Some signings and the advanced stats debate . . .

D Shawn Belle (Regina, Tri-City, 2000-07) has been released by Medveščak Zagreb (Croatia, KHL) by mutual agreement. Last season, with Färjestad Karlstad (Sweden, SHL), he had three goals and three assists in 39 games. . . .
F Jonathan Parker (Seattle, Prince Albert, 2008-11) has been released by Malmö (Sweden, Allsvenskan) after unsuccessful tryout. Last season, with the Rochester Americans (AHL), he had one assist in 11 games. He also had 24 points, including 11 goals, with the Colorado Eagles (ECHL), and six points, two of them goals, in seven games with the Ontario Reign (ECHL).
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The Portland Winterhawks have signed F Jack Flaman and F Evan Weinger. . . . Flaman, 17, is a list player from Vibank, Sask., who played last season for the midget AAA Notre Dame Hounds in Wilcox, Sask. He had 33 points, including 16 goals, in 43 games. . . . Weinger, 17, was a 13th-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. A native of Los Angeles, he played last season for the L.A. Jr. Kings of the Tier 1 Elite League, putting up 26 points, 12 of the goals, in 35 games.
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The Prince George Cougars have signed D Kobe Eagletail, a Calgaryian who will turn 17 on Sept. 10. . . . Eagletail had 15 points, four of them goals, with the Banff Bears of the Heritage Junior Hockey League last season, after playing in the Calgary Bisons minor hockey organization. . . . At the time of his signing, he was one of 13 defencemen on the Cougars’ roster.
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In the hockey world, there are times when the scrap between the mainstream media and the advanced stats folks has been a truly uncivil war. When and how did it start? When and how will it end? Matt Larkin of The Hockey News takes an interesting look at it all right here.
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If you are new to the world of hockey analytics, aka advanced stats, there is a great primer right here, where all the terminology is explained.
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Dear Giant 20-somethings: YOU DON'T OWN THE SIDEWALK. #YellingForAFriend #ThingsYouShouldHaveLearnedInPreschool #UnionOfSmallMiddleAgedWomen
— rosanne cash (@rosannecash) September 1, 2014

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Former WHLer needing some help

THE MacBETH REPORT:
The SM-Liiga had its board meeting on Tuesday at which it discussed the Jokerit Helsinki situation. At 7:50 p.m. Helsinki time, SM-Liiga announced the following via the league website:
“SM-Liiga and Jokerit on Tuesday reached agreement on the terms on which Jokerit has been granted the right to play in the SM-Liiga for the 2013-2014 season. It has also agreed on the terms of the agreement under which the League granted Jokerit the right to play in the Kontinental Hockey League beginning with the 2014-2015 season. SM-League Chairman Hannu Penttilä  and Jokerit owner Harry Harkimo are happy with the end result.”
It was reported to be a contentious meeting that began at 3 p.m., one where Harkimo angrily walked out twice, at 3:45 for about 45 minutes and again at 5:30 for about 30 minutes.
Initial reports are that Kärpät Oulu, HIFK Helsinki and TPS Turku were most reluctant to allow Jokerit to compete in the league under any circumstances, while some of the other clubs were open to a financial settlement from Jokerit.
After the announcement, Harkimo answered “I am not going to comment” when asked how much Jokerit had to pay to stay in SM-Liiga and whether Jokerit had to pay to leave SM-Liiga for the KHL.
When asked again, Harkimo said: “It is what it is.”
Harkimo did say: “Certainly SM-Liiga will survive Jokerit’s departure.”
SM-Liiga Chairman Hannu Penttilä said: “The process was not as it should have been, but everyone is happy now. SM-Liiga will begin as normal in September and there are no other clubs going to the KHL.”
Penttilä later said that the conditions attached to the agreement won’t be made public. It is rumoured that Jokerit must pay 5 to 8 million Euros (US$6.6 to 10.6 million, Cdn$6.8 to 10.9 million) to compensate the league and other clubs for lost revenues.
To put the amount in perspective, Jokerit’s player payroll for last season was about 4 million Euros.
Harkimo also said that the agreement for Jokerit to join the KHL is not final yet; a final decision will be made this fall.
It seems that public opinion in Finland is running against Jokerit playing in SM-Liiga this season.
On Friday, the Helsinki newspaper Iltalehti ran an online poll and 65 per cent of the 13,162 respondents said that Jokerit shouldn’t be allowed to play in SM-Liiga this season.
Another online poll, this one run by another Helsinki newspaper, Ilta-Sanomat, while the meeting was taking place, asked the question: “Should Jokerit be kicked out of SM-Liiga immediately?” Of the 8,046 respondents, 87 per cent said: “YES.”
A second Ilta-Sanomat online poll which ran after the decision was announced asked: “Was it the right decision to allow Jokerit to play in SM-Liiga this season?” Of the 10,475 respondents, 82 per cent said: “NO.”
Finally, a columnist for Ilta-Sanomat said in an editorial posted after the decision was announced that “this season, Jokerit is the most hated team more than ever.”
While we are talking SM-Liiga, here is a look at this season’s ice surface at Oulu's Energia Areena, the home arena for Kärpät Oulu. Try to find the puck quickly here. One Finnish commentator said this really gives a new meaning to the phrase “home ice advantage.”

