Winterhawks make it official . . . Down to five for 2018 WJC . . . Veteran WHL coach heads east

Veteran WHL coach Ryan McGill is headed to the OHL.

F Wacey Rabbit (Saskatoon, Vancouver, 2001-07) signed a one-year contract with the Nippon Paper Cranes Kushiro (Japan, Aisa HL). Last season, with Lørenskog (Norway, GET-Ligaen), he had 11 goals and 22 assists in 36 games. . . .
F Kyle Beach (Everett, Lethbridge, Spokane, 2005-10) signed a one-year extension with Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). Last season, in 53 regular-season games, he had 12 goals and 13 assists. In 13 playoff games, he scored a league-high 10 goals and added three assists as his club won the championship. . . .
D Jesse Craige (Lethbridge, Chilliwack, 2004-10) signed a one-year contract with the Nippon Paper Cranes Kushiro (Japan, Aisa HL). Last season, with the University of Alberta (CIS), he had five goals and 14 assists in 26 games. He was an alternate captain and was named the CIS defence man of the year. He also was named a first-team All-Canadian.
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Got an email from Len Boogaard saying Matt Dumba called him last week asking permission to wear Derek's #mnwild 24. "Classy kid," Len wrote

— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) July 28, 2015

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The Portland Winterhawks have signed D Jack Dougherty, 19, who was a second-round selection by the Nashville Predators in the NHL’s 2014 draft. He signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Predators on Friday. . . . Dougherty was a freshman with the U of Wisconsin Badgers last season, putting up two goals and seven assists in 33 games. . . . Before heading to Portland, Dougherty will take part in USA Hockey’s national junior team evaluation camp in Lake Placid, N.Y. It runs from Saturday through Aug. 8. . . . Portland will have four players at that camp, veteran forwards Paul Bittner and Dominic Turgeon and freshman D Caleb Jones being the others. . . . Dougherty, from St. Paul, joins Bittner, D Nick Heid, D Blake Heinrich and F Keegan Iverson as fellow Minnesotans on the Winterhawks’ roster.
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The 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship will be held in Buffalo, Chicago, Pittsburgh, St. Louis or Tampa. USA Hockey announced Tuesday that those cities are the finalists to play host to the tournament. . . . Detroit, which has billed itself as Hockeytown USA, didn’t make the cut, although it was one of at least 12 cities that had expressed an interest. . . . The list will be shortened even more over the next two months, with the host city to be selected before year’s end. . . . The fact that five major cities are left in the running tells you just how big this tournament has become in North America. As Chicago Blackhawks chairman Rocky Wirtz said yesterday: "Next to the Olympics, I think that’s the biggest hockey event there is out there.” . . . The 2016 tournament is to be held in Helsinki, Finland, while the 2017 event is scheduled for Montreal and Toronto. . . . Chris Peters of cbssports.com takes a really good look at the picture right here.
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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to send an email to greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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Ryan McGill, a veteran WHL head coach, is on his way to the OHL, having signed a two-year contract as head coach of the Owen Sound Attack. . . . He replaces Greg Ireland, who resigned earlier this month and now is the head coach of Adler Mannheim in Germany. . . . McGill, 46, spent the past three seasons as head coach of the WHL’s Kootenay Ice. His contract wasn’t renewed at season’s end. He is the second coach to move from the Ice to the OHL, following Kris Knoblauch, who has coached the Erie Otters for two-plus seasons. . . . “To get a head coach of Ryan’s calibre, in the time frame we were working under is unbelievable,” Attack general manager Dale DeGray said in a news release. “Ryan brings with him a wealth of experience and success, both at the professional and junior levels. He’s a competitor who knows how to win. Our organization is extremely lucky to have him.” DeGray also likes McGill’s familiarity with small-market franchises. “Ryan played in Swift Current, coached in Kootenay and now being the head coach of the Owen Sound Attack means that he has been a part of three of the smaller markets in the Canadian Hockey League,” DeGray added. “Performing in a small-market in front of a very loyal fan base will be nothing new to him and something he is comfortable with. The man knows how to win.” . . . The Attack also signed Derek King, 48, to a two-year deal as assistant coach. He spent the past six seasons on the coaching staff of the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman, who now is doing some writing for Yahoo! Sports Canada, has more right here.
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Happy 82nd to the diminutive goalie Charlie Hodge who led NHL in shutouts in 63-64 during 1st season as Habs starter. pic.twitter.com/FWv705y1z6

