Ex-Brandon defenceman dies . . . Wheaties end Edmonton drought . . . Rebels win fourth straight

F Jordan Knackstedt (Red Deer, Moose Jaw, 2004-08) signed for the rest of this season with Kaufbeuren (Germany, DEL2). Knackstest was released on Monday by mutual agreement by Saryarka Karaganda (Kazakhstan, Vysshaya Liga). This season, with Rubin Tyumen (Russia, Vysshaya Liga), he had two goals and three assists in 17 games. He was traded to Karaganda on Dec. 15 and had one goal in six games. . . .
F Chris St. Jacques (Medicine Hat, 1999-2004) has been released by mutual agreement by the Wedemark Scorpions (Germany, Oberliga). He had eight goals and 15 assists in 12 games. According to Wedemark's Facebook page, St. Jacques is to start practising with Olten (Switzerland, NL B) today. . . .
F Adam Courchaine (Medicine Hat, Vancouver, 2001-05) has been released by the Krefeld Pinguine (Germany, DEL) at his request. He had 23 points, 11 of them goals, in 27 games. . . .
D David Hájek (Spokane, 1998-99) has signed for the rest of this season with Löwen Frankfurt (Germany, DEL2). This season, with Bad Nauheim (Germany, DEL2), he had two goals and five assists in 12 games. . . .
D Petr Šenkeřík (Kootenay, Prince George, 2009-10) has been assigned on loan by Vítkovice Ostrava (Czech Republic, Extraliga) to Slavia Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga) for the rest of this season. With Vítkovice, he had one goal and six assists in 25 games. In seven games with Havířov (Czech Republic, 1. Liga), he had two goals and seven assists in seven games.
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‘RADVILLE’ ROD AND HIS SEVEN TEAMS:

It began with an email from Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province.
He was wondering if I could recall who might hold the record for having played with the most WHL teams.
Ewen was writing a story on F Zane Jones, 20, who was acquired by the Vancouver Giants from the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Saturday. Jones is joining his fifth WHL team; he played for the Chilliwack Bruins and Victoria Royals, and we’re counting that as one team. Jones also played for the Calgary Hitmen and Everett Silvertips.
Anyway . . . I immediately thought of F Rod Williams, aka ‘Radville’ Rod. Yes, he is from Radville, Sask.
Williams, who now lives and works in Regina, played for seven different WHL teams, and he did it when there were only 14 teams in the league. Now that’s impressive!
He played his first WHL game in 1982-83 with the Lethbridge Broncos. He wrapped up his WHL career after playing seven games with the Medicine Hat Tigers in 1987-88. In between, he also played with the Kelowna Wings (71 games), New Westminster Bruins (1), Brandon Wheat Kings (70), Victoria Cougars (29) and Regina Pats (18). He totalled 23 games with the Tigers. In fact, he had two separate stints with Brandon, so you could make a case that he played for eight teams. But for the purposes of this, we are counting it as one team.
Interestingly, he played with three teams in 1985-86 and repeated that feat the following season.
So what made ‘Radville’ Rod so attractive to so many teams?
Well, he was 6-foot-2 and about 200 pounds. He showed up every night, whether at home or on the road. He had a terrific smile and provided a whole lot of sandpaper. The Tigers, under head coach Bryan Maxwell, thought enough of him that they acquired him from Regina late in 1986-87 as they were en route to a second straight Memorial Cup title.
Unfortunately, Williams struggled with injuries during his career. But in 213 regular-season WHL games, he put up 110 points, including 42 goals, and 431 penalty minutes.
He also scored one goal in four Memorial Cup games.
An 11th-round selection by the Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL’s 1985 draft, Williams left the game before ever playing a pro game. If memory serves, he had knee and shoulder issues.
Meanwhile, there are at least eight players who played with six teams. They are:
F Grant Chorney (Seattle, Regina, Calgary, Lethbridge Hurricanes, Victoria Cougars, Saskatoon, 1986-90).
G Don Blishen (Calgary Wranglers, Lethbridge Hurricanes, Swift Current, Portland, Tri-City, Brandon, 1986-90).
F Shawn Green (Victoria Cougars, Lethbridge Broncos, New Westminster, Calgary Wranglers, Kamloops, Saskatoon, 1981-85).
F Jeff Jubenville (Seattle, Brandon, Saskatoon, Lethbridge Hurricanes, Tacoma, Kamloops, 1990-95).
D Garth Lamb (Medicine Hat, Moose Jaw, Victoria Cougars, Swift Current, Lethbridge Hurricanes, New Westminster, 1984-88).
F Jamison Orr (Vancouver Giants, Lethbridge Hurricanes, Brandon, Saskatoon, Medicine Hat, Prince George, 2002-06).
D Zak Stebner (Red Deer, Prince Albert, Kamloops, Calgary Hitmen, Tri-City, Kelowna, 2005-11).
F Steve Young (Calgary Wranglers, Lethbridge Hurricanes, New Westminster, Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, Portland, 1983-90).
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According to the WHL Guide, F Martin Smith also played for six teams (Seattle, Saskatoon, Brandon, Victoria Cougars, Regina, Prince Albert, 1988-90). However, I am unable to find any indication that he did indeed play for the Raiders.
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I stand to be corrected but I would suggest that Jamison and Colton Orr hold the WHL record for most teams played for by brothers. As noted above, Jamison played for six teams. Colton, meanwhile, played for three (Swift Current, Kamloops and Regina).
With nine, the Orr brothers beat out Erin and Kevin Ginnell, who totalled eight teams. Erin played for New Westminster, Calgary Wranglers, Seattle, Regina and Swift Current; Kevin skated with the Lethbridge Broncos Medicine Hat and Calgary Wranglers.
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Former Wheat Kings D dies at 64;