Moving to central Europe, the Czech Republic Ice Hockey Federation and the Czech Extraliga have announced new roster rules for the 2013-14 season.
They are:
1) teams are allowed to dress for each game a maximum of 15 players born 1990 or earlier (age 23 and older);
2) each team must have at least three players dressed born between 1991 and 1993 (age 20-22); and,
3) at least one player dressed for a game must be born after 1993 (age 19 and under).
Goaltenders are exempt from these rules.
Additionally, each Extraliga team will be allowed six import (non-Czech citizen) licenses. Once an import is listed on a game sheet, that uses up one of the licenses, regardless of whether the import player actually plays in the game or not.
The intent is to try to keep more Czech young players at home and to get them drafted — there were only four Czech players drafted in the 2013 NHL draft and all four played in the CHL last season. The last player to go directly to the NHL from an Extraliga team was Edmonton Oilers D Ladislav Smid, drafted by Anaheim in 2004 from Liberec.
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Now for Tuesday’s moves . . .
F Ryan Russell (Kootenay, 2003-07) signed a one-year contract with Leksand (Sweden, SEL). He had 10 goals and six assists in 62 games with the Springfield Falcons (AHL) last season. . . .

F Brett Sonne (Calgary, 2004-09) signed a one-year contract with Dornbirn (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had seven goals and eight assists in 56 games with the Peoria Rivermen (AHL), three goals and four assists in seven games with the Evansville Icemen (ECHL), and one goal and two assists in six games with the Texas Stars (AHL) last season. . . .

D Trevor Johnson (Kootenay, Seattle, Tri-City, 1998-2003) signed a one-year contract extension with Valpellice (Italy, Serie A). He had 10 goals and 34 assists in 42 games as captain of Valpellice last season. Johnson also represented Italy at both the Division 1 world championship and the Olympic Games Qualification Tournament, totaling four assists in eight games. . . .

F Ales Kilnar (Vancouver, 2012-13) signed a tryout contract with Orli Znojmo (Czech Republic, Austria Erste Bank Liga). He had no points in one game with Vancouver, no points in three games with Jokipojat Joensuu U20 (Finland, SM-Liiga A-Juniors), four goals and seven assists in 15 games with Vitkovice Ostrava U20 (Czech Republic, U20 Extraliga), and three goals and three assists in seven games with Poruba (Czech Republic, 2. Liga) last season. Kilnar had a goal for Orli in Tuesday’s 4-1 exhibition game victory against Mlada Boleslav, playing on a line with Ondrej Fiala (Everett, Saskatoon, 2005-08).
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Jonathan Parker played three seasons (Seattle, Prince Albert, 2008-11) in the WHL. Now 21, Parker, a forward from Solona Beach, Calif., is preparing for his third season in the Buffalo Sabres’ organization. But, as Jeff Cox writes at sbnation.com, this season will be different for Parker because his father, Steven, won’t be there to enjoy it with him. Steven Parker lost a three-year battle with cancer last week. . . . As Cox points out right here, there’s more to the story and now Jonathan Parker and his sister, Charlene, need help. Here’s hoping the hockey community will provide some.
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F Adam Kambeitz (Red Deer, Saskatoon, Seattle, 2008-13) has decided he’ll go to the U of Calgary and play for the Dinos. Kambeitz is from Coaldale, Alta. He played out his WHL eligibility last season. He was in his fifth season with the Red Deer Rebels when he was traded to the Saskatoon Blades early last season. Then, at the trade deadline, the Blades sent him to the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Kambeitz told Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix that it came down to Calgary or Acadia U in Wolfville, N.S. . . . Nugent-Bowman also reports that F Chris Collins (Chilliwack, Saskatoon, 2007-12) also will attend the U of Calgary. Collins, from Calgary, played last season with the AJHL’s Okotoks Oilers.
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F James Henry (Vancouver, Moose Jaw, 2007-12) has chosen to leave school after one season with the U of Manitoba Bisons. He has signed with the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder. Henry, 22, is a Winnipeg native. He had 22 points in 28 games with the Bisons last season. He earned CIS all-rookie team honours and was named Canada West’s most outstanding freshman. . . . While in Vancouver, Henry was teammates with F Garet Hunt, who is a fan favourite in Stockton.
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There isn’t a more polarizing sports figure anywhere than Ken (Hawk) Harrelson, the TV play-by-play voice of the Chicago White Sox. He has referred to the explosion of mathematical-based analytics in baseball as “the biggest joke I’ve ever seen.” . . . Ben Strauss of The New York Times has more on Harrelson right here. BTW, Hawk says the only stat that matters is “T.W.T.W.”
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THE COACHING GAME:
Randy Ladouceur has signed on as an assistant coach with the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters. Ladouceur, a veteran of the NHL playing and coaching wars, will work alongside head coach Dean Chynoweth. Ladouceur has worked as an assisteant coach for four NHL teams since he ended his playing career in 1996. . . . Ladouceur’s arrival allows David Oliver to return to his role as director of AHL operations. The Monsters are the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. . . . Jock Callander is preparing for his second season as an assistant coach, while Jean-Ian Filiatrault has come on board as the goaltending coach.
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The ECHL’s Kalamazoo Wings have signed Colin Chaulk as an assistant coach. Chaulk retired as a player after last season. He spent 10 pro seasons playing for the Fort Wayne Komets, a rival of the Wings. . . . In Kalamazoo, he will work with Nick Bootland, the director of hockey operations and head coach.

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The Tri-City Americans dealt defenceman Brock Sutherland
to the Calgary Hitmen on Thursday.
(Photo courtesy John Allen Photography)

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Jakub Sindel (Brandon, 2004-05) was released from his tryout with Kloten (Switzerland, NL A). He had one assist in four games during his tryout. Sindel returned to action last week after missing two weeks with a broken jaw.
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Peter Mansbridge of CBC-TV has spent some time with researchers, including Dr. Ann McKee, who have studied and are studying the brains of deceased athletes.
Mansbridge’s report appeared on CBC’s The National on Wednesday; if you missed it, it’s right here.
The report is especially interesting when Dr. McKee discusses the brain of former Buffalo Sabres sniper Richard Martin. Dr. McKee examined Martin’s brain — he died of a heart attack in March — and found chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Interestingly, unlike Reggie Fleming and Bob Probert, in whose brains CTE also was found, Martin wasn’t a fighter.
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The Tri-City Americans are down to three 20-year-olds after trading D Brock Sutherland to the Calgary Hitmen for F Nathan MacMaster, 19. . . . That leaves the Americans with F Adam Hughesman, F Brendan Shinnimin and F Mason Wilgosh as their three 20-year-olds. The Americans also hold the rights to D Matt MacKenzie, 20, who signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday and is with the AHL’s Rochester Americans. . . . MacMaster, a second-round pick by the Moose Jaw Warriors in the 2007 bantam draft, has 49 points and 115 penalty minutes in 190 career regular-season games. The Warriors dealt him to the Hitmen last season. . . . Sutherland has 40 points and 155 penalty minutes in 186 regular-season games split between the Lethbridge Hurricanes andthe Americans. . . . The Calgary roster now includes five 20-year-olds — F Jimmy Bubnick, F Kenton Miller, D Ben Wilson, G Mike Snider and Sutherland. Wilson is with the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters on a tryout deal.
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JUST NOTES: The Buffalo Sabres signed two more 20-year-olds to three-year contracts on Thursday. F Riley Boychuk of the Portland Winterhawks was a seventh-round pick in the 2010 NHL draft, while F Jonathan Parker of the Prince Albert Raiders was in camp on a free-agent tryout. Both players are with the AHL’s Rochester Americans at present. . . . The Vancouver Giants have assigned G Brendan Jensen, 18, to the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints. The move came after the Giants acquired G Adam Morrison, 20, from the Saskatoon Blades earlier in the week. . . .
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Earlier this week, I offered up a review of a book written by Don Dietrich, a former defenceman with the Brandon Wheat Kings.
I was remiss in not mentioning that Dietrich spent part of last weekend in Winnipeg, where he was inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame . . . not as a player, but as a builder.
Here, from the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame newsletter, is Dietrich’s bio:
“Don Dietrich of Deloraine, a former defenseman and captain of the Brandon Wheat Kings, soaked up a lot of knowledge as a player in the AHL, NHL, East Coast League, with Team Canada and in Germany and Switzerland. He has passed on this knowledge as an assistant coach in Switzerland and, after returning home, as a coach with the Southwest Cougar midgets, the SWHL Deloraine Royals and as a scout for the Spokane Chiefs. Dietrich has been an active member of Canada’s national coach mentorship program, doing ‘one-on-one’ mentoring, as well as clinics. Despite personal health problems, he was instrumental in developing the Breakfast Club where young players have come out twice a week to practise their skill development.”
Hockey in our countries needs more Don Dietrichs. And if you missed it scroll further down on this blog and read all about his book. Then get on the Internet and order one. You won't be sorry.
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Jon Rosen, the former radio voice and PR guru of the Everett Silvertips, is in his first season with Fox Sports West and is in Europe covering the Los Angeles Kings. They open the NHL season in Stockholm today (Friday).
Earlier this week, Rosen blogged from a game in Hamburg and provides a pretty good feel for what it was like in the stands.
That piece is right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Silvertips land their man

Doug Soetaert (left), the general manager of the Everett Silvertips,
introduces Mark Ferner as the WHL team's new head coach.
(Photo courtesy Frank Deines III/Everett Silvertips)

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Taggart Desmet (Calgary, 2000-01) signed a one-year contract with Valpellice (Italy, Serie A). He had 16 goals and 42 assists in 40 games for Brunico (Italy, Serie A) last season.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Mark Ferner is the new head coach of the WHL’s Everett Silvertips. Ferner, who spent four years as GM/head coach of the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers, was introduced to Everett at a news conference there on Wednesday afternoon. . . . Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald has the story right here. . . .
Guy Carbonneau is out and Marc-Etienne Hubert is in with the QMJHL’s Chicoutimi Sagueneens. Carbonneau, the former NHL player and coach, remains as the club’s president. Hubert is the new head coach after having served as an assistant since 2005. . . . Marc Fortier, a former NHL forward, is the club’s new general manager. . . . Carbonneau had been head coach since February when Richard Martel was fired. . . . Carbonneau’s decision prompted immediate speculation that he would be the next head coach of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils or would be signing on as an assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings. He has denied all of that speculation. . . .
Former WHL/NHL D Robert Dirk is the new head coach of the junior B Penticton Lakers. The franchise, which is operated by the Okanagan Hockey Academy, plays in the Kootenay International junior league. Dirk has coaching experience in the United league, as well as the West Coast league and the ECHL. He has been part of the Okanagan Hockey Academy since 2007. . . . Should he so desire, you’ve got to think he will surface in the WHL one of these years. . . .
As was mentioned here on June 14, Sean Gillam (Spokane, 1992-96) is the new head coach of the Southern Professional league’s Fayetteville FireAntz. Gillam was introduced at a Wednesday news conference and Thomas Pope of the Fayetteville Observer was there. His story is right here.
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A Wednesday news release from the ECHL’s Trenton Devils begins:
“Newark, NJ — The ECHL’s Trenton Devils will suspend play beginning with the 2011-12 season. The New Jersey Devils are restructuring the organization’s player development system to be more in line with other NHL franchises. In fact, Trenton was the only ECHL team that was completely owned by an NHL club.
“The Devils purchased a majority interest in the Trenton Titans on Sept. 21, 2006. The team continued to be affiliated with the Philadelphia Flyers for the 2006-07 season before the Devils took it over as their ECHL – or Class AA – affiliate and changed the name to Trenton Devils.
“Since then, the team has been plagued by steadily declining attendance at Sun National Bank Center. The Trenton Devils finished last in the 19-team ECHL in 2010-11 with an average attendance of just 2,390 in a building that holds 7,605 for hockey. A source said the team has lost money every season since the Devils took over ownership.”
It is somewhat interesting that a press release from a team includes a paraphrased quote from an anonymous source. You don’t see that every day.
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Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald reports that the Silvertips have released F Markus McCrea, 19. A native of Canyon Lake, Calif., McCrea had 24 points, including 13 goals, in 175 games over three seasons. . . .
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D Joe Hicketts of Kamloops, who was selected by the Victoria Royals with their first pick in the WHL’s 2011 bantam draft, is the winner of the Hockey Now/B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame Minor Hockey Player Achievement Award. . . . Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times Colonist has the story right here.
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The Prince Albert Raiders report that they have five players scheduled to attend NHL camps. . . . F Mark McNeill, the 18th pick in the NHL’s 2011 draft, will be in the Chicago Blackhawks’ development camp that runs today through Monday. . . . D Harrison Ruopp, a third-round selection by the Phoenix Coyotes, is in camp in Peoria, Ariz., from today through Sunday. . . . F Jonathan Parker, 20, is spending this week as an invitee to the Buffalo Sabres’ development camp. He also has signed an ATO with the ECHL’s Bakersfield Condors. . . . F Brandon Herrod, 20, has been invited to the Coyotes’ camp that opens Sept. 9. . . . D Antoine Corbin has been invited to the San Jose Sharks’ camp that begins Sept. 8.
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Joe Paisley of the Colorado Springs Gazette has the latest on what’s been happening involving U.S. college hockey, including all the rumours of a super league. That piece is right here.
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The AJHL’s Canmore Eagles, under general manager and head coach Andrew Milne, have secured enough capitalization to secure its short-term future.
Daniel Austin of the Canmore Leader has the story right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Friday's stuff . . .

Alan Millar, the director of hockey operations with the Moose Jaw Warriors, and Dave Hunchak, the team’s ex-head coach, have taken issue with something that appeared here on Friday.
That bit, which dealt with the Warriors’ decision not to renew Hunchak’s contract despite the club’s having won 40 games this season, included this bit:
“It also seems that Millar and Hunchak, 37, perhaps didn’t see eye-to-eye. That became obvious late in February when the two engaged in a morning yelling match deep in the bowels of the Crushed Can that was overheard by a handful of folks.”
A source had told me that the incident to which I referred occurred on Feb. 20, one day after the Warriors had dropped 3-2 decision tot he visiting Prince Albert Raiders.
“The information about Dave Hunchak and I having a screaming match . . . is completely false,” Millar told me Friday afternoon. “It never happened. . . . it’s completely not true. Never happened. . . . All my dealings with Dave, including my meeting (Thursday) morning with him, were always professional.”
As for my source, who indicated that at least two others had heard the dispute, Millar said: “they have their information wrong. They’re full of (bleep).
“I’m just telling you that it never happened. . . . I don’t really care about the date because I can honestly tell you it did not happen.”
Hunchak also said “that stuff never happened.”
Asked who it might have been, Hunchak said: “I have no idea. It wasn’t us. I guarantee it wasn’t us.
“We have never had an altercation like that. We never got into it . . . ever.”
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During our conversation, Millar also provided some information on the club’s two assistant coaches — Trevor Weisgerber and Mike Vandenberghe.
Millar said Weisgerber “had not been told he’s not coming back.”
The club holds an option on Weisgerber until July 15, while Vandenberghe’s contract expires on April 17.
Millar said both coaches “have been told there’s a process that we’re going to go through. They will get a strong recommendation from me to be part of the organization. I want to give the new head coach some flexibility in the hire. I’ve also told both of those guys that we understand other opportunities may come their way and we may lose them.”
Millar also said Vandenberghe “has some other things on the go to. I also think we’ll probably interview Mike for the head coaching job.”
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The hockey community in Spokane is mourning the death of Novelli (Nels) Venerus, who played for two Allan Cup winners in that city.
Steve Bergum of the Spokane Spokesman-Review has more right here.
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In the final game of the WHL’s regular season, Brandon Wheat Kings F Shayne Wiebe put a hit on Moose Jaw F Quinton Howden and found himself in a bout with Warriors D Dylan McIlrath.
McIlrath, a first-round pick by the New York Rangers in the NHL’s 2010 draft, has a three-year NHL contract in his pocket and is finishing the season with the AHL’s Connecticut Whale.
Wiebe signed an ATO (amateur tryout) deal with the Whale earlier this week.
So . . . guess who is rooming together with the Whale?
You got it.
“It’s kinda  funny,” Wiebe told Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun. “But he’s a really good guy.”
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Portland Winterhawks F Brad Ross has been handed one of those ‘tbd’ suspensions after he was hit with a charging major for a first-period check on F Zach Franko of the visiting Kelowna Rockets in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal on Thursday night.
Franko left the game and didn’t return. He is believed to have a concussion and is doubtful for Game 2 on Sunday. You can look for Ross to at least sit out Sunday’s game as well, and perhaps one more after that.
“He’s a hard-hitting guy,” Portland GM/head coach Mike Johnston told Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune after Game 1. “Those type of players, that’s their job — to deliver hits and play physical. He never intended to catch (Franko) like that. He was coming in from the side and caught the guy leaning into his shot. At the NHL level, all those hits are under scrutiny nowadays.
“Brad is a key player for us. He played so well for us in the first series. You don’t want him to take a penalty like that, you don’t want a hit like that, but there’s a fine line. If the guy were turned one more step to the left, (Ross) would have been fine on that hit.”
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F Jonathan Parker of the Prince Albert Raiders has joined the ECHL’s Bakersfield Condors for the remainder of the season. Parker, 19, is from Solana Beach, Calif. He had 86 points, including 45 goals, in 71 games with the Raiders this season. . . . F Tyler Johnson, the WHL’s second-leading scorer in the regular season, is expected to play tonight as his Spokane Chiefs open their series against the visiting Tri-City Americans. Johnson (concussion) missed the last two games of the Chiefs’ five-game victory over the Chilliwack Bruins. . . . F Ryan Stone (Brandon, 2001-05) set a franchise single-game record with five points Friday night to lead the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat to a 6-0 victory over the host Grand Rapids Griffins. Stone had two goals and three assists. G Leland Irving (Everett, 2003-08) stopped 27 shots for his 30th victory and eighth shutout of the season.
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ON THE ICE:
Yikes! What’s going on here? The visiting teams are 3-0 in the second round of the playoffs, and have outscored the home teams 18-3. . . .
In Saskatoon, G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 35 shots as the Kootenay Ice dropped the Blades 4-1 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. . . . Game 2 is in Saskatoon tonight. . . . The Blades had beaten the Ice four times as many meetings in the regular season. . . . F Matt Fraser scored twice for the Ice, the second into an empty net. He has seven goals in seven postseason games. . . . Ice F Kevin King scored his first goal of these playoffs, at 11:57 of the second period, to break a 1-1 tie. . . . The Ice was 2-for-5 on the PP; the Blades were 0-for-3. . . . Saskatoon G Steven Stanford stopped 29 shots. . . . Each member of the Blades’ big line — Curtis Hamilton, Brayden Schenn and Jake Trask — was minus-2. . . . Kootenay had F Sam Reinhart, the 15th pick in the 2010 bantam draft, in the lineup. . . . Attendance was 7,612. . . . The Ice had D Luke Paulsen (shoulder) back in the lineup after a six-week absence, but F Drew Czerwonka (upper body) was scratched. . . . Saskatoon remains without F Ryan Olsen (upper body). . . .
In Red Deer, F Linden Vey, the reigning WHL scoring champ, had two goals and two assists as the Medicine Hat Tigers skated to a 9-1 victory over the Rebels. . . . Game 2 in the Eastern Conference semifinal is scheduled for Red Deer tonight. . . . The Tigers, who finished 6-for-11 on the PP, scored three goals in the first half of the first period and never looked back. . . . D Matthew Konan had four assists for the visitors, while F Wacey Hamilton had a goal and three assists, D Jace Coyle was two and one, and F Emerseon Etem was one and two. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz made a triumphant return with 36 saves. He missed his club’s last five games with a concussion. . . . Vey now has a WHL-leading 16 playoff points, two more than Kelowna Rockets F Shane McColgan. . . . Attendance was 5,926.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Two minors:
Saskatoon F Curtis Hamilton.
Red Deer F Brett Ferguson.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Monday . . .

