F Warren Peters (Saskatoon, 1997-2003) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with SønderjyskE Vojens (Denmark, Metal Ligaen). Last season, with the Iowa Wild (AHL), Peters had eight goals and 12 assists in 69 games. He is scheduled to arrive in Vojens on Jan. 5. . . .
F Riley Armstrong (Kootenay, Everett, 2002-04) has signed a contract for the rest of the season with Heilbronner Falken (Germany, DEL2). This season, with Vita Hästen Norrkoping (Sweden, Allsvenskan), he had six goals and seven assists in 25 gmes. He was released by Vita Hästen on Dec. 8.
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes have released Russian F Nikita Milekhin, 17, who was the third overall selection in the CHL’s 2014 import draft. He had a goal and three assists in 16 games with the Hurricanes. He is expected to return to his home in Krasnogorsk, Russia. . . . The Hurricanes are carrying 24 players, including eight defencemen and 14 forwards.
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The Medicine Hat Tigers are the top-ranked WHL team in the Buzzing The Net Dynamic Dozen, Neate Sager’s CHL rankings at Yahoo! Sports Canada. Check them out right here.
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In an attempt to win back fans, the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s have reduced the price of some tickets and parking. They also are changing up the concession menu. Gord Holder of the Ottawa Citizen has more right here.
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Darren Steinke, who used to cover the Medicine Hat Tigers for the Medicine Hat News, is in Saskatoon these days. And he has his own blog. In his latest entry right here, he takes a look at the Saskatoon Blades and the situation in which they find themselves. (He also gives a pretty good plug to a certain blog!)
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How serious is the situation in which the Kontinental Hockey League finds itself these days, thanks to the falling ruble? Mark MacKinnon and James Mirtle of The Globe and Mail take a look right here.
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THE BLOG FUND:
The drive to a new computer for the blog master continues. One will be purchased in the immediate future. Yes, the Christmas sales are being closely watched. If you enjoy this blog and would like to help, just click on the donate button, and thanks a bunch. . . . BTW, the computer fund has received 10 donations and is at $545.---
THE CHRISTMAS BREAK:
The WHL's Christmas break is upon us. The league now is closed through Dec. 26. Teams will reconvene for practices on Boxing Day, with a full slate of 11 games on the schedule for Dec. 27.Kelowna F Nick Merkley goes into the break leading the WHL in assists (45) and points (55). Medicine Hat F Trevor Cox, with 10 points over his last two games, has 54 points, including 42 assists. Tigers F Cole Sanford has 43 points. Sanford's 26 goals trail only the 32 of Kelowna F Rourke Chartier.
Joe Hicketts of Victoria leads all defencemen in assists (30) and points (38). Brandon freshman Ivan Provorov has 27 assists and 37 points.
Why do they play the game? To win the game, of course. Kelowna's Jackson Whistle leads all goaltenders with 22 victories, one more than Brandon's Jordan Papirny.
Taran Kozun of Seattle has the top GAA (2.24), with Medicine Hat's Marek Langhamer at 2.31 and Whistle at 2.33. Aden Hill of Portland has the top save percentage, at .926, with Tri-City's Eric Comrie and Whistle at .921.
Swift Current's Landon Bow leads in shutouts, with 5, one more than Whistle. No other goaltender has more than two.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
Matt from Xcalibre Industries, tonight's first, second and third star. #mvpwelder #brokengateblues #Tigers pic.twitter.com/r9I0V9PWOD
— Ryan Flaherty (@CHATTVrflaherty) December 18, 2014
In Medicine Hat, the game's first star wore a mask but didn't make a save as the Tigers played host to the Kamloops Blazers. Rick Dumont, a welder from X-Calibre Industries, came to the rescue early in the first period as he repaired a gate that was twice broken and allowed the game to proceed, albeit after a 58-minute delay. . . . Rick should be a cinch as the WHL's nominee as the CHL's welder of the week. . . . The gate broke at 2:02 of the first period when Kamloops D Ryan Rehill checked Tigers F Trevor Cox. Eventually, it was repaired, but when the referees had Rehill test it, it broke again. . . . Sean Rooney of the Medicine Hat News reports that Matt Csada, the owner of X-Calibre Industries, was called. He got in touch with Dumont, one of his welders, and he fixed things up in short order. . . . On the ice, F Cole Sanford scored three times and added an assist as the Tigers won, 7-3. . . . Kamloops led 3-2 when Tigers F Steve Owre tied it on the PP at 17:23 of the second. He's got 12 goals. . . . Sanford broke the tie at 4:54 of the third, on another PP, and F Trevor Cox added to the lead with his 12th at 8:31. . . . Sanford completed the hat trick at 11:14. He's got 26 goals. . . . Cox finished with a goal and four assists, giving him 10 points over his last two games. . . . He may provide Rick with some competition as the WHL's player of the week. . . . Tigers D Tommy Vannelli had a goal, his 11th, and two assists. . . . F Matt Needham scored twice for Kamloops, giving him 12, while F Cole Ully had two assists. . . . The Blazers went 1-5-0 on a Central Division swing on which they played six games in eight nights. . . . The Tigers (24-8-2) lead the Central Division by nine points; they are two points behind the Eastern Conference-leading Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . The Blazers (13-20-5) are last in the Western Conference, one point behind the Vancouver Giants, who hold four games in hand. . . . When the schedule resumes, Kamloops will play its first five games against Kelowna (3) and Vancouver (2). . . .
