F Carter Ashton (Lethbridge, Regina, Tri-City, 2006-11) signed a one-year contract with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (Russia, KHL). Last season, he was pointless in seven games with the Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL), had four goals and four assists in 12 games with the Toronto Marlies (AHL), and had three goals and 11 assists in 29 games with the Syracuse Crunch (AHL). . . .
F Stanislav Gron (Seattle, Kootenay, 1997-99) signed a one-year contract with the Manchester Phoenix (England, Premier). Last season, with Cortina (Italy, Serie A), he led his team with 44 points, including 20 goals, in 30 games.
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29 Days @tigershockey Training Camp! pic.twitter.com/kpQJCxUD7Y
— Shaun Clouston (@ShaunClouston) July 21, 2015
The Medicine Hat Tigers have signed F Max Gerlach, a 17-year-old from Flower Mound, Texas, who had committed to North Dakota. Of course, in signing with the Tigers he gives up his NCAA eligibility. He had 42 points in 21 games with the U-16 Colorado Thunderbirds last season. Gerlach was a sixth-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft. . . . Gerlach is about 5-foot-10 and 160 pounds, so should fit in well with the Tigers’ offensive game plan, which has been centred on smallish, speedy forwards. . . . The Tigers also signed F Tyler Preziuso, 16, who was a third-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft. Last season, with the South Island Royals of the B.C. Major Midget League, he put up 40 points in 40 games.——
The WHL’s Saskatoon Blades have company in the SaskTel Centre, what with the National Lacrosse League’s Edmonton Rush having relocated and morphed into the Saskatchewan Rush.
The much-rumoured move was made official Tuesday at a news conference at Saskatoon’s Delta Bessborough Hotel. Rush owner Bruce Urban was on hand, along with the NLL’s championship trophy.
The two teams’ schedules will overlap, for sure. The 2015 NLL regular-season schedule ran from Jan. 2 through May 2, with the playoffs concluding June 5.
Colin Priestner, the Blades’ managing partner, moved to Saskatoon from Edmonton when his father, Mike, purchased the Blades almost two years ago. Colin told Taking Note he is looking forward to working with the Rush.
“We don’t have any ties to them from Edmonton,” he told TN, “but we’re always open to anything that could benefit our fans. I’m sure we will find time to have a conversation with them at some point when they are up and running, to see if there’s anything we could potentially do together.”
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The U of Lethbridge Pronghorns, under head coach Spiros Anastas, added three more players to their 2015 recruiting class on Tuesday. D Evan Wardley, F Zane Jones and F Mitch Makin all have committed to the Pronghorns, bringing the number of newcomers on the roster to 15. . . . Wardley, from Vulcan, Alta., played four seasons with the Seattle Thunderbirds, putting up nine goals and 31 assists in 208 games. He finished the season by playing nine games, six of them in the playoffs, with the ECHL‘s Wheeling Nailers. . . . Jones, from Olds, Alta., played four seasons in the WHL, having stints with the Victoria Royals, Calgary Hitmen, Everett Silvertips, Lethbridge Hurricanes and Vancouver Giants. In 260 games, he scored 77 goals and added 72 assists. . . . Makin, 21, from Lethbridge, played three seasons with the BCHL’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs, finishing with 42 goals and 58 assists in 141 games. . . . Wardley, Jones and Makin all have used up their junior eligibility.
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Dickson Liong (@DLLiong) tweeted Tuesday afternoon that F Anthony Ast “will play in Germany next season. The team that he has signed with will make an official announcement soon.” . . . Ast, 20, is from Richmond, B.C. He was a first-round selection, 19th overall, by the Vancouver Giants in the 2010 bantam draft. His WHL career was hampered by illness and injury. He played 109 games with the Giants over four seasons (2010-14), scoring 15 goals and adding 26 assists. He was dealt to the Medicine Hat Tigers and played 27 games with them in 2013-14 and 21 last season, picking up 16 goals and seven assists.
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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to send an email to greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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The NHL’s Edmonton Oilers have announced that Gerry Fleming will be the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. The franchise has relocated from Oklahoma City where it was the Barons. . . . Fleming, a 48-year-old native of Montreal, had been an assistant coach with Oklahoma City until being promoted to head coach when Todd Nelson moved up to the Oilers to replaced the fired Dallas Eakins as interim head coach.
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The ECHL’s Norfolk Admirals, who are affiliated with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers and the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, have signed Eric Veilleux as their head coach. Veilleux, 43, was an assistant coach with the Admirals last season when they were in the AHL. Prior to that, he spent nine seasons in the QMJHL. He guided the host Shawinigan Cataractes to the 2012 Memorial Cup title. He then worked as head coach of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar for two seasons.
