From a Chiefs’ news release:
“In November 2011, Chris’ wife Shelly was re-diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (A.L.L.) after initially beating it in 2002. “Shelly has undergone
chemotherapy and had a bone marrow stem cell transplant on January 26, 2012. Her road to recovery is long and for the next two years Shelly will require constant monitoring.“The Moulton’s live in Fernie, B.C., but Shelly’s treatments are in Calgary. Taylor, Chris and Shelly’s 13-year-old daughter, has had to remain in Fernie with family while attending school; this time apart has been extremely difficult for all concerned. Chris and Shelly have had to remain in Calgary for an underdetermined amount of time for monitoring to be close to the hospital for treatments and any infection can prove to be very serious with her compromised immune system.”
Available in the auction will be a number of autographed jerseys, including one from Chiefs F Liam Stewart that has been signed by him as well as his parents, Rachel Hunter and Rod Stewart.
There is more info right here.
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The Montreal Canadiens have signed Tri-City Americans F Patrick Holland to a three-year deal. A seventh-round pick by the Calgary Flames in the NHL’s 2010 draft, they dealt him to Montreal on Jan. 12, along with F Rene Bourque and a 2013 second-round draft pick, for F Mike Cammalleri, G Karri Ramo and a 2012 fifth-round draft pick. . . . This season, Holland has 103 points, including a WHL-leading 79 assists.
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The Calgary Flames announced Wednesday afternoon that they had recalled F Sven Baertschi
from the Portland Winterhawks. The Flames invoked an emergency-recall situation in order to recall the Swiss winger. Baertschi, a first-round pick in the 2011 NHL draft, was to have played for the Winterhawks against the host Kamloops Blazers last night. Instead, he traveled from Kamloops to Calgary in order to practise with the Flames today. He is expected to make his NHL debut against the visiting Winnipeg Jets on Friday night. . . . Baertschi also will miss the Winterhawks game against the Silvertips in Everett on Friday. . . . Baertschi’s arrival in Calgary means there are three 19-year-old NHLers who could still be playing in Portland. F Nino Niederreiter (New York Islanders) and F Ryan Johansen (Columbus Blue Jackets) have been in the NHL all season. . . . Baertschi is the only player in the WHL who is averaging two points per game; he has 94 points, including 61 assists, in 47 games.———
BOOM! The WHL has fired a shot across the bow of the NCAA’s ship. . . . The WHL announced
Wednesday that it will hold a prospects camp at in Calgary, March 23-25. What is interesting about this camp is that it is open, according to a news release, to “Major Pee Wee (1999-born) AA players across Alberta.” . . . Again, according to the news release, the camp “will be the first in a series of prospect camps the WHL will be staging, focusing on player development and education.” . . . Players attending that camp will be 12 and 13 years of age. . . . The WHL also holds an annual U.S. prospects camp in Anaheim, which is in California, and will hold a camp for 1998-born players in Calgary in August. ———
Milan Dragicevic, a former WHL player and coach, has been named Canada West’s hockey coach of the year. Dragicevic, who played with the Regina Pats, New Westminster Bruins, Tri-City Americans, Spokane Chiefs and Victoria Cougars (1986-90) and coach with the Americans and Vancouver Giants, just completed his 10th season as head coach of the UBC Thunderbirds. Picked in the preseason coaches’ poll to finish last, the Thunderbirds went 12-12-4, good for fifth and a playoff spot.
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The Swift Current Broncos have added D Brycen Martin to their roster for the remainder of the season. Martin, the second overall selection in the 2011 bantam draft, had 16 points in 23 games with the midget AAA Calgary Buffaloes. Martin should play Friday against the Raiders in Prince Albert.
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ASK THE COMMISSIONER:
Mr. Commissioner, about the camp for 1999-born prospects that the WHL announced on Wednesday. How much is it going to cost the parents of one of those 12- or 13-year-old players for their son to attend that camp?
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
In Prince Albert, G Andrey Makarov stopped 34 shots to help the Saskatoon Blades to a 2-0 victory over the Raiders. . . . Makarov, in his first WHL season, has two shutouts. . . . Saskatoon F Jake Trask got his 20th goal at 19:08 of the first period and F Lukas Sutter got his 27th at 19:23 of the second. . . . The Blades were 2-6 on the PP; the Raiders were 0-3. . . . Saskatoon D Dalton Thrower was helped off the ice after absorbing a heavy check in the second period. He appeared to be favouring his left arm. . . . The Blades had D Duncan Siemens, their captain, back after a 13-game concussion-related absence. . . . The Blades moved into a tie with Regina for sixth in the Eastern Conference, three points behind Kootenay and one ahead of Brandon. . . . 
In Regina, F Michael Ferland scored three times to lead the Brandon Wheat Kings to a 5-2 victory over the Pats. . . . Ferland got his 44th goal into an empty net at 17:08 of the third. . . . D Ryan Pulock added a goal, his 18th, and two assists for Brandon. . . . Each team scored twice on the PP. . . . Regina F Jordan Weal had two assists. . . . Brandon F Mark Stone drew three assists. . . . The Wheat Kings were able to dress only 16 skaters, two under the maximum, including two players recalled from midget AAA — D Colton Waltz and F Tim McGauley. . . . Brandon scratched eight players — G Brandon Anderson (personal), F Brenden Walker (ill), D Dylan Kuczek (shoulder), F Daniel Asham (knee), F Tyrel Seaman (concussion), F Jason Swyripa (ill), D Rene Hunter (upper body) and F Kevin Sundher (concussion). . . . Regina and Brandon are 2-2-2 in their season series. They will go home-and-home on the season’s final weekend. . . . Brandon is eighth in the Eastern Conference, one point behind Saskatoon and Regina. . . . The Brandon victory leaves ninth-place Red Deer 10 points out of a playoff spot with six games remaining. . . .
In Edmonton, F Kristians Pelss scored at 1:02 of OT to give the Oil Kings a 3-2 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Edmonton, which has clinched its first Central Division pennant, now leads the Eastern Conference by seven points over Moose Jaw. . . . The Oil Kings have won six in a row and have allowed just seven goals in those games. . . . They are 28-5-2 at home. . . . Edmonton F Stephane Legault scored twice, giving him 15. His second one, at 14:02 of the third, forced OT. . . . Pelss has 25 goals. . . . F Tyler Maxwell was scratched by the Oil Kings. “We have some team rules we follow by. It doesn’t matter who you are. . . .,” Oil Kings head coach Derek Laxdal said prior to the game on the Team 1260 pregame show. . . . The Warriors clinched first place in the East Division before their game ended. That became official with the end of Brandon’s 5-2 victory over the Pats in Regina. . . . Moose Jaw last finished on top of the East Division in 2005-06. . . . Edmonton’s victory also lifted it into a tie with Tri-City for first place in the overall standings. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald reported: “For the second straight game Daniel Wapple from the midget AAA Saskatoon Blazers backed-up (Luke) Siemens. Goalie Spencer Tremblay and defenceman Shayne Gwinner both didn’t make the trip to Alberta. (Head coach Mike) Stothers would only say that both players were healthy and wouldn’t elaborate on their transgression or their availability for Friday’s game in Regina.” . . . 
In Medicine Hat, F Luke Philp’s first WHL goal stood up as the winner as the Kootenay Ice beat the Tigers, 2-1. . . . Philp, a 16-year-old from Canmore, Alta., was playing in his 14th game. . . . F Brock Montgomery, with his 21st, gave the Ice a 1-0 lead at 6:14 of the second. . . . Philp scored at 11:25 of the second. . . . Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem got his 56th at 19:28 of the third. . . . The Ice clinched a playoff spot for the 14th straight season, the longest streak in the WHL. . . . The legendary Bob Ridley was honoured in a pregame ceremony. The radio voice of the Tigers was doing his 2,998th regular-season game. He’ll hit 3,000 on Saturday in Lethbridge. . . . The Tigers are third in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of Calgary. Each team has five games left. . . . The Ice is fifth, three points behind Calgary. . . . 
In Vancouver, F Justin Feser scored on a power play in OT to give the Tri-City Americans a 2-1 victory over the Giants. . . . Feser scored his 36th goal at 2:09 of OT, 86 seconds after Vancouver F Jordan Martinook was called for tripping. . . . On Sunday, Feser scored in the game’s last minute to give Tri-City a 4-3 victory in Portland. . . . Vancouver F Dalton Sward scored his 11th goal at 5:07 of the first period. . . . Tri-City F Adam Hughesman got his 41st goal at 16:34 of the second. . . . F Brendan Shinnimin, the WHL’s leading scorer, drew an assist on the winner to run his points streak to 18 games. . . . Tri-City F Patrick Holland had two assists as he extended his streak to 15 games with at least one assist. . . . Holland’s first assist was his 200th career point. . . . The Americans, who won the season series 3-0-1, were 1-7 on the PP; the Giants were 0-2. . . . The Giants inducted Winnipeg Jets F Evander Kane into their Ring of Honour. . . . Feser has matched single-season career highs in goals (36) and points (73). . . . Tri-City has won 22 road games, one off the franchise record set in 2007-08. . . . The Americans, who have won eight of 10, moved back on top of the overall standings — they are tied with Edmonton — and the U.S. Division, one point ahead of Portland. . . . The loser point kept Vancouver in a fourth-place tie with Spokane, which holds a game in hand. . . . Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reported earlier in the day that F Austin Vetterl (leg surgery) and F Anthony Ast (high ankle sprain) may not play again this season. . . .
In Kamloops, the Blazers scored five third-period goals and beat the Portland Winterhawks, 5-1. . . . Kamloops trailed 1-0 going into the tihrd period when it got goals from five players. . . . F Colin Smith tied it with his 32nd at 3:22 and F Chase Souto got his ninth at 6:30. . . . Kamloops held a 44-25 edge in shots, including 20-9 in the third period. . . . The Blazers scratched F Chase Schaber, their captain, with what is believed to be a leg injury. . . . The Winterhawks went into the game leading the overall standings and now is third, a point behind Edmonton and Tri-City. . . . The Blazers, who will finish first in the B.C. Division, are two points behind Edmonton and Tri-City. . . . 
In Prince George, D Jesse Forsberg broke a 1-1 tie in the second period and the Cougars went on to a 3-1 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Forsberg scored his third goal of the season at 5:13 on the PP. . . . His brother, Alex, got his 13th into an empty net at 19:59 of the third. . . . Cougars G Drew Owsley stopped 31 shots as he ran his career record against Seattle to 15-3. Most of those decisions were while he was with the Tri-City Americans. . . . The Thunderbirds had beaten the Cougars 3-1 on Tuesday. . . . Cougars D Cody Carlson played in his 300th regular-season game. . . . The Cougars remain 10th in the Western Conference, but now are four points out of a playoff spot. . . . Seattle is two points ahead of Prince George and two behind Victoria, which holds down the conference’s last playoff spot. . . . 
In Everett, D Ryan Murray drew two assists and was plus-3 to help the Silvertips to a 3-2 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . The Silvertips, who mustered 13 shots in the game, scored twice on two third-period shots. . . . F Manraj Hayer broke a 1-1 tie with his third goal of the season at 2:47 of the third. . . . F Ryan harrison got his 19th at 14:58. . . . F Robin Soudek, who has 27 goals, scored twice for Victoria. His second goal came at 18:09 of the third. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson turned aside 35 shots. . . . The victory, its third in a row, lifted Everett into seventh in the Western Conference, a point ahead of Victoria. . . . 
In Spokane, D Jesse Lees and D Myles Bell scored in the circus to give the Kelowna Rockets a 3-2 victory over the Chiefs. . . . F Mitch Holmberg scored for the Chiefs in the shootout. His goal tied it and set the stage for the Bell to toll. . . . F Dominik Uher, who has 31, scored both Spokane goals. . . . Franko forced OT with his 13th goal at 6:08 of the third on a PP. . . . Kelowna was 2-3 on the PP. . . . The Chiefs were 1-5. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 41 shots, 18 more than Spokane’s Mac Engel. . . . The Chiefs remain tied with Vancouver for fourth in the Western Conference. These two teams will meet in the first round. . . . The Rockets, who have won three in a row, will finish sixth in that conference.———
WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Mark McNeill, Prince Albert.
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
D Dylan McIlrath, Moose Jaw.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES
None.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES
Saskatoon at Brandon
Medicine Hat at Kootenay
Calgary at Lethbridge
Swift Current at Prince Albert
Edmonton at Red Deer
Moose Jaw at Regina
Portland at Everett
Victoria at Kelowna
Tri-City at Spokane
Kamloops at Vancouver
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