Showing posts with label Gordie Howe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gordie Howe. Show all posts

Monday, September 19, 2016

Hurricanes on right side of ledger . . . Blades get d-man from Portland . . . Chiefs place veteran on waivers



The final chapter in a Saskatchewan love story will be written on Sunday when the intermingled ashes of Colleen and Gordie Howe are placed in an urn and set into a vault at the base of a statue of Gordie near the SaskTel Centre, the home of the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Kevin Mitchell of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has more right here on the work that has gone into preparing the site and the plaque that will be left at the site.
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One year after losing more than $486,000, the Lethbridge Hurricanes’ board of directors told shareholders on Monday night that the community-owned franchise put up a profit of $197,235 for the 2015-16 season.
That may have had something to do with why general manager Peter Anholt was named the WHL’s executive of the year after his first season on the job.
The team’s annual general meeting was attended by 120 shareholders representing 228 shares.
Shareholders also were told that the team is budgeting for a profit of $96,190 in 2016-17.
And for a change there weren’t any calls to sell the franchise.
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The Saskatoon Blades have acquired D Jackson Caller, 17, from the Portland Winterhawks for a fourth-round selection in the 2018 bantam draft. . . . Caller, from Kamloops, suffered a broken wrist in Portland’s training camp a year ago. He did get into eight games with the Winterhawks, recording one assist, but spent most of the season with the junior B Revelstoke Grizzlies. He had 10 points, including four goals, in 18 games with Revelstoke. . . . Portland selected him in the seventh round of the 2014 bantam draft. . . . On Sunday, the Blades acquired G Logan Flodell, 19, from the Seattle Thunderbirds. On Monday, Saskatoon dropped G Joel Grzybowski, 17, and he has reported to the SJHL’s Battlefords North Stars. Grzybowski, from Hafford, Sask., was an 11th-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft. . . . The Blades are expected to open the season with Flodell and Brock Hamm, 19, as their goaltenders, but Dorrin Luding, 17, is still on the roster.
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The Red Deer Rebels have acquired F Jordan Roy, 18, from the Tri-City Americans for a conditional fifth-round selection in the 2019 bantam draft. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder from Kimberley, B.C., had two goals and an assist in 34 games with the Americans last season, his first in the WHL. The Americans selected him in the fifth round of the 2013 bantam draft.
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The Spokane Chiefs have placed veteran F Jacob Cardiff, 20, on waivers, while dropping F Eli Zummack and G Donovan Buskey from their roster. . . . Zummack, 16, will return to the major midget Okanagan Rockets, who play out of Kelowna. A Kelowna native, he was acquired from the Red Deer Rebels in a trade last season. The Rebels selected him in the second round of the 2015 bantam draft. . . . Buskey, 16, was selected by the Chiefs in the third round of that 2015 draft. From North Vancouver, he will join the major midget Vancouver-Northwest Giants. . . . Cardiff, who is from Regina, played 156 games over three seasons with the Chiefs, totalling 25 points, including 13 goals. . . . The Chiefs are down to four 20-year-olds — F Keanu Yamamoto, F Markson Bechtold, F Dominic Zwerger, who also is an import, and G Jayden Sittler. That is one over the maximum so obviously there will be at least one more move coming. . . . The Chiefs also are down to two goaltenders — Sittler, who was acquired from the Lethbridge Hurricanes over the summer, and freshman Matt Berlin, 17, who was a seventh-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. . . . Spokane’s roster sits at 27, including two goaltenders and 16 forwards. . . . The Chiefs also are carrying three imports at the moment, with Czech forwards Pavel Kousal and Ondrej Najman, both freshmen, joining Zwerger, who is from Austria. Teams have until Oct. 15 to get down to two imports. But remember that first-year imports can’t be traded, so in order to keep Zwerger either Kousal or Najman would have to be released.
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F Erik Middendorf, a fourth-round pick by the Moose Jaw Warriors in the 2015 bantam draft, has committed to attend the U of Denver and play for the Pioneers in 2018-19. Middendorf, 16, is from Scottsdale, Ariz. He had 25 points, including 15 goals, in 32 games for the U-16 Phoenix Jr. Coyotes last season. This season, he is playing in the U.S. National Team Development Program.
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JUST NOTES:

The Swift Current Broncos have released F Tristen Elder, who turns 19 on Dec. 11. From Kinistino, Sask., Elder had two assists in 38 games with the Broncos last season. He was pointless in four exhibition games this month. He was a sixth-round pick by the Brandon Wheat Kings in the 2012 bantam draft. . . . 
F Nick Merkley, 19, has received medical clearance to return to full-contact practices with the Arizona Coyotes, who selected the Calgary native in the first round of the NHL’s 2015 draft. He suffered a season-ending knee injury while with the Kelowna Rockets last season and later underwent surgery. Merkley, who had 48 points, including 17 goals, in 43 games with Kelowna last season, is expected to return to the Rockets for a fourth WHL season. He has 196 points, 62 of them goals, in 182 regular-season games with Kelowna. . . . 
F Jayce Hawryluk, 20, suffered a broken hand during a Sunday fight while with the Florida Panthers’ prospects team. Hawryluk was fighting Washington Capitals prospect Jakub Vrana. Hawryluk, who played last season with the Brandon Wheat Kings, now is likely to miss Florida’s main training camp as he needs surgery. It was expected that he would begin the season with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds. . . . Hawryluk had 106 points, including 47 goals, in 58 regular-season games with Brandon in 2015-16. . . . 
D Haydn Fleury, 20, suffered an undisclosed injury while with the Carolina Hurricanes’ prospects team in Traverse City, Mich., on Friday. Fleury, a product of the Red Deer Rebels, was injured when he fell awkwardly during a 4-3 OT victory over the New York Rangers and didn’t play Saturday or Monday. Carolina is expected to keep him off the ice until its main training camp opens on Friday. Fleury was a first-round pick in the 2014 NHL draft. He is expected to begin this season with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers.
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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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Coaching
The Kootenay International Junior Hockey League has suspended Bill Rotheisler, the general manager and head coach of the junior B Castlegar Rebels for 45 days and fined him $500. His sin? Tampering. . . . The KIJHL told the Rebels about the disciplinary actions on Sept. 6. The Rebels filed an appeal three days later in the hopes of having the suspension reduced. That appeal was denied. . . . Rotheisler can still run practices, but he is barred from team activities from one hour before games until one hour afterwards. . . . Chelsea Novak of the Castlegar News has more right here.
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The junior B Port Moody Panthers fired head coach Mark Goble last week. “At this time, we have decided to make a change in the direction of our team,” Panthers general manager Frank Iantorno said in a three-paragraph statement on the team’s website. . . . Associate coach Mike Renner was named interim head coach. . . . Goble had been the head coach since April. . . . The Panthers are 1-2-0-0 and in last place, but just two points out of second, in the five-team Pacific Junior Hockey League.
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MONDAY-THURSDAY GAMES:

No Games Scheduled.
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FRIDAY GAMES (all times local):

Kootenay at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Kelowna at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Brandon at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Prince Albert at Regina, 7 p.m.
Saskatoon at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Everett at Vancouver, 7:30 p.m.
Prince George at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:32 PM
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Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Black cloud lifts from Swift Current . . . Giants to honour Howe, Quinn . . . Royals new forward gone for five

F Tomáš Plíhal (Kootenay, 2001-03) has signed a one-year contract with Orli Znojmo (Czech Republic, Erste Bank Liga). Last season, with Třinec (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he had five goals and 11 assists in 48 games.
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The black cloud is mostly gone.
Sheldon Kennedy and Liam Choo-Foo, the chairman of the Swift Current Broncos’ board of directors, both made reference to that on Wednesday as the WHL team announced it has endorsed the city’s Safe Places Initiative program, a “community-wide initiative designed to support quality
programming while reducing potential risks to children and youth.”
The Broncos are the first of the WHL’s 22 teams to take such a step.
The community-owned franchise’s board of directors passed a motion in support of the program, becoming the first organization to publicly support and commit to it. The partnership was announced Wednesday by Mayor Jerrod Schaefer and Choo-Foo.
Schaefer and Kennedy, a former captain of the Broncos who now advocates against the bullying and abuse of children, started the program.
According to the Broncos, all of their “coaching staff, office staff, scouts and billets will be taking the Respect in Sport online training, get criminal record checks and then become youth certified from the RCMP.”
If you are aware of Kennedy’s history with the Broncos and Swift Current — he was sexually abused by then-general manager/head coach Graham James while playing with the Broncos — you will understand how big this move is to the franchise and the city.
Here’s Schaefer, in conversation with Candace Woodside of the Southwest Booster:
"I know firsthand what it’s like to not want to be linked with Graham James or the stories of abuse that happened in Swift Current in the past, and know full well what it’s like to hope that not talking about it, or acknowledging it, will somehow make it better or make the problems go away.
“I just want to acknowledge the leadership of our very own former Bronco member Sheldon Kennedy. Because of his leadership and courage, he has taught us that this isn’t something that is unique to Swift Current or the Broncos, it’s happening everywhere, and that by talking about it, and getting in front of it, and training ourselves to be better, it really is a great way to stand with victims of abuse, but also makes our communities safer and better for kids.”
Choo-Foo went so far as to tell Woodside that he has noticed a change in the community since the Safe Places Initiative was launched in January. That was on a weekend during which Rogers Hometown Hockey was in town and Kennedy was saluted with an ovation at a Broncos game.
“(The ovation) almost felt like it made it OK to start to talk about this again,” Choo-Foo told Woodside. “It’s almost been like a black cloud or a secret that the community hasn’t known how to deal with . . . and by bringing it up front and allowing people, giving them permission to speak about it, has been very positive. We’ve heard nothing but positive since the Hall of Fame induction, and now, as we move forward with this, I think it’s all in alignment. Hopefully, it does continue to spread beyond our city borders and out into the rest of the country.”
The healing continued in May when Kennedy was inducted into the Broncos’ Hall of Fame.
“ . . . I think it’s been a good year, and I think the black cloud has lifted,” Kennedy said. “I think that this is now about learning from terrible things that have happened and mistakes, and being leaders and continually raising the bar to be the best we can for child protection."
Woodside’s story is right here, and it really is worth your time.
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The Vancouver Giants will honour the memory of the late Gordie Howe when they stage their home-opener on Sept. 23, against the Everett Silvertips, in their new home, the Langley Events Centre. . . . Howe was a part-owner of the Giants franchise. . . . According to a news release: “The Giants will wear special uniforms to pay tribute to Howe while the two teams will also play with a special No. 9 game puck. The Howe family will be on hand for a pre-game ceremony, and every fan who attends the game will receive a commemorative pin.” . . . The Giants also will retire Howe’s No. 9. . . . Majority owner Ron Toigo offered: “Gordie was a big part of the franchise from the start. Along with Pat (Quinn), he gave us instant credibility in the hockey world. He was like family to us. We will never forget what he meant to the Giants, and to be sure no one ever does, we will honour him as we did Pat by retiring No. 9 on opening night with the Howe family. ” . . . The Howe family then will continue on to Saskatoon where the ashes of Gordie and Colleen will be interred at a Howe statue near the SaskTel Centre on Sept. 25. . . . Quinn, who died in 2014, also owned a piece of the Giants. He is to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Nov. 14 and the Giants will honour him on Nov. 10 when they play host to the Prince George Cougars. The Giants have already retired No. 3, the number Quinn wore during his NHL playing career.
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F Carter Folk, now of the Victoria Royals, has been hit with a five-game suspension. On Friday, in his final game with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, who traded him to Victoria earlier in the week, Folk took a headshot major and game misconduct against the visiting Swift Current Broncos. He didn’t play Saturday in Swift Current, then was dealt to the Royals on Monday. Folk is a repeat offender, having drawn a two-game suspension for a headshot major in a playoff game against the host Regina Pats on March 29. Folk will miss the Royals’ final exhibition game, on Saturday against the host Vancouver Giants, and the first three games of the regular season. . . . At the same time, the WHL suspended F Drew Warkentine of the Prince Albert Raiders for three games after he took a cross-checking major and game misconduct in a game against the Saskatoon Blades in Warman, Sask., on Saturday. He will miss the Raiders’ last two exhibition games and their first regular-season game.
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F Jake Hale announced via Twitter on Wednesday that he has committed to attend the U of Minnesota-Duluth and play hockey for the Bulldogs. Hale, from Minneapolis, turned 15 on May 19. He was a 10th-round selection by the Spokane Chiefs in the 2016 WHL bantam draft. The 5-foot-9, 165-pounder had 19 points, including 14 goals, in 14 games with Minneapolis High last season. He also had nine points, six of them goals, in eight games with the U-15 DHI Octane Selects. . . . Meanwhile, F Marcus Mitchell, who turns 18 on Oct. 12, has committed to attend Michigan Tech and play for the Huskies. Mitchell, from Kelowna, was a 12-round pick by the Saskatoon Blades in the 2013 bantam draft. He is into his second season with the BCHL’s Salmon Arm Silverbacks. Last season, he had 21 points, nine of them goals, in 52 games.
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F Tanner Nagel, 18, apparently was traded by the Portland Winterhawks to the Lethbridge Hurricanes sometime on Wednesday. He announced the move on Twitter: “I’d like to thank the Portland Winterhawks organization, coaching staff, my billets and my teammates. I loved my time in Portland . . . I am very excited to start my next chapter in Lethbridge with the Hurricanes.” . . . Nagel, a 6-foot-0, 190-pounder from Mossbank, Sask., had one goal in 38 games with Portland last season. In this exhibition season, he has a goal and an assist in five games. . . . As of Wednesday night, neither the Winterhawks nor the Hurricanes had announced a transaction involving Nagel, whose name remained on Portland’s online roster.
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D Ryely McKinstry of the Vancouver Giants, who played only 11 games last season, is on the shelf again. He struggled with concussion-related issues last season, and was hurt again Saturday in an exhibition game against the host Victoria Royals. He sat out Sunday’s rematch in Ladner and hasn’t practised this week. . . . McKinstry, 18, was a second-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft. He had two goals and two assists in 30 games as a freshman in 2014-15. Last season, he had one goal and one assist in 11 games.
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Four of the WHL’s U.S. Division teams announced TV deals on Wednesday.
The Portland Winterhawks and Spokane Chiefs each will have 10 regular-season games shown, the Seattle Thunderbirds and Tri-City Americans each getting eight games on the air.
Portland’s games will be televised by CW32, with eight of them featuring the Seattle Thunderbirds. The other two will involve Spokane.
From the Winterhawks’ news release: “In the Portland Metro area, Portland’s CW32 is available on Comcast Cable channel 3, and for DirecTV subscribers, channel 32. In all other areas, please contact your local cable operator.
“The eight games with Seattle will be a co-production with the Thunderbirds, to be shown in the Seattle area on This-TV. The two Spokane games will be produced separately in conjunction with the Chiefs.”
The first Portland game to be televised will be the home-opener against Seattle on Sept. 24.
According to a Chiefs’ news release, their games will be shown “live on SWX, sister station to NBC KHQ-6. SWX is available on over-the-air channel 6.2 and Comcast channel 112 (HD), as well as Comcast channel 306 (SD).”
The first Chiefs’ game to be aired will be Oct. 15 against the visiting Portland Winterhawks. Viewers will be treated to six games against the Tri-City Americans, two with Portland and one each with the Kootenay Ice and Kamloops Blazers.
Seattle’s eight televised games will be available over the air locally on This TV, channel 13.2, and on Comcast Cable channel 357. The first telecast will be the season-opener from Portland on Sept. 24. The two teams meet the following night in Kent and that game also will be televised.
Tri-City’s TV schedule with KNDU/SWX features six games with Spokane, one with the Victoria Royals and one with Seattle. The game with Victoria, at the Toyota Center on Dec. 10, is the first game on the telecast schedule.
Visit each team’s website for the TV schedules.
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JUST NOTES: The Saskatoon Blades dropped F Matt Mosher, 16, from their roster on Wednesday. He had one goal and one assist in three exhibition games. He is exploring his options and is expected to return to the Delta Hockey Academy and play in the Canada Sport School Hockey League or join the major midget Valley West Hawks. Mosher was a third-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. The Blades are carrying 27 players, including three goaltenders and 16 forwards. . . . The Lethbridge Hurricanes have released F Drayton Thunder Chief, 18. He is expected to join the SJHL’s Kindersley Klippers. He had two assists in four games with the Hurricanes last season. Thunder Chief spent most of the season with the midget AAA Lethbridge Hurricanes, putting up two goals and three assists in 24 games.
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I must confess that I have yet to watch even one second of World Cup of Hockey exhibition play. Why? Because this is the best part of the Major League Baseball season. If you happened to catch Tuesday night’s game between the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants, you know exactly what I mean. If you didn’t, here’s Michael Powell of The New York Times with a terrific read on how that game turned into yet another Giants disaster.
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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAME:

The Brandon Wheat Kings skated to a 10-3 victory over the Regina Pats in an exhibition game played in the Chief Denton George Memorial Multiplex on the Ochapowace First Nation. The game was played using a 3-on-3 format in two 20-minute periods. . . . The Wheat Kings got two goals from Duncan Campbell and singles from Jaeger White, Ty Lewis, Stelio Mattheos, James Shearer, Garrett Sambrook, Ivan Provorov, Daniel Bukac and Caiden Daly, with Jake Leschyshyn, Braydon Buziak and Chase harrison replying for the Pats. . . . There was a whole lot more to this game than hockey, though, and Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post was there. His story is right here.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 9:47 PM
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Tuesday, September 6, 2016

More on Morrisseau . . . Blades to say thanks to Mr. Hockey . . . D-man, goalie move in trades . . . Hitmen sign assistant coach



F Kris Versteeg (Lethbridge, Kamloops, Red Deer, 2002-06) didn’t pass his medical examination and was released by Bern (Switzerland, NL A). Versteeg didn’t play any games with Bern. Last season, with the Carolina Hurricanes (NHL) and Los Angeles Kings (NHL), he had 15 goals and 23 assists in 77 games.
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The Spokane Chiefs issued an update on the condition of F Koby Morrisseau on Tuesday:
“The Spokane Chiefs announced today that forward Koby Morrisseau returned to Spokane on Sunday, is doing well and is expected to make a full recovery from an injury sustained in Everett,
KOBY MORRISSEAU
Wash. on Saturday, Sept. 3 versus the Portland Winterhawks.
“Morrisseau, a 16-year-old from Grandview, Manitoba, spent Saturday night in an Everett hospital after being taken off the ice following a check from behind penalty in the third period. Extensive tests and X-rays revealed no fractures or soft tissue damage.
“Morrisseau will remain with the team while he completes a full recovery. No timeline has been set for his return.”
Morrisseau, the ninth overall selection in the 2015 bantam draft, was injured at 13:17 of the third period.
