Giants sign veteran trainer ... Brandon d-man tears Achilles ... T-Birds sign first pick

The Vancouver Giants have hired Mike Burnstein, a former NHL trainer, to fill the athletic trainer’s role in their organization. . . . Burnstein worked for the Vancouver Canucks for 20 years, a span covering almost 1,600 games, from 1995-2015. He was fired by the Canucks two years ago. He also has worked for Hockey Canada (four World Hockey Championships, the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and the 2015 Spengler Cup). Last fall, he was the athletic trainer for Team Europe at the World Cup of Hockey. . . . With the Giants, Burnstein replaces Nick Murray, who spent six seasons there. He now is the head athletic therapist at Douglas College in New Westminster, B.C.

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There doesn’t seem much doubt but that F Klim Kostin is one of the most dynamic players available in next weekend’s NHL draft. The 6-foot-0, 207-pound Kostin played last season with the KHL’s Dynamo Moscow, although his season was shortened by shoulder surgery in January. . . . A year ago, the WHL’s Kootenay Ice selected him with the first pick in the CHL’s import draft. Obviously, he never reported to the Ice, which has finished with the WHL’s poorest record each of the past two seasons. . . . This season, because he will be drafted out of Russia, he will be eligible to play in the NHL, the AHL or the CHL, or he could choose to return to Russia. However, he told Joe Yerdon of NHL.com that he is not interested in playing for the Ice. . . . Through an interpreter, he told Yerdon: “I’d like to play for] a team that has some older players that are very strong players, those that can teach me a little bit more and I can benefit from their wisdom and skill.” . . . That story is right here.

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D James Shearer of the Brandon Wheat Kings has torn his right Achilles tendon and will be out until at least some time in October. Perry Bergson of the Brandon Sun reports that Shearer, who is entering his 20-year-old season, was injured on May 31 during an off-season workout. “I heard a pop, kind of like a chip bag being popped open and I couldn’t really put any pressure on it," Shearer told Bergson. "I immediately grabbed the back of my Achilles and was half standing and half crouching. As soon as I heard it, people had told me what it sounded like, so I knew what had happened and knew my fate at that point.” . . . Shearer has since had surgery and now has his right foot in a walking boot and is using crutches. . . . He is one of four 20s on Brandon’s roster, along with G Logan Thompson, D Kade Jensen and F Neyer Nell. . . . Bergson’s complete story is right here.

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The Seattle Thunderbirds have signed F Payton Mount, who was the 19th overall selection in the WHL’s 2017 bantam draft. From Victoria, he had 30 goals and 37 assists in 30 games with the Delta Hockey Academy’s bantam prep team last season. . . . The WHL’s 22 teams now have signed all but six of the first-round picks from the 2017 bantam draft.

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The Kamloops Blazers have signed G Dylan Garand, who was a third-round selection in the WHL’s 2017 bantam draft. The Blazers didn’t have a second-round pick, so Garand was their second selection, following F Josh Pillar, who signed on Monday. . . . Garand, from Victoria, is expected to play in 2017-18 with the Delta Hockey Academy midget prep team. Last season, he was 13-0-0, 1.15, .959 with Delta’s bantam prep Green team.

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F Tyler Sandhu, who captained the Tri-City Americans last season, will attend UBC and play for the Thunderbirds in 2017-18. Sandhu, from Richmond, B.C., played out his junior eligibility last season. . . . In 318 career WHL games, he had 90 goals and 138 assists. He also played with the Everett Silvertips and Red Deer Rebels. Last season, with the Americans, he had single-season highs of 23 goals and 60 assists in 72 games.

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The OHL’s Ottawa 67’s, who are preparing for their 50th anniversary season, have hired James Boyd as their new general manager and André Tourigny as vice-president of hockey operations and head coach. . . . Boyd spent last season as the GM of the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads, who reached the league’s championship series. He was with the Steelheads for six seasons, the first five as GM and head coach. . . . Tourigny was the head coach of the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads last season and leaves despite having four years left on his contract. He wanted to be closer to family in Ottawa. Prior to that, he was GM/head coach of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies from 2002-13. He also worked as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Ottawa Senators in 2015-16 after spending two seasons in the same role with the Colorado Avalanche. . . . Boyd and Tourigny take over from Jeff Brown, who resigned as GM/head coach on April 25.