Shane Doiron coaches an atom team in Shediac, N.B. I don’t know the won-loss record of his team of nine- and 10-year-olds . . . not that it matters. Because he is my coach of the year for all of Canada.
Why? Because he is a hockey coach who gets it.
Check it out right here.
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The San Jose Sharks were playing in Chicago on Monday night when play-by-play man Mike (Doc) Emrick made reference to Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews and the fact that his brother, David, plays for the Brandon Wheat Kings.
Which is when analyst Pierre McGuire informed that Kelly McCrimmon runs the Wheat Kings.
And someone mentioned that McCrimmon’s brother, Brad, is on the coaching staff of the Detroit Red Wings. If you weren’t aware, Brad’s nickname is The Beast. (Although at one time he was Sarge.)
To which Emrick intoned: “If Brad is The Beast, is Kelly . . . Beauty?”
No doubt Kelly has been called a lot of things, both during his career as a player and as an owner/general manager/coach. I have a feeling Beauty isn’t one of them.
Or maybe he has been. It could be that at some point in the past, someone perhaps has referred to McCrimmon as a “real beauty.” Don’t you think?
By the way, I’m thinking McCrimmon has to be given some consideration as the Eastern Conference’s executive of the year and also as coach of the year.
When you consider the Wheat Kings’ horrid start, the number of injuries they dealt with, the fact that they are riding two 17-year-ol goaltenders, and the fact that McCrimmon traded away F Brayden Schenn, well, who would have thought that Brandon would be a hard-charging sixth with a week left in the regular season?
McCrimmon may not win either award, but he has to be in the conversation with the likes of Lorne Molleken of the Saskatoon Blades and Jesse Wallin of the Red Deer Rebels.
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Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president, hockey, appears to have cleared his plate of all but one case.
Doerksen, who is the WHL’s disciplinarian, suspended F Garrett Mitchell of the Regina Pats for one game for a third instigator penalty, hit F Max Ross of the Lethbridge Hurricanes with two games for a boarding major, and sat F Jonathan Parker of the Prince Albert Raiders for a game for an elbowing major.
All that leaves on Doerksen’s plate, at least for now, is the case of F Brendan Ranford of the Kamloops Blazers, who was tossed from a Friday night game with the visiting Kelowna Rockets after he cross-checked linesman Kris Hartley while being escorted to the penalty box.
The Blazers have two games left in the regular season — they go home-and-home with the Prince George Cougars on Friday and Saturday — and you have to think Ranford, who already has sat out one game, won’t play in either of those games.
The Blazers are two points out of a playoff spot, and the only question may be whether the suspension runs into the playoffs or into the 2011-12 season.
The WHL rule book doesn’t appear to be on the league’s website, which is strange if only because the OHL and QMJHL both make their rule books available.
Anyway, the OHL book has two rules (41.3 and 41.4) involving automatic suspensions, either of which would seem to apply to the Ranford situation.
Rule 41 — Physical Abuse of Officials
Rule 41.1 Game Misconduct
Any player or goalkeeper who deliberately applies physical force to an official solely for the purpose of getting free of such an official during or immediately following an altercation shall receive a game misconduct penalty. In addition the following (41.2, 41.3, 41.4) disciplinary penalties shall apply:
41.2 Automatic Suspension — Category 1
Any player who deliberately strikes an official and causes injury or who deliberately applies physical force in any manner against an official with intent to injure or who in any manner attempts to injure an official shall be automatically suspended for not less than 20 games. (For the purpose of the rule, “intent to injure” shall mean any physical force which a player knew or should have known could reasonably be expected to cause injury.)
41.3 Automatic suspension — Category 2
Any player who deliberately applies physical force to an official in any manner (excluding actions set out in Category 1) in which physical force is applied without intent to injury shall be automatically suspended for not less than 10 games.
41.4 Automatic Suspension — Category 3
Any player or goalkeeper who, by his actions, physically demeans an official or physically threatens an official by (but not limited to) throwing a stick or any other piece of equipment or object at or in the general direction of an official, shooting the puck at or in the general direction of an official, spitting at or in the general direction of an official, or who deliberately applies physical force to an official solely for the purpose of getting free of such an official during or immediately following an altercation shall be suspended for not less than three games.
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So depending on how Doerksen interprets Ranford’s actions, and depending on how closely the WHL’s rules are to the OHL’s, Ranford could be looking at a three-game suspension or one that runs at least 10 games.
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Arenas around the WHL were quiet on Monday night; there are three games on tap tonight.
The Lethbridge Hurricanes will visit the Oil Kings in Edmonton. Lethbridge is two points out of an Eastern Conference playoff spot, while the Oil Kings are seventh, three points behind the Brandon Wheat Kings.
The Kootenay Ice will meet the Tigers in Medicine Hat. The Ice, which has three games left, is fourth in the conference, five points behind the Tigers. An Ice loss, then, will mean it finishes fourth and will meet the Moose Jaw Warriors in the first round. . . . A Tigers victory moves them to within two points of the Red Deer Rebels, who, as Central Division leaders, are the conference’s No. 2 seed. The Tigers will use up their game in hand tonight.
And, finally, the Regina Pats are to visit the Broncos in Swift Current. The Broncos, who won’t be in the playoffs, can play spoiler tonight because a victory will finish the Pats. Regina has three games left and is six points behind the Prince Albert Raiders, who hold down the conference’s last spot.
Despite what you may have read or heard, the Pats have not been eliminated. They still can tie for that last spot. And a tie for the final playoff berth would necessitate a sudden-death game.
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JUST NOTES: F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Red Deer Rebels is the WHL’s player of the week. He had 12 points, including five goals, in four games last week. . . . Adam Brown of the Kelowna Rockets is the WHL’s nominee as the CHL’s goaltender of the week. He was 3-0-0, 0.65, .979 last week. . . . The Vancouver Giants have lost six in a row and won’t have F Brendan Gallagher back Wednesday when the meet the Winterhawks in Portland. He is expected to play Friday when the Kelowna Rockets visit Vancouver. . . . Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun also reports that Giants head coach Don Hay is likely to be one of the applicants for the position of head coach of Canada’s national junior team. The deadline to apply is today. . . . “I think I'd like to help Canada win a gold medal,” Hay told Pap. “I think it's always a good challenge for coaches to get involved with that program.” . . . The 2012 tournament will be held in Calgary and Edmonton. . . . According to Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald, the Warriors had F Antonin Honejsek (broken ankle) back on the ice Monday. He has missed 15 games. . . . However, the Warriors were missing F Cody Beach (leg), who was injured Saturday. Head coach Dave Hunchak said Beach is week-to-week. . . . Gourlie also reports that the Warriors are bringing in F Torrin White, the 21st overall pick in the 2010 bantam draft. He had 49 points in 33 games with the midget AAA UFA Bisons in Alberta. . . . Portland F Sven Bartschi has 83 points, the most by a Winterhawks’ freshman since Richard Zednik put up 86 in 1994-95. The franchise record is held by Jiri Beranek (94, 1991-92). . . . Yes, Bartschi is the WHL’s highest-scoring freshman, by 19 points. . . . The Winterhawks had G Mac Carruth (concussion, groin) back at practice Monday and are hoping to get him into at least one game by week’s end. Keith Hamilton has played well in Carruth’s absence, going 7-2 since the starter was first injured on Feb. 22.

Wednesday's stuff . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
Dinamo Minsk (Belarus, KHL) announced that it won’t re-sign D Tomas Mojzis (Moose Jaw, Seattle, 2000-03) for next season. He had two goals and seven assists in 49 games in helping Minsk to a second-place finish in the Western Conference of the KHL. However, it was upset by seventh-place Dynamo Riga 4-2 in the Western Conference quarterfinals.
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The Edmonton sporting scene and, indeed, the entire WHL is poorer today following the death of Vic Mah. Mah, who was 91, died on Friday. . . . A giant on the Edmonton sporting and restaurant scene, Mah longed to bring a WHL franchise to Edmonton. . . . Mah was on the Oil Kings’ board of directors when it was a dominant junior franchise in the 1960s. . . . He was part of the group that purchased the Flin Flon Bombers and moved them to Edmonton in time for the 1978-79 season. Unfortunately, that turned out to be a one-season stand. . . . Few people were aware of it, but Mah even was a shareholder in the Kamloops Blazers when the franchise was community-owned.
Cam Tait of the Edmonton Journal has more right here.
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The Saskatoon Blades clinched the fourth regular-season championship in franchise history on Wednesday, beating the Wheat Kings 5-3 in Brandon. . . . The Blades are 52-13-2 and have tied the franchise record for victories in one season that was set in 1982-83. . . . The Blades last finished first overall in 1987-88 when they went 41-22-3 and wound up three points ahead of the Medicine Hat Tigers. Saskatoon later was swept from a second-round series by the Tigers. . . . The Blades also won the regular-season points title in 1982-83 (52-19-1) and 1972-73 (46-11-11). . . . F Marek Viedensky scored twice for the Blades last night as they ran their winning streak to five games and ended Brandon’s home-ice win streak at 11. . . . Viedensky leads the Blades with 33 goals. . . . Saskatoon will play in Brandon again on Friday. . . .
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G Brandon Glover stopped 24 shots last night to lead the Calgary Hitmen to a 3-0 victory over the host Swift Current Broncos. . . . It was Glover’s first WHL shutout. . . . F Spencer Humphries scored twice for the Hitmen, breaking a scoreless tie in the third period and adding an empty-netter. . . . The Broncos have been blanked eight times this season, tying them with the Everett Silvertips for the WHL lead in a dubious category. . . . While the Hitmen have been eliminated from the playoff chase, the Broncos are on the verge. They are eight points out with five games remaining. . . .
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The Prince Albert Raiders are back in sole possession of the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . The Raiders, with F Jonathan Parker scoring three first-period goals, beat the visiting Regina Pats 8-5, while the host Lethbridge Hurricanes lost 5-3 to the Moose Jaw Warriors, who got three assists from D Collin Bowman. . . . Parker has 44 goals this season. . . . The Raiders hold a two-point lead over Lethbridge with each team having five games remaining. . . . The Pats are 10^th, five points behind Prince Albert with five games left. . . .
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The Chilliwack Bruins ran their franchise-record winning streak to six games, blanking the Giants 2-0 in Vancouver. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore, the reigning CHL goaltender of the week, stopped 36 shots in earning his fourth shutout this season. . . . Vancouver has been shut out three times. . . . F Robin Soudek had a goal and an assist. . . . The Bruins, having won seven of eight, now are alone in sixth place in the Western Conference, two points ahead of the Everett Silvertips and just four behind the fifth-place Giants. . . . Vancouver lost F Michael Burns in the second period after he was checked by Chilliwack D Tyler Stahl. Burns stayed down and was taken from the ice on a stretcher. . . . Later, Chilliwack F Curt Gogol took a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct for a hit on Vancouver D Wes Vannieuwenhuizen. . . . The teams combined for 134 penalty minutes, with the Bruins taking 78 of those. . . . Vancouver has lost four in a row. . . . The Giants are to visit Chilliwack on Saturday. . . . Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun has the game story right here.
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The Kelowna Rockets moved eight points ahead of Vancouver by beating the visiting Tri-City Americans, 3-1. . . . The Rockets are atop the B.C. Division, which brings with it the second seed in the Western Conference. . . . The Americans appear headed to a fourth-place finish. . . . Kelowna F Colton Heffley picked up a charging major and game misconduct so is likely to hear from the WHL office.
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Congrats to Nella Rounsville and Lorne Frey, the latest recipients of the WHL’s Distinguished Service Award. . . . Rounsville is the Kootenay Ice’s education advisor, a role she has filled since 1998-99. She also is chairperson of the Ice’s annual golf tournament. . . . Frey is the assistant general manager, head scout and director of player personnel for the Kelowna Rockets. He is arguably the best purveyor of talent in the WHL today and has two Memorial Cup rings to show for it (Swift Current, 1989; Kelowna, 2004) . . . Frey has been with the Rockets since they set up shop in Tacoma in 1991. . . . Hockey really is in his blood. F Travis Moen (Kelowna, 1998-02) of the Montreal Canadiens is Frey’s son-in-law. As well, Frey and the late Louise (Fanner) Kruger were siblings, meaning Frey is an uncle to Darren, Trevor and the late Scott Kruger, all of whom played in the WHL.
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Shawn Mullin, the radio voice of the Swift Current Broncos, reports that it looks like F Killian Hutt’s season is over. Hutt hasn’t played since suffering a concussion during a game against the Blazers in Kamloops on Dec. 10.
“He was optimistic when we chatted last week that he’d be able to get back into the line-up in the final two weeks of the season,” Mullin wrote on his blog (link over there on the right). “However, as he started working harder in practice some post-concussion symptoms came back. It looks like he’ll be shut down for the year as a result.”
Mark Lamb, the Broncos’ GM and head coach, told Mullin:
“It was coming along well. He sartged getting headaches again. It looks like we’re going to have to shut him down for the year. That’s too bad for him. . . . I feel bad for him. It’s been a tough year for him. He’s a 19-year-old player who needs to get back in the lineup for his career. But you can’t do anything when you have those head injuries.”
Mullin also reports that F Graham Black, who won the Saskatchewan midget AAA league scoring championship with the Regina Pat Canadians, has joined the Broncos. They acquired his rights from the Edmonton Oil Kings in December. . . . With F Jarrett Dowling (ankle) out of the lineup, Black likely will see ample playing time in the Broncos’ remaining games.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings will play their first-round playoff games at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg because the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair will have taken over the Keystone Centre. Games 1 and 2 will be played there on March 28 and 31, with a sixth game, if necessary, there on April 4. . . . Brandon last played postseason games in Winnipeg in 2006 when they lost a first-round series in six games to the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . While the Wheat Kings haven’t yet clinched what would be their 11th straight playoff berth, they are getting close. They are seventh, one point out of sixth and seven out of eighth.
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JUST NOTES: F Nino Niederreiter of the Portland Winterhawks is the CHL player of the week. He had nine points, including seven goals, in four games last week. He is the first Portland skater to earn the honour this season. . . . Lucas Gore of the Chilliwack Bruins is the CHL’s goaltender of the week after going 4-0-0, 1.00, .968. . . .
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The QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs have a 53-6-3 record, in no small part because of the play of G Jacob DeSerres (Seattle, Brandon, 2005-10). DeSerres, 20, is profiled right here by Scott Briggs of the Saint John Telegraph-Journal.

