Showing posts with label Lukas Walter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lukas Walter. Show all posts

Saturday, October 22, 2016

Former WHLer talks about lawsuit . . . Lewis, Zablocki, Topping fill hats . . . AHL's father-son act has WHL flavour


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 Ian Mulgrew, a columnist with the Vancouver Sun, now has written back-to-back columns regarding the former and present major junior hockey players who are attempting to get class-action status for a lawsuit that has been filed in the hopes of having CHL teams ordered to pay minimum wages to players. . . . In Saturday’s newspaper, Mulgrew writes about Lukas Walter, who is one of the players involved in the lawsuit. Walter spent two seasons with the WHL’s Tri-City Americans and then played for the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs. . . . “I think they need to clean the league up,” Walter told Mulgrew.“In Saint John (N.B.), I was getting $500 a week. Out here, I was getting $250 a month. It’s a little bit of nonsense when it’s the same league.” . . . Mulgrew’s column is right here.
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F Nolan Patrick, the consensus No. 1 selection for the 2017 NHL draft, didn’t play on Friday night as his Brandon Wheat Kings dumped the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes, 6-1.
He wasn’t in the lineup on Saturday night, either, as the host Wheat Kings beat the visiting Spokane
Chiefs, 6-0.
In fact, Patrick now has missed four straight games and the speculation is rampant.
Patrick, you’ll recall, has said that he was injured during last spring’s Eastern Conference final against the Red Deer Rebels. He played with the injury — it turned out to be a sports hernia — through the Memorial Cup. Then, when it didn’t respond to rest, he had surgery in July.
The Winnipeg native, who turned 18 on Sept. 19, missed a lot of the Wheat Kings’ training camp but was in the lineup on Sept. 23 when they opened the season with a 3-2 loss to the host Moose Jaw Warriors.
To this point in the season, he has played in six games, putting up four goals and five assists. He last played on Oct. 11 when he had a goal and an assist in a 7-6 loss to the visiting Portland Winterhawks.
On Saturday morning, it was suggested to me that Patrick’s “hernia has flared up again . . . he’ll be out awhile.”
The Wheat Kings continue to list Patrick as being out day-to-day with an upper-body injury. But, of course, WHL teams stopped providing transparent injury-related information a number of seasons ago so . . .
You can bet that Patrick wants to be healthy enough to play for Team Canada at the 2017 World Junior Championship that is scheduled to open Dec. 26 in Montreal and Toronto.
So, in the hopes that he can attend Canada’s selection camp early in December, perhaps Patrick will be held out until then.
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You can write Dusty and Jonah Imoo into hockey’s history books after father and son were the two goaltenders dressed by the AHL’s Ontario Reign on Saturday night.
This all came about as the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings lost two goaltenders — Jonathan Quick and Jeff Zatkoff — to groin injuries. After Zatkoff was hurt in Saturday’s morning skate, They had recalled Peter Budaj after Quick went down, which resulted in Jonah Imoo being brought in to back up Jack Campbell with the Reign. On Saturday, when Zatkoff was injured, Campbell moved up to the Kings, who were at home to the Vancouver Canucks, which left the Reign without a backup.
So it was that Dusty, in his second season as the Kings’ goaltender development coach, was recruited in a backup role as his son made his AHL debut on Saturday against the visiting San Jose Barracuda.
The visitors won the game, 5-4, in OT. Jonah, wearing No. 35, stopped 26 shots in front of 8,282 fans. His father wore No. 70.
Dusty, 46, has some WHL in his past. He split four WHL seasons between the New Westminster Bruins, Lethbridge Hurricanes and Regina Pats (1987-91). He made 47, 48 and 50 appearances over his last three seasons. He also spent two seasons (2011-13) with the Seattle Thunderbirds as their goaltending coach.
His professional career took him to Japan for 12 seasons (1994-2006), split between the Seibu Bears Tokyo and the Oji Eagles. He played for Japan at the Nagano Olympic Winter Games in 1998 and was on Japan’s roster for three World Championships.
Jonah, 22, played junior B with the Richmond Sockeyes, then moved into the BCHL where he played two seasons (2012-14) with the Powell River Kings and one (2014-15) with the Merritt Centennials. He played in only three games last season, in the Southern Professional and Federal leagues, but had been with the Reign through development and training camps.
Mike Stothers is Ontario’s head coach. He spent three seasons (2011-14) as the head coach of the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors.
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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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SATURDAY’S GAMES:


At Brandon, F Ty Lewis was the scoring star and Logan Thompson provided the goaltending as the Wheat Kings blanked the Spokane Chiefs, 6-0. . . . Thompson stopped 30 shots in recording his first
TY LEWIS
career shutout. It came in his 31st regular-season appearance, his fourth this season. . . . Lewis, meanwhile, enjoyed his first three-goal game, running his season goal total to eight. He scored three of the game’s first four goals — at 3:39 of the first period, and at 0:33 and 14:44 of the second. He also drew an assist. . . . Lewis, a Brandon native, had 10 goals and 13 assists in 48 games as a freshman last season. This season, he has eight goals and four assists in 11 games. . . . Brandon got two goals from F Connor Gutenberg, while F Reid Duke had a goal and an assiset. D Kale Clague, in his second game of the season, drew three assists, while F Tanner Kaspick had two. . . . Spokane G Dawson Weatherill was beaten three times on 17 shots in 21:05. Reliever Jayden Sittler also stopped 14 of 17 shots. . . . Brandon was 1-5 on the PP; Spokane was 0-4. . . . The Wheat Kings (5-3-2) have points in four straight (3-0-1). . . . The Chiefs slipped to 3-6-2 as they opened their East Division swing. . . . The Wheat Kings were without F Tyler Coulter, who has drawn a TBD suspension for a check from behind on F Giorgio Estephan of the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Friday night. . . . With four 20-year-olds on their roster, the Wheat Kings again scratched F Duncan Campbell, choosing to dress Duke and G Jordan Papirny. With Coulter suspended, the Wheat Kings aren’t allowed to dress a 20-year-old in his place. . . . Announced attendance: 4,604.
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At Kamloops, F Deven Sideroff scored twice, including the winner at 2:05 of OT, as the Blazers beat
DEVEN SIDEROFF
the Tri-City Americans, 4-3. . . . Sideroff has seven goals for Kamloops, which is 5-0-0 at home. . . . The Blazers (7-6-0) have won three in a row. . . . The Americans (6-6-0) have lost two straight. . . . F Morgan Geekie, who also had two assists, gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 12:13 of the second period. He has four goals. . . . The Blazers pulled even at 17:49 when F Collin Shirley got his fifth goal, a shorthanded effort. . . . Sideroff gave Kamloops its first lead at 5:17 of the third, only to have D Parker Wotherspoon pull the visitors even with his third goal on a PP, at 5:51. . . . Shirley’s second goal gave the Blazers another lead, at 10:57, but Tri-City F Kyle Olson tied it at 13:55. . . . F Rudolfs Balcers had two assists for Kamloops. . . . F Tyler Sandhu drew two assists for Tri-City. . . . Kamloops G Dylan Ferguson stopped 21 shots in his first game since Sept. 24 when he injured an ankle. Connor Ingram had started the Blazers’ previous 10 games. . . . Tri-City G Rylan Parenteau blocked 33 shots. . . . The Americans were 1-3 on the PP; the Blazers were 0-2. . . . Kamloops D Joe Gatenby was ejected at 16:17 of the second period with a headshot major and game misconduct after a hit on Tri-City D Juuso Valimaki. . . . Valimaki didn’t return for the third period. . . . Announced attendance: 3,683.
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At Medicine Hat, F Lane Zablocki scored three times to lead the Regina Pats to an 8-5 victory over the Tigers. . . . The Pats (9-0-3) continue to be the only one of the CHL’s 60 teams not to have lost a
LANE ZABLOCKI
game in regulation time. . . . The Tigers (8-4-1) are 3-1-1 in their last five. . . . F Ryan Chyzowski’s third goal of his freshman season, at 14:58 of the second period, gave the Tigers a 3-2 lead. . . . The Pats scored the next three goals, with Zablocki getting his second of the game at 17:10 and F Dawson Leedahl notching his fourth of the season at 19:16. F Austin Wagner’s sixth of the season upped the lead to 5-3 at 4:00 of the third period. . . . The Tigers got to within one when F Mark Rassell got his second goal, and ninth of the season, at 8:55, but Regina F Filip Ahl stretched the lead at 12:45. . . . Again, the Tigers closed the gap, this time on D David Quenneville’s sixth goal, on a PP, at 16:03. . . . The Pats put it away with goals from F Adam Brooks, his fourth, at 18:02, and Zablocki, into an empty net, at 19:09. . . . Zablocki, a sophomore, enjoyed his first WHL hat trick. He has five goals this season. . . . Zablocki also had an assist, while Wagner had three of them. . . . The Tigers got a goal and an assist from F Max Gerlach and two assists from D Clayton Kirichenko. . . . The Pats got 35 stops from G Tyler Brown. . . . Medicine Hat G Nick Schneider stopped 32 shots. . . . Medicine Hat was 2-6 on the PP; Regina was 0-3. . . . Regina D Sergey Zborovsky didn’t play. He left Friday’s 6-1 victory over the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes with an undisclosed injury in the second period. . . . Announced attendance: 4,094.
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At Prince George, F Brad Morrison scored twice to give the Cougars a 2-1 victory over the