In Regina, D Nick Walters scored at 1:46 of OT as the Lethbridge Hurricanes got past the Pats, 5-4. . . . Walters has two goals this season. . . . Regina F Carter Hansen gave his guys a 4-3 lead with his first goal of the season at 17:32 of the third period. . . . Lethbridge F Jaeger White tied it with his second goal of the season at 18:30. . . . The Pats led this one 2-0 before the first period was 6:30 old as F Sam Steel got his 10th goal on the PP and F Austin Wagner added his eighth, a shorthanded effort. . . . F Jamal Watson, who left in the third period with an apparent leg injury, got his 13th goal for Lethbridge, while F Tyler Wong notched his 12th. . . . Regina F Braden Christoffer ran his goal streak to five games with his 13th. . . . F Zane Jones and D Andrew Nielsen each had two assists for Lethbridge, which got 22 saves from G Stuart Skinner. . . . The Hurricanes (8-20-5) have won two straight, both on the road, where they are 5-11-1. They are 2-1-0 under GM/head coach Peter Anholt. . . . The Pats (20-11-2) had won their previous two games. . . .
In Swift Current, F Glenn Gawdin, who wasn't named to the Top Prospects Game earlier in the day, drew three assists to spark the Broncos to a 5-2 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Broncos scored the game's first four goals, two of them via the PP. . . . F Colby Cave scored twice for Swift Current, giving him 15, and added an assist, and F Coda Gordon added his 17th. . . . Gawdin drew assists on both of Cave's goals, both of which came on the PP. . . . The Broncos were 2-for-2 on the PP. . . . The Broncos scratched play-by-play voice Shawn Mullin, who spent the evening awaiting the birth of a child. His partner went into labour earlier in the day. . . . Marc Smith, a reporter from Moose Jaw, replaced Mullin on the broadcast. . . . The Broncos (17-14-4) are four points behind second-place Regina in the East Division. . . . The Blades (7-25-3) have lost 11 in a row (0-9-2). . . . 
In Prince Albert, F Reid Gardiner had a goal and two assists to help the Raiders to a 5-1 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Raiders scored two goals in the game's first minute as F Simon Stransky got his seventh of the season at 0:46 and Gardiner got his 17th just 10 seconds later. . . . Stransky has goals in three straight games. . . . F Jayden Hart gave the home side a 3-0 lead with his 17th goal just 32 seconds into the second period. . . . Ch-ch-ching! There was a line brawl with 33.3 seconds remaining in the third period. Just in time for the WHL's late Christmas shopping rush, too. . . . At game's end, the Warriors had five players left on their bench; the Raiders had six. . . . The Warriors to 80 of the game's 158 penalty minutes. . . . Raiders G Rylan Parenteau stopped 25 shots. . . . Moose Jaw dressed 17 skaters, one under the maximum. . . . The Raiders (16-18-1) ended a five-game losing skid (0-4-1). . . . The Warriors (15-17-3) have lost three in a row. . . . 
In Calgary, G Patrick Dea stopped 31 shots as the Edmonton Oil Kings beat the Hitmen, 3-1. . . . The Oil Kings scored the game's last three goals after Calgary F Layne Bensmiller scored his second goal at 18:57 of the first period. . . . Edmonton D Dysin Mayo tied it at 5:48 of the second and F Lane Bauer gave the Oil Kings the lead with his ninth goal at 12:11. Both goals came on the PP. . . . Edmonton F Brandon Baddock got his ninth into an empty net at 19:28 of the third. . . . D Ben Carroll had two assists for Edmonton. . . . The Oil Kings were 2-for-5 on the PP; the Hitmen were 0-for-6. . . . The Oil Kings (15-15-5) closed to within three points of third-place Red Deer in the Central Division. . . . The Hitmen (19-12-3) had a five-game winning streak end. They are one point ahead of Red Deer. . . .
