Lukowich files wrongful dismissal suit; City Council grills Lethbridge president, WHL commish

G Justin Pogge (Prince George, Calgary, 2003-06) has signed a two-year contract with Färjestad Karlstad (Sweden, SHL). This season with Karlskoga (Sweden, Allsvenskan), he was 2.16 and .921 in 51 games. . . .
D Tomáš Slovák (Kelowna, 2001-03) has signed a two-year contract with Hradec Králové (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season with Plzeň (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he had 13 points, including four goals, in 47 games.
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Brad Lukowich, a former assistant coach with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, is suing the WHL team, claiming wrongful dismissal.
On Monday afternoon, Paul Kingsmith (@paulkingsmith) of Global-TV in Lethbridge tweeted: “Documents obtained by Global show Hurricanes sued by former assistant coach Brad Lukowich for wrongful dismissal.”
Neither the Hurricanes nor Lukowich would comment, according to Kingsmith.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the lawsuit is this, which came in another tweet from Kingsmith: “In the suit, Lukowich alleges he raised concerns ‘regarding non-compliance by certain Hurricanes coaches with policies mandated by the WHL.’ ”
Later in the day, Kingsmith and Bradley Jones posted a story that is right here.
Lukowich began this season as an assistant coach under Lethbridge head coach Drake Berehowsky. When Lukowich wasn’t at practices in early February, the team claimed that he was ill. On Feb. 8, general manager Brad Robson announced that Lukowich had been “terminated for cause."
Robson told the Lethbridge Herald at the time:
"It’s been going on for a couple of weeks, of course you know Brad left the team last week and I’ve been dealing with it, speaking with him and we’ve decided this is the course of action. For Brad’s future and for the Hurricanes’ future.
“Brad’s goal is still to be a coach, to eventually become a head coach and he’ll continue to work toward that, just not with the Lethbridge Hurricanes.”
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Brian McNaughton, the president of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, and WHL commissioner Ron Robison appeared in front of Lethbridge city council on Monday night.
Here are some highlights, as tweeted by Pat Siedlecki, the radio voice of the Hurricanes on 94.1 CJOC (BTW, it’s worth noting that the Hurricanes no longer have a broadcast contract; it expired with the end of this season):
“Robison says WHL is fully committed to Lethbridge market and the league will NOT be leaving the Lethbridge area.”
“Robison says WHL has had straight forward talks with Pres. Brian McNaughton & Governor Herman Elfring.”
“Robison says the WHL has agreed to approve the Lethbridge Hurricanes current business plan going forward.”
“Robison states the status quo is not acceptable for the Hurricanes going forward and club must adhere to new guidelines.”
“McNaughton says moving forward the team must do two things: (1) Be competitive and (2) Be profitable.”
“McNaughton says: ‘We expect to make the playoffs, but not deviate from the plan to build from within.’ ”
“McNaughton says team will be filling Assistant Coach & Assistant GM positions.”
“Commissioner Ron Robison says Lethbridge is one of the best markets in the WHL. He states team needs stronger leadership.”
“McNaughton tells Councillor Coffman the Hurricanes currently have around 2200 shareholders.”
“McNaughton tells Councillor Mauro team will be better next season by making younger players better and bringing in older players to help.”
“Robison says people need to be patient, although patience is getting thin in Lethbridge. He says there is no quick fix.”
“McNaughton says the number one thing the Hurricanes need to focus on is selling tickets.”
“Robison says he believes no team has an economic advantage over another in the WHL. Says the difference is management.”
Siedlecki has posted some audio from the City Council meeting right here. The second link is a question-and-answer session and is worth a listen. (At one point, about 30 minutes in, Robison says that the Portland Winterhawks are "arguably a model franchise within our league."
Paul Kingsmith of Global-TV also was paying attention to the goings-on at the council meeting. Among his tweets was this one:
“ 'Canes President McNaughton says team is resetting its objectives with league guidance after previous 5 year plan failed.”
Later in the evening, Kingsmith posted a story and it is right here.
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1. F Tim Bozon of the Kootenay Ice is making good progress as he recovers from his battle with Neisseria meningitis. On Monday, Bozon (@timbozon94) tweeted: “Two months today since I got really sick .. Made lots improvement #RoadtoRecovery #good.” . . . Bozon is going through the rehabilitation process in Capbreton, France.