had brief role in Slap Shot

Terry Marshall, who played four seasons (1967-71) as a defenceman with the Brandon Wheat Kings, has died. Marshall, who lived in Rapid City, Man., was 64.
Marshall, who was born in Brandon and raised in Virden, was a seventh-round selection (92nd overall) by the St. Louis Blues in the NHL’s 1970 draft. He was the Wheat Kings’ MVP for 1970-71.
Marshall went on to play five seasons of pro hockey, but never made it to the NHL.
He spent two of those seasons in the Eastern Hockey League, playing with the Charlotte Checkers, Jersey Devils and Long Island Ducks. He finished up by playing three seasons with the Syracuse Blazers of the North American Hockey League, which also included the Johnstown Jets.
Marshall was a familiar face on the rodeo circuit in southwestern Manitoba. He was the Manitoba Rodeo Cowboys Association’s Pick-up Man of the Year in 1995. Yes, his nickname was Cowboy.
If you watch closely in the movie Slap Shot, you will catch a glimpse of Marshall.
Bill Redekop, who has long written about rural Manitoba for the Winnipeg Free Press, recounted in his book Made in Manitoba how Marshall got into Slap Shot.
“Marshall is the guy in the movie with the big black beard,” Redekop told Roger Newman of the Interlake Enterprise in October 2011. “He is in one early hockey scene and appears later holding open a door while Paul Newman jaws with fictional hockey goon Dr. Hook.”
As Roger Newman wrote: “(Marshall) got into Slap Shot because he fought regularly with Ned Dowd of the Johnstown Jets whose sister, Nancy Dowd, wrote the Slap Shot screenplay. Ned helped his sister by providing her with material and rounding up 30 Eastern league tough guys to play on-ice extras.”
Slap Shot was filmed in 1976, after Marshall had played his final season. According to hockeydraftcentral.com, Marshall was paid $1,800 for six full days of filming.
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There was quite a shocker out of the OHL on Tuesday afternoon when the Guelph Storm announced that Scott Walker had stepped down as head coach, effective immediately. . . . Assistant coaches Bill Stewart and Todd Harvey are expected to handle things through the end of this season. Stewart and Harvey have been coaching the team since Nov. 24. That‘s when Walker, 41, came down with the mumps. Shortly after, he joined Canada’s national junior team . . . In a news release, Walker, who also owns a piece of the Sorm, was quoted as saying: "I want to spend more time with my family as life has been incredibly hectic since I retired as an NHL player several years ago.” . . . Walker was an assistant coach with the Canadian team that won the WJC. . . . Tony Saxon of the Guelph Mercury has more right here.
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Still with the OHL, the sale of the Plymouth Whalers is expected to be announced this morning, with the franchise relocating to Flint, Mich., following the season. Bob Duff of the Windsor Star has more right here.
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Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet opens this week’s 30 Thoughts with thoughts on the Los Angeles Kings. But, as usual, there’s a lot more than that right here. Enjoy!
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F Tyson Predinchuk, 19, who left the Portland Winterhawks last week in search of more playing time, has joined the SJHL’s Melville Millionaires. Predinchuk is from Regina. . . .
The Vancouver Giants have signed D Ryan Jones, 16, who is with the junior B Richmond Sockeyes of the Pacific Junior Hockey League. From Delta, B.C., Jones has 20 points, including two goals, in 27 games with the Sockeyes. . . .
The Victoria Royals have given D Joe Hicketts a few days off, so he’s at home in Kamloops with the gold medal he won with Canada at the WJC. He will be in attendance tonight as the Blazers entertain the Portland Winterhawks, and will be honoured in a pre-game ceremony. He also will be signing autographs in the first intermission. . . .
The St. Louis Blues beat the visiting Edmonton Oilers 4-2 last night. That was NHL coaching victory No. 684 for Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock, moving him into a tie with the late Pat Quinn for fifth on the all-time list. . . . Next up? Dick Irvin Sr., 692.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:

In Edmonton, D Ryan Pilon broke a 1-1 tie at 17:42 of the second period and the Brandon Wheat Kings held on for a 2-1 victory over the Oil Kings. . . . The Wheat Kings had lost 14 straight games (regular season and playoffs) in Edmonton. . . . On Sunday, when they beat the Hitmen 5-4, Brandon snapped an 11-game regular-season skid in Calgary. . . . Pilon has seven goals. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny, who is from Edmonton, stopped 25 shots. . . . Brandon F John Quenneville, who also is from Edmonton, got Brandon’s first goal, at 16:55 of the first, on a PP. He’s got 15 goals. . . . That was the first time in six games that the Wheat Kings opened the scoring. . . . F Brett Pollock scored his 19th goal for Edmonton, at 10:56 of the second. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry made 19 saves. . . . The Wheat Kings (31-9-4), who took three of four from the Oil Kings, have won two in a row. . . . Edmonton slipped to 21-18-5. . . .

