WHL suspends pair . . . Pats sneak past Blades; Brooks leads way

D David Turoň (Portland, 2002-03) has been released by the Fife Flyers (Scotland, UK Elite). He had three goals and five assists in 30 games. . . .

F J.T. Barnett (Vancouver, Kamloops, Everett, Kelowna, 2008-13) has been released by Amur Khabarovsk (Russia, KHL). He was pointless in three games. . . . Earlier this season, Barnett was pointless in one game with CSKA Moscow (Russia, KHL), and seven goals and three assists in 24 games with Zvezda Chekhov (Russia, Vysshaya Liga). . . . Barnett was traded by CSKA to Amur on Dec. 13.

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The WHL’s Department of Discipline dealt with a couple of players on Monday. . . . F Tadden Rattie of the Vancouver Giants drew a TBD suspension for becoming involved in a one-man fight during a game with the host Victoria Royals on Sunday. . . . Brandon D Kale Clague will sit out one game after taking a charging major and game misconduct during a game in Calgary against the Hitmen on Sunday.

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The Portland Winterhawks have signed D Kade Nolan, 15, to a WHL contract. Nolan was a fourth-round selection in the 2016 bantam draft. Nolan, from Rouleau, Sask., has six points, five of them assists, in 33 games with the Saskatoon Blazers of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League. Last season, he had 26 points, including 24 assists, in 38 games with the bantam AAA Notre Dame Hounds.

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If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

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Happy birthday to @HCChiefs42. This is a normal sized chair. pic.twitter.com/BQyFcQasOM

— Catfish (@tblade03) January 30, 2017

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MONDAY’S GAME:

Something you rarely see in the #WHL 👎 Post game #handshake 👍 A great game 👏 #Pats vs #Blades #TeamUpForRespect pic.twitter.com/G7vrGTWd8n

— George (@Big_G_09) January 30, 2017

At Saskatoon, the Regina Pats scored a pair of PP goals as they beat the Blades, 2-1. . . . This was the Blades’ third annual Team Up for Respect game and included the teams shaking hands at centre ice

ADAM BROOKS

when it was over. . . . F Adam Brooks gave Regina a 1-0 lead at 18:04 of the first period with his 29th goal. . . . Brooks drew an assist on F Dawson Leedahl’s goal, his 26th, 35 seconds into the second period. Leedahl is from Saskatoon. . . . D Bryton Sayers (5) got the Blades to within a goal when he scored on a PP at 1:24 of the third period. . . . Regina F Sam Steel drew an assist on Leedahl’s goal. Steel leads the WHL with 88 points, two more than Brooks. . . . Brooks is No. 1 in assists, with 57, five more than Steel. . . . The Pats got 22 saves from G Tyler Brown, while Saskatoon’s Logan Flodell stopped 25 shots. . . . Regina was 2-4 on the PP; Saskatoon was 1-5. . . . The Pats (34-6-7) have won five in a row. They have moved back into a tie for first-place overall with the Prince George Cougars. Regina holds six games in hand, too. . . . The Blades (20-25-6) have lost three straight after having won five in a row. They are in possession of the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, but are just one point ahead of the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Announced attendance: 8,019.

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TUESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Everett vs. Portland, 7 p.m. (ppd. from Jan. 7)

Brandon at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.

Kootenay at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.

Kamloops vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.

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Raiders 200 short of goal . . . Pats are Steeling for new season