2. The Portland Winterhawks will be without F Brendan Leipsic for Game 1 of the WHL’s championship final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup. Leipsic has been suspended for one game for a spearing major and game misconduct that he incurred late in the fifth and final game of the Western Conference final on Friday in Kelowna. He was penalized after getting involved with Kelowna Rockets F Tyrell Goulbourne. . . . Leipsic is a repeat offender, having already served three- and seven-game suspensions this season. The fact the WHL chose to give him only one game for this latest incident would seem to indicate that it didn’t deem this one as being very serious.

3. The Coaches Conference has announced three guest speakers for its 2014 weekend. Former Nashville Predators head coach Barry Trotz, Ryan Huska, the head coach of the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets, and strength-and-conditioning guru Matt Nichol all will be involved in this year’s conference, which is scheduled for July 18 and 19 at the U of British Columbia. . . . For more info, visit the conference’s website at thecoachessite.com or click on the ad at the top of this page.

4. The QMJHL’s Val-d’Or Foreurs and Halifax Mooseheads are going to a Game 7. The Foreurs beat the visiting Mooseheads 7-5 on Monday night, meaning the third-round series is 3-3. It will be decided tonight in Halifax. . . . The other semifinal, between the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and Baie-Comeau Drakkar, also has gone to a Game 7. It will be played tonight in Baie-Comeau.

5. Dear Sportsnet: My brain turns to hazelnut mush whenever that Hazel promo appears. Once an hour is enough. Thank you.

6. G Eetu Laurikainen, who played the last two seasons with the Swift Current Broncos, has signed with the Espoo Blues (Finland, SM-liiga). Laurikainen played out his junior eligibility this season with the Broncos, going 25-20-6, 2.90, .914. He is from Jyvaskyla, Finland.

7. The ShoWare Center in Kent, Wash., which is home to the Seattle Thunderbirds, didn’t lose as much money in the first quarter of 2014 as officials had projected. That was thanks, at least in part, to the Thunderbirds getting three home playoff games. . . . Steve Hunter of the Kent Reporter has more right here.

8. The Austrian Ice Hockey Association won’t be resigning Emanuel Viveiros, the head coach of its national men’s team. The announcement came two days after Austria wound up second in the IIHF Division 1 Group A world championship, earning promotion to the top division. . . . Viveiros is a former WHL defenceman (Prince Albert, 1983-88) who has a son, Layne, on the Portland Winterhawks’ roster. . . . There is more on that story right here.
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THE FOURTH ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
WHL final, for the Ed Chynoweth Cup
(x - if necessary)
(all games televised by Shaw)
PORTLAND (2, West) vs. Edmonton (1, East)
Season series: Portland, 0-0-1; Edmonton, 1-0-0.
Saturday: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (Moda Center)
Sunday: Edmonton at Portland, 5 p.m. (Moda Center)
Tuesday, May 6: Portland at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, May 7: Portland at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Friday, May 9: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (TBA)
x-Sunday, May 11: Portland at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
x-Monday, May 12: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (TBA)
INJURIES
Portland: None.
Edmonton: None.
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MONDAY’S GAME:
No game scheduled.
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From Tyson Dallman (@dolly_lama83): “Why don't Portland and Edmonton just have a seven game series in September and save everyone a whole bunch of time? #WHL”


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Hurricanes fire assistant coach

The Lethbridge Hurricanes fired assistant coach Brad Lukowich on Saturday.
Here is the team’s news release, in its entirety:
“The Lethbridge Hurricanes announced Saturday, Assistant Coach Brad Lukowich is no longer with the team.
“LethbridgeHurricanes General Manager Brad Robson says Lukowich has been ‘terminated for cause.’
“Lukowich joined the Hurricanes coaching staff in June 2013 after more than a decade in the National Hockey League with 6 different teams.”
Because Lukowich was fired “for cause,” the Hurricanes won’t pay out his contract.
Lukowich was hired by the Hurricanes on June 24, two weeks after Drake Berehowsky was named head coach.
Lukowich had been in the Dallas Stars organization, while Robson was a regional scout for the NHL team.
"It's been a long relationship so we know each other quite well and him being the GM is the No. 1 thing," Lukowich, who is from Cranbrook, told Trevor Crawley of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman when he signed with Lethbridge. "I know his history, he knows mine, so just going up there even today, it was very comfortable, like we been around each other for a long time. Really, it came down to the term and the familiar face of Brad Robson that landed me in Lethbridge."
Lukowich, 37, played three seasons with the Kamloops Blazers and was on the Memorial Cup-winning teams of 1994 and 1995. He went on to play 658 NHL games with the Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks. He retired after spending the 2011-12 season with the AHL’s Texas Stars.
For more, read this story right here from Dylan Purcell of the Lethbridge Herald.
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F Austin Glover of the Kelowna Rockets suffered a broken ankle five games into this season. He ended up undergoing surgery and the ankle now includes a steel plate and five pins.
But, as much as he is having trouble believing it, he’s back in the game.
"It still hasn't really sunk in that I'm back," Glover told the Kelowna Daily Courier after scoring 7:50 into his first game back, Wednesday’s 4-3 victory over the visiting Red Deer Rebels, "but I'm just really happy to be out here again and doing my part to help the guys. Hopefully I can keep it going and help the team out. Energy is what I need to bring right now, especially this late in the season, and just some intensity and hard work."
Glover, who turned 18 on Jan. 15, is from Clavet, Sask.
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SUNDAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
Spokane at Everett, 4:05 p.m.
Brandon at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
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MONDAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
Tri-City at Kamloops, 2 p.m.
Portland at Prince George, 2 p.m.
Victoria at Vancouver, 2 p.m.
Seattle at Kelowna, 2:05 p.m.
(NOTE: It’s a holiday in B.C., as we enjoy Family Day.)
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:
In Moose Jaw, the Swift Current Broncos ended a three-game losing skid with a 6-3 victory over the Warriors. . . . The Broncos scored the game’s first five goals and coasted from there. . . . F Jay Merkley scored twice for the Broncos, giving him 24 this season. . . . F Graham Black chipped in a goal, his 28th, and three assists for Swift Current. . . . The Broncos had a 45-26 edge in shots. . . . The Broncos (27-21-8) are sixth in the Eastern Conference, two points behind the Kootenay Ice and one ahead of the Regina Pats. . . . The Warriors (14-32-8) are 10th, 22 points out of a playoff spot with 18 games remaining. . . . The Broncos were without F Dakota Odgers, who was suspended for one game, and F Bobby Zinkan, who drew a three-game sentence, after an 8-1 loss to the Wheat Kings in Brandon on Friday night. According to Shawn Mullin, the radio voice of the Broncos, both were suspended for “entering an altercation while in the process of a line change.” . . .

In Prince Albert, D Josh Morrissey broke a 2-2 tie at 3:11 of the third period as the Raiders got past the Medicine Hat Tigers, 3-2. . . . The Tigers led this one 2-0 midway through the second period. . . . Raiders D Sawyer Lange got his guys on the board with his fifth goal at 10:04 of the second, via the PP. . . . F Chance Braid tied it at 15:28 with his sixth goal. . . . Morrissey has 19 goals. . . . Tigers F Curtis Valk picked up an assist to run his point streak to 14 games. . . . Raiders F Leon Draisaitl had two assists. . . . The Raiders (25-26-3) are five points behind the eighth-place Red Deer Rebels in the Eastern Conference. . . . The Tigers (32-20-3) remain fourth in the conference. . . .

In Regina, D Dmitri Sinitsyn and D Kyle Burroughs each had a goal and two assists to help the Pats to a 7-3 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Sinitsyn has four goals this season; Burroughs has six. . . . Regina led 3-0 by 14:15 of the first period and never looked back. . . . Regina unleashed a 62-shot barrage at Blades G Troy Trombley. . . . Regina F Boston Leier scored his 30th goal. . . . The Pats saluted their namesake, the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, on the occasion of its 100th year of service. That has been a focus of Pats’ promotions this season. . . . The Pats also honoured Regina’s Jon Ryan, the punter for the Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks. . . . The Pats (28-22-5) are seventh in the Eastern Conference, a point behind Swift Current. . . . The Blades are 15-39-4 and won’t make the playoffs. . . .

