A Giant coaching change . . . Ice loses one to retirement . . . Blades, Wheaties deal

F Malte Strömvall (Tri-City, 2011-13) has been released by the Växjö Lakers (Sweden, SHL) by mutual agreement. He had two goals in 21 games. . . .
D Frantisek Mrazek (Red Deer, 1997-99) has signed a contract through Dec. 15 with Weiden (Germany, Oberliga) after a successful tryout. He had three goals and two assists in four games.
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THE COACHING GAME:

The Vancouver Giants fired head coach Troy Ward on Wednesday, just four months after they had signed him to a three-year contract.
Ward was signed to a three-year contract on July 17 to replace Don Hay, who had spent the previous 10 seasons as the Giants’ head coach. Hay returned to Kamloops where he now is head coach of the Blazers.
The Giants were 9-16-0 and last in the B.C. Division under Ward, who spent the previous three seasons as head coach of the Abbotsford Heat, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Calgary Flames. Calgary moved the Heat to Glens Falls, N.Y., over the summer, but chose not to re-sign Ward.
“Obviously, with where we are in the standings, it just wasn’t working with Troy,” Giants general manager Scott Bonner said in a news release. “This is the unfortunate part of sports, but we thought change was needed.”
Matt Erhart, the Giants’ lead assistant coach, now is interim head coach, with Ian Gallagher, the club’s strength and conditioning coach, and skills coach Yogi Svejkovsky his assistants.
The Giants, who began an Alberta swing with a 6-1 loss to the Medicine Hat Tigers on Tuesday, dropped a 4-0 decision to the Hurricanes in Lethbridge last night. Bonner is on the road with the Giants.
Ward is the second coaching casualty of this season. The Prince Albert Raiders fired Cory Clouston on Oct. 31 and replaced him with Marc Habscheid.
Over the summer, 10 WHL teams hired new head coaches.
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The junior B Grand Forks Border Bruins of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League have fired Brad Snyder, their general manager and head coach. The Border Bruins went into Tuesday in fifth place in the five-team Neil Murdoch Division, with a 7-15-1-2 record and five straight losses. . . . Snyder was in his first season in Grand Forks, having been hired on May 12. . . . Darryl Olsen, who is from Grand Forks, now is handling the coaching duties.
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The SJHL’s Battlefords North Stars have signed general manager and head coach Kevin Hasselberg to a two-year extension that runs through 2016-17. . . . Hasselberg is in his fourth season with the North Stars, who are 15-5-5-0. In the three-plus seasons under Hasselberg, the North Stars are 118-58-7-10.
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F Kyle O’Connor, 18, announced his retirement from the Kootenay Ice on Wednesday. According to the Ice, O’Connor “has retired from hockey in order to pursue educational opportunities.” . . . O’Connor, from Calgary, was a fourth-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . He had 22 points, including 10 goals, in 132 games over three seasons. This season, he had a goal and an assist in 20 games. . . . Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has more right here.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings and Saskatoon Blades did something of a goatending dance on Wednesday. The Blades dealt G Alex Moodie to the Wheat Kings for a conditional eighth-round pick in the 2015 WHL bantam draft. . . . The draft pick is conditional on Moodie being on the Wheat Kings’ roster on Jan. 10. . . . The Wheat Kings then released G Logan Thompson, 17, from their roster and are looking for a place for him to play. Thompson is from Calgary. . . Moodie, a 19-year-old Winnipegger, was a fifth-round selection by the Blades in the 2010 bantam draft. In Brandon, he will play alongside Jordan Papirny, 18. Moodie, who practised with the Wheat Kings yesterday,  should be in Brandon’s lineup on Friday night when it plays in Saskatoon. . . . This is the second time this season that Moodie has been traded by the Blades. Earlier, he was dealt to the Spokane Chiefs, who later returned him to Saskatoon. . . . The Blades have settled on Nik Amundrud, 17, and Trevor Martin, 18, as their goaltenders, at least for now.
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D Anea Ferrario, a 16-year-old from Ogden, Utah, has committed to Brown University. He was a seventh-round selection by the Tri-City Americans in the 2013 WHL bantam draft. He is playing this season for the Victory Honda U16 team. . . .
F Kris Schmidli of the Kelowna Rockets will play for Switzerland at the World Junior Championship that runs Dec. 26 through Jan. 5 in Toronto and Montreal. Schmidli, an 18-year-old sophomore, has 17 points, including five goals, in 26 games this season.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:

In Saskatoon, the Moose Jaw Warriors scored the game’s first three goals and hung on for a 4-2 victory over the Blades. . . . F Tanner Jeannot’s first goal gave the Warriors a 3-0 lead at 4:58 of the third period. . . . The Blades then got PP goals form F Brett Stovin, his fifth, at 9:19, and F Ryan Graham, his seventh, at 14:10. . . . Warriors F Jaimen Yakubowski put it away with an empty-netter at 19:47. . . . Moose Jaw got PP goals from both its big guns, with F Brayden Point getting his 14th goal and F Jack Rodewald getting No. 13. Point has six goals in three games against Moose Jaw this season. . . . Warriors D Alexey Steptsov had two assists. . . . The Warriors are 11-12-3, while the Blades are 7-17-1. . . . Prior to the game, the Warriors brought in D Josh Brook from the midget AAA Notre Dame Hounds. Brook, the fourth overall pick in the 2014 bantam draft, had 10 points, three of them goals, in 11 games with the Hounds. He’s from Roblin, Man. . . .