BRAD MORRISON
Saskatoon Blades. . . . Morrison, who has six goals, scored at 19:03 of the second period, then broke a 1-1 tie at 16:56 of the third. . . . F Jansen Harkins and F Jesse Gabrielle had the assists on both goals. . . . F Josh Paterson scored for the Blades, getting his third goal at 4:07 of the third. . . . The Cougars (11-2-1) have points in four straight (3-0-1). . . . The Blades (6-5-1) have lost two in a row. They finished a B.C. Division trip at 2-3-0. . . . G Ty Edmonds stopped 29 shots for the Cougars. . . . The Blades got 34 saves on 36 shots from G Brock Hamm, with Logan Flodell coming on during an equipment malfunction and making five saves in 4:45 in the first period. . . . Hamm left for skate repairs after losing a blade. . . . Announced attendance: 5,577.
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At Red Deer, the Rebels ran their winning streak to five games with a 3-1 victory over the Prince
LASSE PETERSEN
Albert Raiders. . . . Goals by F Michael Spacek, his seventh, at 3:34 of the second period, and F Brandon Hagel, his third, at 14:54, gave the home side a 2-0 lead. . . . The Raiders got a PP goal from F Tim Vanstone, his third, at 5:49 of the third period. . . . Red Deer D Josh Mahura finished the scoring with a PP goal at 19:32. . . . Hagel added an assist to his goal. . . . The victory improved the Rebels’ record to 7-3-2. . . . The Raiders (3-7-1) have lost three in a row (0-2-1). . . . G Lasse Petersen, in his Red Deer debut, stopped 29 shots. He was acquired last week from the Everett Silvertips. . . . G Nick Sanders turned aside 32 shots for the Raiders. He was making his first start since being acquired last week from the Tri-City Americans. . . . The Raiders were 1-4 on the PP; the Rebels were 1-5. . . . Announced attendance: 4,788.
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At Kent, Wash., F Kyle Topping scored his first three WHL goals to lead the Kelowna Rockets to a 5-1 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Topping, who is to turn 17 on Nov. 18, is the younger brother of Tri-City Americans F Jordan Topping, who is injured and has yet to play this season. Kyle’s hat trick came in his 11th game; he has one more WHL hat trick than does Jordan, who scored 33 goals last season. . . . The Rockets scored the game’s first five goals, the first two in the second period. . . . F Kole Lind had a goal and an assist, while D Lucas Johansen and F Jordan Borstmayer each had two assists for Kelowna (6-7-0), which has won three in a row. . . . Rockets G Michael Herringer stopped 36 shots, losing his shutout at 19:40 of the third period when F Ian Briscoe scored his first goal. . . . G Rylan Toth blocked 25 shots for Seattle (3-5-1). . . . The Rockets were 0-2 on the PP; the Thunderbirds were 0-4. . . . F Zack Andrusiak, acquired Thursday from the Prince Albert Raiders, was in Seattle’s lineup for the first time. . . . The Thunderbirds scratched F Ryan Gropp for a second game with an undisclosed injury. . . . Announced attendance: 3,688.
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TY RONNING
At Langley, B.C., F Ty Ronning scored at 2:31 of OT to give the Vancouver Giants a 2-1 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Ronning has five goals this season. . . . F Lane Pederson gave the Broncos a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 11:49 of the first period. He’s got four goals. . . . Vancouver D Matt Barberis tied it with his first goal, on a PP, at 19:57. . . . The Giants improved to 6-8-0. . . The Broncos (8-4-2) have lost three in a row (0-2-1). They went 2-2-1 on their B.C. Division tour. . . . Vancouver G Ryan Kubic stopped 28 shots, while Swift Current’s Taz Burman turned aside 35. . . . Swift Current was 1-3 on the PP; Vancouver was 1-4. . . . Announced attendance: 3,924.
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NOAH JUULSEN
At Victoria, D Noah Juulsen, playing his 200th regular-season game, had two goals to help the Everett Silvertips to a 3-1 victory over the Royals. . . . Juulsen, who has four goals, opened the scoring at 14:46 of the first period. It was the 10th time in their 13 games that the Silvertips have scored first. . . . Victoria F Regan Nagy’s fifth goal, on a PP, tied the game at 4:05 of the second period. . . . F Dominic Zwerger, who also had an assist, broke the tie at 13:25. . . . Juulsen put it away with a shorthanded empty-netter at 19:18 of the third period. . . . Everett now is 9-2-2. . . . The Royals (7-6-0) had a three-game winning streak snapped. . . . Everett G Carter Hart stopped 37 shots. . . . Victoria G Griffen Outhouse turned aside 10 shots. . . . The Silvertips were outshot 8-4, 10-5 and 20-4 by period. . . . The Royals were 1-5 on the PP; the Silvertips were 0-3. . . . The Silvertips had F Devon Skoleski and F Eetu Tuulola back in the lineup after both were out with injuries. . . . Announced attendance: 4,424.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Prince Albert at Calgary, 4 p.m.

Tri-City at Vancouver, 4 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:52 PM
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Saturday, November 1, 2014

Raiders make coaching change . . . Ex-player hits WHL with lawsuit . . . Reinhart on way back to Ice

The Prince Albert Raiders made the first coaching change of the WHL season on Friday morning when management pulled the plug on head coach Cory Clouston.
Clouston signed on with the Raiders on June 1, 2013. He was in the second-year of a two-year deal, with the club holding an option on a third season.
The Raiders were 41-41-5 under Clouston. They made the playoffs last season, going 35-32-5 and then winning a sudden-death play-in game over the Red Deer Rebels. Prince Albert then was swept from a first-round series by the Edmonton Oil Kings, who went on to win the Memorial Cup.
General manager Bruno Campese, who also is in the final year of his contract, announced that associate coach Dave Manson would step in as interim head coach.
Manson was in control Friday night as the Raiders won 6-3 over the Warriors in Moose Jaw. That improved Prince Albert’s record to 7-9-0. (It was an interesting day for the Manson family, as Dave’s son, Josh, made his NHL debut last night, playing 12:30 with Anaheim as the Ducks beat the Stars 2-1 in OT in Dallas.)
The Raiders are at home to the Saskatoon Blades tonight, then don’t play until Wednesday when they meet the visiting Calgary Hitmen.
The Raiders were beaten 5-2 by the Hurricanes in Lethbridge on Wednesday night. That was the Raiders’ last game under Clouston, who also has been a WHL head coach with the Kootenay Ice and Brandon Wheat Kings.
Prince Albert’s players were informed of the decision Friday morning in Moose Jaw.
Campese told paNOW that a special meeting of the community-owned team’s board of directors was held Thursday night and a decision was made then to fire Clouston.
"It’s never easy, but it was something that the organization thought, moving forward was in the best interest of the hockey team," Campese told paNOW. "People can speculate all they want, but it was something that . . . I think has been discussed at a board level for . . . a few days, but the actual decision was made (Thursday) night."
The Raiders are expected to hire a new head coach in the next few days, perhaps even on the weekend.
The Raiders’ news release had hardly landed on the Internet when speculation began. In this day of social media, it doesn’t take much to start rumours.
First, I heard that the Raiders had asked the Regina Pats for permission to speak with assistant coach David Struch, who spent last season as the head coach of the Blades.
Then it was Lorne Molleken’s turn. Speculation had Molleken, the Blades’ general manager last season and a long-time WHL coach, taking over as the Raiders’ head coach for the remainder of this season.
Next up was Malcolm Cameron, who was fired as Regina’s head coach during the summer, shortly after new owners took over the Pats. Cameron now is coaching at the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton, B.C.
No, Dan Bylsma’s name wasn’t mentioned. At least, not yet.
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After dropping a 5-2 decision to the Pats in Regina on Friday night, the Saskatoon Blades revealed that two players had suffered suspected concussions.
According to a story on the Blades’ website, “Alex Henry left in the second period after being on the receiving end of a headshot by Dryden Hunt, while Nik Amundrud was forced from the game early in the third after a run-in with Braden Christoffer, who collided with the netminder at full speed on a foiled breakaway attempt.
“Both players are suspected to have concussions.”
Henry is a 20-year-old defenceman, while Amundrud is a 17-year-old goaltender.
The Blades, who are to visit the Prince Albert Raiders tonight, recalled G Trevor Martin, 18, from the SJHL’s Melville Millionaires and D Nolan Reid, 16, from the midget AAA Notre Dame Argos.
Martin has a 0.74 GAA and a .977 save percentage with Melville.
Saskatoon also is without F Wyatt Sloboshan (broken jaw) and D Ryan Coghlan (shoulder).
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There were five games played in the WHL on Friday night, which also happened to be Hallowe’en.
Only one of the games, Saskatoon at Regina, drew more than 3,000 fans, with attendance there announced at 3,072.
In Moose Jaw, 2,943 fans showed up to watch the Warriors and Prince Albert Raiders. There were 2,351 fans in Lethbridge where the Hurricanes played the Brandon Wheat Kings.
In Swift Current, 1,911 fans saw the Broncos play the Calgary Hitmen.
And, in Cranbrook, only 1,901 fans were in the house as the Kootenay Ice played host to the Red Deer Rebels. After the game, Jeff Hollick, the radio voice of the Ice, tweeted that the attendance “was the smallest in team history.”
It will be interesting to see how many games are on the WHL schedule on Oct. 31, 2015, which will fall on a Saturday.
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The Spokane Chiefs will hold a Chiefs Care auction at the main entrance of Spokane Arena tonight, with proceeds directly benefiting former D Cole Hamblin in his fight against cancer.
Hamblin played for the Chiefs from 2010-12. He is battling Stage 4 mucoepidermoid carcinoma. He learned of his condition after experiencing severe back pain and weight loss as he prepared for this season at the U of Guelph. Hamblin has been hospitalized since Sept. 22.
“As an organization, it is important for us to support Cole and help his family through this,“ Tim Speltz, the Chiefs’ general manager, said in a news release. “We have had a number of fans ask how they can help, and (we) feel this auction as well as providing everyone with the online fundraiser information are the best ways to provide people the avenues to support the Hamblin family. Cole is a strong person who is facing his challenges head on and we have him in our thoughts through his recovery."
Included in the auction are a variety of items, including but not limited to:
* Cole Hamblin game-worn Chiefs jersey;
* Tyler Johnson game-worn signed Memorial Cup Chiefs jersey;
* Wayne Gretzky game-worn signed Chiefs jersey;
* 2013-14 Chiefs Breast Cancer Awareness theme jersey (blank, game style);
* 2013-14 Chiefs military theme jersey (blank, game style);
* George Brett signed baseball bat;
* Kyle Beach signed 50th goal stick;
* Mitch Holmberg signed stick & puck;
* Mitch Holmberg and Pat Falloon signed pucks (No. 1 and 2 career goals scored in franchise history);
* Disney On Ice suite (eight tickets);
* 2013-14 team-signed Mike Aviani game-worn helmet;
* Framed Tyler Johnson Tampa Bay Lightning photo; and,
* Photos donated by team photographer Gary Peterson.
The Chiefs, who are at home to the Red Deer Rebels tonight, also are encouraging fans to visit the gofundme campaign online. It was created in order to allow donations to be made to benefit Hamblin. The gofundme campaign is available at: http://www.gofundme.com/fhl9jk
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Lukas Walter, who played in the WHL with the Tri-City Americans (2011-13), has his name on lawsuits totalling $110 million that have been filed against the WHL and the QMJHL.
Walter, a 21-year-old from Langley, B.C., played last season with the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs, picking up one assist and 141 penalty minutes in 53 games.
According to Rick Westhead of TSN:
“In his $50-million case against the QMJHL, Walter alleges that the league's teams conspired to rewrite standard player contracts last year to avoid paying players the legal minimum wage.
“In a second, $60-million case filed in Calgary against the WHL, Walter alleged that the work visa the Tri-City Americans secured for him to play for them is proof he had an employer-employee relationship with the team, and should be paid at least minimum wage.”
Westhead’s complete story is right here.
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Meanwhile, the Toronto Star’s Robert Cribb reports:
“Junior hockey player employment records, league contracts, U.S. immigration documents and two new class-action lawsuits in Quebec and Alberta imply — or explicitly state — that Canadian Hockey League clubs treat some of their players as employees, despite contrary public statements by league officials, an ongoing Star investigation has found.
“Six leading employment and tax lawyers interviewed by the Star say the 60-team CHL faces an uphill battle trying to defend against class-action lawsuits alleging its players are employees deserving of minimum wage and benefits.”
Cribb’s complete story is right here.
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The Kootenay Ice received some good news on Friday when the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres chose to send back F Sam Reinhart, the No. 2 overall selection in the NHL’s 2014 draft. Reinhart, who turns 19 on Nov. 6, had one assist in nine games with the Sabres. . . . Reinhart didn’t play last night, as the Ice dropped a 6-3 decision to the visiting Red Deer Rebels, and isn’t expected to be in the Ice’s lineup tonight against the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes. That being the case he likely would make his debut on Friday against the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Last season, he had 105 points, including 36 goals, in 60 games with the Ice. . . . You can bet, too, that Reinhart will be part of the Canadian team at the World Junior Championship. . . . "I told Sam, you're my top pick. I was cheering for him,” Buffalo GM Terry Murray said. “But it's about doing what's best for him and us," he said. "The issue wasn't skating, or hockey sense, for me it was strength."
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With Reinhart on his way back to the Ice, Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province wonders whether the Vancouver Giants should try and make a blockbuster deal with Kootenay.
Ewen’s piece is right here.
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FRIDAY'S GAMES:

In Lethbridge, F Rihards Bukarts scored a PP goal at 1:41 of OT to give the Brandon Wheat Kings a 5-4 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Lethbridge F Jamal Watson had forced extra time with his second goal of the game, and seventh of the season, at 16:54 of the third period. . . . The Wheat Kings had sat Bukarts, a Latvian who is their leading scorer, for two games in order to get in Russian F Richard Nejezchleb. Last night, they flipped it, playing Bukarts, 19, and sitting Nejezchleb, 20. . . . D Ivan Provorov, 17, is their other import. He had a goal, his eighth, and two assists last night. He drew the primary assist on the winner. . . . The Wheat Kings, who dressed 17 skaters, one under the maximum, were without D Ryan Pilon, who suffered an undisclosed injury in Wednesday’s 5-2 victory over the Giants in Vancouver. . . . Lethbridge G Zac Robidoux stopped 31 shots. Brandon F Tyler Coulter wasn’t able to beat him on a first-period penalty shot. . . . Brandon G Logan Thompson stopped 23 shots in his third career start. . . . Lethbridge lost F Ryley Lindgren in the first period. He left with an undisclosed injury after being involved in a collision with Provorov. . . . The Wheat Kings are 5-1-0 on a seven-game road trip that concludes tonight in Medicine Hat against the Tigers. The Wheat Kings, who now lead the overall standings, go into the game at 13-3-1, while the Tigers, who didn’t play last night, are 11-2-1. This will be Brandon’s seventh game in 11 nights. . . .

In Regina, F Patrick D’Amico scored twice to help the Pats to a 5-2 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Pats, who have won their last nine meetings with the Blades, scored the game’s first four goals, with D’Amico, who has eight goals, getting the first one, on a PP, and the fourth, while shorthanded. . . . The Blades had F Alex Forsberg back in the lineup after he missed two games with an undisclosed injury. He scored his seventh goal of the season on a second-period PP. . . . D Colby Williams and F Morgan Klimchuk each had two assists for Regina. . . . Saskatoon G Nik Amundrud stopped 27 of 31 shots before leaving the game following a goal-mouth collision at 11:02 of the second period. Alex Moodie came on in relief and was 7-for-7. . . . In an interesting pre-game note, Les Lazaruk, the radio voice of the Blades, pointed out that Saskatoon is 7-6-0 in Halloween games. The only time the Blades played the Pats on Oct. 31 was in 1967. The host Pats won, 9-3. . . .

In Cranbrook, the Red Deer Rebels built a 4-0 lead and then withstood a brief Kootenay comeback before beating the Ice, 7-3. . . . F Scott Feser, who had a goal and two assists, gave the Rebels a 4-0 lead with a shorthanded score at 2:17 of the second period. . . . The Ice got to within one, at 4-3, on F Vince Loschiavo’s second goal of the season at 9:44 of the third. . . . However, Red Deer F Meyer Nell got his second of the game, and sixth of the season, just 15 seconds later. . . . Red Deer D Brett Cote drew four assists. . . . The Rebels now have won four straight, while the Ice has lost seven in a row. . . .

In Moose Jaw, the Prince Albert Raiders scored four second-period goals en route to a 6-3 victory over the Warriors. . . . Moose Jaw, which has lost five straight, opened a 2-0 lead on two goals by F Tanner Eberle, at 7:15 and 7:56 of the first period. He’s got eight. . . . The Raiders scored the next five goals, two of them by F Craig Leverton, who also has eight. . . . D Sawyer Lange gave the visitors their first lead, with his second goal of the season, at 10:07 of the second period. . . . Raiders D Josh Morrissey scored his fourth goal and was plus-4. . . . The Raiders had fired head coach Cory Clouston earlier in the day, so this was interim head coach Dave Manson’s first victory. . . .

In Swift Current, G Landon Bow stopped 30 shots to lead the Broncos to a 3-0 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Bow had a league-leading four shutouts this season and five in his career. The franchise record for shutouts in a season is six and is shared by Ian Gordon (1993-94), Bryce Wandler (1999-2000) and Mark Friesen (2010-11). . . . F Carter Rigby opened the scoring, with his ninth, at 18:14 of the first period. . . . F Colby Cave added a PP score in the second period and F Jake DeBrusk added an empty-netter at 19:09 of the third. Cave has three; DeBrusk 10. . . . Calgary G Mack Shields stopped 13 shots as his mates had a 30-16 edge.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 12:32 AM
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Thursday, September 5, 2013

Walter goes to Saint John

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Jakub Sindel (Brandon, 2004-05) signed a one-year contract extension with Fassa (Italy, Serie A). He had 23 goals and 33 assists in 42 games last season. . . .
F Björn Svensson (Saskatoon, Moose Jaw, 2003-06) signed a two-year contract with Malmö (Sweden, Allsvenskan). He had three goals and three assists in 40 games with MoDo Örnsköldsvik (Sweden, Elitserien) last season.
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As expected, the WHL’s board of governors voted unanimously Wednesday in Calgary to allow the Brodsky family to sell the Saskatoon Blades to Mike Priestner, an Edmonton-based auto dealer. The sale is expected to close this week.
Following the vote, Ron Robison, the WHL commissioner, allowed himself to say a few words and then the cone of silence was put back in place. No one, including former owner Jack Brodsky, Priestner or Steve Hogle, the Blades’ new president, was permitted to speak before a news conference that is scheduled for today in Saskatoon.
Hogle, who had been the vice-president of hockey communications for the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, takes over as the Blades’ president and alternate governor, while Colin Priestner, Mike’s son, will relocate to Saskatoon and will be the managing partner
The Blades are the only franchise to have played in every season of the WHL’s history, which began with the 1966-67 season. The Brodsky family has been involved in the Blades’ ownership since 1976.
All of which begs the question: There was no chance that Brodsky’s request to transfer ownership would be rejected, so why was this board of governors’ meeting held in Calgary? Why wasn’t it held in Saskatoon?
Had it been held in Saskatoon, the governors all could have attended a news conference and shown their respect for the Brodskys, and especially for Jack, who has been an active governor for a long time. The entire day could have been turned into a real testimonial for a long-time member of the fraternity, and one who just played an integral role in driving up the value of all franchises.
Priestner is reported to have paid more than $9 million for the Blades.
The way that the WHL has handled this story has become all too familiar, and that’s too bad. By trying to control the message, the WHL has missed a golden opportunity to gain some positive publicity.
Instead of once again dragging out the cone of silence, at the very least there should have been a conference call, allowing the national media to have access to all those involved.
Instead, the WHL worked to bury the story on Wednesday, when this was news. A day later, the news cycle has turned over and the sale of a franchise that occured on Wednesday is already old news.
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QMJHLF Lukas Walter, 20, has joined the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs. Walter had five points in 117 regular-season games with the Tri-City Americans over the last two seasons. He was released by the Americans over the summer and went to camp with the Portland Winterhawks, who released him late last month. . . . Walter, who is from Langley, B.C., is with the Sea Dogs on a tryout basis.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors announced Wednesday that Russian F Alexander Chirva, 17, has been cleared to play. According to the Warriors, Chirva “has received his visa and will be in Moose Jaw Thursday evening. Chirva is expected to skate with his teammates for the first time Saturday, 2:30 p.m., in Caronport.” . . . The Warriors selected Chirva in the 2013 CHL import draft.
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G Tristan Jarry of the Edmonton Oil Kings has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins. Jarry, 18, was selected in the second round of the NHL’s 2013 draft. He was the Penguins’ first selection. . . . Last season, with the Oil Kings, Jarry was 18-7-0, 1.61, .936. He also put up six shutouts. . . . Jarry will be the Oil Kings’ starting goaltender this season.
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WHL team logoThe Regina Pats and Saskatchewan Roughriders announced Wednesday that they have “entered into a partnership” that will cover the remainder of this CFL season and the approaching WHL regular season. According to a news release: “Fans of the Pats and Riders have the opportunity to join the ‘Sea of Green’ at Pats home games in 2013-14 with a special green section in the Brandt Centre.” . . . Players from the Roughriders will be making appearances in the Sea of Green. . . . The partnership will include a special price ($250) on Pats season-tickets for Roughriders season-ticket holders. . . . Pats season-ticket holders “will be provided with a special Ticketmaster code for discounted ticket specials to the final five Riders home games.”
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The Kamloops Blazers have signed D Dawson Davidson to a WHL contract. Davidson, from Moosomin, Sask., was a third-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft. He will play this season with the midget AAA Moose Jaw Generals, the host team for the Telus Cup, the national midget championship tournament. . . . Last season, he had 49 points in 25 games with the bantam AA Melville Millionaires.
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Brian Wiebe, who covers the BCHL like a blanket, tweeted last night that Surrey Eagles “D Tommy Stipancik (94) has retired due to an undisclosed injury.” . . . Stipancik, from Vancouver, was selected by the Saskatoon Blades in the third round of the 2010 bantam draft. However, brain injuries — he had four in three years — would limit him to 10 games in 2011-12 and 34 games in 2011-12. In fact, over the last four seasons, he played only 96 games in major midget, the BCHL and the WHL. . . . The Blades released him on Sept. 4, 2012.
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Former Tri-City Americans G Olaf Kolzig, who now owns a chunk of the WHL franchise, has taken over as the goaltender coach for the NHL’s Washington Capitals. . . . Tim Leone of pennlive.com has that story right here.
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NHLF Morgan Klimchuk of the Regina Pats won’t be taking part in the Calgary Flames’ training camp. The NHL team reported Thursday that Klimchuk, the 28th overall selection in the 2013 draft, “suffered an abdominal wall strain injury during a recent pre-season game with the Regina Pats . . . and will be unable to participate in training camp with the Flames. Klimchuk will rehab his injury in Calgary with Flames’ personnel. He is expected to miss 2-4 weeks.”
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The Calgary Flames also announced that they have suspended F Ryan Howse “for failing to report to training camp. The club will have no further comment at this time.” . . . Howse (Chilliwack, 2006-11) was a third-round selection by the Flames in the NHL’s 2009 draft. He put up 217 points, including 140 goals, in 262 games with the Chilliwack Bruins (remember them?).
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D Julius Honka of the Swift Current Broncos has become quite a story in the WHL’s exhibition season. From Jyvaskyla, Finland, Honka, 17, was selected by the Broncos in the CHL’s 2013 import draft. . . . Last night, Honka scored in his fourth straight exhibition game — he has five goals — as the Broncos beat the visiting visiting Saskatoon Blades, 9-4. . . . Last season, Honka had four goals and 11 assists in 42 games with the JYP U-20 side.
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The Tri-City Americans have signed D Kurtis Rutledge, an eight-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft. Rutledge, from Calgary, had seven points in 15 games with the Calgary Flames of the Alberta Midget Hockey League last season.


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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 12:40 AM
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Thursday, August 1, 2013

Another player forced to retire

THE MacBETH REPORT:
EIHL-UK
 D Ray Macias (Kamloops, 2002-07) signed a one-year contract with the Braehead Clan Glasgow (Scotland, UK Elite). He had nine goals and nine assists in 39 games with the Schwenninger Wild Wings (Germany, 2. Bundesliga) last season. . . .


F Levi Nelson (Swift Current, 2004-08) signed a one-year contract with Ritten/Renon (Italy, Serie A). He had 10 goals and 14 assists in 32 games with the Bakersfield Condors (ECHL), three goals and three assists in 10 games with the Greenville Road Warriors (ECHL), and one goal and one assist in 11 games with Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg (Germany, DEL) last season. . . .
F Tyler Beechey (Edmonton/Kootenay, Calgary, 1997-2002) signed a one-year contract with the Schwenninger Wild Wings (Germany, DEL). He had 14 goals and 16 assists in 34 games with the Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL) last season., This will be Beechey’s seventh season in the DEL.
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The WHL has had another player retire due to post-concussion syndrome.
F Brent Benson, who was the sixth overall selection in the 2008 bantam draft, won’t play in his 20-year-old season.
Benson suffered at least two brain injuries last season and is believed to have had at least five during his career.
From Weyburn, Sask., Benson had 18 points in 64 games with the Saskatoon Blades as a 16-year-old. He added 44 points in 65 games as a sophomore, and 37 in 62 games in his third season.
Last season, he was dealt to the Swift Current Broncos for D Graeme Craig on Oct. 18. He had three assists in 11 games with the Blades and a pair of helpers in 10 games with the Broncos before being shut down.
Benson put up 105 points, including 35 goals, in 216 regular-season games.
Earlier this summer, Swift Current F Shea Howorko, 19, revealed that he has had to quit playing due to post-concussion syndrome.
The Broncos selected Howorko, who is from Swift Current, in the second round of the 2009 bantam draft.
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In a deal involving two 17-year-old defencemen, the Prince George Cougars have dealt Jordan Harris to the Swift Current Broncos for Zack Gonek.
Harris, who is from Prince Albert, had told the Cougars he would prefer to play closer to home. The 6-foot-1, 170-pounder was the 10th overall selection in the 2011 bantam draft. He started last season with the midget AAA Prince Albert Mintos and put up 12 assists in 21 games. However, he suffered a concussion and missed significant playing time. He joined the Cougars early in January and finally played on Feb. 6. In 17 games with Prince George, he had five assists.
Gonek, who is from St. Albert, Alta., was taken by the Broncos with the 13th pick of the 2011 bantam draft. Last season, with the midget AAA St. Albert Raiders, he had four points in 24 games.
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Shawn Mullin, the radio voice of the Swift Current Broncos, tweeted Wednesday afternoon that F Dakota Odgers “is going to be out until Nov/Dec after shoulder surgery.” Odgers, the 17-year-old son of former WHL and NHL F Jeff Odgers, was pointless in eight games with the Broncos last season. He was a second-round pick by the Broncos in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . Mullin also noted that F Ty McLean, 18, has been invited to the Broncos’ training camp. McLean, from Redvers, Sask., had one assist in 24 games with the Regina Pats last season. He was a fifth-round selection by the Pats in the 2010 bantam draft.
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The Saskatoon arena that is home to the Blades may soon be getting a new name. Kevin Menz of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reports that the credit unions involved purchasing the naming rights to Credit Union Centre won’t be renewing the deal when it expires on Oct. 31, 2014. . . . There’s more right here.
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AJHLF Jordan Wyton, 20, has signed with the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits. Wyton, from Lethbridge, played the last three seasons with the Moose Jaw Warriors. Last season, in 35 games, he had 10 points. He spent some time on the shelf with a brain injury. In fact, he played on three games between Nov. 11 and Feb. 22 with what is believed to have been a brain injury. . . . In 173 regular-season games, he had 40 points, including 12 goals.
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NHL
Billy Moores, one of the really good guys in the game of hockey, is back with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, this time as the director of coaching development and special projects. . . . Joanne Ireland of the Edmonton Journal has more right here.
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Brian Cobb has been hired by the Spokane Chiefs as director of public/media relations. Cobb worked as an intern in public relations and marketing with the Seattle Thunderbirds in 2011-12. With the Chiefs, he takes over from Jay Stewart, who had held that position since 2000 and now is vice-president of sponsorships.
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One of these days, perhaps Friday, Major League Baseball will hand out some more suspensions in the Biogenesis doping scandal. But what about other sports? Should they be concerned? . . . Allen Barra of The Atlantic points out right here that there is a whole lot more to this story than baseball, but some other sports don’t seem to care.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The junior B Revelstoke Grizzlies of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League have hired James Eccles as their new general manager and head coach. For the past two seasons, Eccles has been head coach of the major midget Okanagan Rockets, who play out of Kelowna. He replaces Kevin Kraus, who now is an assistant coach with the BCHL’s Salmon Arm SilverBacks.
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From Lukas Walter (@Lukaswalter9): “Well off to @pdxwinterhawks camp in August couldn’t be more excited and would like to thank the @TCAmericans and hope to see everyone in exys”
Walter, a 20-year-old forward, had three points in 68 games with the Americans last season. The Winterhawkshave two other 20-year-olds on their roster — F Shane McColgan and D Garrett Haar.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 12:58 AM
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Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Wayne Fleming memorial scheduled for July 16




THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Doug Lynch (Red Deer, Spokane, 1998-2003) signed a one-year contract extension with Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had two goals and two assists in 33 games with Frölunda Gothenburg (Sweden, Elitserien) before returning to Red Bull, where he had one goal and two assists in 14 games last season. . . .
F Patrik Valcak (Lethbridge, Kelowna, 2003-04) signed a try-out contract with Dinamo Riga (Latvia, KHL). He had 15 goals and 41 assists in 38 games with Polish champions Cracovia Krakow (Poland, Ekstraliga) last season. Valcak led Ekstraliga in scoring and assists. . . .
F Chad Bassen (Regina, Vancouver, Medicine Hat, Everett, 2000-04) signed a one-year contract with Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg (Germany, DEL). He had eight goals and four assists in 42 games for Augsburger Panther (Germany, DEL) last season. This will be the 10th season in the DEL for Bassen, who holds dual Canadian-German citizenship. . . .
F Dylan Stanley (Tri-City, 2000-05) signed a one-year contract with Gherdeina Val Gardena (Italy, Austria Inter-National-League). He had 38 goals and 33 assists in 40 games with EV Bozen 84 Bolzano and Neumarkt/Egna (both Italy, Serie A2) last season. Stanley’s 38 goals led Serie A2 in goals and he finished third in league scoring.
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Peter Friedel, who has been with the Kamloops Blazers for 30 years, most recently as an assistant trainer, needs a kidney. There’s a whole lot more about his story right here.
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As you may be aware, organ donation is something that is near and dear to my heart because my wife is awaiting a kidney transplant, as well.
Here is a comment that appears on The Daily News website, under the story on Peter Friedel:
“I am from Kamloops and donated a kidney 14 months ago, it was the most rewarding experience of my life, I urge the people of Kamloops to get tested and get on the donor list, If you lived to be 150 you could never do something more rewarding, My wife and I wish Peter the best in his journey.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself. At the very least, do some research on organ donation. Learn how many people are waiting for kidneys and find out what awaits those people who choose to donate. You may be surprised at what you learn.
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What follows appeared in the Vancouver Province last week:
With 400 people in B.C. desperately waiting for a kidney transplant, doctors and dialysis patients are desperately trying to raise awareness of organ donation.
According to a study released in the June issue of the medical journal Transplantation, ethnic minorities are least likely to donate organs — 89 per cent of B.C. organ donors were Caucasian, with South Asians making up a mere 1.08 per cent.
"The reality is in certain cultural groups, diseases have a stigma attached to it," said Dr. Jagbir Gill, nephrologist at St. Paul's Hospital.
"It's a lot for people to have to put their disease out there — to have to put out the fact that they need a transplant." It's believed much of the hesitation has to do with lack of awareness as well.
"Donating a kidney is not associated with death," said Gill. "People's risk of developing kidney disease doesn't change by donating a kidney.
"We live without our appendix, without our gall bladder and people don't have any long-term effects from it."
Potential donors undergo a number of tests to ensure it's safe to donate.
And if time or money is an issue, the Kidney Foundation of Canada has a reimbursement program for those facing financial barriers, which covers hospital expenses and a certain amount of travel and loss of income.
According to Gill, organ-donor patients spend about two days in hospital and require up to four weeks off work (eight weeks for heavy work).
"Most people feel quite good by the end of the first month," he said.
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You may be aware that Yoenis Cespedes of the Oakland Athletics won the Home Run Derby on Monday night. But you may not know a whole lot about him or his family. The story of how his family got from Cuba to the U.S. is amazing. Susan Slusser and Demian Bulwa have a fantastic story right here about that journey.
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F Blake Geoffrion of the Montreal Canadiens announced his retirement on Monday. Geoffrion, 25, hasn’t played since suffering a fractured skull and brain injury during an AHL game in November. . . . John Buccigross takes a look at Geoffrion, from his name to the end of his career, right here.
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The Edmonton Oil Kings have signed F Davis Koch, who was their first selection in the 2013 bantam draft. Koch, from Surrey, B.C., had 104 points in 56 games at the Okanagan Hockey Academy last season. The Oil Kings didn’t have a first-round pick and took Koch 42nd overall.
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The Tri-City Americans have placed F Lukas Walter, 20, and G Luke Lee-Knight, 20, on waivers. . . . Walter, from Langley, B.C., had three points in 68 games last season, while Lee-Knight was 11-9-0, 3.90, .881 in 21 games. . . . The Americans now have four 1993-born players left from their season-ending roster — F Phil Tot, whose last season was ended by a brain injury just 15 games into it, F Tyson Dallman, D Zach Yuen and D Mitch Topping. Since season's end, they also have acquired F Jessey Astles from the Saskatoon Blades.
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In North American, where track and field isn’t a mainstream sports, it may not have gotten much attention. But the biggest sports story on Sunday involved positive drug tests. . . . Mike Costello of BBC Radio 5 writes right here about how “five of the 10 quickest men in history now have tested positive.” This is a huge story, especially with what is going on with the Jamaican sprinters, although not Usain Bolt.
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Mary Pilon of The New York Times has more on the doping scandal right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The ECHL’s Stockton Thunder has hired Rich Kromm as its director of hockey operations and head coach. Kromm takes over from Matt Thomas, who left to become head coach at the U of Alaska-Anchorage. . . . Kromm, 49, is a former head coach of the Portland Winterhawks. He spent the past three seasons with the Evansville IceMen, who played in the ECHL. . . . Brian Sandy, the Thunder’s new president, was with the Tri-City Americans while Kromm was with the Winterhawks.


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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 12:44 AM
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