Showing posts with label Greg Harder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Greg Harder. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

O'Dette takes over Thunderbirds' bench ... Ex-WHL coach the man in Kingston? ... Wagner facing long rehab


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 The KHL player rights to D Dmitri Osipov (Vancouver, Brandon, 2013-17) have been traded by Sochi (Russia, KHL) to Ak Bars Kazan (Russia, KHL) for G Arseni Akhmetov (born 1999). Last season, Osipov had a goal and 10 assists in 42 games with Vancouver, then added a goal and two assists in 31 games with Brandon. . . . He was the first overall pick in the 2013 CHL import draft and in the 2013 KHL junior draft. . . . Osipov played out his junior eligibility last season. . . .
F David Rutherford (Vancouver, Spokane, 2004-08) has announced his retirement through his Twitter account. Last season, he had 19 goals and 24 assists in 41 games with the Belfast Giants (Northern Ireland, UK Elite). . . .
D Brennan Yadlowski (Lethbridge, Everett, 2007-12) has signed a one-year contract with the Guildford Flames (England, UK Elite). Last season, he had five assists in 28 games with the U of Alberta (U Sports). He graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in June.
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On Tuesday, the day before Matt O'Dette was introduced
as the Seattle Thunderbirds' head coach, he was in the
team's dressing room for a photo shoot when Grace, 6, (left)
and Fiona, 8, arrived on the scene. The daughters of
Ian Henry, the Thunderbirds' director of public and media
relations, promptly showed him a key coaching move.
(Photos: Brian Liesse)
Matt O’Dette is the new head coach of the Seattle Thunderbirds, the reigning WHL champions. O’Dette spent the previous four seasons as an assistant coach with Seattle, working alongside head coach Steve Konowalchuk, who has left to join the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks as an assistant coach.
As a Seattle assistant coach, O’Dette, 41, was responsible for the defencemen, including Shea Theodore, the WHL’s top defenceman in 2014-15 and Ethan Bear, who won the award last season.
O’Dette also directed the Seattle penalty kill, which ranked first in the 22-team league in 2015-16 and third last season.
O'Dette, who is from Toronto, was with the ECHL's Bakersfield Condors, as director of hockey operations and head coach, for two seasons before joining the Thunderbirds. He also worked as assistant GM/assistant coach with the ECHL's Stockton Thunder.
As a player, he got into 663 professional games over 14 seasons in the AHL and ECHL. A defenceman, he played with the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.
The Thunderbirds now are looking for two assistant coaches, one to fill the void created by O’Dette’s promotion and the other because Tyler Alos has left the organization after three seasons on staff.
Andy Eide of 710 ESPN Seattle reports that Alos “has opted to pursue a non-hockey opportunity, according to the team.”
Alos played 201 regular-season games over four years with the Thunderbirds before retiring on Dec. 3, 2012, after incurring multiple concussions.
Eide’s story on O’Dette’s promotion is right here.
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WHL ACTIVE COACHES REGULAR-SEASON VICTORIES:
Don Hay, Tri-City, Vancouver, Kamloops 720
Mike Williamson, Portland, Calgary, Tri-City 534
Brent Sutter, Red Deer 441
Marc Habscheid, Kamloops, Kelowna, Chilliwack, Victoria, Prince Albert 424
Shaun Clouston, Medicine Hat 320
Mike Johnston, Portland 271
John Paddock, Regina 125
Tim Hunter, Moose Jaw 103
Steve Hamilton, Edmonton 88
Brent Kisio, Lethbridge 88
Dan Lambert, Kelowna, Spokane 53
Richard Matvichuk, Prince George 45
Jason Smith, Kelowna 45
David Anning, Brandon, 39
Emanuel Viveiros, Swift Current 39
Dean Brockman, Saskatoon 27
Jason McKee, Vancouver 20
Dallas Ferguson, Calgary 0
Matt O’Dette,Spokane 0
James Patrick, Kootenay 0
Dan Price, Victoria 0
Dennis Williams, Everett 0
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F Cavin Leth has decided to attend Ryerson U in Toronto and play for the Rams in 2017-18. Leth, 21, split last season between the Seattle Thunderbirds and Prince Albert Raiders. From Taber, Alta., he had three assists in five games with the Thunderbirds, then put up 23 goals and 13 assists in 63 games with the Raiders. He also played with the Swift Current Broncos during his WHL career. All told, he had 44 goals and 35 assists in 262 regular-season games.
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The OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs have said they will introduce their new head coach today (Thursday). They have been in the market for one since Paul McFarland left to sign on as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Florida Panthers. . . . There has been speculation in OHL circles that Josh Dixon is the leading candidate to take over in Kingston. Dixon spent three seasons (2011-14) as an assistant coach with the Regina Pats and was with the Swift Current Broncos for 2014-15. . . . Dixon, who also is working on a masters in sports psychology, is in player development with CAA Sports.
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F Austin Wagner of the Regina Pats had shoulder surgery on June 7 and could be out of action for as long as six months. Perhaps the fastest skater in the WHL last season, he has signed with the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings and, as a 20-year-old, is eligible to player with their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign. But he is expected to miss all of training camp and the start of the 2017-18 season. So might the Kings send him back to the Pats, the host team for the 2018 Memorial Cup? . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has more right here.
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The seventh annual TeamSnap Hockey Coaches Conference in Vancouver runs on Friday and Saturday. Among the presenters are Glen Gulutzan, the head coach of the NHL's Calgary Flames; Ray Ferraro, the terrific hockey analyst with TSN; Craig Cunningham, a former WHLer who now is pro scouting with the Arizona Coyotes; and Winnipeg Jets assistant coach Jamie Kompon, who is a former GM/head coach with the Portland Winterhawks. . . . If you haven't yet registered, click right here. As you register, enter the coupon code TakingNote and you’ll get 20 per cent off the registration fee.
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If you would like to contact Taking Note with information, have a question or just feel like commenting on something, feel free to send an email to greggdrinnan@gmail.com. I’m also on Twitter (@gdrinnan).

