Otters bury Sea Dogs on record-setting night ... Strome sets points record ... Tulsa time's up for Christie

D Shaone Morrisonn (Kamloops, 1999-2002) has signed a one-year extension with Admiral Vladivostok (Russia, KHL). He had two assists in 11 games there this season. Morrisonn started the season with Medveščak Zagreb (Croatia, KHL), scoring twice and adding four assists in 33 games. He was traded to Admiral on Dec. 25 for cash considerations. . . .

F Igor Bacek (Tri-City, 2005-06) has signed a one-year contract with the Hannover Indians (Germany, Oberliga). This season, with Halle (Germany, Oberliga), he had 20 goals and 31 assists in 44 games. He led his team in assists and points.

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Here you go: Despite all that has occurred, the TBirds are just 3 wins away from a Memorial Cup title. https://t.co/C99OAX07pF

— TBird Tidbits (@TBirdTidbits) May 23, 2017

The OHL-champion Erie Otters spun a few records on Monday as they drubbed the QMJHL-champion Saint John Sea Dogs, 12-5, at the Memorial Cup tournament in Windsor, Ont. . . . The Otters improved to 2-0, while the Sea Dogs fell to 0-2. . . . On Tuesday, the WHL-champion Seattle Thunderbirds (0-2) are scheduled to play the Sea Dogs. The winner moves into a semifinal game; the loser is eliminated. . . . On Wednesday, the Otters will meet the host Windsor Spitfires (2-0). The winner moves into Sunday’s final; the loser will play in the semifinal game. . . . There won’t be a tiebreaker game. . . .

Last night, Erie held period leads of 5-2 and 4-1, outshooting the Sea Dogs 17-4 and 16-8 in the process. . . . The Otters got four goals and three assists from F Dylan Strome, with F Taylor Raddysh adding two goals and four assists. . . . D Darren Raddysh scored two goals and had two helpers, with F Anthony Cirelli and F Alex DeBrincat each scoring once and adding three assists. . . . F Ivan Lodnia and F Kyle Maksimovich also scored for the Otters. . . . F Cedric Pare scored twice for Saint John, which got singletons from F Julien Gauthier, F Spencer Smallman and F Mathieu Joseph. . . . G Tony Timpano stopped 18 shots for Erie. . . . Saint John starter Callum Booth surrendered five goals on 14 shots in 16:27. Alex D’Orio came on in relief and stopped 18 of 25 shots in 43:33. . . . Erie was 5-7 on the PP; Saint John was 0-3. . . . 

Strome set a single-game record with seven points. That broke a record that had been shared by three players — F Joe Contini of the Hamilton Fincups, in an 8-4 victory over the New Westminster Bruins on May 12, 1976, in Montreal; F Guy Rouleau of the Hull Olympiques, who did it twice, in a 7-5 victory over the Portland Winterhawks on May 10, 1986, and six days later in a 9-3 victory over the Kamloops Blazers in Portland; and F Mike Mathers of the Blazers, who did it in an 8-3 victory over the host Seattle Thunderbirds on May 16, 1992. Rouleau had three goals and three assists against Portland, and two goals and four assists against Kamloops. Contini and Mathers each had three goals and three assists. . . . 

Strome scored four goals, one off the single-game record that was set by F Bruce Boudreau — yes, that Bruce Boudreau — of the Toronto Marlboros in a 10-4 victory over the Sherbrooke Castors on May 9, 1975, in Kitchener, Ont. . . . 

Erie now holds the single-game record for most goals, a mark that had been shared by the Quebec Remparts and Regina Pats. Quebec beat the St. Catharines Blackhawks, 11-3, on May 10, 1974, in Calgary. The Pats dumped the Cornwall Royals, 11-2, on May 8, 1980, in Regina. . . . Erie and Saint John also set a single-game record with the 17 combined goals. The previous record? The host Kitchener Rangers beat Kamloops, 9-7, on May 13, 1984. . . . OHL teams now have won 12 straight Memorial Cup games. . . . Announced attendance: 5,114.

Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun has a game story right here. He also spoke with D Ethan Bear of the Seattle Thunderbirds, who is trying to play through a hand injury.

