Showing posts with label Dallas Stars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dallas Stars. Show all posts

Monday, June 26, 2017

Pats' Henry needs surgery ... Lots of WHLers at NHL camps ... Ex-WHL coach off to South Korea


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 The Regina Pats aren’t likely to have sophomore F Nick Henry available for much, if any, of the first half of the 2017-18 season. Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reported Monday that Henry “requires off-season surgery to repair a torn labrum.” . . . John Paddock, the Pats’ general manager and head coach, told Harder: “They’re talking four months, maybe a bit longer.” . . . The Colorado Avalanche picked Henry in the fourth round of last weekend’s NHL draft. He is attending the Avs’ development camp in Denver and is expected to have surgery once he returns to Regina. . . . The Pats will be the host team for the 2018 Memorial Cup and Henry is one of their top six forwards. . . . Harder’s story is right here.
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G Dylan Ferguson’s time as a member of the Dallas Stars organization came to an end on Monday, two days after it began.
Ferguson, 19, is preparing for his third season with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers.
On Saturday, the Stars selected Ferguson in the seventh round, 194th overall, of the NHL draft. 
On Monday, Ferguson was dealt to the Vegas Golden Knights, along with a second-round pick in the 2020 draft, in exchange for D Marc Methot. Vegas had claimed Methot from the Ottawa Senators in last week’s expansion draft.
Methot had 12 assists in 68 games last season, playing most of the time alongside Erik Karlsson. Methot, 32, has two years left on his contract at US$4.9 million per season.
Vegas already owns nine selections in the 2020 NHL draft, to go with 11 in 2019.
Here’s what I wrote about Ferguson after the Stars selected him:
Ferguson, from Lantzville, B.C., spent the past two seasons backing up Connor Ingram with the Blazers. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Ferguson got into only 16 games in 2015-16, going 4-10-0, 4.13, .875. Last season, he played in 31 games and was 16-10-2, 2.74, .922. . . . Ferguson played most of those 2016-17 games in December and early January, while Ingram was with Canada’s national junior team. Ferguson lit it up, too — he was 9-4-1 while Ingram was away — resulting in a lot of scouts showing up in Kamloops after Christmas when they knew he would be starting. . . . With Ingram, 20, expected to play in the Tampa Bay Lightning’s organization in 2017-18, Ferguson, who turns 19 on Sept. 20, should be the Blazers’ starter. . . . Don’t forget, too, that Tom Gaglardi, the Stars’ owner, also is the majority owner of the Blazers.
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A number of NHL teams have opened, or are about to open, development camps. A few WHL players who are undrafted free agents will attend these camps.
The Ottawa Senators will have four free agents from WHL teams in attendance. That includes F Matteo Gennaro of the Calgary Hitmen, who was a seventh-round selection by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2015 NHL draft but wasn’t signed. Gennaro is preparing for this 20-year-old season. . . . Also joining the Ottawa group will be F Parker Kelly, 18, of the Prince Albert Raiders, F Jordan Topping of the Tri-City Americans, who will turn 20 on July 20, and D Brayden Pachal of the Raiders, who is to turn 18 on Aug. 23.
The expansion Vegas Golden Knights will have F Jayden Halbgewachs, 20, of the Moose Jaw Warriors, D Keoni Texeira, 20, of the Portland Winterhawks, and D Dylan Coghlan, 19, of the Tri-City Americans in their camp. Also there will be F Patrick Bajkov, who turns 20 on Nov. 27, of the Everett Silvertips, D Will Warm, 18, of the Edmonton Oil Kings, G Griffen Outhouse, 19, of the Victoria Royals, and G Logan Thompson, 20, of the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . F Tyler Wong, who played out his eligibility with the Lethbridge Hurricanes last season, also will join the Golden Knights’ camp, as will D Dmitry Osipov, who finished his junior days last season with the Wheat Kings.
Portland F Ryan Hughes, who will be 18 on July 27, is going to skate with the Nashville Predators, as will Winterhawks F Alex Overhardt, 20. Portland G Cole Kehler, 20, is going to camp with the Winnipeg Jets.
F Isaac Johnson, who signed with Tri-City on June 1, has been invited to camp by the Detroit Red Wings. Johnson, 18, played last season with the USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers, scoring 14 goals and adding 14 assists in 47 games.
F Tanner Jeannot, 20, of the Warriors will skate with the Washington Capitals.
F Vince Loschiavo, 19, of the Kootenay Ice and F Nick Chyzowski, 20, of the Kamloops Blazers will be with the Dallas Stars.
F Luc Smith, 19, of the Blazers will be in camp with the New York Rangers.
The Arizona Coyotes’ camp will include F Max Gerlach, 19, of the Medicine Hat Tigers and F Lane Pederson, who turns 20 on Aug. 4. Also with the Coyotes will be D Ryan Gagnon, who played out his junior eligibility last season with the Victoria Royals, and F Tyler Coulter, who did the same with the Brandon Wheat Kings.
F Sami Moilanen, 18, of the WHL-champion Seattle Thunderbirds has been invited to the Colorado Avalanche’s development camp, as has F Ty Lewis, 19, of the Wheat Kings.
The Pittsburgh Penguins, who have won back-to-back Stanley Cups, will have two free-agent WHLers in camp with them — F Jordy Bellerive, 18, of the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Seattle F Nolan Volcan, 18.
D Dylan Plouffe, 18, of the Vancouver Giants will skate with the Florida Panthers.
Seattle F Scott Eansor, who played out his junior eligibility last season, has been invited to the New York Islanders’ camp.
Portland F Evan Weinger, 20, and D Clayton Kirichenko, a 20-year-old last season with the Medicine Hat Tigers, are expected to skate with the Los Angeles Kings. Weinger is from El Segundo, Calif., and played for the Los Angeles Jr. Kings before heading to Portland.
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The Everett Silvertips have signed assistant coach Mitch Love to a contract extension, adding the title of assistant to the general manager to his portfolio. The length of the extension wasn’t released, but Jesse Geleynse of the Everett Herald reported that it is for two years. Love is preparing for his ninth season with the Silvertips and his seventh on the coaching staff. He will continue to handle the team’s defencemen and its billeting program. 
According to a news release Love, 33, also will be the “organization co-ordinator between the Silvertips players and the education program, and work with projects designed to strengthen the Silvertips outreach and growth within Snohomish County, the Pacific Northwest, and its alumni.”
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Four players were elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday. Dave Andreychuk, Paul Kariya, Mark Recchi and Teemu Selanne will be inducted in November. Ken Campbell of The Hockey News has a piece right here in which he wonders of it’s the Hall of Fame or the Hall of Really Good.
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If you are a follower of major junior hockey, the name Glenn Gumbley may ring a bell. Yes,  Gumbley, who is from Montreal, was involved in an attempt to form the CHLPA, a players association for major junior players. . . . On Sunday night, the CHLPA’s Twitter account included this: “In the last few years, I have made several defamatory statements against the QMJHL and its Commissioner, Gilles Courteau, in which I stated that they were linked to crime, fraud, corruption, exploitation of children, tax evasion, perjury, manipulation and criminality. . . . These statements have been removed from all sites and social media under my control and I apologize to the QMJHL and its Commissioner, Gilles Courteau.” . . . It turns out that, as TVA Sports reported Monday, Gumbley “has been found guilty of defamatory allegations by the Quebec Superior Court” through a judgment by Judge David R. Collier, J.S.C. . . . The verdict, which is final also orders Gumbley to Courteau $10,000 in punitive and moral damages and the QMJHL $5,000 in punitive damages.
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If you’re a regular here, and even if you aren’t, feel free to make a donation to the cause. You are able to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
BTW, if you want to contact me with some information or just feel like commenting on something, you may email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
I’m also on Twitter (@gdrinnan).
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Coaching

 The Red Deer Rebels have added Brett Anderson to their coaching staff, replacing Pierre-Paul Lamoureux, who left the team to join the USHL’s Fargo Force as associate head coach. . . . Lamoureux spent one season with the Rebels. . . . Anderson was director and head coach of the Ontario Hockey Academy in Cornwall, Ont., last season. A native of Sedgewick, Alta., he has a diploma in kinesiology from Red Deer College and a degree from the U of Alberta. He also has coached at the U of Saskatchewan, U of Alberta and Red Deer College, as well as in Europe.
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Kevin Constantine is adding another country to his coaching travelogue. Constantine has signed on as head coach of the Asia League Ice Hockey’s Daemyung Killer Whales, who play out of Seoul, South Korea. . . . Constantine, 58, has NHL coaching experience with the New Jersey Devils, Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks. He spent the past four seasons as the head coach of the WHL’s Everett Silvertips. They finished atop the U.S. Division last season, but his contract wasn’t renewed. . . . Last season, the Killer Whalers, then with Benedict Chi Young Song as head coach, finished eighth in the nine-team league.
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It was mentioned in this space the other day that Craig Woodcroft’s contract as head coach of the KHL’s Dynamo Minsk had been terminated. He had signed a three-year deal there in April 2016. . . . On Sunday, the Genève-Servette HC announced that it had signed Woodcroft to a three-year deal as head coach. Genève-Servette HC, a Geneva-based team, plays in the Swiss NL A. . . . Woodcroft would take over from Chris McSorley, who stepped aside as head coach after last season but remains as general manager. Former Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillis is on Genève-Servette’s board, as is Lorne Henning, a former NHL/WHL player and a former NHL coach. At one time, Henning as an assistant GM under Gillis with the Canucks.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 8:49 PM
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Saturday, June 24, 2017

Scattershooting about NHL draft ... McGrew, Ferguson intriguing picks ... Emotional week for Patrick

Scattershoot

SCATTERSHOOTING ON NHL DRAFT:

The NHL draft’s first round was held on Friday night in Chicago. Once again it was a gaudy celebration of middle-aged white men parading across the stage and shaking hands with Gary Bettman, the NHL’s commish, on the way.
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The star of Sportsnet’s first-round coverage had to be Sam Cosentino. He isn’t on Twitter, but that doesn’t stop him from knowing his stuff when it comes to draft-eligible hockey players.
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The goofiest thing of draft week may have occurred early on when Colin Campbell, the NHL’s executive vice-president and director of hockey operations, told reporters the league had taken an in-depth look at four playoff games and discovered 60 to 110 uncalled slashes per game. . . . You were watching the playoffs and you saw that; I was watching the playoffs and I saw that. So why did the NHL have to study video to see it?
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The NHL has a rulebook in which slashing is declared illegal. So how could that many go uncalled in one game? Hey, that’s a lot of uncalled hacking and whacking. . . . It was TSN’s Gord Miller who tweeted: “Take out the rulebook and call it.” … Gee, what a crazy idea.
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The Portland Winterhawks had four players selected off their roster during the draft. Two went in the first round, with F Cody Glass going to the Vegas Golden Knights sixth overall and D Henri Jokiharju to the Chicago Blackhawks with the 29th pick. As well, D Brendan De Jong was taken by the Caroling Hurricanes in the sixth round (166th) and F Skyler McKenzie went to the Winnipeg Jets in the seventh round (198th). . . . Meanwhile, four players whose WHL rights belong to the Winterhawks also were drafted. . . . F Ryan Poehling of Lakeville, Minn., was selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round, 25th overall. Poehling, 18, was a freshman at St. Cloud State last season, putting up seven goals and six assists in 35 games. He is a Portland list player. . . . With the very next pick, the Dallas Stars took G Jake Oettinger, a good friend of Poehling’s who also is from Lakeville. Oettinger, who is to turn 19 on Dec. 18, has completed his freshman season at Boston U. The Winterhawks selected him in the ninth round of the WHL’s 2013 bantam draft. . . . F Scott Reedy of Prior Lake, Minn., was picked by the San Jose Sharks in the fourth round, 102nd overall. Reedy, 18, played last season with the U.S. National U-18 team and is committed to the U of Minnesota for 2017-18. Portland picked him in the fourth round of the 2014 bantam draft. . . . F Cole Guttman of Northridge, Calif., was taken in the sixth round, 180th overall, by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Guttman, 18, played last season with the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints and will be the team captain in 2017-18. He has committed to St. Cloud State for 2018-19. The Winterhawks selected him in the eighth round of the 2014 bantam draft. . . . All of this is worth mentioning because F Kieffer Bellows, 19, has decided to leave Boston U after one season and join the Winterhawks, who selected him in the seventh round of the 2013 bantam draft. The New York Islanders took Bellows in the first round, 19th overall, of the NHL’s 2016 draft.
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One of the draft’s more intriguing selections came in the sixth round when the San Jose Sharks took F Jake McGrew of the Spokane Chiefs with the 159th pick. McGrew, an 18-year-old from Orange, Calif., didn’t play at all last season after suffering a knee injury. An eighth-round pick by the Chiefs in the 2014 WHL bantam draft, McGrew had a goal and two assists in six exhibition games when he was hurt in practice. . . . In 2015-16, he put up 29 goals and 18 assists in 32 games with the U-16 Los Angeles Jr. Kings.
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Another intriguing move came in the seventh round when the Dallas Stars took G Dylan Ferguson of the
DYLAN FERGUSON
Kamloops Blazers with the 194th overall pick. Ferguson, from Lantzville, B.C., spent the past two seasons backing up Connor Ingram with the Blazers. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Ferguson got into only 16 games in 2015-16, going 4-10-0, 4.13, .875. Last season, he played in 31 games and was 16-10-2, 2.74, .922. . . . Ferguson played most of those 2016-17 games in December and early January, while Ingram was with Canada’s national junior team. Ferguson lit it up, too — he was 9-4-1 while Ingram was away — resulting in a lot of scouts showing up in Kamloops after Christmas when they knew he would be starting. . . . With Ingram, 20, expected to play in the Tampa Bay Lightning’s organization in 2017-18, Ferguson, who turns 19 on Sept. 20, should be the Blazers’ starter. . . . Don’t forget, too, that Tom Gaglardi, the Stars’ owner, also is the majority owner of the Blazers.
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The WHL-champion Seattle Thunderbirds had one player selected on Saturday and another traded. . . . D Jarret Tyszka, 18, was taken by the Montreal Canadiens in the fifth round, 149th overall. He will play
KEEGAN KOLESAR
his third season in Seattle in 2017-18. . . . Meanwhile, veteran F Keegan Kolesar was acquired by the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday. They gave the Columbus Blue Jackets a second-round selection, No. 45, in return. Originally, that pick had belonged to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Golden Knights got it from Tampa Bay for agreeing to take D Jason Garrison off the Lightning’s roster in the expansion drafat. . . . Columbus promptly took French F Alexandre Texier. . . . The Blue Jackets had taken Kolesar in the third round of the 2015 NHL draft. . . . The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Kolesar, now 20, is from Brandon. He had 26 goals and 34 assists in 54 games last season, then was the leading scorer in the WHL playoffs with 31 points, including 12 goals, in 19 games. . . . Kolesar signed with the Blue Jackets on Dec. 20, 2015. He is expected to begin the season with the Knights’ AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.
"I left Winnipeg for Columbus at 7 (a.m.) because we have development camp this weekend," Kolesar told Mike Sawatzky of the Winnipeg Free Press on Saturday afternoon. "I land in Chicago and they call me and tell me I just got traded to Vegas. I'm in Columbus in a hotel room right now and I've gotta leave tomorrow or the next day for camp in Vegas. So, it's been a whirlwind, not even 24 hours for me.” . . . That story is right here.
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The NHL’s 31 teams combined to select 89 players off the rosters of the 60 CHL teams — 42 from the OHL, 33 from the WHL and 14 from the QMJHL. . . . The number of players selected from WHL teams, starting in 2017 and going back to 2007: 33, 34, 35, 37, 33, 32, 33, 43, 31, 37, 37. . . .
All told, 17 of the WHL’s 22 teams had at least one player selected. . . . The Portland Winterhawks and Tri-City Americans each had four players go, while the Brandon Wheat Kings, Medicine Hat Tigers and Spokane Chiefs were at three. . . . The Swift Current Broncos, Regina Pats, Kootenay Ice and Kelowna Rockets each had two players taken, with one player being drafted from each of the Moose Jaw Warriors, Lethbridge Hurricanes, Red Deer Rebels, Prince Albert Raiders, Victoria Royals, Prince George Cougars, Seattle Thunderbirds and Kamloops Blazers. . . . Shut out of this draft were the Calgary Hitmen, Edmonton Oil Kings, Everett Silvertips, Saskatoon Blades and Vancouver Giants.
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And, finally, condolences to Nolan Patrick and his family on the death of their grandmother and mother, June. Nolan, a forward with the Brandon Wheat Kings, was the second overall pick in the draft, taken by the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday. He had a big week, too, including throwing out the ceremonial pitch prior to a Wednesday game at Wrigley Field. You can bet that he did it all with a heavy heart, his grandmother having died on June 16 in Winnipeg. She was the mother of Nolan's father, Steven, and uncle, James, who is the Kootenay Ice's head coach. . . . A complete obituary is right here.
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 F Dustin Sylvester (Kootenay, 2004-10) has signed a one-year extension with Dornbirn (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). Last season, he had 14 goals and 22 assists in 46 games. . . . 
F Tomáš Netík (Medicine Hat, 2000-01) has signed a one-year contract with Medveščak Zagreb (Croatia, Erste Bank Liga). Last season, with Sparta Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he had three goals and four assists in 20 games, and two goals in nine games with Třinec (Czech Republic, Extraliga). . . .
F John Dahlström (Medicine Hat, 2016-17) has signed a two-year contract with Almtuna Uppsala (Sweden, Allsvenskan). Last season, with the Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL), he had 30 goals and 29 assists in 63 games.
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 Next up: The CHL import draft is scheduled for Wednesday, starting at 8 a.m. PT. It is held via telephone. . . . The Kootenay Ice is scheduled to be the first WHL team to make a selection. That will be the third-overall pick, behind the OHL’s Barrie Colts and the QMJHL’s Moncton Screaming Eagles. . . . The order of selection is right here.
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The Red Deer Rebels have signed F Jace Isley, who was a fifth-round selection in the WHL’s 2017 bantam draft. Isley, who won’t turn 15 until July 14, is from Grande Prairie, Alta. Last season, he had a goal and 14 assists in 23 games with a bantam prep team at OHA Edmonton.
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F Harrison Blaisdell, 16, has committed to play for the BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs in 2017-18. Two seasons ago, he had 20 goals and 34 assists in 25 games with a bantam prep team at the Yale academy in Abbotsford, B.C. Last season, with the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians, he put up 20 goals and 21 assists in 40 regular-season games. . . . Blaisdell, who already has committed to attend North Dakota for 2020-21, is the son of former Regina Pats F Mike Blaisdell, who was a 71-goal man in his only full WHL season. He played one season (1978-79) at the U of Wisconsin, then joined the Pats early in 1979-80. . . . Harrison was selected by the Vancouver Giants in the second round of the WHL’s 2016 bantam draft.
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The BCHL’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs have acquired F Luke Gingras, 19, and futures from the Vernon Vipers for F Jordan Sandhu, 18. . . . Sandhu, from Richmond, B.C., was a fourth-round pick by the Kelowna Rockets in the WHL’s 2014 bantam draft. Sandhu has played two seasons with the Bulldogs. He has committed to Arizona State for 2018-19. . . . Gingras, 19, played 114 games with the Saskatoon Blades over the past three seasons, scoring six goals and adding seven assists. The Blades dropped him from their protected list during the 2017 bantam draft. . . . He was a fourth-round pick by the Blades in the WHL’s 2013 bantam draft. . . . Gingras started last season with the Blades and finished up with the Vipers.
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The BCHL’s Prince George Spruce Kings have acquired F Shawn Kennedy, 18, from the CCHL’s Carleton Place Canadians for G Tavin Grant, 19, and futures. . . . Grant played 18 games with the WHL’s Prince George Cougars in 2014-15 and got into one game with them last season. . . . Interestingly, when G Nick McBride, 20, revealed in May that he was leaving the Cougars in order to go to school and with G Ty Edmonds, 20, moving on to the U of Lethbridge, general manager Todd Harkins said told the Prince George Citizen: “I’m not too worried about it because we’ve got young goalies and we have Tavin Grant.” . . . Also on the Cougars’ depth chart is Taylor Gauthier of Calgary, who was the ninth overall pick in the WHL’s 2016 bantam draft.
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If you’re a regular here, and even you aren’t, feel free to contribute to the feeding of the Drinnan family by making a donation to the cause. You are able to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
BTW, if you want to contact me with some information or just feel like commenting on something, you may email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
I’m also on Twitter (@gdrinnan).
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Coaching

 Bob Woods is back with Bruce Boudreau. The Minnesota Wild announced Saturday that Woods, who has a long history with Boudreau, its head coach, has signed on as an assistant coach. Woods, 49, was an assistant coach with Buffalo last season, but lost his job as the Sabres went through another regime change. . . . Woods spent two seasons (2014-16) as the GM/head coach of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades. . . . This will be the fourth time Woods will have worked as an assistant coach alongside Boudreau. They were together with the Anaheim Ducks (2012-14), Washington Capitals (2000-12) and the AHL’s Hershey Bears (2005-07). . . . Woods also played in the WHL with the Brandon Wheat Kings (1987-89).
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The KHL season has yet to start, but that didn’t keep Dynamo Minsk from relieving head coach Craig Woodcroft of his duties. According to a release from the team, Woodcroft’s contract “was terminated by agreement of the parties.” . . . Dynamo CEO Anatoly Kurilets said the team was willing to move forward with Woodcroft as head coach, but that Woodcroft “wished for the termination of the contract, (so) we agreed . . . without paying severance pay.” . . . Woodcroft, 47, had signed a three-year contract in April 2016. . . . Assistant coaches Rob Davison and Ron Pascoe and trainer Christian Scarfagen also left Dynamo Minsk. Their departures were revealed three days before Woodcroft’s termination was announced.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:02 PM
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Thursday, June 22, 2017

Doing some scattershooting ... Dahlstrom returns to Sweden ... Nachbaur off to NHL

Scattershoot

 The Vancouver Canucks fired John Tortorella and now he’s the NHL’s coach of the year. The Canucks fired Mike Sullivan and now he’s the head coach of back-to-back Stanley Cup winners. I’m thinking things look good for Willie Desjardins.
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Does anyone know what’s going on with the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes? That’s what I thought.
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Hey, Alberta and B.C., you should get rid of those highway signs that encourage drivers to stay right and allow others to pass. Why? Because it seems there are a lot of drivers out there who can’t read.
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With the news that Floyd Mayweather will scrap with Conor McGregor in Las Vegas on Aug. 26, Vancouver comic Torben Rolfsen pointed out: “It will also be P.T. Barnum Bobblehead Night.”
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Jeff Pearlman, a well-known author, has penned a book on the USFL, which, of course, involved Donald Trump. Notes Pearlman: “One thing I can say with authority: Donald Trump is the biggest liar I’ve ever written about. Zero integrity.”
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From Cam Hutchinson of the Saskatoon Express: “Buck Martinez is a decent broadcaster when he is sitting beside Dan Shulman.” . . . I caught some of the Toronto Blue Jays game on Thursday afternoon and noted that analyst Pat Tabler has dropped any pretence of independence and now sprinkles “we” into  his chattering.
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Greg Cote, in the Miami Herald: “Want the exact definition of ‘your football career is over’? Comeback-attempting Vince Young got cut by the Saskatchewan Roughriders.”
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You take a look at the roster of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights and you realize that US$500 million doesn’t buy much these days.
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Did you chuckle the other day when NHL commish Gary Bettman said the NHL isn’t ready for another expansion just yet? Hey, wave US$500 million in front of Bettman’s face and you’ll have a franchise lickety-split.
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Headline at SportsPickle.com: Kevin Durant silences all the critics who said he could never help a 73-9 team win a championship. . . . Headline at TheKicker.com: Durant to spend offseason travelling around booing Rihanna’s concerts.
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Dwight Perry, in the Seattle Times: “With another NBA season coming to an end, commissioner Adam Silver gets to return to his other job: Holding the pitchfork in American Gothic.”
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 F John Dahlstrom, 20, won’t be returning to the Medicine Hat Tigers for a second season. He has
signed a two-year contract with Almtuna in his native Sweden. Almtuna plays in the Allsvenskan, which is one level below the SHL. . . . Dahlstrom, a seventh-round pick by the Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL’s 2015 draft, had 30 goals and 29 assists in 63 games with the Tigers last season. . . . He will attend a Chicago prospects camp next month. . . . Had Dahlstrom returned to the Tigers, he would have been a two-spotter — a 20-year-old import. Latvian D Kristians Rubins, the Tigers’ other import last season, also is a two-spotter. . . . Including Rubins, Medicine Hat still has seven 20s on its roster, the others being G Michael Bullion, D Jordan Henderson, D Ty Schultz, D Brad Forrest, F Zach Fischer and F Mark Rassell.
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The Swift Current Broncos have revealed that as of Thursday morning they had sold 1,493 season-ticket packages, “including 137 new season-ticket holders.” . . . The Broncos have stated that their goal is 1,700 before the start of the 2017-18 WHL season. . . . The Broncos have a number of prizes up for grabs, all tied into season-ticket sales, and one fan will receive a season-ticket for life if the goal of 1,700 is reached.
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D Shaun Dosanjh, who played with four different WHL teams last season, will attend York U and play for the Lions in 2017-18. Dosanjh, now 21, is from Richmond, B.C. He began his WHL career with the Vancouver Giants, and finished it up last season with stints with the Prince George Cougars, Kamloops Blazers, Lethbridge Hurricanes and Portland Winterhawks. . . . In 173 regular-season games, he put up four goals and 10 assists. . . . Dosanjh was a third-round pick by the Giants in the WHL’s 2011 bantam draft. . . . Victor Findlay (@Finder_24) reports that the Lions also have landed G Keelan Williams, 21, of Calgary. He played 13 games with the Kootenay Ice over two seasons (2014-16). Last season, he was with the BCHL’s Surrey Eagles.
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The Kamloops Blazers have signed D Trevor Thurston to a WHL contract. Thurston, from Delta, B.C., was a fourth-round selection in the 2017 bantam draft. Last season, Thurston had nine goals and 11 assists in 20 games with a bantam prep team at the Delta Hockey Academy, where he will play again in 2017-18. . . . Trevor is the son of Brent Thurston, who played for the Victoria Cougars and Spokane Chiefs (1988-92). . . . The Blazers now have signed their top three picks from the 2017 bantam draft.
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If you’re a regular here, and even you aren’t, feel free to contribute to the feeding of the Drinnan family by making a donation to the cause. You are able to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
BTW, if you want to contact me with some information or just feel like commenting on something, you may email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
I’m also on Twitter (@gdrinnan).
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Coaching

 Travis Green has accomplished his goal of becoming a head coach in the NHL. But Green, who is preparing for his first season as the Vancouver Canucks’ head coach, knows that the work is just beginning. Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune has spoken with Green and they talked about that and a whole lot more. It’s all right here.
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NHLDon Nachbaur, the third-winningest coach in WHL regular-season history, has joined the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings as an assistant coach. Nachbaur spent the previous seven seasons as the head coach of the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs, but they parted company after the 2016-17 season despite there being one year left on his contract. . . . Nachbaur, who also coached the Seattle Thunderbirds (1994-2000) and Tri-City Americans (2003-09), has 692 regular-season victories, behind only Ken Hodge (742) and Don Hay (720). . . . Nachbaur and Stevens have a history, having played together with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers and AHL’s Hershey Bears and coached together with the AHL‘s Philadelphia Phantoms (2000-02). . . . In Los Angeles, Nachbaur joins head coach John Stevens, who was promoted on April 24, and assistant coach Dave Lowry, who joined the Kings after being the head coach of the WHL’s Victoria Royals.
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NHLStu Barnes, a former WHL/NHL player who owns a piece of the Tri-City Americans, has been added to the Dallas Stars’ coaching staff. Barnes, 46, spent the previous two seasons on the coaching staff at the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton, B.C. In 2016-17, he was the head coach of the one of the academy’s midget prep teams. . . . Barnes also was an assistant coach in Dallas from 2008-12. . . . He played 16 seasons in the NHL after spending three seasons (1987-90) in the WHL with the New Westminster Bruins and the Americans. . . . In Dallas, he will work alongside head coach Ken Hitchcock. The Stars also have added Rick Wilson to their coaching staff as an assistant. Wilson, a career assistant, was with the St. Louis Blues last season. Wilson spent 15 seasons (1993-2004, 2005-09) on the Stars’ staff. He is a former assistant coach and head coach of the Prince Albert Raiders (1980-88).
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Trevor Letowski, the new head coach of the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires, has been named an assistant coach with Canada’s national junior team. With Team Canada, he replaces Kris Knoblauch, the former head coach of the OHL’s Erie Otters, who now is an assistant with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers. In Windsor, Letowski took over from Rocky Thompson, who now is head coach of the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. . . . Dominique Ducharme of the QMJHL’s Drummondiville Voltigeurs is back as Canada’s head coach, with Tim Hunter of the Moose Jaw Warriors returning as the other assistant coach.
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The 2019 RBC Cup will be held in Brooks, Alta., May 11-19. The AJHL’s Brooks Bandits will be the host team. This will be the seventh time the event has been held in Alberta. It was in Lloydminster in 2016. The Bandits, who won the RBC Cup in 2013, are the AJHL’s defending champions. The 2018 RBC Cup is scheduled to be played in Chilliwack, B.C. . . . 

Tickets for the seventh annual Young Stars Classic in Penticton, B.C., will go on sale on July 7. The six-game preseason tournament will run from Sept. 8-11, featuring teams of prospects from the host Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets.

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Thursday, April 13, 2017

Kelowna, Portland suspensions finalized ... Warriors sign defenceman ... Reddekopp gets NHL deal

Scattershoot

The Regina Pats expect to have F Filip Ahl back from a bout with mumps tonight (Friday) as they try to stave of elimination. They won’t have F Adam Brooks (knee) back, though. The feisty Swift Current Broncos, who were 1-7-0 against the Pats in the regular season, take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven second-round series into Game 5 in Regina.
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A note from Phil Andrews, the Pats’ radio voice: “In the column of crazy stats: Despite being down 3-1 in the series, Pats have led the Broncos for 105:58 in game time and trailed for just 10:12.”
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The WHL lost one of its division winners, the Prince George Cougars, in the first round. Two more, the Regina Pats and Everett Silvertips, could go by the wayside tonight. The other, the Medicine Hat Tigers, is 2-2 with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. I don’t know what it means, but it’s happening.
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Since the NHL playoffs began on Thursday, home teams are 3-5, with one of the two victories having come in OT. On Thursday, WHL home teams were 0-2. . . . BTW, each of the five Canadian teams that qualified for the NHL playoffs is 0-1. Of course, that means the Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets are the only Canadian team not to have suffered a loss this week.
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Former MLB starter David Cone, now on the New York Yankees’ TV crew, explained during a Thursday telecast that pitchers refer to wins as Willies and losses as Larrys. That, he said, is why pitchers never have sons named Larry. . . . As play-by-play man Michael Kay said: “You learn something new every day.”
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G Dylan Wells of the OHL’s Peterborough Petes scored a playoff goal last night in a 6-2 victory over the Kingston Frontenacs. The Petes swept the series, 4-0. . . . There is a good video of the goal right here, starting at the 2:47 mark. . . . BTW, Well’s NHL rights belong to the Edmonton Oilers. He’s stopping pucks, too. He’s 8-0, 1.94, .944 in these playoffs.
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Just spitballin’ here, but might there be a chance that Kamloops Blazers head coach Don Hay could end up on the coaching staff of the Dallas Stars? Tom Gaglardi, the Stars’ owner and the majority owner of the Blazers, is a huge Hay fan. Ken Hitchcock, who returned to Dallas as head coach on Thursday, and Hay worked together in Kamloops back in the day and remain close. Hay, 63, still loves coaching, but maybe he has had enough of bus travel, at least for now?
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If you’re old enough, you likely will remember when cross-checking was a penalty.
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The City of Vancouver will be a lot poorer if Rhonda and Willie Desjardins move elsewhere, now that he no longer is the Canucks’ head coach. Desjardins said farewell at a news conference on Thursday, and during his remarks he apologized to the city for the lack of positive results during his three-year run. He’s a person you really want to see given the opportunity to coach a team with better players than the mess he dealt with this season.
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As Willie Desjardins contemplated signing with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks three years ago, he also had an opportunity to join the Pittsburgh Penguins. He went with the Canucks because it felt right and because Trevor Linden was firmly ensconced there as the president of hockey operations. Desjardins and Linden both had come out of the Medicine Hat Tigers organization, so there was that. At a Thursday news conference, Desjardins thanked a whole lot of people, including owner Francesco Aquilini and general manager Jim Benning. Desjardins didn’t mention Linden.
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The Toronto Blue Jays are 1-8 and Josh Donaldson didn’t bring rain on Thursday; rather, he brought fans to tears as he limped off the field, a strained calf muscle proving to be too much. Sheesh, this could be a long, long season for the cheerleading team of Buck and Pat.
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Followers of the second-round WHL playoff series between the Portland Winterhawks and Kelowna were waiting on Thursday to see whether F Carsen Twarynski of the Rockets would be suspended before the teams meet for Game 5 tonight in the Little Apple.
Late Thursday afternoon, the news came down that Twarynski had become the fourth player suspended
during what has become a fractious series.
The Rockets hold a 3-1 edge, with the Winterhawks needing a victory tonight in order to force Game 6 in Portland on Sunday.
On Wednesday night, the Rockets posted a 7-2 victory in Portland in a game that featured 121 penalty minutes, 101 of which were doled out in the game’s last four minutes.
The Winterhawks took 64 of the 121, but the two penalties that may have mattered the most went to Twarynski, who was hit with a boarding major and game misconduct at 16:12 of the third period.
Prior to Game 4, the WHL hit three players with TBD suspensions, all under supplemental discipline.
The Rockets lost D Cal Foote, who had elbowed Portland F Skyler McKenzie in the head. The Winterhawks have said that McKenzie, who was scratched from Game 4, has a concussion.
The Winterhawks lost F Alex Overhardt and F Evan Weinger to suspensions. Overhardt hooked Kelowna D Braydyn Chizen to the ice during a bit of a scrum. Chizen left the ice with an apparent leg injury and didn’t return. He didn’t play on Wednesday night. Although the WHL doesn’t provide much in the way of explanations when issuing suspensions, Weinger is believed to have cross-checked Kelowna F Erik Gardiner, who was scratched from Game 4.
On Thursday, the WHL put numbers to those suspensions. Foote ended up with three games, meaning he will miss his club’s next two games, while Weinger got two games, so will sit out tonight, and Overhardt got one game, so is eligible to play tonight.
Twarynski, meanwhile, was placed on the TBD list, meaning he won’t play tonight. Twarynski hit Portland F Keegan Iverson from behind. Iverson didn’t appear to be injured, though, something that could have an impact on the length of Twarynski’s suspension.
“The league’s going to do what they feel they got to do,” Bruce Hamilton, the Rockets’ president and general manager, told Larry Fisher of the Kelowna Daily Courier on Thursday. “You kind of commit a crime, you serve your time.”
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Coaching.
It’s a disease. It really is.
In the diamond-shaking baseball book Ball Four, author/knuckleballer Jim Bouton wrote: “A ballplayer spends a good piece of his life gripping a baseball, and in the end it turns out that it was the other way around all the time.”
The same could be said of hockey and coaching. The sport of hockey and all that is involved in it — from the people to the teaching, from the practices to the travel to the games — has a grip on coaches that
Ken Hitchcock is back in Dallas as head coach
of the Stars. (Photo: nhl.com)
really is so deep as to be unfathomable . . . unless you are one of them.
On May 26, the NHL’s St. Louis Blues and Ken Hitchcock announced that he was returning for one last season as head coach.
At a news conference, Hitchock said that he realized two days after the Blues’ 2015-16 season ended that he only had one more season in him.
"We have a 12-month clock as coaches," Hitchcock said. "A fanatical clock that we run on and the 12-month clock is the clock in the offseason. And the clock in the offseason is the stuff that I start doing in July, and I'm gunned up and ready to do the stuff I need to do in July and August this year to get ready for next season.
"You have to sign up a year in advance, and the stuff I do to get better to stay current, which quite frankly really helped us this year in some areas, those things have been on my desk for two months and I'm not willing to sign them. If you're not willing to sign them, it means you're ready to flat-line and you're going to go backwards. I thought the playoffs, getting through it, I'd take a look at it again and I'm not willing to do it, so I'm done. So to me, I'm ready to go for next year, I'm excited. This is an unbelievable group of guys with a lot of potential and I'm ready to do it, but if I'm not going to get better myself during the offseason, then I'm doing a disservice to the hockey club and I'm not going to do it."
Of course, Hitchcock didn’t make it to the end of his last season, as the Blues fired him on Feb. 1.
On Thursday, Hitchcock, 65, was in Dallas where he was introduced as the Stars’ new head coach. Never mind that this season was going to be Hitchcock’s last rodeo, he now has a multi-year deal with the Stars, one that will spin him into a consulting role when either he or the team decides that the coaching is over.
This is Hitchcock’s second go-round in Dallas, where he helped the Stars to five straight division titles and a Stanley Cup title in 1999, before he was fired in January 2002.
He will tell you that after he was fired by the Blues, he felt like he was done. But in the weeks to come he had conversations with numerous coaches at various levels of the game and it was as though someone hit the refresh button . . . or like the coaching bug bit him all over again.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors have signed D Chase Hartje, 17, who is from Bemidji, Minn. This season, Hartje played high school hockey in his hometown, putting up 25 points, including 21 assists, in 25 games with the Bemidji High Lumberjacks. He also got into nine games with the NAHL’s Bismarck, N.D., Bobcats, recording six points, including two goals. . . . A list player, Hartje has been in the Warriors’ training camp prior to each of the past two seasons.
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Officials with the Victoria Royals are shaking their heads at an online report in the Victoria Sports News that claims head coach Dave Lowry has been in talks with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks and also has spoken with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants.
According to a piece written by Christopher Kelsall, “An anonymous, but a reliable source close to Victoria Sports News as well as the Victoria Royals Western Hockey League franchise, claims that Dave Lowry has been talking to the Vancouver Canucks for at least six weeks. . . .
“Apparently, Lowry has also talked to the Vancouver Giants; however, this scenario does not seem likely as it would be a parallel move.”
Never mind that the Giants already have a head coach, Jason McKee, and that he has two seasons remaining on his contract.
Oh, and let’s not forget that, according to the Royals, neither the Canucks nor the Giants have asked for permission to speak with Lowry.
“I guess you can’t stop people from being, or quoting, ‘reliable sources’,” Victoria general manager Cam Hope told Taking Note. “All you can do is smile and shake your head.”
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D Chaz Reddekopp of the Victoria Royals has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Los Angeles Kings, who selected him in the seventh round of the NHL’s 2015 draft. Reddekopp, from West Kelowna, B.C., has played four seasons with the Royals. This season, he had 10 goals and 33 assists in 55 games. He missed time late in the regular season after breaking an ankle while blocking a shot. Earlier this week, he joined the Ontario Reign, the Kings’ AHL affiliate.
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Canada won its first game at the IIHF U-18 World Championship on Thursday, beating Latvia 4-1 in Poprad, Slovakia. F Stelio Mattheos of the Brandon Wheat Kings had one of Canada’s goals, scoring on a first-period penalty shot. . . . G Ian Scott of the Prince Albert Raiders earned the victory with 17 saves. . . . Canada next plays on Saturday when it meets the host Slovakian side. . . . The Canadian roster includes five other WHLers — defencemen Josh Brook and Jett Woo of the Moose Jaw Warriors and Ty Smith of the Spokane Chiefs, and forwards Jaret Anderson-Dolan of Spokane, who is the team captain, and Kyle Olson of the Tri-City Americans.
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As of April 7, the City of Nanaimo had spent $858,961 on what some people there had hoped would be a new events centre. You may recall that Nanaimo held a referendum on March 11, with the City looking for the OK to borrow $80 million in order to build an events centre that would have been home to a WHL franchise, presumably the Kootenay Ice. The Nanaimo News Bulletin reports that the referendum alone cost taxpayers $166,906, which was well above the budgeted figure of $130,000. The City also spent hundreds of thousands on planners and consultants, etc. “Nanaimo city council started to explore a potential sports and entertainment centre last year after naming it a strategic priority, hiring consultants to holding open houses with the public,” writes Tamara Cunningham of the News Bulletin. “It held a referendum in March on borrowing up to $80 million over 20 years to build the centre, which saw a 35.3 per cent voter turnout and 80.3 per cent of residents reject the borrowing.” . . . The story is right here.
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———
Coaching

 The BCHL’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs have relieved Kevin Willison of his duties as general manager and head coach. Willison had been head coach since Dec. 7, 2011. Before signing with the Bulldogs, he had been head coach of the AJHL’s Olds Grizzlies. . . . The Bulldogs made the playoffs in four of Willison’s five seasons. They didn’t qualify this season, as they finished 16-32-7-3, good for fifth place in the five-team Island Division.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.
——

FRIDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Everett vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m. (Seattle leads, 3-0)
Swift Current at Regina, 7 p.m. (Swift Current leads, 3-1)
Portland at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m. (Kelowna leads, 3-1)
Lethbridge at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m. (Series tied, 2-2)

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Saturday, November 19, 2011

Gaglardi now owns Dallas Stars

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Tom Gaglardi, the majority owner of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers, now is the owner of the NHL’s Dallas Stars and 50 per cent of the facility in which they play, American Airlines Center.
Gaglardi, 43, has been in pursuit of the NHL franchise for two years. The NHL’s board of governors announced that the sale had been completed after a U.S. bankruptcy court in Delaware approved the sale.
Gaglardi has refused to comment on the sale. He will be introduced as the new owner at a news conference in Dallas on Monday.
It has been reported that Gaglardi bid US$267 million to purchase the franchise out of bankruptcy.
Gaglardi is president of Northland Properties Corp., a Vancouver-based business that owns, among other businesses, Sandman Hotels, Denny’s Restaurants and Moxie’s Restaurants.
According to court documents, the Stars lost $37.9 million last season and $91.5 million over the previous three seasons. Losses this season are projected at more than $30 million.
According to figures compiled by espn.go.com, the Stars are last in attendance in the 30-team NHL. Their average attendance through eight games is 10,023. They play in an 18,500-seat arena, half of which is owned by Mark Cuban, the owner of the NBA-champion Dallas Mavericks.
Gaglardi, whose mother is from Longview, Texas, did confirm Friday that he has hired Jim Lites as president and chief executive officer.
“Jim Lites is the right guy at the right time to reposition and lead the franchise forward,” Gaglardi said in a statement. “I like his vision, resilience, marketing expertise and his total energy for this job, and he and I share a huge love of this game.”
Lites, 58, had two previous stints as the Stars’ president and CEO. They won the Stanley Cup in 1999 while he was a member of the front office.
Lites also spent 11 seasons as the Detroit Red Wings’ chief operating officer.
Lites told Mark Stepneski of ESPN Dallas/Fort Worth that he began talking with Gaglardi about returning to the Stars on the night the NHL season opened.
“It was pretty rocky,” Lites told Stepneski, referring to his first meeting with Gaglardi. “He was pretty rough on me, as he should. I remember telling my wife that we shouldn’t quit our day jobs. But the feedback was really good and I spent a lot of hours communicating with Tom via text and email, and then he brought me to Vancouver two or three weeks ago and we spent a couple days together.”
On the ice, the Stars lost 3-0 to the host Colorado Avalanche on Friday night, their fourth straight setback. The Stars are at home to the San Jose Sharks tonight.
This was Gaglardi’s second attempt to purchase an NHL franchise.
In November of 2003 Gaglardi was part of a group along with Ryan Beedie and Francesco Aquilini that was interested in purchasing the Vancouver Canucks.
Aquilini left the group and purchased the franchise in 2004. That resulted in Gaglardi and Beedie filing a lawsuit against Aquilini, saying he had gone behind their backs.
The courts ruled in Aquilini’s favour.
— With files from Canadian Press

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Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Brenden Dillon, a defenceman with the Seattle Thunderbirds, has signed
a three-year contract with the NHL’s Dallas Stars.
(Photo by Kyle Scholzen/Seattle Thunderbirds)
As was first reported Monday night by TSN’s Ryan Rishaug, the NHL’s Dallas Stars have signed D Brenden Dillon of the Seattle Thunderbirds to a three-year NHL contract. Dillon, 20, was a free agent.
Here is the press release that was issued Tuesday by the Thunderbirds:
Kent, March 1, 2011 - Seattle Thunderbirds defenseman Brenden Dillon signed a three-year entry level contract this afternoon with the Dallas Stars of the NHL.
"I have appreciated the attention and interest from NHL teams," said Dillon. "I am excited and looking forward to being a part of the Stars organization."
Dillon, a 20-year-old, is in his fourth season with the T-Birds. He is currently second on the team in scoring with 50 points on six goals and 44 assists. Dillon also has 128 penalty minutes this season. Dillon will remain with the T-Birds until the end of the 2010-11 season.
"We are happy to hear Brenden has finalized his contract with Dallas," said T-Birds general manager Russ Farwell. "He has worked very hard over his junior career to earn his chance and it is great to see him rewarded by signing an NHL contract. He has matured a great deal this year and is ready to move on to pro hockey and the next step in his career."
Dillon has played in 271 games in his four seasons with the T-Birds and has nine goals and 76 assists for 85 points with 365 penalty minutes.
"It was a tough decision for Brenden with so many quality teams interested" said Dillon's agent Jarret Bousquet, of Titan Sports Management. "This was the right decision at the right time for Brenden."
And here is the release that was issued by the Stars:
The Dallas Stars announced today that the club has signed defenseman Brenden Dillon to a three-year entry level contract, beginning with the 2011-12 season. Dillon will remain with his current club, the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League (WHL), for the rest of the 2010-11 season.
Dillon, 21, spent the last four seasons with the Thunderbirds, collecting 85 points (9g, 76a) in 271 games. The Surrey, British Columbia, native has appeared in 63 games this season for Seattle with 50 points (6g, 44a), setting career highs in both goals and assists in a single season. Dillon currently leads the Thunderbirds in assists and is second in overall points.
The 6-3, 209-pound defenseman participated in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2009 training camp. Prior to his four seasons with Seattle, Dillon played with the Hope Icebreakers of the Pacific International Junior Hockey League (PIJHL), a junior league team in British Columbia during the 2006-07 season and scored four goals and 27 assists along with 54 penalty minutes.
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One of the week’s best hockey reads comes from Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada. This week’s offering is right here.
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F Brayden Schenn of the Saskatoon Blades is the WHL’s player of the month for February. Schenn, 19, had 32 points, including 13 goals, in 13 games. . . . As Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix tweeted: “(Schenn) also solved the Caramilk secret.” . . . The WHL’s goaltender of the month is Mac Engel of the Spokane Chiefs. Engel, 17, got his chance to play when James Reid went out with an injury. In February, Engel was 9-2-0, 1.83, .930, and he had two shutouts. . . . The 13th annual Hockey Challenge, which was held last weekend at the ShoWare Centre in Kent, Wash., raised $170,000 for Ronald McDonald House charities of Western Washington and Alaska. The Seattle Thunderbirds and RMHC made the announcement Tuesday. The Hockey Challenge has raised more than $4 million over 13 years. . . .
In  Swift Current, the Prince Albert Raiders, with F Justin Maylan enjoying a five-point night, posted a 6-2 victory over the Broncos, who have lost eight in a row. . . . Raiders F Jonathan Parker scored twice, giving him 41. . . . The victory lifted the eighth-place Raiders two points ahead of the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Broncos now are eight points out with seven games left. . . . Shawn Mullin, the radio voice of the Swift Current Broncos, reports that F Killian Hutt may return to action next week. Hutt hasn’t played since suffering a concussion during a game in Kamloops on Dec. 10. According to Mullin, Hutt finally is symptom free and has rejoined the Broncos. . . .
F Dylan Hood scored three goals to lead the host Moose Jaw Warriors to a victory over the Regina Pats. The Pats lost G Damien Ketlo in the second period when he took a Spencer Edwards shot off the mask. Ketlo stayed in the game for a few minutes, but then skated to the Pats’ bench and was replaced by Matt Hewitt. . . . The Warriors erased 2-0 and 3-2 deficits. . . . Hood has 28 goals. His 27th broke a 3-3 tie at 11:03 of the third period. . . . Moose Jaw head coach Dave Hunchak (ill) sat this one out, meaning assistant coach Mike Vandenberghe ran the bench. . . . The Warriors clinched a playoff spot with the victory; they are fifth and likely will finish there. . . . Regina, with eight games to play, is five points behind Prince Albert. . . . The Pats will be back in Moose Jaw on March 12 for their final regular-season appearance in the Crushed Can. Perhaps former Pats radio voice Kevin Gallant could put in an appearance wearing that Donald Duck costume. Ahh, the memories from the Crushed Can. . . . .
G Tyler Bunz stopped 40 shots as the Medicine Hat Tigers skated out of Red Deer with a 4-2 victory over the Rebels. It was the Tigers’ 40th victory and lifted them to within four points of the Central Division-leading Rebels. . . . Medicine Hat came out of the first period with a 2-0 lead, despite being outshot 21-9. . . . Medicine Hat F Linden Vey had a goal, his 41st, and an assist. He leads the WHL with 107 points, three more than Spokane Chiefs F Tyler Johnson. . . . Medicine Hat is within four points of the Central Division-leading Rebels. The Tigers have a game in hand. . .
The Seattle Thunderbirds got two goals and two assists from F Burke Gallimore, who now has 30, and beat the visiting Vancouver Giants, 4-2. . . . The Thunderbirds move into a tie for ninth with the Chilliwack Bruins, five points out of the Western Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . The Giants remained two points behind the B.C. Division-leading Kelowna Rockets. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., the Portland Winterhawks got four points from each of their Swiss imports, F Nino Niederreiter and F Sven Bartschi, as they got past the Tri-City Americans, 6-5. . . . The Winterhawks, who top the Western Conference, now are three points ahead of the Spokane Chiefs and 11 up on the Americans. . . . Niederreiter had two goals and two assists; Bartschi was one and three. . . . The Americans dressed 16 skaters as they have F Adam Hughesman (knee), F Mason Wilgosh (knee), F Jordan Messier (shoulder), F Neal Prokop (charley horse) and G Drew Owsley (knee) all listed as being out week-to-week.
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TUESDAY’S CFB COUNT:
One minor:
Regina D Brandon Davidson

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