THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Tyson Mulock (Medicine Hat, Vancouver, Regina, 1999-2003) signed a one-year contract with the Iserlohn Roosters (Germany, DEL). He had eight goals and 11 assists in 51 games with Eisbären Berlin (Germany, DEL) this season. . . .


F Jakub Klepis (Portland, 2001-02) and F Jaroslav Svoboda (Kootenay, 1998-2000) were informed that they won’t be offered contracts for next season by Lev Prague (Czech Republic, KHL). Klepis had 20 goals and 18 assists in 45 games to lead Lev in scoring and goals, while Svoboda had two goals in 25 games with Lev and three goals in four games on loan to Sparta Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga) in an injury-plagued season. Lev’s website states that Klepis has an agreement with an unnamed NHL team for next season. . . .


F Björn Svensson (Saskatoon, Moose Jaw, 2003-06) was informed by MoDo Örnsköldsvik (Sweden, Elitserien) that he won’t be offered a contract for next season. Svensson had three goals and three assists in 40 games with MoDo this season. . . .


 Frederikshavn (Denmark, AL-Bank Liga) announced that it won’t offer a contract for next season to F Cam Paddock (Kelowna, 1999-2004). He had 17 goals and 16 assists in 40 games this season.
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From Rachel Brady of The Globe and Mail:
“The GTHL, the largest amateur hockey league in the world with over 40,000 participants, will propose to its members that the age at which players start body checking be raised from 11 to 13 in all of its competitive divisions and gradually eliminated from its Single ‘A’ division over time. The proposed changes are in response to a survey of its parents, players and team and club officials on various topics, which showed that 58 percent of its participants would favour raising the age.”
Brady’s complete story is right here.
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And now there are three . . . WHL teams without head coaches, that is.
The Prince Albert Raiders’ board of directors met Tuesday and decided not to renew head coach Steve Young’s contract. General manager Bruno Campese made the announcement later in the day.
At the same time, Campese, who left the bench and turned over the coaching duties to Young on Oct. 28, 2011, also is on an expiring contract. But it’s believed that the board wants to keep him and has, in fact, begun negotiations.
Young had been with the Raiders since 2008, first as an assistant coach and then as head coach.
Perry Bergson of the Prince Albert Daily Herald has more right here.
The Raiders join the Everett Silvertips and Lethbridge Hurricanes as WHL teams that are in the market for head coaches.
———
Rick Brodsky, the owner of the Prince George Cougars, says “We’re not going anywhere.” . . . Brodsky has told Sheri Lamb of the Prince George Citizen: “I love the Cougars. I want to succeed with the Cougars, they're my team and I want to make Prince George proud of us." . . . He also says that doesn’t have any plans to sell the team. "I've heard more times (than I can count) that I've sold the team," he said. "I've never gotten anybody asking about selling the team. Not ever. Every time I've heard that I've sold the team my first question is 'How much did I get?' . . . Nobody's coming to us with a great offer." . . . Brodsky also told Lamb that he is guilty of neglecting his franchise a bit in recent seasons, but that he now is taking a much more active role, starting with Thursday’s bantam draft. . . . Lamb’s story is right here.
———
The Lethbridge Hurricanes have made a few moves aimed at firming up their player personnel department. Brad Robson, the club’s new GM, had been its director of player personnel. Those duties now belong to Todd Hassen, a veteran scout out of Saskatoon who has worked in the WHL for 26 years. He’s into his fifth year with Lethbridge. . . . Blake Robson now is the Hurricanes’ head scout. Robson – yes, he is Brad’s son – played five seasons in the WHL, with the Portland Winterhawks and Prince George Cougars. He has been on the Hurricanes’ scouting staff since 2008. . . . Gerry Klinkhammer, who works out of Lethbridge, is the club’s new travelling scout. He has been with the Hurricanes since 2002.
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If you have any interest in the lawsuit filed by Brian Burke last week against anonymous Internet commenters, Jennifer Pagliaro of the Toronto Star has an interesting piece right here. She has spoken to one of the bloggers.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Former NHLer Bob Corkum has been named head coach of the U.S. team that will play at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in August. . . . Corkum, from Salisbury, Mass., is the interim head coach at the U of Maine. He has been Maine‘s associate head coach. . . . Corkum has been an assistant coach with the 2012 U-18 team and was head coach of the 2011 U-17 team that won a Five Nations tournament in Ann Arbor, Mich. . . .
