Noel gets down to work . . . Changes extend scoring streaks . . . Hurricanes, Rebels make a deal

F Cody Almond (Kelowna, 2005-09) was released by the Minnesota Wild (NHL) and returned to Genève-Servette (Switzerland, NL A). Almond had signed a five-year contract with Genève-Servette in June, then got a one-year NHL deal with the Wild in July. He was pointless in five games with Iowa (AHL). . . .
D Garnet Exelby (Saskatoon, Regina, 1998-2001) has been released by Dornbirn (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He was pointless in 17 games. . . .
F Owen Fussey (Calgary, Moose Jaw, 1999-2003) has been released by the Guildford Flames (England, Premier). He had nine goals and five assists in 19 games.
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THE COACHING GAME:

Claude Noel worked his first practice as head coach of the Vancouver Giants on Monday. Afterwards, he spent a few minutes chatting with the media.
Interestingly, it seems that Noel didn’t sign a contract. That, he apparently told management, is something that can be worked out down the road.
Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province has the highlights from Noel’s chat right here.
Cam Tucker of Metro Vancouver was there, too. His story is right here.
Vancouver’s first game under Noel is scheduled for Friday against the visiting Portland Winterhawks.
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A couple of scoring changes after the Kootenay Ice’s 4-3 OT victory over the host Seattle Thunderbirds on Sunday extended two scoring streaks. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart was credited with an assist, allowing him to run his streak to 11 games. He has 23 points, including six goals, over that stretch, which encompasses every game since he was returned by the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres. . . . Ice F Jaedon Descheneau also picked up an assist, and he’s on a 10-game streak. He’s got 17 points, including seven goals, over that stretch.
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Neither D Jordan Thomson (concussion) nor F Wyatt Sloboshan (broken jaw) is with the Saskatoon Blades, who open a B.C. Division swing tonight in Kamloops against the Blazers. . . . As well, the Blades have some illness going through the dressing room. F Sam McKechnie didn’t skate on Monday, and Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reports that D Amil Krupic “was the first one off the ice because he wasn’t well.” . . . F Luke Gingras and F Landon Welykholowa, both of whom missed a 4-2 loss in Moose Jaw on Saturday, returned to the ice.
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The Red Deer Rebels have acquired F Riley Sheen, 20, who had been the Lethbridge Hurricanes’ leading scorer. . . . The Rebels get Sheen and a conditional fifth-round 2017 bantam draft pick in exchange for F/D Devan Fafard, 20, and F Brayden Burke, 17. Burke was a seventh-round pick by the Rebels in the 2012 bantam draft. . . . Fafard, a defenceman by trade, has been playing up front with the Rebels. He is out with an undisclosed injury and may not play for a week, while Burke has been out since Oct. 5 with an undisclosed injury but is back skating. . . . The draft pick apparently is conditional on Burke reaching a pre-determined number of points. . . . Sheen had 23 points, including 20 assists, in 27 games with the Hurricanes, who have the WHL’s poorest record. Sheen also has played with the Medicine Hat Tigers and Seattle Thunderbirds. In 209 regular-season games, he has 115 points, 36 of them goals. . . . Sheen is expected to be in the Rebels’ lineup tonight when they play host to the Calgary Hitmen.
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The WHL’s Christmas shopping fund has increased by $1,750 as four teams have been asked to make contributions. . . . The Kamloops Blazers were fined $500 after a player (D Ryan Rehill) instigated a fight in the last five minutes of a 7-3 loss to the visiting Regina Pats on Friday. Rehill was hit with a one-game suspension and sat out Saturday’s 5-3 loss to the visiting Victoria Cougars. . . . The Swift Current Broncos were fined $250 “for actions of player at Red Deer” on Saturday. Broncos F Carter Rigby drew a one-game suspension for those actions. . . . The Broncos were fined an additional $500 for their part in a multiple fight situation in that same game. The Red Deer Rebels also were fined $500.
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Hey @calstampeders, you have to win it to break it, right? #Congrats #GreyCup
— Spokane Chiefs (@chiefshockey) December 2, 2014

Winterhawks get assistant coach . . . or do they?

SMOKE ON THE WATER: Somewhere through all the smoke over the South
Thompson River near Kamloops stands Mount Martin. Yes, it's been smokin' hot
in Kamloops for the past few days.

D Rory Rawlyk (Medicine Hat, Vancouver, Prince Albert, Red Deer, 2000-03) has signed a one-year contract with the Coventry Blaze (England, UK Elite). Last season, with the Dundee Stars (Scotland, UK Elite), he had 40 points, including 32 assists, in 43 games. He was named to the Elite League’s second all-star team. . . . Rawlyk’s season was cut short by a freak training accident in which he suffered a broken nose, fractured cheekbone and cracked eye socket, which required surgery. . . .
F Eric Johansson (Tri-City, 1997-2002) has signed a one-year extension with Ritten/Renon (Italy, Serie A). Last season, Johansson had 50 points, 14 of them goals, in 38 games with the Italian champions. He led the team in assists and points.
D Garnet Exelby (Saskatoon, Regina, 1998-2001) has signed a one-year contract with Dornbirn (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). Last season, as the captain of the Norfolk Admirals (AHL), he had 18 points, all of them assists, in 72 games.
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“What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.”
When you hear that, you think of that great movie Cool Hand Luke.
Well, we ran into a communication problem on Wednesday.
Under the headline ‘Charlottetown native to be an (sic) WHL assistant’, a website that goes by hockeyscene.com reported that “Brad MacKenzie of Charlottetown and the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League have agreed to terms that will see MacKenzie become an assistant coach with the team.”
MacKenzie is quoted in the story as saying: “It is what I want to do. It is a good first step with a terrific organization.”
I tweeted out a link to the 10-paragraph story that didn’t carry a byline.
Moments later, I got an email from a Winterhawks’ official.
“I think there was a miscommunication with the writer of the article,” the official wrote. “He is not an assistant coach, but from what I understand will be an intern or assistant of some sort working with the staff.
“Not sure exactly what his title will be but he won't be our new assistant coach.”
The hockeyscene.com story is right here.
The Winterhawks are looking for an assistant coach to replace Karl Taylor, who left Portland to become an assistant coach with the AHL’s Texas Stars.
The Winterhawks introduced Jamie Kompon as their new GM/head coach last week. He replaces Mike Johnston, now head coach of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins.
Kyle Gustafson, the club’s other assistant coach, is back and is preparing for his 11th season with the Winterhawks.
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1. The Vancouver Giants are scheduled to introduce Troy Ward as their head coach this morning. (Yesterday, in this space, I erred in writing that the news conference was to be held Wednesday morning.) . . . Ward spent the last three seasons as the head coach of the Abbotsford Heat, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Calgary Flames. In Vancouver, he will replace Don Hay, the Giants’ head coach for the past 10 seasons. Hay now is head coach of the Kamloops Blazers.

2. The Moose Jaw Warriors also will be introducing a new head coach today. They have been looking to fill the void created when Mike Stothers signed on as head coach of the Manchester Monarchs, the AHL farm team of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. . . . There has been speculation that Malcolm Cameron, who was fired last month by the new owners of the Regina Pats, is the No. 1 candidate in Moose Jaw. Cameron guided the Pats to the East Division’s regular-season pennant last season. . . . This is a big day for the Warriors as the organization’s annual meeting is scheduled for tonight at the Heritage Inn.

3. It’s safe to say that the Lethbridge Hurricanes raised some eyebrows on Tuesday with the announcement that they were adding Bryan Maxwell to their coaching staff, as an assistant under head coach Drake Berehowsky. . . . Dale Woodard of the Lethbridge Herald has more on Maxwell right here, including what he’s been doing the last couple of years and how he hopes to help the Hurricanes.

4. The Edmonton Oilers have added Rocky Thompson to their coaching staff. During games, he will serve as their eye in the sky. . . . Thompson, 36, has been an assistant coach with the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons for the past four seasons. . . . A former WHL defenceman (Medicine Hat, Swift Current, 1993-97), Thompson also worked as an assistant coach with the Edmonton Oil Kings (2007-10).

5. No matter where Yvon Barrette roams -- he’s in Prince Albert for a celebrity golf tournament -- he gets the question: “Who own the Chiefs?” . . . Yes, you know the movie. . . . Andrew Schopp of the Prince Albert Daily Herald has more right here.

6. F Casey Pierro-Zabotel, who won the WHL scoring title in 2008-09 while with the Vancouver Giants, has signed on with the ECHL’s Gwinnett Gladiators. . . . Pierro-Zabotel, 25, started last season with the Lausitzer Foxes in Germany (DEL2). He joined the Gladiators in January and put up 28 points, including seven goals, in 36 games. . . . In 2008-09, he had 115 points, including 36 goals, in 72 games with the Giants.

7. Arland Bruce III has filed a concussion-related lawsuit against the CFL that is believed to be the first of its kind filed in Canada. This lawsuit was filed in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver. . . . There is more right here.

8. The big story after Tuesday’s MLB All-Star Game involved NL starter Adam Wainwright. Did he, or did he not, groove a fastball for AL shortstop Derek Jeter? And, if he did, does it matter? . . . Richard Justice of mlb.com has more right here.

9. Don’t forget to vote in the Memorial Cup poll over there on the right. Just click on where you think the 2016 tournament should be played.


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