Thomson leaves Blazers; Hurricanes get Bell

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Adam Rehak (Medicine Hat, 2011-12) has been released by Meran/Merano (Italy, Austria Nationalliga). He had 12 points, including seven goals, in 12 games.
———
D Jordan Thomson, the fourth overall selection in the 2011 bantam draft, has left the Kamloops Blazers and returned to his home in Wawanesa, Man., which is located just southeast of Brandon.
"Everything is all right," Thomson told me Tuesday evening. "(I) just need to clear my head."
Thomson has seven assists in 20 games this season. Last season, as a 16-year-old rookie, he had 14 points, two of them goals, in 47 games.
Earlier in the day, the Blazers issued a news release that stated Thomson had returned home "for an undetermined time due to a personal matter."
“At this point it’s all about Jordan," head coach Dave Hunchak told Adam Williams of the Kamloops Daily News last night. "We support him and he’s gone home in the best interests of him. We’re here for him 110 per cent and are going to support him.”
Hunchak said the team is taking a "week-to-week" approach with Thomson.
His departure leaves the Blazers with six defenceman on their 21-man roster.
The Blazers (6-12-3) are at home to the Medicine Hat Tigers (14-3-3) tonight.
———
First, the Lethbridge Hurricanes added a victory; then they added a defenceman.
After winning 5-3 in Moose Jaw to end a 10-game losing skid last night, the Hurricanes announced that they have acquired D Tyler Bell, 19, from the Warriors for a third-round 2014 bantam draft pick.
It seems that the general managers, Alan Millar of the Warriors and Lethbridge's Brad Robson, struck up a conversation during the game.
“It was discussed during the game and looked at seriously in the second intermission and then we completed it right afterwards,” Millar told Katie Brickman of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald.
The Hurricanes have been playing with six defencemen since last week when D Ryan Pilon left the team and returned home to await a trade.
The Warriors acquired Bell last season as part of a deal in which D Joel Edmundson moved to the Kamloops Blazers. Bell, from Regina, has five points, one of them a goal, in 23 games this season. In 146 career games, he has 26 points, including five goals.
Bell, who is expected to join his new club Thursday, will bring a physical presence to the Lethbridge back end.
———
The Red Deer Rebels have promoted Shaun Sutter to assistant general manager and director of player personnel. He had been working as the Rebels' senior scout since 2011. . . . Sutter played four WHL seasons (Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Calgary, 1997-2001) and was a fourth-round pick by the Calgary Flames in the 1998 NHL draft. He played eight seasons of pro hockey and also worked as an assistant coach with the Regina Pats (2009-11). . . . He is the son of former NHL player and coach Brian Sutter.
———


D Dalton Thrower, the captain of the Vancouver Giants, was on the ice Tuesday. Thrower has missed two games after taking a headshot from F Mitch Moroz of the Edmonton Oil Kings on Nov. 5. Thrower was wearing a non-contact jersey at yesterday's practice. It isn't known if he will play Friday against the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province also reports that F Tyler Benson, the first overall selection in the 2013 bantam draft, skated with the Giants yesterday. Benson, who plays for the Pursuit of Excellence in Kelowna, is scheduled to make his WHL debut on Saturday against the visiting Tri-City Americans. . . . Andy Neal reports on his blog, Neal's Notes, that the Victoria Royals were missing five players when they practised on Tuesday. D Joe Hicketts, D Jordan Fransoo and D Keegan Kanzig didn't skate, nor did F Jack Walker and F Brandon Magee. All are believed to be injured with the exception of Magee. Head coach Dave Lowry told Neal that Magee was given a "maintenance day." . . . The Royals are home to the Seattle Thunderbirds for a Friday-Saturday doubleheader. . . . D Eric Roy may not play for the Brandon Wheat Kings tonight when they meet the visiting Saskatoon Blades. Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun reports that Roy was injured while blocking a shot on Monday and didn't practice Tuesday. G Curtis Honey, who has missed five games with an undisclosed injury, also sat out practice.
———
TUESDAY:
In Prince Albert, the Raiders ended a three-game losing skid with a 4-1 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Raiders G Nick McBride, making his first career start at home, stopped 28 shots. . . . Blades G Alex Moodie, making his fifth straight start, stopped 42 shots. . . . Saskatoon D Ayrton Nikkel returned after missing seven games with an undisclosed injury. . . . Earlier in the day, the Raiders removed F Lance Yaremchuk, 17, from their roster. A native of Prince Albert, he had three points, including a goal, in eight games. He was a sixth-round selection in the 2011 bantam draft. . . .