F Jaroslav Svoboda (Kootenay, 1998-2000) signed a one-month contract with Red Ice Martigny (Switzerland, NL B) as an injury replacement. Last season, with Chomutov (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he had eight goals and four assists in 25 games. . . .
F David Turoň (Portland, 2002-03) has been released by Havířov (Czech Republic, 1. Liga). Last season, with Meran/Merano (Italy, Inter-National-League), he had 22 points, 12 of them goals, in 25 games. He also had two goals and seven assists in 16 games with Fassa (Italy, Serie A). . . .
F Colton Yellow Horn (Lethbridge, Tri-City, 2003-08) has signed a one-year contract with Nippon Paper Cranes Kushiro (Japan, Asia HL). Last season, with Székesfehérvár (Hungary, Erste Bank Liga), he had 43 points, including 20 goals, in 43 games.
D Vladimír Sičák (Medicine Hat, 1998-2000) has signed a one-year contract with Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic, Extraliga). Last season, with Sparta Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he had three goals and eight assists in 40 games. The contract includes a clause that Sičák can exercise in December and January to move to another club outside of Czech Republic.
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The Prince Albert Raiders are hoping to sell at least 200 more season tickets between now and their regular-season opener. General manager Bruno Campese tells Darryl Mills of the Prince Albert Daily Herald: “At the moment, we’re at about 1,500. We need to be at 1,700.” . . . Campese wonders if tickets sales have been hurt by summer chatter involving the future of F Leon Draisaitl and D Josh Morrissey. . . . Mills’ story is right here.
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F Sam Steel was the second overall selection in the 2013 bantam draft. That means, of course, that he couldn’t play regularly with the Regina Pats last season, so now is preparing for his freshman season. As Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reports right here, Steel is off to a great start with seven points in two games. Yes, it’s the exhibition season, but you're free to start with the nicknames.
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It appears that F Reid Duke’s camp did ask the Lethbridge Hurricanes to trade him when he chose not to report for the start of training camp. But, as Dale Woodard of the Lethbridge Herald reports right here, that didn’t happen and now Duke is back with the team and rarin’ to go.
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Portland freelancer Scott Sepich (@SSepich) tweeted Wednesday afternoon that “it appears that 20-year-olds Trace Elson and Trent Lofthouse have been removed from the Winterhawks preseason roster.” . . . He followed that up with: “Hawks decided to go younger with Evan Weinger and Jack Flaman up front, means they likely keep Josh Smith/Josh Hanson as 20s on back line.” . . . Elson and Lofthouse both are forwards with WHL experience. Elson, who doesn’t turn 20 until Nov. 25, played five games with the Red Deer Rebels in 2011-12 and 15 games with the Vancouver Giants last season. Lofthouse has split 148 regular-season games between the Everett Silvertips, Victoria Royals and Vancouver. He is the son of former WHLer Mark Lofthouse (New Westminster, 1974-77). . . . The Winterhawks are left with three 20s on their roster in F Adam De Champlain, D Josh Hanson and D Joshua Smith. Smith, from Lacombe, Alta., will turn 20 on Oct. 10. His WHL experience? He has played 93 games with the Prince George Cougars since 2009-10. He has 11 points, including one goal, in that time, but will bring some ruggedness to Portland’s back end.
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The Red Deer Rebels released D Kirk Bear on Wednesday. Bear, 19, is from Whitewood, Sask. He was pointless in 35 games as a freshman with the Rebels last season. . . . Bear is expected to join the SJHL’s Melville Millionaires. . . . The Rebels’ roster is down to 26 players. . . . Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate reports that veterans Kolton Dixon, 19, and Devan Fafard, 20, both of whom played defence last season, are trying to make the Rebels’ roster as forwards.
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The Vancouver Giants have released D Bobby Zinkan, 19, who has 102 regular-season WHL games on his resume, all of them with the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Zinkan, from Calgary, was a fourth-round pick in the 2010 bantam draft. . . . In 102 games with the Broncos, he had two goals and two assists. . . . On May 7, the Giants dealt F Luca Leone, 18, and a sixth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft to the Broncos for Zinkan.
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The Tri-City Americans have released F Jake Mykitiuk, who turns 19 on Nov. 21, and he is expected to return to the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints. . . . The 5-foot-7, 160-pounder played two seasons (2011-13) with the Prince George Cougars, putting up 21 points, including seven goals, in 126 games. . . . F Dawson Leedahl of the Everett Silvertips will sit out two weekend games with a WHL-issued suspension. He took a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct against the Portland Winterhawks on Sunday. 
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Baseball broadcaster just used term, "concussion-like symptoms." Can't believe that terminology still exists.
— Mark Spector (@SportsnetSpec) September 3, 2014

Well, this is happening at Dodger Stadium #dodgers pic.twitter.com/fbWJkc8uX5
— Greg Merideth (@gregofla) September 3, 2014

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Laxdal leaves Oil Kings . . . Price is right at U of T

The KHL has announced that Lev Prague (Czech Republic) will go on “administrative leave” for the 2014-2015 season for financial reasons. Two major sponsors, Gazprom and Skoda, have withdrawn their financial sponsorship, reducing Lev Prague’s revenue by 50 per cent. Lev remains a member of the KHL and may rejoin the league in 2015. Ex-WHL players on Lev last season included F Michal Řepík (Vancouver, 2005-08) and F Jakub Klepiš (Portland, 2001-02), who signed with Färjestad Karlstad (Sweden, SHL) last week. . . .
D David Turon (Portland, 2002-03) has signed a one-year contract with Havířov (Czech Republic, 1. Liga). He grew up and played as a youth in Havířov. Last season, with Meran/Merano (Italy, Inter-National-League), he had 22 points, including 12 goals, in 25 games. In 16 games from January on with Fassa (Italy, Serie A), he had nine points, two of the goals, in 16 games. . . .
F Kris Foucault (Swift Current, Kootenay, Calgary, 2006-11) has signed a one-year contract with the Vienna Capitals (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). Last season, he had 22 points, 11 of them goals, in 58 games with the Iowa Wild (AHL). . . .
F Kris Beech (Calgary, 1996-2001) has signed a one-year contract with Innsbruck (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). Last season, with the Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL), he had 24 points, eight of them goals, in 36 games. In two games in March with the Vienna Capitals (Austria, Erste Bank Liga), he had a goal and three assists.
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There will be yet another coaching change in the WHL with the news on Thursday that Edmonton Oil Kings head coach Derek Laxdal has signed a three-year deal with the Texas Stars, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Dallas Stars.
Laxdal leaves the Memorial Cup-champion Oil Kings for the team that won the Calder Cup as the AHL’s playoff champions. Willie Desjardins, the AHL team’s head coach, now is the head coach of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks.
Laxdal, 48, spent four seasons with the Oil Kings, with the team winning at least 50 games in each of the last three. The Oil Kings also appeared in the last three WHL championship finals, winning two of them.
With Laxdal behind the bench, the Oil Kings put together a 182-83-23 regular-season record.
Prior to joining the Oil Kings, Laxdal spent five seasons as head coach of the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads, who were affiliated with Dallas. Under Laxdal, the Steelheads won the Kelly Cup as ECHL champions in 2007.
From Stonewall, Man., Laxdal also played in the WHL (Portland, Brandon, New Westminster, 1982-86) and was a member of the Memorial Cup-champion Winterhawks in 1983.
It will be a shock if the Oil Kings don’t fill the head-coaching vacancy from within by promoting highly touted assistant coach Steve Hamilton, who is presently on vacation. Chances are he’ll be introduced as head coach next week.
Meanwhile, the Moose Jaw Warriors, Portland Winterhawks, Regina Pats and Vancouver Giants continue to search for head coaches, while the Calgary Hitmen, Kamloops Blazers, Kelowna Rockets, Saskatoon Blades and Tri-City Americans have already made changes at that position.
Interestingly, only the Rockets have promoted from within as five-year assistant coach Dan Lambert has taken over from Ryan Huska, who now is the head coach of the Adirondack Flames, the Glens Falls, N.Y.,-based AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Calgary Flames.
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Hockey Canada will have to replace Derek Laxdal as head coach of the U-18 team that is to play in the Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament in August.
Laxdal was named head coach on June 12, with Jody Hull, the head coach of the OHL’s Peterborough Petes, and Eric Veilleux, the head coach of the QMJHL’s Baie-Comeau Drakkar, as assistant coaches.
The U-18 team’s selection camp is scheduled for Calgary, Aug. 2-5, with the tournament to run Aug. 11-16 in Breclav, Czech Republic, and Piestany, Slovakia.
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1. So what are we to make of all these WHL coaches who have move on up hockey’s ladder? . . . “That tells you how good this league is,” former Moose Jaw Warriors head coach Mike Stothers told Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald. “It’s outstanding. I don’t want to blanket it and say it’s the best in all of junior hockey, but I don’t know how it can’t be. Every team has a great coach and that just bodes well for the league and the future of it.” . . . After three years with the Warriors, Stothers is leaving to become head coach of the AHL’s Manchester Monarchs.

2. The Swift Current Broncos are expected to introduce Josh Dixon as associate coach this morning. . . . “Although Dixon offered a polite ‘no comment’ when contacted via text message on Thursday,” Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reported, “multiple WHL sources confirmed that Dixon is set to be named the new associate coach of the Broncos, replacing Darren Evjen, who recently stepped down for family reasons.” . . . Evjen is going back to teaching school, although he will remain involved with the team to some extent. . . . Dixon spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach with the Regina Pats but resigned last month when he and the team’s new owners weren’t able to reach agreement on a new contract.

3. Malcolm Cameron, who was fired as head coach of the Regina Pats last week, has told the Regina Leader-Post’s Greg Harder that he is “very, very interested” in the opening in Moose Jaw. In fact, Cameron already has submitted his resume. . . . Cameron spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the Pats, before taking over a year ago after the resignation of Pat Conacher. In Cameron’s lone season as head coach, the Pats finished atop the East Division and then were swept from the playoffs by the Brandon Wheat Kings in the first round.

4. Jim Brosnan was a decent relief pitcher who turned out to be a much better writer. He wrote The Longest Season, one of the best baseball books in anyone’s library. In fact, it’s one of the best books. Period. . . . Brosnan died Saturday at 84. . . . There’s more right here from The New York Times.

5. Ira Berkow of The New York Times writes:
“Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner whose remarkable story of survival as a prisoner of war in World War II gained new attention in 2010 with the publication of a best-selling biography by Laura Hillenbrand, died on Wednesday in Los Angeles. He was 97.
“A statement released by his family said he had been suffering from pneumonia.”
If you haven’t read Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, do yourself a favour and give it a read.
Berkow’s obituary of Zamperini is right here.

6. D Nick Walters, 20, of the Lethbridge Hurricanes has signed an amateur tryout (ATO) with the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets. A fourth-round pick by the St. Louis Blukes in the 2012 NHL draft, Walters wasn’t signed, so was a free agent. He also has played with the Everett Silvertips and Brandon Wheat Kings.

7. Veteran WHL coach Dan Price has signed on as a full-time assistant coach with the CIS U of Toronto Varsity Blues. Price, a former goaltender with the U of Regina Cougars (1995-98), will work alongside Darren Lowe, who is preparing for his 20th season as the Blues’ head coach. . . . Price graduade from law school at the U of Saskatchewan in 2001. . . . Last season, he was an assistant coach with the Tri-City Americans. He also has worked as a scout or assistant/associate coach with the Regina Pats, Calgary Hitmen and Chilliwack Bruins.
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Fantastic day on the water. 78 pound halibut. It's like bringing up a grand piano from the ocean floor! #workout pic.twitter.com/cp8kXSCmXA
— Todd Harkins (@coachharks) July 3, 2014

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Derek Ryan (Spokane, 2003-07) signed a two-year contract extension with Villach (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He finished second in league scoring with 27 goals and 39 assists in 54 games with Villach this season. . . .
D David Turon (Portland, 2002-03) signed a one-year contract with Meran/Merano (Italy, Serie A2). He had 11 goals and 12 assists in 44 games with Fassa (Italy, Serie A) this season.
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1. The Vancouver Giants announced late Tuesday afternoon that assistant coach Glen Hanlon won’t be returning to work under head coach Don Hay. According to the Giants’ news release, Hanlon left to “pursue a job as a head coach overseas.” . . . Subsequently, there were suggestions that he has agreed to work again as head coach of the Belarussian national team. He previously had worked as the head coach of the KHL’s Dynamo Minsk and with the Slovkian and Belarussian national teams. . . . Hanlon, 56, spent two seasons with the Giants.

2. Grant Sonier was named general manager of the QMJHL’s Charlottetown Islanders on Tuesday. Sonier, who is from Summerside, P.E.I., takes over the franchise that was sold earlier this month and renamed on Monday. It had been the P.E.I. Rocket. A veteran scout, Sonier also did a stint as the Florida Panthers’ assistant GM.

3. In case you missed it, Tuesday was a bizarre night. For the first time in his illustrious career, Mariano Rivera was tagged with a loss without getting even one out. Oh, and LeBron fouled out!

4. If you haven’t been following the goings-on involving the athletic department at Rutgers University, you should be. Bizarre doesn’t begin to describe it. Michael Rosenberg of si.com has a good piece right here.

5. Dale Unruh, who is CEO, president and chairman of the Quality Group of Companies in Fort McMurray, Alta., has bought a piece of the BCHL’s Salmon Arm SilverBacks. Trevor Howlett of Fort McMurray Today has more right here.

6. If you are a baseball fan, you are familiar with the name Dr. Lewis Yocum. If not, well, Dr. Yocum was and is responsible for keeping a lot of players on the field of play. He died on the weekend at the age of 65. There’s more right here.

7. While Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs is awaiting the start of the NBA final, he also is in the middle of what seems to be a nasty divorce. Check out this right here from Deadspin.

8. The Los Angeles Clippers went 56-26 during the NBA regular season. So why did head coach Vinny Del Negro lose his job? Bill Dwyre of the Los Angeles Times tells us right here.
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From Damien Cox (@DamoSpin) of the Toronto Star/Sportsnet: “Kings survive. More exciting hockey to come. Think I'll just watch the east. Or baseball. Quicker pace.”
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From TSN analyst Darren R. Pang (@Panger40): “That would be best for everyone on twitter. Only you can suck the life out of a GM 7. @DamoSpin"
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From Cox: “@Panger40 Your pay cheque is showing. Again.”
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From Pang: “That has to do with a pay check? That is a bad analysis. Par for course with you. @DamoSpin”

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THE MacBETH REPORT:

F Roman Wick (Red Deer, Lethbridge, 2004-06) signed a three-year contract with ZSC Zurich (Switzerland, NL A). He had 11 goals and 10 assists in 34 games for Kloten (Switzerland, NL A) last season. . . .
D David Turon (Portland, 2002-03) signed a one-year contract extension with Fassa (Italy, Serie A). He had six goals and 13 assists in 42 games with Fassa last season.
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Monday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D David Turon (Portland, 2002-03) signed a one-year contract with Fassa (Italy, Serie A). He had two goals and one assist in 25 games with Dukla Trencin (Slovakia, Extraliga) and five goals and three assists in 28 games for Lausitzer Fuche Weisswasser (Germany, 2.Bundesliga) last season.
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The Kamloops Blazers have added to their stable of experienced WHL defencemen.
The Blazers acquired Marek Hrbas, an 18-year-old sophomore from the Czech Republic, from the Edmonton Oil Kings on Monday. In exchange for Hrbas and the 27th selection in the 2011 CHL import draft that is to be held Wednesday, the Blazers surrendered the 18th pick in the import draft and a fifth-round selection in the 2012 WHL bantam draft.

