Warriors tackling attendance situation . . . Jets ink Portland star . . . Ducks sack ex-WHL coach

F Chris St. Jacques (Medicine Hat, 1999-2004) signed a one-year contract with Kaufbeuren (Germany, DEL2). This season, with Sterzing/Vipiteno (Italy, Serie A), he had two goals and two assists; in 12 games with the Wedemark Scorpions (Germany, Oberliga), he had eight goals and 15 assists; and, in 10 games with the Bietigheim Steelers (Germany, DEL2), he had three goals and six assists.
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Let us get the important stuff out of the way first. . . . There is nothing new on the Kelly McCrimmon situation. . . . Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada tweeted Thursday afternoon: “Checking into Kelly McCrimmon: told there is no deadline today, so no announcement doesn't mean he's declined Toronto's offer.” . . . There is nothing new on the Austin Matthews front, either. . . . There. You are up to date, at least as of 11 p.m. Pacific time.
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It’s no secret that the attendance figures announced at most WHL games are a whole lot different from the number of bums in the seats. The Moose Jaw Warriors have recognized that situation and are preparing to deal with it.
The Warriors early-bird season-ticket deadline has passed, and they saw an increase of 212 over a year ago. They now have 2,154 season-ticket holders and are hopeful of surpassing last season’s total of 2,674.
Here’s Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald: “That strong season-ticket base is great for the bottom line, but the franchise is also hoping that they have more fans actually in Mosaic Place on game nights. Too often last season the paid attendance didn't come close to reflecting how many fans were in the building.”
The Warriors have played four seasons in 4,414-seat Mosaic Place. They averaged 3,898 fans in 2011-12; last season, that figure was 3,312. That is, as Gourlie points out, a decrease of 15 per cent.
As Gourlie writes right here, the Warriors are prepared to work on improving that situation.
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F Chase De Leo, who played the past four seasons with the Portland Winterhawks, has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Winnipeg Jets. They selected him in the fourth round, 99th overall, of the NHL’s 2014 draft. . . . De Leo, 20, is eligible to return to the WHL for a fifth season, but is expected to start the season with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. De Leo, from La Mirada, Calif., had 251 points, including 110 goals, in 279 games with Portland. In 81 playoff games, he had 56 points, 22 of them goals. . . . The contract is a two-way deal, with an average annual value in the NHL of US$875,000.

@SSepich by my count, Hawks are now set to return only 112 of last year's 285 goals. 61% of goals lost, most in the league by far right now.

— Alan Caldwell (@smallatlarge) June 11, 2015

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THE COACHING GAME:
The Regina Pats have added Brad Herauf to their staff as an assistant coach. Herauf replaces Darren McKechnie, who left the club to focus on his responsibilities with the Regina Police Service. . . . The 32-year-old Herauf, who is from Regina, spent the last two seasons as the head coach of the midget AAA Regina Pats Canadians. This season, the Pats finished third at the Telus Cup national championship tournament.
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The NHL’s Anaheim Ducks fired assistant coach Brad Lauer on Thursday, just a short time after they lost the Western Conference final to the Chicago Blackhawks in seven games. . . . Lauer, who played in the WHL with the Regina Pats (1983-86) and was an assistant coach with the Kootenay Ice (2002-07), had worked alongside head coach Bruce Boudreau with the Ducks since November 2011. . . . Lauer, 48, was responsible for the Ducks’ power play that ranked 28th in the NHL. . . . According to the Ducks, the other assistant coaches, Trent Yawney and Scott Niedermayer, are expected back.
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Former NHL D Paul Boutilier has signed on as a full-time assistant coach with the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs. According to a Sea Dogs’ news release, “Boutilier, 52, joined the team last season as the director of its newly-created Player Development & Analytics program, where he worked primarily with defencemen.” . . . With the Sea Dogs, he will work alongside new head coach Danny Flynn. The other assistant coaches are Jeff Cowan and Jim Fleming.
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The Regina Pats have signed three players — F Riley Woods, F Gary Haden and G Kurtis Chapman. . . . Woods, a list player from Regina, put up 59 points, including 22 goals, in 42 games with the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians this season. Woods, who turns 17 on June 25, added 17 playoff points and picked up 14 more at the Telus Cup. . . . Haden, a ninth-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft, is from Airdrie, Alta. Haden, 16, had 31 points, 15 of them goals, in 33 games with the midget AAA UFA Bisons this season. He added 20 points in 13 playoff games and eight more in the Telus Cup. . . . Chapman, a seventh-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft, played this season with the midget AAA UFA Bisons. The 17-year-old also is from Airdrie.
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F Carter Rigby, who played four seasons in the WHL, will attend the University of Prince Edward Island and play for the Panthers. Rigby totalled 132 points, including 70 goals, while playing for the Kelowna Rockets and Swift Current Broncos. He played out his eligibility this season. After his WHL season ended, he had three assists in four games with the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder.
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pic.twitter.com/fwMreILNWl

— Ben Haggard (@BenHaggardMusic) June 12, 2015

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Concern for Ice's future . . . Lamb out of hospital . . . Big night in Prince George

