Giants' Osipov traded in KHL . . . Uher gets to NHL . . . WHL webcasts free

D Jakub Čutta (Swift Current, 1998-2001) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Pardubice (Czech Republic, Extraliga). Last season, with Liberec (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he had three goals and four assists in 29 games. He also had one assist in 10 games with SaiPa Lappeenranta (Finland, Liiga). . . .
Amur Khabarovsk (Russia, KHL) has traded the rights to D Dmitri Osipov (Vancouver, 2013-present) to Sochi (Russia, KHL) for F Rafael Akhmetov. Osipov was selected first overall by Khabarovsk in the 2013 KHL junior draft. He was the first overall selection, by Vancouver, in the CHL’s 2013 import draft. . . . This season, with the Giants, Osipov, 18, has a goal and six assists in 33 games.
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F Brendan Woods, the son of Bob Woods, the general manager and head coach of the Saskatoon Blades, made his NHL debut on Tuesday night. Brendan played 6:10 for the Carolina Hurricanes as they beat the host New Jersey Devils, 2-1. . . . Yes, Bob was in attendance. . . . Brendan had one hit and one shot, and was minus-1. . . . He was a fifth-round selection by Carolina, out of the U of Wisconsin, in the 2012 NHL draft. . . . This season, the 6-foot-4, 210-pounder has five goals and three assists in 42 games with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. He was returned to the Checkers following last night‘s game. . . . Brendan now has played one more NHL game than his father, although Bob spent five season as an NHL assistant coach before joining the Blades.
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The Pittsburgh Penguins, with 11 or 12 players out with illness, mostly the mumps, or injuries, recalled F Dominik Uher on Tuesday. He had been with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre Penguins. . . . Uher, who played three seasons with the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs, was selected by the Penguins in the 11th round of the NHL’s 2011 draft. He made his NHL debut last night as the Penguins lost 4-3 to the host Tampa Bay Lightning. . . . Uher played 7:17, including 27 seconds shorthanded, had one hit, and was minus-1. . . . F Tyler Johnson, who played with Uher for two seasons in Spokane, scored three times for Tampa Bay. Johnson has 13 goals this season.
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A note from Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post:
“The best part of the 2014-15 Pats: Win or lose, they play an exciting style. The players are encouraged to be creative. The coaches do not respond punitively if an attempt at a picturesque play is unsuccessful. Head coach John Paddock and his predecessor, Malcolm Cameron, helped to usher in a welcome departure from the chip-and-chase, get-pucks-deep horror.”
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When the WHL resumes play, its Saturday and Sunday webcasts will be free at whl.neulion.com. Use WHLHOLIDAYS as the promo code.
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Rob Friend of Kelowna had a terrific soccer career that included stops in Norway, Germany and The Netherlands. He played this season with the L.A. Galaxy as it won the MLS championship. However, he wasn’t able to play in the championship game. In fact, he had already announced his impending retirement thanks to post-concussion syndrome. . . . Neil Davidson of The Canadian Press has Friend’s story right here.
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There are lists and there are lists, and then there is Rolling Stone’s list of the biggest sports controversies of 2014. Written by Jeb Lund, it is rather scathing, and it is right here.
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Email convo with Kelowna Rockets' owner Bruce Hamilton...on Draisaitl's WHL rights being traded "Nothing going on. All talk. No action."
— John Shannon (@JSportsnet) December 24, 2014

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Warriors make a Point in Prince Albert

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Jakub Cutta (Swift Current, 1998-2001) has signed for the rest of this season with SaiPa Lappeenranta (Finland, Liiga). SaiPa had 12 players out of Thursday's game due to injuries. This season with Liberec (Czech Republic, Extraliga), Cutta had seven points, including three goals, in 29 games. . . .
F Josh Bonar (Kamloops, Vancouver, Regina, 2000-03) signed for the rest of this season with Ertis Pavlodar (Kazakhstan, Vysshaya Liga). This season with Corona Brasov (Romania, MOL Liga), Bonar had 37 points, 12 of them goals, in 27 games.
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According to the numbers, the Victoria Royals are the WHL’s best defensive team.
The Royals go into today’s games having surrendered 137 goals in 56 games (2.45 goals against per game). That puts them inches ahead of the Edmonton Oil Kings (132 against in 53 games, 2.49) and the Kelowna Rockets (138 in 54, 2.55).
“We’re a low-scoring team,” Victoria head coach Dave Lowry said Friday night, moments after his club had finished off a 3-1 victory over the host Kamloops Blazers. “If we want to win, we have to play a certain way. This is the way we have to play . . .”
Last season, 14 of the WHL’s 22 teams allowed fewer goals than did the Royals, who finished 35-30-7 and then lost a six-game first-round series to Kamloops.
This season, 11 teams have scored more goals than have the Royals, but few defend as well.
“We pay a lot of attention to” playing defence, Lowry added. Chat with him for a bit and he talks, like a lot of NHL coaches, about the importance of blocked shots and how plays like that can “lift your bench.”
He also talks of how “we still consider ourselves to be a young team . . . we have to be patient.”
The Royals are carrying two 1997-born skaters, in F Tyler Soy and D Chaz Reddekopp, and six born in 1996. Soy was terrific and scored the shorthanded game-winner in Kamloops last night.
Before last night’s game, assistant coach Enio Sacilotto, when asked about a commitment to defence and how it came about, talked about how much video work the coaches and players have done. He also mentioned hard work on the ice, preaching by the coaches and the importance of early-season success which really helped in terms of the players buying into the program.
Sacilotto mentioned one other thing, too. That would be goaltending.
Coleman Vollrath, 18, who has made four straight starts in the absence of the injured Patrick Polivka, 19, is 16-5-2, 2.09, .936. Polivka, who played in six games in January but hasn’t played since Jan. 31, is 20-11-2, 2.56, .918.
Lowry said that Polivka, who was injured in practice, should return next week. His return should set up the Royals nicely for the stretch run.
In the meantime, Vollrath is expected to be back in goal tonight as the Royals face a stiff test against the Rockets in Kelowna. The matchup is interesting as the Royals are 3-2-1 against the Rockets this season, including 2-0-0 in Kelowna -- 4-3 in a shootout on Sept. 28 and 4-1 on Nov. 20.
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Once upon a time, the Tri-City Americans played an exhibition game in which it used two goaltenders, both of whom will play for Canada at the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. Carey Price started that exhibition game and Shannon Szabados finished up. Price now is with the Canadian men’s team and Szabados with the Canadian women’s team. Eric Duhatschek of The Globe and Mail has more right here.
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Freelance writer Scott Sepich has a terrific story in The Oregonian on the relationship between U.S. Olympic hockey player Lyndsey Fry and F Dominic Turgeon of the Portland Winterhawks. That story is right here.
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Stan Mikita, one of hockey’s all-time greats, has been diagnosed with short-term memory loss. Mikita, 74, “says he does not want to investigate the root cause of the memory loss,” writes Peggy Kusinski of nbcchicago.com. . . . That story is right here.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings CKLQ Sportsman’s Dinner was held Thursday night. . . . Yes, it was sold out. . . . Held to benefit the Wheat Kings’ scholarship fund, it featured Bryan Trottier, Gord Stellick of Sportsnet and comedian Andrew Grose. . . . It also featured a whole lot of memorabilia, all of it up for grabs. . . . An autographed Steven Stamkos jersey went for $1,100, while a Jordan Eberle-autographed Titleist bag brought in $1,050 and an autographed Matt Calvert sweater sold for $1,000. . . . When it was all over, the Wheat Kings issued a news release that included this interesting gem on the first Sportsman’s Dinner (May 2, 1959): “Guest speakers that night were pitcher Lefty Gomez, Father Athol Murray and former Chicago Blackhawks great Bill Mosienko.”
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If you are a regular here, you will know that the Lethbridge Hurricanes held a shareholders’ meeting on Thursday night. . . . Dylan Purcell of the Lethbridge Herald has his look at that meeting right here.
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The Vancouver Giants have signed F Johnny Wesley, 16, who is playing with the junior B Richmond Sockeyes of the Pacific International junior league. Wesley, who was listed by the Giants last year, has 48 points, including 22 goals, in 40 games with he Sockeyes. . . . On Thursday, the BCHL's Langley Rivermen announced that Wesley had agreed to play for them next season.
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SATURDAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
Swift Current at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Saskatoon at Regina, 7 p.m.
Lethbridge at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
Calgary at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Everett at Portland, 7 p.m.
Red Deer at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
Victoria at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
Spokane at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Lethbridge, F Tim Bozon scored three times and added an assist as the Kootenay Ice dumped the Hurricanes, 8-1. . . . Bozon has 26 goals, with 14 of those coming in his last 14 games. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart had a goal, his 26th, and two assists as he ran his point streak to 12 games. . . . The Ice, winner of four straight, also got two goals and an assist from F Luke Philp, who has 22 goals, and a goal and two helpers from F Jaedon Descheneau, who has 35 goals. . . . Lethbridge G Teagan Sacher got into action for the first time since being injured on Dec. 28. He came on in relief of Jonny Hogue and stopped 23 of 28 shots over the last two periods. . . . Ice G Mackenzie Skapski turned aside 23 shots. . . . The same teams meet tonight in Cranbrook, which may explain the late-game scraps last night. . . . Kootenay (29-21-4), 8-1-1 in its last 10, is fifth in the Eastern Conference, five points behind the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . .

In Brandon, F Tim McGauley scored twice to help the Wheat Kings to an 8-1 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . He's got 15 goals. . . . Brandon scored the game's last six goals. . . . F John Quenneville was back in Brandon's lineup after sitting for six games with an undisclosed injury. He had a goal, his 22nd, and an assist. His brother, Peter, drew three assists. . . . F Jayce Hawryluk added a goal, his 17th, and two assists for Brandon. . . . Broncos F Graham Black got his 27th goal. . . . Brandon was 4-for-9 on the pp; the Broncos were 1-for-3. . . . Referees Nathan Wieler and Chris Crich handed out 128 penalty minutes, 75 to the Broncos. Of that total, 104 came at 17:00 of the third period when nine misconducts were doled out. . . . The Broncos have lost three in a row. . . . The Wheat Kings (28-20-6) now have sole possession of first place in the East Division, two points ahead of the Broncos (26-21-8). The East Division champ will be the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference when the playoffs open. . . .

In Saskatoon, F Dylan Bredo had a goal and two assists as the Medicine Hat Tigers beat the Blades, 5-2. . . . The Tigers swept the four-game season series from the Blades. . . . Bredo has three goals this season. He scored into an empty-net to give the Tigers a 4-2 lead. . . . Tigers F Curtis Valk ran his point streak to 13 games with an assist. That is the longest ongoing streak in the WHL at present. . . . Tigers F Cole Sanford broke a 1-1 tie at 8:07 of the first period, his 26th goal coming via the PP. . . . Tigers F Anthony Ast made it 3-1 with his ninth, shorthanded, at 11:40 and the visitors were never headed. . . . The Blades remain without F Nikita Scherback, the WHL’s leading freshman scorer. He has an undisclosed injury. . . . Medicine Hat (32-19-3) has won three in a row and is fourth in the Eastern Conference, seven points behind the Calgary Hitmen and five ahead of Kootenay. . . .

