Giants get their coach . . . Chiefs deal D-man to Tigers . . . Hitmen, Thunderbirds sign skaters

F Štěpán Novotný (Kelowna, Swift Current, 2008-11) signed a one-year contract with the Graz 99ers (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). Last season, with Žilina (Slovakia, Extraliga), he had 13 goals and nine assists in 39 games. He also played 13 games with Nitra (Slovakia, Extraliga), scoring three goals.
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The Vancouver Giants will introduce Lorne Molleken today as their newest head coach. . . . Molleken, 59, is one of four coaches to have won more than 600 WHL regular-season games. His 603 victories trail only the retired Ken Hodge (742), Don Hay (637), who now is with the Kamloops Blazers, and Don Nachbaur (632) of the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Molleken, who is from Regina, began his coaching career with the SJHL’s Weyburn Red Wings. In the WHL, he has been the head coach of the Moose Jaw Warriors, Regina Pats and Saskatoon Blades. He also has coached in the AHL and NHL. . . . In Vancouver, he takes over from Claude Noel, who wasn’t retained following the last season. Noel took over from Troy Ward, who was hired last summer and fired after 25 games. . . . Ward was hired after the Giants allowed Hay out of his contract in order for him to return to Kamloops. . . . The Giants have missed the playoffs in two of the past three seasons. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman has more on the Molleken signing right here.
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Steve Ewen, who covers the Giants for the Vancouver Province, takes a look right here at the team’s coaching situation. He says it’s time the organization changed its approach and started grooming future head coaches.
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With the Vancouver Giants having signed Lorne Mollken, it means that all 22 WHL teams now have head coaches in place. . . . Of those teams, three have made coaching changes since the 2014-15 season ended. . . . The Kootenay Ice hired Luke Pierce to replace Ryan McGill, who is believed to have been on Vancouver’s shortlist. . . . The Lethbridge Hurricanes hired Brent Kisio to take over from Peter Anholt, who will focus on his general manager’s duties. . . . Molleken, who turned 59 on June 11, is the third-oldest coach in the WHL, younger than only John Paddock of the Regina Pats, who turned 61 on June 9, and Don Hay of the Kamloops Blazers, who hit 61 on Feb. 13. . . . The youngest? Pierce will be 32 on Aug. 18, with Kisio scheduled to turn 33 on Dec. 15.
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The Spokane Chiefs have dealt D Tamas Laday, 19, to the Medicine Hat Tigers for an eighth-round selection in the 2016 bantam draft. Laday, a 6-foot-7, 215-pound Hungarian, had six assists in 60 games as a freshman last season with the Chiefs. . . . The trade allows the Chiefs, who also have Austrian F Dominic Zwerger on their roster, to select one player in today’s CHL import draft. They go into the draft with the 26th selection. . . . The Tigers also have German F Markus Eisenschmid on their roster. He had 44 points, including 19 goals, in 50 games last season, but at 20 years of age would be a two-spotter in 2015-16.
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The CHL import draft poses a lot of problems for WHL general managers because, in many instances, they don’t control a whole lot about it. So it’s always interesting to see what some of them have to say.
Here’s what John Paddock, the Regina Pats’ GM/head coach, told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post:
“It’s like picking a needle out of a haystack. You try to do your work. You have friends or people you know in the pro ranks that see these guys play. You talk to agents. You try to get as much information as you can.”
Paddock also said:
“You hope and pray. There are no guarantees of anything. When I looked around our league last year, there’s not a lot of significant Europeans. There’s the odd top one like (Leon) Draisaitl and (Ivan) Provorov, but with a lot of teams I couldn’t tell you who their Euros are.”
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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, send an email to greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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The QMJHL’s Charlottetown Islanders will introduce Jim Hulton as their new head coach on Thursday. . . . He will replace Gordie Dwyer, who was dropped after the Islanders didn’t get through the second round of the postseason. . . . Hulton, 46, has OHL coaching experience with the North Bay Centennials, Mississauga IceDogs, Belleville Bulls and Kingston Frontenacs. . . . He also spent three seasons (2008-11) as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Florida Panthers. . . . Since 2011, Hulton has been the general manager and head coach of the USHL’s Tri-City Storm.
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Josh Hepditch, the former general manager and head coach of the junior B Creston Valley Thunder Cats of the Kootenay International junior league, has signed on as head coach of the County Aces, a junior A team that plays out of St. Stephen, N.B., in the Maritime Hockey League. . . . Last season, Hepditch was general manager and head coach of the MHL’s Amherst Ramblers.
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F Patrick D’Amico, who played out his eligibility with the Regina Pats last season, will attend the New Jersey Devils’ development camp. . . . F Tyler Soy, 18, of the Victoria Royals and F Jakob Stukel, 18, of the Vancouver Giants will be in the development camp of the Edmonton Oilers. . . . Tri-City Americans D Brendan O’Reilly, an 18-year-old from Southlake, Texas, will skate with the Dallas Stars. . . . F Terrell Draude, 18, of the Calgary Hitmen will be in camp with the Tampa Bay Lightning. . . . F Markus Eisenschmid, 20, of the Medicine Hat Tigers is to attend the Montreal Canadiens’ development camp. . . . D Justin Hamonic, who played with the Tri-City Americans as a 20-year-old last season, is going to camp with the Colorado Avalanche.
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The Calgary Hitmen have signed F Tristen Nielsen, the 19th overall selection in the 2015 bantam draft. Nielsen, from Fort St. John, B.C., played last season at the Edge School in Calgary. He had 97 points, including 59 goals, in 52 games with the bantam prep team.
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The Seattle Thunderbirds have signed D Brandon Schuldhaus, who was a fifth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. Schuldhaus, a 17-year-old native of Houston, Texas, who now lives in Calgary, has played two seasons at Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Faribault, Minn. Last season, with the midget AAA team, he had 12 points, five of them goals, in 31 games.
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D Patrick Wey, 24, has retired from hockey after being unable to return from two concussions incurred less than a year apart. . . . Wey, from Pittsburgh, was a fourth-round pick by the Washington Capitals in the 2009 NHL draft. He had been playing with the AHL’s Hershey Bears. . . . Mike Vogel, who writes for the Capitals, tweeted the news Monday morning. . . . Wey has said he will pursue “educational interests.” . . . Wey played 28 games in 2013-14 and just three games last season. . . . He suffered his first concussion in a fight on March 30, 2014, while up with the Capitals, then suffered the second one in the third game of last season, thanks to an elbow to the head.
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Another year passes with no Clare Drake in the HHOF. Would John Wooden be left out of basketball's Hall?

