Raiders do it again

F Brayden Cuthbert, who hasn’t played in the WHL since having his 2010-11 season ended by a brain injury, was dealt by the MJHL’s Neepawa Natives to the Dauphin Kings on Saturday. . . . Cuthbert, 19, was traded for F Michael Sofillas, 20, D Colton Magwood, 20, and a fifth-round selection in the MJHL’s 2014 bantam draft. . . . Cuthbert, who is from Brandon, put up 43 points, including 16 goals, in 63 games with the Natives. . . . Sofillas has played 119 WHL games with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, including 52 last season.
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SUDBURY SATURDAY NIGHT:
In Swift Current, F Jay Merkley’s second goal of the game, at 10:56 of the third, broke a 3-3 tie as the Broncos got past the Red Deer Rebels, 4-3. . . . Merkley, who also had an assist, has 12 goals this season. . . . F Graham Black, who didn’t play Friday night, had two assists for the Broncos. . . . F Conner Bleackley had pulled Red Deer even at 3-3 just 31 seconds before Merkley’s score. . . . 

In Brandon, the Prince Albert Raiders scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Wheat Kings 5-4 in OT. . . . Raiders F Leon Draisaitl had two goals, giving him 15, and two assists. . . . He set up F Chance Braid’s tying goal with 11.1 seconds left in the third period and also had the primary assist on D Sawyer Lange’s winner just 18 seconds into extra time. . . . Draisaitl now has 100 regular-season points in 92 games. . . . The Raiders scored the game’s first two goals, then surrendered four in a row. . . . One night earlier, the Raiders erased a 5-0 lead in Regina and beat the Pats 7-6 in OT. Draisaitl, who has 42 points in 28 games, had two goals and an assist in that one. . . . Draisaitl has 11 points, five of them goals, in his last three games. . . . Brandon D Eric Roy finished minus-5, while partner Ryan Pulock was minus-4. . . . With G Curtis Honey injured, Brandon G Jordan Papirny made his 13th straight start. . . . This was the first appearance in Brandon for former Wheat Kings head coach Cory Clouston, who now is the Raiders’ head coach. He was fired in Brandon after th 2011-12 season. . . .

In Regina, F Boston Leier had two goals and three assists to spark the Pats to a 6-1 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Leier has 29 points, including 17 goals, in 23 games since being acquired from the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Regina F Braden Christoffer added two goals — he went into the game with two in 21 games — and a pair of assists. . . . The Warriors had F Jayden Halbgewachs, 16, in the lineup. Earlier in the day, he had a goal and three assists in leading his Regina Pat Canadians to a 4-3 OT victory over the visiting Tisdale Trojans in a Saskatchewan Midget AAA League game. . . . Among the Warriors scratches were F Josh Uhrich and D Tanner Eberle. Uhrich served a one-game WHL suspension, while Eberle sat out the first of a two-game sentence. . . . Regina again was without F Morgan Klimchuk, who suffered an undisclosed injury in Thursday’s Subway Super Series game in Lethbridge. . . . The Warriors took 83 of 161 penalty minutes. . . . G Nick Schneider, 16, made his second career start for the Pats and stopped 13 shots in earning his first victory. . . . The Warriors went with G Zach Sawchenko, who is to turn 16 on Dec. 30. He stopped 29 shots. . . .

In Cranbrook, F Curtis Lazar had a goal, his 17th, and two assists as the Edmonton Oil Kings dropped the Ice, 5-1. . . . The Oil Kings, who have won 11 of their last 14 games, built a 4-0 lead before F Sam Reinhart scored shorthanded for the Ice at 12:20 of the third. . . . He’s got 16 goals. . . . Reinhart, who went into the game having taken one minor penalty this season, was hit with a misconduct at 19:27 of the first period. . . . If you’re wondering why I rarely refer to a player’s accumulated penalty minutes here it’s because the WHL refuses to include misconducts and game misconducts. For example, Reinhart’s total shows him with two penalty minutes this season. That is wrong. He has 12. . . . Edmonton D Griffin Reinhart picked up one assist, giving him 100 points in 181 career games. . . . The Ice had D Tanner Faith back after he sat out 21 games with a shoulder injury. . . .

In Kent, Wash., the host Seattle Thunderbirds broke a 2-2 tie with four second-period goals and went on to beat the Victoria Royals, 6-3. . . . It was Shea Theodore bobblehead night and the veteran defenceman responded with a goal, his 12th, and an assist. . . . Seattle F Branden Troock added his ninth goal and two assists, while F Roberts Lipsbergs had two goals, giving him 17, and an assist. . . . Victoria had won its previous five games. . . .

In Prince George, F Tim Traber broke a 3-3 tie at 14:05 of the second period as the Vancouver Giants beat the Cougars, 5-3. . . . Traber, 20, has six goals in 26 games with the Giants after totalling 11 in 215 games over four seasons with the Chilliwack Bruins (remember them?) and Victoria Royals. . . . The Giants are 5-0-4 in their last nine games. . . . F Cain Franson had a goal, his eighth, and two assists for Vancouver. . . . Cougars G Ty Edmonds made his second start in two nights after Brett Zarowny was injured in Friday’s pregame warmup. G Matt Kustra, 16, was brought in from Notre Dame in Wilcox, Sask., and backed up Edmonds. . . . Edmonds made 49 saves last night. . . .

In Everett, D Matt Pufahl, who played 83 games with Saskatoon over the previous two seasons, scored twice and added an assist as the Silvertips bounced the Blades, 5-1. . . . Everett scored all five of its goals on the PP, in seven opportunities. . . . The Blades are 0-2-0 on their U.S. Division tour. . . . Everett F Josh Winquist had three assists as he ran his point streak to 17 games. . . . Everett F Ivan Nikolishin had a goal, his seventh, and two helpers. . . . Pufahl has 11 goals. . . .

In Kelowna, F Justin Kirkland scored the only goal of the skills competition (aka the shootout) to give the Rockets a 3-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Blazers captain Matt Needham forced OT with a PP goal at 4:14 of the third. He’s got five goals. . . . Kamloops now has lost 10 in a row. . . . Kelowna G Jackson Whistle stopped 35 shots through OT and three more in the shootout. . . . Kamloops scratched F Aspen Sterzer with an undisclosed injury. He was injured in Friday’s 3-2 loss to the visiting Rockets. . . . F Carson Bolduc, acquired earlier in the week from the Prince George Cougars, was in the Blazers’ lineup. He missed Friday’s game due to illness. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., F Connor Rankin and F Phil Tot scored in the six-round shootout as the Tri-City Americans beat the Spokane Chiefs, 2-1. . . . F Riley Whittingham got Spokane’s goal, at 7:41 of the first period. . . . F Jessey Astles pulled the Americans even, on the PP, at 19:19 of the first. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie stopped 26 shots through OT, while Eric Williams of the Chiefs turned aside 23. . . . Astles has five goals this season. He went into the season with seven in 179 career games split between the Kelowna Rockets and Saskatoon Blades. . . . F Mitch Holmberg was the only Spokane shooter to find success in the shootout.
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From Prince Albert Raiders D Josh Morrissey (@Morrissey_10): “4 nights, 4 games, 4 different cities, 3 provinces and what a way to end it off with another comeback OT win! #ComebackKids #bigweekend”
Morrissey played for Team WHL in the Subway Super Series on Wednesday and Thursday nights, then rejoined the Raiders for games on Friday and Saturday.

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Sutter staying in Switzerland