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The host Cobourg, Ont., Cougars won the RBC Cup as national junior A champions on Sunday, beating the AJHL-champion Brooks Bandits, 3-2, in overtime. . . . The Cougars forced OT when Ryan Casselman scored with 1:07 left in the third period. . . . Nick Minerva of New Brunswick, N.J., won it all at 8:21 of OT. . . . According to Tyler King, the radio voice of the Bandits, they were 72-6-6 this season. . . . Cobourg had advanced to the final with a 3-1 semifinal victory over the BCHL-champion Penticton Vees on Saturday.

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Jason Christie won’t be back for a third season as head coach with the ECHL’s Tulsa Oilers. The team announced Monday that Christie “has decided not to return.” . . . The Oilers were 64-67-9-4 in two seasons under Christie, finishing ninth in the Western Conference in 2015-16 and 11th this season. . . . Christie, 48, holds the ECHL record for most career coaching victories (547). He also has been head coach of the Peoria Rivermen, Utah Grizzlies, and Ontario Reign. . . . A native of Gibbons, Alta., Christie played four seasons (1986-90) with the Saskatoon Blades.

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#Elvis is in the building for #MCMemorialCup action between @ErieOtters & @SJSeaDogs. #Otters lead #SeaDogs 5-2 after the 1st period. pic.twitter.com/lLvFFm1S27

— 2017 MC Memorial Cup (@MCMemorialCup) May 22, 2017

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Blazers, Pats swing deal . . . Thunderbirds making changes . . . Cougars add coach

F Aki Kangasmäki (Chilliwack, 2006-07) has been loaned by KeuPa HT Keuruu (Finland, Mestis) to Lukko Rauma (Finland, Liiga). He started the season with Hokki Kajaani (Finland, Mestis), scoring three goals and adding three assists in nine games, before signing with KeuPa on Nov. 24. He had eight goals and seven assists in 12 games there. . . .

D Shaone Morrisonn (Kamloops, 1999-2002) has been traded by Medveščak Zagreb (Croatia, KHL) to Admiral Vladivostok (Russia, KHL) for cash compensation. Morrisonn had two goals and four assists in 33 games with Medveščak. The deal was completed on Christmas Day, which was the trade deadline in the KHL this season.

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#WHL KAM/REG Trade:  Blazers were 65-49-6-4 (.565) when D. Davidson was in lineup in career;  .712 when he had point, .458 when not.

— Geoffrey Brandow (@GeoffreyBrandow) December 27, 2016

The Kamloops Blazers had an extra defenceman and badly needed to add a veteran centre. The Regina Pats had extra forwards and wanted another defenceman. So the Blazers dealt D Dawson Davidson, 18, to the Pats for F Luc Smith, 18.

The trade was announced on Tuesday morning, although Davidson was told about it on Christmas night.

The Blazers will be without F Matt Revel, 20, for perhaps two months after he suffered an undisclosed injury during a game against the host Edmonton Oil Kings on Dec. 10. Revel, a veteran centre, was a key part of the Blazers, who are hoping that Smith is able to at least help make up for the absence.

The 6-foot-5, 205-pound Smith has six goals and five assists in 29 games with the Pats this season. In 154 career games, all with Regina, the native of Stony Plain, Alta., has 12 goals and 14 assists.

DAWSON DAVIDSON

Davidson, from Moosomin, Sask., is a puck-moving defenceman who should fit in well with the Pats’ high-powered offence. The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder has three goals and 12 assists in 32 games this season. In 124 regular-season games, he had 12 goals and 51 assists. Last season, he finished with six goals and 33 assists in 59 games.

LUC SMITH

Davidson told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post that he is excited about joining a contender — the Pats went into last night at 22-3-6 — and a team that is in the running to be the host team for the 2018 Memorial Cup tournament.

“That’s why coming here is so special,” Davidson told Harder. “The Pats are very dangerous this year and, next year, if we can get the Memorial Cup that would be awesome. It’s an unbelievable opportunity.”

Interestingly, Davidson and Smith were both third-round selections in the 2013 bantam draft; in fact, they were taken two picks apart.

The Pats added Davidson almost a month after getting D Jonathan Smart, 17, from the Kelowna Rockets. Smart went into last night’s game with seven assists in eight games with Regina.

Kamloops also has brought in F Brodi Stuart from the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League. He has nine goals and 11 assists in 19 games with the Thunderbirds. He was pointless in two earlier games with the Blazers this season.