For the last couple of years, a rumour has surfaced every so often that goes something like this . . . the owners of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets are close to purchasing the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes and relocating the franchise to the Manitoba capital. The Kootenay Ice would then pack up and leave Cranbrook for Lethbridge.
Well, now comes word, courtesy of Tim Campbell of the Winnipeg Free Press right here, that the Jets are on the verge of moving their AHL franchise, the St. John’s IceCaps, from Newfoundland to Winnipeg in time for next season. Yes, it would be the rebirth of the Manitoba Moose.
At the same time, there is speculation that the Hamilton Bulldogs, the AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens, will move to St. John’s.
But where does that leave the Lethbridge-to-Winnipeg rumour?
It would be dead in the water, at least for now.
There is speculation that moving the IceCaps to Winnipeg would be a temporary move, with the Jets continuing to look for a home for the franchise that is closer to Manitoba than St. John’s. Perhaps that would mean finding a city in close proximity to the AHL’s new Pacific Division.
The AHL’s board of governors is scheduled to meet during the approaching week, so there no doubt will be more heard about this subject in the days to come.
Meanwhile, make no mistake about one thing — there is real concern about Cranbrook’s WHL franchise.
In a recent interview with Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, WHL commissioner Ron Robison was asked: “Have you had much thought or many talks about expansion or relocation?”
His response: “None at this point. There is no future expansion planned. Our goal is to keep our franchises where they currently are. Obviously, there are challenges. We’re monitoring the Kootenay situation very closely. Lethbridge ownership is another area we’re monitoring very closely as well. Any market that is undergoing some challenges, we’re certainly on top of that and concerned. Particularly in Kootenay’s case, the viability of that franchise long term.”
Asked about the issues posed by having 12 teams in one conference (Eastern) and 10 in the other (Western), Robison suggested: “In an ideal world, we’d love to have balanced conferences with 11 and 11. That would make the most sense. It wouldn’t balance our divisions, but it would balance our conferences.”
So let’s start speculating that perhaps the Ice would be better served playing out of Abbotsford, B.C., where there is a 7,000-seat facility that doesn’t have a major hockey-playing tenant.
Were the Ice to end up there, it would mean a move from the WHL’s Central Division to the B.C. Division, leaving the former with five teams and the latter with six. That would leave each conference with 11 teams.
This season, through 33 home games, the Ice’s average attendance is 2,231, up four from last season. Only the Swift Current Broncos (2,127) have a lower average.
In 2012-13, the Ice averaged 2,411 per game.
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Mark Lamb, the general manager and head coach of the Swift Current Broncos, was released from Cypress Regional Hospital in Swift Current on Saturday. Lamb spent Friday night there, thus missing the Broncos’ 3-2 loss to the Warriors in Moose Jaw. . . . He also missed last night’s game against the Wheat Kings in Brandon. . . . According to the Broncos, Lamb will rejoin the team “after the weekend.” . . . The Broncos, who have lost six straight, are at home to the Regina Pats on Wednesday.
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There is no relationship in sports like that between a baseball player and his glove. That is the case, no matter the age group or the level of play. Billy Witz of The New York Times takes a look right here at players with the New York Yankees and how they treat their gloves.
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THE WHL PLAYOFF PICTURE:

EAST DIVISION:
1. Brandon (6 games remaining) — Will finish atop the Eastern Conference for the first time since 1995-96. Will face second wild-card team, presently Edmonton, in first round. . . . Two points behind Kelowna (6) in chase for first place overall. . . . At home to Moose Jaw on Tuesday.
2. Regina (7) clinched second in division last night. Will meet third-place team, presently Swift Current (7), in first round. . . . In Prince Albert on Tuesday. This is a makeup date for a game that was blizzarded out on Feb. 14.
3. Swift Current (6) has lost six in a row and now leads Moose Jaw (6) by two points. . . . At home to Regina on Wednesday.
4. Moose Jaw (6) is two points behind Swift Current. . . . Has won three straight and is 7-2-1 in last 10. . . . In Brandon on Tuesday.
5. Prince Albert (7) is six points behind Moose Jaw. . . . At home to Regina on Tuesday.
6. Saskatoon (6) won’t be in the playoffs.. . . In Edmonton on Tuesday.
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CENTRAL DIVISION:
1. Medicine Hat (6) is tied with Calgary atop the division. But Medicine Hat has more victories (41-40) at the moment. . . . Will play Kootenay in Cranbrook on Friday.
2. Calgary (6) is nine games into a franchise-record 11-game road trip. . . . Won’t play again until Friday in Red Deer.
3. Red Deer (6) is five points off the pace. . . . At home to Saskatoon on Wednesday.
4. Kootenay (6) is 10 points behind Red Deer, and holds down the conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . At home to Lethbridge on Tuesday.
5. Edmonton (5) is in the second wild-card spot, one point behind Kootenay. . . . At home to Saskatoon on Tuesday.
6. Lethbridge (7) is out of the playoffs for a sixth straight season.
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B.C. DIVISION:
1. Kelowna (6) has clinched first place in the Western Conference and will play the second wild-card team, presently Tri-City (6) in the first round. . . . Leads the overall standings by two points over Brandon. . . . At home to Victoria on Wednesday.
2. Victoria (6) will finish second and meet the third-place team — right now, that’s Prince George (6) — in the first round. . . . They split two games in Prince George on the weekend. . . . In Kelowna on Wednesday.
3. Prince George (6) is third, thanks to a 5-0-1 run. It is 7-1-2 in its last 10. . . . Prince George is four points ahead of Kamloops (6) and six up on Vancouver (6). . . . In Kamloops on Wednesday.
4. Kamloops (6) will meet Prince George four times in the next two weeks. They’ll play Wednesday in Kamloops, March 18 and 20 in Prince George, and March 21 in Kamloops. . . . The Blazers also are two points behind Tri-City (6), which holds down the conference’s second wild-card berth.
5. Vancouver (6) has lost six straight and is two points behind Kamloops and four behind Tri-City. . . . At home to Spokane on Tuesday.
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U.S. DIVISION:
1. Everett (6) is in first place, four points ahead of Portland (8). If Everett finishes first, it will play the first wild-card team, presently Spokane (8), in the first round. . . . At home to Portland on Wednesday.
2. Portland (8) is on an 8-0-2 roll. The second-place team will play the third-place team, Seattle (6), in the first round. . . . In Everett on Wednesday.
3. Seattle (6) trails Portland by eight points. . . . At home to Everett on Friday.
4. Spokane (8) is in the first wild-card spot, nine points behind Seattle and seven ahead of Tri-City (6). . . . In Vancouver on Tuesday.
5. Tri-City (6) is in the second wild-card spot, two points ahead of Kamloops and four up on Vancouver. . . . Entertains Prince George on Friday.
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IF THE PLAYOFFS BEGAN TODAY:

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

In Prince Albert, F Reid Gardiner scored the game’s last two goals, both via the PP, to give the Raiders a 4-3 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Gardiner, who has 31 goals, tied the game 3-3at 12:01 of the second period and snapped the tie at 6:50 of the third. . . . F Simon Stransky and F Austin Glover drew assists on both goals. . . . The Raiders led 2-0 after one period, only to have the Hurricanes scored three second-period goals, two of them by F Giorgio Estephan, who now has 20 goals. . . . F Brayden Burke had two assists for Lethbridge. . . . Once again, Hurricanes G Stuart Skinner shone, this time with 55 saves. . . . Raiders G Nick McBride stopped 21 shots. . . . Each team was 2-for-4 on the PP. . . . Lethbridge D Nick Walters played in his 300th regular-season game. Walters, from Spruce Grove, Alta., has played 145 games with Everett, 50 with Brandon and 105 with Lethbridge. . . . The Raiders (27-35-3) have won three straight. . . . The Hurricanes slipped to 20-37-8. . . .

In Moose Jaw, F Torrin White scored three times to lead the Warriors to a 7-1 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . White opened the scoring at 1:53 of the first period, made it 3-0 at 13:46 of the first and completed his hat trick at 1:06 of the second to make it 5-0. . . . White has 15 goals. . . . The Warriors scored four times in the first period. . . . Moose Jaw F Brayden Point scored his 32nd goal and added three assists, while F Brett Howden notched his 18th goal and had two helpers, and F Axel Blomqvist drew three helpers. . . . Moose Jaw G Brody Willms stopped 28 shots. . . . Moose Jaw was 3-for-7 on the PP; the Blades were 1-for-5. . . . The Warriors honoured the Snowbirds aerobatics team by wearing special jerseys in the warmup. Snowbirds members were in the dressing room prior to the game and on the bench during warmup. . . . The Warriors (29-32-5) have won three in a row. . . . The Blades (19-43-4) have lost three straight. . . .

In Brandon, F Morgan Klimchuk had two goals and two assists as the Wheat Kings dumped the Swift Current Broncos, 9-1. . . . Brandon F John Quenneville broke a 1-1 tie with his 17th goal at 4:57 of the second period and the Wheat Kings ran away from there. . . . Klimchuk, who has 29 goals, is riding a 10-game point streak. . . . Brandon F Tim McGauley scored his 40th goal and added two assists as he ran his point streak to 22 games, the longest in the WHL this season. He’s got 47 points, including 15 goals, in that streak. It’s the longest point streak by a Wheat Kings skater since F Cory Cyrenne went 23 games in 1997-98. . . . McGauley also went over 200 career regular-season points. He now has 202 points in 219 games. This season, he’s got 97 points, three shy of the WHL scoring leader, F Trevor Cox of the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . F Peter Quenneville scored twice and added an assist for Brandon. He’s got 26 goals, with eight of them coming in his last four games. . . . Brandon D Eric Roy scored his fifth goal and added two assists, while F Jayce Hawryluk scored his 26th goal and had an assist. D Matt Taraschuk had two assists. . . . Brandon was 4-for-5 on the PP; Swift Current was 0-for-1. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny stopped 22 shots as he became the first WHL goaltender to 40 victories this season. He is the first Wheat Kings goaltender with at least 40 victories since Glen Hanlon set the WHL single-season record of 49 in 1976-77. . . . The Wheat Kings (48-11-7) last won 50 games in 2009-10. . . . The Broncos (30-31-5) have lost six in a row. . . . Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun has a game story right here. . . .


In Edmonton, F Davis Koch broke a 2-2 tie with his eighth goal of the season at 17:24 of the third period as the Oil Kings beat the Calgary Hitmen, 3-2. . . . Edmonton F Lane Bauer had tied the game with his 23rd goal at 1:45 of the third. . . . The Hitmen took a 1-0 lead on F Adam Tambellini’s 45th goal at 12:42 of the first, on a PP. . . . Edmonton D Dysin Mayo tied it with his 13th goal, on the PP, at 15:38. . . . The Hitmen took the lead when D Travis Sanheim scored his 12th goal, on the PP, at 13:51 of the second. . . . Tambellini, Sanheim and Mayo also had an assist apiece. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry stopped 28 shots, four more than Calgary’s Brendan Burke. . . . Calgary was 2-for-4 on the PP; Edmonton was 1-for-5. . . . The Oil Kings were without D Marshall Donald, who was on crutches after Friday’s 6-4 loss to visiting Regina. Donald was acquired from the Hitmen in January. . . . The Oil Kings improved to 31-29-7. . . . Calgary (40-21-5) has two games left in its franchise-record 11-game road trip. It is 6-3-0 with games left in Red Deer on Friday and Lethbridge on Saturday. . . .

In Red Deer, D Haydn Fleury broke a 3-3 tie at 7:20 of the third period and the Rebels went on to beat the Regina Pats, 5-3. . . . Fleury has six goals. . . . F Riley Sheen, who also had two assists, scored his 20th goal into an empty net at 18:38 of the third. . . . F Adam Musil gave Red Deer a 1-0 lead with a PP goal at 2:03 of the first period. He’s got 14 goals. . . . The Pats went ahead on goals by D Chase Harrison, his third, at 3:00 of the second and D Colby Williams, his ninth, just 17 seconds later. . . . Regina F Taylor Cooper assisted on both goals. . . . Red Deer F Reese Johnson pulled his guys even with a breakaway goal at 18:35 of the second and D Bart Cote broke the tie 13 seconds later. Johnson has two goals; Cote has eight. . . . Regina F Braden Christoffer scored his 24th goal, on a PP, 53 seconds into the third period. . . . Each team was 1-for-2 on the PP. . . . Red Deer G Taz Burman stopped 23 shots. . . . Regina G Tyler Brown turned aside 29 shots. . . . The Pats had Cole Sears backing up Brown. Daniel Wapple took a high shot on Friday night and now is listed as day-to-day. . . . Sears, 17, is from Red Deer. . . . . The Rebels (35-21-10) have won three in a row. . . . The Pats (35-21-9) are 2-1-1 in their last four games. . . .

In Medicine Hat, G Marek Langhamer posted his second shutout in three games as the Tigers beat the Kootenay Ice, 1-0. . . . Langhamer has two shutouts this season and six in his career. . . . The game was about one hour late in starting after the Ice encountered some mechanical with their bus while en route to Medicine Hat. . . . Tigers F Cole Sanford score the game’s lone goal, getting No 48 at 3:36 of the first period. . . . Langhamer finished with 16 saves, 15 fewer than the Ice’s Wyatt Hoflin. . . . Kootenay was 0-for-3 on the PP; the Tigers were 0-for-2. . . . Tigers F Trevor Cox drew an assist on the game’s first goal as he became the WHL’s first 100-point man this season. . . . Cox also leads the WHL in assists, with 75. . . . Tigers D Tommy Vannelli was back in the lineup after missing 18 games with a broken finger, while D Ty Stanton (ribs) returned after a two-game absence. . . . The Tigers are 41-22-3. . . . The Ice (33-29-4) has lost three in a row (0-2-1). . . .

In Vancouver, the Everett Silvertips scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Giants, 3-1. . . . F Tyler Benson scored his 14th goal for the Giants at 7:52 of the first. . . . Everett F Remi Laurencelle tied it with his 20th goal at 1:39 of the second and D Cole MacDonald broke the tie with his 10th goal at 2:15 of the third on a PP. . . . MacDonald also had an assist. . . . F Matt Fonteyne added insurance with his sixth goal at 6:21 of the third. . . . Everett G Carter Hart stopped 25 shots, while Vancouver G Payton Lee kicked out 27. . . . The Giants lost F Vladimir Bobylev with an undisclosed injury after he took a hit from Everett F Logan Aasman in the first period. . . . Vancouver F Zane Jones was in the lineup despite having incurred a boarding major and game misconduct on Friday night. The WHL announced Saturday afternoon that no further discipline would be forthcoming. . . . The Silvertips (40-19-7) have won three in a row. . . . The Giants (26-37-3) have dropped six straight. . . . Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province has more on the game right here. . . .

In Prince George, F Taylor Crunk scored in the 11th round of a shootout to give the Victoria Royals a 4-3 victory over the Cougars. . . . The Cougars had beaten the Royals 4-3 on Friday night. . . . Last night, the Royals took a 3-0 lead in the latter part of the second period, thanks to goals from D Chaz Reddekopp, his fifth, F Brandon Magee, his 19th, and D Ryan Gagnon, his first. . . . This was a special night for F Tyler Mrkonjic — more on him later — and he got the Cougars on the board with his eighth goal, at 17:27 of the second period. . . . D Tomas Andrlik pulled the home side to within a goal with his third at 5:10 of the third. . . . F Chase Witala tied it with No. 33, on a PP, at 16:59. . . . Victoria F Jack Walker, the first shooter in the breakaway contest, scored. . . . F Zach Pochiro, shooting third, kept the Cougars’ chances alive. . . . That was all the goals until Crunk scored to end it. . . . Prince George F Jansen Harkins had one assist, his 58th this season. That tied the Prince George single-season record set by F Quinn Hancock in 1997-98. . . . Cougars G Ty Edmonds stopped 31 shots. . . . Royals G Coleman Vollrath made 31 saves. . . . The Cougars were 1-for-7 on the PP; the Royals were 0-for-2. . . . The Royals (35-27-4) had lost their previous two games. . . . The Cougars (28-33-5) had won their previous five games. . . . The attendance was 5,404, with the Cougars’ owners guaranteeing the biggest 50/50 draw in franchise history. The winning number is to be posted on the team’s website. . . . The other half of the draw is to go to the Shelly L. Mrkonjic ALS Research Fund. Shelly, who died of ALS in 2006, was Tyler’s mother. So it was only fitting that he should score on what had to be a special night for the family. . . .

In Portland, F Paul Bittner scored three times and added two assists as the Winterhawks dumped the Tri-City Americans, 6-2. . . . Bittner, who has 32 goals, scored the game’s first goal, at 7:29 of the first period. He made it 3-1 with a PP goal at 16:26 of the first and then got the game’s final goal, at 18:20 of the third. . . . Portland F Nic Petan continued his amazing run with three more assists. He has 20 helpers in his last six game. In his last 20 games, Petan has five goals and 39 assists. . . . Portland F Oliver Bjorkstrand had two assists, but his franchise-record goal streak ended at 12 games. With 97 points, he is three off the WHL lead. . . . Portland F Miles Koules scored his 25th goal and added an assist. . . . Portland F Chase De Leo came up short on a penalty shot in the second period. . . . G Adin Hill stopped 30 shots for Portland, while Tri-City’s Evan Sarthou turned aside 46. . . . Portland was 3-for-5 on the PP; the Americans were 1-for-3. . . . The Winterhawks (39-20-5) are 8-0-2 in their last 10. . . . Tri-City (28-35-3) has lost two in a row. . . .

In Kelowna, the Rockets erased a 1-0 deficit with four straight goals and went on to a 5-2 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . F Jackson Playfair gave the visitors a 1-0 lead with his 11th goal, on a PP, at 1:28 of the first period. . . . Kamloops D Cole Martin tied it with his sixth goal at 5:34 of the second and F Tate Coughlin gave the Rockets their first lead with his second goal of the season at 5:58. . . . F Chase Braid upped the lead to 3-1 with goal No. 12 at 12:17. . . . Kelowna F Nick Merkley scored his 18th goal and added an assist. . . . Martin and Braid also had assists, while F Leon Draisaitl had two of them as he ran his point streak to 11 games. . . . Draisaitl has 43 points, including 16 goals, in 26 games since joining the Rockets from the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. . . . The Rockets remain without D Josh Morrissey, F Rourke Chartier and F Justin Kirkland. . . . With the victory, the Rockets (50-11-5) have won 50 games for a third straight season. The only other WHL teams to have done that are the Kamloops Blazers (1989-92) and Edmonton Oil Kings (2011-14). . . . The Chiefs (31-29-4) have lost two in a row. . . .

In Kent, Wash., D Jared Hauf broke a 1-1 tie at 15:36 of the third period as the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Kamloops Blazers, 3-1. . . . F Cory Millette gave Seattle a 1-0 lead with his 21st goal, at 4:53 of the second period. . . . Kamloops F Matt Needham tied it with his 23rd goal, at 17:16 of the second period. . . . Hauf then scored his third of the season. . . . Seattle F Nick Holowko scored his fifth goal into an empty net at 19:16 of the third. . . . Seattle F Mathew Barzal had two assists. . . . The Blazers had won the first three games of the four-game season series. . . . Seattle G Taran Kozun stopped 39 shots, 10 more than Cole Ingram of the Blazers. . . . Kamloops was 0-for-2 on the PP; Seattle’s PP didn’t get off the bench. . . . The Thunderbirds improved to 33-24-9. . . . The Blazers (24-34-7) are 3-1-1 in their last five games.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES

No Games Scheduled
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MONDAY’S GAMES

No Games Scheduled
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TUESDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
Regina at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Brandon, 7 p.m.
Lethbridge vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, 7 p.m.
Saskatoon at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Spokane at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
Regina at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Saskatoon at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Prince George at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Portland at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Victoria at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
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T

According to our research, @TimBozon94 is the first WHL player w/ 4 consecutive 30 goal seasons since Chris St. Jacques (MH, 00-01 - 03-04).
— Kootenay ICE (@WHLKootenayICE) March 7, 2015

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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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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Denis Sergeyev (Calgary, Swift Current, 2001-03) was traded by Vityaz Chekhov (Russia, KHL) to Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk (Russia, KHL). He was pointless in two games for Vityaz this season. Last season, Sergeyev had four goals and three assists in 38 games for Vityaz.
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There won’t be any video explanations of suspensions coming out of the WHL office.
The WHL announced Thursday that it “will be providing an explanation on any player suspensions of five or more games. The text explanation will be provided in the WHL Discipline section of the website.”
The WHL’s board of governors made this decision during meetings in Calgary on Tuesday and Wednesday. And it made the decision despite the fact that the the two other leagues under the Canadian Hockey League umbrella — the Ontario and Quebec Major Junior leagues — have both gone to video explanations.
The National Hockey League and the Kontinental Hockey League also are using video to explain suspensions.
The WHL’s board of governors also has upheld the decision to have teams report all injuries as either lower body or upper body. The third option is illness.
If not backward steps, both of these are a definite failure to grow with the times and make good use of the technology available to help educate all involved, including fans.
Today’s players, being of the video-game generation, are especially amenable to video teaching and it’s really too bad the WHL won’t take advantage of this, the way other leagues are. It would have been nice to see the WHL go to video explanations of suspensions over three, four or five games and make sure that every player in the league watched each video.
Meanwhile, the reporting of injuries as lower body or upper body is embarrassing.
Consider:
1. A player leaves a game with an obvious leg injury;
2. After the game, a reporter asks the head coach about the player’s leg injury.
3. The coach, with a sheepish look on his face, replies: “Lower body.”
4. It is pointed out to the coach that the player left with an obvious leg injury.
5. The coach shrugs and says: “All I can say is lower body.”
6. Never mind that every person in attendance at the game knows it’s a leg injury, the coach is put in the position of looking foolish and it isn’t of his doing.
And that’s too bad.
The WHL’s explains that this is “an effort to further provide a safer environment for players.”
As if the players — many of whom are in constant contact with each other via text, Twitter, Facebook, etc. — don’t know who is hurt and exactly what the injuries are.
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What is really unfortunate about all of this is that the face of hockey is changing and the WHL had an opportunity, after its transparency in terms of concussions last season, to be in the forefront.
Last season, WHL teams listed concussions on their weekly injury reports. When the regular season and playoffs were over, it turned out that WHL players had experienced more than 100 concussions.
That is what spurred the WHL to come up with its seven-point plan aimed at reducing concussions.
Now, however, the WHL has chosen to pull the curtains closed, to shut the drapes, as it goes into damage and spin control.
And when the season is over the WHL is likely to tell us how much success it had in lowering the number of concussions and that the seven-point plan deserves much of the credit.
But with no in-season numbers to use as reference points, how will we be able to believe any of it?
———
Here’s James Shewaga, the sports editor of the Brandon Sun, from Friday’s paper:
Memo to WHL commissioner Ron Robison:
If the WHL wants to be taken seriously about addressing concussions, the league needs to be open about how many players are actually suffering from them.
The league’s new policy to hide the nature of player injuries resorting to ridiculous upper- and lower-body labels only makes it impossible to know if the WHL’s new crackdown on headshots is having any effect.
According to the Edmonton Sun, WHL players suffered more than 100 concussions last season. League VP Rick Doerksen said the league will document how many occur this season but “our position is that’s not information that should be made public.”
Since the start of the season, 44 players have been labelled with upper-body injuries on the league’s official report. How many of those are concussions? Even more disturbing is the fact that Brandon native Brayden Cuthbert does not even appear on the WHL’s injury report after he was sent home from Moose Jaw Warriors training camp suffering from post-concussion symptoms resulting from a hit in a WHL game last season. Has the league completely forgotten about Cuthbert?
WHL officials claim they are just following the NHL’s lead in not reporting injuries. But in the case of concussions, many NHL teams now realize they need to be open about the condition of players like Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby, New York Ranger Marc Staal and Boston Bruins forward Marc Savard. The WHL needs to follow suit.
———
Shewaga also could have included Max Adolph of the Kelowna Rockets along with Cuthbert. Adolph went home to Saskatoon after suffering another concussion — he had three last season — during training camp. Adolph doesn’t appear on the Rockets’ injury report.
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It seems that the MJHL commissioner is investigating what appears to have been a hazing incident involving the Neepawa Natives. Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun has more right here.
———
JUST NOTES: The Vancouver Giants have listed Jonah Imoo, the 17-year-old son of former WHL G Dusty Imoo. Jonah plays for the junior B Richmond Sockeyes, who posted shutouts in each of their first six games Jonah was in goal for four of those games. . . . The Sockeyes ran their record to 7-0 on Thursday night as they beat the visiting Delta Ice Hawks 5-3. Those were the first goals given up by the Sockeyes this season.
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The Winnipeg Jets returned to the NHL on Sunday with a 5-1 loss to the visiting Montreal Canadiens. There was a definite WHL angle to the officiating crew, as all four worked in the WHL, and there also were some heavy hearts. Paul Friesen of the Winnipeg Sun has that story right here.

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Yes, they're back . . .

If you’re a hockey fan, chances are you were in front of a TV set on Sunday and watched at least part of the game from the MTS Centre in Winnipeg.
This was the regular-season return of the Jets to Winnipeg and not even a 5-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens could ruin the atmosphere.
And if you’re a hockey fan chances are pretty good that you really will enjoy Back in the Bigs, a book loaded with photos and the story of the Jets as written by Randy Turner of the Winnipeg Free Press.
Turner and the photographs tell the story of the Jets, going all the way back to the days of Ben Hatskin — was he, you know, connected? — and the Junior Jets.
Turner tells the complete story, too.
When you think of the Winnipeg Jets, chances are you think immediately of the big line — Ulf Nilsson between Bobby Hull and Anders Hedberg — or maybe Dale Hawerchuk.
It’s true that time and distance make the heart grow fonder, so you may have forgotten that despite the presence of the likes of the four aforementioned players, the Jets never were a rip-roaring success in Winnipeg.
Oh, the fans loved the Jets the day it all ended — the Detroit Red Wings beat the host Jets 4-1 in a playoff game on April 28, 1996. The Winnipeg franchise was then relocated to Phoenix.
But travel back in time with Turner and read about how the Jets, featuring Hull, Hedberg and Nilsson, rarely sold out the Winnipeg Arena when they played in the now-defunct World Hockey Association.
And things didn’t get much better when the NHL ended the war between the leagues by begrudgingly accepting four teams, including the Jets.
Turner touches on all of that and, by the time Winnipeg is gearing up to welcome back the second-coming of its Jets, you are wondering how a team that struggled for acceptance as a WHA team and later as an NHL entry can make a go of it this time around?
More than anything, though, there are great hockey stories in this book. Stories of how Hatskin landed Hull and how Hedberg and Nilsson came to play in Winnipeg, even though neither player had even visited North America. Remember, too, that the Jets had more Europeans on their roster than just those two skaters.
There is lots here, too, on the fiery John Ferguson, who during his stint as general manager was the face of the Jets.
Turner also delves into Winnipeg’s lengthy stay in the American Hockey League — its franchise was the Manitoba Moose, an affiliate of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. If you are wondering how it is that Craig Heisinger, a former trainer with the Brandon Wheat Kings, moved from the Moose, where he started as the trainer, to the Jets, where he now is director of player operations, you need only read about his going nose-to-nose with Brian Burke, then the Canucks’ GM.
Through the pages of this book you will get a look at Mark Chipman and David Thomson, the two men most responsible for the Jets’ return to Winnipeg. And you’ll read all about how it happened.
There also are a whole lot of terrific photos and it’s great to see some of the older ones from the archives of the late, great Winnipeg Tribune, most from the always capable camera of Jon Thordarson.
(Hard cover, Viking Canada/Winnipeg Free Press, 208 pages, $35)

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Game to remember for Madaisky

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Austin Madaisky won’t ever forget Tuesday night in Winnipeg.
Madaisky, a 19-year-old defenceman, was in the Columbus Blue Jackets’ lineup for the return of the Jets to Winnipeg.
There were 15,004 fans in the sold-out MTS Centre for the exhibition game and, yes, it was noisy. Madaisky may as well have been standing in the middle of a busy runway at Winnipeg’s Richardson International Airport as the Jets arrived.
“You couldn’t even hear the intro music or the announcer giving the starting lineups over the public address system,” said Madaisky, who will begin the trek back to Kamloops today and will play in the Blazers’ WHL regular-season opener here against the Prince George Cougars on Saturday. “You couldn’t hear anything.
“It was crazy . . . it was nuts. It felt like Stanley Cup playoffs out there.”
This was the Jets’ first NHL appearance in Winnipeg since a playoff game on April 28, 1996, after which the franchise moved to Phoenix.
Madaisky said the Jets, who won 6-1, were kind of pumped for this one.
“Oh yeah,” he said. “Off the first shift, there were two fights to start the game. Right from the start . . . it was crazy.
“Being influenced by that crowd and the buildup, not only from game day, but what transpired over the last month there, I’m sure they were pretty anxious to show the fans a little something. There were four fights . . . it was pretty wild.”
This also was Madaisky’s NHL debut and, he said, it was something he never will forget.
“Even just flying out there in the team plane and things like that . . . it was just a hell of an experience,” he said.
Madaisky, who watched the Blue Jackets beat the visiting Washington Capitals ?? on Wednesday night, was a fifth-round pick by Columbus in the NHL’s 2010 draft. This was his second NHL training camp, although he has yet to sign an NHL contract. Still, he doesn’t feel that he did anything to hurt his chances.
“I thought I held my own,” he said of the game, in which he played 11 minutes 16 seconds and finished minus-1. “It’s probably the fastest hockey I’ve ever played. Everything happens a lot quicker out there.
“It’s one of those things where every game you play, it starts to slow down a little more. As the game went on I started to feel more and more comfortable . . . confidence started to rise after a couple of simple plays.
“It felt good out there.”
Like most junior players who get to play in the NHL, Madaisky quickly learned that play is far more structured there than in the WHL.
“Absolutely, in terms of positioning and things like that,” he said. “It’s hard to get used to at first, but once you get used to it, it’s easier than the junior game because it is more structured. It just takes a while to get that timing down . . . especially as a young defenceman, not to get caught up in running around and over-committing and things lke that.”
Madaisky learned in a hurry that a lot of it is about “simplifying the game and letting the game come to you.”
He also found out that, after being a veteran defenceman in the Blazers’ camp, he was the younger guy, partnered with veteran journeyman Aaron Johnson, 28.
“Yeah,” Madaisky said. “All of a sudden, I’m the younger guy. It took a bit of getting used to at first, but once you get the nerves out and settle down it’s really just another game.
“It’s just that everything’s a lot faster.”
Madaisky came out of the game believing more than ever that he is capable of being a regular in the NHL.
“Obviously, I think it’s going to take a couple more years of development,” he stated, “but I think it’s possible.
“Strength, battling in the corners . . . I was holding my own and I know that I can only get better.”
JUST NOTES: D Josh Caron, 20, was returned to the Blazers by the Minnesota Wild yesterday. Madaisky’s return will leave only F J.T. Barnett, 19, in an NHL camp. He is with the New Jersey Devils, but didn’t play in last game’s exhibition game against the New York Rangers. The two teams have a rematch Friday. . . . Blazers D Brady Gaudet, who wore No. 28 last season as a freshman, has switched to No. 7. The last regular to wear No. 7 was Slovakian D Michal Siska (2008-09). Last season, F Jesse Sinatynski wore it for three games. In 2009-10, D Max Mowat wore it in one game.
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Jets are on the air!

If you are interested in the fortunes of the Winnipeg Jets, you may want to hunt up Sports Radio 1290 from the Manitoba capital this week. That’s where you will find the play-by-play of Jets games from the NHL Young Stars tournament in Penticton. The Jets play tonight (Monday) against the San Jose Sharks, Tuesday night against the Edmonton Oilers and Wednesday afternoon versus the Winnipeg Jets. If you tune in, chances are you’ll find Brian Munz, the former radio voice of the Prince Albert Raiders, at the microphone.
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Scouting moves in Regina, Red Deer

As expected, Aaron Boogaard, the younger brother of the late Derek Boogaard, was charged Friday and is to appear in Henneping County District Court on Monday.
The Minneapolis StarTribune reported: “Aaron Boogaard, 24, was charged with third-degree sale of a controlled substance, a felony, and interference with a death, a gross misdemeanor.”
Boogaard, who was arrested Wednesday in Minneapolis, was released to his family on Friday.
This has been a tragic story from the outset — Derek died on May 13 — and it seems it is only going to get worse.
Consider this paragraph from the StarTribune’s story:
“A toxicologist found traces of Percocet, OxyContin and oxycodone along with alcohol in Derek Boogaard's body, making it difficult to say which substance killed him. That's the only reason, (Hennepin County Attorney Mike) Freeman said, that Aaron Boogaard wasn't charged with murder or manslaughter.”
The StarTribune’s story is right here, and it contains more details than previously published about the timeline leading up to Derek’s death.
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Veteran scout Dale McMullin has left the Red Deer Rebels and signed on as the Regina Pats’ director of scouting. McMullin, a former WHL sniper (Brandon, 1970-76), had been with the Rebels for nine seasons and had been their Senior Scout. . . . In Regina, McMullin replaces Todd Ripplinger, whose contract wasn’t renewed. Ripplinger has since joined the Vancouver Giants as director of player development. . . . The Rebels have hired Shaun Sutter as their Senior Scout. He spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach with the Pats. Sutter played in the WHL (Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Calgary, 1997-2001). Shaun’s father, Brian, is a former NHL and WHL player and coach.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The NHL’s Winnipeg Jets have hired Pascal Vincent, 39, as an assistant coach. He has spent the last 12 seasons coaching in the QMJHL. Last season, he was the general manager and head coach of the Montreal Juniors. . . .
The NHL’s Montreal Canadiens have signed Randy Cunneyworth and Randy Ladouceur, both former NHL players, as assistant coaches. Both were with the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs last season, Cunneyworth as head coach and Ladouceur as assistant. . . . The Canadiens also named Clement Jodoin as head coach of the Bulldogs. A veteran coach, Jodoin spent the last four seasons as head coach of the QMJHL’s Rimouski Oceanic. . . .
The Southern Professional league’s Mississippi Surge is looking for a head coach. Former NHLer Tim Kerr, who owns the Surge, announced Friday that head coach Steffon Walby won’t be back.
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JUST NOTES: The Everett Silvertips lost athletic trainer Chris Walker on Friday when he left for a job with an undisclosed AHL team. The Silvertips’ news release didn’t specify his destination. Walker, 30, had been with the Silvertips for four seasons. . . . Andy Neal is leaving the Prince George Cougars, who now need a play-by-play voice who also does corporate sales and media relations. Neal and his family are moving to Victoria. According to the Prince George Citizen, Neal “has accepted a position as a broadcaster with the Victoria Royals.” . . . F Marcus Watson (Prince George, 2007-09) will attend Nipissing University in North Bay, Ont., and play for the Lakers. According to hockeydb.com, Watson, from San Jose, played only 27 games over the last two seasons. He got into 16 games with the AJHL’s Grande Prairie Storm in 2009-10 and then played last season in the ECHL with the Stockton Thunder (nine games) and Las Vegas Wranglers (two games). . . . The Dallas Stars have signed Les Jackson, their director of scouting and player development, to a two-year extension. Jackson, one of hockey’s good guys, has been with the Stars since 1985, except for two years (1998-2000) when he was assistant GM with the Atlanta Thrashers (remember them?). Avid WHL fans may also remember that Jackson once was the head coach of the WHL’s Great Falls Americans (remember them?).
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A note to yesterday’s post referred to Troy Bulmer having won the Saskatchewan men’s amateur golf championship.
Darren Zary of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has that story right here and it’s one that is well worth reading.
In August, Bulmer and his father, Rod, were driving south through North Dakota en route to North Carolina when their vehicle was struck by a pair of tornadoes. Rod, who had won the Saskatchewan men’s amateur title in 1984, was killed, while Troy was seriously injured.
This story is definitely worth reading.
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If you haven’t already seen them, the Winnipeg Jets unveiled their new logos on Friday. In this instance, the Jets revealed three logos, two of which would appear to have a strong militaristic bent.
But, hey, fans were lined up to purchase merchandise as the announcement was made, so obviously these are a smash hit in Winnipeg and that’s all that counts.
What I want to know, however, is this: Why did they stop at three? Why not a dozen, as in one for each month of the year? Or, six . . . one for each month of the NHL's regular season?

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