Showing posts with label Ryan Button. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ryan Button. Show all posts

Saturday, January 3, 2015

Shynkaruk fills his hat . . . Silvertips 2-0 in East Division . . . Klimchuk strikes for Wheaties








D David Hájek (Spokane, 1998-99) has been released by Bad Neuheim (Germany, DEL2). His contract expired on Dec. 31. He had two goals and five assists in 12 games. . . .
D Rory Rawlyk (Medicine Hat, Vancouver, Prince Albert, Red Deer, 2000-03) has been released by the Coventry Blaze (England, UK Elite). He had six goals and 14 assists in 34 games. Rawlyk requested his release “to take up a career opportunity outside of hockey in North America” per Blaze press release. . . .
D Ryan Button (Prince Albert, Seattle, 2007-11) has signed a two-year extension with the Iserlohn Roosters (Germany, DEL). The extension runs through the 2016-2017 season. Button has dual German/Canadian citizenship. He has four goals and 11 assists in 30 games this season.
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THE LATEST ON LEON . . .


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When Saturday’s games began, the WHL’s standings showed 15 of its 22 teams with winning percentages of .500 or better. . . . But only 10 of those 22 teams actually had more wins than losses. . . . After Saturday’s games, the numbers were 15 and 11 as the Portland Winterhawks won to get to 20-20 (20-17-3).
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The OHL’s Sudbury Wolves fired head coach Paul Fixter on Saturday, with associate coach Dave Matsos being named interim head coach. . . . Bryan Verreault stays on as an assistant coach. . . . The Wolves, at 7-25-1-1, have the OHL’s poorest record. They were beaten 7-0 by the visiting Ottawa 67’s on Friday. . . . Fixter had a 40-49-4-9 record as Sudbury’s head coach.
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Bill Chow, the president of the SJHL, delivered a president’s message on Thursday. In that message, he included details of an SJHL draft, the first of which will be held during the AGM in the first week of June. Details are right here.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:

In Moose Jaw, the Warriors scored five goals on eight second-period shots as they beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 8-2. . . . F Jesse Shynkaruk scored three times for the Warriors, giving him six this season. He’s got five goals in 18 games since being acquired from the Kamloops Blazers. . . . F Tanner Eberle added two goals for Moose Jaw, giving him 23, while F Jack Rodewald scored his 19th goal and had two assists. . . . After a scoreless first period, the Warriors scored four times in a span of 8:21 in the second. . . . Warriors G Zach Sawchenko stopped 25 shots. . . . The Warriors were 2-for-3 on the PP; the Raiders were 0-for-4. . . . Prince Albert is without D Tomas Andrlik, who suffered an ankle injury while playing with his billets on an outdoor rink. . . . The Warriors (16-20-4) snapped a seven-game (0-6-1) losing skid. . . . The Raiders (16-23-1) have lost five in a row, scoring only six goals in the process. . . . The Warriors are fourth in the East Division, three points clear of the Raiders. Moose Jaw is six points behind the third-place Swift Current Broncos and seven points out of a wild-card spot. . . .

In Saskatoon, F Kohl Bauml scored twice to lead the Everett Silvertips to a 6-2 victory over the Blades. . . . Everett is 2-0-0 on its six-game East Division swing. . . . F Sam McKechnie got Saskatoon on the board first, with his 14th goal, on a PP, at 6:54 of the first period. . . . The Silvertips scored the game’s next five goals. . . . Bauml, who is from Saskatoon, has 17 goals. He tied the game at 8:17 of the first and gave his guys the lead 28 seconds into the second on a PP. . . . Everett F Nikita Scherback, who was acquired from Saskatoon early in the season, had two assists. . . . Saskatoon G Nik Amundrud, who began the season with Everett, gave up five goals on 20 shots before being replaced by Trevor Martin at 9:16 of the second. . . . Everett D Noah Juulsen also had two assists. . . . Everett G Carter Hart stopped 26 shots in winning for the second time in as many nights. . . . Saskatoon F Garrett Armour was given a charging major and game misconduct at 9:48 of the second period. . . . Everett was 3-for-4 on the PP; Saskatoon was 2-for-3. . . . The Silvertips now are 23-11-4. . . . The Blades (9-28-3) have lost three in a row. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has a game story right here. . . .

