I was told that the WHL allows only draft picks to be exchanged in the compensation package.
But I have been reminded of a situation that took place late in 2005 involving the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Kootenay Ice.
On Nov. 9, 2005, the Hurricanes dealt F Curtis Billsten, 19, to Kootenay for F Laine Allen, 19, and a conditional third-round bantam draft pick.
According to the Cranbrook Daily Townsman, “The acquisition of Billsten came one day after Roy Stasiuk, former head scout of the Ice, took the general manager position in Lethbridge. (Ice general manager Jeff) Chynoweth said the trade was part of compensation for Stasiuk's move.”
Allen, who was playing for the AJHL’s Drumheller Dragons, never did play for Lethbridge.
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JUST NOTES:
I wrote something here the other day that I would like to perhaps clarify.
In a nightly roundup of Tuesday’s games, I happened to write this: “Brandon F Mark Stone was awarded a late assist sometime after Saturday’s 6-2 victory over the visiting Prince Albert Raiders. So he went into last night’s game with a WHL-leading 102 points, not 101.” . . . I just want to emphasize that there was nothing untoward in Stone being given the assist. When scoring changes such as this are requested, the team sends in a video clip to the WHL office to make its point. . . . This isn’t like back in the day when there would be rumours about players getting assists when they hadn’t even been on the ice.
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F Michael Ferland of the Brandon Wheat Kings, the CHL’s reigning player of the week, practised Thursday. He left in the first period of a 5-4 shootout loss to the visiting Kootenay Ice on Tuesday with a suspected head injury. . . . Ferland has career highs in goals (40), assists (43) and points (83). . . . “I feel great,” Ferland told Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun after practice. “I wasn’t feeling too good in Tuesday’s game . . . but I feel 100 per cent and ready to go this weekend.” . . . The Wheat Kings are at home to the Swift Current Broncos tonight and the Regina Pats on Saturday. . . . Brandon, after a whole lot of inconsistent play, is 7-1-1 in its last nine and just might be getting things together in time for playoffs.
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A note from James Shewaga, the sports editor of the Brandon Sun:
“A few weeks ago, new Keystone Centre general manager Neil Thomson stated he was confident they could come to terms on a new lease with the Wheat Kings by the end of the month. However, the Sun has learned that negotiations have essentially ground to a halt, with both sides far apart on a new agreement to replace the current 15-year deal that expires at the end of this season.
“At risk is the future of the club in Brandon, a proud 45-year tradition, priceless positive publicity and economic spinoffs for the city, not to mention well over half a million dollars in annual revenue that the financially-strapped Keystone Centre simply can’t afford to lose.”
Brandon without the Wheat Kings? Yikes!
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F Henrik Samuelsson of the Edmonton Oil Kings has played 18 games since coming over from Sweden after the Christmas respite. He now has drawn two games in suspensions from two separate incidents. The latest — a kneeing major in a 6-4 loss to the visiting Kelowna Rockets on Wednesday — drew a one-game suspension. That followed a one-game sentence for a charging major in a game at Calgary on Jan. 15.
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D Brandon Davidson of the Regina Pats expects to be back in the lineup tonight against the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors. Davidson had played in 162 straight games before sitting out a 2-1 victory over the visiting Kootenay Ice on Wednesday with a sore neck. . . . Davidson was hit by Kootenay D Jeff Hubic during a 4-2 Regina victory in Cranbrook on Saturday. Hubic was suspended for one game. . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reports that Davidson had last missed a game on Dec. 31, 2009, during his freshman season.
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F Brett Connolly, who has been playing about six minutes a game in recent times, played 13:03 last night as the Tampa Bay Lightning lost 4-3 to the Jets in Winnipeg. . . . He played 19 shifts. . . . He saw 10:56 of ice at even strength and 2:07 on the PP. . . . NHL teams have until the NHL trade deadline, which arrives on Monday, to return players to their major junior teams. The Tri-City Americans hold Connolly’s WHL rights.
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In the BCHL, the Penticton Vees ran their winning streak to 35 games as they scored three times in the third period and beat the visiting Trail Smoke Eaters, 4-2. . . . The Vees next play on Saturday when they are in Merritt for a date with the Centennials. . . . The Vees lead the Interior Conference, at 47-3-0-2, with the Centennials second at 29-17-2-5. . . . Uhh, that would be wins, losses, ties and OT losses.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From D Eric Walker of the Swift Current Broncos, who were on their way to Brandon where they meet the Wheat Kings tonight:
“Personally I'm glad we're not watching movies on the bus. Gives us all a chance to look around and take in the Saskatchewan scenery.”
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Close behind was this tweet from D Brock Sutherland of the Calgary Hitmen:
“If goalies cared about stoppin pucks as much as they did their masks, I wouldn’t be scoring on them all the time.”
Sutherland has, uhh, nine goals in 243 regular-season games. But he’s on a tear, having recorded the first three-point game of his career as the Hitmen beat the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers 5-3 on Wednesday. Whoops! A check of the online scoresheet shows that one of his two assists disappeared and he was left with just two points.
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The family of former Chicago Bears defensive back Dave Duerson has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the NFL. He died on Feb. 17, 2011, of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. According to The Associated Press story:
“The lawsuit accuses the NFL of negligently causing the brain damage that led Duerson to take his own life at the age of 50 by not warning him of the negative effects of concussions. Attorney Thomas Demetrio, who is representing Duerson's family, said the NFL should have been a leader in educating current and former players about head injuries.”
The complete AP story is right here.
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