F Martin Růžička (Everett, Lethbridge, 2003-05) has signed a two-year contract with Traktor Chelyabinsk (Russia, KHL). This season, with Třinec (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he led his team in scoring and finished third in the league’s scoring race with 55 points, including 26 goals, in 52 games. . . .
F Dominik Volek (Regina, Red Deer, Vancouver, 2011-14) signed a one-year contract with Sparta Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He split this season between Red Deer and Vancouver, finishing with 36 points, 20 of them goals, in 55 games. . . .
F Tomáš Plíhal (Kootenay, 2001-03) signed a one-year-plus-option deal with Třinec (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, with Tappara Tampere (Finland, Liiga), he had eight points, four of them goals, in 56 games. . . .
F Petr Jelinek (Moose Jaw, Prince George, 2002-03, 2004-05) has signed a two-year contract with Liberec (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He played this season with Slavia Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga), putting up 17 points, including five goals, in 42 games. . . .F Marcin Kolusz (Vancouver, 2003-04) signed a one-year contract extension with Tychy (Poland, Ekstraliga). He started this season with Krynica (Poland, Ekstraliga), but was released for financial reasons in November and moved to Tychy. This season, he had 59 points, 20 of them goals, in 45 games. He was the captain of the winning Polish national team at the IIHF World championship Div 1B. He was named Poland’s top player, with five points, including three goals, in five games.
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A huge thank you and a tip of the hat to Alan Caldwell of Small Thoughts At Large for all the work he puts into compiling information that ends up on his blog during the bantam draft. . . . The number of numbers, if you will, that he posts during the draft is phenomenal. . . . Thank you, sir! . . . I would nominate you for induction into the WHL Hall of Fame were there such a place.
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If you are looking for round-by-round info on the bantam draft, please visit Small Thoughts At Large and you will find everything there.
What I have compiled, after a day of enjoying the weather here in Kamloops and doing a whole lot of yard work, are some news and notes, primarily on a few trades and bloodlines. . . .
1. The Red Deer Rebels dealt a 2014 second-round bantam draft pick to the Victoria Royals for D Brett Cote, who turns 20 on May 21. Cote spent three seasons with the Royals after being a third-round selection by the Chilliwack Bruins (remember them?) in the 2009 bantam draft. In 209 regular-season games with Victoria, he has 89 points, including 15 goals. . . . The Royals used the acquired pick to take F Ryan Peckford of the bantam AAA Spruce Grove, Alta., Saints. . . . Cote had been one of six 1994-born players on Victoria’s roster. Now the Royals are left with D Travis Brown, F Austin Carroll, F Steven Hodges, F Brandon Magee and G Patrik Polivka.
2. The Prince George Cougars dealt F Alex Forsberg, 19, to the Saskatoon Blades for F Haydn Hopkins, 17, and a third-round pick in Thursday’s draft. . . . Forsberg, the first overall selection in the 2010 bantam draft, has struggled with the Cougars. He didn’t finish the 2012-13 season after not returning to the team following the Christmas break. The Cougars, however, didn’t, or couldn’t, trade him, and he returned to them for this season. He had 28 points, six of them goals, in 44 games. Forsberg missed time with a concussion. In 131 career games, he had 87 points, including 30 goals. . . . The Cougars used the third-round pick to take F Ethan O’Rourke. . . . Hopkins, a 12th-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft, had 48 points, 17 of them goals, in 36 games with the South Island Royals of the B.C. Major Midget League. He got into four games with the Blades and earned one assist.