In Brandon, F Morgan Klimchuk broke a 4-4 tie at 5:43 of the third period and the Wheat Kings went on to a 7-4 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Klimchuk, who also had an assist, scored his 15th goal in his first game with his new team. He was acquired from the Regina Pats on Friday. . . . Calgary F Jody Stallard, who is from Brandon, gave the Hitmen a 3-1 lead with his fourth goal at 7:01 of the second. . . . The Wheat Kings took a 4-3 lead on goals from F Rihards Bukarts, his 14th, F Nolan Patrick, his 17th, and F Jayce Hawryluk, his 17th, in a span of 3:34 late in the period. . . . Calgary D Michael Zipp scored his second goal of the game, and sixth of the season, at 4:05 of the third to tie it at 4. . . . Patrick also had two assists, while Hawryluk finished with two goals and an assist. He added one of Brandon’s two empty-net goals. F Tim McGauley got the other, his 25th goal this season. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pilon had three assists and was plus-4; D Macoy Erkamps had one assist and also was plus-4. . . . The Wheat Kings (29-7-4) have points in 10 straight (8-0-2). . . . The Hitmen, who play in Regina tonight, are 20-15-3. . . . Calgary, Kootenay and Edmonton are tied for third place in the Central Division. . . . Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun has a game story right here. . . . Prior to the game, the Wheat Kings announced that F Ty Lewis, 16, had been sent to the midget AAA Wheat Kings for the remainder of this season. Lewis, a third-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft, is from Brandon. He suffered a broken arm in training camp and missed a lot of the season, getting into only two games with the WHL Wheat Kings. . . . Lewis had two goals and an assist on Saturday as the midget AAA Wheat Kings beat the Winnipeg Thrashers, 6-2. . . .

In Edmonton, F Davis Koch broke a 1-1 tie at 14:00 of the second period as the Oil Kings beat the Kootenay Ice, 3-1. . . . Koch has two goals this season. . . . Edmonton F Brett Pollock opened the scoring at 10:16 of the first, scoring his 17th on a PP. That was Edmonton’s first PP goal in five games. . . . The Ice tied it on F Matt Alfaro’s sixth goal at 10:12 of the second. . . . Edmonton F Lane Bauer got his 11th goal into an empty net at 19:18 of the third. . . . The Ice was 0-for-7 on the PP; the Oil Kings were 1-for-3. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry stopped 32 shots, three more than Kootenay’s Wyatt Hoflin. . . . The Oil Kings were able to dress only 10 forwards, and only four of those are veterans of the Memorial Cup-championship team. . . . The Oil Kings (19-16-5) have won three in a row. The victory allowed them to pull into a tie for third in the Central Division with Kootenay and Calgary. . . . The Ice (21-18-1) had points in each of its previous seven games (6-0-1). . . . Prior to the game, the Ice announced that D Tanner Lishchynsky will stay with the team for the remainder of the season. He went into last night with two assists in four games. A Saskatoon native, he had been with the SJHL’s Flin Flon Bombers. Lishchynsky, who turns 20 on Monday, was a 10th-round pick by the Vancouver Giants in the 2010 bantam draft. . . .

In Lethbridge, D Brett Cote scored in the sixth round of the shootout to give the Red Deer Rebels a 3-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Lethbridge F Ryley Lindgren and Red Deer F Brooks Maxwell also scored in the shootout. . . . Red Deer F Preston Kopeck forced OT with his 10th goal at 18:09 of the third period. . . . The Hurricanes took a 2-0 lead into the second on goals by F Miles Warkentine, his second, and F Tyler Cooper, his 12th. . . . Red Deer D Nelson Nogier scored his second goal of the season at 17:53 of the second. . . . Lethbridge G Stuart Skinner stopped 36 shots, five more than Red Deer’s Taz Burman. . . . The Rebels improved to 21-14-5 and remain second in the Central Division. . . . The Hurricanes (9-23-6) have lost four straight. . . .

