Russell moving Sportstalk down the dial

If you haven’t heard, Dan Russell, his contract not being renewed by Vancouver radio station CKNW (AM 980) is taking SportsTalk to CISL 650, a station based in Richmond, B.C.
Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun takes a look at that situation right here. . . . If you are wondering, Russell and analyst Bill Wilms will be back calling WHL games on Shaw TV this season.
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The Edmonton Oil Kings like to do things up in a big way. So they signed not one, not two . . . but six players on Friday. . . . They signed:
F Lane Bauer, a 17-year-old from Anchorage, Alaska, who was placed on their protected list after training camp in 2011. He had 49 points, 34 of them goals, in 29 games with the AAA major midget Alaska Jr. Aces last season.
F Brayden Brown, 16, from Calgary, who is a list player. Brown had 32 points in 32 games with the minor midget AAA Calgary Rangers last season.
D Jordan Dawson, 15, a fourth-rounder in the 2013 draft, played for the bantam AAA South Delta, B.C., Storm last season.
F Garan Magnes, 16, out of Edmonton’s South Side Athletic Club’s midget program. A list player, he had 35 points, including 21 goals, in 32 games with SSAC.
D Jesse Mills, 16, a fourth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft who stands 6-foot-5. He had seven points in 26 games with the major midget Kelowna-Okanagan Rockets last season.
D Kyle Yewchuk, 15, who was taken in the third round of the 2013 draft. Yewchuk, 6-foot-4, put up 29 points in 33 games with the bantam AAA Calgary Northstar Sabres last season.
(Thanks to Alan Caldwell at Small Thoughts at Large for the statistics.)
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The Victoria Royals have signed F Landon Welykholowa, F Matt Dykstra and F Jared Dmytriw. . . . Welykholowa, from Calgary, was a third-round selection by the Prince Albert Raiders in the 2011 bantam draft. Last season, he had 26 points in 34 games with the Calgary Buffaloes of the Alberta Midget Hockey League. . . . Dykstra, from Edmonton, was a fourth-round selection by the Royals in the 2012 bantam draft. He had 47 points in 27 games with the midget AAA Edmonton-Canadian Athletic Club (CAC) United Cycle last season. . . . Dmytriw, a native of Craven, Sask., was a fourth-round pick by Victoria in the 2013 bantam draft. He will play this season with the midget AAA Moose Jaw Generals. Last season, with the bantam AA Prairie Storm, he had 49 points in 27 games.
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The Portland Winterhawks have signed G Michael Bullion, D Carter Czaikowski and F Skyler McKenzie. . . . Bullion, 16, was a ninth-round pick by the Winterhawks in the 2012 bantam draft. From Anchorage, Alaska., he played last season for the midget AAA Vaughan Kings of the Greater Toronto Hockey League, putting up a 1.27 GAA and .930 save percentage. . . . Czaikowski, a sixth-round bantam draft selection in 2013, had 39 points in 32 games with the bantam AAA Calgary Flames last season. . . . McKenzie, an eight-round pick in 2013, had 40 points in 19 games with the bantam AAA Sherwood Park Flyers.
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F Dryden Hunt of the Regina Pats was limited to two games last season as he twice suffered brain injuries. But he’s back, he says he’s 100 per cent and he’s ready to go. Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has more right here.
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Here’s Dave Zirin at the nation.com: “The NFL always gets away with it. Evidence abounds that the NFL has been running a concussion assembly line for decades. But now that it has settled its high-profile concussion lawsuit with 4,500 ex-player plaintiffs for $765 million, there will be no discovery process. We will never hear what the NFL knew and when it knew it. We will never hear if its top neurologists had information that might actually be worth the public’s knowing as we move forward, so we can make informed decisions about whether we want our own children playing football. We will never hear, because the Teflon dons in the NFL office now have this sealed up tighter than Ft. Knox. And all it cost was $765 million.”
Zirin’s complete piece is right here.
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Did you know: The NCAA distributed a medical handbook in 1933 that made the claim that concussions were being treated to lightly. . . . Barry Petchesky has an interesting timeline of concussion science right here.
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Leo Lewis, one of the CFL’s all-time greats, died on Friday. He was 80.
Lewis, a star running back with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, was known as the Lincoln Locomotive and has been in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame since 1973.
No, he wasn’t from Lincoln, Neb. Rather, he had gone to school and played college football at Lincoln University of Missouri (1951-54).
Upon hearing of Lewis’ death, columnist Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun wondered via Twitter what had happened to the nicknames from days of yore. And next thing you knew these names surfaced (which one of these is a former WHL head coach?). . . .
Gluey Hughie Campbell
Earl (The Earthquake) Lunsford
Normie (China Clipper) Kwong
Sherwyn (Thumper) Thorson
Willie (The Wisp) Fleming
Moe (The Toe) Racine
Neon Leon Bright
Dieter (The Birmingham Rifle) Brock
Swervin’ Mervyn Fernandez
Jim (Long Gone) Thomas
Bill (The Undertaker) Baker
Jackie (Spaghetti Legs) Parker
Sam (The Rifle) Etcheverry
Charlie (Boom Boom) Shepard
James (Quick) Murphy
Dave (Dr. Death) Fennell
Ron (Swamp Dog) Estay
Wayne (Ragin’ Cajun) Matherne
James (Wild) West
Herm (Ham Hands) Harrison
Gerry (Kid Dynamite) James
Jim (Dirty 30) Young
Al (Dirt) Wilson
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If you have been following the story of concussions and the NFL, you won’t want to miss this piece right here by Alan Schwarz of The New York Times. The headline is: Rules Trickle Down; Money in Settlement Won’t . . .
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Here’s columnist Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Sun-Times:
“Now that the small matter of $765 million has been tentatively settled, what about the big stuff?
“What about the future of football? What about the safety of NFL players going forward? What about the high school and college players who might one day play in the pros? What about all the ones who won’t? What might their brains look like if the sport doesn’t change?
“Or are chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and ALS acceptable outcomes as long as we spectators enjoy the show?”
Morrissey’s complete column is right here.
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If you’re a regular here, you know that I am a big Elmore Leonard fan, and that he died on Aug. 20 at 87 years of age.
Right here is a great read . . . Elmore Leonard’s obituary from The Economist.
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From Haydn Hopkins (@haydn_hopkins97): “Officially signed with the Saskatoon Blades #bleedblue #stoon #blades #nolanreid”
Hopkins was a 12th-round selection in the 2012 WHL bantam draft. He had 12 points in 33 games with the major midget South Island, B.C., Royals last season.
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From Brendan Holterhus (@bholts12): “Signed with the Vancouver giants #longroadahead #marathonnotarace #keeptruckin #chipnchase”
Holterhus, 16, is a list player who had three points in 29 games with the midget AAA Edmonton CAC team last season.


