Scattershooting on playoff's eve . . . Cougars get motivation from snubs . . . Giants coach: No oil change here

Doing some scattershooting on the night before the WHL playoff grind gets started . . . 

If you watched the World Baseball Classic, you will know that John Smoltz is as good as any analyst working in any sport today.

——

Russ Howard, TSN’s curling guru, is pretty good, too. In fact, TSN’s curling crew — Vic Rauter with Cheryl Bernard and Howard — is a rare case of three-in-a-booth working well.

——

There’s an interesting story developing in Kamloops where the junior B Storm had a disastrous season at the gate after moving from McArthur Island to Memorial Arena for the 2016-17 season. There is lots of parking on the island, not so much downtown around Memorial Arena, and that’s a recipe for disaster. Owner Barry Dewar now says he may not be able to afford to bring back head coach Ed Patterson, a former NHLer, for another season.

——

The same 22 head coaches who started the WHL’s 2016-17 regular season managed to finish it. The question now is: How many of them will start 2017-18?

——

I like the Kelowna Rockets and Regina Pats to meet in the WHL’s final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup. But all bets are off if the mumps virus pops up somewhere along the playoff trail.

——

Headline at whl.ca on Sunday night: Winterhawks fly north for clash with Cougars to open WHL Playoffs.

—-

Not so fast, Sully. The WHL prohibits flying until the championship final when it’s Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference.

——

You are aware that actor/comedian/bad golfer Bill Murray is a long-time supporter of the Chicago Cubs, who ended that million-year drought by winning the World Series last spring. But are you aware that Murray also backs the Xavier Musketeers, who upset the Arizona Wildcats, 73-71, in the NCAA tournament on Thursday night? Murray’s son, Luke, is on Xavier’s coaching staff.

——

Next up for Xavier? Spokane’s Gonzaga Bulldogs in an Elite 8 game on Saturday, 3:09 p.m. PT, from San Jose.

——

“If I was running the NHL, I’d be terrified of offside video reviews in the post-season. One of them is going to decide a playoff series, and it’s going to be ugly.” That was Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in his weekly 30 Thoughts essay this week.

——

F Massimo Rizzo made his BCHL playoff debut with the Penticton Vees on Thursday night against the visiting Merritt Centennials. . . . The Kamloops Blazers selected him 15th overall in the WHL’s 2016 bantam draft. Rizzo, from Burnaby, was the Canadian School Sport Hockey League’s MVP and freshman of the year after putting up 53 points, including 12 goals, in 28 games with the Burnaby Winter Club’s midget prep team. . . . The Centennials won last night’s game, 5-4, to send the series back to Merritt. The Vees, who won 2-1 in OT in Merritt on Tuesday, hold a 3-2 lead.

——

The 2017 IIHF World Women’s Championship is scheduled to open March 31 in Plymouth, Mich. What if Team USA doesn’t show up, sticking to its guns and boycotting? I covered the 2016 event in Kamloops and I couldn’t imagine what that would have been like without Canada’s national team.

——

You have to wonder what the TSN pooh-bahs are thinking as they repeatedly run promos for its coverage of the IIHF World Women’s Championship, focussing on a Canada-Team USA game that is scheduled for opening night. With the way Team USA is sticking to its guns, TSN better get some darts or poker cued up and ready to go.

—————

G Marek Schwarz (Vancouver, 2004-05) and F Tomáš Plíhal (Kootenay, 2001-03) have signed one-year extensions with Orli Znojmo (Czech Republic, Erste Bank Liga). In 31 games, Schwarz was 2.87 and .907 with one shutout. Plíhal had seven goals and nine assists in 30 games.

—————

It was inspiring to pay a visit to @BGerv16 yesterday. Great to see him smiling + we are in awe of the strength he + his family have showed. pic.twitter.com/XQtVTS2dOW

— PG Cougars (@PGCougars) March 23, 2017

The @bdnwheatkings have arrived in Medicine Hat! Their WHL title defence begins tomorrow night! #bdnmb pic.twitter.com/IdtLBABPIs

— Branden Crowe (@branden_crowe) March 24, 2017

——

The Prince George Cougars won the first pennant in that city’s 23-year WHL history by going wire-to-wire to capture the B.C. Division title. But when the WHL announced its all-star teams and award winners on Wednesday, the Cougars were blanked. Zippo. Nada.

Hey, Cougars, what do you think of that?

