F Jakub Langhammer (Spokane, 2002-04) has been released by Eispiraten Crimmitschau (Germany, DEL2) at his request. He had seven goals and five assists in 29 games.
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The Saskatoon Blades lost a pair of players Thursday when D Ryan Coghlan and F Landon Welykholowa left for junior A teams. . . . Coghlan has joined the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers, while Welykholowa is off to the AJHL’s Fort McMurray Oil Barons. . . . Coghlan, a 19-year-old from Nanaimo, had six points, including two goals, in 22 games with the Blades. He started the season by going pointless in two games with the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Welykholowa, an 18-year-old Calgarian, was pointless in one game with the Calgary Hitmen, then had five goals and four assists in 31 games with the Blades. . . . The Blades brought in F Brayden Uhrich, younger brother of F Josh Uhrich to practice and he may make his WHL debut tonight in Lethbridge. Brayden, 17, has been playing minor hockey in Rosetown, Sask., after going to camp with the Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Blades will be without F Garrett Armour, who will be serving a two-game WHL suspension for a boarding major he incurred on Saturday.—-
F Ty Ronning is expected to be in the Vancouver Giants’ lineup tonight for the first time this season. Ronning, a first-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft, has been out since injuring a collarbone during the exhibition schedule. . . . Last season, as a freshman, Ronning had 20 points, nine of them goals, in 56 games. . . . Ronning, 17, is the son of former WHL and NHL F Cliff Ronning. . . . The Giants, who are at home to the Medicine Hat Tigers tonight, have also brought in D Matt Barberis. He was the 20th overall pick in the 2013 bantam draft and is playing with the Valley West Hawks of the B.C. Major Midget League. He is from Surrey, B.C.—-
Regina Pats fans are expected to get their first look at F Jake Leschyshyn tonight against the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Leschyshyn, 15, was acquired this week from the Red Deer Rebels and is expected to be a key component on the Pats’ roster in future seasons. After all, Red Deer selected the Saskatoon native with the sixth overall pick in the 2014 bantam draft. . . . He is eligible to play five games with the Pats before his team, the midget AAA Saskatoon Blazers, has its season end. . . . Asked by Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post about the trade, Leschyshyn replied: “I was pretty shocked at first. But with the Memorial Cup being held there (next season) I know Red Deer is definitely going to be stacking up to try to win the whole thing. Regina on the other hand is looking to build for the future. I thought I’d fit well in Regina.” . . . Leschyshyn’s father, Curtis, is a former WHL and NHL defence man who coaches his son with the Blazers. Last season, Curtis was an assistant coach with the Saskatoon Blades, working under head coach Dave Struch, who now is the Pats’ lead assistant.—-
The Prince George Cougars have signed G Patrick Gora, an 18-year-old from St. Albert, Alta. Gora was a ninth-round pick by the Regina Pats in the 2011 bantam draft. He has been playing with the AJHL’s Camrose Kodiaks, going 19-4-1, 1.98, .922. . . . Gora is expected to join the Cougars in time for tonight’s game in Victoria against the Royals. . . . The Cougars are carrying three goaltenders, with Gora joining Ty Edmonds, 18, and Tavin Grant, 16. —-
F Nic Petan, who starred for Canada as it won the gold medal in the 2015 World Junior Championship in Montreal and Toronto, won’t play for the Portland Winterhawks tonight when they meet the Chiefs in Spokane. Petan apparently is ill.—-
F Nolan Patrick of the Brandon Wheat Kings is playing a regular shift, killing penalties and manning a point on the power play. He’s a 16-year-old freshman whose father played with the Wheat Kings and Buffalo Sabres, whose uncle was an NHL defence man and whose grandfather played in the CFL. Paul Wiecek of the Winnipeg Free Press has more right here.—-
Bob Green, who had a whole lot to do with the building of the Edmonton Oil Kings into a Memorial Cup championship team, is being promoted within the Edmonton Oilers organization. Bob McKenzie, the Ultimate Insider, tweeted Thursday that Green “has been elevated to oversee EDM player development.” . . . Green has been the Oilers’ director of free agent amateur scouting. . . . Bruce McCurdy of the Edmonton Journal has more right here.—-
If you put Jimmy Breslin, one of the legendary writers from New York City, and Joe Namath together, what do you get? A terrific read from New York Magazine. This story right here is from the April 7, 1969 issue. Pour a cup of coffee and enjoy!
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THURSDAY’S GAME:
In Victoria, F Dryden Hunt, in his first game with Medicine Hat, scored the winning goal and added an assist as the Tigers got past the Royals, 3-2. . . . The game had been scheduled for Wednesday, but the Tigers were waylaid in Revelstoke, B.C., because the Trans-Canada Highway was closed due to avalanche control. They weren't able to get to Victoria until Wednesday night. . . . Hunt and D Kyle Burroughs, who were acquired this week from the Regina Pats, made their Tigers debuts. . . . Hunt’s 15th goal gave the Tigers a 3-1 lead at 10:29 of the third period. It came via the PP. . . . Burroughs drew an assist on Hunt’s goal. . . . Hunt now is riding an 11-game assist and point streak. . . . Tigers D Ty Schultz, a 17-year-old freshman from New Westminster, B.C., broke a 1-1 tie with his first goal at 4:08 of the third. He was the 16th overall pick in the 2012 bantam draft. . . . F Austin Carroll had two assists for the Royals. . . . D Joe Hicketts was back in Victoria’s lineup after helping Canada win gold at the WJC. . . . F Alex Forsberg made his debut with the Royals after coming over from the Saskatoon Blades, while G Justin Paulic, acquired from the Moose Jaw Warriors, was on the bench in support of Coleman Vollrath. . . . The Tigers (28-9-3) have won four in a row. . . . The Royals (20-19-3) had a three-game winning streak end.---
Mini-sticks.Hallway.10 mins. RT @WHLsilvertips: Look who we bumped into at the hotel in REG. What's up @EdmOilKings? pic.twitter.com/2OYkNRL18s
— Edmonton Oil Kings (@EdmOilKings) January 9, 2015
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If you’re into statistics, you should know that a scoring change has been made to the Seattle Thunderbirds’ second goal in its 2-1 victory over the visiting Everett Silvertips in Game 1 of their first-round series. Originally credited to D Shea Theodore, the goal now belongs to F Ryan Gropp, with assists from Theodore and F Branden Troock. . . .
In Cranbrook, F Greg Chase scored at 5:05 of OT to give the Calgary Hitmen a wild and crazy 7-6 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . The Hitmen lead the series 2-1, with Game 4 in Cranbrook tonight. . . . The teams had combined for 12 goals in splitting the first two games in Calgary. . . . Last night, they alternated goals, Calgary scoring first, until Ice F Jaedon Descheneau, who had six points, scored at 19:47 of the second period for a 5-4 lead. . . . Calgary D Trevor Sanheim tied it again at 5:17, only to have Ice D Jagger Dirk scored his second goal of the game at 11:23 to restore the lead. . . . Hitmen F Radel Fazleev, who had two goals and an assist, forced OT when he scored at 12:00. . . . Calgary F Landon Welykholowa scored twice in the game’s first 23 minutes. He was a healthy scratch in Game 1, got into Game 2 because of suspensions and scored twice, and now leads all playoff goal scorers, with four. The Calgarian, who turned 18 on Jan. 1, had one goal in 18 games with the Victoria Royals this season and none in 16 games with the Hitmen. . . . Calgary F Adam Tambellini had a goal and two assists, while F Mike Winther and F Pavel Padakin each drew two assists. . . . Descheneau added five assists to his goal, while F Sam Reinhart had a goal and four assists, and Dirk had two goals and two assists. . . . The Ice was 5-for-6 on the PP and only five points recorded points. . . . Calgary was 0-for-3 on the PP. . . . Calgary G Chris Driedger stopped 25 shots. Ice starter Mackenzie Skapski turned aside 21, while Wyatt Hoflin, who came on for the last 5:50 of the second period, was 2-for-2. . . . F Joe Mahon was back in Calgary’s lineup after serving a one-game WHL suspension, while F Linden Penner completed his two-game sentence. Both were suspended for Game 1 transgressions. . . . The Ice had veteran D Landon Cross back after he missed six games with an undisclosed injury. . . . 
Jeff Chynoweth, the Ice’s president and general manager, has always loved statistics. Which is the main reason why you are able to find a 165-page franchise record book on the Ice’s website. So thanks to Chynoweth and K.C. Fisher, who compiled the record book, here are some of the records the Ice broke or tied last night.
EDMONTON (1) vs. PRINCE ALBERT (8)
A tip of the cap to the WHL for posting details of the Portland-Red Deer trade from Tuesday. . . . In that exchange the Winterhawks acquired D Mathew Dumba from the Rebels for F Presten Kopeck. Four conditional bantam draft picks were involved. . . . Should Dumba end up in Portland after the World Junior Championship, the Rebels will get second-round bantam picks in 2014, 2015 and 2016. There are conditions on the 2016 selection that could turn it into a third-round pick, all depending on when Dumba would be returned. . . . If Dumba doesn’t go to Portland, the Rebels cough up a third-rounder in 2014, meaning the deal would become Kopeck for that selection.
The Saskatoon Blades have brought in D Nolan Reid from the midget AAA Notre Dame Argos. Reid, a 15-year-old from Deer Valley, Sask., was the Blades’ first pick, 41st overall, in the 2013 bantam draft. He has 19 points in 23 games with the Argos. . . . Reid is expected to practise with the Blades today and could play Friday and Saturday against the visiting Regina Pats and Kamloops Blazers. . . . The Blades have lost D David Nemecek to the Czech Republic’s national junior team’s selection camp.
The Portland Winterhawks, about to lose five players to Christmas tournaments, have brought in F Skyler McKenzie, F Colton Veloso and D Justin Greer. . . . McKenzie was an eighth-round pick in the 2013 draft. From Sherwood Park, Alta., McKenzie is playing with the midget AAA Sherwood Park Kings. . . . Greer, who is from Edmonton, was taken in the fourth round of the 2012 draft. He is playing for the South Side Athletic Club midget AAA team in Edmonton. . . . Veloso, from Winnipeg, plays for the midget AAA Winnipeg Wild.
The Victoria Royals have acquired F Braden Oleksyn, 17, from the Calgary Hitmen in exchange for F Landon Welykholowa, 17. . . . Oleksyn, from Saskatoon, was pointless in seven games with the Hitmen this season. A third-round bantam draft pick by the Hitmen in 2011, he had 28 points, including 11 goals, in 50 games with the SJHL's La Ronge Ice Wolves last season. . . . Welykholowa, who is from Calgary, had one goal in 18 games with Victoria. He was a third-round pick by the Prince Albert Raiders in the 2011 bantam draft. Last season, he played 34 games the midget AAA Calgary Buffaloes, putting up 26 points, including 12 goals.
In Prince Albert, F Curtis Lazar and F Mitch Moroz had two goals each to help the Edmonton Oil Kings to a 7-5 victory over the Raiders. . . . Edmonton has won seven in a row. . . . Lazar’s 20th goal of the season, at 16:03 of the first, gave the Oil Kings a 2-1 lead and they never trailed after that. . . . Lazar’s second goal, at 17:29 of the third, left Edmonton with a 6-4 lead. . . . Moroz has 19 goals in 31 games. Two seasons ago, he scored 16 times in 66 games; last season, he had 13 scores in 69 outings. . . . F Dakota Conroy had two goals for the Raidersd, giving him 15, while F Leon Draisaitl had a goal, his 18th, and two assists. Draisaitl, who will play for Germany at the World Junior Championship, extended his point streak to seven games. He has 19 points, including eight goals, over that stretch. He has multiple points in 10 of 16 games since Nov. 1. . . . Edmonton D Aaron Irving, in his first season, had a goal and an assist. He’s got 24 points, seven of them goals, in 31 games. . . . The Oil Kings (21-9-1) and Calgary Hitmen (19-7-5) each has 43 points, tops in the Eastern Conference. . . . The Raiders, who are tied for fifth with the Regina Pats, have lost four in a row. . . .
In Moose Jaw, the Kelowna Rockets scored the game’s first four goals and went on to a 6-3 victory over the Warriors. . . . The victory, their eighth in a row, lifted the Rockets atop the overall standings. . . . F Myles Bell’s second goal of the game and 12th of the season, shorthanded at 6:47 of the second, gave Kelowna a 4-0 lead. . . . The Warriors got to within 4-3 when F Scott Cooke got his first goal of the season at 9:26 of the third. . . . F Carter Rigby restored Kelowna’s two-goal lead at 15:01. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 35 shots in running his record to 18-1-2. . . . Kelowna is 2-0 on its East Division swing. . . . The Warriors have lost six in a row and, at 8-20-6, are 14 points out of a playoff spot. . . .
In Regina, F Jesse Shynkaruk’s shootout goal gave the Kamloops Blazers a 4-3 victory over the Pats, snapping a franchise-record 13-game losing streak. . . . Shynkaruk, who is from Saskatoon, scored his first WHL goal in a 5-2 loss to the Wheat Kings in Brandon on Tuesday night. . . . The Blazers hadn’t won since beating the visiting Red Deer Rebels 4-1 on Nov. 5. . . . F Matt Needham gave the Blazers a 3-2 lead with his second goal of the game, and seventh of the season, at 19:07 of the third. . . . However, Regina F Boston Leier forced OT with his second goal of the game, and 22nd of the season, at 19:25. . . . Needham also had an assist, while linemate Cole Ully scored once, his 12th, and added two helpers. Ully’s goal pulled the Blazers into a 2-2 tie at 18:37 of the third. . . . Kamloops G Taran Kozun, who was on the bench when Ully scored, stopped 39 shots through OT. . . . Regina has points in its last three games (2-0-1). . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has more 
In Lethbridge, F Calder Brooks scored twice to lead the Calgary Hitmen to a 5-3 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Brooks has six goals this season. He gave his mates a 2-0 lead at 18:55 of the first and made it 3-1 at 5:33 of the second. . . . Calgary F Jake Virtanen had a goal, his 15th, and an assist. . . . The Hurricanes had won their previous two home games. . . . Lethbride F Reid Duke got his guys to within 4-3 with his fourth goal at 3:42 of the third. . . . Calgary F Brady Brassart iced it with his 10th, into an empty net, at 19:38. . . . The Hitmen are 6-0-1 in their last seven and 8-1-1 in their last 10. . . .
In Spokane, F Mike Aviani broke a 3-3 tie with a PP goal at 16:12 of the third period as the Chiefs beat the Everett Silvertips, 5-3. . . . Spokane scored the game’s first three goals, taking a 3-0 lead on F Dominic Zwerger’s fifth goal at 4:19 of the second. . . . Zwerger was playing his first game since suffering an undisclosed injury on Nov. 8. . . . The Silvertips scored twice in the second and tied it on F Tyler Sandhu’s 13th goal at 8:19 of the third. . . . Spokane F Mitch Holmberg scored twice, giving him a WHL-leading 35 goals, the last one into an empty net. . . . Holmberg also had an assist, giving him 70 points, four more than Portland Winterhawks F Nic Petan. . . . G Eric Williams stopped 34 shots for Spokane, 17 more than Everett’s Austin Lotz.
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