My wife, Dorothy, is one of the co-honourees — along with her friend Margaret Thompson — of the 2016 Kamloops Kidney Walk. Each year, the walk salutes someone who has worked to shine a light on kidney transplants and organ donorship. Dorothy, who had a kidney transplant almost three years ago, will take part in her third straight Kidney Walk on Sept. 25.
The hockey community, especially those of you who stop by here, have always been terrific in supporting her. If you would like to be part of her team and sponsor her, please click right here.
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F J.T. Barnett (Vancouver, Kamloops, Everett, Kelowna, 2008-13) assigned by CSKA Moscow (Russia, KHL) to their farm club, Zvezda Chekhov (Russia, Vysshaya Liga). . . .
F James Wright (Vancouver, 2005-10) has signed a one-year contract with Admiral Vladivostok (Russia, KHL). Last season, with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL), he had 14 goals and 27 assists in 73 games. . . . There now are three former Vancouver Giants with Admiral: Wright, Jon Blum, and Mikhail Fisenko. All were teammates in 2008-09.
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Scott Carter is the new general manager of the Spokane Chiefs. He takes over from Tim Speltz, who left after 26 years in the position. Speltz now is the director of western area scouting with the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs.
Carter, who turned 55 on Thursday, was born and raised in Penticton. He helped bring the junior A
Vees back to relevancy and was their managing partner. He also did a stint as president and general manager, and was named the BCHL’s executive of the year in 2005.
Carter was a co-founder of the B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame, which is based in Penticton. He was inducted into the hall in 2012.
In the business world, he became involved with Vaughn Custom Sports in 1983, and has been part-owner and president since 1996.
In 1994, he helped bring the Western Professional Hockey League into being, later selling his shares in order to become a full partner in Vaughn.
He also has scouted for the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks. Most recently, he has done consulting work with the Canadian Sport School Hockey League, working with the academies to help them maintain certain standards.
“We draft and sign what we call ‘Chief type’ players,” Brett said in a news release, “and wanted a guy that would fit into that culture but also bring new ideas. We’re always looking for ways to get better. The more I got to know Scott and checked in with his references, it was clear that we made the right choice.”
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The Prince George Cougars added one import to their roster while dropping another on Thursday. . . . F Yan Khomenko, 18, of St. Petersburg, Russia, is in, while Swedish F Axel Jonsson Fjallby is out. . . . The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Khomenko had five goals and four assists in 45 games with the Everett Silvertips last season. They selected him in the CHL’s 2015 import draft. . . . Fjallby, 18, was a fifth-round pick by the Washington Capitals in the 2016 NHL draft. The Cougars selected him in the CHL’s 2016 import draft. He is likely to play this season with the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms. . . . Prince George’s other import is sophomore F Bartek Bison, who is from Amsterdam, Netherlands.
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The Saskatoon Blades have signed F Logan Doust to a WHL contract. Doust, from North Vancouver, was a ninth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. He played last season with the North Shore Winter Club’s bantam AAA team. His regular-season stats aren’t available, but Small Thoughts At Large has him with a goal and three assists in five games at the St. Albert tournament and two goals in five games with the Wild at the U-16 B.C. Cup. . . . The Blades also signed F Josh Bruce, 18, who is from Surrey, B.C. Last season, the 6-foot-1, 185-pounder had 28 points, including 12 goals, in 39 games with the Valley West Hawks of the B.C. Major Midget League.
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes have signed F Jayden Davis and F Connor Lyons, both of whom are list players. . . . Davis, who will turn 17 in November, is from Alameda, Sask. Last season, his second with the midget AAA Moose Jaw Generals, the 5-foot-10, 175-pounder had 23 points, 10 of them goals, in 39 games. . . . Lyons, 17, is a list player from Lethbridge. The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder played last season with the midget AAA Lethbridge Hurricanes, putting up 23 points, including seven goals, in 34 games. His father, Corey, is a former Hurricanes forward.
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The Kootenay Ice has signed F Blake Allan, a third-round selection in the 2016 bantam draft. Allan, from Humboldt, Sask., had 40 points, including 18 goals, in 30 games with the bantam AA Humboldt Broncos last season.
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Portland-based journalist Dwight Jaynes is the host of a podcast these days — the Podfather Godcast — and he interviewed Mike Johnston, the vice-president, general manager and head coach of the Portland Winterhawks, the other day. There is lots right here, including Johnston’s being fired last season from his position as head coach of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, who went on to win the Stanley Cup. As usual, Johnston is open and honest.
