Hauf penalty rescinded . . . Virtanen closer to returning . . . Rockets stay perfect

The WHL’s 20-year-old deadline zipped past on Wednesday afternoon.
At the deadline, each team has to declare a maximum of three 20-year-olds, with excess players being placed on waivers.
On Wednesday, none of the players on waivers was claimed so any 20-year-olds not on rosters now are free agents.
---
The Swift Current Broncos got down to the maximum three 20-year-olds by placing F Andrew Johnson and D Stephen Shmoorkoff on waivers. . . . That left the Broncos with F Carter Rigby, F Colby Cave and F Coda Gordon as their 1994-born players. . . . Johnson, from Saskatoon, got his walking papers on his 20th birthday. A second-round pick by Moose Jaw in the 2009 bantam draft, he also has played for the Warriors and Seattle Thunderbirds. In 262 regular-season games, he has 102 points, including 44 goals. . . . Shmoorkoff, from Edmonton, turned 20 on Sunday. He played the first 40 games of his WHL career with the Edmonton Oil Kings. In 95 career games, he had seven points, including one goal.
---
Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix tweeted Tuesday night that F Gage Ramsay had left the midget AAA Saskatoon Blazers and was bound for the WHL’s Vancouver Giants. . . . On Wednesday morning, the Giants issued a news release stating that Ramsay “has been added to the club’s active roster.” . . . Ramsay, from Saskatoon, was a third-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. He turned 16 on Wednesday. Last season, with the midget AAA Notre Dame Argos, Ramsay had 45 points, 20 of them goals, in 35 games. This season, he had three points in three games with the Blazers. According to Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province, Ramsay had left the Giants during their training camp in order to play midget hockey.
---
Earlier, it was mentioned here that the Saskatoon Blades had posted the 1,600th victory in franchise history and that it came in game No. 3,507. . . . Les Lazaruk, the Blades’ long-time (that just means he’s getting old!) radio voice, checks in with some clarifying numbers:
“It was the 1,600th win in WHL franchise history. But the 3,507 games includes 116 games in the SJHL from 1964-66. The Blades’ WHL record in 3,391 WHL games is 1,600-1,522-202-38-29. Throw in the two SJHL seasons and it's 1,640-1,591-209-38-29.
“Also, the 18-game losing streak is a franchise record. The previous ‘high’ was 17 straight in the 2004 part of the seven-win 2003-04 season. Another franchise record was 13 consecutive home-ice losses snapped on Saturday. The previous home win was Jan. 25 vs. Swift Current . . . 3-2 on a MacKenzie Johnston overtime goal.”
---
It’s good to see that Mark Ferner, the general manager and head coach of the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers, is in mid-season form.
His club is 5-3-0-1 and preparing to meet the 8-1-0-0 Penticton Vees in Vernon on Friday and to visit the West Kelowna Warriors (5-4-0-0) on Saturday.
“We’ll be making sure our compete level is there for the weekend,” Ferner told Kevin Mitchell of the Vernon Morning Star. “There’s too much swinging away from the puck for my liking. Guys are sniffing offensively and they think if they get a point, it makes them a good hockey player. I told them . . . that winning is like deodorant; it just covers up the stink.”
---
Former WHL D Travis Hamonic (Moose Jaw, Brandon, 2006-10) is making his mark in the NHL with the New York Islanders. He also is making a lot of young friends along the way as he befriends grief-stricken children. Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post has more right here.
---
D Jason Fram, the captain of the Spokane Chiefs, addressed the crowd prior to a game against the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds on Wednesday night. Fram, on behalf of his teammates, apologized for the inappropriate actions of a few teammates during the national anthem prior to Friday's game against visiting Seattle. . . . In that incident, players who were scratched from the lineup apparently made some inappropriate comments during the anthem. . . . Spokane general manager Tim Speltz addressed the issue prior to the Chiefs' 2-1 victory over the Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash., on Tuesday. Speltz appeared on Spokane radio, explained what actions the team has taken and issued a broad apology.
---
Elliotte Friedman has filed his latest version of 30 Thoughts and, as usual, it's a good read. Grab a cuppa and click right here. Fans of the Edmonton Oil Kings should be warned, though, that there is a mention here of F Curtis Lazar, who remains with the Ottawa Senators.
---




D Jared Hauf of the Seattle Thunderbirds was given a headshot major and game misconduct for a first-period hit on Spokane F Liam Stewart during a Tuesday night game against the visiting Chiefs. On Wednesday, the WHL rescinded that penalty, meaning there won’t be a suspension. . . . The Kootenay Ice are giving fans a chance to double up on their pleasure. Each of the Ice’s five Tuesday night home games will feature 2-for-1 walk-up tickets, hot dogs, small popcorn and fountain drinks. The promotion begins with an Oct. 28 game against the visiting Prince Albert Raiders. . . .

Former Everett Silvertips assistant/associate coach Jay Varady has been named head coach of the U.S. Junior Selects who will take part in the 2014 Junior A Challenge in Kindersley, Sask., Dec. 14-20. Varady, the director of hockey operations and head coach of the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers, was the video coach with the U.S. team that won the 2010 World Junior Championship. He spent eight seasons (2003-11) with the Silvertips. . . .

Jim Benning, the general manager of the NHL's Vancouver Canucks, told TSN 1040 on Wednesday that F Jake Virtanen, who had off-season shoulder surgery, might be cleared to play for the Calgary Hitmen in 10 days to two weeks. Virtanen, a first-round selection by the Canucks in the 2014 NHL draft, arrived in Vancouver yesterday and will be meeting with team doctors. . . . Virtanen had 71 points, including 45 goals, in 71 games with the Hitmen last season. He was the sixth overall pick in the 2014 NHL draft. . . .

In Edmonton on Wednesday night, the Oil Kings scored the game's first three goals and went on to a 3-2 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . F Edgars Kulda's second goal of the season, shorthanded at 3:30 of the second period, was the winner. F Brett Pollock scored Edmonton's first two goals. . . . F Austin Carroll scored for the Royals, running his goal-scoring streak to eight games. He has one goal in each game. . . .

In Swift Current, the Saskatoon Blades beat the Broncos 4-3, thanks to an eight-round shootout. . . . Broncos F Tanner LeSann forced OT with his second goal of the season at 16:59 of the third. . . . Saskatoon F Austin Adamson won it in the shootout. . . . The Blades were 3-for-4 on the PP as they won for the second straight game after opening with six losses. . . . F Jake DeBrusk had two goals, giving him seven, and an assist for the Broncos. . . .

In Moose Jaw, the Warriors opened up a 5-1 lead and hung on for a 5-3 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders, who have lost four in a row. . . . F Jack Rodewald and F Brayden Point each had a goal and an assist for the winners, who are 5-0-1 in their last six. . . .

In Spokane, the Chiefs outshot Seattle 43-19 en route to a 4-1 victory over the Thunderbirds. . . . It was the third straight meeting between the teams. The Thunderbirds won the opener in OT, with the Chiefs taking the second one in a shootout. . . . F Liam Stewart scored twice for the Chiefs, giving him five goals this season. He also had an assist. . . .

In Kamloops, the Blazers gave the Kelowna Rockets all they could handle before falling 6-4, a decision that left the visitors with a 9-0-0 record as they head for Spokane and a Friday night date with the Chiefs. . . . F Nick Merkley drew three assists for the Rockets, giving him a WHL-leading 15. . . . His patience with the puck is something to watch. . . . The Blazers (6-4-1) got two goals from the always reliable Cole Ully. . . . Kelowna was 3-for-5 on the PP, and there's a lesson there. The Rockets will grind you down 5-on-5 and beat you with the league's best PP unit that now is 19-for-53, for 35.8 per cent. . . . I realize that plus-minus is a flawed statistic in a lot of ways, but it must mean something that Kelowna D Cole Martin is plus-119 in 151 regular-season games over the past two-plus seasons. . . . The three stars in the building were Merkley, Ully and Kelowna F Tyrell Goulborne, in that order. I went with Merkley, Ully and Kelowna F Austin Glover, a big body who grinds and had two goals.
---

Can we all just accept the fact that regardless of the outcome of tonight's Rockets/Blazers game, all three stars will be from the Blazers?
— Regan Bartel (@Reganrant) October 15, 2014

Broncos, Oil Kings swing deal

THE MacBETH REPORT:

F Pavel Brendl (Calgary, 1998-2001) has been loaned to Brno by Pardubice (both Czech Republic, Extraliga) for 30 days. Brendl hasn’t played this season. Last season, with Pardubice, he had eight points, five of them goals, in 20 games.
———
The Swift Current Broncos have acquired D Stephen Shmoorkoff, 19, from the Edmonton Oil Kings for G Alec Dillon, 17, and a conditional fourth-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft. . . . According to Edmonton’s news release: “If Dillon plays in the WHL, a fourth-round pick is returned to the Broncos.” . . . Shmoorkoff is pointless in 16 games with the Oil Kings this season. . . . The Edmonton native had four points, one of them a goal, in 34 games last season. . . . “(Shmoorkoff) is a veteran defenceman with experience in a winning organization,” Mark Lamb, the Broncos’ general manager and head coach, said in a news release. “He is a very physical player and will bring his physicality and wealth of experience to our young defensive group moving forward.” . . . Dillon, from Victoria, is a 6-foot-5, 170-pounder who was a fifth-round selection in the 2011 bantam draft. He is with the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies, going 2.49, .917 in 13 games. . . . At the same time, the Broncos sent F Brandan Arnold, 16, to the midget AAA Tisdale, Sask., Trojans. Arnold, from Dodsland, Sask., was pointless in one game. He was a seventh-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft.
———
A tweet from Chris Dilks (@ChrisDilks): “Champlin Park '96 F Calvin Spencer will be playing for Seattle (WHL). Big, physical kid, not a big scorer. Tough loss for CP.”
———
Former Moose Jaw Warriors F Brooks Laich, now with the NHL’s Washington Capitals, is obsessed with hockey. In fact, it’s gotten to the point where Washington head coach Adam Oates wants Laich to perhaps rethink things a bit. . . . Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post has a terrific read right here.
———


Brian Costello of The Hockey News notes that the Calgary Flames have taken to releasing specifics about injuries to players. And he appreciates it. That piece is right here.
———


Former NHLer Rick Vaive, saying that he didn’t see the contents of the concussion-related lawsuit before it was filed against the NHL, has asked that his name be removed from it. . . . There’s more right here.
———
Former Saskatoon Blades F Bob Bourne, who was a terrific player with the New York Islanders as they won four straight Stanley Cups, is part of the concussion-related lawsuit against the NHL. “Life after hockey hasn’t been fun for me. It’s been a struggle,” Bourne told Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star. “I’m articulate. I consider myself a smart guy. But there’s a reason why things haven’t gone as well as they should have.” . . . Feschuk’s piece is right here. Read it and wonder how many former players are in the same boat.
———
F Anthony Ast of the Vancouver Giants has been honoured with the Canadian Diabetes Association’s National Young Volunteers of the Year Award. . . . Ast, 18, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in January 2002. . . . The Giants’ news release is right here.
———

Old friend Ben Laursen will be in the spotlight in the first intermission Friday as the Brandon Wheat Kings play host to the Prince Albert Raiders. Laursen, who has been a volunteer with the Wheat Kings since before Rudy Pilous was the head coach, will be saluted by the Wheat Kings and Atom-Jet Group as the Innovator of the Month. . . . These days, Laursen is the director of off-ice officials.
———
I don’t know if you posted details of your Thanksgiving Day menu anywhere on the Internet, but Kris Jenner did and it’s right here. Enjoy!
———
Jason Kidd, the head coach of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, was out of timeouts, so he innovated. Unfortunately for him, it’s going to cost him $50,000. There’s more right here.


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 Michal Psurny (Medicine Hat, Kootenay, 2005-06) signed a one-year contract with the Manchester Phoenix (England, Premier). He had seven goals and 25 assists in 49 games with Olomouc (Czech Republic, 1.Liga) last season. . . .
D Dave Sutter (Seattle, 2010-12) has been assigned on loan by Genève-Servette (Switzerland, NL A) to Red Ice Martigny (Switzerland, NL B). He has no points in two games with Genève-Servette this season. Last season, Sutter had five goals and 14 assists in 66 games with the Thunderbirds.
———
Judging from all the chatter on Twitter on Tuesday evening, the OHL is poised to announce a few rules adjustments today, including suspensions to players who indulge themselves in more than 10 fights.
Apparently, OHL commissioner David Branch and team representatives will be discussing all of this on a conference call today.
Yes, there will be a lot of gnashing of teeth and wailing from the fight fans. But, really, major junior hockey has no choice but to move away from fighting.
In fact, I would suggest, as I did on occasion last season, that we are within a couple of years of an outright ban. In other words, the day is on the horizon when a fight will carry with it a game misconduct and an automatic suspension.
You have to understand that this has nothing to do with hockey or entertainment.
It has everything to do with safety issues and legalities.
Everyone in authority seems to agree that a crackdown on headshots was and continues to be a necessity. Therefore, it only stands to reason that you move to get rid of fighting.
After all, the powers-that-be in major junior hockey don’t want to find themselves in a courtroom sometime in the future, trying to explain how they worked so hard to get rid of shoulders and elbows to the heads of unsuspecting opponents, but did nothing to stop two teenagers from pounding away at each others’ heads with their bare fists.
On top of all that, no one knows what’s in the future for hockey in terms of concussion-related lawsuits. The NFL right now is being sued by more than 3,000 former players. Hockey doesn’t want to find itself in the same boat.
———
You may have noticed that the CHLPA hasn’t received a whole lot of mention in this space over the last while.
And nothing explains why any better than this right here from the gang at The Pipeline Show.
———
I thought I had linked to this story when it was posted earlier this month, but it seems I did not.
So . . . right here is a look by Tim Pigulski of 710 ESPN in Seattle at the CHL versus NCAA debate.
It relies quite a bit on Carlos Sosa, who once was on the Seattle Thunderbirds’ radio crew and now is a partner in Turning Point Sports Management.
———
Regan Bartel, the radio voice of the Kelowna Rockets, tweeted Tuesday evening that “three veteran WHL referee's have retired. Andy Thiessen, Colby Smith and Ryan Bonnett have put down the whistle.”. . . . Bartel also noted that “the WHL graduated three officials to the NHL. Trevor Hanson, Trent Knorr and linesman Kiel Murchison are moving on.” . . . You may find Bartel on Twitter at @Reganrant. . . . On occasion, he does. Rant, that is.
———
Here’s a Tuesday tweet from James Shewaga (@JamesShewaga), the sports editor of the Brandon Sun: “The Brandon Wheat Kings hvae sold 2,395 season tickets, with about 2,800 tickets sold for Friday’s WHL season opener (2,300 left).”
———
F Chris Collins, who lost out in the 20-year-old game with the Saskatoon Blades, has joined the AJHL’s Okotoks Oilers. . . . The Edmonton Oil Kings have released D Ryan Dech, 19, who had 13 points in 40 games as a sophomore last season. . . . The Oil Kings have kept two freshmen defencemen in Stephen Shmoorkoff, who turns 18 on Oct. 24, and Dysin Mayo, 16, along with freshman F Brett Pollock, 16. . . . Mayo was a third-round selection by Edmonton in the 2010 bantam draft. Pollock went in the fifth round in 2011. . . . The Swift Current Broncos have assigned F Denis Bosc to the MJHL’s Steinbach Pistons. Bosc, 17, was a sixth-round pick in the 2010 bantam draft. He had 21 points in 52 games with the Pistons last season. . . . The Vancouver Giants have assigned D Kiefer McNaughton, 19, to the BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs. Last season, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound McNaughton had seven points and 54 penalty minutes in 42 games with the Giants last season. That move got Vancouver’s roster down to 28 players.
The Prince Albert Raiders trimmed three players from their roster on Tuesday and now are carrying 24 players. G Rylan Parenteau, 16, was returned to the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts, while F Luke Mahura, 17, is to join an undisclosed AJHL team, with F Jesse Knowler, 18, off to an undisclosed BCHL team. Parenteau was a third-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft. Mahura, who got into 39 games with the Raiders last season, was a third-round selection in the 2010 bantam draft. Knowler had six points in 57 games with the Raiders last season.
———
A few notes involving three 20-year-olds. . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reports that Regina Pats D Colton Jobke, who played in one exhibition game, is done with the WHL, at least until he goes to camp with the AHL’s Houston Aeros. He is under contract with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild and the team has requested that he not play in the WHL for insurance reasons. . . . The same situation exists in Kamloops where D Austin Madaisky, 20, of the Blazers played in one exhibition game before being put in the stands. He is under contract to the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets and wil go to camp with the AHL’s Springfield Falcons. . . . Meanwhile, John MacNeil of Black Press reports that the NHL’s Calgary Flames have told F Turner Elson, 20, that he will play a fourth season with the Red Deer Rebels. Elson attended the Flames’ camp last season as a free agent and earned a contract. He is eligible to play for the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat but won’t go to its camp.

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.