirsk. . . . Vorobyov and four others were traded by Sibir to CSKA for one player and monetary compensation. . . .

D Tomas Slovak (Kelowna, 2001-03) has signed a one-year contract with Piráti Chomutov (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, he had two assists in 16 games with Plzeň (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He also was pointless in three games with Žilina (Slovakia, Extraliga). . . .

D David Němeček (Saskatoon, 2013-14) has signed a one-year contract with Mladá Bloeslav (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, he had eight assists in 27 games with Plzeň (Czech Republic, Extraliga). . . .

F Ondřej Najman (Spokane, 2016-17) has signed a one-year contract with Mladá Bloeslav (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, with the Chiefs, he had five goals and 20 assists in 65 games. . . . 

F Pavel Kousal (Spokane, 2016-17) has signed a one-year contract with Mladá Bloeslav (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, he had seven goals and three assists in 49 games with Spokane. . . .

D Mitch Versteeg (Lethbridge, 2006-09) has signed a one-year extension with Nitra (Slovakia, Extraliga). This season, he had three goals and eight assists in 43 games.

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F Keegan Kolesar of the Seattle Thunderbirds will miss Game 1 of the WHL’s championship final as he serves a one-game suspension

Kolesar was tossed from the final game of the Western Conference final in Kelowna on Sunday at 16:08 of the first period He was given a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct for a hit on Rockets D Devante Stephens, who left and didn’t return.

The Thunderbirds won that game, 3-1, to take the series, 4-2. They will open the championship final against the host Regina Pats on Friday.

In these playoffs, Kolesar leads Seattle in goals (9), assists (13) and points (22), all in 14 games.

The Thunderbirds likely will be missing D Ethan Bear, too. He has five goals and 11 assists in 11 games, but has sat out the last three games after suffering an injury to his left hand while blocking a shot late in Game 3. Bear took the pregame warmup prior to the last two games, but was scratched. He has been wearing a soft cast on his left hand, with the index and middle fingers splinted.

It really will be unfortunate if Bear isn’t able to play. He is from the Ochapowace First Nation near Whitewood, Sask., which is two hours east of Regina on the Trans-Canada Highway. A role model for the youngsters in that area of Saskatchewan, Bear has a huge following there.

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I will be quick to admit that I no longer pay a whole lot of attention to the bantam draft and all that leads up to it.

However, there are people who do and some of them certainly do it with a whole lot of TLC.

Tyler Neisz, the owner and director of scouting at Western Elite Hockey Prospects, is one of those people.

If you are into following the bantam draft, which is scheduled to be held in Calgary on Thursday, you may want to take a look at WEHP’s preview which is, in a word, thorough.

In its 70 pages, you will find WEHP’s top 208 2002-born players, which will get you through more than nine rounds. There also are, among other things, thumbnail scouting reports on WEHP’s top 80 prospects and a two-round mock draft, along with a list of the top 164 2003-born players and top 59 2002-born players from the western U.S.

If you are wondering, WEHP’s No. 1 prospect is D Kaidan Guhle of OHA Edmonton. Here’s the scouting report: “Tall, strong skating defenceman. Elite dman, WHL/NHL frame, amazing gap control. Likes to join the rush or lead it. Has excellent offensive and defensive skill. Not afraid to play physical. Has strong compete level. Has a hard and controlled shot from the point. Can overplay the man one on one at times.”

Guhle is the younger brother of D Brendan Guhle, who was selected by the Prince Albert Raiders with the third overall pick of the 2012 bantam draft. The Raiders, who dealt Brendan to the Prince George Cougars this season, just happen to have the No. 1 pick in Thursday’s draft.

For more info, visit WEHP’s website right here.

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Those in junior hockey circles believe Bloomington coach Dennis Williams is frontrunner to land Everett job in WHL.

— Brad E. Schlossman (@SchlossmanGF) May 1, 2017

The Everett Silvertips are in the market for a head coach after announcing on April 18 that Kevin Constantine’s contract wouldn’t be renewed for a fifth season in what was his second go-round with the team.