— O-Pee-Chee Stars (@opeecheestars) July 29, 2015

Here’s hoping that Charlie’s birthday cake was one huge Nanaimo bar.
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The Vancouver Giants are preparing for their 15th season in the WHL. On Tuesday, they released a 15th-anniversary patch that will adorn each sweater in the 2015-16 season. It will be worn on the upper left chest area and also will be visible on the ice at Pacific Coliseum.
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The gang at bgsuhockey.com has put together an interesting bit of work detailing salaries and bonuses, etc., of hockey coaches in the WCHA. If you want to give it a look -- hello, WHL coaches -- it’s right here.
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Almost time to dismantle this bad boy and make room for the new arrival here @XfinityArena! #Upgrades pic.twitter.com/0KkUCcOYaL

— Everett Silvertips (@WHLsilvertips) July 28, 2015

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'It makes me cry at my computer . . .'

F Tomáš Vincour (Edmonton, Vancouver, 2007-10) has signed a one-year contract with Kometa Brno (Czech Republic, Extraliga). Last season, with Ak Bars Kazan (Russia, KHL), he had six goals and five assists in 39 games. . . .
F Kyle Beach (Everett, Lethbridge, Spokane, 2005-10) has signed a tryout contract through Sept. 30 with Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). Last season, he had four goals in seven games with the Rockford IceHogs (AHL), two goals and an assist in seven games with HV71 Jönköping (Sweden, SHL), and two goals and five assists in 39 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL).
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An email arrived in my Inbox on Thursday morning. It was from a former WHL defenceman, who in his playing days could have played on my team, your team or any team. No, he wasn’t an all-star; rather, he was a tough-as-nails, take-no-prisoners defenceman, the kind you can’t win without. Yes, he fought; mostly, though, he played hard, really hard.
“I have had some depression issues in the past,” he wrote, “not to the point where I was thinking of doing anything drastic, but depression none the less.
“Was it from too many concussions? Maybe, not sure.
“My point to all this is, I know there are former players, just like myself, who have the same issues I do, they just hide it. Is it solely a hockey player problem? No, but it makes me cry at my computer when I see these kids killing themselves.
“Keep it in the spotlight, thanks for writing about this topic.”
That email came on the heels of another note, this from the wife of a career coach.
The other day, she wrote: “I read a Facebook status from a player who played for (my husband) on two different teams talking about his battle with depression. I contacted him. He was a tough guy, said he felt the need to live up to that reputation, until now.”
And now I’m wondering just how many former hockey players there are out there who are dealing, or trying to deal, with depression?
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TRADE WIRE:
THE DEAL: The Prince George Cougars acquired D Dominic Thom, 18, from the Brandon Wheat Kings for a conditional sixth-round selection in the 2016 bantam draft.
THE SKINNY: Thom, from Calgary, was a ninth-round pick by Brandon in the 2011 bantam draft. He played in two games with Brandon, both last season, earning one assist. He played 29 games with the AJHL’s Calgary Mustangs, recording a goal and five assists.
THE ANALYSIS: The Wheat Kings get a draft pick, likely conditional on his being on the Cougars’ roster at a particular date, for a player who wasn’t going to stick with them. The Cougars get to look at a 6-foot-3, 185-pound defenceman who could provide them with some depth on the back end.
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F Axel Blomqvist will be a bit late reporting to the Victoria Royals. That’s because he will play for Team Sweden at a Four Nations tournament in Jönköping, Aug. 29-31. Earlier this summer, Blomqvist, who was acquired by Victoria from the Lethbridge Hurricanes last season, attended Sweden’s national junior evaluation camp. The 6-foot-6, 210-pound Blomqvist, 19, hopes to be named to the Swedish team that will play in the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship. . . . The 2015 tournament will be split between Montreal and Toronto, running Dec. 26 through Jan. 5. . . . Blomqvist put up 43 points, including 16 goals, in 46 games with the Royals last season. He attended the Winnipeg Jets’ rookie and main camps as an undrafted free agent last season and ended up signing a three-year entry-level deal.
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The Saskatoon Blades have signed F Logan Christensen, who was a second-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft. Christensen, from Morden, Man., had 79 points, 34 of them goals, in 54 games at the Pursuit of Excellence in Kelowna last season.