In Medicine Hat, G Marek Langhamer turned aside 46 shots, including 25 in the third period, to lead the Tigers to a 2-1 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Tigers F Chad Butcher returned from injury to score his 12th goal of the season at 7:11 of the second period. He hadn’t played since Dec. 7, missing seven games with a concussion. . . . Tigers F Curtis Sanford notched his 31st at 7:36 of the third. . . . Broncos F Zac Mackay scored his fourth goal, shorthanded, at 10:45 of the third. . . . Broncos G Landon Bow stopped 30 shots. . . . Each team was 0-for-2 on the PP. . . . Tigers F Trevor Cox, who leads the WHL with 65 points, had one assist. . . . The Tigers (27-9-2) have won three straight. . . . The Broncos (19-17-4) have lost two in a row. . . .

In Kamloops, the Blazers scored twice in a shootout and beat the Vancouver Giants, 3-2. . . . F Deven Sideroff got the winner in the fourth round, after teammate Jake Kryski and Vancouver F Jackson Houck had earlier shootout goals. . . . Vancouver D Josh Thrower’s third goal of the season, at 16:15 of the third period, forced OT. . . . Kamloops F Matt Revel had broken a 1-1 tie with his 14th goal at 9:04 of the third. . . . Kamloops F Deven Sideroff opened the scoring, with his 14th, at 7:17 of the first. . . . Vancouver D Anwar Atwal scored his fifth at 18:41 of the first. . . . Kamloops G Connor Ingram stopped 43 shots, while Vancouver’s Cody Porter turned aside 32. . . . Referees Kevin Bennett and Mike Langin officiated a penalty-free game. . . . Kamloops F Matt Needham picked up his 100th career assist on the game’s first goal. . . . Among the Blazers’ scratches were two of their 20-year-olds, D Brady Gaudet, who is injured, and F Mike Winther, who hasn’t scored since Nov. 19. . . . D Conner McDonald, a second-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft, made his WHL with the Blazers. . . . Kamloops (14-23-5) had lost its previous five games. . . . The Giants (18-19-2) had won their previous two games. . . . The loser point allowed Vancouver to pull into a tie with Prince George for third in the B.C. Division. They are five points ahead of Kamloops. . . . Kamloops F Luke Harrison wasn’t suspended by the WHL after taking a charging major and game misconduct in the third period of a 6-4 loss to the visiting Kelowna Rockets on Friday night. . . .

In Portland, G Adin Hill stopped 35 shots for his first WHL shutout as the Winterhawks dumped the Tri-City Americans, 3-0. . . . The Winterhawks held a 50-35 edge in shots. . . . F Evan Weinger’s sixth goal, at 8:55 of the second period, got Portland started. . . . D Anton Cederholm got his fifth at 2:38 of the third and F Miles Koules scored his 14th into an empty net at 18:08. . . . F Keegan Iverson had two assists. . . . Tri-City D Brandon Carlo was back after playing with the U.S. side at the World Junior Championship. . . . The Winterhawks had F Chase De Leo back after his time with the U.S. team. . . . D Layne Viveiros was among Portland’s scratches. . . . The Americans dressed 17 skaters, one under the maximum. D Tyler Fraser, 17, played his first game this season. . . . F Austin Gray played his first game with Portland. He plays for the Prince George-based Cariboo Cougars and leads the B.C. Major Midget League in scoring, with 46 points in 25 games. . . . The Winterhawks (20-17-3), who entertain Seattle tonight, ended a three-game losing skid. . . . The Americans (18-18-2) have lost three in a row (1-1-1). . . .