Portland F Brett Clayton was given a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct, and then was hit with a TBD suspension.
The WHL revealed later Tuesday that Clayton has been suspended for six games. Clayton didn’t play in Sunday’s 4-1 victory over the host Everett Silvertips. He will miss Portland’s last three exhibition games and the first two regular-season games.
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The Saskatoon Blades have announced details of Thank You, Mr. Hockey Day, the special day that is planned in honour of the late Gordie Howe.
It all will take place on Sept. 25, with the Swift Current Broncos to provide the opposition.
For starters, Saskatoon city council has proclaimed the day ‘Thank You, Mr. Hockey Day.’
A private ceremony is scheduled for 9:30 a.m., during which members of the Howe family will watch
The Saskatoon Blades will wear special sweaters that
will be auctioned off to benefit the Gordie Howe
Alzheimers Fund.
as Colleen and Gordie’s ashes are interred at the site of a Gordie Howe statue near the SaskTel Centre.
The Blades then will escort the Howe family to a local bridge that is to be christened Gordie Howe Bridge.
The Blades and the family then will return to the SaskTel Centre, where a tailgate party is to begin at noon in the parking lot.
The doors to the arena will open at 1 p.m. A number of trophies that Howe won during his playing days will be on display in the concourse.
A pregame ceremony, with Hockey Night in Canada’s Bob Cole as the emcee, is to begin at 2 p.m. The game between the Broncos and Blades will start at 2:25 p.m.
The Blades will wear special sweaters during the game. They will be auctioned off with proceeds going to the Gordie Howe Alzheimers Fund.
The Blades also announced that they are teaming up with the Saskatoon Minor Hockey Association to form the Gordie Howe Player of the Year Award.” It will be awarded annually to a player graduating from midget hockey who displays excellence and leadership on and off the ice the way Howe did. The Blades will award a $1,000 scholarship to the winner.
Also on Sept. 25, the 50/50 draw will be operated by the Zone G Saskatoon Red Wings, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Quinn Stevenson Memorial Fund. He was a former Saskatoon Red Wings player who died in a car accident three years ago. His mother, Bonnie, has been instrumental in helping with this process. 
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The Prince Albert Raiders have acquired D Nick Heid, 19, from the Medicine Hat Tigers for a seventh-round selection in the 2017 bantam draft. Heid, from Fridley, Minn., was acquired by the Tigers from the Portland Winterhawks last season. In 2014-15, he was pointless in 17 games with Portland. Last season, he had one assist in two games with Portland and five helpers in 60 games with the Tigers. . . . The Winterhawks dealt Heid to Medicine Hat for a fourth-round selection in the 2017 bantam draft. In that deal, Portland actually reacquired a pick it had sent to Medicine Hat for F Miles Koules.
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The Kamloops Blazers sent a fourth-round pick in the 2018 bantam draft to the Edmonton Oil Kings on Tuesday, getting G Carter Phair in return. . . . Phair, 6-foot-4 and 185 pounds, will turn 18 on Dec.
CARTER PHAIR
15. He was a 10th-round pick by the Oil Kings in the 2013 bantam draft. . . . Phair played most of last season with the SJHL’s Weyburn Red Wings, going 8-4 with three ties, along with a 2.47 GAA and .925 save percentage in 19 games. He recorded two shutouts. . . . The Blazers have added to their goaltending depth and now have four on their roster, the others being starter Connor Ingram, 19; last year’s backup, Dylan Ferguson, who will be 18 on Sept. 20; and Max Palaga, 16, who is from Kamloops and signed last week. . . . The Blazers will lose Ingram later this month, as he heads for camp with the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning. He also may end up playing for Canada’s national junior team in the 2017 World Junior Championship. . . . Phair’s acquisition gives Kamloops one more option. . . . The Oil Kings still have four goaltenders in camp — veteran Patrick Dea, 19, who played in 46 games last season; Boston Bilous, 15, a fourth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft who has signed a WHL contract; Alec Dillon, 20, who missed most of last season with injuries; and Liam Hughes, 17, who was a seventh-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft. Bilous, of course, isn’t eligible to play full-time this season until his club team has its season end.
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The Calgary Hitmen have hired Trent Cassan as an assistant coach. He replaces Trent Whitfield, who left after one season to join the AHL’s Providence Bruins as an assistant coach. . . . In Calgary, Cassan joins head coach Mark French, assistant coach Joel Otto and goaltending coach Jason LaBarbera. . . . Cassan, 33, is from Medora, Man. He has been with the SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers. He was the interim head coach for part of 2009-10, the assistant GM/head coach (2010-14) and the GM/head coach (2014-16). Cassan helped the Terriers to the SJHL final four times, and won the franchise’s first RBC Cup in 2014. . . . The Terriers, in turn, have named Casey O’Brien as their GM/head coach. O’Brien, who is from Gloucester, Ont., had been an assistant coach with the Terriers for five seasons. He also was the AGM for the past two seasons.
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The Edmonton Oil Kings have signed F Carter Souch to a WHL contract. Souch was a fourth-round selection in the 2016 bantam draft. He won’t turn 15 until Oct. 28. Last season, with the bantam AAA Southside Athletic Club Lions, he had 64 points, including 34 goals, in 36 games.
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Ryan Smyth, who played three seasons (1992-95) with the Moose Jaw Warriors, has bought into the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints. . . . “The AJHL Saints ownership stake really interested Smyth,” writes Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal. “Owner Darren Myshak, who’s had the club since 2004, also brought in the Leckelt brothers, Dan and Lindsey, who own Silent-Aire, an HVAC and data centre solutions design and manufacturing company, to be owners, and Lindsey knew Smyth from being owner of the senior Stony Plain Eagles, where Smyth played last season.”
Smyth, 40, told Matheson: “We were talking one day and they said, ‘Why don’t you come on board?’ It would be great to learn the business side of things in hockey and there’s no better opportunity than to get involved in junior. The Saints are an important part of the community. This is a stepping stone to learning more about a younger crew of player, after my working with Hockey Canada and their under-18 team.
“That was a great experience, learning the scouting side of things from Scott Salmond and Ryan Jankowski. It was awesome to piggy-back off them. I have a different appreciation for what scouts go through now, for sure. How fired up they are when a player succeeds, or the team.”
Matheson’s complete story is right here.
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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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Coaching
The USHL’s Lincoln Stars have signed head coach Chris Hartsburg to a two-year contract extension that runs through the 2017-18 season. The team also holds an option on 2018-19. . . . In Hartsburg’s two seasons, they went 18-37-5 in 2014-15 and 33-24-3 last season. . . . Hartsburg was an assistant coach for two seasons (2011-13) with the Everett Silvertips. He is the son of former NHL player and coach Craig Hartsburg, who spent two seasons (2009-11) as Everett’s head coach.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:20 PM
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Sunday, August 28, 2016

Cougars sifting through resumes . . . Silvertips getting 'Trumped' . . . SJHL to salute Mr. Hockey

The Prince George Cougars are in the market for an assistant coach, general manager Todd Harkins confirmed to Taking Note on Sunday. They have a vacancy after Michael Hengen left the team after two seasons. . . . "We have had quite a few resumes come in and are slowly sifting through them,” Harkins said. . . . A new assistant coach will work alongside head coach Richard Matvichuk and associate coach Steve O’Rourke, both of whom are starting their first seasons with the Cougars. . . . As for Hengen, he told Taking Note that he has “decided to move on from coaching.” It was, he added, “an absolute dream come true to coach in the WHL.” He had to make a “tough decision,” he continued, “but it’s a very necessary choice that I had to make.” . . . Brent Arsenault, who had been with the organization since 2005 and also was the education advisor, has left the Cougars, too. Harkins said that the Cougars have added Mary LaMarre as the education advisor. She “was Brent’s contact and right-hand person at Prince George Secondary School,” Harkins said.
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With two of the WHL’s Big Three having left for the NHL over the past month, what about the one who remains? Bruce Hamilton, the majority owner, president and governor of the Kelowna Rockets, told Larry Fisher of the Kelowna Rockets: “I’m 59 and I’m not so sure that’s in line for me right now. I’m happy here right now. We want to win again — that’s the most important thing for us, and to continue to have one of the better franchises in the Canadian Hockey League.” . . . Kelly McCrimmon, the owner of the Brandon Wheat Kings, has signed on with the NHL’s Las Vegas expansion franchise as assistant general manager. Tim Speltz, the long-time general manager of the Spokane Chiefs, is leaving to join the Toronto Maple Leafs as a western scout. . . . Hamilton? Well, he added: “If the right thing came along that interested me, yeah, I would listen. You’d be stupid not to listen.” . . . Fisher’s story is right here.
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The Everett Silvertips are being ‘Trumped’ on Tuesday. . . . Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, has Everett’s Xfinity Arena booked for the entire day, so the Silvertips will be on the outside looking in. Unless, of course, they plan on attending The Donald’s rally, which begins at 7 p.m., although the doors apparently open at 4. . . . The Silvertips wrapped up their main camp with the annual Green vs. Grey intrasquad game on Sunday afternoon.
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The Saskatoon Blades have signed F Brady Nicholas, who was a fifth-round selection in the 2016 bantam draft. From St. Albert, Alta., the 6-foot-0, 178-pound Nichols had 43 points, 14 of them goals, in 30 games with the bantam AAA St. Albert Saints last season. 
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The Moose Jaw Warriors announced the signings of four players, each of them taller than 6-foot-0, following their intrasquad game on Sunday night. . . . D Matthew Benson of Surrey, B.C., played last season with the Delta Hockey Academy Elite 15s. The 6-foot-1, 187-pound Benson recorded one goal and 12 assists in 33 games. He will turn 16 on Nov. 24. . . . D Matthew Sanders of Calgary was a fifth-round selection in the 2016 bantam draft. Sanders, 6-foot-2 and 191 pounds, played last season with the bantam AAA Calgary Bisons, scoring seven goals and adding 10 assists in 36 games. . . . F Kale Clouston, 6-foot-4 and 177 pounds, is from Rockyview, Alta. He was a fifth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. Last season, with the minor midget AAA Rockeyview Raiders, he had 39 points, including 14 goals, in 62 games. . . . F Brecon Wood of Edmonton also signed. The 6-foot-2, 168-pounder was selected in the seventh round of the 2015 bantam draft. He will turn 16 on Dec. 5. Last season, he had 15 points, four of them goals, in 23 games with the OHA-Edmonton team in the Canadian Sports School Hockey League.
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When the Moose Jaw Warriors held their intrasquad game on Sunday night, admission was by donation with all proceeds going to the Canadian Mental Health Association in memory of Ethan Williams. . . . It is important that people like Williams not be forgotten. . . . Two years ago, Williams, a Warriors prospect from Winnipeg, took his own life at 16 years of age. . . . Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press explored Williams’ story right here.
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SJHLThe SJHL has announced that all of its players will wear No. 9 patches this season in honour of the late Gordie Howe, who died on June 20, 2016. Born in Floral, Sask., Mr. Hockey grew up in Saskatoon. . . . “As a league from Mr. Howe’s home province, from what he did for hockey in Saskatchewan and the world, the SJHL’s governors wanted to recognize him somehow,” SJHL president Bill Chow said. “It was decided a No. 9 patch would be worn on the sweaters. Mr. Howe meant a lot to hockey and the Saskatchewan people. He is the epitome of what Saskatchewan hockey is all about — heart, soul, character, dedication and commitment.”
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By now you will be aware of the thief in goaltending gear who hit a beer store in Russell, Man., the other night. All of the publicity this thief has received reminded me of a gem of a book that I don’t think received its proper due when it was published in 2005. The book, by Julian Rubinstein, carries the title Ballad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts. . . . Seriously, that is the title. . . . It is the story of Attila Ambrus, who moonlighted as a gentleman thief while trying to carve out a career as a professional goaltender in Budapest. . . . This is a truly bizarre story and a worthwhile read, one that will leave you shaking your head in disbelief.
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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 9:53 PM
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Thursday, August 18, 2016

Blazers, Rockets make a deal . . . Ex-Pats coach back behind bench

You know what they say about some things depending on whose bull is being gored?
Well, on March 4, D Joe Gatenby of the visiting Kelowna Rockets stepped up in the neutral zone and drilled F Jake Kryski of the Kamloops Blazers with as hard a check as was seen in the WHL last season.
It was the second period of a game that was televised nationally in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet.
Kryski, who suffered a broken nose on the play, skated one more shift and called it a night. The Blazers weren’t happy with the hit, and F Deven Sideroff went right to Gatenby and dropped the mitts.
The next day, the Blazers filed for supplemental discipline; however, Kryski subsequently passed the concussion protocol and Gatenby wasn’t suspended. In fact, both played that night in Kelowna.
So, on Thursday, you guessed it . . . 
The Blazers acquired Gatenby, 19, and his brother Danny, a defenceman who will turn 18 on Sept. 17, from the Rockets for Kryski, 18. Kamloops also received a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2019 bantam draft. The Gatenbys are from Kelowna.
Shortly after the trade was announced, the Blazers, now with Joe Gatenby on their roster, were on Twitter . . . 
The Blazers made the trade in the hopes that the older Gatenby will be able to eat up some of the playing time created by the departure of Ryan Rehill, who played out his eligibility last season. Rehill played a regular shift, was on the point of the first power-play unit and also killed penalties. Yes, Gatenby is going to get his fill of playing time in Kamloops.
Joe Gatenby, 6-foot-0 and 185 pounds, is preparing for his fourth WHL season after being a second-
round pick by the Rockets in the 2012 bantam draft. He has 44 points, including five goals, in 174 regular-season games, all with the Rockets. Last season, he earned 23 points, three of them goals, in 66 games. He also has played in 52 playoff games and five Memorial Cup games. An alternate captain, he was honoured by the Rockets as their top defenceman last season.
Danny Gatenby, 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds, split last season between the Rockets (22 games) and the major midget Okanagan Rockets (15 games). He had one assist with Kelowna and 10 points, including two goals, with Okanagan.
With the two Gatenbys on board, the Blazers have nine defencemen on their roster with at least some WHL experience, the others being Dallas Valentine, 20, Cameron Reagan, 19, Dawson Davidson and Ondrej Vala, both 18, and Nolan Kneen and Conner McDonald, both 17. As well, Luke Zazula, a highly skilled 16-year-old from Langley, B.C., got into three games last season and is expected to be on the roster when the new season opens.
From Vancouver, the 5-foot-11, 190-pound Kryski was the 13th overall selection in the 2013 bantam draft, taken by the Prince Albert Raiders. He was dealt to Kamloops in a trade that had G Cole Cheveldave go the other way. Kryski had 65 points, including 23 goals, in 136 regular-season games with the Blazers. Last season, he recorded 39 points, 12 of them goals.
The Rockets have lost F Tyson Baillie, their leading scorer from last season, to graduation, while F Rourke Chartier and F Justin Kirkland are likely to at least start the season as professionals. The Rockets, then, are hoping that Kryski can become one of their top six forwards. If they are fortunate, he will find some chemistry with the sublime F Nick Merkley, who is coming off a season-ending knee injury and create some offensive magic.
If you’re wondering, the Blazers and Rockets last pulled off a meaningful trade on Oct. 14 when F Gage Quinney, 20, was dealt to Kamloops for a third-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. Quinney provided the Blazers with 50 points in 48 games; the Rockets used the pick to take F Dallon Wilton of Beausejour, Man., who had 48 points in 32 games with the bantam AAA Eastern Selects.
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The Saskatoon Blades will celebrate the life of Gordie Howe, aka Mr. Hockey, on Sept. 25. As plans
now stand, the ashes of Howe, who died on June 10 at 88, and his wife Colleen, who passed away in 2009, will be buried near a statue of Howe that stands by the Blades’ home arena, the SaskTel Centre. . . . Steve Hogle, the Blades’ president, asked city council to declare the area around the statue a cemetery, in order to allow this to happen. City council now has asked the Saskatchewan government for the OK. . . . The interment is only part of a special day that the Blades are planning. . . . Included in the goings-on will be a noon tailgate party and a pregame ceremony at 2 p.m. The Blades and Swift Current Broncos will play at 2:25 p.m. . . . Andrea Hill of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has more right here.
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With the state of Alaska battling budget deficits, it seems the hockey programs at the U of Alaska-Anchorage and Alaska-Fairbanks may be in trouble. . . . “The Alaska university system released a Strategic Pathways report Thursday that detailed ‘options to be considered’ to address a state legislative mandate to trim $50 million from the budget of the university system,” College Hockey News reports. “The report addressed three options specifically related to athletics at both Alaska-Anchorage and Alaska-Fairbanks, and all three would affect the hockey programs of at least one of the schools.” . . . One option would eliminate both schools’ athletic departments. Another option would have the schools merge their athletic departments and cut the number of sports in which the new department would participate. A third option would eliminate Division I sports — that would include hockey — and compete on with existing sports in Division II. . . . “We are in a crisis (in Alaska),” Keith Hackett, the athletic director at Alaska-Anchorage, said. “And there’s no two ways about it.” . . . The College Hockey News piece is right here.
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The Colorado Avalanche is about to begin interviewing potential head coaches as it works to replace Patrick Roy, who quit last week. Reports indicate that three of the candidates are former WHL players, two of whom have coached in the WHL. . . . Travis Green, the head coach of the AHL’s Utica Comets, is believed to be on Colorado’s radar. He played in the WHL with the Spokane Chiefs and Medicine Hat Tigers (1986-90) and coached with the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Lane Lambert, an assistant coach with the NHL’s Washington Capitals, spent two seasons (1981-83) with the Saskatoon Blades and coached with the Moose Jaw Warriors and Prince George Cougars. . . . Jared Bednar, who played with the Saskatoon Blades, Spokane, Medicine Hat Tigers and Prince Albert Raiders (1990-93), is the head coach of the Cleveland Monsters, who won the 2015-16 AHL title as the Lake Erie Monsters.  
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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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Coaching
Former Regina Pats head coach Brad Tippett has signed on as director of hockey operations and head coach of the junior B Peninsula Panthers of the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League. . . . Tippett takes over as head coach from Rob Mortin, who left the team to pursue other opportunities. . . . Tippett, a brother to long-time NHL coach Dave Tippett, coached the Pats for four seasons (1989-93). . . . Steven Heywood of the Peninsula News Review has more on this story right here.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors have hired Scott King as assistant coach/co-ordinator, player development. . . . From Saskatoon, King played one season at Boston U and then joined the Kelowna Rockets for the 1996-97 season. He went on to a pro career that included 14 seasons (2001-15) in Germany. Last season, King served as the Warriors’ skills coach and also was Hockey Canada’s head skills development coach. . . . King, 39, is the son of veteran coach Dave King.
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The SJHL’s Nipawin Hawks have hired T.J. Millar as an assistant coach. From Calgary, Millar, 22, had been the Tri-City Americans’ video coach.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 9:56 PM
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