THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Bud Holloway (Seattle, 2003-08) signed a one-year contract extension with Skellefteå (Sweden, Elitserien). He had 21 goals and 28 assists in 55 games, good enough to finish fifth in league scoring, and led the league in power-play goals with 12. Holloway followed up the regular season by leading the league playoffs in scoring, getting 10 goals and 13 assists in 19 playoff games. Skellefteå lost in the best-of-seven Elitserien final to Brynäs Gävle, 4-2. Skellefteå GM Lars Johansson: "It is of course very positive. Bud is a great guy, both on and off the ice, who fits very well into our organization, so it feels great that we have agreed on an extension. He had a great season and it's fantastic that he now chooses to continue his development here in Skellefteå." . . .
F Frantisek Mrazek (Red Deer, 1997-99) signed a one-year contract extension with Landshut Cannibals (Germany, 2.Bundesliga). He had 25 goals and 23 assists in 46 games for the Cannibals this season. . . .
D Burke Henry (Brandon, 1995-99) signed a one-year contract with Orli Znojmo (Czech Republic, Austria Erste Bank Liga). He was pointless in four games with the South East Prairie Thunder at this season's Allan Cup final. In 2010-11, Henry had four goals and three assists for Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia, Austria Erste Bank Liga). . . .
D Tomas Mojzis (Moose Jaw, Seattle, 2000-03) signed a one-year contract with Lev Prague (Czech Republic, KHL). He had six goals and 26 assists in 59 games with TPS Turku (Finland, SM-Liiga) this season. . . .
F Dominik Volek (Regina, 2011-12) signed a junior contract with Färjestad Karlstad (Sweden, J20 SuperElit). He had 14 goals and 18 assists with the Pats this season. Volek, who turned 18 on Jan. 12, is from Praha, Czech Republic, and had been expected to return to the Pats for a second season. Regina selected him with the ninth overall pick in the CHL’s 2011 import draft.
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THE COACHING GAME:
A couple of coaching-related notes from Aaron Portzline, who covers the Columbus Blue Jackets for the Columbus Post-Dispatch. . . . First, he tweeted this: “Confirmed #CBJ asst Brad Berry is a candidate to return to Univ of North Dakota as an assistant. Safe to say he's a favorite for the job.” . . . Berry may have ended up as the Kamloops Blazers' head coach over the summer of 2008 had he not taken his name out of the running. . . . North Dakota has a vacancy because it chose not to bring back associate head coach Cary Eades, who now is the GM/head coach of the USHL’s Sioux Falls Stampede. Eades was out of work for all of a week. . . . Portzline also tweeted this: “Also, #CBJ looking for coach to replace Rob Riley @ AHL level in Springfield. All signs point to former NHLer Brad Larsen getting the job.” . . . Larsen is a former WHLer, having played with the Swift Current Broncos (1993-97). . . .
It hasn’t yet been announced but I’m told that Kelowna Rockets assistant coach Dan Lambert has signed a new two-year deal as an assistant coach. Lambert, who was one of the best offensive defencemen in WHL history during his four seasons (1986-90) with the Swift Current Broncos, works alongside head coach Ryan Huska and assistant Ryan Cuthbert. Lambert handles the back end and is having the time of his life working with young up-and-comers like Madison Bowey, Jesse Lees and Damon Severson. . . .
The Central league’s Bloomington Blaze has hired Brian Gratz as its head coach. He spent the last two seasons as head coach of the Central league’s Dayton Gems. He is a 30-year-old native of Fort Wayne, Ind. With the Blaze, he replaces Paul Gardner whose contract wasn’t renewed after a 23-30-7 record in the franchise’s first season in the league. . . .
The Central league’s Wichita Thunder has extended the contract of head coach Kevin McClelland through 2014-15. McClelland, a former head coach of the Prince Albert Raiders, has been with the Thunder for two seasons. He was named the league’s coach of the year after guiding the team to a franchise-record 44 victories. He also got the Thunder into the league final. . . .
The BCHL’s Coquitlam Express has added the general manager’s duties to head coach Jon Calvano’s portfolio. He takes over from Darcy Rota, the club’s president and governor, who stepped aside after 11 seasons as GM.
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JUST NOTES:
D Bronson Maschmeyer has decided to head for St. Francis Xavier in Antigonish, N.S., and play for the X-Men next season. "That's where I committed," Maschmeyer confirmed via text late last night. Maschmeyer played out his eligibility with the Kamloops Blazers this season. The Blazers acquired him from the Vancouver Giants prior to the 2009-10 season and he never missed a game while with Kamloops, playing in 231 consecutive regular-season and playoff games. . . . Maschmeyer’s sister, Emerance, is off to Harvard after playing this season with the AJHL’s Lloydminster Bobcats. She’s a goaltender. . . . And their brother Brock, a defenceman, will head for Northern Michigan and the Wildcats for 2013-14. Brock plays for the AJHL’s Fort McMurray Oil Barons. . . .