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:34 PM
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Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Homecomings in Calgary ... T-Birds poised to name head coach ... Pats' Paddock adds players


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 D Kalvin Sagert (Kamloops, Lethbridge, Prince George, 2002-08) has signed a one-year contract with Gherdëina Selva Gardena (Italy, Alps HL). Last season, he had two goals and four assists in 27 games with Fehérvár AV19 Székesfehérvár (Hungary, Erste Bank Liga). . . .
D Emerson Hyrnyk (Prince Albert, Chilliwack, 2009-11) has signed a one-year contract with the Dundee Stars (Scotland, UK Elite). Last season, he had four assists in 26 games with Mount Royal University (U Sports).
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 If they didn’t, the Calgary Hitmen should have had Hagood Hardy’s The Homecoming playing in the background of their Tuesday morning news conference.
After all, Jeff Chynoweth, the Hitmen’s new general manager, is coming back to Calgary for the first time in 31 years, while Dallas Ferguson, the new head coach, is returning to Alberta after coaching in Alaska since 2002. Dallas Thompson, the new director of player personnel, is from Hayter, Alta.
Chynoweth joins the Hitmen after spending 16 seasons as the GM of the Kootenay Ice, a franchise that
The Calgary Hitmen braintrust: Dallas Ferguson (left),
Jeff Chynoweth, Mike Moore and Dallas Thompson.(Photo: Candice Ward/Hitmenhockey.com)
was owned by his family. The Chynoweths sold the Ice earlier this summer to Winnipeggers Greg Fettes and Matt Cockell.
With the Hitmen, Chynoweth takes over from Mike Moore, who now is vice-president and alternate governor. Moore had been the GM since 2013.
Chynoweth spent a good part of his youth in Calgary and, in fact, was the visiting teams’ stick boy at Flames games in the early 1980s. The Flames, of course, own the Hitmen.
Ferguson, meanwhile, takes over from Mark French, who left after three seasons as head coach in order to work in Switzerland.
Ferguson, who is from Wainwright, Alta., has been on the coaching staff of the U of Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks since 2004. He has been the head coach since 2008. Before joining the Nanooks’ coaching staff, he was an assistant coach with the Fairbanks Ice Dogs for two seasons.
For Hitmen fans wanting to know Ferguson a bit better, right here is a College Hockey News story from when he was named the Nanooks’ head coach. . . . Click right here and you’ll find a Q&A that CHN managing editor Adam Wodon did with Ferguson early last season.
www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2008/05/21_ferguson.php
Assistant coaches Trent Cassan and Joel Otto are returning to work alongside Ferguson.
Thompson replaces Dan Bonar, who spent 14 seasons with the Hitmen, the last four as director of player personnel. Thompson worked for the Hitmen for the past two seasons as B.C. scouting director. He is a long-time WHLer, having spent 10 seasons as the general manager of the Prince George Cougars.
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With the Calgary Hitmen having hired Dallas Ferguson as their new head coach, it leaves the Seattle
Thunderbirds as the only one of the WHL’s 22 franchises without a head coach.
The Thunderbirds, the WHL’s reigning champions, are poised to name a a successor to Steve Konowalchuk who left after six seasons and now is an assistant coach with the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks. That announcement is scheduled for today (Wednesday) at noon PT.
Matt O’Dette, an assistant coach alongside Konowalchuk for the past four seasons, is believed to be the leading candidate as Seattle’s next head coach.
What it all means is that, barring any more changes, six teams will have new head coaches when the new season arrives.
Besides Calgary and Seattle, the Everett Silvertips, Kootenay Ice, Spokane Chiefs and Victoria Royals have made changes.
In Everett, the Silvertips chose not to renew Kevin Constantine’s contract after four seasons, and have replaced him with Dennis Williams.
In Kootenay, Luke Pierce, the Ice’s head coach for two seasons, got caught up in an ownership change and has been replaced by James Patrick.
In Spokane, veteran head coach Don Nachbaur and the Chiefs split up after the season and he has since signed on as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings.
In Victoria, the Royals lost head coach Dave Lowry to Los Angeles, also for an assistant coaching position. The Royals promoted assistant coach Dan Price to head coach.
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The Regina Pats will be the host team for the 2018 Memorial Cup tournament, and GM/head coach John Paddock is having a busy offseason. He picked up F Matt Bradley, a sniper, from the Medicine Hat Tigers in a move that garnered some notice. In a couple of other moves, Paddock has signed F George King, 19, who scored 36 goals with the MJHL’s OCN Blizzard last season, and F Rayman Bassi, who had 49 points with the major midget Okanagan Rockets. . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has more right here.
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The Vancouver Giants have signed D Parker Hendren to a WHL contract. From Regina, Hendren was a seventh-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. . . . Last season, Hendren had 15 points, two of them goals, in 43 games with the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians.
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If you would like to attend seventh annual TeamSnap Hockey Coaches Conference in Vancouver on Friday and Saturday, Taking Note has a deal for you. Click on The Coaches Site website right here and as you register enter the coupon code TakingNote and you’ll get 20 per cent off the registration fee. . . . Enjoy the weekend!
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If you would like to contact Taking Note with information, have a question or just feel like commenting on something, feel free to send an email to greggdrinnan@gmail.com. I’m also on Twitter (@gdrinnan).
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Coaching