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Teams in the QMJHL have been in camp for a few days now. If you’re wondering why that league always starts so early, Willy Palov of the Halifax ChronicleHerald has the scoop right here.
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A story in Thursday’s Ottawa Citizen begins with this: “A 31-year-old recreational hockey player has been sentenced to 18 months’ probation after a rare criminal conviction for an on-ice collision — a decision that his lawyer says has set a dangerous precedent that could chill participation in such hockey leagues.” . . . Meghan Hurley’s complete story is right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Ryan Smith, the MJHL’s coach of the year last season, now is the general manager and head coach of the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos. He replaces Dean Brockman, who now is an assistant coach with the Saskatoon Blades. Smith, from Winnipeg, has a three-year contract with the Broncos. . . . Smith spent five seasons as the GM/head coach with the MJHL’s Selkirk Steelers.
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Darren Komonoski is back with the junior B Revelstoke Grizzlies, as assistant coach and goaltending coach. Komonoski returns to the Grizzlies after stepping aside for a couple of years. He also works with the BCHL’s Salmon Arm SilverBacks. . . . A native of Humboldt, Sask., Komonoski, who lives in Revelstoke, will work with GM/head coach Ryan Parent. The Grizzlies play in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League.
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Matt Cockell (Saskatoon, Seattle, Regina, Spokane, 1996-99) is back with the Brandon Wheat Kings as their goaltending coach. Cockell, from Winnipeg, spent the past two seasons with Hockey Canada after being part of the Wheat Kings’ coaching staff. He was the goaltending coach with the Canadian women’s team that won gold at the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi last season. . . . While Cockell was gone, Brent Zelenwich had served as Brandon’s goaltending coach.
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Fernando Pisani, a native of Edmonton who played 402 regular-season games with the Oilers, has joined the U of Alberta Golden Bears as the lead assistant to head coach Ian Herbers. Pisani, 37, was the club’s part-time assistant last season; he now is full-time. He fills the spot created when Ryan Marsh left the Golden Bears to sign on as an assistant coach with the Edmonton Oil Kings.
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D MacKenzie Johnston (Kelowna, Prince Albert, Saskatoon, 2009-2014) will attend Mount Royal University and play for the Cougars. A native of Swift Current, Johnston played out his junior eligibility last season, splitting it between the Kelowna Rockets, Prince Albert Raiders and Saskatoon Blades. . . . D Dylan Busenius (Medicine Hat, Prince Albert, Saskatoon), who also played out his junior eligibility last season, has decided to attend the U of Calgary and play for the Dinosaurs. . . . F Connor Sanvido (Seattle, Swift Current, Saskatoon, 2009-13) will attend St. Thomas U in Fredericton, N.B., and play for the Tommies. Sanvido, the 14th overall pick in the WHL’s 2008 bantam draft, played three seasons with the Seattle Thunderbirds. He split last season between the Swift Current Broncos and Saskatoon Blades as he completed his junior eligibility. . . . A tip of the hat to Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix for tweeting all three of those moves.
The Brandon Wheat Kings revealed Thursday that they have sold 1,907 season tickets, “a slight increase over what the club had sold at the same time last summer.” The Wheat Kings sold more than “2,300 season tickets” last season when their average regular-season attendance was 3,529. . . . The Wheat Kings also announced that Russian D Ivan Provorov, 17, will report to training camp on Aug. 23. Provorov, who played with the USHL’s Cedar Rapids Roughriders last season, was selected in the 2014 CHL import draft. In 2012-13, he played midget hockey in Wilkes-Barre Scranton, Penn.

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Hey @HockeyCanada see this yet ? 30km West of Flin Flon, MB, side of hwy, saluting double gold in Sochi #ourgame pic.twitter.com/9uvADjrnht
— Evan Hammond (@HamWilder) August 15, 2014

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
HV71 Jönköping (Sweden, SHL) has chosen not to renew loan agreement with Chicago (NHL) for F Kyle Beach (Everett, Lethbridge, Spokane, 2005-10). Beach had two goals and an assist in seven games with HV71. The team said Beach would have a limited role now that HV71 has signed new players. . . .

D Jaroslav Obsut (Swift Current, Medicine Hat, Edmonton Ice, 1995-97) signed for the rest of season with Zvolen (Slovakia, Extraliga). This season, he was pointless in two games with Zvolen. Last season, he had a goal and an assist in seven games with Zvolen. He also played in the KHL, totalling 12 points, four of them goals, in 39 games with Donetsk (Ukraine) and Spartak Moscow (Russia).
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1. The Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) has taken a giant step towards banning fighting.
On Thursday, the league, which governs junior A hockey, announced that it had "overwhelmingly voted to support an automatic game misconduct for fighting (the one-fight rule) . . ."
"The co-operation among our leagues and partners for standardized fighting rules and consistent discipline guidelines across all Junior A leagues is a significant step in the continuing development and evolution of the CJHL and Junior A hockey in Canada," CJHL President Kirk Lamb said in a news release. "We will work closely with our stakeholders and key partners, such as Hockey Canada and provincial branches, on bringing these endorsements forward for consideration."
Starting next season, a fighting major is likely to carry with it an automatic game misconduct. Five leagues that operate under the CJHL umbrella — the SIJHL, NOJHL, OJHL, CCHL and LHJAAAQ — already use the one-fight rule. Five other leagues — the BCHL, AJHL, SJHL, MJHL and MHL — are playing under a two-fight rule this season, but are expected to change in time for next season.
This definitely is the direction in which hockey below the professional level is moving. And people who are critical of decisions such as these need to understand that a big part of the decision rests on the issue of liability.

2. And just in case you're not sure of the damage that punches to the head are capable of inflicting, you can find out be reading this piece right here.

3. The message from the Seattle Thunderbirds is rather simple: We aren't anyone's patsy any more.
The Thunderbirds, who have struggled to reach the WHL's upper reaches in recent seasons, announced Thursday evening that they have acquired disgruntled forwards Jaimen Yakubowski and Sam Mckechnie, both 19, from the Lethbridge Hurricanes in exchange for forwards Riley Sheen, who turns 19 on Dec. 21, and Carter Folk, 17, and a third-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft.
Yakubowski and Mckechnie, the Hurricanes' two leading scorers last season, had both expressed a desire to be traded and were sent home last week to wait and see what might transpire.
The Thunderbirds, who are 9-3-1 and a point behind the Western Conference-leading Spokane Chiefs (10-3-0), have signalled to the WHL's 21 other teams that they are coming after them.
“So far this season we have shown potential to be a contender in the league but it is a very competitive division and we felt the experience and scoring these two bring will give us the depth to fully round out our lineup,” Seattle general manager Russ Farwell said in a news release. “We are a tougher team to play against today with this trade and we are excited about what these two players add to our team.”
Yakubowski, from Dalmeny, Sask., has but one goal in 11 games this season, after putting up 50 points, including 32 goals, in 66 games last season. He has 79 points, 49 of them goals, in 145 career games. He also has some fire and brimstone to his game. He was a fourth-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft.
Mckechnie, from Airdrie, Alta., has a goal and two assists in nine games this season. Last season, he finished with 44 points, including 26 goals, in 72 games. He had 76 points, 40 of them goals, in 153 career games. The Hurricanes selected him in the third round of the 2009 bantam draft.
Sheen, from Edmonton, had 40 points in 71 games with the Seattle last season. He was acquired from the Medicine Hat Tigers in a deal that had F Jacob Doty head east. Sheen had three ponts in 46 games with the Tigers in 2011-12. This season, he has eight points, three of them goals, in 12 games.
Folk, from Regina, is a freshman and is pointless in seven games. Seattle selected him in the fourth round of the 2011 bantam draft.
The Thunderbirds visit the Tri-City Americans tonight, before returning home to Kent for a game against the Vancouver Giants on Saturday.
The Thunderbirds and Chiefs aren't scheduled to meet until Dec. 1 and 6 when they play twice in Spokane. (The Portland Winterhawks are to visit Kent on Nov. 1.)
If you were wondering, F Ryan Gropp, who left the BCHL's Penticton Vees and a commitment to the U of North Dakota to join the Thunderbirds earlier this month, has yet to play. A groin injury has kept him on the sideline. He has practised this week and may play at some point this weekend.
Tim Pigulski of ESPN Seattle has more on the Thunderbirds right here.

