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F Marcel Hossa (Portland, 1998-2001) had signed a one-year contract with Dukla Trenčín (Slovakia, Extraliga). Last season, with with Plzeň (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he had eight goals and eight assists in 20 games. He also had one assist in two games with Třinec (Czech Republic, Extraliga). . . . Hossa's contract with Trenčín includes an out clause should he get an offer from outside Slovakia.
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The Regina Pats enjoyed quite a day on Thursday as they signed F Bryan Lockner and F Nick Henry, both of whom were believed to be leaning towards taking the NCAA route. . . . The 6-foot-0, 190-
pound Henry, from Portage la Prairie, Man., was the MJHL’s rookie of the year with his hometown Portage Terriers last season. He put up 61 points, including 26 goals, in 50 games, then added 18 points, 10 of them goals, in 17 playoff games. . . . Henry, 17, was acquired from the Everett Silvertips, who took him in the third round of the 2014 bantam draft. With his having signed, Everett will get a second-round pick in the 2017 draft and a 2016 sixth-round selection. . . . Henry had verbally committed to attend Western Michigan U. . . . Henry, who scored Regina’s lone goal in a 6-1 loss to the visiting Swift Current Broncons on Thursday, told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post that being closer to home was definitely a factor. “I’m extremely excited about it,” Henry said. “That was a big factor in this decision. Hockey-wise, I think this is my best place to be right now, with the players I’m going to play with and the coaching here in Regina. I talked to lots and lots of people who have played in the Western League, played NCAA. Really, I didn’t have a wrong way to go but for the time being this is the right place for me.” . . . Lockner, a 6-foot-1, 210-pounder from Windsor, Colo., was a third-round pick by the Pats in the 2015 bantam draft. A shoulder injury limited him to four games last season with the Colorado Thunderbirds of the Tier One Elite League. Lockner, 16, had two assists in four playoff games. . . . “I’m excited with my decision,” Lockner told Harder. “I’ve been thinking about it pretty much this whole summer — either go here or go to college. I feel like this is the best route for me. Obviously the coaching staff is one of the best coaching staffs around. They have great ownership and Regina is a good city. They’re an older team this year so they’re going to try to make it to the finals. That’s a plus for me, playing with older guys and learning from them.”
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| Nick Henry is welcomed to the Regina Pats by John Paddock, the WHL teams' general manager and head coach. (Regina Pats photo) |
The Pats also signed F Braydon Buziak, 18, and D Owen Williams, who will turn 16 on Sept. 26. . . . Buziak, 6-foot-0 and 205 pounds, is from North Battleford, Sask. He had 19 points, including six goals, with the SJHL’s Battlefords North Stars last season. He is a listed player. . . . Williams, from Delta, B.C., put up 17 points, 15 of them assists, in 42 games with the midget AAA Notre Dame Hounds last season. He was a ninth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft.
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Grant Armstrong, who is in his first days as the general manager of the Brandon Wheat Kings, spent the past four seasons in the Victoria Royals’ front office. So perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the teams swapped five players and some bantam draft picks on Thursday. . . . The Wheat Kings acquired D Jordan Wharrie and two brothers — F Tyler and F Baron Thompson — a 10th-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft and a third-rounder in 2018. . . . The Royals acquired two unsigned prospects — F Jeremy Klessens and G Brendan Benoit — along with a third-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft, a seventh-rounder in 2018 and a conditional pick in 2019. . . . Wharrie, 19, is from Port Moody, B.C. The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder was a fifth-round pick by the Everett Silvertips in the 2012 bantam draft. Last season, in 34 games with the Royals, he had one goal and one assist. In 91 career games, he has three goals and three assists. . . . The Thompsons are from Lakeville, Minn. The 19-yet-old Tyler, 6-foot-4 and 195 pounds, had two goals and an assist in eight games with the Royals last season. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Baron, 17, had two goals and two assists in 26 games with the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints last season. The Royals selected him in the third round of the 2014 bantam draft, but has committed to attend the U of Maine. . . . According to the Wheat Kings, all three players are expected in Brandon this weekend. . . . The 5-foot-10, 185-pound Klessens, from Red Deer, had eight goals and 13 assists in 49 games with the AJHL’s Olds Grizzlys last season. The 17-year-old was a fourth-round pick by the Wheat Kings in the 2014 bantam draft. The 5-foot-10 145-pound Benoit, a 16-year-old from Winnipeg, was 23-0-1, 2.03, .910 with the midget AAA Eastman Selects last season. Brandon picked him in the 10th round of the 2015 bantam draft.
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The Saskatoon Blades have signed F Michael Farren, a 16-year-old list player who is from Richmond, B.C. Last season, the 5-foot-10 160-pounder had 48 points, including 15 goals, in 40 games with the Valley West Hawks of the B.C. Major Midget League.
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes signed four players — D Alex Cotton, F Shawn Harke, F Evan Ladouceur and G Adam Swan. . . . Cotton, 15, was a fifth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. From Langley, the 5-foot-11, 150-pounder played last season at the Yale Hockey Academy, putting up three goals and five assists in 25 games with the bantam prep team. . . . Harke, 16, is from Leduc, Alta. Harke, 6-foot-0 and 190 pounds, was a seventh-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. Last season, he played for the OHA-Edmonton prep team in the Canadian Sports School Hockey League, scoring six goals and adding 13 assists in 30 games. . . . Ladouceur, 15, was a sixth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. The 6-foot-1, 160-pounder had 13 goals and 12 assists in 32 games with the bantam AAA Fort Saskatchewan Rangers last season. . . . Swan, 16, was an 11th-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder is from Ashern, Man. He was 5-14-0, 5.45, .873 with the Interlake Lightning, a midget AAA team.
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The Tri-City Americans have signed D Colten Gerlib, 17, to a WHL contract. Gerlib, from Kamloops, played last season for the Valley West Hawks of the B.C. Major Midget League. He had 25 points, including seven goals, in 45 games. . . . The Americans listed him in January after the Mac’s tournament in Calgary.
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The Vancouver Giants have signed F Hunor Torzsok, 16, to a WHL contract. From Cloverdale, B.C., Torzsok played last season with the Delta Hockey Academy Elite 15s. The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder is a listed player. He had 30 points, including 10 goals, in 33 games.
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The Kamloops Blazers have signed D Tylor Ludwar and F Scott Mahovlich. . . . Ludwar, from Regina, had 16 points, including seven goals, in 40 games with the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians last season. The Blazers placed him on their list in November 2014. . . . Mahovlich, from Abbotsford, B.C., had nine points, three of them goals, in 33 games with the Yale Hockey Academy’s midget prep team. The Blazers listed him in January 2015.
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The Kootenay Ice has signed D Bobby Russell, 16, who was a sixth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. From Langley, B.C., the 5-foot-10, 155-pounder had 15 points, 13 of them assists, in 29 games with the B.C. Major Midget League’s Valley West Hawks last season.
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The Edmonton Oil Kings have signed F Scott Atkinson, a fifth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft, and Belarusian F Artyom Baltruk, who was picked in the CHL’s 2016 import draft. . . . Atkinson, a 16-year-old from Vancouver, had 14 points, including five goals, with the Greater Vancouver Canadians of the B.C. Major Midget League last season. . . . Baltruk, 17, had 12 points, including five goals, in 28 games with Dinamo-Raubichi of the Belarus2 league last season.
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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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The Victoria Royals have signed Dan Price, 41, as an assistant coach. Price, from St. Albert, Alta., has spent the past two seasons with the U of Toronto Varsity Blues. He was the team’s assistant coach in 2014-15, and was assistant coach and manager of athletic recruitment last season. . . . Price has WHL experience, having coached with the Tir-City Americans (2012-14) and Chilliwack Bruins (2006-09). . . . The Royals needed an assistant coach after moving Enio Sacilotto from behind the bench into the position of director of prospect development and scout. That came about after Grant Armstrong, their assistant GM, player personnel.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES:
The Saskatoon Blades scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Moose Jaw Warriors 4-3 in a game played in Regina. F Ryan Bowen and F Brett Howden each had a goal and an assist for Moose Jaw. Saskatoon F Josh Paterson also had a goal and an assist, the goal breaking a 3-3 tie at 19:19 of the third period. F Matthew Mosher also had a goal and an assist for the Blades. . . . In the other game in Regina, F Glenn Gawdin scored the game’s first two goals and the Swift Current Broncos went on to a 6-1 victory over the Pats. Gawdin finished with three goals, while D Artyom Minulin drew three assists, and F Aleksi Heponiemi had two goals and two assists.
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In Brandon, F Nolan Patrick scored two goals and added an assist to help the Wheat Kings to a 6-4 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Patrick, 16, isn’t eligible for the NHL draft until 2017. He’s got 42 points in 45 games this season. . . . Patrick got the game’s first goal, at 3:26 of the first period, then added an empty-netter at 18:27 of the third for his 22nd goal this season. . . . Brandon led this one 3-0 going into the second period. The Warriors then scored four times in 13:06, with F Tanner Eberle getting his 26th, F Jack Rodewald getting his 23rd and F Brayden Point getting No. 21. . . . Warriors F Torrin White broke the 3-3 tie with his 11th at 14:57. . . . Brandon F Morgan Klimchuk tied it with his 19th goal at 17:20 of the second. . . . Wheat Kings F Peter Klimchuk snapped the tie at 9:51 of the third, on a PP. He’s got 13 goals. . . . D Ivan Provorov and F Rihards Bukarts each had two assists for Brandon. . . . Brandon D Eric Roy played in his 300th regular-season game. He had one assist. . . . Brandon head coach Kelly McCrimmon won his 400th game, the 14th coach in WHL history to get there. Ken Hodge (742), Ernie McLean (548) and McCrimmon are the only members of the 400 club who got there with one franchise. . . . It was John Quenneville bobblehead night. The Brandon forward was back after missing one game with an undisclosed injury. He scored his 16th goal. . . . Warriors F Tanner Jeannot returned after being out since Dec. 10. He missed 18 games with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Wheat Kings (36-9-5) are 7-0-1 in their last eight and remain three points behind Kelowna, which leads the overall standings. . . . The Warriors (20-26-4) have lost two in a row. . . . The Wheaties and Warriors meet again tonight, this time in Moose Jaw. . . .
In Calgary, F Adam Tambellini scored two goals and added two assists as the Hitmen whipped the Prince Albert Raiders, 10-1. . . . Tambellini has 35 goals this season, with nine of them coming over his last five games. He has 12 points in a six-game point streak. . . . Hitmen F Kenton Helgesen also scored twice, giving him 16, as did F Radel Fazleev, who also has 16 goals. . . . Calgary scored 10 times on 35 shots. . . . Hitmen G Brendan Burke stopped 23 shots. . . . Calgary D Jake Bean had two assists. The 16-year-old from Calgary has 29 points, including 26 assists, in 39 games. He had one point, an assist, in his first 15 games. . . . D Travis Sanheim had three assists for Calgary and was plus-5. . . . Calgary F Pavel Karnaukhov scored his 17th goal and added two assists, while F Jordy Stallard, F Jake Virtanen and F Connor Rankin each had two assists. . . . The Raiders lost D Mackenze Stewart to a cross-checking major and game misconduct at 8:22 of the third period. . . . The Hitmen were 3-for-5 on the PP; the Raiders were 0-for-6. . . . Calgary (28-17-5), which entertains Edmonton this afternoon, has won five straight, outscoring its opposition 25-5 in the process. The afternoon game is part of a hockey doubleheader, with the NHL’s Oilers and Flames playing in the evening. The same thing happened in Edmonton last season on March 1. . . . Calgary has moved into a tie with Red Deer for second in the Central Division. . . . The Raiders slipped to 20-28-1. They will visit Red Deer tonight. . . .
In Red Deer, G Tristan Jarry stopped 20 shots to lead the Edmonton Oil Kings to a 4-0 victory over the Rebels. . . . That was Jarry’s third shutout of the season and the sixth of his career. . . . Edmonton F Andrew Koep, playing his first game since Jan. 2, opened the scoring, with his 11th goal, at 4:49 of the third period. . . . F Lane Bauer had three assists and D Dysin Mayo had two. . . . Edmonton got two goals from Brett Pollock, who has 24. . . . The Oil Kings (24-21-6), who have won two in a row, hold down the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, a point behind Kootenay. . . . Edmonton is in Calgary today for a matinee. . . . The Rebels (27-15-7), who are at home to Prince Albert tonight, were 7-0-2 in their last nine. . . . 
In Cranbrook, D Rinat Valiev banged home a rebound to give the Kootenay Ice a 4-3 OT victory over the Regina Pats. . . . This was victory No. 700 for the Ice franchise, dating back to 1996-97. . . . Valiev’s seventh goal of the season came at 3:27 of extra time. . . . The Ice took a 3-0 lead in the latter stages of the second period, only to have the Pats come back and tie it. . . . Regina F Pavel Padakin scored his 16th goal of the season at 14:01 of the third period to force OT. . . . Regina F Austin Wagner had scored his 14th just 31 seconds earlier. . . . Regina G Daniel Wapple stopped 40 shots. . . . Ice D Tyler King had two assist, while F Sam Reinhart also had a goal, his 12th, and an assist on the winner. He is on a 10-game point streak. . . . Regina D Connor Hobbs drew two assists. . . . The Ice began a seven game homestand with this one. . . . The Pats have brought in F Adam Berg, 17, from the AJHL’s Calgary Mustangs. . . . Kootenay (27-23-1) is at home to Kelowna tonight. . . . The Pats (26-17-6) are 0-3-3 in their last six outings. They are second in the East Division, seven points ahead of Swift Current. . . . Regina is in Lethbridge tonight. . . . Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has a game story 
In Lethbridge, F Leon Draisaitl scored the game’s first two goals and the Kelowna Rockets skated to a 6-3 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Draisaitl, who also had an assist, has six goals. . . . Kelowna F Gage Quinney also scored twice, giving him 12. . . . The Rockets got a goal, his 18th, and two assists from F Justin Kirkland, with F Rourke Chartier and F Tyson Baillie getting two assists each. . . . F Giorgio Estephan scored his 12th goal and added an assist for the Hurricanes. He had 24 points, including 12 goals, in 64 games last season. This season, he has 31 points, 11 of them goals, in 40 games. . . . Kelowna had a 51-25 edge in shots. . . . G Michael Herringer went the distance for the Rockets in his sixth appearance of the season and his first appearance since Jan. 16. He stopped F Jamal Watson on a second-period penalty shot. . . . The Rockets (38-8-4) are 4-0-1 in their last five and will visit the Kootenay Ice tonight. . . . The Hurricanes now are 12-30-6 with Regina coming to town tonight. . . . 
In Portland, F Oliver Bjorkstrand scored once and added two assists, all in the first period, as the Winterhawks posted a 6-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Bjorkstrand has 32 goals. His 32nd allowed Portland to take a 4-0 lead into the second period. . . . Portland F Chase De Leo scored twice, giving him 24, while D Adam Henry and D Layne Viveiros each had two assists. . . . Portland G Adin Hill stopped 29 shots, five more than Cole Kehler of the Blazers. . . . With D Michael Fora and D Patrik Maier injured and D Ryan Rehill serving a one-game suspension, the Blazers had D Conner McDonald, 15, in their lineup. A second-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft, McDonald plays for the Delta, B.C., midget prep team. . . . The Winterhawks (29-19-3) have won seven straight as they entertain Everett tonight. . . . The Blazers (19-26-6) remain alone in third place in the B.C. Division, two points ahead of Vancouver and Prince George. The Blazers are in Vancouver tonight. . . . 
In Prince George, the Seattle Thunderbirds scored four times in each of the first two periods en route to a 9-2 victory over the Cougars. . . . Seattle F Ryan Gropp broke a 1-1 tie with his 19th goal at 15:16 of the first period and the Thunderbirds ended up taking a 4-1 lead into the second. . . . F Roberts Lipsbergs got his fourth goal at 16:06 and F Scott Eansor scored his seventh at 19:08. . . . Lipsbergs finished with two goals, giving him five, and two assists, while F Mathew Barzal had four assists. . . . F Keegan Kolesar helped out with two goals, giving him 17, and an assist. . . . Eansor also had two assists. . . . The Cougars could have two players suspended for tonight’s rematch, as D Josh Connolly took a slashing major and game misconduct at 2:59 of the second period and D Josh Anderson left with a headshot major and game misconduct at 16:23. . . . Seattle G Logan Flodell made his third career start, all against the Cougars. He is 2-1-0, including a victory in his only Seattle start last season. He stopped 21 shots in this one. . . . Flodell came in from the SJHL’s Nipawin Hawks earlier in the week after G Danny Mumaugh chose to retire. . . . Seattle D Jared Hauf sat out a one-game suspension for getting into a staged fight nine seconds into Wednesday’s game in Kamloops. . . . Hauf had played in 193 straight regular-season games. . . . Cougars D Sam Ruopp completed a five-game suspension by sitting out this one. . . . After the game, Tbird Tidbits tweeted: “Winning tonight, TBirds are 3-0 this season when Ryan Gibbons works game and is lower-numbered linesman. They are 0-2 when his number is higher.” . . . The Thunderbirds now are 24-19-6 and are third in the U.S. Division, four points ahead of Spokane and Tri-City. . . . The Cougars (20-30-2) have lost 11 in a two (0-9-2). . . . They’ll play again tonight in Prince George. . . . 
In Spokane, G Coleman Vollrath stopped 29 shots as the Victoria Royals blanked the Chiefs, 3-0. . . . Spokane has been shut out in three straight games and has been outscored 18-1 in their last five outings. . . . Portland freelancer Scott Sepich tweeted: “Spokane has 1 goal on 134 shots in its last 5 games. Seattle has 9 goals on 26 shots tonight.” . . . Vollrath has four shutouts this season and five him his career. . . . The Royals got two goals and an assist from F Tyler Soy. The sophomore has 17 goals. . . . G Greg Chase had two assists. . . . Spokane got D Evan Fiala back from an undisclosed injury, but still had seven regulars out of action with undisclosed injuries. They also scratched G Tyson Verhelst (ill). . . . The Royals (27-20-4) are comfortably ensconced in second place in the B.C. Division. . . . The Chiefs (23-21-4) have lost seven in a row (0-6-1) for the first time since 2006-07. . . . The Royals visit the Tri-City Americans tonight, while the Chiefs are at home to Medicine Hat. . . . 
In Kennewick, Wash., F Curtis Sanford took over the WHL goal-scoring lead as his Medicine Hat Tigers got past the Tri-City Americans, 4-1. . . . Sanford, who also had an assist, has 41 goals, one more than Kelowna F Rourke Chartier. . . . Tigers F Trevor Cox, who leads the WHL scoring race with 85 points, got his 22nd goal and added an assist. . . . F Tyler Sandhu gave the Americans a 1-0 lead with his 12th goal, via the PP, at 4:18 of the first period. . . . Tigers F Matt Bradley tied it with his 11th goal, on a PP, at 9:51. He also had an assist. . . . Cox broke the tie at 19:53 of the first. . . . Tigers G Nick Schneider made 27 saves. . . . Eric Comrie was back in goal for the Americans. Evan Sarthou had made 20 consecutive starts while Comrie was with Canada’s national junior team and then out with an injury. . . . Comrie made 35 saves. . . . The Tigers continue to be without F Steven Owre (jaw), F Anthony Ast (concussion), F Kyle Becker (concussion) and D Kyle Burroughs (suspension), while G Marek Langhamer is nursing a wonky hip. . . . Because of that, the Tigers have D Brad Forrest and F Caleb Fantillo with them on the U.S. trip. Forrest, 17, plays for the AJHL’s Calgary Mustangs. The Calgary native was an eighth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. Fantillo, 16, was taken in the sixth round of the 2013 bantam draft. He plays for the major midget Vancouver North East Chiefs. . . . The Tigers (35-12-2) are on a six-game winning streak. . . . The Americans (24-24-2) have lost two in a row. . . . The Americans are at home tonight against Victoria, while the Tigers visit Spokane tonight. . . .
In Everett, F Patrick Bajkov scored three times to lead the Silvertips to a 7-1 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . A sophomore from Nanaimo, B.C., Bajkov has 20 goals this season. He has 38 points in 49 games. Last season, he put up 19 points, nine of them goals, in 56 games. . . . After the game, Bajkov told Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald that his first goal may end up going to D Tristen Pfeifer, who has yet to score a WHL goal. . . . F Ivan Nikolishin scored his 13th goal and drew three assists for Everett, while F Carson Stadnyk scored twice, giving him 20, and added an assist. . . . Everett D Noah Juulsen had three assists and F Matt Fonteyne had two. . . . With G Payton Lee (hand) on the shelf, Vancouver brought in Griffin Baillie to back up Cody Porter. Baillie, an 18-year-old from Merritt, B.C., plays for the junior B Aldergrove Kodiaks. . . . Vancouver also scratched F Matt Bellerive, who was ill. . . . The Silvertips (31-14-4) had lost their previous two games. . . . The Giants (20-28-2) have lost three in a row. . . . The Silvertips are in Portland tonight. Everett leads the U.S. Division by three points over Portland, which has won seven in a row. . . . The Royals are in Kennewick, Wash., to meet Tri-City.
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