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Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet filed his 30 Thoughts piece over the weekend and, as usual, it is highly readable. Well down into the column, Friedman writes about John Spoltore, who was a smallish forward who really new his way around the offensive end of the ice.

Spoltore really made a name for himself with the ECHL’s Louisiana IceGators, where he became a real fan favourite. But he did get a moment in the AHL’s sun when he helped the Providence Bruins win an AHL title in 1999. The Bruins’ head coach was Peter Laviolette, now the head coach of the NHL’s Nashville Predators.

Spoltore was diagnosed with brain cancer in March 2010 and died shortly afterwards.

Former WHLer Louis Dumont played with Spoltore on the IceGators and later was the team’s general manager.

Dumont told Taking Note that “the owner of the IceGators for the last six seasons bought the team because of his friendship with John and his love of the IceGators. The company name of the IceGators was JS Hockey Ventures DBA Louisiana IceGators. The JS being the initials of Spoltore.  Spotty's hockey IQ, vision and ability to execute was high NHL quality.”

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BTW, if you want to contact me with some information or just feel like commenting on something, you may email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

I’m also on Twitter (@gdrinnan).

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It's a great day, Joey's a champ! In his 1st year as a pro our former captain, @Hicksy_2, & @griffinshockey have captured the #CalderCup! pic.twitter.com/nzoySfIipU

— Victoria Royals (@victoriaroyals) June 14, 2017

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Hay closing on 700 victories . . . Shearer wins it for Wheaties . . . Americans sweep Chiefs

As we head into 2017, here’s a look at the number of regular-season victories for each of the WHL’s 22 head coaches:

Don Hay, Kamloops 698

Don Nachbaur, Spokane 680

Mike Williamson, Tri-City 515

Brent Sutter, Red Deer 428

Marc Habscheid, Prince Albert 411

Kevin Constantine, Everett 307

Shaun Clouston, Medicine Hat 296

Mike Johnston, Portland 252

Dave Lowry, Victoria 243

Steve Konowalchuk, Seattle 192

Mark French, Calgary 101

John Paddock, Regina 97

Tim Hunter, Moose Jaw 84

Steve Hamilton, Edmonton 82

Brent Kisio, Lethbridge 64

Richard Matvichuk, Prince George 27

David Anning, Brandon, 27

Jason Smith, Kelowna 23

Emanuel Viveiros, Swift Current 20

Luke Pierce, Kootenay 20

Jason McKee, Vancouver 14

Dean Brockman, Saskatoon 14

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SATURDAY’S GAMES:

At Kamloops, the Victoria Royals scored the game’s first six goals as they beat the Blazers, 6-1. . . .

CHAZ REDDEKOPP

Victoria got goals from six different players. . . . The Royals took control as F Matt Phillips got No. 26 at 17:31 of the first period and F Regan Nagy (11) counted 42 seconds into the second period. . . . F Tyler Soy added his 16th, shorthanded, at 11:09, with Jack Walker scoring his 20th, at 14:04. . . . F Dante Hannoun (15) made it 5-0 at 1:00 of the third period, with F Ethan Price (3) making it 6-0 at 13:03. . . . Kamloops F Nick Chyzowski scored his 10th goal at 18:47 of the third. . . . The Royals got two assists from F Vladimir Bobylev, with Walker, Phillips, Soy and Nagy each adding one. . . . Victoria D Chaz Reddekopp drew one assist, running his point streak to 11 games. He has four goals and 10 assists during that stretch. . . . G Griffen Outhouse blocked 30 shots to earn the victory. . . . Kamloops starter Dylan Ferguson gave up five goals on 36 shots in 41:00. Max Palaga finished up, surrendering one goal on seven shots in 18:59 in his regular-season debut. . . . The Blazers were 0-2 on the PP; the Royals were 0-3. . . . Victoria (21-15-4) has points in five straight (4-0-1). . . . The Blazers (23-15-2) had won their previous two games. . . . Announced attendance: 4,648.