Todd Harkins, the team’s general manager, told Brendan Pawliw of myprincegeorgenow.com: “We have a lot of good players and people in our organization and I think when you win something you should be recognized for it and we weren’t recognized by anybody. I think it was us and Vancouver that didn’t have any accolades. I think this will be motivation for the players.”

The Cougars open a first-round series against the visiting Portland Winterhawks tonight (Friday). There could be some extra fire in this series — the Winterhawks wanted a 2-3-2 format; the Cougars wanted, and got, a 2-2-1-1-1 series.

“We had a lot of pressure to put the series in a 2-3-2 format,” Harkins said, “but we felt if we could move the games around enough we could give the players the experience and rest they need throughout the seven-game series if it goes that long and would still work in our favour.”

The Winterhawks’ roster boasts Mike Johnston, the Western Conference’s coach of the year, and F Cody Glass, who was named to the conference’s first all-star team.

Glass, who will be an early first-round selection in the NHL’s 2017 draft, missed the last five periods of Portland’s regular season with an apparent arm injury. There has been nothing but crickets out of Portland on his status, so fans will have to wait until Johnston posts his lineup for Game 1 to find out whether Glass will play.

The Cougars likely will have F Brad Morrison back for the first time since he suffered an ankle injury during a fight in a game with the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings on Feb. 24. Morrison, who missed nine games, finished with 52 points, including 21 goals, in 61 games.

——

If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.

If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

If interested, you also are able to follow me on Twitter at @gdrinnan.

——

If you are a subscriber to Shaw TV, you will have access to a pair of WHL first-round playoff series. . . . The Shaw crew will cover the series between the Kelowna Rockets and Kamloops Blazers. Games 1 and 2 are set for Kelowna on Friday at Saturday nights, with the telecasts starting at 7 p.m. PT. . . . Meanwhile, Shaw subscribers also will be able to watch the series between the Regina Pats and Calgary Hitmen, which will be produced by Access7 out of Regina. That series opens with games in Regina on Friday and Saturday nights, with the telecasts starting at 7 o’clock MT.

——

The Medicine Hat Tigers have signed D Trevor Longo to a WHL contract. Longo, from North Vancouver, was a sixth-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft. Longo will turn 17 on April 23. He played this season with the Vancouver-Northwest Giants of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League, putting up 37 points, 11 of them goals, in 40 games. Last season, he had 11 points, including two goals, in 38 games with the Giants.

——

The Vancouver Giants missed the WHL playoffs for the third straight season and the fourth time in five seasons. Of course, general manager Glen Hanlon and head coach Jason McKee both were in their first seasons and they know this project will take some time. . . . “I have said it before, it is not an oil change, it can’t be fixed in 20 minutes; it is going to take some time,” McKee told Gary Ahuja of the Langley Times. “When I came out here, I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy task, I knew it was going to take some time.” . . . Ahuja’s story is right here.

——

The AJHL’s Grande Prairie Storm has named Mark Bomersback as general manager and signed head coach Matt Keillor to a new contract. . . . Bomersback, the AJHL’s all-time leading scorer, had been the Storm’s director of scouting. As GM, he is working on a month-to-month deal, at least for now. . . . Keillor, who had been the head coach of the midget AAA Ernie’s Sports Experts Storm, took over as general manager and head coach when Kevin Higo was fired in midseason. Keillor’s contract is for two hers with the team holding an option on a third season. . . . The Storm reached the playoffs for the first time since the spring of 2013, finishing 15-38-7 before losing a best-of-five series in three games to the Whitecourt Wolverines.

——

If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.

If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

If interested, you also are able to follow me on Twitter at @gdrinnan.

———

Nothing better than play-off hockey. All you can do is your best. #AmsHockey pic.twitter.com/TbYErmO4uD

— Robert (Bob) Tory (@BTORY) March 24, 2017

——

MONDAY-THURSDAY GAMES:

No Games Scheduled.

——

FRIDAY GAMES (all times local):

(Game 1, best-of-seven series)

Swift Current at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.

Brandon at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.

Calgary at Regina, 7 p.m.

Kamloops at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.

Victoria at Everett, 7:35 p.m.

Tri-City vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m.

Portland at Prince George, 7 p.m.

——

SATURDAY GAMES (all times local):

Red Deer at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.

(Game 1, best-of-seven series)

Swift Current at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.

(Game 2, best-of-seven series)
Brandon at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.

(Game 2, best-of-seven series)
Calgary at Regina, 7 p.m.

(Game 2, best-of-seven series)
Kamloops at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.