The MJHL’s newest franchise is the Virden Oil Capitals. The team that played out of Winnipeg as the Saints before being sold and moved to the south-western Manitoba community made the announcement Wednesday. . . .
With the threat of a lockout looming, the NHL has started making moves in preparation. That includes the cancellation of the annual Young Guns tournament that has been played in Penticton, B.C. Last year’s tournament featured the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets.
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David Shoalts of The Globe and Mail has chatted with Scotty Bowman about the way the NHL game is being played in these playoffs. The result is a terrific piece, with Bowman going back to the 1979 playoffs to find a series in which one team collapsed in its zone in order to protect its house.
That piece is right here.
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Earlier in the week, also in the pages of The Globe and Mail, the Calgary-based Allan Maki wrote of a family that is waiting to find out whether their husband and father’s brain contained signs of CTE. Yes, he was a former football player. Doug MacIver Sr. was a solid defensive lineman.
Maki’s story is right here.


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Tuesday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT: F Mark Smith (Saskatoon, Tri-City, 1995-97) won’t return to the Cardiff Devils (UK Elite) next season. He had 30 goals and 42 assists in 61 games with Cardiff this season. From the Cardiff press release: “Smith, an electrifying skater and stick handler, struggled with a knee injury throughout last season and will now consider his options for the future.” . . .
Brno (Czech Republic Extraliga) announced a series of moves for next season after keeping its spot in the Extraliga by virtue of finishing in first place in the relegation series. . . . F Jaroslav Svoboda (Kootenay, 1998-2000) signed a two-year contract extension. . . . F Vaclav Varada (Tacoma/Kelowna, 1994-96) was returned to Vitkovice (Czech Republic Extraliga). . . . F Jakub Sindel (Brandon, 2004-05) won’t be re-signed. . . . Svoboda had eight goals and four assists in 42 games and two goals and two assists in seven games in the relegation series. . . . Varada started the season with Vitkovice, getting two goals and eight assists in 19 games. He was then loaned to Brno, where he had four goals and four assists in 14 regular-season games and one assist in 10 relegation-series games. Varada has one year left on his contract with Vitkovice. . . . Sindel had 11 goals and nine assists in 44 games this season.
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USHL versus WHL.
USHL versus Western Canadian junior A.
USHL versus the world.
What’s the deal?
Well, I went to someone whose opinion I respect and someone who is quite familiar with the WHL, junior A in the west, and the USHL.
I simply asked him for an opinion. And here is what he told me:
1. The WHL is No. 1. The players are bigger, he said, and when you put everything together the WHL’s players are more skilled. He also pointed out that play in the WHL is more structured, which may have something to do with the level of coaching in the WHL never having been better than it is right now.
2. The USHL is No. 2. He said the USHL’s best teams would be “decent” WHL teams. “There is lots of skill,” he said, “but the players are much smaller on average.” He also pointed out that the USHL’s best players are 17 and 18 years of age — because the best 19- and 20-year-olds are at NCAA schools.
3. He said the best BCHL teams — he mentioned Vernon and Penticton — would “be OK” in the USHL. But, he added, the “bottom-end teams wouldn’t stand a chance.” The other side of that, he said, is that the USHL’s weakest teams “would be good/very good BCHL teams.”
The other three junior A leagues — the AJHL, SJHL and MJHL — follow the BCHL in any rankings.
To sum up, he said he is “very impressed” with the USHL “and its calibre of play.” Still, the edge, when it’s one league against the other, he said, has to go to the WHL.
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Chris Stewart, who did a turn as head coach of the Prince Albert Raiders a while back, is returning to coaching after a two-year absence. Stewart, the president and GM of the Central league’s Colorado Eagles, has added the head-coaching duties to his portfolio. The announcement came as the Eagles revealed that they won’t renew the contract of head coach Kevin McClelland, a former NHL player who also coached in Prince Albert. McClelland went 87-30-11 in two seasons with the Eagles. This season, they were first-round playoff losers to the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs. . . . In previous stints as a CHL coach, Stewart has put up 375 coaching victories, third all-time. . . . Stewart was named Prince Albert’s director of hockey operations and head coach on July 17, 1995. He was fired on Dec. 8, 1997. . . . McClelland took over as the Raiders’ head coach on July 3, 1998. He resigned on June 13, 2000. . . . The future of Eagles assistant coach Greg Pankewicz (Prince Albert, Regina, 1989-91) hasn’t yet been decided. He has been with Colorado, as a player or coach, for seven seasons.
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Another WHL team is trying to erase convicted sexual abuser Graham James from its history. The Calgary Hitmen, whom James served as an owner, general manager and head coach, have removed him from a team photo that hangs in the Pengrowth Saddledome. The CTV outlet in Calgary has that story right here.
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WHL PLAYOFFS
SECOND ROUND
(Best-of-7)
(x — if necessary)
(All times local)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Medicine Hat (5)
(Calgary wins series 4-2)
April 2: Medicine Hat 2 at Calgary 5 (8,431)
April 4: Medicine Hat 0 at Calgary 4 (6,976)
April 6: Calgary 3 at Medicine Hat 4 (OT) (3,832)
April 7: Calgary 4 at Medicine Hat 1 (4,006)
April 9: Medicine Hat 5 at Calgary 4 (9,004)
April 11: Calgary 3 at Medicine Hat 2 (OT) (4,006)
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Brandon (2) vs. Saskatoon (3)
(Brandon wins series 4-2)
April 2: Brandon 6 at Saskatoon 5 (6,418)
April 3: Brandon 4 at Saskatoon 1 (5,353)
April 7: Saskatoon 5 at Brandon 4 (4,026)
April 9: Saskatoon 4 at Brandon 3 (4,765)
April 10: Saskatoon 2 at Brandon 3 (4,026)
April 12: Brandon 5 at Saskatoon 2 (8,606)
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
Tri-City (1) vs. Kelowna (6)
(Tri-City wins series 4-1)
April 2: Kelowna 3 at Tri-City 5 (3,977)
April 3: Kelowna 4 at Tri-City 1 (3,812)
April 6: Tri-City 2 at Kelowna 0 (5,231)
April 7: Tri-City 3 at Kelowna 2 (5,368)
April 9: Kelowna 3 at Tri-City 4 (OT) (4,334)
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Portland (4) vs. Vancouver (5)
(Vancouver leads series 3-2)
April 3: Vancouver 9 at Portland 6 (5,849)
April 4: Vancouver 7 at Portland 4 (3,757)
April 7: Portland 3 at Vancouver 2 (7,088)
April 9: Portland 3 at Vancouver 5 (8,828)
April 10: Portland 5 at Vancouver 4 (6,418)
Tuesday: Vancouver 3 at Portland 1 (5,589)
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THIRD ROUND
CONFERENCE FINALS
(Best-of-7)
(x — if necessary)
(All times local)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Calgary (1) vs. Brandon (2)
Friday: Brandon at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Saturday: Brandon at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Tuesday: Calgary at Brandon, 6 p.m.
April 21: Calgary at Brandon, 6 p.m.
x-April 23: Brandon at Calgary, 6 p.m.
x-April 25: Calgary at Brandon, 5 p.m.
x-April 27: Brandon at Calgary, 6 p.m.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
Tri-City (1) vs. Vancouver (5)
Friday: Vancouver at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday: Vancouver at Tri-City, 7::35 p.m.
Tuesday: Tri-City at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
April 22: Tri-City at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x-April 24: Vancouver at Tri-City, 1 p.m.
x-April 26: Tri-City at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x-April 27: Vancouver at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
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MONDAY:
In Portland, F Tomas Vincour broke a 1-1 tie at 7:25 of the second period and the Vancouver Giants went on to a 3-1 victory over the Winterhawks. . . . The Giants won the series 4-2 and now will meet the Tri-City Americans in the Western Conference final. That series opens with Friday and Saturday games in Kennewick, Wash. . . . Vincour’s goal, his fifth of the playoffs, came via the PP. . . . F Brendan Gallagher had given Vancouver a 1-0 lead with a shorthanded goal at 8:02 of the first period. . . . F Nino Niederreiter scored a PP goal just 31 seconds later. . . . Gallagher has nine goals in these playoffs; Niederreiter scored eight. . . . F James Henry gave Vancouver some insurance with a PP goal at 9:31 of the third. . . . Vancouver was 2-for-4 on the PP; Portland was 1-for-5. . . . Vancouver G Mark Segal stopped 32 shots in running his playoff record to 8-2. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 26 shots. . . . The Giants were without F J.T. Barnett (shoulder), who might not play again this season. . . . The Giants also were without F Brett Breitkreuz (undisclosed), while Portland reamined without D Taylor Aronson (shoulder). . . . The Winterhawks, who hadn’t played in the playoffs since the spring of 2006, were done in by their inability to win on home ice. They played six home playoff games in two rounds and lost them all. At the same time, they won six of seven road games. . . . The Giants, meanwhile, now are 5-0 on the road. . . . Attendance at the Rose Garden was 5,589. . . . The start of the second period was delayed by about 15 minutes after a fan was injured while taking part in a broomball game during the intermission. The male fan fell and was taken off the ice on a stretcher. . . . Portland D Luca Sbisa, whose NHL rights belong to the Anaheim Ducks, is likely to be assigned to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. The Moose is preparing to open a first-round playoff series against the Hamilton Bulldogs on Thursday.
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PLAYOFF NOTES: The Calgary Hitmen know that they are going to have to raise their game to another level if they are to beat the Brandon Wheat Kings in the Eastern Conference final. That series opens Friday in Calgary and the Calgary Herald takes a look right here. . . . If you hadn’t already guessed, Shaw TV will cover the series between Calgary and Brandon.