Brad E. Schlossman, who covers NCAA hockey for the Grand Forks, N.D., Herald, posted the above tweet on Monday afternoon.

Dennis Williams, a native of Stratford, Ont., is nearing the end of his third season as the general manager of hockey operations and head coach of the USHL’s Bloomington, Ill., Thunder. Last season, the Thunder, one season after going 29-24-7, went 36-18-6 in the regular season, then fell one victory shy of winning the league’s playoff championship.

Before joining the Thunder, Williams was the director of hockey operations and head coach of the NAHL’s Amarillo, Texas, Bulls. He was director of hockey operations for the franchise’s inaugural season (2010-11), then went 198-58-26 in three seasons as head coach. The Bulls finished atop the South Division in each of the three seasons, and won the NAHL championship in 2012-13.

The Silvertips, Thunder and Bulls are owned by CSH International, Inc., the sports property division of The Monarch Corporation, a private investment company that is headquartered in Medicine Hat and is headed up by Bill Yuill, its chairman.
Garry Davidson, the Silvertips' head coach, has said he will get down to the business of a coaching search after Thursday's WHL bantam draft.

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The Tri-City Americans have signed F Connor Bouchard to a WHL contract. Bouchard, 16, is from Cochrane, Alta. He was an eight-round selection in the 2016 WHL bantam draft. Bouchard played the past three seasons at the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton, B.C. This season, he had 53 points, 18 of them goals, in 30 games with the Midget Prep White team.

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Nick Murray, the Vancouver Giants’ athletic therapist for the past six seasons, is leaving the WHL team. Murray, who is from Logan Lake, B.C., is moving on to become the head athletic therapist at Douglas College in New Westminster. . . . According to a news release, “The Giants will be accepting applications for the position of athletic therapist immediately. Applications can be sent to info@vancouvergiants.com with the subject line ‘Application for Athletic Therapist.’ ”

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The Spokane Chiefs will be in the market for two new players when the CHL holds its annual import draft in June.

As you will have noted above, according to The MacBeth Report, F Pavel Kousal and F Ondřej Najman, both of whom played with the Chiefs last season, have signed to play professionally next season with Mladá Bloeslav of the Czech Republic’s Extraliga.

Kousal, from Jihlava, Czech Republic, will turn 19 on Nov. 14. He had seven goals and three assists in 49 games in his only season with the Chiefs.

Najman, 19, also is from Jihlava. He also played one season with the Chiefs, putting up five goals and 20 assists.

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The new owners — Winnipeggers Greg Fettes and Matt Cockell — officially took over the Kootenay Ice on Monday. The first order of business seems to have been the release of a new logo.

It showed up in a five-paragraph news release that was posted on the team’s website on Monday afternoon.

There was nothing new in the release, other than this:

“The new ownership group has promised a fresh start for the community and is excited to unveil a new look for the 2017-18 season.”

The new owners, who purchased the franchise from the Chynoweth family, is expected to unveil new-look home-and-away uniforms at some point in the future.

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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.

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The BCHL’s Salmon Arm Silverbacks are searching for a head coach after Misko Antisin announced that he is leaving, effective May 30, as he moves “back to the U.S. to pursue professional opportunities down there.” . . . Antisin was hired as an assistant coach on June 23, 2014. He left the team prior to the start of this season to take over as head coach of the Steamboat Wranglers of the Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League, a team owned by the Silverbacks’ ownership group. . . . Antisin returned to the Silverbacks on Nov. 14, taking over as head coach after Brandon West was fired. . . . This season, the Silverbacks went 24-28-3-3, finishing sixth in the six-team Interior Division, just four points behind the third-place Trail Smoke Eaters. . . . Salmon Arm dropped a first-round playoff series to Trail in five games.

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Wow! Game 1(Ticket J) sold out in 2 minutes. Game 2(Ticket K) sold out in 5 minutes.Thank you #PatsRegiment! #WHLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/Qg38F8iJAD

— #JoinTheRegiment (@WHLPats) May 1, 2017

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MONDAY-THURSDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.

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FRIDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Seattle at Regina, 7 p.m. (Game 1)

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.