In Victoria, F Austin Carroll broke a 2-2 tie at 11:57 of the second period and the Royals went on to a 4-2 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Royals had beaten the visiting Chiefs 8-1 on Friday night. . . . Carroll has 26 goals. . . . Spokane F Kailer Yamamoto’s 16th goal, at 19:30 of the first, on a PP, gave his guys a 2-1 lead. . . . Victoria D Travis Brown tied it with his 15th at 8:49 of the second. . . . Royals F Tyler Soy scored his 13th into an empty net at 19:14 of the third. . . . Spokane F Adam Helewka got his 20th goal of the season. . . . The Royals (20-18-3) have won three in a row. . . . The Chiefs (21-14-3) have lost two straight. . . . The Royals beat the Chiefs 8-1 on Friday night. . . .

In Kelowna, F Tomas Soustal scored his first goal since Nov. 15 and it stood up as the winner as the Rockets beat the Prince George Cougars, 4-3. . . . Soustal, a Czech freshman, has six goals. He had gone 17 games without a goal. . . . Soustal’s goal, at 12:14 of the third period on a PP, gave the Rockets a 4-2 lead. . . . Cougars F Cal Babych got his fourth goal at 13:35. . . . Kelowna F Nick Merkley had a goal, his 13th, and an assist as he reached 61 points, four off the league lead. . . . Prince George F Brad Morrison had three assists. . . . The Rockets (31-6-3) have won two in a row. . . . The Cougars (19-21-0) have lost two in a row. . . . F Ethan O’Rourke, a 15-year-old from Penticton, made his WHL debut with the Cougars. He was a third-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft and now plays for the Okanagan Hockey Academy.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:52 PM
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Friday, July 25, 2014

Tweet! Tweet! Virtanen breaks the news








D Ryan Button (Prince Albert, Seattle, 2007-11) has signed a one-year contract with the Iserlohn Roosters (Germany, DEL). Last season, with the Texas Stars (AHL), he had three goals in 26 games. He also had 23 points, including seven goals in 26 games with the Idaho Steelheads (ECHL).
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1. WHL teams will start training camps in about four weeks time, and the Regina Pats still don’t have a head coach. In fact, they are the only WHL team without a head coach. They are short two assistant coaches, as well. . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has the latest right here.
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2. The Vancouver Canucks have signed F Jake Virtanen of the Calgary Hitmen to a three-year entry-level contract. Virtanen, from Abbotsford, B.C., was the sixth overall selection in the NHL’s 2014 draft. He had 71 points, including 45 goals, in 71 games with the Hitmen last season, his second in the WHL. The Hitmen selected him with the first overall pick in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . In what surely is a sign of the times, Virtanen broke the news of his signing via his Twitter account.
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3. The Saskatoon Blades have signed F Wyatt Sloboshan, 17, to a WHL contract. Sloboshan was a third-round selection by the Swift Current Broncos in the 2012 bantam draft. The Blades acquired him in January as part of a deal in which F Nathan Burns went to Swift Current. From Vanscoy, Sask., Sloboshan had 77 points, including 27 goals, in 45 games with a midget team at the Okanagan Hockey Academy.
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4. The Edmonton Oil Kings have added Ryan Marsh to their coaching staff as the lead assistant under head coach Steve Hamilton. Marsh 39, has been an assistant coach with the U of Alberta Golden Bears for the past two seasons and the hockey director for Vimy Ridge Academy for 12 years. . . . Hamilton and Marsh are friends, having coached together with the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints and Fort Saskatchewan Traders. They also worked together at Vimy Ridge.
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5. Dustin Forbes is the new play-by-play voice of the Lethbridge Hurricanes. He takes over from Pat Siedlecki, who lost his spot when CJOC chose not to get involved in bidding for a new contract. . . . The Hurricanes will be heard on Rock 106 when the new season begins. . . . Forbes spent last season with the BCHL’s Cowichan Capitals. He also has done play-by-play for the SJHL’s La Ronge Ice Wolves and the junior B Richmond Sockeyes and Comox Valley Glacier Kings.
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6. The CFL hit the big time on Friday . . . the really, really big time. ESPN.com carried a story on the goings-on Thursday in Edmonton that culminated Friday morning when Connor Croken, 20, claimed the winnings from the 50-50 draw that was held during the game between the Eskimos and Calgary Stampeders. Croken showed up to let them know the $322,216 was his. He'll be back Tuesday to pick up his cheque. . . . The ESPN piece is right here.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:49 PM
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Thursday, May 5, 2011

Thursday . . .