3. The Saskatoon Blades traded D Clay Kirichenko, 18, to the Vancouver Giants for two bantam draft picks -- a 2014 third-round selection and a fifth-round pick in 2016. . . . Kirichenko, from Sherwood Park, Alta., was a seventh-round pick in the 2010 draft. He had 12 points, including three goals, in 70 games this season. . . . The Blades used the third-round selection to take G Dorrin Luding of the bantam AAA North Shore Winter Club Winterhawks.4. Later in the draft, there were a number of swaps, most involving a pick in a late round of this draft for one in a future draft. . . . The Victoria Royals traded a ninth-round pick to the Prince Albert Raiders for a 2015 ninth-round pick. The Raiders used the selection to take F Sam Huff of Maple Grove High School in Minnesota. . . . The Spokane Chiefs sent a 2015 ninth-round pick to the Lethbridge Hurricanes for a ninth-rounder yesterday, and used it to take D Tyler Jubenvill of Gilbert Plains, Man. . . . The Seattle Thunderbirds dealt a 2015 ninth-round pick to the Medicine Hat Tigers for a 2014 ninth-rounder and then took F Luke Ormsby of Los Angeles Jr. Kings or F Reg Pohl of the midget AAA Southwest Cougars in Manitoba. . . . The Saskatoon Blades gave up something (not sure what) to get a 10th-round pick from Lethbridge and then took F Jordan Robinson of Kelowna. . . . Prince Albert acquired a 2017 10th-round pick from the Kelowna Rockets for a 10th-rounder yesterday. The Rockets ended up with three 10-rounders, so took F David Laurin of Langley, B.C., G Matteo Paler-Chow of Vancouver or D Nick Nordstrom of Terrace, B.C., with that pick. . . . The Regina Pats acquired an 11th-round pick from the Swift Current Broncos and took F Robert Holmes from the bantam AAA Sherwood Park, Alta., Flyers.
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BLOODLINES:
There will be some that aren’t on this list, but at first glance this is what I’ve got . . .
F Jordy Bellerive, taken second overall by the Lethbridge Hurricanes, is the younger brother of F Matt Bellerive, who was traded by the Kamloops Blazers to the Vancouver Giants later in the day. . . .
D Marcus Kichton, a second-round pick by the Moose Jaw Warriors, is the younger brother of former Spokane Chiefs D Brenden Kichton. . . .
F Erik Gardiner, who was taken in the second round by the Regina Pats, is the younger brother of Prince Albert Raiders F Reid Gardiner. . . .
The Victoria Royals used a second-round pick on D Brayden Pachal of Estevan, Sask. I am wondering if he might be related to former New Westminster Bruins F Clayton Pachal? . . .
In the second round, the Seattle Thunderbirds took F Matthew Wedman of the bantam AAA team at the South Side Athletic Club in Edmonton. He is a younger brother of Spokane Chiefs D Cole Wedman. . . . Another brother, Dan, has committed to Cornell U for 2015-16. A defenceman, Dan played the last two seasons with the AJHL‘s Bonnyville Pontiacs. . . .
D Josh Brook, a second-round pick by Moose Jaw, is the son of Dwayne Brook, who played in the WHL with the Medicine Hat Tigers, Saskatoon Blades and Prince Albert Raiders (1987-90). . . .
The Red Deer Rebels used a first-round pick, sixth overall, on F Jake Leschyshyn of Saskatoon, the son of former WHL and NHL D Curtis Leschyshyn, who spent this season as an assistant coach with the Saskatoon Blades. . . .
In the fourth round, the Kelowna Rockets selected F Cooper Haar of Huntington Beach, Calif. His older brother, Garrett, is a defenceman with the Portland Winterhawks. . . .
In the third round, the Portland Winterhawks took D Jake Hobson of Prince Albert. He is the son of Doug Hobson, a former WHL coach and player. . . .
In the fourth round, the Kootenay Ice selected F Max Patterson of Kamloops, the son of former Blazers F Ed Patterson, who is head coach of the junior B Kamloops Storm. . . .
The Lethbridge Hurricanes used a fourth-round pick to take D Koletrane Wilson of Edmonton. His brother, Klarc, played out his eligibility this season with the Prince George Cougars. . . .