 Two men with ties to the WHL moved into the NHL coaching ranks on Tuesday. . . . Kelly Buchberger (Moose Jaw, 1984-86) has left the Edmonton Oilers organization and now is an assistant coach with the New York Islanders. . . . In Pittsburgh, the Penguins moved Mark Recchi (New Westminster, Kamloops, 1985-88) into an assistant coaching role, filling the vacancy created when Rick Tocchet signed on as head coach of the Arizona Coyotes. . . . Buchberger, 50, spent nine seasons with the Oilers, six as an assistant coach before moving into player personnel and player development. . . . Recchi, 49, has been in player development with the Penguins for the past three seasons. He also is a co-owner of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers. Recchi will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame later this year.
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Ted Nolan has signed on as the head coach of Poland’s national men’s team. Nolan, a former NHL coach of the year, spent four years with the Latvian national team. Tom Coolen, an assistant coach with Nolan in Latvia, will fill the same role in Poland.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 9:40 PM
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Monday, June 26, 2017

Pats' Henry needs surgery ... Lots of WHLers at NHL camps ... Ex-WHL coach off to South Korea


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 The Regina Pats aren’t likely to have sophomore F Nick Henry available for much, if any, of the first half of the 2017-18 season. Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reported Monday that Henry “requires off-season surgery to repair a torn labrum.” . . . John Paddock, the Pats’ general manager and head coach, told Harder: “They’re talking four months, maybe a bit longer.” . . . The Colorado Avalanche picked Henry in the fourth round of last weekend’s NHL draft. He is attending the Avs’ development camp in Denver and is expected to have surgery once he returns to Regina. . . . The Pats will be the host team for the 2018 Memorial Cup and Henry is one of their top six forwards. . . . Harder’s story is right here.
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G Dylan Ferguson’s time as a member of the Dallas Stars organization came to an end on Monday, two days after it began.
Ferguson, 19, is preparing for his third season with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers.
On Saturday, the Stars selected Ferguson in the seventh round, 194th overall, of the NHL draft. 
On Monday, Ferguson was dealt to the Vegas Golden Knights, along with a second-round pick in the 2020 draft, in exchange for D Marc Methot. Vegas had claimed Methot from the Ottawa Senators in last week’s expansion draft.
Methot had 12 assists in 68 games last season, playing most of the time alongside Erik Karlsson. Methot, 32, has two years left on his contract at US$4.9 million per season.
Vegas already owns nine selections in the 2020 NHL draft, to go with 11 in 2019.
Here’s what I wrote about Ferguson after the Stars selected him:
Ferguson, from Lantzville, B.C., spent the past two seasons backing up Connor Ingram with the Blazers. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Ferguson got into only 16 games in 2015-16, going 4-10-0, 4.13, .875. Last season, he played in 31 games and was 16-10-2, 2.74, .922. . . . Ferguson played most of those 2016-17 games in December and early January, while Ingram was with Canada’s national junior team. Ferguson lit it up, too — he was 9-4-1 while Ingram was away — resulting in a lot of scouts showing up in Kamloops after Christmas when they knew he would be starting. . . . With Ingram, 20, expected to play in the Tampa Bay Lightning’s organization in 2017-18, Ferguson, who turns 19 on Sept. 20, should be the Blazers’ starter. . . . Don’t forget, too, that Tom Gaglardi, the Stars’ owner, also is the majority owner of the Blazers.
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A number of NHL teams have opened, or are about to open, development camps. A few WHL players who are undrafted free agents will attend these camps.
The Ottawa Senators will have four free agents from WHL teams in attendance. That includes F Matteo Gennaro of the Calgary Hitmen, who was a seventh-round selection by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2015 NHL draft but wasn’t signed. Gennaro is preparing for this 20-year-old season. . . . Also joining the Ottawa group will be F Parker Kelly, 18, of the Prince Albert Raiders, F Jordan Topping of the Tri-City Americans, who will turn 20 on July 20, and D Brayden Pachal of the Raiders, who is to turn 18 on Aug. 23.
