Showing posts with label Griffin Foulk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Griffin Foulk. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Closing in on WHL playoffs . . . Raiders get No. 1 draft selection . . . Hockey Canada picks Hamilton


D Brett Carson (Moose Jaw, Calgary, 2001-06) has signed a one-year extension with SaiPa Lappeenranta (Finland, Liiga). This season, he had three goals and five assists in 30 games.
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The WHL playoffs open on seven fronts on Friday night.
There are series previews available elsewhere, starting with dubnetwork.ca and whl.ca, so I’m not going to bother replicating any of that work.
Instead, here’s a quick look at each series and the injury implications, knowing full well that, like Sgt. Schultz, we’ll know nothing until Friday’s lineups are posted:
WESTERN CONFERENCE

Everett (44-16-12, 1st in U.S., 1st in conference) vs. Victoria (37-29-6, 2nd wild-card): They’ll play Friday and Saturday in Everett. . . . The Silvertips swept the season series, going 4-0-0; the Royals were 0-3-1. . . . D Aaron Irving missed a couple of late-season games but has returned and will be a key for Everett. Their top three defencemen — Noah Juulsen, Kevin Davis and Irving — all are right-hand shots. . . . Everett F Devon Skoleski didn’t finish Sunday’s final game, while F Orrin Centazzo won’t play again this season. . . . Victoria F Tyler Soy missed a good chunk of time late in the season, but returned for the last couple of games. . . . The Royals may open without F Ryan Peckford, D Ralph Jarratt and D Chaz Reddekopp, all of whom are injured. Peckford is practising, while Jarratt is skating in a non-contact sweater. Reddekopp, who has a broken foot, won’t be there for the start of the series.
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Prince George (45-21-6, 1st in B.C.) vs. Portland (40-28-4, 1st wild-card): It starts with games Friday and Sunday in Prince George. . . . How competitive was the Western Conference? Portland is a wild-card entry with 40 victories. . . . In the season series, the Cougars were 2-2-0; the Winterhawks 2-1-1. . . . Prince George F Brad Morrison suffered an ankle injury in a Feb. 24 fight and hasn’t played since. He’s a point-a-game guy. . . . Portland F Cody Glass, who will be an early first-round selection in the NHL’s 2017 draft, missed the season’s last five periods. He had 94 points, including 32 goals, in 69 games. . . . The Winterhawks have been without F Evan Weinger, a 20-goal man, for 10 games. He last played on Feb. 24. . . . Portland might find motivation from the fact that it wanted a 2-3-2 format, but Prince George got the 2-2-1-1-1 it wanted, perhaps believed that the bus travel will wear on the Winterhawks. . . . The Cougars, who went wire-to-wire to win the B.C. Division, will get motivation from the fact it didn’t place one player on the conference all-star team or have anyone win an individual award. They also didn’t show up in the final CHL rankings.
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Seattle (46-20-6, 2nd in U.S.) vs. Tri-City (41-28-3, 3rd in U.S.): They’ll get started in Kent, Wash., on Friday and Saturday. . . . Seattle won the season series, 6-2-0. . . . Seattle F Mathew Barzal had 79 points, including 69 assists, in 41 games but hasn’t played since March 7 because of the mumps. Will he, or won’t he? We won’t know until Friday. . . . Seattle G Rylan Toth led the WHL with 36 victories but last played on March 11. How badly injured is he? We’ll find out on Friday. . . . Two Tri-City forwards — Max James and Vladislav Lukin — are back from late-season injuries. Each played two of three weekend games and should be ready for Friday. However, F Nolan Yaremko is likely out after being injured in practice last week, and F Michael Rasmussen (wrist) won’t play in this series.
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Kelowna 45-22-5, 2nd in B.C.) vs. Kamloops (42-24-6, 3rd in B.C.): The series begins in Kelowna on Friday and Saturday. . . . Kamloops was 6-3-1 in the season series; the Rockets were 4-6-0. . . . Since the start of the 2015-16 exhibition season, these teams have met 30 times. Kelowna is 16-13-1 in those games; Kamloops is 14-14-2. . . . A year ago, the Rockets beat the Blazers in a seven-game first-round series, winning Game 7, 2-1, in OT on a goal by F Tomas Soustal. . . . The Rockets have been missing Soustal, a point-a-game guy who hasn’t played since he was injured while blocking a shot on March 1. . . . The Blazers are believed to be healthy.
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EASTERN CONFERENCE