— Mark Spector (@SportsnetSpec) June 29, 2015

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.

Raiders make coaching change . . . Ex-player hits WHL with lawsuit . . . Reinhart on way back to Ice

The Prince Albert Raiders made the first coaching change of the WHL season on Friday morning when management pulled the plug on head coach Cory Clouston.
Clouston signed on with the Raiders on June 1, 2013. He was in the second-year of a two-year deal, with the club holding an option on a third season.
The Raiders were 41-41-5 under Clouston. They made the playoffs last season, going 35-32-5 and then winning a sudden-death play-in game over the Red Deer Rebels. Prince Albert then was swept from a first-round series by the Edmonton Oil Kings, who went on to win the Memorial Cup.
General manager Bruno Campese, who also is in the final year of his contract, announced that associate coach Dave Manson would step in as interim head coach.
Manson was in control Friday night as the Raiders won 6-3 over the Warriors in Moose Jaw. That improved Prince Albert’s record to 7-9-0. (It was an interesting day for the Manson family, as Dave’s son, Josh, made his NHL debut last night, playing 12:30 with Anaheim as the Ducks beat the Stars 2-1 in OT in Dallas.)
The Raiders are at home to the Saskatoon Blades tonight, then don’t play until Wednesday when they meet the visiting Calgary Hitmen.
The Raiders were beaten 5-2 by the Hurricanes in Lethbridge on Wednesday night. That was the Raiders’ last game under Clouston, who also has been a WHL head coach with the Kootenay Ice and Brandon Wheat Kings.
Prince Albert’s players were informed of the decision Friday morning in Moose Jaw.
Campese told paNOW that a special meeting of the community-owned team’s board of directors was held Thursday night and a decision was made then to fire Clouston.
"It’s never easy, but it was something that the organization thought, moving forward was in the best interest of the hockey team," Campese told paNOW. "People can speculate all they want, but it was something that . . . I think has been discussed at a board level for . . . a few days, but the actual decision was made (Thursday) night."
The Raiders are expected to hire a new head coach in the next few days, perhaps even on the weekend.
The Raiders’ news release had hardly landed on the Internet when speculation began. In this day of social media, it doesn’t take much to start rumours.
First, I heard that the Raiders had asked the Regina Pats for permission to speak with assistant coach David Struch, who spent last season as the head coach of the Blades.
Then it was Lorne Molleken’s turn. Speculation had Molleken, the Blades’ general manager last season and a long-time WHL coach, taking over as the Raiders’ head coach for the remainder of this season.
Next up was Malcolm Cameron, who was fired as Regina’s head coach during the summer, shortly after new owners took over the Pats. Cameron now is coaching at the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton, B.C.
No, Dan Bylsma’s name wasn’t mentioned. At least, not yet.
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After dropping a 5-2 decision to the Pats in Regina on Friday night, the Saskatoon Blades revealed that two players had suffered suspected concussions.
According to a story on the Blades’ website, “Alex Henry left in the second period after being on the receiving end of a headshot by Dryden Hunt, while Nik Amundrud was forced from the game early in the third after a run-in with Braden Christoffer, who collided with the netminder at full speed on a foiled breakaway attempt.
“Both players are suspected to have concussions.”
Henry is a 20-year-old defenceman, while Amundrud is a 17-year-old goaltender.
The Blades, who are to visit the Prince Albert Raiders tonight, recalled G Trevor Martin, 18, from the SJHL’s Melville Millionaires and D Nolan Reid, 16, from the midget AAA Notre Dame Argos.
Martin has a 0.74 GAA and a .977 save percentage with Melville.
Saskatoon also is without F Wyatt Sloboshan (broken jaw) and D Ryan Coghlan (shoulder).
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There were five games played in the WHL on Friday night, which also happened to be Hallowe’en.
Only one of the games, Saskatoon at Regina, drew more than 3,000 fans, with attendance there announced at 3,072.
In Moose Jaw, 2,943 fans showed up to watch the Warriors and Prince Albert Raiders. There were 2,351 fans in Lethbridge where the Hurricanes played the Brandon Wheat Kings.
In Swift Current, 1,911 fans saw the Broncos play the Calgary Hitmen.
And, in Cranbrook, only 1,901 fans were in the house as the Kootenay Ice played host to the Red Deer Rebels. After the game, Jeff Hollick, the radio voice of the Ice, tweeted that the attendance “was the smallest in team history.”
It will be interesting to see how many games are on the WHL schedule on Oct. 31, 2015, which will fall on a Saturday.
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The Spokane Chiefs will hold a Chiefs Care auction at the main entrance of Spokane Arena tonight, with proceeds directly benefiting former D Cole Hamblin in his fight against cancer.
Hamblin played for the Chiefs from 2010-12. He is battling Stage 4 mucoepidermoid carcinoma. He learned of his condition after experiencing severe back pain and weight loss as he prepared for this season at the U of Guelph. Hamblin has been hospitalized since Sept. 22.
“As an organization, it is important for us to support Cole and help his family through this,“ Tim Speltz, the Chiefs’ general manager, said in a news release. “We have had a number of fans ask how they can help, and (we) feel this auction as well as providing everyone with the online fundraiser information are the best ways to provide people the avenues to support the Hamblin family. Cole is a strong person who is facing his challenges head on and we have him in our thoughts through his recovery."
