Hitmen add goaltender . . . Silvertips minus two defencemen . . . Americans perfect on eastern trek

Taid saying goodbye to @cspencer14 one of his two favourite @SCBroncos.  A very sad day:( pic.twitter.com/BmE6g2NIRZ

— Kevin Jones (@bleed_green75) January 11, 2017

———

F Zdeněk Bahenský (Saskatoon, 2004-06) has signed a tryout contract with Mladá Boleslav (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, with Nové Zámky (Slovakia, Extraliga), he had two goals and nine assists in 22 games. He was released on Dec. 31.

———

The Calgary Hitmen, having lost G Cody Porter indefinitely with an undisclosed injury, have added G Trevor Martin, 20, to their roster. Martin, from Ardrossan, Alta., played three games with the Red Deer Rebels this season, three with the BCHL’s West Kelowna Warriors and five with the QMJHL’s Baie-Comeau Drakkar. . . . A seventh-round pick by the Spokane Chiefs in the WHL bantam draft, he has WHL experience, having played 19 games with the Saskatoon Blades in 2014-15 (3-10-2, 4.16, .886) and 38 with the Rebels in 2015-16 (18-8-2, 2.63, .911). . . . Last season, Martin and the Rebels eliminated the Hitmen from the playoffs, winning a first-round series in five games. Martin was 4-1, 2.20, .927. . . . Martin was on the bench backing up Kyle Dumba on Tuesday night as the Hitmen dropped a 5-4 OT decision to the Blades in Saskatoon. . . . Porter was injured on Friday during a 6-2 loss to the Pats in Regina.

——

The Brandon Wheat Kings have dropped D Blake Jameson, 18, from their roster and he will join the MJHL’s Swan Valley Stampeders. Jameson was pointless in 27 games with the Wheat Kings this season. The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder played last season with the midget AAA Southwest Cougars. . . . Jameson, who is from Brandon, was a fourth-round pick by the Victoria Royals in the 2013 bantam draft.

The Wheat Kings also have removed D Zach Wytinck, 17, and F Garrett Armour, 19, from their roster. Wytinck, from Glenboro, Man., had one assist in 29 games with Brandon, while Armour, from Winnipeg, had four assists in 41 games. Wytinck was in his first WHL season; Armour played with the Saskatoon Blades in 2014-15 and was in his second season with Brandon. Armour has two goals and 15 assists in 142 career regular-season games.

——

The Red Deer Rebels have signed F Chris Douglas, 16, and added him to their roster. Douglas, from Richmond, B.C., had 13 goals and 24 assists in 26 games with the Greater Vancouver Canadians of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League. . . . The Rebels also have dropped F Quinn Martin, 17, from their roster. A native of Santa Fe, N.M., Martin was pointless in 20 games with Red Deer.

——

So you want to be a junior hockey player, do you? Best purchase a hardy suitcase. . . . Consider the case of D Carter Cochrane, who is from Kamloops and has played 43 games in the WHL (Everett Silvertips, 33; Tri-City Americans, 9; Vancouver Giants, 1). . . . On Tuesday, Cochrane, 20, was involved in a BCHL trade, moving from the Salmon Arm Silverbacks to the Trail Smoke Eaters. . . . When he plays his first game for Trail, it will mark his 10th junior team since the start of 2011-12 when he got a taste with the junior B Kamloops Storm and Princeton Posse of the Kootenay International Junior League. . . . Since then, Cochrane has played for the KIJHL’s Golden Rockets, the BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs, Everett, Tri-City, Chilliwack again, the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals, Vancouver, Salmon Arm and now Trail.

——

In the course of more than 40 years in the newspaper business, I developed a pretty thick skin and, in time, I learned to ignore the yahoos who troll the waters of social media.

But I know only too well how hard it can be on family members when someone close to them comes under attack.

That is the focus of the top of this week’s edition of 30 Thoughts, the musings of Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

Following the championship game at the 2017 World Junior Championship, Friedman chatted with Sheehan Desjardins, 21, whose father, Willie, now is the head coach of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. Willie, one of the most decent people you could ever hope to meet, was on Team Canada’s coaching staff in 2009 when it won gold in Ottawa and again in 2010 when it lost in OT to Team USA in the final in Saskatoon.

You have to read this to understand the highs and lows that a family lives through in these situations. It is amazing and the lows are especially brutal, mostly thanks to a few non-thinkers in our midst, you know, the ones who are with Team Canada win or . . . win.

Friedman’s latest piece is right here.

———

JUST NOTES:

D Aaron Irving, acquired by Everett from the Edmonton Oil Kings in a major swap last week, didn’t practise on Tuesday. He last played Friday, finishing a 4-3 OT loss to the host Seattle Thunderbirds and now is listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. . . . Everett also will be without D Lucas Skrumeda with an undisclosed injury, so has brought in D Gianni Fairbrother, 16, from the Vancouver North West Giants of the B.C. Major Midget League. . . .

The Swift Current Broncos have dropped F Brandan Arnold, 19, from their roster and he will join the SJHL’s Nipawin Hawks. From Dodsland, Sask., the 5-foot-8, 175-pound Arnold had two goals and four assists in 27 games with the Broncos. Last season, as a freshman, he had two goals and an assist in 42 games. . . . He was a seventh-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft.

———

My thoughts and prayers are with @TyPozzobon family and rodeo family with the tragic loss of Ty.
May you #RIP Ty. pic.twitter.com/bgrHe66Soy

— Sheldon Kennedy (@ShelKenn) January 10, 2017

Ty Pozzobon, a Canadian bull-riding champion, was found dead on Monday afternoon near his hometown of Merritt, B.C. . . . “No cause of death was released by Merritt RCMP,” writes Postmedia’s Gord McIntyre, “but they do not consider the death to be suspicious and have passed along the case to the B.C. Coroners Service.” . . . Pozzobon had incurred multiple concussions during his career. . . . “It’s important that people know about the implications of head injuries as a result of concussions,” his mother, Leanne, said. . . . McIntyre’s story is right here.

