F Jakub Sindel (Brandon, 2004-05) signed a tryout contract with Kärpät Oulu (Finland, SM-Liiga), terms not announced. He had two assists in five games during a tryout with Kloten (Switzerland, NL A) at the start of the season that was interrupted by a broken jaw. He then was with Dinamo Riga (Latvia, KHL), where he had one goal in 21games before being released. Sindel played in SM-Liiga last season for Pelicans Lahti, getting 15 goals and 18 assists in 59 games. There is a family history in Finland as well. His father, G Jaromir Sindel, played in SM-Liiga for five years, from 1989 to 1994.
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It was almost 20 years ago when Marc Habscheid got into coaching. Now the GM/head coach of the Victoria Royals, Habscheid started out with the SJHL’s Melfort Mustangs.
“I loved it in Melfort, small-town Saskatchewan,” Habscheid tells Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal. “One day I came home and there was a bag of vegetables at my door from a fan and a ‘thank you’ for coaching their team. How can you beat it? Cobs of corn for coaching. Do you think Ron Wilson gets that sort of thing in Toronto?”
For more from Matty’s Hockey World, including more from Habscheid and some good stuff from Paul Coffey on concussions, click right here.
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There has never been a subscription fee for this blog and I doubt that there ever will. So if you stop by here and enjoy what you find, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE . . . and have a Merry Christmas!
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In the SJHL on Saturday night, the Humboldt Broncos beat the host La Ronge Ice Wolves 3-2 in a shootout. . . . Humboldt F Ryan Marshall, who didn’t score on his first attempt, got the winner in a shootout that went 17 rounds. The goaltenders — Humboldt’s Matt Hrynkiw and La Ronge’s Alex Rajotte — gave up only three goals in the shootout. . . . F Zac Ashdown scored on La Ronge’s first shootout attempt and that was it for the Ice Wolves. The next 16 shooters all came up short.
Ian Hamilton of the Regina Leader-Post has more right here.
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Cam Tucker of the Vancouver Sun checks in with Bruce Banman, the new mayor of Abbotsford, B.C., and the subject is the AHL’s Heat.
Banman told Tucker that had he been the mayor he wouldn’t have signed the 10-year deal that brought the Calgary Flames’ AHL affiliate to the city.
But the deal was done and Abbotsford is working with the Heat in an attempt to improve attendance.
That story is right here.
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The Kelowna Rockets and Kamloops Blazers both concluded East Division swings on Saturday night and then headed for home. The Rockets were coming off a 5-1 victory over the Saskatoon Blades; the Blazers dropped a 4-3 shootout decision to the Moose Jaw Warriors.
After both teams stopped at the airport in Calgary, they continued on their way west. And they ended up sitting side-by-side on the Trans-Canada Highway, between Golden and Rogers Pass, while avalanche control was taking place. It seems the delay was about 75 minutes.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors claimed F Charles Wells, 20, on waivers last week, but it sounds as though the club isn’t expecting him to report.
Wells left the Portland Winterhawks last week and was placed on their suspended list. He was then put on waivers as the Winterhawks got down to the league-mandated maximum of three 20-year-olds.
The Warriors had room for a 20-year-old because F Sebastian Svendsen went home to Demark late last month.
“We did put a claim in on him in the understanding that we weren’t sure where his interest level was in remaining in the WHL,” Alan Millar, the Warriors’ director of hockey operations, told Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald. “We’ve had one conversation with Charles at this time and the indication is that he’s thinking about things, but in essence doesn’t seem like he’s all that prepared to remain in the league right now.
“We’re going to talk again on Boxing Day, but I would think that right now it would be unlikely that he will join us after the break.”
Gourlie’s complete story is right here.
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SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
The WHL’s Christmas break didn’t begin until the very last second of the third period of the last game, as that’s when F Jordan Weal scored to give the Regina Pats a 6-5 victory over the host Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Weal’s second goal of the game, and 30th of the season, came on a breakaway at 19:59 of the third period. . . . The Oil Kings had won 11 straight games. They also had won 15 in a row at home. . . . This was an afternoon game, meaning the Pats played three road games in a span of 42 hours. Now think about that for a few moments — and you’re free to wonder what the schedulemaker was thinking!. . . . D Colton Jobke also scored twice for Regina, which got three helpers from each of F Morgan Klimchuk and D Brandon Davidson. . . . “We demand so much from our kids and then to have them play three games in 42 hours, it’s a real credit to them,” Regina head coach Pat Conacher told Ian Hamilton of the Regina Leader-Post. “They saddled up and went back at it again. It was awesome.” . . . Conacher also admitted to Hamilton that he was preparing for OT when Weal scored the winner. “Art Bidlevskii had the puck behind the net and I was telling him to stay there to make sure we got the point,” Conacher told Hamilton. “But he threw it up the boards to Klimchuk, Morgan made a great pass to Jordan in the neutral zone and he went in and potted it.” . . . Regina was 2-1-0 in its three-game weekend which actually was three games in less than two days. . . .
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If you haven’t already seen it, check out the Edmonton Oil Kings’ Christmas video. This, undoubtedly, is the highlight of the WHL’s festive season. If it doesn’t bring a smile, you definitely are a Grinch. . . . If that link doesn't work, try this one right here.
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Tyler Bunz, the Medicine Hat Tigers’ starting goaltender, saw that video and tweeted:
“like to give a shout out to the @EdmOilKings for their christmas video.. made me laugh. @wilson_oh9 shoulda been an actor..job well done sir.”
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THE COACHING GAME:
The MJHL’s Steinbach Pistons made a coaching change Friday after head coach Rich Gosselin resigned. . . . The Pistons are in their third season and Gosselin (Flin Flon, 1973-76) had been their only head coach. . . . Assistant coach Paul Dyck (Moose Jaw, 1989-91) took over as head coach. . . . The Pistons are 12-22-4 and in last place in the six-team Addison Division.
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