Brodsky to see Paris in September

Jack Brodsky and his wife, Shirley, are flying to Paris today, just for a little vacation time. Before he left, Brodsky explained to Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix why he sold the WHL franchise to Edmonton auto dealer Mike Priestner. . . . That piece is right here.
———
The Kamloops Blazers acquired F Tristan Sieben, 19, from the Vancouver Giants for a seventh-round selection in the 2016 bantam draft. Sieben, from Edmonton, has 29 points in 97 regular-season games with the Giants and Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . The Blazers are rather young up front and were looking for some veteran leadership.
———
The Regina Pats signed five players to WHL contracts on Thursday — D Chase Harrison, F Colton Kroeker, F Jared McAmmond, F Adam Berg and G Nick Schneider. . . . Harrison, a 17-year-old list player, had 30 points in 44 games with the midget AAA Winnipeg Thrashers last season. . . . Kroeker was a seventh-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. He had 47 points in 36 games with the minor midget AAA Delta, B.C., Hockey Academy Wild last season. . . . McAmmond, from Grande Prairie, was a 10th-round pick in 2012. He had six points in 31 games with the midget AAA Grande Prairie Storm last season. . . . Berg, a 16-year-old list player, put up 34 points in 32 games with the minor midget AAA Calgary Blackhawks last season. . . . Schneider, another list player, was 6-7-1, 2.77, .926 for the minor midget AAA Spruce Grove Saints last season.
———
Veteran D Michael Mylchreest, 18, has been released by the Prince George Cougars. Mylchreest, from Gilroy, Calif., played the last two seasons with the Cougars, recording nine assists in 116 games. . . . The Cougars have dropped three veterans this week. Earlier, they released G Mac Engel, 20, and F Jarrett Fontaine, 18.
———
F Dylen McKinlay, who used up his junior eligibility while playing with the Kelowna Rockets last season, has signed with the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies. . . . McKinlay, from Langley, B.C., played three seasons with the Chilliwack Bruins and one each with the Kootenay Ice and the Rockets. He had 69 points in 72 games last season with Kelowna. . . . In 320 career regular-season games, he had 180 points, including 68 goals.
———
Ken Bensinger of the Los Angeles Times reports: “(Deion) Sanders is one of a host of current NFL employees, including at least six other NFL Network analysts and dozens of assistant coaches and team personnel” who have filed workers’ compensation claims, alleging head trauma and other injuries incurred while playing football. . . . The story, and it’s a good one, is right here.
———
Charles P. Pierce at grantland.com writes: “The NFL didn't agree to this settlement to pay anyone's hospital bills. That $765 million was to buy silence. It was to abort an embarrassing discovery process. It was to bury the evidence of how little the NFL ever has cared about the health of the people who work for it.”
Pierce is one of today’s great essayists. His complete piece is right here.
———


From Dickson Liong (@DLLiong): “#WHLGiants' F Tyler Benson will stay with the team until Sunday, and then will leave for POE after the game against Kamloops. #WHL”



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.

With the Vancouver Giants in Kamloops on Wednesday night to play the Blazers, it provided an opportunity to sit down and chat with Bill Wilms.
If you have listened to the Giants on radio or watched WHL games on TV, chances are that you are familiar with Wilms’ dulcet tones.
If you are a fan of the Giants, you will be aware that they have gone through radio play-by-play voices this season as though they are a dime a dozen.
“Let’s see,” Wilms says, and then he rhymes of the names of the five men he has worked with on Giants radio broadcasts this season.
It began with Alex Grebenyuk, who disappeared from the Giants’ front office – he was the director of broadcasting and media relations, and was to have done road games on the radio – early in the season. Since then, Wilms has worked alongside Blake Price, Morley Scott, Eddie Gregory – “For one game in Kelowna,” Wilms says – and Jeff Paterson.
Wilms also has done TV games this season, sharing air time with Dan Russell and Peter Loubardias.
During his career in WHL broadcast booths, Wilms says he has worked with 28 play-by-play men.
If you harbour aspirations of working with Wilms, perhaps calling Kamloops Blazers’ games would be a good start. That’s because Wilms says he’s worked games with Kelly Moore, Paterson, Kirk Fraser and Jon Keen, all of whom have done Blazers games.
———
Paul Buker of The Oregonian takes a look back at the Edmonton Oil Kings’ 4-3 victory over the host Portland Winterhawks on Wednesday night. Buker wonders if the Winterhawks have the size to deal with the Oil Kings or the Saskatoon Blades if they were to meet up in the WHL’s championship final.
That piece is right here.
———
Meanwhile, Evan Daum of the Edmonton Journal spoke with Oil Kings head coach Derek Laxdal on Thursday and has a look back at the same game right here. . . . Daum also adds a note on Edmonton F Henrik Samuelsson having drawn a two-game suspension for the spearing major he took on Wednesday night. That means he won’t play tonight as the Oil Kings close out their U.S. Division swing in Everett.
———
F Justin Feser of the Tri-City Americans is about to break a WHL record that has stood since March 17, 1992. Feser is scheduled to play in his 312th consecutive game tonight when the Americans play host to the Seattle Thunderbirds. Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald looks at Feser and his record right here. She has even spoken with former WHL D Dwayne Newman, whose record is about to fall.

