The Edmonton Oil Kings are rewriting the franchise’s modern day record book. In the process, this team is setting the bar for the teams that will follow.
Of course, the modern-day Oil Kings are in only their fifth season but, still, the numbers are impressive.
Here’s a quick look at some of the franchise records that already have fallen (with a tip of the hat to Ryan Ohashi, the Oil Kings’ manager of communications):
REGULAR SEASON
Most Points (Team): 83
Previous record: 69 (2010-11)
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Most Wins (Team): 38
Previous record: 34 (2010-11)
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Most Assists: 54 (Dylan Wruck)
Previous Record: 48 (Michael St.Croix, 2010-11)
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CAREER
Most Games Played: 255 (T.J. Foster)
Previous record: 218 (Adrian Van De Mosselaer, 2007-11)
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Most Goals: 83 (Michael St. Croix)
Previous Record: 50 (Brent Raedeke and Tomas Vincour, both 2007-10)
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Most Assists: 129 (Michael St.Croix, 2009-11)
Previous Record: 77 (Michael St.Croix, 2009-11)
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Most Points: 212 (Michael St.Croix, 2009-11)
Previous Record: 123 (Michael St.Croix, 2009-11)
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Most Shutouts: 5 (Laurent Brossoit)
Previous Record: 4 (Torrie Jung, 2008-10)
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The Oil Kings also lead the wHL in goals scored (244) and goal differential (plus-97). . . . The Oil Kings continue their record run tonight when they meet the Giants in Vancouver.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The Southern Professional league’s Fayetteville FireAntz have brought in Todd Bidner to replace the fired Sean Gillam (Spokane, 1992-96). . . . The FireAntz went 12-25-5 under Gillam, who was in his first season. They are in last place in the SPHL. . . . Bidner, 40, was selected by the Washington Capitals in the sixth round of the NHL’s 1980 draft. He played most of his pro career in Great Britain.
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JUST NOTES:
The Saskatoon Blades have brought in D Brett Lernout, 16, from the midget AAA Winnipeg Wild. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound Lernout has 35 points and is plus-54 in 44 games with the Wild. A late birthday, he will be eligible for the 2013 NHL draft. . . . Kevin Pochuk, another Wild defenceman, also is in the WHL. He is with the Red Deer Rebels on their swing into the B.C. Division. Pochuk has 64 points and is plus-81 in 42 games with the Wild. . . . If you were wondering, the Wild is 41-2-1. . . . Saskatoon also owns the WHL rights to Wild G Alex Moodie, who had a good run with the Blades early in the new year following an injury to starter Andrey Markarov.
The Kelowna Rockets should have F Brett Lyon and F Jessey Astles back in the lineup tonight when they play host to the Calgary Hitmen. Lyon, 20, has served a WHL-issued six-game suspension, while Astles, 18, has missed 18 games with what the team says is an “upper-body injury.” It is believed that he was out with a concussion. . . . Due to injuries and Lyon’s suspensions, the Rockets had six 16-year-olds dressed on Tuesday when they lost 6-3 to the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings. . . .
The Vancouver Giants will add D Cody Franson of the Toronto Maple Leafs to their Ring of Honour tonight as part of the festivities when they play host to the Edmonton Oil Kings. Franson, 24, played three full seasons (2004-07) for the Giants. His younger brother Cain, 18, plays for the Giants now. "It's exciting and I'm very honoured to have this happen but I also haven't seen my brother play since he was 15 years old, or maybe even younger than that," Cody told Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province. "I'm very excited to watch him play." . . . Vancouver has lost F Anthony Ast to a four-game suspension for a charging major he incurred during a game against the Tri-City Americans on Tuesday. Ast didn’t play in Wednesday’s 2-1 victory over the Chiefs in Spokane so has three games left to serve. F Mitch Messier, the subject of Ast’s hit, didn’t return to Tuesday’s game and didn’t play Wednesday in a ?? loss to the host Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Giants also will be without F Marek Tvrdon, who picked up a match penalty for spearing in Spokane. . . . Ewen reports that the Giants will have F Brodyn Nielsen, 18, in their lineup tonight. He already has played seven games with the Giants this season but plays regularly for the junior B North Vancouver Wolf Pack. . . . The Giants also may get F Carter Popoff, a 16-year-old from the junior B Richmond Sockeyes into their lineup. . . .
The Brandon Wheat Kings have been bitten by the injury bug as it seems have so many teams of late. The Wheat Kings beat the Hurricanes 4-2 in Lethbridge on Wednesday without the services of five forwards — Alessio Bertaggia, Dominick Favreau, Tyrel Seaman and Kevin Sundher and Jason Swyripa. The Wheat Kings are at home to the Prince Albert Raiders and apparently don’t know if any of the injured will return. . . .
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Saskatoon soon will have a new cardiac care lab and CTVNews has a piece right here that includes some time with Darren Lefebvre, who you will recall had a cardiac issue while playing for the Spokane Chiefs in 2002-03. That piece is right here.
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Today’s good read comes from The New Yorker and has nothing to do with hockey. Instead, it’s all about football. Rather, it’s all about Jon Gruden. Kelefa Sanneh has written a terrific piece and it’s right here. And it's lengthy, so be prepared.


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Taylor Vause of the Swift Current Broncos, with the sweater that he designed.
(Photo courtesy of Swift Current Broncos)

ASK THE COMMISSIONER:
Mr. Commissioner, do you read all the comments left by fans on the WHL’s Facebook page?
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The Swift Current Broncos will wear themed sweaters on Saturday when the Regina Pats came calling.
The sweaters were designed by Broncos captain Taylor Vause, who obviously is rather talented when it comes to graphic design, and remembers the four Broncos who died when the team’s bus crashed on Dec. 30, 1986.
Leading up to Saturday night, the Broncos will auction off the game-worn jerseys with all proceeds going to the team’s education fund.
Fans will be able to bid online (www.scbroncos.com) or by phone (306-773-1509) leading up to the game, or in the lobby of the Credit Union iPlex during the game. The bidding will start at $150 for each jersey, with additional bids accepted in $10 increments.
A live auction is scheduled to be held after the game. That auction will involve sweaters worn by Vause, Andy Blanke, Coda Gordon and Graham Black.

All of which allows me to plug a book that is to be published by Dundurn Press in November.
Sudden Death: The Incredible Saga of the 1986 Swift Current Broncos tells the story of the team that survived that horrific bus accident and went on to win the 1989 Memorial Cup championship with a 5-4 overtime victory over the Blades in Saskatoon.
Yes, I was involved in writing the book, along with Leesa Culp, who happened to witness the accident, and Bob Wilkie, a defenceman who was on that bus and who also was on the Memorial Cup-winning team.
You may pre-order the book from right here at amazon.ca or McNally Robinson.
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Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s minister of justice, delivered something of a wakeup call on Tuesday morning by handing out 25 games in suspensions to four players.
D Brennan Yadlowski of the Everett Silvertips will watch for 10 games after receiving a game misconduct on Friday in Portland. “The player’s off-ice actions following removal from game in the third period were unacceptable,” read Doerksen’s written reasons.
F Brendan Hurley of the Medicine Hat Tigers and F Brett Lyon of the Kelowna Rockets each drew a six-game sentence for hits that left opponents concussed.
Hurley hit D Duncan Siemens of the Saskatoon Blades on Saturday. The Blades have said Siemens is likely to be out 10 days. “The player checked the opponent, who was in a vulnerable position, from behind,” Doerksen wrote. “The opponent was injured on the play. The player has received several checking from behind penalties this season.”
Lyon delivered a check to the head of Cougars F Jarrett Fontaine on Friday in Prince George. “Primary contact was made to the head of a vulnerable player,” Doerksen wrote. “This is the third suspension the player has received in the past three seasons for this type of hit.”
Lyon was suspended under supplemental discipline as there wasn’t a penalty on the play. Neither Lyon nor Fontaine played in Saturday’s rematch in Prince George.
Finally, F Kristians Pelss of the Edmonton Oil Kings was suspended for three games for a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct against the visiting Red Deer Rebels on Friday.
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So . . . let us try and piece together the Yadlowski suspension.
As stated above, Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president, hockey, wrote: “The player’s off-ice actions following removal from game in the third period were unacceptable.”
Yadlowski was given a major and game misconduct at 19:41 of the third period. That was after a fight with F Jason Trott, who received an instigating minor, fighting major and game misconduct.
So what happened after that? Well, it seems that Yadlowski may have gone somewhere he wasn’t welcome.
Scott Sepich, a freelancer who follows the Winterhawks, tweeted: “Yadlowski apparently tried to enter Portland's dressing room, upset with Portland's Jason Trott, with whom he had just fought.”
There may be some truth to that as Portland F Taylor Peters, again via Twitter, offered his services as tour guide.
"If the guy wants a tour of the room all he has to do is ask,” Peters tweeted.
There were other tweets, too:
From Portland D Troy Rutkowski: “@BigBadYads keep the ginger rage down a bit sir #deepbreaths #gingersdohavesouls”
Yadlowski, 20, responded with “not a fan of getting jumped #classless."
Rutkowski and Yadlowski, by the way, are pals from Edmonton.
The Silvertips played the Royals in Victoria last night and Everett head coach Mark Ferner confirmed before the game that Yadlowski, indeed, had made his way into Portland’s dressing room.
“It was silly,” Ferner told Travis Huntington, the radio voice of the Silvertips, on the pregame show. “The game was over . . . (late in the game we were) 4 on 4, they sent over a player who maybe got three or four shifts. . . . (Yadlowski) said the kid jumped him. Yads took his skates off and ended up going in their dressing room.”
In Portland’s Memorial Coliseum, the dressing rooms are on opposite sides with an expanse of concrete between them. Thus, Yadlowski had to take off his skates to make the trek. He must have been one upset dude.
Of course, as always seems to happen in these instances, Doerksen had the last word.
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JUST NOTES:
The WHL held meetings in Las Vegas on the weekend, it being Super Bowl weekend and the Las Vegas WHL franchise and that city’s hotels needing the help that might be generated from holding meetings there. . . . You are free to visit the Las Vegas Sun’s website for coverage of the meetings. . . . If you don’t find any coverage, it will be because the WHL believes in that old saying that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. . . .
The hits just keep coming for the Red Deer Rebels. They now have lost F Colten Mayor, 18, for up to four weeks with an undisclosed injury. . . . Mayor, in his third season, has 38 points, including 14 goals, in 52 games this season. . . . He is from St. Alberta, Alta. . . .
The Portland Winterhawks will be without D William Wrenn, their captain, for another couple of weeks. He suffered a broken bone in his right hand during a Jan. 28 game in Seattle. He should be back in two to three weeks. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie, who continues to lead the scoring race, took a rap on the head in Saturday’s 3-2 loss to the visiting Vancouver Giants and hasn’t played since. He is listed on the WHL injury report as being out for another week with an “upper-body” injury. . . .
In the BCHL, the Penticton Vees dumped the host Chilliwack Chiefs 7-0 on Tuesday night to run their winning streak to a league-record 30 games. That broke the record of 29 they had shared with the 1989-90 New Westminster Royals. . . .
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Edmonton, F Michael St. Croix broke a 1-1 tie at 7:42 of the third period and the Oil Kings went on to beat the Kootenay Ice, 3-1. . . . F Sam Reinhart scored the game’s first goal, his 23rd, at 11:36 of the first, via the PP. . . . His brother, Griffin, got that one back for Edmonton at 17:52 of the second. . . . St. Croix got his 34th on the PP. . . . F Rhett Rachinski put it away with an empty-netter at 19:16. . . . Ice F Max Reinhart (foot) returned from a five-game absence. That meant all three Reinhart brothers were in the game, Sam and Max with the Ice and Griffin with the Oil Kings. . . . Griffin holds bragging rights as the Oil Kings have won three of four meetings this season. . . . Sam, who isn’t eligible for the NHL draft until 2014, has 23 goals. He is trying to become the first 16-year-old with 30 goals since F Brett Connolly scored 30 for the Prince George Cougars in 2008-09. Connolly was the first to do it since F Patrick Marleau scored 32 for the Seattle Thunderbirds in 1995-96. . . . The game was a rare midweek morning affair, with a start time of 11:30 a.m. Attendance was announced as 8,850. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 32 shots, six more than Edmonton’s Laurent Brossoit. . . . The Oil Kings pulled into a tie with the Tri-City Americans for second place in the overall standings. Both teams are two points behind the Kamloops Blazers. The Americans visit Kamloops tonight. . . .

In Medicine Hat, F Cole Grbavac broke a 3-3 tie at 8:10 of the third period and the Tigers went on to a 5-3 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz stopped 40 shots, including 15 in the first period and 17 in the second. . . . Grbavac, the Tigers’ captain, has nine goals. . . . Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem scored his WHL-leading 49th goal on a PP at 17:49 of the third. He has 49 goals in 48 games. . . . The Tigers are third in the Eastern Conference and now are three points ahead of the Hitmen. . . . Medicine Hat was 3-for-3 on the PP. . . .

In Victoria, the Everett Silvertips climbed out of the Western Conference basement with a 3-2 victory over the Royals. . . . The Silvertips are three points behind the Seattle Thunderbirds, who hold down the conference’s eighth and final playoff spot, and five behind the seventh-place Royals. . . . The Silvertips play in Victoria again tonight. . . . F Cody Fowlie, with his ninth goal, and D Dominik Bittner, with his third, gave Everett a 2-0 lead late in the second period. . . . Victoria F Ben Walker scored his seventh at 5:24 of the third, but Everett F Ryan Harrison, with his 14th, got that one back at 11:41. . . . F Brandon Mageen got the home team to within one with his 19th goal at 19:12 of the third on the PP. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson stopped 29 shots. . . . The Silvertips had F Carson Stadnyk, an eighth-round pick in the 2010 bantam draft, in their lineup for the first time. Stadnyk, who turned 17 yesterday, has 55 points in 38 games with the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts. . . . Everett was without D Brennan Yadlowski, who was suspended for 10 games earlier in the day. In his absence, D Josh Caron had an ‘A’ on his sweater. . . . The Royals were without D Zach Habscheid (ankle), who was injured while unloading the team bus on Sunday and may be out for a while. Marc Habscheid, the Royals’ GM/head coach and Zach’s father, told the Victoria Times Colonist that “it’s not good . . . it might be the season.” . . . Habscheid said he has only had two games all season when he has had a healthy corps of defencemen. . . . Victoria did welcome back D Tyler Stahl, who hadn’t played since the fourth game of the season. He took a headshot from then-Prince George Cougars F Charles Inglis on Oct. 1 and has been out with a concussion. Inglis drew a 10-game suspension for the hit; he now is with the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Stahl didn’t finish, however, and now is looking at a suspension. He took a charging major and game misconduct for a hit on F Jordyn Boyd at 4:11 of the second period.
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TUESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Trent Lofthouse, Everett.
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TUESDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From Kamloops G Cole Cheveldave: “I just dropped my laptop off the boat...its a dell, rolling in the deep.”

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Tuesday’s moves in the Western Hockey League:
EVERETT SILVERTIPS—Released F Vladimir Dolnik, 18. Reassigned F Matt Grant, 18, to BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals. Reassigned D Darian Henry, 17, to AJHL’s Drumheller Dragaons.
KELOWNA ROCKETS—Released D Kevin Smith, 20.
KOOTENAY ICE—Traded F Brendan Hurley, 18, to Medicine Hat Tigers for a 2012 third-round bantam draft pick.
MEDICINE HAT TIGERS—Traded F Reid Petryk, 18, to Everett Silvertips for F Miles Koules, 17.
MOOSE JAW WARRIORS—Traded F Brett Lyon, 20, to Kelowna Rockets for a 2013 seventh-round bantam draft pick and a 2014 fifth-round pick.
PRINCE ALBERT RAIDERS—Assigned D Mathew Berry-Lamontagna, 18, to BCHL’s Westside Warriors.
PRINCE GEORGE COUGARS—Traded D Martin Marincin, 19, 2012 fourth- and seventh-round bantam draft picks and a 2013 fourth-round bantam draft pick to Regina Pats for D Ricard Blidstrand, 19, 2012 first- and second-round bantam draft picks and a 2013 fifth-round pick. Assigned D Josh Smith, 17, to undisclosed AJHL team. Added F John Odgers, 18, to roster.
SEATTLE THUNDERBIRDS—Traded F Marcel Noebels, 19, to Portland for F Seth Swenson, 18, and first-round bantam draft picks in 2012 and 2013.
SPOKANE CHIEFS—Added F Dylan Walchuk, 19, to roster.
TRI-CITY AMERICANS—Acquired WHL rights to F Brett Connolly, 19, from Prince George Cougars for 2013 fifth-round bantam draft pick, conditional 2013 first-round draft pick and conditional 2014 second-round draft pick.
VANCOUVER GIANTS—Traded F James Henry, 20, to Moose Jaw Warriors for 2012 second-round bantam draft pick and 2014 third-round pick. Traded G Brendan Jensen, 18, to Portland for a 2013 sixth-round bantam draft pick. Traded D Eric Walker, 18, to Swift Current for a 2012 eighth-round bantam draft pick.
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DRAFT TRACKER (since Dec. 27):
Trades made: 22
Players: 35
Bantam draft picks: 29
Import draft picks: 0
(Does not include conditional draft picks)
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While everyone waited to see if the Regina Pats would trade away veteran C Jordan Weal, general manager Chad Lang performed an end-around.
Instead of selling, the Pats turned into buyers as the WHL deadline came and went on Tuesday.
Lang stunned a lot of people when he landed Slovakian D Martin Marincin, 19, early Tuesday in a deal with the Prince George Cougars that ended up totalling two players and six bantam draft picks.
Marincin, a second-round pick by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2010 NHL draft, was one of the big fish in the WHL lake as the trade deadline approached. In exchange for him, the Cougars got Swedish D Ricard Blidstrand, 19, first- and second-round picks in 2012 and a fifth-rounder in 2013.
Along with Marincin, Regina also got fourth- and seventh-round selections in 2012 and a fourth-rounder in 2013.
Marincin, a big, rangy defender who excels on the PP, has 17 points in 30 games this season. Last season, he had 56 points in 67 games. He is expected to be in the Pats’ lineup tonight against the host Prince Albert Raiders.
Blidstrand, a seventh-round selection by the Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL’s 2010 draft, had 17 points in 70 games last season. This season, he has 13 points in 30 games.
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The Prince George Cougars sent the WHL rights to F Brett Connolly to the Tri-City Americans for one bantam draft pick and two conditional picks. The Cougars get a 2013 fifth-round selection from the Americans, along with a conditional first-round pick in 2013 and a conditional second-round selection in 2014. As I understand it, if Connolly reports and if the Americans were to win the Western Conference, that 2014 pick would become a first-rounder. . . . Connolly, the sixth overall pick in the NHL’s 2010 draft, has been with the Tampa Bay Lightning this season, except for four weeks with Canada’s national junior team. He has eight points with the Lightning. . . . Connolly played 8:33 last night in a 5-4 shootout loss to the visiting Vancouver Canucks. He had 13 shifts, all at even strength. . . . Hello, Steve, this is Bob Tory calling. . . .
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The Portland Winterhawks surprised more than a few people by surrendering two first-round bantam draft picks and F Seth Swenson, 18, to acquire F Marcel Noebels, 19, from the Seattle Thunderbirds.
The Winterhawks gave up first-round picks in the 2012 and 2013 bantam drafts.
“We just could not pass up the offer that was made,” Russ Farwell, the general manager of the Seattle Thunderbirds (of Kent), said in a news release. “We add a younger player and two high draft picks.”
Noebels, from Germany, has 24 points in 31 games this season. He also is a minus-22. He was the 10th overall selection by Seattle in the 2010 CHL import draft. The Philadelphia Flyers own his NHL rights, having taken him in the fourth round of the 2011 draft.
Swenson, from Parker, Colo., had seven points in 33 games with Portland. This is his third WHL season. He has 21 points and 64 penalty minutes in 132 games.
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The Portland Winterhawks also acquired G Brendan Jensen, 18, from the Vancouver Giants for a 2013 sixth-round bantam draft pick.
Jensen, from El Granada, Calif., is with the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints. With the Saints, Jensen is 12-0-3, 2.14, .917.
And, to make room for F Cam Reid, 20, the Winterhawks released F Dillon Wagner, 20. Wagner, who was acquired earlier this season from the Swift Current Broncos, had seven points and 25 penalty minutes in 17 games with Portland.
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A note about the deal between Portland and Edmonton on Monday in which the rights to F Cam Reid, 20, went from the Oil Kings to the Winterhawks.
The deal was announced as being for a 2012 eighth-round bantam draft pick. Actually, that is the price Portland paid just to talk with Reid. Under conditions of the deal, that pick has been upgraded to a 2013 second-round selection as Reid has left St. Cloud State and reported to Portland.
Any doubt about whether Reid would report was erased when I received a message from an interested observer:
“At MSP airport last night, there was a SCSU hockey bag with a bag tag for PDX sitting there . . . just saying!”
That would be Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) and St. Cloud State University (SCSU) and Portland (PDX).
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On Monday, the Moose Jaw Warriors acquired F Cam Braes, 20, who had been the captain of the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
On Tuesday, the Warriors went out and got F James Henry, 20, who was the Vancouver Giants’ captain.
In exchange for Henry, the Warriors gave up a second-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft and a third-round pick in the 2014 draft.
Henry, a ninth-round pick by Vancouver in the 2006 draft, was second on the Giants’ all-time list for games played (281). This season, he has 41 points, including 35 assists, in 41 games. He has 184 points in those 281 regular-season games.
Henry, who is from Winnipeg, and Moose Jaw D Dylan McIlrath are old friends from their childhood days in the Manitoba capital.
“He was a heck of a player when we were younger,” McIlrath told Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald. “It’s going to be fun to play with him.”
Immediately following the trade, the Giants named F Brendan Gallagher as team captain.
That deal also left the Warriors with four 20-year-olds, one over the maximum. The other two were F Brett Lyon and F Kenton Miller.
The Warriors promptly traded Lyon, who is having a career offensive season, to the Kelowna Rockets for a 2013 seventh-round bantam draft pick and a 2014 fifth-round pick.
Lyon has 28 points, including 11 goals, and 95 penalty minutes in 41 games. In 199 career games, Lyon has 54 points and 537 penalty minutes.
One of the WHL’s toughest players, his previous career highs were five goals and five assists. From Grand Forks, B.C., he also has played with the Kamloops Blazers and Vancouver.
That left the Rockets with four 20-year-olds – the others being F Cody Chikie, D Kevin Smith and G Adam Brown – so the dominoes continued to fall.
In order to get down to three, the Rockets released Smith.
Late last night it was reported that Smith had signed with the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies.
However, let’s not forget that Vancouver has room for a 20-year-old. Vancouver’s brass was meeting after the Giants’ 3-0 victory over the visiting Prince George Cougars last night. Should the Giants choose to add a 20-year-old, their options could include Smith or F Dillon Wagner, who was dropped by Portland.
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The Vancouver Giants sent D Eric Walker, 18, to the Swift Current Broncos for a 2012 eighth-round bantam draft pick.
Walker left Northern Michigan University to join the Giants on Nov. 19. With Vancouver, Walker had two assists and 18 penalty minutes in 16 games.
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The Medicine Hat Tigers dealt F Reid Petryk, 18, to the Everett Silvertips for the rights to F Miles Koules, 17. . . . Petryk, a fourth-round pick in the 2008 bantam draft, had 19 points and 56 penalty minutes in 43 games with the Tigers. . . . Should Koules report to the Tigers, Everett also will get a fourth-round bantam pick. . . . Koules is in the U.S. National Team Development Program. He plays for the U-18 team that is based in Ann Arbor, Mich., and has committed to attend the U of North Dakota. . . . Koules is the son of former WHLer Oren Koules (Portland, Great Falls, Medicine Hat, Spokane, Calgary, Brandon, 1979-82), who did a stint as owner of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning a couple of seasons ago. Among other things, Koules, if you weren’t aware, is a movie producer. Go ahead. Google him. . . . Miles Koules has 13 points in 32 games with the U-18 team. Two seasons ago, he played at Shattock-St. Marys. . . . Pre-trade deadline speculation had Koules ending up with the Portland Winterhawks, something Oren Koules had heard.
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The Kootenay Ice sent F Brendan Hurley, 18, to the Medicine Hat Tigers for a 2012 third-round bantam draft pick. Hurley, from Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., had six points and 29 penalty minutes in 26 games with the Ice. He was in his third season with the Ice, and was a member of last season’s Memorial Cup championship team.
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The Spokane Chiefs have added F Dylan Walchuk, 19, to their roster. Walchuk, who has been on the Chiefs’ list since December 2008, has played at Northern Michigan University and with the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers this season. A native of McBride, B.C., Walchuk played the last two seasons with the Vipers, who won one Canadian junior A championship and reached the final last year. This season, Walchuk had eight points in 19 games at NMU. He then left NMU and returned to the Vipers, putting up six points in six games with Vernon.
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ALSO ON THE MOVE:
The Everett Silvertips reassigned F Vladimir Dolnik, F Matt Grant and D Darian Henry. . . . Dolnik, 18, was selected in the 2011 CHL import draft and is returning to Slovakia. He had five helpers in 27 games with the Silvertips. . . . Grant, with no points in four games, is returning to the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals. Grant, 18, was acquired earlier in the season from Moose Jaw in a deal that had G Luke Siemens go to the Warriors. . . . Henry, 17, will join the AJHL’s Drumheller Dragons. He had one assist in 16 games with Everett. . . . The Prince George Cougars have assigned D Josh Smith, 17, to an undisclosed AJHL team. Smith In his second full season with the Cougars, had six points and 77 penalty minutes in 31 games. . . . The Cougars also revealed that they will be keeping F John Odgers, 18, for the remainder of the season. The son of former WHL/NHL F Jeff Odgers, John has one goal in four games. . . . The Prince Albert Raiders have assigned D Mathew Berry-Lamontagna, 18, to the BCHL’s Westside Warriors. He had one assist and 10 penalty minutes in 17 games with the Raiders.
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Here’s how things work these days, thanks to Twitter, as folks watch the WHL trade deadline approach:
To set the stage . . . the Moose Jaw Warriors had just traded F Brett Lyon, 20, to the Kelowna Rockets. That deal left the Rockets with four 20-year-olds, the others being G Adam Brown, D Kevin Smith and F Cody Chikie.
At the same time, there had been ample speculation that the Brandon Wheat Kings were in the market for a goaltender. Never mind that they already have three on their roster.
So . . .
Early Tuesday afternoon, Bruce Luebke, the radio voice of the  Wheat Kings, tweeted: “Take it for what it's worth, but Daniel Asham and Dylan Kuczek among those missing from #bdnwheatkings practice today.”
WEHP scout then responded with: “Could Asham/Kuczek be heading to Kelowna for Adam Brown? I feel things are winding down now.”
Cody Nickolet, the analyst on Saskatoon Blades’ broadcasts, followed that with: “It must be Brown on the way to Brandon now as the Rockets have too many 20's.”
Regan Bartel, the radio voice of the Rockets, ended the suspense with: “To make room for Lyon, @Kelowna_Rockets release 20 year old d-man Kevin Smith.”
But what of Asham and Kuczek?
A few minutes later, Luebke tweeted: “Apparently, Kuczek and Asham both missing practice today with illness. Don't know if it's upper body illness or lower body illness.”
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While we’re at it, let’s not forget about the toll that the lead-up to the trade deadline takes on the players. Here are a few tweets from Tuesday:
D Derrick Pouliot, Portland Winterhawks: “WHL trade deadline #nerveracking tension in the dressing room #fornow”
F James Henry, after being traded from Vancouver to Moose Jaw: “Want to say thank u to everyone in vancouver the fans players coaches management owners scouts n billets thank u for everything”
F Justin Kirsch of the Moose Jaw Warriors: “These are the most nerve racking days of a young mans career #tradedeadline”
F Andrew Johnson of the Warriors: “Sad day for the boys. Gonna miss ya @BLyon9 best of luck out there and keep in touch. Will always remember the self proclaimed 'big cheese' ”
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Former WHL G Jeff Bosch, now at Lakehead U in Thunder Bay: “for the 1st time in 5 yrs i dont have 2 worry about being dealt 2 a new team, different city #unilife #thanksciszler4nothavingtrades”
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And there was this tweet from Seattle Thunderbirds goaltender Calvin Pickard: “@bconnolly8 don't even think about it..........”
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And one from Portland F Sven Baertschi: “well i guess im not the only euro anymore....@MarcelNoebels !!!”
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If you enjoyed the extensive WHL trade deadline coverage, perhaps you would consider donating to the cause. If so, just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The NHL’s Anaheim Ducks have restructured the coach staff of their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. Trent Yawney, who had been a pro scout with the Ducks, was moved in as associate head coach, Mark Holick, a former Kootenay Ice head coach, was moved from head coach to associate coach. . . . Marty Wilford stays on as assistant coach. . . . Yawney, from Hudson Bay, Sask., had been an assistant coach with the San Jose Sharks from 2008-11. . . . Yawney was an assistant coach under Marc Crawford with the Canadian team at the Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland, late last month. . . . The Crunch is 15-15-4, good for fourth place in the five team East Division.
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JUST NOTES: F Henrik Samuelsson practised with the Edmonton Oil Kings on Tuesday. He was skating alongside T.J. Foster and Kristians Pelss. . . . Samuelsson, the son of former NHL D Ulf Samuelsson, is eligible for the NHL’s 2012 draft. He had been playing in Sweden but, because he was born in Sweden, he isn’t classified as an import player. . . . F Stefan Matteau, the U.S. U-18 team’s leading scorer, has decided not to go to the U of North Dakota. He announced via Twitter that he will play for the QMJHL’s Blainville-Boisbriand Armada next season. He is the son of former NHL F Stephane Matteau, who is an assistant coach with the Armada. “My decision is final,” the younger Matteau tweeted. . . . The OHL has suspended Kingston Frontenacs D Alex Gudbranson, 18, for 10 games for a hit to the head of Peterborough Petes F Matt Puempel. Gudbranson is the younger brother of Florida Panthers D Erik Gudbranson.
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ON THE ICE:
In Vancouver, G Jackson Whistle earned his first WHL victory and his first shutout as the Giants dumped the Prince George Cougars, 3-0. . . . Whistle, a 16-year-old from Kelowna, is 1-5-0, 3.42, .873. . . . It was the first time Vancouver has blanked an opponent this season. . . . The Cougars have been shut out a WHL-leading seven times. . . . The Cougars have been shut out in three of their last four games, during which time they have scored one goal. . . . F Brendan Gallagher had a goal, his 28th, and an assist for the Giants. . . . F Dalton Sward got the game’s first goal. It was his 10th, equalling his total from last season. He also ended a 13-game drought by scoring on his 18th birthday. . . . The Giants won the season series, 7-1. . . . The Cougars have lost five in a row. 