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Signings, signings and more signings . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Kenton Smith (Calgary, 1995-2000) signed a two-week tryout contract with the Braehead Clan Glasgow (Scotland, UK Elite). He had three goals and 16 assists in 59 games with the Cardiff Devils (Wales, UK Elite) last season. According to the club, the tryout is to cover a “slight knock” picked up by D Ray Macias (Kamloops, 2002-07). . . .


D Ty Wishart (Prince George, Moose Jaw, 2004-08) signed a one-year contract with the Schwenninger Wild Wings (Germany, DEL). He had seven goals and 17 assists in 62 games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL) last season.
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All three members of what was at times the best forward line in the WHL last season now have signed NHL contracts. RW JC Lipon of the Kamloops Blazers signed a three-year, two-way entry-level deal with the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday after being a third-round selection in the 2013 draft. . . . Lipon, from Regina, played on a line with C Colin Smith, a seventh-round pick by the Colorado Avalanche in 2012, who has signed, and LW Tim Bozon, a third-round selection by the Montreal Canadiens in 2012, who also has signed. . . . Lipon and Smith both are 20, so are eligible to play in the AHL if they don’t make an NHL roster. Lipon could end up with the St. John’s Ice Caps, while Smith would play for the Cleveland-based Lake Erie Monsters. . . . Bozon, 19, will attend Montreal’s camp, but if he doesn’t make the Canadiens he has to be returned to Kamloops. . . . Last season, Smith had 106 points, including 41 goals, in 72 games, while Bozon put up 91 points, 36 of them goals, in 69 games. Lipon, who missed some time while with Canada’s national junior team, finished with 89 points, including 36 goals, in 61 games.
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes have opened training camp without D Ryan Pilon, who turns 17 on Oct. 10, and G Corbin Boes, 20. . . . Pilon has been diagnosed with mononucleosis and the Hurricanes suggest he may miss the start of the regular season. Pilon played for Canada’s U-18 team as it won the Memorial of Ivan Hlinka earlier this month. He had 28 points in 57 games for the Hurricanes as a 16-year-old last season. . . . Boes, who was acquired from the Brandon Wheat Kings in May, has had surgery on his right hand and is expected to be out for up to three weeks.
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The Seattle Thunderbirds have signed F Kaden Elder and F Nolan Volcan to WHL contracts. . . . Elder, from Saskatoon, was selected with the 22nd pick of the 2013 bantam draft. He had 64 points in 33 games with the bantam AA Notre Dame Hounds last season. . . . Volcan, from Edmonton, was taken with the draft’s 27th selection. He had 76 points, including 40 goals, in 32 games with the bantam AAA Edmonton Maple Leaf Athletic Club team last season. His father, Marty, is a former WHLer (Portland, Seattle Breakers, Victoria Cougars, 1984-86).
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The Tri-City Americans had a busy day as they signed three players to WHL deals. . . . F Jordan Topping, from Salt Spring Island, B.C., is a 16-year-old who had 17 points in 40 games with the North Island Silvertips of the B.C. Major Midget League last season. He was an eighth-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft and is the seventh draft pick to sign with the Americans. He is not related to D Mitch Topping, who is Tri-City’s captain. . . . The Americans also signed D Dylan Coghlan of Nanaimo, B.C., to a contract. Coghlan was a third-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft. He had 40 points in 34 games with the bantam AAA Nanaimo Clippers. . . . Later in the day, the Americans announced the signing of F Michael Sauer, 16, from Bemidji, Minn. He played last season for Bemidji High School, putting up 30 points in 25 games. He has been on Tri-City’s list since March.
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The Kamloops Blazers have signed F Nathan Looysen, 17, to a WHL deal. From Saanichton, B.C., Looysen was placed on the Blazers’ protected list in November 2012. He had 23 points in 27 games with the junior B Peninsula Panthers of the Vancouver Island Junior League last season.
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The Portland Winterhawks have signed F Ethan Price, 16, who played last season with the Omaha Lancers AAA U-16 team in the North American Prospects League. He had 38 points in 22 games. . . . From Lincoln, Neb., Price was a sixth-round pick in the 2012 WHL bantam draft. . . . From the Winterhawks’ news release: “Price is the latest highly rated American-born player to join the Winterhawks in recent seasons, including current ’Hawks Paul Bittner (Minnesota), Brendan Burke (Arizona), Chase De Leo (California), Josh Hanson (Alaska), Keegan Iverson (Minnesota), Alex Schoenborn (North Dakota), Keoni Texeira (California) and Dominic Turgeon (Colorado). Apart from Hanson, each of those players has at least three years of WHL eligibility remaining.”
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The NFL and more than 4,500 players have settled a concussion-related lawsuit, with the players to get $765 million if a judge, as expected, approves the settlement. . . . Ken Belson of The New York Times offers an explanation for what happened right here.
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Jeff Blair of The Globe and Mail writes: “A lawyer specializing in class-action lawsuits believes the already-long odds of former NHL players attempting legal action against the league over the matter of concussions have become a little longer with the announcement of an imminent settlement between the NFL and more than 4,500 former players.” . . . That piece is right here.
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Daniel Engber of Slate.com writes:
“The imprecision of diagnosis means that even with all this money changing hands, we’ll still have no idea how prevalent these disabilities really are.
The settlement does almost nothing to elucidate this question, nor any other in the science of concussions. How serious is the problem of head injuries in football? No one has ever done a well-controlled, long-term study of cognitive impairment to find out. No one has ever selected a random group of athletes in advance, then followed them over time to figure out how their rates of brain pathology relate to everybody else’s. These are just the most basic questions that are yet to be answered, but there’s lots more we still don’t know.”
Engber’s complete piece is right here.
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Rob Nutter, a 55-year-old millwright from Castelgar, B.C., has undergone a heart-and-kidney transplant. Derrick Penner of the Vancouver Sun has today's feel-good story right here. 