The expansion Vegas Golden Knights will have F Jayden Halbgewachs, 20, of the Moose Jaw Warriors, D Keoni Texeira, 20, of the Portland Winterhawks, and D Dylan Coghlan, 19, of the Tri-City Americans in their camp. Also there will be F Patrick Bajkov, who turns 20 on Nov. 27, of the Everett Silvertips, D Will Warm, 18, of the Edmonton Oil Kings, G Griffen Outhouse, 19, of the Victoria Royals, and G Logan Thompson, 20, of the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . F Tyler Wong, who played out his eligibility with the Lethbridge Hurricanes last season, also will join the Golden Knights’ camp, as will D Dmitry Osipov, who finished his junior days last season with the Wheat Kings.
Portland F Ryan Hughes, who will be 18 on July 27, is going to skate with the Nashville Predators, as will Winterhawks F Alex Overhardt, 20. Portland G Cole Kehler, 20, is going to camp with the Winnipeg Jets.
F Isaac Johnson, who signed with Tri-City on June 1, has been invited to camp by the Detroit Red Wings. Johnson, 18, played last season with the USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers, scoring 14 goals and adding 14 assists in 47 games.
F Tanner Jeannot, 20, of the Warriors will skate with the Washington Capitals.
F Vince Loschiavo, 19, of the Kootenay Ice and F Nick Chyzowski, 20, of the Kamloops Blazers will be with the Dallas Stars.
F Luc Smith, 19, of the Blazers will be in camp with the New York Rangers.
The Arizona Coyotes’ camp will include F Max Gerlach, 19, of the Medicine Hat Tigers and F Lane Pederson, who turns 20 on Aug. 4. Also with the Coyotes will be D Ryan Gagnon, who played out his junior eligibility last season with the Victoria Royals, and F Tyler Coulter, who did the same with the Brandon Wheat Kings.
F Sami Moilanen, 18, of the WHL-champion Seattle Thunderbirds has been invited to the Colorado Avalanche’s development camp, as has F Ty Lewis, 19, of the Wheat Kings.
The Pittsburgh Penguins, who have won back-to-back Stanley Cups, will have two free-agent WHLers in camp with them — F Jordy Bellerive, 18, of the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Seattle F Nolan Volcan, 18.
D Dylan Plouffe, 18, of the Vancouver Giants will skate with the Florida Panthers.
Seattle F Scott Eansor, who played out his junior eligibility last season, has been invited to the New York Islanders’ camp.
Portland F Evan Weinger, 20, and D Clayton Kirichenko, a 20-year-old last season with the Medicine Hat Tigers, are expected to skate with the Los Angeles Kings. Weinger is from El Segundo, Calif., and played for the Los Angeles Jr. Kings before heading to Portland.
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The Everett Silvertips have signed assistant coach Mitch Love to a contract extension, adding the title of assistant to the general manager to his portfolio. The length of the extension wasn’t released, but Jesse Geleynse of the Everett Herald reported that it is for two years. Love is preparing for his ninth season with the Silvertips and his seventh on the coaching staff. He will continue to handle the team’s defencemen and its billeting program. 
According to a news release Love, 33, also will be the “organization co-ordinator between the Silvertips players and the education program, and work with projects designed to strengthen the Silvertips outreach and growth within Snohomish County, the Pacific Northwest, and its alumni.”
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Four players were elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday. Dave Andreychuk, Paul Kariya, Mark Recchi and Teemu Selanne will be inducted in November. Ken Campbell of The Hockey News has a piece right here in which he wonders of it’s the Hall of Fame or the Hall of Really Good.
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If you are a follower of major junior hockey, the name Glenn Gumbley may ring a bell. Yes,  Gumbley, who is from Montreal, was involved in an attempt to form the CHLPA, a players association for major junior players. . . . On Sunday night, the CHLPA’s Twitter account included this: “In the last few years, I have made several defamatory statements against the QMJHL and its Commissioner, Gilles Courteau, in which I stated that they were linked to crime, fraud, corruption, exploitation of children, tax evasion, perjury, manipulation and criminality. . . . These statements have been removed from all sites and social media under my control and I apologize to the QMJHL and its Commissioner, Gilles Courteau.” . . . It turns out that, as TVA Sports reported Monday, Gumbley “has been found guilty of defamatory allegations by the Quebec Superior Court” through a judgment by Judge David R. Collier, J.S.C. . . . The verdict, which is final also orders Gumbley to Courteau $10,000 in punitive and moral damages and the QMJHL $5,000 in punitive damages.
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BTW, if you want to contact me with some information or just feel like commenting on something, you may email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
I’m also on Twitter (@gdrinnan).
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Coaching

