Thanks to Russia for letting us win something before they officially assume control of our country. #WJC2017— Scott Sepich (@SSepich) January 4, 2017
———
 |
WHL trades since Dec. 27:
Trades: 10.
Players: 18.
Bantam draft picks: 10.
Conditional bantam draft picks: 1.
(WHL trade deadline is Jan. 10).
——
The Lethbridge Hurricanes have acquired D Brady Pouteau, 18, from the Regina Pats for a seventh-
round selection in the 2018 WHL bantam draft.
 |
| BRADY POUTEAU |
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Pouteau, from Oak Bluff, Man., was a fourth-round selection by Regina in the 2013 bantam draft. This season, he had two assists in 18 games with the Pats. Last season, as a freshman, he had two goals and five assists in 43 games.
Before joining the Pats, Pouteau played two seasons with the midget AAA Pembina Valley Hawks, helping them to the 2014-15 league championship.
Pouteau, who turns 19 on Jan. 9, was in the lineup on Wednesday night when the Hurricanes met the host Moose Jaw Warriors. He brings more size to a Lethbridge back end that already included the likes of Brennan Riddle (6-foot-2), Ethan King (6-foot-6) and Igor Merezhko (6-foot-5).
The Hurricanes now have eight defencemen on their roster.
——
The Vancouver Giants set off alarm bells Wednesday afternoon when they issued a news release stating
that F Tyler Benson wouldn’t play in a game that night against the host Edmonton Oil Kings.
 |
| TYLER BENSON |
Benson, the first overall pick in the 2013 WHL bantam draft, was limited to 30 games last season by surgery to remove a cyst near his tailbone and then an inflamed pubic bone. This season, however, looked to be different as he put up 42 points, including 31 assists, in 33 games with a team that is struggling in the basement of the B.C. Division.
Benson, who is from Edmonton, was a second-round pick by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2016 NHL draft and he signed an NHL contract late last month.
From the Giants’ news release quoted general manager Glen Hanlon: “In consultation with the Edmonton Oilers, we’ve decided that it would be best for Tyler to miss (Wednesday’s) game due to a minor injury. Tyler has been assessed by both our staff and the Oilers’ medical team, and we’ll take his status day-by-day. Tyler is very disappointed that he won’t be able to play in his home town and help our team continue its winning road trip.”
According to Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province, Benson didn’t get on the ice in overtime on Monday when the Giants beat the Hitmen 5-4 in a shootout in Calgary. However, Benson did take part in the shootout. He didn’t score, but he did have a goal and an assist in regulation time.
After playing in Edmonton, the Giants’ next game is scheduled for Friday in Langley, B.C., against the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors.
——
 |
| DAVID QUENNEVILLE |
The Medicine Hat Tigers are likely to be without D David Quenneville for up to six weeks after he suffered a broken tibia during a 6-2 loss to the visiting Regina Pats on Tuesday night.
Quenneville was injured while blocking a shot in the first period. He tried to keep playing, but was forced to leave the game.
Quenneville, an 18-year-old from Edmonton, is having a career season, with 20 goals and 28 assists in 38 games. He is one of three Tigers with at least 20 goals and also is their third-leading scorer. Quenneville also leads all WHL defencemen in goals and points.
As a freshman, in 2014-15, Quenneville finished with six goals and 14 assists in 66 games. Last season, he had 14 goals and 41 assists in 64 games.
The Tigers next are scheduled to play on Saturday night when they are at home to the Vancouver Giants.
——
Can we finally put this ridiculous rumour to rest? Is this definitive enough? #BWK #bdnmb #whl pic.twitter.com/l7T9KNzc2i— Perry Bergson (@PerryBergson) January 4, 2017
F Nolan Patrick of the Brandon Wheat Kings, who has played only six games this season, none since Oct. 11, has told Perry Bergson of the Brandon Sun that he will play in January.
 |
| NOLAN PATRICK |
Patrick, 18, is back skating with the Wheat Kings. He skated by himself on Monday and then took the morning skate on Tuesday before the Wheat Kings played the visiting Saskatoon Blades that evening. Patrick, wearing a no-contact jersey, practised with his teammates on Wednesday.
“I’m getting close to returning so it’s exciting,” Patrick told Bergson, who wrote: “He said he will play in January for sure, although the date of his
return is pending.”
return is pending.”
Patrick has said that he was injured during last spring’s Eastern Conference final against the Red Deer Rebels. He had surgery to repair a sports hernia in July and missed most of training camp. While neither Patrick nor the Wheat Kings has explained the reason, or reasons, behind his absence, speculation has involved his recovery from that surgery.
Despite having missed 33 games, Patrick remains the consensus No. 1 selection for the NHL’s 2017 draft. That is built on a 2015-16 season in which he put up 102 regular-season points and added 30 more in 21 playoff games. He was named the WHL’s playoff MVP as he led the Wheat Kings to the Ed Chynoweth Cup.
For now, Patrick will work on getting back into game shape.
“It’s really nice to be back here and out there skating,” Patrick told Branden Crowe, the radio voice of the Wheat Kings. “I felt pretty good (Wednesday), but I still have a ways to go to get my cardio back up and get into shape.”
“It’s really nice to be back here and out there skating,” Patrick told Branden Crowe, the radio voice of the Wheat Kings. “I felt pretty good (Wednesday), but I still have a ways to go to get my cardio back up and get into shape.”
According to Crowe, Patrick has travelled “all over Canada since October, seeing different doctors (and) specialists and trying out a variety of physiotherapy and chiropractic options.”
Still, Patrick told Crowe, “I still have a little bit of healing to do.”
Patrick continued: “These last couple of days have been the best I’ve felt in five months so it’s feeling good and I’m just trying to get my timing back and get myself back into shape.”
——
The Victoria Royals will be without D Chaz Reddekopp for two games against the host Prince George Cougars this week. Reddekopp has been suspended for two games under supplemental discipline for something that happened during the Royals’ 6-1 victory over the Blazers in Kamloops on Saturday night. . . . Reddekopp had an assist in that game to run his point streak to 11 games, tied with D Kevin Davis of the Everett Silvertips for the longest active streak at the moment. . . . The Royals are scheduled to play in Prince George on Friday and Saturday nights. Victoria goes into the two games in fourth place in the B.C. Division, four points behind second-place Kamloops and two behind the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Cougars are in first place, six points ahead of Kamloops.
———
 |
It certainly seems that the medical community is on the verge of a blood test that will determine whether someone has suffered a concussion. As Alan Maki of The Globe and Mail reports: “After two years of blood profiling, researchers associated with Western University have been fine-tuning a test that can determine if a person has suffered a concussion. The test comes with a 90-per-cent accuracy rate, a previously unheard count in the medical community working to unlock the mysteries of the brain.” . . . Maki’s complete story is right here.
——
JUST NOTES:
With two defenceman — Tyler Jette and Brendan O’Reilly — on the injured list, the Tri-City Americans have recalled four defencemen. Mitchell Brown, 15, joins the Americans from the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton, B.C.; Landon Fuller, 17, has been with the BCHL’s Salmon Arm Silverbacks; Colten Gerlib, 17, plays for the BCHL’s Surrey Eagles; and, Samuel Stewart plays for the MJHL’s Neepawa Natives. . . . Brown was a second-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound Fuller was selected in the fifth round of the 2014 bantam draft. . . . The Americans, who lost 5-2 to the Blazers in Kamloops on Tuesday, open an East Division swing on Friday against the Prince Albert Raiders. . . .
The Everett Silvertips have returned D Gianni Fairbrother, 16, to the Vancouver Northwest Giants of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League. He is pointless in two games with Everett. Fairbrother was a fourth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. . . .
The Kamloops Blazers have returned F Brodi Stuart, 16, to the Fraser Valley Hawks of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League. Stuart, a fourth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft, was pointless in two games with the Blazers. . . .
The Prince Albert Raiders have returned D Rhett Rhinehart to the Yale Hockey Academy prep team that plays in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League. Rhinehart, who turned 15 on Nov. 27, was a first-round selection in the 2016 bantam draft. He was pointless in two games with the Raiders. . . .
The Prince George Cougars have returned F Tyler Ho, 16, to the Valley West Hawks of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League. He was a third-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. . . .
The Seattle Thunderbirds have dropped F Ian Briscoe, 17, from their roster. He will be joining the MJHL’s Dauphin Kings. Briscoe, a fifth-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft, had two goals in 17 games with Seattle.
———
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
At Edmonton, F Brendan Semchuk broke a 2-2 tie at 16:27 of the third period as the Vancouver Giants
got past the Oil Kings, 3-2. . . . F Ty Ronning had given Vancouver a 1-0 lead with his 15th goal, at 16:52 of the first period. . . . F Adam Berg, playing his first game since Dec. 5, pulled Edmonton even with his third goal, at 11:55 of the second period. . . . The Giants went in front again, at 2:25 of the third period, as F James Malm scored No. 11 on a PP. . . . The Oil Kings tied it at 3:13 with F Trey Fix-Wolansky getting his 10th goal. . . . Semchuk, a sophomore from Kamloops, won it with his sixth goal. A first-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft, injuries limited Semchuk to 28 games last season when he finished with one goal and one assist. This season, he’s got 14 points in 37 games. . . . D Matt Barberis had two assists for the Giants, while Ronning had one. . . . Vancouver G Ryan Kubic was sharp, making 40 stops. . . . Edmonton G Patrick Dea, making his 100th regular-season appearance, turned aside 25 shots. . . . Vancouver was 1-2 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-0. . . . The Giants (16-20-3) are 2-0-0 on an Alberta trek that continues Friday against the Red Deer Rebels. . . . The Oil Kings slipped to 18-18-4. . . . F Graham Millar and F Brett Kemp, acquired earlier in the day for D Aaron Irving, weren’t in Edmonton’s lineup. . . . Announced attendance: 7,355.
 |
| BRENDAN SEMCHUK |
——
At Kelowna, F Riley Woods scored at 3:19 of OT to give the Spokane Chiefs a 3-2 victory over the
Rockets. . . . Woods, who has seven goals, was making his Spokane debut after being part of a trade with the Regina Pats for F Wyatt Sloboshan. F Rykr Cole, who also went to Spokane in that exchange, made his Chiefs debut, too. . . . The visitors scored the game’s first two goals, with F Kailer Yamamoto getting his 23rd, on a PP, at 10:36 of the second period, and D Tyson Helgesen (6), Spokane’s captain, counting just 35 seconds later. . . . F Rod Southam, Kelowna’s captain, got his guys to within one when he scored his ninth at 18:01. . . . D Riley Stadel (5) pulled Kelowna into a 2-2 tie at 16:17 of the third period. . . . D Ty Smith had two assists for Spokane. . . . D Lucas Johansen had two assists for Kelowna. . . . The Chiefs got 33 saves from G Jayden Sittler. . . . At the other end, Michael Herringer stopped 19 shots. . . . Spokane was 1-4 on the PP; Kelowna was 0-3. . . . The Chiefs (16-16-6) had lost their previous two games. . . . The Rockets (23-14-3) have lost three in a row (0-2-1). . . . Announced attendance: 4,821.
 |
| RILEY WOODS |
——
Sorry @MJWARRIORS have to cheer for @WHLHurricanes tonite! #no.4 #hometowndebut #proudparents pic.twitter.com/sDPeD1mRV0— Donna Jones (@DonnaJ1517) January 5, 2017
At Moose Jaw, F Jayden Halbgewachs, the WHL’s top gun, scored three times and G Zach Sawchenko
blocked 41 shots as the Warriors dumped the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 4-1. . . . Sawchenko, who stopped 23 shots in the third period, improved his record to 16-4-5 with the victory. . . . Halbgewachs scored 15 goals in 69 games last season; this season, he’s got 34 goals in 39 games. He also has 27 assists, one more than he recorded last season. . . . This was his first career hat trick; he also has nine two-goal games this season. . . . The Warriors took a 2-0 lead on goals by F Luka Burzan (10), at 6:05 of the first period, and Halbgewachs, at 11:51 of the second. . . . D Brennan Riddle’s second goal got Lethbridge to within one at 16:15. . . . Halbgewachs put it away with goals 4:49 and 18:43 of the third period, the latter into an empty net. . . . F Brayden Burke and F Brett Howden each had two assists for Moose Jaw. . . . The Hurricanes got 20 stops from G Stuart Skinner. . . . Moose Jaw was 0-3 on the PP; Lethbridge was 0-5. . . . The Hurricanes had D Nolan Jones, 15, in their lineup as they played in his hometown. Jones, a second-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft, plays for the midget AAA Moose Jaw Generals. He was pointless in two earlier games with the Hurricanes. . . . The Hurricanes scratched three defencemen — Calen Addison, Ty Prefontaine and Ethan King — but had Brady Pouteau in the lineup. He was acquired earlier in the day from the Regina Pats. . . . The Warriors (23-9-7) have points in five straight (2-0-2). . . . The Hurricanes (20-15-5) have lost two in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 2,979.
 |
| ZACH SAWCHENKO |
——
THURSDAY’S GAMES (all times local):
No Games Scheduled.
——
FRIDAY’S GAMES (all times local):
Kelowna at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Spokane vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, B.C., 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Saskatoon at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Tri-City at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Victoria at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Vancouver at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Calgary at Regina, 7 p.m.
Everett vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m.
Brandon at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.
The Moose Jaw Warriors had many people, including players, from their organization take part in a three-hour safeTALK presentation with Donna Boyer of the Canadian Mental Health Associated last week. Katie Brickman of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald sat through it and writes 
It's doubtful that any WHL team is delving as deeply into analytics -- aka fancy stats -- as the Saskatoon Blades. The Blades have hired Bruce Peter as their director of analytics. Daniel Nugent-Bowman takes a look 
G Tyler Fuhr, 19, is back with the Regina Pats. Fuhr left the club in late September. “It was personal business; we’ll just leave it at that,” Fuhr told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post. “It was something I had to deal with. I wanted my main focus to be on hockey and nothing distracting me. I think that was the best thing to do. Everything is resolved now.” Fuhr, who is from Sherwood Park, Alta., hasn't played for the Pats since Sept. 26. In his absence, Tyler Brown, who had been with the MJHL's Winnipeg Blues, backed up starter Daniel Wapple. . . . Harder also reports: "Work crews have started making preparations for the installation of a new centre-ice scoreboard at the Brandt Centre. The process will require significant modifications — including adjustments to catwalks, wiring and ventilation as well as structural reinforcement — so the clock can be raised into the rafters during non-hockey events. It’s hoped the new scoreboard will be in place before the New Year." 
In Victoria, D Ryan Pilon broke a 2-2 tie at 11:34 of the third period to lift the Brandon Wheat Kings to a 3-2 victory over the Royals. . . . Pilon has three goals this season. . . . The Wheat Kings, who play the Giants in Vancouver tonight, are 3-1-0 on a seven-game road trip. . . . Victoria F Axel Blomqvist had tied the game 2-2 at 16:55 of the second period with his fifth goal. . . . Czech F Richard Nejezchleb, playing in his first game of the season for Brandon, scored a PP goal in the first period. . . . Nejezchleb returned from the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack and had to serve a two-game suspension left over from last spring's playoffs. Nejezchleb, 20, led the Wheat Kings with 32 goals last season, but his presence gives Brandon three imports. Either he, Latvian Rihards Bukharts, the team's leading scorer who didn't play last night, or freshman Russian D Ivan Provorov will be traded or released over the next few days. . . . Provorov, 17, had two assists last night. . . . Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun has a game story 
In Saskatoon, G Nik Amundrud made 30 saves to help the Blades to a 5-2 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . F Ryan Graham led the Blades with a goal, his second, and two assists. . . . F Brayden Point scored twice for the Warriors, giving him eight on the season. . . . Saskatoon was 2-for-6 on the PP. . . . Saskatoon had F Nick Zajac back after he missed four games with a shoulder injury. . . . The Warriors, who were playing their fourth game in five nights, now have lost four in a row. They have scored five goals over their last five games. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has a gamer 
In Red Deer, the Rebels scored the game's last three goals and beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 5-3. . . . Rebels F Grayson Pawlenchuk tied the game 3-3 at 18:01 of the second period, with his fifth goal, and D Devan Fafard broke the tie, with his second, at 6:45 of the third. . . . Red Deer F Wyatt Johnson added insurance with his seventh goal. He's on a three-game goal streak. . . . F Trevor Cox drew three assists for the Tigers (11-2-1), while F Cole Sanford scored his ninth goal. . . . Medicine Hat F Chad Butcher picked up an assist as he ran his point streak to 10 games, the longest in the league this season. . . . Besides losing the game, the Tigers lost a tire. Here’s a late-night tweet from Bob Ridley, the bus-driving radio man: “On way home. May take a few hrs longer. Flat tire on Q.E . 2 at Olds turnoff. Waiting for help.” . . .
In Cranbrook, G Nick McBride posted his first WHL shutout to lead the Prince Albert Raiders to a 5-0 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . McBride stopped 29 shots. . . . The Ice has been blanked three times this season and has scored only five goals in five home games. . . . D Josh Morrissey had a goal, his third, and two assists for the Raiders, while F Craig Leverton and F Jayden Hart each scored his sixth goal. . . . Hart, who had one goal in his first seven games, is riding a five-game goal streak. . . . Ice G Wyatt Hoflin stopped 41 shots. . . . At 3-12-0, the Ice is off to its worst start in franchise history. . . . The Ice, already without F Tim Bozon and F Jon Martin with undisclosed injuries, has lost D Tyler King for up to three weeks with an undisclosed injury. . . . Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has a gamer 
D Robby Sandrock (Spokane, Swift Current, Medicine Hat, Kelowna, 1994-99) has signed a one-year extension with the Belfast Giants (Northern Ireland, UK Elite). Last season, Sandrock had 51 points, including 13 goals, in 59 games. He led the league’s defencemen in assists and was named to the first all-star team. 
F Ben Maxwell (Kootenay, 2003-08) has signed a one-year contract with Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk (Russia, KHL). Last season, with Kärpät Oulu (Finland, Liiga), he had 42 points, 16 of them goals, in 49 games, finishing ninth in the league’s scoring race. Maxwell got the primary assists on the Game 6 game-winning goal (a 3-2 victory) and winner and on the Game 7 OT goal (1-0) in the league final. Kärpät had been down 3-1 in the series.
George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press reported Thursday night that the OHL’s Plymouth Whalers will name Don Elland as their head coach today. Elland has been an assistant coach with the Whalers for four seasons. . . . Elland, 50, will replace Mike Vellucci as head coach. Vellucci, who had been with the Whalers for 14 seasons, left to become assistant GM and director of hockey operations with the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes. . . . The Whalers and Hurricanes both are owned by Peter Karmanos Jr.
Dave Allison is the new head coach of the USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers. Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register reports that the announcement is to made this morning. . . . Allison has coach in Des Moines before, as he was the head coach of the AHL’s Iowa Stars for three seasons. He also was hired to coach the Buccaneers once before but, as Birch wrote: “(Allison) never took the ice for a game due to work-permit visa issues. He instead took a job as a scout with the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins.” . . . Last season, Allison was an assistant coach with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. . . . With Des Moines, Allison replaces Jon Rogger, who spent two seasons as head coach. . . . The Buccaneers have missed the playoffs in each of the last seven seasons.
Posts