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It is going on a year since former Brandon Wheat Kings scoring star Brian Propp had a stroke. Today, after a month in Magee Rehabilitation Hospital in Philadelphia and a whole lot of hard work, and with some help from a “robotic gait-training system,” Propp is well on the road to recovery. He now is working at giving back. . . . Brian Hickey of PhillyVoice has more right here.
www.phillyvoice.com/recovering-stroke-former-flyer-brian-propp-establishes-scholarship-program/
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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES:
In Kennewick, Wash., F Devon Skoleski’s goal ended a six-round shootout and gave the Everett Silvertips a 5-4 victory over the Portland Winterhawks (3-0-1). F Orrin Centazzo also scored for Everett (2-2-1) in the shootout, while F Skyler McKenzie did the same for Portland. The Winterhawks held 3-0 and 4-1 leads, only to have Everett score three straight goals. F Brian King got the Silvertips’ last two goals, at 8:30 and 15:33 of the third period. F Connor Dewar scored his fourth goal of the preseason for the Silvertips. F Graham Millar had three assists for Everett. Portland got two goals from F Bronson Sharp and two assists from McKenzie. . . . F Jansen Harkins scored his second goal 53 seconds into OT to give the Prince George Cougars a 5-4 victory over the Kootenay Ice. The Cougars held 3-0 and 4-3 leads, only to have F Jared Legien force OT with his second goal of the game at 19:26 of the third period. F Jesse Gabrielle and D Max Martin each had three assists for the Cougars (2-2-0). The Ice (0-0-1) got two assists from F Max Patterson. . . .
In Prince Albert, F Simon Stransky had a goal and two assists to lead the Raiders to a 5-3 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. F Drew Warkentine and F Reid Gardiner had two assists each for the winners. The Blades got two assists from D Anthony Bishop. Saskatoon held a 42-26 edge in shots. The Raiders are 1-1-0; the Blades 2-2-0.
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Hearing disgruntled @WHLGiants D Brennan Menell is talking with the Fargo Force of the USHL.— Steve Ewen (@SteveEwen) September 8, 2016
title . . . well, he was until last night, that is. He had 42 points through 14 games, was blanked in No. 15 and then put up seven points over his next two games. 
In Spokane, F Rourke Chartier scored twice to help the Kelowna Rockets beat the Chiefs, 4-3. . . . Rourke leads the WHL with 20 goals. His 20th goal, at 9:18 of the third period, gave the Rockets a 4-2 lead. . . . F Adam Helewka, with his 11th, got the Chiefs to within one at 18:14. . . . Kelowna F Nick Merkley, who leads the WHL scoring race, had two assists. He is No. 1 in assists (29) and points (36). . . . Chartier has 34 points. . . . Rockets D Jesse Lees had two assists. . . . The Chiefs got two goals from F Riley Whittingham, who now has four. . . . Chiefs F Liam Stewart had two assists. . . . The Rockets (18-1-1) are 8-0-1 in their last nine. . . . The Chiefs are 8-6-3. . . . The Rockets were without D Madison Bowey and F Tyson Baillie, both of whom played for the WHL in the Super Series game in Brandon. . . . The Chiefs announced prior to the game that their players will wear CH decals on their helmets for the remainder of this season. Cole Hamblin, a defenceman, played for the Chiefs in 2010-12. Hamblin died of cancer a week ago. He was 21. . . . During last night's pregame warmup, Chiefs captain Jason Fram and Stewart wore No. 6 jerseys with Hamblin on the nameplate in honour of their former teammate. 
D Shaun Heshka (Everett, 2003-06) has signed a contract with an unnamed Kontinental Hockey League team, according to a press release by Ässät Pori (Finland, SM-Liiga). He had eight goals and 23 assists in 60 games for Ässät, the SM-Liiga champions this season, and had the best plus/minus during the SM-Liiga playoffs at +9 in 16 games. . . . Ässät GM Mika Toivola: “Heshka was a really big piece of our championship team. He is a great player and a great person. We wish Shaun good luck in his future challenges and I hope that one day he will return to Ässät.” Helsinki newspaper Ilta-Sanomat reported Monday evening that Heska had signed a two-year contract with Ak Bars Kazan (KHL, Russia). . . .
Dwight Jaynes of Comcast Sportsnet, who is a long-time observer of the Portland sports scene, has weighed in on WHL commissioner Ron Robison’s meeting with the media there on Friday evening. Jaynes’ piece is 
In the OHL, F Mark Scheifele had five points, two of them goals, as the host Barrie Colts dumped the London Knights, 6-3. . . . The Colts lead the OHL final, 2-1, with Game 4 in Barrie on Wednesday night. . . . Scheifele, the Winnipeg Jets’ first pick, seventh overall, in the NHL’s 2011 draft, leads the OHL scoring race, with 34 points in 18 games. . . . Barrie F Anthony Camara wasn’t suspended for the charging major he was given after a hit on London F Max Domi in Game 2.
With the Memorial Cup scheduled to open in their arena on May 17, the Saskatoon Blades — remember them? — continue to practice and practice and practice. On Monday, they had some familiar faces on the ice with them as they attempted to pick up the pace a bit. Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has that story 
Dwayne Kirkup is the new head coach of the MJHL’s Neepawa Natives. Kirkup guided the MJHL’s Swan Valley Stampeders to a 33-23-4 record this season, the last year of his contract. He was the MJHL’s 2009-10 coach of the year with the Stampeders. . . . With the Natives, Kirkup takes over from Ken Brooks, who went 13-40-7 this season.
In winning Game 2 of the WHL final, the Portland Winterhawks “showcased their ‘A’ game, and a discombobulating, speed-based blur it is, when it gets rolling,” writes John MacKinnon of the Edmonton Journal.
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