Included in the auction are a variety of items, including but not limited to:
* Cole Hamblin game-worn Chiefs jersey;
* Tyler Johnson game-worn signed Memorial Cup Chiefs jersey;
* Wayne Gretzky game-worn signed Chiefs jersey;
* 2013-14 Chiefs Breast Cancer Awareness theme jersey (blank, game style);
* 2013-14 Chiefs military theme jersey (blank, game style);
* George Brett signed baseball bat;
* Kyle Beach signed 50th goal stick;
* Mitch Holmberg signed stick & puck;
* Mitch Holmberg and Pat Falloon signed pucks (No. 1 and 2 career goals scored in franchise history);
* Disney On Ice suite (eight tickets);
* 2013-14 team-signed Mike Aviani game-worn helmet;
* Framed Tyler Johnson Tampa Bay Lightning photo; and,
* Photos donated by team photographer Gary Peterson.
The Chiefs, who are at home to the Red Deer Rebels tonight, also are encouraging fans to visit the gofundme campaign online. It was created in order to allow donations to be made to benefit Hamblin. The gofundme campaign is available at: http://www.gofundme.com/fhl9jk
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Lukas Walter, who played in the WHL with the Tri-City Americans (2011-13), has his name on lawsuits totalling $110 million that have been filed against the WHL and the QMJHL.
Walter, a 21-year-old from Langley, B.C., played last season with the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs, picking up one assist and 141 penalty minutes in 53 games.
According to Rick Westhead of TSN:
“In his $50-million case against the QMJHL, Walter alleges that the league's teams conspired to rewrite standard player contracts last year to avoid paying players the legal minimum wage.
“In a second, $60-million case filed in Calgary against the WHL, Walter alleged that the work visa the Tri-City Americans secured for him to play for them is proof he had an employer-employee relationship with the team, and should be paid at least minimum wage.”
Westhead’s complete story is right here.
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Meanwhile, the Toronto Star’s Robert Cribb reports:
“Junior hockey player employment records, league contracts, U.S. immigration documents and two new class-action lawsuits in Quebec and Alberta imply — or explicitly state — that Canadian Hockey League clubs treat some of their players as employees, despite contrary public statements by league officials, an ongoing Star investigation has found.
“Six leading employment and tax lawyers interviewed by the Star say the 60-team CHL faces an uphill battle trying to defend against class-action lawsuits alleging its players are employees deserving of minimum wage and benefits.”
Cribb’s complete story is right here.
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The Kootenay Ice received some good news on Friday when the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres chose to send back F Sam Reinhart, the No. 2 overall selection in the NHL’s 2014 draft. Reinhart, who turns 19 on Nov. 6, had one assist in nine games with the Sabres. . . . Reinhart didn’t play last night, as the Ice dropped a 6-3 decision to the visiting Red Deer Rebels, and isn’t expected to be in the Ice’s lineup tonight against the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes. That being the case he likely would make his debut on Friday against the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Last season, he had 105 points, including 36 goals, in 60 games with the Ice. . . . You can bet, too, that Reinhart will be part of the Canadian team at the World Junior Championship. . . . "I told Sam, you're my top pick. I was cheering for him,” Buffalo GM Terry Murray said. “But it's about doing what's best for him and us," he said. "The issue wasn't skating, or hockey sense, for me it was strength."
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With Reinhart on his way back to the Ice, Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province wonders whether the Vancouver Giants should try and make a blockbuster deal with Kootenay.
Ewen’s piece is right here.
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FRIDAY'S GAMES:

In Lethbridge, F Rihards Bukarts scored a PP goal at 1:41 of OT to give the Brandon Wheat Kings a 5-4 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Lethbridge F Jamal Watson had forced extra time with his second goal of the game, and seventh of the season, at 16:54 of the third period. . . . The Wheat Kings had sat Bukarts, a Latvian who is their leading scorer, for two games in order to get in Russian F Richard Nejezchleb. Last night, they flipped it, playing Bukarts, 19, and sitting Nejezchleb, 20. . . . D Ivan Provorov, 17, is their other import. He had a goal, his eighth, and two assists last night. He drew the primary assist on the winner. . . . The Wheat Kings, who dressed 17 skaters, one under the maximum, were without D Ryan Pilon, who suffered an undisclosed injury in Wednesday’s 5-2 victory over the Giants in Vancouver. . . . Lethbridge G Zac Robidoux stopped 31 shots. Brandon F Tyler Coulter wasn’t able to beat him on a first-period penalty shot. . . . Brandon G Logan Thompson stopped 23 shots in his third career start. . . . Lethbridge lost F Ryley Lindgren in the first period. He left with an undisclosed injury after being involved in a collision with Provorov. . . . The Wheat Kings are 5-1-0 on a seven-game road trip that concludes tonight in Medicine Hat against the Tigers. The Wheat Kings, who now lead the overall standings, go into the game at 13-3-1, while the Tigers, who didn’t play last night, are 11-2-1. This will be Brandon’s seventh game in 11 nights. . . .

In Regina, F Patrick D’Amico scored twice to help the Pats to a 5-2 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Pats, who have won their last nine meetings with the Blades, scored the game’s first four goals, with D’Amico, who has eight goals, getting the first one, on a PP, and the fourth, while shorthanded. . . . The Blades had F Alex Forsberg back in the lineup after he missed two games with an undisclosed injury. He scored his seventh goal of the season on a second-period PP. . . . D Colby Williams and F Morgan Klimchuk each had two assists for Regina. . . . Saskatoon G Nik Amundrud stopped 27 of 31 shots before leaving the game following a goal-mouth collision at 11:02 of the second period. Alex Moodie came on in relief and was 7-for-7. . . . In an interesting pre-game note, Les Lazaruk, the radio voice of the Blades, pointed out that Saskatoon is 7-6-0 in Halloween games. The only time the Blades played the Pats on Oct. 31 was in 1967. The host Pats won, 9-3. . . .

In Cranbrook, the Red Deer Rebels built a 4-0 lead and then withstood a brief Kootenay comeback before beating the Ice, 7-3. . . . F Scott Feser, who had a goal and two assists, gave the Rebels a 4-0 lead with a shorthanded score at 2:17 of the second period. . . . The Ice got to within one, at 4-3, on F Vince Loschiavo’s second goal of the season at 9:44 of the third. . . . However, Red Deer F Meyer Nell got his second of the game, and sixth of the season, just 15 seconds later. . . . Red Deer D Brett Cote drew four assists. . . . The Rebels now have won four straight, while the Ice has lost seven in a row. . . .

In Moose Jaw, the Prince Albert Raiders scored four second-period goals en route to a 6-3 victory over the Warriors. . . . Moose Jaw, which has lost five straight, opened a 2-0 lead on two goals by F Tanner Eberle, at 7:15 and 7:56 of the first period. He’s got eight. . . . The Raiders scored the next five goals, two of them by F Craig Leverton, who also has eight. . . . D Sawyer Lange gave the visitors their first lead, with his second goal of the season, at 10:07 of the second period. . . . Raiders D Josh Morrissey scored his fourth goal and was plus-4. . . . The Raiders had fired head coach Cory Clouston earlier in the day, so this was interim head coach Dave Manson’s first victory. . . .

In Swift Current, G Landon Bow stopped 30 shots to lead the Broncos to a 3-0 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Bow had a league-leading four shutouts this season and five in his career. The franchise record for shutouts in a season is six and is shared by Ian Gordon (1993-94), Bryce Wandler (1999-2000) and Mark Friesen (2010-11). . . . F Carter Rigby opened the scoring, with his ninth, at 18:14 of the first period. . . . F Colby Cave added a PP score in the second period and F Jake DeBrusk added an empty-netter at 19:09 of the third. Cave has three; DeBrusk 10. . . . Calgary G Mack Shields stopped 13 shots as his mates had a 30-16 edge.
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OHL coach gets $7500 fine for saying "f you" to a reporter, 10x what Steve Konowalchuk got for saying WHL refs are "f-ing atrocious."
— Scott Sepich (@SSepich) October 31, 2014

Wheat Kings poised to deal . . . Grant backstops Cougars to win . . . Pats end skid

With apologies to Blackie Sherrod, we're scattershooting on a Sunday night . . .

1. The Medicine Hat Tigers are one OT loss from being tied for the WHL's best record, and who saw that coming? The Tigers are 11-1-1, while the Kelowna Rockets, at 12-1-0, have the No. 1 record.

2. If you're a baseball fan who is interested in the World Series, you should be listening to ESPN Radio where Dan Shulman and Aaron Boone have been almost as good as San Francisco Giants starter Madison Bumgarner.

3. Hopefully, you have enjoyed Bumgarner's performance in this World Series because it truly is one for the ages. We should take time to appreciate greatness like this when it occurs.

4. Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post writes about Bumgarner, his accomplishments and the state of this World Series right here. No, the Kansas City Royals are done.

5. Of course, the World Series will go to a Game 7. How do I know that? Because Game 7 would be played on Wednesday, the same night that the Everett Silvertips (8-1-3) are scheduled to meet the Blazers (9-6-1) in Kamloops. I really want to watch Ivan Nikolishin and Nikita Scherbak of the Silvertips taking on the Blazers’ big line that has Matt Needham between Cole Ully and Deven Sideroff. I realize that Nikolishin and Scherbak are regular linemates, but a guy can dream, can’t he?

6. LaMarr Houston, a defensive end with the Chicago Bears, suffered a knee injury while celebrating a sack on Sunday. The Bears were trailing by 25 points at the time. Yes, the apocalypse is that much closer.

7. I hate to break it to you but the top of Mount Martin now is white. The view from our deck looks east down the South Thompson River valley to Mount Martin. My wife tried to tell me it was just the sun shining on the mountain. Uhh, no!

8. F Leon Draisaitl celebrates his 19th birthday today as his Edmonton Oilers play host to the Montreal Canadiens. Assuming he plays tonight, it will be his ninth NHL game. If he plays a 10th game, the first year of his three-year contract is activated. The Oilers are expected to decide his immediate future -- stay with them or be returned to the Prince Albert Raiders -- before that 10th game arrives.

9. Spent part of the evening wondering how much Seattle Thunderbirds head coach Steve Konowalchuk will be fined for his Saturday night rant on the state of WHL officiating. Also wondering if it will have an impact on his Christmas shopping.

10. That’s quite a drama the CBC has on its hands, isn’t it? Too bad it’s not a 10-part TV series. Yet.
 
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All signs point toward the Brandon Wheat Kings trading away Czech F Richard Nejezchleb, 20. His presence gives Brandon three 20s, and that’s one over the maximum. Last season, he had 57 points, including a team-high 32 goals, in 66 games with the Wheat Kings. . . . Kelly McCrimmon, the Wheat Kings’ owner, general manager and head coach, says Nejezchleb played “like a man” last season. This season, he’s the odd-man out. . . . His NHL rights belong to the New York Rangers, and he returned to Brandon from the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. But the Wheat Kings don’t have room for him. Allowed to keep two imports, it’s obvious that Brandon will hang on to Latvian F Rihards Bukarts, 19, and freshman Russian D Ivan Provorov. . . . Every other team in the WHL has two imports, so someone is going to have to open up a spot in order to acquire an awfully good player. For once, it would seem that McCrimmon isn’t dealing from a position of strength. He’s got about 10 days in which to move one of his imports and it would appear that another team is going to get a really good player for a mere pittance.
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There is speculation that the owner of the American League's Tampa Bay Rays is perhaps wanting to relocate the franchise to Montreal, the former home of the Expos. How excited should Montreal baseball fans get? Richard Griffin, who is the Toronto Star's baseball columnist and who once worked for the Expos, explores the situation right here.
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If you are of a certain vintage, you may be a Billy Joel fan. If that is the case, Nick Paumgarten has written a terrific piece for The New Yorker that is titled the Thirty-Three-Hit Wonder. It's long and it's right here.
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SUNDAY'S REPORT:

In Calgary, the Prince George Cougars scored the game's first three goals and went on to beat the Hitmen, 3-2. . . . G Tavin Grant, a 16-year-old making his third career start, stopped 25 shots and got his first victory. . . . F Tyler Mrkonjic scored his third goal of the season at 3:32 of the third period to gave the Cougars a 3-0 lead. . . . F Chase Lang (7:53) and F Adam Tambellini (16:51), on a PP, got the Hitmen to within one. . . . Lang and Tambellini each has eight goals, as does Prince George F Chase Witala, who scored the game’s first goal. . . .

In Edmonton, the defending Memorial Cup-champion Oil Kings ran their record to 9-3-1 with a 3-1 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Edmonton F Edgars Kulda opened the scoring at 9:26 of the second period and the Oil Kings nursed that lead in the last three minutes of the third. . . . F Lane Bauer upped Edmonton's lead to 2-0 at 17:31 before Moose Jaw F Jack Rodewald scored at 18:36. . . . Edmonton F Tyler Robertson got an empty-netter at 19:41. . . . The Oil Kings took all four of the game's minor penalties. . . . The Oil Kings are 6-0-1 in their last seven games. . . . The Warriors went 0-3 on an Alberta swing, in large part because they scored only three goals. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald has more right here. . . .

In Regina, F Adam Brooks, F Braden Christoffer and F Patrick D'Amico each scored twice as the Pats dumped the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 8-1. . . . The Pats, who had been on a four-game losing skid, led 1-0 and 5-0 at the period breaks. . . . Lethbridge F Lenny Hackman scored his first goal at 9:36 of the third period. . . . Regina G Daniel Wapple stopped 35 shots. . . . Lethbridge G Stuart Skinner, making his third start in 48 hours, gave up four goals on 30 shots before giving way to Zac Robidoux, who stopped 12 of 16 shots. . . . Regina F Morgan Klimchuk had a goal, his third, and two assists. . . . The Hurricanes had won their previous three games.
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Halloween came early #16stitches #brokennose pic.twitter.com/kbesrxoVx4
— Reid Gardiner (@reidgardiner19) October 27, 2014

Fiddler lands with Cougars

THE MacBETH REPORT:



D Jeff Woywitka (Red Deer, 1999-2003) has signed for the rest of the season with Augsburger Panther (Germany, DEL). Last season, with the Peoria Rivermen (AHL), he had 11 points, including one goal, in 34 games. . . .





