Bozon in critical condition

TIM BOZON

Helene and Philippe Bozon, the parents of Kootenay Ice F Tim Bozon, indicated Wednesday afternoon that their son is in critical condition in Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon.
The WHL and the Ice issued a news release, stating that Bozon was admitted to RUH on Saturday and was “diagnosed with Neisseria Meningitis.”
His parents have been at his bedside since Sunday when they arrived from their home in Cureglia, Switzerland.
According to the news release: “Public health officials are in the process of reviewing the case to ensure all the necessary precautions are taken and anyone who had direct contact with the player receives appropriate treatment.
“The WHL requests the privacy of the family be respected during this most difficult time.”
According to a report by The Canadian Press, “While there are several varieties of meningitis, the particular type Bozon has, Neisseria meningitis, is bacterial and more contagious.”
Dr. Shovita Padhi, deputy medical health officer for the Saskatoon Health Region, told CP that “he way bacterial meningitis spreads is through spit. You need to have very close contact or direct contact with the nose and throat secretions of the individual who became ill.”
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Helene and Philippe Bozon also tweeted a message, via Tim’s account: “Thank you so so much to @WHLKootenayICE and@bladeshockey for the help provided us during our stay by Timmy's side.”
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Many, many messages of support were tweeted on Wednesday, with this one from Brian Cheeseman, the Edmonton Oil Kings’ head athletic therapist, pretty much saying it all: “Sending thoughts & prayers for a speedy recovery out to @timbozon94 and his family. In times like this we are all on the same team #getwell”
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G Patrik Bartosak of the Red Deer Rebels has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. Bartosak, 20, was a fifth-round selection by the Kings in the 2013 NHL draft. A native of Koprivnice, Czech Republic, Bartosak is 30-24-5, 2.81, .924 this season. In 140 appearances over three seasons, he is 77-48-11, 2.58, .927. . . .
D Cody Corbett of the Edmonton Oil Kings, an undrafted free agent, has signed a three-year entry-level deal with the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. According to cap geek.com, Corbett, 20, signed a contract that will pay him US$600,000, $625,000 and $625,000 each season in the NHL or $60,000 in the AHL. He also got a $150,000 signing bonus, payable over three years. . . . This season, Corbett has set Oil Kings’ records for most goals (16) and points (56) in a season by a defenceman. Corbett has been with Edmonton since the middle of the 2011-12 season. . . . He has 29 career goals, tying him with Griffin Reinhart for the club record, and has 124 points, which is one shy of Mark Pysyk’s franchise record. . . .
F Brady Brassart of the Calgary Hitmen, who signed earlier this week with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild, will get US$742,500, $842,500 and $925,000 should he play in the NHL and $70,000 in the AHL, again according to cap geek.com. . . . His signing bonus of $277,500 is payable over three years.
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The Portland Winterhawks have added F Skyler McKenzie and D Justin Greer to their roster. . . . McKenzie was an eighth-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft, while Greer was taken in the fourth round in 2012. . . . McKenzie played this season with the midget AAA Sherwood Park, Alta., Kings, while Greer was with the midget AAA Edmonton-South Side Athletic Club Boston Pizza Athletics.
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Judging from his Twitter account, Seattle Thunderbirds F Russell Maxwell has received the assignment for the mission he will go on at some point after this WHL season.
Late Wednesday night, Maxwell (@Russizzle7) tweeted: “I have been called to the Italy Rome mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints!!”
Maxwell, 19, is from Magrath, Alta. Tyler Hansen, one of Maxwell’s best friends, didn’t return to the Kamloops Blazers for his 20-year-old season, choosing instead to go on his mission on behalf of the church. Hansen now is in Argentina.
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IF THE PLAYOFFS BEGAN TODAY:
Eastern Conference
Edmonton (1) vs. Red Deer (8)
Regina (2) vs. Brandon (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Swift Current (6)
Medicine Hat (4) vs. Kootenay (5)
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Western Conference
Kelowna (1) vs. Tri-City (8)
Portland (2) vs. Vancouver (7)
Victoria (3) vs. Everett (6)
Seattle (4) vs. Spokane (5)
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THURSDAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
No games scheduled.
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FRIDAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
Calgary at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Edmonton at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
Regina at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Swift Current at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Portland, 7 p.m.
Spokane at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Everett at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
Kamloops at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
In Moose Jaw, F Brayden Point and F Jack Rodewald enjoyed four-point outings as the Warriors dumped the Calgary Hitmen, 6-1. . . . Point had three goals, giving him 34, and an assist, while Rodewald had a goal, his 23rd, and three assists. . . . Rodewald, who had 13 points in 124 games over the past two seasons, has 49 points in 53 games this season. . . . Point has 83 points in 67 games after putting up 57 points, 24 of them goals, in 67 games last season. . . . Moose Jaw G Justin Paulic stopped 41 shots. . . . Calgary F Connor Rankin, who left a Tuesday game in Brandon while favouring a shoulder, didn’t play in this one. . . . The Hitmen had picked up at least a point in 13 straight games going into this one. As well, Calgary F Brady Brassart had his point streak snapped at 16 games. . . . The Warriors (18-40-9) won’t make the playoffs. . . . Calgary (44-16-7) is tied with the Edmonton Oil Kings (46-17-3) atop the Eastern Conference. But Edmonton has the tiebreaker (most victories) and a game in hand. . . .

