Shaw-TV to show Calgary-Kootenay

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Radim Valchar (Portland, Lethbridge, 2007-10) has signed a one-year extension with Gap (France, Ligue Magnus). In 26 games, he had 31 points, including 12 goals. He led the team in assists (19) and points. . . .
F Viktor Gibbs Sjödin (Portland, 2006-08) has signed a contract with the Melbourne Mustangs (Australia, AIHL). The AIHL season runs from April 12 to Aug. 31. This season, with Enköping (Sweden, Division 1), Sjödin had 24 points, including six goals, in 27 games. With Ferencváros Budapest (Hungary, MOL Liga), he had nine points, three of them goals, in 12 games.
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F Tim Bozon of the Kootenay Ice remains in Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon as he battles Neisseria meningitis. . . . The WHL has established a trust fund to help Tim and his family with medical and rehabilitation costs. You are able to contribute at any BMO Bank of Montreal in Western Canada. . . . Should you live outside of that area, please mail donations to
Western Hockey League
c/o Tim Bozon
Father David Bauer Arena
2424 University Drive NW
Calgary AB
T2N 3Y9
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Milan Dragicevic (Regina, New Westminster, Victoria, Spokane, Tri-City, 1986-90) was fired Monday as head coach of the UBC Thunderbirds. With the hockey program among those under fire at the school, Dragicevic spent much time in the second half of the season working to save it. It seems he did that but now he won’t be around to see the fruits of his and others labours. Howard Tsumura of the Vancouver Province has more right here.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors have signed Blake Bargar, a forward from Torrance, Calif., who was a seventh-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft. He spent this season in the Arizona Bobcats 98 AAA program.
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F Brady Ramsay and F Josh Derko, a pair of 20-year-olds from the Lethbridge Hurricanes, are on their way to the ECHL. . . . With the Hurricanes’ season having ended, Ramsay, who has turned 21, signed on with the Stockton Thunder, while Derko is joining the Gwinnett Gladiators. Both signed ATOs. . . . Ramsay had 129 points, including 53 goals, in 255 games over four seasons with the Hurricanes. Unfortunately for him, he never once appeared in the playoffs. . . . A knee injury limited Derko to 42 games this season, including the last five. In 207 career games, split between the Swift Current Broncos and Lethbridge, he had 53 points, including 29 goals.
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D Tommy Vannelli of the Medicine Hat Tigers has signed a three-year entry-level deal with the NHL’s St. Louis Blues. Vannelli, 19, was a second-round pick by the Blues in the NHL’s 2013 draft. . . . Vannelli, from Minnetonka, Minn., had 41 points, including 27 assists, in 59 games with the Medicine Hat Tigers.
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If you subscribe to Shaw-TV, you will be able to watch the first-round WHL playoff series between the Calgary Hitmen, the Eastern Conference’s No. 3 seed, and the No. 6 Kootenay Ice. The series opens Thursday night in Calgary. . . . Shaw will televise one series in each of the first two rounds, as well as a conference final and the WHL’s championship final. . . . The opening round will feature Dan Russell calling the play, with analysis from Bill Wilms. The rinkside hosts will be Alanna Nolan and Stu Walters. . . . The telecasts also will feature Andy Neal, Peter Loubardias and Kevin Sawyer.
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TUESDAY’S TIEBREAKER GAME (all times local):
Prince Albert at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
(Eastern Conference one-game tiebreaker; winner finishes eighth.)
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THE FIRST ROUND (best-of-seven):
(x - if necessary)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
EDMONTON (1) vs. PRINCE ALBERT/RED DEER (8)
Saturday: at Edmonton, 1:30 p.m.
Sunday: at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
INJURIES
Edmonton: F Brandon Baddock, 3-5 weeks; D Blake Orban, indefinite.
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REGINA (2) vs. BRANDON (7)
Saturday: Brandon at Regina, 7 p.m.
Sunday: Brandon at Regina, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, March 26: Regina at Brandon, 7 p.m.
Friday, March 28: Regina at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
x-Saturday, March 29: Brandon at Regina, 7 p.m.
x-Monday, March 31: Regina vs. Brandon, site TBA, 7 p.m.
x-Wednesday, April 2: Brandon at Regina, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Brandon: None.
Regina: D Kyle Burroughs, day-to-day; D Tye Hand, indefinite; G Daniel Wapple, indefinite; D Colby Williams, day-to-day.
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CALGARY (3) vs. KOOTENAY (6)
Thursday: Kootenay at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Saturday: Kootenay at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Monday, March 24: Calgary at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, March 25: Calgary at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
x-Thursday, March 27: Kootenay at Calgary, 7 p.m.
x-Saturday, March 29: Calgary at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
x-Monday, March 31: Kootenay at Calgary, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Calgary: F Cal Babych, day-to-day; F Radel Fazleev, day-to-day; F Connor Rankin, day-to-day.
Kootenay: F Tim Bozon, indefinite; F Ryan Chynoweth, indefinite; D Landon Cross, 1 week; D Tanner Faith, 3-5 months; D Landon Peel, 1 week.
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MEDICINE HAT (4) vs. SWIFT CURRENT (5)
Friday: Swift Current at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday: Swift Current at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, March 25: Medicine Hat at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, March 26: Medicine Hat at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
x-Saturday, March 29: Swift Current at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
x-Sunday, March 30: Medicine Hat at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 1: Swift Current at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Medicine Hat: F Gavin Broadhead, day-to-day; F Hunter Shinkaruk, indefinite.
Swift Current: None.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE






KELOWNA (1) vs. TRI-CITY (8)
Saturday: Tri-City at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Sunday: Tri-City at Kelowna, 5:05 p.m.
Tuesday, March 25: Kelowna at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
Wednesday, March 26: Kelowna at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
x-Friday, March 28: Tri-City at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
x-Saturday, March 29: Kelowna at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 1: Tri-City at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
(NOTE: Tri-City plays home games in Kennewick, Wash.)
INJURIES
Kelowna: F Tyson Baillie, 1-2 weeks; D Jesse Lees, indefinite.
Tri-City: F Phil Tot, day-to-day; F Taylor Vickerman, indefinite.
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PORTLAND (2) vs. VANCOUVER (7)
Friday: Vancouver at Portland, 7 p.m.Saturday: Vancouver at Portland, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, March 25: Portland at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, March 26: Portland at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
x-Friday, March 28: Vancouver at Portland, 7 p.m.
x-Sunday, March 30: Portland at Vancouver, 2 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 1: Vancouver at Portland, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Portland: F Adam de Champlain, day-to-day.
Vancouver: F Tyler Benson, indefinite; G Jared Rathjen, day-to-day; F Jakob Stukel, indefinite; D Dalton Thrower, indefinite; F Cain Franson, day-to-day.
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VICTORIA (3) vs. SPOKANE (6)
Saturday: Spokane at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
Sunday: Spokane at Victoria, 5:05 p.m.
Wednesday, March 26: Victoria at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Thursday, March 27: Victoria at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
x-Saturday, March 29: Spokane at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
x-Monday, March 30: Victoria at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
x-Wednesday, April 2: Spokane at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
INJURIES
Victoria: None.
Spokane: F Jacob Cardiff, day-to-day; D Colton Bobyk, week-to-week; F Adam Hascic, day-to-day; F Blair Oneschuk, week-to-week.
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SEATTLE (4) vs. EVERETT (5)
Saturday: Everett at Seattle, 7:05 p.m.
Sunday: Seattle at Everett, 4:05 p.m.
Tuesday, March 25: Everett at Seattle, 7:05 p.m.
Friday, March 28: Seattle at Everett, 7:35 p.m.
x-Saturday, March 29: Everett at Seattle, 7:05 p.m.
x-Monday, March 31: Seattle at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
x-Wednesday, April 2: Everett at Seattle, 7:05 p.m.
(NOTE: Seattle plays home games in Kent, Wash.)
INJURIES
Seattle: F Connor Honey, indefinite.
Everett: F Kohl Baum, indefinite.
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MONDAY’S GAMES:
No games scheduled.
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From Kootenay Ice athletic trainer Cory Cameron (@coryjcameron): “Amazing to spend the day with @timbozon94 yesterday, and meet @HeleneBozon and Philipe in YXE. #fighter #inspiring #TB20 @WHLKootenayICE”
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From Helene Barbier Bozon (@Helene Bozon), Tim’s mother: “Our most profound gratitude for @coryjcameron @WHLKootenayICE who saved our @timbozon94 #fast #smartreaction.”
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From the Moose Jaw Warriors (@MJWARRIORS): “On behalf of Warriors Fans, $1,000 has been donated to Tim Bozon Trust. Players also donating $200 for a total of $1200 #getwelltim.”