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The Spokane Chiefs have add F Alex Mowbray, 20, to their rsoter. Mowbray, who is from Calgary, had been playing with the AJHL’s Camrose Kodiaks, In 32 games, he had 10 goals and 10 assists. . . . Mowbray had played the previous three season with the Medicine Hat Tigers, putting up 22 goals and 20 assists in 177 games. Medicine Hat selected him in the fourth round of the 2011 bantam draft. . . . He joins G Jayden Sittler and F Keanu Yamamoto as Spokane’s three 20-year-olds.

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The Seattle Thunderbirds have acquired D Aaron Hyman, 18, from the Calgary Hitmen for a third-round selection in the 2018 bantam draft. The 6-foot-5, 215-pound Hyman has a goal and seven assists in 28

AARON HYMAN

games this season. In 74 career regular-season games, he has two goals and 10 assists. The Thunderbirds, who lost a lot of size from their back end after last season with the departures of Jared Hauf and Jerret Smith, wanted to add some size and they have done that. . . . Calgary had been carrying nine defencemen, so something had to give. . . . The Hitmen selected Hyman in the third-round of the 2013 WHL bantam draft, using a pick acquired from Seattle for G Brandon Glover in 2012.

Meanwhile, the Thunderbirds have dropped D Bryan Allbee, 19, and F Layne Bensmiller, 19, from their roster, and are looking to trade D Brandon Schuldaus, who has asked out.

Allbee, from Prince George, was being used both on defence and as a fourth-line forward. This season, he had three assists in 33 games. In 146 career games, the first 88 with the Kootenay Ice, he had 11 goals and 28 assists. Seattle acquired Allbee from Kootenay on Jan. 4 for a fifth-round selection in the 2017 bantam draft.

“Allbee wants to play more and knows he won’t in our league so he is going to play in (junior A),” Seattle general manager Russ Farwell told Andy Eide of 710 ESPN Seattle.

Bensmiller, from Red Deer, was limited to seven games by an undisclosed injury. In 119 career games, he has 18 goals and 24 assists. He also has played with the Hitmen and Prince Albert Raiders. Seattle acquired Bensmiller and a conditional seventh-round 2017 draft pick from Prince Albert on Sept. 15, with F Nic Holowko going the other way.

Schuldaus, a fifth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft, has two goals and three assists in 33 games this season. Last season, as a freshman, the 6-foot-4, 195-pound Calgary native had two goals and four assists in 57 games.

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The Victoria Royals have signed G Riley Mathieson, 19, to a WHL contract. Mathieson is playing for the junior B Saanich Braves of the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League and will remain there. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Mathieson, who is from Port Hardy, B.C., will join the Royals, according to general manager Cam Hope, “on an as-needed basis.” . . . With the Braves, who are 21-9-1, Mathieson is 3.25, .902.

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The Prince George Cougars have added Shawn Chambers, a two-time Stanley Cup winner as a player, to their staff as an assistant coach. A defenceman, Chambers played 625 regular-season and 94 playoff games in the NHL over 13 seasons. He won Stanley Cups with the New Jersey Devils (1995) and Dallas Stars (1999). He and Cougars head coach Richard Matvichuk were teammates in Dallas. . . . In Prince George, Chambers, a native of Sterling Heights, Mich., will work alongside Matvichuk and assistant coach Steve O’Rourke. . . . Chambers played 28 games with the Seattle Thunderbirds in 1986-87, after leaving the U of Alaska-Fairbanks. . . . He retired after playing four games with Dallas in 1999-2000.

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WHL commish Ron Robison said before season that "fighting is almost nonexistent in many ways today." WHL at 371 fighting majors this year.

— Brad E. Schlossman (@SchlossmanGF) December 27, 2016

There's a 17-year-old in WHL who has fought 11 times so far this season. Nobody in NHL fought more than 12 times last season.

— Brad E. Schlossman (@SchlossmanGF) December 27, 2016

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Americans get their man . . . Memorial Cup field set

Rufus, a Rufous Hummingbird, stopped for a breather
in our apple on Tuesday. Said he was on his way home
from Portland and Game 7.

 F Denis Tolpeko (Seattle, Regina, 2003-06) has signed a two-year contract extension with Salavat Yulaev Ufa (Russia, KHL). Tolpeko started this season with Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk (Russia, KHL), before being traded to Salavat Yulaev on Jan 13. In 45 games, he had 11 points, including five goals. . . .
F Steven Goertzen (Seattle, 2001-04) has signed a one-year contract with the Coventry Blaze (England, UK Elite). This season, with the Sheffield Steelers (England, UK Elite), he had 38 points, 12 of them goals, in 45 games. He was the interim player-head coach for two weeks in February. . . .
D Brett Bartman (Spokane, 2007-10) signed a one-year contract with Gap (France, Ligue Magnus). This season, with the U of Calgary (CIS), he had 11 points, including two gaols, in 26 games. . . .
D Rod Sarich (Calgary, 1996-2002) has signed a one-year contract with the Sheffield Steelers (England, UK Elite). Sarich, who has a UK passport, didn’t play this season but stayed in Sheffield, attending university and working. In 2012-13, he had 37 points, seven of them goals, in 57 games with Sheffield. He was pointless in three games with Great Britain’s national team. . . .
D Shaone Morrisonn (Kamloops, 1999-2002) has signed a one-year contract with Medveščak Zagreb (Croatia, KHL). This season, with TPS Turku (Finland, Liiga), he had 16 points, including four goals, in 54 games. He was an alternate captain with TPS Turku. . . .
F Dustin Johner (Seattle, 1999-2004) has signed a contract (one year plus an option) with Västerås (Sweden, Allsvenskan). This season, with Djurgården Stockholm (Sweden, Allsvenskan), he had 37 points, including 17 goals, in 52 games. He tied for the team lead in goals and points.
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The WHL’s game of coaching musical chairs continued Tuesday as the Tri-City Americans signed Mike Williamson as their head coach.
Contract details weren’t announced, other than it being a multi-year proposition, but I am told that Williamson signed a four-year deal with no club options. He had spent the previous five seasons with the Calgary Hitmen, who chose not to pick up a club option when this season ended.
The Hitmen enjoyed a 103-point regular season -- they finished tied with the Edmonton Oil Kings atop the Eastern Conference, losing top spot on a tiebreaker -- then lost a six-game first-round playoff series to the Kootenay Ice.
Williamson was dropped shortly after that.
With the Americans, Williamson takes over from Jim Hiller, who was dumped last week despite a five-season winning percentage of .619. General manager Bob Tory said at the time that he felt his team was in need of a new face/new voice behind the bench.
Williamson spent seven seasons plus 24 games (1999-07) as the head coach of the Portland Winterhawks, a team with which he had played three seasons. He also spent four-plus seasons as an assistant coach in Portland.
He has 427 victories as a WHL head coach, making him third among active coaches. He is ninth all-time in games coached and 11th in victories.
“I have known (Williamson), personally, since he was a 17-year-old player who I recruited to Portland from Red Deer College,” Tory said in a news release. “He has had tremendous success at the WHL level and is known as a player’s coach who is demanding yet firm and calm. Mike brings a great deal of experience and passion to our hockey club and I look forward to working with Mike moving forward.”
Earlier this month, Don Hay left after 10 years as head coach of the Vancouver Giants, returning to his home in Kamloops as head coach of the Blazers.
All of this leaves the Hitmen, Giants and Saskatoon Blades searching for head coaches.
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1. Best wishes for a speedy recovery to Al Ford, a former general manager of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, after he was mugged by a couple of idiots in Regina on Monday. He should just pretend that he got run over by George Reed during a practice session back in the day. . . . There’s more on what happened right here.

2. D Jordan Thomson has told the Saskatoon Blades that he will join them for the 2014-15 season. Thomson, from Wawanesa, Man., was selected by the Kamloops Blazers with the fourth overall pick in the 2011 bantam draft. However, he left the Blazers early this season and ended up with the MJHL’s Dauphin Kings. He did get into nine games with the Blades, getting a goal and five assists. . . . The Blades acquired Thomson, F Mitch Lipon and a 2015 first-round bantam pick from Kamloops in exchange for F Matt Revel, a third-round 2016 bantam draft pick and a conditional second-round pick in 2014 or 2015. The Blazers will get that 2015 second-round pick if Thomson plays one game for the Blades in 2014-15. . . . Lipon was dropped by the Blades as they made room for new players during the bantam draft on May 1.

3. Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon, the stars of the ESPN show PTI, have gotten multi-year contract extensions. If you haven’t seen PTI, Kornheiser and Wilbon sit in front of TV cameras and do what we did in the sports departments of the Winnipeg Tribune and Regina Leader-Post almost every night -- sit around and argue about sports. I think Kornheiser and Wilbon likely are getting paid more than we were.

4. The NFL draft ran for two nights and most of another day, all of it available on TV. If you weren’t aware, the CFL draft was held Tuesday evening and TSN televised an hour of it, right up against Game 7 between the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins. Yes, that’s one more page of that CFL’s manual titled Football Marketing 101. . . . Sheesh, why not hold it on Saturday afternoon and get it all on TV? It’s not like the CFL teams make 268 selections.

5. An afternoon tweet from the Prince George Cougars (@PGCougars): “Robison: The WHL never considered leaving Prince George.” . . . WHL commissioner Ron Robison, in Prince George to take part in a day in which the Cougars’ new owners introduced themselves to the fans, apparently made that statement to the gathering. . . . Rick Brodsky, who sold the franchise last month, certainly thought about it. There were talks with the people who run the arena in Boise, Idaho, and then there were thoughts of relocating to Chilliwack. Yes, there were conversations with at least one of the former owners of the Bruins, although those talks didn’t go too well. Oh, and Brodsky also looked into a move to Fort McMurray, Alta., something that would have involved the construction of a new arena. . . . So perhaps it all depends on how you define “considered.”

6. The Rangers were clinging to a 2-1 lead over the host Penguins when my wife said dinner was two minutes from being ready. There was 3:30 to play, so I asked if it could wait for five minutes. . . . She asked: “Is that real time?” . . . I said: “Yes.” . . . She replied: “It’s a good thing it’s not basketball time or it would take an hour.” . . . Who knew she paid such close attention to NBA games?

7. The Val-d’Or Foreurs went into Baie-Comeau and beat the Drakkar 4-3 in Game 7 of the QMJHL’s championship series on Tuesday night. . . . The Drakkar erased a 3-0 deficit in the third period, only to have Val-d’Or F Anthony Mantha score the GWG at 19:09. . . . It is the Foreurs’ third title (1998 and 2001) and, as Willy Palov of the Halifax Chronicle-Herald noted: “Pretty impressive for a small-market franchise.” . . . Mantha put up 38 points, 24 of them goals, in 24 playoff games, but the QMJHL playoff scoring title went to F Jonathan Drouin of the Halifax Mooseheads. He had 41 points in 16 games.

8. It’s a good day when Stan Van Gundy is back in the NBA as a head coach. As ESPN Stats & Info tweeted: “Stan Van Gundy to coach Pistons. He's had 5 50-win seasons and no losing seasons as an NBA head coach.”

9. One of my favourite people in all of hockey is Troy Mick, the always smiling GM and head coach of the BCHL’s Salmon Arm SilverBacks. Unfortunately, we don’t get the opportunity to chat as often as I’d like. This week, Mick is in Vernon watching his son, Logan, play in the RBC Cup with the host Vipers. Yes, Troy, who was part of two junior A national championships with the Vipers, is enjoying being a spectating father this week. . . . There’s more right here.