(Game 2, best-of-seven series)
Victoria at Everett, 7:05 p.m.

(Game 2, best-of-seven series)
Tri-City vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.

(Game 2, best-of-seven series)

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Kris Beech (Calgary, 1995-2001) signed a contract with AIK Stockholm (Sweden, Elitserien) for the rest of this season. Beech, who signed a "game-by-game" contract with AIK in December, has two goals in two
games with AIK. He started the season with Pardubice (Czech Republic, Extraliga), getting two goals and six assists in 21 games before his release in November. . . .

G Marek Schwarz (Vancouver, 2004-05) was traded by Sparta Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga) to Liberec (Czech Republic, Extraliga) for G Marek Pinc. Schwarz has a 3.84 GAA and an .890 save percentage in 16 games with Sparta this season. . . .


D Darcy Werenka (Lethbridge, Brandon, 1989-1993) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Kapfenberg (Austria, National Amateur). Werenka has not played so far this season. Last season, he had four goals and 20 assists in 26 games for Rouen (France Ligue Magnus). Werenka has dual Canadian-Austrian citizenship.
———

TANNER MORT

The Spokane Chiefs have shut down D Tanner Mort, 19, “for the foreseeable future after he and the organization reassessed his injury situation,” according to a news release issued by the team on Friday.
Mort, from Post Falls, Idaho, was in his fourth season with the Chiefs. He suffered a suspected concussion on Oct. 12, during a 5-1 loss to the Blazers in Kamloops.
He suffered what the Chiefs are calling “an upper body injury.”
"Tanner's injury has steadily improved,” Chiefs general manager Tim Speltz said in the news release, “but he is still experiencing some discomfort so we all agreed that it would be best to shut him down to rest and recover."We are all willing to be patient with the process and understand that Tanner's health is the number one priority.”
Mort has 32 points in 137 career regular-season games with the Chiefs.
———
Three Friday afternoon tweets from TSN’s Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie):
1. “NHL teams have until Fri Jan 18 to return underage juniors to their respective teams or they must be put on the NHL roster.”
2. “If an underage junior plays 6 NHL games this season, it burns a year of entry-level contract.”
3. “Underager can be returned to jr until April 3 (NHL trade deadline/roster freeze). If played in 5 NHL or less games, no contract year burned.”
———
Put your team in front of a bus and you will get a three-game suspension. At least that’s what happened to Terry Jones, the head coach of the junior B Beaver Valley NiteHawks. There’s more right here.
———
FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Moose Jaw, D Nick Walters drew three assists to help the Brandon Wheat Kings end a five-game losing streak with a 6-2 victory over the Warriors. . . . The victory moved Brandon, which is last in the 12-team Eastern Conference, to within a point of the Warriors and kept them within a point of the Kootenay Ice. . . . Walters was acquired from the Everett Silvertips on Thursday. He had nine assists in 35 games with Everett this season. . . . This was the first three-point game of Walters’ career and came in his 146th regular-season game. . . . According to Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald, “Walters . . . drove from Everett to Abbotsford, B.C., at 5 a.m., caught a flight to Calgary, then flew to Regina where the Wheat Kings bus picked him up to drive him to Moose Jaw.” . . . Brandon D Rene Hunter scored his first goal of the season and was plus-4. . . . The Warriors have lost six straight games. . . . Among Brandon’s scratches were F Jayce Hawryluk (ill) and D Ryan Pulock (wrist). . . . F Ben Duperreault, who plays for the midget AAA Moose Jaw Generals, made his debut with the Warriors, who were without F Jordan Wyton (undisclosed) and F Torrin White (mononucleosis). . . . Moose Jaw is without D Morgan Rielly, who is in Toronto preparing for the Maple Leafs’ training camp. . . .

In Swift Current, F Adam Lowry ran his point streak to 19 games as the Broncos beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 3-1. . . . Lowry drew an assist on F Colby Cave’s empty-netter at 19:52 of the third period and now has the longest point streak in the WHL this season. . . . Swift Current G Eetu Laurikainen stopped 43 shots. . . . Broncos F Jay Merkley broke a 1-1 tie at 2:25 of the third period. He’s got 16 goals. . . . There was only one minor penalty called in the game, that to Swift Current F Daniel Dale for goaltender interference at 3:00 of the second period. . . . The Raiders were without F Mark McNeill (ill). . . .

In Regina, the Calgary Hitmen won their sixth straight game and 30th of the season, beating the Pats, 6-1. . . . F Brady Brassart and F Jake Virtanen had two goals each for Calgary. . . . Calgary F Brooks Macek may not be the second-coming of ‘Sudden-Death’ Mel Hill, but there has to be a nickname for him. He set a franchise record by scoring nine seconds into a game earlier this week, and then counted six seconds into the second period in the next game. Last night, he scored 13 seconds into the game. . . . Macek has 23 goals this season. . . . The line of Macek, Brassart and Cody Sylvester, who had two assists, has 38 points over its last six games. . . . The Hitmen lead the Eastern Conference and are three points ahead of the Edmonton Oil Kings atop the Central Division. . . .

In Saskatoon, the Red Deer Rebels scored the game’s first three goals and beat the Blades, 3-1. . . . Red Deer G Patrik Bartosak stopped 34 shots. . . . Saskatoon G Andrey Makarov, in his first appearance since playing for Russia at the World Junior Championship, turned aside 29 shots. . . . Red Deer F David Volek scored his fourth goal in nine games with the Rebels, while F Rhyse Dieno got his 11th goal in 23 games. . . . D Matt Dumba was in Red Deer’s lineup. He leaves today for training camp with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild.

In Edmonton, G Tristan Jarry set a club record as the Oil Kings blanked the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 4-0. . . . Jarry stopped 23 shots for his WHL-leading fourth shutout this season and the fourth of his career. That is a single-season record. He had shared the record with Torrie Jung and Laurent Brossoit. . . . Jarry has recorded back-to-back blank jobs — he turned aside 24 shots in a 5-0 victory over visiting Vancouver on Saturday. . . . F Trevor Cheek scored his first goal with Edmonton, and his 19th this season. He came over from Vancouver in a trade earlier in the week. . . . D Keegan Lowe had two assists. . . . This is the Oil Kings’ lone three-game weekend of the season. They are in Saskatoon tonight and in Medicine Hat on Sunday. . . . D Griffin Reinhart played for the Oil Kings. He leaves today for the training camp of the NHL’s New York Islanders. . . .

In Cranbrook, F Brock Montgomery and F Sam Reinhart scored three times each as the Kootenay Ice beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 7-5. . . . Montgomery’s third goal, his 18th, came via the PP and broke a 5-5 tie at 16:42 of the third. . . . F Jaedon Descheneau had three assists for the Ice, which has won seven in a row. . . . Reinhart completed his hat trick with an empty-netter, giving him 19 goals this season. . . . F Elgin Pearce, a former Ice skater, had two goals, giving him 18, and an assist for the Tigers. . . . The Ice was 3-for-5 on the PP. . . . F Boston Leier had a goal and two helpers for the Tigers. . . . According to Ice radio voice Jeff Hollick, it was the second time two Kootenay players have had hat tricks in the same game. F Marek Svatos and F Tyler Beechey did it in a 10-7 victory over Medicine Hat in January 2001. . . . Earlier Friday, the Ice named D Joey Leach, 20, as its new captain. . . .

In Kelowna, the Rockets erased a 2-0 deficit with four straight goals and beat the Tri-City Americans, 6-3. . . . Kelowna has won 17 in a row on home ice. . . . The Rockets next play at home Tuesday against the Spokane Chiefs. A Kelowna victory would tie the franchise record for longest home-ice winning streak. . . .  F Dylen McKinlay had two goals and two assists for the Rockets. . . . The Rockets have won eight in a row and now lead the B.C. Division by four points over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 26 shots as he put up his 15th straight victory. . . . Kelowna F Myles Bell left in the third period after checking Tri-City D Zach Yuen from behind. Bell received a major and game misconduct; Yuen was helped off the ice but returned. . . . Tri-City F Justin Feser picked up an assist for his 296th career point. He is four points from becoming the seventh player in Tri-City history to get to 300. . . .

