We're going to Red Deer in 2016! . . . Hamblin family needs our help

F Spencer Machacek (Vancouver, 2005-08) has signed a one-year contract with Augsburger Panther (Germany, DEL). Last season, with the Springfield Falcons (AHL), he had nine goals and 10 assists in 34 games, and added 10 goals and four assists in 22 games with the Wilkes Barre-Scranton Penguins (AHL). . . . Augsburg hopes to have Machacek in the lineup for Friday's game against the Straubing Tigers. . . .
F Vitali Karamnov (Everett, 2007-08) has been recalled by Sibir Novosibirsk (Russia, KHL) from its farm club, Yermak Angarsk (Russia, Visshaya Liga). Karamnov had two assists in five games with Angarsk. He hasn’t played a league game with Novosibirsk this season. Last season, with Novosibirsk, had had one assist in 49 games.
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MEMORIAL CUP REPORT:

The WHL’s board of governors awarded the 2016 Memorial Cup, the 98th edition of the tournament, to Red Deer on Wednesday afternoon, meaning the Rebels will be the host team.
Originally, three teams -- the Rebels, Vancouver Giants and Victoria Royals -- expressed an interest in playing host to the tournament. The Royals later pulled out, leaving the Rebels and Giants to make presentations to the board of governors.
The two-day meeting in Calgary ended with Wednesday’s vote in favour of the Rebels, who won the 2001 tournament in Regina.
The 2016 tournament is scheduled for May 19-29 at the Enmax Centrium.
The 2015 tournament is scheduled for Quebec City, May 21-31.
Ron Toigo, the Giants’ majority owner, said after the announcement that he would like to partner with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks and bid on the 2019 World Junior Championship.
That being the case, look for the Royals to take a serious run at being the host team for the 2019 Memorial Cup.
Greg Meachem, the sports editor of the Red Deer Advocate, reports on Wednesday’s decision right here.
Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province covers the story from the Giants’ angle right here.
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The Memorial Cup hasn’t been held in Alberta since 1974 when it was decided in the Calgary Corral.
The hockey world was a bit different back then.
What follows is an excerpt from the 1974 chapter of a history of the Memorial Cup that I wrote a few years ago. These few paragraphs deal with Regina Pats head coach Bob Turner, who chose to take some heat off his team . . .
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He did so by pointing fingers at a recent phenomenon -- the player agent.
"I made it specific when we came here that I didn't want any of the players talking to agents,” Turner told Dale Eisler of the Regina Leader-Post. "All the players told me that they wouldn't get involved with them, but today I had to kick two of them out of one of the agent's rooms.
"If I catch any more of our players talking to lawyers or agents, then they won't play in the national final. I don't care who they are. And if (general manager Del) Wilson won't back me up, I'll resign. He will, though.”
The dilemma, as Turner saw it, was this: "How can you make kids think about hockey when they're thinking about thousands of dollars?”
Two people singled out by Turner were Alan Eagleson and Norm Kaplan.
"Alan Eagleson was sitting right in my room,” Turner said, "and he promised me that he wouldn't bother the players. ‘I've got more class than that' was what he told me. And Norm Kaplan promised the same thing, too.
“Well, I caught two players in Eagleson's room and Kaplan talked to two others behind my back.”
It was, indeed, a new era in junior hockey.
"(Agents) aren't worrying about the kids,” Turner said. "All they want is their eight per cent. That's what Kaplan got for signing Sobchuk last year. What did the team get? Nothing. I'm sick and tired of that.”
Turner concluded: "Agents are tops on my (bleep) list. They are parasites.”