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Lipon, Jets cut a deal

By MARK HUNTER
Daily News Sports Reporter
With less than a week remaining before JC Lipon opens his first official NHL training camp, he admitted to being "a little nervous."
The freshly signed contract in his back pocket certainly will help.
Lipon signed a two-way deal with the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday, nearly two months to the day after the Jets selected him in the third round of the NHL draft. The deal, a three-year entry-level contract, has an average annual value of $700,000, according to a Jets news release.
Lipon, 20, is still eligible to return for a fifth season with the WHL's Kamloops Blazers, although his signing makes it a little less likely. It all depends on how he performs at the Jets' prospects camp, which opens Thursday and will include the Vancouver Canucks 2013 Young Stars Classic Tournament from Sept. 6-9.
Lipon attended a Jets' development camp this summer, but never has been to a preseason camp such as next week's.
"I'm a little nervous," admitted Lipon, a right-winger. "But I gained a lot of confidence from last season and from going through the world junior camp."
You bet he did.
Lipon, a late bloomer, enjoyed a 65-point season in 2011-12, after picking up a total of 34 points the previous two seasons. But he really came into his own in 2012-13, scoring 36 goals and assisting on 53 others in only 61 games.
Although he wasn't on anyone's radar heading into the season, he made Team Canada for the world junior championship in Ufa, Russia, as Canada finished fourth. It was a wild season that ended with the Jets calling his name in the third round — this, after he was passed over in the two previous drafts.
Now, he is signed, and facing the prospect of playing professionally next season. Making the Jets is a long-shot, but it's not unreasonable to think he could end up with their AHL affiliate, the St. John's IceCaps.
He has a lot on his mind — but having the contract signed already takes some of the stress away.
"Now I'm not worried about it, not that you should be worried about it," Lipon said. "But sometimes it does creep into your mind, so I'm glad it's done with."
The Jets will play three games at the Young Stars Classic — they will meet the San Jose Sharks' prospects on Sept. 6, the Edmonton Oilers' prospects on Sept. 7, and the Vancouver Canucks' prospects on Sept. 9.
The Jets open their main camp on Sept. 11.
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No one really knows whether Lipon and Colin Smith will be back with the Blazers.
Smith, a 2012 draft pick of the Colorado Avalanche, also has signed an NHL contract, so could play in its system. Smith, 20, is off to Denver next week for rookie camp, which opens Sept. 8.
But both Smith and Lipon are eligible for another season with the Blazers.
“We’re moving forward without them,” Blazers head coach Dave Hunchak told The Daily News on Wednesday. “If we get them back, great.
“Our plan is to move forward without them. Those are big holes we need to plug somehow. Veteran guys need to step in.”
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The Blazers have made Cole Kehler their backup goaltender.
Kamloops announced after Wednesday night's Blue-White intrasquad game that it had reassigned six players, including goaltenders Liam McLeod and Cameron Pateman. That leaves Taran Kozun, the starter, and Kehler to lead the team into the preseason.
Kehler, who is to turn 16 on Dec. 17, was selected by the Blazers in the sixth round, 123rd overall, in the 2012 bantam draft. He spent 2012-13 with the Altona Aces of the Manitoba High School League, going 2-14 with a 4.27 GAA and .864 save percentage.
McLeod, a Kamloops native, spent 2012-13 with the BCHL's Prince George Spruce Kings, while Pateman played with the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians last season.
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The Blazers also reassigned two 15-year-old players — defenceman Dawson Davidson of Moosomin, Sask., and Jermaine Loewen of Arborg, Man. Both players were third-round selections in May's bantam draft.
Cameron Trott, a 16-year-old defenceman from Burnaby, and Laramie Kostelansky, a 16-year-old forward from Fort McLeod, Alta., also were reassigned on Wednesday.
The moves leave the Blazers with 30 players on their roster, including Smith and Lipon.
Of the 28 players on the preseason roster, 17 are forwards, nine are defencemen and two are goaltenders. The Blazers likely will trim the roster to around 23 before the regular season starts on Sept. 20.
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The Blazers also announced Thursday that forward Nathan Looysen, 17, has signed a standard WHL contract.
Looysen, from Saanichton, spent last season with the junior B Peninsula Panthers of the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League. He had 23 points, including 10 goals, in 27 games. The Blazers listed the 6-foot-1, 187-pounder in November.
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The Blazers will open the preseason tonight against the Rockets in Kelowna.
Kamloops will be at home to the Vancouver Giants on Sunday, 6 p.m., at Interior Savings Centre. The Rockets and Giants will play in Ladner on Saturday night.