———
When last we saw him, Chris Rumble, the son of Seattle Thunderbirds assistant coach Darren Rumble, was battling leukemia and making an awesome video in Seattle Children’s Hospital. Click right here and you’ll find an update on Chris, who is back skating and doing a whole lot more. In fact, he’s playing NCAA Division 1 hockey. You really should check out this report from CNN.
———
The Saskatoon Blades will be chasing their 18th straight victory tonight when they play host to the Brandon Wheat Kings. They also will be looking to land the 600th coaching victory of head coach Lorne Molleken’s WHL career. . . . Only Ken Hodge, who spent 22 years with the Edmonton Oil Kings/Portland Winterhawks, has won more games as a WHL coach. Hodge left with 742 victories and he remains the only coach in WHL history to have won at least 600 games. . . . “I don’t pay much attention to that,” Molleken told Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. “It just tells you how old I am.” . . . You can bet that, despite what he says, this means something to Molleken, 56. Chances are that this will be his final season behind the bench, that sometime after the Memorial Cup ends he will turn the coaching reins over to associate coach David Struch and settle into the general manager’s office. . . . And you can bet that at some point late in tonight’s game, should the Blades appear headed to victory, Molleken’s countenance will sport at least a semblance of a smile. That’s because he will be thinking of the late Muzz MacPherson, who had as much to do with Molleken’s career in hockey as anyone. MacPherson also was responsible for putting a lot of smiles on Molleken’s face.
———
Adam Proteau of The Hockey News notes that there some quality NHL players who have suffered concussions this seasons, and he wonders right here whether the league is doing enough to get brain injuries out of the game.
———
At least two WHL officials have been selected to officiate at the CIS University Cup national championship in Saskatoon later this month. BC Hockey announced Thursday that Jeff Ingram of Langley, B.C., and Sean Raphael of Victoria, both of whom regularly work as referees in WHL games, will handle some of the games in Saskatoon, March 14-17.
———
The matchups, if the WHL playoffs opened today:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Edmonton (1) vs. Kootenay (8)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Swift Current (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Medicine Hat (6)
Prince Albert (4) vs Red Deer (5)

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Portland (1) vs. Everett (8)
Kelowna (2) vs. Seattle (7)
Kamloops (3) vs. Victoria (6)
Tri-City (4) vs. Spokane (5)
———
THURSDAY’S GAME:
In Kelowna, F Dylen McKinlay scored twice to lead the Rockets to a 4-1 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . McKinlay, who also had an assist, now has 23 goals this season. He has six shorthanded scores, including one last night. . . . F Myles Bell added his 35th goal for Kelowna, with F Tyson Baillie getting his 23rd into an empty net late in the third period. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 17 shots, losing his shutout when F Seth Swenson notched his 16th goal at 7:20 of the third. . . . The Rockets are 26-5-0 at home. . . . Seattle lost D Jesse Forsberg following a collision with Kelowna F Rourke Chartier in the second period. According to Doyle Potenteau of the Kelowna Daily Courier: “Forsberg took a stick to the head and immediately fell to the ice. He was briefly motionless, but eventually wobbled his way to Seattle’s bench.” Forsberg went to the dressing room and didn’t return. . . . The victory allowed the Rockets to stretch their B.C. Divison lead to seven points over the Kamloops Blazers. Each team has eight games remaining, and they will meet three times next week.
———
CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None
———


From Tri-City Americans F Jesse Mychan (@jmychan28): “Can’t wait to head to Prince George Sunday! #SaidNoOne #Ever #SeriouslyNever”


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.

