#RedWings employee Al Sobotka swings an octopus prior to Game 4 agst #Lightning. (@GettySport) http://t.co/1OzMil4KTM pic.twitter.com/k0VLYrIaeC
— Sports Photos (@sportsphotos) April 24, 2015
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THURSDAY’S GAMES:
No Games Scheduled.———
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I made a return appearance on the Pucklandia podcast on Thursday evening. If you’ve got some time, feel free to give it a listen. It’s just two guys sitting around and talking all things WHL. . . . It’s right here.
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The WHL announced its conference nominees for the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as its outstanding player this season. It’ll be either F Oliver Bjorkstrand of the Portland Winterhawks or F Tim McGauley of the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Bjorkstrand, who turned 20 on April 10, led the WHL in goals (63) and points (118). He was a third-round selection by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the NHL’s 2013 draft. . . . McGauley, who will be 20 on July 23, finished third in the scoring race with 105 points, including 42 goals. . . . McGauley is eligible for the NHL’s 2015 draft. . . . We’ll find out who wins the award when the WHL holds its awards ceremony in Calgary on May 6.
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The Prince Albert Raiders announced the signing of head coach Marc Habscheid to a four-year contract this week. But they have yet to announce whether general manager Bruno Campese will be back. What’s up with that? . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has that story right here.
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Dennis Coates, a longtime Kamloops lawyer who helped keep junior hockey in Kamloops back in the day, is involved in a lawsuit over a 1926 Model T. . . . Coates was a shareholder when the Junior Oilers/Blazers were community-owned and today is a director with the Kamloops Blazers Sports Society’s sports legacy fund. He received the WHL’s Distinguished Service Award in 2014. . . . Tim Petruk of Kamloops This Week has more on the lawsuit right here.
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“Depression and anxiety are the worst kept secrets in professional sports,” writes Hayley Wickenheiser, perhaps the greatest female hockey player in history, at The Players’ Tribune. “In every locker room across the NHL, there are guys who are struggling with the fear of everything — the fear of a bad shift, the fear of pissing off their coach, the fear of getting traded or cut and letting down their family. What also happens in every locker room is that there are teammates, trainers and staff who stay silent too long when a guy struggles.” . . . Wickenheiser was friends with the late Steve Montador and she pours out her heart in this piece right here. . . . At one point, she writes: “We need to do more. The entire hockey community, including league officials, teammates, coaches, trainers, the NHLPA, and the hundreds of former players out there, need to come together and solidify a comprehensive support system for those struggling with depression, anxiety and the aimlessness that comes with finding a second life after hockey. Not in the future. Not next season. Right now.” . . . She’s right!
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F Owen Hardy has decided to play next season with the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers. Hardy, who is from Nanaimo, was selected by the Vancouver Giants with the 42nd overall pick in the WHL’s 2014 bantam draft. . . . "I knew the coach (Mike Vandekamp) and I liked him very much," Hardy told Scott McKenzie of the Nanaimo Daily News. "I didn't really know who the Giants coach was going to be, so it just seemed like the safer place to go, and it seemed like a very good place to go just from practicing and being with the team all year.” . . . Hardy played this season with Nanaimo’s major midget team. . . . McKenzie’s story is right here.
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From the Prince Albert Daily Herald: “Former Prince Albert Raiders goalie Travis Laycock has been honoured for saving two lives. Brad Wall presented Laycock and seven others with the Saskatchewan Premier’s Commendation Award in Regina on Tuesday to honour the individuals’ various courageous actions. Last July, Laycock jumped into a slough near Bruno to save a couple whose car had gone into the water. Laycock, 43, was a goalie with the Raiders from 1989-92.”
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The SJHL’s Weyburn Red Wings held their AGM on Wednesday. Earlier this season, they had announced that they were close to $200,000 in debut and in danger of not answering the bell for 2015-16. At the AGM, it was revealed that the debut has been reduced to about $70,000. Ticket sales increased by about $80,000 after the team went public with its problems in January.
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If you threw your hat on the ice for the @Cavemn10 Hat-Trick we have them signed by Colby at @SC_Stable. Come claim yours!
— SC Broncos (@SCBroncos) April 23, 2015
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.
An interesting tidbit from the Hodge’s Heroes blog, where Brandon Rivers writes: “D-man Caleb Jones (1996) was ranked No. 115 overall among North American skaters in Central Scouting's final rankings. Jones, who is playing with the USNTDP, has reportedly signed with Portland, though this has not been announced by the Winterhawks. There could be some reason why this has not been announced as of yet, but I do not know exactly why.” . . . This speculation goes back to a report by Corbett Smith and his High School Sports Blog for The Dallas Morning News. Smith reported on April 2 that Jones, the younger brother of former Winterhawks D Seth Jones, has opted to join the Winterhawks, who selected him in the third round of the 2012 WHL bantam draft. Smith wrote: “According to local youth hockey expert Tanner Wilson, Caleb says he’s 100 percent committed to the Winterhawks for next season; Caleb had been courted by several top NCAA programs, most recently Wisconsin. He also had offers from Boston College, Boston University (currently in the NCAA’s Frozen Four) and Umass.” . . . Caleb Jones, 17, spent the past two seasons in the U.S. National Team Development Program.
David Levin, who was born in Tel Aviv, will be selected by the Sudbury Wolves with the No. 1 pick in today’s OHL draft. . . . Levin, now 15, was 12 when he left his parents and brother behind to come to Canada in order to focus on hockey. . . . He played this season with the AAA minor midget Don Mills Flyers. Their head coach is Lindsay Hofford, who once did a stint as head coach of the Lethbridge Hurricanes (2003-06). Hofford also is the director of scouting for the OHL’s London Knights. . . . John Matisz of QMI Agency has more on Levin 
The BCHL has made a move to get older players onto its teams’ rosters. Here’s a note from Brian Wiebe, over at Brian’s Banter:
Chad van Diemen is the new head coach of the BCHL’s Prince George Spruce Kings. Van Diemen, 33, spent the past six seasons with the BCHL’s Powell River Kings, as assistant GM and associate head coach. . . . Van Diemen, who signed a two-year contract, replaces Dave Dupas, who resigned following the season. Dupas, who is from Kelowna, cited family reasons in resigning. . . . Van Diemen is from Kamloops. He played four seasons (1998-2002)in the BCHL, with the Nanaimo Clippers, Powell River and Quesnel Millionaires before going on to play four seasons of NCAA hockey -- one at Iona and three at Manhattanville. . . . His father, Case, was the president of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers for a while when the franchise was community-owned.
the Warriors in the 1991 bantam draft, he totalled 224 points, 110 of them goals, in 188 regular-season games with the Warriors. . . . The Warriors also have retired numbers worn by Kelly Buchberger (24), Mike Keane (25) and Theo Fleury (9). . . . According to a news release, “His best season was 1993-94, in 72 games he had 50 goals and 105 points. He is one of 10 players in Warriors history to score 50 goals in a season, and one of 13 players to record 100 or more points in a season.” . . . The Edmonton Oilers selected Smyth with the sixth pick of the NHL’s 1994 draft. He played 1,270 NHL games, with the Oilers, New York Islanders, Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings. He also is known as Captain Canada for having played 90 games for various national teams. According to the news release, Smyth “is the only player in hockey history to win gold at the Olympics, World Cup, World Championships, World Juniors, and Spengler Cup.” . . . 
In Brandon, F Brett Stovin scored at 1:35 of OT to give the Saskatoon Blades a 5-4 victory over the Wheat Kings. . . . Stovin, who was foiled by G Jordan Papirny on a first-period penalty shot, has four goals this season. . . . The Blades took a 4-2 third-period lead on goals by F Nikita Soshnin, his second, at 13:52, and D Ryan Coghlan, his first, at 15:38. . . . The Blades traded F Cory Millette to the Prince Albert Raiders last week at least in part to free up playing time for Soshnin, who has goals in two straight games. . . . Brandon F Tim McGauled forced OT with his 12th goal at 19:50. . . Brandon F Reid Duke had a goal, his seventh, and two assists. . . . Saskatoon G Trevor Martin stopped 40 shots, while Nik Amundrud was dressed as the backup. . . . Brandon was 1-for-2 on the PP; the Blades' PP unit didn't get even one opportunity. . . . The Wheat Kings (19-5-2) had won their previous two games, while the Blades (7-16-1) came in 0-3-1 in their previous four. . . . The teams will meet again Friday, this time in Saskatoon. . . . Before then, though, the Blades will entertain the Moose Jaw Warriors tonight. . . . 
In Edmonton, the Prince Albert Raiders scored three second-period goals en route to a 4-3 victory over the Oil Kings. . . . The Raiders have won five straight regular-season games in Edmonton. . . . F Jayden Hart, with his 13th, D Sawyer Lange (6) and F Simon Stransky (3) scored for the visitors as they erased a 1-0 deficit and took a 3-2 lead into the third period. . . . F Matteo Gennaro, with his third, gave the Raiders a 4-2 lead at 16:12 of the third period. . . . Edmonton F Lane Bauer scored his ninth at 18:39. . . . Edmonton D Ashton Sautner tied a career high with his eighth goal of the season, running his point streak to seven games in the process. . . . F Reid Gardner had two assists for the Raiders, who got 23 saves from G Rylan Parenteau. He won for the sixth time in seven starts as the Raiders (12-13-0) ran their winning streak to four. The Raiders are 5-4-0 under head coach Marc Habscheid. . . . G Patrick Dea turned aside 36 shots for the Oil Kings, as Tristan Jarry (ill) sat out for a second straight game. . . . “We were a train wreck in our own end," Edmonton head coach Steve Hamilton said on the team's website. “Our D-zone, it was maybe the softest we’ve been in our own end all (season). If our guys choose to forget this one, then they’re missing the boat. They need to remember this because we were brutal in our own end.” . . . Edmonton had been 5-0-1 in its previous six home games. . . . The Oil Kings (12-10-4) now have lost three in a row (1-1-1). . . . The Oil Kings are at home to the Swift Current Broncos tonight; the Raiders travel to Calgary to play the Hitmen. . . . 
In Medicine Hat, the Tigers scored three times on the PP and twice while shorthanded as they stung the Vancouver Giants, 6-1. . . . The Giants' Alberta road swing got off to an inauspicious start when Tigers D Kyle Becker scored shorthanded at 2:22 of the first period. . . . Becker added a second shorthanded goal at 18:01 of the first period. . . . He's got six goals this season. . . . The home side was 3-for-6 on the PP. . . . Tigers F Matt Bradley scored his sixth goal and added three assists, while D Tyler Lewington also had three assists. . . . Vancouver starter Payton Lee surrendered three goals before leaving at 7:25 of the first period. . . . The Tigers (17-6-2) had lost their past two games. . . . The Giants (9-16-0) have lost four straight. . . . Medicine Hat G Marek Langhamer turned aside 24 shots in posting his 50th career regular-season victory. . . . F Matt Bellerive scored Vancouver's goal, his 10th, at 18:33 of the third period. . . . Prior to the game, the Tigers honoured the memory of the late Pat Quinn, who was one of the Giants' owners, with a moment of silence. “That was a touch of class,” Giants head coach Troy Ward told Ryan McCracken of the Medicine Hat News. “I wouldn’t expect anything less out of this organization. I think the whole hockey world has a touch of class. It’s a wonderful business to be in at a very sad time 
F Liam Stewart of the Spokane Chiefs is to leave on the weekend for Dumfries, Scotland, where he will play for Great Britain at the IIHF U20 world championship (Division I Group B). . . . The tournament runs Dec. 9-15. . . . Stewart, the son of actress/model Rachel Hunter and music legend Rod Stewart, is in his third season with the Chiefs. He has 13 points, including five goals, in 24 games. . . . Liam was born in London and has a British passport, although he was raised in the U.S., and now calls Hermosa Beach, Calif., home. . . . Stewart is expected to rejoin the Chiefs after the Christmas break, in time to face the host Kootenay Ice on Dec. 27.
So . . . there was a trade in the OHL on Tuesday that had two players moving from the Windsor Spitfires to the Guelph Storm in exchange for one player and eight draft picks. Yes, eight draft picks! . . . The Storm, which obviously is all-in on this season, acquired F Kerby Rychel, the son of Windsor GM Warren Rychel and the Spitfires’ captain, and D Nick Ebert, in the process giving up F Brody Milne, Guelph’s second-round draft picks in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, Guelph’s fourth-round pick in 2015 and a 15th-round pick in 2017, as well as Kitchener’s third-round pick in 2016 and Windsor’s fourth-round pick in 2014. . . . (Why all the second-rounders? in the OHL, teams aren’t allowed to trade first-round picks). . . . Wouldn’t you have loved to have been the fly on the wall when this monstrosity was being put together? . . . Rychel, a first-round selection by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the NHL’s 2013 draft, has 39 points, including 16 goals, in 27 games this season. . . . Ebert was a second-round pick by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2012 NHL draft. 
In Calgary, the Red Deer Rebels scored the game’s first two goals but gave up the last five and dropped a 5-2 decision to the Hitmen. . . . F Rhyse Dieno, with his 11th, and F Dominik Volek, with his 13th, both via the PP, gave the Rebels a 2-0 lead by the time the game was 1:07 old. . . . The Hitmen tied it before the end of the period and F Chase Lang’s first goal, at 5:54 of the second, stood up as the winner. . . . Lang also drew an assist, on F Linden Penner’s first WHL goal in his 19th game, 18 of them this season. . . . Calgary D Jaylen Rissling took an instigator minor, fighting major and game misconduct at game’s end. . . . The Hitmen held a 40-18 edge in shots. . . . Calgary (16-7-4) has won three in a row. . . . The Rebels (13-14-2) have lost two straight and are two points out of the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . 
In Everett, F Oliver Bjorkstrand had a goal, his 24th, and two assists as the Portland Winterhawks doubled the Silvertips, 6-3. . . . The victory allowed the Winterhawks (21-5-3) to move atop the WHL’s overall standings, a point ahead of Everett (20-5-4), which had won five straight. Portland is 5-0-1 in its last six and 7-1-2 in its last 10. . . . These were the first teams to 20 victories this season; the Kelowna Rockets won their 20th game last night. . . . Everett F Josh Winquist ran his point streak to 18 games with two goals — he’s got 23 — the first coming via the PP at 3:57 of the first. . . . Winquist has 40 points, including 16 goals, during his 18-game tear. . . . Portland then scored the next five goals to take control. . . . Portland D Keoni Texeira had two assists in his first multi-point game. . . . Winterhawks F Taylor Leier scored his 20th goal of the season. . . . Winterhawks G Brendan Burke stopped 35 shots in posting his 50th career victory. He is 50-11-6. . . . Portland now heads out on an Alberta swing that opens Friday in Edmonton against the Oil Kings. These teams met in the last two WHL finals, each winning once.
In Kelowna, the Rockets erased 2-1 and 3-2 deficits and beat the Vancouver Giants 4-3 in OT. . . . D Damon Severson got the winner at 2:36 of extra time. He’s got seven goals. . . . This was the first of eight meetings between these two teams. . . . The Rockets (20-3-2) boast the WHL’s best winning percentage (.840). Portland (.776) is next. . . . Kelowna trails the Winterhawks by three points but has four games in hand. . . . The Giants are 5-0-5 in their last 10. . . . At 12-11-7, the Giants hold down the Western Conference’s last playoff spot. They are five points ahead of the idle Prince George Cougars (11-16-4). . . . F Cain Franson scored twice for Vancouver, giving him 10. . . . Kelowna F Ryan Olsen forced OT with his ninth goal at 19:43 of the third. That goal came just 20 seconds after F Alex Baer had given Vancouver a 3-2 lead with his fourth goal. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke turned aside 29 shots in running his record to 15-1-2. In his fourth season, the Leduc, Alta., native is 68-28-10. . . . F Tyson Baillie had a goal, his 12th, and two assists for the Rockets. . . . 
In Victoria, G Coleman Vollrath stopped 25 shots to help the Royals to a 3-0 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . That was the first career shutout for Vollrath, an 18-year-old from Calgary in his second season. He has a 1.88 GAA, .942 save percentage and 6-2-1 record as he backs up Patrik Polivka. . . . The Royals were 2-for-3 on the PP, with their other goal coming while shorthanded. . . . F Logan Nelson had a goal, his 12th, and an assist, while D Brett Cote had two assists. . . . The game might have featured a brother act, with F Mitch Skaspki in Victoria’s lineup, but his brother, G Mackenzie, was on the Ice’s bench in support of Wyatt Hoflin, who stopped 16 shots. . . . The Royals (19-11-1) are 8-2-0 in their last 10 and are fourth in the Western Conference. . . . The Ice, which has been shut out four times this season, will catch a morning ferry and play in Vancouver tonight. . . . 
In Kennewick, Wash, the Tri-City Americans scored two PP goals as they beat the Saskatoon Blades, 3-1. . . . The Americans scored three first-period goals, the first two on the PP. . . . F Taylor Vickerman, who is from Kennewick, scored his second goal to get the Americans started. It was his first goal since returning to the lineup three games ago. He sat out 25 games with an injury. . . . Tri-City F Phil Tot had two assists. . . . The Blades are 0-4 in their swing through the U.S. Division. The tour concludes tonight in Spokane.
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