4. After announcing the deal, the Hurricanes entertained the Moose Jaw Warriors. Lethbridge took a 3-0 lead into the third period, only to give up the game's last four goals and drop a 4-3 overtime decision. . . . Russian F Alex Chirva, playing his ninth game, forced OT with his first WHL goal at 15:20 of the third period and D Travis Brown won it 3:40 into extra time. . . . The Hurricanes are 2-11-2, which is the WHL's poorest record. The Warriors (6-7-3) are tied for fourth in the Eastern Conference.

5. A tweet from the Vancouver Province's Steve Ewen (@SteveEwen): "#WHL Somewhere Calvin Pickard is recounting all the good T-Bird news this year and saying, 'Now? Seriously?' "

6. The Vancouver Giants, having parted company with goaltending coach Paul Fricker earlier in the month, have filled that vacancy by hiring veteran coach Eli Wilson. . . . "I've coached at every level, from minor hockey to the NHL, and I've developed goaltenders to move on and reach their goals," Wilson said in a news release. "I've had a lot of success in the WHL when I was in Medicine Hat and I know what it takes at this level for goalies to reach their full potential." . . . Included on his resume are stints with Hockey Canada as well as the NHL's Anaheim Ducks and Ottawa Senators.

7. Would you give up one of your kidneys for $10,000? . . . According to a story that is right here: "Paying living kidney donors $10,000 could boost donations and cost effectively improve quality of life for people who would otherwise be on dialysis, say Canadian doctors who modelled the idea.

8. The Vancouver Giants are without one of their two goaltenders as Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reports that Jared Rathjen suffered an undisclosed injury in practice this week and wasn't able to even back up Payton Lee in Wednesday's 4-3 OT victory over the visiting Calgary Hitmen. . . . The Giants are using Jake Morrissey, 16, who Ewen reports is on loan to them until Monday. Morrissey, the brother of Prince Albert Raiders D Josh Morrissey, was a fifth-round selection by the Kelowna Rockets in the 2012 bantam draft and now is at the South Delta, B.C., Hockey Academy. . . . Payton Lee will be back in goal on Friday as Vancouver begins a stretch of five games in six nights — at home to Everett tonight, in Kent, Wash., against Seattle on Saturday, in Kamloops on Sunday, and in Prince George on Tuesday and Wednesday.

9. Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald reports that F Jujha Khaira of the Everett Silvertips has an undisclosed injury and won't play this weekend. The Silvertips are scheduled to be in Vancouver tonight and in Kamloops on Saturday. . . . Everett F Patrick Bajkov, who has missed two games with a concussion, isn't expected to play tonight but could return Saturday.

10. The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Red Sox 4-2 in Boston last night to even the World Series, 1-1. This means there will be a Game 5 and some interesting times in St. Louis on Monday. While the Red Sox and Cardinals are playing, the Monday Night Football game will feature the Seattle Seahawks at the Rams.

11. So . . . you've got a shrine to hockey wrapped around a bar in your basement. But you're missing that one thing . . . that one item that would really get the conversation rolling. How about a score clock, like this one right here?