Regina (52-12-7, 1st in East, 1st in conference, 1st overall) vs. Calgary (30-32-10, 2nd wild-card): They’ll get started with games in Regina on Friday and Saturday. . . . Regina won the season series, 3-1-0; Calgary was 1-2-1. . . . The Pats go into the playoffs on an eight-game winning streak. . . . Regina F Jake Leschyshyn (knee) won’t play again this season. The Pats will be without F Nick Henry for Game 1 as he serves a one-game WHL suspension. . . . The Hitmen are believed to be healthy.
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Medicine Hat (51-20-1, 1st in Central) vs. Brandon (31-31-10, 1st wild-card): The Wheat Kings open defence of the Ed Chynoweth Cup in Medicine Hat on Friday and Saturday. . . . The Tigers won the season series, 3-1-0. . . . Medicine Hat may get back two defencemen — Kristians Rubins and Ty Schultz. Both have been out with injuries but have been taking part in full practices this week. . . . Brandon D Garrett Sambrook hasn’t played since Feb. 24. The Wheaties say he is out with an illness that isn’t mumps. . . . F Reid Duke, who led the Wheat Kings in goals (37) and assists (71), was injured in a 7-1 loss to host Regina on Friday and didn’t play in the Pats’ 6-0 victory in Brandon on Saturday. . . . Brandon also was without F Tanner Kaspick, D Kale Clague and F Nolan Patrick on Saturday. However, all four of those players returned to practice this week. . . . The Wheat Kings will get F Tyler Coulter back from a one-game suspension.
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Lethbridge (44-21-7, 2nd in Central) vs. Red Deer (30-29-13, 3rd in Central): They’ll get started in Lethbridge on Saturday and Sunday. . . . The Hurricanes were 5-0-1 in the season series; the Rebels were 1-4-1. . . . Two of the Hurricanes’ top forwards — Matt Alfaro and Zak Zborosky — have played once (March 15) since March 4. Both are point-a-game players. . . . Red Deer won’t have D Alex Alexeyev, F Adam Musil or F Reese Johnson. F Grayson Pawlenchuk is skating but hasn’t been cleared for contact after January shoulder surgery. D Austin Pratt is doubtful.
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Moose Jaw (42-21-9, 2nd in East) vs. Swift Current (39-23-10, 3rd in East): It begins with games in Moose Jaw on Friday and Saturday. . . . The Warriors won the season series, 4-2-0. . . . Despite being 175 km apart on the Trans-Canada Highway, these rivals haven’t met in the playoffs since Moose Jaw won a six-game series in 1999. . . . The Warriors may have F Spencer Bast available after a late-season injury. . . . For their final regular-season game, the Broncos’ scratches included G Jordan Papirny, (mumps), F Lane Pederson, D Colby Sissons, D Max Lajoie, F Kaden Elder and F Ryan Graham. Emanuel Viveiros, the Broncos’ head coach, has said they should have all of them back for Game 1, with the exception of Graham.
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The Prince Albert Raiders won the WHL’s draft lottery on Wednesday, meaning they moved up two spots and now hold the first selection the bantam draft that is scheduled for May 4 in Calgary.
In the standings, the Raiders had finished ahead of the last-place Kootenay Ice, which now has the second pick, and the Vancouver Giants, who have the third pick.
The Edmonton Oil Kings are in the fourth spot, followed by the Saskatoon Blades and Spokane Chiefs. The rest of the first round is in the inverse order of the final regular-season standings, as are the remaining rounds.
The Raiders also hold an option on the Kelowna Rockets’ first-round selection, thanks to a deal in which F Reid Gardiner headed west. The Raiders have to exercise that option this draft or in 2018. Prince Albert also holds two second-round picks and three in the third round.
When Jeff D'Andrea of paNOW asked Curtis Hunt, the Raiders’ general manager about the possibility of trading the No. 1 pick, the response was:
“My track record proves that I’ll trade just about everything. I haven’t thought about it, but if it worked for us now and in the future, I think you have to consider everything moving forward.”
The Raiders haven’t held the first selection since 2001. That’s when they took F Kyle Chipchura, who went on to total 165 points, including 59 goals, over four seasons with them.
Some observers have D Kaiden Guhle, a 6-foot-1, 170-pounder from Sherwood Park, Alta., as the favourite to go first overall. The Raiders selected his brother, Brendan, with the third overall pick in the 2012 draft. He was dealt to the Prince George Cougars this season.
Here is the first-round order for the 2017 bantam draft, as of Wednesday night
1. Prince Albert
2. Kootenay
3. Vancouver
4. Edmonton
5. Saskatoon
6. Spokane
7. Calgary
8. Brandon
9. Swift Current (from Red Deer)
10. Saskatoon (from Victoria)
11. Portland
12. Tri-City
13. Swift Current
14. Kamloops
15. Moose Jaw
16. Lethbridge
17. Kelowna (Prince Albert has option)
18. Prince George
19. Seattle
20. Everett
21. Medicine Hat
22. Red Deer (from Regina)
NOTES: Portland is in the first round with its own selection for the first time since Nov. 28, 2012, when the WHL took away first-round picks in five straight drafts, starting in 2013. That was after ruling that the Winterhawks had violated rules regarding player benefits. . . . Prince Albert holds an option on Kelowna’s first-round pick in 2017 or 2018. . . . Swift Current holds Red Deer’s first-round pick from a Dec. 27, 2015 trade in which F Jake Debrusk went to the Rebels, with F Lane Pederson among the pieces going to the Broncos. . . . Saskatoon has Victoria’s first-round pick from a Jan. 6, 2015 deal in which F Alex Forsberg went to the Royals. . . . Red Deer has Regina’s first-round selection from a Jan. 10 deal that involved, among other things, D Josh Mahura and F Jeff de Wit going to the Pats for F Lane Zablocki and D Dawson Barteaux. . . . To keep up on WHL trades involving draft picks, visit Alan Caldwell’s blog, Small Thoughts at Large, right here.
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The WHL also announced its all-star teams and some of its award winners on Wednesday. For a look at those lists, visit whl.ca.
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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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The U of Saskatchewan Huskies of 2016-17 had some 23 players on their roster who played in the WHL. You may have seen the Huskies on action on TV last weekend. They were in Fredericton, N.B., where they lost the Canadian university final, 5-3, to the U of New Brunswick Varsity Reds on Sunday. . . . But there was more to the story than that. It seems the Huskies ‘adopted’ a young hockey player, Carson Ferdinand, and gave him the thrill of a lifetime by making him part of the team. . . . It’s a nifty story — especially when you consider that Carson’s mother is a swim coach at UNB — and Darren Zary of the Saskatoon Star Phoenix has it all right here.
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Steve Ewen of Postmedia tweeted Wednesday morning that F Ty Ronning of the Vancouver Giants “says he’s signed a PTO with the Hartford Wolf Pack, the AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers.”
The 5-foot-9, 170-pound Ronning was a seventh-round selection by the Rangers in the NHL’s 2016 draft.
The son of former NHL F Cliff Ronning, Ty had 53 points, including 25 goals, in 68 games with the Giants this season. He led them in goals and points, and was selected as the team’s MVP.
In 215 regular-season games, he has 134 points, including 66 goals.
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Hockey Canada has named Darren Rumble, the head coach of the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats, as head coach of the team that will play in the 2017 IIHF U-18 World Championship. . . . Rumble, a former assistant coach with the Seattle Thunderbirds (2012-13), was an assistant coach with Hockey Canada’s U-18 team at the 2015 and 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup summer tournaments. . . . Rumble’s assistant coaches at the World Championship will be Steve Hamilton of the Edmonton Oil Kings and Stephane Julien of the QMJHL’s Sherbrooke Phoenix. . . . Jory Stuparyk of the Oil Kings will be the video coach, with Hockey Canada’s Fred Brathwaite the goaltending consultant. . . . The 10-team U18 World Championship is scheduled for Poprad and Spisska Nova Ves, Slovakia, from April 13-23. Canada is in a pool with Finland, Latvia, Slovakia and Switzerland. The other pool features Belarus, Czech Republic, Russia, Sweden and the U.S.
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The Prince George Cougars have signed F Chance Adrian to a WHL contract. From Dalmeny, Sask., he was a seventh-round pick by the Red Deer Rebels in the 2014 bantam draft. He was dropped and the Cougars added him to their protected list in December. . . . Adrian, who won‘t turn 18 until Nov. 16, had 46 points, including 19 goals, in 43 games with the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts this season.
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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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“At some point, you just have to suck it up and play.” . . . That’s how Mike Fraser, the writing scout, starts this week’s column for the Brandon-based Westman Journal. Fraser, who scouts for the Wheat Kings, spends a lot of time in Western Canada’s arenas, and he sees it all. . . . You don’t want to miss his latest work and it’s right here.
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Elliotte Friedman leads this week’s 30 Thoughts with a look at the staredown that is doing on between USA Hockey and its national women’s team. As he points out. the American women are tying to get what Canada’s national women’s team already has. . . . That’s all right here.
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Griffin Foulk, who played in the WHL with the Everett Silvertips, Seattle Thunderbirds, Lethbridge Hurricanes and Swift Current Broncos (2012-16), is from Broomfield, Colo. These days, he’s attending Colorado U and has walked on with the school’s football team, the Buffaloes. "It was one of those things where I elected to forego college hockey and try and go professional at the age of 16, and it kind of came time this past fall to make the call to get my education," Foulk, 21, told Adam Dunivan of BoCoPreps.com. "But I love competing, I love working hard and it's just second nature to me. Coming here, having an opportunity to try out . . . I'm just dipping my toes in the water right now but I hope to make something of it." . . . Dunivan’s story is right here
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MONDAY-THURSDAY GAMES:

No Games Scheduled.
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FRIDAY GAMES (all times local):

(Game 1, best-of-seven series)
Swift Current at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Brandon at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Calgary at Regina, 7 p.m.
Kamloops at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Victoria at Everett, 7:35 p.m.
Tri-City vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m.
Portland at Prince George, 7 p.m.
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SATURDAY GAMES (all times local):

(Game 2, best-of-seven series)
Red Deer at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Swift Current at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Brandon at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Calgary at Regina, 7 p.m.
Kamloops at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Victoria at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Tri-City vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.

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Saturday, December 27, 2014

Three d-men on move . . . Papirny, Lotz pitch shutouts . . . Hurricanes win again



Travis Green, a former assistant GM and assistant coach with the Portland Winterhawks, is headed to the AHL All-Star Game. Green, who is in his second season as head coach of the Utica Comets, will be one of two Western Conference coaches. . . . Utica leads the conference with a 20-5-5-0 record. . . . There’s more right here.
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Garry Davidson, the general manager of the Everett Silvertips, has told Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald that he tried to land D Josh Morrissey before the Prince Albert Raiders dealt him to the Kelowna Rockets.
Davidson also said that he continues to shop, but . . .
"Between now and Jan. 10 I'd still like to strengthen the team in certain positions," Davidson told Patterson. "But the market looks really foggy right now, there's not a lot of teams selling.
"I've talked to teams about high-end players, but it's one thing to talk and another to make something happen. I want to stay with our philosophy of building through the draft and we've already traded away a first and a second, so I'm not excited about giving up other top picks. I'll try to do it another way, but that's very difficult. Maybe we'll have to be patient and ride it out this season."
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The Red Deer Rebels have acquired D Colton Bobyk, 18, and a 2016 fourth-round bantam draft pick from the Spokane Chiefs for D Nick Charif, 19, a second-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft and a conditional sixth-round selection in 2016. . . . Bobyk has played only eight games this season thanks to injuries. From Red Deer, he has been medically cleared to return. This season, he has a goal and three assists in those eight games. Last season, he had 12 points, including five goals, in 56 games. He was a 10th-round pick by the Chiefs in the 2011 draft. . . . In 2012-13, Bobyk played for the Red Deer Optimist Chiefs, who won the TELUS Cup as national midget champions. . . . Charif, from Edmonton, also has been out with an injury but has been cleared to play after missing 24 games. Last season, he had 13 points, three of them goals, in 57 games. This season, he has a goal and seven assists in 11 games. . . . The Chiefs now hold two first- and two second-round picks in the 2015 draft.
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The Swift Current Broncos added D Griffin Foulk, 19, on Saturday, acquiring him from the Lethbridge Hurricanes for a conditional eighth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. . . . The Hurricanes had released Foulk from their roster earlier in the month. . . . Foulk, from Broomfield, Colo., had 23 points, including six goals, in 153 regular-season games split between the Everett Silvertips, Seattle Thunderbirds and Lethbridge. . . . He had been an eighth-round pick by the Edmonton Oil Kings in the 2010 bantam draft. . . . The Broncos were looking for some back-end help with D Dillon Heatherington playing for Team Canada at the World Junior Championship. The Broncos also are without D Jordan Harris (undisclosed injury). . . . Foulk was in Swift Current’s lineup last night as they beat the visiting Regina Pats, 5-3.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:

WHL team logoAt Swift Current, the Broncos erased a 2-0 first-period deficit and went on to beat the Regina Pats, 5-3. . . . F Adam Brooks, with his 14th, and F Connor Gay, with his 16th, gave Regina a 2-0 lead. . . . Broncos F Colby Cave tied it with two goals, giving him 17, at 17:41 of the first and 4:20 of the second. . . . Swift Current F Carter Rigby broke the tie, with his 13th, at 14:46, and F Jake DeBrusk got his 18th at 16:35. . . . Rigby also had three assists and DeBrusk had two. . . . Broncos G Landon Bow stopped 40 shots. . . . The Broncos (18-14-4), who visit Regina tonight, have won two in a row. . . . The Pats (20-12-2) had points in their previous three games (2-0-1). . . . Regina D Colby Williams (wrist) was back in the lineup after missing seven games. . . .