For the complete story on the 1974 Memorial Cup, click right here.
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Fighting in hockey took another punch in the face on Wednesday night, this time from former NHL D Mike Milbury, who once waded into the stands and beat a fan with a shoe. With a number of enforcers having lost their NHL jobs in the last few days, Milbury said: "I think it’s telling me that it’s time to get rid of fighting. It’s telling me that it’s over. As much as I like a good scrap in my day, too many issues here involving concussions. Too many problems. The teams are going away from it. Let’s grow up and get rid of it.” . . . Puck Daddy has more right here.
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F Adam Brooks' second goal of the game, at 18:08 of the third period, broke a 4-4 tie and gave the host Regina Pats a 5-4 victory over the Kootenay Ice on Wednesday night. F Jaedon Descheneau scored three times and added an assist for the Ice, which was outshot, 47-31. Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has a game story right here. . . . As I write this, Greg Harder’s game story for the Regina Leader-Post isn’t yet on the newspaper’s website. But it will show up right here at some point in time and you will want to read it if only to read Regina head coach John Paddock’s comments on the game’s three stars. . . .
In Prince George, F Jari Erricson had two goals and two assists as the Cougars dropped the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 6-2. The Cougars also got a goal and two assists from F Chase Witala and three assists from F Jansen Harkins. F Kody McDonald, who is from Lethbridge, scored his first WHL goal for the Cougars. He was a second-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. McDonald was pointless in nine games with the Cougars last season. . . . Lethbridge F Tyler Wong was back in the lineup after serving a three-game WHL suspension.
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Doug Paisley is the new president of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, taking over from Brian McNaughton, who had been president for 10 of the previous 11 years. Dylan Purcell of the Lethbridge Herald has more right here.
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Gregg Sutch, who writes periodically for Yahoo! Sports Canada, is a former major junior player and it turns out he was involved in the OHL's decision to former a partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association. Details on that move were revealed earlier this week. Sutch writes right here about how important the OHL-CMHA partnership will be to players in that league.
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Former WHLer Cole Hamblin (Spokane, Regina, 2010-13) has been in hospital since Sept. 22. He has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, and he and his family need our help. . . . There is more right here. ---
One of the must-reads as the hockey season hits high gear is Boy On Ice: The Live And Death Of Derek Boogaard, written by John Branch, an award-winning writer with The New York Times. Sean Fitz-Gerald of the National Post sat down for a chat with Branch, and the results are right here.
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Here’s your good read for this morning. It’s the latest edition of 30 Thoughts from Elliotte Friedman and it’s right here. Enjoy!
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Cory Cameron, the Kootenay Ice’s athletic therapist, worked his 500th WHL regular-season game last night in Regina. Gotta wonder how many ankles he’s taped. . . . F Jaden Anderson, a 10th-round selection by the Prince Albert Raiders in the 2013 bantam draft, has committed to Lake Superior State University. Anderson, from Aurora, Colo., is playing in the Omaha AAA program. . . . The ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers have extended the contract of head coach Clark Donatelli through 2016-17.

Depression doesn't have to be the end of the road

This has to be a tough time to be involved at the management level of a junior hockey team, or even a midget AAA team.
In fact, it must be hard to be involved with the operation of any competitive hockey team.
Aside from the winning and the losing and putting bums in the seats, you have to be concerned about the concussion factor. As we have seen in recent days, you also need to be concerned about something like smokeless tobacco infiltrating your dressing room.
But perhaps the biggest issue of all involves mental health and, yes, that is intertwined with the concussion situation.
I have wanted to write something about hockey and mental health for a few months now, but haven’t been able to find the words.
My late mother dealt with mental health issues for much of the last half of her life. Because of that I have seen the inside of a mental health centre on more than one occasion. I also have seen the inside of more than one hospital psychiatric ward. It was through all of this that I came to know about valium and lithium and placebos and a whole lot more.
I hardly consider myself an expert, but I know something about what my mother went through.
So when something happens in hockey that involves someone’s mental health -- be it a coach or player or anyone else associated with the game -- my heart bleeds.
Such was the case when Terry Trafford, a player with the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit, was found dead in the cab of his truck in March.
The situation involving Trafford received a lot of play at the time, with the best media piece perhaps being this one right here that was written by former player Gregg Sutch for Yahoo! Canada Sports.
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After the Sutch piece appeared, someone from a WHL city tweeted in the direction of Yahoo’s Sunaya Sapurji: “Please make sure the WHL sees this! As a former billet of a player with depression issues, I know how important this is.”
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Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun weighed in with this column right here, on Trafford’s father searching for answers and trying to figure out what had gone wrong.
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The afore-mentioned Sapurji took the time to chat with Dr. Cal Botterill, a sports psychologist who is most qualified to speak on the subject because he also played hockey at a high level, including a stint with Canada’s national team in the late 1960s.
That piece is right here, and includes this from Dr. Botterill: “It becomes an all-or-nothing feeling because of the status that hockey has and how obsessed young people get with thinking this is their destiny and the only thing that’s worthwhile. I think when we think that way it’s dangerous.”
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Another meaningful story that appeared at the time was written by Gene Pereira and detailed the trials and tribulations of Rich Clune, a forward with the NHL’s Nashville Predators.
Clune, who played for the OHL’s Barrie Colts, said the Trafford situation hit awfully close to home because, as Pereira wrote, “he also has battled depression. Clune self-medicated using alcohol and later drugs, leading to an addiction that not only could have cost him his hockey career, but possibly his life.”
The difference between Trafford and Clune may be that “some three years ago, Clune reached out and got the help he needed.”
The Clune story is right here.
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The story involving hockey and mental health touched more than the family, friends and teammates of Terry Trafford during the 2013-14 season.
At one point, Regan Bartel, the long-time radio voice of the Kelowna Rockets, posted this on his blog:
“Am I the only one concerned about two teenage hockey players taking their lives over the last three weeks? . . . These two players, one in the Central and one who was involved with a South Okanagan team, have been put to rest.
“Is it just coincidence or part of a bigger problem? Mental illness is all around us without question. It makes me wonder what pressures these players faced from coaches and parents as they moved up the ranks.
“If they fail in reaching the goals many people envisioned for them, what safety nets are in place to help these individuals deal with disappointment? Maybe that wasn't a factor at all. I don't know.
“I am saddened to see this loss of life, as a father of twin 11-year-old boys. My heart goes out to the families and friends of these two individuals.”
Like Bartel, I was stunned at the time I heard of the deaths of these two young hockey players, young men who should have had so much for which to live.
But, obviously, something went wrong, something that no one recognized, through no fault of their own. Oh, you can bet that there is a lot of looking back and wondering, but is that really fair?
It is one thing to expect adults to recognize the signs that something is wrong; if only it was that easy.
Somehow, young people, and not just those playing hockey, have to come to understand that it’s OK to ask for help. They have to know that help is available, that life, the most precious gift of all, is worth living.
Unfortunately, the stigma associated with mental health hasn’t gone anywhere, as this piece right here from The Globe and Mail’s Gayle MacDonald clearly states.
As we attempt to remove that stigma, perhaps one thing we can do is pay more attention to those people who have dealt successfully with mental health issues . . . people like Garett MacDonald.
MacDonald is the subject of a wonderful story that appeared in Sunday’s Vancouver Province. Written by Steve Ewen, it deals with the story of MacDonald, a former junior hockey player who fell into depression as he struggled with an injury suffered in an Adult Safe Hockey League game that ultimately cost him one eye.
Ewen’s story is right here. It is a wonderful read; it really is, although it also is quite painful. I just hope a whole lot of teenagers read it and come to understand that there are people out there who love you and who can help you.
And please understand that depression doesn’t have to be the end of the road.
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1. The CHL’s import draft, which is scheduled for July 2, is a real crapshoot, one that long has been dominated by agents.
But in all my years of being around the WHL, I don’t know that I have ever read a better description of it than one I found this weekend.
Here’s Cam Hope, the general manager of the Victoria Royals, in conversation with Andy Neal:
“The import draft is one of the strangest animals that you get in hockey. It’s unlike anything I’ve experienced in the pros or junior hockey.
“The mine-field and the quicksand that’s out there is almost indescribable and this year even moreso.
“We’re doing our homework; we had a long meeting for hours and hours and hours going over players who have come to our attention through our research or through their agents. But, in the end, there’s only so much homework you can do.
“There’s a shift in the political landscape; we know there’s problems for some Russian players getting visas as a result of things happening over there so there’s all kinds of things that have nothing to do with hockey that make this dangerous.”
Neal’s filing also takes a look at the Royals’ 20-year-old situation. It’s all right here.

2. “In theory,” writes Alan Maki of The Globe and Mail, “banning body checking for minor hockey players ages 13 to 17 should be an easy exercise. It’s about safety, and most everyone can appreciate that. And yet when to introduce body checking remains a hot-button issue.” . . . The reason for Maki’s piece, which is right here? . . . The Greater Toronto Hockey League and the association that governs minor hockey in Newfoundland and Labrador have voted against banning body checking for players more than 13 years of age. . . . One doctor in Maki’s piece points out that concussion research still is in its infancy. But considering the direction in which that research is headed, it is mind-numbing that some adults still don’t understand the risk involved.

3. I’m still laughing about the CFL’s attempt to change the adjectives ‘import’ and ‘non-import’ into ‘international’ and ‘national’. . . . Of course, this is the same league that has an expansion team with the nickname Redblacks.

4. Darren Gusdal, who played two seasons (1978-80) with the Brandon Wheat Kings, has died. Gusdal, who was born in Erickson, Man., just north of Brandon, was 53. He could skate like the wind, although he had a funny style, and was a terrific penalty killer on one of the greatest teams in WHL history, the 1978-79 Wheat Kings who went 58-5 with nine ties.
 
5. Former WHLer Cody Smuk (Chilliwack, Lethbridge, Moose Jaw, 2006-10) is battling cancer, and funds are being raised to help him pay the bills. If you would like to donate, you are able to do so right here.
Smuk posted this message last week:
“Hey All. I just wanted to thank each and every one of you for donating. It has been very touching to see all the support I have received in the past 24 hours. I am truly grateful and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. Day 1 went well but it will be a long road ahead. Thanks for making this easier for my family and myself. Take care.”

6. It’s Canada week at MMQB, and you should give it a look right here. That is The Monday Morning Quarterback site that is edited by Peter King, the best-connected football writer on the planet. Today, MMQB has former Montreal Alouettes head coach Marc Trestman as a guest writer, and they’ll be all-Canadian all the time this week. . . . MMQB plans on staffing three CFL games this week, with King himself traveling to Calgary and, yes, Regina.
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The Vancouver Canucks are expected to announce today that they have signed Willie Desjardins as their head coach. Desjardins is a former GM/head coach of the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Kevin Parnell, who manages the website and media relations for the Kelowna Rockets, tweeted Sunday night that the club will make a “major announcement” at a news conference today at 1 p.m. Bruce Hamilton, the governor, president and general manager, will be there, along with head coach Ryan Huska and assistant coach Dan Lambert. Gotta wonder if Lambert is about to be named associate coach?
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The Everett Silvertips have taken scouting to a new level, witness this from assistant coach Mitch Love . . . 

Maui will work for a few days #scoutinghawaiianhockeytalent pic.twitter.com/VHZYbNXY0e
— Mitch Love (@mlovehockey) June 23, 2014

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.

Sam Reinhart burning it up

Earlier in the week, there was a link her to a blog post from Gregg Sutch, a former OHL player who detailed how he came to lose his love for hockey. . . . John Matisz of QMI Agency has spoken with Sutch and follows up the blog post quite nicely. That report is right here.
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The Saskatoon Blades have signed F Chasetan Braid, who has been on their list since early 2013. He first attended their training camp in 2012. From Chauvin, Alta., Braid has 47 points, including 15 goals, in 35 games with the Lloydminster Bobcats of the Alberta Midget AAA League.
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An NHL team in Seattle in time for the 2015-16 season? Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times reports that there soon will be talks between the NHL and various parties on expansion fees. That piece is right here.
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THURSDAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
No games scheduled.
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FRIDAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
Medicine Hat at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Victoria at Regina, 7 p.m.
Calgary at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Swift Current at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Spokane at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
Vancouver at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Kamloops at Portland, 7 p.m.
Kelowna at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Prince Albert at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
Seattle at Everett, 7:35 p.m.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
In Moose Jaw, the Calgary Hitmen ran their winning streak to a season-high eight games with a 6-4 victory over the Warriors. . . . Calgary F Pavel Padakin had two goals and an assist, while F Jake Virtanen scored twice. Padakin has 24 goals; Virtanen has 38. . . . Calgary F Brady Brassart ran his point streak to 11 games with three assists. . . . With the victory, the Hitmen clinched a playoff spot for the 16th time in their 19-year history. . . . D Jaynen Rissling, Calgary’s captain, was back after serving a two-game suspension. . . . F Colton McCarthy scored twice for Moose Jaw, giving him four, while F Brayden Point got his 27th goal and added two assists. . . . Ice G Mack Shields started his sixth straight game -- he‘s 6-0-0. G Chris Driedger, who missed three games with a team-issued suspension, was on the bench for a second straight game. He hasn’t played since beat the Giants 5-0 in Vancouver on Feb. 7. . . . The Hitmen (40-15-6) are tied with the Edmonton Oil Kings for first place in the Central Division and the Eastern Conference. The Oil Kings have the tiebreaker with more victories (42-40) and have three games in hand. . . . The Warriors (15-35-9) have lost three in a row. . . .