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The WHL trade deadline arrives Thursday afternoon at 4 o’clock in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, 3 in Alberta and 2 in B.C.
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes have dealt F Jay Merkley, 17, to the Swift Current Broncos for F Josh Derko, 19, and a third-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft.
The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Merkley, who waived a no-trade clause, had 22 points, including 14 goals, in 44 games with the Hurricanes this season. Last season, the Calgary native had 23 points, 12 of them goals, in 58 games as a freshman. He was the third overall selection in the 2010 bantam draft.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Derko, from Sherwood Park, Alta., had 11 points and 68 penalty minutes in 31 games with the Broncos this season. A fifth-round pick by the Broncos in the 2008 bantam draft, Derko had 13 points and 100 penalty minutes in 63 games last season. In 143 career gams, all with the Broncos, he had 28 points and 201 penalty minutes.
Obviously, Lethbridge GM/head coach Rich Preston wanted to toughen up his forward ranks. He did that at the expense of giving up a talented young forward in Merkley.
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Mark Lamb, the Swift Current Broncos’ GM and head coach, sounds as though he has no interest in trading F Adam Lowry, 19, who has 56 points, including 27 goals, in 43 games.
"The prices are very steep,” Lamb told Shawn Mullin, who handles the team’s play-by-play duties. “He's one of the top players in the league. We want to surround him not have him leave town."
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The Calgary Hitmen have acquired D Jesse Zgraggen, 19, from the Victoria Royals for a 2013 fourth-round bantam draft pick. . . . Zgraggen, from Lethbridge, had seven points and 34 penalty minutes in 33 games with Victoria. He is in his third WHL season and has 22 points in 157 career games with Victoria and the Chilliwack Bruins.
I am told that the hottest commodity in the WHL as the deadline approaches may be depth defencemen. The acquisition of Zgraggen by Calgary would fall into this category.
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The WHL’s trade deadline arrives on Jan. 10. Here is a look at trades since the end of the WHL’s Christmas trade moratorium:
Jan. 1: Medicine Hat trades D Dylan Busenius, 19, F Jayden Hart, 18, and a 2014 sixth-round bantam drafat pick to Prince Albert for F Logan McVeigh, 18, D Zach Hodder, 19, F Connor Hobbs, 15, and a 2013 second-round bantam draft pick.
Jan. 2: Vancouver trades F Kale Kessy, 20, to Kamloops for F Rob Trzonkowski, 18, and a 2015 fifth-round bantam draft pick.
Jan. 3: Everett trades F Trent Lofthouse, 18, to Victoria for a 2014 sixth-round bantam draft pick.
Jan. 3: Victoria trades G Jared Rathjen, 18, to Vancouver for a 2013 eighth-round bantam draft pick. Jan. 7: Victoria trades D Jesse Zgraggen, 19, to Calgary for a 2013 fourth-round bantam draft pick.
Jan. 7: Lethbridge trades F Jay Merkley, 17, to Swift Current for F Josh Derko, 19, and a 2014 third-round bantam draft pick.

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F Matthew Gelinas, 17, has signed with the Tri-City Americans and may be in their lineup on Wednesday when they meet the Blazers in Kamloops. . . . Gelinas is in his second season with the midget AAA Calgary Royals. He has 30 points, including 18 goals, in 24 games. Last season, he had 13 points in 34 games with the Royals. . . . Gelinas is the son of Martin Gelinas, a longtime NHL player who now is on the coaching staff of the NHL’s Calgary Flames. . . . Matthew will return to the Royals after the Americans play the Rockets in Kelowna on Friday.
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The Spokane Chiefs have added F Adam Smith, 18, to their roster on a “tryout basis.” Smith is from Nanaimo. He is expected to play tonight against the host Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Smith has played 22 WHL games – 20 with the Swift Current Broncos in 2011-12 and two with the Portland Winterhawks in 2010-11. Portland selected him in the ninth round of the 2009 bantam draft. . . . Smith has split this season between the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals and the junior B Nanaimo Buccaneers.
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The Portland Winterhawks have signed D Justin Greer, 15, to a WHL contract. Greer, from Edmonton, was a fourth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. He is playing for the midget AAA CAC United Cycle team and has 15 points in 18 games. . . .
The Winterhawks, who won 12 straight games from Oct. 10 to Nov. 11, have won 10 in a row as they prepare for a Tuesday-Wednesday doubleheader against the visiting Prince George Cougars. . . . Portland has won 29 of its last 31 games. . . . The Winterhawks lead the WHL’s overall standings by seven points over the Kelowna Rockets and Kamloops Blazers, and lead the U.S. Division by 16 points over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Should Portland G Mac Carruth start on Tuesday, he’ll be gunning for the franchise record for career regular-season victories. He has 105 and is tied with Darrell May Sr., who ended his junior career in 1982. . . .
With players coming back from various international events, the Winterhawks have dropped D Eric Walker, 19, and D Linden Springer, 18, from their roster. Walker had one assist and 11 penalty minutes in 11 games, while Springer was pointless in three outings.
Walker (@WalkerFlocka4) tweeted last night: “@pdxwinterhawks thanks for the opportunity and experience these past couple weeks or so, top notch organization and I really enjoyed it all.”
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The Vancouver Giants have added D Arvin Atwal, 17, to their roster. He had been with junior B North Delta Devils of the Pacific International league. Atwal, 6-foot-0 and 190 pounds, played five games with the Giants last season and two earlier this season. He has yet to record his first WHL point. . . . Atwal was selected in the eighth round of the 2010 bantam draft by the Prince Albert Raiders. The Giants acquired him and F Austin Connor from the Raiders for F Teal Burns and D Tyler Hart on Oct. 17, 2011. . . . The Giants added Atwal to their roster a day after losing D Wes Vannieuwenhuizen, 20, with a hand injury after a shot block.
The Giants also announced yesterday that Chad Scharff, their head equipment manager, is leaving to join the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers.
Scharff is a former Giants player, scout and assistant coach.
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D Matt Dumba of the Red Deer Rebels will join the Minnesota Wild when NHL teams open their abbreviated camps this weekend. But the Wild apparently plans on returning him to the Rebels before the season opens.
“I talked to Minnesota (Monday) morning and Matt talked to them (Monday) afternoon,” Brent Sutter, the Rebels’ owner, general manager and head coach, told Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate. “He’ll be going in at the end of the week and will spend four or five days there and come back.
“It will be good for Matt, good for his development. The experience he’ll get will be beneficial.”
Dumba was the seventh overall selection in the NHL’s 2012 draft.
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The Saskatoon Blades hope to have F Nathan Burns back in their lineup against the visiting Red Deer Rebels on Friday. Burns, 19, was injured in a game against the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers on Jan. 1. . . . The Blades also said Monday that D Kyle Schmidt, who has been out with an undisclosed injury since Nov. 24, will be returned to the SJHL’s Battlefords North Stars once he gets medical clearance.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings may have F Michael Ferland and F Alessio Bertaggia back in the lineup tonight when they play host to the Calgary Hitmen. Ferland has missed three games with an undisclosed injury, while Bertaggia played for Switzerland at the World Junior Championship.
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Two German DEL teams, the host Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers of Nuremberg and the Eisbaren Berlin, played in the Stadion Nuremberg on Saturday. What’s the big deal? Well, that is a soccer stadium. An outdoor soccer stadium.

The teams drew 50,000 fans, including as many as 7,000 Eisbaren fans who made the 450-kilometre trek.

There is more right here, including a mention of former WHLer T.J. Mulock. No, I didn’t know that T.J. stands for Travis James.
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From former Medicine Hat Tigers G Tyler Bunz (@tylerbunz): “gotta admit i was shocked when a girl made me sign her "bunz" after the game saturday..cant say thats happened before #waitwhatdidyousay?”
Bunz now is with the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder.
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From Prince George Cougars F Jarrett Fontaine (@JFontaine32): “@WHLFacts — 7 - the number of toe picks in practice by (@ZachPochiro13) today, currently leading the league in this category”


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