Blazers efficient in beating Rockets

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Brendan Ranford has grown from a boy into a man during his five seasons with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers.
But he still gets excited when his mother, Paula, is in the stands to watch him play.
She was inside Interior Savings Centre on Friday night as her son scored one goal and set up two others in leading the Blazers to a coolly efficient 4-2 WHL victory over the Kelowna Rockets.
The victory lifted the Blazers (39-15-5) to within five points of the B.C. Division-leading Rockets (42-14-4). The Blazers have 13 games remaining in the regular season; the Rockets have a dozen left to play.
The teams will meet again tonight, this time in Kelowna.
“It was a good game,” said Ranford, a 20-year-old from Edmonton, “and it’s always nice to have your mom in the stands.”
Ranford’s mother is from Edmonton. He also had a grandmother, from Red Deer, and an aunt, from Stettler, Alta., in the house to support him.
“They don’t come out as much as they did when I was 16,” he said, “but it’s nice to see them.”
The women will have left the arena with big smiles on their faces, because their boy — ahh, he’s likely still their baby! — was the best player on the ice.
Ranford, who now has 68 points in 57 games, set up the game’s first goal, scored his club’s third goal — his 16th of the season — and drew an assist on its fourth one.
And it was his goal, coming on a power play 34 seconds into the second period, that gave the Blazers control.
On the game’s first goal, centre Dylan Willick had charged to the Kelowna net and redirected a Ranford pass off the wall behind goaltender Jordon Cooke.
Ranford scored on a similar play, getting to the Kelowna net and shovelling a Colin Smith pass from the wall behind Cooke.
“It’s all about the speed, keep the puck moving and find the open guy,” Ranford said of playing with the man advantage. “It is a power play so there always is going to be one guy open.
“That’s what we had at the start of the season. We had a good set power play, and we did well against teams when we had a good power play.”
Last night, the Blazers scored twice on six opportunities, and that was enough for the victory.
“I thought that kind of set the tone a little bit for the game,” Kelowna head coach Ryan Huska said of his side’s propensity for taking early penalties. “We had four in the first period. You’re playing too few guys too many minutes and too many guys are sitting on the bench for too long.”
The game was 1-1 when Kelowna defenceman Colton Heffley was called for interference. Left-winger Tim Bozon scored off the rush 54 seconds later to give the Blazers a 2-1 lead.
Then, at 18:23, Jesse Lees, another Kelowna defenceman, took minors for checking from behind and unsportsmanlike conduct. Ranford scored on the second of those penalties, to give the home boys a 3-1 edge.
Huska said he would have liked to have gotten into the second period with a 1-1 tie.
“Any time you’re leaving a period on the road even, I think you’re doing something well,” he stated. “I thought we were OK 5-on-5 . . . the difference in the game was the two power-play goals they scored.
“Their power play did the job again tonight . . . it’s caused us some problems up here.”
The last time the Rockets were here, on Jan. 28, the visitors held a 5-3 lead midway through the third period, but then gave up three power-play goals and lost 6-5 in overtime.
On that night, Ranford was in on each of the last three goals, scoring the first one and setting up the last two.
“I like playing against the big teams,” he said. “I like to go up against Portland and Kelowna.”
He will, of course, get a another chance to play the Rockets tonight, and then the Portland Winterhawks are at the ISC on Wednesday night.
As for tonight in the Little Apple, Ranford said: “I don’t think it’ll be as wide open for us. It’s a great place to play and a tough place to play. They don’t lose too often there. We just have to go in with the same work ethic . . . work hard.”
Kamloops head coach Guy Charron was especially impressed with Ranford’s game.
“He’s a very dedicated athlete this season,” said Charron, noting that Ranford has battled weight issues in past seasons. “He works hard and wants to do everything he can to help the hockey team as 20-year-olds want to do. . . . He’s a very dominant guy and the energy he brings and the effort . . . there’s not much more I can say about him.”
Charron said his club had three goals going into the game — not to be outworked, win the special teams battle and be disciplined.
The Blazers won all three of those areas and then shut down the Rockets in the third period, limiting them to five shots.
“You’re going to be in situations where you may take a lead and if you can play a style of play that frustrates the other team, more power to you,” Charron said.
“We played very well. I thought it was a real good effort from everyone and a good win.”
Defenceman Marek Hrbas also scored for the Blazers, while the Rockets got goals from forwards Dylen McKinlay,  his 20th, and Henrik Nyberg, who got his first goal in 13 games.
Kamloops goaltender Cole Cheveldave stopped 26 shots, while Cooke turned aside 36.
JUST NOTES: Attendance was 5,127. . . . Kamloops D Sam Grist served a one-game WHL suspension for an accumulation of checking-from-behind penalties. WHL rules call for a one-game suspension for a fourth such penalty. Grist will be back in the lineup tonight. . . . The Daily News Three Stars: 1. Ranford: His puck; 2. Hrbas: Another terrific outing; 3. Smith: Lots of jump again. . . .  Former Blazers F Jordan DePape received a resounding standing ovation as he took part in the ceremonial faceoff. DePape, who now is with the Red Deer Rebels, was doing some promotional work here for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. He is recovering from shoulder surgery and hopes to play again in mid-March.

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.

The MacBETH REPORT:
F Justin Keller (Kelowna, 2003-06) agreed to a transfer for the rest of this season from Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga) to the Vienna Capitals (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had nine goals and 14 assists in 29 games for Red Bull this season. The Capitals have six forwards out with injuries and approached Red Bull and Keller to gauge their interest in a move.
———
The WHL in Nanaimo?
Sorry, Chilliwack, but it would appear to be closer than it has ever been.
Robert Barron of the Nanaimo Daily News had a story late in the week involving meetings between Mayor John Ruttan, city staff and RG Properties, owners of the WHL‘s Victoria Royals. RG Properties also is in the arena management business.
RG Properties, you may recall, purchased the franchise that was the Chilliwack Bruins and relocated it to Victoria.
"We're at the very early stages to determine how interested the city is in pursuing this," Graham Lee of RG Properties told Barron. "It would create an interesting rivalry between Victoria and Nanaimo if a WHL team was established here. It would be a good fit for the two cities and the league."
You can bet the message to the good people of Nanaimo is: Build it and we will come.
As soon as an arena with at least 5,000 seats is built there will be a WHL team calling Nanaimo home, either via relocation or expansion. Bet on it!
Many of the WHL’s other 21 teams aren’t all that thrilled with having to travel to Vancouver Island with only one team over there. It is a costly proposition — if you play a night game, you can't get off the ferry until the next morning and that means a hotel night — and the logistics caused by travel are most problematic.
Barron’s complete story is right here.
———
If you haven’t already seen this piece by Charles P. Pierce of Grantland, it is linked here for your Sunday morning reading enjoyment. This pretty much sums up how it is that the NHL got to where it is today.
———
SATURDAY’S GAMES:
In Moose Jaw, the Brandon Wheat Kings scored three third-period goals and beat the Warriors, 4-2. . . . The Wheat Kings had beaten the Warriors 4-2 in Brandon on Friday. . . . This is Brandon’s first two-game winning streak since it open the season at 4-0-0. . . . Last night, Moose Jaw F Sam Fioretti’s 19th goal gave the Warriors a 2-1 lead at 15:09 of the second period. . . . Brandon F Chad Robinson tied it at 14:52 of the third, with F Taylor Cooper’s second goal of the season, at 17:52, standing up as the winner. . . . Robinson added an empty-netter, his seven goal this season. . . . Moose Jaw freshman F Josh Uhrich’s first WHL goal just 36 seconds into the game launched the teddy bears. . . .

In Saskatoon, the Blades ran their winning streak to six games with a 5-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . The Blades played those games over an eight-day stretch. . . . Saskatoon F Matej Stransky scored twice, giving him 21 goals this season. He has at least one goal in each of his last seven games. . . . F Nathan Burns had a goal and two assists for the Blades. . . . Saskatoon G Alex Moodie stopped 25 shots in running his record to 4-0-0 since taking over for Andrey Makarov, who is with Russia’s national junior team. . . .