D Ray Macias (Kamloops, 2002-07) has been released by the Braehead Clan Glasgow (Scotland, UK Elite). He had five points, two of them goals, in eight games. Macias was signed as an injury replacement for D Kenton Smith (Calgary, 1995-2000), who was cleared to return to action on Monday.
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This story about the closing of a Waffle House will be the best thing you read today. Maybe the best story you will read this week or this month. Click right here. You won't be disappointed.
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Remember the WHL feature Ask the Commissioner? Well, the show is going on the road.
Ron Robison, the commissioner of the WHL, will be in Kelowna on Thursday where he and Bruce Hamilton, the Rockets president/general manager and the chairman of the WHL's board of governors, will take part in a question-and-answer session.
According to a Rockets news release, "seating will be open to the first 100 season-ticket holders to RSVP . . ."
Regan Bartel, the Rockets' radio voice, will serve as moderator and, on his blog, he reports that "over one hundred Kelowna Rockets season-ticket holders" will get to share in the fun.
Bartel suggests on his blog that "one of the issues that will likely surface is last year's playoffs where officiating, particularly in a second-round series with Kamloops, appeared to be one-sided."
So that's one question for Ask the Commish — why did the officiating suck in that series? With Bartel having suggested one question, here as a public service are a few more:
1. How interested is the WHL in getting a franchise into Winnipeg under the ownership of True North Sport & Entertainment?
2. Assuming the WHL wants into Winnipeg, would it prefer to put an expansion franchise in there or to move one of its existing small-market teams?
3. It seems that team expenses continue to rise while revenues appear to have gone flat. That being the case, is anything being done to help out the small-market teams?
4. Is revenue sharing in the WHL's future?
5. How much concern is there in the WHL office that attendance in Kelowna has dropped by about 1,000 per game from two seasons ago?
6. While it's nice to be able to watch WHL games on Shaw, why does the WHL feel it's important to have its games on TV, especially early in the season?
7. How much impact does having those games on live TV have on the gate for those  televised games?
8. On Oct. 30, the Kootenay Ice played in Red Deer and the game was televised on Shaw. Attendance was announced as 4,209 but anyone who watched knows there weren't nearly that many people in the building. Would the WHL consider having its teams announce true attendance figures (bums in the seats) from games, rather than number of tickets in distribution or whatever it is they announce now?
9. The chances of a franchise landing in Nanaimo appear to be slim and none. Will the WHL or the Victoria Royals consider paying travel subsidies to help teams cover the expenses incurred when having to travel to Vancouver Island?
10. How can the WHL penalize players for checking an opponent to the head — in some instances, players are even suspended for that foul — while allowing two players to stand and punch each other in the head?
11. How many brain injuries have been incurred by WHL players over the last two seasons?
12. What all went into the WHL's decision not to publish its annual Guide?
13. In this video age where teams put their highlights online, why are teams allowed to give phantom assists to players who don't deserve them?
14. Taking Ask the Commissioner on the road is a great idea. Do you have a session planned for Portland?
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Controversy over an apparent brain injury has come to British soccer after a goalkeeper was knocked unconscious during a Sunday game but was allowed to stay in the game. Sam Borden of The New York Times has more right here.
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The Regina Pats have trimmed two players from their roster and added a goaltender. . . . D Stephen Hak, 19, and F Patrick D'Amico, 19, have both been released. Hak came over from the Red Deer Rebels last season. From Winnipeg, he had 10 points in 73 games with Regina.This season, he had five assists in 16 games. D'Amico had three points, including one goal, in 13 games this season. . . . The Pats also added G Nicholas Schneider, 16, from the midget AAA Leduc, Alta., Chrysler Oil Kings. He will support Dawson MacAuley, following the release of G Mac Engel, 20.
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F Todd Fiddler, who scored 42 goals last season for the Spokane Chiefs, has been acquired by the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Moose Jaw Warriors got Fiddler from the Chiefs over the offseason, but dropped him last week. He had 10 points in 14 games with the Warriors, but had been a healthy scratch three times. . . . In 228 regular-season WHL games, split among the Medicine Hat Tigers, Prince Albert Raiders, Spokane and Moose Jaw, Fiddler, from Meadow Lake, Sask., has 153 points, including 79 goals. . . . The Cougars gave the Warriors a conditional fifth-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft. . . . Fiddler's arrival will leave the Cougars with three 20-year-olds, the others being F Klarc Wilson and D Peter Kosterman. . . . The Cougars next play Friday when they meet the Rockets in Kelowna.
Katie Brickman of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald has more on the trade right here, including Warriors general manager Alan Millar on whether a junior A team may have tampered with Fiddler.
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Former NHL D Jamie Macoun sometimes can't remember the names of his children. He can't remember his dog's name. . . . So he is all for the funding that the Canadian government announced Monday will be used for new research into brain injuries in children and youths. . . . Bill Graveland of The Canadian Press has more right here.
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes announced Monday that D Kristian Khenkel will be permitted to join the WHL team after playing for his native Belarus at the IIHF World Junior Championship (Division I Group A) in Sanok, Poland, Dec. 15-21. From Minsk, Khenkel will turn 18 on Thursday. . . . The Hurricanes selected Khenkel in the first round of the CHL's 2013 import draft. However, the IIHF had refused to approve Khenkel's international transfer, choosing to validate a contract he had signed in 2011 at 14 years of age.
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George Johnson of the Calgary Herald is one of our country's best wordsmiths. Right here is a piece on Herm (Ham Hands) Harrison, one of the greatest of all tight ends to have played in the CFL. Harrison, who starred with the Calgary Stampeders, died on Saturday.
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Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reports that Saskatoon Blades D Aryton Nikkel, who has been out since Oct. 25, won't play until sometime after the weekend. . . . Steve Hildebrand, the Blades' athletic trainer, told Bowman that Nikkel won't play for "another week or two." . . . Nikkel, 18, suffered an undisclosed injury in a fight with Evan Polei of the Red Deer Rebels.
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F Anthony Ast of the Vancouver Giants isn't expected to play tonight against the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . According to Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province, Ast didn't practice Monday thanks to an undisclosed injury. Ast, who has six points, including three goals, in 18 games this season, missed 64 games over his first two seasons.
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From Todd Vrooman (@ToddVrooman), the play-by-play voice of the Portland Winterhawks: "The @pdxwinterhawks have trailed for a grand total of 7:15 during their entire 11-game winning streak."