In Red Deer, F Justin Kirkland scored two goals and added an assist to help the Kelowna Rockets to a 6-3 victory over the Rebels. . . . Kelowna led 3-0 in the second period, only to have the Rebels roar back and tie it on F Conner Bleakley's second goal of the game, and 14th of the season, at 2:26 of the third period, via the PP. . . . Kelowna F Dillon Dube broke the tie, with his sixth goal, at 3:58. . . . Kirkland added insurance at 5:06 and F Tyson Baillie got an empty-netter, his 23rd, at 18:49. . . . D Brett Cote had two assists for the Rebels. . . . F Nick Merkley had two assists for the Rockets and leads the WHL in assists (45) and points (55) going into the break. . . . The Rockets went 4-1-0 on a swing into Alberta. . . . D Nelson Nogier and F Austin Adamson, acquired earlier in the week from Saskatoon, were in Red Deer's lineup. "I loved them both. . . . Those two kids are gonna fit in really nice for us," Red Deer owner, general manager and head coach Brent Sutter told reporters. . . . The Rockets (28-5-3) have 17 road victories and lead the Western Conference by 15 points. . . . The Rebels (18-13-4) have lost their last two. . . . 
In Prince George, G Tyson Verhelst stopped 41 shots as the Spokane Chiefs beat the Cougars, 5-0. . . . That's Verhelst's first WHL shutout. . . . The Chiefs, who beat the Cougars 5-4 on Tuesday night, took control with three first-period goals. . . . F Kailer Yamamoto had a goal, his ninth, and two assists for the Chiefs, who got two assists from D Tyson Helgesen. . . . F Calder Brooks scored No. 13 for Spokane. . . . F Markson Bechtold scored Spokane's first shorthanded goal of the season. He's got three goals. . . . The Chiefs (18-12-3) have won four in a row. . . . The Cougars (17-18-0) have lost three straight. . . . 
In Everett, F Kohl Bauml scored three times in regulation and then added the winner in the shootout as the Silvertips got past the Victoria Royals, 7-6. . . . Victoria opened the third period with three goals in 3:42 as it erased a 4-3 deficit. . . . Royals F Tyler Soy tied it with his second goal of the game and 10th of the season at 3:11. D Chaz Redekopp, who had three assists, scored his second goal of the season at 5:19 and F Brandon Fushimi got his seventh at 6:53. Fushimi also had two assists, while Soy had one and finished plus-4. . . . Bauml then took things into his own hands, scoring at 7:55 and 15:54 to force OT. He's got 15 goals. . . . Victoria F Austin Carroll got his 22nd goal. . . . Everett D Cole MacDonald had two goals, giving him nine, and an assist. . . . Everett F Nikita Scherbak had three assists. . . . F Greg Chase was among Victoria’s scratches. He drew a one-game suspension for a spearing major and game misconduct he incurred on Tuesday night. . . . The Silvertips (20-9-4) lead the U.S. Division by three points over Portland. . . . The Royals (17-18-2) have lost four straight.---
"Ladies and gentlemen, if there are any welders in the building." The P.A. seriously just said that. OMG #whlgategate
— Sean Rooney (@MHNRooney) December 18, 2014
Matt from X-Calibre tells me he was out Christmas shopping when he got the call #whlgategate
— Sean Rooney (@MHNRooney) December 18, 2014
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Laxdal leaves the Memorial Cup-champion Oil Kings for the team that won the Calder Cup as the AHL’s playoff champions. Willie Desjardins, the AHL team’s head coach, now is the head coach of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks.
1. Bob Woods, a defenceman for two seasons (1987-89) with the Brandon Wheat Kings, is headed back to the WHL as the next general manager and head coach of the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix broke the story on Twitter late Sunday afternoon. His piece is 
3. As you will have read in The MacBeth Report, F Brandon Magee, who turned 20 on Jan. 23, has signed a tryout deal with Kometa Brno of the Czech Republic’s Extraliga. . . . Should Magee return to the WHL for his 20-year-old season, he would miss the first 12 games. That’s because he drew a 12-game suspension from the WHL for two cross-checking incidents in the Victoria Royals’ final playoff game of last season. . . . Magee’s deal, and it’s only for a tryout, will be finalized upon completion of physical and medical testing. . . . Magee, who is from Edmonton, played one season with the Chilliwack Bruins and three with Victoria. In 268 regular-season games, he put up 203 points, including 90 goals.