In Brandon, the Victoria Royals scored four first-period goals and went on to beat the Wheat Kings, 5-3. . . . The Royals have won seven straight games now; they also have won nine straight on the road, including the first three stops on this five-game East Division swing. On top of that, they have at least a point in 14 straight games. . . . The Wheat Kings have lost seven in a row. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pulock opened the scoring with his 18th goal at 4:42 of the first. . . . Victoria F Logan Nelson got his 20th 16 seconds later and F Tyler Soy, with his 12th, gave the Royals their first lead at 8:50. . . . F Steven Hodges, with his 19th, and F Austin Carroll, with his 31st, added Victoria goals before the period ended. . . . Hodges also had two assists, while D Brett Cote had two helpers, too. . . . The Royals held a 49-26 edge in shots. . . . Victoria G Patrik Polivka went the distance in his second straight start after not playing since Jan. 31. . . . The Wheat Kings dressed only 16 skaters, two under the maximum. Brandon was without D Colten Waltz, who is sitting out a suspension. . . . Brandon also was without the Quenneville brothers, Paul and John, and F Jayce Hawryluk, all with injuries. D Rene Hunter and F Rihards Bukarts were back, though. . . . Victoria, 24-3-3 since Dec. 12, is third in the Western Conference, three points behind the Portland Winterhawks, who almost certainly will be the second seed because they are comfortably atop the U.S. Division. . . . The Wheat Kings (28-25-8) are seventh in the Eastern Conference, two points behind the Swift Current Broncos. . . .

In Saskatoon, F Logan McVeigh broke a 2-2 tie at 16:41 of the third period as the Regina Pats beat the Blades, 4-2. . . . McVeigh has 10 goals this season. . . . Regina F Morgan Klimchuk scored the game’s first two goals as the Pats grabbed the lead early in the second period. . . . The Blades tied it early in the third on goals by D Ayrton Nikkel, his fifth, and F Chase Clayton, his 10th. . . . Klimchuk completed his hat trick, getting his 23rd goal into an empty net at 19:55 of the third period. . . . Prior to the game, the Blades honoured Les Lazaruk, their longtime radio voice, for having worked his 1,500th game on the weekend. . . . The Blades, who were the host team for the 2013 Memorial Cup, were eliminated from the playoff race; this will be the first time since 2008 that they aren’t in the postseason. After the game, WHL Facts (@WHLFacts)t weeted: “2 - This will be the 2nd straight season that a Memorial Cup host missed the playoffs the following season (Shawinigan).” . . . Regina went 8-0-0 against Saskatoon this season. . . . The Pats (32-22-6) are 5-0-1 in their last six and lead the East Division by four ponts over Swift Current. . . . The Blades (16-40-5) are 11th in the Eastern Conference. . . .

In Cranbrook, F Sam Reinhart had a goal and three assists to lead the Kootenay Ice to a 5-2 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Reinhart ran his point streak to 18 games. . . . F Curtis Valk of the Tigers had his point streak snapped at 18 games. . . . Reinhart has 32 goals. He also has 88 points in 48 games, three more than he totalled in 72 games last season. . . . In Reinhart’s 18-game tear, he has a five-point game, a four-point outing and seven three-pointers. He has multiple points in 12 of those games. He has 26 points in nine February games. . . . The Ice ended this game with two empty-netters, one from Reinhart and the other from Tim Bozon, who got his 29th. . . . Ice F Jaedon Descheneau had a goal, his 38th, and two assists. . . . The Tigers led this one 2-1 with five minutes left in the third period. . . . Ice F Luke Philp tied it, getting his 26th goal at 15:51. Descheneau broke the tie at 17:37. . . . Ice G Mackenzie Skapski stopped 40 shots. . . . The Ice (34-22-4) has won three in a row; it’s fifth in the conference, three points behind Medicine Hat (36-21-3). Each team has 12 games remaining. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Jackson Houck drew three assists to help the Vancouver Giants to a 5-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . The Giants opened a three-game Alberta swing by getting goals from five players. . . . Vancouver F Cain Franson scored his 25th goal and added an assist, while F Dominik Volek had two assists. . . . The Giants outshot the Hurricanes, 48-29. . . . Vancouver (29-23-10) is sixth in the Western Conference, five points behind the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Hurricanes (12-45-5) have the WHL’s poorest record. They have lost four straight. . . .

