Two players leave WHL for school . . . Irving ties franchise record . . . Pats win once again

The note Leonard Cohen sent his old girlfriend Marianne Ihlen (subject of his songs) when she was dying this summer. https://t.co/o1J89ks9Gj pic.twitter.com/ZTnufo2hMG

— Robert Loerzel (@robertloerzel) November 11, 2016

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F Michal Řepík (Vancouver, 2005-08) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Sparta Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, he was pointless in two games with Trakto Chelyabinsk (Russia, KHL). He was released by mutual agreement on Oct. 10. Řepík injured a shoulder with Chelyabinsk and now has mononucleosis. Sparta hopes he will be ready to play in January. . . . 

F Fredrik Pettersson (Calgary, 2005-07) has been assigned by Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (Russia, KHL) to Sarov (Russia, Vysshaya Liga). He had five goals and seven assists in 24 games. . . . 

F Gaelan Patterson (Saskatoon, 2006-10) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Chamonix-Morzine (France, Ligue Magnus). Last season, he had 10 goals and 14 assists in 45 games with Sparta Sarpsborg (Norway, GET-Ligaen).

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The Brandon Wheat Kings have acquired F Zach Russell, 17, from the Victoria Royals for a sixth-round selection in the 2017 WHL bantam draft. . . . Russell, who signed with the Royals in August 2015, is from Calgary. The 6-foot-0, 180-pounder is playing for the AJHL’s Calgary Canucks and has six goals and five assists in 19 games. . . . Last season, he had 19 goals and 21 assists in 31 games with the midget AAA Calgary Flames. . . .  Grant Armstrong, Brandon’s general managerr, joined the Wheat Kings in August after working as the Royals’ assistant GM, player personnel.

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I can remember a number of years ago when someone — if memory serves, it was Gerry James when he owned an SJHL franchise — was heard to say that as an owner the best season a junior A team could have would be to lose Game 7 of the league final on home ice. That, he felt, was the perfect season because once your team started playing outside its own league the expenses mounted in a hurry. . . . I don’t know if that was the case here, but: Last season, the BCHL’s West Kelowna Warriors won the national championship and owner Mark Cheyne says the franchise lost $300,000. . . . "Oh yeah, it blows people away,” Cheyne told Evan Cooke of AM1150, a Kelowna radio station. “And then when you start throwing the numbers around, they're just like, ‘Are you kidding?’ People don't understand how much it costs to run that thing. They can physically see what you drag in for revenue on any given night, but they just don't understand the budget side of it.” . . . BTW, Cheyne says the Warriors have been for sale “for a year now.” . . . Cooke’s story is right here.

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Rudy Poeschek, a former WHL and NHL enforcer, is back in court. As Tim Petruk of Kamloops This Week writes, Poeschek has been charged with breach of probation, “accused of missing meetings with his probation officer in July and August.” . . . Last year, Poeschek was sentenced to 45 days in jail “after pleading guilty to a string of criminal charges.” . . . Poeschek, 49, says he is having issues with his memory, that he forgot about the meetings with his probation officer and almost forgot about Thursday’s court date. . . . Petruk’s latest story on Poeschek is right here.

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Evan Vossen is the new general manager and head coach of the SJHL’s La Ronge Ice Wolves. He takes over from Shawn Martin, who was fired on Oct. 24. . . . This season, the Ice Wolves were 2-12-1 under Martin, who was in his fourth season as head coach. They go into weekend play at 3-15-3. . . . Vossen, 30, is a native of Swift Current. He played three seasons (2004-07) playing for the Ice Wolves. He then went on to spend five seasons at McGill U in Montreal, playing for the Redmen. He was the team captain in 2011-12, his last season, and scored the overtime goal as the Redmen beat the Western Mustangs 4-3 in the Canadian university championship final. That gave McGill its first hockey title in its 135-year history.

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JUST NOTES:

According to a Thursday afternoon tweet from the Vancouver Giants, D Tyler Brown, who was listed as ‘retired’ on this week’s roster report, “has chosen to return to the U.S. to attend school.” . . . 

@czaikowski5 going to miss seeing you everyday, good luck brother! #footloose #juju ❤️

— Cody Glass (@Cody12Glass) November 10, 2016

D Carter Czaikowski, 18, has left the Portland Winterhawks. He tweeted on Thursday afternoon that he has “decided to start a new chapter in my life by attending university.” . . . Czaikowski, from Calgary, was a sixth-round selection by Portland in the 2013 bantam draft. He had four assists in 37 games with the Winterhawks last season, and had a goal and four assists in 17 games this season. . . . 

F Grant Mismash, a fifth-round selection by the Red Deer Rebels in the 2014 WHL bantam draft, has committed to the U of North Dakota for 2018-19. From Edina, Minn., Mismash, 17, is playing for the U.S. national U-18 team. . . . 

F Brannon McManus, a fourth-round pick by the Portland Winterhawks in the 2014 WHL bantam draft, has committed to attend the U of Minnesota next season and play for the Gophers. From Newport Beach, Calif., he is in his second season with the USHL’s Omaha Lancers.

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We have made an addition to our helmets in the memory of the late Marek Svatos. pic.twitter.com/W3ULIWOMFm

— Kootenay ICE (@WHLKootenayICE) November 10, 2016

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THURSDAY’S GAMES:

#WHL SAS/EDM:  @EdmOilKings Aaron Irving posts first 2-goal game in 224 games; ties Corbett and Reinhart for most team goals by D-man (30).

— Geoffrey Brandow (@GeoffreyBrandow) November 11, 2016

At Edmonton, D Aaron Irving scored two goals, including the empty-netter, as the Oil Kings doubled the

AARON IRVING

Saskatoon Blades, 4-2. . . . Irving has six goals this season and 30 in his career. He now shares the franchise’s career record for goals by a defenceman with Cody Corbett and Griffin Reinhart. . . . The Oil Kings got a 2-0 lead on goals from D Anatolii Elizarov, his first, at 19:05 of the first period, and Irving, 24 seconds into the second. . . . The Blades tied it when F Logan Christensen scored his fifth, at 9:40 of the second, and F Mason McCarty added his 12th, at 13:10. . . . F Trey Fix-Wolansky broke the tie at 11:28 of the third period. . . . Irving got the empty-netter at 19:53. . . . G Patrick Dea turned aside 34 shots for the victory, while Saskatoon’s Logan Flodell stopped 35. . . . Edmonton was 0-2 on the PP; Saskatoon was 0-1. . . . The Oil Kings (7-9-2) have won two in a row. . . . The Blades slipped to 8-10-1. . . . F Kirby Dach, the second overall pick in the 2016 bantam draft, made his WHL debut with the Blades. He is playing with the midget AAA Fort Saskatchewan Rangers this season. . . . The Oil Kings had G Boston Bilous dressed in support of Dea and in place of freshman Liam Hughes. Bilous, from Langley, B.C., was a fourth-round pick in the 2016 WHL bantam draft. He is playing for the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds of the B.C. Major Midget League. . . . Announced attendance: 8,429.

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At Moose Jaw, F Sam Steel scored on a PP just 19 seconds into OT to give the Regina Pats a 5-4 victory over the Warriors. . . . Steel’s goal, his 15th of the season, was Regina’s fourth PP score of the game. . . .

SAM STEEL

The Warriors, who were outshot 51-27, forced OT on F Nikita Popugaev’s second goal of the game, and 13th of the season, at 16:31 of the third period. . . . F Filip Ahl, who has 14 goals, scored three times for Regina. He opened the scoring on a PP at 6:07 of the first period. . . . The Warriors then took a 2-1 lead on PP goals from Popugaev, at 14:20, and F Tristan Langan, his first, at 16:05. . . . Ahl scored the only two goals of the second period, getting a PP score at 10:49 and then putting the Pats out front at 19:59. . . . Moose Jaw tied it on F Noah Gregor’s seventh goal, at 11:32 of the third, only to have F Dawson Leedahl put Regina out front again, with his seventh goal, at 14:46. . . . Steel, the WHL’s leading scorer, also had an assist, while D Connor Hobbs had two helpers. . . . The Pats got two assists from F Adam Brooks, who is on a 10-game point streak. He has at least a point in every game he has played with Regina this season. . . . Regina D Chase Harrison had one assist to run his point streak to 11 games, the longest in the WHL this season. He has two goals and 13 assists over that stretch. . . . Moose Jaw F Luka Burzan had two assists, with Gregor adding one to his goal. . . . The Pats got 23 saves from G Tyler Brown, with G Zach Sawchenko blocking 46 for the home team. . . . Regina was 4-7 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 2-4. . . . The Pats (13-0-3) have won nine in a row and remain the only one of the CHL’s 60 teams not to have lost in regulation time. Regina also has points in 16 straight games; the last time a WHL team accomplished that was in 2014-15 when the Brandon Wheat Kings and Kelowna Rockets both did it. . . . (A tip of the cap to Geoffrey Brandow, who tweets at @GeoffreyBrandow, for those last stats). . . . The Warriors (11-4-3) have lost two in a row (0-1-1). . . . The Warriors were without three top-end forwards — Brett Howden (hip), Jayden Halbgewachs (suspended) and Brayden Burke, who was acquired from the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Tuesday — and had five 16-year-olds in the lineup. . . . Announced attendance: 4,442, the Warriors’ first sellout of the season.