In Prince Albert, the Moose Jaw Warriors ended their nine-game losing streak with a 7-1 victory over the Raiders. . . . F Brayden Point had three goals and three assists to lead the Warriors to their fifth victory in six meetings with the Raiders. . . . According to Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald, the last Moose Jaw skater with a six-point game was Steven Gillen, who had seven against the Swift Current Broncos on Jan. 28, 2007. . . . Point has 25 goals this season. In 53 games, he now has 58 points. Last season, he finished with 57 points, including 24 goals, in 67 games. . . . Interestingly, only seven Warriors had at least a point last night. . . . The Warriors had scored a total of seven goals over their previous five games. . . . Moose Jaw G Justin Paulic stopped 39 shots. . . . The Warriors scratched F Colton McCarthy, F Sam Fioretti, F Brandon Potomak and D Jesse Forsberg. Fioretti was serving a suspension; the others are injured. . . . With Fioretti and Forsberg out, the Warriors didn’t dress any 20-year-olds. . . . The Raiders (24-26-3) are seven points out of a playoff spot with 19 games remaining. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., the Portland Winterhawks scored three times in a span of 1:22 in the first period and went on to beat the Tri-City Americans, 10-3, as they ran their winning streak to 11 games. . . . Portland also won 11 in a row from Oct. 12 through Nov. 2. . . . Portland D Josh Hanson, who was plus-5, had a career-high three assists as 17 of 18 skaters picked up at least one point. . . . Portland G Brendan Burke stopped 29 shots in winning for the 30th time this season. He had a shutout going until midway in the third period when his shutout streak ended at 174 minutes 57 seconds. . . . Portland got two goals from each of Nic Petan, who has 28, and F Alex Schoenborn, who has 13. . . . Petan now has 89 points, just three behind Spokane Chiefs F Mitch Holmberg, who leads the WHL. . . . Portland F Oliver Bjorkstrand scored his 38th goal and added two assists. He has scored in five straight games, the second time he’s done that this season. . . . The Winterhawks were 3-for-4 on the PP. . . . Portland (37-12-5) leads the U.S. Division by four points over the Seattle Thunderbirds. Portland has two games in hand. . . . The Americans (26-23-5) are eighth in the Western Conference, four points ahead of the Prince George Cougars. . . .

In Kent, Wash., G Taran Kozun shut out Spokane for the third straight game as the Thunderbirds beat the Chiefs, 4-0. . . . Kozun stopped 35 shots and also drew an assist on the game’s first goal when F Mathew Barzal scored off an end-to-end rush. Barzal also had two assists. Barzal, the first overall pick in the 2012 bantam draft, has 42 points, including 10 goals, in 43 games. He has seven points, two of them goals, in his last three games. . . . Since being acquired from the Kamloops Blazers at the trade deadline, Kozun is 9-1-0 with four shutouts. He has a 1.18 GAA and a .962 save percentage. . . . Kozun also leads all goaltenders with four assists. . . . In seven games versus Spokane this season, the Thunderbirds are 7-0 with a 29-9 edge in goals. . . . Spokane has gone 197:23 without scoring against the Thunderbirds. The Chiefs have been blanked five times in their last 12 games. . . . Seattle scored its first three goals via the PP as it went 3-for-4 with the man advantage. . . . Barzal scored his 10th goal at 6:29 of the second period, with F Brendan Troock getting his 21st at 12:14 and F Ryan Gropp adding his 14th just 53 seconds later. . . . Gropp added another goal at 6:38 of the third period. . . . Seattle has won three in a row; the Chiefs have dropped four straight. . . . Seattle (35-16-5) is fourth in the Western Conference, one point behind the Victoria Royals and eight clear of the Chiefs (31-18-5). . . . Spokane is four points ahead of the Vancouver Giants. . . .

In Vancouver, G Chris Driedger turned aside 44 shots to lead the Calgary Hitmen to a 5-0 victory over the Giants. . . . According to WHL Facts (@WHLFacts) that is the most saves by a goaltender recording a shutout this season. . . . It was Driedger’s third shutout this season and the eighth of his career. . . . Calgary F Brady Brassart got the game’s first goal, his 25th, at 12:01 of the first period. He has scored in five straight games for a second time this season. . . . F Adam Tambellini scored twice, giving him seven in 14 games. He has 17 points since joining the Hitmen from the U of North Dakota. . . . Calgary was 3-for-5 on the PP; the Giants were 0-for-9. . . . The Giants remain without D Dalton Thrower, their 20-year-old captain, who has an ankle injury. . . . Vancouver (27-20-9) is sixth in the Western Conference, three points ahead of the idle Everett Silvertips, who hold two games in hand. . . .

In Prince George, F Todd Fiddler scored twice and set up another as the Cougars ran their winning streak to five games with a 5-3 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Fiddler broke a 2-2 tie with his 33rd goal of the season at 4:37 of the second period. He later added No. 34 into an empty net. . . . Prince George G Adam Beukeboom stopped 46 shots, nine more than Red Deer’s Patrik Bartosak. . . . F Presten Kopeck had a goal, his 10th, and an assist for the Rebels. He’s got 15 points, including six goals, in 15 games since moving over from the Portland Winterhawks in a January deal. . . . Red Deer now has lost five straight. . . . The Cougars haven’t enjoyed a five-game winning streak since December 2005. . . . Prince George (23-26-7) is four points behind Tri-City, which holds down the Western Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . Red Deer (27-24-4) is eighth in the Eastern Conference, a point behind the Regina Pats and seven ahead of Prince Albert. . . .

In Kelowna, F Mitch Moroz scored the only goal of the shootout to give the Edmonton Oil Kings a 3-2 victory over the Rockets. . . . The game matched the WHL’s conference leaders, with the Oil Kings skating to their 10th straight victory. . . . Edmonton now is 8-10 in road games played in the B.C. Division. . . . F Myles Bell got the Rockets on the board with his 36th goal, via the PP, at 4:08 of the first period. . . . Edmonton took the lead on goals by F Cole Benson, his fourth, at 8:12 of the first, and F Brett Pollock, his 20th, via the PP, at 5:54 of the second. . . . Kelowna F Carter Rigby forced OT with his 14th goal at 17:42 of the second. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry (34-11-1, 2.27, .913) stopped 26 shots, one more than Kelowna’s Jordan Cooke (30-4-4, 2.39, .918). . . . Each team was 1-for-6 on the PP. . . . The Rockets came awfully close to winning this game in OT. From an Oil Kings’ news release: “The result could have (gone) the other way as Ryan Olsen broke in alone on Jarry with 4.6 seconds left in overtime. His breakaway chance was stopped by Jarry’s pad but bounced off his own skate and back between Jarry’s legs where it disappeared before slipping out the side of the goal as the net was knocked off. After a lengthy review, the original no-goal call was upheld.” . . . Edmonton (39-13-1) leads the Central Division by five points over Calgary. . . . Kelowna (43-7-4) is atop the overall standings, 11 points up on Edmonton and Portland. . . .

In Kamloops, F Tyler Soy broke a 1-1 tie with a shorthanded goal at 1:29 of the third period and the Victoria Royals went on to beat the Blazers, 3-1. . . . Soy, the eighth overall selection in the 2012 bantam draft, has 11 goals this season; that was his first shorthanded effort. . . . Victoria has points in its last eight games (6-0-2). . . . The Royals won for the 36th time this season, breaking the franchise record set last season. This also was their 17th road victory, breaking the franchise record set in 2009-10. . . . Victoria has 76 points, one shy of the franchise record set last season. . . . The Royals are 5-1-0 against Kamloops this season, with a 26-9 edge in goals. . . . F Brandon Magee scored his 20th goal for Victoria. He’s got at least 20 goals in each of the last three seasons. . . . Victoria G Coleman Vollrath turned aside 36 shots. He’s 16-5-2, 2.09, .936 this season and has played extremely well in the recent absence of Patrik Polivka, who is out with an undisclosed injury. . . . Kamloops has lost eight in a row. . . . The Blazers added D Cam Reagan, 16, to their roster for last night’s game. He also will play tonight against the visiting Calgary Hitmen. . . . Kamloops was without D Sam Grist (one-game WHL suspension) and five injured players -- D Connor Clouston, F Luke Harrison, G Justin Myles, F Matt Needham and F Tyson Ness. . . . The Royals (36-16-4) are third in the Western Conference, a point ahead of Seattle. . . . Prior to the game, the WHL honoured Dennis Coates, a longtime director with the Kamloops Blazers Sports Society and a former alternate governor, with one of its distinguished service awards.
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From Dan Russell (@DanRussellST): “Feast or famine tonight in the WHL. Four teams scored 7 goals or more while six teams scored 1 goal or less.”