F Kyler Yeo was taken by the Kamloops Blazers in the fourth round. He is the son of Minnesota Wild head coach Mike Yeo. Former Blazers D Darryl Sydor, who owns a piece of the WHL team, is an assistant coach under Yeo. . . .
With the final pick of the fourth round, Kelowna took F Jordan Sandhu of the bantam AAA Seafair Islanders on B.C.’s Lower Mainland. He is the brother of Everett Silvertips F Tyler Sandhu. . . .
The Kootenay Ice used a second-round pick to take G Jakob Walter of West Kelowna. His older brother, Lukas, played two seasons with the Tri-City Americans before finishing up his eligibility this season with the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs. . . .
D Jonathan Smart, who played at the Okanagan Hockey Academy, was selected by the Kelowna Rockets with the last pick of the first round. His father, Jason Smart, played with the Saskatoon Blades and Prince Albert Raiders (1986-90). Jonathan’s grandfather, Russ, scouts for the Vancouver Giants. . . .
In the sixth round, Everett took F Riley Sutter of Calgary. His father, Ron, is a former WHL and NHL forward. . . .
The Seattle Thunderbirds used a sixth-round pick on F Baker Shore of Cherry Hills Village, Colo. Three of his brothers -- Drew, Nick and Quentin -- all have been NHL draft picks. . . . Kelowna selected Nick in the 2007 bantam draft; Drew was taken by the Chilliwack Bruins in 2009. Drew, Nick and Quentin all played at the U of Denver. . . .
The Medicine Hat Tigers used a seventh-round pick to take F Sammy Walker of Edina, Minn. Two of his brothers, Ben and Jack, played with the Victoria Royals. . . .
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OTHER DRAFT NOTES:
The Portland Winterhawks used the 11th-last pick in the draft to take F Trace Elson, 19, who has played in the WHL with the Red Deer Rebels and Vancouver Giants. This season, he had three points in 15 games with the Giants, before finishing up with the AJHL’s Whitecourt Wolverines. . . . Later, Elson tweeted: “Didn't know I could get drafted as a 19 year old in the bantam draft. Don't mind that.” . . .
The Everett Silvertips selected D Wyatte Wylie of Lake Stevens, Wash., in the sixth round and took F Brendan Studioso of Mukilteo, Wash., in Round 7. They are the first two players ever to be drafted out of Everett’s minor hockey system. . . .
The Brandon Wheat Kings used their last pick to take D Mikey Anderson of Roseville, Minn. A year ago, the Wheat Kings took his brother, Joey, in the ninth round. . . . Both have said they will attend Minnesota-Duluth and play for the Bulldogs. . . .
As for the best name in the draft, I’m torn between F Sam Huff, who was selected by the Prince Albert Raiders, and D Koletrane Wilson, who was taken by the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . As a music fan, I’m inclined to go with Koletrane, but it’s close.
During the day, the Moose Jaw Warriors released two players off their roster -- D Kirk Johnson, 19, who played two seasons with them, and Russian F Alex Chirva, 18, who had six points in 58 games as a freshman. As Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald reported, with Chirva gone the Warriors will be using the 12th overall pick in the CHL’s import draft. No, they won’t be taking a goaltender.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs have added Paul Nicolls as an assistant coach. He had been the team’s strength-and-conditioning coach. Nicolls’ association with the Chiefs began in 1990 when he played for them as a 16-year-old defenceman.
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THE OHL FINAL:
F Jason Dickinson scored just 57 seconds into OT as the host Guelph Storm opened the best-of-seven championship series with a 3-2 victory over the North Bay Battalion. . . . Guelph got 32 saves from G Justin Nichols. . . . Storm F Zack Mitchell tied it 2-2 at 12:23 of the third period. . . . Game 2 is scheduled for tonight in Guelph.---
THE FOURTH ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
WHL final, for the Ed Chynoweth Cup
(x - if necessary)
(All games televised live by Shaw)
(All games televised by Root Sports -- Game 2 live, others on delayed basis)
PORTLAND (2, West) vs. Edmonton (1, East)
Season series: Portland, 0-0-1; Edmonton, 1-0-0.