At Moose Jaw, G Jordan Papirny stopped 29 shots to help the Brandon Wheat Kings to a 3-0 victory over the Warriors. . . . Papirny has 22 victories and three shutouts this season. It was his fourth career shutout. . . . Brandon F Reid Duke got the game’s first goal, his 11th, at 9:57 of the first on the PP. . . . Duke also drew an assist on F John Quenneville’s 13th goal, an empty-netter at 18:30 of the third. . . . Brandon F Peter Quenneville had two assists. . . . The Wheat Kings (25-7-4) have points in six straight (4-0-2). . . . The Warriors (15-18-3) have lost four in a row. . . . Brandon F Jayce Hawryluk scored his 14th goal. He missed the last three games prior to the Christmas break with an undisclosed injury. . . . Brandon F Jesse Gabrielle was ill and didn’t practice on Friday. He wasn’t dressed for this one. D Kale Clague (undisclosed injury) also was among Brandon’s scratches. . . . Moose Jaw F Jaimen Yakubowski sat out a one-game WHL suspension. . . . Moose Jaw F Noah Gregor missed his 26th straight game with an undisclosed injury, while F Ben Duperreault (14 games, undisclosed injury) was back in the lineup. . . . However, F Tanner Jeannot is out for a couple of months with an undisclosed injury and D Tyler Brown (hand) will sit for up to four more weeks. . . . The teams meet again today, this time in Brandon. . . . Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun has a game story right here. . . .

At Prince Albert, F Nikita Soshnin broke a 3-3 tie at 10:00 of the third period and the Saskatoon Blades went on to a 6-3 victory over the Raiders. . . . Soshnin, who also had two assists, has five goals this season. . . . Blades F Ryan Graham added two empty-netters, giving him 12 goals this season. . . . F Sam McKechnie had two goals, giving him 10, and an assist for Saskatoon (8-25-3), which snapped an 11-game skid (0-9-2). . . . F Reid Gardiner and F Jayden Hart each scored his 18th goal for the Raiders (16-19-1). . . . The rematch goes this afternoon in Saskatoon. . . . Saskatoon F Wyatt Sloboshan (broken jaw) was back after missing 23 games, while F Nick Zajac returned after a three-game absence with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Raiders were without D Mackenze Stewart, who served a one-game WHL suspension. . . .

At Edmonton, F Wyatt Johnson scored two second-period goals to lead the Red Deer Rebels to a 3-2 victory over the Oil Kings. . . . Johnson, who has 17 goals, gave the Rebels a 2-1 lead 32 seconds into the period. . . . Edmonton F Brett Pollock tied it, with his 14th, at 4:10. . . . Johnson broke the tie at 15:24. . . . Red Deer F Brooks Maxwell had two assists. . . . Rebels G Rylan Toth stopped 30 shots, four more than Edmonton’s Tristan Jarry. . . . The Rebels (19-13-4), who entertain the Oil Kings today, had lost their previous two games. . . . The Oil Kings are 16-15-5. . . . This was the first meeting of the season between these teams. . . . The Rebels had F Adam Musil back after a three-game absence with an undisclosed injury. . . .

At Cranbrook, G Wyatt Hoflin stopped a career-high 49 shots and F Levi Cable scored four times as the Kootenay Ice dropped the Calgary Hitmen, 6-2. . . . Hoflin was making his 24th straight start. . . . A note from Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman: “Should he get the start Sunday afternoon, Hoflin will tie the Kootenay Ice franchise record for consecutive appearances by a goaltender. Todd Mathews set the record with 25 consecutive appearances in net from Jan. 21 to March 14, 2009.” . . . Cable, who has 15 goals, scored the game’s first three goals and added a fourth in the second period to give his side a 5-0 lead. . . . It was Cable’s first regular-season hat trick. . . . Cable also added an assist for his first five-point outing. . . . Ice F Jaedon Descheneau scored his 19th goal. . . . The Ice (19-17-0) has won four in a row. . . . The Hitmen (19-13-3) has lost two straight. . . . The teams meet this afternoon in Calgary. . . . The Ice, which is missing three defencemen, has added D Tanner Lishchynsky, 19, for the next five games. He plays for the SJHL’s Flin Flon Bombers and has played 78 WHL games with the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Ice is without D Tanner Faith and D Dylan Overdyk, both of whom are injured, and D Rinat Valiev, who is with Russia at the World Junior Championship. . . . Calgary D Ben Thomas returned after missing nine games with an undisclosed injury. . . . According to Jeff Hollick, the radio voice of the Ice, Cable is the eighth player in Ice franchise history to enjoy a four-goal game. . . . Taylor Rocca’s game story is right here.

At Lethbridge, F Zane Jones broke a 5-5 tie at 17:36 of the third period and the Hurricanes held on for a 6-5 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Jones scored twice in this one, giving him 17. He also had an assist. . . . Lethbridge also got two goals from F Jamal Watson, who has 15. . . . The Hurricanes took a 4-2 lead into the third period, only to have the Tigers tie it on two goals by F Alex Mowbray, who has six. . . . Watson gave Lethbridge the lead on a PP at 12:00, only to have D Kyle Becker pull the Tigers even at 5-5 with a PP goal at 16:59. . . . Lethbridge G Stuart Skinner stopped 42 shots. . . . The Hurricanes (9-20-5) are on a three-game winning streak. . . . The Tigers (24-9-2), who remain without F Chad Butcher (undisclosed injury), had won their previous two games. . . . There’s a rematch tonight in Medicine Hat. . . .

At Kelowna, F Rourke Chartier, the WHL’s leading goal scorer, hit for two more as the Rockets beat the Kamloops Blazers, 4-2. . . . Chartier has 34 goals. . . . He broke a 2-2 tie 52 seconds into the third period with his second goal of the game. It turned out to be his ninth game-winner this season. . . . Kelowna F Tyson Baillie scored his 24th goal, while F Cole Linaker had two assists. . . . F Cole Ully scored his 17th goal for the Blazers (13-21-5), who have lost three in a row. . . . The Rockets (29-5-3), who have won 13 straight games with the Blazers, have won three straight. . . . This game started a stretch in which the Rockets will play nine of 11 games at home. . . .