In Regina, F Edgars Kulda scored twice to help the Edmonton Oil Kings to a 5-2 victory over the Pats. . . . The Oil Kings were playing their fourth game in five nights. . . . Kulda broke a 2-2 tie at 4:30 of the second period and then extended the lead to 4-2 at 7:39 of the third. He’s got 28 goals. . . . Edmonton F Curtis Lazar scored his 36th goal, a shorthanded empty-netter, at 19:04 of the third. . . .Lazar also had two assists. . . . Edmonton D Ashton Sautner, whose father, Blaine, is a former head coach of the U of Regina Cougars hockey team, had two assists. . . . F Dryden Hunt scored both Regina goals, both via the PP, giving him 19. Hunt was back in the lineup for the first time after missing seven games with a brain injury. . . . F Boston Leier also returned to Regina’s lineup after being out with a brain injury. . . . Regina G Daniel Wapple left the game at 4:49 of the second period after being wiped out in a goalmouth collision. He was later seen with a walking boot on one foot. Dawson MacAuley came on to finish up in goal. . . . Edmonton (46-17-3) is tied with Calgary atop the Eastern Conference, but the standings show the Oil Kings on top on the basis of more victories (46-44). . . . Regina (37-24-6) leads the East Division by three points over the Swift Current Broncos. Each team has five games remaining. . . .

In Medicine Hat, F Conner Bleackley scored the only goal of the shootout as the Red Deer Rebels got past the Tigers, 2-1. . . . Medicine Hat had been 5-0 in shootouts this season. . . . F Anthony Ast scored for the Tigers, getting his 16th goal of the season at 7:23 of the second period. . . . Bleackley got his 28th at 17:46 of the second to pull the Rebels even. . . . Red Deer G Patrik Bartosak stopped 40 shots through OT and turned aside three shooters in the skills competition, while Medicine Hat’s Marek Langhamer turned aside 34 through OT. . . . Red Deer was 0-for-2 on the PP; Medicine Hat’s PP never got off the bench. . . . The victory moved Red Deer (32-30-5) into sole possession of the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot, two points up on the Prince Albert Raiders (31-30-5), who hold a game in hand. . . . The Tigers (41-22-4) are headed to a fourth-place finish. They are eight points ahead of the Kootenay Ice (37-25-4). . . .

In Vancouver, F Joel Hamilton scored once and added an assist as the Giants got past the Kamloops Blazers, 2-1. . . . Hamilton broke a 1-1 tie with his 10th goal just 58 seconds into the third period. . . . F Cain Franson also scored for the Giants. He’s got 29 goals. . . . F Jackson Houck had two assists for the winners. . . . The Giants swept the season series, winning seven times in regulation and once in a shootout. . . . Vancouver G Payton Lee lost his shutout bid when F Matt Bellerive scored his 18th goal of the season at 19:08 of the third period. . . . Lee finished with 17 saves, 18 fewer than Bolton Pouliot of the Blazers. . . . Kamloops is on the road because the Tim Hortons Brier (the Canadian men’s curling championship) has taken over Interior Savings Centre. The Blazers are 1-7-0 since leaving home, with a weekend doubleheader scheduled for Victoria. . . . The Giants (31-26-10) are seventh in the Western Conference, five points behind the Everett Silvertips. . . . The Blazers (13-49-5) are last in the conference. . . .