4. F Steven Hodges of the Victoria Royals has signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Florida Panthers, who selected him in the third round of the NHL’s 2012 draft. . . . Hodges, from Yellowknife, turned 20 on May 5. Last season, he had 47 points, including 21 goals, in 52 games. In 247 regular-season games, he has 157 points, including 75 goals. He played one season with the Chilliwack Bruins and the last three with Victoria.
5. The deadline for NHL teams to sign players selected in the 2012 draft came and went over the weekend. It’s believed that a number of WHL players didn’t get NHL deals, so most will be eligible for the 2014 draft later this month. Among those players who went unsigned are D Travis Brown (Victoria, Chicago Blackhawks); F Alexander Delnov (Seattle, Florida Panthers); F Coda Gordon (Swift Current, Calgary Flames); F Logan Nelson (Victoria, Buffalo Sabres); D Dmitry Sinitsyn (Regina, Dallas Stars); F Tyrel Seaman (Brandon, St. Louis Blues); F Lukas Sutter (Red Deer, Winnipeg Jets); D Nick Walters (Lethbridge, St. Louis Blues; and F Mike Winther (Calgary, Dallas Stars). . . . Sutter and Nelson, who have completed their 20-year-old seasons, become unrestricted free agents if they are unsigned. . . . Seaman actually retired with concussion problems after the 2012-13 season. . . . Delnov signed a two-way deal last week with Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk of the KHL.
6. There was a neat ad in Saturday’s Edmonton Journal, with the Queen City Sports and Entertainment Group, the new owners of the Regina Pats, buying space to send a message that reads: “Hail to the Kings on returning the Memorial Cup to the WHL.” . . . In all the time I’ve been around the WHL, I can’t ever remember one organization taking out an ad in a newspaper to congratulate another team on winning the Memorial Cup. Well done, Pats!
7. The AJHL’s Lloydminster Bobcats will play host to the 2016 RBC Cup for the national junior A championship. That means, of course, that the Bobcats get into the tournament as the host team. . . . The 2015 RBC Cup will be played in Portage la Prairie, Man., with the MJHL’s Terriers as the host team.
Derek Lalonde is the new head coach of the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye. He had been the general manager and head coach of the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers. . . . Lalonde replaces interim head coach Dan Watson, an assistant who stepped up when Nick Vitucci resigned as head coach in February.
In Calgary, the Hitmen scored three second-period goals and went on to beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 4-1. . . . F Pavel Padakin scored the game’s first goal, the Teddy Bear Goal, at 3:42 of the second period. He also got that goal a year ago and now is the first player in franchise history with two such scores. . . . Attendance was 17,199 and they tossed 25,921 stuffed toys onto the ice. According to the Hitmen, that total is 998 shy of their record total from 2007 . . . . F Greg Chase scored twice for Calgary, giving him 16 on the season, while D Alex Roach had two assists. . . . Padakin’s goal was his seventh. . . . Padakin almost certainly will be hearing from the WHL office, after he took a slashing major and game misconduct at game’s end. . . .
In Lethbridge, the Edmonton Oil Kings opened up a 2-0 lead and went on to beat the Hurricanes, 3-2. . . . Edmonton had beaten host Lethbridge 2-1 on Friday night. . . . F Edgars Kulda’s eighth goal, at 13:26 of the second period, via the PP, gave the visitors a 3-1 lead. . . . Lethbridge F Reid Duke got his side to within one with a PP goal at 11:18 of the third. It was his second goal. . . . Hurricanes D Nick Walters played in his 200th regular-season WHL game. . . . The Hurricanes (3-22-4) have won just once in their last 17 outings. . . . Edmonton has won three in a row. . . .
In Spokane, the Seattle Thunderbirds outshot the Chiefs 46-29 as they cruised to a 5-1 victory. . . . D Adam Henry had a goal and two assists for Seattle, which got two assists from D Shea Theodore. . . . Seattle was 3-for-6 on the PP. . . . The Thunderbirds had a 5-0 lead before F Riley Whittingham scored for the Chiefs at 11:27 of the third. . . . Seattle G Justin Myles stopped 28 shots. . . . The Thunderbirds (16-9-4) have won four in a row and are tied with the Chiefs (17-10-2) for fifth spot in the Western Conference. . . . The Chiefs have lost three in a row and four of five. . . . Spokane was without D Reid Gow, its captain, after he suffered an undisclosed injury in a Saturday game. . . . Chiefs F Mitch Holmberg, who leads the WHL in goals (30) and points (64), was held without a point for the second game in a row. He has played 29 games this season and has points in 25 of them. . . .
In Portland, F Nic Petan struck for four goals and added an assist, leading the Winterhawks to a 6-5 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . F Brendan Leipsic drew five assists for Portland, which held a 53-16 edge in shots. . . . The Blades are 0-3 in the U.S. Division. . . . Petan, who didn’t get his first goal until 15:37 of the second period, has 19 scores this season. . . . The Blades led 4-1 when Petan scored his first goal. . . . Portland scored six goals but only five players picked up points. . . . Portland F Oliver Bjorkstrand had two goals, giving him 23, and added an assist. He broke a 5-5 tie at 19:40 of the third. . . . F Nathan Burns and F Matt Revel each scored twice and added an assist for the Blades. Burns has 14 goals; Revel has nine. . . . F Nikita Scherbak had four assists and was plus-4 for Saskatoon. . . . Petan now has 60 points, just four behind WHL scoring leader Mitch Holmberg of the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Holmberg also leads the WHL in goals (30), while Petan leads in assists (41). . . . The Winterhawks (20-5-3) closed to within one point of the Everett Silvertips (20-4-4), who lead the overall standings.
Walters, 19, F Taylor Cooper, 18, and D Tanner Browne, 16.
In Saskatoon, F Jaedon Descheneau had two goals and two assists to help the Kootenay Ice to a 6-1 victory over the Blades. . . . Descheneau, who enjoyed his first career four-point game, has 18 goals now. . . . F Sam Reinhart added a goal, his 10th, and two helpers, while D Jagger Dirk had three assists. . . . The Ice scored the game's first three goals and the last three. . . . Saskatoon has lost five in a row. . . .
In Lethbridge, F Wyatt Johnson scored at 1:20 of OT as the Red Deer Rebels beat the Hurricanes, 4-3. . . . Johnson has three goals this season. . . . The Hurricanes forced OT with a pair of second-period goals, from D Lenny Hackman, his first, and F Brady Ramsay, his seventh. . . . The Rebels have won four straight. . . .
In Everett, F Troy Bourke broke a 1-1 tie at 15:41 of the third period as the Prince George Cougars beat the Silvertips, 3-1. . . . Bourke has 10 goals. . . . F Chase Witala scored twice for the Cougars, giving him 14. . . . Prince George G Brett Zarowny made 34 saves. . . . Everett F Josh Winquist scored his club's goal, running his point streak to 12 games. . . . F Alex Forsberg had two assists for the visitors. . . . Prince George F David Soltes left in the second period after taking a hard check along the boards. . . .
In Spokane, F Boston Leier scored the only goal of the skills competition to give the Regina Pats a 3-2 victory over the Chiefs. . . . F Mike Aviani gave the Chiefs a 2-1 lead with his 20th goal at 10:10 of the third period, via the PP. . . . F Dyson Stevenson pulled Regina even at 12:37. He's got 12 goals. . . . Spokane D Reid Gow drew two more assists, giving him 30, in 23 games. . . . Spokane F Mitch Holmberg, the WHL's leading scorer, was held pointless. . . . Regina F Braden Christoffer took a charging major and game misconduct late in the second period. . . . The Pats are 4-2-0 on an eight-game swing that continues Friday in Red Deer. . . .
In Vancouver, the Giants beat the Tri-City Americans 5-2 with all seven goals coming in the third period. . . . Vancouver took a 3-1 lead, only to have Tri-City F Brian Williams get his side to within one with his 19th goal. . . . The Giants put it away with two empty-netters. . . . Vancouver's first two goals, from F Carter Popoff and D Dalton Thrower, both came via the PP in the first four minutes of the period. . . . Vancouver F Tyler Benson, the first selection in the 2013 bantam draft, made his WHL debut. He was pointless and plus-1. . . . Vancouver is 3-0-1 in its last four games. . . . All told, 16 of the WHL's 22 teams have winning percentages of at least .500. The Giants need one more victory to make it 17. . . .
In Kelowna, the Rockets ran their winning streak to eight games as they beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 4-3. . . . Kelowna erased a 1-0 first-period deficit with four straight goals and then hung on as the Tigers scored twice in the second half of the third period. . . . D Madison Bowey scored Kelowna's last two goals, giving him eight on the season. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 33 shots in running his record to 12-0-2. . . . The Rockets lead the B.C. Division by five points over the Victoria Royals. Kelowna holds five games in hand, too.
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