In Calgary, G Mack Shields stopped 18 shots to lead the Calgary Hitmen to a 2-0 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . Shields, a 17-year-old from Saskatoon, record his first career shutout as he improved his record to 5-2-1. He backs up Chris Driedger with the Hitmen. . . . F Greg Chase got the game’s first goal, at 1:46 of the first period. . . . F Cody Sylvester, who drew the lone assist on Chase’s eighth goal, added his 19th, shorthanded, at 19:18 of the third period. . . . Regina was 0-for-10 on the PP. . . .

In Spokane, G Eric Comrie turned aside 36 shots as the Tri-City Americans edged the Chiefs, 2-1. . . . F Justin Feser, with his 19th, and F Malte Strömwall, with his 11th, gave Tri-City a 2-0 lead with early third-period goals. . . . It was Teddy Bear Toss night and the Chiefs were in danger of being blanked before D Reid Gow scored at 16:46 of the third. . . . Comrie had lost his last six decisions before this game. . . .

In Edmonton, the Oil Kings erased a 2-1 deficit with four straight second-period goals and beat the Victoria Royals, 5-2. . . . F Steven Hodges gave the visitors a 2-1 lead at 2:56 of the second period, but Edmonton F Michael St. Croix tied it at 5:24, on the PP, and F T.J. Foster put the home side out front at 7:50. . . . The teams combined for an even 100 penalty minutes, with Edmonton taking 55 of those. . . .

In Red Deer, the Kelowna Rockets improved to 4-0 on an Alberta swing as they beat the Rebels, 6-1. . . . F Dylen McKinlay had three assists for the Rockets. . . . The Rockets are 3-0 versus Red Deer this season, with G Jackson Whistle putting up all three victories. . . . F Myles Bell scored his 20th goal of the season for Kelowna, which gave up the game’s first goal and then scored six in a row. . . . D Mitchell Wheaton got the Rockets started with his first WHL goal in his 32nd game. . . . Whistle stopped 28 shots in improving his record to 7-1-0. . . . Kelowna, which has won six straight, is six points behind the second-place Kamloops Blazers in the Western Conference and holds four games in hand. . . . The Rockets will use up one of those games when they play in Calgary this afternoon. . . .

In Prince George, G Brett Zarowny stopped 23 shots and F Chase Witala had four points as the Cougars blanked the Vancouver Giants, 6-0. . . . The Giants had beaten the visiting Cougars 2-1 on Friday night; the teams play again this afternoon in Prince George. . . . Zarowny, a 17-year-old freshman from Edson, Alta., has two shutouts this season. . . . Witala had a goal, his fourth, and three assists. . . . F Colin Jacobs, just back from a six-game suspension, scored the game’s first goal, his 11th. Jacobs, who also had two assists, hadn’t played since Nov. 30. . . . Prince George D Rinalds Rosinskis played his last game before joining the Latvian national junior team. . . .

In Medicine Hat, D Dylan Busenius scored a PP goal in OT to give the Tigers a wild 7-6 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Busenius got his sixth goal of the season at 3:01 of OT with Kamloops F Tim Bozon off for tripping. . . . Kamloops, which gave up 10 power plays in a 4-2 loss in Lethbridge on Friday, ran into penalty problems again in this one. The Tigers were 3-for-8 with the man advantage; the Blazers were 0-for-3. . . . Medicine Hat D Ty Stanton, who went into the game with a goal and two assists in 21 games, had a goal and three helpers in this one. . . . Kamloops D Joel Edmundson had a goal and three assists. . . . Stanton gave Medicine Hat a 6-4 lead at 1:50 of the third. . . . Kamloops F Matt Needham cut into the lead with a shorthanded gol at 11:26 and Edmundson tied it at 14:34. . . . The Blazers lost F Aspen Sterzer at 7:26 of the third period when he was hit with a major penalty and game misconduct for checking to the head after a hit on F Trevor Cox. Sterzer was playing his fourth game since he served a one-game suspension for a checking-to-the-head major on Dec. 7 against the visiting Prince George Cougars. . . . Sterzer’s departure left the Blazers with nine forwards. . . . There was a situation during this game in which the Blazers scored a goal but play went on until the next stoppage, after which it went to video review. The stoppage was to hand out three minor penalties. The goal was awarded to Kamloops, meaning time was reset back to that point. But the penalties were handed out, just the same. I got caught by this rule last season and it was pointed out to me that the penalties are called. Under rule 78.6, “Any penalties signalled during the period of time between the apparent goal and the next stoppage of play shall be assessed in the normal manner, except when a minor penalty is to be assessed to the team scored upon, and is therefore nullified by the scoring of the goal. If an infraction happens after the first stoppage of play following an apparent goal (infraction after the whistle) by either team, it is assessed and served in the normal manner regardless as to the decision rendered by the Video Goal Judge.”