In Calgary, the Prince Albert Raiders ran their winning streak to five games with a 2-1 victory over the Hitmen. . . . Raiders F Gage Quinney broke a 1-1 tie with his fourth goal at 16:52 of the second period, via the PP. . . . F Reid Gardiner scored his 14th goal at 17:57 of the first. . . . Calgary D Travis Sanheim scored his ninth, on a PP, at 8:18 of the second. . . . Prince Albert G Rylan Parenteau stopped 17 shots, two fewer than Calgary’s Evan Johnson. . . . Raiders D Josh Morrissey and D Hunter Warner each had two assists. . . . The Raiders reached .500 at 13-13-0, while  the Hitmen slipped to 13-10-3. . . .

In Edmonton, the Oil Kings scored 10 seconds into the first period and went on to beat the Swift Current Broncos, 4-1. . . . Edmonton F Brett Pollock scored his13th goal to get the home team rolling. . . . Edmonton G Patrick Dea, making his third straight start with Tristan Jarry battling an illness, stopped 31 shots as the Oil Kings (13-10-4) halted a three-game losing skid (0-2-1). . . . F Cole Benson and D Dysin Mayo each had a goal and an assist for Edmonton. Each has six goals. . . . Mayo also was plus-4. . . . The Broncos are 14-10-4. . . . They got their lone goal from F Colby Cave, his 11th, at 17:56 of the third. . . .

In Lethbridge, G Stuart Skinner stopped 37 shots to lead the Hurricanes to a 4-0 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Hurricanes (6-15-4) had lost their previous nine games (0-6-3). . . . The Giants (9-17-0) have lost five in a row. . . . Skinner, a 16-year-old from Edmonton, recorded his first WHL shutout. He hadn’t played for the Hurricanes since Oct. 26. He played in the U-17 World Hockey Challenge and then suffered an undisclosed injury during a practice upon his return. . . . Lethbridge F Riley Sheen had four assists, while F Jamal Watson scored twice, the first one coming a minute into the game. He’s got 12 goals. . . .

In Prince George, F Morgan Klimchuk scored twice to help the Regina Pats to a 5-2 victory over the Cougars. . . . Klimchuk has eight goals. . . . The Pats (14-10-1) are 1-1-0 on their B.C. Division tour. . . . Regina led 3-0 when F Connor Gay scored his 10th goal at 7:01 of the second period. . . . F Dryden Hunt and F Sam Steel each had two assists for Regina. . . . The Cougars (13-14-0) got to within 3-1 and 4-2 but never any closer. . . . Regina G Daniel Wapple stopped 30 shots. . . . Prince George F Jari Erricson took a cross-checking major and game misconduct at 18:56 of the third period. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., F Rourke Chartier, the WHL’s leading sniper, scored twice as the Kelowna Rockets dumped the Tri-City Americans, 4-1. . . . Chartier leads the WHL in goals (28) and points (47). . . . Linemate Nick Merkley, who has 46 points, had one assist. . . . Chartier’s second goal, 19 seconds into the third period, broke a 1-1 tie. . . . Chartier has 17 goals in 13 games this month. . . . Kelowna F Tyson Baillie scored his 19th goal to stretch the lead to 3-1 at 9:38. . . . Kelowna G Jackson Whistler stopped 26 shots, four fewer than Tri-City’s Eric Comrie. . . . The Rockets now are 22-2-3, while the Americans are 14-11-0 and have lost two in a row. . . .

In Spokane, F Kailer Yamamoto and F Calder Brooks each had three points as the Chiefs doubled the Victoria Royals, 4-2. . . . Brooks scored twice, giving him 10, and added an assist; Yamamoto drew three assists. . . . Spokane D Jason Fram broke a 1-1 tie with his third goal at 15:03 of the second period and F Adam Helewka added insurance with his 13th goal at 19:04. . . . F Greg Chase scored his second goal in as many games for the Royals, while F Austin Carroll added his 18th. . . . The Chiefs (13-7-3) have won four straight and moved into second in the U.S. Division, a point ahead of Tri-City. . . . The Royals (14-13-2) have lost two in a row. . . .

In Everett, the Silvertips scored two first-period goals en route to a 2-1 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . F Carson Stadnyk got his 11th goal at 5:51 and F Brayden Low scored No. 7 at 9:41, on a PP, as Everett took a 2-0 lead. . . . F Collin Shirley, with his sixth, got the Blazers on the board with a PP goal at 10:01 of the second. . . . Everett G Austin Lotz turned aside 22 shots. . . . Kamloops G Connor Ingram, making his fifth straight start, stopped 25 shots. . . . This was the final meeting of the regular season between these teams; the Silvertips went 4-0-0 and now have beaten the Blazers eight straight times. . . . WHL Facts tweeted that Lotz was 1.22/.957 in the four games with Kamloops this season. . . . The Silvertips (16-4-3) have won two in a row. . . . Kamloops (11-11-5) had been 2-0-2 in its previous four.
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I have come to the conclusion that hockey players are worse than teenage girls. 20 min wait is a bit much just so you know @Kelowna_Rockets
— Annie Fowler (@TCHIceQueen) November 27, 2014

A WHL first in Kamloops . . . Hunt, Sautner fill their hats . . . Kolesar thrills family in Brandon

F František Mrázek (Red Deer, 1997-99) signed a four-game tryout contract with Weiden (Germany, Oberliga). This season, with David Servis České Budějovice (Czech Republic, Krajské Hokejové Přebory), he had six goals and nine assists in four games. Last season, with Heilbronner Falken (Germany, DEL2), he had a team-high 26 goals, along with 20 assists, in 46 games. . . .
D Logan Pyett (Regina, 2003-08) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Severstal Cherepovets (Russia, KHL). This season, with Admiral Vladivostok (Russia, KHL), he had four goals and three assists in 21 games. He was released by Admiral on Oct. 31 by mutual agreement.
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There was some WHL history in Kamloops on Friday night as the Blazers played host to the Spokane Chiefs.
For the first time, the opposing head coaches were members of the 600-victory club.
Don Hay of the Blazers went into the game with 618 victories, while Spokane's Don Nachbaur was at 606. The Chiefs came out of the game with a 4-2 victory.
Hay and Nachbaur trail only the retired Ken Hodge, who put up 742 victories as the head coach of the original Edmonton Oil Kings and Portland Winterhawks.
Hay, now 60 years of age, began his WHL coaching career with the Blazers. He also has been the head coach of the Tri-City Americans and Vancouver Giants. He spent the past 10 seasons with the Giants, before returning to the Blazers during the off-season.
Nachbaur, 55, also has coached the Americans and Seattle Thunderbirds. He went into this season with 598 victories, which had him in fourth place, also trailing Lorne Molleken (603).
After Hay and Nachbaur, the winningest active WHL head coach is Mike Williamson, now with the Americans. Williamson, who also has coached the Portland Winterhawks and Calgary Hitmen, has 442 victories after the Americans beat the visiting Victoria Royals 4-1 last night. Williamson is 11th on the all-time list. He needs nine victories to pass Peter Anholt (450) and get into the top 10.
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F Connor Chartier, 20, who was released by the Spokane Chiefs earlier in the week, had his BCHL rights dealt by the Salmon Arm Silverbacks to the Penticton Vees on Friday. The Vees gave up F Josh Laframboise, 18, in the exchange. . . . Meanwhile, Brian Wiebe, who keeps a close eye on the BCHL, tweeted Friday that F Dakota Conroy, 20, “has decided to join” the Vees “but is waiting on his WHL release.” Conroy left the Prince Albert Raiders late in October.
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In the OHL, the Erie Otters, playing their first game without F Connor McDavid, dropped a 2-1 decision to the host Niagara IceDogs in St. Catharines, Ont. . . . McDavid, the OHL scoring leader, is out for up to six weeks with a broken hand suffered in a fight on Tuesday. . . . The Otters (16-2-1) have two regulation-time losses this season, both to the IceDogs (6-13-0), who have won four in a row. . . . Earlier in the day, the IceDogs acquired F Josh Ho-Sang, a first-round selection by the New York Islanders in the NHL’s 2014 draft, from the Windsor Spitfires. He had one assist last night.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:

In Prince Albert, F Brayden Point and F Tanner Eberle each scored twice and added an assist to lead the Moose Jaw Warriors to a 5-3 victory over the Raiders. . . . Point finished plus-5; Eberle was plus-1. . . . F Jack Rodewald had three assists and also was plus-5 for Moose Jaw (9-10-2). . . . Point and Eberle have 11 goals each. . . . Moose Jaw D Tyler Brown scored his third goal at 15:07 of the second period to break a 2-2 tie. . . . F Reid Gardiner scored his eighth goal of the season for the Raiders, who have lost four in a row. . . . The Raiders (8-13-0), who are in Swift Current tonight, are 2-4-0 since firing head coach Cory Clouston. They are 1-4-0 under new head coach Marc Habscheid. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald has a story right here. . . .

In Regina, F Dryden Hunt scored three times to help the Pats to a 6-2 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Hunt, who has nine goals, gave his side a 3-1 lead at 16:35 of the second period and 4-2 and 5-2 leads at 5:54 and 10:06 of the third. It was his first career hat trick. . . . Regina F Connor Gay helped out with his seventh goal and two assists. . . . The Pats are 10-9-1. . . . Regina G Daniel Wapple, who was acquired from Medicine Hat on Jan. 10, stopped 39 shots. . . . G Nick Schneider, who went the other way in that deal, turned aside 29 shots for the Tigers (14-4-1), who had a three-game winning streak snapped. . . . Schneider had been 11-0 with the Tigers, including 5-0 this season. . . . Each side was 2-for-9 on the PP. . . . Earlier in the week, the Pats brought back G Tyler Brown, 17, from the MJHL’s Winnipeg Blues. He’ll back up Wapple, 19, while the Pats look for a junior A club where Tyler Fuhr, 19, will play. . . . The Pats are at home to the Seattle Thunderbirds tonight. . . .

In Brandon, F Keegan Kolesar, who is from Winnipeg, had a goal and two assists to spark the Seattle Thunderbirds in a 6-4 victory over the Wheat Kings. . . . Brandon (16-4-1) had won six in a row. . . . Seattle D Shea Theodore scored his first goal of the season to break a 3-3 tie at 7:21 of the third period. The goal came via the PP. . . . Theodore was playing his second game since being returned by the NHL's Anaheim Ducks. He had been with their AHL affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals. . . . Kolesar, who had family on hand for this one, has six goals this season. . . .Seattle (9-8-3) is 2-2 on its East Division swing. . . . F Ryan Gropp scored his 10th goal for the Thunderbirds, while F Jesse Gabrielle got his 12th for Brandon. . . . Wheat Kings G Logan Thompson stopped 27 shots in his first home-ice start. . . . Seattle G Danny Mumaugh made 29 stops. . . . "I thought Seattle was better than our team in every regard," Brandon GM/head coach Kelly McCrimmon told Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun. "Their work ethic was superior to ours, they were way more physical than we were. We were not engaged in the game fully at any point." . . . The Wheat Kings had D Ryan Pilon back after a four-game absence with an undisclosed injury. . . . Brandon D Kale Clague is out with an undisclosed injury suffered during the U-17 World Hockey Challenge. . . . The Eastern Conference’s top two teams, the Medicine Hat Tigers and the Wheat Kings, meet tonight in Brandon. . . .