Saturday: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (Moda Center)
Sunday: Edmonton at Portland, 5 p.m. (Moda Center)
Tuesday: Portland at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Portland at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Friday: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (Moda Center)
x-Sunday, May 11: Portland at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
x-Monday, May 12: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (Moda Center)
INJURIES
Portland: None.
Edmonton: None.
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THURSDAY’S GAME:
No game scheduled.
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From Fake Mike Johnston (@FakeMikeJ): “Busy phone. Toigo contacted my agent. Wonders if I'd jump to Vancouver Giants for an iPad & an Armani suit. Told him no & #gallacherisgod”
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It almost certainly will be the end of an era in the WHL today as the board of governors gathers in Calgary today where it is expected to vote unanimously in favour of allowing Saskatoon Blades owner Jack Brodsky to sell the franchise to Edmonton-based auto dealer Mike Priestner. . . . The sale needs two-thirds of the 22 governors to vote in favour in order to pass. But it is expected to be unanimous, simply because of Brodsky’s long-standing relationship with the WHL. The franchise has been in the Brodsky family since 1976. . . . With the sale price said to be north of $9 million, you can bet there will a lot of smiles around the governors’ table today. . . . The Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson reports that Steve Hogle, the vice-president of hockey communications with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, is expected to take over as the Blades’ president.
The Prince George Cougars have released G Mac Engel, 20, meaning they will open the season with Brett Zarowny, 18, and Ty Edmonds, 17, as their goaltenders. Zarowny is heading into his second season with the Cougars; Edmonds, from Winnipeg, played last season for the MJHL’s Virden Oil Capitals. . . . The Cougars also released F Jarrett Fontaine, 18. In 133 games with the Cougars over two seasons, the 5-foot-5 Fontaine, who is from Humboldt, Sask., had 27 points, including 10 goals.
The Everett Silvertips have signed F Patrick Bajkov, D Jordan Wharrie and D Lucas Skrumeda. . . . Bajkov, who turns 16 on Nov. 27, was a sixth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. The Nanaimo, B.C., native had 31 points, including 20 goals, with the major midget North Island Silvertips last season. . . . Wharrie, 16, was taken in the fifth-round of the 2012 bantam draft. From Port Moody, B.C., he had two points in 39 games with the major midget Vancouver North East Chiefs. . . . Skrumeda, a list player, is to turn 17 on Oct. 7. From St. Andrews, Man., he had 28 points in 43 games with the midget AAA Winnipeg Thrashers last season.
The Portland Winterhawks, the WHL’s defending champions, have nine players heading out to NHL training camps — F Oliver Bjorkstrand, Columbus Blue Jackets; G Brendan Burke, Phoenix Coyotes; F Anton Cederholm, Vancouver Canucks; F Adam de Champlain, Vancouver; D Garrett Haar, Washington Capitals; F Taylor Leier, Philadelphia Flyers; F Brendan Leipsic, Nashville Predators; F Nic Petan, Winnipeg Jets; and D Derrick Pouliot, Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Moose Jaw Warriors are preparing to have three players depart for NHL camps — D Morgan Rielly, Toronto Maple Leafs; D Travis Brown, Chicago Blackhawks; and F Tanner Eberle, Montreal Canadiens. Rielly and Brown were draft picks; Eberle is on a free-agent tryout.
The Seattle Thunderbirds will have four roster players attending NHL camps — D Shea Theodore, Anaheim Ducks; F Alexander Delnov, Florida Panthers; F Mitch Elliot, Vancouver Canucks; and D Jared Hauf, Philadelphia Flyers. Theodore and Delnov are draft picks; Elliot and Hauf are free-agent invitees. . . . Seattle F Branden Troock, who was selected by the Dallas Stars in the fifth round of the 2012 draft, continues to recover from offseason shoulder surgery and won’t attend the NHL team’s camp.
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