At Victoria, the Prince George Cougars built up a 4-1 lead and hung on for a 4-3 victory over the Royals. . . . F Zach Pochiro scored twice for the visitors, giving him seven this season. His second of the game, at 16:25 of the second, on a PP, stood up as the winner. . . . F Tyler Soy scored twice for the Royals, giving him 12 in his sophomore season. However, he came up short on a second-period penalty shot. . . . D Tate Olson had two assists for the visitors. . . . Prince George outshot its hosts, 30-19. . . . The Cougars (18-18-0) had lost their previous three games. . . . The Royals ((17-18-3) have lost five straight (0-4-1). . . . They’ll play again this afternoon in Victoria. . . .

At Kent, Wash., the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Portland Winterhawks 4-3 in a game that featured six first-period goals. . . . The Thunderbirds got out to a 3-1 lead and the Winterhawks never were able to catch up. . . . F Ryan Gropp’s 15th goal, at 19:53 of the first, proved to be the winner. . . . He also had an assist. . . . Seattle D Jerret Smith scored his third goal of the season and added an assist. . . . F Paul Bittner got his 14th goal for the Winterhawks. He also added an assist, while F Alex Schoenborn drew two assists. . . . Portland was 2-for-3 on the PP; Seattle was 0-for-5. . . . The Thunderbirds (15-15-4) have won two in a row. . . . Portland (19-15-3) had won its previous two games. . . . F Cody Glass, Portland’s first-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft, made his WHL debut. . . . The Winterhawks are at home to Spokane today. . . . The Thunderbirds are in Vancouver this afternoon. . . .

At Everett, F Nikita Scherbak scored on a PP 28 seconds into OT to give the Silvertips a 1-0 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Scherbak has 16 goals this season. . . . Everett G Austin Lotz stopped 28 shots in posting his second shutout this season. He has eight career shutouts. . . . Vancouver G Cody Porter turned aside 21 shots in making his third straight start. . . . Everett had a 13-5 edge in shots in the first period; Vancouver had the edge, 12-2, in the second. . . . The Silvertips (21-9-4) have won two in a row. . . . The Giants (16-18-1) had a seven-game winning streak end. They had been 6-0-0 under head coach Claude Noel. . . . D Ben Betker (concussion) was back in Everett’s lineup. The Silvertips still are without F Logan Aasman and D Tristen Pfeifer, both out with undisclosed injuries. . . . The Silvertips also sent F Nik Malenica to the junior B Nanaimo Buccaneers of the Vancouver Island Junior League. He was pointless in 11 games with Everett. . . . The Silvertips visit the Tri-City Americans tonight. . . . The Giants, who had F Jackson Houck (undisclosed injury) back in the lineup, are at home to Seattle this afternoon. . . .

At Spokane, F Kailer Yamamoto had a goal and two assists to lead the Chiefs to a 5-1 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . He’s got 10 goals. . . . The Chiefs scored the game’s first five goals. . . . Spokane scored two shorthanded goals -- by F Calder Brooks and F Liam Stewart -- and got a PP goal from Yamamoto. . . . Spokane outshot Tri-City, 35-19. . . . Spokane leads the season series, 4-1-0. . . . The Chiefs (19-12-3), who visit Portland today, have won five straight. . . . The Americans (17-16-1) have lost three in a row. Tri-City plays host to Everett tonight.
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Monday, December 15, 2014

Hick Abbott's medals in HHOF . . . Hurricanes release veteran . . . Warriors add coach

Walter Gretzky (left), Dave Thomson, Scott Veber and Mark Abbott at the
Hockey Hall of Fame display that honours veterans of the First World War.

Mark Abbott (left), a representative of the Abbott family, presents Scott
Veber of the Hockey Hall of Fame with Lyman (Hick) Abbott's First World
War medals.

(Photos: Hockey Hall of Fame)
Last week was important for those of us who have worked to honour the memory of Lyman (Hick) Abbott.
Abbott, who was from Regina, was one of Western Canada’s best young athletes when he lost his life in the First World War.
Out of the Great War, he was awarded the Military Cross and Bar, along with the British War Medal. He is believed to be Regina’s highest-decorated veteran of that conflict.
Over time, those medals came to be in the possession of someone outside of the Abbott family. The good news is that recently, after a 2-1/2-year quest, those medals were secured by the Abbott family.
Last week, Mark Abbott, a representative of the family, presented the medals on loan to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. (Hick Abbott was a cousin of Mark Abbott’s grandfather, George Ira Abbott.)
The medals now are part of a display in the HHOF that honours First World War veterans.
Part of that display is the Abbott Memorial Cup, which is named in honour of Hick Abbott. Originally awarded to Western Canada’s top junior team, it was withdrawn from competition a few years ago.
Also included in the display is Abbott’s homemade identification bracelet that he was wearing when he was felled by a sniper on Aug. 14, 1918.
Mark Abbott presented the medals to Scott Veber, the HHOF’s creative director and curatorial associate, who organized the First World War display. Also on hand were Dave Thomson, who aided in the securing of the medals, and Walter Gretzky.
While the Abbott family worked to secure the medals, Hick Abbott was inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in Regina last summer.
It is believed that, once the HHOF exhibit closes, the Abbott family would like those medals to go on display at the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame.
(If you aren’t aware of Hick Abbott’s story, click right here.)
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F Mário Bližňák (Vancouver, 2005-08) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Plzeň (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, he had two assists in 28 games with Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, KHL). . . .
F Jordan Knackstedt (Red Deer, Moose Jaw, 2004-08) has been traded by Rubin Tyumen (Russia, Vysshaya Liga) to Saryarka Karaganda (Kazakhstan, Vysshaya Liga) for Sergei Shestakov. This season, with Tyumen, Knackstedt had two goals and three assists in 15 games.
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The mumps continues its run through NHL dressing rooms. The latest player to be diagnosed is F Beau Bennett of the Pittsburgh Penguins. . . . Jeff Z. Klein of The New York Times takes a look at the situation right here.
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The WHL’s Christmas trade moratorium is in effect through Dec. 26.
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes have released D Griffin Foulk, 19. Foulk was an eighth-round selection by the Edmonton Oil Kings in the 2010 bantam draft. He never played for Edmonton, but was with the Everett Silvertips and Seattle Thunderbirds. Lethbridge acquired him from Seattle for D Adam Henry in October 2013. . . . Foulk, from Bloomfield, Colo., has 23 points, including six goals, in 153 career regular-season games. . . . The Hurricanes are carrying 25 players, including 15 forwards and eight defencemen.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors have added Brennen Wray to their coaching staff as an assistant under head coach Tim Hunter and alongside Mark O’Leary and goaltender coach Jamie Hodson. . . . Wray, 26, played two-plus seasons with the Warriors (2004-07), putting up 50 points, including 17 goals, in 171 games. . . . A Moose Jaw native, he also played two-plus seasons with the Red Deer Rebels. In 346 regular-season WHL games, he had 122 points, 33 of them goals. . . . He is a graduate of St. Francis Xavier U, where he played for five seasons (2009-14) and earned a chemistry degree.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors have added F Ryan Bowen to their roster for their final two games before the Christmas break. Bowen, 16, is from Chilliwack, B.C., where he plays for the BCHL’s Chiefs. He has 15 points, including six goals, in 31 games. . . . Bowen was a fifth-round pick by the Warriors in the 2013 bantam draft. . . . The Warriors are at home to Lethbridge tonight and in Prince Albert on Wednesday.
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The Kelowna Rockets have added D Braydyn Chizen, 16, to their roster for their last two games before the Christmas break. Chizen, from St. Albert, Alta., was a ninth-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft. The Rockets are in Edmonton tonight and in Red Deer on Wednesday.
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Saturday, November 24, 2012

