City gives Blazers break on lease ... Ice sweeps out eight scouts ... Oil Kings waive goalie

F Danis Zaripov (Swift Current, 1998-99) has been suspended by the IIHF until May 22, 2019, for using illegal substances. One of Zaripov's samples tested positive for banned stimulants, as well as substances prohibited as diuretics and masking agents. Multiple sources have said Zaripov will appeal. There is no comment so far from the IIHF, KHL or his team, Ak Bars Kazan (Russia, KHL). . . . Patrick Conway of Conway’s Russian Hockey Blog has more right here. . . .
D Tomáš Voráček (Prince Albert, 2007-09) has signed a tryout contract with Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, KHL). Last season, he had two goals and three assists in 43 games with Mladá Boleslav (Czech Republic, Extraliga). . . .

F Matt Fraser (Red Deer, Kootenay, 2006-11) has signed a one-year contract with Dornbirn (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). Last season, he was pointless in four games with Rögle Ängelholm (Sweden, SHL). Fraser was sidelined by injury until Feb. 28.

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If they haven’t already, landlords to WHL teams just might be hearing from their tenants one of these days. It seems that the league and its teams are concerned about flat ticket sales and are looking for some relief.

Sandman Centre, home of the Kamloops Blazers.
(Photo: sandmancentre.ca)

The City of Kamloops has revealed that it approved a new 10-year lease for the Blazers in February, one that cut the rent by about $150,000 per season.

Jeff Putnam, the city’s parks and civic facilities manager, told Andrea Klassen of Kamloops This Week that the WHL and its teams have been working to renegotiate leases.

“The league was having some concerns about their ticket revenue being flat,” Putnam said. “They’re not struggling, but they’re having challenges with attracting a different demographic. And that was a league-wide issue.”

Klassen reported that the Blazers, whose lease was to expire in 2018, will pay a base rental fee of $128,000 to use the Sandman Centre for 2017-18, down from $278,000 in 2016-17.

Although the Blazers came to an agreement with city officials in February, Klassen reported that “a record of the vote was only recently released.”

According to Klassen, “Under the new deal . . . if more than 3,500 tickets are sold for a game, the city will receive an additional $1.40 per ticket sold above the 3,500 mark.”

Last season, the Blazers’ announced average attendance was 3,782 for 36 regular-season home games. However, there frequently were far fewer bums in the seats than the announced figure, meaning there were a lot of no-shows.

The Blazers also pay the city $250,000 per season in exchange for all advertising rights in the arena.

(The city announced two years ago that it had entered into a 10-year agreement with the Sandman Hotel Group for naming rights to the arena, but has never revealed the financial terms. Tom Gaglardi, the Blazers’ majority owner, is the CEO of the Sandman Hotel Group. Could it be that the naming rights are part of the advertising rights deal?)

The vote on the new lease passed by a 5-3 vote among councillors.

“I have to admit, I had a little bit of trouble swallowing somebody coming to me with their hands out and they’re a billionaire,” Dieter Dudy, one of the councillors who voted for the agreement, told Klassen.

Gaglardi also owns the NHL’s Dallas Stars. He is the CEO of the Northland Properties Group, which owns, among other things, the Sandman and Sutton Place hotels, as well as Denny’s and Moxie’s restaurants, and Shark clubs.

Gaglardi and four ex-Blazers — Shane Doan, Jarome Iginla, Mark Recchi and Darryl Sydor — purchased the franchise from the Kamloops Blazers Sports Society, a community group, in 2007.

According to the winter 2016-17 issue of Canadian Business, the Gaglardis are worth $3.55 billion, leaving them in 20th spot among the countries’ wealthiest “business dynasties.”

Meanwhile, according to hockeyzoneplus.com, a site that tracks the earnings of NHL players, Recchi made US$50,943,000 during his playing days, while Sydor brought in $31,715,000. Both men have retired from playing. Doan’s career earnings are at $41,294,000, with Iginla at $69,025,000. Doan and Iginla, both of whom played last season, are unrestricted free agents who have yet to sign new contracts.

Dudy told Klassen that he voted in favour of the new lease because of concerns that the Blazers might leave Kamloops.

However, under the terms of the sales agreement between Gaglardi’s group and the society, the society has the first option on purchasing the franchise should ownership wish to sell it or move it.

In other words, the Blazers aren’t going anywhere. Besides where would they go? Yes, there is an empty arena in Abbotsford, one that seats 7,000 for hockey, but the Vancouver Giants, who play out of Langley, would have a move and that isn’t likely to happen.

In November 2007, Bob Smillie, the society’s executive director, told its annual meeting that “the option to purchase is at the same price less 10 per cent of what has been paid in the current transaction and is subject to the same conditions. It is transferable to any new owner who may be seeking a franchise in Kamloops.”

According to Smillie, the society felt holding that option was important even though Gaglardi’s group promised to keep the team in Kamloops.

”It’s good and well for everybody to indicate that they would be here forever,” Smillie said at the time. “But we all know that forever is not necessarily forever.”

Smillie, who also chaired the society’s governance committee, pointed out

that WHL bylaws don’t contain anything guaranteeing the franchise could not be moved.

“They have guidelines only; there are no specific requirements within the Western Hockey League bylaws for the new owners of the franchise to keep the operation within the city,” Smillie said. “The board, in its due diligence in discussions with the league, has determined that the guidelines of the league, in fact, would request the new owners to maintain the franchise in Kamloops for a minimum of five years.” 

Kamloops taxpayers also are on the hook for more than $1 million in upgrades to the arena, all of them at the request of the WHL. That includes $300,000 to improve lighting — the WHL has requested that all arenas have LED lightning to facilitate HD telecasts — and about $1 million to retrofit boards and glass.

Klassen’s complete story is right here.

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Two former WHL coaches will be part of the Team Canada’s coaching staff at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. . . . Willie Desjardins, a former head coach of the Medicine Hat Tigers (2002-10), will be Canada’s head coach, while Dave King, who coached the WHL’s Billings Bighorns (1977-79), will be one of the assistant coaches. . . . The NHL has opted out of the Games, so Hockey Canada will put together a national team of players from outside that league. Its schedule begins with a tournament in Sochi, Russia, from Aug. 6-9. Canada then will move on to St. Petersburg, Russia, for another tournament, Aug. 14-17. . . . Team Canada’s roster for the Sochi Cup includes a number of former WHL players, including F Gilbert Brule (Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, KHL), F Bud Holloway (Skellefteå AIK, SHL), F Rob Klinkhammer (Dinamo Minsk, KHL), F Brandon Kozun (Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, KHL), F Ben Maxwell (Spartak Moskva, KHL), F Brandon McMillan (Dinamo Riga, KHL) and F Linden Vey (Barys Astana, KHL). 

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Taking Note has been told that the Kootenay Ice has dropped all of its part-time scouts, choosing to keep only Garnet Kazuik, the director of scouting. Kazuik, a former WHL player, has been with the Ice for 12 seasons, 10 of them as director of scouting. . . . Matt Cockell, the Ice’s president and general manager, apparently told the ex-scouts that he is changing the business model and is moving to a system that employs three full-time scouts in Western Canada. . . . The WHL’s 2016-17 Guide showed the Ice with eight scouts — Wayne Dougherty, Peter Dubbeldam, Ward Edwards, Scott Frizzell, Chad Harden, Zenon Herasymiuk, Scott Perry and Tim Schick. Taking Note has been told by a source familiar with the situation that “all eight part-time scouts were let go.” . . . Cockell hasn’t responded to a request asking if he had made changes in the scouting department.

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The Edmonton Oil Kings have placed G Patrick Dea, 20, on waivers. Dea, who is from St. Albert,

Alta., played in 55 games with Edmonton last season, going 19-31-3, 3.86, .882. In 123 career regular-season games, he is 48-55-8, 3.34, .890. . . . Dea was a first-round selection by Edmonton in the WHL’s 2012 bantam draft. . . . With Dea’s departure, the Oil Kings appear poised to start the season with Travis Child as their No. 1 guy. He was acquired from the Brandon Wheat Kings on May 30, for a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2018 bantam draft. Child, 20, played two-plus seasons with the Swift Current Broncos before being traded to Brandon last season. . . . Chances are that Boston Bilous, 16, is No. 2 on the Edmonton depth chart. From Langley, B.C., he was a fourth-round pick by the Oil Kings in the 2016 bantam draft. He spent last season with the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League. He finished with a 2.20 GAA.

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G Jeffrey Veitch, who will turn 20 on Oct. 4, has signed with the Waldorf University Warriors, who play out of Forest City, Iowa. Veitch was an eighth-round selection by the Kootenay Ice in the eighth round of the WHL’s 2012 bantam draft. He played last season with the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners and Timmins Rock of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League. Before that, he played three seasons with the junior B Mission Outlaws. He is from Mission, B.C.

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The Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame held its gala night on Saturday in North Battleford and there were a number of inductees with ties to the WHL, including Bob Bourne, Stan Dunn, Graham Tuer and Ken Wheler. . . . John Cairns of the Battlefords News Optimist has a terrific recap right here.

Meanwhile, on Sunday night in Canmore, the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame held its induction dinner, with the hall doors swinging open for Mel Davidson, Bill Hay, Tony Kollman, Perry Pearn, Glen Sather and the Sutter family — yes, the entire family. . . . There is more right here. 

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ICYMI --> @gdrinnan joined @JasonGregor & @Jason_Strudwick during #WHLWeek https://t.co/JDY4YHMLi1

— Marc Majeau (@MarcMajeau) July 25, 2017

Yes, I was on the air with Jason Gregor and Jason Strudwick of TSN1260 in Edmonton on Tuesday afternoon. If you missed it, you can find the conversation — it was about 20 minutes worth — via the above Tweet.

And thanks to all of you who messaged me afterwards. The kind words are much appreciated.

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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.

If you would like to contact Taking Note with information, have a question or just feel like commenting on something, feel free to send an email to greggdrinnan@gmail.com. I’m also on Twitter (@gdrinnan).

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From Tuesday’s edition of The New York Times:

“Dr. Ann McKee, a neuropathologist, has examined the brains of 202 deceased football players. A broad survey of her findings was published on Tuesday in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

“Of the 202 players, 111 of them played in the N.F.L. — and 110 of those were found to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or C.T.E., the degenerative disease believed to be caused by repeated blows to the head.

“C.T.E. causes myriad symptoms, including memory loss, confusion, depression and dementia. The problems can arise years after the blows to the head have stopped.”

The full report from The Times is right here, and it’s well worth a look.

This should end, once and for all, the debate about whether blows to the head are responsible for CTE. A person needn’t have been concussed in order to end up with CTE; it’s quite simple -- blows to the head aren’t a good thing. Period.

This also should be enough for the powers-that-be in any hockey league that allows fighting to act to get it out of the game.

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The OHL’s Saginaw Spirit is looking for a head coach after Spencer Carbery left to join an unnamed AHL team as an assistant coach. The 35-year-old Carbery, who is from Victoria, spent one season with the Spirit, after working for five seasons as director of hockey operations and head coach of the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays, who have an affiliation with the NHL’s Washington Capitals. . . . Last season, the Spirit finished 27-32-9 and out of the playoffs.

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David Bell has joined the AHL’s Ontario Reign as an assistant coach. Bell, 40, spent the previous four seasons with the OHL’s Niagara IceDogs, three as an assistant coach and last season as head coach. . . . With the Reign, Bell will work alongside head coach Mike Stothers. They spent three seasons (2004-07) together with the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack, Stothers as head coach and Bell as an assistant. . . . Bell has previous AHL coaching experience having worked as an assistant for two seasons (2007-09) with the Springfield Falcons.

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Mad respect for my man @clouston25 and the Nicola Knights fighting fires and saving lives out in the Interior right now #BCfires #bigman pic.twitter.com/LGlvUdNgfL

— Torrin White (@Tbreez27) July 17, 2017

If you’re wondering, @clouston25 is the Twitter handle for former WHL D Connor Clouston, whose father is Shaun Clouston, the GM and head coach of the Medicine Hat Tigers.

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

A fan's thoughts on Memorial Cup ... Oil Kings acquire goaltender ... Portland loses assistant coach

G Michael Garnett (Red Deer, Saskatoon, 1999-2002) has signed a two-year contract with the Nottingham Panthers (England, UK Elite). This season, with Medvescak Zagreb (Croatia, KHL), he was 3.15, .903 in 17 games. Garnett will attend Loughborough University while playing for the Panthers.

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With the Memorial Cup having ended Sunday and with the host Windsor Spitfires having won it all without winning even one round in the OHL playoffs, there has been much debate about the tournament’s format.

This week, I received an email from a WHL fan, one who is knowledgeable and a season-ticket holder.

Here’s what this fan wrote:

“I have been reading your various comments about the Memorial Cup (attendance problems, idea for a format change), and thought I’d give you a perspective from purely that of a junior hockey fan who has

zero interest in this event. Yes, the ticket prices as quoted are high, but in my view that’s definitely not the only issue or even the main issue.

“My sole reason for lack of interest in the event is that it’s an exhibition event, not a championship. What you have are three teams who have to play well enough in the regular season to make the playoffs, then win four best-of-seven series in their respective leagues, plus one team that doesn’t have to do any of that.

“The single biggest requirement for competition in sports is a level playing field — all teams playing by the same rules and starting from the same place. The Memorial Cup, by allowing a host team in the tournament, violates that basic tenet, which renders the ‘championship’ meaningless.

“The Windsor Spitfires could have theoretically gone 0-68 this season and ended up in the same place. In fact, by getting knocked out in the first round of the OHL playoffs, one could argue that they had an advantage over the other teams by being well-rested and avoiding injuries. They also had a chance to recover before the tournament, unlike the other three teams that each had to play 20-some games to get there and then had four or five days rest (and had to travel during that time).

“If I were a Windsor player or fan, winning the Memorial Cup would feel like a hollow victory, because the team was given the unfair advantage of a head start and didn’t have to accomplish other things along the way usually necessary to win a championship.

“Think of the Stanley Cup — if prior to the start of the season, one team was already guaranteed a berth in the final. That’s what the Memorial Cup is and that renders it exhibition hockey without any real meaning. “Personally, I only am interested in games that count for something, regular season or playoffs, but not games that somehow don’t count in at least some way on the road to winning a title.

“The other issue with the whole ‘host team’ designation is that it forces the host team to mortgage the future and make maybe unnatural moves during a pre-determined season. I dread that my hometown team (Victoria Royals) one day plays host to the event as they’ve been rumoured to be bidding on a couple of times.

“Facing years of futility (like the Saskatoon Blades are going through now after being the host team in 2013) just to build up for one shot at winning an exhibition tournament is about the worst trade-off one could make. If the Royals ever play host to the event, I won’t be attending, and knowing what would happen to the team in the years following, I would probably give up my season tickets rather than pay to watch a few seasons of a subsequently bad team, especially given the reason they’d be bad.

“So for me the only solution is to go back to a three-team format with the winners of each league, which would be a true CHL championship.

“The difficulty with respect to fan interest is that unlike other leagues/sports, there’s no connection between the three CHL leagues. The teams don’t play each other, and there’s little player movement between leagues.

“The closest parallel I can think of is baseball prior to inter-league play. However, there you at least had player movement between the American and National leagues, so the leagues were connected. The CHL has none of that, and as a WHL fan I pay virtually no attention to the Ontario or Quebec leagues.

“Even so, a chance to be crowned CHL champion in a three-team affair would mean something — I know it did to me when the Victoria Cougars went there in 1981. However, the chance to win an exhibition tournament just doesn’t generate any interest, at least not from me.”

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The Edmonton Oil Kings have traded for G Travis Child, who will turn 20 on June 13, from the Brandon Wheat Kings for a conditional fifth-round selection in the 2018 bantam draft.

Child, from Killam, Alta., was acquired by Brandon, along with D Kade Jensen and a second- and fifth-

TRAVIS CHILD

round 2019 bantam draft picks from the Swift Current Broncos for G Jordan Papirny and a 2018 fourth-round draft pick.

Child was 4-3-1, 2.84, .894 in nine appearances with Brandon. With the Broncos, he had been 13-3-3, 3.03, .902 in 24 games.

The Wheat Kings are left with four 20s on their roster — G Logan Thompson, D James Shearer, F Meyer Nell and Jensen.

Child joins three other goaltenders with WHL experience on the Oil Kings’ depth chart. Patrick Dea, 20, has played in 123 regular-season games; this season, he was 19-31-3, 3.86, .882. Liam Hughes, 18, got into seven games this season (1-4-2, 3.26, .895) but missed a lot of time due to injury. Josh Dechaine, 19, saw action in 17 games as a freshman this season (3-8-1, 4.41, .876).

The Oil Kings now have five 20s on their roster — Child, Dea, F Adam Berg, F Jesse Roach and F Colton Kehler.

Goaltenders have become rather popular as trade targets in the last while, with four of them having been moved. Other than Child, Jordan Hollett, 18, went from the Regina Pats to the Medicine Hat Tigers; Nick Schneider, 20, moved from Medicine Hat to the Calgary Hitmen; and Mario Petit, 20, was dealt by the Everett Silvertips to the Kootenay Ice.

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NHL teams have until today (Thursday) at 5 p.m. ET to sign players selected in the 2015 draft or they will be eligible to be selected in the 2017 draft.

The Columbus Blue Jackets revealed Wednesday that they won’t sign D Sam Ruopp of the Prince George Cougars, while the Vancouver Canucks earlier said they wouldn’t be signing Cougars D Tate Olson.

Other players from that draft who have yet to sign are F Giorgio Estephan of the Lethbridge Hurricanes (Buffalo Sabres), F Matt Bradley of the Regina Pats (Montreal Canadiens), F Brad Morrison of the Cougars (New York Rangers), F Glenn Gawdin of the Swift Current Broncos (St. Louis Blues), and F Matteo Gennaro of the Calgary Hitmen (Winnipeg Jets).

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Peter Toigo has been named assistant general manager of the Vancouver Giants. Toigo had been the organization’s vice-president of operations. . . . “Peter has worked in the capacity of assistant general manager since I arrived last year,” Giants GM Glen Hanlon said in a news release. “I believe that now is a good time to formally announce Peter’s expanded role as we move forward. We feel good about the direction that the team is going in, and Peter has been a big part of that plan.” . . . Toigo, who has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Gonzaga U in Spokane, has been with the Giants since 2008 when he was director of team services. He was named vice-president of operations in 2011 and will continue in that role while also being the AGM. . . . Toigo’s father, Ron, is the Giants’ majority owner.

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The Spokane Chiefs have signed F Cedric Chenier, 17, to a WHL contract. Chenier, from Winnipeg, was a ninth-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft. This season, he had 65 points, including 30 goals, in 43 games with the midget AAA Winnipeg Wild. That was good enough to win the Manitoba Midget Hockey League scoring title. He added 16 points, including 13 assists, in 11 playoff games as the Wild won the MMHL championship.

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The Brandon Wheat Kings have signed F Jonny Hooker, who will turn 16 on Oct. 3, and D Neithan Salame, 16, to WHL contracts. . . . Hooker, a Winnipegger, was an eighth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. Hooker had 30 goals and 12 assists in 30 games with the Rink Hockey Academy midget prep team this season. . . . Salame, from Edmonton, was a seventh-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. This season, he had two goals and 12 assists in 34 games with the midget AAA Edmonton Knights of Columbus Pats.

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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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Oliver David has left the Portland Winterhawks’ coaching staff to take over as the head coach of the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints. . . . David, 38, spent one season with the Winterhawks, having joined them from Dubuque, where he had been the assistant GM and associate coach. . . . The Fighting Saints were 108-61-2-9 with David on their staff. . . . David takes over from Jason Lammers, who moved to Niagara University as the head coach of the Purple Eagles. . . . The Winterhawks now are looking for an assistant coach to work alongside Mike Johnston, their vice-president, GM and head coach, and associate coach Kyle Gustafson.

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As you tossed and turned in bed last night, you were trying to figure out who is coaching the KHL’s Dinamo Minsk. Admit it. You were, and it kept you awake. Well, Patrick Conway has come to the rescue. . . . The Stanley Cup final maybe two games old, but KHL training camps for 2017-18 are on the horizon. Conway starts his previews with a look at the coaches in the West Conference with the six teams in Bobrov Division, and it’s right here.

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Time for a little boat ride. pic.twitter.com/pW9toNYDwV

— Windsor Spitfires (@SpitsHockey) June 1, 2017

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

Cougars redo ticketing system ... Peterson has seen it all in Nashville ... Ex-WHL goalie retires

The Prince George Cougars, having lost a big chunk of change over the past three seasons, have moved to a new ticket-pricing system. As Ted Clarke of the Prince George Citizen writes: “The team has dropped age-based pricing and will instead sell tickets based on where the seats are located in the arena.”

Greg Pocock, the franchise’s president, told Clarke:

"We've lost $2.3 million in three years and we can't continue to provide the players with the experience they're getting, that they've earned and deserve, and lose that kind of money. It's not sustainable.

“Projecting forward, this will put us up in the middle of the league in our pricing structure and it should encourage more people to come out and enjoy Cougars hockey.”

Here’s how Clarke explained the new pricing system:

“The team has set up four tiers of ticket-pricing for season memberships. A premium centre ice red ticket in the two main sections of the arena which starts a few seats shy of each goal line on either side will cost $728. The next most expensive tickets ($576) are in the blue section to the sides and behind the goal in what will be the Cougars' attacking end for the first and third periods.

“Seats in the white section, which will be to the sides and behind the goal the Cougars will defend for two periods, are priced at $420. The cheapest seats ($252 for a full 36-game season) are in the green section and will be in the first four rows in either end. Based on a 36-game schedule, the per-game ticket cost is $20.20 (red), $16 (blue), $11.67 (white) and $7 (green).”

Clarke’s complete story is right here.

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Please read the article about Brent Peterson. Doesn't deserve his lot in life but never gives in and always positive. Amazing man

— Ray Ferraro (@rayferrarotsn) May 27, 2017

Back in the day, Brent Peterson was a player (1974-78) with the Edmonton Oil Kings/Portland Winterhawks and a coach (1991-98) with Portland. He was the Winterhawks’ head coach when they won the 1998 Memorial Cup. . . . These days, he’s getting ready for the Stanley Cup final as a radio analyst on the Nashville Predators’ radio crew. Peterson, 59, has been with the Predators since Day 1, so you know how much this means to him. He was on the coaching staff until Parkinson’s disease made that untenable. . . . Allan Maki of The Globe and Mail has more on Peterson’s story right here.

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Nathan Lieuwen played in the WHL for seasons (2008-12) in the WHL, all of them tending goal for the Kootenay Ice. He’s 25 years of age now and has chosen to retire from hockey. He got into seven NHL games during his career, all of them with the Buffalo Sabres, but he got run over in the last one and ended up with a concussion, one that has had an impact on his vision. . . . Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada has more in his 30 Thoughts and it’s all right here.

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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).

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

The WHL and its Memorial Cup nightmare: What to do?

Tossing it back three years ago today to the #OilKings Memorial Cup victory in 2014 in London, Ontario. #ThrowbackThursday pic.twitter.com/VHGH2szn2p

— Edmonton Oil Kings (@EdmOilKings) May 26, 2017

What’s going on here?

In the nine Memorial Cup tournaments from 2000 through 2008, WHL teams were 22-19 against teams from the OHL and QMJHL. As well, five different WHL teams won the tournament.

The Vancouver Giants, as the host team, won the title in 2007. The WHL-champion Spokane Chiefs won it in 2008. The WHL was skating in high clover.

Since then, well, if you’re a WHL fan the numbers are ugly.

Since then, there have been nine Memorial Cup tournaments and only one has been won by a WHL team — the 2014 Edmonton Oil Kings. Don’t forget, too, that three of the tournaments in that stretch were played in WHL cities. That means that only one of 12 WHL teams to have played in the tournament over that time has brought home the loot.

If you take a look at those 12 teams, only four won more games than they lost in the round-robin portion of the tournament — the 2016 Red Deer Rebels, who were the host team, the 2013 Portland Winterhawks, 2010 Calgary Hitmen and 2009 Kelowna Rockets.

In the past two tournaments, the WHL champions — the Brandon Wheat Kings in 2016 and Seattle Thunderbirds this time around — went a combined 0-6 and were outscored 34-8 — yes, 34-8! — in six round-robin games. The Thunderbirds went 0-3 and were outscored 18-3 in the tournament that is ongoing in Windsor, Ont.

So . . . what’s going on?

The easy thing is to say, well, junior hockey is cyclical and this is all part of the cycle.

But that is supposed to be a three- or four-year cycle. Could this be deeper than that?

As one long-time observer suggested to me on Sunday, after the host Windsor Spitfires had whipped the Thunderbirds, 7-1: “Too many teams, not enough players.”

The WHL has 22 teams. There are 20 in the OHL and 18 in the QMJHL. In the past nine years, the OHL has won four Memorial Cup titles, the QMJHL three, with the 2017 event yet to be decided, but likely headed for an OHL team.

The WHL faces stiff competition from junior A teams in recruiting talent. This season, there were 56 junior A teams operating in Western Canada — 11 in the MJHL, 12 in the SJHL, 16 in the AJHL and 17 in the BCHL.

Of course, a player in junior A maintains his NCAA eligibility, while a player who signs a WHL contract loses his. With 22 teams, the WHL has to find a way to attract more of the better players. It needs to raise the talent level on the bottom half its rosters, which is where the OHL teams have an edge.

Then there is the issue of travel.

The WHL’s regular-season schedule — each team plays 72 games — with all of the travel that comes with it, works against it as it limits practice time, something that is invaluable in what is a development league. It’s worth noting that the OHL and QMJHL regular seasons are 68 games in length.

During Tuesday’s game, Sportsnet put up a graphic showing the playoff travel of each of the four

Memorial Cup teams. The Spitfires, who played only one round, were at 1,146 km. The OHL-champion Erie Otters finished at 5,376, with the QMJHL-champion Saint John Sea Dogs at 10,320. The Thunderbirds travelled 13,724 km. Keep in mind, too, that of all the CHL playoff series this spring, the one between Seattle and the Everett Silvertips featured the two teams in the closest proximity to each other. Yes, the Thunderbirds did some serious travelling in the other three series.

But . . . the Thunderbirds won the WHL title in Regina on a Sunday night, flew to Abbotsford, B.C., the next day and rode the bus home. Two days later, they flew to Windsor. Could they not have cut down on some of the travel by staying in Regina and flying from there to Windsor?

I wondered the same thing a year ago when the Wheat Kings won the championship in Seattle, bussed to Abbotsford, flew home for a couple of days and then drove to Red Deer, only to go 0-3 and be outscored 16-5.

The WHL needs to work harder to get its players more rest and more practice time. When the teams returned from their Christmas break this season, each of the 22 teams, with minimal if any practice time, promptly played three games in four nights. The WHL needs a schedule with a minimum of three games in three nights and no more four in fives. Oh, and one other thing — if a team plays on a Saturday night it shouldn’t have to play a Sunday game that starts before 6 p.m.

Of course, none of this would guarantee a WHL victory in the Memorial Cup, but surely it would make life at least a bit easier for its players, which can only be good for the product.

Meanwhile, a former WHL coach told Taking Note that there is one other thing involved in all of this. It seems that not all teams are able to come down from the high of winning a WHL championship and then scale the heights again a few days later at the Memorial Cup.

“It's really hard to reset your team mentally after you win your league title because of the grind it takes to win,” he said. “Then you have to get ready mentally for a one-win tourney format . . . not all young players can do it.”

Just more food for thought . . .

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Ice gets goaltender from Silvertips ... Oil Kings sign early pick ... Name stays same in Regina

F Tomáš Karpov (Moose Jaw, Calgary, 2007-09) has signed a one-year extension with the Basingstoke Bison (England, Premier). This season he had 20 goals and 28 assists in 20 games, while serving as an alternate captain. Karpov also is attending the University of Winchester and working on his master's degree while playing with the Bison.

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The Kootenay Ice has acquired G Mario Petit, who turns 20 on July 25, from the Everett Silvertips in exchange for a conditional sixth-round selection in the 2018 WHL bantam draft.

The pick is conditional on Petit making the Ice’s roster.

MARIO PETIT

Petit has backed up Everett starter Carter Hart for the past two seasons. From Île-des-Chênes, Man., Petit is 14-8-8, 2.89, .892 in 37 regular-season appearances. In the playoffs, he is 3-0, 1.30, .953.

This is the first trade made by Matt Cockell, the Ice’s new general manager.

The Ice is looking for a starting goaltender after Payton Lee completed his eligibility this season. Jakob Walter, 18, also is on the roster after getting into 30 game this season (4-17-2, 5.02, .868).

The Silvertips still have eight 20-year-olds on their roster — F Keith Anderson, F Cal Babych, F Patrick Bajkov, D Kevin Davis, D Mackenzie Dwyer, F Matt Fonteyne, D Noah Juulsen and F Devon Skoleski. Juulsen, a first-round pick by Montreal in the NHL’s 2015 draft, has signed and is expected to play in the Canadiens’ organization next season.

Hart, 19, remains No. 1 on their goaltending depth chart, with Dorrin Luding, 18, and Dustin Wolf, 16, also there.

Ludding, from Prince George, played this season with the Valley West Hawks of the B.C. Major Midget League. He was a third-round pick by the Saskatoon Blades in the 2014 bantam draft. On Dec. 5, Everett acquired him from Saskatoon for a sixth-round pick in the 2019 bantam draft.

Wolf, from Tustin, Calif., was a fifth-round selection in the 2016 bantam draft. Wolf has been in the Los Angeles Jr. Kings program for three seasons. Some observers see Wolf as the heir apparent to Hart, the WHL’s goaltender of the year each of the past two seasons.

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The Edmonton Oil Kings have signed F Jake Neighbours to a WHL contract. From Airdrie, Alta., Neighbours was the fourth overall selection in the WHL’s 2017 bantam draft. He played this season with the Pursuit of Excellence’s bantam prep team, putting up 68 points, including 27 goals, in 30 games. That left him third in the Canadian Sports School Bantam Hockey League scoring race. He had five goals and six assists in five playoff games.

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The Brandt Centre, home of the Regina Pats, will be keeping its name for at least the next 10 years. Evraz Place announced Thursday that it has cut a 10-year deal with the Brandt Group of Companies for naming rights to the arena. . . . Regina Exhibition Association Ltd., which operates the facility, had been advertising that the naming rights were available. . . . Shaun and Gavin Semple, who are partners in Queen City Sports and Entertainment Group, which owns the Pats, are with the Brandt Group of Companies. . . . The 2018 Memorial Cup will be played in the Brandt Centre with the Pats in as the host team.

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Cory Stillman is the new head coach of the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves. Stillman, from Peterborough, Ont., played three seasons in the OHL, with the Windsor Spitfires and Peterborough Petes, before going on to a pro career that included two Stanley Cup championships with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes. For the past five seasons, he has been working in player development with the Hurricanes. . . . Stillman takes over from Dave Matsos, who had one year left on his contract when he and the Wolves parted company, saying they weren’t able to reach agreement on a contract extension.

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James Richmond, who added the general manager’s duties to his head-coaching responsibilities with the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads earlier this week, has his hockey operations team in order. . . . From a news release: “Assistant coach Jeff Kyrzakos and Mike Doyle, the co-ordinator of analytics, have been promoted from within and will both take on assistant general manager duties. Kyrzakos will also remain as an assistant coach. Former video coach Brendan Taylor will step in to an assistant coach position and join Richmond and Kyrzakos behind the bench next season. Ryan Daniels will remain on staff as the team’s goaltending coach.” . . . As well, Rob Toffoli has been named head scout, after having scouted the Toronto area for the Ottawa 67’s. He is the father of Los Angeles Kings F Rob Toffoli.

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With no #MCMemorialCup tiebreaker, popped home. Pucks from last 18 tournaments in a row I've attended. pic.twitter.com/fJJekCwbR6

— Terry Doyle (@Terry_Doyle) May 25, 2017

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Blazers get Bauer from Oil Kings, add d-man . . . Blades land Johnson

WHL trades since Dec. 27:

Trades: 12.

Players: 21.

Bantam draft picks: 15.

Conditional bantam draft picks: 1.

(WHL trade deadline is Jan. 10).

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The Edmonton Oil Kings made their second trade in as many days as they moved out another veteran 20-year-old. This time, they dealt F Lane Bauer and a seventh-round selection in the 2017 WHL bantam draft to the Kamloops Blazers for D

LANE BAUER

Conner McDonald, 17, a second-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft and a fifth-rounder in 2018.

On Wednesday, the Oil Kings sent D Aaron Irving, 20, their captain, and a seventh-round pick in 2017 to the Everett Silvertips for F Graham Millar, 20, F Brett Kemp, 16, and a first-round pick in the 2018 draft.

McDonald, like Irving, is a right-hand shot so should fit in well on the Edmonton depth chart. He had one goal and 12 assists in 36 games with the Blazers this season. From Delta, B.C., he has a goal and three assists in 48 career regular-season games.

McDonald, who is expected to play for the Oil Kings when they visit the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Friday, was a second-round pick by the Blazers in the 2014 bantam draft.

The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Bauer, from Anchorage, Alaska, was in his fourth season in Edmonton. This season, he had 25 goals and 15 assists in 40 games. In 231 career games, he has 176 points,

CONNER McDONALD

including 86 goals, including 29 goals and 36 assists in 72 games in 2015-16.

Bauer becomes the only American on the Blazers’ roster.

The Blazers, who meet the visiting Kelowna Rockets on Friday night, now have four 20-year-olds on their roster, including F Matt Revel, who went down with a long-term undisclosed injury prior to Christmas. The other two are D Dallas Valentine and F Collin Shirley. The Blazers, who are scrapping with the Rockets for second place in the B.C. Division, have until Jan. 10 to get down to three 20s.

Meanwhile, the Blazers have added D Tylor Ludwar, 17, to their roster and the plan is to keep him for the remainder of this season. Ludwar had been the captain of the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Ludwar, from Regina, had 14 goals and eight assists in 20 games with the Pat Canadians. A list player, Ludwar was pointless in two games with the Blazers earlier this season.

The addition of Ludwar leaves the Blazers with eight defencemen on their roster.

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The Saskatoon Blades have acquired F Cole Johnson, 18, from the Swift Current Broncos for two WHL bantam draft picks — a seventh-round selection in 2017 and a fifth-rounder in 2018.

The seventh-round pick originated with the Regina Pats, while the fifth-rounder started with the Red

COLE JOHNSON

Deer Rebels. The Blades acquired both picks in a deal that had F Cameron Hausinger go to the Rebels.

From Marwayne, Alta., the 5-foot-11, 200-pound Johnson had four goals and six assists in 34 games with the Broncos this season. In 44 career games, he has five goals and six assists.

Johnson was a second-round selection by the Broncos in the 2013 bantam draft.

The Blades, with four forwards out with long-term injuries, acquired Johnson to add some depth to their roster.

“We currently have four forwards out of the lineup with longer-term injuries, so bringing in Cole will help shore up some holes in the roster and provide some help to our 1998 group moving forward,” Saskatoon general manager Colin Priestner said in a news release. “Cole’s an intriguing player. He had a lot of success in bantam and midget until his shoulder injury set him back.”

Johnson missed almost all of the previous two seasons with a shoulder injury. In 2013-14, his final season of midget AAA hockey, he put up 28 goals and 17 assists in 31 games with the Lloydminster, Alta., Bobcats. However, he played only 10 games over the next two seasons -- one with the Broncos in 2014-15 and nine in 2015-16.
Johnson will be available to the Blades Friday night when they meet the Warriors in Moose Jaw.

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Silvertips surrender first-rounder, two players for Oil Kings' captain

"His game on the ice and his leadership off the ice are the qualities of a true leader."

Thank you, Captain. pic.twitter.com/MBNdEveAmo

— Edmonton Oil Kings (@EdmOilKings) January 4, 2017

WHL trades since Dec. 27:

Trades: 9

Players: 17

Bantam draft picks: 9

Conditional bantam draft picks: 1

(WHL trade deadline is Jan. 10).

——

Any doubts that may have been lingering about the Everett Silvertips’ intentions this season were erased on Wednesday when the WHL team acquired veteran D Aaron Irving, 20, from the Edmonton Oil Kings.

The Silvertips definitely went all-in, as they gave up a first-round selection in the 2018 bantam draft, along

AARON IRVING

with F Graham Miller, 20, and F Brett Kemp, 16. Everett also got a seventh-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft.

Irving, an Edmonton native, was the Oil Kings’ captain. He holds the franchise career record for goals (38) by a defenceman and is third in points (126), all done in 244 games.

This season, Irving was Edmonton’s leading scorer, with 43 points, including 14 goals. He is second among all WHL defencemen in points, trailing only David Quenneville of the Medicine Hat Tigers, who has 48 points but suffered a broken fibula on Tuesday night.

The Oil Kings selected the 6-foot-1, 200-pound Irving with the ninth overall pick of the 2011 bantam draft. In 2014, the Nashville Predators picked him in the seventh round of the NHL draft, but he has yet to sign an NHL contract.

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Millar, from Penticton, had nine goals and seven assists in 25 games with Everett this season. In 226 career games, split between Everett and the Saskatoon Blades, he has 83 points, including 44 goals. He will turn 21 on Jan. 11.

Kemp, from Yorkton, Sask., had three goals and four assists in 17 games in his freshman season with the Silvertips. He also was pointless in six games with Canada Black at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge. Kemp, 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds, was a second-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft.

The Oil Kings, who are at home to the Vancouver Giants tonight, expect to have Millar and Kemp available on Friday when they visit the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

GRAHAM MILLAR

BRETT KEMP

Edmonton (18-17-4) is tied for third in the Central Division with the Red Deer Rebels, each of them having 40 points. At the same time, the Brandon Wheat Kings also have 40 points and are tied with Red Deer for the Eastern Conference’s two wild-card playoff spots, four points ahead of the Saskatoon Blades.

The Silvertips (25-5-6), who are three points behind the Regina Pats, who lead the overall standings, next play Friday against the host Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash.

Having allowed only 77 goals in 36 games, Everett is easily the WHL’s best defensive team. Irving won’t hurt them in that area and also will add to their offence which, while not as poor as its reputation, could always use a boost.

It also is fair to say that the Silvertips‘ roster now includes three of the top right-hand shooting defencemen in the WHL, with Irving joining veterans Kevin Davis and Noah Juulsen.

Davis is having a career season, with three goals and 28 assists in 36 games, while Juulsen, who is with Team Canada at the World Junior Championship, has 20 points, including nine goals, in 25 games.
Everett goes into tonight’s action tied with the Prince George Cougars for first place in the Western Conference, although the Silvertips hold three games in hand. Everett also leads the U.S. Division by nine points over the Tri-City Americans.

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