In Red Deer, the Edmonton Oil Kings unleased a 54-shot attack as they beat the Rebels 4-1. . . . Edmonton F Curtis Lazar scored his 33rd goal, while F Henrik Samuellson notched No. 29. . . . Edmonton D Griffin Reinhart was back on the ice after missing three games with the flu. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry stopped 14 shots. . . . The Oil Kings (42-14-2) are tied with Calgary atop the Central Division and the Eastern Conference. Edmonton owns the tiebreaker by virtue of more victories (42-40). . . . Red Deer (28-29-4) is tied with the Prince Albert Raiders for the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . The Rebels, 1-8-1 in their last 10, have lost three in a row. . . .

In Kelowna, the Rockets scored three first-period goals en route to a 5-1 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . The Rockets outshot the visitors 51-16, including 20-5 and 19-5 in each of the first periods. . . . Kelowna F Myles Bell scored his 39th goal. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke lost his shutout bid when Tri-City F Rodney Southam scored his third goal at 18:42 of the third period. . . . Kelowna (47-8-4) leads the overall standings by seven points over Portland. . . . The Americans (27-27-6) are eighth in the Western Conference, two points ahead of the Prince George Cougars. Tri-City holds three games in hand. . . .

In Spokane, F Shane Danyluk scored two second-period goals to spark the Prince Albert Raiders to a 4-1 victory over the Chiefs. . . . Danyluk, who turned 20 on Jan. 19, is from Salmon Arm, B.C. He was playing in his 236th regular-season game and has 23 goals. This was his third career two-goal game. . . . Raiders G Cole Cheveldave stopped 36 shots. . . . D Dakota Conroy also had two goals for the visitors, his second, No. 24 this season, into an empty net at 17:29 of the third. . . . Raiders F Chance Braid had two assists. . . . The Raiders (28-28-4) moved into a tie with Red Deer for the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . The Chiefs (34-21-5) are a comfortable fifth in the Western Conference.
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From WHL Facts (@WHLFacts): “15 - With tonight's victory, the @WHLKootenayICE have guaranteed themselves a 15th straight .500+ season... A new WHL record (KAM 1982-96).”
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Also from WHL Facts: “7 - After tonight's loss, the @TCAmericans’ WHL record-tying streak of 7 consecutive 40+ win seasons will come to an end this year.”

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.