———

@gdrinnan reports S Dosanjh on 4th team of yr, reminding me WHL commish edict "don't tell viewers when players had few stops." #didntcomply

— Dan Russell (@DanRussellST) January 10, 2017

——

TUESDAY’S GAMES:

At Moose Jaw, F Morgan Geekie’s second goal of the game, with 43.4 seconds left in regulation time,

MORGAN GEEKIE

gave the Tri-City Americans a 3-2 victory over the Warriors. . . . Geekie has 50 points, including 24 goals, in 45 games this season. Last season, as a freshman, he finished with 25 points, 12 of them goals, in 66 games. . . . F Brett Howden (21) gave Moose Jaw a 1-0 lead 37 seconds into the game. . . . Tri-City F Carson Focht (3) tied it at 2:03. . . . The Warriors went back out front just 1:01 later as F Luka Burzan got No. 11. . . . Geekie tied it on a PP, at 3:44 of the second period. . . . F Vladislav Lukin had two assists for the Americans. . . . G Evan Sarthou stopped 33 shots for the Americans, while Moose Jaw’s Zach Sawchenko turned aside 19. . . . Moose Jaw outshot the visitors 20-0 over the first 18 minutes of the third period but couldn’t solve Sarthou. . . . Tri-City was 1-3 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 0-3. . . . The Warriors had F Branden Klatt and F Thomas Foster, both of whom were acquired in deadline deals, in their lineup, but F Noah Gregor was scratched with an undisclosed injury. . . . F Michael Rasmussen was among Tri-City’s scratches with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Americans (25-17-3) have won three in a row, all of them on this East Division trek. They are second in the U.S. Division, two points behind the Everett Silvertips (25-5-7), who have eight — yes, EIGHT! — games in hand. . . . The Warriors (25-10-7) had points in each of their previous seven games (5-0-2). They are second in the East Division, four points behind Regina, which holds four games in hand, and four ahead of the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Announced attendance: 3,103.

——

At Red Deer, the Rebels opened a 4-0 second-period lead en route to a 4-1 victory over the Prince

LASSE PETERSEN

George Cougars. . . . F Adam Musil got it started with his 15th goal, on a PP, at 8:57 of the first period. . . . F Evan Polei upped the lead to 2-0 with No. 17, at 15:59. . . . F Austin Pratt then scored his 11th goal, at 17:42. . . . F Lane Zablocki, acquired earlier in the day from the Regina Pats, scored his 10th goal at 9:19 of the second period. . . . The Cougars got their goal from F Aaron Boyd (5), at 17:27 of the third period. . . . D Alexander Alexeyev had two assists for Red Deer, while Polei added one to his goal. . . . G Lasse Petersen stopped 23 shots for the Rebels. . . . Prince George starter Ty Edmonds allowed three goals on 15 shots in the first period. Nick McBride came on to start the second period and stopped 15 of 16 shots the rest of the way. . . . The Rebels were 1-5 on the PP; the Royals were 0-3. . . . Red Deer is without injured F Brandon Hagel. . . . D Brendan Guhle (ill) was among Prince George’s scratches. F Radovan Bondra, acquired Tuesday morning from the Vancouver Giants, also was scratched. . . . The Rebels (19-17-6) are third in the Central Division, five points behind the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Cougars (28-12-2) are third in the overall standings, three points behind the first-place Regina Pats. . . . Announced attendance: 3,905.

——

1st 🌟

🎩🎩🎩 pic.twitter.com/rJllx5vmaA

— Saskatoon Blades (@BladesHockey) January 11, 2017

At Saskatoon, F Jesse Shynkaruk’s third goal of the game, at 2:13 of OT, gave the Blades a 5-4 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Shynkaruk, 20, has a career-high 16 goals this season, and six of them are

game-winners. He went into the season with 23 goals in 196 games. . . . It was Shynkaruk’s second career hat trick. Then with the Moose Jaw Warriors, he scored three times on Jan. 3, 2015, in an 8-2 victory over the visiting Prince Albert Raiders. . . . F Jake Kryski, acquired Monday from the Kelowna Rockets, gave the Hitmen a 1-0 lead when he scored on his first shot with his new team, at 4:35 of the first period. . . . However, Kryski was in the penalty box when Shynkaruk scored the winner. . . . The Blades went ahead 2-1 on goals from Shynkaruk and F Gage Ramsay 95), at 6:49 and 14:54. . . . Calgary then scored twice — F Mark Kastelic (7) and F Matteo Gennaro — at 15:13 and 15:41 to take a 3-2 lead into the second period. . . . Saskatoon F Braylon Shmyr’s 22nd goal, on a PP, at 2:54 of the second period tied it. . . . Shynkaruk gave the Blades the lead at 10:34. . . . Gennaro pulled the Hitmen back into a tie at 15:47. . . . Gennaro, who has goals in five straight games, has 18 scores this season. . . . Shmyr, F Chase Wouters and F Michael Farren had two assists each for the Blades. . . . D Jake Bean had two helpers for Calgary. . . . G Logan Flodell stopped 19 shots for Saskatoon, while Calgary’s Kyle Dumba turned aside 22. . . . The Blades were 2-2 on the PP; the Hitmen were 0-2. . . . The Blades (16-22-6) had lost their previous two games. They now are within two points of the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . The Hitmen (14-19-6) have lost five in a row (0-2-3). They are six points out of a playoff spot. They had won each of their previous eight games in Saskatoon. . . . Dean Brockman, the Blades’ head coach, missed the game due to a funeral. Assistant Ryan Keller was listed as the head coach, thus earning his first WHL victory. . . . Announced attendance: 2,606.

——

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Tri-City at Brandon, 7 p.m.

Lethbridge at Edmonton, 7 p.m.

Spokane at Everett, 7 p.m.

Prince George at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.

Calgary at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.

Kootenay at Swift Current, 7 p.m.

Kelowna at Victoria 7:05 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.

WHL commish talking to Nanaimo? . . . Ex-WHLers move to BCHL . . . Silvertips win 10th game

News 1130 Sports out of Vancouver tweeted on Wednesday morning:

“Been told WHL commissioner Ron Robison was in Nanaimo on Monday to talk with city officials about a new arena.”

The WHL in Nanaimo, home of the BCHL’s Clippers?

