5 years with out you guys ,We will never forget that ... 07.09.2011#RIP #loko pic.twitter.com/guEisGuwhR— Sergey Zborovskiy (@BigZborovskiy) September 6, 2016
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F Kris Versteeg (Lethbridge, Kamloops, Red Deer, 2002-06) didn’t pass his medical examination and was released by Bern (Switzerland, NL A). Versteeg didn’t play any games with Bern. Last season, with the Carolina Hurricanes (NHL) and Los Angeles Kings (NHL), he had 15 goals and 23 assists in 77 games.
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The Spokane Chiefs issued an update on the condition of F Koby Morrisseau on Tuesday:
“The Spokane Chiefs announced today that forward Koby Morrisseau returned to Spokane on Sunday, is doing well and is expected to make a full recovery from an injury sustained in Everett,
Wash. on Saturday, Sept. 3 versus the Portland Winterhawks.
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| KOBY MORRISSEAU |
“Morrisseau, a 16-year-old from Grandview, Manitoba, spent Saturday night in an Everett hospital after being taken off the ice following a check from behind penalty in the third period. Extensive tests and X-rays revealed no fractures or soft tissue damage.
“Morrisseau will remain with the team while he completes a full recovery. No timeline has been set for his return.”
Morrisseau, the ninth overall selection in the 2015 bantam draft, was injured at 13:17 of the third period.
Portland F Brett Clayton was given a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct, and then was hit with a TBD suspension.
The WHL revealed later Tuesday that Clayton has been suspended for six games. Clayton didn’t play in Sunday’s 4-1 victory over the host Everett Silvertips. He will miss Portland’s last three exhibition games and the first two regular-season games.
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The Saskatoon Blades have announced details of Thank You, Mr. Hockey Day, the special day that is planned in honour of the late Gordie Howe.
It all will take place on Sept. 25, with the Swift Current Broncos to provide the opposition.
For starters, Saskatoon city council has proclaimed the day ‘Thank You, Mr. Hockey Day.’
A private ceremony is scheduled for 9:30 a.m., during which members of the Howe family will watch
as Colleen and Gordie’s ashes are interred at the site of a Gordie Howe statue near the SaskTel Centre.
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| The Saskatoon Blades will wear special sweaters that will be auctioned off to benefit the Gordie Howe Alzheimers Fund. |
The Blades then will escort the Howe family to a local bridge that is to be christened Gordie Howe Bridge.
The Blades and the family then will return to the SaskTel Centre, where a tailgate party is to begin at noon in the parking lot.
The doors to the arena will open at 1 p.m. A number of trophies that Howe won during his playing days will be on display in the concourse.
A pregame ceremony, with Hockey Night in Canada’s Bob Cole as the emcee, is to begin at 2 p.m. The game between the Broncos and Blades will start at 2:25 p.m.
The Blades will wear special sweaters during the game. They will be auctioned off with proceeds going to the Gordie Howe Alzheimers Fund.
The Blades also announced that they are teaming up with the Saskatoon Minor Hockey Association to form the Gordie Howe Player of the Year Award.” It will be awarded annually to a player graduating from midget hockey who displays excellence and leadership on and off the ice the way Howe did. The Blades will award a $1,000 scholarship to the winner.
Also on Sept. 25, the 50/50 draw will be operated by the Zone G Saskatoon Red Wings, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Quinn Stevenson Memorial Fund. He was a former Saskatoon Red Wings player who died in a car accident three years ago. His mother, Bonnie, has been instrumental in helping with this process.
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The Prince Albert Raiders have acquired D Nick Heid, 19, from the Medicine Hat Tigers for a seventh-round selection in the 2017 bantam draft. Heid, from Fridley, Minn., was acquired by the Tigers from the Portland Winterhawks last season. In 2014-15, he was pointless in 17 games with Portland. Last season, he had one assist in two games with Portland and five helpers in 60 games with the Tigers. . . . The Winterhawks dealt Heid to Medicine Hat for a fourth-round selection in the 2017 bantam draft. In that deal, Portland actually reacquired a pick it had sent to Medicine Hat for F Miles Koules.