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At Langley, B.C., the Vancouver Giants scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Prince George

JAMES MALM

Cougars, 4-2. . . . F James Malm gave Vancouver a 1-0 lead at 14:26 of the first period. . . . The Cougars moved out front on goals from F Brad Morrison, his eighth, at 17:53, and D Cole Moberg, his first, at 6:16 of the second period. . . . Malm’s second of the game, and fifth of the season, tied the score at 19:01. . . . Vancouver F Dawson Holt broke the tie at 6:44 of the third period, with his fourth goal, and F Radovan Bondra, who also had an assist, provided insurance with his 12th at 8:46. . . . G Ryan Kubic stopped 35 shots for the Giants, with the Cougars’ Nick McBride blocking 37. . . . Each team was 0-2 on the PP. . . . The Giants (9-11-0) have won two in a row; the Cougars, who had won eight of nine on the road, are 14-4-2. . . . The Cougars were without D Sam Ruopp, who served Game 2 of an eight-game suspension, and F Kody McDonald, who has one game left in a three-game sentence. . . . The Giants wore special uniforms as they honoured the late Pat Quinn, who owned a piece of the franchise. Quinn is to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto on Monday. . . . Announced attendance: 3,383.

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FRIDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Red Deer at Brandon 2:30 p.m.

Prince Albert at Kamloops, 5 p.m.

Everett at Portland, 7 p.m.

Calgary vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m.

Tri-City at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.

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The Book Shelf: Part 2 of 4

The Book Shelf: Part 2 of 4

Just in time for Christmas, here’s a brief look at some of the books I have read over the last while:

The Gods of Guilt -- Author Michael Connelly revisits Mickey Haller, the Lincoln Lawyer, in this one. There is a murder victim, who was a prostitute; she also was a former client of Haller’s whom he had tried hard to get out of her line of work. Obviously, it didn’t work. If you read The Lincoln Lawyer (2005) and enjoyed it, you’ll like this one. (Kindle)

His Ownself: A Semi-Memoir -- If you are a sports fan and a reader, you no doubt will have read Dan Jenkins, either in Sports Illustrated, Golf Digest or Playboy, or between the covers of one of his numerous books. Now we have His Ownself, written in Jenkins’ take-no-prisoners style. This is writing the way it used to be, before political correctness smothered a lot of it. Go along with Jenkins on a great ride as he revisits his long and terrific career. But as you read along, you get the feeling that the author is laughing at life, like he knows he has pulled a fast one. Reading this is kind of like watching George Clooney and Brad Pitt in the movie Oceans 11. No one should have as much fun as they do; no one should have as much fun as Jenkins did during his career. (Kindle)

Hockey Card Stories: True Tales from Your Favourite Players -- This is a neat book, but it's not one to be read in one or two sittings. Rather, it's to be enjoyed over a month or six weeks. Author Ken Reid, a card collector who is an anchor with Rogers Sportsnet when he isn't counting cards, has selected a number of hockey cards and tells their stories through conversations with the pictured players. There are some terrific stories here, too. For example, Bryan Maxwell, now an assistant coach with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, has three cards but his picture is on only one of them. (A note to the author: Despite what you might find on the Internet, Butch Goring’s famous helmet was a ‘SPAPS’, not a ‘SNAPS’. Yes, I had one.) (Kindle)

Kid Dynamite: The Gerry James Story -- Gerry James is the greatest Canadian athlete whom few people remember, and that’s unfortunate. Playing for football’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers and hockey’s Toronto Maple Leafs during the same years, James was Bo Jackson before Bo Jackson. James was one of the greatest players in CFL history, twice winning the Schenley Award as the league’s top Canadian. He won scoring championships and Grey Cups; he was one of best and toughest running backs of his day. As a hockey player, he played like, well, a football player. In southern Saskatchewan, he is best known as a senior hockey player, as well as a junior hockey owner, general manager and coach. He also is an enigma, something that is most evident in author Ron Smith’s work. Reading this book, you are left to wonder if James, a contradictarian if ever there was one, knows himself, and if he doesn’t, is there any chance of Smith figuring him out. This book is worth reading, if for no other reason than to understand just what a terrific athlete James was. Unfortunately, there is a bit too much of the author in this book. As well, this book, like so many others today, could have used a good editor. Darth Vadar? Schultz, as in Charles M. Schulz? Sidney Crosbie? Wayne Gretsky? . . . If you’re wondering where the nickname, Kid Dynamite, came from, James’ father Eddie (Dynamite) James was a terrific footballer in his own right. (Kindle)

The King of Sports: Football’s Impact on America -- Author Gregg Easterbrook takes off the gloves as he takes on mostly the NCAA and the NFL, pointing out in no uncertain terms just how it is that football at those levels rules the roost. This just may get you looking at football and all of its money in a different light. (Kindle)

The Lost 10 Point Night: Searching for my Hockey Hero . . . Jim Harrison: When he was a child and first became a hockey fan, David Ward, the author of this little gem, became entranced with Jim Harrison. Almost 40 years later, Ward tracked down Harrison, along with a number of former junior, NHL and WHA teammates, and is able to tell the story of a boy/man and his hockey hero. Harrison is a great story, too, because he has beefs with a team or two, the NHLPA, Alan Eagleson and a few others, and he isn’t the least bit leery about voicing his opinion. This book won‘t get much publicity against some of the big boys that appear before Christmas, but it‘s a wonderful read. (Kindle)

My Cross to Bear -- Give this a read and you’ll wonder how it is that Gregg Allman, he of Allman Brothers Band fame, is still alive. From all the booze and all the drugs and all the wives (six at last count) and all the other women, not to mention the liver transplant, he should have been dead a long time ago. Still, this book, written with Alan Light, provides honest insight into Allman and his music career. You may recall that he once was married to Cher. “I was really glad that she never asked me what I thought of her singing,” he writes, “because I’m sorry, but she’s not a very good singer.” No, that marriage didn’t last either. (William Morrow, 390 pages, soft cover, Cdn$17.99, US$15.99)

Never Go Back -- Someone, and I can’t remember who it was, told me a long time ago to be wary of purchasing a book if the author’s name is larger than the title. Author Lee Child is there with Never Go Back, the latest book in his Jack Reacher series. Oh, it’s as readable and as much escapism as any of the earlier works, but there’s something missing here. Perhaps it’s the introduction of the teenager who may or may not be his daughter, who may or may not show up in a future book. I don’t know. Or maybe I just can’t get it out of my head that Hollywood selected Tom Cruise, all 5-foot-8 of him, to play Reacher, who goes 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, in that movie. Included is a Reacher short story (High Heat) that is quite good. (Dell, soft cover, 607 pages, Cdn$11.99, US$9.99)

99: Gretzky: His Game, His Story -- Keeping in mind that author Al Strachan and former NHL star Wayne Gretzky are good friends, this still is a good read. In fact, it may be worth reading just for the prickly Strachan’s many pokes at NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. There isn’t anything terribly shocking here, but there are a whole lot of Gretzky-related anecdotes that haven’t previously seen the light of day. (Kindle)

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Benn Olson (Kamloops, Seattle, 2004-08) signed a one-year contract extension with the Coventry Blaze (England, UK Elite). He had three goals and 12 assists in 53 games with the Blaze and led the league in PIM with 392, including 19 fighting majors. That total was 126 minutes more than the runner-up. Coventry director of hockey operations Paul Thompson: “Benn is the toughest guy in the league but he is also one hell of a defenceman. Benn ticks all the boxes, he is hugely popular with the fans and the league needs characters like him. He fills opposing rinks too, not just ours. We knew Benn was tough, he has that in abundance, but we also knew he could play. He got better as the season went on and had a lot of responsibility. I think he was under-rated by a lot of people in the league — but certainly not by us. He is still young but he is smart and he has been a rock-solid acquisition for us.” . . .

F Levi Nelson (Swift Current, 2004-08) was one of seven players who were told that they wouldn’t be offered contracts for next season by Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg (Germany, DEL). Nelson started the season as captain of the Bakersfield Condors (ECHL), getting 10 goals and 14 assists in 32 games before being traded on Dec. 31 to the Greenville Road Warriors. Nelson had three goals and three assists in Greenville before joining Wolfsburg on Jan. 31, where he had one goal and one assist in 11 regular-season games and two goals and three assists in 12 playoff games.
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JUST NOTES:
The boys are back in town in Saskatoon. Yes, the Blades, the host team for the 2013 Memorial Cup, are back and were on the ice Monday for the first time since they were swept from a first-round series by the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . F Erik Benoit (knee), who missed all of that first-round series, will be ready by the time the Memorial Cup gets here. Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reports that Benoit is skating by himself and should be practising inside of 10 days. . . . Nugent-Bowman also reports that D Shayne Gwinner “has been sent home and is no longer a member of the” Blades. Gwinner, who had been picked up from the Prince Albert Raiders for a fifth-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft, had eight points in 19 regular-season games. . . . Nugent-Bowman’s story is right here.
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D Mathew Dumba of the Red Deer Rebels has joined the Houston Aeros, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild. . . . The Wild selected Dumba with the seventh overall pick of the NHL’s 2012 draft. He had 42 points in 62 regular-season games with the Rebels this season.
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The Everett Silvertips, who just completed their 10th WHL season, have signed a five-year lease with Comcast Arena that will run through the 2017-18 season. According to a news release: “The new five-year renewal comes on the heels of the club’s initial lease agreement, which spanned 10 seasons since the inception of the Silvertips and the construction of Comcast Arena at Everett in 2003.” . . . The Silvertips have made the playoffs in each of their 10 seasons in the WHL.
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Three former players with the Brandon Wheat Kings, a one-time head coach of the Moose Jaw Warriors and a former head coach of the Winnipeg Warriors are among the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame’s 2013 inductees. . . . Mike Ford, Bill Mikkelson and Vaughn Karpan, all of whom played for the Wheat Kings, will be among the inductees at the annual dinner on Oct. 5, as will former Moose Jaw head coach Gerry James, who was a tremendous athlete and played for the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers and NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs, and Bruce Southern, a longtime scout who once coached the Winnipeg Warriors before they relocated to Moose Jaw. . . . Also going into the hall will be former players Bill Watson and the late Ed Hoekstra, along with builders Wayne Fleming and Wayne Chernecki, both of whom will be inducted posthumously. . . . Others to be inducted are referee Ian Heather, builder Don MacKenzie, St. James Canucks founder Tom Miller, on-ice official Bob Thompson, veteran coach Al Tresoor and the 2003 Île-des-Chênes North Stars, the 2003 Allan Cup champions.
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The Bentley Generals opened the Allan Cup tournament with a 2-0 victory over the Rosetown Red Wings on Monday at the Red Deer Arena. . . . The second goal came off the stick of G Dan Bakala, a 25-year-old Calgary native who played three seasons at Bemidji State. . . . Here’s Greg Meachem, the sports editor of the Red Deer Advocate: “With the Bentley Generals clinging to a late 1-0 lead, Bakala steadied a puck in front of the net and lifted the rubber over oncoming traffic, all the way down the ice and into the vacated Rosetown Redwings goal to seal a 2-0 win in the Allan Cup opener for both teams.” . . . Former Kelowna Rockets G Kelly Guard was in goal for Rosetown.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Leland Mack has left the major midget Greater Vancouver Canadians after four years. The Canadians play in the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League. . . . Mack now is the head coach of the Burnaby Winter Club’s U-16 academy team. . . .
Mark Osiecki was fired Monday as head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes. According to athletic director Gene Smith, the decision was made because of “a difference of opinion over the management of the program that could not be resolved.” . . . Assistant coach Steve Rohlik now is running the program until a replacement is hired. . . . Osiecki was the Buckeyes’ head coach for three seasons, going 46-50-16. . . . There already is speculation that Ohio State will hire former U of Denver head coach George Gwozdecky. . . .
Jim Montgomery, the general manager and head coach of the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints, is the new head coach of the U of Denver Pioneers. . . . Montgomery is completing his third season with Dubuque and will take over the Pioneers once the USHL season is over. . . . Montgomery has a 118-45-21 regular-season record with Dubuque, where the Fighting Saints won the Clark Cup as playoff champions in 2010-11, their inaugural season.
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The WHL’s playoff situation:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
THIRD ROUND
Edmonton (1) vs. Calgary (3)
Series opens Thursday in Edmonton; all games on Shaw TV.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
THIRD ROUND
Portland (1) vs. Kamloops (3)
Series opens Friday in Portland.
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MONDAY’S GAMES:
No games scheduled.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT (16):
None

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT (5):
None
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From Shawn Mullin (@shawnmullin), the radio voice of the Swift Current Broncos: “Congrats to Adam Lowry on getting his deal done with the Winnipeg Jets. He’s a safe bet to play in the NHL but what is his ceiling?”

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Jan Fadrny (Brandon, Kelowna, 1998-2001) signed a one-year contract with Königsbrunn (Germany, Bayernliga). He had four goals and one assist in nine games with Dresdner Eislöwen (Germany, 2.Bundesliga) and four goals and 13 assists in 23 games with Pisek (Czech Republic, 1.Liga) last season.
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And now for something completely different. . . . Mark Ferner, the head coach of the Everett Silvertips, and Steve Konowalchuk, the head coach of the Seattle Thunderbirds, will be doing a live chat today at SeattleTimes.com. The two coaches, each of them in his first season, will run from noon to 1 p.m.
If you are so inclined, you may join the chat right here.
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For the second time in two seasons, the Kelowna Rockets sent a player home in the hopes that time away from the arena will allow him to recover from post-concussion syndrome.
Last year, the Rockets sent F Kyle St. Denis home to Trail. He never did return to the Rockets, although he later completed his 20-year-old season with the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies.
On Tuesday, the Rockets revealed that F Max Adolph, 19, has gone home to Saskatoon and has been placed on the indefinite injured list.
Concussions limited Adolph to 36 games last season, during which he totalled six points. He was injured on Oct. 30, returned in late November and was hurt again in January. He tried to come back in February but was sidelined again just two weeks later.
He returned for training camp and played in the Rockets’ first exhibition game but suffered another concussion.
“After assessment from our doctors, we’re doing what is in in the best interest of Max,” Rockets president and general manager Bruce Hamilton said in a news release. “Our medical team has advised Max to avoid body contact and shut his season down for now.
“The best place for Max to recover is at home with his family. We’re going to stay in touch with Max and he will be re-assessed after Christmas.”
Adolph is the son of Dave Adolph, the head coach of the U of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team.
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The WHL’s 20-year-old deadline — at which time each team may declare a maximum of three such players — arrives on Oct. 13.
The Tri-City Americans are going to have a tough decision to make before it gets here.
F Brendan Shinnimin is back with the Americans after skating in the camps of the NHL’s PHoenix Coyotes and the AHL’s Portland, Me., Pirates.
The Americans’ roster also includes three other 20-year-olds — D Brock Sutherland, who was plus-5 in two weekend games, F Adam Hughesman, the WHL’s player of the week, and F Mason Wilgosh.
As well, there still is a chance that D Matt MacKenzie could be returned. He went to camp with the Buffalo Sabres and now is with the AHL’s Rochester Americans.
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JUST NOTES: The Regina Pats got down to 25 players on Tuesday by assigning F Mikael Jung, 19, to the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals. Jung had 16 points, eight of them goals, in 69 games with the Pats last season. That move left the Pats carrying two goaltenders, nine defencemen and 14 forwards. . . . The Brandon Wheat Kings are at 24 players after assigning three 16-year-old skaters. D Colton Waltz is off to the AJHL’s Bonnyville Pontiacs, while F Tim McGauley and F Taylor Cooper are bound for midget AAA teams in Sherwood Park, Alta., and Notre Dame, respectively. The Wheat Kings now are carrying two goalies, nine defencemen and 13 forwards. They are missing F Brenden Walker, who hasn’t played since suffering a concussion last spring, and D Brodie Melnychuk (broken wrist). . . .
F Quinton Howden, 19, has been returned to the Moose Jaw Warriors by the NHL’s Florida Panthers. But he came back with a concussion and there isn’t a timetable for his return. Howden was injured two weeks ago in a rookie game against the Nashville Predators. Howden is a key part of the Warriors, having had 79 points, including 40 goals, in 60 games last season. . . . On Tuesday, the Warriors released veteran F Markus McCrea, 19. He played 175 games with the Everett Silvertips before being released and picked up by the Warriors. He played in the Warriors’ 4-3 victory over the Wheat Kings in Brandon on Friday but was minus-2. . . .
G Andrew Hayes, who played three seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings before spending his 20-year-old season with the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, has signed with the ECHL’s Alaska Aces. Hayes, 21, is in camp with the AHL’s Peoria Rivermen, who have an affiliation with the Aces. . . . The Swift Current Broncos have returned F Zac MacKay to the midget AAA Swift Current Legionnaires. MacKay, 17, was pointless in nine games with the Broncos last season. . . . Tyler King, the radio voice of the AJHL’s Fort McMurray Oil Barons, reports that the team has added F Cole Penner, 20, to its roster. The Prince Albert Raiders selected Penner with the fourth overall pick in the WHL’s 2006 bantam draft. Penner has played only 17 WHL games.
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The OHL issued three lengthy suspensions on Tuesday, sitting one player for 12 games, another for 10 and one for six.
The really interesting thing, however, is that the OHL also issued this news release:
“The Ontario Hockey League today announced the results of three separate disciplinary reviews. The league has taken the position, that for education purposes, any announcement regarding supplementary discipline will be supported by video footage and additional rationale for all incidents involving checking to the head, checking from behind, and others at the discretion of the league.”
If you visit the OHL website and click on one of the video links, you won’t get commissioner David Branch in front of a camera, a la Brendan Shanahan, but you will get a written explanation along with video of the infraction.
Well done, OHL!
And over to you, QMJHL and WHL.
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Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s disciplinarian, handed out two suspensions, on Tuesday. . . . F Dominik Uher of the Spokane Chiefs will sit for three games for a checking from behind major he incurred in a Saturday game against the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick, Wash. Tri-City F Jordan Messier got two games under supplemental discipline from a game against the visiting Portland Winterhawks on Sunday.
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You may recall that just last week the BCHL suspended F Logan Johnston of the Penticton Vees for 20 games after a cross-check broke an opponent’s jaw. Well, it seems the Vees appealed the suspension. Not only did the Vees lose the suspension, but the BCHL’s appeals committee — an independent body that comprises three former police officers — added five games to the suspension, turning it into a 25-game sentence.
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THE COACHING GAME:
There has been a coaching change in the MJHL where former WHL goaltender Jomar Cruz (Brandon, Tri-City, Portland, 1998-2001) has taken over as head coach of the OCN Blizzard. Cruz, who was an assistant coach with the Blizzard, was named interim head coach after Scott McMillan, who was both GM and head coach, chose to step away from coaching. McMillan was quoted in a press release as saying he “just doesn’t have the energy to keep a group of teenagers on the right track at this time.” The Blizzard opened this season 0-2-1.
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Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post was able to chat with Gerry James the other day. Gerry James? He is one of the great stories in all of Canada’s sporting history. He also took a turn as head coach of the Moose Jaw Warriors. It turns out that a book — Kid Dynamite: The Gerry James Story — now is available. I will be hunting up a copy. Vanstone’s piece is right here.

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Thursday . . .

Goaltender Eric Comrie, looking rather comfortable at GM Bob Tory's
desk, signs with the WHL's Tri-City Americans on Thursday.
(Photo courtesy Tri-CIty Americans)

THE CHILLIWACK-TO-VICTORIA SAGA, Part 17:
The sale of the Chilliwack Bruins to Vancouver-based RG Properties “is 100 per cent done,” a source informed me late Thursday.
Furthermore, the ownership transfer has been set for April 17, with moving vans expected to show up shortly thereafter. (The WHL has an official realtor — hello, there, RE/MAX — but is there an official mover?)
The same source has told me that “staff has been given walking papers.”
On top of which, the desks in the Bruins’ office are being cleared out and computers are being cleaned. Right now.
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The ECHL’s Victoria Salmon Kings are involved in a best-of-five first-round playoff series with the Bakersfield Condors. The teams split two games in Victoria earlier in the week. Game 3 is to be played tonight in Bakersfield, which also will be the site of Game 4 on Saturday and, if needed, a fifth game on Monday.
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Patrick King of Sportsnet offers up his take on the Chilliwack situation right here.
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OK.
We know, don’t we, that the Chilliwack Bruins have been sold and will be moving to Victoria before another season gets here.
And we know, thanks to Brian Burke, who owned 25 per cent of the Bruins, that the WHL “is in the process of negotiating the movement of another WHL team to Chilliwack.” That was included in a letter from Burke, via lawyers, to Jim Mullin, the sports director at Vancouver radio station CKNW earlier in the week.
But . . .
Earlier this week, Jeff Chynoweth, the governor and president of the Kootenay Ice, told me, via text, that his club “definitely” wasn’t moving from Cranbrook to Chilliwack.
And now I’ve been told rather definitively, at least so far as I’m concerned, that the Prince George Cougars aren’t packing up and heading south. The Cougars, I’ve been told, “are not in play.”
Which brings us to the Regina Pats.
In years past, the Pats have had some rather noisy lease negotiations with Evraz Place, which operates the Brandt Centre, the building in which Regina plays.
Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reports that the Pats, whose lease expires in May, have received a proposal from Evraz Place.
“We’ve obviously been waiting for this for quite some time,” Pats president Brent Parker told Harder. “We’ve left ourselves up against a deadline that we didn’t need to leave ourselves up against but we’re anxious to go through it and go from there. At least it gives us a starting point again and we can get back to work on it and get back to the table, which is where we need to be to get things done.”
Parker also told Harder that “we want to be here. We want to be in the building. But that has to be both ways. There has already been one major event that has been run out of the building in the last month (the Royal Red Horse Show). Maybe they’re trying to make it two.”
Harder’s complete story is right here.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors won 40 games this season but that wasn’t enough to allow head coach Dave Hunchak to keep his job.
The Warriors revealed Wednesday that they won’t renew the contract of Hunchak, who had been the head coach through four seasons.
This is no surprise. After all, Hunchak already was in place when Alan Millar, an OHL veteran, was hired as director of hockey operations prior to this season. Millar has four years left on his contract; Hunchak’s contract was to expire in June.
Millar also ended up with a job for which Hunchak also had applied, so that very well may have been another strike against the head coach.
It also seems that Millar and Hunchak, 37, perhaps didn’t see eye-to-eye. That became obvious late in February when the two engaged in a morning yelling match deep in the bowels of the Crushed Can that was overheard by a handful of folks. Millar apparently was dissatisfied with the level of motivation of the players. The Warriors were locked into fifth place in the Eastern Conference at that point.
And what does it say when a team wins 40 games, despite not having an opportunity to move up the standings, and still can’t finish better than fifth?
The Warriors made three playoff appearances in Hunchak’s four seasons, but weren’t able to get out of the first round. Of course, the Warriors have only been past the second round once in their 27 seasons in Moose Jaw. That was in the spring of 2006 when they got lost the WHL final to the Vancouver Giants.
Assistant coach Trevor Weisgerber was told a while ago that he wouldn’t be back and that it would fine for him to start looking for another job. There is a chance he could end up as head coach of the SJHL’s Estevan Bruins.
Mike Vandenberghe, the other assistant coach, joined the Warriors late in December. His contract also is up and he isn’t expected to return.
Hunchak, the third coach in Warriors history to win 40 games in one season, won 37, 19, 33 and 40 games over his four regular seasons.
And let’s not forget that this is Moose Jaw. That always seems to factor into it, doesn’t it? Hunchak can take at least some solace in the fact that this is the organization that once dumped Mike Babcock, not to mention Lorne Molleken.
What this means, of course, is that the Warriors will have a new head coach when they move into their new building next season.
Which leads me to this question . . . whatever happened to Gerry James?

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Eric Comrie
(Tri-City Americans photo)

The Tri-City Americans have signed G Eric Comrie, the 13th pick in the 2010 bantam draft.
The Americans made a draft-day deal with the Vancouver Giants in order to move up six spots and select Comrie, a native of Edmonton who lives in Newport Beach, Calif. He is the son of Bill Comrie, a former owner of the CFL’s B.C. Lions and the owner of The Brick.
Eric, who played in the Los Angeles Selects program, is a younger brother to NHLer Mike Comrie and Paul Comrie, who starred with the Denver University Pioneers before having his professional career cut short by post-concussion syndrome.
Bob Tory, the Americans’ general manager, was the GM of the Kootenay Ice in 2000-01 when Mike Comrie left the U of Michigan to play in the WHL.
Eric actually visited DU in January, leading to speculation that he might go the NCAA route. He chose, instead, to sign with the Americans.
A native of Edmonton, Comrie lives in Newport Beach, Calif. With the Selects U16 midget team, he was 16-2-0, with a 1.34 GAA, a .940 save percentage and five shutouts. The Selects reached the national semifinals, with Comrie putting up a 1.41 GAA and .929 save percentage, leading the tournament in both categories.
He has already joined the Americans and will stay with them through the WHL playoffs.
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THE MacBETH REPORT:
Nothing regarding former WHLers, but a neat note . . .
F Steve Moria, who played for the BCHL’s Richmond Sockeyes (1979-82 before moving on to the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, has signed a one-year contract extension as player-head coach with the Basingstoke Bisons (English Premier League). Moria, who turned 50 in February, had 26 goals and 46 assists in 54 games for the Bisons this season to finish 15th in league scoring. He told the Basingstoke Gazette: “I am going to give it one last year as I want to go out on a high.” Basingstoke lost in the league quarterfinals last weekend to Milton Keynes Lightning.
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JUST NOTES: D Brett Ponich, who had knee surgery, is back on skates and could rejoin the Portland Winterhawks before this season is over, should the team get deeper into the playoffs. Jason Vondersmith of the Portland Tribune reports that Ponich could return should the Winterhawks get to the WHL final in May. . . . The QMJHL has awarded the 2012 Memorial Cup to Shawinigan, Que. The other finalists were Saint John, N.B., Cape Breton and Halifax. Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports takes a look at the QMJHL’s decision right here. . . . F Shayne Wiebe, who played two-plus seasons with the Kamloops Blazers before being dealt to the Brandon Wheat Kings, has signed an amateur tryout agreement with the Connecticut Whale, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers. Wiebe, 20, finished this regular season with 65 points, including 45 goals, in 72 games with the Wheat Kings. He added eight points in six games as they lost a first-round series to the Medicine Hat Tigers. Wiebe was never selected in the NHL draft. . . . F Jordan Eberle has been named the Sask Sport 2010 Saskatchewan athlete of the year. Eberle, who now is with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, completed his WHL career with the Regina Pats in 2009-10. In 2010, Eberle starred for Canada at the World Junior Championship and also was named the CHL’s player of the year. Eberle beat out Olympic curler Ben Herbert and Olympic speed skater Lucas Makowsky for the honour.
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MEANWHILE, ON THE ICE . . .
In Portland, F Shane McColgan scored three goals and set up another to lead the Kelowna Rockets to a 5-1 victory over the Winterhawks. . . . It was Game 1 in a best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal. Game 2 is Sunday in Portland. . . . McColgan, who has six goals, now leads the WHL with 14 points in five playoff games, two more than Medicine Hat Tigers F Linden Vey. . . . The Rockets lost F Zach Franko in the first period after he was hit by Portland F Brad Ross. Franko left the game and didn’t return. He has a suspected concussion. . . . Ross was given a charging major and game misconduct. . . . Kelowna head coach Ryan Huska has said Franko isn’t likely to play Sunday. . . . Kelowna G Adam Brown stopped 45 shots, 14 more than Portland’s Mac Carruth.
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THURSDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
One minor:
Kelowna F Colton Heffley.

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