F Luke Walker (Portland, 2007-10) signed a one-year extension with the Graz 99ers (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). Last season, in 51 games, he had 19 goals and 12 assists. He led the team in goals and was second in points. . . .
F Jozef Balej (Portland, 1999-2002) signed a one-year contract with Piešťany (Slovakia, Extraliga). Last season, with Plzeň (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he had six goals and six assists in 47 games.
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For the past 10 years, the arena has been known as Interior Savings Centre. The Interior Savings Credit Union paid $120,000 per year for the naming rights.
The arena is owned by the city, but financial terms of the deal with SHG weren’t revealed.
Tom Gaglardi, the Blazers’ majority owner and the owner of the NHL‘s Dallas Stars, is president of Northland Properties Corp., which owns SHG. Gaglardi also is chief executive officer of SHG.
Interior Savings Credit Union (ISCU) had hoped to keep the rights and, in fact, entered a bid with that in mind. However, Interior Savings was told a few days ago that the rights were going to SHG.
“We were keenly interested in continuing on,” Gene Creelman, ISCU’s senior vice-president, member of community engagement, told Marty Hastings of Kamloops This Week. “There is a process the city follows. We had submitted a good proposal.”
SHG has two properties in Kamloops, the newest having opened across from the Interior Savings Centre in 2014.
“If you look at it from a management or a business perspective, we understand what’s needed there, if one reads between the lines,” Creelman told Hastings.
The arena also has been known as Riverside Coliseum and Sport Mart Place since opening in 1992.
Hastings’ story is right here.
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The chances of Swedish D Oliver Kylington playing for the Brandon Wheat Kings improved on Wednesday when AIK said it wouldn’t stand in the way of him playing in North America. . . . Kylington was selected by the Calgary Flames in the second round of last month’s NHL draft. The Wheat Kings later selected him in the CHL import draft. . . . Kylington, who is from Stockholm, had signed a two-year contract with AIK, a Swedish professional team. . . . On its website, AIK general manager Anders Gozzi said: “We do not stop Oliver from the opportunity he has been given.” . . . Kylington is quoted as saying: “I went into this season with a full focus on helping AIK (in the) coming season. I really believe in the venture to which the club is now doing and I wanted to be a part of it.” . . . Kylington, 18, will attend the Flames’ rookie camp and then, presumably, main camp. Because he was drafted out of Europe, he could play for the Flames, their AHL affiliate, the Stockton Heat, or the Wheat Kings in 2015-16.——
The Everett Silvertips have signed to two players they selected in the CHL’s 2015 import draft -- D Alexander Scherbakov and F Yan Khomenko. . . . Both are 1998-born Russians, although Scherbakov is a late birthday. . . . The 5-foot-11, 200-pound Scherbakov, from Moscow, had five goals and eight assists in 30 games with the U-17 CSKA Moscow side last season. . . The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Khomenko, from St. Petersburg, had 30 points, 20 of them goals, in 33 games with the U-17 Dynamo Moscow side.——
Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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THE TRADE WIRE:
The Saskatoon Blades have acquired D Bryton Sayers, 19, from the Victoria Royals for a conditional fifth-round selection in the 2017 WHL bantam draft. Sayers, from Prince Albert, split last season between the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Victoria. . . . In 2013-14, he had 11 points, including four goals, with Lethbridge. Last season, he had 10 points, two of them goals, in 38 games with the Hurricanes, and a goal and an assist in 20 games with Victoria. . . . The Royals had acquired Sayers from Lethbridge on Jan. 10, in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. . . . In 2012-13, he was the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League’s defenceman of the year while with the Prince Albert Mintos.———
The Swift Current Broncos have signed Ryan Smith as their new associate coach. Smith, from Winnipeg, replaces Josh Dixon, who resigned on July 8 and now is director of player development for CAA Sports. . . . Before signing with Humboldt, Smith was the general manager and head coach of the MJHL’s Selkirk Steelers for five seasons. . . . “He’s done a lot of coaching,” Mark Lamb, the Broncos‘ GM and head coach, said in a news release. “Ryan has been a coach and GM in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Ryan was short-listed last year when we were filling this position and is ready for this challenge.” . . . Smith spent last season as the general manager and head coach of the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos, who now are looking for a GM/head coach. . . . Smith went to Humboldt after Dean Brockman left to join the Saskatoon Blades as an assistant coach.——
Randy Cunneyworth has been named head coach of the Rochester Americans, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres. . . . This is Cunneyworth’s second stint as head coach of the Americans. He put up a 306-273-61 record from 2000-08. . . . Cunneyworth had been working as Buffalo‘s development coach. . . . He also played 377 games over parts of seven seasons with the Americans.
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Garth Mitchell is returning as head coach of the midget AAA Yellowhead Chiefs, who play out of Shoal Lake, Man. Mitchell, who earlier was the Chiefs’ head coach for eight seasons, was an assistant coach with the MJHL’s Virden Oil Capitals for the past three seasons.
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The NAHL’s Amarillo Bulls introduced Matt Nicholson as their new head coach on Wednesday. He takes over from Jon Rogger, who now is an assistant coach with the Bloomington Thunder. . . . Nicholson has been an assistant coach at Robert Morris U for the past six seasons.