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The Kamloops Blazers sent a fourth-round pick in the 2018 bantam draft to the Edmonton Oil Kings on Tuesday, getting G Carter Phair in return. . . . Phair, 6-foot-4 and 185 pounds, will turn 18 on Dec.
15. He was a 10th-round pick by the Oil Kings in the 2013 bantam draft. . . . Phair played most of last season with the SJHL’s Weyburn Red Wings, going 8-4 with three ties, along with a 2.47 GAA and .925 save percentage in 19 games. He recorded two shutouts. . . . The Blazers have added to their goaltending depth and now have four on their roster, the others being starter Connor Ingram, 19; last year’s backup, Dylan Ferguson, who will be 18 on Sept. 20; and Max Palaga, 16, who is from Kamloops and signed last week. . . . The Blazers will lose Ingram later this month, as he heads for camp with the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning. He also may end up playing for Canada’s national junior team in the 2017 World Junior Championship. . . . Phair’s acquisition gives Kamloops one more option. . . . The Oil Kings still have four goaltenders in camp — veteran Patrick Dea, 19, who played in 46 games last season; Boston Bilous, 15, a fourth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft who has signed a WHL contract; Alec Dillon, 20, who missed most of last season with injuries; and Liam Hughes, 17, who was a seventh-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft. Bilous, of course, isn’t eligible to play full-time this season until his club team has its season end.
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| CARTER PHAIR |
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The Calgary Hitmen have hired Trent Cassan as an assistant coach. He replaces Trent Whitfield, who left after one season to join the AHL’s Providence Bruins as an assistant coach. . . . In Calgary, Cassan joins head coach Mark French, assistant coach Joel Otto and goaltending coach Jason LaBarbera. . . . Cassan, 33, is from Medora, Man. He has been with the SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers. He was the interim head coach for part of 2009-10, the assistant GM/head coach (2010-14) and the GM/head coach (2014-16). Cassan helped the Terriers to the SJHL final four times, and won the franchise’s first RBC Cup in 2014. . . . The Terriers, in turn, have named Casey O’Brien as their GM/head coach. O’Brien, who is from Gloucester, Ont., had been an assistant coach with the Terriers for five seasons. He also was the AGM for the past two seasons.
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The Edmonton Oil Kings have signed F Carter Souch to a WHL contract. Souch was a fourth-round selection in the 2016 bantam draft. He won’t turn 15 until Oct. 28. Last season, with the bantam AAA Southside Athletic Club Lions, he had 64 points, including 34 goals, in 36 games.
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Ryan Smyth, who played three seasons (1992-95) with the Moose Jaw Warriors, has bought into the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints. . . . “The AJHL Saints ownership stake really interested Smyth,” writes Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal. “Owner Darren Myshak, who’s had the club since 2004, also brought in the Leckelt brothers, Dan and Lindsey, who own Silent-Aire, an HVAC and data centre solutions design and manufacturing company, to be owners, and Lindsey knew Smyth from being owner of the senior Stony Plain Eagles, where Smyth played last season.”
Smyth, 40, told Matheson: “We were talking one day and they said, ‘Why don’t you come on board?’ It would be great to learn the business side of things in hockey and there’s no better opportunity than to get involved in junior. The Saints are an important part of the community. This is a stepping stone to learning more about a younger crew of player, after my working with Hockey Canada and their under-18 team.
“That was a great experience, learning the scouting side of things from Scott Salmond and Ryan Jankowski. It was awesome to piggy-back off them. I have a different appreciation for what scouts go through now, for sure. How fired up they are when a player succeeds, or the team.”
Matheson’s complete story is 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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The USHL’s Lincoln Stars have signed head coach Chris Hartsburg to a two-year contract extension that runs through the 2017-18 season. The team also holds an option on 2018-19. . . . In Hartsburg’s two seasons, they went 18-37-5 in 2014-15 and 33-24-3 last season. . . . Hartsburg was an assistant coach for two seasons (2011-13) with the Everett Silvertips. He is the son of former NHL player and coach Craig Hartsburg, who spent two seasons (2009-11) as Everett’s head coach.
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Crazy stat (hat tip @LLoewen986) the span between #Riders last 5 wins is 668 days... for the #Bombers it's 40 days. #CFL @CFL— Kevin Jesus (@GlobalJesus) September 6, 2016
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.
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The Minnesota Wild announced Saturday morning that it has signed F Brady Brassart of the Calgary Hitmen to a three-year entry-level contract. . . . Brassart, 20, was an undrafted free agent. . . . This season, Brassart, who is from Vernon, B.C., has 75 points, including 33 goals. . . . In 315 career regular-season games, he has 259 points, including 110 goals. . . . Brassart was a second-round selection by the Spokane Chiefs in the 2008 bantam draft. On Aug. 18, 2011, he was dealt to the Hitmen for a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. “Brady fell behind in his development with our forwards at the similar age,” Chiefs general manager Tim Speltz said at the time of the trade. “That said, we felt it would be best for Brady to get a fresh start with another WHL team.” . . . Prior to this season, Brassart was in camp with the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Kamloops Blazers have added D Cam Reagan and F Deven Sideroff, both 16, to their roster for the remainder of this season. . . . Reagan, from Sherwood Park, Alta., played on Saturday night against the Tigers in Medicine Hat. He was a fourth-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft. This season, with the midget AAA Sherwood Park Kings, he had 25 points, four of them goals, in 35 games. Last night marked his fifth game this season with the Blazers. . . . Sideroff, a list player from Summerland, B.C., is expected to join the Blazers on Monday. He has three assists in six games with them this season. He spent the winter with the Okanagan Hockey Academy midget prep team in Penticton, B.C., putting up 66 points, including 30 goals, in 39 games. 
In Edmonton, the Calgary Hitmen took over sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference with a 3-2 victory over the Oil Kings. . . . F Greg Chase had three assists for Calgary. . . . The Hitmen got off to a 2-0 first-period lead on goals by F Elliott Peterson, his 11th, and F Connor Rankin, his 19th. . . . F Edgars Kulda got Edmonton on the board with his 26th, at 1:50 of the second, but Calgary D Kenton Helgeson restored the two-goal lead at 12:31 of the second. That was his ninth goal and came via the PP. . . . Edmonton F Mitch Moroz got his 32nd goal at 13:46 of the third. . . . F Henrik Samuelsson had two assists for Edmonton. . . . Calgary G Chris Driedger stopped 38 shots, seven more than Edmonton’s Tristan Jarry. . . . Calgary F Brady Brassart, who signed a three-year contract with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild earlier in the day, had one assist as he ran his point streak to 15 games. . . . According to WHL Facts (@WHLFacts), that is the longest streak by a Calgary skater since F Brandon Kozun strung together a 16-gamer in October-November 2009. . . . The Hitmen (43-15-7) lead the Oil Kings (44-16-3) by two points atop the conference. Edmonton has two games in hand. . . . 
In Prince Albert, the Raiders surrendered the first two goals and then roared back to beat the Kootenay Ice, 4-2. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart had his 22-game point streak and his 15-game assist streak come to an end. Both are franchise single-season records. . . . Raiders F Carson Perreaux tied the game 2-2, with his 16th goal, at 19:20 of the second period and F Leon Draisaitl scored his 30th at 3:25 of the third to put his guys out front. . . . D Landon Peel had two assists for the Ice. . . . Referees Jonathan Spurgeon and Colin Watt handed out only one minor penalty, that to Perreaux. . . . The Ice was able to dress only 16 skaters, two under the maximum. Included in the scratches was F Tim Bozon, as it went with nine forwards and seven defencemen. . . . The Raiders (30-30-5) are tied for eighth with the idle Red Deer Rebels (30-30-5) in the Eastern Conference. . . . The Ice (37-24-4) appears headed to a fifth-place finish. . . . 
In Swift Current, D Julius Honka scored twice to help the Broncos to a 7-4 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Broncos led 3-0 before the game was 13 minutes old, only to have the Hurricanes come back and tie it. . . . Swift Current then scored the next three goals to take control. . . . Honka, a freshman defenceman from Finland, has 16 goals. . . . F Graham Black and F Colby Cave each scored his 30th goal of the season for the Broncos. Black also had two assists. . . . The Broncos (32-24-9) are sixth in the Eastern Conference, five points behind Kootenay and three points ahead of Brandon. . . . The Hurricanes (12-50-5) have lost nine straight games as they head towards the end of the poorest season in franchise history. The 1972-73 Winnipeg Jets finished with 42 points (16-42-10). The 1987-88 Hurricanes went 20-48-4, for 44 points. . . . 
In Saskatoon, F Jayce Hawryluk enjoyed a five-point outing to lead the Brandon Wheat Kings to an 8-5 victory over the Blades. . . . Hawryluk, who turned 18 on Jan. 1, had two goals and three assists, giving him 62 points, including 22 goals, in 56 games this season. The sophomore from Roblin, Man., had 43 points, 18 of them goals, in 61 games last season. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pulock scored his 21st goal of the season. It was the 62nd goal of his career and broke the Wheat Kings’ record for most goals by a defenceman in a career that had been held by the late Brad McCrimmon. . . . “It’s an honour,” Pulock told Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. “It’s a pretty special record in the organization with Brad holding that record. I’m kind of emotional. I’m proud to be the holder of that record.” Pulock is the Wheat Kings’ captain, a position McCrimmon once held. . . . F Nick Zajac scored twice for the Blades, giving him 11. . . . Hawryluk broke a 3-3 tie with a shorthanded goal at 11:44 of the second period and F Tim McGauley, with his 19th goal, added a PP score at 15:55. . . . The Blades have lost five in a row; they also have lost eight straight home games. . . . Brandon was 3-for-4 on the PP and counted three times while shorthanded; the Blades were 0-for-6 on the PP. . . . Brandon (31-26-8) is three points behind the sixth-place Swift Current Broncos in the Eastern Conference. . . . The Blades (16-44-5) won’t appear in the playoffs. . . . 
In Moose Jaw, D Dmitry Sinitsyn and F Morgan Klimchuk, both of whom missed a game earlier in the week due to illness, scored two goals each to lead the Regina Pats to a 7-3 victory over the Warriors. . . . Sinitsyn, who also had two assists, has eight goals; Klimchuk has 28. . . . Regina scored four power-play goals to lead 5-1 before the second period was 13 minutes old. . . . The Pats went 4-for-8 on the PP; the Warriors were 2-for-10. . . . F Brayden Point scored his 29th goal and added an assist for the Warriors. . . . The Pats, who swept the season series from the Warriors 8-0-0, clinched a playoff spot with the victory. . . . Regina (37-23-6) leads the East Division by seven points over Swift Current. . . . The Warriors (17-39-9) are 10th in the Eastern Conference. . . . 
In Medicine Hat, F Curtis Valk and F Trevor Cox each scored two goals and added two assists to help the Tigers to a 7-1 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Valk, who was plus-5, has 40 goals on the season. He has 81 points in 66 games. Last season, he finished with 91 points, including 46 goals, in 71 games. . . . Cox has 75 points, including 23 goals, in 64 games. Last season, as a sophomore, he had 39 points, 16 of them goals, in 72 games. . . . F Cole Sanford, the third member of that line, scored his 30th goal and added an assist. . . . Medicine Hat F Miles Koules had three assists. . . . Tigers G Nick Schneider stopped 30 shots. He lost his shutout at 18:51 of the third period when F Matt Bellerive scored his 17th goal. . . . Kamloops was without D Sam Grist and F Chase Souto, both of whom suffered undisclosed injuries in Friday’s 5-1 loss to the Hitmen in Calgary. Souto had missed eight games before playing in Calgary. . . . Kamloops D Connor Clouston, the son of Tigers’ GM/head coach Shaun Clouston, played his first game in his hometown. . . . The Tigers (41-22-3) are fourth in the Eastern Conference, six points behind Edmonton. . . . The Blazers (13-48-5) have lost four in a row. . . . 
In Prince George, F Axel Blomqvist broke a 1-1 tie at 12:34 of the second period as the Victoria Royals beat the Cougars, 2-1. . . . One night earlier, the Royals beat the Cougars, 5-3. . . . Blomqvist, who was acquired from the Lethbridge Hurricanes earlier in the season, has 22 goals. . . . F Todd Fiddler got the Cougars on the board with his 45th goal at 8:52 of the first. . . . Victoria F Jack Walker tied it with his sixth goal at 6:50 of the second. . . . Victoria G Patrik Polivka stopped 31 shots, 12 more than the Cougars’ Ty Edmonds. . . . Fiddler ran his point streak to 18 games, the longest active streak in the WHL. . . . The Royals will have home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. . . . The Royals (45-17-4) are third in the Western Conference, five points behind the Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Cougars (26-24-8) are four points out of a playoff spot with four games remaining. . . .
In Vancouver, F Marek Tvrdon broke a 1-1 tie at 6:19 of the second period and the Kelowna Rockets went on to a 3-1 victory over the Giants. . . . Tvrdon, who has 10 goals, was acquired from the Giants in January. . . . On Friday, before Kelowna scored a 6-0 home-ice victory over the Giants, Regan Bartel, the radio voice of the Rockets, tweeted: “ ‘If he figures it out he may play in the NHL. If he doesn't figure it out he may be playing back in Slovakia.’ - Don Hay on Marek Tvrdon. . . . Gee, do you think Tvrdon was aware of the comments from the Giants’ head coach? . . . The Rockets tied the franchise record for most victories in a season (52) set by last season’s club. . . . Kelowna also clinched the B.C. Division title. . . . F Cain Franson scored his 28th goal, via the PP, to give the Giants the lead at 12:51 of the first period. . . . F Rourke Chartier got his 21st, at 5:15 of the second, to tie it. . . . Tvrdon, who scored on the PP, has 21 points in 22 games since joining the Rockets from the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 32 shots in winning for the 36th time this season. He is 36-5-4 after going 37-14-3 last season. . . . The Rockets (52-9-4) lead the overall standings. . . . The Giants (30-26-10) clinched a playoff spot when Prince George lost at home to Victoria. . . . 
In Kent, Wash., the Portland Winterhawks’ winning streak ended at 21 games, thanks to a 4-1 loss to the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Portland fell one game short of tying the WHL single-season record that is held by the 1967-68 Estevan Bruins. . . . The Winterhawks scored the game’s first goal, by F Chase De Leo, his 36th, at 2:43 of the first period. However, they weren’t able to beat G Taran Kozun again. He finished with 41 saves. . . . Kozun is 13-4-1, 1.80, .944 with the Thunderbirds. . . . Seattle D Shea Theodore tied the game at 6:55 of the first, getting his 18th goal on the PP. . . . Seattle F Alexander Delnov broke the tie with his 27th goal at 11:16. . . . F Justin Hickman, with his 21st, and F Branden Troock, with his 22nd, later added insurance. . . . Portland G Corbin Boes stopped 21 shots as he lost for the first time (12-1-1) in regulation time since being acquired from the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Seattle (39-19-6) last won 40 games in 2007-08 when it finished 42-23-7. It is fourth in the Western Conference, six points ahead of Spokane. . . . Portland (47-13-5) is nine points behind Kelowna in the conference. . . . 
In Spokane, G Eric Comrie stopped 34 shots to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 3-0 victory over the Chiefs. . . . Comrie has three shutouts this season and eight in his career. . . . The Chiefs have been blanked in back-to-back games since they scored nine times in beating the visiting Kamloops Blazers 9-4 on Feb. 23. . . . F Parker Bowles scored the game’s first goal, his 11th, at 3:30 of the first period, via the PP. . . . D Brandon Carlo, with his third, and F Brian Williams, with his 36th, also scored. . . . Spokane G Eric Williams stopped 26 shots. . . . Tri-City (28-29-8) holds down the Western Conference’s last playoff spot, four points up on Prince George. . . . Spokane (36-23-6) is fifth, five points ahead of the Everett Silvertips.
Pats? The Pats drew only 3,254 spectators for Wednesday’s WHL East Division first-place showdown with the Prince Albert Raiders, who won 3-1.
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