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Lee Goren (Saskatoon, 1995-96) was released by the Straubing Tigers (Germany DEL). He had 12 goals and 25 assists in 33 games for the Tigers this season. According to the club, Goren was released after he came to Tigers management with an offer from Bern (Switzerland NL A). There is no announcement from Bern at present. To replace Goren, Straubing has signed F Adrian Foster (Saskatoon, Brandon, 1999-2002). Foster had no points in seven games earlier this season on a tryout with Örebro (Sweden Allsvenskan).
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They’re having a bobblehead night Friday in Kennewick, Wash., as the Tri-City Americans play host to the Spokane Chiefs. Yes, there are lots of bobblehead nights in sports these days. But this one will be special. That’s because it’s Jimmy Butcher Bobblehead Night. . . . And how is Jimmy Butcher? . . . Jacques Von Lunen of the Tri-City Herald has the story right here.
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Just because Louis Dumont never made it to the NHL doesn’t mean he isn’t living a dream. Paul Hunter of the Toronto Star takes a look at Dumont and his career right here.
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JUST NOTES: The Edmonton Oil Kings have lost D Griffin Reinhart, 16, for the rest of the season. He suffered a broken wrist during a 5-4 OT loss to the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers on Saturday night. . . . Reinhart has 25 points and is plus-10 in 44 games with the Oil Kings. . . . On Sunday night, F Jonathan Parker scored four times to lead the Prince Albert Raiders to a 5-1 victory over the host Calgary Hitmen. Attendance was 11,740. . . . Parker’s first career four-goal game left him with 33 goals. . . . In Kent, Wash., F Ryan Harrison broke a 1-1 tie at 17:15 of the second period to give the Everett Silvertips a 2-1 victory over the host Seattle Thunderbirds. Harrison wasn’t around for the finish, though, as he was tossed with a checking-from-behind major at 5:16 of the third period. . Attendance was 4,091.

The WHL has extended the Christmas break for four of its players by hitting them with brief suspensions for infractions that occurred in Saturday games.
Defenceman Sena Acolatse of the Prince George Cougars and forward Kale Kessy of the Medicine Hat Tigers each will sit out two games. Acolatse incurred a match penalty for attempt to injury at the end of a 3-2 victory over the visiting Kamloops Blazers, while Kessy was hit with a double minor for checking from behind during a 5-3 victory over the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes.
Defenceman Brandon Underwood of the Blazers will sit for one game after taking a kneeing major and game misconduct against the Cougars, while Lethbridge D Cason Machacek also got one game, his for a warmup violation against the Tigers.
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D Matt Delahey (Regina, Chilliwack, 2004-10) has left the ECHL’s Ontario Reign and will enrol at the U of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. Delahey, 21, was a fourth-round pick of the New Jersey Devils in the NHL’s 2008 draft. . . . F Jonathan Parker of the Prince Albert Raiders is the CHL’s player of the week. He had nine points in three games last week. . . . The MJHL’s Neepawa Natives have extended GM/head coach Bryant Perrier’s contract through 2012-13. Perrier is in his second season with the Natives. . . . The NHL’s Calgary Flames have signed F Ryan Howse of the Chilliwack Bruins to a three-year contract. Howse, who is from Prince George, was a third-round pick in the NHL’s 2009 draft. In his fourth season with the Bruins, Howse has 39 points, including 23 goals, in 32 games.