In Edmonton, D Ashton Sautner struck for three goals as the Oil Kings beat the Saskatoon Blades, 7-1. . . . Sautner, who has seven goals this season, is the first defenceman in the modern history of the Oil Kings to score three goals in a game. . . . According to a story on the Oil Kings’ website, Sautner had told his billet mom earlier in the day that he needed to get going offensively. “We were at breakfast and we were talking about how we were having a hard time scoring, and I said, ‘Maybe I could step up,’” said Sautner, who last recorded a hat trick as a 16-year-old in midget. “It just happened tonight was a good night.” . . . Edmonton G Patrick Dea stopped 26 shots, losing his shutout when F Cory Millette scored his fifth goal at 18:16 of the third. . . . Edmonton D Dysin Mayo, Sautner’s partner on the back end, scored twice, giving him four, and added two assists. . . . Oil Kings F Brett Pollock had two assists. He has three straight two-point games to his credit. . . . Edmonton now is 11-8-2, while the Blades slid to 6-14-0. . . . D Adam Henry (concussion) was back in Saskatoon’s lineup after a four-game absence. . . . Blades G Nik Amundrud, 17, has been out with a concussion since Oct. 31. When he returns, either Alex Moodie, 19, or Trevor Martin, 18, will be kept as the second goaltender. Martin, who stopped 24 shots last night, was brought back from the SJHL’s Melville Millionaires when Amundrud was injured. . . . The Blades decided earlier in the week that D Nolan Reid, 16, will stay on their roster. Reid, from Deer Valley, Sask., had been playing midget AAA at Notre Dame in Wilcox, Sask., when he was brought up by the Blades to help them through some injuries. He has played well enough that the decision was made to keep him. . . .

In Red Deer, the Rebels scored four third-period goals and beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 4-1. . . . The Hurricanes (5-11-4) took a 1-0 lead into the third period on F Zane Jones' 10th goal, at 3:07 of the third. . . . F Tyler Sandhu tied it at 4:16 and gave the Rebels the lead at 9:24. He's got seven goals. . . . F Grayson Pawlenchuk and F Wyatt Johnson each had two assists for Red Deer. . . . With referee Tyler Adair working solo, the Hurricanes didn't take any penalties in this one, while the Rebels took two minors. . . . The Rebels (10-8-3) have points in nine of their last 10 games. . . . Lethbridge is 0-2-3 in its last five. . . . The Rebels entertain the Saskatoon Blades tonight. . . . The Kootenay Ice visit Lethbridge tonight. . . .

In Cranbrook, F Luke Philp scored with 14.3 seconds left in OT to give the Kootenay Ice a wild 7-6 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Ice F Tim Bozon forced OT with a shorthanded goal at 17:52 of the third period. The Ice had been penalized for too many men as they tried to get G Wyatt Hoflin off the ice for the extra attacker. . . . Bozon has a goal in each of his last three games. . . . The Hitmen led 2-0 in the first period, trailed 3-2 in the second, and led 5-4 and 6-5 in the third. . . . Philp finished with two goals, giving him eight, and two assists. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart drew four assists, including one on the equalizer and another on the winner. . . . The Hitmen got two goals from F Taylor Sanheim, who has three. . . . Calgary spent the first 59 seconds of OT on the PP after Ice D Rinat Valiev was penalized for delay of game. . . . Kootenay (7-13-0) has won four in a row. . . . The Hitmen (10-8-3) have points in each of their last five games (3-0-2). . . . Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has a game story right here. . . .

In Kamloops, the Spokane Chiefs opened up a 4-0 lead and hung on for a 4-2 victory over the Blazers. . . . F Liam Stewart scored twice for the Chiefs. Playing a point on the PP, he scored both goals with the man advantage. He's got nine goals this season. . . . Chiefs F Kailer Yamamoto had a goal, his third, and an assist as he figured in the game's first two goals. . . . Spokane F Adam Helewka had two assists, both on the PP. . . . Spokane D Jason Fram, who was playing in his 200th regular-season game, picked up an assist to run his point streak to 11 games. He has two goals and 12 assists during that stretch. Only Swift Current F Coda Gordon, who takes a 12-game streak into a game against visiting Prince Albert tonight, has had a longer run this season. . . . The Chiefs were 2-for-5 on the PP; the Blazers were 0-for-4. . . . Chiefs G Tyson Verhelst stopped 29 shots, 18 of those coming over the last two periods. . . . The Chiefs (9-6-3) moved into a tie with Kamloops for sixth in the Western Conference. Spokane is at home to the Tri-City Americans tonight. . . . The Blazers (9-10-3) have lost six in a row (0-4-2) and are in Everett tonight. . . .

In Prince George, F Rourke Chartier scored two more goals to help the Kelowna Rockets to a 6-3 victory over the Cougars. . . . Chartier, who has goals in nine straight games, leads the WHL with 22 goals. . . . He also had an assist, and now is tied for the WHL scoring lead with teammate Nick Merkley, who had one assist. Each has 37 points. . . . F Tyson Baillie also scored twice for Kelowna, giving him 15. . . . Chartier's second goal, at 10:15 of the third period, broke a 3-3 tie. Prince George F Aaron Boyd had tied the game with his first goal, shorthanded, at 8:42. . . . Kelowna G Jackson Whistle stopped 20 shots in earning his WHL-leading 16th victory. . . . The Rockets were 3-for-5 on the PP; the Cougars (11-10-0) were 1-for-5. . . . Kelowna (19-1-1) is 9-0-1 in its last 10. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Prince George. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., F Beau McCue had a goal and three assists as the Tri-City Americans dropped the Victoria Royals, 4-1. . . . McCue, who enjoyed his first career four-point outing, scored the game's first goal and assisted on the next three, two of those by F Richard Nejezchleb. . . . McCue has nine goals; Nejezchleb has four. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie, who is 7-0-0 on home ice, stopped 24 shots. He lost the shutout when F Tyler Soy scored his fifth goal at 11:17 of the third. . . . Victoria G Coleman Vollrath stopped 31 shots. . . . Nejezchleb scored both goals on the PP as the Americans (13-9-0) went 2-for-6; the Royals (10-10-2) were 0-for-4. . . . Victoria F Brandon Magee had a nine-game point streak end. . . . The Royals are in Vancouver to face the Giants tonight. . . .

