Taking Note honoured with Carson Award for third straight year ... SJHL champs lose head coach

F Spencer Asuchak (Tri-City, Prince George, 2008-12) has signed a one-year contract with Zvolen (Slovakia, Extraliga). Last season, with the Allen Americans (ECHL), he had 26 goals and 40 assists in 64 games. He was pointless in three games with the Providence Bruins (AHL).

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I arrived home Wednesday evening from a short trek into Alberta to discover that Taking Note has won a Paul Carson Award for the third consecutive year.

The awards are named in honour of the late Paul Carson, who died in December 2010. He was responsible for Sports Page, an iconic sports highlight show in Vancouver and also was in on the founding of TEAM 1040, a Vancouver radio station.

In each of the past three years, Taking Note has been honoured as the Best Sports Blog in B.C., outside Vancouver.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend the party last night in Vancouver, but I certainly feel honoured, and Taking Note will continue to strive to entertain and inform those who stop by here.

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The Seattle Thunderbirds have signed F Holden Katzalay, a list player, to a WHL contract. From Vancouver, Katzalay, who was Seattle’s training camp prior to the 2016-17 season, had eight goals and 12 assists in 30 games with the Burnaby Winter Club prep team in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League.

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Surgery to repair a sports hernia has become a lot more common in the world of hockey over the past few years. Dr. L. Michael Brunt, who has worked with the St. Louis Blues since 1994, has told The Associated Press that he believes too much repetition among young athletes in a single sport can cause problems, something others have blamed for more Tommy John surgeries among younger and younger pitchers. . . . “It’s because of the sudden propulsive movements: turning, cutting, etc., that occur at high rates of speed,” Dr. Brunt said. “Young athletes are committed to one sport very, very early on, and so there are these repetitive movements that occur because they’re not doing three or four sports year-round and mixing up their physical sports activity. They concentrate on one sport, and it’s that gradual wear and tear over the years that tends to predispose them to developing something like this.” . . . There is more on this story right here.

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Patrick Conway of Conway’s Russian Hockey Blog fame has filed Part 3 of his look at the coaches of the KHL. Click right here and you’ll find his piece on the Kharlamov Division. Look closely and you’ll find some familiar names among the assistants, including former WHLer Mike Pelino.

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If you’re a regular here, and even you aren’t, feel free to contribute to the feeding of the Drinnan family by making a donation to the cause. You are able to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.

BTW, if you want to contact me with some information or just feel like commenting on something, you may email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

I’m also on Twitter (@gdrinnan).

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Nate Bedford is leaving the SJHL’s Battlefords North Stars to return to Portage College as head coach of the Voyageurs, who play out of Cold Lake, Alta. Bedford spent two seasons (2014-16) as head coach and two seasons (2012-14) as assistant coach of the Keyano Huskies in Fort McMurray. The Huskies have since folded, but they played in the ACAC, as do the Voyageurs. . . . In 2016-17, the North Stars went 48-9-1 in the regular season and 12-0 in the playoffs as they won the SJHL title.

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I hope Mitch Love stays in the Seattle-area forever and helps grow and promote the game.

— Tom Helm ⭐️ (@RealmofHelm) June 16, 2017

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.

Keeping Score: Head elf arrested . . . How many chances for Gregory? . . . Oh, those TV promos!

A tweet from Thursday night, during the first intermission of an NHL game . . .

Los Angeles now leads St. Louis 2-0.

...both in this game and in professional football teams.

— #LAKings (@LAKings) January 13, 2017

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The Los Angeles Chargers are going to spend a couple of seasons in the 27,000-seat StubHub Center after making the move from San Diego. Why don’t they move to Regina and play out of the new 30,048-seat stadium there? . . . The worst part of the NFL playoffs if you happen to live in Canada? That’s easy. Those interminable CTV promos that hit you in the forehead over and over and over and . . . Headline at TheKicker.com: Chairs voted into WWE Hall of Fame. . . . Gene Collier of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has provided us, again, with his annual skewering of cliches. You should check it out right here because it’s good. Really good. . . . 

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Starbucks barista won over $900,000 in Westgate Las Vegas football handicapping SuperContest. Now he can at least afford his own coffee.

— Janice Hough (@leftcoastbabe) January 3, 2017

There are a lot of Saskatchewan Roughriders fans who are spitting watermelon seeds with quarterback Darian Durant having been traded to the Montreal Alouettes for a sack of deflated footballs. It’s interesting that so many fans didn’t see this coming. From out here near the left coast, it seemed apparent that Chris Jones, who runs the CFL franchise, didn’t want Durant back at any price. . . . “North Pole police have finally cleared Santa’s head elf of charges of careless use of a firearm,” reports RJ Currie of SportsDeke.com. “Authorities admit mistakes were made after finding a cartridge in a pear tree.” . . . Currie, again: “The B.C. government will increase the minimum wage by 40 cents before October 2017. In related CFL news, the Lions announced a major increase in playoff bonuses.” . . . One more from Currie: “A Florida octogenarian pleaded no contest to battery and assault with a weapon in a shuffleboard fight after charges were reduced to misdemeanours. His gums weren’t loaded.”

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Seahawks average ticket price for playoff game: $497. You've got to be joking.

— Ron Judd (@roncjudd) January 6, 2017

Following the announcement that owner Dean Spanos was moving his San Diego Chargers to Los Angeles, Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post noted: “The Chargers once brought us Air Coryell. Now the Err Spanos label is most appropriate.” . . . Jack Todd, in the Montreal Gazette: “I’ve become a real fan of a special series of NHL games available on either Sportsnet or TSN almost every night of the week. They’re called ‘Game Not Available In Your Region’ and some of them have been truly unforgettable. Seriously. This is what we get in exchange for the $5.2 billion Rogers is shovelling into the NHL. The league gets richer while the most passionate hockey fans in the world get stiffed, night after night. Thanks, Gary.”

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Thank you @SnoopDogg for the Christmas Sweater pic.twitter.com/jzaw7pkQEe

— Willie Nelson (@willienelson) January 4, 2017

Bill Littlejohn, our South Lake Tahoe, Calif.-based correspondent, reports: “New York Giants defensive backs call their unit ‘NYPD’ — that's New York Pass Defense. So in a case of blown coverage on someone's part, do we call them 'NYPD Blew’?” . . . I guess we witnessed NYPD Blew when Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers completed that Hail Mary pass against the Giants just before halftime last weekend. . . . Littlejohn, again: “Jim Harbaugh, Michigan’s head football coach, recently welcomed their seventh child. Nike is busy designing a shoe for his wife and children to move into.” . . . Going into this weekend, the WHL’s Regina Pats were 27-4-7. The midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians were 26-2-1. The junior B Regina Capitals were 26-3-1. Does that mean Regina is Hockeytown?

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Earlier today Russia Today suddenly replaced the regular C-SPAN programming. I'm sure it's just a coincidence.

— Janice Hough (@leftcoastbabe) January 13, 2017

The New York Jets finished 5-11 this season. So, Brandon Marshall, what kind of a season was it? “The best way I can describe it,” the receiver told Showtime’s Inside the NFL, “is having a diaper on and never changing it. And just sitting in that diaper the whole year.” . . . “Dallas Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory has been suspended a year for another violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy, his third suspension of the season,” notes Janice Hough, aka The Left Coast Sports Babe. “He will be eligible for the 2017 postseason. It’s all part of the league’s ’12 strikes and you’re out’ policy.” . . . 

(Gregg Drinnan is a former sports editor of the Regina Leader-Post and the late Kamloops Daily News. He is at greggdrinnan@gmail.com and twitter.com/gdrinnan. Keeping Score appears here on weekends, except when it doesn’t.)

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.

MacBeth Report: What happened to prompt 871 penalty minutes in one game?

There was a time when a newspaper reporter at a WHL game would pick up a telephone during each intermission and call The Canadian Press with a summary, including goals and penalties. Your biggest nightmare was a bench-clearing brawl, especially one at game’s end that might cause havoc with your newspaper’s deadlines.

Well, there was a game in a Swedish U-18 league on Saturday that featured 871 — yes, 871 — penalty minutes.

Flemingsberg IK beat Åker/Strängnäs HC, 5-0, before 67 spectators. Almost all of the penalties were handed out at game’s end

If you are interested in a summary, there is one right here.

However, The MacBeth Report, who knows his way around European newspapers, found some information in Aftonbladet. I am providing an edited version here.

From The MacBeth Report:

A couple of things stand out. Both coaches and the officials association say that it was not as bad as it looks on the scoresheet and that all concerned say the referee had no choice but to issue game misconducts to every player on the ice.

One should note that in Swedish (and Finnish, and IIHF) hockey, a game misconduct counts as 20 PIM. In North America, it counts as 10 PIM, except in the WHL, where is counts as . . . zero PIM. There were 46 PIM (18 minors, one misconduct) until the handshake line.

(Editor’s note: The WHL doesn’t include misconducts or game misconducts in its penalty totals, which is why you rarely see penalty totals mentioned on this blog. The WHL’s penalty minutes aren’t accurate and can’t be used as reference points with the past or with other leagues.)

So, in Sweden we have 871 PIM. In the NHL, we would have 541 PIM (871 minus 330 for the 10-minute reduction on the 33 game misconducts) and in the WHL, there would be 211 PIM . . . 33 players got five and a game (or five and a match) after the game. Over here, I doubt all 33 players on the ice would have gotten five and a game.

Anyway . . . 871 penalty minutes. Records for Swedish hockey?

With help from Google Translator . . . 

It was not so bad. Most small stuff, says Flemingberg's coach Fredrik Strandfeldt.

He is absolutely right. It's not as bad as it looks, says Robert Sjöström, chairman of Södermanland Officials Association. When Åker/Strängnäs went to thank Flemingsberg after the game that all ended up in the tussle with each other.

More from Sjöström: And the head referee saw no alternative but to hand out a game misconduct to all on the ice, in addition to the two other goalkeepers.

More from Strandfeldt: I and our equipment manager jumped onto the ice and told the boys to separate themselves. It started with a tap at the start and then little nudges and pushes. Do not think it was so serious and no one was hurt. Fuss ended rather quickly in Åker's Ice rink.

The match was won by Flemingberg's J18 5-0. But it will probably not be remembered because of the second event.
It may be a Swedish record where all on the ice, but two goalkeepers, were expelled.
More from Standfeldt: Both I and Åker's coach spoke with the referee after the game. He said he wanted to highlight this. But, again, I do not think it was as bad as the scoresheet says.

Åker's coach Jimmy Albin agreed that it was not fully a brawl but offers a slightly worse picture than his colleague from Flemingsberg.

Here’s Albin: It is a disaster and not good. Certainly, no damage, but it does not look good and it was trash talk that started it all and we have some guys who are hot. So this should not happen in a game. We will talk about this in the team.

Sportbladet spoke with Sjöström, who is chairman of the Södermanlands Officials Committee, which is responsible for the referees.

It is tragic. If one is to strictly follow the rulebook, then the things after the final whistle are punished harder than what takes place during the game. This poor referee does not have much else to do here. There are promising young players in this series and they are judged by promising young hockey referees. Both do what they're told.

This referee did exactly right when he noted everything that happened. Then — before he wrote down everything — he contacted the association. They said he should follow the rulebook and highlight that it was not right, there are five plus a game misconduct for all involved. There are two players with Åker/Strängnäs and one with Flemingsberg highlighted and can be further punished. It is the Disciplinary Committee in the Eastern Region that decides what will happen.
Sportbladet asked: Was it right to do all this?

Sjostrom replied: Yes. If you follow the rule book — that these officials do — then it is right. Had this happened in the Division, Hockey Allsvenskan or SHL, it had never been these proportions. Where do they do it a little differently, you have professional experience.

Sportbladet asked: The coaches do not think it was so serious. Do you agree with them?

Sjöström replied: It's not as bad as it looks. So they are absolutely right. Those involved have taken responsibility 100 percent. There is no field ambulance or the like. It was just too damn big proportion.

Åker/Strängnäs and Flemingsberg should not be hung out like two groups that advocate mass murder. Coaches and leaders — the whole organizations — have been so hard on themselves. They have stood up for the referees and taken hold of their problems. "Shit happens.” But all adults involved have taken responsibility.

Sportbladet asked: What do you do for it not to happen again?

Sjöström replied: This depends on our associations in Sweden which must be active to train hockey referees. Swedish hockey must realize that our clubs have to put a greater commitment to train referees. It is equally important to have good hockey referees with good hockey players. Some clubs are extremely good, some worse. Without shame on anyone.

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Taking Note on the move . . . Next stop: NewsKamloops.com

We’re moving!
In fact, the move has begun.
On Tuesday morning, a new website — NewsKamloops.com — will make its debut and Taking Note will be a part of it.
After being a free-standing blog since its inception, more than 5,000 posts ago, Taking Note is moving in under the umbrella of NewsKamloops. (You are able to follow NewsKamloops  on Twitter at @newskamloops.)
The three men behind NewsKamloops — Claude Richmond, Mel Rothenburger and Steve Ceron — approached me a couple of months ago and asked if I would be interested in being part of their project.
I thought about it for a second or two and agreed.
There won’t be any change to the content of Taking Note, which will continue to operate independently and focus on life in and around the Western Hockey League. You will still find links here to stories, columns and opinion pieces that catch my eye. Keeping Score, the compilation of quotes and tidbits, will still be here, as will The MacBeth Report and everything else.
I can only hope that all of you will make the move with me.

 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.

WHL coach puts on pads (check out the mask) . . . Kulda wins it for Oil Kings

IF THE PLAYOFFS BEGAN TODAY:

Eastern Conference
Brandon vs. Edmonton
Calgary vs. Kootenay
Regina vs. Swift Current
Medicine Hat vs. Red Deer
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Western Conference
Kelowna vs. Tri-City
Everett vs. Spokane
Victoria vs. Vancouver
Portland vs. Seattle
(NOTE: Team with home-ice advantage shown first.)
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THURSDAY’S GAME:

In Lethbridge, the Edmonton Oil Kings scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Hurricanes 3-2 in OT. . . . F Edgars Kulda won it 2:09 into the extra period. The goal came with a delayed penalty about to be called on Lethbridge. . . . Kulda has nine goals this season. . . . The Hurricanes scored the game’s first two goals, with F Giorgio Estephan getting his 19th goal in the first period and F Ryan Vanderviis getting his second at 8:08 of the second. . . . F Brandon Ralph pulled the Oil Kings to within one with his fifth goal at 11:41 of the third. . . . Edmonton F Brett Pollock got his 27th goal, on a PP, at 18:22 of the third, with the only assist going to G Patrick Dea, who threw the long pass up ice. . . . Edmonton was 1-for-6 on the PP; Lethbridge was 0-for-5. . . . Lethbridge G Stuart Skinner turned aside 45 shots, 26 more than Dea. . . . Edmonton held a 30-10 edge in shots after two periods but trailed 2-0. . . . The Oil Kings (28-28-6) hold down the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. They are nine points ahead of the Moose Jaw Warriors and 11 ahead of the Prince Albert Raiders. Edmonton has 10 games remaining; the Warriors and Raiders each has 12 left. . . . The Hurricanes (18-35-8) have lost five in a row (0-3-2).
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FRIDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
Medicine Hat at Regina, 7 p.m.
Saskatoon at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Kootenay at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Prince Albert at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Victoria at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Spokane vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Kelowna at Vancouver, 7:30 p.m.
Calgary at Everett, 7:35 p.m.
Prince George vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m.
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Four-on-four scrimmage with a special guest star in goal: Kevin Constantine. pic.twitter.com/CiRfGsdbOP
— Nick Patterson (@NickHPatterson) February 26, 2015

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Are we really disgusted with Alex Rodriguez? Do we really despise other cheaters in sports? “We as a culture don’t hate cheating,” writes Ray Ratto of CSNbayarea.com. “In fact, we not only don’t hate it, we like it -– love it, in fact. Can’t get enough. In fact, based on the talking points from the last World Series and the Jackie Robinson West scandalette, we need far more cheating than we are currently getting. It has always worked for wrestling, Roller Derby and politics, and there’s no reason now that we’ve had so much fun with this last NFL season that we can’t ask for more. We’ll take all the cheating and despicable behaviour you’ve got.” . . . If you’re not aware, the recent India-Pakistan ICC World Cup match — that would be cricket, of course — drew a TV audience of about one billion people. That is about eight times larger than the Super Bowl’s viewing audience. . . .

“If recent pictures out of Florida are any indication, new Boston Red Sox third baseman Pablo Sandoval turned up at spring training slightly out of shape,” writes Ian Hamilton of the Regina Leader-Post. “The Kung Fu Panda looks more like the Kung Pao Panda.” . . . “Bill Murray hasn’t been funny on a golf course since Caddyshack in 1980,” writes Phil Mushnick of the New York Post. “Nevertheless, throughout every Pebble Beach Pro-Am, CBS finds him inescapably hilarious.” . . . A Sunday tweet from Golf.com: “When Pebble Beach opened on Feb. 22, 1919, greens fees were $2 for gentlemen and $1.50 for ladies. Today: $495.” . . .

Headline at Fark.com: When the star hits the road in a salary unload, that’s Amar’e. . . . The New York Knicks bought out what was left on Amar’e Stoudemire’s five-year, US$99 million contract, resulting in his saying that he was leaving with “a heavy heart.” Bud Shaw of the Cleveland Plain Dealer pointed out that “is probably an indication he carries his wallet in his breast pocket.” . . . “Amar’e Stoudemire wrote a goodbye poem to New York,” reports contributor Bill Littlejohn. “He was a little disappointed that he couldn't find something that rhymes with 'fire extinguisher’ “ . . . Here’s Littlejohn, again: “Danny Almonte has come to the defence of the Jackie Robinson West Little League Team. Isn't that like Kim Jong Un coming to the defence of Kanye West?” . . .

A woman in a Manhattan diner got a fish hook in her mouth as she bit into her dinner. CBS-TV’s David Letterman summed it up this way: “I hate when you go into a restaurant and you’re the catch of the day.” . . . “Let me just clear something up,” writes Brad Dickson of the Omaha World-Herald. “If you live in Colorado and your neighbor invites you over for a ‘pot roast,’ it doesn't mean the same thing as it does elsewhere.” . . . Dickson, again: “On Presidents Day, a lot of people don't work and instead sit around taking it easy. Sounds more like Vice Presidents Day. Presidents Day is when we honor the greatest leaders in American history with 30 per cent off on products that are mostly made in China.” . . .

In autographing a poster for Barack Obama, Michael Jordan misspelled the U.S. president’s name. As NBC-TV’s Jimmy Fallon pointed out, “The president made sure Jordan’s name was spelled right when he had him audited by the IRS.” . . . Brian Burke, the president of hockey operations with the Calgary Flames, isn’t much of a golf fan. As he told Calgary radio station Jack FM the other day: "I hate golf because it's slow and there's no fighting."

“An ESPN survey of NHL agents reveals the top three cities that players don’t want to go to are: 1. Edmonton; 2. Winnipeg; 3. Buffalo,” writes Richmond, B.C., blogger TC Chong. “Congratulations to Evander Kane, who is attempting to complete the trifecta.” . . . After Miss P, a beagle from Enderby, B.C., was named Best In Show at the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club show in New York, Chong reported that residents of Enderby “now are planning to change the road greeting sign to Welcome to EnderBeagle.” . . . Here’s Janice Hough, aka The Left Coast Sports Babe: “The beagle that won Best In Show at the Westminster Dog Show, and thus became ‘America’s Dog’, is actually Canadian. Another immigrant taking something away from Americans. I blame Obama.”

(Gregg Drinnan is a former sports editor of the Regina Leader-Post and the late Kamloops Daily News. He is at gdrinnan.blogspot.ca and twitter.com/gdrinnan. Keeping Score appears here on weekends, except when it doesn’t.)

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.

WHL's playoff picture . . . No one hotter than Bjorkstrand . . . Zamboni driver did what?

The WHL’s regular season is winding down. Two teams, Portland and Prince George, have fewer than 20 games remaining. So let’s take a look at the playoff picture as it is right now . . . Keep in mind that the top three teams from each of the four divisions qualify for the playoffs. Also getting in are two wild-card teams in each conference — the two teams with the most points, regardless of division. . . . Remember, too, that it is awfully tough to gain ground when some games actually are worth three points. So teams that are six or eight points out of the playoffs at this point really have their work cut out to make up that much ground in a 20-game period.
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EASTERN CONFERENCE
EAST DIVISION
            PTS    GR
Brandon        79    21
Regina        60    22
Swift Current    51    21
—-
CENTRAL DIVISION
Medicine Hat    73    22
Calgary        63    21
Red Deer        62    22
—-
WILD CARD
Kootenay        55    20
Edmonton        54    20
Moose Jaw        44    22
Prince Albert    43    22
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THE MATCHUPS, if the playoffs opened tonight:
Brandon vs. Edmonton
Medicine Hat vs. Kootenay
Regina vs. Swift Current
Calgary vs. Red Deer
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NOTES: If Moose Jaw and/or Prince Albert are to make the playoffs, it appears they will have to catch Swift Current and get in as the East Division’s third-place team. . . . Moose Jaw is seven points behind third-place Swift Current and Prince Albert is eight points back. Moose Jaw is 10 points out of a wild-card spot. . . . The Warriors are at home to Prince Albert on Wednesday and Spokane on Friday. Moose Jaw then heads out on a seven-game road trip as the Saskatchewan women’s curling championship takes over Mosaic Place. . . . Red Deer, which slid into third in the Central Division while enjoying a six-game homestand, is off to B.C. for a three-game swing that opens Wednesday in Kamloops.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
B.C. Division
            PTS    GR
Kelowna        82    21
Victoria        60    20
Kamloops        46    20
—-
U.S. DIVISION
Everett        66    22
Portland        65    19
Seattle        56    22
—-
WILD CARD
Spokane        52    23
Tri-City        51    21
Vancouver        43    21
Prince George    42    19
——
THE MATCHUPS, if the playoffs opened tonight:
Kelowna vs. Tri-City
Everett vs. Spokane
Victoria vs. Kamloops
Portland vs. Seattle
——
NOTES: Vancouver and Prince George are sliding out of the wild-card race, but are involved in a tight race for third place in the B.C. Division. . . . Prince George, which is 0-10-2 in its last 12 games, is at home to Edmonton on Friday and Saturday, then will play seven of eight on the road. The Canada Winter Games are in Prince George from Feb. 21 to March 1. . . . Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province takes a look at the Vancouver Giants’ playoff chances right here.
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F Juraj Šimek (Brandon, 2006-07) has signed for the rest of this season with Lugano (Switzerland, NL A) after asking for his release from TPS Turku (Finland, Liiga). This season, with Genève-Servette (Switzerland, NL A), he had six goals and seven assists in 33 games. In 15 games with TPS, he had two goals and six assists. . . .
F Malte Strömwall (Tri-City, 2011-13) has been recalled by Luleå (Sweden, SHL) from loan to Asplöven Haparanda (Sweden, Allsvenskan) and loaned to HV71 Jönköping (Sweden, SHL). This season, with the Växjö Lakers (Sweden, SHL), he had two goals in 21 games. In 14 games with Luleå, he had one goal and one assist. He had one goal in four games with Asplöven.
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D Haydn Fleury of the Red Deer Rebels, who suffered a skate cut to one leg on Saturday, may not miss any action. Fleury needed eight stitches after cutting himself with his own skate blade during the first period; he didn’t return. The Rebels play in Kamloops on Wednesday. . . .
F Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants is ill and didn’t practise on Monday. He had missed Saturday’s 3-2 shootout loss to the visiting Kamloops Blazers. . . . The Giants also are without F Matt Bellerive, who is ill. . . .
No one was hotter in January than Portland Winterhawks F Oliver Bjorkstrand. Since returning from the WJC, where he played for Denmark, Bjorkstrand has put up 30 points, including 14 goals, in 12 games. He now has 70 points, including 35 goals, in 40 games, leaving him tied for third in the WHL scoring race. . . . F Nic Petan, who plays on a line with Bjorkstrand, has 18 points, 14 of them assists, in nine games after returning from the WJC, where he played for Canada. . . . The Winterhawks visit the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash., on Friday and play in Everett on Sunday. . . .
Bjorkstrand is tied with F Nick Merkley of the Kelowna Rockets, each with 70 points. They trail F Trevor Cox of the Medicine Hat Tigers, who has 85 points, and Tigers F Cole Sanford, who has 78. . . . Sanford and F Rourke Chartier of Kelowna lead the WHL in goals (41). Cox is No. 1 in assists (63). . . .
Jordan Papirny of the Brandon Wheat Kings and Jackson Whistle of the Kelowna Rockets lead WHL goaltenders in victories, each with 30. . . . Taran Kozun of the Seattle Thunderbirds has the top GAA (2.34), with Whistle second (2.46). . . . The top save percentage (.927) belongs to Portland’s Adin Hill, with Tri-City’s Eric Comrie next, at .921. . . . Landon Bow of Swift Current and Tri-City’s Evan Sarthou lead in shutouts, each with six. . . . 

The junior B Extreme Hockey Regina Capitals and Traveland RV Storm, who play in the Prairie Junior Hockey League, will play a doubleheader this weekend that is being called the Pankewich-Neumann Memorial Classic. The Saturday-Sunday games are being used as a fund-raiser for the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency. . . . They’ll play Saturday, 7:30 p.m., at the Pilot Butte Recreation Centre and Sunday, 2:15 p.m., at the Al Ritchie Arena in Regina. . . .
Archie Ingersoll of the Grand Forks Herald has more right here on the Zamboni driver from Fargo, N.D., who has been charged with DUI. It turns out he had a blood-alcohol content of 0.30, well over the 0.08 legal limit.
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Congratulations to my good friend @CoachStanButler on his 600th OHL victory! Great feat by a great Coach! #youdaman #happybirthday
— Don Nachbaur (@HCChiefs42) February 1, 2015

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Blazers movin' on up B.C. Division standings

When the Kamloops Blazers came back from the Christmas break and lost their first three games, you could be excused for writing off their playoff chances.
But as they take the ice tonight in Portland against the Winterhawks, the Blazers (19-25-6) find themselves alone in third place in the B.C. Division. In other words, they hold down the division’s last playoff spot, albeit by only two points over the Vancouver Giants (20-27-2) and Prince George Cougars (20-29-2), both of whom have been going in the wrong direction of late. (The Blazers are in Vancouver on Saturday night.)
So, you’re asking, what is responsible for the Blazers’ move up the standings?
They are 6-2-1 since losing those three post-Christmas games. In their last six games, they are 5-1-0.

CONNOR INGRAM

While the coaching staff no doubt would point to a number of things, including spending less time in their zone, nothing has been larger than the play of freshman G Connor Ingram, 17. He is 6-1-1 in his last eight decisions. This comes after head coach Don Hay pointed to inconsistent goaltending as being a primary reason for first-half woes.
Now, with Ingram having seized the starting role, the Blazers are playing with more confidence and it’s showing in the standings.
Ingram, an undrafted list player from Imperial, Sask., is no stranger to high-pressure hockey. He played last season for the midget AAA Prince Albert Mintos and was the goaltender of record when they won the national championship in triple overtime.
He may well get tested tonight in Portland, as the Blazers may be without three of their top five defencemen.
Swiss freshman Michael Fora hasn’t played since being injured in Victoria a week ago, while I will be shocked if Slovakian freshman Patrik Maier doesn’t have a concussion after taking at least four punches to the face, including a violent overhand right, during a late third-period fight with F Nolan Volcan of the Seattle Thunderbirds on Wednesday night.
As well, Ryan Rehill has been suspended for one game, as has Seattle D Jared Hauf. They got into a staged fight — does that mean there can be an unstaged fight? — nine seconds into Wednesday’s game. (Kamloops and Seattle each was fined $250 for that bout. Ch-ch-ching!)
Should the Blazers be without Fora, Maier and Rehill and, if they don’t bring in anyone, they will be looking to veterans Brady Gaudet and Marc McNulty to eat up some major minutes.

DAWSON DAVIDSON

Look for Dawson Davidson, 16, to be put into a larger role, too. An offensively gifted player, he joined the Blazers from the midget AAA Moose Jaw Generals after the Christmas break and continues to show improvement. He has a high hockey IQ and doesn’t often put himself in bad position. That’s important because, although the native of Moosomin, Sask., is listed on the roster at 5-foot-11 and 171 pounds, he doesn’t look to be anywhere near that large.
The other two defencemen on the Blazers’ roster are Cam Reagan and Travis Verveda, a pair of 17-year-olds who have been in 23 and 24 games, respectively.
One other note about the Blazers: Head coach Don Hay is the second-winningest coach in WHL history, his 628 regular-season victories trailing only Ken Hodge’s 742.
But before the Blazers got on a roll, Spokane head coach Don Nachbaur had closed to within two victories of Hay — 623-621. The Blazers then started winning, while the injury-riddled Chiefs hit the skids. The score now is 628-621.
It all got me to wondering if either of the WHL’s coaching Dons might one day surpass Hodge.
Hay will turn 61 on Feb. 13; Nachbaur is 56 as of today (Jan. 29).
Three 40 victory seasons would get either man within reach of Hodge’s total so, yes, it’s possible. However, neither man is likely to get to 40 victories this season, so three in a row isn’t at all a sure thing.

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Go West, young men, go West!

It was in the early 1980s when the late Ed Chynoweth, then the WHL’s leader, admitted that his greatest fear had to do with NHL teams moving affiliate teams into Western Canada and setting up a new league.

At the time, he said he could see the day when pro teams were in Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Regina and Saskatoon, just for starters.
The Saskatoon Blades are near the end of lease negotiations with the SaskTel Centre. When the papers are signed, the Blades will again have hockey exclusivity in the building. That is something that Chynoweth, all those years ago, felt was of the utmost importance and something that most, if not all, WHL teams insist upon in their leases.
Now here we are more than 30 years later and NHL teams are moving affiliates west, just not into Canada.
The AHL made it official on Thursday — it will have a five-team Pacific Division next season, with all teams located in California.
The Anaheim Ducks will move the Norfolk, Va., Admirals to San Diego; the Calgary Flames will move the Adirondack Flames from Glens Falls, N.Y., to Stockton; the Edmonton Oilers will move the Oklahoma City Barons to Bakersfield; the Los Angeles Kings are moving the Manchester, N.H., Monarchs to Ontario; and the San Jose Sharks are taking the Worcester, Mass., Sharks and relocating them to, yes, San Jose.
The Adirondack Flames are in their first season in Glens Falls, after relocating from Abbotsford, B.C. Adirondack head coach Ryan Huska left the Kelowna Rockets after last season to sign with the Flames.
Mike Stothers, who left the Moose Jaw Warriors after last season, is the first-year head coach of the Monarchs.
San Jose will play its AHL affiliate out of its home building — the SAP Center. Interestingly, San Jose is planning on scheduling Saturday doubleheaders, with the AHL team playing matinees and the NHL team playing at night.
The primary reason for the moves is to get affiliate players closer to the parent clubs to make it that much easier for recalls. Scheduling details are scarce but the five Pacific Division teams will play fewer games than other AHL teams. That and less travel should result in more practice time, all of which should make for happy coaches and better development.
There also is speculation that more NHL teams will get involved in moving their AHL teams in the near future.
The Vancouver Canucks are in their second season with the AHL’s Utica, N.Y., Comets. Pat Conacher, a former head coach of the Regina Pats, is the Comets’ director of hockey operations, with Travis Green, the former assistant GM and assistant coach with the Portland Winterhawks, the head coach.
There is speculation that the Canucks will move the franchise to Abbotsford or Langley, B.C. The Abbotsford Centre seats 7,046 and no longer is home to a hockey team. The 5,276-seat Langley Events Centre is home to, among other things, the BCHL’s Langley Rivermen and the National Lacrosse League’s Vancouver Stealth.
Jim Benning, the Canucks’ general manager, told TSN Radio Vancouver on Thursday that his organization will continue to monitor the situation.
“We're really happy in Utica — players love it there,” Benning said. “We'll continue to monitor it.”
The Winnipeg Jets’ AHL affiliate is in St. John’s, Nfld. There have been rumours since the Atlanta Thrashers relocated to Winnipeg that the Jets would like to have that franchise in Thunder Bay, Ont. That’s hardly close to the Pacific Northwest or California, but it’s closer than Newfoundland.
The Arizona Coyotes, who are hooked up with the AHL’s Portland, Me., Pirates, also are said to be interested in having a team closer to Phoenix.
Some of the communities being vacated by AHL teams are expected to end up being home to ECHL franchises. There also is speculation that the QMJHL would like to expand by two teams and is looking at the vacant arenas.
What impact, if any, will this have as far as the WHL is concerned?
I doubt that there will be any immediate impact, but it certainly could have repercussions down the road.
When these AHL teams get relocated and organized, you can bet that they will be pouring resources into minor hockey programs as they attempt to attract fans. Eventually, that will mean more and better hockey players coming out of those areas.
It all could lead to a WHL team with a completely American roster. Don't scoff. The Portland Winterhawks have 12 players on their 23-man roster right now.


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