In Portland, the Winterhawks scored four third-period goals and beat the Spokane Chiefs, 5-2. . . . D Troy Rutkowski scored his 13th goal and added two assists. . . . F Brendan Leipsic of the Winterhawks broke a 2-2 tie at 15:06 of the third period on a PP. . . .
Starting with Leipsic's goal, Portland scored three times in a span of 1:39. . . . Leipsic also had an assist and now is on an 11-game point streak. He had an 18-game run earlier in the season. . . . Portland F Nic Petan had a goal and an assist. He leads the WHL scoring race with 71 points. . . . Petan and Spokane F Todd Fiddler each scored his 28th goal, one shy of the WHL lead held by Saskatoon F Josh Nicholls. . . . This was the Chiefs’ first visit to Portland this season. . . . Prior to the game the Winterhawks assigned F Alex Schoenborn, 17, to the BCHL’s, errrr, NAHL’s Wenatchee Wild. He had two points in 18 games with Portland. . . . The Winterhawks also assigned D Layne Viveiros, 17, to the AJHL’s Camrose Kodiaks for the balance of this season. He had three assists in 20 games in his second season in Portland. Last season, he finished with three assists in 39 games. He was a ninth-round selection in the 2011 bantam draft. . . .

In Prince George, G Brett Zarowny stopped 44 shots to lead the Cougars to a 1-0 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Zarowny, a 17-year-old freshman from Edson, Alta., evened his record at 9-9-0 as the Cougars halted a seven-game losing streak. . . . Sophomore forward Jordan Tkatch scored the game’s only goal, getting his fourth of the season at 12:15 of the second period. . . . Zarowny stopped 23 shots in the third period to post his third shutout of the season. . . . This was the first time the Blazers have lost 1-0 since March 12, 2011, when Kelowna’s Adam Brown stopped 33 shots and the host Rockets won 1-0 in a shootout. . . . The Cougars took all three of the game’s minor penalties. . . . D Rinalds Rosinkis, who played for Latvia at the World Junior Championship, was back in the Cougars’ lineup. . . . Kamloops had F JC Lipon and D Marek Hrbas back in the lineup. Both played at the WJC, Lipon with Canada and Hrbas with the Czech Republic. . . . The Blazers, who have lost two in a row after having won three straight, and Cougars meet again tonight in Prince George. . . .

In Everett, the home side struck for seven goals for the first time this season and beat the Victoria Royals 7-4 in the Silvertips’ first game with GM Garry Davidson running the bench. . . . Davidson replaced Mark Ferner as head coach earlier in the week. . . . Everett has won four of six. . . . F Ryan Harrison scored twice for Everett, with both goals into an empty net. . . . F Tyler Sandhu had three assists for Everett. . . . The victory lifted Everett into seventh place in the Western Conference, a point ahead of the idle Seattle Thunderbirds.
———
CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Tyler Yaworski, Brandon
F Myles Bell, Kelowna (major)
F Mikulas Rimmel, Spokane

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None
———






From Swift Current D Reece Scarlett (@reecescarlett7): “Just got stuck for 45 mins. Thanks to the gentlemen that stopped and helped.. Still no thanks to you and your snowplowing swifty”
———
From Paul Buker (@Pnbuker), a sports writer with The Oregonian: “Going to Winterhawks game vs. Spo, 7 p.m. Ladies night. They’re giving away a $7,000 pair of earrings. If a player’s mom wins this there . . .”
———
Buker, cont’d: “. . . is a $200,000 reward for the first fan to report this egregious extra benefit to the WHL office in Calgary”

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

THE MacBETH REPORT:
The Augsburger Panther (Germany, DEL) announced the retirement of D Christian Chartier (Saskatoon, Prince George, 1996-2001). Chartier, an assistant captain of the Panther, had five goals and 15 assists in 52 games this season. . . .
G Marek Schwarz (Vancouver, 2004-05) signed a three-year contract with Sparta Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had a 2.91 GAA and a .894 save percentage in 35 games with TPS Turku (Finland, SM-Liiga) this season. . . .
F Jeremy Boyer (Seattle, Saskatoon, 2005-10) signed a one-season contract with the Newcastle North Stars (Australia, AIHL). He had 16 goals and 16 assists in 62 games for the Quad City Mallards (Central Hockey League) this season. The AIHL regular season is 24 games long, starting April 28 and ending Aug. 26, and the playoffs are the first weekend in September. Other ex-WHL players playing in Australia include Sydney Bears captain and Australia national team F Michael Schlamp (Saskatoon, 1997-99) and Gold Coast Blue Tongues F Adam Geric (Saskatoon, 2005-07). In addition, the league commissioner is Tyler Lovering (Moose Jaw, 1987-88, 1991-92).
———
Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette has written a couple of interesting pieces this week, both of which point out the problem  the NHL is having dealing with concussions. The first, which is right here, deals with what the ‘c’ word means in NHL circles.
The second, which is right here, points out that if players won’t own up to not feeling well, there isn’t much the teams can do.
———
Rob Daum, a former WHL coach, has signed a four-year contract with the Black Wings Linz, who have won the Austrian championship for the first time in nine seasons. . . . The contract was announced Wednesday as the Black Wings and their fans celebrated their championship in the city’s main square.
———
There is an interesting sidebar to the Austrian league playoffs.
Here it is from a piece on the IIHF website:
“Olimpija Ljubljana was waiting in the second round. The Slovenian team didn’t make new friends and suffered drastic suspensions after deliberately losing a game in the last round of the regular season. The team pulled goalkeeper Matija Pintaric during a shootout in the last game against Red Bull Salzburg so it could avoid playing Salzburg in the quarterfinals.
“The coach and goalie were suspended for several games and the club fined €10,000 for this unsportsmanlike conduct, but their plan seemed to work out as the underdog team faced the supposedly easier team in the first playoff round, Hungarian club Fehervar AV19, and defeated it 4-2.”
Think about that for a moment or two. A team actually pulled its goaltender in the shootout. Amazing!
The Linz story is right here.
———
Popeye Jones, the father of Seth Jones, says he expects his son to make a decision on his immediate future once the IIHF U18 world championship is completed later this month in the Czech Republic.
Seth Jones, a highly touted 17-year-old defenceman, is seen as an early first-round pick in the 2013 NHL draft. He played this season with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program. His WHL rights are held by the Everett Silvertips and he has said he will play in Everett or at the U of North Dakota next season.
“It’s still very much up in the air right now,” Popeye Jones told Ryan Clark of the Fargo, N.D., Forum. “He wants to focus on the U-18 worlds and he’s been focusing and preparing very hard for that. His decision will probably come after the U-18 worlds. It’s his life and he’s still young. But he’s a pretty mature kid and it’s a decision he needs to make.”
Clark also writes the Slightly Chilled blog and there’s more on this story there. The link is over there on the right.
A few sidebars to the Seth Jones story:
F Miles Koules, a teammate of Jones’ with the USNTDP, also has committed to North Dakota. Koules’ WHL rights moved from Everett to the Medicine Hat Tigers at the trade deadline in January. Koules turns 18 on June 25.
Everett general manager Garry Davidson and head coach Mark Ferner have spent a lot of time on the Jones file in recent weeks. Doug Soetaert, who was fired as Everett’s general manager on Feb. 2, selected Jones with the 11th overall selection in the 2009 bantam draft and had done a lot of work building a relationship with Jones and his family.
One source familiar with the situation has told me that Tri-City Americans general manager Bob Tory tried to cut a deal with Everett that would have given him a 72-hour window in which he would have been allowed to speak with the Jones family. Tory’s attempt was rebuffed. There also are rumours that the Portland Winterhawks are quite interested in acquiring Seth Jones’ WHL rights. (However, the Winterhawks tried hard to land Koules’ rights but Soetaert didn’t want to move him within the U.S. Division.)
Should Everett land Jones and should D Ryan Murray, who is certain to be an early NHL draft pick in June, return to the Silvertips, head coach Mark Ferner would be the happiest man in the world.
In one of the better quotes of this spring, Ferner, in talking with Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald about Murray’s possible return, said:
"The one thing that keeps me optimistic about it is the rumor of a (NHL) lockout. He being 19, he can't go play in the minors. Do I want Ryan to play pro next season? Absolutely. Am I keeping my fingers crossed a little bit and selfishly hoping there's a lockout? Yeah.”
So what does it all mean?
Well, the final words go to a source familiar with the situation, who told me: “Seth is 50-50.”
———
When Kometa Brno finished eighth in the Czech Extraliga’s regular season, organizers of the IIHF U18 world championship didn’t give it a second thought. But now Kometa Brno has advanced all the way to the playoff final, so the U18 world championship has undergone a schedule adjustment. According to the IIHF, “Some games will be moved to the other venue, Znojmo, and a third facility in Breclav.” Breclav is located 52 km south of Brno and has a 4,200-seat arena that is home to the U18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament every summer.
Here’s more info from an IIHF news release:
Game No. 5 (Czech Republic vs. Denmark) on Friday, 13 April will be moved from Brno to Znojmo, new game time: 15:00.
Game No. 6 in Znojmo (Switzerland vs. Latvia), will start at 19:00 instead of 18:00.
The games scheduled in Brno on Saturday, 14 April – No. 7 USA vs. Czech Republic (16:00) and No. 9 Canada vs. Finland (20:00) – will be moved to Breclav. The game times stay the same.
The quarterfinal games on Thursday, 19 April, will be moved from Brno to Breclav: Game No. 21 (A2 vs. B3, at 15:00) and No. 23 (B2 vs. A3, at 19:00). The game times stay the same.
The games of the preliminary round on the opening day (12 April), from 15 to 17 April, the semifinals (20 April), the fifth-place game (21 April) and the medal games (22 April) will be played at the Kajot Arena in Brno as planned.
———
The WHL had seven players named to the Canadian team that will play at the aforementioned IIHF U18 world championship. D Damon Severson (Kelowna Rockets), D Josh Morrissey (Prince Albert Raiders), D Mathew Dumba (Red Deer Rebels), F Branden Troock (Seattle Thunderbirds), F Mike Winther (Prince Albert), F Troy Bourke (Prince George Cougars) and F Sam Reinhart (Kootenay Ice) all will play for Canada. . . . The Canadian head coach is Jesse Wallin of Red Deer, while Chris Chisamore, an assistant coach with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, is the video coach, and Jamie LeBlanc, the Swift Current Broncos’ athletic therapist, is the team’s equipment manager. As well, Roger Castle of the Edmonton Oil Kings is serving as Canada’s education consultant. . . . The Canadian team leaves for Europe today. It will play two pre-tournament games — vs. Germany in Prague on Sunday and vs. the Czech Republic in Brno on Monday.
———
The annual Subway Super Series will wrap up in Victoria and Vancouver next season. The series will begin with two games in QMJHL centres on Nov. 5 and 7, then continue in OHL cities on Nov. 8 and 12. Those four host cities have yet to be announced. . . . The game in Victoria is scheduled for Nov. 14, with the series finale in Vancouver on Nov. 15.
———
WHL PLAYOFF NOTES:
The Moose Jaw Warriors may have D Travis Brown back for Game 1 against the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers on Friday. He missed the last three games of Moose Jaw’s five-game first-round victory over the Regina Pats. . . . Medicine Hat F Rhyse Dieno has missed 14 games with a shoulder injury. While he is practising, he hasn’t been cleared to play. D Kale Kessy missed the last two games of the Tigers’ first-round sweep of the Saskatoon Blades and is questionable, as are F Jayden Hart and F Gavin Broadhead, who have yet to play in these playoffs. . . . The last two times the Warriors and Tigers met the scores were 6-0 and 6-0, with each side winning at home. . . .
Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun points out that the WHL office handed out 13 suspensions in the first round; last season, there were 14 suspensions doled out through the entire playoff season. . . . There is a message there somewhere. . . . Henderson also points out that in the first round, home teams held a 21-15 edge. But the Brandon Wheat Kings earned three of those ‘home’ victories while playing in Winnipeg. So you could make a case for home teams being ahead only 18-15. . . .
———
D Griffin Reinhart of the Edmonton Oil Kings has tweaked younger brother Sam again. With Sam having been named to the Canadian U18 team, Griffin tweeted:
“Congrats to my little bro Sam for making the U18 team. Keep your head up though because mom can't protect you anymore.”