Ex-junior player tells his story; franchise records for Oil Kings

D Nick Ross (Regina, Kamloops, Vancouver, 2004-09) has signed for the rest of this season with Asiago (Italy, Serie A). This season, he put up 28 points, including eight goals, in 39 games with Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia, Austria Erste Bank Liga). . . .
F Jeremy Williams (Swift Current, 2001-04) has signed a two-year extension with Västerås (Sweden, Allsvenskan). He is second in the league’s scoring race with 43 points, including 25 goals, in 44 games.
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Gregg Sutch was a good enough hockey player that he was selected 11th overall by the Sarnia Sting in the OHL draft. In 2010, the Buffalo Sabres picked him in the fifth round of the NHL draft. . . . Before his OHL career was done, he had played 255 games for four teams over five seasons. . . . Sutch, who turned 22 on Feb. 9, walked away from the game earlier this season. . . . Right here, he documents everything you might want to know about his hockey career. This is straight from the heart and should be mandatory reading for every junior hockey player, every player who aspires to play junior hockey and every parent of every one of those same players. . . . This is the real thing!
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If you haven’t heard, there was an ugly situation during a minor hockey tournament in Winnipeg on the weekend. Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports has more right here. If you watch the video with the volume up, make sure there aren’t any young ears around because there’s plenty of hockey being spoken, especially by one woman. . . . The tournament apparently wasn’t sanctioned by Hockey Winnipeg, Hockey Manitoba or Hockey Canada, so it’s doubtful that much more will be heard about this one.
But, as Sager notes: “The timing is uncanny. Hockey Winnipeg just last week announced that hockey parents, at least one in each household with a child registered, must take an online Respect in Sports course before their daughter or son can take to the ice. Some knee-jerkers have howled, predictably, that the $12 course won't deter any of the powder-keg parents and that it's more likely than not the more level-headed co-head of the household will end up taking the course.”
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OK, shootout fans, this one is for you. The Sherwood Park Crusaders and host Drayton Valley Thunder went 19 rounds before settling an AJHL game on Monday. After playing to a 3-3 draw through OT, it was time for the skills competition. Each team’s 18 skaters shot once and the teams still were tied, and each team scored twice, so they started all over again. Drayton Valley F Jamie Waddington, who had scored in the first round, struck again, giving the Thunder a 4-3 victory. . . . Mitch Martell, who came on in relief of Marc Olivier Daigle, got the goaltending victory, while Tommy Nixon was in goal for the Crusaders.
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The Portland Winterhawks will be gunning for their 17th straight victory tonight when they play host to the Prince George Cougars. . . . Portland D Derrick Pouliot has 29 points in 18 games since playing for Canada at the world junior tournament. He has 59 points this season, five behind Shea Theodore of the Seattle Thunderbirds, who leads all WHL defencemen. . . . Pouliot also has 194 career points as he looks to become the sixth defenceman in Portland history to get to 200 points. . . . Portland F Nic Petan and Spokane Chiefs F Mitch Holmberg lead the WHL in scoring, each with 100 points. Petan shared the scoring title with teammate Brendan Leipsic last season. The last player to lead the WHL in points in consecutive seasons? F Rob Brown of the Kamloops Blazers (1985-86, 1986-87). . . .
Kootenay Ice F Sam Reinhart now owns the franchise record for most consecutive games with an assist (10). The streak is still alive, too. . . . Reinhart has 84 points, one off his career high from last season. . . . He also is riding a 17-game point streak, one behind the one that Medicine Hat Tigers F Curtis Valk has put together. F Josh Winquist of the Everett Silvertips had an 18-game run earlier this season.
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TUESDAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
Prince George at Portland, 7 p.m.
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WEDNESDAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
Victoria at Brandon, 7 p.m.
Calgary at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Regina at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
Vancouver at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Tri-City at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Prince Albert at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
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MONDAY’S GAMES:
In Moose Jaw, the Victoria Royals scored the only two goals of the shootout and beat the Warriors, 4-3. . . . F Logan Nelson and F Jack Walker both scored in the skills competition as the Royals improved to 2-0-0 on this five-game swing into the East Division. Overall, they have won eight straight road games. . . . The Warriors led 2-1 after the first period and took that lead into the third. . . . F Austin Carroll, with his 30th, at 3:03, and F Axel Blomqvist, with his 21st, via the PP, at 8:23, gave the visitors the lead. . . . Moose Jaw F Jack Rodewald forced OT at 15:58. He’s got 20 goals this season. . . . D Travis Brown, dealt from Moose Jaw to Victoria in January, had two assists and was named the game’s first star. . . . Among the Warriors’ scratches was Sam Fioretti (undisclosed injury). They also had F Scott Cooke back after having served a two-game WHL suspension. . . . The Royals (41-16-4) are third in the Western Conference, three points behind the Portland Winterhawks, who have two games in hand. . . . The Warriors (15-34-9) are 10th in the Eastern Conference. . . .

In Regina, G Daniel Wapple turned aside 23 shots to lead the Pats to a 4-0 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . This was Wapple’s first shutout this season and the fourth of his career. The 18-year-old from Saskatoon now has posted shutouts with three different team; he had one with the Medicine Hat Tigers earlier this season and one with the Moose Jaw Warriors last season. . . . F Dyson Stevenson’s 27th goal of the season, a PP effort at 6:55of the second period, stood up as the winner. . . . Stevenson later scored No. 28 and also added an assist. . . . F Morgan Klimchuk got his 20th goal and had an assist. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny stopped 35 shots. . . . Regina F Dryden Hunt was helped from the ice in the first period after taking a hit from Brandon D Colton Waltz. Hunt, who has a history of brain injuries, didn’t return. . . . The Wheat Kings had F Richard Nejezchleb back in their lineup, but still are missing F Rihards Bukarts, D Rene Hunter, F Jayce Hawryluk and F John Quenneville. . . . The Wheat Kings are winless in six straight games (0-4-2). . . . The Pats (31-22-6) are back in sole possession of first place in the East Division, two points ahed of the Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Wheat Kings (28-24-8) are seventh in the Eastern Conference, two points behind Swift Current. . . .