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The Tri-City Americans have signed F Brett Leason, who was a third-round pick in the WHL`s 2014 bantam draft. From Calgary, the 6-foot-3, 185-pounder had 83 points, 43 of them goals, in 30 games with the Calgary Stampeders of the Alberta Minor Midget Hockey League last season.———
Best courtroom exchange ever pic.twitter.com/GxnvjiX9fC
— Andrew Bloch (@AndrewBloch) July 29, 2015
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from San Jacinto, Calif., had 14 points, 10 of them goals, in 71 games with the Royals last season. In four seasons in Victoria, he has 43 points, including 21 goals, in 241 games. He will bring a lot of grit and toughness to the Vancouver lineup. The Giants were 7-27-2 on the road last season, the biggest reason they missed the playoffs. . . . Crunk’s acquisition also leaves the Giants with four 20-year-olds, the others being D Arvin Atwal, F Jackson Houck and F Carter Popoff. Each WHL team is allowed to have three on their roster after the mid-October cut-down date. D Mason Geertsen also is on the Giants’ roster but is expected to play in the Colorado Avalanche’s organization. . . . The Royals show six 20-year-olds on their roster, including G Justin Paulic and G Coleman Vollrath. Also in that group are forwards Greg Chase, who has signed with the Edmonton Oilers and could play in their organization, Logan Fisher, Alex Forsberg and Jack Palmer. . . . However, Palmer no longer is on the Royals’ roster, having cleared waivers earlier this summer, while Paulic is moving on after three seasons in the WHL. He is expected to attend the U of Manitoba and play for the Bisons.
Flames selected him in the second round, 60th overall, in the NHL’s 2015 draft. . . . He is from Stockholm and is under contract for two years with AIK, a Swedish professional team. . . . Kylington’s WHL rights belong to the Brandon Wheat Kings, who selected him last month in the CHL’s import draft. . . . As I understand it, if Kylington doesn’t make the Flames out of training camp, his first option is to return to AIK. If AIK declines — and who knows why that would happen? — the Flames would have the option of putting him with their AHL team — the Stockton Heat — or the Wheat Kings. . . . Interestingly, Kylington has been in Spain, training with D Johnny Oduya, who was an unrestricted free agent before signing a two-year deal with the Dallas Stars on Wednesday. He had been with the Stanley Cup-champion Chicago Blackhawks. . . You have to think Kylington and Oduya did some celebrating last night. . . . Here’s hoping they didn’t run with the bulls in Pamplona.
The AJHL’s Calgary Canucks announced Wednesday that Ryan Barrett, their director of hockey operations and head coach, “has been relieved of his duties.” . . . Barrett took over as head coach prior to the 2011-12 season. He replaced Don Phelps, who had been the team’s head coach since 1977. . . . Last season, the Canucks went 17-33-10 and finished last in the eight-team Viterra South Division. . . . If you’re interested, contact Pat Loyer, the Canucks’ new president, at 403-681-9625 or by email at phloyer@shaw.ca.
Chad Scharff is back in the WHL, this time as the Saskatoon Blades’ equipment manager. . . . Scharff, 29, spent 11 seasons with the Vancouver Giants, where he played, scouted, worked as an assistant coach and also was the head equipment manager. He spent the past two-plus seasons with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers as an assistant equipment manager. . . . With the Blades, he takes over from Graham (Spike) Watt, who now is with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.
World Junior Championship. On Wednesday, Casey sent a letter to IIHF president René Fasel, citing, according to a news release, “the city’s success in hosting major events and the region’s rich hockey history . . .” Casey wrote: “With all due respect to Detroit, Pittsburgh really is America’s hockey capital. Selecting Pittsburgh would be good for the city and the tournament. The opportunity to play in front of some of the nation’s most enthusiastic hockey fans will only add to the tournament.Pittsburgh has a successful record of hosting major events. Adding the 2018 World Juniors to the city’s roster of major events would contribute to the revitalization occurring in Pittsburgh and throughout the region.” . . . The 2016 tournament is to be held in Helsinki, Finland, with the 2017 event in Montreal and Toronto.
B.C., was a ninth-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft. He had 20 points, six of them goals, in 28 games while at the Okanagan Hockey Academy last season. . . . F Chase Lowry was a third-round pick in 2015. He had 36 points, 16 of them goals, in 21 games with the major bantam Edmonton South Side Athletics. . . . D Jared Herauf, a first-round pick in 2015, had six goals and 17 assists in 33 games with the major bantam Sherwood Park Flyers. . . . D Ethan Sakowich, a second-rounder in 2014, is from Athabasca, Alta. He played last season with the midget AAA Fort Saskatchewan Rangers, earning five assists in 27 games. . . . F Tanner Sidaway, a 16-year-old from Victoria, was put on the Rebels’ protected list last season. He had 12 points, including nine goals, in 40 games with the bantam AAA South Island Royals. . . . Greg Meachem, the sports editor at the Red Deer Advocate, also reported that F Austin Adamson, 19, is out for up to five months after having surgery on a hip. He split last season between the Saskatoon Blades and Red Deer, finishing with 10 points, including five goals, in 53 games.
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