Jim Thomson, a former NHL enforcer, tells Sean Fitz-Gerald of the National Post that it’s time for fighting in hockey to come to an end. Thomson, with five children, is a recovering alcoholic who is afraid for his future and wonders how much blows to the head have had to do with all that he has gone through since his career ended. That story is right here.
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Eric Welsh of the Chilliwack Progress has the latest on that city and the situation involving a possible hockey team for the 2011-12 season. It may or may not be the Quesnel Millionaires. That story is right here.
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In the QMJHL, the host Saint John Sea Dogs got the winning goal at 12:17 of the third period as they opened the championship final with a 2-1 victory over the Gatineau Olympiques. . . . Former WHL G Jacob DeSerres made 22 saves for the winners. . . . .Game 2 is Saturday in Saint John.
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In the OHL, the visiting Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors beat the Owen Sound Attack 6-2 to take a 2-0 lead in that best-of-seven final. . . . .Game 3 is tonight in Mississauga. . . . St. Mike’s is the host team for the Memorial Cup so both teams will play in the tournament.
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JUST NOTES: You have to wonder how thrilled the head coaches of the Kootenay Ice and Portland Winterhawks are to have to attend a news conference today. Kris Knoblauch of the Ice and Mike Johnston of the Winterhawks, along with two players from each team, will attend the WHL’s news conference in advance of Game 1 of the championship final. . . . Can’t believe either coach is very happy about having to put players through this on a game day. . . . D Ryan Button, who went from the Prince Albert Raiders to the Seattle Thunderbirds on Jan. 10, signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s Boston Bruins. According to capgeek.com, the deal calls for an AHL salary of US$60,000 in each season, with NHL salaries of $585,000, $610,000 and $660,000. His signing bonus if $180,000 over three years. . . .
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THE COACHING GAME: Willy Palov of the Halifax Chronicle-Herald reports that “the Halifax Mooseheads will introduce Dominique Ducharme as their new head coach at a news conference Friday. Majority owner Bobby Smith was flying from Phoenix to Halifax on Thursday to get here in time for the introduction and didn’t want to tip his hand about who is getting the job. But other informed sources confirmed Ducharme is the guy.” Ducharme has been an assistant coach with the Montreal Juniors for the last three seasons. . . . The OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds made it official Thursday when they introduced Mike Stapleton as their new head coach. A former Soo assistant, he spent this season as an assistant with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch.
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The more of these stories that surface, the scarier it gets. Richard Scott had what The Globe and Mail’s James Mirtle refers to as a “short, brutal and fight-filled career with the New York Rangers.” Concussions forced Scott out of the game at the age of 25. He suffered head injuries in December 2003 that prevent him from doing manual labour today. Now he wants to help researchers learn more about these head injuries. . . . Mirtle’s story is right here, and it’s worth noting that Johnny Bower, Bobby Baun and Gordie Howe are involved, too.
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And, finally, if you haven’t seen this it lasts less than a minute and is worth a look.
A team of BCHL players recently returned from Russia, where they played a handful of games. During one of the games, a fan somehow made his way onto the ice. No, he didn’t get a cheery welcome. Check it out right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:32 PM
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Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Your Tuesday morning feast . . .

One day after the Kootenay Ice sent five players and three bantam draft picks to the Swift Current Broncos for C Cody Eakin, 19, the Brandon Wheat Kings dealt C Brayden Schenn, 19, and a 2012 third-round bantam draft pick to the Saskatoon Blades for two prospects, three bantam draft picks and an import draft pick.
Schenn is a native of Saskatoon and the younger brother of Toronto Maple Leafs D Luke Schenn.
The Wheat Kings ended up with Saskatoon’s first-round bantam picks in 2011 and 2012, and a second-round selection in 2011, as well as a first-round selection in the CHL’s 2012 import draft.
As for the two prospects, F Tim McGauley of Wilcox, Sask., and D Ayrton Nikkel of Kelowna were the Blades’ top two selections in the 2010 bantam draft, one that is considered to be the deepest in recent history.
McGauley was taken by the Blades with the 20th pick of the 2010 draft. They then grabbed Nikkel with the 42nd selection.
McGauley plays for the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians, for whom he has 20 points, including seven goals, in 30 games. Last season, he had 103 points for the bantam Lumsden-Bethune Contacts.
Nikkel has 30 points, 10 of them goals, in 33 games with the midget AAA team at the Program of Excellence in Kelowna.
McGauley was pointless in five games with the Blades this season, while Nikkel played one game with them, without a point, on their B.C. Division swing. The Blades had Nikkel make his WHL debut on Dec. 4 in his hometown against the Rockets.
In a team-issued press release, Kelly McCrimmon, the Wheat Kings’ owner, GM and head coach, explained his thinking in making the deal:
“This trade is a very important trade for our franchise. We felt that it was important to recover from some of the moves we made to build our team for last season’s Memorial Cup. When we were awarded the Cup in October 2008, we felt then that it might be a three year process with today’s move being part of that process.
“Acquiring picks and prospects that include three first-round bantam draft selections, and two second-round picks, along with a first-round import draft choice was a return we could not afford to ignore.”
Schenn, who wore No. 10 in Brandon, will wear No. 21 with the Blades. Saskatoon has retired No. 10 in honour of Brian Skrudland.
Schenn starred for Team Canada at the World Junior Championship in Buffalo; in fact, he was selected as the tournament’s MVP. However, he returned with a shoulder injury and is listed as day-to-day.
Because he started this season with the Los Angeles Kings, who selected him fifth overall in the 2009 NHL draft, Schenn played only two games -- he had four points -- with Brandon before leaving for the Canadian junior team selection camp.
In 197 career regular-season games with Brandon, Schenn had 264 points, including 95 goals. He added 40 points in 33 playoff games.
Shortly after the trade was made official, Schenn posted on his Facebook page:
“Thanks Brandon. you will be missed, but I am looking forward to playing for the Blades.” He also left a YouTube link to Ozzy Osbourne’s Mama, I’m coming Home.
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One thing worth remembering is that the Blades are an original WHL team, having been in the league since 1966-67. Saskatoon, in fact, is the only franchise to have played in every WHL season.
And it has never won a Memorial Cup.
The Blades appeared in the 1989 tournament as the host team and lost the championship game in overtime to the Swift Current Broncos.
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While doing an interview with Drew Wilson of radio station CKBI in Prince Albert on Monday, I was asked if there was a winner on deadline day.
I suggested that it would be Kootenay or Saskatoon, should one of those teams win the WHL championship. I also said that I really liked the acquisition of D Matt MacKenzie by the Tri-City Americans because he is a terrific player with Memorial Cup experience.
However, upon further review as they say in football, I have had a change of mind.
The winner on deadline day might well be D Tanner Sohn, a 19-year-old from Medicine Hat. He was traded by the Vancouver Giants to the Saskatoon Blades for a 10th-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft.
Sohn was a 13th-round selection by the Blades in 2006. He played one game with the Blades in 2007-08 and three more in 2008-09. He got into 29 games with the Medicine Hat Tigers last season, was dealt to Vancouver for a 2012 sixth-round pick and played 31 games with the Giants this season before being sent home last week to await a move.
Somewhere I seem to recall reading that Sohn was ninth on the Giants’ defensive depth chart at the time.
Now Sohn isn’t going to join the Blades on a full-time basis just yet. He is going to play with Saskatoon this weekend and then return to the AJHL’s Lloydminster Bobcats. But he could well end up with the Blades for at least part of their playoff run.
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Interestingly, the Sohn swap was the only trade made Monday that involved a B.C. Division team. And when was the last time that Bruce Hamilton, the president and GM of the Kelowna Rockets, didn’t make a move at the deadline? I’m told that Hamilton, at least at one point, was in the Schenn Sweepstakes but you have to think the price of poker was too high for him and Lorne Frey, the Rockets’ assistant GM and director of player personnel.
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It was a year ago when the Regina Pats were surrounded in speculation -- would they trade F Jordan Eberle or D Colten Teubert? Teubert had been selected by the Los Angeles Kings with the 13th overall pick of the 2009 NHL draft; Eberle went to the Edmonton Oilers with that draft’s 22nd pick.
In the end, Parker, who was the Pats’ general manager, hung on to both Eberle and Teubert.
Yesterday, I asked Parker if he had received any offers close to what Kootenay paid for Cody Eakin or what Saskatoon coughed up for Brayden Schenn.
Parker, now the Pats’ president, responded: “Not even close to it, and that was for both of our guys.”
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The Seattle Thunderbirds acquired D Ryan Button from the Prince Albert Raiders for F Charles Wells and a first-round selection in the 2011 import draft. I’m told that this deal also includes a conditional draft pick going to Prince Albert, presumably payable should Button return for his 20-year-old season.
Button, 19, is from Edmonton and was in his fourth season with the Raiders. This season, he has 23 points, including 20 assist, in 44 games. In his fourth WHL season, he has 101 points in 240 career regular-season games. He was a second-round pick by the Raiders in the 2006 bantam draft and a third-round selection by the Boston Bruins in the NHL’s 2009 draft.
Wells, who also is from Edmonton, has 27 points, 11 of them goals, in 41 games with Seattle this season. In 212 regular-season games, he has 104 points with Seattle. He was a fifth-round pick in the 2006 bantam draft.
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The Raiders then sent Danish F Sebastian Svendsen, 19, to the Moose Jaw Warriors for Slovakian F Michal Hlinka, 17, and third- and sixth-round picks in the 2011 bantam draft.
Svendsen also has played for the Vancouver Giants and Edmonton Oil Kings. The Raiders dealt F Jordan Hickmott, 20, to the Oil Kings for him over the summer. This season, Svendsen has 34 points, including 17 goals, in 44 games.
Hlinka, the 28th overall pick in the 2010 CHL import draft, had six points in 22 games with Moose Jaw.
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The Regina Pats dealt D Mitch Spooner, 18, to the Seattle Thunderbirds for a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. Spooner, from Port Moody, B.C., had five points in 15 games with Regina. He had been acquired last season from the Vancouver Giants, who selected him with the 19th overall pick of the 2007 bantam draft.
Spooner had left the Pats in November for personal reasons.
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The Everett Silvertips dealt two veterans -- F Kellan Tochkin, 19, and D Alex Theriau, 18, -- to the Medicine Hat Tigers for F Ryan Harrison, 18, and a 2011 second-round bantam pick.
Harrison, from Kelowna, has 122 points and 295 penalty minutes in 176 career games. This season, in 40 games, he has 33 points and 47 penalty minutes. He was selected by the Prince Albert Raiders with the 29th pick of the 2007 WHL draft and was dealt to the Tigers last summer.
Tochkin, from Abbotsford, B.C., was the 13th overall pick in the 2006 bantam draft. He has 179 points in 185 games with Everett and has signed with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks as a free agent. This season, he has 36 points in 38 games.
Theriau was the sixth overall pick by the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the 2007 bantam draft and moved to Everett in a deal that included F Kyle Beach going the other way two years ago. Theriau has 36 points and 125 penalty minutes in 166 WHL games. This season, he has seven poins and 27 PMs in 37 games.
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The Tri-City Americans acquired D Matt MacKenzie, 19, from the Calgary Hitmen for F Brooks Macek, 18, D Spencer Humphries, 18, and a conditional 2012 third-round bantam draft pick. Calgary gets a third-rounder should MacKenzie return for his 20-year-old season.
MacKenzie, a third-round pick by the Buffalo Sabres in the NHL’s 2010 draft, has 23 points and 50 penalty minutes in 40 games this season. In 192 career games with the Hitmen, he has 83 points and 144 penalty minutes. He was a second-round pick in the 2006 bantam draft.
Macek, a second-round pick in the 2007 bantam draft, is from Winnipeg. He has 24 points in 38 games this season and 121 points in 170 career games. He was a second-round pick by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2010 NHL draft.
Humphries, from Delta, B.C., was a list player. He has five points and 50 penalty minutes in 34 games this season.
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F Justin Dowling, 20, is the new captain of the Swift Current Broncos. F Cody Eakin, 19, who was traded to the Kootenay Ice on Sunday, had been the Broncos’ captain. . . . The Broncos will have a new face on the ice at practice today, but just for this practice. F Graham Black of the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians, whose rights the Broncos acquired from the Edmonton Oil Kings over Christmas, is going to skate with the Broncos today. Black, a 17-year-old who leads the Saskatchewan midget AAA league in goals (35) and points (54), wants to see how he stacks up at this level. However, he has yet to decide whether to take the WHL route or the NCAA road. . . . Black has a 12-point lead atop his league’s points race and leads the goal-scoring derby by 14. . . .
D Stefan Elliott of the Saskatoon Blades is the WHL’s player of the week. He had six points in two games, both of which the Blades won. . . . Darcy Kuemper is the WHL’s nominee as goaltender of the week. He was 1-0-1, with a 0.96 GAA and a .962 save percentage last week. . . . The Spokane Chiefs have assigned D Kyle Krzyzaniak to the MJHL’s Dauphin Kings. Krzyzaniak, 18, was pointless in seven games. . . . The Calgary Hitmen also removed three players from their roster. D Brody Luhning, 18, who joined the Hitmen after the Christmas break, is back with the SJHL’s Battlefords North Stars. He was pointless in five games with the Hitmen. D Carter Berg, who had three points in 36 games, is off to the SJHL, likely to the Melfort Mustangs. Berg was taken in the second round of the 2007 bantam draft by the Chilliwack Bruins. And G Juraj Holly, 19, has returned to his native Slovakia. In his first WHL season, he was 1-6-0, 3.93, .869. Holly’s departure leaves the Hitmen with two goaltenders -- Michael Snider, 19, and Brandon Glover, 18. . . .
The Moose Jaw Warriors have assigned F Mackenzie Royer, 18, to the AJHL’s Camrose Kodiaks. Royer was acquired earlier in the season in a multi-player deal with the Calgary Hitmen. He had nine points in 19 games with Moose Jaw after putting up two points in 16 games with Calgary. . . . In the BCHL, F Kyle St. Denis, 20, wasn’t dealt to the Trail Smoke Eaters by the Victoria Grizzlies, so if he is to play this season it will have to be in the B.C. capital. I’m told Victoria asked for cash and a top six forward, something the injury-riddled Smokies weren’t prepared to do. The Smoke Eaters had kept a 20-year-old spot open for St. Denis, but later filled it by acquiring F Nic DeSousa from the Prince George Spruce Kings.
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Here’s another big trade from the WHL’s past. . . . On Oct. 31, 1986, the Regina Pats dealt F Brent Fedyk, F Ken MacIntyre, F Garnet Kaziuk, D Gerald Bzdel and D Kevin Kowalchuk to the Seattle Thunderbirds for F Craig Endean, F Ray Savard, D Grant Chorney and F Erin Ginnell. . . . I also believe that each team received a list player in the exchange. I can’t recall who went to Seattle, but I believe that’s how Regina landed F Frank Kovacs, who went on to play on Regina’s PUP line with fellow 16-year-olds Jamie Heward and Mike Sillinger. All three are Regina natives.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 2:05 AM
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