In Portland, F Taylor Leier scored the game’s first two goals and the Winterhawks went on to a 4-2 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Seattle took 99 of the game’s 163 penalty minutes. Merry Christmas! . . . Seattle made a goaltending change at 5:01 of the first period, with Brandon Glover, who was beaten twice on four shots, leaving in favour of Danny Mumaugh, a 16-year-old from Denver who was making his WHL debut. He stopped 29 of 31 shots. . . . Leier’s first goal was for the Teddy Bears. . . . Portland F Nic Petan had two assists and now is tied for second in the WHL scoring race. He and F JC Lipon of the Kamloops Blazers are at 57 points, five behind F Colin Smith of Kamloops. . . . The victory lifted the Winterhawks to the top of the overall standings. They have 55 points, one more than Kamloops which has played five more games. . . . The Winterhawks are in Everett this evening.
———
CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Bryson Gore, Moose Jaw
F Lukas Sutter, Saskatoon
D Jagger Dirk, Kootenay
D Tanner Faith, Kootenay
D Ashton Sautner, Edmonton
D Landon Cross, Kamloops
F Connor Honey, Seattle
D Marc McNulty, Prince George

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
F Cody Sylvester, Calgary
F Aspen Sterzer, Kamloops (major)
F Elgin Pearce, Medicine Hat
———






Erin in PDX (@girlonavespa21): “Coaches Travis Green and Steve Konowalchuk got up close and personal with each other at the end of the Winterhawks/T’birds #whlrivalrytilt”
Two more WHL coaches exchange late-game Christmas greetings. In this instance, both drew bench minors, albeit at game’s end.

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.

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Carsen Germyn (Kelowna, Red Deer, 1998-2003) signed a two-year contract extension with the Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL). He had 14 goals and 25 assists in 49 games for the Tigers last season. This contract extension is in addition to the one-year extension Germyn signed in April. He now is under contract with Straubing through the 2014-15 season. . . .
F Jakub Sindel (Brandon, 2004-05) signed a one-year contract with Fassa (Italy, Serie A). Sindel played 46 games with four clubs in three leagues last season. He started with Kloten (Switzerland, NL A) (five games, two assists, one broken jaw), moved to Dinamo Riga (Latvia, KHL) (21 games, one goal), then made his way to Finland, playing 11 games with Kärpät Oulu (SM-Liiga) (three assists) and nine games with Ässät Pori (SM-Liiga) (no points). . . .
D Jakub Cutta (Swift Current, 1998-2000) signed a contract through Nov. 4 with Liberec (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had two goals and five assists in 33 games with Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic, Extraliga) last season. . . .
F Bandon Campos (Everett, Chilliwack, 2006-08) signed a one-year contract with The Hague (Netherlands, Eredivisie). Campos had 14 goals and 34 assists in 60 games with the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees (CHL) last season. . . .
F Jordan Knackstedt (Red Deer, Moose Jaw, 2004-08) signed a one-year contract with Tingsryd (Sweden, Allsvenskan). He had 18 goals and 35 assists in 42 games with Bolzano (Italy, Serie A) last season, leading the team in scoring and to the Italian championship. . . .
F Jaroslav Kristek (Tri-City, 1998-2000) signed a one-year contract with Neman Grodno (Belarus, Ekstraliga). He had 10 goals and six assists in 39 games with Lev Poprad (Slovakia, KHL) and one goal and one assist in 11 games while on loan to Kosice (Slovakia, Extraliga).
———
You wonder if it’s the canary in the WHL’s coal mine.
James Shewaga, the sports editor of the Brandon Sun, has a column in today’s newspaper that looks at the Wheat Kings’ season-ticket numbers to this point.
As he wrote the piece on Thursday, the Wheat Kings had sold 2,284 season tickets. Last season, they had 2,973 season-ticket holders. Do the math and you realize that they are down 689.
Kelly McCrimmon, the Wheat Kings’ owner and general manager, told Shewaga that “at this point, I’m not concerned.”
McCrimmon also said that if they don’t get to 3,000 season tickets, “I would be very disappointed.”
And he should be disappointed because the Wheat Kings have iced a competitive product for a number of years now, and this season promises to be no different.
Later in the column, a quote from McCrimmon practically jumped off the computer screen.
“The reality in the Western Hockey League,” McCrimmon told Shewaga, “is expenses are growing at a much higher rate than our revenues, and that’s a fact.”
Think about that for a moment.
If you’re in business and your expenses are out-pacing your revenues, you are in a spot of trouble. And if you aren’t able to turn the tide, you soon are out of business.
While there are WHL teams out there that are believed to be making a goodly pile of money, there are others that aren’t.
The Lethbridge Hurricanes have lost more than $1 million over the last two seasons, including $602,000 in 2011-12.
The Swift Current Broncos have lost in the neighbourhood of $800,000 on their hockey operation in each of the last two seasons. For 2010-11, that number was $882,587. However, off-ice fund-raising, along with corporate sponsorship and suites, left the deficit at $197,226.
For 2009-10, the loss suffered by the hockey operation was $820,688. However, again, money from such things as corporate sponsorships, suites and the World Junior Championship cut the overall deficit to $58,927.
How long will those teams be able to continue to work as hard as they do just to survive?
Or will the WHL have to implement some form of revenue sharing just to enable some of its franchises to survive?
———
There was some movement on the WHL’s 20-year-old front on Thursday.
The Kelowna Rockets added two 20s to their lineup, acquiring F Dylen McKinlay from the Kootenay Ice and claiming J.T. Burnett off waivers from the Everett Silvertips.
The Rockets gave up a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft for McKinlay.
McKinlay had 39 points, including 15 goals, and 37 penalty minutes in 66 games with the Ice last season. Before that, he played three seasons with Chilliwack Bruins.
Barnett was dealt by the Kamloops Blazers to Everett early last season, but got into only 20 regular-season games with the Silvertips thanks to a knee injury. He had 12 points in those 20 games and later returned in the playoffs.
The Rockets went into the day with one 20-year-old on their roster — D Mitchell Chapman — and finished with three.
When all was said and done, the Ice was left with four 20-year-olds — F Drew Czerwonka, D Joey Leach, F Brock Montgomery and F Elgin Pearce.
Everett’s roster features three 20s — F Cody Fowlie, F Ryan Harrison and D Landon Oslanski, the latter having been claimed off waivers from the Lethbridge Hurricanes last month. Harrison is back skating after being out with mononucleosis. He will miss the first four games of the regular season with a supension left over from last season.
———
The Victoria Royals have dealt D Kade Pilton, 18, to the Regina Pats for F Demico Hannoun, 17, and a conditional third-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft. . . . Pilton had 13 points and 52 penalty minutes in 43 games with the Royals last season. The 6-foot-5, 186-pounder was a second-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft. . . . Pilton was selected by the Chilliwack Bruins in the second round of the 2009 bantam draft. Regina head coach Pat Conacher was an assistant coach with the Bruins in 2010-11 so has some familiarity with Pilton. . . . Hannoun played last season with the BCHL’s Surrey Eagles, putting up 26 points in 49 games. Regina selected him in the ninth round of the 2010 bantam draft.
———
JUST NOTES: The Medicine Hat Tigers have assigned F Rhyse Dieno, 19, to the SJHL’s La Ronge IceWolves. He had 11 points in 50 games with the Tigers last season. . . . F Kohl Baum of the Everett Silvertips, who had off-season shoulder surgery, is expected to see some game action this weekend. . . . D Mathew Dumba of the Red Deer Rebels has a walking boot on one foot after suffering a sprained ankle in practice this week. The Rebels expect him to be ready to start the season next weekend. . . . The Saskatoon Blades will hold out as many as six players from games this weekend. F Ryan Graham (back), F Shane McGolgan (knee), G Alex Moodie (hamstring) and D Dalton Thrower (groin) won’t play, while F Matej Stransky (foot) and F Lukas Sutter (shoulder) also are hurting. . . .
D Christos Zinis, an eighth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft, has signed with the Moose Jaw Warriors. Zinis, from Broomfield, Colo., played last season with the major bantam Colorado Thunderbirds. News of his signing was tweeted by Turning Point Sports Management. . . . It turns out that the Red Deer Rebels surrendered a fifth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft for F Wyatt Johnson, 17, who had been in camp with the Vancouver Giants. . . . F Colton Sissons of the Kelowna Rockets has signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the NHL’s Nashville Predators. Sissons, 19, was a second-round pick by the Predators in the NHL’s 2012 draft. He had 41 points, including 26 goals, in 58 games with the Rockets last season. . . . F Connor Rankin of the Tri-City Americans is expected to sit out this weekend after taking a stick to the mouth last weekend. He lost one tooth and ended up needing caps on three others.
———
F Tyler Redenbach, who won the WHL’s 2003-04 scoring title while with the Swift Current Broncos, got his SM-liiga season off to quite a start Thursday as he helped HIFK to a 7-3 victory over Jokerit. Redenbach drew four assists in the victory, with linemate Ville Peltonen scoring three times and adding an assist.
———
Ken Dryden has worked in the NHL as a player and a front-office guy. In the latter role, as president of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Dryden was involved in high-level meetings during which he would have watched NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in action. Today’s Globe and Mail contains this piece, written by Dryden, that pretty much sums up the state of the NHL today.


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.

THE MacBETH REPORT:
Cardiff Devils (Wales, UK Elite) announced that F Brad Voth (Medicine Hat, 1996-2002) has been forced to retire due to injury. He had eight goals and 12 assists in 33 games this season for the Devils. This season was Voth's seventh with the Devils. You can read the retirement announcement right here.
———
ASK THE COMMISSIONER:
From a reader of the blog . . .
I had the pleasure of attending a game Friday night between the Winterhawks and Silvertips. I saw you deliver a video message to Brent Peterson, which was nice.
At 0:17 of the 3rd period, the puck apparently entered the Portland net, but play continued. At the end of this portion of play, a high-sticking double minor was assessed to (Portland defenceman) Joe Morrow as play was reviewed by the replay booth. A goal was awarded to the Silvertips, and the clock was rewound to the time of the goal.
My question is this: Why did the high-sticking penalty stand?
If Team A scores a goal, but play goes on and Team B scores an apparent goal at the other end, the first goal counts and all play between that point and the next whistle (and review) is treated as void — but not a penalty? This doesn't seem to make sense.
In this case, the scoresheet reads as though Morrow high-sticked a player, then Everett scored on the delayed call. What actually took place on the ice is that Morrow was found guilty of high-sticking sometime after the Everett goal, yet at a point of the game that was played twice.
It is unclear to me how Everett is awarded the goal AND the power play in this situation.
Thank you for your time.
———
SATURDAY’S GAMES:
In Moose Jaw, F Quinton Howden scored three goals to lead the Warriors past the Prince Albert Raiders, 7-2. . . . The Warriors opened a 2-0 first-period lead on two Howden goals, only to have the Raiders tie it early in the second. . . . F Mark McNeill had a goal and an assist for the Raiders, the goal coming on a penalty shot. . . . The Warriors then scored the game’s last five goals. . . . F Kenton Miller got his 20th, Howden got his 20th and F Cam Braes got his 30th. . . . The victory lifted the Warriors, who lead the East Division, to within four points of the Eastern Conference-leading Edmonton Oil Kings. . . .

In Regina, the Lethbridge Hurricanes opened up a 3-0 lead and hung on for a 3-2 victory over the Pats. . . . F Nick Buonassisi gave the visitors a 3-0 ledge at 6:04 of the third period. . . . The Pats closed the gap to 3-2 when F Dominik Volek scored at 19:12 of the third. . . . Lethbridge G Damien Ketlo stopped 45 shots, while Regina’s Adam Beukeboom turned aside 10. . . . Regina held a 16-3 edge in shots in the first period and 22-3 in the third. . . .