It was quite a night at the Rose Garden in Portland where the annual Teddy
Bear Toss was accompanied by a marriage ceremony as Linda (Lulu)
Moonwood and Dr. Robert Murakami exchanged vows.
(Photos courtesy Portland Winterhawks)

Let’s be honest!
The big story from Saturday’s WHL action was in Portland where the Winterhawks took the Teddy Bear game to new heights.
There were 10,947 fans — a sellout for hockey — in the Rose Garden when F Ty Rattie scored the Teddy Bear goal at 2:52 of the first period.
And while they were cleaning the stuffed toys off the ice, a marriage ceremony involving Linda (Lulu) Moonwood and Dr. Robert Murakami took place.
I have looked high and low on the Internet but haven’t been able to find the couple’s names. (If someone has them, please email me at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca.)
I am told the groom is a local men’s league goaltender. Judging by his wedding suit, he takes his position in the goaltender’s union rather seriously.
By the way, does the groom resemble Denis Lemieux, or what? Come on! Just a bit?
No matter. Congratulations to the happy couple on what certainly was a wedding to remember. ———
In Regina, F Jordan Weal and F Trent Ouellette each had a goal and two assists to help the Pats to a 5-3 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . F Colton Stephenson scored the Teddy Bear goal at 11:05 of the first period. . . . Weal broke a 3-3 tie at 15:36 of the third period. . . . F Tyler Giebel, who had four goals in 60 games over three seasons with the Everett Silvertips, scored in his first game with Red Deer. Giebel, 18, is from Balgonie, Sask. Regina is a suburb of Balgonie. . . .

In Swift Current, F Cain Franson scored twice for Vancouver as the Giants edged the Broncos, 3-2. . . . Vancouver went 4-1-1 on its trek through the East Division. The only other time the Giants won four games on the trip was in 2005-06. . . . Franson has 11 goals. . . . Vancouver F Jordan Martinook got his 17th goal; he has seven goals in his last eight games. . . . F Anthony Ast drew two assists for the Giants. . . . The Broncos had only 11 shots on goal threw two periods. They were outshot 15-3 in the first. . . . Vancouver G Adam Morrison leads the WHL with 18 victories. . . .

In Moose Jaw, the Warriors scored the game’s last two goals and beat the Kootenay Ice, 2-1. . . . The Ice has lost two straight for the first time this season. . . . F Brett Lyon, with his 10th, tied it at 16:55 of the first on the PP. . . . F Quinton Howden broke the tie with his 1with at 18:19 of the first. . . . Moose Jaw G Luke Siemens stopped 26 shots to improve to 15-6-4. . . . Ice F Max Reinhart picked up an assist to run his points streak to nine games. . . .

In Medicine Hat, the Spokane Chiefs scored five straight goals and beat the Tigers, 6-3. . . . F Mitch Holmberg had three goals for Spokane, giving him 10. He has two career hat tricks. . . . Spokane is 2-1-1 on its six-game swing. . . . Chiefs F Steve Kuhn, who is from Oyen, Alta., and played for the bantam AAA Medicine Hat Hockey Hounds, had three assists. . . . The Tigers got the game’s first two goals, but the Chiefs scored once in the second period and added four in a row in the first 15 minutes of the third. . . . F Emerson Etem had a goal, his WHL-leading 28th, and two assists for the Tigers. . . . The team’s captains, Darren Kramer of the Chiefs and Cole Grbavac of the Tigers, did battle at 4:38 of the first. . . .

In Lethbridge, G Damien Ketlo stopped 52 shots to lead the Hurricanes to a 6-3 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Hurricanes have won three in a row and six of eight. . . . Lethbridge F Russell Maxwell broke a 2-2 at 10:22 of the second. . . . Lethbridge opened the third with two goals and took it from there. . . . The Blades had won six straight road games. . . . Lethbridge F Reid Duke, 15, picked up an assist.  He was the fifth overall pick in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . The Hurricanes also used F Tyler Wong from the midget AAA UFA Bisons. . . . Saskatoon F Josh Nicholls scored his 20th goal in his 30th game. Last season, he had 34 goals in 71 games. . . . Nicholls later left the game with an apparent injury after taking a hard check. . . .

In Kamloops, G Cole Cheveldave stopped 29 shots, including a penalty shot, as the Blazers ran their winning streak to six games with a 4-2 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . Cheveldave stopped F Robin Soudek on a first-period penalty shot. . . . The Blazers beat the Rockets for the fourth time in nine nights. All told, Kamloops is 5-0 against the Royals this season, with three games left in the season series. . . . F Ben Walker, who joined the Royals a couple of weeks ago from the Minnesota high school ranks, scored his first goal. . . . Kamloops Ryan Hanes broke a 2-2 tie at 5:08 of the third. It was his fourth goal in 28 games. Last season, he had four in 70 games; in 2009-10, he had four in 51 games. . . . Kamloops last won six in a row in 2006-07. That season, its streak ended at eight victories. . . . The Blazers are 12-2 against B.C. Division opponents. . . . Kamloops also won its 20th game of the season; last season, it won No. 20 on Jan. 7. . . .

In Kelowna, F Alex Forsberg broke a 2-2 tie just 34 seconds into the third period and the Prince George Cougars beat the Rockets, 3-2. . . . Forsberg has six goals. . . . The Rockets mustered only 18 shots, including three in the first period and four in the third. . . . D Martin Marincin had two assists for the Cougars, who are 7-10-1 on the road but just 2-8-1 at home. . . . Prince George F Charles Inglis, 19, was a healthy scratch. . . .

In Portland, F Ty Rattie scored once and set up three others as the Winterhawks bounced the Seattle Thunderbirds, 7-1. . . . Rattie’s goal, at 2:52 of the first period, was the Teddy Bear goal. . . . The Winterhawks have won nine in a row at home and four straight overall. . . . Portland, which was 4-for-8 on the PP, fired 60 shots on goal, including 29 in the first period. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard made 39 stops through two periods. Daniel Cotton stopped 14 shots in the third. . . . Portland F Sven Bartschi? He had three assists. . . . The Winterhawks will play the Cougars in Prince George on Tuesday and Wednesday. . . . F Nino Niederreiter of the NHL’s New York Islanders, whose WHL rights belong to the Winterhawks, suffered a concussion in an NHL game on Saturday. Niederreiter, 19, is to be re-evaluated today. . . . Niederreiter had the boom lowered on him by Dallas Stars D Marc Fistric, a product of the Vancouver Giants. The hit is right here. . . . Discuss among yourselves how many games Sheriff Shanahan will give Fistric, who wasn’t penalized for the hit.
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In Kennewick, Wash., F Adam Hughesman scored the only goal of the shootout and the Tri-City Americans beat the Everett Silvertips, 4-3. . . . F Jordan Messier scored the Teddy Bear goal at 11:58 of the first period after Everett had taken a 2-0 lead. . . . Tri-City F Brendan Shinnimin forced OT with a PP goal at 11:50 of the third. . . . Everett is 1-5 in shootouts. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie stopped 24 shots and three in the shootout as he improved to 9-3-0. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson stopped 46 shots. . . . The Silvertips have lost six straight.
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Colton Jobke, Regina
F Mike Forsyth, Victoria
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If you like what you see on this blog, please don't be afraid to click on the DONATE button in the upper right. Thanks!
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Josh Cooper of The Tennessean writes on on former WHL D Ian Herbers, who took over this week as head coach of the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. That piece is right here.
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If you have been following the saga involving the scrap between Joe Kapp and Angelo Mosca that took place in Vancouver two days before the Grey Cup game, here’s an interesting bit from Greg Douglas, who writes a weekly column for the Vancouver Sun:
“What wasn't caught on camera for YouTube and other Internet coverage was Kapp's hurried exit from the Coast Coal Harbour Hotel after the scrap. He tripped over a set of luggage on the sidewalk on West Hastings and hit the pavement like he'd been sacked, landing on a knee that instantly swelled up to the size of a grapefruit. He scrambled to his feet, looked around hoping nobody would recognize him and limped off into the late afternoon downtown mist.”
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Steve Simmons, in the Toronto Sun:
“If you’ve been around junior hockey at all, you’ll know the name Jim Cressman. The old umpire and longtime reporter is packing it in with The London Free Press. The industry will be one heavyweight lighter without him.”
All the best, Jim!
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Today's good read is right here.
The New York Times has started a three-part series examining the life and death, and everything in between, of the late Derek Boogaard. Part 1 of the series written by John Branch is tremendous. You won't want to miss it.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Fans of the Portland Winterhawks will get another look tonight at forward
Alessio Bertaggia (13) of the Brandon Wheat Kings, here staying in front
of Tri-City Americans forward Justin Feser in Kennewick, Wash., on Friday night.
(Photo courtesy of John Allen / Tri-City Americans)

F Evan Bloodoff, who completed his junior eligibility last season with the Kelowna Rockets, has signed a two-year contract with the AHL’s Portland Pirates.
Bloodoff was a sixth-roud selection by the Phoenix Coyotes in the NHL’s 2009 draft. The Pirates are the Coyotes’ AHL affiliate.
A native of Nelson, B.C., Bloodoff played five seasons with the Rockets. Last season, he had 44 points, including 22 goals, and 76 penalty minutes in 72 games.
Bloodoff is represented by Turning Point Sport Management.
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JUST NOTES: The QMJHL’s P.E.I. Rocket has claimed D Dane Phaneuf, 17, off WHL waivers. The Prince George Cougars had released him prior to the start of this season. Phaneuf, the younger brother of Toronto Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf, was a third-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft. . . . The Swift Current Broncos have assigned G Steven Myland to the junior B North Delta Devils of the Pacific International junior league. Myland, from Cloverdale, B.C., had a 5.41 GAA and .818 save percentage in two appearances with the Broncos this season. A 10th-round selection by the Kootenay Ice in the 2009 bantam draft, Myland was acquired by the Broncos in the blockbuster Cody Eakin swap in January. . . . Curtis Hunt, who was dropped as head coach of the Regina Pats after last season, has been named co-coach of the Canadian team that will play in the 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria, Jan. 13-22. This team will comprise 1996-born players. The other co-coach will be Jim Hulton of Kingston, Ont., who is a veteran of the OHL coaching wars. . . . Hunt also is head coach of the team that will represent Saskatchewan at the U-16 Challenge Cup in Moose Jaw, Oct. 27-30.
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A note from a regular reader of this blog:
“The WHL media can write a literal ton of copy about the league's posture toward head shots and concussions, but they post a rock 'em, sock 'em fight clip in the middle of the Oct. 7 ‘Plays of the Week’ video on their website, then you know changing attitudes at the head office has a long way to go.”
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SOME FRIDAY HIGHLIGHTS:
In Cranbrook, F Elgin Pearce broke a 1-1 tie with a PP goal at 15:30 of the third period to give the Kootenay Ice a 2-1 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Ice F Drew Czerwonka, named team captain earlier in the week, returned from an injury to score his first goal of the season. . . .
In Edmonton, the Regina Pats got two goals from D Blair Davidson and three assists from D Brandon Underwood in beating the Oil Kings, 6-3. . . . Regina lost F Dyson Stevenson to an apparent leg injury in the third period. He was stretchered off after absorbing a hit from Edmonton D Mark Pysyk, who wasn’t penalized. . . . The Oil Kings had won three in a row. . . . Regina is 5-1-0 on the road. . . .
In Moose Jaw, the Warriors scored the game’s first three goals, all in the first period, and beat the Swift Current Broncos, 3-2. . . . F Brett Lyon had a goal and an assist for Moose Jaw. Lyon, 20, now has career highs in goals (6), assists (7) and points (13), all in just nine games. . . . The start of the game was delayed by 70 minutes due to an ice problem in one goal crease. . . .
In Everett, F Jesse Paradis scored his third shorthanded goal of the season to help the Saskatoon Blades open a U.S. trip with a 4-2 victory over the Silvertips. . . . The Blades have won four in a row. . . . F Darian Dziurzynski scored his third goal in as many games for Saskatoon. . . . Everett G Austin Lotz made his first WHL debut with 50 saves. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., F Tyrel Seaman broke a 2-2 tie at 7:36 of the third period to give the Brandon Wheat Kings a 3-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . D Ryan Pulock had Brandon’s other two goals. . . . The Wheat Kings are 1-1-0 on their U.S. Division swing. . . . The Wheat Kings, including F Alessio Bertaggia, are scheduled to play the Winterhawks in Portland tonight. Bertaggia may be better known to Winterhawks’ fans as Red No. 23, after his anonymous appearance at one training camp practice prior to the 2010-11 season. Brandon selected the Switzerland native in the 2011 CHL import draft and he has 10 points in eight games. He failed to score on a penalty shot last night and had his seven-game season-opening point streak snapped. . . . Brandon F Mark Stone, who leads the WHL with 20 points, is riding an eight-game season-opening point streak. He had two assists last night. . . .
In Victoria, the Royals scored the game’s last five goals and beat the Kelowna Rockets, 7-5. . . . The Rockets, who now have lost four in a row after opening 3-0-0, led this one 5-2 at 8:30 of the second period and 5-3 after two periods. . . . Victoria F Lukas Kralik broke a 5-5 tie at 14:27 of the third period. . . . Kelowna D Kevin Smith (shoulder) was injured in the pregame warmup and didn’t play. . . .
In Vancouver, D Kyle Verdino’s first goal of the season broke a 2-2 tie and gave the Seattle Thunderbirds a 3-2 victory over the Giants. . . . Verdino’s goal came at 16:53 of the third period. The 20-year-old Verdino recently returned to Seattle after a tryout with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. . . . Seattle outshot the Giants, 37-20. . . . Vancouver D Luke Fenske (broken hand) played his first game since being injured during training camp. . . .
In Spokane, F Anthony Bardaro’s ninth goal of the season gave the Chiefs a 3-2 OT victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Bardardo’s goal came at 3:10 of extra time. . . . Spokane F Collin Valcourt forged a 2-2 tie at 10:00 of the third period.
In Portland, Kamloops G Cam Lanigan stopped two penalty shots as the Blazers beat the Winterhawks 5-4 in OT. . . . F Brendan Ranford had four goals, including the winner 21 seconds into extra time, and an assist. It was his first career five-point night and four-goal game. . . . Lanigan finished with 37 saves. He stopped F Brad Ross on a penalty shot at 14:21 of the second period and F Taylor Peters on a second one at 18:28 of the third. . . . According to Todd Vrooman and Andy Kemper, on the Winterhawks’ postgame show, this was the first time Portland has been involved in a game that featured two penalty shots.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Fans of the Regina Pats put a pregame beating on a Bronco,
then watched their team beat the Swift Current Broncos.
(Terry Massey photo)

F Brett Lyon of the Moose Jaw Warriors rode into this regular season with eight goals in 158 regular-season games. On Friday, he scored three times, drew one assist and got into a scrap as the Warriors beat the Wheat Kings 4-3 in Brandon. Last season, Lyon, 20, had nine points, five of them goals, in 31 games with the Warriors. He had three assists in 25 games with the Vancouver Giants before he was dealt to Moose Jaw. . . . The Warriors got three assists from F Sean Aschim, who now has four helpers in two games. He went into the season with two goals and two assists in 47 career games. . . . Swiss F Eric Arnold, playing on the line with Lyon and Aschim, had a goal and an assist. . . . Brandon F Alessio Bertaggia, who had three goals in a 4-1 victory in Moose Jaw on Thursday, had another goal. . . . The Warriors were without F Cody Beach, who served Game 1 of a suspension for a hit to the head of Brandon F Bruno Mraz. The length of Beach’s suspension has yet to be determined. . . . Mraz played last night. . . .
The Victoria Royals began their WHL existence with a 5-2 loss to the Giants in Vancouver. G Brendan Jensen stopped 26 shots for the victory. . . . The teams play again tonight as the Royals stage their home-opener at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. A crowd of around 7,000 will attend. . . . The Saskatoon Blades picked up F Jesse Paradis, 20, on waivers from Moose Jaw earlier in the week. He scored twice as the Blades beat the visiting Prince Albert Raiders, 4-3. . . . In six games, there were two checking-from-behind minor penalties but no penalties for checking to the head. . . .
The Regina Pats got two goals and two assists from F Chandler Stephenson and a goal and three helpers from F Lane Scheidl as they beat the visiting Swift Current Broncos, 5-1. . . . F Jack Rodewald, the third player on that line, had a goal and an assist. . . . The Pas played without F Jordan Weal, who was in the building after being returned by the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. He hadn’t missed a game since his freshman season (2008-09). “Jordan missed a meeting,” Regina head coach Pat Conacher told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post. “It’s part of our team rules. Everybody has to be accountable. I’m not mad at him or anything. It’s just a simple rule. It goes for everybody.”
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JUST NOTES: The Vancouver Canucks have returned F Kellan Tochkin, 20, to the Medicine Hat Tigers, while they also got D Alex Theriau back from the Dallas Stars. Now the Tigers are missing only F Emerson Etem, who is with the Anaheim Ducks. He may well open the season there. . . . The Phoenix Coyotes assigned F Darius Dziurzynski, 20, to the AHL’s Portland Pirates. He is eligible to return to the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Boston Bruins assigned D Ryan Button and  F Craig Cunningham to the AHL’s Providence Bruins. Button, 20, is eligible to return to the Seattle Thunderbirds, while Cunningham played out his eligibility last season with the Portland Winterhawks. . . . D Duncan Siemens was named the third star as his Colorado Avalanche dropped a 3-2 decision to the St. Louis Blues last night. After the game, Colorado returned Siemens to Saskatoon. . . . The Buffalo Sabres have assigned F Riley Boychuk (Portland Winterhawks) and D Matt Mackenzie (Tri-City Americans) to the AHL’s Rochester Americans. Both are 20 years of age so are eligible to return to the WHL for another season. . . . The Minnesota Wild returned F Taylor Peters to the Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Spokane Chiefs got F Dominik Uher back from the Pittsburgh Penguins. . . .
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The Oregon Ducks, under head coach Chip Kelly, have quite a successful football operation. So why wouldn’t Mike Johnston, the general manager and head coach of the Portland Winterhawks, spend a practice with them? Jason Vondersmith of the Portland Tribune has that story right here.
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The Everett Silvertips’ 2011-12 Media Guide is available online. You will find it right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Tuesday . . .

Bob McKenzie, who has been around hockey for longer than he cares to remember, has weighed in on the subject of major junior hockey and concussions.
Check that out right here.
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Allan Maki of The Globe and Mail talks with Niagara IceDogs assistant coach Mike Van Ryn and Tim Speltz, the GM of the Spokane Chiefs, about concussions in major junior hockey.
That story is right here.
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F Evan Bloodoff of the Kelowna Rockets and F Brett Lyon of the Moose Jaw Warriors each drew four-game suspensions from the WHL office on Tuesday.
Bloodoff got a charging major for a high hit that resulted in Vancouver Giants D Joel Rogers needing a stretcher to get off the ice. He later was taken to hospital. Rogers, 20, had only been back for a few games after recovering from a concussion suffered in January.
Bloodoff will miss the first four games of the Rockets’ first-round series with the Prince George Cougars. There is no timetable for Rogers’ return to the Giants, who will meet the Tri-City Americans in the first round.
Lyon was suspended under supplemental discipline for an unpenalized hit on F Jake Trask of the Saskatoon Blades. Lyon sat out the last two games of the regular season, so will be eligible to return for Game 3 of the Warriors’ first-round series against the Kootenay Ice.
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JUST NOTES: The Prince Albert Raiders have added F T.J. Constant, 17, to their roster. Constant, who played five games with the Raiders earlier in the season, had 53 points and 41 penalty minutes in 57 games with the MJHL’s OCN Blizzard. . . . Dale Saip, the Vancouver Giants’ vice-president of business development, has won the federal Conservative’s nomination for the Delta-Richmond East riding in B.C. He also is a veteran on the Delta Board of Education. . . . The Red Deer Rebels hope to get F Josh Cowen (broken hand) back at some point during their first-round series with the Edmonton Oil Kings. He hasn’t played since Feb. 19. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald reports that the Warriors may be without F Cody Beach (knee) when they open in Cranbrook against the Kootenay Ice on Friday. Beach missed his club’s last three games. . . . Moose Jaw D Dylan McIlrath didn’t practice Tuesday but head coach Dave Hunchak told Gourlie it was a maintenance day.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Russ Parker (left) and the Regina Pats saluted Mike Sillinger
prior to a Friday night WHL game in Regina. (Regina Pats photo)

As you perhaps are aware, two OHL players have drawn eight-game suspensions for testing positive for a banned drug. Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports wonders if it isn’t an over-reaction and I, for one, am inclined to agree with him. Sager’s piece is right here.
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F Gasper Kopitar began this season with the Portland Winterhawks and now is with the USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers. Mark Emmert of the Des Moines Register checks in with Kopitar right here.
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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM SATURDAY GAMES:
In Spokane, the Chiefs exploded for six second-period goals and beat the Kootenay Ice 11-2 in the first outdoor game in WHL history. . . . The game, played at Avista Stadium, which is home to a minor pro baseball team, drew 7,075 fans. . . . D Tyler Vanscourt and F Blake Gal each scored twice for the Chiefs. . . . Spokane F Tyler Johnson scored his WHL-leading 33rd goal and added an assist. Strangely, Johnson, who is recognized as one of the WHL’s top defensive centres, finished minus-1. . . . F Matt Marantz added a goal and three assists for the Chiefs, with F Brady Brassart and F Anthony Bardaro each setting up three goals. . . . The Chiefs were 3-for-5 on the PP. . . . The Ice had beaten the Chiefs 6-2 in Cranbrook on Friday night, ending Spokane’s seven-game winning streak. . . . F Cody Eakin (hand) didn’t play for the Ice. . . .
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In Prince Albert, F Brett Lyon scored his first two goals of the season to help the Warriors to a 7-2 victory over the Raiders, who had won three in a row. . . . Lyon, who was acquired from the Vancouver Giants on Jan. 4, went into the game with three goals in 132 regular-season games. He began his career with the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Lyon, 19, scored at 3:36 of the first period and added a second goal at 5:50. . . . F Quinton Howden also scored twice for the Warriors. he has 25. . . . Moose Jaw D Dallas Ehrhardt, 18, scored his first WHL goal. It was his 29th game this season and the 54th of his career. . . . Warriors F Dylan Hood scored the game’s first goal, his 20th of the season. . . . Attendance was 2,357. . . . The Raiders had beaten the Warriors 4-2 in Moose Jaw on Friday night. . . .
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In Regina, G Darcy Kuemper earned his WHL-leading eighth shutout of the season as the Red Deer Rebels beat the Pats, 6-0. . . . Kuemper stopped 24 shots in posting his 14th career shutout. He set franchise records for shutouts in a season and a career earlier in the season. . . . F Byron Froese scored twice for Red Deer and has 19 goals this season. . . . F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had his 12th goal and two assists. . . . Attendance was 3,303. . . . Red Deer F Andrej Kudrna had a goal and an assist, and was plus-4. . . .
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In Saskatoon, F Taylor Vause’s late second-period goal stood up as the winner as the Swift Current Broncos beat the Blades, 3-2. . . . Vause got his 13^th goal on a PP at 19:55 of the second to give his side a 3-1 lead. . . . The Blades had won 11 in a row at home. At 18-2-1, they boast the WHL’s best home record. . . . F Brayden Schenn (shoulder) didn’t play for Saskatoon. It is anticipated that he will make his debut with the Blades on Saturday against the visiting Calgary Hitmen. . . . Saskatoon D Dalton Thrower (concussion) also may return Saturday. . . . Attendance was 8,487. . . . Swift Current G Mark Friesen stopped 29 shots. . . .
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In Brandon, G Laurent Brossoit stopped 25 shots to help the Edmonton Oil Kings to a 9-0 victory over the Wheat Kings. . . . No, that isn’t a typo. . . . Brossoit has two shutouts this season and in his career. . . . F Dylan Wruck and F T.J. Foster each had two goals and two assists for the Oil Kings, who got two assists from each of F Jordan Hickmott and F Travis Ewanyk. . . . The first period was scoreless. . . . With a 1-0 lead, the Oil Kings exploded for five goals in a span of one minute 55 seconds. They scored at 11:24, 11:38, 12:14, 12:25 and 13:19. . . . The WHL record for fastest five goals is 76 seconds and was set by the Saskatoon Blades on Nov. 9, 1982. . . . Edmonton was 2-for-2 on the PP. . . . Attendance was 3,751. . . . From Wheat Kings play-by-play man Bruce Luebke: “The last time Brandon gave up nine goals on home ice in a regular-season game was Feb. 5, 1999 in a 9-4 loss to Moose Jaw. . . . Brandon captain Shayne Wiebe left the game after the second period with a suspected shoulder injury, while Wheat Kings' F Brenden Walker left in the third with what appeared to be a hand injury.” . . . Edmonton head coach Derek Laxdal played three seasons with the Wheat Kings in the 1980s. . . .
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In Kamloops, the Portland Winterhawks erased a 1-0 deficit with three second-period goals and went on to beat the Blazers, 5-2. . . . Portland F Ryan Johansen had a goal and an assist, and was plus-3. . . . Portland F Oliver Gabriel drew two assists. . . . Kamloops was with F Chase Schaber (groin), F Jordan DePape (leg) and F Bernhard Keil (shoulder), and lost two more forwards in the game’s first five minutes. Logan McVeigh left with a leg injury, while Thomas Frazee departed with a knee problem. . . . Kamloops F Ryan Hanes was assessed a slashing major for a hack at Portland G Mac Carruth as time ran out in the third period. The resulting skirmish resulted in 107 penalty minutes. . . . Attendance was 4,344. . . . D William Wrenn picked up his first WHL point, an assist, in his fifth game since leaving the Denver Pioneers over the Christmas break. . . .
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In Prince George, the Chilliwack Bruins scored two shorthanded goals en route to a 3-1 victory over the Cougars. . . . F Ryan Howse, who is from Prince George, opened t he scoring with a shorthanded goal at 4:52 of the first period. It was his 29^th goal this season. . . . F Roman Horak finished the scoring, shorthanded, at 9:38 of the third. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore stopped 46 shots. . . . Attendance was 2,176. . . . The Cougars had beaten the Bruins 7-3 on Friday night. . . .
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In Everett, the Silvertips took a 3-0 first-period lead and never trailed as they edged the Seattle Thunderbirds, 6-5. . . . Everett F Tyler Maxwell scored four times and set up another. His fourth goal, at 8:21 of the third, was his 29^th and gave his mates a 6-4 lead. . . . The four goals in one game tied the Everett franchise record (Moises Gutierrez, Jan. 24, 2007). . . . F Ryan Harrison, acquired Monday from the Medicine Hat Tigers, had two goals and two assists for Everett, while F Landon Ferraro had three assists. . . . Seattle got two goals from F Travis Toomey and a goal and two helpers from F Burke Galliimore. . . . Attendance was 8,344. . . .
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In Kelowna, F Linden Vey had two goals and two assists to lead the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 5-2 victory over the Rockets. . . . Vey now leads the WHL with 72 points, four more than Kamloops F Brendan Ranford and five more than F Tyler Johnson of Spokane. . . . F Kellan Tochkin, who came over from Everett on Monday, had two assists, as did D Thomas Carr. . . . Tigers G Tyler Bunz stopped 25 shots. . . . Medicine Hat was 3-for-7 on the PP. . . . Attendance was 6,103. . . .
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In Kennewick, Wash., the host Tri-City Americans scored the game’s first five goals as they beat the Vancouver Giants, 5-2, to win their 11^th straight home game. . . . F Brendan Shinnimin had two goals and an assist for the winners, while D Matt MacKenzie and F Carter Ashton each had two assists. . . . Shinnimin has 19 goals now, while linemate Adam Hughesman netted his 27^th and added an assist. Ashton is the third member of that line. . . . F Spencer Bennett got his 19^th goal of the season for Vancouver. . . . Attendance was 5,239. . . . The Giants had won five of their last six games.
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Three minors:
Red Deer F Turner Elson
Seattle D Ryan Button
Vancouver F Dalton Sward

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Juha Metsola (Lethbridge, 2007-09) has been assigned on loan to Ilves Tampere (Finland SM-Liiga) by HPK Hämeenlinna (Finland SM-Liiga). Metsola has a 2.57 GAA and a .924 save percentage in three games with HPK this season. In an earlier loan assignment to LeKi Lempäälä (Finland Mestis), he had a 3.05 GAA and a .907 save percentage in two games. Ilves did not announce the length of the loan agreement but it is dependent on the injury situation with Ilves' goaltenders. Ilves has five goalies under contract. Their No. 1 goalie, former NHLer Jani Hurme, injured a knee on Nov. 30 and is out indefinitely; their No. 2 goalie, Miika Wiikman, injured his back in practice Monday; their No. 3 goalie, 18-year-old Sami Aittokallio, is with the Finnish national junior team in Buffalo; their No. 4 goalie, 19-year-old Jaakko Simola, is on loan for the season to LeKi; and the No. 5 goalie, 18-year-old Ville Kolppanen (Lethbridge, 2009-10), has been playing with the Ilves junior team all season.
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Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province, who has covered the Vancouver Giants since they entered the WHL, continues his battle against cancer -- you will have to see the medical term to understand why I won’t attempt to spell it. Anyway, Steve’s latest blog entry is right here. Give it a look.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors dealt F Nathan Smith, 17, to the Vancouver Giants for F Brett Lyon, 19, on Tuesday. Smith, a third-round pick in the 2008 bantam draft, is with the AJHL’s Drayton Valley Thunder and he will remain there, at least for now. He had 34 points in 38 games at the time of the trade. . . . The Giants acquired Lyon from the Kamloops Blazers last season. He had 10 points and 198 penalty minutes in 67 games with Vancouver (44) and Kamloops (23) last season. Lyon took three assists and 105 penalty minutes in 25 games into last night’s game against the Blazers in Kamloops.
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F Tyler Johnson of the Spokane Chiefs is the Husky WHL player of the month for December. He had 22 points in 12 games. . . . Drew Owsley of the Tri-City Americans is the Vaughn WHL goaltender of the month. He was 6-2 with a 1.75 GAA and a .945 save percentage. . . . The WHL hammered F Josh Cowen of the Red Deer Rebels with an eight-game suspension on Tuesday. Cowen was disciplined for sucker-punching Saskatoon Blades D Stefan Elliott in a 7-3 loss in Saskatoon on Jan. 1. . . .
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With the WHL trade deadline arriving on Monday, you know that Brandon Wheat Kings F Brayden Schenn knows he may well be on the move. Schenn, of course, goes for gold with Team Canada at the World Junior Championship in Buffalo later today. Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun has a bit on trade rumours right here.
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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM TUESDAY’S GAMES:
Has any game this season had a more bizarre ending than the one in Brandon, where the Prince Albert Raiders edge the Wheat Kings, 6-5? . . . Brandon took a 4-3 lead into the third period and, in fact, led 4-3 with three minutes to play. . . . F Todd Fiddler pulled the Raiders even at 17:19. . . . F Shayne Wiebe restored Brandon’s lead, at 5-4, at 19:06. . . . F Igor Revenko got the Raiders back into a tie, at 19:20. . . . And, finally, the Raiders won it on F Jonathan Parker’s 24th goal of the season, at 19:45. . . . Parker and Fiddler each had two goals, with F Brandon Herrod getting three assists. . . . This was a tough loss for Brandon, because the Raiders hold the Eastern Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot. The Wheat Kings, 11th in the 12-team conference, now are five points behind the Raiders. . . . A tip of the cap to Brandon D Brodie Melnychuk, who played in his 200th consecutive game. Think about that for a second or two. . . . From Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun: “Prince Albert dressed two affiliate players including OCN Blizzard C T.J. Constant, the son of former Wheat Kings F Chris Constant.” . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., F Neal Prokop scored twice to lead the host Tri-City Americans to an 8-4 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Tri-City got a goal and three assists form each of D Tyler Schmidt and F Justin Feser, while F Brendan Shinnimin had a goal and two helpers, and F Patrick Holland had three assists. . . . F Travis Toomey scored twice for Seattle. . . . Tri-City G Drew Owsley stopped 24 shots for his 60th career victory. That moved him into a tie with Brian Boucher for No. 4 on the Ams’ career list. . . . The Americans have won six in a row over Seattle this season. The Thunderbirds, in fact, have lost 15 straight at the Toyota Center in Kennewick. . . .

In Medicine Hat, F Wacey Hamilton and F Tyler Pitlick each scored once and set up two others as the Tigers got past the Edmonton Oil Kings, 5-2. . . . Pitlick has nine points in three games against Edmonton. His NHL rights are held by the Edmonton Oilers. . . .


In Kamloops, the Moose Warriors won for the fourth time in five road games, beating the Blazers, 4-2. . . . The Warriors have won in Calgary, Vancouver, Chilliwack and now Kamloops, while losing in Prince George on this swing. Moose Jaw plays Thursday in Kelowna and Friday in Cranbrook. . . .

In Saskatoon, G Adam Morrison stopped 29 shots to help the Blades to a 5-0 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Morrison has two shutouts this season and four on his career. . . . The Blades have put up three blank jobs this season; the Hitmen have been zeroed four times. . . . D Stefan Elliott had a goal and three assists, while F Marek Viedensky had a goal and two assists. . . . From Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix: “With a goal and three assists during Tuesday’s 5-0 win over the visiting Calgary Hitmen, Elliott became just the second defenceman in franchise history to register 200 regular-season points. He reached the milestone in 250 games and is now 37 points behind Pat Price, the Blades’ most prolific pointman of all-time. Price registered 239 points in 266 games from 1970-74.”
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TUESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
THREE MINORS:
Prince Albert D Ryan Button
Saskatoon F Darian Dziurzynski (double minor)