In Lethbridge, the Red Deer Rebels outscored their hosts 4-2 in the third period en route to a 5-3 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . D Haydn Fleury came out of the penalty box and scored his second goal of the season on a breakaway, snapping a 1-1 tie at 2:08 of third period and the Rebels were never caught. . . . Fleury also had two assists. . . . Red Deer F Conner Bleackley scored twice, given him 21. . . . F Riley Sheen had two assists for Red Deer. . . . D Kord Pankewicz drew three assists for Lethbridge. . . . F Johnny Wesley, in his first game since being acquired from the Vancouver Giants and making the move from the BCHL’s Surrey Eagles, scored for the Hurricanes. . . . Lethbridge was 1-for-2 on the PP; the Rebels’ PP never got off the bench. . . . The Rebels (24-14-5), who play in Calgary tonight, have won four in a row. . . . The Hurricanes (10-26-6) have lost two straight. . . .

In Kent, Wash., F Keegan Kolesar scored the only goal of a five-round shootout to give the host Seattle Thunderbirds a 5-4 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Kolesar scored his 14th goal of the season on a first-period PP. . . . Seattle F Nolan Volcan forced OT with his sixth goal at 5:30 of the third. . . . Spokane F Adam Helewka had given his side a 4-3 lead with his 25th goal at 16:46 of the second. He ran his goal-scoring streak to eight straight games, one shy of the franchise record. . . . Spokane F Kailer Yamamoto had one assist, and now is riding an 11-game point streak. . . . D Shea Theodore and D Ethan Bear each had two assists for Seattle. . . . F Ryan Gropp, in his second game since returning from an undisclosed injury, scored his 16th goal for Seattle. . . . Chiefs F Liam Stewart scored his 16th goal. In his fourth season, he has career highs in goals and points (30), all in 42 games. . . . The Thunderbirds (21-16-5) are 2-0-1 in their last three. . . . The Chiefs are 23-16-3.
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Small town #KIJHL hockey in #KimberleyBC the zamboni driver tonight is the @nitroshockey GM's daughter #ShesDoingMyDreamJob
— Josh Lockhart (@joshuaklockhart) January 14, 2015

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Hurricanes player retires . . . Fuhr back with Pats . . . Rockets lose goalie to injury

Gordie Howe, aka Mr. Hockey, had a serious stroke on the weekend and is believed to be in failing health. Howe was stricken in Lubbock, Texas, at the home of his daughter, Cathy. Other family members spent Tuesday en route to Lubbock. Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press has more right here.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors had many people, including players, from their organization take part in a three-hour safeTALK presentation with Donna Boyer of the Canadian Mental Health Associated last week. Katie Brickman of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald sat through it and writes right here about what she heard and saw. This is important stuff.
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It's doubtful that any WHL team is delving as deeply into analytics -- aka fancy stats -- as the Saskatoon Blades. The Blades have hired Bruce Peter as their director of analytics. Daniel Nugent-Bowman takes a look right here at what Peter does and how the Blades are making use of his work.
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A shoulder problem has brought a premature end to the career of Lethbridge Hurricanes F Steven Alldridge. An 18-year-old native of Inuvik, N.W.T., Alldridge announced his retirement on Tuesday. . . . The Hurricanes acquired Alldridge, F Shane McColgan, then 20, and a second-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft from the Portland Winterhawks for G Corbin Boes, also 20, on Jan. 9. Alldridge, a Portland list player, was pointless in 24 games with the Winterhawks and 15 with the Hurricanes. He never did get into a game this season after undergoing surgery in late April.
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G Tyler Fuhr, 19, is back with the Regina Pats. Fuhr left the club in late September. “It was personal business; we’ll just leave it at that,” Fuhr told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post. “It was something I had to deal with. I wanted my main focus to be on hockey and nothing distracting me. I think that was the best thing to do. Everything is resolved now.” Fuhr, who is from Sherwood Park, Alta., hasn't played for the Pats since Sept. 26. In his absence, Tyler Brown, who had been with the MJHL's Winnipeg Blues, backed up starter Daniel Wapple. . . . Harder also reports: "Work crews have started making preparations for the installation of a new centre-ice scoreboard at the Brandt Centre. The process will require significant modifications — including adjustments to catwalks, wiring and ventilation as well as structural reinforcement — so the clock can be raised into the rafters during non-hockey events. It’s hoped the new scoreboard will be in place before the New Year."
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F Dalton Sward, 20, won't play tonight as the Vancouver Giants play host to the Brandon Wheat Kings. He suffered an undisclosed injury during a Saturday game with the host Victoria Royals. . . . The Giants also will be missing F Tyler Benson and F Ryely McKinstry, both of whom leave today for the U-17 World Hockey Challenge in the Sarnia, Ont., area. . . . That will allow F Brendan Semchuk to make his WHL debut. Semchuk, from Kamloops, was the 10th overall pick in the 2014 bantam draft. Semchuk is playing at the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton, B.C. . . . Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province has more on the Giants right here.
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TUESDAY'S REPORT:

In Victoria, D Ryan Pilon broke a 2-2 tie at 11:34 of the third period to lift the Brandon Wheat Kings to a 3-2 victory over the Royals. . . . Pilon has three goals this season. . . . The Wheat Kings, who play the Giants in Vancouver tonight, are 3-1-0 on a seven-game road trip. . . . Victoria F Axel Blomqvist had tied the game 2-2 at 16:55 of the second period with his fifth goal. . . . Czech F Richard Nejezchleb, playing in his first game of the season for Brandon, scored a PP goal in the first period. . . . Nejezchleb returned from the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack and had to serve a two-game suspension left over from last spring's playoffs. Nejezchleb, 20, led the Wheat Kings with 32 goals last season, but his presence gives Brandon three imports. Either he, Latvian Rihards Bukharts, the team's leading scorer who didn't play last night, or freshman Russian D Ivan Provorov will be traded or released over the next few days. . . . Provorov, 17, had two assists last night. . . . Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun has a game story right here. . . .

In Saskatoon, G Nik Amundrud made 30 saves to help the Blades to a 5-2 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . F Ryan Graham led the Blades with a goal, his second, and two assists. . . . F Brayden Point scored twice for the Warriors, giving him eight on the season. . . . Saskatoon was 2-for-6 on the PP. . . . Saskatoon had F Nick Zajac back after he missed four games with a shoulder injury. . . . The Warriors, who were playing their fourth game in five nights, now have lost four in a row. They have scored five goals over their last five games. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has a gamer right here. . . .

In Red Deer, the Rebels scored the game's last three goals and beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 5-3. . . . Rebels F Grayson Pawlenchuk tied the game 3-3 at 18:01 of the second period, with his fifth goal, and D Devan Fafard broke the tie, with his second, at 6:45 of the third. . . . Red Deer F Wyatt Johnson added insurance with his seventh goal. He's on a three-game goal streak. . . . F Trevor Cox drew three assists for the Tigers (11-2-1), while F Cole Sanford scored his ninth goal. . . . Medicine Hat F Chad Butcher picked up an assist as he ran his point streak to 10 games, the longest in the league this season. . . . Besides losing the game, the Tigers lost a tire. Here’s a late-night tweet from Bob Ridley, the bus-driving radio man: “On way home. May take a few hrs longer. Flat tire on Q.E . 2 at Olds turnoff. Waiting for help.” . . .

In Cranbrook, G Nick McBride posted his first WHL shutout to lead the Prince Albert Raiders to a 5-0 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . McBride stopped 29 shots. . . . The Ice has been blanked three times this season and has scored only five goals in five home games. . . . D Josh Morrissey had a goal, his third, and two assists for the Raiders, while F Craig Leverton and F Jayden Hart each scored his sixth goal. . . . Hart, who had one goal in his first seven games, is riding a five-game goal streak. . . . Ice G Wyatt Hoflin stopped 41 shots. . . . At 3-12-0, the Ice is off to its worst start in franchise history. . . . The Ice, already without F Tim Bozon and F Jon Martin with undisclosed injuries, has lost D Tyler King for up to three weeks with an undisclosed injury. . . . Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has a gamer right here.
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Bruce Luebke, the veteran radio voice of the Brandon Wheat Kings, reported Tuesday that freshman D Ivan Provorov will play for the Russian side during the Subway Super Series. The Russians will play a WHL team on Nov. 10 in Saskatoon and Nov. 11 in Brandon. . . .

Regan Bartel, who calls the play of Kelowna Rockets’ games, tweeted Tuesday that G Jake Morrissey “was hurt in practice” and that they “have brought in” Michael Herringer, 18, to back up Jackson Whistle. . . . Herringer was traded by the Victoria Royals to the Saskatoon Blades on Sept. 17. However, the Blades later dropped Herringer from their list when they acquired G Nik Amundrud, 17, from the Everett Silvertips.
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Elliotte Friedman leads off with something about the Toronto Maple Leafs in his latest edition of 30 Thoughts. . . . It’s right here.
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Thoughts and best wishes are with Gordie Howe and his family tonight #getwellsoon pic.twitter.com/VuyeBtiy8o
— Hunter Shinkaruk (@H_S_9) October 29, 2014

My dad introduced me to Mr. Howe years ago Dad: This is my son Scott. Robbie's brother. Gordie: This one grow up closer to the fridge, Bob?
— Scott Brown (@BrownieScott) October 29, 2014

F Jan Eberle (Seattle, 2006-08) has been loaned to Berounsti Medvedi (Czech Republic, 1. Liga) by Kladno (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, Eberle had four assists in 18 games with Kladno. . . .
D Burke Henry (Brandon, 1995-99) has signed for the rest of this season with Nikko IceBucks (Japan, Asia HL). Last season, Henry had 20 points, six of them goals, in 49 games with Orli Znojmo (Czech Republic, Austria Erste Bank Liga).
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Taking Note is fading to black for a few days as my wife, Dorothy, and I embark on the next stage of our journey.
Doctors on the post-transplant team at St. Paul's Hospital cleared her to return home on Monday, eight weeks after she underwent a kidney transplant.
There were a couple of speed bumps along the way, but things have been great of late. So we will hit the road and head for home on Tuesday morning. We have been hanging out on Robson Street for nine weeks so it is time.
Living, walking and driving in downtown Vancouver has been an interesting experience. As I write this, I am within a few hours of escaping without having had even one other driver honk at me. Honking, if you aren't aware, is the first resort of  unhappy downtown Vancouver drivers.
Of course, there are times when a driver here has every reason to lean on the horn and aim it at pedestrians who scurry into a crosswalk seconds after the 'Don't Walk' signal has begun flashing.
That is one thing I won't miss after leaving here.
But I will miss strolling along Robson, Burrard, Davie and Denman Streets, my senses being tickled by the scintillating aromas emanating from so many restaurants. I will miss walking around downtown and hearing all of the different languages being spoken by so many people of different ethnicities. I will miss sitting in or outside a Starbucks that is located less than a block away and watching the people.
My late father, who was born, raised and lived in northern Manitoba for almost all of his life, would sit in the concourse outside the Safeway in a mall in Brandon, look around, and ask: "Where are all the people going?"
As I have watched the hustle and bustle on Robson Street for these past weeks, I often have thought of him.
What I won't miss are the pedestrians who race along at high speed while looking down at their phones, obviously believing that others will do the dancing away to avoid collisions. Nor will I miss the pedestrians who, obviously caught up in whatever it is about those phones that hypnotizes them, suddenly come to dead stops right in front of you and right in the middle of the sidewalk. (After walking around here for a while, you come to realize that it really is the phones that are smart because it sure isn't the users.)
Nor will I miss those people who, as they do whatever they're doing on the street at 3 a.m., feel the urge to yell and holler as though they are the only people left on the face of the earth.
I also will miss Perry Mason, Steve McGarrett, Matt Dillon, Miss Kitty, and Ben Cartwright and his boys. I reconnected with those old friends while Dorothy napped away more than a few afternoons.
And it was great to be within walking distance of the seawall at Coal Harbour. How marvellous it must be to walk there on glorious summer days! I will long remember seeing the Nova Spirit tied up there. (Go ahead, Google it).
It also was nice to be close enough to Stanley Park to enjoy its pleasures. There is nothing like sitting on a park bench under a deep blue sky, while watching float planes landing and taking off, and freighters loaded with containers gliding under the Lions Gate Bridge and making their way into Burrard Inlet.
Most of all, Dorothy and I will miss the terrific caregivers with whom we have been dealing at St. Paul's Hospital. There are some wonderful people on 6A and 6B, and who knew there were doctors in this world who prefer to be called by their first names?
It has been quite a ride for the last four years and it's hard to believe that the transplant we have long thought about and only sometimes dared to dream about is behind us. Not only that, but the healing process is well underway.
The next stage begins today with the drive home.
To those of you who sent so many messages, texts and emails over the last while, thanks so much from both of us. You have no idea how much weight each of your words carry until you are on the receiving end. You all have played a part in Dorothy's healing to this point.
Thank you! A thousand thank yous!!
And we'll see you back here in a few days.
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You may have noticed — or perhaps you didn't — that I recently disabled the function that allowed readers to leave comments on this blog.
I have learned a couple of things over the last few weeks: 1. Life really is a day-to-day proposition; 2. As such, it is too short to waste time dealing with those who love to throw darts while hiding behind the cloak of anonymity.
Thus, the comment function no longer functions.
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Former Buffalo Sabres players Danny Gare and Andrew Peters are undergoing testing at the U of Buffalo in an attempt to see if it can be determined whether they have CTE, the degenerative brain condition that has been linked to head trauma. There is more right here.
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The Vancouver Giants have dropped F Andreas Eder, 17, from their roster and he has returned to his home in Munich, Germany. He had three points, two of the goals, in 19 games with the Giants. Of late, he had found himself a healthy scratch. He was pointless in his last six games and last played on Nov. 11. . . . The Giants selected Eder with their second pick in the CHL's 2013 import draft. . . . Last season, the Giants dropped F Ales Kilnar, 19, in the early going. Kilnar, from Czech Republic, got into one game before departing.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings are expected to have D Ryan Pilon, 17, in their lineup tonight when they meet the Broncos in Swift Current. Pilon, who was acquired Saturday from the Lethbridge Hurricanes, practised with his new teammates on Monday in Brandon. . . . Pilon was the third overall selection in the 2011 bantam draft, but left the Hurricanes and asked to be traded. . . . “I couldn’t wait to get here . . . I’m real excited to be here and it looks good,” Pilon told James Shewaga, the Brandon Sun's sports editor. “I think I feel really comfortable. The guys on the back end have been really good to me. (Ryan) Pulock, (Eric) Roy and (Rene) Hunter, they have been nothing but great for me and the coaching staff have really brought me in good, so I am really excited for (tonight).” . . . Pilon had been at home in Duck Lake, Sask., and was skating with the midget AAA Beardy's Blackhawks.
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From Hartley Miller (@Hartley_Miller) of Prince George radio station 94X: "Frustrated over a lack of ice time, 2nd year forward Carson Bolduc (17) has left the @PGCougars. Bolduc has 2 goals in 17 games. @94XFM"

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Wheat Kings land Pilon

The Brandon Wheat Kings won the Ryan Pilon sweepstakes on Saturday, acquiring the 17-year-old defenceman from the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
In exchange for Pilon, the third overall selection in the 2011 bantam draft, the Wheat Kings gave up D Nick Walters, 19, F Taylor Cooper, 18, and D Tanner Browne, 16.
Brandon also acquired the rights to F Colt Conrad, 16, who is playing for a midget team at Shattuck-St. Marys in Faribault, Minn.
Pilon had seven points, including three goals, in 17 games when he left the Hurricanes and went home to await a trade. Pilon, who is eligible for the 2015 NHL draft, is from Duck Lake, Sask. He is likely to play his first game with the Wheat Kings when they meet the Broncos in Swift Current on Tuesday.
Conrad, from St. Alphonse, Man., was a third-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft. He has made a commitment to attend Western Michigan in 2015. Should he end up signing with Brandon, the Hurricanes will receive a fifth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft.
Walters is from Spruce Grove, Alta. Brandon acquired him from the Everett Silvertips last season. A draft pick of the NHL's St. Louis Blues, Walters has two assists in 21 games this season. He has played 195 career WHL games and has 43 points, including seven goals.
Brandon selected Cooper, who is from Sherwood Park, Alta., in the sixth round of the 2010 bantam draft. He has 10 points, seven of them goals, in 22 games this season. Last season, he put up 25 points, including nine goals, in 64 games.
Browne, from Kelowna, was a second-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft. He is playing for the major midget Okanagan Rockets, who are based in Kelowna.
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SUDBURY SATURDAY NIGHT:
In Saskatoon, F Jaedon Descheneau had two goals and two assists to help the Kootenay Ice to a 6-1 victory over the Blades. . . . Descheneau, who enjoyed his first career four-point game, has 18 goals now. . . . F Sam Reinhart added a goal, his 10th, and two helpers, while D Jagger Dirk had three assists. . . . The Ice scored the game's first three goals and the last three. . . . Saskatoon has lost five in a row. . . .

In Edmonton, F Mitch Moroz scored twice to lead the Oil Kings to a 4-2 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Moroz, who also had an assist, has 15 goals in 23 games this season. That's two more than he scored in 69 games last season and one fewer than he notched in 66 games in 2011-12. . . . Moroz's second goal of the game, on the PP at 7:48 of the third, broke a 2-2 tie. . . . Swift Current F Graham Black and a goal, his 15th, and an assist to run his point streak to 11 games. . . . WHLFacts tweets that Edmonton G Triston Jarry "has kept opponents to 2 goals or less in 14 straight starts (1.42 GAA over that span)." . . .

In Lethbridge, F Wyatt Johnson scored at 1:20 of OT as the Red Deer Rebels beat the Hurricanes, 4-3. . . . Johnson has three goals this season. . . . The Hurricanes forced OT with a pair of second-period goals, from D Lenny Hackman, his first, and F Brady Ramsay, his seventh. . . . The Rebels have won four straight. . . .

In Kamloops, the Portland Winterhawks scored three times on the power play and twice while shorthanded as they beat the Blazers, 7-3. . . . The Blazers led 2-1 in the first period, then trailed 3-2 at the break. Kamloops tied it early in the second but then gave up the game's last four goals. . . . Portland, which scored four unassisted goals, got two each from F Chase De Leo and F Brendan Leipsic. . . . Portland skaters totalled 11 points on the seven goals. . . . F Chase Souto scored twice for the Blazers, giving him 14. . . . Portland's rendan Burke stopped 25 shots in becoming the first WHL goaltender this season to 15 victories. . . . Kamloops has lost five straight. . . . The victory lifted the Winterhawks back atop the overall standings, two points ahead of the Everett Silvertips. . . . The Kelowna Rockets are five points behind Portland and hold five games in hand. . . .


In Victoria, F Jaimen Yakubowsk broke a 1-1 tie at 10:22 of the second period and the Seattle Thunderbirds went on to beat the Royals, 3-1. . . . It was Yakubowski's second goal in nine games since being acquired from the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Seattle had lost six in a row. . . . Among Seattle's scratches was F Mathew Barzal, the first overall selection in the 2012 bantam draft. Barzal, 16, has 22 points, including 19 assists, in 22 games, but has just three assists in his last nine games. . . . The Royals continue to play without D Keegan Kanzig, who has been out since sustaining a suspected brain injury in a fight with Edmonton Oil Kings F Brandon Baddock on Nov. 6. . . .

In Everett, F Troy Bourke broke a 1-1 tie at 15:41 of the third period as the Prince George Cougars beat the Silvertips, 3-1. . . . Bourke has 10 goals. . . . F Chase Witala scored twice for the Cougars, giving him 14. . . . Prince George G Brett Zarowny made 34 saves. . . . Everett F Josh Winquist scored his club's goal, running his point streak to 12 games. . . . F Alex Forsberg had two assists for the visitors. . . . Prince George F David Soltes left in the second period after taking a hard check along the boards. . . .

In Spokane, F Boston Leier scored the only goal of the skills competition to give the Regina Pats a 3-2 victory over the Chiefs. . . . F Mike Aviani gave the Chiefs a 2-1 lead with his 20th goal at 10:10 of the third period, via the PP. . . . F Dyson Stevenson pulled Regina even at 12:37. He's got 12 goals. . . . Spokane D Reid Gow drew two more assists, giving him 30, in 23 games. . . . Spokane F Mitch Holmberg, the WHL's leading scorer, was held pointless. . . . Regina F Braden Christoffer took a charging major and game misconduct late in the second period. . . . The Pats are 4-2-0 on an eight-game swing that continues Friday in Red Deer. . . .