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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Carsen Germyn (Kelowna, Red Deer, 1998-2003) signed a two-year contract extension with the Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL). He had 14 goals and 25 assists in 49 games for the Tigers last season. This contract extension is in addition to the one-year extension Germyn signed in April. He now is under contract with Straubing through the 2014-15 season. . . .
F Jakub Sindel (Brandon, 2004-05) signed a one-year contract with Fassa (Italy, Serie A). Sindel played 46 games with four clubs in three leagues last season. He started with Kloten (Switzerland, NL A) (five games, two assists, one broken jaw), moved to Dinamo Riga (Latvia, KHL) (21 games, one goal), then made his way to Finland, playing 11 games with Kärpät Oulu (SM-Liiga) (three assists) and nine games with Ässät Pori (SM-Liiga) (no points). . . .
D Jakub Cutta (Swift Current, 1998-2000) signed a contract through Nov. 4 with Liberec (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had two goals and five assists in 33 games with Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic, Extraliga) last season. . . .
F Bandon Campos (Everett, Chilliwack, 2006-08) signed a one-year contract with The Hague (Netherlands, Eredivisie). Campos had 14 goals and 34 assists in 60 games with the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees (CHL) last season. . . .
F Jordan Knackstedt (Red Deer, Moose Jaw, 2004-08) signed a one-year contract with Tingsryd (Sweden, Allsvenskan). He had 18 goals and 35 assists in 42 games with Bolzano (Italy, Serie A) last season, leading the team in scoring and to the Italian championship. . . .
F Jaroslav Kristek (Tri-City, 1998-2000) signed a one-year contract with Neman Grodno (Belarus, Ekstraliga). He had 10 goals and six assists in 39 games with Lev Poprad (Slovakia, KHL) and one goal and one assist in 11 games while on loan to Kosice (Slovakia, Extraliga).
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You wonder if it’s the canary in the WHL’s coal mine.
James Shewaga, the sports editor of the Brandon Sun, has a column in today’s newspaper that looks at the Wheat Kings’ season-ticket numbers to this point.
As he wrote the piece on Thursday, the Wheat Kings had sold 2,284 season tickets. Last season, they had 2,973 season-ticket holders. Do the math and you realize that they are down 689.
Kelly McCrimmon, the Wheat Kings’ owner and general manager, told Shewaga that “at this point, I’m not concerned.”
McCrimmon also said that if they don’t get to 3,000 season tickets, “I would be very disappointed.”
And he should be disappointed because the Wheat Kings have iced a competitive product for a number of years now, and this season promises to be no different.
Later in the column, a quote from McCrimmon practically jumped off the computer screen.
“The reality in the Western Hockey League,” McCrimmon told Shewaga, “is expenses are growing at a much higher rate than our revenues, and that’s a fact.”
Think about that for a moment.
If you’re in business and your expenses are out-pacing your revenues, you are in a spot of trouble. And if you aren’t able to turn the tide, you soon are out of business.
While there are WHL teams out there that are believed to be making a goodly pile of money, there are others that aren’t.
The Lethbridge Hurricanes have lost more than $1 million over the last two seasons, including $602,000 in 2011-12.
The Swift Current Broncos have lost in the neighbourhood of $800,000 on their hockey operation in each of the last two seasons. For 2010-11, that number was $882,587. However, off-ice fund-raising, along with corporate sponsorship and suites, left the deficit at $197,226.
For 2009-10, the loss suffered by the hockey operation was $820,688. However, again, money from such things as corporate sponsorships, suites and the World Junior Championship cut the overall deficit to $58,927.
How long will those teams be able to continue to work as hard as they do just to survive?
Or will the WHL have to implement some form of revenue sharing just to enable some of its franchises to survive?
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There was some movement on the WHL’s 20-year-old front on Thursday.
The Kelowna Rockets added two 20s to their lineup, acquiring F Dylen McKinlay from the Kootenay Ice and claiming J.T. Burnett off waivers from the Everett Silvertips.
The Rockets gave up a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft for McKinlay.
McKinlay had 39 points, including 15 goals, and 37 penalty minutes in 66 games with the Ice last season. Before that, he played three seasons with Chilliwack Bruins.
Barnett was dealt by the Kamloops Blazers to Everett early last season, but got into only 20 regular-season games with the Silvertips thanks to a knee injury. He had 12 points in those 20 games and later returned in the playoffs.
The Rockets went into the day with one 20-year-old on their roster — D Mitchell Chapman — and finished with three.
When all was said and done, the Ice was left with four 20-year-olds — F Drew Czerwonka, D Joey Leach, F Brock Montgomery and F Elgin Pearce.
Everett’s roster features three 20s — F Cody Fowlie, F Ryan Harrison and D Landon Oslanski, the latter having been claimed off waivers from the Lethbridge Hurricanes last month. Harrison is back skating after being out with mononucleosis. He will miss the first four games of the regular season with a supension left over from last season.
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The Victoria Royals have dealt D Kade Pilton, 18, to the Regina Pats for F Demico Hannoun, 17, and a conditional third-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft. . . . Pilton had 13 points and 52 penalty minutes in 43 games with the Royals last season. The 6-foot-5, 186-pounder was a second-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft. . . . Pilton was selected by the Chilliwack Bruins in the second round of the 2009 bantam draft. Regina head coach Pat Conacher was an assistant coach with the Bruins in 2010-11 so has some familiarity with Pilton. . . . Hannoun played last season with the BCHL’s Surrey Eagles, putting up 26 points in 49 games. Regina selected him in the ninth round of the 2010 bantam draft.
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JUST NOTES: The Medicine Hat Tigers have assigned F Rhyse Dieno, 19, to the SJHL’s La Ronge IceWolves. He had 11 points in 50 games with the Tigers last season. . . . F Kohl Baum of the Everett Silvertips, who had off-season shoulder surgery, is expected to see some game action this weekend. . . . D Mathew Dumba of the Red Deer Rebels has a walking boot on one foot after suffering a sprained ankle in practice this week. The Rebels expect him to be ready to start the season next weekend. . . . The Saskatoon Blades will hold out as many as six players from games this weekend. F Ryan Graham (back), F Shane McGolgan (knee), G Alex Moodie (hamstring) and D Dalton Thrower (groin) won’t play, while F Matej Stransky (foot) and F Lukas Sutter (shoulder) also are hurting. . . .
D Christos Zinis, an eighth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft, has signed with the Moose Jaw Warriors. Zinis, from Broomfield, Colo., played last season with the major bantam Colorado Thunderbirds. News of his signing was tweeted by Turning Point Sports Management. . . . It turns out that the Red Deer Rebels surrendered a fifth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft for F Wyatt Johnson, 17, who had been in camp with the Vancouver Giants. . . . F Colton Sissons of the Kelowna Rockets has signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the NHL’s Nashville Predators. Sissons, 19, was a second-round pick by the Predators in the NHL’s 2012 draft. He had 41 points, including 26 goals, in 58 games with the Rockets last season. . . . F Connor Rankin of the Tri-City Americans is expected to sit out this weekend after taking a stick to the mouth last weekend. He lost one tooth and ended up needing caps on three others.
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F Tyler Redenbach, who won the WHL’s 2003-04 scoring title while with the Swift Current Broncos, got his SM-liiga season off to quite a start Thursday as he helped HIFK to a 7-3 victory over Jokerit. Redenbach drew four assists in the victory, with linemate Ville Peltonen scoring three times and adding an assist.
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Ken Dryden has worked in the NHL as a player and a front-office guy. In the latter role, as president of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Dryden was involved in high-level meetings during which he would have watched NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in action. Today’s Globe and Mail contains this piece, written by Dryden, that pretty much sums up the state of the NHL today.