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Boyd Kane (Regina, 1994-98) signed a one-year contract with Medvescak Zagreb (Croatia, KHL). He had 15 goals and 22 assists in 74 games as captain of the Hershey Bears (AHL) last season. . . . Kane joins former Hershey head coach Mark French with Medvescak Zagreb. Kane was the Bears’ captain for two seasons while French was the head coach. . . . Dave Sottile of pennlive.com has more right here.
D Dave Sutter (Seattle, 2010-12) signed a one-year contract with Red Ice Martigny (Switzerland, NL B). He had no points in three games with Genève-Servette (Switzerland, NL A) and had three goals and nine assists in 43 games on loan to Red Ice last season. For those who are inclined to practice their French language skills, The Red Ice press release, with picture, can be found right here.
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The 2013 Hockey Coaches Conference, which is scheduled for Aug. 9-11 in Burnaby, B.C., has adjusted its calendar due to Hockey Canada’s decision to ban body checking from the peewee level and below. The conference now will include an on-ice presentation that will address these changes. The on-ice session will be led by Derek Popke and Yogi Svejkovsky of the Vancouver Hockey School, both of whom are well known in Lower Mainland minor hockey circles. Both also will be available in a question-and-answer session after the on-ice portion.
 . . . There is more right here.
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The CHL held its 2013 import draft on Wednesday with the Vancouver Giants using the first overall selection on D Dmitri Osipov, a 17-year-old from Russia. His agent is Ritch Winter of Edmonton, who has told media that Osipov will report. "He could have made a lot of money in the KHL,” Winter told Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province. “Tells you all you need to know."
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The Spokane Chiefs released F Mikulas Rimmel, an 18-year-old Czech, prior to the import draft. He had seven points in 42 games with the Chiefs last season.
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The Portland Winterhawks released Russian D Kirill Vorobev prior to the draft, which allowed them to select Swedish D Anton Cederholm, who was a fifth-round selection by the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday. . . . Vorobev played in 53 games with Portland last season.
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The Everett Silvertips made two selections in the import draft, despite having D Mirco Mueller on their roster. Mueller, 18, was selected by the San Jose Sharks with the 18th pick in Sunday’s NHL draft. . . . A CHL team that has a European player selected in the first round of the NHL draft is allowed to have three imports on its roster. In this instance, should Mueller return to Everett from San Jose, the Silvertips would have to drop an import. On Wednesday, Everett added the CHL rights to Finnish F Waltteri Hopponen and Russian F Ivan Nikolishin.
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Three teams — the Everett Silvertips, Portland Winterhawks and Saskatoon Blades — were involved in Wednesday trades that will impact their 20-year-old situations.
The Blades dealt F Shane McColgan, 20, to the Winterhawks and D Matt Pufahl, 20, to the Silvertips.
McColgan was dealt for a seventh-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft and a third-rounder in 2015. From Manhattan Beach, Calif., McColgan is preparing for his fifth WHL season. He played three seasons with the Kelowna Rockets before being dealt to Saskatoon last summer. He had 66 points, including 19 goals, in 69 games last season. In 281 career regular-season games, he has 268 points, inlcuding 84 goals.
Pufahl, who is from Saskatoon, went to Everett for D Ayrton Nikkel, 18. Everett also gets a fifth-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft. Nikkel, from Kelowna, was a second-round selection by the Blades in 2010. He was dealt to the Brandon Wheat Kings as part of the deal that involved F Brayden Schenn at the 2011 trade deadline. Brandon later traded him to Everett. He had nine points and 117 penalty minutes last season. . . . Pufahl had 43 points in 69 games last season, with 25 of those points coming via the PP. He was a fourth-round selection by the Red Deer Rebels in the 2008 bantam draft.
Pufahl’s arrival leaves Everett with four 20-year-olds, the others being F Manraj Hayer, Reid Petryk and Josh Winquist.
The Blades now have four 20-year-olds to compete for the three spots — F Erik Benoit, F Nathan Burns, D Graeme Craig and F Collin Valcourt.
The defending-champion Winterhawks also announced that F Joey Baker, 20, has left the organization in order to “pursue educational opportunities.”
His departure leaves McColgan as Portland’s only 20-year-old player.
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The CHL’s goaltender of the year will be back in the WHL for another season. The NHL’s Los Angeles Kings have told the Red Deer Rebels that G Patrik Bartosak will return for his 20-year-old season.
Bartosak was a fifth-round selection by the Kings in Sunday’s NHL draft.
“I talked to him at noon (Wednesday) and he’s good with it,” Rebels GM/head coach Brent Sutter told the Red Deer Advocate. “He understands the decision. He knew all along that this was an option.”
According to the Advocate: “The Kings have goaltenders under contract at each level of the organization and will wait a year to sign Bartosak.”
With Bartosak and F Dominik Volek on the Rebels’ roster, Sutter took a pass on yesterday’s CHL import draft.
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The Seattle Thunderbirds were the only other WHL team not to participate in the import draft. They expect to have Russian F Alex Delnov, 19, and Latvian F Roberts Lipsbergs, 19, back for their second seasons. . . . Lipsbergs led the Thunderbirds last season in goals (30) and points (58), while Delnov had 49 points, including 20 goals.
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The OHL’s London Knights have “agreed in principle” wih Sportsnet on a reality TV show that would be fashioned after On The Edge, the show in which cameras followed the Saskatoon Blades during the just-completed season. . . . Morris Dalla Cost of the London Free Press has more right here, but it doesn’t sound as though the cameras will have as much access to the Knights as they did with the Blades.
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Three forwards off the roster of the Portland Winterhawks have been named to the U.S. U18 select team that will play in the Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament next month. Paul Bittner, Keegan Iverson and Dominic Turgeon are the lone WHL players named to the 21-man roster. . . . Bittner is from Crookston, Minn., while Iverson is from St. Louis Park, Minn., and Turgeon is from Cherry Hills, Colo. . . . F Chase Phelps of Edina, Minn., who is on the Lethbridge Hurricanes’ protected list, also was named to the U.S. team. He has been at Shattuck St. Mary’s for three seasons. . . . The Ivan Hlinka tournament is scheduled for Breclav, Czech Republic, and Piestany, Slovakia, Aug. 5-10.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Steve Spott is leaving the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers to take over as head coach of the Toronto Marlies, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs. Spott has spent 14 seasons in the OHL, 10 with Kitchener and four with the Plymouth Whalers. . . . Spott replaces Dallas Eakins, now the head coach of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. . . .


Paul Fixter is the new head coach of the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves. He takes over from Trent Cull, who has signed on as an assistant coach with the Syracuse Crunch, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning. . . . Cull had been the Wolves’ head coach for three seasons. . . . Fixter joined the Wolves this summer after five seasons on the staff of the Kitchener Rangers.
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From Matthew Gourlie (@Matt Gourlie) of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald: “I'm not saying the CHL Import Draft is rigged, but... Niagara pick Alex Mikulovich has had his team listed as Niagara on twitter for days.”
The OHL’s Niagara IceDogs selected Mikulovich in the second round of yesterday’s CHL import draft.


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