In Moose Jaw, the Lethbridge Hurricanes snapped their 10-game losing skid with a 5-3 victory over the Warriors. . . . F Axel Blomqvist scored the Hurricanes' first three goals, the third one forging a 3-3 tie at 16:55 of the second period. . . . F Russ Maxwell broke the tie at 17:24. . . . Blomqvist has eight goals. . . . F Josh Uhrich scored his fourth goal of the season for the Warriors and also added an assist. He has one goal in each of his last four games. . . . Moose Jaw lost F Jack Rodewald to a broken jaw in the second period. According to Katie Brickman of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald he "was injured in a collision midway through the second period. . . . He returned to the bench, but left and did not return." Rodewald went for X-rays and his jaw was found to be broken in two places. He is to have surgery today. Rodewald, who was playing in his 150th career game, had career highs in goals (9), assists (8) and points (17) in 24 games. . . .

In Prince George, F Miles Koules scored twice to lead the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 6-1 victory over the Cougars. . . . Koules has six goals this season. . . . The Tigers scored the game's last five goals, four of them in the third period. . . . The Cougars were playing their fourth game in five nights in four different cities. . . . Tigers G Daniel Wapple stopped 39 shots, 18 of them in the second period. . . . Medicine Hat D Matt Staples, who went into the game with two assists in 17 games, had his first WHL goal and an assist. He's a sophomore from Coppell, Texas. . . . Prince George D Joseph Carvalho left late in the second period after taking a shot high, perhaps off his face. He didn't return. . . . The Tigers are 7-0-1 in their last eight games. . . .

In Portland, the Winterhawks got five first-period goals from five different scorers en route to a 10-2 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Winterhawks, who lost two home games in a row during parent's weekend, now have won two straight. . . . Seattle now has lost five in a row. . . . After the first period, the Thunderbirds had been outscored 15-4 in their last four periods in Portland. . . . F Paul Bittner led Portland with his first WHL three-goal game and his first four-point outing. He wound up plus-5, as did D Derrick Pouliot, who had a goal and an assist. . . .Portland F Nic Petan had a goal and two assists. He leads the WHL in assists (31) and is second in points (43). He is eight points behind Spokane F Mitch Holmberg. . . . Portland twice has scored 10 goals against Seattle this season. On Sept. 28, the Winterhawks beat visiting Seattle, 10-4. . . . Seattle D Evan Wardley completed his four-game WHL suspension by sitting out this game. . . . Prior to the game, the Thunderbirds released F Erik Benoit, 20. That leaves them with F Seth Swenson and F Mitch Elliot as their 20-year-olds, meaning there is room for one more. Benoit had eight points, three of them goals, in 19 games with Seattle. . . . The Winterhawks are alone atop the overall standings, three points ahead of the Medicine Hat Tigers and Everett Silvertips, both of whom are 14-3-3.
———






From Lethbridge G Chris Tai (@chrisstopper95), who turned aside 36 shots and was the game's first star as the Hurricanes ended a 10-game losing skid: "So that's what winning feels like."
———
From Ryan Bittner (@17Bittner): "So proud of me little big brother @unclebittsy_7 and getting his first hat trick in the WHL! #SoProud"
———
From Prince George F Zach Pochiro (@Z_Pochiro): “Shoutout to @joecarvalho27 for blocking a shot with his face today. Kids a warrior #getbetter”

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.

Scouting moves in Regina, Red Deer

As expected, Aaron Boogaard, the younger brother of the late Derek Boogaard, was charged Friday and is to appear in Henneping County District Court on Monday.
The Minneapolis StarTribune reported: “Aaron Boogaard, 24, was charged with third-degree sale of a controlled substance, a felony, and interference with a death, a gross misdemeanor.”
Boogaard, who was arrested Wednesday in Minneapolis, was released to his family on Friday.
This has been a tragic story from the outset — Derek died on May 13 — and it seems it is only going to get worse.
Consider this paragraph from the StarTribune’s story:
“A toxicologist found traces of Percocet, OxyContin and oxycodone along with alcohol in Derek Boogaard's body, making it difficult to say which substance killed him. That's the only reason, (Hennepin County Attorney Mike) Freeman said, that Aaron Boogaard wasn't charged with murder or manslaughter.”
The StarTribune’s story is right here, and it contains more details than previously published about the timeline leading up to Derek’s death.
———
Veteran scout Dale McMullin has left the Red Deer Rebels and signed on as the Regina Pats’ director of scouting. McMullin, a former WHL sniper (Brandon, 1970-76), had been with the Rebels for nine seasons and had been their Senior Scout. . . . In Regina, McMullin replaces Todd Ripplinger, whose contract wasn’t renewed. Ripplinger has since joined the Vancouver Giants as director of player development. . . . The Rebels have hired Shaun Sutter as their Senior Scout. He spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach with the Pats. Sutter played in the WHL (Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Calgary, 1997-2001). Shaun’s father, Brian, is a former NHL and WHL player and coach.
———
THE COACHING GAME:
The NHL’s Winnipeg Jets have hired Pascal Vincent, 39, as an assistant coach. He has spent the last 12 seasons coaching in the QMJHL. Last season, he was the general manager and head coach of the Montreal Juniors. . . .
The NHL’s Montreal Canadiens have signed Randy Cunneyworth and Randy Ladouceur, both former NHL players, as assistant coaches. Both were with the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs last season, Cunneyworth as head coach and Ladouceur as assistant. . . . The Canadiens also named Clement Jodoin as head coach of the Bulldogs. A veteran coach, Jodoin spent the last four seasons as head coach of the QMJHL’s Rimouski Oceanic. . . .
The Southern Professional league’s Mississippi Surge is looking for a head coach. Former NHLer Tim Kerr, who owns the Surge, announced Friday that head coach Steffon Walby won’t be back.
———
JUST NOTES: The Everett Silvertips lost athletic trainer Chris Walker on Friday when he left for a job with an undisclosed AHL team. The Silvertips’ news release didn’t specify his destination. Walker, 30, had been with the Silvertips for four seasons. . . . Andy Neal is leaving the Prince George Cougars, who now need a play-by-play voice who also does corporate sales and media relations. Neal and his family are moving to Victoria. According to the Prince George Citizen, Neal “has accepted a position as a broadcaster with the Victoria Royals.” . . . F Marcus Watson (Prince George, 2007-09) will attend Nipissing University in North Bay, Ont., and play for the Lakers. According to hockeydb.com, Watson, from San Jose, played only 27 games over the last two seasons. He got into 16 games with the AJHL’s Grande Prairie Storm in 2009-10 and then played last season in the ECHL with the Stockton Thunder (nine games) and Las Vegas Wranglers (two games). . . . The Dallas Stars have signed Les Jackson, their director of scouting and player development, to a two-year extension. Jackson, one of hockey’s good guys, has been with the Stars since 1985, except for two years (1998-2000) when he was assistant GM with the Atlanta Thrashers (remember them?). Avid WHL fans may also remember that Jackson once was the head coach of the WHL’s Great Falls Americans (remember them?).
———
A note to yesterday’s post referred to Troy Bulmer having won the Saskatchewan men’s amateur golf championship.
Darren Zary of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has that story right here and it’s one that is well worth reading.
In August, Bulmer and his father, Rod, were driving south through North Dakota en route to North Carolina when their vehicle was struck by a pair of tornadoes. Rod, who had won the Saskatchewan men’s amateur title in 1984, was killed, while Troy was seriously injured.
This story is definitely worth reading.
———







If you haven’t already seen them, the Winnipeg Jets unveiled their new logos on Friday. In this instance, the Jets revealed three logos, two of which would appear to have a strong militaristic bent.
But, hey, fans were lined up to purchase merchandise as the announcement was made, so obviously these are a smash hit in Winnipeg and that’s all that counts.
What I want to know, however, is this: Why did they stop at three? Why not a dozen, as in one for each month of the year? Or, six . . . one for each month of the NHL's regular season?

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Thursday . . .

The coaching carousel let one on and another one off Thursday.
The Seattle Thunderbirds introduced Steve Konowalchuk as the 16th head coach in franchise history.
Konowalchuk, 38, spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. (By the way, Colorado filled the vacancy on its coaching staff by promoting Adam Deadmarsh to assistant coach from video and development coach; Konowalchuk and Deadmarsh both played for the Portland Winterhawks.)
Konowalchuk played in 14 NHL seasons, splitting them between the Washington Capitals and Colorado. Washington had selected him in the third round of the 1991 NHL draft.
Meanwhile, the Regina Pats dismissed Curtis Hunt, who had one season left on his contract.
At the same time, Regina didn’t renew the contract of Todd Ripplinger, who had been the director of scouting since 1997-98.
Hunt spent six seasons as the Pats’ head coach, although he spent one season in the Ottawa Senators’ organization in the middle of his Regina stint. However, the Pats missed the playoffs each of the last two seasons with Hunt as their head coach. (Regina now has missed the playoffs each of the last three seasons, the first one under Dale Derkatch, who now is in the Prince Albert Raiders organization.) Hunt was 185-201-46 as the Pats’ head coach, winning an East Division title in 2007-08.
You have to wonder what took the Pats so long to make this decision, considering that they played their final game of the 2010-11 season on March 19.
What this means is that general manager Chad Lang, who took over from Brent Parker (he is the team president) after the 2009-10 season, is putting his stamp on the franchise. He had hired neither Hunt nor Ripplinger, and now will be able to put his own people in place. Remember, too, that the Pats earlier had said they wouldn’t be renewing the contracts of assistant coach Shaun Sutter or goaltending consultant Ryan Cyr.
The Pats, then, will have a whole new look when another season gets here.
I was told Thursday that Ripplinger had been offered a contract but hadn’t signed it or even agreed to it, but had planned to get together with Lang when the latter returned from the WHL’s annual general meeting that was held earlier this week in Calgary.
However, Ripplinger was told Thursday morning that the decision had now been made not to bring him back.
“After 14 years, it’s over,” an emotional Ripplinger told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post. “It’s a hard feeling. I shed some tears. It was tough walking out of that office. It’s hard to put closure on something like that. I’ve met a lot of good people in Regina. They’ve been good to me. I kind of figured this day would come sooner or later but you just can’t prepare for it.”
You have to think Hunt might have a chance to land the job as head coach of the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat, assuming that is that he is interested in jumping right back into the water. That job opened when Jim Playfair left for a spot on the bench with the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes. The Heat is affiliated with the NHL’s Calgary Flames and Hunt has ties to Calgary head coach Brent Sutter and associate coach Craig Hartsburg.
Hunt also has experience as an AHL head coach. He was an assistant under Hartsburg with the Ottawa Senators when Hartsburg lost his job. Cory Clouston moved up from the AHL’s Binghamton Senators to replace Hartsburg, while Hunt went down to take over from Clouston.
And now Hartsburg is the only one of that trio with a coaching job.
Ahh, the coaching game!
---
If you’re counting, the Pats join the Everett Silvertips and Moose Jaw Warriors as WHL teams without head coaches.
---
THE COACHING GAME: The Central league’s Quad City Mallards have hired David Bell as general manager and head coach. Bell, 34, was an assistant coach with the OHL’s Barrie Colts for the last two seasons. . . . The Mallards also announced the formation of the Quad City Mallards Community Advisory Board. That board, according to a news release, “will provide guidance, advice and support in an effort to maximize the visibility and success of the Mallards in the community.” The first person named to the board is Kerry Toporowski (Spokane, 1989-91), who is one of two players in Quad City to have his number retired. He played 236 games over six seasons with the Mallards. . . . Former NHL D Darryl Sydor (Kamloops, 1988-92) may be in line for an NHL coaching job after one season as an assistant with the AHL’s Houston Aeros. Mike Yeo, the Aeros’ head coach, is to be named head coach of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild and could easily take Sydor with him. Sydor also is one of five owners of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers. . . . Curtis Brown (Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, 1992-96) has ended his playing career after three years in Europe. He has joined the NHL’s San Jose Sharks organization and will work in an area called Sharks Ice as a development coach. He played three seasons for the Sharks during his NHL career. . . . Réal Paiement is the new program manager and head coach of the U of Ottawa Gee-Gees. He has coached five different QMJHL teams and had two years left on his contract as head coach of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Don Campbell of the Ottawa Citizen reported that Paiement, 51, exercised an out clause in his contract. The U of Ottawa dropped head coach Dave Leger in March. . . .
———
Like the Seattle Thunderbirds, the Prince George Cougars have opened an account at Sporcle, which is turning into a popular spot on the Internet. It’s a site specializing in trivia and quizzes. Check it out right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter