It was on March 16, 2002, when a deflected puck flew into the stands in the Nationwide Arena in Columbus and struck a young girl named Brittanie Cecil in the head. Soon to turn 14, she died two nights later.
Following her death, leagues, teams and arenas everywhere were quick to install netting to protect fans. You may recall the hue and cry at the time. “People wouldn’t want to look through netting.” “The game has been played all these years without netting, so why now?” . . . And on and on it went.
Steve Macfarlane of the Calgary Sun looks back at the incident right here.
Which brings us to Don Sanderson. Remember him?
He was playing senior hockey for the Whitby, Ont., Dunlops when he got into a fight, lost his helmet and hit his head on the ice.
That was on Dec. 14, 2008. Sanderson, who had been in a coma, died on Jan. 2, 2009.
Three years later, nothing has changed. Yes, there is more concussion awareness at all levels of hockey. But the powers-that-be still allow teenagers to punch themselves in the face for the entertainment of others.
While there is netting in place to protect the fans from flying pucks, what has been done to protect the players from flying fists? Or have we already forgotten about Don Sanderson?
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ASK THE COMMISSIONER:
There really isn’t a question here; it is more of a statement and some opinion, but it’s from a former WHL coach who continues to be heavily involved in coaching . . .
Dear Commissioner:
If somebody fights with another person — who doesn't want to fight and tries to get out of there or turtles — why isn't this considered assault and dealt with as a criminal offence? Particularly with you and your league continuing to demonstrate a grievous lack of leadership and understanding in regards to prevailing attitudes in the real world? In simpler terms — if you can't police yourselves and OUTLAW fighting and headshots, then turn it over to the police.
Second to that, Mr. Commisioner, if you won't outlaw headshots and fighting, I PROMISE I will educate as many parents as I possibly can on the misguided lack of leadership by hockey — specifically the WHL — while steering my child, and any other children I teach/coach, into safer individual and team sports where they learn the important life lessons of RESPECT and SPORTSMANSHIP. After all, hockey is just a game and for 99.99 per cent of all who play it, it ends with minor hockey or beer leagues. I want my children to be able to function as contributing citizens in real life without scrambled brains or confusion brought on at least in part because what is acceptable in hockey isn't acceptable on the streets or in the courts — where DEMOCRATIC LAW governs and prevails. Get on it, Mr. Commissioner. Time is ticking and with every concussion and fight that happens on your watch it is yet another mark against you and your legacy.
"Silence in the face of wrongdoing is complicity." — Marcus Luttrell.
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Congrats to old friend Andy Murray, whose Western Michigan Broncos won the Mason Cup as CCHA tournament champions on Saturday with a 3-2 victory over the Michigan Wolverines at Joe Louis Arena. . . . Murray is in his first season as the Broncos’ head coach. . . . You can bet G.D. and Ab are smiling.
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Pour some coffee and give Jim Matheson’s Hockey World a read. The piece from the Edmonton Journal is right here.
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The NHL’s Calgary Flames returned F Sven Baertschi to the Portland Winterhawks on Saturday. He scored three goals in five games while with the Flames on emergency recall due to a rash of injuries. With one or two of those injured players returning, the Flames were obligated to return Baertschi. . . . The Winterhawks went 2-3 while Baertschi was away, playing all five games on the road. . . . I’ll let you decide whether the Flames had an impact on the Western Conference playoff picture. . . . Without Baertschi, they got swept in Victoria and those two victories all but put the Royals into the playoffs. Now, assuming Baertschi is in the lineup today, the Winterhawks can ruin the Seattle Thunderbirds chance at getting into the playoffs.
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THE MATCHUPS
Eastern Conference
Edmonton (1) vs. Kootenay (8)
Moose Jaw (2) vs. Regina (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Brandon (6)
Medicine Hat (4) vs. Saskatoon (5)
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Western Conference
Tri-City (1) vs. Everett/Seattle (8)
Kamloops (2) vs. Victoria (7)
Portland (3) vs. Kelowna (6)
Vancouver (4) vs. Spokane (5)
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TODAY’S GAME:
Seattle at Portland
If Seattle wins, the Thunderbirds would be tied with Everett for eighth place in the Western Conference. Those two teams would meet Tuesday in Kent, Wash., in a sudden-death game for that last spot. . . . If Portland wins, Everett finishes eighth and plays the Tri-City Americans in the first round.
(End of regular season)
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:
(For lots of good WHL stuff, get on Twitter and follow @WHLFacts. Some of the numbers below are from @WHLFacts.)

In Brandon, F Mark Stone had two goals and two assists to lead the Wheat Kings to a 7-2 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . Stone finished the season with 123 points, which would have won the scoring title in any of the last 12 seasons. Instead, he is second, 11 behind Tri-City’s Brendan Shinnimin. Portland F Ty Rattie is five points behind Stone with one game left. . . . F Brenden Walker had four assists for Brandon, with D Eric Roy drawing three assists. . . . The Wheat Kings put this one away with four goals in a 5:51 span in the second period. . . . F Darian Dziurzynski scored his 30th goal of the season for Brandon. . . . Brandon D Brodie Melnychuk playing in his 318th regular-season game, scored twice, giving him eight this season and 25 in his career. . . . Brandon G Corbin Boes, making his 10th straight start, stopped 22 shots. . . . For the second straight night, Brandon F Kevin Sundher (concussion) skated in the warmup and then was scratched. . . . Brandon will be in Calgary for Games 1 and 2 against the Hitmen on Thursday and Friday. . . . The Wheat Kings will play first-round home games at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg because the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair takes over Westman Place. . . . Games 3 and 4 in Winnipeg will be played on March 25 and 27. . . . If necessary, they’ll play Game 5 in Winnipeg on March 29. . . . The Pats will open against the Warriors in Moose Jaw on Friday. . . .

In Moose Jaw, the Warriors scored six times in the second period and beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 7-1. . . . Warriors G Justin Paulic, a 16-year-old from Thompson, Man., the hometown of former WHL coach Jack Sangster, stopped 24 shots in his WHL debut. He was an eighth-round pick in the 2010 bantam draft. . . . The Warriors set franchise records for victories (45) and points (98). . . . F Kenton Miller scored twice for Moose Jaw, giving him 35 goals, while F Sam Fioretti also had two goals and finished with 21. . . . The Warriors and Regina Pats open Friday in Moose Jaw. . . .

In Calgary, G Chris Driedger stopped 25 shots as the Hitmen blanked the Kootenay Ice, 3-0. . . . It was Driedger’s third shutout of the season and the third of his career. . . . D Peter Kosterman scored the game’s first goal, his second of the season, at 16:13 of the second. . . . F Greg Chase had three assists. . . . F Jimmy Bubnick scored twice, giving him 36. . . . One night earlier, the Ice overcame a 4-0 first-period deficit and beat the Ice 6-5 in OT in Cranbrook. . . . The Ice scratched F Drew Czerwonka and F Max Reinhart, both of whom are injured. Kootenay is hoping both will be ready for the playoffs. . . . Among Calgary’s scratches was F Cody Sylvester. . . . Interestingly, the Ice, which began life as the Edmonton Ice, will meet the Edmonton Oil Kings in the first round. That series opens Friday in Edmonton. . . . The Hitmen will open at home on Thursday against the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Driedger’s shutout was the 63rd in the WHL this season, the lowest total since 1999-2000 when there were 61. The record is 120 from 2006-07. . . . Tri-City led the WHL with eight shutouts; Tri-City G Ty Rimmer and Seattle’s Calvin Pickard had a WHL-leading five each. . . .

In Saskatoon, Christian Magnus scored twice and added an assist to help the Swift Current Broncos to a 7-3 victory over the Blades. . . . F Graham Black helped the winners with a goal and two assists, and F Ryon Moser had three assists. . . . Swift Current freshman F Coda Gordon got his 30th goal. . . . Broncos G Jon Groenheyde stopped 23 shots in his final WHL game. . . . Saskatoon was 1-4 on the PP; the Broncos were 0-0. . . . The Blades finished 6-2-0 against the Broncos. . . . Saskatoon D Matt Pufhal returned after missing 21 games with an ankle injury. . . . The Blades will meet Medicine Hat in the first round and they’ll open on the road on Friday. . . .

In Medicine Hat, F Russell Maxwell scored three times in regulation and then added the winner in the circus as the Lethbridge Hurricanes beat the Tigers 6-5 in a shootout. . . . Lethbridge F Graham Hood scored his 16th of the season with 16.5 seconds left in the third period to force OT. . . . Maxwell finished with 15 goals. . . . The Hurricanes trailed 3-1 after the first period and 4-2 halfway through the second. . . . Medicine Hat F Hunter Shinkaruk scored twice to finish with 49 goals in 66 games. A pure talent, Shinkaruk had 42 points, including 14 goals, as a 16-year-old. This season, he had 91 points. . . . Tigers F Emerson Etem, who didn’t score, led the WHL with 61 goals. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz finished with 39 victories. . . . Lethbridge F Brody Sutter got his 30th goal in his final WHL game. . . . D Matthew Konan had a goal and two assists for the Tigers. . . . The Tigers will open at home against Saskatoon on Friday. . . .

In Red Deer, the Edmonton Oil Kings beat the Rebels 7-3 and win the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy for finishing atop the WHL’s overall standings. . . . Somewhere, ‘Wild’ Bill Hunter is giving it to Scotty and Ed Chynoweth is refereeing. . . . The Oil Kings closed out the season by winning their 50th game and 11 in a row. . . . F Curtis Lazar scored twice for Edmonton, giving him 20 goals. He was the second overall pick in the 2010 bantam draft. . . . F Kristians Pells added a goal, his 28th, and two assists for Edmonton. . . . The Rebels hung in there — the score was 3-3 eight minutes into the second period — but simply ran out of gas as Edmonton scored the last four goals. . . . Edmonton F Henrik Samuelsson left at 18:29 of the first period after being hit with a clipping major and game misconduct. He already has served two suspensions since joining the team after Christmas. . . . Edmonton G Laurent Brossoit won his 42nd game. . . . Red Deer D Alex Petrovic had a goal and an assist in what no doubt was his final WHL game. Petrovic, 19, will join the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage early next week. The Rampage is the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Florida Panthers. . . . The Rebels, whose season was devastated by injuries, finished by dressing only 15 skaters, three under the maximum, for their final game. . . . Early Saturday, the Rebels thought they would be without F Dexter Bricker, a recall from midget AAA. According to a tweet from the Rebels, he was out “with an upper body injury, after taking a punch to the head from behind (Friday) night.” . . . However, Bricker’s name is on the online scoresheet. . . . The Oil Kings will open at home to the defending-champion Kootenay Ice on Friday. . . . That matchup could be tough on the the Reinhart family. Griffin is a defenceman with the Oil Kings; Max and Sam are forwards with the Ice. Max is out with a concussion but the Ice is hoping he’ll be ready to go by Friday. . . .

In Kelowna, F Zach Franko scored the only goal of the circus to give the Rockets a 4-3 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Giants tied the score with two third-period goals. F Scott Cooke got his first WHL goal at 14:36 and F Marek Tvrdon added his 31st, and second of the game, while shorthanded at 17:31. . . . The Giants, having locked up fourth place, left G Adam Morrison, D Neil Manning and F Brendan Gallagher at home. . . . Vancouver G Jackson Whistle, who is from Kelowna, stopped 44 shots. . . . The Giants will have home-ice against Spokane with the series opening Friday in Vancouver. . . . The Rockets will open in Portland on Friday. . . . Tvrdon led all freshmen in points (74), finishing three points ahead of F Tim Bozon of Kamloops, who was tops in goals (36). D Martin Gernat of Edmonton had the most assists (46). . . .

In Prince George, F Spencer Asuchak scored twice to help the Cougars to a 4-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Asuchak, who is from Kamloops, was playing his final WHL game. He finished with 18 goals this season. . . . Attendance was announced as 4,582. . . . F Troy Bourke had two assists. The 17-year-old sophomore, who hasn’t had a whole lot of pub with the Cougars, finished with 56 points in 71 games. The first assist was his 100th career point. He has 101 points in 144 games. . . . Prince George G Devon Fordyce stopped 38 shots. . . . The Kamloops line of Brendan Ranford, Brandon Herrod and Jordan DePape was pointless and a combined minus-8. One night earlier, they had 10 points in a 10-4 Blazers victory in Kamloops. . . . The Kamloops loss guaranteed the idle Portland Winterhawks of home-ice advantage in the second round, should they get there. . . . The Blazers will be at home to Victoria on Friday. . . . The Royals are expected to be without F Brandon Magee, who suffered an undisclosed injury in Friday's 3-1 victory over visiting Portland.

In Kent, Wash., the Everett Silvertips got their first lead late in the third period and then hung on to beat the host Seattle Thunderbirds, 6-4. . . . They exchanged goals until Everett F Zach McPhee tied it 4-4 with his fifth goal at 8:31 of the third. . . . F Cody Fowlie gave Everett its first lead with his 14th goal at 15:11 and F Ryan Harrison iced it with an empty-netter at 19:41. Harrison finished with 20 goals. . . . F Connor Honey had two goals, giving him 10 and an assist for Seattle. . . . Seattle F Luke Lockhart scored his 16th goal on a second-period penalty shot. . . . F Jari Erricson set up three goals for Everett. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson stopped 29 shots, while Seattle’s Calvin Pickard turned aside 35. . . . The victory left Everett out of games and in eighth place in the Western Conference. Seattle is two points back with one game left — in Portland this evening. . . . There are some good play-by-play voices in the WHL but none are better than Thom Beuning, who calls the play for the Thunderbirds on 710AM ESPN. He has great pipes and doesn’t lean too far one way. . . . Don’t believe me? Give him a listen when he calls Seattle’s game out of Portland tonight. . . . By the way game time is 5 p.m. Pacific. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., F Dylan Walchuk broke a 2-2 tie at 8:31 of the third period to give the Spokane Chiefs a 3-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Walchuk’s 10th goal came via the PP. . . . D Brendan Kichton had a goal, his 17th, and an assist for the Chiefs. . . . D Reid Gow, who could be a key for the Chiefs, had two assists. Gow played only 54 games due to injuries and missed most of February. . . . Tri-City F Patrick Holland scored his 25th goal at 4:512 of the first on a PP to run his points streak to 20 games. However, his assists streak ended at 19 games. . . . Holland led the WHL in assists, with 84, two more than Brandon’s Mark Stone. . . . Tri-City F Brendan Shinnimin had an assist to run his point streak to a franchise-record 23 games, the first time two WHLers had 20-game streaks in the same season since 2003. . . . The Americans got a goal from F Jesse Mychan in his first game back after missing 15 with a hand injury. . . . Chiefs F Steve Kuhn played in his 288th consecutive game. He has played 72 games in each of his four seasons. . . . The Chiefs will open in Vancouver on Friday. . . . The Americans will meet Everett or Seattle, depending on what happens tonight in Portland and then maybe Tuesday in Kent, Wash.
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Josh Derko, Swift Current.
F Graham Hood, Lethbridge.
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None.


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

The Vancouver Giants have added D Eric Walker, 18, to their roster. Walker, who was listed by the Giants after the 2008 bantm draft, spent the last two seasons with the BCHL’s Trail Smoke Eaters and was to play this season with the Northern Michigan Wildcats. However, after not getting into one of NMU’s first 12 games, he opted to leave and join the Giants. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Walker is from Castlegar, B.C. He could be in the Giants’ lineup tonight (Sunday) against the visiting Kootenay Ice. Interestingly, in each of his two seasons with Trail, he had four goals and seven assists in 59 games. . . . Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reported: “Walker (was) in his freshman season at Northern Michigan but is yet to play a game with the squad, who were 4-6-3 as of Friday. He was also one five Northern Michigan players charged in connection with thefts of bikes from the school’s campus. According to the Mining Journal of Marquette, Mich., each of the players faces trial on the misdemeanour charges Dec. 6 in Marquette County District Court.” . . . Walker is a nephew of former NHLer Steve Bozek. . . . Former Seattle Thunderbirds head coach Walt Kyle is the head coach at NMU. . . . F Dylan Walchuk, 19, of McBride, B.C., whose WHL rights belong to the Spokane Chiefs, also was charged in the bicycle thefts. He was charged with receiving and concealing stolen property.
The Marquette Mining Journal has more on that story right here.
The North Wind, NMU’s student newspaper, has more on the story right here, includig a link to the police report.
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In Moose Jaw, the Warriors broke a 1-1 third-period tie with two PP goals and beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 3-2. . . . F Kenton Miller gave Moose Jaw a 2-1 lead at 2:51 and F Justin Kirsch upped it to 3-1 at 8:28. . . . Kirsch has seven goals, including three winners, in nine games since coming to Moose Jaw from the Calgary Hitmen. . . . The Tigers again had Kenny Cameron in goal, with Dawson MacAuley of the SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers backing him up. G Tyler Bunz, who took a puck to the head while on the WHL team’s bench in a Subway Super Series game in Regina on Wednesday, is expected to miss at least a week. . . . F Emerson Etem and F Hunter Shinkaruk, the Tigers’ two snipers, both were kept off the scoreboard. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald notes that the Warriors have won eight in a row at home, five by 3-2 counts. . . .

In Swift Current, the Broncos erased a 4-0 deficit and stunned the Wheat Kings, 5-4. . . . Swift Current F Daniel Dale, an 18-year-old from Grande Prairie, Alta., scored his first two WHL goals in his 19th game. . . . Brandon had won four in a row; the Broncos, who now head into the U.S. Division, have won three straight. . . . Dale broke a 4-4 tie at 11:31 of the third period. . . . F Mark Stone had a goal and two assists as the Wheat Kings took a 4-0 lead before the game was 24 minutes old. He leads the WHL with 50 points in 24 games. . . . Swift Current F Christian Magnus also had a goal and two helpers. . . . Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun points out: “Brandon had been 12-0-1-0 when leading after two periods this season, while Swift Current had been 0-11-1-1 when trailing after two.” . . .

In Calgary, D Collin Bowman scored his first three goals with the Hitmen, leading them to a 7-1 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Bowman, who enjoyed his first career hat trick, had scored four goals when he was acquired from the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . He scored the game’s first two goals and the last one. . . . Bowman has 27 goals in 295 career games. . . . Calgary F Jimmy Bubnick picked up his 100th career regular-season assist on a second-period goal by F Trevor Cheek. . . . The victory left the Hitmen, who have won three of four, at 10-9-2, the first time they’ve been above .500 this season. . . . Nine of the Eastern Conference’s 12 teams are at .500 or better. Five of the Western Conference’s teams are at .500, with three other teams within one, three and four points. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Brady Ramsay scored three times and added an assist, leading the Hurricanes to their second victory in as many nights, 5-2 over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Ramsay, an 18-year-old sophomore from Calgary, has 10 goals in 24 games. He scored one in 57 games last season. . . . The Oil Kings, already without D Mark Pysyk and D Griffin Reinhart with undisclosed injuries, lost F T.J. Foster to an undisclosed injury in the first period. . . . Lethbridge F Cam Braes played in his 300th regular-season game, all with the Hurricanes. He scored his club’s second goal, his seventh this season and the 82nd of his career. . . .

In Red Deer, the Saskatoon Blades won the latest clash of the titans, beating the Rebels, 2-1. . . . All three goals came in the second period. . . . F Colton Mayor put Red Deer on the board at 2:06. . . . The Blades got goals from D Dalton Thrower, on the PP, at 14:42 and F Lukas Sutter at 18:31. . . . Saskatoon G Andrey Makarov, fresh of playing in two games for Russia in the Subway Super Series, stopped 43 shots. . . . The victory lifted the Blades into first place overall, one point ahead of the Brandon Wheat Kings and Tri-City Americans. . . . Red Deer D Matt Dumba took a slashing major and game misconduct at the game’s final buzzer. Just a few seconds before that, Red Deer head coach Jesse Wallin was given the old heave-ho. . . .

In Victoria, F Elgin Pearce had his first career three-goal game and added an assist as the defending-champion Kootenay Ice whipped the Royals, 8-3. . . . It was the second lop-sided loss in two nights for the Royals, who were trounced 11-3 on Friday by the Giants in Vancouver. . . . F Jesse Ismond had two goals and three assists for the Ice. . . . Pearce, Ismond and D Luke Paulsen, who had a goal and an assist, each was plus-4. . . . Paulsen’s goal was his first of the season and fourth in 118 career games. . . . Ice G Mackenzie Skapski stopped 25 shots. That included a third-period penalty shot attempt by F Austin Carroll. . . .

In Everett, the Vancouver Giants got two shootout goals and bet the Silvertips, 2-1. . . . Vancouver F Brendan Gallagher and F James Henry each scored in the shootout. . . . F Joshua Winquist counted for the home team in the shootout. . . . The Giants have won six in a row. They are at home to the Kootenay Ice tonight as the defending champions begin a nine-game road trip. . . . D Evan Morden got Everett on the board, shorthanded, at 10:32 of the second. . . . It was the third shorthanded goal allowed by Vancouver over its last four games. . . . F Taylor Makin tied it at 4:52 of the third. . . . Everett G Austin Lotz stopped 47 shots through OT. . . . Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald reported before the game that Silvertips D Ryan Murray (ankle) was running stairs. . . . That is great news for the Silvertips and for the Canadian national junior team. . . .

In Kent, Wash., the Seattle Thunderbirds broke a 2-2 tie with four straight second-period goals and beat the Portland Winterhawks, 6-3. . . . Seattle struck for the four goals in a span of 5:53, two of them coming eight seconds apart. . . . F Burke Gallimore had two goals for the winners, with F Luke Lockhart adding a goal and two assists. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie and F Sven Bartschi, both of whom have been burning it up of late, were pointless and minus-5 and minus-4, respectively. . . . Bartschi came up short on a second-period penalty shot with Seattle leading 6-2. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 47 shots in what was his fourth start in four nights. He went the distance in the WHL’s two Subway Super Series games with the Russians on Wednesday and Thursday in Regina and Moose Jaw. On Friday, he stopped 47 shots in beating the visiting Tri-City Americans, 3-0. Yes, he’s in the conversation as the WHL’s player of the year, and it isn’t even December. . . . Portland had won six in a row. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., F Justin Feser scored at 1:25 of OT to give the Tri-City Americans a 3-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . The winner was scored with the teams playing three skaters aside. . . . Kamloops F Matt Needham had forced OT with his fourth goal of the season, at 13:28 of the third. . . . The Americans led 2-0 going into the third period. . . . Feser’s goal was his ninth of the season. It also was the second OT goal of his career. . . . Tom Gaglardi, the Blazers’ majority owner, wasn’t at the game. Rather, he was in Dallas where the Stars, the team he officially purchased on Friday, was losing 4-1 to the San Jose Sharks, their fifth straight setback. Gaglardi will be introduced as the Stars’ owner on Monday in Dallas and will take part in a ceremonial faceoff later that evening prior to a game against the Edmonton Oilers. . . .

In Spokane, the Chiefs beat the Regina Pats 6-5 after a nine-round shootout. . . . With Spokane shooting first, F Mike Aviani opened the ninth round with a goal and the Pats weren’t able to equalize. . . . Regina D Brandon Underwood gave his side a 5-4 lead at 4:09 of the third period. . . . Spokane F Steve Kuhn tied it at 18:59. . . . Underwood went into this season with two goals and 15 assists in 149 career regular-season games with the Kamloops Blazers. He had three goals and nine assists in 22 games with Regina. . . . F Jordan Weal had a goal and three assists for Regina. He has 33 points in 21 games this season. For his career, he has 302 points, including 198 assists, in 233 regular-season games. . . . The Chiefs are 4-0 against East Divison teams, with the Swift Current Broncos coming to town Wednesday. . . .

In Prince George, the Kelowna Rockets erased a 2-0 first-period deficit and beat the Cougars, 4-2. . . . The Rockets swept the doubleheader, having won 3-2 on Friday night. . . . Kelowna F Tyson Baillie broke a 2-2 tie at 2:06 of the third period on the PP. . . .
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Rhett Rachinski, Edmonton
D Kayle Doetzel, Red Deer
D Daniel Gibb, Prince George
D Tyler Bell, Kamloops
D Austin Madaisky, Kamloops
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Two good reads today, both from the pages of The Globe and Mail. The first, which is right here, is by former Regina Leader-Post writer Darrell Davis, who chronicles the return to work of NHL referee Mike Hasenfratz. . . . The other, from the keyboard of Roy MacGregor, is right here. He’s writing about “slippage” as he wonders if the NHL’s crackdown on headshots isn’t fading away.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
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