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Bartley gets deal with Preds

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Jordan Krestanovich (Calgary, 1997-2001) signed a one-year contract extension with Braehead Clan Glasgow (Scotland, UK Elite). He had 16 goals and 34 assists in 43 games for the Clan this season. . . .
D Robby Sandrock (Spokane, Swift Current, Medicine Hat, Kelowna, 1994-99) and F Jonathan Filewich (Prince George, Lethbridge, 1999-2005) signed one-year contract extensions with Medvescak Zagreb (Croatia, Austria Erste Bank Liga). Sandrock had 11 goals and 13 assists in 50 games, while Filewich had 13 goals and 10 assists in 44 games for Zagreb this season. . . .
D Jakub Cutta (Swift Current, 1998-2001) signed a one-year contract with Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had three goals and eight assists in 49 games with Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic, Extraliga) this season. . . .
F Daniel Bohac (Spokane, 1998-2000) signed a two-year-plus-option contract with Slovan Usti nad Labem (Czech Republic, 1.Liga). He had nine goals and 10 assists in 52 games with Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic, Extraliga) this season. . . .
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VICTOR BARTLEY

MORE FROM THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Victor Bartley (Kamloops, Regina, 2003-09) has signed a two-year, two-way contract with the NHL’s Nashville Predators.
According to a Malmö hockey blog:
“Djurgården confirmed that it loses Vic Bartley to the NHL, nothing is official. But tonight, Vic Bartley himself confirms it to MrMadhawk.se. ‘I don't know how you always know my club address,’ laughs Vic. ‘But the deal is now entirely done and I have signed a two-year contract with Nashville and it is a two-way contract.’ ”
From Djurgården's website:
“D-man Victor Bartley leaves Djurgården to play in the NHL — without having played a game with the club. Djurgarden earlier signed a contract with Rögle defenseman Victor Bartley. NHL clubs showed an interest in the Canadian and Bartley has now informed Djurgarden that he will sign with an NHL club in the near future. The agreement between the NHL and Swedish hockey gives NHL clubs the right to solicit even contracted players within certain time limits, as used in this case. ‘We were very pleased with the recruitment of Victor Bartley, but we have to accept the rules of the game and there is nothing we can do to prevent this. This changes the requirements of our defense and now we wonder how we can remedy the situation,’ said Djurgården Hockey's general manager Janne Järlefelt.”
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The Los Angeles Kings have signed F Linden Vey of the Medicine Hat Tigers to a three-year NHL contract. Vey, who won the WHL’s scoring race this season, was a fourth-round selection in the NHL’s 2009 draft. He had 116 points, including 46 goals, as he won the scoring crown in his fourth season with the Tigers. He added 25 points, 12 of them goals, in 15 playoff games.
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The Prince Albert Raiders held a membership meeting last week and Drew Wilson, the team’s play-by-play voice, was there. His report, from paNOW.com, is right here. Of particular interest is that the organization has a $2 million budget for next season with a projected profit of $30,318.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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