 The Red Deer Rebels have added Brett Anderson to their coaching staff, replacing Pierre-Paul Lamoureux, who left the team to join the USHL’s Fargo Force as associate head coach. . . . Lamoureux spent one season with the Rebels. . . . Anderson was director and head coach of the Ontario Hockey Academy in Cornwall, Ont., last season. A native of Sedgewick, Alta., he has a diploma in kinesiology from Red Deer College and a degree from the U of Alberta. He also has coached at the U of Saskatchewan, U of Alberta and Red Deer College, as well as in Europe.
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Kevin Constantine is adding another country to his coaching travelogue. Constantine has signed on as head coach of the Asia League Ice Hockey’s Daemyung Killer Whales, who play out of Seoul, South Korea. . . . Constantine, 58, has NHL coaching experience with the New Jersey Devils, Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks. He spent the past four seasons as the head coach of the WHL’s Everett Silvertips. They finished atop the U.S. Division last season, but his contract wasn’t renewed. . . . Last season, the Killer Whalers, then with Benedict Chi Young Song as head coach, finished eighth in the nine-team league.
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It was mentioned in this space the other day that Craig Woodcroft’s contract as head coach of the KHL’s Dynamo Minsk had been terminated. He had signed a three-year deal there in April 2016. . . . On Sunday, the Genève-Servette HC announced that it had signed Woodcroft to a three-year deal as head coach. Genève-Servette HC, a Geneva-based team, plays in the Swiss NL A. . . . Woodcroft would take over from Chris McSorley, who stepped aside as head coach after last season but remains as general manager. Former Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillis is on Genève-Servette’s board, as is Lorne Henning, a former NHL/WHL player and a former NHL coach. At one time, Henning as an assistant GM under Gillis with the Canucks.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 8:49 PM
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Monday, May 29, 2017

WHL and fighting: What next? ... Doing some Scattershooting ... Rosetown gets Allan Cup

Scattershoot

 MLB became less watchable Monday when the Anaheim Angels put outfielder Mike Trout, the game’s premier player, on the DL with a thumb injury that will need surgery. He was injured on a headfirst slide into second base. Hopefully, at least some players will take notice and stop sliding in that fashion.
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On Oct. 7, 2014, in Game 1 of the NLDS, Bryce Harper of the visiting Washington Nationals hit a 445-foot bomb off pitcher Hunter Strickland of the San Francisco Giants. Harper stood and watched as the ball sailed over the right-field wall and into McCovey Cove. On Monday, the two met up again, and again it was in San Francisco. This time, Strickland drilled Harper in the right hip with a 97 mph fastball and a basebrawl ensued. Talk about carrying a grudge!
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I have lived in B.C. for more than 17 years and thought I had seen everything on the political front. Until now, that is. If you aren’t aware, we had a provincial election earlier this month. In that election, the ruling party won more seats than anyone else and got more of the popular vote. But it was close. The result is that a party that won three seats (out of 87) is calling the shots and is about to enter into a four-year deal with the second-place finisher in an attempt to take over. No word on whether the deal includes a no-trade clause. . . . Only in B.C., folks. Only in B.C.
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“Ringling Brothers has packed its tent after 146 years,” writes Cam Hutchinson of the Saskatoon Express. “Word is the Trump administration has hired the clowns.” . . . Any clowns still unemployed are free to visit B.C.
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Is there a political or sporting leader out there today who is better at putting lipstick on a pig than NHL commish Gary Bettman? . . . Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star has a piece right here on Bettman’s state-of-the-NHL address that was given prior to Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final.
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In Gary Bettman’s NHL, a goal is disallowed via video review because a skate was hovering over a blue line a few seconds earlier, thus the play was ruled offside. Meanwhile, referees choose to turn a blind eye to numerous other fouls. Yes, it’s all a head-scratcher, or a forehead-slapper.