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JUST NOTES: The visiting Peoria Rivermen and Rockford IceHogs went 16 rounds in a shootout on Saturday, before Peoria D David Shields won the AHL game, 3-2. Of note was that one of the game’s two fights featured Peoria’s Chris Bruton (Spokane, 2004-08) battling Rockford’s Kyle Beach (Everett, Lethbridge, Spokane, 2005-10)just 23 seconds into the game. . . . The AHL’s Chicago Wolves released D Kyle Verdino, 20, on Saturday. Verdino had left the Seattle Thunderbirds last week for a tryout with the Wolves. . . . F Charles Inglis of the Prince George Cougars will be hearing from the WHL office after taking a major and game misconduct for checking to the head of D Tyler Stahl during a 6-5 loss to the visiting Victoria Royals on Saturday night. . . . F Jamie Crooks led the Royals with three goals, the first time he has done that in 156 regular-season games. . . .
Also on Saturday night, F Brendan Gallagher was back in the Vancouver Giants’ lineup and had one goal. But it wasn’t nearly enough as the Giants were beaten 6-3 by the Rockets in Kelowna. Vancouver has given up 22 goals over its last four games. . . . According to DubNation: “After Saturday's contest, Vancouver held a lengthy closed-door session.” . . . Gallagher was returned by the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens on Friday and began his Saturday at 1:45 a.m. . . . G Corbin Boes stopped 23 shots for his second career shutout as the host Brandon Wheat Kings beat the Saskatoon Blades, 6-0. F Mark Stone scored three times for Brandon, giving him the second hat trick of his WHL career. He had one three-goal game in 2009-10, when he scored 11 goals. He wasn’t able to turn the trick last season when he scored 37 times. He has 13 points, including five goals, in five games this season. . . .
 F Anthony Bardaro had three goals to lead the host Spokane Chiefs to a 7-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans. He had one hat trick last season en route to a 24-goal finish. . . . The Chiefs lost three players to injuries -- F Mitch Holmberg took a high-stick to the face and will be seeing a dentist, while D Tanner Mort and F Liam Stewart left with undisclosed injuries. “I don’t know if I want to comment. I know I had guys hurt,” Chiefs head coach Don Nachbaur told Dave Trimmer of the Spokane Spokesman-Review. “I didn’t see it and I haven’t viewed it on the video so it’s really difficult for me to comment. . . . We spent a lot of time on the power play.” The Chiefs were 4-for-12 on the PP; the Americans were 0-for-5. . . . Spokane also got four assists from sophomore D Reid Gow, who had 11 points in 41 games last season.
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Two more former U.S. college football players have sued the NCAA, saying it failed to protect them from concussions.
There is more right here.
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Roy MacGregor of The Globe and Mail opens a Saturday column by writing about “mad hatters” and the fact that nine out of 10 doctors once preferred Camels.
“And so it goes with hockey,” MacGregor writes. “This early fall of 2011 may well go down as the moment the Canadian game chose to step out of its own Alice-in-Wonderland world of make-believe and bring an end to the scourge of head hits – all head hits, including the accidental, including hits delivered by fists.
“We are not there yet, but we are getting there – and that alone is cause for hope.”
There is one quote in the MacGregor piece that simply jumps off the page. It comes from referee Bruce Tennant, a veteran of more than 30 years in stripes. He told MacGregor: “If I had a son who wasn’t showing the potential to play at the highest levels, I really don’t think I’d let him play contact hockey.”
MacGregor’s complete column is right here.

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

Thursday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Craig Weller (Kootenay, 2000-02) signed a one-year contract with Villach (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had 16 goals and 36 assists in 41 games for the Cardiff Devils (Wales, UK Elite) last season and was named UK Elite Ice Hockey League Player of the Year, Defenceman of the Year, and a first team all-star.
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CRAIG HARTSBURG

As of early, early this morning, Craig Hartsburg still was the head coach of the WHL’s Everett Silvertips. That was according to the WHL team’s website.
However, at least one media outlet was reporting that he had quit.
“Craig Hartsburg, who has stepped down as head coach of the WHL's Everett Silvertips,” read a report at sportsnet.ca, “is a top candidate to become right-hand man to head coach Brent Sutter, according to a member of the (Calgary) Flames staff. The spokesperson said there is work to be done but Hartsburg is of interest.”
Steve MacFarlane of the Calgary Sun wrote it this way:
The Calgary Flames have nothing to announce just yet.
But a reunion for Craig Hartsburg and Flames head coach Brent Sutter doesn’t sound far off.
“Craig Hartsburg is a top candidate for a coaching job with the Calgary Flames,” Flames vice-president of communications Peter Hanlon said Thursday after TSN’s Bob McKenzie told the Twitterverse earlier in the day he expected Hartsburg to be named associate coach in Calgary sooner than later.
“However, there is work to be done before any official announcement.”
That complete story is right here.
As for Hartsburg leaving Everett, well, you know what they say about where there’s smoke. . . .
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For all the Kyle Beach fans out there, Cody Pugh, a contributor to bleacherreport.com, takes a look back to see what the enigmatic former WHLer has accomplished to date and where he’s at in terms of making the roster of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks.
That piece is right here.
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The Portland Winterhawks have dealt G Keith Hamilton, 19, to the Victoria ???? for third-, fourth- and eighth-round selections in the 2012 WHL bantam draft.
Hamilton, a second-round selection by Portland in the 2007 bantam draft, was 17-6-2, 2.91, .914 in backing up Mac Carruth last season.
It would seem that the Winterhawks got decent return for a goaltender who would have been in tough at training camp with Carruth, also 19, the No. 1 guy at this time.
The Winterhawks also have signed G Brendan Burke, the son of former NHLer Sean Burke, and G Jarrod Schamerhorn, and needed to make room for one of them as the backup for next season.
Burke was a third-round selection in the 2010 draft; Schamerhorn, who played for the major midget Kootenay Ice last season, was added to Portland’s list after the 2010 training camp.
Coincidentally, Hamilton and Schamerhorn both are from Kelowna.
Victoria, which finished the season as the Chilliwack Bruins, had Lucas Gore and Braden Gamble on its roster at season’s end. Gore was 20, so played out his eligibility. Gamble, now 20, was 2-8-1 in 19 games during the regular season.
Hamilton “will push for the starting job this year, and has solidified our goaltending corps as we now have three quality goaltenders at different age ranges in Hamilton, Braden Gamble and Jared Rathjen,” Marc Habscheid, Victoria’s GM/head coach, said in a press release.
Rathjen is a list player who is from Prince George. He played last season for the major midget Cariboo Cougars, who play out of P.G.
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Before you start thinking that the ???? paid a steep price for a 19-year-old goaltender with minimal experience at the WHL level, here’s a note from Alan Caldwell at Small Thoughts At Large, which is linked over there on the right:
“An eagle-eyed reader has just pointed out to me that Portland traded their own 2012 3rd, 4th, and 8th round picks to Victoria back at the draft in return for Victoria's 2nd round pick, which the Hawks used on Zach Patterson. So it looks like this deal was just to get the picks back, essentially making the deal Hamilton for the 2nd rounder. Since Portland was still playing at the time of the draft, they couldn't actually trade Hamilton at that time.”
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If you missed Game 2 of the NBA final on Wednesday night, well, you cheated yourself. A game like this is why we watch. And here’s hoping you didn’t change channels when the Miami Heat held a 15-point lead.
Dwyane Wade made a three from in front of the Dallas bench for an 88-73 lead with 7:14 to play, and he posed for three or four seconds.
Whoops!
(The pose came after some big-time strutting by LeBron and Chris Bosh after put-back dunks. Yes, the Heat makes it awfully easy to dislike it.)
Because the Dallas Mavericks went on a 20-2 run and eventually won when, with the score tied at 93, Dirk Nowitzki romped past defender Chris Bosh and laid in the winning points. With the Heat out of timeouts, it had to inbound from under its basket and Wade missed a desperation three at the buzzer.
Bruce Arthur of the National Post went back and looked at the game’s last seven minutes a second time. He came up with this:
“Heat misses last 7:15: Chalmers 3; LBJ layup; CB J; LBJ fade J; CB TO; UH J; LBJ pullup shot-clock 3 (twice); Wade pullup 3; Wade running 3.”
So it’s 1-1 heading to Dallas for three games, with the first on Sunday. You won’t want to miss it.
I have turned into something of an NBA watcher after being unable to watch NHL playoffs in a hotel in Mt. Vernon, Wash., a few weeks ago. Instead of watching Game 7 between the Chicago Blackhawks and Vancouver Canucks — the hotel didn’t provide access to Versus (or CBC) — I watched NBA playoff action. And I haven’t stopped.
Thank you, Mr. Bettman.
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The afore-mentioned Bruce Arthur has today’s good read, too. It’s a farewell of sorts to Shaq.
And it’s right here.
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Condolences to the family of Tom Mangan, a member of the Kamloops Blazers’ board of directors (2003-06), who died Thursday afternoon after battling prostate cancer. He was 64. . . . Mangan was active in the Kamloops sporting world. . . . He also served on the board of the Kamloops Blazers Sports Foundation, which handed out more than $1 million in grants before the WHL franchise was sold over the summer of 2007. And he was on the committee that backed the 2010 World Masters athletics championship that was in Kamloops.
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There are a couple of comments posted on the blog after yesteday’s comment about Game 1 of the Stanley Cup not being televised by Seattle’s NBC outlet.
A couple of hockey fans — and friends — from the Seattle area also emailed me to point out that it really isn’t a big deal.
“KING5, the NBC affiliate, never shows prime-time NHL games,” noted one fan. “Because they would rather show the news.
“So they have a sister station, KONG, which they move the game to. KING is channel 5, KONG is channel 6.
“The problem used to be that Comcast didn’t carry KONG in HD. But they have added to it.
“But, as I always point out . . . Anyone with basic Comcast cable still gets CBUT on channel  99. And if they have Comcast HD, they get the HD feed. And who the heck would want to watch NBC when you can have CBC.”
The second fan wrote:
“No big deal here – Everyone watches HNIC anyway. Can’t miss Coaches Corner.”
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Chris Rumble, a defenceman with the NAHL’s Wenatchee, Wash., Wild, is working on a 90-minute documentary that should be worth a watch. He spent the 2010-11 season getting video and audio — he even had referees mic’d up in four gmes — for the doc that he is editing more than 80 hours of video right now. The hopes to have two shows — one PG, the other uncensored — ready in August.
Corey Voegele of the Wenatchee World has the story right here.
By the way, Rumble is the son of former NHL D Darren Rumble, who spent last season on the coaching staff of the QMJHL’s Lewiston Maineiacs. That franchise, of course, folded earlier this week, meaning Rumble is available. He was shortlisted for a couple of QMJHL head-coaching spots and has been in contact with at least one WHL team.
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The Saskatoon Blades and Credit Union Centre have agreed in principle on a three-year lease. Why just three years? Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has that story right here.
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THE COACHING GAME: The SJHL’s La Ronge Ice Wolves have signed GM/head coach Bob Beatty to a five-year contract extension. Beatty has completed seven seasons as the Ice Wolves’ head coach. They have won the last two SJHL championships. . . . I mentioned here yesterday that Wes Werhun, a new assistant coach with the AJHL’s St. Albert Steel, had been with the midget AAA St. Albert Raiders. It turns out he was with the St. Albert Merchances of the Capital Junior B league. Thanks to the sharp-eyed reader for the note on that one. . . . The BCHL’s Langley Rivermen have hired Steve O’Rourke, 36, as their general manager and head coach. He had been an assistant coach with the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat for two seasons. Assistant coaches will be Bobby Henderson, a son of co-owner Roy Henderson, and Jordan Emmerson. Bobby Henderson, who was on the coaching staff of the junior B Mission, B.C., Ice Breakes last season, played with the BCHL’s Chilliwack Chief before attending the U of Nebraska-Omaha. Emmerson, who is form Abbotsford, played for hte BCHL’s Penticton Panthers before going on to the U of Alaska-Fairbanks.
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Four of the 16 goaltenders invited to Hockey Canada’s sixth annual goaltending camp are from the WHL. Tyler Bunz (Medicine Hat), Calvin Pickard (Seattle) and Kent Simpson (Everett) are among the 10 who will attend the under-20 camp, while Chris Driedger (Tri-City) is on the under-18 list. . . . If you’re at the U-20 camp, you are at least on the radar of the Canadian national junior team’s scouting staff. . . . The camp is scheduled fro the Norma Bush Arena in Calgary, June 9-12. . . . F Taylor Stefishen, who had 67 points in 68 regular-season games with the Prince George Cougars last season, had his NHL rights traded on Thursday. Stefishen, who played two seasons at Ohio State before joining the Cougars for his 20-year-old season, was a fifth-round selection by the Nashville Predators in the 2008 NHL draft. On Thursday, the Preds dealt him to the Washington Capitals for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2013 draft. Nashville gets the pick if Stefishen appears on the Capitals’ reserve list during either of the next two seasons.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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