mhunter@kamloopsnews.ca

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Tragedy on Shuswap Lake

The Saskatoon Blades have signed three of their 2013 bantam draft picks. . . . D Nolan Reid, the 41st overall selection, is from Deer Valley, Sask. He had 27 points in 30 games with a bantam team at Notre Dame last season. . . . F Parker Smyth, the 44th selection, had 32 points in 31 games with his hometown bantam AAA Red Deer Rebels Black. . . . F Luke Gingras, from Langley, B.C., was taken in the third round, 67th overall. He played for the bantam AAA Langley Eagles last season. . . . The Blades also trimmed two players with WHL experience from their camp roster — G Spencer Tremblay and F Daniel Wray. Tremblay, who turns 19 on Sept. 20, got into 20 games with the Moose Jaw Warriors in 2011-12. Last season, he played just five games — one with the MJHL’s Waywayseecappo Wolverines, three with the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats and one with the Red Deer Rebels. Wray, 18, had had one assist in 31 games with the Seattle Thunderbirds last season.
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The Kelowna Rockets have signed head coach Ryan Huska, 38, to a three-year contract extension that will kick in following the completion of the 2013-14 season. That means that Huska, who is going into his seventh season as the team’s head coach, is signed through 2016-17. He also served as an assistant coach with the Rockets, so is entering his 12th season with the organization.
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The OHL’s North Bay Battalion has signed Stan Butler, the director of hockey operations and head coach, to a five-year extension. Butler, 57, has been with the franchise since 1998-99. The Battalion is in its first season in North Bay, after 15 winters in Brampton. . . . Butler spent one season (1996-97) as head coach of the WHL’s Prince George Cougars.
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The Tri-City Americans have signed D Brendan O’Reilly, a 16-year-old training camp invitee from Southlake, Texas. O’Reilly, 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, was one of a team-record 14 American players to attend Tri-City’s training camp. . . . O’Reilly spent last season with the Victory Honda U-16 team in the Tier 1 Elite League. In 47 games, he had 20 points.
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The Regina Pats have signed F Sam Steel, the second overall pick in the 2013 bantam draft, to a WHL contract. Steel had a team-high 104 points, including 52 goals, in 31 games for the bantam AAA Sherwood Park, Alta., Flyers last season.
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F Ryan Harrison, who completed a five-year WHL career last season, has signed with the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones. Harrison, 21, is from Kelowna. He played 325 WHL games, split between the Prince Albert Raiders, Medicine Hat Tigers and Everett Silvertips. Last season, he had 32 points in 51 games with Everett.
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The Saskatoon Blades are working to get clearance to add Russian F Nikita Sherbak to their roster. While that goes on, all Sherbak can do is watch training camp and ride a stationary bike. Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has more right here.
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What follows is a corrected version of something that appeared here yesterday. Mike Dyck won’t be running the bench when he joins the Kootenay Ice in December. Assistant coach Jay Henderson will be in charge, with Dyck assisting him. . . .
The Kootenay Ice has added Mike Dyck to its coaching staff. Dyck, a former head coach of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, will attend training camp and will return to the team to help first-year assistant Jay Henderson on the bench when head coach Ryan McGill serves as an assistant coach with Canada’s national junior team in December. . . . “With Ryan going to the World Juniors and this being Jay's first year coaching in the WHL,” Chynoweth said in a news release, “we felt another coach was needed during this time frame. We feel very fortunate to be able to add a coach with the experience that Mike has in the WHL." . . . Dyck spent five seasons as Lethbridge’s head coach, going 132-120-16 and reaching the WHL’s championship final in 2008. He also worked as an assistant coach with Lethbridge and the Vancouver Giants.
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Earlier this week, the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers revealed that they had made a profit of $22,165 for the 2012-13 season. That may not seem like much, but check out Josh Brown’s story from the Guelph Mercury right here for some of the details. . . . It’s the 18th season in a row in which the Rangers have shown a profit.
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Kevin Boutilier, a defenceman who played parts of two seasons with the Chilliwack Bruins, is missing and presumed drowned in the Narrows area of Shuswap Lake near Sicamous, B.C.
From the Kamloops Daily News:
Search and rescue crews were not able to find Kevin Boutilier, 25, after an incident Saturday afternoon.
A group of people were on a houseboat when one person's hat blew off, witnesses told police.
Some of them dove in to try to retrieve it, but ran into trouble as inclement weather pushed the boat away. More people jumped off the boat to come to their aid.
"Of the group in the water, one individual was last seen in distress and seen going under the surface several times and did not resurface in spite of one of his friends being alongside him who was attempting to assist him," Sgt. Dave Dubnyk of the Sicamous RCMP said.
Police are now looking at recovery efforts, but note that this area of the lake is very deep and the terrain at the bottom creates challenges for divers using sonar equipment.
The Calgary Sun has more right here.
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Wayne Chernecki (Winnipeg Jr. Jets, 1969-71) was one of the great players in the early days of the WHL. In 1970-71, he had 123 points, including 50 goals. . . . Chernecki died on Feb. 11 in Winnipeg of cancer. Paul Brett, a friend, remembers Chernecki right here.
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From Lukas Walter (@Lukaswalter9): “Would like to thank the @pdxwinterhawks for everything and wishing the team goodluck this year”
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From Scott Sepich (@SSepich): “Winterhawks players are tweeting farewells to Lukas Walter and Eric Walker, so it appears those 2 are out as 20-year-old options.”

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Blazers get down to two goaltenders

If you haven't seen it, this is the new scoreclock at Interior
Savings Centre in Kamloops.
(Murray Mitchell / The Daily News)

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
For the most part, the evaluation process is over, and so is training camp.
The Kamloops Blazers will get down to the routine of practising today as they get ready to play their first WHL exhibition games.
The Blazers will visit the Kelowna Rockets on Friday and return home to face the Vancouver Giants on Sunday, 6 p.m. (On Saturday, the Rockets will play the Giants in Ladner.)
On Wednesday night, the Blazers put the wraps on another training camp as Team Blue scored an 8-4 victory over Team White in the annual intrasquad game.
For veteran forwards JC Lipon and Colin Smith, both 20 years of age, it may have been their last time in a Blazers uniform.
Lipon leaves next week for Winnipeg and the camp of the NHL’s Jets, who selected him in the third round of the 2013 draft. Smith departs Friday and will end up in Denver at the Colorado Avalanche’s camp.
Lipon has yet to sign a pro contract; Smith is under contract to Colorado, which selected him in the seventh round in 2012.
“We’re moving forward without them,” Blazers head coach Dave Hunchak said. “If we get them back, great.
“Our plan is to move forward without them. Those are big holes we need to plug somehow. Veteran guys need to step in.”
Hunchak has talked with Dean Chynoweth, the general manager and head coach of the Lake Erie Monsters, the Cleveland-based AHL affiliate of the Avalanche.
Based on those conversations, Hunchak said: “I don’t expect to get Colin Smith back.”
As for Lipon, he could end up with the AHL’s St. John’s IceCaps.
“He’ll do everything he can do stay there, as he should,” Hunchak said of Lipon. “For us to be sitting here and hoping that one of those guys comes back isn’t right. From an organizational standpoint, we want to move players up.”
Without Lipon and Smith, the Blazers are left with two 20-year-olds on their roster — defenceman Sam Grist and centre Joe Kornelsen. WHL teams are allowed to dress three such players per game.
Last night, the Blue guys erased a 1-0 deficit with three straight second-period goals, courtesy of Jake Kryski and Swiss imports Tim Bozon and Edson Harlacher. Cole Ully, with two, Deven Sideroff, Joe Kornelsen and Matt Needham also scored for Blue.
Team White got two goals from Chase Souto and singles from the Lipon brothers, Mitch and JC.
Hunchak quite liked what he saw, noting that the coaches have done some work on systems, some of which was evident on the ice.
“It was good as far as structure,” Hunchak said of the game, adding that some players had picked up the defensive-zone coverage and the forecheck in the neutral zone.
As for the much-watched scrap for the position backing up starting goaltender Taran Kozun, the winner is Cole Kehler, a youngster from Altona, Man., who played high school hockey last season. Kehler, who won’t turn 16 until Dec. 17, was beaten three times last night after coming on in relief of Kozun for Team Blue.
The Blazers released two 17-year-old goaltenders — Liam McLeod of Kamloops and Cameron Pateman of Regina — following the game. McLeod played Kozun to a 1-1 draw in the game’s first half; Pateman was beaten six times.
The Blazers also released forwards Jermaine Loewen and Laramie Kostelansky, along with defenceman Dawson Davidson and Cameron Trott.
Loewen, a 15-year-old from Arborg, Man., was a third-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. He has signed with the Blazers and had a good camp.
Kostelansky, 16, from Fort MacLeod, Alta., was a 10th-round pick in the 2012 draft. Davidson, from Moosomin, Sask., was the 58th overall pick in the 2013 draft, while Trott, 16, from Port Moody, is the younger brother of Portland Winterhawks forward Jason Trott.
 JUST NOTES: The Blazers still have two 1998-born players on their roster — 2013 first-rounders Quinn Benjafield and Kryski. Both are expected to see game action this weekend. . . . Hunchak said he expects the Rockets to “dress a good team” on Friday. “They will be motivated from last season,” he said. . . . The Blazers swept Kelowna from a second-round playoff series last spring. . . . Hunchak also said the Blazers will be wanting to push the Rockets. “We want to make sure to put our best foot forward every game,” he said. . . . Colorado’s three-day rookie camp opens Sept. 8 in Denver, with main camp starting Sept. 12. Smith, who signed a three-year NHL contract earlier this season, is on the roster wearing No. 37. . . . Ryan Huska, who won three Memorial Cups as a player with the Blazers, has signed a three-year extension as head coach of the Rockets. Huska, 38,now is signed through 2016-17. He is going into his seventh season as the Rockets’ head coach and his 12th season with the organization.

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Priestner has agreement to purchase Blades

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Lukas Vantuch (Calgary, Lethbridge, 2005-07) signed a tryout contract with Landshut (Germany, DEL2). He had one goal and four assists in 31 games with Liberec (Czech Republic, Extraliga), one assist in five games on loan to Sparta Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga), and was pointless in two games on loan to Benatky nad Jizerou (Czech Republic, 1. Liga) last season. . . .
F Judd Blackwater (Spokane, 2005-08) signed a one-year contract with Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia, Austria Erste Bank Liga). He had 19 goals and 31 assists in 69 games with the Las Vegas Wranglers (ECHL) last season. Blackwater is expected to arrive in Ljubljana on Friday. . . .
F Adam Chorneyko (Kamloops, Lethbridge, Saskatoon, 2004-09) signed a one-year contract with the Friesland Flyers Heerenveen (Netherlands, Eredivisie). He had no points in two games with the Colorado Eagles (ECHL), no points in four games with the Rapid City Rush (CHL), and two assists in five games with the Arizona Sundogs (CHL) last season.
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An agreement to sell the Saskatoon Blades to Mike Priestner has been reached. Jack Brodsky, his brother, Bob, and their sister, Debbie, have applied to the WHL’s board of governors for a transfer of ownership. The board will meet in Calgary on Sept. 4 to review the application. . . . Priestner, who attempted to purchase the Kamloops Blazers over the summer of 2007, is the owner of Go Auto, an Edmonton-based company that owns more than 30 automobile dealerships. . . . According to a WHL news release: “A special resolution vote of two-thirds majority from the Board of Governors is required in order to grant approval for the sale. If approval is granted at the Sept. 4 meeting, Mr. Priestner will assume control of the Saskatoon Blades franchise prior to the start of the 2013-14 WHL season.”
After issuing the news release, the WHL then dropped the cone of silence on the entire situation, as it did after it whacked the Portland Winterhawks in November. “The WHL, the Brodsky family and Mr. Priestner will not be making any further comments on this matter until following the WHL Board of Governors Meeting on Sept. 4,” concluded the news release.
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The Victoria Royals have signed F Matthew Phillips and D Ralph Jarratt to WHL contracts. . . . Phillips was the 33rd overall selection in the 2013 bantam draft. He had 77 points, 40 of them goals, in 37 games with the Calgary Bisons of the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League last season. . . . Jarratt, from Fort St. John, B.C., was taken selecctions after Phillips. Jarratt played last season in the Pursuit of Excellence’s bantam AAA program, putting up 29 points in 28 games. . . . F Dante Hannoun, Victoria’s first selection in the 2013 bantam draft, has left the Royals’ camp. Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times Colonist reports that Hannoun “took ill” and he and the team decided it would be best for him to return home to Delta, B.C., so that he could get proper rest and get better.
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The Tri-City Americans have signed F Maxwell James to a WHL contract. James, from Kamloops, was a sixth-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft. Last season, he put up 12 points in 40 games with the major midget Thompson Blazers. . . . The Americans now have signed their first six selections from the 2012 bantam draft.
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Pat Mangold, who played with the Calgary Wranglers and Kamloops Blazers (1981-85), died in a personal watercraft accident on Okanagan Lake near Kelowna on Saturday evening. According to Castanet.net, Mangold, 47, “was riding his (personal watercraft) on Okanagan Lake about 8:30 p.m. Saturday when (he) struck a log boom near Traders Cove” on the west side of the lake. . . . It is believed that Mangold died instantly, and that speed and visibility may have been factors. . . . Mangold, who was from Kelowna, played three games for the Wranglers in each of the 1981-82 and 1982-83 seasons, and 69 games in 1983-84. He moved to the Blazers early in 1985-86. In 133 regular-season games, he had 52 points, including 28 goals.
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The Kootenay Ice has added Mike Dyck to its coaching staff. Dyck, a former head coach of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, will attend training camp and will return to the team to help first-year assistant Jay Henderson on the bench when head coach Ryan McGill serves as an assistant coach with Canada’s national junior team in December. . . . “With Ryan going to the World Juniors and this being Jay's first year coaching in the WHL,” Chynoweth said in a news release, “we felt another coach was needed during this time frame. We feel very fortunate to be able to add a coach with the experience that Mike has in the WHL." . . . Dyck spent five seasons as Lethbridge’s head coach, going 132-120-16 and reaching the WHL’s championship final in 2008. He also worked as an assistant coach with Lethbridge and the Vancouver Giants.
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The Swift Current Broncos have signed F Brandan Arnold, 16. Arnold, from Dodsland, Sask., was taken by the Broncos in the seventh round of the 2012 bantam draft. He has 23 points with the midget AAA Tisdale Trojans last season. . . . Arnold signed in time to play in the Broncos’ 5-4 victory over the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors last night. He picked up an assist on the game’s first goal, a power-play score 9:18 into the opening period.
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JUST NOTES: F Lucas Grayson, 19, now is on the roster of the BCHL’s Powell River Kings. From Port Hardy, B.C., Grayson had a goal and two assists in 117 regular-season WHL games split between the Red Deer Rebels (41) and Everett Silvertips (76). . . . F Colten Mayor, 20, has joined the AJHL’s Whitecourt Wolverines. He split last season between the Calgary Hitmen and Regina Pats. He also played with the Red Deer Rebels during his WHL career. The native of St. Albert, Alta., put up 94 points, including 38 goals, in 228 WHL games.
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From Saskawhat (@saskawhat): “So it begins. Warriors coach Stothers on tonights rookie game loss to @SCBroncos: ‘1 team actually played rookies; the other team didn't.’ ”

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Blazers' Blue-White game on tap tonight

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
The Kamloops Blazers are getting down to the nitty gritty.
And things will get nittier and grittier tonight as the WHL team holds its annual Blue-White intrasquad game, 7 p.m., at the Interior Savings Centre.
The Blazers have 39 players left in training camp. Most of them took part in a controlled scrimmage on Tuesday night, the exceptions being five veterans — forwards Tim Bozon, JC Lipon, Matt Needham and Colin Smith, along with goaltender Taran Kozun.
All hands are expected to be on deck tonight, however.
“The two games will tell the tale for some of the players,” head coach Dave Hunchak said. “It allows us to give a real good evaluation to those kids who are on the bubble.”
While the microscope is on everyone, it is especially on Cole Kehler of Altona, Man., Liam McLeod of Kamloops and Cameron Pateman of Regina, who are competing to back up starting goaltender Taran Kozun.
Each played two periods last night — Teams Black and Orange played 5-on-5 in the first, 4-on-4 in the second and alternated special teams in the third — and it is quite possible that Kehler, who doesn’t turn 16 until Dec. 17, has the edge on the two 17-year-olds going into tonight’s intrasquad game.
However, the highlight of training camp, at least to now, may well be the team’s 1998-born players.
As Hunchak said: “The ’98 group, the forwards we have, that’s a special group of kids.”
That group is headed up by two first-round selections from the 2013 bantam draft — Quinn Benjafield of North Vancouver, whom the Blazers took with the 19th overall pick, and Jake Kryski of Vancouver, the 11th overall pick who was acquired from the Prince Albert Raiders in the Cole Cheveldave exchange — and Jermaine Loewen of Arborg,  Man., who was a third-round selection.
“Benjafield is a strong power forward,” Hunchak said. “Kryski has a lot of skill and plays a great 200-foot game. And just look at Jermaine Lowewne and the package he brings. He’s going to be something special down the road, too.”
Hunchak also pointed to Garrett Pilon, another 1998-born forward. From Saskatoon, the son of former NHL defenceman Rich Pilon was taken in the seventh round.
“Pilon looks like he’s playing pond hockey all the time,” Hunchak said, “and I mean that in a good way. He always looks like he’s enjoying the game and having fun.”
After last night’s scrimmage, Pilon was assigned to the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts.
It’s not known what the forward lines will look like tonight, but Loewen, Kryski and Benjafield, left to right, were on the ice together a fair amount last night. It’s fair to say that they created some magic.
JUST NOTES: Team Orange beat Team Black 8-7 in a shootout last night. Nick Chyzowski had two goals, plus the shootout winner. Kryski and Joe Kornelsen also scored twice for Orange, while Nathan Looysen and Chase Souto each scored twice for Black. . . . The Blazers also assigned F Spencer Bast of Macklin, Sask., to the midget AAA Battlefords Stars and F Josh Stang, who also is from Macklin, to the midget AAA Swift Current Legionnaires. . . . The WHL’s exhibition season began last night with the host Swift Current Broncos beating the Moose Jaw Warriors, 5-4. . . . The Blazers meet the Rockets in Kelowna on Friday and then are at home to the Vancouver Giants on Sunday, 6 p.m. . . . D Connor Hamonic, 17, of Winnipeg, a seventh-round pick by the Blazers in 2011, was released by the Red Deer Rebels yesterday. . . .
F Max James, 16, of Kamloops has signed a WHL deal with the Tri-City Americans, who selected him in the sixth round of the 2012 bantam draft. James had 12 points in 40 games with the major midget Thompson Blazers last season. . . . Pat Mangold, who played for the WHL Blazers in 1984-85, was killed Saturday evening on Okanagan Lake near Kelowna when the personal watercraft on which he was riding struck a log boom near Traders Cove. Mangold, 47, was a native of Kelowna, who also played in the WHL with the Calgary Wranglers. With the Blazers, he had 20 points, nine of them goals, in 53 games.

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Brain injuries put Muth into retirement

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Mark Isherwood (Medicine Hat, 2005-10) signed a one-year contract with Angers (France, Ligue Magnus). He had five goals and 12 assists in 37 games with the Utah Grizzlies (ECHL), one goal and two assists in 13 games with the San Francisco Bulls (ECHL), and was pointless in two games with the Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) last season.
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If you missed it here yesterday, here’s another plug for Alan Caldwell over at Small Thoughts At Large. . . . He’s endeavouring to keep track of WHL training camp rosters. . . . Which is why every team in the WHL should be making sure that Caldwell receives their most up-to-date rosters ASAP. Here is an opportunity for WHL teams to get some exposure at no cost to them. . . . So come one teams, get those rosters to Caldwell. There are no excuses for you not to get your rosters posted on Small Thoughts At Large.
The email address is: smallatlarge@gmail.co.
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D Tanner Muth, 20, of the Kootenay Ice won’t be back for a fifth season in the WHL. Muth is suffering with post-concussion syndrome. Last season, the Calgary native had nine points in 60 games with the Ice. He also has played with the Seattle Thunderbirds and Swift Current Broncos. . . . Muth’s departure leaves the Ice with two 20-year-olds on its roster — F Zach McPhee and D Jagger Dirk — as it opens camp. . . . Muth is the fourth WHL player to have announced his retirement recently due to previous brain injuries. He joins D Reid Jackson of the Moose Jaw Warriors, and F Shea Howorko and F Brent Benson of Swift Current. As well, F Tyrel Seaman, who has had at least three concussions over the last two seasons, won’t be in camp with the Brandon Wheat Kings when it opens this week, and D Tanner Mort of the Spokane Chiefs has retired due to what the team says is a neck injury. Mort suffered a brain injury during a game in Kamloops last season. . . . F Tyler Alos, 20, who was limited to 10 games with the Seattle Thunderbirds last season due to a brain injury, actually announced in December that he was done with playing. The Thunderbirds have since added him to their coaching staff.
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The Swift Current Broncos have signed F Cole Johnson, the 34th overall selection in th 2013 WHL bantam draft. From Marwayne, Alta., Johnson had 71 points in 33 games with the bantam AAA Lloydminster Heat last season.
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The Medicine Hat Tigers will have 10 eligible players attending NHL rookie or training camps in the next while — F Hunter Shinkaruk, Vancouver Canucks; G Marek Langhamer, Phoenix Coyotes; D Tyler Lewington, Washington Capitals; F Boston Leier, Washington; D Spenser Jensen, San Jose Sharks; D Ty Stanton, Winnipeg Jets; F Miles Koules, Minnesota Wild; D KyleBecker, Anaheim Ducks; and F Jake Doty and F Curtis Valk, both St. Louis Blues. . . . Shinkaruk, Langhamer and Lewington all are draft picks; the others are free-agent invitees.
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The Medicine Hat Tigers signed D Marshall Skapski and F Caleb Fantillo, both 2013 bantam draft selections, on Monday. . . . Skapski, from Abbotsford, B.C., is the younger brother of Kootenay Ice G Mackenzie Skapski and Everett Silvertips D Mitchell Skapski. Marshall was the 54th overall pick in the bantam draft. He had 40 points in 48 games with the Abbotsford Hawks (Bantam A1 Tier 1) last season. . . . Fantillo, from Coquitlam, B.C., was the 123rd selection in the draft. He had 83 points in 60 games with the Coquitlam Chiefs, another Bantam A1 Tier 1 team.
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F Stephane Legault, 20, has chosen not to return to the Edmonton Oil Kings for a fourth season. Legault, from Edmonton, has decided to attend NAIT. In 186 regular-season games, Legault had 108 points. Last season, he put up 41 points in 57 games. . . . His departure leaves the Oil Kings with perhaps one 20-year-old on their roster – D Cody Corbett.
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The Kootenay Ice is to open its training camp on Wednesday with 60 players on hand. It looks like Russian D Rinat Valiev, 18, won’t be among them. Valiev, whose rights were selected in the 2013 CHL import draft, is among those players who has been able to get his visa due to a Canadian foreign service workers’ strike. Jeff Chynoweth, the Ice’s president and GM, has told Trevor Crawley of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman that Valiev’s IIHF transfer has been approved and that he will be in Cranbrook once he gets his visa.
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The Tri-City Americans have signed F Austyn Playfair, 16, to a WHL contract. Playfair, from Scottsdale, Ariz., was listed by the Americans in October. He is the son of former WHLer Jim Playfair, who now is an associate coach with the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes, and the brother of Spokane Chiefs F Jackson Playfair. . . . Austyn, 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds, had 11 points in 41 games with the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes of the Tier 1 Elite Midget Hockey League.
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The Kelowna Rockets have nine players off their roster heading to NHL camps — F Myles Bell, New Jersey Devils; D Madison Bowey, Washington Capitals; F Tyrell Goulbourne, Philadelphia Flyers; F Colton Heffley, Minnesota Wild; D Jesse Lees, Boston Bruins; F Ryan Olsen, Winnipeg Jets; D Damon Severson, New Jersey; F Colton Sissons, Nashville Predators; and D Mitchell Wheaton, Detroit Red Wings.
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Three players off the Portland Winterhawks’ roster have been invited to play in the CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game in Pittsburgh on Sept. 26. F Chase DeLeo, F Keegan Iverson and F Dominic Turgeon, all of them eligible for the 2014 NHL draft, will play in the game in the Consol Energy Center. . . . There’s more right here.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors have signed F Ryan Bowen and G Brody Willms, both of whom are from Penticton where they play at the Okanagan Hockey Academy. . . . Bowen was a fifth-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft, while Willms was taken in the eighth round.
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From Dylan Walchuk (@Wally19): “Wont forget that experience for the rest of my life! Best...day...ever @HockeyCanada #thanksforthegoodies #goodluck #Sochi2014”
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F Dylan Walchuk, who played as a 20-year-old with the Spokane Chiefs last season, played some ball hockey with prospective Canadian Olympians on Monday in Calgary. There are 45 NHLers in Calgary for an orientation camp that won’t include ice time. So head coach Mike Babcock and his staff had the players doing some ball hockey run throughs on Monday. With Claude Giroux (thumb) and Joe Thornton (ill child) unable to attend, Walchuk, who will attend the U of Calgary, filled in on a line with Taylor Hall and Jordan Staal. . . . Walchuk is from McBride, B.C., and played some of his minor hockey in Kamloops. He had 60 points in 70 games with the Chiefs last season.
Aaron Vickers of nhl.com has more on Walchuk’s day right here.
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The Regina Pats and Harvard Broadcasting have signed a multi-year deal that will keep the WHL team on 620 CKRM, which has been home to games since 1995-96. . . . The exact length of the contract wasn’t revealed. . . . Phil Andrew will be back calling the play, with Daniel Fink the analyst for a second season.
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Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun reports that Russian D Dmitri Osipov, whom the Vancouver Giants took with the first pick in the 2013 import draft, “has been unable to scrimmage due to a shoulder problem that was discovered during team testing. He is skating, however.” . . . Head coach Don Hay told Pap that Osipov is “week-to-week.” . . . That means he isn’t likely to play Saturday in Ladner, B.C., against the Kelowna Rockets or Sunday in Kamloops against the Blazers.

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