In Everett, the Silvertips scored two shootout goals and beat the Portland Winterhawks, 4-3. . . . F Ivan Nikolishin and F Graham Millar both scored for Everett in the shootout, while Portland’s first two shooters were blanked. . . . Nikolishin, who also drew two assists, had tied the game 3-3 with his sixth goal at 13:39 of the second. . . . The Winterhawks led 3-1 on F Paul Bittner’s eighth goal at 8:35 of the second. . . . Everett D Noah Juulsen got his second goal, from Nikolishin, at 9:43. . . . F Chase De Leo scored his 12th goal of the season for Portland (8-11-3). . . . D Layne Viveiros had two assists for Portland. . . . The Silvertips (13-2-3) are at home to Kamloops tonight and then will play in Portland on Sunday night.

Instead of "helping" and "motivating" your son, you are actually forcing 60 scouts to write "dad: nut-job, don't draft".
— Colin Priestner (@colinpriestner) November 14, 2014

Mrazek on the move

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Frantisek Mrazek (Red Deer, 1997-99) signed a one-year contract with Heilbronner Falken (Germany, DEL2). He had 18 goals and 10 assists in 44 games with Landshut (Germany, 2. Bundesliga) last season. 2. Bundesliga now is known as DEL2 effective this season. Die Falken open their regular season against Landshut on Friday at Heilbronn.
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Interesting goings-on in Sudbury where the OHL’s Wolves announced that Northern Life, a twice-a-week publication, has become the team’s “official newspaper.” . . . Blaine Smith, the Wolves’ president and general manager, was quoted as saying that Northern Life “understands the importance of supporting the local OHL team by providing professional editorial coverage that assists in building our brand in the community and throughout the OHL.” . . . The fish are in the barrel and Peter Ruicci of the Sault Star doesn’t miss with his column right here.
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The SJHL, which earlier found corporate sponsorship (Kramer Ltd. Group) for one of its division, now has done it with another. The Viterra Division will comprise the Estevan Bruins, Melville Millionaires, Yorkton Terriers and Weyburn Red Wings. . . . Viterra has long been in the grain-handling and marketing business. . . . The SJHL’s regular season begins Thursday with Melville in Estevan.

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End of an era in Saskatoon today?

THE MacBETH REPORT:

 F Frantisek Mrazek (Red Deer, 1997-99) was released from his tryout with Ceske Budejovice (Czech Republic, KHL). He had 18 goals and 10 assists in 44 games with Landshut (Germany, 2. Bundesliga) last season. . . .



F Kirill Starkov (Red Deer, 2006-07) was released by Yuzhny Ural Orsk (Russia, Vysshaya Liga) so he could sign a one-year contract with Esbjerg (Denmark, AL-Bank Liga), the club with which he played his minor hockey. He had six goals and nine assists in 52 games with Oskarshamn (Sweden, Allsvenskan) last season. Starkov was born in Russia but moved to Esbjerg when he was three when his father Oleg signed with the club. Oleg Starkov played nine seasons with Esbjerg after 10 years in the Soviet league. Oleg represented the Soviet Union at the 1983 World Junior Championship in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), where he finished fourth in scoring with six goals and six assists in seven games, eight points behind scoring champion Vladimir Ruzicka, one point ahead of Canada’s scoring leader Dave Andreychuk, and two points ahead of a 17-year-old Mario Lemieux. . . .

F Martin Tomasek (Red Deer, 1996-97) signed a one-year contract with Feldkirch (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had two goals and seven assists in three games with Karvina (Czech Republic, 2. Liga) and 19 goals and 26 assists in 22 games with Neuilly-sur-Marne (France, Division 1) last season. . . .

F Martin Ruzicka (Everett, Lethbridge, 2003-05) signed a one-year contract extension with Trinec (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had 40 goals and 43 assists in 52 games with Trinec last season. Ruzicka led Extraliga in scoring (by 25 points), goals (by 13 goals), and assists (by four over ex-NHL player Martin Straka) last season. . . .


F Lukas Vantuch (Calgary, Lethbridge, 2005-07) signed a one-year contract with Landshut (Germany, DEL2) after a successful tryout. He had one goal and four assists in 31 games with Liberec (Czech Republic, Extraliga), one assist in five games on loan to Sparta Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga), and no points in two games with Benatky nad Jizerou (Czech Republic, 1. Liga) last season. . . .