In Vancouver, the Giants beat the Tri-City Americans 5-2 with all seven goals coming in the third period. . . . Vancouver took a 3-1 lead, only to have Tri-City F Brian Williams get his side to within one with his 19th goal. . . . The Giants put it away with two empty-netters. . . . Vancouver's first two goals, from F Carter Popoff and D Dalton Thrower, both came via the PP in the first four minutes of the period. . . . Vancouver F Tyler Benson, the first selection in the 2013 bantam draft, made his WHL debut. He was pointless and plus-1. . . . Vancouver is 3-0-1 in its last four games. . . . All told, 16 of the WHL's 22 teams have winning percentages of at least .500. The Giants need one more victory to make it 17. . . .

In Kelowna, the Rockets ran their winning streak to eight games as they beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 4-3. . . . Kelowna erased a 1-0 first-period deficit with four straight goals and then hung on as the Tigers scored twice in the second half of the third period. . . . D Madison Bowey scored Kelowna's last two goals, giving him eight on the season. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 33 shots in running his record to 12-0-2. . . . The Rockets lead the B.C. Division by five points over the Victoria Royals. Kelowna holds five games in hand, too.
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From Steve Ewen (@SteveEwen) of the Vancouver Province: "#WHL Saw a couple of Moose Jaw Warrior scout types at Giants-Ams. Giants have five extra bodies."



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Someone's interested in buying Pats

THE MacBETH REPORT:

D Cam Barker (Medicine Hat, 2001-06) has signed for the rest of the season with Barys Astana (Kazakhstan, KHL). Last season, Barker had two assists in 14 games with the Vancouver Canucks (NHL) and eight points, three of them goals, with the Texas Stars (AHL).
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The morning dawned damp and dreary in Vancouver yesterday. And it only got worse when the first email to arrive notified me of the death of Bob Hughes, a former sports editor/columnist at the Regina Leader-Post.
He was the sports editor who hired me — I had been in my second stint at the Brandon Sun — in the spring of 1983. He later promoted me to assistant sports editor, and when he moved into the managing editor's office in 1988 he asked me to succeed him as sports editor.
That's when I found out how hard it is to replace a legend.
Hughes was one of the last of the lead sports columnists who also was a newspaper's sports editor. For a lot of his career as THE columnist and THE voice in Regina, the beloved Saskatchewan Roughriders couldn't get out of their own way, as they stumbled from one season to the next. For all of that time, Hughes' columns were must-reads as his thinly veiled sarcasm skewered the footballers, the coaches and the management like so many shish kebabs.
When he became the managing editor, it marked the end of an era as the decision was made to separate the roles of columnist and sports editor.
Still, almost everywhere I went, people would ask me why I was so soft on the Roughriders, never mind that I wasn't the columnist. And, really, it wasn't that the new columnist, Nick Miliokas, was soft on anyone; it was that Bob Hughes' column no longer was there to be enjoyed by a reader with his/her morning coffee.
I always will remember Hughes for always being there for me. When I was the assistant sports editor, he worked during the day and I worked at night. I frequently would drop by during the day to chat, more to find out what was going on with the Roughriders and to learn how he wanted to handle it.
But when he moved up and I moved into the chair behind what had been his desk, he left me alone. Rarely, if ever, did he venture to my little corner of the office. But his door always was open. That is something that I have never forgotten.
He also was the push behind a sports department that at one time included a staff of 12 and was responsible for putting out a tremendous sports section. It was because of Hughes that we often covered a Roughriders home game with the sports editor, four writers and two photographers. The message from him as he left sports was that when it's the only show in town, you can't over-cover it. When it's the only show in town, you make it your show -- let the readers know where to turn if they want the best coverage.
What else do I remember about Bob Hughes? Well, he was the most impeccable dresser I have ever encountered. I can't ever remember seeing him when he didn't look as though he had stepped out of an ad in GQ.
I remember his sense of humour and a laugh that had more than a bit of a cackle in it.
I remember one day when he and I took his oldest son and my son to a home/auto show that was in some of the buildings on the exhibition grounds. On display was one of those expensive cars, a Lamborghini perhaps, with two short-skirted gals standing guard alongside a velvet rail. With Hughes chatting up one of the girls, the boys got under the rail and into the car. They were -- VROOM! VROOM! -- having the time of their lives and Hughes thought it was hilarious. He did manage to extricate both boys between laughs.
That is what I will remember about Bob Hughes. That and Chaos by the Creek.
For more on Hughes, right here is a story that appeared on The Leader-Post's website.
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And one more makes three . . .
D Ryan Pilon, the third overall selection in the 2011 bantam draft, is at home awaiting a trade after leaving the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
Pilon, from Duck Lake, Sask., turned 17 on Oct. 10 and was going to be a cornerstone of the rebuild that the Hurricanes' braintrust is working on.
This season, Pilon has seven points, three of them goals, in 17 games. Last season, as a freshman, he had 28 points, including five goals, in 57 games.
Pilon played for the gold medal-winning U-18 Canadian team at the 2013 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament and was Team West's captain at the last U17 World Hockey Challenge.
Pilon is the third player to leave the Hurricanes in recent days. F Jaemen Yakubowski and F Sam Mckechnie, both 19, were traded to the Seattle Thunderbirds after asking for trades.
The Hurricanes are 2-13-3 and already are 11 points out of a playoff spot in the 12-team Eastern Conference.
Will the last one out, please turn out the lights in the dressing room.
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Tweet from Brody Sutter (@Sutts19): "Time for a change in Lethbridge, community ownership is clearly not working. With local investors interested, why wouldn't you #SellTheCanes."
The son of former WHLer Duane Sutter, Brody played three-plus seasons with the Hurricanes. He now is with the AHL's Charlotte Hurricanes. In recent times, at least two of his uncles, Rich and Ron Sutter, have expressed interest in purchasing the Hurricanes.
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F Peter Quenneville, 19, has left the Quinnipiac University Bobcats to join his brother, John, 17, with the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Another brother, David, was selected by the Medicine Hat Tigers with the 10th overall selection of the 2013 bantam draft. . . . They are from Edmonton. . . . The Wheat Kings acquired Peter's rights from the Prince George Cougars for a third-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft. The Cougars had selected him in the fourth round of the 2009 draft. . . . Peter was a seventh-round selection by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the NHL's 2013 NHL draft. . . . Peter had four assists in five games with the Bobcats. He played last season with the USHL's Dubuque Fighting Saints, putting up 70 points, including 33 goals, in 63 games. He also played two seasons with the AJHL's Sherwood Park Crusaders and was the league's MVP in 2011-12. . . . The Wheat Kings, now with two 19-year-old forwards on the roster, are at home to the Saskatoon Blades on Thursday. . . . Quinnipiac is based in Hamden, Conn.
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Tweet from John Quenneville (@jaquinder88): "One of the best days of my life. Reunited with the big bro @Triple_P_Pete #deadly"
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The Regina Pats haven't been sold. Yet. . . . "Our situation is," Russ Parker, who owns the WHL franchise with his wife Diane, told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post, "if somebody comes along and the deal makes sense, then it's something we'd probably consider. I've heard this last week that a deal was done. We're talking to someone but that's all it is. I'm not divulging anyone's names or anything. All I'm saying is there's interest in our team and leave it at that." . . . Harder's story is right here.
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OK. Where does it end? The ECHL's Bakersfield Condors have unveiled the sweaters they will wear in a game on Sunday, which just happens to be the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address. Check out the wardrobe right here.
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A fan writes with questions for WHL commissioner Ron Robison, who will meet with about 100 season-ticket holders in Kelowna on Thursday:
1. What is the league trying to hide when designating an injury as 'upper' or 'lower' body without reporting the issue? In reporting details of injuries, are you afraid insurance rates will rise significantly as a result of the true scope of the injuries sustained?
2. Doesn't the use of developmental referees in a developmental league exacerbate the issue of injuries when a raw referee who can't quite see the game as clearly as a veteran official could, may miss countless calls away from the puck (be it head shot, stickwork, boarding) and the resulting infraction ends up as a retaliation call?
3. Why doesn't the WHL allow teams to replay penalty calls on their in-house screens for the fans to get a better look at the quality of officiating?
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There wasn't anything on the WHL website last night, but there are reports that D Evan Wardley of the Seattle Thunderbirds has drawn a four-game suspension after taking a charging major in a game against the visiting Portland Winterhawks on Friday. He already has served one game. . . . There also wasn't anything on the WHL website about a suspension to Everett Silvertips F Dawson Leedahl. But he apparently got two games for a checking-from-behind major against the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings on Friday. He has missed one game, so will be eligible to return after sitting out a game against the visiting Kamloops Blazers tonight.
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TUESDAY NIGHT:
In Cranbrook, G Wyatt Hoflin came on in relief and stopped 30 shots to help the Kootenay Ice to a 3-1 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Ice G Mackenzie Skapski left with an undisclosed injury after one period and eight saves. . . . The Ice erased a 1-0 second-period Calgary lead with three third-period goals. . . . F Jon Martin scored the Ice's last two goals. . . . F Jaedon Descheneau notched his 14th goal of the season for Kootenay. . . . Attendance was announced at 1,958, and that's the second straight home game that the Ice played before fewer than 2,000 fans. . . .

