Thunderbirds pull even in WHL final ... Six straight goals win it ... Game 5 goes Friday

F Robin Figren (Calgary, Edmonton, 2006-08) has signed a two-year contract with HV71 Jönköping (Sweden, SEL). This season, he had 11 goals and 10 assists in 48 games with Frölunda Gothenburg (Sweden, SEL).

———

The Prairie Hockey Academy, which is located in Caronport, Sask., announced on Wednesday that Scott King has signed on as its director of player development. King has been with the Moose Jaw Warriors, as an assistant coach and player development coach. . . . The PHA is Saskatchewan’s first Hockey Canada Sports School. Before joining the Warriors for this season, King was with Hockey Canada as its head skills development coach. . . . King, the son of well-known coach Dave King, played one season (1996-97) with the Kelowna Rockets, before going on to a professional career that included 14 seasons in Germany.

——

Taurean White is the new general manager and head coach of the MJHL’s Swan Valley Stampeders. White spent the previous two seasons as the director of hockey operations and head coach with the Kingston Voyagers of the Ontario Junior Hockey League. . . . With the Stampeders, he replaces Erik Petersen, who was fired on Feb. 27. Petersen had been GM/head coach for four seasons. He has signed with the Danish team Vojens as head coach for next season.

——

In the QMJHL, the visiting Saint John Sea Dogs won the President’s Cup with a 5-1 victory over the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. The Sea Dogs swept the championship series; the finished the playoffs with a 16-2 record. The Sea Dogs got four assists from F Mathieu Joseph in the victory, while F Spence Smallman had two goals and an assist, and F Matthew Highmore added a goal and two helpers. . . . Announced attendance: 3,500. . . .

In the OHL, F Warren Foegele scored three times and added two assists as the Erie Otters beat the host Mississauga Steelheads, 5-2. The Otters lead the championship series, 3-1, with a chance to wrap it up on home ice on Friday night. The announced attendance last night was 4,418. . . .

The 2017 Memorial Cup is to be held in Windsor, Ont., May 19-28, with the OHL’s Spitfires as the host team.

——

If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.

If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

If interested, you also are able to follow me on Twitter at @gdrinnan.

———

Great to have @JonRyan9 from the @Seahawks drop the ceremonial first puck prior to Game 4 of the WHL Championship tonight. #WinTheCup pic.twitter.com/haK5ytNbJF

— Seattle Thunderbirds (@SeattleTbirds) May 11, 2017

———

WEDNESDAY’S GAME:

Ok @SeattleTbirds fans - let's keep the fights on the ice and not in the parking lot tonite! Also, go Tbirds!! #WinTheCup #WHLChampionship

— Kent Police (@kentpd) May 11, 2017

KEEGAN KOLESAR

At Kent, Wash., the Seattle Thunderbirds erased a 1-0 deficit with two goals 19 seconds apart and went on to beat the Regina Pats, 6-1. . . . The WHL’s championship final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup is tied 2-2. Game 5 is scheduled for Kent on Friday night, with the teams then returning to Regina for Game 6 on Sunday. A seventh game, if needed, would be played in Regina on Monday. . . . Last night, the Pats got off to a 1-0 lead when F Sam Steel (10) scored, on a PP, at 13:15 of the first period. At that point, the Pats’ PP was 6-11 in the series. . . . Seattle F Ryan Gropp (5) tied it with his first goal of the series, on a PP, at 16:06. F Mathew Barzal drew an assist on the goal, running his point streak to 14 games. . . . The Thunderbirds went ahead 19 seconds later when F Sami Moilanen (6) stole the puck behind the Regina net and beat G Tyler Brown to the front side for a wrap-around goal. . . . Seattle went up 3-1 at 19:28 when F Mickey Volcan (4) scored on a rebound. . . . The Thunderbirds took complete control with three second-period goals. . . . D Jarret Tyszka (2) scored at 6:51, with F Alexander True (11) counting, on a PP, at 13:52, and F Keegan Kolesar (10) making it 6-1 at 18:51. . . . Kolesar added two assists to his