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

Tuesday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
G Marek Schwarz (Vancouver, 2004-05) signed a one-year contract with TPS Turku (Finland SM-Liiga). He had a 2.84 GAA and a .914 save percentage in 44 games for Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic Extraliga) this season. Schwarz is currently the only goaltender under contract to TPS for next season. . . .
F Mark Derlago (Brandon, 2003-07) signed a one-year contract with Lausitzer Fusche Weisswasser (Germany 2.Bundesliga). He had 45 goals and 36 assists in 67 games for the Idaho Steelheads (ECHL) and one assist in eight games with the Texas Stars (AHL) this season. . . .
F Dustin Johner (Seattle, 1999-2004) signed a one-year contract with TIngsryd (Sweden Allsvenskan). He had 13 goals and 23 assists in 47 games for Växjö Lakers (Sweden Allsvenskan) this season. Tingsryd GM Anders Gustavsson: "Dustin is one of our four centres and we know him well after seeing him last season. He has the character that we want in the team, and we know that he is a good skater and a good scorer." . . .
F Dalibor Bortnak (Kamloops, 2008-11) and F Jaroslav Vlach (Prince George, 2009-11) signed tryout contracts with Liberec (Czech Republic Extraliga). Bortnak had 13 goals and 31 assists in 57 games for the Blazers and Vlach had four goals and eight assists in 55 games with the Cougars this season. Liberec GM Ctibor Jech: "Dalibor and Jaroslav in the past were key players in our youth teams. Now back with the club after playing overseas, they have brought back the experience of the elements typical of hockey overseas."
———
ON THE ICE TUESDAY NIGHT:
In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice got a goal and two assists from F Cody Eakin as they beat the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers 3-1 to take a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference final. . . . The Ice, which has won 10 straight playoff games this spring, gets its first chance to wrap up the series tonight at home. . . . F Max Reinhart opened the scoring for the Ice on a 5-on-3 PP at 6:33 of the first period. It was his ninth goal of these playoffs. . . . Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem, with his 10th, tied it at 1:13 of the second on a PP. . . . Eakin, with his sixth, broke the tie at 14:08 of the second. . . . Ice F Jesse Ismond, with his second, iced it at 3:35 of the third. . . . Eakin has 16 points in 13 playoff games with the Ice. He has three goals, each one a game-winner, and four assists in this series, including two goals and four helpers over the last two games. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 22 shots, 10 fewer than Medicine Hat’s Tyler Bunz. . . . Lieuwen, 19 and undrafted, is 11-2, 1.96, .930 in the playoffs. . . . Ice F Drew Czerwonka took a nasty fall into the boards in the second period. He was placed on a backboard, stretchered off the ice and taken to hospital via ambulance. X-rays were negative and he apparently walked out of hospital. It’s not know if he will play in Game 4. . . . Attendance was 2,972. Perhaps a lot of people stayed home to watch the game on Shaw and then switch over to for Game 7 between the Chicago Blackhawks and Vancouver Canucks. . . . Medicine Hat F Cole Grbavac ended up with a two-game suspension for that hit on Ice F Steele Boomer in Game 1. Grbavac didn’t play last night as he completed the suspension. . . . Boomer is believed to have a concussion and may miss another game or two. . . .
———
TUESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.
———
The Portland Winterhawks will meet the Chiefs in Spokane tonight with the Western Conference final tied 1-1. The teams exchanged 2-1 victories in Portland, with Spokane winning on Friday and the Winterhawks on Sunday. . . . It turns out the Chiefs spent one more night in Portland than they originally had planned. When they got on their bus after Sunday’s loss, they discovered that there were mechanical problems. So after an hour with no resolution, the Chiefs checked back into their hotel and spent the night.
———
In the OHL, the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors defeated the Niagara IceDogs 4-1 on Tuesday, to win the Eastern Conference final, 4-1. The Majors are the host team for the Memorial Cup, which means whichever team wins the Western Conference title is automatically in, as well. At present, the Owen Sound Attack holds a 3-1 lead over the Windsor Spitfires, who have won the last two Memorial Cup titles. Game 5 is Wednesday in Owen Sound.
———
JUST NOTES: F Cameron Abney of the Edmonton Oil Kings signed last week with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. A third-round pick in the 2009 NHL draft, Abney got a US$165,000 signing bonus over three years. His AHL salary will be $50,000, $55,000 and $55,000, with an NHL salary of $580,000 each season. . . . F Mike Krgovich (Red Deer, Chilliwack, 2006-09) has commited to attend Simon Fraser University and play for the SFU team in the B.C. Intercollegiate League. He also played for the BCHL’s Surrey Eaglesa nd Coquitlam Express. . . .
———
THE COACHING GAME: The NHL’s Calgary Flames have dumped assistant coach Ryan McGill, who is a former WHL player and coach. The Flames have decided not to pick up the option on McGill’s contract. He is the third member of the coaching staff to be sent down the road since the regular season ended. Earlier, the team chose not to pick up the options for goaltender coach Jamie McLennan, a former WHLer, and assistant coach Rob Cookson. . . . The OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs are shuffling the deck, having moved former NHL star Doug Gilmour from head coach to general manager, while former NHL D Todd Gill is the new head coach. Gill owns the CJHL’s Brockville Braves, a junior A team he also serves as GM. Larry Mavety, the Frontenacs’ longtime GM, stepped aside but remains as a special advisor. . . .
———
Today’s good read comes courtesy of the Sports Guy. That would be Bill Simmons of espn.com. He pontificates mostly on the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, explaining why they might move and why they won’t at least for now, with a side trip to the sad saga of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
His essay includes this line: “When a commissioner keeps siding with owners over fans, he becomes nothing but a puppet with strings trickling out of his back.”
The complete read is right here. It’s a long one, but well worth it.

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