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You know how the NFL protects its quarterbacks? When will the NHL start doing the same with its goaltenders?
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RJ Currie of SportsDeke.com reports: “Tom Brady is promoting an Aston Martin that starts at US$212,000. Yahoo Sports calls the price ridiculously expensive; Gisele Bundchen calls it chump change.”
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Headline on the front page of Tuesday’s New York Daily News and New York Post: DUI OF THE TIGER. . . . The headlines are accompanied by mugshots of Tiger Woods, of course.
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The 2018 Allan Cup will be decided in Rosetown, Sask., April 9-14. The Allan Cup goes to Canada’s senior AAA hockey champion. Rosetown is the home of the Red Wings, who play in the aptly named Chinook Hockey League. G Taran Kozun, who had a pretty good run with the Seattle Thunderbirds for part of 2013-14 and all of 2014-15 after being acquired from the Kamloops Blazers , played with the Red Wings this season.
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 F Mitch Wahl (Spokane, 2005-10) has signed a one-year contract with Innsbruck (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). This season, with Ilves Tampere (Finland, Liiga), he had a goal and three assists in 16 games. He also played with Västervik (Sweden, Allsvenskan), putting up six goals and eight assists in 23 games, and had a goal and five assist in eight games with Oskarshamn (Sweden, Allsvenskan).
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 Prior to the start of this season, the OHL issued another crackdown on fighting.
The OHL’s board of governors decided that a player would be suspended once he had been involved in three fights and again for every fight after that. That standard had been 10 since the start of the 2012-13 season.
The OHL didn’t have any players with more than 10 fights in 2014-15 or 2015-16. This season, the OHL’s pugilistic leader fought eight times. There was one player with five fights, 11 with four and another 24 with three.
According to hockeyfights.com, the OHL had 167 fights this season, down from 315 in 2015-16 and 359 in 2014-15.
The QMJHL had 288 fights in 2016-17, while the WHL had 394.
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Here, from hockeyfights.com, is a look at the number of fights in the OHL (20 teams), QMJHL (18) and WHL (22) over the past five regular seasons, with the average number of fights per game in parentheses. . . .
OHL:
2012-13: 474 (.697)
2013-14: 473 (.696)
2014-15: 359 (.528)
2015-16: 315 (.463)
2016-17: 167 (.246)
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QMJHL:
2012-13: 408 (.667)
2013-14: 445 (.727)
2014-15: 406 (.663)
2015-16: 309 (.505)
2016-17: 288 (.471)
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WHL:
2012-13: 666 (.841)
2013-14: 679 (.857)
2014-15: 467 (.511)
2015-16: 393 (.496)
2016-17: 394 (.497)
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While fighting has declined markedly in the OHL, that hasn’t quite been the case in the WHL where there aren’t any OHL-like limitations.
This season, according to hockeyfights.com, there were 788 fighting majors handed out in the WHL, meaning that there were 394 fights, an average of half a fight per game.
This season, the WHL had six players with 10 or more fights, with a total of 112 involved in at least three scraps.
If you were wondering, 11 of the WHL’s 22 teams had at least 36 fights, led by the Vancouver Giants (48), Lethbridge Hurricanes (46), Spokane Chiefs (45), and Edmonton Oil Kings and Kelowna Rockets, each 44. The OHL leader, the Oshawa Generals, had 28 fights. The QMJHL’s Victoriaville Tigres had 46.
It’s worth noting that there were only five fights in the WHL playoffs this season, down from 11 a year ago. In the spring of 2015, there were seven playoff bouts.
This spring, the OHL playoffs featured 20 fights, while there were 22 in the QMJHL.
In the interest of player safety, fighting is slowly leaving the game. While it’s true that fighting isn’t the No. 1 cause of concussions in hockey, there no longer can be any denying that an accumulation of blows to the head can cause brain damage. So it only makes sense that a league comprising teenagers do as much as it possibly can to ensure their safety.
Perhaps some discussion on how to further reduce fighting will take place when the WHL holds its annual meeting in Vancouver, June 13 and 14.
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The Prince Albert Raiders have signed Ron Gunville, their director of player personnel, to a contract extension through the end of the 2018-19 season. . . . Gunville, a 47-year-old Prince Albert native, has been in this role since the 2015-16 season. He joined the Raiders in June 2013 as assistant director of player personnel, after having scouted for the Prince George Cougars. . . . Gunville is a former WHL player, having spent time over three seasons (1987-90) with the Raiders and Lethbridge Hurricanes. In 91 regular-season games, he had nine goals and 24 assists, along with 233 penalty minutes.
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Might F Tyson Jost end up with the Regina Pats next season as they prepare to play in the 2018 Memorial Cup as the host team? John Paddock, the Pats’ general manager and head coach, isn’t concerning himself with that, preferring to take a wait-and-see approach. . . . Jost, whose rights the Pats acquired from the Everett Silvertips, started this season with UND and finished it with the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has more right here.
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Frank Deford, the greatest sports essayist of our time, died on Sunday night at his home in Key West, Fla. He was 78. In the days before the Internet, as a Sports Illustrated subscriber, I picked up each magazine and hoped there was a Deford piece inside. He was beyond great, wherever that is. . . . Daniel Victor of The New York Times has more right here.
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If you’re a regular here, and even you aren’t, feel free to contribute to the feeding of the Drinnan family by making a donation to the cause. You are able to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
BTW, if you want to contact me with some information or just feel like commenting on something, you may email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
I’m also on Twitter (@gdrinnan).
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Coaching

 Reports on Monday indicated that Joe Shawhan will be named head coach of the Michigan Tech Huskies today, taking over from Mel Pearson, who now is the head coach at Michigan. Shawhan spent the past three seasons as an assistant alongside Pearson. . . . The first place I saw with the story was techhockeyguide.com. . . . A goaltender, Shawhan played four seasons (1983-87) at Lake Superior State, then began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant under Frank Anzalone and then Jeff Jackson. . . . Shawhan later was the general manager and head coach of the NAHL’s Soo Indians (1995-2005), where he was a three-time coach of the year. After that, he was an assistant at Lake Superior State for three seasons before working as a volunteer assistant with the Northern Michigan Wildcats as he worked on completing a bachelor’s degree. He was named a full-time assistant in 2010, then headed to Michigan Tech in 2014.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 9:58 PM
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Thursday, May 11, 2017

Source: Silvertips have deal with coach ... Brooks skating, but future uncertain ... Cougars lose goaltender