In Saskatoon, F Hunter Shinkaruk reached the 40-goal plateau to help the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 7-2 victory over the Blades. . . . Shinkaruk scored three times, once in each period, with two of them on the PP. . . . He also had an assist. . . . Tigers F Curtis Valk added two goals, giving him 21, and an assist. . . . Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem had two assists. . . . The Tigers lost F Brendan Hurley to a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct at 19:10 of the first period. Saskatoon D Duncan Siemens, who was on the receiving end, didn’t return to the game. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz stopped 41 shots. . . .

In Cranbrook, F Dylen McKinlay scored three times to carry the Kootenay Ice to a 4-2 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . McKinlay has 14 goals. . . . Ice F Max Reinhart (foot) missed his fourth straight game. . . . Ice F Jesse Ismond had three assists. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 28 shots. . . . McKinlay has 35 points in 46 games, including 10 in his last four outings. . . .

In Swift Current, F Mark Stone scored two goals, including the 100th of his career, and added three assists as the Brandon Wheat Kings bounced the Broncos, 6-3. . . . F Michael Ferland and D Ryan Pulock each added a goal and two assists for Brandon. . . . The Broncos led 2-1 in the first period and 3-1 in the second, but gave up the last five goals. . . . The loss dropped the Broncos 10 points behind Brandon, which holds the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . Brandon D Brodie Melnychuk played in his 300th regular-season game, all with the Wheat Kings. He had a goal, his fourth this season and the 21st of his career, and was plus-4. . . .

In Red Deer, Calgary F Jimmy Bubnick had perhaps the best night of his career as the Hitmen beat the Rebels, 6-2. . . . Bubnick, 20, scored twice and added three assists, while going plus-5. . . . He has 24 goals. . . . Bubnick is one goal and three assists from career highs. He has 53 points in 53 games. . . . Calgary D Kenton Helgesen, who had one assist, also was plus-5. . . . F Trevor Cheek also scored twice for Calgary. He’s got 18 goals. . . . The Hitmen have won 15 of their last 17 games. . . .

In Portland, F Jordan Martinook broke a 2-2 tie at 19:31 of the third period as the Vancouver Giants beat the Winterhawks, 3-2. . . . The loss ended Portland’s franchise-record home-ice winning streak at 19 games. . . . Martinook has 30 goals in 53 games, after scoring 11 in 72 last season. . . . Vancouver G Adam Morrison stopped 47 shots. . . . Vancouver F Marek Tvrdon scored twice, including his 20th goal at 12:59 of the third to give his side a 2-1 lead. . . . Portland F Taylor Peters got that one back just 55 seconds later. . . . The teams play again Monday in Portland. . . . Vancouver is 3-0-0 against Portland this season. . . . Jim Beseda of the Oregonian reports that the Winterhawks sat F Brad Ross “for the second consecutive night for disciplinary reasons.” . . . Portland F Ty Rattie wasn’t on the bench for the third period after taking a hit to the head. . . . Rattie has a WHL-leading 87 points, one more than Brandon F Mark Stone and Regina F Jordan Weal. . . .

In Prince George, F Shane McColgan had a goal and two assists to help the Kelowna Rockets to a 4-1 victory over the Cougars. . . . The Rockets, who beat the host Cougars 2-1 on Friday with McColgan scoring the winner, scored the game’s last three goals. . . . Prince George G Devon Fordyce stopped 45 shots, 31 more than Kelowna’s Adam Brown. . . .

In Kent, Wash., the Kamloops Blazers scored one goal in each period and beat the host Seattle Thunderbirds, 4-1. . . . The Blazers swept the four-game season series from Seattle. . . . Seattle F Colin Jacobs opened the scoring at 7:26 of the first period. . . . Kamloops F Brendan Ranford tied it with his 29th goal at 13:22. . . . F Cole Ully gave the Blazers the lead at 19:40 of the second period. . . . Kamloops G Cam Lanigan stopped 38 shots, two fewer than Seattle’s Calvin Pickard. . . . Seattle has lost five in a row. . . . The Blazers continue to lead the overall standings, two points ahead of the Tri-City Americans and four up on the Edmonton Oil Kings, who didn’t play Saturday. . . . The Americans are scheduled to play in Kamloops on Wednesday. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., the Tri-City Americans erased a 2-0 deficit in the second period and beat the Victoria Royals, 6-3. . . . The victory was Tri-City head coach’s Jim Hiller’s 200th as a WHL head coach. He has 128 of those with the Americans, the rest with the Chilliwack Bruins. . . . F Jamie Crooks, with his 29th, and F Brandon Magee, with his 18th, gave the Royals a 2-0 lead midway through the second period. . . . The Americans scored three times before the second was over and added three more early in the third. . . . F Adam Hughesman had two goals and two assists for the Americans, while F Brendan Shinnimin added a goal and three assists. They each have 31 goals. . . . The Americans won the season series, 3-1. . . .
———
SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Cody Beach, Moose Jaw.
F James Henry, Moose Jaw.
F Brendan Hurley, Medicine Hat (major).
F Patrick Holland, Tri-City.
D Keegan Kanzig, Victoria.
———
SATURDAY’S CHECK-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
F Cody Beach, Moose Jaw.
———
The Seattle Times is reporting today that talks are ongoing that could result in NBA and NHL franchises for Seattle, if a facility is built south of Safeco Field. The complete story is right here.