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Last night, in mentioning WHL commissioner’s July 14 visit with the guys at The Pipeline Show, I meant to include a link to the interview. A day late, here it is right here.
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The Vancouver Giants have signed D Kaleb Bulych, who was a second-round selection in the 2015 WHL bantam draft. Bulych is from Yorkton, Sask. Last season, he had 33 points, including 13 goals, in 31 games with the bantam AA Yorkton UCT Terriers.
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F Trent Lofthouse (Everett, Victoria, Vancouver, 2011-14) has decided to attend the U of Regina and play for the Cougars. Lofthouse, from Surrey, B.C., played out his junior eligibility last season with the AJHL’s Fort McMurray Oil Barons.
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very happy and thankful that i have a chance to be on the swiss cover of #NHL16 @EASPORTSNHL pic.twitter.com/KwI4a1O89F
— nino niederreiter (@thelnino22) July 21, 2015
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In Edmonton, the defending Memorial Cup-champion Oil Kings unleashed a 58-shot barrage as they defeated the Swift Current Broncos, 4-1. . . . Broncos G Landon Bow stopped 55 shots, 38 more than Edmonton’s Tristan Jarry. . . . Oil Kings F Brandon Baddock broke a 1-1 tie at 1:07 of the second period. He’s got 11 goals. . . . Edmonton D Austin Sautner added insurance with his 10th goal at 6:00 of the third, and F Brett Pollock got his 15th into an empty net at 17:38. . . . D Dysin Mayo had two assists for Edmonton. . . . F Glenn Gawdin scored for Swift Current, giving him 10. . . . Edmonton’s first goal came from F Tyson Gruninger, an AP from Drayton Valley, Alta. His first goal came in his sixth game. . . . “It’s a great end to the calendar year. It’s been a wonderful calendar year for the Edmonton Oil Kings, and it’s certainly a fitting end to that,” Oil Kings head coach Steve Hamilton said on the team’s website. “That was as complete an effort as we’ve had in a long, long time. “I thought every guy understood the game plan tonight and every guy was really committed to executing it.” . . . The Oil Kings (17-16-5) had lost their previous two games. . . . The Broncos slipped to 19-16-4. . . . 
In Moose Jaw, F Morgan Klimchuk scored at 1:06 of OT to give the Regina Pats a 2-1 victory over the Warriors. . . . Klimchuk, who spent part of December in the Canadian national junior team’s selection camp, has 14 goals. He redirected a shot by Regina F Dryden Hunt. . . . D Dallas Valentine gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead with his first goal at 3:48 of the first period. . . . Regina F Adam Brooks pulled his side even with his 16th goal at 9:21 of the second. . . . Regina G Daniel Wapple stopped 26 shots, three more than Moose Jaw’s Zach Sawchenko. . . . Each team was a 0-for-5 on the PP. . . . They’ll play again Friday, this time in Regina. . . . The Pats (23-12-2) have won three straight. . . . The Warriors (15-19-4) have lost six in a row. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., the host Tri-City Americans and Spokane Chiefs exchanged New Year’s greetings and shared 162 penalty minutes. Oh, the Chiefs won the game, 10-2. . . . F Jackson Playfair, who did a tour of duty with the Americans, broke a 2-2 tie at 9:54 of the second period with his eighth goal and the Chiefs were rolling. . . . Spokane F Adam Helewka finished with a goal, his 18th, and four assists, while F Kailer Yamamoto scored twice, giving him 15, and added an assist, and D Jason Fram picked up his seventh goal and two assists. . . . Chiefs F Calder Brooks also scored twice, giving him 16, and added an assist. . . . D Nick Charif, in his first game with the Chiefs since coming over from Red Deer, had two assists. . . . F Brian Williams scored twice for the Americans. He’s got 11 goals. . . . The Chiefs were 5-for-7 on the PP; the Americans were 2-for-6. . . . The Americans took 92 of the 162 penalty minutes. . . . Ch-ch-ching! There was a line brawl at 12:09 of the third period. . . . This was the 25th time these teams have met on New Year’s Eve, with the Americans now holding a 15-8-1 and edge (with one tie). . . . The Americans are without F Vladislav Lukin (shoulder). He was injured in Saturday’s 5-1 loss in Spokane. . . . The Chiefs (21-12-3) now have won seven in a row and are within one point of the U.S. Division-leading Everett Silvertips, who are headed into the East Division for a six-game swing. . . . The Americans are 18-17-1. . . .