Jesse Dorrans is the new head coach of the junior B Castlegar Rebels, who play in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. . . . Dorrans takes over from Steve Junker, who resigned Tuesday and is expected to pursue work away from the game. . . . Dorrans spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach with the Rebels. He also has worked as head coach of the KIJHL’s Grand Forks Border Bruins.
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The WHL was the last of the three major junior leagues to have its finalists set. In the QMJHL, it’s the Baie-Comeau Drakkar against the Halifax Mooseheads, with the OHL final featuring the Barrie Colts and London Knights.
The QMJHL final opens Friday in Halifax, with Game 2 there on Saturday. The Mooseheads are 12-0 in the playoffs; the Drakkar has lost twice in 14 games. . . . These were the top two teams in the regular season, the Mooseheads going 58-6-4, while the Drakkar was 44-19-5. . . . Yes, the Mooseheads finished 27 points clear of everyone else. . . . The OHL final begins with games in London on Friday and Sunday nights. In the regular season, the Knights, coached by Dale Hunter, finished atop the Western Conference, at 50-13-5. The Colts, under Dale Hawerchuk, were second in the Eastern Conference, at 44-20-4. In these playoffs, the Knights are 12-2; the Colts are 12-3.
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The WHL’s playoff situation:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
THIRD ROUND
Edmonton (1) vs. Calgary (3)
(Edmonton wins series, 4-3)
———
WESTERN CONFERENCE
THIRD ROUND
Portland (1) vs. Kamloops (3)
(Portland wins series, 4-1)
———
CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL
Portland vs. Edmonton
(All times local)
Game 1: Friday, at Portland (Rose Garden), 7 p.m.
Game 2: Saturday, at Portland (Rose Garden), 7 p.m.
Game 3: Tuesday, May 7, at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Game 4: Wednesday, May 8, at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Game 5: Friday, May 10, at Portland (Rose Garden), 7 p.m.
x-Game 6: Sunday, May 12, at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
x-Game 7: Monday, May 13, at Portland (Rose Garden), 7 p.m.
x – if necessary
———
TUESDAY’S GAME:
In Edmonton, F Michael St. Croix scored twice and G Laurent Brossoit stopped 26 shots as the Oil Kings beat the Calgary Hitmen, 2-0. . . . The Oil Kings will attempt to win their second straight WHL title against the same team they beat in seven games in the final a year ago. . . . It’s the first time since 1976 that the same teams have met in back-to-back finals. Back then, the New Westminster Bruins and Saskatoon Blades met in consecutive finals. The Bruins won both series in seven games — 4-3 in 1975 and 4-2 with a tie in 1976. . . . Brossoit has five shutouts in these playoffs. . . . Calgary G Chris Driedger, who had a terrific series, stopped 36 shots. . . . St. Croix was named the series MVP. . . . He opened the scoring, finishing off a 2-on-1 with F Stephane Legault, at 14:05 of the first period. St. Croix added his 10th goal of these playoffs at 4:33 of the second. . . . D Cody Corbett had two assists. . . . Edmonton F Curtis Lazar spent part of the day in a dentist’s chair after taking a puck to the mouth during the morning skate. That resulted in Edmonton head coach Derek Laxdal taking his frustrations out on a stick. “One of our kids took a puck off the chicklets and knocked ’em out,” Laxdal told Evan Daum of the Edmonton Journal, “but I had a little bit of intensity there. I wanted to get rid of that stick and get a new one anyways for the next series.” . . . Edmonton F Trevor Cheek, who was injured in Game 5 and played but one shift in Game 6, was scratched. He has 16 points in 15 playoff games. . . . That meant F Luke Bertolucci got back into the Edmonton lineup. . . . Last season, the Oil Kings won the WHL title with a 4-1 Game 7 victory over the visiting Portland Winterhawks.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT (21):
None

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT (7):
F Mitch Moroz, Edmonton
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From Portland D Troy Rutkowski (@Trutter2): “Wouldn't want it any other way. #rematch #redemption”
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From Edmonton Oil Kings G Laurent Brossoit (@LBrossoit): “Bring it on baby @TSPOON77 #rematch”
———
From Edmonton Oil Kings F Curtis Lazar (@CurtisLazar95): “Tough way to prepare for game 7, good ole puck to the face. I will not stop smiling though! #always fun #jibs”
———
From Les Lazaruk (@Bladesvoice), the radio voice of the Saskatoon Blades: “I feared ‘Snow Golf’ for the May 23rd Mem Cup tournament...but Moon Lake is opening Thursday!!”
The media has its priorities in order as the Memorial Cup approaches.


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IT'S OVER! Tri-City Americans defenceman Zach Yuen celebrates the OT
goal that won the first-round series with the Everett Silvertips.
(Photo by Christopher Mast / mastimages.com)

A quick email note from a reader:
“You won’t believe I was reading your blog in Thohoyandou while the monkeys played on the washing line! Bet none of your other fans can claim that!!”
Yes, I went to Wikipedia and looked it up:
“Thohoyandou is a town in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. It is the administrative centre of Vhembe District Municipality and Thulamela Local Municipality. It is also known for being the former capital of the bantustan of Venda.”
Thohoyandou means “head of the elephant.”
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THE MacBETH REPORT:
G Tyler Weiman (Tri-City, 2000-04) signed a two-year contract with the Nuremberg Ice Tigers (Germany, DEL). He had a 2.33 GAA and a .932 save percentage in 40 games with the Augsburger Panther (Germany, DEL) this season. That was the third-best GAA and the second-best save percentage in the DEL. . . .
D Patrick Baum (Swift Current, 1997-98) signed a one-year contract extension with the Heilbronner Falken (Germany, 2.Bundesliga). He had four goals and 15 assists in 44 games for Heilbronn this season.
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The relationship between the Everett Silvertips and former general manager Doug Soetaert has turned completely sour.
Soetaert, who was fired on Feb. 2, has filed suit in Snohomish County Superior Court against the Silvertips, claiming the team owes him money as per terms of the agreement when he returned to the team in 2006 after a brief stint in the AHL.
Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald has the story right here.
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It’s no secret that the WHL, with its teams’ expenses steadily climbing, is always on the lookout for new revenue streams.
The Kootenay Ice has an annual budget of $1.5 million, a figure that president/general manager Jeff Chynoweth has said is the second-lowest in the league. It has been speculated that there are teams with budget approaching three times that figure.
So . . . where to turn for new revenue streams?
Well . . . how about advertising on uniform tops?
According to Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: “In an attempt to generate more revenue, the NBA is pondering the idea of placing ads on the jerseys of every player from the 30 teams.”
Price reports that “this transition could create approximately $31.18 million in revenue in TV exposure alone.”
While it hardly would be worth that kind of coin to the WHL and its 22 teams, you have to think logos on uniforms could bring in a lot of money.
In the NBA, players and owners, according to Price, like the idea.
You have to think the feeling would be the same in the WHL.
The Kamloops Blazers have at least one advertising patch on their practice jerseys – it belongs to KGHM, a company that wants to open an open-pit mine on the south-western outskirts of Kamloops.
So why not advertising on game uniforms?
———
Dan Hodgson, who played with the Prince Albert Raiders (1982-85), had one of the greatest of all WHL careers. Now he’s gearing up to take a turn as a referee. That’s right! He’s donning the stripes. It’s all for a good cause, of course.
Brian Swane of the Edmonton Examiner has that story right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The Prince Albert Raiders, who missed the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons, have picked up the option year on the contracts of general manager Bruno Campese, head coach Steve Young and athletic therapist Duane Bartley. . . . As well, Dave Manson, who rejoined the club as an assistant coach during the season, has been promoted to associate coach. . . . Craig Bedard, an assistant coach since 2007-08, didn’t have his contract renewed. . . . The Raiders have added Tim Leonard as an assistant coach. He has been on the coaching staff of the midget AAA Prince Albert Mintos for the 10 years, the last seven as head coach. . . . Jeff D'Andrea of panow.com has more right here. . . .
John Grahame, the 37-year-old goaltending coach with the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers, no longer is with the team. He has signed with the NHL’s New York Islanders and will be with them for the remainder of this NHL season. . . . And goaltending coaches throughout hockey are thinking: “Hmmm! Maybe I’m not done after all.” . . .
Assistant coach Graham Johnson has been promoted to head coach of the USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers, who fired Regg Simon on Tuesday. The Buccaneers, who have lost six in a row, have seven games remaining and are four points out of a playoff spot. Marty Mjelleli, the Bucs’ Minnesota scout, has come on board as assistant coach. . . . For more on the Simon firing, check out Ryan Clark's blog, Slightly Chilled, over there on the right. . . .
———
Two WHL players are on the shelf because of skate cuts.
The Tri-City Americans have lost F Jesse Mychan for the remainder of the season after he suffered a severed Achilles tendon during a 4-0 victory over the Silvertips in Everett on Tuesday night.
Mychan, a 19-year-old from Saskatoon, will undergo surgery next week. Fortunately, there wasn’t any nerve or tendon damage, but he is looking at a four-month rehabilitation process.
Meanwhile, F Chase Schaber, the captain of the Kamloops Blazers, was cut by a skate belonging to Victoria Royals F Zane Jones early in the first period of Game 3 on Tuesday night. The Blazers won the game, played in Victoria, 7-5.
Schaber was cut on the back of his left leg. He was taken to hospital and released later that night. He returned to Kamloops on Wednesday where the Blazers’ medical staff is looking after him.
———
D Bretton Stamler (Seattle, Edmonton, Swift Current, 2003-2008) has signed with the ECHL’s Colorado Eagles. Stamler, who is from Edmonton, played four seasons with the U of New Brunswick Varsity Reds. Stamler, 24, was a seventh-round selection by the Detroit Red Wings in the NHL’s 2005 draft.
———
One of the best things about covering the WHL as a journalist is meeting and chatting with the many scouts who travel the circuit. One of those is Jack Barzee of NHL Central Scouting. Barzee, 71, has announced his retirement after this season. Mike G. Morreale of NHL.com has a terrific read right here.
———
PLAYOFF NOTES: F Brett Bulmer of the Kelowna Rockets will be back in the lineup tonight after the WHL set his suspension at one game. He missed Game 3 in Kelowna on Tuesday night. Bulmer was suspended after taking a kneeing major and game misconduct for a hit on Winterhawks D William Wrenn in Game 2 in Portland. Wrenn played Tuesday in Kelowna. . . . The Winterhawks take a 3-0 series lead into Game 4 tonight in Kelowna. . . .
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WEDNESDAY’S WHL GAMES:
(If you want WHL facts and stats, get on Twitter and follow @WHLFacts)
———
In Saskatoon, G Tyler Bunz stopped 32 shots as the Medicine Hat Tigers beat the Blades 5-0 to sweep the first-round series. . . . Bunz has two career playoff shutouts. . . . Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem opened the scoring with a shorthanded goal, his fourth straight goal for the Tigers. At that point, he had figured in 11 straight Tigers goals. . . . Etem scored 10 shorthanded goals in the regular season; he has two in this series. . . . Etem later added an assist. He finished the four games with seven goals and five assists. . . . F Curtis Valk scored twice and added an assist for the Tigers, who were 1-6 on the PP. The Blades were 0-2. . . . The Blades will be the host team for the 2013 Memorial Cup tournament. . . .

In Cranbrook, the Edmonton Oil Kings erased a 3-1 deficit with five third-period goals and beat the defending-champion Kootenay Ice, 6-3. . . .  Edmonton leads the series 3-0 with Game 4 in Cranbrook tonight. . . . Edmonton D Griffin Reinhart got the third-period comeback rolling with a goal at 1:57. D Keegan Lowe tied the game 3-3 at 8:14, and F Kristians Pelss put Edmonton out front at 12:44. . . . Oil Kings F Curtis Lazar, 16, continued his stellar season with a goal, his third, and two assists. . . . Ice F Max Reinhart was ejected at 13:22 of the third period. He was given a roughing minor and also a game misconduct. . . .

In  Regina, F Brayden Point’s goal at 6:14 of the second OT gave the Moose Jaw Warriors a 5-4 victory over the Pats. . . . The Warriors lead the series 3-1 as the series heads back to Moose Jaw for Game 5 on Friday. . . . Point, who turned 16 on March 12, had one goal in five regular-season games. He has two goals (both winners) and an assist in this series. From Calgary, he was the 14th overall selection in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . Moose Jaw F Eric Arnold forced OT with his second goal, and fourth of the series, on the PP at 15:51 of the third period. . . . The PP came when Regina F Dyson Stevenson was given a clipping major and game misconduct at 12:44 of the third. . . . Regina D Martin Marincin had given Regina a 4-3 lead with goals at 5:48 and 7:20 of the third period. . . . Regina F Jordan Weal, who has 135 regular-season goals, scored his first WHL playoff goal in the second period. . . . The Warriors had F Cody Beach back in their lineup after he served a one-game suspension for a derogatory comment directed at the Regina bench in Game 2. . . . The Pats were without F Andrew Rieder, who reinjured a shoulder in Game 3. . . . A post-game tweet from Warren Woods of Global-TV in Regina: “Brent Parker running hot after that one..gave officials in booth upstairs a blast.” . . .

In Victoria, the Kamloops Blazers scored two second-period goals and beat the Royals 4-1. . . . The Blazers swept the series, the first time the franchise has won a playoff series since 1999. Back then, the Blazers swept the Tri-City Americans in the Western Conference final. The Blazers then lost the WHL final in five games to the Calgary Hitmen. . . . The Blazers’ head coach was Marc Habscheid, now the general manager and head coach of the Royals. . . . The Blazers outscored the Royals 22-11 in the four games, including 16-3 in second periods. . . . F Dylan Willick scored twice for the Blazers, giving him five goals and at least one in each of the four games. He finished the regular season by going scoreless in six straight. . . . F Brendan Ranford, who led Kamloops with 40 goals, scored his first goal of the season, breaking a 1-1 tie in the second period. . . . The Blazers were without F Chase Schaber, who suffered a skate cut to a leg in Game 3 on Tuesday. He returned to Kamloops on Wednesday. . . .

In Everett, D Zach Yuen’s first goal of the series, at 18:53 of OT, gave the Tri-City Americans a 4-3 victory over the Silvertips. . . . Tri-City swept the first-round series. . . . The Silvertips erased a 3-0 deficit with three goals in a span of 13:09 in the third period. . . . F Ryan Harrison scored at 6:10, on the PP. D Ryan Murray got a shorthanded goal at 9:10. D Josh Caron scored on the PP at 19:19 with G Kent Simpson out for the extra attacker. . . . Tri-City F Brendan Shinnimin scored the game’s first goal, running his point streak, including the regular season, to 27 games. . . . Tri-City got a goal, his third, and two helpers from F Mason Wilgosh, while F Adam Hughesman had two assists. . . . Tri-City G Ty Rimmer stopped 42 shots, seven more than Simpson. . . . Harrison took a charging major and game misconduct at 8:39 of the third period. He missed Game 3 as he served a one-game suspension for a clipping major he had taken in Game 2. . . . The Silvertips were without F Manraj Hayer, whose suspension was finalized at three games. He was suspended for a Game 1 hit on Drydn Dow, who had his season come to an end with a broken arm. . . . The Americans were without F Patrick Holland. He served a one-game suspension for a clipping major and game misconduct in Game 3. . . .

In Spokane, F Mitch Holmberg scored at 6:43 of OT to give the Chiefs a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . The series is tied 2-2 with Game 5 in Vancouver on Friday and Game 6 in Spokane on Sunday. . . . Holmberg got his third goal of the series with a wrist shot from between the faceoff spots, right in the slot. . . . Vancouver F Brendan Gallagher forced OT with his fourth goal of the series with 31.6 seconds left in the third and G Adam Morrison on the bench for the extra attacker. . . . The Chiefs led 2-0 midway through the second, on goals from F Darren Kramer and F Liam Stewart, the first of the series for both. . . . F Austin Fyten got Vancouver on the board with his second at 9:21 of the third. . . . Fyten also had an assist. . . . The Giants put F Alex Kuvaev back into the lineup, while taking out F Anthony Ast (leg). That move went the other way for Game 3 on Tuesday. . . .
The Chiefs are without D Brenden Kichton, who suffered a broken jaw when he was struck in the face by a puck in Game 1. He has had surgery in Vancouver and is awaiting medical clearance to travel home to Spruce Grove, Alta.
On Wednesday, he tweeted:
“Doesn't feel great...slowly progressing tho. 6 weeks of torture! #looklike500lb #roadtorecovery”
Kichton also tweeted the photo that is included here.
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Dylen McKinlay, Kootenay.
F Lyndon Martell, Regina (double minor).
———
WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
F Cody Beach, Moose Jaw.

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Winds of change blow through P.A.

The Prince Albert Raiders have made the first coaching change of this WHL season.
Bruno Campese, the club’s general manager and head coach, was relieved of his coaching duties on Friday. He was in his fifth season with the team.
Campese will now focus entirely on his GM's duties.
Steve Young, the club’s assistant GM and associate coach, has taken over as head coach. Craig Bedard remains on staff as assistant coach.
“Bruno Campese approached us today about making this change”, Dale McFee, a former Raiders player who now is president of the community-owned team, said in a news release. “It was a move that is not easy to make, but with our play of late it was obvious a change was required. We expect more from the players than their current record.”
Campese, a former WHL goaltender (Portland, Kelowna, 1982-84) had been the Raiders’ head coach since June 21, 2007. The 11th head coach in Raiders’ history, he added the GM’s duties to his portfolio on Jan. 14, 2008, following the dismissal of Donn Clark.
The Raiders didn’t make the playoffs through Campese’s first three seasons. Last season, they wound up eighth in the Eastern Conference and lost a six-game series to the first-place Saskatoon Blades.
This season, they are 4-11-2, good for 10th in the Eastern Conference, five points out of a playoff spot.
Young, a former assistant coach and head coach with the Moose Jaw Warriors, joined the Raiders for the 2008-09 season. He was the Warriors’ head coach when they reached the WHL final, ultimately losing to the Vancouver Giants, in the spring of 2006.
The Raiders, who have lost four in a row, next play Saturday when the Blades come calling.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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