In Kamloops, G Bolton Pouliot stopped 36 shots to lead the Blazers to a 4-1 victory over his former team, the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Pouliot, 19, was dealt to the Blazers earlier this season, for a sixth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. . . . Red Deer plans on riding Patrik Bartosak, so GM/owner Brent Sutter dealt Pouliot to give him an opportunity to play. . . . F Cole Ully had a goal, his eighth, and two assists for Kamloops. . . . The Blazers (6-10-2) have points in their last three games (2-0-1). . . .

In Vancouver, G Tristan Jarry turned aside 37 shots as the Edmonton Oil Kings beat the Giants, 3-0. . . . Jarry has two shutouts this season and eight in his career. . . . This was Edmonton's first victory in six visits to the Pacific Coliseum. . . . Edmonton D Cody Corbett, who missed seven games with an injury, scored his eighth goal of the season in his 11th game. That is tops among WHL defencemen and also is a career high. He scored six goals in 54 game two seasons ago and had seven in 71 games last season. . . . Corbett also had an assist. . . . The Oil Kings are 4-1-0 in their last five games, all on the road. They'll play the next three on the road, too.
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From Victoria Cougars (@victoriacougars): "I wonder if this Marty the Marmot 'attack' is a staged publicity stunt by the Victoria Royals. Only 3500 fans last Friday is disturbingly low."
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From Tommy Carson (@tommycarson): "Front page of Times Colonist 'Police Probe Assault on Royals Mascot'. Page 2, story of scout leader sexually assaulting boys. #bizzaroworld"

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.