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At Moose Jaw, D James Shearer’s PP goal in OT gave the Brandon Wheat Kings a 2-1 victory over the

JAMES SHEARER

Warriors. . . . Shearer scored his fifth goal at 2:40 of extra time. . . . F Noah Gregor (20) had given Moose Jaw a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 11:08 of the third period. . . . Brandon tied it when F Stelio Mattheos scored his 13th goal, on a PP, at 18:31 with G Jordan Papirny on the bench for the extra attacker. . . . F Ty Lewis had two assists for Brandon. . . . Wheat Kings F Reid Duke, who scored in OT to give host Brandon a 4-3 victory over Moose Jaw on Friday, drew an assist on Shearer’s goal. . . . Last night, the goaltenders stole the show, as they combined for 71 saves. . . . Papirny finished with 35 saves, one fewer than Moose Jaw’s Zach Sawchenko. . . . Brandon was 2-6 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 1-6. . . . Brandon was without F Connor Gutenberg and F Meyer Nell, both of whom left with undisclosed injuries during Friday’s first period. . . . The Wheat Kings (18-15-4) have won three in a row — one in a shootout and two in OT. . . . The Warriors (21-9-7) have points in three straight (1-0-2). . . . Announced attendance: 3,307.

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At Portland, F Luke Ormsby broke a 2-2 tie at 10:22 of the third period as the Seattle Thunderbirds got

LUKE ORMSBY

past the Winterhawks, 3-2. . . . Portland F Ryan Hughes gave his guys a 1-0 lead with his 14th goal, at 14:38 of the first period. . . . Seattle F Scott Eansor (18) tied it, shorthanded, at 11:50 of the second period. . . . F Cody Glass (20) got that one back for Portland, at 16:42. . . . Seattle pulled even when F Zack Andrusiak (4) scored at 5:26 of the third period. . . . Ormsby, who had an assist on Andrusiak’s goal, won it with his second goal of the season. . . . Andrusiak drew an assist on the winner. . . . Seattle G Rylan Toth stopped 20 shots, 10 fewer than Portland’s Cole Kehler. . . . Seattle was 0-4 on the PP; Portland was 0-5. . . . The Thunderbirds (19-14-4) had lost their previous two games (0-1-1). . . . The Winterhawks (21-18-1) had won their last two games, including a 2-1 victory over the host Thunderbirds on Friday night. . . . D Austin Strand, acquired Friday from the Red Deer Rebels, had an assist in his Seattle debut. . . . Announced attendance: 10,947.

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Happy New Year from the Ams!! 🎉🎉🎉 Thanks for making us part of your New Year's Eve Tradition! #NoiseFTB pic.twitter.com/o9EVCDjOJa

— Tri-City Americans (@TCAmericans) January 1, 2017

TYLER SANDHU

At Kennewick, Wash., F Tyler Sandhu scored two goals to help the Tri-City Americans to a 3-1 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . One night earlier, the Americans won 6-3 in Spokane. . . . Last night, F Riley McKay’s second goal of the season gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 13:32 of the first period. . . . Sandhu tied it on a PP at 8:46 of the second period. . . . Tri-City took the lead on F Vladislav Lukin’s 16th goal, at 12:38 of the third period. . . . Sandhu iced it with his 11th goal, an empty-netter on a PP, at 19:37. . . . Lukin also had two assists, as did D Parker Wotherspoon. . . . The Americans got 29 saves from G Rylan Parenteau, while Spokane’s Jayden Sittler turned aside 30 shots. . . . Tri-City was 2-5 on the PP; Spokane was 0-3. . . . The Americans (22-16-3) have won two straight games. . . . The Chiefs (15-16-6) have lost two in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 5,869.

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SUNDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Calgary at Edmonton, 2 p.m.

Prince Albert at Regina, 4 p.m.

Swift Current at Saskatoon, 2:05 p.m.

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B.C. NDP fired up over gov't order . . . Hey, where's Phillips? . . . Five WHL cities involved in 2019 WJC bids

Hey @cariboocougars! Check out the bling you can get when you win a National CIS Championship! #alumni @CaribooCougAlum #truenorth #strong pic.twitter.com/zavomqgbSs

— Melissa Willick (@MJWillick) October 26, 2016

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The B.C. New Democratic Party is furious after learning that the provincial Liberal government passed an Order in Council on Feb. 16 that exempts the province’s six WHL teams from minimum wage legislation. . . . “The government did it, essentially, in secret and they’ve thrown out the Employment Standards Act, the law, in order to satisfy a small group of employers,” Shane Simpson, the NDP’s spokesperson on jobs, labour and skills, told Marty Hastings of Kamloops This Week. . . . Simpson added: “It’s also concerning that between the owners of the teams, they gave over $200,000 to the Liberals in donations. It’s a decision that was done quietly behind closed doors by the look of it.” . . . In a news release, the NDP pointed out: “Collectively, five of the six team owners . . . have donated in excess of $200,000 to Christy Clark’s B.C. Liberal Party.” . . . The news released carries this headline: Clark quietly rewards donors with minimum wage exemption for young hockey players. . . . In his story, Hastings points out that “Tom Gaglardi is majority owner of the Kamloops Blazers Hockey Club, which has made two donations totalling $2,900 to the B.C. Liberals since 2005, according to Elections BC. Sandman Hotels, owned by the Gaglardis through the family’s Northland Properties company, has made 27 donations totalling $109,875. Sandman also donated $300 to the NDP.” . . . Hastings’ story is right here.

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MATT PHILLIPS

While at Tuesday’s game between Victoria and the host Kamloops Blazers, someone mentioned that Royals F Matt Phillips wasn’t on the WHL team that will play a travelling Russian side on Nov. 7 and 8 in Prince George and Edmonton. . . . I didn’t believe him, until I checked the roster, that is. . . . If the 5-foot-6 Phillips isn’t the best forward in the WHL, he at least is in the conversation. It really is this simple: If Phillips isn’t on the roster, the WHL isn’t icing its best team. . . . Of course, Phillips likely will be a late addition to the roster, what with those responsible having named two injured players to the roster in F Dillon Dube (knee) of the Kelowna Rockets and Nolan Patrick (sports hernia surgery) of the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Still, being named as an injury replacement isn’t the same as being selected to the original roster. But why do I think that Phillips, who was a sixth-round pick by the Calgary Flames in the NHL's 2016 draft, will use that slight as more fuel for the fire that burns inside him?

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The Brandon Wheat Kings have placed F Duncan Campbell, 20, on waivers as they got down to the maximum of three 20-year-olds on their roster. They will go with G Jordan Papirny, F Reid Duke and F Tyler Coulter. . . . Campbell, who is from Brandon, was pointless in six games this season. Last season, he had 10 goals and 12 assists in 72 games, after putting up 12 goals and nine assists in 68 games as a freshman in 2014-15. . . . If Campbell clears waivers, he will be a free agent.

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F Ryan Graham, who has yet to play this season due to an undisclosed injury, is back practising with the Saskatoon Blades. He might get into the lineup at some point this weekend. . . . Graham had 22 goals and 24 assists in 71 games last season. . . . Graham’s return will leave the Blades with four 20-year-olds, so something will have to give. The others are F Kolten Olynek, D Bryton Sayers and F Jesse Shynkaruk.

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The Hockey Canada pooh-bahs gathered in Calgary on Monday and Tuesday to hear bids from cities wanting to play host to the 2019 World Junior Championship. . . . There are believed to have been five presentations. Vancouver and Victoria made a combined presentation, as did Saskatoon and Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton, and London, Ont., and Windsor. As well, a group from Ottawa made a presentation. . . . TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that former NHL/WHL D Chris Phillips and Wade Redden were part of the Ottawa presentation. . . . Hockey Canada didn’t release any information on the presentations; in fact, it didn’t confirm who was involved in the presentations. . . . An announcement awarding the tournament to one of the groups is expected in late November or early December. . . . The 2017 tournament is scheduled for Montreal and Toronto, with the 2018 event in Buffalo.

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If you’re wondering what’s happening in the KHL, Patrick Conway of Conway’s Russian Hockey Blog has a team-by-team update right here.

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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

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Interested in the @SJHL_IceWolves HC/GM job? Call President Mike Bell @ (306) 425-7634. Email him: mike.larongeems@sasktel.net #SJHL

— Braden Malsbury (@BradenMalsbury) October 26, 2016

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Video: Looks like Bishop lost some teeth after taking a shot to the mask https://t.co/5eXlQNx8Vc

— Cam Tucker (@CamTucker_Sport) October 26, 2016

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TUESDAY’S GAMES:

At Edmonton, D James Shearer broke a 2-2 tie at 2:23 of the third period and the Brandon Wheat Kings, despite being outshot 45-16, went on to beat the Oil Kings, 5-3. . . . Shearer has two goals this season. . .

JORDAN PAPIRNY

. Brandon led this one 2-0 before it was five minutes old, with F Tanner Kaspick getting his ninth goal at 1:27 and F Stelio Mattheos getting his fourth, on a PP, at 4:48. . . . The Oil Kings tied it when F Kole Gable scored his first goal, at 19:33 of the second period, and F Trey Fix-Wolansky got his fifth, at 1:43 of the third. . . . D Kale Clague added insurance for Brandon at 10:53. . . . That turned into the winner when F Lane Bauer got his fifth goal for Edmonton, at 18:29, with G Liam Hughes out for the extra attacker. . . . Brandon F Tak Anholt got the empty-netter at 19:46. . . . Clague also had two assists. He returned to the Wheat Kings from the camp of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings with an injury and has played only three games. He has two goals and seven assists. . . . F Ty Lewis added three assists for Brandon, while Shearer also had an assist. . . . Fix-Wolansky had an assist for Edmonton. A 17-year-old freshman from Edmonton, he’s got five goals and seven assists in 12 games. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny, who is from Edmonton, stopped 42 shots. . . . Hughes turned aside 11. . . . The Wheat Kings (6-3-2) have points in five straight (4-0-1). . . . The Oil Kings (4-6-2) are 1-1-1 in their last three. . . . The Wheat Kings were without F Tyler Coulter, 20, as he completed a two-game suspension. . . . They also were without two other 20-year-olds — they have waived F Duncan Campbell, while F Reid Duke was scratched following the death of an uncle. . . . Announced attendance: 5,643.

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At Kamloops, F Dante Hannoun’s third-period power-play broke a 1-1 tie and the Victoria Royals went on

DANTE HANNOUN

to a 2-1 victory over the Blazers. . . . Hannoun scored his fifth goal of the season 49 seconds into the third period, redirecting a point shot by D Chaz Reddekopp past G Connor Ingram. . . . The Blazers took a 1-0 lead on D Conner McDonald’s first goal, a PP score at 3:31 of the second period. . . . Victoria F Jack Walker’s eighth goal tied the score at 4:45 of the second. . . . Walker also had an assist. . . . The game offered up a terrific goaltending duel. Griffen Outhouse of the Royals blocked 33 shots, four fewer than Ingram. . . . The Blazers held an 11-6 edge in shots in the first period. However, Victoria outshot the Blazers 33-23 over the last two periods, including 17-8 in the third. . . . Kamloops was 1-4 on the PP; Victoria was 1-5. . . . The Royals improved to 8-6-0. . . . The Blazers (7-7-0) had a three-game winning streak end as they lost at home for the first time in six games. . . . D Joe Gatenby of the Blazers sat this one out with a one-game suspension. . . . The Blazers continue to be without D Dallas Valentine (elbow). . . . Announced attendance: 3,153. That is the fifth-smallest regular-season crowd in the history of the Blazers’ home arena, which opened in the fall of 1992.

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At Moose Jaw, the Spokane Chiefs scored three times in each of the last two periods as they beat the

HUNTER ELYNUIK

Warriors, 6-2. . . . Warriors F Brett Howden scored his ninth goal 14 seconds into the first period. However, he left the game midway through the first with an undisclosed injury. . . . Spokane D Jeff Faith tied it with his first goal, 26 seconds into the second period, and F Hudson Elynuik’s second goal, just 42 seconds later, made it 2-1. . . . F Kailer Yamamoto upped the lead to 3-1 at 3:25 with his eighth goal. . . . With that, the Warriors changed goaltenders, Brody Willms coming in for Zach Sawchenko. . . . F Nikita Popugaev got the Warriors to within one, his ninth goal coming just 14 second after the goaltending change. . . . But the Warriors couldn’t equalize. . . . F Keanu Yamamoto (3), F Tanner Wishnowski (2) and Elynuik had third-period goals for the Chiefs. Yamamoto scored 46 seconds into the period and Wishnowski got his goal at 1:27. . . . The Warriors obvious had some early-period issues. . . . Kailer Yamamoto added two assists to his goal, while Keanu Yamamoto, Wishnowski and Elynuik each had one. . . . G Jayden Sittler stopped 19 shots for the winners. . . . Sawchenko gave up three goals on 10 shots. Willms came on to stop 18 of 21 shots. . . . Spokane was 1-7 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 0-4. . . . The Chiefs (4-6-2) had lost their previous two games on their East Division swing. . . . Announced attendance: 3,187.

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At Portland, F Vladislav Lukin scored twice, including the winner, as the Tri-City Americans beat the

VLADISLAV LUKIN

Winterhawks, 4-3. . . . Lukin, who has eight goals, broke a 3-3 tie at 13:53 of the third period. . . . D Kurtis Rutledge gave the Americans a 1-0 lead with his first goal, at 13:53 of the first period. . . . F Keegan Iverson, playing in his 250th regular-season game, scored his sixth goal, on a PP, to pull Portland even at 15:27. . . . Lukin’s PP goal, at 7:57 of the second period, and a score by F Parker AuCoin, at 8:34, gave Tri-City a 3-1 lead. . . . The Winterhawks tied it on goals from F Evan Weinger, his fifth, at 19:42 of the second, and F Cody Glass, his seventh, at 2:37 of the third period. . . . D Juuso Valimaki had two assists for Tri-City, while AuCoin added an assist to his goal. . . . Glass, a sophomore, also had an assist. He has seven goals and 14 assists in 14 games this season. . . . The Americans (8-5-1) have points in each of their last three games (2-0-1). . . . The Winterhawks (8-6-0) have lost three in a row. . . . With the Winterhawks up against Game 1 of the World Series and the Portland Trail Blazers’ home-opener, the announced attendance: 2,202. That is the smallest regular-season crowd in Portland since Oct. 20, 2010, when an announced crowd of 1,666 watched the Winterhawks beat the Everett Silvertips, 2-0.

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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Victoria at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.

Prince George vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, B.C., 7 p.m.

Brandon at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Spokane at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.

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.

Thunderbirds, Blades make deal . . . Exhibition season wraps up . . . Sad day in WHL scouting fraternity

The Kamloops Kidney Walk is scheduled for Sept. 25, which is only one week from today.

Dorothy (aka Wonder Woman) will be taking part for a third straight year after having undergone a kidney transplant on Sept. 23, 2013.

She went into this year’s fund-raiser with a goal of $2,000. As of Saturday night, she was No. 7 in B.C., having raised $1,961.

If you would like to help push her past $2,000, you may do so right here.

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The Seattle Thunderbirds, having acquired a goaltender on Friday, dealt G Logan Flodell, 19, to the

Saskatoon Blades on Saturday, getting back D Anthony Bishop, 18, in return. . . . The Thunderbirds picked up G Rylan Toth, 20, from the Red Deer Rebels on Friday. . . . Flodell, from Regina, was a third-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. He got into 54 games over three seasons with Seattle, going 26-17-5, 2.84, .899. Last season, he was 22-13-4, 2.68, .904, but he finished up playing behind Landon Bow, a 20-year-old who was acquired from the Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Blades are expected to open the season with Flodell and Brock Hamm, 19, as their goaltenders, although freshmen Dorin Luding and Joel Grzybowski, both 17, remain on their roster. . . . By acquiring Bishop, the Thunderbirds filled a hole created by the sudden retirement of Jared Pelechaty, 17, who was found to have a congenital spine issue that left him susceptible to injury. . . . Bishop, a list player from Kelowna, had two assists in 40 games with the Blades last season. This preseason, he has four assists, three of them on the PP, in five games.

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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

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SATURDAY’S GAMES:

The WHL’s exhibition schedule concluded with eight games on Saturday. The regular season opens with nine games on Friday. . . . Here’s a brief look at what happened Saturday . . . 

At Crowsnest Pass, Alta., F Lucas Cullen scored his third goal of the preseason, at 4:35 of OT, to give the Calgary Hitmen a 2-1 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . F Murphy Stratton gave Calgary (4-2-0) a 1-0 lead at 4:48 of the second period. . . . F Michael King tied it for the Ice (0-3-2) at 16:50 of the third. . . . 

At St. Albert, Alta., veteran F Jesse Shynkaruk scored twice to help the Saskatoon Blades to a 5-4 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Shynkaruk, who is hoping to land one of the Blades’ three 20-year-old spots, scored twice on the PP, giving the Blades 1-0 and 5-3 leads. . . . F Mason McCarty had two goals and an assist for the Blades (3-3-0), who got four assists from F Braylon Shmyr and two from F Logan Christensen. . . . The Oil Kings (2-3-0) got three assists from D Jordan Dawson. . . . 

At Everett, F Layne Bensmiller, who was acquired earlier in the week, scored the only goal of the shootout as the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Silvertips, 4-3. . . . Bensmiller was acquired from the Prince Albert Raiders in a deal in which F Nic Holowko went the other way. Bensmiller met his new teammates prior to boarding the team bus, then went out and scored in regulation time, too. . . . F Cavin Leth had a goal and an assist for Seattle (5-2-0). . . . Everett (2-3-2) got a goal and an assist from F Riley Sutter and two assists from F Spencer Gerth. . . . Seattle G Ryan Gilchrist started and stopped 13 of 16 shots in 30:15. Carl Stankowski came on to turn aside all 23 shots he saw through OT and three more in the shootout. . . . 

At Moose Jaw, F Jayden Halbgewachs scored twice and added an assist to lead the Warriors to a 4-2 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . F Brayden Watts had two assists for the Warriors (4-3-0) and F Nikita Popugaev added a goal and an assist. . . . The Warriors got 18 saves from G Adam Evanoff, while Taz Burman stopped 26 for the Broncos (5-2-1). . . . 

At Red Deer, G Duncan McGovern put up his second shutout in as many nights as the Medicine Hat Tigers beat the Rebels, 3-0. . . . McGovern stopped 18 shots. One night earlier, in Ralston, Alta., he blocked 14 shots in beating the Rebels, 4-0. . . . Last night, the Tigers (4-2-0) got a goal and an assist from each of F Gary Haden and F Josh McNeil. . . . The Rebels (3-3-0) got 32 stops from G Riley Lamb. . . . 

At Regina, the Brandon Wheat Kings broke a scoreless tie with two goals in the last 20 seconds of the first period en route to a 6-4 victory over the Pats. . . . F Stelio Mattheos got Brandon (3-2-0) on the board at 19:41 of the opening period and F Tak Anholt added another goal at 19:59. . . . Regina F Nick Henry tied the score 4-4 with his second goal of the game, and fifth of the preseason, at 12:34 of the third period. . . . Brandon D James Shearer scored on the PP, at 16:01, to win it. . . . F Ty Lewis had a goal and two assists for Brandon, with Anholt adding an assist to his goal. . . . D Chase Harrison and F Dawson Leedahl each had two assists for Regina (3-4-1). . . . 

At Spokane, F Curtis Miske’s third preseason goal, a PP score at 1:11 of OT, gave the Chiefs a 3-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Tri-City F Michael Rasmussen forced extra time with his fourth goal, at 11:44 of the third period. . . . The Chiefs (4-3-0) led 2-0 at 13:17 of the first period, on goals from F Dominic Zwerger, his first, and F Kailer Yamamoto, his third. . . . F Vladislav Lukin got the Americans’ first goal, his third, at 17:20 of the first period. . . . Spokane F Jaret Anderson-Dolan and D Ty Smith each had two assists, while Yamamoto also had one assist. . . . Rasmussen and Lukin each added an assist. . . . G Beck Warm turned aside 42 shots for the Americans (3-4-1). . . . Spokane G Jayden Sittler stopped 17 shots.

At Langley, B.C., G Griffen Outhouse stopped 23 shots to earn the shutout as the Victoria Royals blanked the Vancouver Giants, 2-0. . . . F Ty Westgard scored his first goal of the preseason at 19:47 and F Ethan Price, with his third, added insurance at 16:54 of the third. . . . The Royals finished 5-1-0. . . . The Giants (1-4-1) were playing their first game this season in their new home, the Langley Events Centre. . . . If you were wondering, Vancouver F Tyler Benson (shoulder) didn’t play for the Edmonton Oilers in a game against the Calgary Flames last night at the YoungStars Classic in Penticton, B.C.

———

Sad day in the scouting fraternity. Always appreciated our chats and how good he was to me since moving here. Thank you and RIP Bob McGill.

— Mike Fraser (@MikeFraser29) September 18, 2016

Rest in Peace Gilly.  Always enjoyed our chats at the rink. Sad day.  #scoutingbrother

— Moults (@Moults_23) September 18, 2016

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