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 The Everett Silvertips appear poised to introduce Dennis Williams as their new head coach.
He would replace Kevin Constantine, who was told on April 18 that his contract wouldn’t be renewed.
Constantine, in his second go-round with the Silvertips, had been their head coach through four seasons.
One source told Taking Note on Thursday that he has heard from “a few different people that Everett has a done deal” with Williams. This was the second time in two days that Taking Note has received the same information from different sources.
Williams, 37, is a native of Stratford, Ont., He has spent three seasons as the general manager of hockey operations and head coach of the USHL’s Bloomington, Ill., Thunder. One source told Taking Note that Williams has two years left on his contract with Bloomington.
Before working with the Thunder, Williams was the director of hockey operations and head coach with the NAHL’s Amarillo, Texas, Bulls.
The Silvertips, Thunder and Bulls are owned by CSH International, Inc., the sports property division of The Monarch Corporation, a private investment company that is headquartered in Medicine Hat and is headed up by Bill Yuill, its chairman.
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The WHL’s championship final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup resumes tonight (Friday) in Kent, Wash., with the Regina Pats and Seattle Thunderbirds each having won twice. The Thunderbirds posted the most convincing victory over the series on Wednesday when they skated to a 6-1 victory.
The Pats, of course, have been without F Adam Brooks since he suffered a suspected concussion when he was hit by Seattle D Turner Ottenbreit during Game 1. Brooks, who won last season's WHL scoring title, put up 250 points between last season and this one.
Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reported Thursday that “Brooks is skating but it remains to be seen when he’ll get the green light.”
John Paddock, the Pats’ general manager and head coach, told Harder: “I don’t really have an answer. I definitely think there’s a chance to a good chance (he’ll play again in the series). In saying that, he’s not a lock to play (Friday) or the next two games after that.”
After Game 5, the teams will return to Regina for Game 6, which is scheduled for Sunday, and Game 7, if necessary, on Monday.
Harder’s complete story is right here.
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G Nick McBride has told the Prince George Cougars that he won’t be returning for his 20-year-old
NICK McBRIDE
season. Ted Clarke of the Prince George Citizen reports that McBride informed the Cougars of his decision “about a month ago.” . . . This season, McBride played in 22 games, going 14-5-1, 3.05, .903, as he backed up Ty Edmonds, 20, who made 53 appearances. . . . A native of Maple Ridge, B.C., McBride started his WHL career with the Prince Albert Raiders. He played two seasons there, before being dealt to the Cougars. . . . McBride, a former WHL scholastic player of the year, is expected to attend school rather than return to the Cougars. . . . Tavin Grant, 19, would appear to be No. 1 on the Cougars’ depth chart now. He played this season with the BCHL’s Prince George Spruce Kings. Also on the depth chart is G Taylor Gauthier, the ninth overall selection in the WHL’s 2016 bantam draft. Gauthier, 16, played this season with the midget AAA Calgary Buffaloes. . . . According to Clarke, the Cougars also will bring in Ty Taylor, who turns 18 on July 5. He played this season with the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers. . . . McBride is the second goaltender to leave the WHL for school in recent days, rather than return for his 20-year-old season. Zach Sawchenko won’t be back with the Moose Jaw Warriors, choosing instead to attend the U of Alberta and play for the Golden Bears. . . . Clarke’s story is right here.
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D Dallas Valentine, who played out his junior eligibility with the Kamloops Blazers this season, has decided to attend the U of Lethbridge and play for the Pronghorns. Valentine, who is from Red Deer, played four seasons in the WHL. Six games into his third season, the Moose Jaw Warriors traded him to the Blazers. . . . In 260 regular-season games, the 6-foot-4, 205-pounder had 10 goals and 55 assists.
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Aaron Keller, who has played and coach in Japan since 1997, announced his retirement via Facebook on Thursday. Keller, 42, is a native of Kamloops. A defenceman, he played four seasons (1992-96) with the Kamloops Blazers and was part of two Memorial Cup-championship teams (1994 and 1995). . . . Keller played one season of pro in North America, before joining the Snow Brand Sapporo in Japan for the 1997-98 season. Since 2002-03, he has been part of the Oji Eagles’ organization. He also represented Japan in various international competitions. Keller last played in 2013-14. This season, he was the Eagles’ head coach.
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The Red Deer Rebels have brought back a familiar face as their athletic therapist. The team announced that Josh Guenther has left the team, “due to personal reasons,” after one season, and that it has hired Terence Robertson as athletic therapist. . . . Robertson was the team’s athletic therapist from 2004-13. Since 2013, he was with Collegiate Athletic & Sports Medicine in Red Deer.
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The Tri-City Americans have signed F Kaden Kohle to a WHL contract. The Americans selected Kohle, who is from Humboldt, Sask., in the first round — 12th overall — of the 2017 WHL bantam draft. This season, Kohle, 6-foot-2 and 170 pounds. had 66 points, including 38 goals, in 29 games with the bantam AA Humboldt Broncos. In 2015-16, he had 12 goals and 14 assists in 26 games with the Broncos.
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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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THURSDAY’S GAME:

No Game Scheduled.
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FRIDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Regina vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m. (Series tied, 2-2)