10. In future seasons, the WHL has to schedule its playoffs so that there is no chance of the final round ending with teams playing Games 6 and 7 on back-to-back nights in different cities. Especially when there were seven days (April 27 through May 2, inclusive) between the end of the third round and the start of the final series. Playing back-to-back games in different cities at that stage of the season isn’t fair to the players, the fans or the product.
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THE COACHING GAME:
John LaFontaine (Nanaimo Islanders, 1982-83) is the new head coach of the NAHL’s Wichita Wildcats. He had been coaching the Shattuck St. Mary’s bantam team in Faribault, Minn. He also spent seven seasons as head coach of the Bozeman Icedogs, who played in the America West League and the NAHL while he was with them. . . . LaFontaine takes over from Paul Baxter (Winnipeg, 1973-74), who is president and general manager in Wichita.
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Kevin McClelland, the head coach of the Central Hockey League’s Wichita Thunder, signed a one-year contract extension taking him through the 2015-16 season. . . . McClelland, 51, is preparing for his fifth season in Wichita, having signed with the Thunder on April 26, 2010. . . . The Thunder is 144-94-26 with him behind the bench. . . . McClelland’s resume includes a stint with the Prince Albert Raiders (1998-2000).
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Josh Hepditch has left the junior B Creston Valley Thunder Cats of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League to join the junior A Amherst CIBC Wood Gundy Ramblers of the Maritimes Junior League. . . . Hepditch, who is from Fredericton, N.B., and played five seasons at the U of New Brunswick, spent two seasons in Creston, the last one as GM and head coach. . . . Hepditch takes over from Jim Bottomley, who was dumped after this season. Bottomley has since signed on as GM/head coach of the MHL’s Yarmouth Mariners.
Darrell Cole of the Cumberland News Now has more right here.
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MEMORIAL CUP
(at London, Ont., all times Eastern)
(all games televised by Sportsnet)
Friday: Val-d’Or vs. London, 7 p.m.
Saturday: Guelph vs. Edmonton, 4 p.m.
Sunday: London vs. Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Monday: Guelph vs. Val-d’Or, 7 p.m.
Tuesday: Edmonton vs. Val-d’Or, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, May 21: London vs. Guelph, 7 p.m.
Thursday, May 22: Tiebreaker, if necessary, 7 p.m.
Friday, May 23: Semifinal, 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 24: No game scheduled.
Sunday, May 25: Final, TBA.
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From former NHL D Nick Boynton (@NICKBOYNTON24): “Hey nhl brilliant letting Matt Cooke play again. Someone have to die first?? No excuse now.”
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From MLB pitcher Mark Mulder (@markmulder20): “You want to stop TJ injuries----then don't play baseball. Kids pitch year round and don't play other sports. Arm only has so many bullets.”
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From Andrew Weiss (@WeissFC): “Surprised to see Kailer Yamamoto ('98) sign w/ Spokane. Regardless, he was one of my NTDP Camp surprises. Packs a lot of skill w/ small size.”
Yamamoto, from Spokane, played for the Los Angeles Jr. Kings minor midget team. He was a fifth-round pick by the Chiefs in the 2013 bantam draft. His older brother, Keanu, just completed his first season with the Chiefs.

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.

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Stanislav Gron (Seattle, Kootenay, 1997-99) signed a one-year contract extension with Cortina (Italy, Serie A). He had 34 goals and 30 assists in 39 games with Cortina this season, good enough to finish first in goals and second in scoring in Serie A. . . .


F Jeremy Yablonski (Edmonton/Kootenay, 1997-2000) was released by mutual agreement from his contract with Vityaz Chekhov (Russia, KHL). He had no points in eight games with Vityaz this season. . . .


D Shaone Morrisonn (Kamloops, 1999-2002) signed a one-year contract with TPS Turku (Finland, SM-Liiga). He had one goal and three assists in 46 games with Spartak Moscow (Russia, KHL) before being traded to CSKA Moscow (Russia, KHL) at the KHL trading deadline of Jan. 31, two games before the end of the regular season. With CSKA, he had one goal and one assist in those two games. . . .



F Oleg Saprykin (Seattle, 1998-2000) signed a one-year contract with CSKA Moscow (Russia, KHL). He had five goals and eight assists in 32 games with Salavat Yulaev Ufa (Russia, KHL) this season.
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1. We’ve all seen Gregg Popovich, the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs, use his eyes and tone of voice to barbecue an interviewer during one of those NBA in-game pieces. Marc Stein of ESPN.com writes right here about Popovich and his relationship with the people doing the interviewing. This, folks, is an entertaining read.
2. F Brenden Walker, who captained the Saskatoon Blades this season, has been invited to the Phoenix Coyotes’ development camp, July 8-12. Walker, an undrafted free agent, played out his eligibility with the Blades this season. He had 76 points, including 33 goals, with the Blades. . . . Darren Zary of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has more right here.
3. According to the Moncton Times & Transcript, the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats have signed Danny Flynn, the director, hockey operations, to a three-year contract extension. Before the end of this season, Flynn also was the club’s head coach. However, ownership chose to split the jobs, with Flynn not to focus on hockey operations.
4. The Swift Current Broncos have signed F Tyler Steenbergen, who is from Sylvan Lake,
Alta., to a contract. He was the 12th overall selection in the WHL’s 2013 bantam draft after putting up 67 points with the Red Deer Rebels White last season.
5. When Jerome Bechard played with the Moose Jaw Warriors (1986-90), he always displayed a lot of heart. That heart got tuned up this week when Bechard, now the general manager and head coach of the SPHL’s Columbus, Ga., Cottonmouths, underwent open heart surgery. Kathy Gierer has more on Bechard’s story right here.
6. The Coaches Site is getting geared up for its 2013 Hockey Coaches Conference. The third annual conference, which runs Aug. 9-11, will feature at least three WHL head coaches in key roles. . . . Don Hay of the Vancouver Giants, Mike Johnston of the Portland Winterhawks, Mike Williamson of the Calgary Hitmen and Ben Cooper of the Victoria Royals. . . . The news release is right here. There also is a link to the website over there on the right and, if you're a coach, there are a lot of resources on it.
7. If you’re looking for more hockey, the AHL final opens Saturday with the Grand Rapids Griffins in Syracuse to play the Crunch. . . . The AHL announced Thursday that it and NeuLion, Inc., will stream the final at no charge. From the news release: “Using promo code CALDER2013, fans can register and log in at www.ahllive.com and watch all of the action.” . . . Game time Saturday is 7 p.m. ET.
8. If you watched the NHL game last night between the visiting Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings, and if you watched the game the night before when a non-call on Boston F Jaromir Jagr led to the host Bruins’ winning goal in double OT against the Pittsburgh Penguins, you may be asking yourself this: Just what is a penalty in the NHL? . . . Sorry, can’t help you because I don’t know either.
9. So what’s going on in the NBA, where the Denver Nuggets dumped head coach George Karl yesterday? Sean Deveney of sportingnews.com writes right here that it’s all about younger and cheaper.
10. F Andy McDonald of the St. Louis Blues announced his retirement yesterday. McDonald, 35, says he feels that he could play another two or three seasons, but post-concussion syndrome has taken its toll. Five brain injures, two of them in a 10-month span, proved too much to allow him to continue.
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THE COACHING GAME:

The OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads extended the contract of general manager/head coach James Boyd through 2015-16 on Thursday. Boyd is preparing for his third season as the club’s GM/head coach, after spending four seasons as assistant GM/assistant coach under Dave Cameron.


The ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears announced Thursday that head coach Drake Berehowsky won’t be returning for a second season. The Solar Bears were 28-37-7 under Berehowsky  this season. . . . Darrell Romuld of CTV Lethbridge reported earlier this week that sources told him that Berehowsky will be named head coach of the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Thursday. . . . “I do not have a contract with anybody right now,” Berehowsky told Brendan Sonnone of the Orlando Sentinel. “That’s about all I can say.”

Former NHLer Todd Krygier is the new head coach of the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks. Krygier, 47, who retired as a player in 2000, has been coaching at various levels in Michigan. He played 543 NHL games (1989-98_ with the Hartford Whalers, Anaheim Mighty Ducks, and Washington Capitals. . . . Krygier replaces Jim McKenzie, who was dismissed on May 24.
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From former Portland Winterhawks F Brad Ross (@bross1818), who was watching Game 1 in the NBA final: “What a joke, brutal ref job in the heat game reminds me of the whl refs” #takeyourblindersoff”


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THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Patrik Vrana (Moose Jaw, Prince George, 2006-07) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Polonia Bytom (Poland, 1 Liga) after being released by Vsetin (Czech Republic, 2. Liga) for financial reasons. He started the season with Sumperk (Czech Republic, 1. Liga), where he had one goal in nine games, before transferring to Vsetin, where he had one goal and five assists in 12 games. . . .

F Dylan Gyori (Tri-City, 1994-99) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Dresdner Eislöwen (Germany, 2. Bundesliga) after his release by the Hannover Indians (Germany, 2. Bundesliga). He had one goal and three assists in seven games with the Indians. . . .

D Brent Sopel (Saskatoon, Swift Current, 1992-97) was traded by Metallurg Novokuznetsk (Russia, KHL) to Salavat Yulaev Ufa (Russia, KHL) for "monetary compensation." Metallurg is out of the playoffs and Salavat Yulaev have clinched a playoff spot. Both teams have four games left in the regular season. Sopel had four goals and six assists in 47 games with Metallurg this season. A short message from Sopel thanking the fans of Metallurg is right here. Unfortunately, it is overdubbed in Russian. . . .