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THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Tomas Mojzis (Moose Jaw, Seattle, 2000-03) was recalled from his loan assignment to Sparta Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga) by Lev Prague (Czech Republic, KHL). He had one goal and two assists in nine games while on assignment to Sparta. This season with Lev, Mojzis is pointless in five games. . . .
F Simon Ferguson (Lethbridge, Kelowna, 1999-2004) signed a contract for the rest of the season with the Sheffield Steelers (England, UK Elite). He had three assists in ten games with Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia, Austria Erste Bank Liga) earlier this season. Last season, Ferguson had 18 goals and 33 assists in 40 games with Esbjerg (Denmark, AL-Bank Liga). . . .
F Jan Fadrny (Brandon, Kelowna, 1998-2001) was granted his release for personal reasons by Martin (Slovakia, Extraliga). He had four goals and seven assists in 22 games for Martin this season.
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Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has written an excellent piece on Saskatoon Blades F Jessey Astles and the aftermath of the wrist surgery that may have ended his season.
Astles, you may recall, was cut by one of his own skates in the aftermath of a line brawl with the visiting Regina Pats on Nov. 9.
It seems that two players suffered skate cuts during that same bunch of scraps.
Regina D Colton Jobke, 20, was cut across the top of one hand. He suffered some severe tendon damage and underwent surgery. The Pats have no idea when he might return to action.
It was because of that injury that the Pats signed D Alex Theriau, 20. With Jobke out indefinitely, Regina had room for a third 20-year-old. Then, during one of their first two games in B.C. on the weekend, they thought they had lost Theriau with a broken collarbone, but it turned out only to be bruised.
Interestingly, the Pats have lost two other players to skate cuts this season. F Chandler Stephenson and F Patrick D’Amico both are out.
D‘Amico was stepped on during practice on Sept. 19 and is out week-to-week.
Stephenson suffered a cut foot during a game against the visiting Tri-City Americans on Oct. 19 and isn’t expected back until perhaps January.
All of these skate cuts — and three of them having happened to Regina players — brings back memories of Josh Holden. A highly skilled centre with the Pats (1994-98), Holden suffered an awful cut to a wrist during Game 2 of a first-round playoff series with the Moose Jaw Warriors. Holden suffered severe tendon damage and underwent immediate surgery. That turned out to be the Holden’s last game in the WHL, as he turned pro the following season. I think it’s fair to say that Holden was never the same player.
Having covered that game, I cringe every time a player loses a glove during game, even today. On Saturday night, Kamloops D Marek Hrbas lost a glove and looked as though he was going to stay on the ice, and it was all I could do to keep from standing up in the press box and yelling at him to get off the ice.
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The Regina Pats are going to honour former star F Jordan Eberle by retiring his number on Dec. 5. The ceremony had been scheduled for earlier this season but had to be postponed because Eberle ended up with the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons due to the NHL lockout. . . . The Red Deer Rebels will provide the opposition in Regina on Dec. 5 and Eberle is scheduled to be in attendance.
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It seems that Roman Vopat (Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, 1994-96) is out as general manager and head coach of the junior B Kimberley Dynamiters of the Kootenay International Junior League. It seems the organization is setting up a committee to study the operation. . . . Jordan Foreman, who has done this before, is the interim head coach, with help from assistant coach Kris Knoblauch, the former Kootenay Ice head coach. . . . All of this is interesting because the Dynamiters were 14-9 at the time of the move. Last season, under Vopat, they got to Game 7 of their division final. . . .
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The Prince Albert Raiders have brought in G Nick McBride from the major midget Vancouver-North East Chiefs. . . . The Raiders are in Moose Jaw tonight and likely will have McBride, 15, on the bench backing up starter Luke Siemens. McBride was a second-round selection in the WHL’s 2012 bantam draft. . . . Andy Desautels, the Raiders’ No. 2 goaltender, has a broken finger. . . . The Raiders used G Rylan Parenteau of the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts as the backup for a couple of weekend games. . . . Prince Albert may have F Reid Gardiner, 16, back tonight after suffering an undisclosed injury against the visiting Tri-City Americans on Oct. 16. . . . The Warriors, by the way, haven’t played in eight days. Yes, there are some bizarre things about this season’s schedule. . . . Moose Jaw F Miles Warkentine, who has been out since Oct. 13 with a suspected concussion, could return to the lineup tonight.
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D Ryan Murray of the Everett Silvertips has a tear in the labrum in one shoulder. Murray, who was injured Friday in Victoria, had an MRI in Everett. He was selected second overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the NHL’s 2012 draft. He will be in Columbus early next week where the Blue Jackets’ medical staff will evaluate him. A decision then will be made regarding surgery. Chances are Murray will need surgery, meaning he likely will be gone for as long as five months. . . . According to Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald: “Murray suffered a dislocated shoulder during the second period of Everett's 5-0 loss at Victoria last Friday. Murray was defending Victoria's Logan Nelson on a one-on-one when the players collided. Murray felt the shoulder give on the contact, then the problem was compounded when Murray landed awkwardly on the shoulder on the ice.” . . . The injury means Murray won’t play for Canada at the World Junior Championship.
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F Cain Franson, who hasn’t played since suffering a concussion on Oct. 24, may be back in the Vancouver Giants’ lineup tonight as they play the Winterhawks in Portland. . . . Franson has missed 11 games. . . . D Tyler Yaworski of the Brandon Wheat KIngs served a three-game suspension for the hit that took out Franson. . . . Vancouver F Trevor Cheek takes a six-game goal-scoring streak into tonight’s game. He is from Vancouver, Wash., so should have some supporters in the stands in Portland. . . . Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun also reports that Giants G Liam Liston is almost ready to return to action. He suffered an ankle injury on Nov. 1 and hopes to practise Friday.
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The Kelowna Rockets hope to have F J.T. Barnett (knee) and F Carter Rigby (shoulder) back this weekend. . . . Barnett has been out for 21 games, while Rigby has watched 14. . . . The Rockets, riding a six-game winning streak on home ice, are at home to the Regina Pats on Friday and the Saskatoon Blades on Saturday.
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G Carey Price is back in the WHL. Yes, he’s 25, but that hasn’t kept him off the ice with his old club, the Tri-City Americans. . . . Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald has that story right here.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors announced Tuesday that D Reid Jackson, 19, has been shut down for the season “due to concussion and post-concussion symptoms.” . . . The Warriors acquired Jackson from the Prince George Cougars in May. He had two assists and 12 penalty minutes in 12 games. He also has played with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Jackson hasn’t played since an Oct. 24 game against the visiting Hurricanes.
The WHL, of course, guards its injury information the way bodyguards protect President Obama. . . . But in attempting to track the number of concussions suffered this season it would appear that number is higher than 24.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Edmonton, F Stephane Legault scored two PP goals as the Oil Kings scored a 2-1 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Legault scored his first two goals this season in his first game back after a 15-game absence due to a foot injury. . . . Legault’s first goal apparently deflected in off the foot that he had injured. . . . Edmonton Oilers assistant coach Kelly Buchberger, who is good friends with Swift Current GM/head coach Mark Lamb, took part in the Broncos’ morning skate. . . . F Jake DeBrusk, who signed with the Broncos on Monday, also was on the ice. He plays for the Edmonton-South Side Athletic Club’s midget club. . . . The Oil Kings also got F Mitch Moroz back after a three-game injury-related absence. . . .