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 9:39 PM
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Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Thunderbirds pull even in WHL final ... Six straight goals win it ... Game 5 goes Friday


F Robin Figren (Calgary, Edmonton, 2006-08) has signed a two-year contract with HV71 Jönköping (Sweden, SEL). This season, he had 11 goals and 10 assists in 48 games with Frölunda Gothenburg (Sweden, SEL).
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 The Prairie Hockey Academy, which is located in Caronport, Sask., announced on Wednesday that Scott King has signed on as its director of player development. King has been with the Moose Jaw Warriors, as an assistant coach and player development coach. . . . The PHA is Saskatchewan’s first Hockey Canada Sports School. Before joining the Warriors for this season, King was with Hockey Canada as its head skills development coach. . . . King, the son of well-known coach Dave King, played one season (1996-97) with the Kelowna Rockets, before going on to a professional career that included 14 seasons in Germany.
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Taurean White is the new general manager and head coach of the MJHL’s Swan Valley Stampeders. White spent the previous two seasons as the director of hockey operations and head coach with the Kingston Voyagers of the Ontario Junior Hockey League. . . . With the Stampeders, he replaces Erik Petersen, who was fired on Feb. 27. Petersen had been GM/head coach for four seasons. He has signed with the Danish team Vojens as head coach for next season.
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In the QMJHL, the visiting Saint John Sea Dogs won the President’s Cup with a 5-1 victory over the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. The Sea Dogs swept the championship series; the finished the playoffs with a 16-2 record. The Sea Dogs got four assists from F Mathieu Joseph in the victory, while F Spence Smallman had two goals and an assist, and F Matthew Highmore added a goal and two helpers. . . . Announced attendance: 3,500. . . .
In the OHL, F Warren Foegele scored three times and added two assists as the Erie Otters beat the host Mississauga Steelheads, 5-2. The Otters lead the championship series, 3-1, with a chance to wrap it up on home ice on Friday night. The announced attendance last night was 4,418. . . .
The 2017 Memorial Cup is to be held in Windsor, Ont., May 19-28, with the OHL’s Spitfires as the host team.
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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
If interested, you also are able to follow me on Twitter at @gdrinnan.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAME:


KEEGAN KOLESAR
At Kent, Wash., the Seattle Thunderbirds erased a 1-0 deficit with two goals 19 seconds apart and went on to beat the Regina Pats, 6-1. . . . The WHL’s championship final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup is tied 2-2. Game 5 is scheduled for Kent on Friday night, with the teams then returning to Regina for Game 6 on Sunday. A seventh game, if needed, would be played in Regina on Monday. . . . Last night, the Pats got off to a 1-0 lead when F Sam Steel (10) scored, on a PP, at 13:15 of the first period. At that point, the Pats’ PP was 6-11 in the series. . . . Seattle F Ryan Gropp (5) tied it with his first goal of the series, on a PP, at 16:06. F Mathew Barzal drew an assist on the goal, running his point streak to 14 games. . . . The Thunderbirds went ahead 19 seconds later when F Sami Moilanen (6) stole the puck behind the Regina net and beat G Tyler Brown to the front side for a wrap-around goal. . . . Seattle went up 3-1 at 19:28 when F Mickey Volcan (4) scored on a rebound. . . . The Thunderbirds took complete control with three second-period goals. . . . D Jarret Tyszka (2) scored at 6:51, with F Alexander True (11) counting, on a PP, at 13:52, and F Keegan Kolesar (10) making it 6-1 at 18:51. . . . Kolesar added two assists to his
CARL STANKOWSKI
goal, while D Austin Strand and D Ethan Bear each had two assists and Gropp had one. . . . The Thunderbirds got 18 saves from G Carl Stankowski. . . . Regina starter Tyler Brown was beaten six times on 24 shots through 40 minutes. He sat out the third — the first time in these playoffs that he’s been on the bench — with Jordan Hollett coming on to stop all 12 shots he faced. . . . Seattle was 2-7 on the PP; Regina was 1-3. . . . Regina scratches: F Adam Brooks, D Dawson Davidson and F Jake Leschyshyn, all with injuries, G Max Paddock, F Duncan Pierce and F Owen Williams. . . . Seattle’s scratches: G Rylan Toth (injured), F Elijah Brown, F Tyler Carpendale, F Dillon Hamaliuk, D Jake Lee and F Luke Ormsby. . . . Jon Ryan, the veteran punter with the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, took part in the ceremonial faceoff. From Regina, he stayed neutral by wearing a Switzerland t-shirt. . . . Some notes from TBird Tidbits (@TBirdTidbits): The Thunderbirds have set a franchise record for victories in a single playoff year (14). . . . Stankowski has set a Seattle record for most victories in a single playoff year (14). . . . Stankowski also holds the Seattle record for career playoff victories by a goaltender (14). . . . Announced attendance: 4,652.
Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has a game story right here.
Andy Eide of 710 ESPN Seattle has a game story right here.
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THURSDAY’S GAME:

No Game Scheduled.
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FRIDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Regina vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m. (Series tied, 2-2)

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:42 PM
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