G Tyson Sexsmith (Vancouver, 2004-09) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Bolzano (Italy, Serie A) after his release by Metallurg Novokuznetsk (Russia, KHL). He had a 3.28 GAA and a .873 save percentage in four games with Metallurg this season. Bolzano has three regular-season games left and currently sits in first place in Serie A Master Round. Sexsmith replaces Czech G Tomas Duba, who left Bolzano to sign with Krefeld Pinguine (Germany, DEL) two weeks ago. . . .

D Shaone Morrisonn (Kamloops, 1999-2002) was traded by Spartak Moscow (Russia, KHL) to CSKA Moscow (Russia, KHL) for "monetary compensation." He had one goal and three assists in 44 games for Spartak. Spartak also is out of the playoff race while CSKA has clinched a playoff spot with four games left for each team. You can see pictures of Morrisonn being welcomed to CSKA by general manager Sergei Fedorov right here. . . .

D Jordan Henry (Moose Jaw, Red Deer, 2003-07) signed a contract for the rest of this season with HPK Hämeenlinna (Finland, SM-Liiga). Henry started the season on a tryout contract with Södertälje (Sweden, Allsvenskan), where he had one goal and one assist in seven games. After his release form the try-out, he signed with the Stockton Thunder (ECHL) and was loaned to the Oklahoma City Barons (AHL) on a tryout five days afterwards. Henry had two assists in 20 games with the Barons but was released from his tryout loan and returned to Stockton on Jan. 21. He played two games with the Thunder and had two assists. . . .

F Lynn Loyns (Spokane, 1997-2001) was granted his release by the Ravensburg Towerstars (Germany, 2. Bundesliga) for personal reasons. He had two goals and three assists in 12 games for the Towerstars this season. . . .

F Ned Lukacevic (Spokane, Swift Current, 2001-06) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Aalborg (Denmark, AL-Bank Liga) after a successful tryout. He did not play any games during his tryout period; he just participated in practices and training sessions. Lukacevic was pointless during a two-game try-out with Eispiraten Crimmitschau (Germany, 2. Bundesliga) and had three goals and eight assists in 15 games with Banska Bystrica (Slovakia, Extraliga) earlier this season.
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The Tri-City Americans are expected to have a pair of prospects make their WHL debuts tonight in Everett against the Silvertips. . . . D Parker Wotherspoon, the Americans’ first-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft, and F Justin Marreck, who has been on the Americans’ list for two years, have been brought in for the weekend. . . . Wotherspoon, the younger brother of Portland Winterhawks D Tyler Wotherspoon, plays for the major midget Fraser Valley Hawks. . . . Marreck, 16, plays for the major midget Okanagan Rockets. . . . Both plays also are to play Saturday when the Americans are to meet the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash., and then return to their club teams.
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The WHL has suspended D Joel Edmundson of the Kamloops Blazers for four games, while Tri-City Americans F Tyson Dallman has been hit with a three-game sentence. . . . Both suspensions are the result of infractions in Wednesday games. . . . Edmundson received a headshot major and game misconduct for an open-ice hit on Portland Winterhawks F Adam De Champlain, who left the game afer the first-period hit and didn’t return. . . . Dallman was given an interference major and game misconduct after a collision with Prince George Cougars G Brett Zarowny, who also left the game.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES:
In Red Deer, F Turner Elson and F Ryhse Dieno each had two goals to lead the Rebels to a 6-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Dieno also had two assists, while Elson had one. . . . Dieno has 33 points, including 17 goals, since joining the Rebels from the SJHL’s La Ronge Ice Wolves. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart scored his 27th goal as he ran his point streak to 15 games. . . . With F Joel Hamilton having suffered an undisclosed injury in practice Wednesday, the Rebels brought in F Vukie Mpofu, a fourth-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft. Mpofu has 55 points in 34 games with the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts. That’s good for second place in the league scoring race. . . .

In Kelowna, the Rockets scored the game’s first four goals, three of them in the first period, and went on to a 6-1 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . F Tyson Baillie scored the game’s first and last goals, giving him 18. . . . The Rockets ran their home-ice winning streak to 22 games. The franchise record (24) is held by the 1994-95 Tacoma Rockets. . . . Kelowna F Dylen McKinlay had two assists in his 300th regular-season game. . . . With the victory, the Rockets became the second WHL team to clinch a playoff spot this season.


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