Of course, the WHL would love to have a franchise in Nanaimo, something that would allow teams from the mainland to visit Vancouver Island and play games against more than one team. However, there simply isn't an arena on the island, other than the one that is home to the Victoria Royals, that meets the league’s standards.

Furthermore, the City of Nanaimo has flat-out refused to get involved in the construction process.

I have been told by someone who is involved with a group that apparently kicked the tires on the Kootenay Ice that there “never” will be an arena in Nanaimo that would be capable of housing a WHL team.

News 1130 Sports also tweeted:

“Nanaimo and Chilliwack are 2 cities the WHL is keeping an eye on for the future.”

Of course, the WHL used to be in Chilliwack — you may remember the Bruins and the messy situation that led to them becoming the Royals. Has enough water gone under the bridge that the good hockey fans of Chilliwack would forgive and forget?

What you really have to wonder, though, is: Why would anyone be interested in getting involved in the ownership of a WHL franchise at this point in time?

After all, the CHL, its three leagues (OHL, QMJHL and WHL) and 60 teams are all but pleading poverty as a proposed class-action lawsuit that asks that players — and, retroactively, former players — be paid minimum wage makes its way through the courts.

This has gotten some headlines in B.C. of late after the Vancouver Sun reported that the governing Liberals made a quiet move in February to exempt the province’s six WHL teams from minimum-wage laws.

Five of the six franchise owners apparently have made donations to the B.C. Liberals, who were lobbied by the WHL for the change. (This all brings back memories of an incident in February 2011 when the names of 20 players on the Kamloops Blazers roster were found on a B.C. Liberal membership list during a leadership race. Tom Gaglardi, the Blazers majority owner, was a supporter of leadership candidate Kevin Falcon. The names were removed but no one ever explained how the names came to be on the list.)

“Recent reports have grossly overstated WHL club revenues and franchise values,” Robison wrote in a statement that appeared in some newspapers this week. “The majority of WHL Clubs either break even or lose money on an annual basis and we commend our WHL Clubs for their commitment to preserving the benefits provided to our players despite the challenges they face. Any change to the status of our players as amateur athletes would result in our clubs having to adjust the benefits currently offered to players.

“For instance, if our WHL Clubs were required to provide minimum wage in addition to the benefits the players currently receive, the majority of our teams would not be in a position to continue operating.”

B.C. joined Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan and Washington state in exempting WHL teams from minimum-wage legislation. All four jurisdictions did it without requesting that WHL teams open their books.

The province of Quebec, home to 13 CHL teams, is said to be next in line.

——

A couple of WHLers who lost out in the 20-year-old game have joined BCHL teams. . . . F Duncan Campbell, who was waived by his hometown Brandon Wheat Kings, now is with the Penticton Vees, while G Trevor Martin, who was dropped by the Red Deer Rebels, has joined the defending-champion West Kelowna Warriors. . . . Campbell was pointless in six games with Brandon this season, after putting up 10 goals and 12 assists in 72 games last season. . . . Martin, from Saskatoon, was 18-8-2, 2.63, .911 in 38 games with the Rebels last season. This season, he got into three games, going 0-1-1, 4.14, .888.

——

The Kootenay Ice has dropped G Declan Hobbs from its roster. Hobbs, 18, is from Saskatoon and was a third-round pick by the Ice in the 2013 WHL bantam draft. This season, he was 0-3-0, 7.16, .800 in 142 minutes over three appearances. Last season, in 24 appearances, he was 2-14-3, 4.66, .873. He is the younger brother of Regina Pats D Connor Hobbs. . . . The move leaves the Ice with two goaltenders — veteran Payton Lee, 20, who is playing his final junior season in his hometown, and freshman Jakob Walter, 17, from Langley, B.C. He was a second-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft.

——

The TV show Gunsmoke had a long run that ended in 1975. Of course, it’s still available in reruns and, as it turns out, it has more than a few viewers. How many? “More than four decades later,” writes Neil Best of Newsday, “the fabled western drama has not lost its swagger, regularly winning ratings shootouts with much of what modern media has to offer in reruns at 3 p.m. on TV Land.” . . . Best’s complete story is right here and, yes, it’s most interesting. I guarantee that you will be shocked to find out how many people still tune in Gunsmoke.

———

JUST NOTES:

F Glenn Gawdin, 19, was named captain of the Swift Current Broncos on Thursday. Gawdin, from Richmond, B.C., is in his fourth season with the Broncos. . . . 

F Mathew Barzal didn’t play for the New York Islanders on Thursday in a 4-2 loss to the host Pittsburgh Penguins. Barzal, 19, is pointless while playing in two of the Islanders’ first eight games. He is eligible to be returned to the Seattle Thunderbirds, a move some observers feel is imminent.

——

Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

———

THURSDAY’S GAME:

At Everett, F Eetu Tuulola scored twice to help Silvertips to a 4-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . .

EETU TUULOLA

Tuulola, a Finnish freshman in his second game since suffering a shoulder injury on Oct. 2, has three goals. He broke a 1-1 tie at 7:21 of the second period and upped the lead to 4-1 at 3:46 of the third. . . . F Spencer Garth had given Everett a 1-0 lead, with his first goal, at 2:32 of the opening period. . . . Tri-City F Morgan Geekie’s fifth goal tied it at 10:53. . . . F Riley Sutter’s seventh goal put the home side in front 3-1 at 15:01 of the second period. . . . Tri-City F Nolan Yaremko added a PP goal, his second goal this season, at 15:06 of the third. . . . F Kyle Olson had two assists for the Americans. . . . G Carter Hart blocked 21 shots to earn the victory over Beck Warm, who made 24 saves. . . . The Americans were 1-3 on the PP; the Silvertips were 0-1. . . . Everett (10-2-2) has points in three straight (2-0-1). . . . The Americans (8-6-1) had been 2-0-1 in their previous three games. They wrapped up a stretch of six straight road games (3-2-1). . . . F Sasha Mutala, the sixth-overall pick in the 2016 bantam draft, made his debut with the Americans. From Vancouver, he plays for the major midget Greater Vancouver Canadians. . . . Announced attendance: 2,988.

——

FRIDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Calgary at Edmonton, 7 p.m.

Vancouver at Kamloops, 7 p.m.

Brandon vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, B.C.

Prince George at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.

Saskatoon at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.

Spokane at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.

Medicine Hat at Red Deer, 7 p.m.

Seattle at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Victoria vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 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.

Red Deer drops goaltender . . . Blades, Giants create two homecomings. . . . Everett makes some moves

The Red Deer Rebels released G Trevor Martin, 20, on Wednesday. They had placed him on waivers and he was released after he cleared. . . . The Rebels acquired Martin from the Saskatoon Blades in

2014-15. He was 19-9-3 in 42 regular-season appearances with the Rebels. In three appearances this season, Martin was 0-1-1, 4.14, .888. . . . The move leaves the Rebels with two 20s — F Evan Polei and D Colton Bobyk. It also leaves them with two goaltenders — Lasse Pettersen, 19, who was acquired last week from the Everett Silvertips and has yet to make his Red Deer debut, and Riley Lamb, an 18-year-old freshman. . . . The Rebels also acquired G Tyson Verhelst, 19, from the Spokane Chiefs this month. But Verhelst, who suffered at least two concussions last season, is out long-term with an undisclosed upper-body injury. . . . With Pettersen expected to play for Denmark at the 2017 World Junior Championship, the Rebels are likely to bring in Byron Fancy to support Lamb when necessary. Fancy, who will turn 16 on Jan. 1, is from Claresholm, Alta., and is playing with the midget AAA Lethbridge Hurricanes. He was a second-round selection in the 2016 bantam draft. . . . The Rebels had a pair of 20-year-old goaltenders on their roster earlier in the season. They dealt Rylan Toth to the Seattle Thunderbirds and now Martin is gone.

——

If this blog had sound effects, you would be listening to Hagood Hardy playing The Homecoming right now, thanks to a Wednesday afternoon deal made between the Saskatoon Blades and Vancouver Giants. . . . In a swap of 18-year-old forwards, the Blades dealt Josh Bruce to the Giants for Gage Ramsay. Bruce is from Surrey, B.C., while Ramsay is from Saskatoon. . . . Bruce has one goal in four games with the Blades this season. . . . Ramsay has one assist in six games with the Giants. He was a third-round pick by the Giants in the 2013 bantam draft. . . . The Blades are to meet the Giants in Vancouver tonight (Wednesday), but neither is expected to play for his new team.

——

According to Jesse Geleynse of the Everett Herald, F Brad Goethals has left the Everett Silvertips and

returned to his Manitoba home for “personal reasons.” The Silvertips acquired Goethals, 18, from the Brandon Wheat Kings on Oct. 11, in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2018 bantam draft. Goethals led the Manitoba Midget Hockey League in scoring last season, with 74 points, including 41 goals, in 43 games for the Eastman Selects. . . . The Silvertips have recalled D Gianni Fairbrother, 16, to fill a hole created by an undisclosed injury to F Orrin Centazzo. He apparently was injured during Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to the host Spokane Chiefs. . . . Last season, Fairbrother was named the top defenceman in the Canadian Sports School Hockey League (Elite 15s) while with the Burnaby Winter Club. . . . Fairbrother started this season with the Silvertips but joined the Vancouver-North West Giants of the B.C. Midget Major Junior Hockey League after not getting into any WHL games. He was expected to join the Silvertips in time for tonight’s game in Kelowna against the Rockets.

——

Hockey Canada announced the roster for its Deutschland Cup team on Wednesday. That roster, which includes a handful of ex-WHLers, is right here. . . . It is great to see Dave King back with Hockey Canada as the head coach of its entry. His staff will include former Spokane Chiefs assistant coach Mike Pelino (1997-99). He’s in his fourth season as an assistant coach with the KHL’s Metallurg Magnitogorsk. . . . The tournament runs Nov. 4-6 in Augsburg Germany.

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.

Pats busy with trades . . . Tigers add veterans . . . Wheaties add experienced d-man . . . T-birds busy

World Champs! !!! pic.twitter.com/MKtqaVAsQD

— Joe Hicketts (@Hicksy_2) January 6, 2015

THE TRADE WIRE:

If the WHL was a high-stakes poker game with four seats, two of those would belong to the Brandon Wheat Kings and Kelowna Rockets, both of whom have brought in high-profile players in the last while.
Now you can deal in the Medicine Hat Tigers, too.
The Tigers have acquired D Kyle Burroughs and F Dryden Hunt, a pair of 19-year-olds, from the Regina Pats in exchange for D Connor Hobbs, who turned 18 on Sunday, and two bantam draft picks -- a second-rounder in 2016 and a third-rounder in 2015.
Burroughs, from Langley, B.C., was the Pats’ captain. Hunt, who lead Regina in assists (33) and points (47), is from Nelson, B.C.
Hunt has 47 points, including 14 goals, in 37 games, leaving him tied for 11th in the points derby. He has 97 points, 40 of them goals, in 163 regular-season games.
Burroughs has 22 points, including five goals, in 36 games. A seventh-round selection by the New York Islanders in the 2013 NHL draft, Burroughs is a WHL-leading plus-31. In 220 regular-season games, he has 103 points, 20 of them goals.
Burroughs and Hunt are expected to be in the Tigers’ lineup when they visit the Victoria Royals on Wednesday.
Hobbs was born in Regina but now calls Saskatoon home. He was in his first season with the Tigers -- he had a goal and an assist in 12 games -- when he left them on Oct. 29 and asked to be traded. Shortly after, he joined the SJHL’s Nipawin Hawks for four games. He then played for Canada West at the World Junior A Challenge in Kindersley, Sask., but hasn’t been in a game since it ended on Dec. 20.
As for his decision to leave the Tigers, Hobbs told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post: “Some bad communication between me and certain people led to me needing to leave. There are a lot of factors that I took into consideration before asking for a trade. I love the guys there and love my billets and the town. It’s just really too bad it didn’t work out there but I’m excited to go to Regina.”
Hobbs was a fourth-round selection by the Prince Albert Raiders in the 2012 bantam draft. He was dealt to the Tigers on Jan. 1, 2013. In that exchange, the Raiders acquired D Dylan Busenius, F Jayden Hart and a sixth-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft, with the Tigers acquiring D Zach Hodder, F Logan McVeigh, Hobbs and a second-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft.
“There’s been a lot of time spent looking at things ever since Hobbs left the team,” Shaun Clouston, the Tigers’ GM and head coach, told the Medicine Hat News. “When something didn’t materialize shortly after that, we believed it would probably be closer to a deadline type of a deal.
“This (trade) didn’t take one guy out of our lineup or off our current roster. We were able to add two veteran players, two players that have played hard and have proven over the years that they’re legitimate high-end players and they both have something to prove.”
---
Later Monday, the Pats traded F Connor Gay, 19, to the Red Deer Rebels for F Jake Leschyshyn, 15. Regina also got a fourth-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft, while giving up three picks -- a first in 2016, a second in 2015 and a seventh in 2017.
The Rebels will be the host team for the 2016 Memorial Cup.
Gay, from Saskatoon, had a team-high 20 goals in 39 games with the Pats and was second in points (44). In 135 regular-season games over three seasons, he has 92 points, including 40 goals.
Leschyshyn was the sixth overall selection in the 2014 bantam draft. He is the son of former NHL defenceman Curtis Leschyshyn, who played for the Saskatoon Blades. Jake is playing for the midget AAA Saskatoon Blazers. He leads the team with 24 points in 25 games.
By making this trade, Brent Sutter, the Rebels’ owner, general manager and head coach, was able to restock his draft cupboard after he gave up a 2016 first-round pick and a 2015 second-round selection in acquiring D Nelson Nogier and F Austin Adamson from the Saskatoon Blades on Dec. 14.
“Your bring those two assets (Nogier and Gay) back to your team and now you’re dealing from an area of strength again going into the summer and next season where we have all our picks and them some,” Sutter told Greg Meachem, the Red Deer Advocate’s sports editor. “Also, adding a player like Connor to our hockey team is significant.
“Again, this wasn’t an easy thing to do, but it’s a responsibility that I have . . . a part of the stakes involved when you’re hosting the Memorial Cup. When you’re going to be the host you have to make sure you have to team that gives you the opportunity to be very competitive and a chance to be very successful in league play and during the tournament, too. It’s just the way it is. These are the types of things you have to do and we were in a position where we could do it.”

One more thing - by my count, the Pats currently have 20 players left on their roster. Got to be more moves coming for them yet.

— Alan Caldwell (@smallatlarge) January 5, 2015

---
Also on Monday, the Saskatoon Blades dealt G Trevor Martin, 18, to Red Deer for D Kolton Dixon, 19.
The Rebels sent Martin to the SJHL’s Melville Millionaires. In 19 games with the Blades, he was 3-10-2, 4.16, .886. He is from Ardrossan, Alta.
Dixon, from Red Deer, had a goal and two assists in 32 games this season. In 138 regular-season games, the first 43 with the Victoria Royals, he has 12 points, including 11 assists.
With Martin gone, the Blades have brought in Brock Hamm, 17, from the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos to back up Nik Amundrud. Hamm, from Saskatoon, was 9-10-0, 2.72, .918 with Humboldt.
---
Meanwhile, the Wheat Kings made another move on Monday as they added D Reid Gow, 20, to their roster. Brandon acquired his rights from the Spokane Chiefs for a fifth-round bantam draft pick.
According to the Chiefs, they will have the option of using that selection in 2015 or 2016.
The Wheat Kings had room to add one 20-year-old and Gow, who is from the nearby community of Killarney, made a whole lot of sense. He played four seasons with the Chiefs, before leaving them over the summer and enrolling at the U of Manitoba in Winnipeg where he has been playing with the Bisons. He had seven points, two of them goals, in 18 games with the Bisons.
As a youngster, Gow dreamed of playing for the Wheat Kings, but the Chiefs selected him with the 16th overall pick in the 2009 bantam draft.
“It’s going to be awesome,” Gow told James Shewaga, the Brandon Sun’s sports editor. “I’m very excited. There’s lots going on here in Brandon and I’m really happy to be here . . . They have unbelievable players in all positions and it’s a special team and I hope to add to that in any way I can, in a leadership role and helping out the young guns and just being the kind of player that I am with them. . . .
“It’s very exciting to be a Wheat King. I never thought it would happen. When you are young, you dream about being a Wheat King, so it’s very exciting for me and I can’t wait.”
Last season in Spokane, Gow had 62 points, including 56 assists, in 65 games. In 229 career regular-season games, all with the Chiefs, he had 146 points, including 129 assists.
Gow, who plans on returning to the Bisons next season, practised with the Wheat Kings on Monday and is expected to make his debut with them tonight against the visiting Everett Silvertips.
“Originally, Reid Gow chose not to play his overage year in Spokane because he wanted to be closer to home and family in Manitoba,” Tim Speltz, the Chiefs’ general manager, said in a news release.“Reid enrolled and played the first half of this season at the University of Manitoba.”
Speltz added that the Wheat Kings were given permission to talk to Gow “after the Christmas break to discuss the option of Reid playing in Brandon.Joining the Wheat Kings will allow Reid to be closer to home and family, which is important to him, while also enabling Reid to continue studies at the U of M.”
With Gow on the roster, Brandon is carrying nine defenceman. That includes Kale Clague, the terrific 16-year-old freshman who is out with an undisclosed injury. Clague is listed as being out week-to-week.
---
The Seattle Thunderbirds made three roster changes on Monday as they added Latvian F Roberts Lipsbergs, a 20-year-old from Denmark, to their roster.
Lipsbergs, who played the previous two seasons with Seattle, had been with the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder. He had a goal and two assists in 15 games with the Thunder.
Lipsbergs is a two-spotter -- a 20-year-old import -- and will fill spots that had belonged to F Justin Hickman, 20, and Austrian F Florian Baltram, 17.
Hickman’s season is over as he is scheduled to have surgery on a shoulder. Seattle’s captain had 28 points, including nine goals, in ?? games this season. In five seasons with the Thunderbirds, he played in 285 games, recording 132 points, 55 of them goals.
Baltram had a goal and four assists in 34 games. As a first-year import, he couldn’t be traded, so had to be released. Seattle also has Danish F Alexander True, 17, on its roster. True has 10 points, including five goals, in 31 games.
Last season, with Seattle, Lipsbergs had 52 points, including 33 goals, in 68 games. In 2012-13, as a freshman, he put up 58 points, 30 of them goals, in 64 games.
Lipsbergs is expected to be in the Thunderbirds’ lineup Friday and Sunday when they go home-and-home with the Tri-City Americans. They’ll open the weekend in Kennewick, Wash., on Friday and finish the series Sunday in Kent, Wash. The latter game was scheduled for Saturday but was moved to Sunday to avoid a conflict with the Seattle Seahawks’ NFL playoff game.
---



Tom Renney, the president of Hockey Canada, met with the media in Toronto on Monday and, yes, he chose his words carefully. Of course, Renney wasn’t with Hockey Canada when the decisions were made that haunted the 2015 World Junior Championship. Ken Campbell of The Hockey News was there and he blogged about it right here.
—-
A Monday evening tweet from Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald reports that “Dawson Davidson has been called up by Kamloops for the rest of the season from the Moose Jaw Generals.”
Davidson, a third-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft, is from Moosomin, Sask., and had been playing with the midget AAA Generals.
Davidson joined the Blazers after Christmas and has two goals in four games. A terrific skater, he’s slight but a gifted offensive talent and has been seeing playing time on the point on the first PP unit.
---
Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman reports that Kootenay Ice D Tanner Faith may not play again this season.
“The Minnesota Wild prospect, who only suited up in 10 games last season due to an upper-body injury, has likely seen his 2014-15 WHL campaign come to an end after sustaining an upper-body injury Dec. 6 in Spokane,” writes Rocca. “Faith has only suited up in 19 games for the Ice so far this season.”
Rocca’s story is right here.
---

Don't accuse Coach Constantine of having no sense of humor. His stylish new hat looks perfect for this roadie! pic.twitter.com/gXlfrnJuMu
— Everett Silvertips (@WHLsilvertips) January 5, 2015

---

TRADE DEADLINE DEALS:

Dec. 10 . . .
To Kelowna: D Josh Morrissey (95), F Gage Quinney (95).
To Prince Albert: D Jesse Lees (95), F Austin Glover (96), 2016 second-round pick, 2017 third-round pick.
---
Dec. 12 . . .
To Red Deer: D Nelson Nogier (96), F Austin Adamson (96).
To Saskatoon: F Mason McCarty (97), 2015 second-round pick, 2016 first-round pick.
---
Dec. 16 . . .
To Calgary: G Thatcher Demko, 19, who is at Boston College.
To Spokane: Conditional draft picks. Guy Flaming of The Pipeline Show tweeted that he had it as a second-rounder in 2015 and a second- or third-rounder in 2016.
---
Dec. 27 . . .
To Swift Current: D Griffin Foulk, 19.
To Lethbridge: Conditional eighth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft.
---
Dec. 27 . . .
To Red Deer: D Colton Bobyk, 18, and a 2016 fourth-round bantam draft pick.
To Spokane: D Nick Charif, 19, a second-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft and a conditional sixth-round selection in 2016.
---
Jan. 2 . . .
To Brandon: F Morgan Klimchuk, 19.
To Regina: F Jesse Gabrielle, 17.
---
Jan. 5 . . .
To Medicine Hat: D Kyle Burroughs, 19, and F Dryden Hunt, 19.
To Regina: D Connor Hobbs, 17, and two bantam draft picks -- second-rounder in 2016 and third-rounder in 2015.
---
Jan. 5 . . .
To Saskatoon: D Kolton Dixon, 19.
To Red Deer: G Trevor Martin, 18.
---
Jan. 5 . . .
To Red Deer: F Connor Gay, 19, and three bantam draft picks -- a first-rounder in 2016, a second in 2015 and a seventh in 2017.
To Regina: F Jake Leschyshyn, 15, and a fourth-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft.
---
Jan. 5 . . .
To Brandon: D Reid Gow, 20.
To Spokane: A fifth-round bantam draft pick, Spokane’s option for 2015 or 2016.

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.

Chartier, Magee tie records . . . Gordon continues streak . . . Constantine gets the gate

Defenceman Kevin Davis of the Everett Silvertips scores in the 15th round
of a Saturday night shootout with the Kamloops Blazers. That goal gave
Everett a 3-2 victory.
(Photo: Chris Mast / mastimages.com)

Kelowna F Rourke Chartier tied a franchise record on Saturday when he scored a goal for a 10th straight game as the Rockets beat the Cougars 6-2 in Prince George. He now shares the record with F Jesse Schultz, who did it in 2002-03. The Rockets meet the Royals in Victoria on Tuesday. . . .(A tip of the hat to Regan Bartel, the radio voice of the Rockets, for this one.) . . .

F Brandon Magee of the Victoria Royals tied a franchise record with five assists in Saturday’s 7-5 victory over the Giants in Vancouver. Magee shares that record with F Mark Santorelli, who managed that feat with the Chilliwack Bruins (remember them?) in a 7-2 victory over the Cougars in Prince George on Oct. 27, 2007. . . . (A tip of the hat to Marlon Martens, the radio voice of the Royals, for this one.)

The Vancouver Giants leave today for Prince George and a Tuesday-Wednesday doubleheader with the Cougars. Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reports that D Ryely McKinstry, who has an undisclosed injury, won’t make the trip, but that F Tyler Benson, who suffered an undisclosed injury at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge, and F Jakob Stukel (hand) should be on the bus.
---

SUNDAY’S GAMES:

In Swift Current, the Broncos erased a 1-0 deficit with two second-period goals and beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 2-1. . . . F Colby Cave pulled the Broncos even at 6:52 on the PP, and F Glenn Gawdin gave them the lead at 8:06. . . . Cave has nine goals; Gawdin has six. . . . Gawdin also had an assist. . . . Broncos F Coda Gordon drew an assist to run his point streak to 14 games, the longest in the WHL this season. . . . Broncos D Ayrton Nikkel and Seattle F Luke Osterman were ejected after a fight at 5:26 of the second period. They scrapped as they came out of the penalty box after serving unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. Have to wonder if they won’t get suspended for being involved in a staged fight. . . . The Broncos (12-8-4) have points in four straight (2-0-2). . . . The Thunderbirds (9-10-3) have lost two in a row. They finished their East Division swing at 2-4-0. Author Gare Joyce, who besides writing novels does features for Sportsnet Magazine, rode the bus with the Thunderbirds during the trip. . . . The Thunderbirds continue to be without F Mathew Barzal, who I’m told has a broken kneecap. He is expected to be out up to six weeks. . . . The Broncos were without F Tanner LeSann, who drew a one-game suspension for being involved in a staged fight nine seconds into Saturday’s 3-2 shootout loss to the visiting Prince Albert Raiders. D Mackenze Stewart of the Raiders also was suspended for one game. . . .

In Calgary, G Trevor Martin stopped 47 shots but it wasn’t enough as his Saskatoon Blades dropped a 4-1 decision to the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Calgary scored twice in the first period and put it away with two more in the third, after the visitors had cut the deficit to 2-1. . . . D Michael Zipp had a goal, his third, and an assist for the Hitmen. . . . Calgary (10-8-3) has points in six straight (4-0-2), while the Blades (6-17-0) have lost three in a row. . . . Saskatoon played without F Nick Zajac, who was given a one-game suspension after taking a boarding major in Saturday’s 5-2 loss to the Rebels in Red Deer. . . . Among’s Saskatoon’s scratches was F Alex Forsberg, with an undisclosed injury. . . .

In Portland, the Winterhawks scored the game’s last seven goals and beat the Evertt Silvertips, 7-1. . . . Portland F Nik Petan scored twice to erase a 1-0 first-period deficit. He’s got four goals this season. . . . After his second goal, at 18:21 of the first period, Everett head coach Kevin Constantine was ejected from the game. Portland freelancer Scott Sepich tweeted: “Constantine basically forced the ejection by not putting any players on the ice after Portland’s 2nd goal. Held up the game to grandstand.” . . . Here’s what appeared on the Silvertips’ website: “Tempers flared after Ivan Nikolishin was launched into the boards from behind by Alex Schoenborn, but the ensuing penalties led only to a 4-on-4 situation. Petan scored his second of the period seconds later and Constantine was then ejected for arguing the calls with the officials.” . . . Petan also had an assist, while F Alex Schoenborn scored twice, giving him five.. . . .Portland F Oliver Bjorkstrand scored his 12th goal of the season. It came via the PP that was awarded when Constantine was ejected with a bench minor. . . . Portland was 3-for-5 on the PP; Everett was 0-for-6. . . . The Winterhawks (9-11-3) are 2-0-1 in their last three games. . . . Everett (14-3-3) was trying to win its third game in as many nights. It had beaten visiting Portland 4-3 in a shootout on Friday. . . . These teams already have met six times this season, with Everett now holding a 4-1-1 advantage.
---

F Colton McCarthy (96) signs with @VernonVipers after leaving @PARaidersHockey last month to return home to Salmon Arm. #BCHL #WHL
— Brian Wiebe (@Brian_Wiebe) November 17, 2014

Former WHL D retires; Tigers promote Kruger

G Daniel Spence (Calgary, 2004-09) has signed a one-year contract with Asplöven Haparanda (Sweden, Allsvenskan). This season, with Jokipojat Joensuu (Finland, Mestis), Spence was 2.28 and .922 in 38 games. . . .
Brandon F Jesse Gabrielle was drafted by Medveščak Zagreb (Croatia) in the fourth round, 156th overall, of Thursday’s KHL Junior Draft.
---

1. If it really does get darkest just before the dawn, it may be a while before the sun rises over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . In the latest chapter to the saga of the Hurricanes, Clear Sky Radio has announced that it won’t bid on the team’s broadcast rights when its contract expires May 31. . . . 94.1 CJOC has been home to Hurricanes’ broadcasts since 2007. . . . There is more on all of this on Pat Siedlecki’s blog right here. He had been the Hurricanes’ radio voice; now he has been named Clear Sky Radio’s corporate news director.

2. An observer sits and watches goings-on in the NHL where Brad Treliving now is the general manager of the Calgary Flames and Ron Hextall is the GM with the Philadelphia Flyers, and where the Vancouver Canucks and Washington Capitals have vacancies for that position. Some organizations -- Vancouver, the Colorado Avalanche, Philadelphia and Toronto Maple Leafs, for starters -- have created a new layer of management by hiring a president to fill a slot on the organizational tree that is a step above the general manager. . . . An observer wonders why NHL teams don’t look into the WHL when looking to fill some of these vacancies. Who is more qualified to be the president or GM of an NHL franchise than someone who has run every aspect of a major junior franchise and been successful doing it, someone like Kelly McCrimmon of the Brandon Wheat Kings, Tim Speltz of the Spokane Chiefs or Bob Tory of the Tri-City Americans, just to name three?
The Canucks put former captain Trevor Linden into the president’s office, even though he had never worked in an NHL team’s front office and had been away from the game for six years. If you are going to give the keys to the Bentley to someone like that, it says here that you could do a lot worse than turn to someone like McCrimmon, who has all the hockey qualifications and an MBA.

3. D Dean Arsene has chosen to retire, ending his 13-season professional career. Arsene played this season with the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat. Troy Ward, the Heat’s head coach, said: “Whether you want to say he was a crusher or a rusher, he wasn't either one. He made it just on hard work, and just being a really good man. That was the part that was most encouraging – you can still do something you really love just by being a really good human being. That's pretty cool." . . . Arsene (Regina, Edmonton, Kootenay, 1996-2001) always carried himself like a professional, even in the early days of his WHL career with the Pats. . . . Dan Kinvig has more on Arsene right here.

4. It’s doubtful that there is a better analyst on TV today than Hubie Brown, who does NBA telecasts for ABC/ESPN.

5. At 14 years of age, James Priestner was seen as perhaps the best goaltender in Canada in his age group. He played in the WHL (Kamloops, Brandon, Prince George, 2006-11) but the hockey career didn’t work out. Now he’s into music as the lead vocalist with a group called The Lunas. . . . Check it out right here.

6. Who is having a better playoff season, F Lars Eller of the Montreal Canadiens or his brother, Mads, with the Edmonton Oil Kings? Perhaps one day the story will be told about how Mads came this close () to being the property of the WHL’s Victoria Royals.

7. F Matt Fraser (Red Deer, Kootenay, 2006-11), playing in his first NHL playoff game, scores in OT and the Boston Bruins beat the host Montreal Canadiens, 1-0. It is moments like that prove live sporting events are the best of reality TV. . . . As Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post tweeted: “Ha Ha Clinton-Dix gets drafted before Johnny Football. And you say you don't love sports?”

8. A tweet from WHL Facts (@WHLFacts): “17 - The number of goals Matt Fraser scored during the 2011 Playoffs... Including the Game Winner in the WHL Championship clinching Game 5.”
---




The Saskatoon Blades have acquired G Trevor Martin, 18, from the Spokane Chiefs for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. Martin, a ninth-round pick by Spokane in 2011, played this season for the midget AAA Leduc Oil Kings, going 9-4-1, 2.41, .925. . . . Earlier, the Blades dealt G Alex Moodie, 19, to the Chiefs for a fourth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft.
---
F Leon Draisaitl of the Prince Albert Raiders will play for his native Germany in the IIHF World championship tournament that opens today in Minsk, Belarus. Draisaitl, from Cologne, had 105 points, including 38 goals, with the Raiders this season. He is expected to be on of the first players selected in the NHL’s 2014 draft. . . . Playing for Germany will be quite a thrill for Draisaitl because his father, Peter, played 49 games for Germany over seven World championships. . . . Germany opens against Kazakhstan on Saturday. Also in that group are Belarus, Finland, Latvia, Switzerland and the U.S.
---
THE OHL FINAL:
Friday: North Bay Battalion at Guelph Storm. Guelph leads 3-1.
---
THE QMJHL FINAL:
Friday: Val-d’Or Foreurs at Baie-Comeau Drakkar. Series tied 2-2.
---
THE COACHING GAME:
The Medicine Hat Tigers have promoted assistant coach Darren Kruger to senior director, player development. According to a news release from the Tigers, Kruger “will be responsible for advance scouting WHL teams along with overseeing the development of Tigers’ prospects playing at various levels in western Canada and the northwest United States.” . . . The position has been vacant for about two years, or since Rick Carriere left to join the Edmonton Oilers organization. . . . Kruger, a puck-moving defenceman in his playing days (Swift Current, 1986-89), has been with the Tigers for nine years.
---
Two WHL coaches will be involved with Canadian teams at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge that is scheduled for Oct. 31 to Nov. 8 at a site that has yet to be determined. Hockey Canada will have three teams in the tournament (Black, Red and White), rather than the five regional teams as in past seasons. . . . Dan Lambert, an assistant coach with the Kelowna Rockets, will be one of the head coaches, while Josh Dixon, an assistant coach with the Regina Pats, will be an assistant coach with one of the Canadian teams.
---
The NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets have picked up the option year on the contract of Brad Larsen, the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Falcons. . . . Larsen (Swift Current, 1993-97) has been the head coach in Springfield for two seasons, after spending two seasons as an assistant coach. . . . Assistant coaches Nolan Pratt (Portland, 1991-95) and Jared Bednar (Saskatoon, Spokane, Medicine Hat, Prince Albert, 1990-93) also will be back with the Falcons.
---
The Calgary-based Mount Royal Cougars have named Bert Gilling as their new head coach. Gilling, a native of Alexander, Man., has been an assistant coach with the Bemidji State Beavers for 11 seasons. . . . Gilling takes over from Jean LaForest, who stepped down after six seasons as head coach, the first four in the ACAC and the last two in Canada West. . . . The Cougars also have announced that F Rob Trzonkowski (Calgary, Kamloops, Vancouver, 2010-14) has committed to their program. Trzonkowski, 20, is coming off two injury-ravaged WHL seasons. This season, he had four points, three of them goals, in 36 games with the Giants.
---
Tom Spencer, the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League’s coach of the year with the Valley West Hawks, is stepping up to the BCHL. Spencer has signed on as an assistant coach with the Surrey Eagles, where he will work alongside GM/head coach Peter Schaefer. Spencer spent three seasons as the Hawks’ head coach.
---
Gord Thibodeau, fired last month as GM/head coach of the AJHL’s Fort McMurray Oil Barons, has landed with that league’s Lloydminster Bobcats. . . . Thibodeau will be part of a coaching staff that is headed up by GM/head coach Garry VanHereweghe. . . . Thibodeau was the head coach in Lloydminster for three seasons (1997-2000) before he went to Fort McMurray. . . . Thibodeau signed a multi-year contract that is effective immediately.
---

THE FOURTH ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
WHL final, for the Ed Chynoweth Cup
(x - if necessary)
(All games televised live by Shaw)
(All games televised on delayed basis by Root Sports)
PORTLAND (2, West) vs. Edmonton (1, East)
(Series tied, 2-2)
Season series: Portland, 0-0-1; Edmonton, 1-0-0.
Saturday: Edmonton 2 at Portland 5 (10,947)
Sunday: Edmonton 1 at Portland 3 (10,645)
Tuesday: Portland 2 at Edmonton 3 (6,799)
Wednesday: Portland 0 at Edmonton 2 (7,859)
Friday: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (Moda Center)
Sunday: Portland at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
x-Monday: Edmonton at Portland, 7 p.m. (Memorial Coliseum)
INJURIES
Portland: None.
Edmonton: None.
---
THURSDAY’S GAME:
No game scheduled.
---







From Paul Kingsmith (@paulkingsmith): “Pat Siedlecki (@radiopat258) will not return as @WHLHurricanes play-by-play voice. A crushing blow for Canes fans, Pat is a true pro.”
---
One more from Kingsmith: “@radiopat258 & @FreddieJack643 raised the bar for local broadcast adding a full pregame & weekly show. Huge shoes for Hurricanes to fill.”
---
From WHL Facts (@WHLFacts): “27 - Number of times the @pdxwinterhawks shut out opponents between Dec 18, 2011 & May 6, 2014. PORT scoring at least 1 goal in all 247 games.”
---
From Thomas Hickey (@thomas_hickey14): “Could you imagine if guys did the cool handshake/hug combo with Bettman after they got drafted? #NFLDraft2014”


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.