F Jakub Klepis (Portland, 2001-02) signed a one-year contract extension with Lev Prague (Czech Republic, KHL). He had 20 goals and 18 assists in 45 games with Lev last season to lead the team in goals, assists, and scoring.
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Chris Peters of The United States of Hockey writes:
“More research on head trauma is coming out with increased regularity and hopefully those that are running college and junior hockey leagues are paying extremely close attention. This is one of the biggest and most important issues in modern sport. If rules and equipment can’t make a difference, it’s the individuals that have to find a way to.
“That could mean more, stricter rules, but more than anything teams and leagues should be examining how they are going about identifying high-risk incidents, while also examining the diagnosis and treatment of concussions and head trauma in a sports setting.
“The adults in charge of the leagues making money off of these players need to do right by their young people. How to do that in the most effective manner may take years to discover, but the search has to start now, if it hasn’t already. It could be the difference between a few days on the sidelines and the end of a career. Or worse, a life forever altered.”
That entire piece is right here.
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Dan Russell’s Sportstalk will debut on Vancouver radio station CISL (AM 650) on Sept. 29 at 9 p.m.
From a news release:
“Some exciting changes are planned to refresh Sportstalk, starting with the show’s new Sunday to Thursday night time slot. In addition, veteran sports mind Lee Powell will be joining the proceedings. With 35 years of local experience, Powell’s knowledge and credibility run deep when it comes to sports in Vancouver.
“Longtime producer Heath Morgan will be continuing with the Sportstalk team.”
Russell did his final show as the host of Sportstalk on CKNW 980 on Friday night. CKNW had informed him earlier in the summer that his contract wouldn’t be renewed when it expired on Aug. 31.
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It almost certainly will be the end of an era in the WHL today as the board of governors gathers in Calgary today where it is expected to vote unanimously in favour of allowing Saskatoon Blades owner Jack Brodsky to sell the franchise to Edmonton-based auto dealer Mike Priestner. . . . The sale needs two-thirds of the 22 governors to vote in favour in order to pass. But it is expected to be unanimous, simply because of Brodsky’s long-standing relationship with the WHL. The franchise has been in the Brodsky family since 1976. . . . With the sale price said to be north of $9 million, you can bet there will a lot of smiles around the governors’ table today. . . . The Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson reports that Steve Hogle, the vice-president of hockey communications with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, is expected to take over as the Blades’ president.
Matheson’s complete story is right here.
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The Saskatoon Blades have received clearance to use Russian F Nikita Sherbak, who won’t turn 18 until Dec. 30. . . . The Blades received clearance from the IIHF on Tuesday morning, according to Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. . . . Sherbak’s former team, Kapitan Stupino, a Russian junior club, had refused to issue him a release. . . . Sherbak, who had been spending a lot of time riding the bike, skated with the Blades on Tuesday.
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The Prince George Cougars have released G Mac Engel, 20, meaning they will open the season with Brett Zarowny, 18, and Ty Edmonds, 17, as their goaltenders. Zarowny is heading into his second season with the Cougars; Edmonds, from Winnipeg, played last season for the MJHL’s Virden Oil Capitals. . . . The Cougars also released F Jarrett Fontaine, 18. In 133 games with the Cougars over two seasons, the 5-foot-5 Fontaine, who is from Humboldt, Sask., had 27 points, including 10 goals.
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The Everett Silvertips have signed F Patrick Bajkov, D Jordan Wharrie and D Lucas Skrumeda. . . . Bajkov, who turns 16 on Nov. 27, was a sixth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. The Nanaimo, B.C., native had 31 points, including 20 goals, with the major midget North Island Silvertips last season. . . . Wharrie, 16, was taken in the fifth-round of the 2012 bantam draft. From Port Moody, B.C., he had two points in 39 games with the major midget Vancouver North East Chiefs. . . . Skrumeda, a list player, is to turn 17 on Oct. 7. From St. Andrews, Man., he had 28 points in 43 games with the midget AAA Winnipeg Thrashers last season.
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The Portland Winterhawks, the WHL’s defending champions, have nine players heading out to NHL training camps — F Oliver Bjorkstrand, Columbus Blue Jackets; G Brendan Burke, Phoenix Coyotes; F Anton Cederholm, Vancouver Canucks; F Adam de Champlain, Vancouver; D Garrett Haar, Washington Capitals; F Taylor Leier, Philadelphia Flyers; F Brendan Leipsic, Nashville Predators; F Nic Petan, Winnipeg Jets; and D Derrick Pouliot, Pittsburgh Penguins.
All are draft picks, with the exception of de Champlain, who is a free-agent invitee.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors are preparing to have three players depart for NHL camps — D Morgan Rielly, Toronto Maple Leafs; D Travis Brown, Chicago Blackhawks; and F Tanner Eberle, Montreal Canadiens. Rielly and Brown were draft picks; Eberle is on a free-agent tryout.
The 19-year-old Rielly was selected with the fifth overall pick of the 2012 NHL draft. He joined the AHL’s Toronto Marlies when the Warriors’ last season ended, getting into 14 regular-season and eight playoff games. Based on all of that, you have to think he will be given every opportunity to stick with the Maple Leafs.
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The Seattle Thunderbirds will have four roster players attending NHL camps — D Shea Theodore, Anaheim Ducks; F Alexander Delnov, Florida Panthers; F Mitch Elliot, Vancouver Canucks; and D Jared Hauf, Philadelphia Flyers. Theodore and Delnov are draft picks; Elliot and Hauf are free-agent invitees. . . . Seattle F Branden Troock, who was selected by the Dallas Stars in the fifth round of the 2012 draft, continues to recover from offseason shoulder surgery and won’t attend the NHL team’s camp.
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From Portland Winterhawks F Nic Petan (@petan19): “Thankful to be living on a houseboat this year. #portland #view.”
He included this photo.


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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Bud Holloway (Seattle, 2003-08) signed a one-year contract extension with Skellefteå (Sweden, Elitserien). He had 21 goals and 28 assists in 55 games, good enough to finish fifth in league scoring, and led the league in power-play goals with 12. Holloway followed up the regular season by leading the league playoffs in scoring, getting 10 goals and 13 assists in 19 playoff games. Skellefteå lost in the best-of-seven Elitserien final to Brynäs Gävle, 4-2. Skellefteå GM Lars Johansson: "It is of course very positive. Bud is a great guy, both on and off the ice, who fits very well into our organization, so it feels great that we have agreed on an extension. He had a great season and it's fantastic that he now chooses to continue his development here in Skellefteå." . . .
F Frantisek Mrazek (Red Deer, 1997-99) signed a one-year contract extension with Landshut Cannibals (Germany, 2.Bundesliga). He had 25 goals and 23 assists in 46 games for the Cannibals this season. . . .
D Burke Henry (Brandon, 1995-99) signed a one-year contract with Orli Znojmo (Czech Republic, Austria Erste Bank Liga). He was pointless in four games with the South East Prairie Thunder at this season's Allan Cup final. In 2010-11, Henry had four goals and three assists for Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia, Austria Erste Bank Liga). . . .
D Tomas Mojzis (Moose Jaw, Seattle, 2000-03) signed a one-year contract with Lev Prague (Czech Republic, KHL). He had six goals and 26 assists in 59 games with TPS Turku (Finland, SM-Liiga) this season. . . .
F Dominik Volek (Regina, 2011-12) signed a junior contract with Färjestad Karlstad (Sweden, J20 SuperElit). He had 14 goals and 18 assists with the Pats this season. Volek, who turned 18 on Jan. 12, is from Praha, Czech Republic, and had been expected to return to the Pats for a second season. Regina selected him with the ninth overall pick in the CHL’s 2011 import draft.
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THE COACHING GAME:
A couple of coaching-related notes from Aaron Portzline, who covers the Columbus Blue Jackets for the Columbus Post-Dispatch. . . . First, he tweeted this: “Confirmed #CBJ asst Brad Berry is a candidate to return to Univ of North Dakota as an assistant. Safe to say he's a favorite for the job.” . . . Berry may have ended up as the Kamloops Blazers' head coach over the summer of 2008 had he not taken his name out of the running. . . . North Dakota has a vacancy because it chose not to bring back associate head coach Cary Eades, who now is the GM/head coach of the USHL’s Sioux Falls Stampede. Eades was out of work for all of a week. . . . Portzline also tweeted this: “Also, #CBJ looking for coach to replace Rob Riley @ AHL level in Springfield. All signs point to former NHLer Brad Larsen getting the job.” . . . Larsen is a former WHLer, having played with the Swift Current Broncos (1993-97). . . .
It hasn’t yet been announced but I’m told that Kelowna Rockets assistant coach Dan Lambert has signed a new two-year deal as an assistant coach. Lambert, who was one of the best offensive defencemen in WHL history during his four seasons (1986-90) with the Swift Current Broncos, works alongside head coach Ryan Huska and assistant Ryan Cuthbert. Lambert handles the back end and is having the time of his life working with young up-and-comers like Madison Bowey, Jesse Lees and Damon Severson. . . .
The Central league’s Bloomington Blaze has hired Brian Gratz as its head coach. He spent the last two seasons as head coach of the Central league’s Dayton Gems. He is a 30-year-old native of Fort Wayne, Ind. With the Blaze, he replaces Paul Gardner whose contract wasn’t renewed after a 23-30-7 record in the franchise’s first season in the league. . . .
The Central league’s Wichita Thunder has extended the contract of head coach Kevin McClelland through 2014-15. McClelland, a former head coach of the Prince Albert Raiders, has been with the Thunder for two seasons. He was named the league’s coach of the year after guiding the team to a franchise-record 44 victories. He also got the Thunder into the league final. . . .
The BCHL’s Coquitlam Express has added the general manager’s duties to head coach Jon Calvano’s portfolio. He takes over from Darcy Rota, the club’s president and governor, who stepped aside after 11 seasons as GM.
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JUST NOTES:
D Bronson Maschmeyer has decided to head for St. Francis Xavier in Antigonish, N.S., and play for the X-Men next season. "That's where I committed," Maschmeyer confirmed via text late last night. Maschmeyer played out his eligibility with the Kamloops Blazers this season. The Blazers acquired him from the Vancouver Giants prior to the 2009-10 season and he never missed a game while with Kamloops, playing in 231 consecutive regular-season and playoff games. . . . Maschmeyer’s sister, Emerance, is off to Harvard after playing this season with the AJHL’s Lloydminster Bobcats. She’s a goaltender. . . . And their brother Brock, a defenceman, will head for Northern Michigan and the Wildcats for 2013-14. Brock plays for the AJHL’s Fort McMurray Oil Barons. . . .
The MJHL’s newest franchise is the Virden Oil Capitals. The team that played out of Winnipeg as the Saints before being sold and moved to the south-western Manitoba community made the announcement Wednesday. . . .
With the threat of a lockout looming, the NHL has started making moves in preparation. That includes the cancellation of the annual Young Guns tournament that has been played in Penticton, B.C. Last year’s tournament featured the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets.
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David Shoalts of The Globe and Mail has chatted with Scotty Bowman about the way the NHL game is being played in these playoffs. The result is a terrific piece, with Bowman going back to the 1979 playoffs to find a series in which one team collapsed in its zone in order to protect its house.
That piece is right here.
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Earlier in the week, also in the pages of The Globe and Mail, the Calgary-based Allan Maki wrote of a family that is waiting to find out whether their husband and father’s brain contained signs of CTE. Yes, he was a former football player. Doug MacIver Sr. was a solid defensive lineman.
Maki’s story is right here.


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Tuesday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Chris Schmidt (Seattle, 1992-96) signed a one-year contract with the Schwenninger Wild Wings (Germany, 2.Bundesliga). He had one goal and one assist in 33 games this season for Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg (Germany, DEL). . . .
F Nigel Dawes (Kootenay, 2001-05) and F Dustin Boyd (Moose Jaw, 2002-06) signed one-year contracts with Barys Astana (Kazakhstan, KHL). Dawes had one assist in 13 games with the Atlanta Thrashers and Montreal Canadiens and 41 goals and 31 assists in 66 games with Chicago Wolves and Hamilton Bulldogs (both AHL) this season. Boyd had one goal in 10 games with Montreal and 20 goals and nine assists in 47 games with Hamilton this season. . . .
F Frantisek Mrazek (Red Deer, 1997-99) signed a one-year contract extension with the Landshut Cannibals (Germany, 2.Bundesliga). He had 10 goals and eight assists in 29 games for tthe Cannibals this season.
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The hockey fans of Winnipeg have gotten back their NHL franchise. Granted, it’s not the same franchise that was taken away from them — that one is in Phoenix now — but the Manitoba capital is back in the club.
Now all that needs be done is for those same fans to cough up for 13,000 season tickets.
That, according to NHL comissioner Gary Bettman, would be a great show of support in advance of the board of governors’ June 21 meeting at which the sale of the franchise is expected to be voted on.
Season tickets are priced from $1,755 to $5,805, and the NHL wants at least a three-year commitment. So, for you and your partner to get in on the cheap, this reignited love affair with the NHL is going to cost you close to $12,000 before you even know the team’s nickname.
As for that nickname, hockey fans everywhere seem to be clamouring for Jets. But if that was going to happen, you would think the announcement would have been made Tuesday. No?
Perhaps the new owners are looking for a commercial tie-in. Does Manitoba Pilseners have a certain ring to it, or what?
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Now that the NHL has moved the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg, where does it go next?
The next time an existing NHL franchise is looking for a soft landing place, what city will be used as leverage? In other words, a year from now, when city council in Glendale, Ariz., is under the gun again, what city will be rumoured as the next home of the Coyotes?
Quebec City would love to get back in, but doesn’t have a building.
There is an NHL-calibre building in Portland but only in the last while has there been any sort of movement to attract a franchise. Things are in the preliminary, preliminary stages, though, and there are miles and miles to go. The NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers are owned by Paul Allen, who hasn’t shown any serious interest in the NHL. Bill Gallacher, who owns the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks and a piece of the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers, at one point was attempting to purchase the Dallas Stars.
There is an empty arena in Kansas City but, again, there doesn’t seem to have been much interest shown there. Until now, at least.
Bill Daly, the NHL’s second-in-command, admitted last week that there have been preliminary talks with someone in Seattle, but that city doesn’t have a building that meets NHL standards.
Of course, Atlanta is home to a facility that does.
This is what ESPN refers to as a developing situation.
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My satellite TV provider gives me five Rogers Sportsnet channels.
Five!
On Tuesday afternoon, four of those channels were showing poker. Two of them were carrying Poker After Dark, although it was 1:30 pm., which, I suppose, is after dark. The other two were carrying a program simply referred to on the channel guide as Poker.
No, I didn’t watch. But it has me wondering: Do enough people watch poker on TV that it warrants coverage on four channels at the same time? Or is it such cheap programming that it’s worth it considering the number of viewers of afternoon TV?
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The Rexall Spots Corporation has hired Darryl Porter, a former part-owner of the Tri-City Americans and Chilliwack Bruins, as vice-president of family brands.
According to a news release, he will be “responsible for both the Oil Kings in the Western Hockey League and the Edmonton Capitals of the North American Baseball League. Both teams are part of the Rexall Sports Corporation, which also owns and operates the NHL's Edmonton Oilers . . .
“Porter's passion and knowledge in operating minor league teams, including his extensive experience in sponsorship sales, ticket sales and brand building, makes him the ideal leader for the Oil Kings and Capitals.”
Porter is an Edmonton native.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors will induct former players Blair Atcheynum and Derek Kletzel, along with ex-radio voice Rob Carnie, into the Warriors and Legends Hall of Fame. The banquet is Aug. 19 with a golf tournament on Aug. 20, all of it presented by Conexus. . . . Atcheynum (1986-89) had 189 points, including 105 goals, in 143 games with the Warriors. He holds the club record for goals (70) in a season (1988-89). Kletzel (1988-92) is a former Warriors captain who played 190 games with Moose Jaw. He finished with 183 points, including 100 assists. Kletzel is part-owner of Julien's Fitness and Rehab in Moose Jaw and is the analyst on Warriors’ radio broadcasts. . . . Carnie spent 15 years as the voice of the Warriors on CHAB.
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The case of headshots in the Memorial Cup reached the floor of the Ontario Legislature on Tuesday when Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP Bill Murdoch called for the resignation of David Branch, who is the president of the OHL and the commissioner of the CHL.
Bill Walker of the Owen Sound Sun Times had that story right here.
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STU MacGREGOR

JUST NOTES: The NHL’s Edmonton Oilers have agreed with head scout Stu MacGregor on a three-year contract extension. MacGregor is a former Kamloops Blazers general manager who scouted for the Dallas Stars before joining the Oilers’ scouting staff in 2000. He was named the Oilers’ head scout before the 2007-08 season. . . . The Colorago Eagles are leaving the Central league and moving into the ECHL. The Eagles, who lost the Central league final in seven games to the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs on Friday, will begin play in the ECHL in the fall. The Eagles, who spent eight seasons in the Central league, play out of Loveland, Colo. Chris Stewart, a former head coach of the Prince Albert Raiders (1995-98), is the president, GM and head coach of the Eagles. . . . The QMJHL lost a franchise on Tuesday but will get it back in a year. The QMJHL has purchased the Lewiston Maineiacs and is to hold a dispersal draft. The Maineiacs had been in Lewiston since 2003, after having operated as the Sherbrooke Castors. At the same time, the QMJHL announced that a Sherbrooke group that includes former NHL G Jocelyn Thibault has been sold an expansion franchise starting with the 2012-13 season. Lewiston was the QMJHL’s only American franchise and won the league championship in 2007. . . . F Alex Kerfoot will play for the BCHL’s Coquitlam Express in the fall. Kerfoot, 16, had 108 points, including 36 goals, in 38 games as he won the B.C. major midget league’s scoring title with the Vancouver-North West Giants last season. He was selected by the Seattle Thunderbirds in the 12th round of the 2009 bantam draft.

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