Here we have Bob Tory, the general manager of the
Tri-City Americans, and rock star Alice Cooper,
the newest member of the team's fan club. You can
figure out who's who, can't you?
The Everett Silvertips have dealt D Griffin Foulk, 17, to the Seattle Thunderbirds for a couple of bantam draft picks. Everett gets a 2014 fourth-round selection and it gets back the sixth-round pick that it gave Seattle for G Daniel Cotton, 18, in October. . . . Put it all together and Everett gets Cotton and a 2014 fourth-rounder for Foulk. . . . Cotton is 6-5-0, 2.77, .914 with Everett. . . . Foulk, from Broomfield, Colo., is pointless in 14 games with Everett this season. Everett had acquired Foulk and a third-round pick from the Edmonton Oil Kings for F Tyler Maxwell, 20, on Nov. 24, 2011. . . .
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JUST NOTES: D Mirco Müller, 17, of the Everett Silvertips is on Switzerland’s roster for the World Junior Championship. The Swiss will play in Group A, along with Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic and Latvia. The Swiss open Dec. 27 against Latvia. . . . F Sean Monahan of the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s has been suspended for 10 games for an elbow to the head of Plymouth Whalers D Colin MacDonald on Sunday. There wasn’t a penalty called on the play. Monahan is expected to be invited to the Canadian national junior team’s selection camp.
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The junior B Kimberley Dynamiters of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League have announced the general manager/head coach Roman Vopat has resigned. . . . Vopat (Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, 1994-96) apparently resigned after being asked to step back from his coaching duties, at least for a bit. . . . Jordan Foreman has stepped in as interim head coach, with help from former Kootenay Ice head coach Kris Knoblauch, who was working as an assistant coach with Vopat. . . . The Dynamiters were 14-9 this season under Vopat. They are 14-11 going into the weekend. . . .
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Former WHLer Victor Gervais (Seattle, 1986-90) has stepped down as head coach of the junior B Westshore Wolves, an expansion team in the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League. He has been replaced by assistant coach Rob Doyle. . . . "Unfortunately, he's got a young family at home and his decision threw us all for a loop," Doyle told the Victoria Times Colonist. "He just walked into the room after our game last week and said, 'This is it.' " . . . The Wolves were 12-10-0 under Gervais.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Kamloops, the Saskatoon Blades erased a 2-0 third-period deficit and beat the Blazers, 3-2. . . . F Nathan Burns broke a 2-2 tie at 18:59 of the third period with his first goal since joining the Blades from the Vancouver Giants. It was Burns’ seventh game with Saskatoon. . . . G Andrey Makarov stopped 41 shots for Saskatoon. . . . Kamloops F Brendan Ranford picked up an assist for his 300th career regular-season point. He is 10th on the Blazers’ all-time scoring list. All of his points have come with the Blazers. The last Kamloops skater to get to 300 points was Hnat Domenichelli in 1995-96. . . . Kamloops was 0-6 on the PP; the Blades were 0-5. . . . Since winning 14 in a row, the Blazers are 3-6-1. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., Malte Strömwall scored 43 seconds into OT to give the Tri-City Americans a 5-4 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Tri-City F Mitch Messier had forced OT with a goal at 19:43 of the third period with G Eric Comrie on the bench for the extra attacker. . . . Comrie, who made 35 stops, had been winless in five career starts against the Chiefs. . . . The Americans also scored in the final minute of the second period, as D Mitch Topping’s goal left his side trailing 3-2 going to the third. . . . Strömwall also had two assists. . . . The Americans have won four in a row. . . . Spokane head coach Don Nachbaur was behind the bench as a WHL head coach for 999th time. He will get to 1,000 tonight when the teams meet in Spokane. It is only fitting that it happen against the Americans because he spent six seasons, and 423 games, as their head coach. . . . Ken Hodge (Edmonton, Portland, 1,411), Ernie McLean (Estevan, New Westminster, 1,067) and Lorne Molleken (Moose Jaw, Regina, Saskatoon, 1,017) are the only other coaches in WHL history to get to 1,000. . . .

In Edmonton, D Griffin Reinhart’s PP goal in the second period was the winner as the Oil Kings dumped the Moose Jaw Warriors, 5-1. . . . Reinhart broke a 1-1 tie. . . . F Henrik Samuelsson and F Dylan Wruck each had two assists for Edmonton. . . . The Oil Kings were 2-for-4 on the PP with their first two goals coming with the man advantage. . . .

In Portland, the Winterhawks got two third-period goals from F Nic Petan and beat the Kootenay Ice, 4-2. . . . Portland F Brendan Leipsic had an empty-net goal and an assist to run his point streak to 12 games. He also has 10 straight multi-point games. . . . The Winterhawks (19-4-1) have won 15 of their last 16 games and are on point behind the Kamloops Blazers (19-6-2) for first in the WHL’s overall standings. . . . Ice G Wyatt Hoflin stopped 45 shots. . . . The Ice led 2-1 until Petan tied it at 11:37 of the third period and then broke the tie at 17:34. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie had two assists. He’s got points in 17 of his last 18 games, with 34 points over that stretch. . . . Petan, who has 15 goals, is riding a seven-game point streak. . . .

In Calgary, F Cody Sylvester scored two goals and set up another as the Hitmen dumped the Medicine Hat Tigers, 4-1. . . . Sylvester drew an assist on the game’s first goal, then scored the next two, giving him 16. . . . F Victor Rask added a goal, his first since returning from the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, and added an assist for Calgary. . . . The Hitmen have won four in a row and nine of 10. . . . Calgary G Chris Driedger, who has won seven in a row, stopped 24 shots. He is 14-3-2. . . .

In Brandon, G Luke Siemens kicked out 18 shots to lead the Prince Albert Raiders to a 6-0 victory over the Wheat Kings. . . . Siemens has two shutouts this season and eight in his career. . . . F Davis Vandane had a goal and two assists for the Raiders. . . . Brandon D Ryley Miller took a kneeing major and game misconduct at 18:35 of the third period. . . . F Carson Perreaux, who is from Brandon, had Prince Albert’s second goal. . . . F Richard Nejezchleb (shoulder) was in Brandon’s lineup for the first time since Oct. 13. . . . Brandon played without F Alessio Bertaggia and D Ryan Pulock, its leading scorers, both of whom have undisclosed injuries. . . . The teams play again tonight, this time in Prince Albert. . . .

In Red Deer, F Matt Bellerive scored the only goal of the circus and the Rebels beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 2-1. . . . The Rebels are 4-0 since owner/president/general manager Brent Sutter took over as interim head coach, replacing Jesse Wallin. . . . Lethbridge is winless in its last five games. . . . F Conner Bleackley of Red Deer forced OT with a goal at 19:11 of the second period. . . . Lethbridge G Ty Rimmer stopped 44 shots. . . .

In Victoria, the Prince George Cougars got two goals from each of Brett Roulston and Ryan Hanes and beat the Royals, 5-4. . . . F Alex Forsberg had three assists for the Cougars. . . . Victoria F Tim Traber missed his fifth straight game with an undisclosed injury. . . . This was the first of four straight meetings between these teams. They’ll play in Victoria again tonight and then twice in Prince George next weekend. . . . The Cougars continue to be without F Troy Bourke. . . .

In Kelowna, F J.T. Barnett came back from a knee injury to score two goals as the Rockets beat the Regina Pats, 5-1. . . . Barnett, 20, came over from the Everett Silvertips during training camp but suffered a knee injury on the first shift of his first game, on Sept 21, and hadn’t played since then. . . . The Rockets had lost their last two games, both in Kennewick, Wash., to the Tri-City Americans. . . . F Myles Bell, a defenceman when he played for the Pats, had three assists. . . . Kelowna has won seven in a row. . . . The Pats went 2-1-2 on their B.C. Division swing, meaning they lost three times in five games but picked up six points.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Victor Rask, Calgary
D Brady Gaudet, Red Deer

CHECKING-T0-THE-HEAD COUNT:
D Joel Edmundson, Edmonton
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From Hockey Business (@HockeyBusiness): “NHL cancelled games thru Dec 14 & All-Star Wknd Jan. 26-27 in Columbus...in other news, fans in Columbus said, "We had the All-Star Game?"
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From Thom Beuning (@ThomBeuning), the radio voice of the Seattle Thunderbirds: “First 9 yrs; ZERO trades between Tbirds & 'Tips. Last 2 months, 2 trades.”


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Wednesday, May 23, 2012

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Jamie Lundmark (Moose Jaw, Seattle, 1998-2001) signed a one-year contract with Klagenfurt (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had eight goals and eight assists in 47 games with Dinamo Riga (Latvia, KHL) this season.
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MAX ADOLPH
In a column that appeared in The Daily News today and also is on this blog, I write about the retirement of Kelowna Rockets F Max Adolph.
Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon Star Phoenix spoke with Adolph on Tuesday and his story is right here.
“Although the Saskatoon native hasn't taken to the ice since suffering his latest concussion in a pre-season contest last September,” Nugent-Bowman writes, “he still can't jump around or move his head suddenly without suffering a headache.
“He won't be permitted to wakeboard at the lake this summer either.”
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Former NFL star running back Eric Dickerson, who is a Hall of Famer, has joined in a lawsuit against the NFL.
Dickerson, according to The Associated Press, is “the lead plaintiff among 15 men named in the suit filed Monday in federal court in Houston. Other plaintiffs include former Minnesota Vikings player John Randle and the estate of Ernie Stautner, a long-time Dallas assistant coach and former player in Pittsburgh.”
This is another lawsuit in a number that have been filed against the NFL over head injuries. Those lawsuits involved more than 1,000 former players.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The Philadelphia Flyers fired Joe Paterson, the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Adirondack Phantoms, on Tuesday. The Phantoms were 37-35-4 this season and didn’t make the playoffs. . . . Patterson took over from interim head coach John Paddock in the middle of last season and was 62-55-8 overall. Paddock had replaced the fired Greg Gilbert early in 2010-11. . . .
Todd Gill, the head coach of the OHL's Kingston Frontenacs, has been named head coach of Canada's under-18 team that will play in the Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament that is , scheduled from Aug. 13-18, 2012 in Piestany, Slovakia, and Breclav, Czech Republic. The assistant coaches will be Yanick Jean of the QMJHL's Victoriaville Tigres and Scott Walker of the OHL's Guelph Storm. Canada has won the Hlinka event each of the last four seasons.
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JUST NOTES:
D Benjamin Gallacher was the fifth overall selection, going to the Green Bay Gamblers, in the USHL‘s entry draft on Tuesday. Gallacher, who turns 20 on Sept. 11, is the son of Portland Winterhawks owner Bill Gallacher. The younger Gallacher has committed to attend Ohio State and play for the Buckeyes. . . .
F Peter Quenneville, a fourth-round selection by the Prince George Cougars in the WHL’s 2009 bantam draft, was taken 13th overall by the Dubuque Fighting Saints. . . .Quenneville, 18, played this season with the AJHL’s Sherwood Park Crusaders and was the league’s MVP. He has committed to Quinnipiac. . . .
In the sixth round, the Fighting Saints took D Matt Benning, who played for the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints. You may recall that Bob Tory, the GM of the Tri-City Americans, acquired Benning’s WHL rights from the Kootenay Ice for a couple of conditional bantam draft picks. That deal was made on Aug. 10. Benning, the son of former NHL/WHL D Brian Benning, never agreed to join the Americans. . . .
D Griffin Foulk, who finished this season with the USHL’s Tri-City Storm, has signed with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips. Foulk, 17, was an eighth-round selection by the Edmonton Oil Kings in the 2010 bantam draft. The Oil Kings dealt Foulk and a 2012 third-round bantam pick to Everett for F Tyler Maxwell, 20, on Nov. 24. . . . Foulk, who is from Broomfield, Colo., began the season with the major midget Colorado Thunderbirds (23-1-2—3) before joining the Storm in January. He had three assists and 26 penalty minutes in 29 games with the Storm. . . . He is represented by Turning Point Sports Management. . . .
The U of Alberta is down to a shortlist of four candidates in its search for a hockey coach. The new head coach of the Golden Bears is likely to be announced early next week. . . . A source told me Tuesday that Kootenay Ice head coach Kris Knoblauch, who attended the U of A and played there, isn't on that short list. . . .
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The Ottawa Senators have signed F Darren Kramer, who played the last two seasons with the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs. Kramer was the Chiefs’ captain last season as he played out his eligibility. Ottawa selected him in the sixth round of the 2011 NHL draft. In 139 regular-season games, he had 54 points and 506 penalty minutes. . . . He led the WHL in fighting majors in each of the last two seasons. Kramer was involved in 26 fights this season, which was 20 fewer than the previous season. . . . He also went from eight to 22 goals, and from 14 to 40 points. . . .
Two former Chiefs stars helped the Norfolk Admirals reach the AHL final on Tuesday night. G Dustin Tokarski stopped 29 shots and F Tyler Johnson scored the game’s second goal as the Admirals blanked the host St. John’s, Nfld., IceCaps, 4-0. The Admirals swept the best-of-seven series and now will play the winner of a series between the Toronto Marlies and Oklahoma City Barons. The Marlies lead that series, 2-1. . . . The Admirals are affiliated with the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning, while the Marlies are with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Barons with the Edmonton Oilers. . . .
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Mendel Dubuisson “represents the first American of Haitian heritage to be drafted by the WHL and could be the first Haitian-American to reach the NHL,” writes Rich Bolas of the West Valley News in Sun City, Ariz. . . . Dubuisson was selected by the Medicine Hat Tigers in the sixth round of the WHL’s 2012 bantam draft.
Bolas’s complete story is right here.
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Chad Jassman used to be Rroary, the Medicine Hat Tigers’ child-loving mascot. That was before he was left a paraplegic after a 2004 car accident. Now he’s an international-calibre wheelchair basketball player. Vicki Hall of the Calgary Herald has his story right here.

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Friday, November 25, 2011

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Oleg Tverdovsky (Brandon, 1994-95) was assigned by Salavat Yulayev Ufa (Russia, KHL) to Toros Neftekamsk (Russia, Vysshaya Liga) after clearing KHL waivers. He has no points in 12 games for Salavat Yulayev this season. . . .
F Dan DaSilva (Portland, 2002-05) was not offered a contract by Biel (Switzerland, NL A) after his four-day tryout ended Thursday. He had one assist in 15 games with Lev Poprad (Slovakia, KHL) earlier this season.
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It would seem that Bob Green, the general manager of the Edmonton Oil Kings, has served notice that he feels his club can contend in the Eastern Conference.
Or he at least wants to serve notice to the other teams that, hey, “We’re in this, too.”
On Thursday, Green surrendered D Griffin Foulk, 16, and a 2012 third-round bantam draft pick in order to acquire F Tyler Maxwell, 20, from the Everett Silvertips.
Maxwell had been sent home to Manhattan Beach, Calif., a couple of weeks ago after asking for a trade.
In 216 games with Everett, Maxwell put up 195 points, including a franchise-record 107 goals.
Maxwell flew from SoCal to Everett on Thursday and will get into Edmonton today. He should arrive in time to play tonight against the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers.
The acquisition of Maxwell dictated another move from the Oil Kings, as that left them 20-year-old over the maximum of three, the others being forwards Josh Lazowski, Jordan Peddle and Rhett Rachinski. They promptly placed Lazowski on waivers. A native of Leduc, Alta., he had eight points in 17 games this season. Last season, he put up 28 points in 32 games.
Meanwhile, Foulk is from Broomfield, Colo. He was an eighth-round selection by Edmonton in the 2010 bantam draft, and has been in each of the Oil Kings’ last two training camps. He is playing a second season of major midget with the Colorado Thunderbirds.
The Oil Kings (13-8-3) go into the weekend in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, where nine of 12 teams have winning percentages above .500.
The Tigers have beaten the Oil Kings twice this season, 5-3 in Edmonton on Sept. 30 and 4-3 in a shootout in Medicine Hat the next night.
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JUST NOTES: D Josh Caron of the Kamloops Blazers drew a three-game suspension for a Wednesday night check to the head of Kootenay Ice F Max Reinhart. . . . D Martin Marincin of the Prince George Cougars will play for Slovakia in the 2012 World Junior Championship. . . . The Victoria Royals have released F Brendan Persley, 18, who had one goal in nine games this season. He missed training camp and the start of the season with mononucleosis. Persley, who had eight points in 43 games last season with the Chilliwack Bruins (hey, remember them?), is from Kelowna.
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There’s a neat story right here from Stephen Whyno of the Washington Times. It involves F Brooks Laich, now of the Washington Capitals, and Dean Chynoweth, now an assistant coach with the New York Islanders. Back then, though, Laich was with the Seattle Thunderbirds and Chynoweth was the head coach.

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