In Cranbrook, F Sam Reinhart had a goal and two assists as the Kootenay Ice ran their winning streak to five games with a 4-2 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Reinhart has points in 13 straight games. . . . F Jaedon Descheneau and F Tim Bozon each had two assists for the Ice. . . . The Ice had gone into Lethbridge and won 8-1 on Friday. . . . Reinhart has 76 points, including 27 goals, in 43 games. In 186 career regular-season games, he has 225 points, including 92 goals. . . . The Ice took 65 of 112 penalty minutes. . . . The Ice (30-21-4) is fifth in the Eastern Conference, three points behind Medicine Hat. . . . The Hurricanes (11-41-5) have the WHL’s poorest record, .004 behind the Kamloops Blazers. . . .

In Kamloops, G Mack Shields stopped 26 shots as the Calgary Hitmen beat the Blazers, 3-0. . . . Shields, a Saskatoon native who turns 19 on Feb. 13, backs up Chris Driedger. Shields has one shutout this season and three in his career. . . . Driedger blanked the Giants 5-0 in Vancouver on Friday night. . . . Calgary D Jaynen Rissling scored the winner, getting his eighth at 17:30 of the first period on a PP. . . . Hitmen F Brady Brassart, who had his five-game goal streak snapped, drew two assists. . . . Calgary was 2-for-8 on the PP; the Blazers were 0-for-2. The Hitmen have eight PP goals over their last four games. . . . The Blazers took eight minor penalties, with seven of those going to defencemen. . . . Kamloops F Chase Souto took the pregame skate but then was scratched. He apparently was injured in Friday’s 3-1 loss to the visiting Victoria Royals. . . . The Blazers have lost nine in a row. . . . Kamloops (11-40-5) is 1-11-1 since Guy Charron replaced Dave Hunchak as head coach. This is only the second time in Kamloops franchise history that the team has lost 40 or more games. The Junior Oilers lost 53 times in 1981-82; the Blazers lost 41 games in 2007-08. . . . Calgary finished 3-2-0 on its trek through the B.C. Division, winning its last three games. . . . The Hitmen (35-15-6) are five points behind the Central Division-leading Oil Kings. . . .

In Portland, the Winterhawks ran their winning streak to 12 games with a 5-3 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . It is Portland’s longest winning streak this season. The franchise record (15) is shared by the 1979-80 and 1997-98 teams. . . . The Winterhawks, who had a 14-game winning streak last season, next play Monday afternoon when they meet the Cougars in Prince George. The Cougars are riding a six-game winning streak. . . . F Taylor Leier scored twice for the Winterhawks, giving him 27. . . . Portland D Layne Viveiros, whose father Emanuel is coaching the Austrian men’s hockey team at the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, scored his third goal of the season. . . . Portland F Oliver Bjorkstrand had his five-game goal streak end, but he picked up two assists. . . . Portland F Nic Petan, who is second in the scoring race, scored his 29th goal and added an assist. He now is two points behind Spokane Chiefs F Mitch Holmberg. . . . Leier’s second goal, at 4:16 of the third period, tied the game 3-3. F Alex Schoenborn broke the tie with his 14th goal at 5:49. . . . Petan added insurance just 57 seconds later. . . . Portland (38-12-5) is nine points behind the Western Conference-leading Kelowna Rockets. . . . Everett (26-21-8) is seventh, three points behind the Vancouver Giants and three ahead of the Tri-City Americans. . . .

In Prince George, the Cougars ran their winning streak to six games with a 7-1 triumph over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . The Cougars had beaten the visiting Rebels 5-3 on Friday. . . . Red Deer has lost six in a row. . . . Cougars F Troy Bourke had two goals, giving him 21, and two assists, while F Jordan Tkatch had four assists. . . . Cougars D Martin Bobos had two assists and was plus-5. . . . F Brad Morrison had two goals, giving him nine, and an assist, while F Todd Fiddler scored twice, giving him 36. . . . Cougars G Adam Beukeboom stopped 17 shots as he won for the second time in two nights. . . . The Cougars (24-26-7) have closed to within two points of Tri-City, which holds down the conference’s last playoff spot. . . . The Rebels (27-25-4) are eighth in the Eastern Conference. . . .

In Vancouver, the Edmonton Oil Kings won their 11th straight game, beating the Giants, 5-1. . . . F Edgars Kulda broke a 1-1 tie with his 20th goal at 19:57 of the first period, via the PP. . . . Edmonton F Curtis Lazar got the game’s first goal, his 30th of the season. He also added an assist. . . . Edmonton was 2-for-7 on the PP; the Giants were 0-for-7. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry stopped 15 shots in posting his league-leading 35th victory. . . . The Oil Kings are 9-1-0 in games played in B.C. Division arenas this season. On this swing, which involved three games in four nights, they also won 3-1 in Kamloops and 3-2 in a shootout in Kelowna. . . . Edmonton (40-13-1) is the second team with 40 victories this season; the other is Kelowna. The Oil Kings lead the Eastern Conference. . . . Vancouver (27-21-9) is sixth in the Western Conference. . . .

In Kelowna, the Victoria Royals set a franchise record for points in one season as they dumped the Rockets, 6-4. . . . The Royals now have 78 points, one more than the record that was set last season. On Friday night, the Royals beat the Blazers 3-1 in Kamloops and set franchise records for victories and road victories in a season. . . . The Rockets blew 2-0 and 3-2 leads. . . . Victoria F Austin Carroll tied the game 3-3 with his 27th goal at 11:59 of the second. . . . Victoria F Steven Hodges snapped that tie with his 15th goal at 4:29 of the third and F Logan Nelson, returning from a two-game WHL suspension, made it 5-3 just 25 seconds later. He‘s got 18 goals. . . . Hodges finished with two goals, while teammate Ben Walker drew three assists and D Joe Hicketts had two. . . . The Rockets got a goal and two assists from F Tyson Baillie, who has 22 goals. . . . The Royals, who are 2-0-1 in Kelowna this season, led 42-34 on the shot clock. . . . Victoria is 7-0-2 in its last nine outings and 37-16-4 on the season. That has it third in the Western Conference, three points ahead of the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Rockets (43-8-4) continue to lead the overall standings. They are nine points ahead of Edmonton and Portland. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., the Spokane Chiefs halted a four-game losing skid with a 7-3 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . The Chiefs took a 3-2 lead into the third period and scored the game’s last four goals. . . . F Mike Aviani scored his 31st goal for the Chiefs, while F Marcus Messier, who was acquired from the Americans in January, notched sixth goal of the season and his first with Spokane. . . . Tri-City D Mitch Topping had two assists as he played in his 300th regular-season game. . . . Spokane G Eric Williams turned aside 31 shots, 10 more than Tri-City’s Eric Comrie. . . . Chiefs D Jason Fram had three assists. . . . Spokane F Mitch Holmberg, the WHL’s scoring leader, had one assist. . . . Spokane (32-18-5) is fifth in the Western Conference, six points behind Seattle. . . . Tri-City is eighth, just two points ahead of Prince George.
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From WHL Facts (@WHLFacts): “125 - After tonight's results, the 1978-79 @bdnwheatkings WHL record of 125 single-season points is safe for another year.”
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From former WHL D Mark Schneider (@MarkSchneider): “Congrats to my Dad and his @aaawheatkings on locking up first place tonight! 38-3-0-2 is a memorable season! #Jack Adams #ProudAlumni”
Former Wheat Kings captain Ken Schneider is head coach of the midget AAA Wheat Kings.

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"I pulled into Nazareth,
I was feelin' about half past dead;
I just need some place where I can lay my head.”

Levon Helm R.I.P.

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David Johnston, the Governor-General of Canada, watches the NHL playoffs and wonders what is happening to our “beautiful game.” He isn’t alone. Read all about his thoughts right here.
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Austria has earned promotion and will compete in the 2013 IIHF World championship in Stockholm and Helsinki. Austria and Slovenia earned promotion at the Division I Group A championship in Ljubljana, Slovenia. . . . Emanuel Viveiros, who played for the Prince Albert Raiders, is the Austrian head coach. Former WHL coach Rob Daum, who coached Linz to the Austrian league championship this season, is on his staff. . . . The Austrian roster included former WHLers Stefan Ulmer and Michael Grabner.
There is more from Ljubljana right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The Selkirk College Saints, who play out of Castelgar, B.C., have named Jeff Dubois as their head coach. The Saints play in the B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League. Dubois takes over from Darrin Kissock, who left after a five-season stint as head coach. Dubois has been the general manager of the Simon Fraser University Clan since 2006. The Clan has been in the BCIHL championship game in each of the past five seasons, winning three of them.
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It’s coming!
The NBA is taking a long, hard look at the possibility of allowing advertising on game uniforms. And you can bet that hockey in North America won’t be far behind.
There’s more right here.
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The Hockey News’ Name of the Year Tournament is down to the final. And it’s between Kane Lafranchise of the ECHL’s Alaska Aces and former WHLer Wacey Rabbit, who plays for the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage. He was pointless last night in a 5-4 OT victory over the visiting Chicago Wolves. The winner game off the stick of former Brandon Wheat Kings D Colby Robak. . . . If you want to vote for Rabbit, zip on over to right here and get it done. . . . By the way, Rabbit was named after bull-rider Wacey Cathey.

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Dale Hunt (Prince George, Everett, 2005-10) was released by Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). . . .
F Richard Mueller (Brandon, Saskatoon, Calgary, 1998-2003) signed a two-week tryout contract with the Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL). He had three goals and one assist in 18 games for Ingolstadt (Germany, DEL) and five goals and five assists in 15 games for Eispiraten Crimmitschau (Germany, 2.Bundesliga) last season. . . .
F Mikhail Fisenko (Vancouver, Calgary, 2008-11) signed a one-year contract with Metallurg Novokuznetsk (Russia, KHL). He had eight goals and 32 assists in 64 games for the Hitmen last season.
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While a funeral mass for the late Brad McCrimmon will be held Saturday in Farmington, Mich., there also will be a memorial service held in Saskatoon. It is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 25, at Knox United Church, 838 Spadina Crescent East.
The service is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m., with a reception from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., at the Cavalier Saskatoon Hotel, 612 Spadina Crescent East.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Emanuel Viveiros (Prince Albert, 1982-86) is the new head coach of Austrian national team. He has signed a three-year contract. . . . Viveiros, 45, played in Europe for 17 years, 13 of them in Austria. . . . An Austrian citizen, he has spent two years as an assistant coach under Bill Gilligan, whom he is sucdeeding. Viveiros will continue as head coach of Klagenfurt. . . . Viveiros has two hockey-playing sons — Landan, 17, played on Austria’s U-18 team last season; Layne, 16, just transferred from Klagenfurt to the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Rob Daum, who has coached with the Prince Albert Raiders, Swift Current Broncos and Lethbridge Hurricanes, signed on as an assistant coach. . . . Daum, a long-time coach at the U of Alberta, also has coached in the AHL and NHL. He is in his first season as head coach of Black Wings Linz, an Austrian club team.
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The Winterhawks are more than pleased with Layne Viveiros, a defenceman who was a ninth-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft. He was born in Edmonton.
“He turned out to be way better than we thought he would be,” Portland GM/head coach Mike Johnston told Jason Vondersmith of the Portland Tribune. “Very smart, puck-moving defenseman. Good intelligence and hockey sense.”
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JUST NOTES: There is word out of the Tacoma area that there is interest in seeing whether it’s viable to have NHL and/or NBA franchises in the city. King 5 News has reported that Tacoma city council will cough up $100,000 for a study to see what the cost would be to renovate the Tacoma Dome and to gauge public support. Tacoma, of course, once was home to the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Saskatoon Blades are down to two goaltenders after assigning Adam Todd, 17, to the BCHL’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs. That leaves the Blades with veteran Adam Morrison, 20, and Russian freshman Andrey Makarov, 18, who was picked up in the 2011 CHL import draft. . . . The Blades are down to 25 players, including six defenceman and 17 forwards. Of that number, seven are at NHL camps. . . . The Kamloops Blazers have assigned F Devin Oakes, 16, to the Pursuit of Excellence midget AAA prep team in Kelowna. Oakes, a list player, had 24 points in 41 games with the PoE midget AAA team last season.
F Mark Stone, 19, and D Jordan Fransoo, 18, of the Brandon Wheat Kings have made the move to the Ottawa Senators’ main camp after playing for the rookie team in a tournament in Oshawa, Ont. . . . F Ryan Johansen and F Oliver Gabriel, teammates with the Portland Winterhawks, each had a goal Wednesday as the Columbus Blue Jackets rookie team dropped a 4-3 OT decision to the St. Louis Blues in the Traverse City, Mich., tournament. . . . Johansen put up six points, including three goals, and was plus-7 in the tournament, while Gabriel had four points, two of them goals, and was plus-4. . . . The Swift Current Broncos have assigned F Ryan Bloom, 18, to the AJHL’s Drumheller Dragons. Acquired from the Kootenay Ice in the deal for F Cody Eakin in January, Bloom had two points in 29 games split between the Broncos and Ice last season. The Broncos also signed F Jordan Wittman, the 46th overall pick in the 2011 bantam draft, and assigned F Denis Bosc, the 121st selection in the 2010 draft, to the MJHL’s Steinbach Pistons. Bosc has signed with the Broncos. . . .
The Moose Jaw Warriors have claimed G Deven Dubyk, 20, off waivers from the Medicine Hat Tigers. After being dropped by the Tigers last week, Dubyk joined the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos, who are the host team for the 2012 RBC Cup. An 11th-round pick by the Brandon Wheat Kings in the 2006 bantam draft, Dubyk actually got into 35 games with the Warriors in 2008-09. He was 7-15-1, 4.57, .866. Last season, he went 11-5, 2.89, .908 while backing up Tyler Bunz in Medicine Hat. . . . The Warriors also have two other goaltenders — Brandon Stone, 18, and Spencer Tremblay, 17. Should Dubyk join them, they also will have five 20-year-olds, the others being F Brett Lyon, F Jesse Paradis, F Sebastian Svendsen and D Collin Bowman. . . . The deadline for WHL teams to get down to a maximum of three 20-year-olds is Oct. 13. . . .
F Parker Stanfield, who completed his junior eligibility last season with the Everett Silvertips, has signed with the ECHL’s Bakersfield Condors. Stanfield, who is from Anaheim Hills, Calif., had 34 points in 64 games last season, the first four games and four points with the Prince George Cougars, the rest in Everett. He played three seasons (2007-11) with Prince George. . . . According to the Fredericton Daily Gleaner, F Taylor Procyshen (Tri-City, 2004-09) won’t be back with the U of New Brunswick Varsity Reds “due to concussion-related issues.” The Varsity Reds are the reigning champions in Canadian university hockey. . . . F Jeff Topilko, who had 54 points in 66 games as a 20-year-old with the Brandon Wheat Kings in 2006-07, has signed with the ECHL’s Pensacola Ice Flyers. After graduating from the Wheat Kings, Topilko went on to attend NAIT in Edmonton. . . .
Dave Trimmer of the Spokane Spokesman-Review reports that the Chiefs still have four freshman forwards in camp and one of them is Liam Stewart, the 17-year-old son of actress Rachel Hunter and rocker Rod Stewart. . . . F Travis Ewanyk of the Edmonton Oil Kings didn’t make the trip to Penticton with the Edmonton Oilers’ rookie team. And now we know why. Oil Kings head coach Derek Laxdal tells Corey Graham, the radio voice of the Oil Kings who also does TEAM 1260’s Sports Night Live, that Ewanyk “may have to have surgery and if he does he may be lost to us for a 4-to-5 month range, depending on rehab." It has been speculated that Ewanyk has a shoulder injury. Ewanyk was a third-round pick by the Oilers in the NHL’s 2011 draft. . . . F Spencer Edwards, who spent the last two seasons with the Moose Jaw Warrors, has signed with the Central league’s Allen Americans. He will start the season by going to training camp with the AHL’s Texas Stars. Edwards had 66 points with the Warriors last season when he won the Canadian Hockey League’s humanitarian-of-the-year award.
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Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun has written a piece on Vancouver Giants assistant coach Glen Hanlon.
Pap asked Hanlon about the biggest difference between professional and junior players and here is the response:
“Passing skills. I mean, they can stand still and make a pass but being able to receive a pass and give a pass at full speed, the completion rate through your whole group, top to bottom, is not as high as a team of professionals. The skating speed of the players is actually not that much different, it’s the ability to make and receive a pass.”
Pap’s complete story is right here.
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The mask of former WHL goaltender Josh Harding (Regina, Brandon, 2001-04) will remember the late Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien and Pavol Demitra, all former teammates. For a look, click right here.
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Sean Gordon of The Globe and Mail has a piece right here that includes Montreal Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty’s thoughts on the ongoing headshot/concussion debate in hockey.
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Today’s good read – and it’s a great one – comes from Chris Jones (again), who wrote a piece on hockey enforcers for the website Grantland. Jones chatted with Stu Grimson, who was known as The Grim Reaper during his playing days. You don’t want to miss this one right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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