In Lethbridge, Calgary G Chris Driedger stopped 42 shots as the Hitmen beat the Hurricanes, 3-2. . . . F Carson Samoridny gave Calgary a 3-2 lead at 1:47 of the third period and the Hitmen went on to victory. . . . Lethbridge was 1-for-8 on the PP; the Hitmen were 0-for-3. . . .

In Medicine Hat, G Patrik Bartosak turned aside 43 shots to lead the Red Deer Rebels to a 4-0 victory over the Tigers. . . . Bartosak, a Czech who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury after getting into 25 games last season, has one shutout this season and two in his career. He is11-7-1, 2.56, .930 this season. . . . F Wyatt Johnston’s third goal this season, a shorthanded score at 3:36 of the first period, stood up as the winner. . . . Medicine Hat lost F Curtis Valk with a boarding major and game misconduct at 15:59 of the third period. . . . Red Deer F Rhyse Dieno had one assist. He has four points and is plus-5 in three games since joining the Rebels last week from the SJHL’s La Ronge Timber Wolves. . . . Brent Sutter, the Rebels’ owner/president/GM/interim head coach, is 3-0 since going back behind the bench. . . . The Tigers, who have lost five straight games, remain without F Hunter Shinkaruk, who suffered a skate cut of some sort during a game in Portland on Saturday. . .

In Prince George, F Carson Bolduc scored in the fourth round of the circus to give the Cougars a 4-3 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . The Cougars had lost seven games in a row. . . . The Pats got two first-period goals 41 seconds apart from F Lane Scheidl to go up 2-0. . . . Prince George F Brad Morrison, 15, got his first WHL goal on the PP at 9:49 of the second. Morrison, who was outstanding in his WHL debut on Saturday in Kamloops, was the game’s first star. . . . Bolduc’s first WHL goal, at 15:28 of the second, got the Cougars to within one and F Jarrett Fontaine, with his second goal, tied it at 19:33 of the second. . . . Regina G Matt Hewitt stopped 37 shots, while Prince George’s Mac Engel made 13 saves. . . . Prince George F Alex Forsberg was unsuccessful on a second-period penalty shot. . . . Attendance was 1,454. . . . Regina is 1-0-2 on its B.C. swing that continues tonight in Kamloops. . . . The Pats have points in each of their last four games. . . . The Cougars will play their next four games against the Victoria Royals. They play Friday and Saturday in Victoria and the following Friday and Saturday in Prince George. . . . Seriously. Four straight. . . .

In Victoria, F Jamie Crooks scored twice as the Royals dropped the Saskatoon Blades, 5-2. . . . Crooks, a 20-year-old from Vermilion, Alta., began his WHL career with the Blades, playing eight games in 2009-09 and six in 2009-10 before being dealt to the Chilliwack Bruins (remember them?). . . . The Bruins, of course, morphed into the Royals prior to last season. . . . Saskatoon lost F Shane McColgan in the second period after a collision with Victoria F Luke Harrison. McColgan fell and struck his head. He played one PP shift after that, left the game and didn’t return.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Pavlo Padakin, Calgary
D Tyler Stahl, Victoria (double minor)

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None
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From Tri-City D Justin Hamonic (@Hammertime6): “If I can move as well as Alice Cooper when I’m 64 I’ll be a happy man. What a show!!”
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From Medicine Hat D Derek Ryckman (@rycks25): “Wishing @reidjackson29 a healthy and quick recovery #niceguybigbush”

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