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.

Kootenay, Victoria cut a deal

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Todd Dutiaume (Brandon, 1991-94) signed a one-year contract extension as player-head coach with the Fife Flyers (UK Elite). He had six goals and 12 assists in 14 games for the Flyers last season as they played in the UK Northern Ice Hockey League. . . .
F Igor Valeev (Lethbridge, Saskatoon, Swift Current, 1998-2000) signed a one-year contract with Kazzinc-Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk (Kazakhstan, Russia Vysshaya Liga). He had no goals and three assists in 24 games for Molot-Prikamie Perm (Russia, Russia Vysshaya Liga) and two goals and three assists in nine games with Arystan Temirtau (Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan Vysshaya Liga) last season. . . .
D Darrell Hay (Tri-City, 1996-2000) signed a one-year contract with Liberec (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had five goals and 10 assists in 52 games for Mlada Boleslav (Czech Repoublic, Extraliga) last season. Liberec GM Ctibor Jech: "Last year in Mlada Boleshla, he was one of the best defencemen. After the season, we decided to make him an offer and we are very pleased that he accepted. We expect that in addition to the typical Canadian style, as a right-hander, he will also contribute on the power play." . . .
F Jeremy Boyer (Seattle, Saskatoon, 2005-10) signed a one-year contract with Valence (France, Division 1). He had 42 goals and 45 assists in 50 games with the Humboldt Broncos and Yorkton Terriers (both SJHL) last season.
———
The Kootenay Ice, with a glut of potential 20-year-olds on their roster, have made a move to at least partially alleviate that situation. They dealt D Hayden Rintoul, 20, and an undisclosed conditional bantam draft pick to the Victoria Royals for F Dylen McKinlay, 19.
The Ice, the WHL’s reigning champion, still has six 20-year-olds on that roster, but Kootenay isn’t expecting D Brayden McNabb (Buffalo Sabres) or F Cody Eakin (Washington Capitals) to return.
The other four 20s are F Joe Antilla, F Jesse Ismond, G Nathan Lieuwen and D James Martin.
“Victoria wanted a puck-moving d-man and we wanted a forward who could possibly play in our top six,” Jeff Chynoweth, the Ice’s president and general manager, told me via text message. “We have liked him for a long time and inquired about him two years ago.”
McKinlay, from Langley, B.C., is heading into his fourth WHL season. His first three all were with the Chilliwack Bruins. He had a break-through season in 2009-10, with 43 points, including 20 goals, in 72 games. Last season, he struggled with some injuries and finished with 20 points, six of them goals, in 55 games. He also has some sandpaper in his game and you can bet B.C. Division teams won’t be sad to see him in another division.
McKinlay was a seventh-round selection by the Minnesota Wild in the NHL’s 2010 draft but wasn’t made a qualifying offer, so is a free agent.
Rintoul, from Calgary, also is going into his fourth WHL season. He played his first three seasons with the Ice, totalling 93 points, including 19 goals, in 188 regular-season games. Last season, the 6-foot-1, 190-pounder had 26 points, eight of them goals, in 67 games. He had four points in the Ice’s 19-game run to the championship.
The Royals, then in Chilliwack, carried two 20-year-old defencemen — Jeff Einhorn and Brandon Manning — last season, so were looking for some experience on the back end.
Included among eligible 20-year-olds on the Bruins’ season-ending roster were G Braden Gamble, F Curt Gogol and F Robin Soudek.
———
Cleeve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times Colonist has more on the trade right here.
———
Jeff Hollick, the radio voice of the Ice, reported later Thursday that Kootenay has added Russian F Alex Kuvaev, 18, to its protected list. Kuvaev had 24 points, including 11 goals, with the Lethbridge Hurricanes last season but was dropped by them prior to the CHL’s 2011 import draft.
The Ice won the WHL championship last season with a roster that didn’t include any import players. As well, president/GM Jeff Chynoweth chose not to take part in the import draft for a second straight year.
Asked if Kuvaev would report, Chynoweth told me, again via text: “Don’t know that for sure. All indications are he is, but I have not been able to confirm everything with his new agent.”
———
THE COACHING GAME:
Murray Baron, who played 988 regular-season NHL games, has signed on as an assistant coach with the junior B Kamloops Storm of the Kootenay International junior league. Baron, 44, will work alongside new head coach Geoff Smith, who joined the Storm after his contract wasn’t renewed by the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers. . . . Also on the Storm’s coaching staff are Brent Fritz and Brad Priestlay. . . .
Dave King, a one-time head coach of the WHL’s Billings Bighorns, has stepped aside as an assistant coach with the Phoenix Coyotes and has been named the NHL team’s development coach. . . . Jeff Truitt, another former WHL head coach (Kelowna, Moose Jaw) was on the ice helping run the Coyotes’ development camp on Thursday. Truitt was an assistant coach with the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage, which was affiliated with the Coyotes last season but now is hooked up with the Florida Panthers.
———
F Brett Connolly of the Prince George Cougars has moved to Toronto and is working with a personal trainer as he tries to shake the injury bug that has plagued him the last two seasons. Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune has that story right here. These days, Connolly, the sixth overall pick in the 2010 NHL draft, is in camp with the Tampa Bay Lightning prospects.
———
Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald is reporting that an official announcement is expected Wednesday regarding a new conference for some of the NCAA’s top college hockey schools.
That story is right here.
———
Remember the Detroit Red Wings fan who was charged for taking part in the age-old tradition of tossing octopi during the playoffs?
Well, he was back in court on Thursday.
Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo! Sports has the latest on the Puck Daddy blog right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter