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F Jesse Mychan (Everett, Tri-City, 2011-13) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with the Ravensburg Towerstars (Germany, DEL2). This season, he had 23 goals and 14 assists in 34 games with the Colorado Eagles (ECHL). He also was pointless in five games with the San Antonio Rampage (AHL). . . .
F Aaron Gagnon (Seattle, 2001-07) has signed for the rest of this season with Bern (Switzerland, NL A). This season, with Lukko Rauma (Finland, Liiga), he had 11 goals and 15 assists in 43 games. Lukko is in last place in Liiga and Gagnon’s release was mutually agreed upon.
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The Regina Pats’ presentation to the 2018 Memorial Cup site selection committee on Wednesday in
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The Prince George Cougars have signed F Zach Bolton, who turned 16 on Jan. 15, to a WHL contract. Bolton, from North Vancouver, was a seventh-round pick in the 2016 WHL bantam draft. This season, the 6-foot-2, 180-pounder has five goals and nine assists in 22 games with the Vancouver-Northwest Giants of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League. . . . Last season, he had 34 goals and 23 assists in 46 games with the North Shore Winter Club’s bantam AAA side. . . . The Cougars now have signed six of their first seven selections from the 2016 bantam draft -- forwards Keegan Craik, Edge Lambert and Bolton, defencemen Cole Beamin and Jack Michell, and G Taylor Gauthier. . . . The exception is F Jesse Mistelbacher, a sixth-round pick from Iles Des Chenes, Man.
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If there any doubt about the role the 17-team USHL wants to play in junior hockey’s picture, it ended with a few announcements earlier this week, all of them aimed at improving the calibre of play. . . . At meetings last week, the USHL board of governors decided to allow its teams to add two Canadian-born players to their 23-man rosters without having those players count as imports. At present, each team is allowed four imports; they will be able to carry six as long as the two additions are Canadians. . . . That rule will come into play next season. . . . Starting in 2018-19, an import goaltender (defined as any non-USA Hockey goaltender) will count as two imports, with a team not allowed to have more than one import goaltender on its active roster. . . . At the same time, a 20-year-old goaltender won’t count towards the USHL’s roster maximum of four 20-year-old players.
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JUST NOTES:
From the department of bizarre scheduling, the Victoria Royals (26-19-4) and Vancouver Giants (17-27-4) will meet three times in less than 48 hours this weekend. They play Friday night in Langley then Saturday and Sunday in Victoria. . . . Vancouver is 1-2-0 in the season series; Victoria is 2-0-1. . . .
From the department of bizarre scheduling, Part 2: The Royals and Giants will do it all over again on Feb. 24, 25 and 26. That series also will open in Langley and finish with a doubleheader in Victoria. . . .
F Reese Johnson is back on the ice with the Red Deer Rebels this week for the first time since undergoing shoulder surgery in October. He’s wearing a yellow non-contact jersey, but he’s out there. . . . Johnson, 18, had three goals and three assists in 36 games last season. . . .
General Electric will pay the NBA’s Boston Celtics US$7 million a year to have logos on their uniform tops. Did no one tell General Electric it could have had logos on all WHL team sweaters for less than that? . . .
The Colorado Avalanche is the latest NHL team to do away with morning skates on game days. The morning skate became a topic of conversation earlier this season when head coach John Tortorella of the Columbus Blue Jackets chose to ban them. Later, GM Jim Rutherford of the Pittsburgh Penguins called the pointless. . . . Some teams have decided that it’s more important for players to get rest than it is to go for a morning skate on the day of a game. . . . In the WHL, Kevin Constantine, the head coach of the Everett Silvertips, has said that “we’re a better team when we don’t skate in the morning and we save the energy for the game at night.”
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A bet's a bet with @cliffordgoalie. BC native coaches pay up with the track suit practice apparel. 🇺🇸🇺🇸#WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/YMbBEduSiZ— Mike Benton (@Benton_Mike) January 25, 2017
#Silvertips assistants @mlovehockey and Brennan Sonne are in Team USA track suits due to lost bet with @cliffordgoalie pic.twitter.com/ylbdI41i1f— Jesse Geleynse (@JesseGeleynse) January 25, 2017
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
No Games Scheduled.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES (all times local):
No Games Scheduled.
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talks with a WHL franchise about a possible sale and relocation.
In Saskatoon, the Blades set a franchise record as they won their 14th straight game, beating the Brandon Wheat Kings, 7-4. . . . The previous record of 13 had been held by the 1987-88 Blades. . . . Saskatoon is atop the East Division, five points ahead of the Prince Albert Raiders with each team having 11 games to play. . . . Saskatoon F Matej Stransky scored three times in the first period and later added an assist. He‘s got 36 goals. His NHL rights belong to the Dallas Stars – he was a sixth-round selection in 2011 – and Les Jackson, the Stars’ director of scouting and player development, was in the house. . . . Former Wheat Kings F Brenden Walker, who now is the Blades’ captain, had a goal, his 24th, and two assists. . . . Saskatoon F Josh Nicholls scored his 40th goal, into an empty net. . . . Saskatoon D Darren Dietz scored twice. He leads all WHL defencemen in goals (19). . . . Brandon G Corbin Boes, who had been sidelined with a knee injury since Jan. 25, came on in relief of starter Curtis Honey. . . . Brandon D Nick Walters was ejected with a headshot major at 10:34 of the first period. . . . Saskatoon F Nathan Burns had his nine-game assist streak snapped. . . . The Wheat Kings are 13 points out of a playoff spot with 10 games to play. . . . 
In Moose Jaw, D Morgan Rielly’s 12th goal stood up as the winner as the Warriors beat the Regina Pats, 4-3. . . . Rielly’s goal, at 6:31 of the third, gave the Warriors a 4-2 lead. . . . Regina F Morgan Klimchuk later scored his 31st. . . . Moose Jaw F Brayden Point had a goal, his 15th, and two assists. . . . Moose Jaw F Jordan Wyton, who has missed a lot of the season with concussion-related issues, scored his fifth goal of the season. He hadn’t played since Dec. 29 and was playing in only his fourth game since Nov. 10. . . . Moose Jaw D Dallas Valentine is out indefinitely with what Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald reports is a “fracture to part of the growth place in his hip.” . . . Gourlie also reported that D Spencer Morse, whom the Warriors had sent home for disciplinary reasons two weeks ago, has returned. He didn’t play last night. . . . The Warriors are 10th in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of the Pats, but nine points out of the last playoff spot. . . . 
In Swift Current, F Miles Koules scored in the fourth round of the circus to give the Medicine Hat Tigers a 2-1 victory over the Broncos. . . . Swift Current F Adam Lowry scored his 40th goal at 8:56 of the first period, via the PP. . . . Medicine Hat got its goal from F Logan McVeigh, his 16th, via the PP, at 4:43 of the second. . . . Broncos G Eetu Laurikainen stopped 39 shots through OT, while Medicine Hat’s Marek Langhamer stopped 28 shots. . . . The Tigers now are sixth in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of the Broncos. . . . 
In Calgary, F Brooks Macek scored the only goal in the circus and that gave the Hitmen a 6-5 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . The Hitmen won their 40th game of the season and clinched a playoff spot on head coach Mike Williamson’s 40th birthday. . . . Calgary F Brady Brassart didn’t take long running his goal streak to five games – he scored his 26th goal 10 seconds into the game. . . . F Leon Draisaitl of the Raiders scored twice, giving him 18. . . . Calgary D Jayden Rissling forced OT with his fifth goal at 17:39 of the third. . . . Calgary is seven points behind the Central Division-leading Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . The Raiders, who led the East Division for so long, now are in danger of losing home-ice advantage in the first round. They are tied for fourth in the Eastern Conference with the hard-charging Red Deer Rebels. . . . 
In Lethbridge, G Patrik Bartosak turned aside 32 shots as the Red Deer Rebels beat the Hurricanes, 2-0. . . . Bartosak has three shutouts this season and four in his career. . . . F Dominik Volek scored his ninth goal for Red Deer, via the PP, at 10:03 of the first. . . . F Turner Elson got his 20th into an empty net at 19:59 of the third. . . . The Hurricanes lost F Axel Blomqvist with a back injury during the first period. He was taken to hospital at the time. . . . The Rebels are tied with the Prince Albert Raiders for fourth in the Eastern Conference. Each team has 11 games remaining. . . . The Hurricanes are two points behind the eighth-place Kootenay Ice. . . .
In Prince George, F Ty Rattie scored twice and added an assist as the Portland Winterhawks beat the Cougars, 6-2. . . . Rattie has 37 goals. . . . Portland F Brendan Leipsic, the WHL’s leading point man, had two assists, while linemate Nic Petan, who is second, had a goal, his WHL-leading 43rd, and an assist. . . . Portland G Brendan Burke stopped 24 shots in earning his 20th victory. . . . Both Portland goaltenders now have won at least 20 games. . . . Prince George F Zach Pochiro was unsuccessful on a third-period penalty shot. . . . The Winter hawks (50-9-3) are the first CHL team to 50 victories. . . . Portland D Troy Rutkowski scored his 19th goal, moving him into a tie with Saskatoon’s Darren Dietz for most goals by a defenceman. Dietz had gotten to 19 earlier in the evening. . . . The Winterhawks also set a franchise record with their 25th road victory of the season. . . . The Cougars remain three points out of the Western Conference’s final playoff spot, which is held by the Everett Silvertips. . . . 
In Spokane, F Mike Aviani scored twice to help the Chiefs get past the Edmonton Oil Kings, 6-4. . . . Aviani has 28 goals. . . . Spokane D Brenden Kichton picked up three assists. . . . Edmonton F Cole Benson scored Edmonton’s first three goals, giving him six. It was his first WHL hat trick. . . . The Oil Kings cut the deficit to 5-4 on D Keegan Lowe’s 14th goal, a PP score, at 10:13 of the third. Edmonton then went on the PP at 17:36 but gave up a shorthanded goal to F Liam Stewart at 18:35. . . . Stewart has 11 goals. . . . The Chiefs were 3-for-5 on the PP and scored twice while shorthanded. . . . The Chiefs are fifth in the Western Conference, one point behind the Tri-City Americans. . . . The Oil Kings are second in the overall standings, but now are 12 points behind Portland. . . . 
In Kennewick, Wash., F Justin Feser and F Jesse Mychan each had two goals and two assists to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 6-2 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . Feser, who was playing in his 339th career game, has 37 goals; Mychan has 15. . . . Everett has lost a franchise-record 11 straight games. . . . Tri-City G Troy Trombley won his fourth game in his fourth straight start. Trombley, who was a late cut by the Silvertips in training camp, stopped 23 shots. . . . “As far as it goes, this is the highlight of my career,” Trombley told Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald. “I haven’t had an opportunity like this (in) forever. I can show everyone what I can do, especially Everett — they didn’t want me.” . . . The Americans were 3-for-5 on the PP. . . . Tri-City F Malte Stromwall had three assists. . . . Everett D Austin Adam, back in the lineup after missing 14 games as he battled a concussion and mononucleosis, scored his first goal and had an assist. . . . The Americans have won four in a row. . . . Tri-City F Tyson Dallman (left leg) departed 11 seconds into the game and didn’t return. . . . The Americans are fourth in the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The two arch-rivals may indeed be headed for a first-round clash. . . . 
In Victoria, the Kelowna Rockets scored five times in the second period and went on to an 8-3 victory over the Royals. . . . F Myles Bell had two goals, giving him 34, and two assists for Kelowna. . . . The teams were tied 1-1 going into the second period. . . . The Royals took 100 of the 174 penalty minutes handed out by referees Jeff Ingram and Brett Iverson. . . . The Rockets were 3-for-7 on the PP. . . . F Jamie Crooks scored his 30th goal for the Royals, who have lost five straight. . . . The Royals are sixth in the Western Conference, three points behind Spokane. . . . Kelowna leads the B.C. Division by three points over the Kamloops Blazers and has closed to within a point of Edmonton, which is second in the overall standings. . . .
In Vancouver, G Cole Cheveldave stopped 24 shots as the Kamloops Blazers beat the Giants, 6-0. . . . Cheveldave has four shutouts this season and eight in his career. . . . Kamloops F Brendan Ranford opened the scoring 10 seconds into the game. . . . F Colin Smith scored his 38th goal and added an assist, while F Cole Ully got his 20th goal. . . . The Giants lost D Wes Vannieuwenhuizen with a boarding major and game misconduct for a hit on F JC Lipon at 13:37 of the second period. . . . Kamloops took 66 of the game’s 121 penalty minutes. . . . Kamloops F Brendan Ranford had a goal and an assist. He’s got 20 points in his last 11 games. . . . The Blazers, who have won eight of 10, are three points behind Kelowna. . . . Each team has 10 games remaining and they will play each other three more times, with two of those games scheduled for Kamloops.
D Roman Teslyuk (Kamloops, Tri-City, 2003-07) was added to the roster of Buran Voronezh (Russia, Russia Vysshaya Liga) from Arlan Kokshetau (Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan Vysshaya Liga). He had five goals and three assists in 17 games with Arlan this season. . . .
F Jordan Krestanovich (Calgary, 1997-2001) was replaced as head coach of the Braehead Clan (Scotland, UK Elite) by former NHL player and assistant coach Paul Gardner. Krestanovich has informed the club that he wishes to leave within the next two weeks; he was player-head coach. He has 11 goals and 22 assists in 36 games and had a 14-18-5-0 record as head coach this season. . . .
the Centennial Cup as national junior A champions. (Junior A teams now play for the RBC Cup.)
In Prince Albert, F Sam Reinhart scored 26 seconds into OT as the Kootenay Ice got past the Raiders, 3-2. . . . Reinhart finished off a 2-on-1 with F Jaedon Descheneau to win it. . . . Reinhart finished with two goals, giving him 22 this season. . . . Descheneau scored his 10th goal and added two assists. Last season, in 54 games, he had 14 points, including three goals. This season, in 42 games, he’s got 39 points, 10 of them goals. . . . The Raiders led this one 2-0 at 9:15 of the first period. . . . Kootenay G Mackenzie Skapski stopped 38 shots. . . . The Ice has won nine of 10. . . . The Ice also has won back-to-back road games for the first time this season. . . . 
In Vancouver, F Jesse Mychan scored three times to help the Tri-City Americans to a 9-5 victory over the Giants. . . . Mychan, a 20-year-old from Saskatoon, went into the game with two goals in 32 games this season. . . . The Americans, who have won three in a row, scored the game’s first five goals and led 5-0 early in the second period. . . . Mychan also had an assist. . . . D Drydn Dow and F Justin Feser each had a goal and two assists for the winners, while F Parker Bowles scored twice. . . . F Travis McEvoy had a goal and two assists for the Giants, who have lost five of six. . . .
In Victoria, D Tyler Stahl scored in the eighth round of the circus to give the Royals a 3-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Stahl has five goals in 177 regular-season games, four of them coming in 30 games this season. . . . The Royals had beaten the Blazers 6-4 on Tuesday night. . . . Victoria F Steven Hodges scored twice in each game. . . . Kamloops D Joel Edmundson was ejected from Tuesday’s game, with a boarding major and game misconduct, for a hit on Victoria F Alex Gogolev. The WHL rescinded that penalty yesterday, allowing Edmundson to play last night.
D Vladimir Sicak (Medicine Hat, 1998-2000) signed a two-year contract extension with Sparta Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He has four goals and 11 assists in 29 games with Sparta after starting the season with Pardubice (Czech Republic, Extraliga), where he had one assist in eight games. Sicak is now under contract to Sparta through the 2014-2015 season. . . .
G Garrett Zemlak (Saskatoon, Prince Albert, 2006-10) signed a contract for the rest of this season with the Belfast Giants (Northern Ireland, UK Elite). Zemlak was released last week by the Braehead Clan (Scotland, UK Elite), where he had a 3.95 GAA and an .883 save percentage in 30 games.
In Moose Jaw, F Graham Black scored the only goal of the circus to give the Swift Current Broncos a 4-3 victory over the Warriors. . . . The Broncos have won five in a row. . . . Moose Jaw F Sam Fioretti forced OT with his 20th goal, at 18:35 of the second period. . . . The Broncos, who held a 37-22 edge in shots, outshot their hoss 13-2 in the third period but came close to losing when Moose Jaw F Derek Eberle hit the crossbar late in the third period. . . . Swift Current F Adam Lowry moved into the WHL goal-scoring lead as he scored twice, giving him 31. . . . Lowry also ran his point streak to 21 games, the longest in the WHL this season. . . . Broncos F Chance Lund, a 20-year-old from Fairview, Alta., played in his 300th regular-season game. The first 258 of those were played with the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . .
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