MAREK HRBAS

Hrbas, 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds, had 17 points, including five goals, and 30 penalty minutes in 64 games with the Oil Kings last season. He was pointless in four playoff games. The Oil Kings selected him fourth overall in the CHL’s 2010 import draft.
Hrbas spent 2009-10 with the USHL’s Fargo, N.D., Force, earning 15 points, four of them goals, in 40 games. That season, he played for Czech Republic in the U-17 World Hockey Challenge at Timmins, Ont., and was the tournament’s highest-scoring defenceman with seven points in five games.
He played for the Czech Republic — he was the team captain — at the U-18 World Junior Championship in Germany in April, recording four assists in six games.
The acquisition of Hrbas leaves the Blazers with seven defencemen on their roster, each of whom has played at least one WHL season. Two of them — Josh Caron and Bronson Maschmeyer — are 20 years of age, while Austin Madaisky and Brandon Underwood are 19 and have played three WHL seasons. Tyler Hansen, at 18, is heading into his third season. Brady Gaudet, 17, is preparing for his second season.
Prior to trading for Hrbas, the Blazers were eligible to make two selections in the import draft, having chosen not to bring back Slovakian forward Dalibor Bortnak or German forward Bernhard Keil.
Now, Kamloops is scheduled to pick 27th, which should happen Wednesday at 10:20 a.m.
The OHL’s London Knights hold the first pick, having acquired it Monday from the Barrie Colts. London is to open the draft at 6 a.m.
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Check out Alan Caldwell’s blog, Small Thoughts At Large, over there on the right for a team-by-team look at the WHL heading into the import draft. . . . Between analysis like that and his statistical look at all of the WHL teams’ prospects that Caldwell has posted over the last while, you have to wonder why the WHL doesn’t offer him some big money to join their staff as the Minister of Information.
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JUST NOTES: Among the undrafted free agents attending the New York Rangers’ development camp that opened Monday are F T.J. Foster of the Edmonton Oil Kings, F Austin Fyten of the Lethbridge Hurricanes and F Jordan Hickmott of the Oil Kings. . . . The IIHF announced Monday that the 2014 World Junior Championship will be played in Malmö, Sweden. The 2012 event is scheduled for Calgary and Edmonton, with the 2013 tournament to be played in Ufa, Russia. . . . The Calgary Flames have said they won’t renew the contract of Duane Sutter, their director of player personnel. The Flames have signed John Weisbrod, who had been the director of pro and amateur scouting for the Boston Bruins, as assistant GM.
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An email from Ryan Ohashi, the Lethbridge Hurricanes’ communications and events manager, provides us with what he calls Ryan’s Really Random factoid of the day.
He points out quite a link between his Hurricanes and the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes . . .
Brody Sutter became the third Lethbridge Hurricanes player the NHL Hurricanes have drafted (they took him in the seventh round) and the fifth if you include the Hartford Whalers years.
The previous picks:
2008 – Zach Boychuk (Drafted by Carolina – 1st round, 14th overall)
1997 – Shane Willis (Drafted by Carolina – 4th round, 88th overall)
1995 – Byron Ritchie (Drafted by Hartford – 7th round, 165th overall)
1990 – Mark Greig (Drafted by Hartford – 1st round, 15th overall)
When Greig was drafted by Hartford, he became Lethbridge’s highest NHL draft pick, which lasted until 2003 when Brent Seabrook was selected 14th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks. That was matched in 2008 when Carolina selected Boychuk.
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It’s worth noting, too, that Carolina now has three Sutters in its organization. Brody has two cousins, Brandon and Brett, with the Hurricanes. Brandon is on the NHL roster, while Brett finished the season with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers.
Brody is the son of Duane Sutter, who was the Calgary Flames’ director of player personnel until being relieved of his duties on Sunday.
Brandon is the son of Brent Sutter, who owns the Red Deer Rebels and is the Flames’ head coach.
Brett’s father is Darryl, formerly the Flames’ general manager.
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THE COACHING GAME: Jason Herter, the head coach of the USHL’s Fargo Force, is leaving to sign on as an assistant coach with the U of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, who are the reigning NCAA champions. . . . Fargo assistant coach Byron Pool is the Force’s interim head coach while management searches for what will be the fourth coach in as many seasons. . . .
A source told me late Monday night that “Dave Barr is the new guy in Moose Jaw.” . . . Barr spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild and was an assistant with the Colorado Avalanche for the previous season. . . . Before that, he spent four seasons as GM and head coach of the OHL’s Guelph Storm. . . . Barr, who played 614 regular-season NHL games over 13 seasons, will take over from Dave Hunchak, who was relieved of his duties after last season. He had been head coach of the Warriors for four seasons and now is the associate coach with the Kamloops Blazers. . . .
Former NHL F Kirk Muller has been named head coach of the Milwaukee Admirals, the NHL affiliate of the Nashville Predators. . . .
The NHL’s Vancouver Canucks, having lost their AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, have hooked up with the Chicago Wolves on a two-year deal. . . . Wolves head coach Don Lever and assistant Ron Wilson won’t be returning. . . . Other AHL teams needing head coaches are the Abbotsford Heat, Houston Aeros, San Antonio Rampage, Texas Stars and St. John’s, the latter formerly the Manitoba Moose. . . .
The Portland Pirates have become affiliated with the Phoenix Coyotes, announcing a multi-year deal on Monday. The teams then announced that Ray Edwards would be head coach. . . . Brad Treliving, the Coyotes’ assistant GM, will serve as the Pirates’ GM. . . . The Coyotes had been affiliated with the San Antonio Rampage. . . . Edwards was 70-56-16 in two seasons as the Rampage’s head coach. . . . Portland was affiliated with the Buffalo Sabres for the last three seasons. However, the Sabres have purchased the Rochester Americans. . . . With Edwards gone, the Rampage, which seems to be headed for a hookup with the NHL’s Florida Panthers, coaching staff comprises assistants Brian Pellerin and Jeff Truitt. . . .
Geoff Smith, a former NHL D who had been an assistant coach with the Kamloops Blazers, has signed on as head coach of the junior B Kamloops Storm, a team that plays in the Kootenay International junior league. . . . Smith and fellow assistant Scott Ferguson were dropped by the Blazers after last season. . . .
Brent Heaven is the new GM/head coach of the KIJHL’s Creston Valley ThunderCats. He takes over from Joe Martin, who left to become assistant GM/assistant coach with the BCHL’s Merritt Centennials.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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