CARL STANKOWSKI

goal, while D Austin Strand and D Ethan Bear each had two assists and Gropp had one. . . . The Thunderbirds got 18 saves from G Carl Stankowski. . . . Regina starter Tyler Brown was beaten six times on 24 shots through 40 minutes. He sat out the third — the first time in these playoffs that he’s been on the bench — with Jordan Hollett coming on to stop all 12 shots he faced. . . . Seattle was 2-7 on the PP; Regina was 1-3. . . . Regina scratches: F Adam Brooks, D Dawson Davidson and F Jake Leschyshyn, all with injuries, G Max Paddock, F Duncan Pierce and F Owen Williams. . . . Seattle’s scratches: G Rylan Toth (injured), F Elijah Brown, F Tyler Carpendale, F Dillon Hamaliuk, D Jake Lee and F Luke Ormsby. . . . Jon Ryan, the veteran punter with the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, took part in the ceremonial faceoff. From Regina, he stayed neutral by wearing a Switzerland t-shirt. . . . Some notes from TBird Tidbits (@TBirdTidbits): The Thunderbirds have set a franchise record for victories in a single playoff year (14). . . . Stankowski has set a Seattle record for most victories in a single playoff year (14). . . . Stankowski also holds the Seattle record for career playoff victories by a goaltender (14). . . . Announced attendance: 4,652.

Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has a game story right here.

Andy Eide of 710 ESPN Seattle has a game story right here.

——

THURSDAY’S GAME:

No Game Scheduled.

——

FRIDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Regina vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m. (Series tied, 2-2)

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.

More financials available in Calgary court . . . WHL playoff scenario . . . Coaching change in MJHL

Unsealed documents relating to the financial statements of OHL and WHL teams were made available in Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench in Calgary on Monday.

Justice Robert Hall had ordered the teams to file statements with the court, then he chose to unseal them.

It’s all part of an attempt by more than 400 former and present CHL players to gain certification for a class-action lawsuit that asks that major junior teams be ordered to pay minimum wage and other benefits.

There are 42 teams in the OHL (20) and WHL (22) and 41 of them presented financial statements and tax returns to the court, as requested. TSN senior reporter Rick Westhead reported that only the Portland Winterhawks chose not to “despite a court order to do so.”

Westhead reported that Ted Charney, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, “said he is not continuing his pursuit of Portland’s finances. It’s unclear whether the judge will sanction the Winterhawks for their failure to produce documents.”

In a report on TSN’s SportsCentre, Westhead revealed that five WHL teams claimed more than $4 million in revenue in fiscal 2016 (July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016), with three of those reporting a loss.

The Edmonton Oil Kings had revenues of $6.6 million, with a $1.4-million profit. The Kelowna Rockets, with $4.7 million in revenues, had a profit of $185,216.

The Red Deer Rebels, who showed revenues of $4.5 million, reported a loss of $1,245. The Calgary Hitmen, with revenues of $4.3 million, claimed a loss of $387,333. The Vancouver Giants reported revenues of $4.3 million and a loss of $725,0414.

In a story on TSN’s website, Westhead reported the Seattle Thunderbirds led the WHL for that fiscal period with Cdn$7.3 million in revenues. It’s not know whether they reported a profit or a loss.

However, there seems to be little in the way of specific information available on the expenses of any of the WHL teams.

The Rebels, for example, paid out $1.5 million in management fees while reporting that $1,245 loss. There is no information available as to what constitutes management fees or to whom those fees were paid.

In the OHL, Westhead reports, the Niagara IceDogs “paid $300,000 in dividends to their owners in 2016 and spent $649,688 on wages and benefits for their hockey department, the team reported. Another $415,980 was spent on wages and benefits for other club staff. The statements, however, do not disclose the names of the team’s employees or their salaries.”

After going over the IceDogs’ statements, Nick Angellotti of Toronto-based Williams & Partners Forensic Accountants Inc., told Westhead:

“One question is how much of those wages and benefits went to the owner or other people close to the owner and what did they do to earn that money.

“The owner of a company like this has absolute discretion. They can pay themselves and others whatever they want. I wouldn’t say there’s no accountability; I would say there’s no disclosure of who got paid what.”

Al Rosen of Rosen & Associates Ltd., another forensic accounting firm from Toronto, looked at the London Knights’ statements, then told Westhead: 

“It’s impossible to learn anything meaningful from the Knights’ records. They’re useless. They bundle everything into revenue without any explanations. We have no clue what they are including as revenue, and what they are not.”

It seems that most teams don’t have their books undergo a forensic audit, likely for financial reasons.

“Without an audit, it’s impossible for these teams to rely on these statements as evidence that they can’t pay players,” Rosen told Westhead. “There’s no way to tell where any of the money is going.”

Westhead’s complete story is right here.

——

A LOOK AT THE WHL PLAYOFF SCENARIOS . . .

Western Conference

The Everett Silvertips lead the conference by one point over the Prince George Cougars and hold three games in hand. In the U.S. Division, Everett is one point ahead of the Seattle Thunderbirds with two games in hand. . . . Right now, you’re looking at Everett meeting the Portland Winterhawks, who hold down the second-wild card spot, in the first round, while Prince George would get the Victoria Royals. . . . The 2-3 match-ups would have the Kamloops Blazers meeting the Kelowna Rockets and Seattle going against the Tri-City Americans.

NOTES: This conference is far from settled. Prince George holds a five-point lead over Kamloops, with each team having eight games remaining. They will meet four times, starting with a Friday-Saturday doubleheader in Prince George. . . . Seattle beat visiting Everett 6-1 on Sunday to get within one point of the Silvertips. They will clash twice more this season. . . . Portland, with 10 games left, is seven points behind Victoria in the wild-card race and trails third-place Tri-City by 11 in the U.S. Division. It will be tough for the Winterhawks to move up, but they do play three in a row against the Vancouver Giants this week. The Giants will miss the playoffs for a third straight season. . . . The Spokane Chiefs are nine points out of a playoff spot with 11 games remaining, so they’re up against it.

—

Eastern Conference

The Regina Pats lead the conference by seven points over the Medicine Hat Tigers and have two games in hand. The Pats have a hectic schedule and have been choosing rest over practices. . . . Regina appears headed for a first-round meeting with Calgary or Saskatoon, the Hitmen holding a two-point edge on the Blades with a game in hand. . . . The Tigers lead the Central Division by six points over the Lethbridge Hurricanes, who have a game in hand. They’ll go home-and-home to close out the regular season. . . . But right now it’s looking like the Tigers will draw the defending-champion Brandon Wheat Kings in the first round. The Wheat Kings will play their first-round home games in Dauphin with the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair taking over the Keystone Centre complex. . . . That would put Lethbridge against Red Deer or Calgary — the Rebels are third, four points ahead of the Hitmen, who have two games in hand. They only will play each other once more, that on March 15 in Red Deer. If it comes down to the final weekend, Calgary goes home-and-home with the Kootenay Ice, while Red Deer does the same with the Edmonton Oil Kings. Neither the Ice nor Oil Kings will qualify for the playoffs. The Oil Kings haven’t been mathematically eliminated, but they have lost six straight (0-5-1) and are 11 points behind Saskatoon. . . . In the East Division, the second-place Moose Jaw Warriors are headed for a first-round clash with the third-place Swift Current Broncos. The Warriors hold a 3-1-0 edge in the season series and have outscored the Broncos, 13-11. They will finish the regular-season with a home-and-home series.

——

The MJHL’s Swan Valley Stampeders fired Erik Petersen, their general manager and head coach, on Monday. Petersen was in his fourth season as GM/head coach of the team that is based in Swan River, Man. Before taking over the Stampeders, the native of Dauphin, Man., had played for Herning IK in Denmark; he also coached in Denmark for 10 seasons, a lot of it at the national junior team level. . . . The Stampeders were 19-33-5 and in eighth-place in the 11-team league when the move was made. . . . Assistant coach Darren Webster has taken over as interim head. . . . Petersen is the father of G Lasse Petersen, who is with the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels.

——

If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.

If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

———

Thank you @tigershockey for the most memorable night! It meant more than you will ever know to see my dads number retired to the rafters! pic.twitter.com/IL3YVP9v1K

— Jessie Lysiak Braun (@ChefJessieLB) February 27, 2017

———

MONDAY’S GAMES:

No Games Scheduled.

——

TUESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Lethbridge at Regina, 7 p.m.

Brandon at Swift Current, 7 p.m.

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.

Might Draisaitl end up with Rockets? . . . New arena looking good in The Hat

D Cam Barker (Medicine Hat, 2001-06) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, KHL). Last season, with Barys Astana (Kazakhstan, KHL), he had two goals and 10 assists in 26 games.
---



The hills were alive with the sound of Leon Draisaitl rumours on Monday.
Draisaitl, a 19-year-old forward, played the last two seasons with the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders. He now is on the roster of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers.
From Koln, Germany, the 6-foot-1, 210-pound Draisaitl, who is best suited to play centre, was the third overall pick in the NHL’s 2014 draft. He has signed a three-year entry-level contract with a cap hit of US$925,000 this season.
In his first WHL season (2012-13), Draisaitl put up 58 points, including 21 goals, in 64 games. Last season, he had 105 points, 38 of them goals, in 64 games.
With the Oilers this season, he has seven points, including two goals, while averaging 12 minutes 42 seconds in 33 games.  He is minus-15.
After playing 17:32 against the host San Jose Sharks on Dec. 9, Draisaitl, in the Oilers’ next five games, played 11:41, 9:43, 11:16, 12:35 and 10:39. He was a healthy scratch on Sunday when the Oilers blew a 5-2 lead and dropped a 6-5 shootout decision to the visiting Dallas Stars. He is scheduled to be back in the lineup tonight when the Arizona Coyotes visit Edmonton.
Late last week, the Oilers revealed that they wouldn’t be loaning Draisaitl to the German national team that will play in the World Junior Championship that opens Friday in Montreal and Toronto.
With the Oilers en route to a ninth straight non-playoff season, there are many observers who are of the opinion that Draisaitl should be playing elsewhere. At this moment, because of his age and the fact he was drafted while on Prince Albert’s roster, he has to play with the Oilers or Raiders.
Which brings us to Monday’s noise.
At one point, Jim Matheson, who has covered the Oilers for the Edmonton Journal for a long while and is in the Hockey Hall of Fame, tweeted: “I can absolutely see Oilers sending Draisaitl back to jr if he's traded from Prince Albert to a Memorial Cup contender in Kelowna.”
Were Draisaitl to end up with Kelowna, the Rockets would have to make another move, because their roster includes two Europeans -- Czech F Tomas Soustal, 18, and Swiss F Kris Schmidli, 19. One of them would have to go to make room for Draisaitl.
Soustal, a freshman, has five goals and seven assists in 36 games. Schmidli, a sophomore, has 17 points, including five goals, in 33 games. Last season, he put up 35 points, nine of them goals, in 68 games.
Meanwhile, the Raiders also are carrying two Europeans -- Czech F Simon Stransky, who turned 17 on Sunday, and Czech D Tomas Andrlik, 19.
Stransky, in his first season, has 23 points, including seven goals, in 34 games. He is the younger brother of former Saskatoon Blades F Matej Stransky. Andrlik is in his second season with the Raiders. He has two goals and five assists in 35 games this season, after recording 20 points, two of them goals, in 71 games in 2013-14.
So if the Rockets were to include Soustal or Schmidli in the deal, the Raiders would have to move Stransky or Andrlik.
The thing that makes a deal involving Draisaitl and the Rockets a real possibility is the relationship between Bruce Hamilton, their president and general manager, and the Oilers’ brass.
Hamilton is tight with Bob Nicholson, the former Hockey Canada president who now is vice-chairman of the Oilers Entertainment Group. Hamilton, who is the WHL’s chairman of the board, has long been a Hockey Canada insider and of late has been instrumental in helping put together the national junior team.
Hamilton also has long-standing relationships with Kevin Lowe, the Oilers’ president of hockey operations, and general manager Craig MacTavish.
As well, Hamilton’s son Curtis, a former Saskatoon Blades forward (2006-11), is an Oilers draft pick and plays for their AHL affiliate, the Oklahoma City Barons. He will play for Canada in the Spengler Cup that opens Friday in Davos, Switzerland.
Let’s not forget, too, that the Rockets and Raiders got together earlier this month and swung a deal that included four players and two bantam draft picks.
In that exchange, the Rockets acquired D Josh Morrissey, 19, a first-round selection by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2013 NHL draft, and G Gage Quinney, 19, for D Jesse Lees, 19, F Austin Glover, 18, and two draft picks, a second-round pick in 2016 and a third-rounder in 2017.
Who knows? Maybe a Draisaitl transaction was written into that trade.
Of course, with the WHL trade moratorium running through Friday, we may have to wait a few days to find out if there is smoke out there, or if it’s just fog.
---
The MJHL’s Swan Valley Stampeders took advantage of the Christmas season to sign two key members of their front office to contracts that run through 2016-17. . . . Erik Petersen, the general manager and head coach, and Landon Kroeker, who is the assistant coach, goaltending consultant and director of marketing, signed new deals on Monday. . . . Petersen is in his second season with the Stampeders, who are 42-44-7 over that stretch. . . . Kroeker is in his first season with the Stampeders. . . . There’s more right here, from the team’s website.
---
Joe Cocker, whose career took off after an appearance at Woodstock in 1970, died Monday in Crawford, Colo. He was 70. The New York Times’ obit of the raspy-voiced singer is right here.
---

It's coming along well @medicinehatcity. Looking forward to continuing the @SCBroncos and @tigershockey rivalry here pic.twitter.com/uSn8Rl0Eds
— Jamie LeBlanc (@Butter_29) December 23, 2014

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.