In Portland, the Seattle Thunderbirds took a 2-0 lead into the third period and skated to a 2-1 victory over the Winterhawks. . . . The Thunderbirds scored the game’s first goal, the fifth straight game in which they have done that. They are 5-0 in those games. . . . Seattle D Evan Wardley scored his fourth goal at 3:46 of the first period. He went into this season with three goals in 151 regular-season games; this season, he has four in 22 games. . . . Seattle F Florian Baltram got his first goal, on a PP, at 10:25 of the second. . . . Portland F Dominic Turgeon made it interesting with his 13th, on a PP, at 16:45 of the third. . . . Seattle G Taran Kozun stopped 23 shots, three fewer than Portland’s Adan Hill. . . . Among Seattle’s scratches were F Mathew Barzal (knee) and F Ryan Gropp (undisclosed), the latter apparently injured in Tuesday’s 4-2 victory over the visiting Everett Silvertips. . . . The Thunderbirds (18-15-4) have won five in a row. . . . Portland (19-17-3) has lost three straight.
With two injured goaltenders healthy again, the Portland Winterhawks have returned G Michael Bullion to the NAHL's Wenatchee, Wash., Wild. In four appearances with Portland, Bullion is 2-2-0/3.22/.900. . . . He joined the Winterhawks with Brendan Burke and Adin Hill both injured. They are healthy again, so the Winterhawks moved out Bullion and Bolton Pouliot, 20. Pouliot, who went from the Kamloops Blazers to Portland, was released last week. . . .
The Kamloops Blazers might be without two veteran defencemen when they play host to the Spokane Chiefs on Friday. The Blazers had neither Josh Connolly nor Brady Gaudet in their lineup on Saturday when they lost 4-3 in OT to the Winterhawks in Portland. . . . Both defenders sat out with undisclosed injuries. . . . Kamloops will have F Jake Kryski, 16, back in its lineup as he has returned from the U-17 World Hockey Challenge. He's got 11 points, including five goals, in 16 games. In Kryski's last game, the Blazers beat the host Tri-City Americans, 2-0. Since then, the Blazers are 0-3-2. . . .
D Evan Wardley of the Seattle Thunderbirds is awaiting word from the WHL office on what will be his second suspension in less than a month. Wardley was hit with a seven-game suspension for a headshot major during a game against the Winterhawks in Portland on Oct. 11. On Saturday, Wardley was ejected from a game in Saskatoon with the Blades for a checking-from-behind incident. . . . The Thunderbirds are 1-1-0 on an East Division swing that continues Wednesday in Moose Jaw. . . .
The Red Deer Rebels have released F Cole Chorney, 18, who is expected to play in the AJHL. Chorney, from Beaumont, Alta., had 11 points, including six goals, in 58 games with the Rebels last season. This season, he had one assist in six games as he had trouble getting into the lineup. . . .
G Zach Sawchenko has started each of the Moose Jaw Warriors' past six games. He won't make it seven. Sawchenko suffered an injury to his right leg late in the third period of a 4-2 loss to the Tigers in Medicine Hat on Saturday. . . . He is expected to be out for at least week. . . . G Justin Paulic is expected to start against the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds on Wednesday. . . .
On Sept. 23, the Calgary Hitmen traded F Pavel Padakin, a 20-year-old Ukrainian, to the Regina Pats for a third-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft. Last season, Padakin had 54 points, including 27 goals, in 66 games. . . . On Nov. 4, the Brandon Wheat Kings traded F Richard Nejezchleb, a 20-year-old Czech, to the Tri-City Americans for two third-round bantam draft picks, one in 2015 and the other in 2017. Last season, Nejezchleb had 57 points, including 32 goals, in 66 games. . . . Perhaps all of that explains why Brandon's Kelly McCrimmon is the WHL's best general manager. As a former WHL general manager once told me: "I wouldn't buy a used car from him." . . .
Former WHL D Wil Tomchuk, 20, is back with the AJHL’s Fort McMurray Oil Barons. Tomchuk was released last week when the Prince George Cougars acquired G Jared Rathjen, 20, from the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The Oil Barons were at the maximum of six 20-year-olds and to make room for Tomchuk they dealt G Jesse Gordichuk to the Olds Grizzlys. Gordichuk had requested a trade -- see, it doesn’t only happen in the WHL! . . . Tomchuk played with the Oil Barons in 2011-12 before moving on to the Tri-City Americans and then to Prince George. . . .
Tim Speltz, the Chiefs' general manager, appeared on CBS Sports 1510 KGA, which carries the WHL team's games, on Tuesday night to apologize to fans for the actions of some players during the anthem prior to Friday's game against the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds. 
The Swift Current Broncos have claimed F Kristian Ferletak, 18, off waivers from the Victoria Royals. Ferletak, a freshman from Slovakia, was dropped by the Royals after they claimed D Marsel Ibragimov, a 17-year-old Russian freshman who had been placed on waivers by the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Edmonton released Ibragimov in order to keep veteran forwards Mads Eller and Edgars Kulda. . . . The Broncos were carrying just one import player, that being Swedish F Andreas Schumacher, 18. . . . Swift Current had been hoping to get D Julius Honka, 18, back from the NHL's Dallas Stars. However, Honka, who was selected by the Stars in the first round of the NHL's 2014 draft, was assigned to the AHL's Texas Stars. Honka was eligible for the AHL because his rights had been loaned to the Broncos by his Finnish club team; most import players are released to junior teams. . . . Ferletak may get into action with the Broncos as soon as tonight. They are at home to the Saskatoon Blades and have two forwards on the shelf -- Jay Merkley (ill) and Cole Johnson (undisclosed injury). 
The Regina Pats got down to three 20-year-olds on Tuesday by waiving F Logan McVeigh. That leaves Regina with F Braden Christoffer, F Patrick D'Amico and F Pavel Padakin as its three 1994-born players. . . . McVeigh was pointless in two games with the Pats, although a knee injury kept him from playing since the season's second game. . . . The Pats had acquired McVeigh,who is from Kenaston, Sask., last season from the Medicine Hat Tigers. He had four goals and five assists in 26 games with the Pats. In 267 career regular-season games, McVeigh has 116 points, including 45 goals. McVeigh was a second-round pick by the Kamloops Blazes in the 2009 bantam draft. He also played with the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Regina now is carrying 24 players, including three goaltenders and 15 forwards. 
F Brandon Vuic of the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads is facing an impaired driving charge from an incident that occurred on Oct. 7. As well, the Halifax Chronicle Herald is reporting that Vuic, 19, is beig "investigated for alleged drug possession in connection with the same incident." That story is 
one in the organization is hitting the panic button. But he told Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix that the team isn't through making changes, explaining that he wanted to add a 20-year-old defenceman before Oct. 15. 
selection in the 2017 bantam draft. . . . Koules, from Los Angeles, had played 141 regular-season games with the Tigers, putting up 92 points, including 45 goals. Last season, he had 51 points, 25 of them goals, in 70 games. He has one goal in two games this season. He is the son of former WHLer Oren Koules (Portland, Great Falls Americans, Medicine Hat, Spokane Flyers, Calgary, Brandon, 1979-82). . . . If you are wondering who has Koules family bragging rights, Dad had 154 points, including 60 goals, in 179 regular-season games. . . . “It’s hard," Miles told Ryan McCracken of the Medicine Hat News. "When you’re an older guy, you’re a leader and you just have to be up front and show the young guys that things are good. . . . But it’s alright, it’s good news to be going to a great team like that, but the Tigers are a great team as well.” . . . Originally, Koules's WHL rights were held by the Everett Silvertips. They dealt him to Medicine Hat for F Reid Petryk at the trade deadline during the 2011-12 season. Before that deal was made, there had been speculation that Koules would end up with Portland. . . . It is believed that Portland tried hard to acquire Koules, but that Doug Soetaert, then Everett's GM, wouldn't move him within the U.S. Division. . . . The Winterhawks now are carrying four 20s -- Koules, D Josh Hanson, F Travis McEvoy and D Joshua Smith, who turns 20 on Oct. 10. . . . It also is interesting that the Winterhawks' 27-man roster now includes 14 American-born players, although both those numbers will change on Tuesday (see next item). . . . The Tigers' roster now includes three 20s -- D Tyler Lewington, who will be 20 on Dec. 5, D Kyle Becker and G Marek Langhamer.
Allan will play for the midget AAA Calgary Royals, while O'Shaugnessy joins the BCHL's Vernon Vipers. . . . The Ice also released Russian F Alexander Chirva, 18. Chirva had six points, two of them goals, in 58 games with the Moose Jaw Warriors last season. This season, he had one goal in three games with the Ice. . . .After Chirva was released by the Warriors, the Ice selected him in the 2014 CHL import draft. . . . Kootenay is left with one import player, but Rssian D Rinat Valiev, who turns 19 on Oct. 5, is out for up to four weeks with an undisclosed injury. . . . Kootenay is carrying 23 players, including eight defencemen and 13 forwards. Included are two 20-year-olds -- F Levi Cable and F Austin Vetterl. . . . Asked about Chirva by Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman, Ice GM Jeff Chynoweth responded: "First of all, we expected more. Secondly, with some of our younger players, they might be behind him at this point, but by Christmas time they would be ahead of him and he’s taking ice time away from some of those younger players.” . . . As for having an import opening and a 20-year-old opening, Chynoweth told Rocca: “We’re just going to play it out. . . . We’ll see what happens in the next few weeks. As teams start to play more games and their numbers get set there’s going to be more players available. Whether they’re 20-year-olds or import players, there’s going to be some options to look at.” . . . The Ice also holds the rights to F Tim Bozon, 20, who is with the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs and G Mackenzie Skapski (AHL-Hartford Wolf Pack). . . . Rocca's story is 
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