In Swift Current, the Prince Albert Raiders opened a 3-0lead and went on to a 3-1 victory over the Broncos. . . . F Collin Valcourt, with his 21st, got the Raiders rolling at 5:09 of the first period. . . . Former Broncos D Graeme Craig added his fifth goal of the season at 7:52 of the second, via the PP, and F Leon Draisaitl added more insurance, with his 26th, also on the PP, at 7:30 of the third. . . . Broncos D Julius Honka scored his 14th, on the PP, at 10:37 of the third. . . . Raiders G Nick McBride stopped 31 shots. . . . The Raiders were 2-for-3 on the PP; the Broncos were 1-for-3. . . . The Broncos were without F Nathan Burns (undisclosed injury). . . . The Raiders (27-28-4) are two points behind the Red Deer Rebels, who hold down the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . The Broncos (29-23-8) are sixth. . . .

In Edmonton, the Oil Kings got two goals from each of four players as they whipped the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 12-0. . . . F Henrik Samuelsson, F Curtis Lazar, F Mitch Moroz and F Brett Pollock each scored twice. Samuelsson now has 28 goals, while Lazar has 32, Moroz has 31 and Pollock 23. . . . Moroz, playing in his 200th WHL regular-season game, also had three helpers, as did D Dysin Mayo. F Reid Petryk scored his 15th goal -- a PP effort at 2:17 of the first, it was the winner -- and set up four others. . . . D Cody Corbertt, Samuelsson and F Edgars Kulda, who also had a goal, each had two assists. . . . Edmonton outshot the visitors, 53-25. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry put up his WHL-leading seventh shutout this season and the 13th of his career. Jarry also set the Edmonton franchise record for shutouts in one season, breaking his record from last season. . . . Jarry also leads the WHL with 36 victories. . . . Lethbridge F Carter Amson left at 13:34 of the second period with a checking-from-behind major and a game misconduct. . . . Edmonton was 6-for-11 on the PP; Lethbridge was 0-for-3. . . . The Oil Kings set franchise single-game records for goals in one game and PP goals in one game. . . . In their last three meetings, the Oil Kings have outscored the Hurricanes, 27-3. . . . Edmonton won the season series, 5-1, with a 35-11 edge in goals. Lethbridge actually won the opener, 5-3, then lost 2-1 and 3-2. After that, it was 7-3, 8-0 and 12-0. . . . Edmonton (41-14-2) is tied with the Calgary Hitmen atop the Central Division and the Eastern Conference. Edmonton has more victories (41-39) and three games in hand. . . . Lethbridge (12-44-5) has the WHL’s poorest record, its .238 winning percentage slightly worse than that of the Kamloops Blazers (.242). . . .

In Calgary, F Brady Brassart scored three times and D Travis Sanheim drew five assists as the Hitmen dumped the Red Deer Rebels, 7-1. . . . Brassart now has 30 goals, five off his career high from last season. He has 251 points in 311 regular-season games. . . . Brassart. who has four career hat tricks, is riding a 10-game point streak, with 21 points, 10 of them goals, over that stretch. . . . Sanheim, a 17-year-old freshman from Elkhorn, Man., has 25 points, including four goals, in 55 games. He has eight assists in his last two outings. . . . Calgary G Mack Shields stopped 39 shots. . . . G Chris Driedger was on the bench in support of Shields, suggesting that his team-issued suspension has ended. . . . F Adam Tambellini had a goal and three assists for the Hitmen. It was his 13th goal and came via the PP. . . . Tambellini has seven points over his last two games and 14 in seven games. . . . The Hitmen also got two goals from F Joe Mahon, who has seven, and a goal and two assists from F Greg Chase. He’s got 31 goals. . . . D Aaron Hyman, a third-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft, got his first WHL point, an assist, on the game’s final goal. He plays for the midget AAA Northwest Calgary Athletic Association Flames. . . . The Hitmen (39-15-6), who have won seven in a row, are tied with Edmonton atop the Central Division and the Eastern Conference. . . . Red Deer (28-28-4) is 1-7-2 in its last 10 and holds a two-point lead over Prince Albert in the race for the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot.
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From WHL Facts (@WHLFacts): “12 - @EdmOilKings 12-0 win today was the WHL's largest margin of victory since LETH beat the Edmonton Ice 14-2 on Oct. 2, 1996.”
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One more from WHL Facts: “12 - Prior to today's 12 goals by @EdmOilKings, the last time a team put up that many was on Oct. 12, 2009 when @tigershockey beat KAM 12-5.”


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