In Kelowna, freshman F Nick Merkley scored two goals to lead the Rockets to a 3-1 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Merkley, a 16-year-old from Calgary, was the ninth overall selection in the 2012 bantam draft. He’s got 22 goals. . . . Merkley tied the game 1-1 on a PP at 19:57 of the first period and broke the tie at 1:25 of the third. . . . F Myles Bell and F Justin Kirkland each had two assists for Kelowna. . . . With the victory, the Rockets set franchise records for victories (53) and points (110) in a season. The 2012-13 Rockets won 52 games; the 2002-03 team put up 109 points. . . . The WHL record for most victories in a season is 60 (Victoria Cougars, 1980-81); the record for most points is 125 (Brandon Wheat Kings, 1978-79). . . . The Rockets have ?? games remaining, so those marks are out of reach. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 29 shots in winning for the 37th time this season. That equals his victory total from last season. This season, he is 37-6-4. In his career, he is 90-33-12. . . . The Rockets (53-10-4) lead the overall standings by 11 points over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Spokane (36-24-6) is fifth in the Western Conference, six points behind the Seattle Thunderbirds and one ahead of the Everett Silvertips. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., the Portland Winterhawks scored the game’s first three goals and went on to a 5-1 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Portland now has 101 points, the fourth straight season it has reached the 100-point barrier. Only two other franchises have put together four straight 100-point seasons -- the Vancouver Giants (2005-09) and Kamloops Jr. Oilers/Blazers (1983-86). . . . The Winterhawks got goals from five players, including D Anton Cederholm, who got his third of the season, and D Josh Hanson, who scored his second. . . . F Chase De Leo got No. 37 for Portland. . . . Portland G Corbin Boes stopped 27 shots. . . . Winterhawks F Nic Petan drew one assist and moved into a tie with Spokane Chiefs F Mitch Holmberg atop the WHL scoring race, each with 107 points. Holmberg was held pointless in the Chiefs’ 3-1 loss in Kelowna. . . . The Winterhawks (48-13-5) will win the U.S. Division and will be the Western Conference’s No. 2 seed. . . . The Americans (28-30-8) are eighth in the conference, eight points behind Vancouver.
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Please keep Tim Bozon (@timbozon94) and his family in your thoughts and prayers.
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Blazers end losing skid

A tip of the cap to the WHL for posting details of the Portland-Red Deer trade from Tuesday. . . . In that exchange the Winterhawks acquired D Mathew Dumba from the Rebels for F Presten Kopeck. Four conditional bantam draft picks were involved. . . . Should Dumba end up in Portland after the World Junior Championship, the Rebels will get second-round bantam picks in 2014, 2015 and 2016. There are conditions on the 2016 selection that could turn it into a third-round pick, all depending on when Dumba would be returned. . . . If Dumba doesn’t go to Portland, the Rebels cough up a third-rounder in 2014, meaning the deal would become Kopeck for that selection.
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The Saskatoon Blades have brought in D Nolan Reid from the midget AAA Notre Dame Argos. Reid, a 15-year-old from Deer Valley, Sask., was the Blades’ first pick, 41st overall, in the 2013 bantam draft. He has 19 points in 23 games with the Argos. . . . Reid is expected to practise with the Blades today and could play Friday and Saturday against the visiting Regina Pats and Kamloops Blazers. . . . The Blades have lost D David Nemecek to the Czech Republic’s national junior team’s selection camp.
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The Portland Winterhawks, about to lose five players to Christmas tournaments, have brought in F Skyler McKenzie, F Colton Veloso and D Justin Greer. . . . McKenzie was an eighth-round pick in the 2013 draft. From Sherwood Park, Alta., McKenzie is playing with the midget AAA Sherwood Park Kings. . . . Greer, who is from Edmonton, was taken in the fourth round of the 2012 draft. He is playing for the South Side Athletic Club midget AAA team in Edmonton. . . . Veloso, from Winnipeg, plays for the midget AAA Winnipeg Wild.
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The Victoria Royals have acquired F Braden Oleksyn, 17, from the Calgary Hitmen in exchange for F Landon Welykholowa, 17. . . . Oleksyn, from Saskatoon, was pointless in seven games with the Hitmen this season. A third-round bantam draft pick by the Hitmen in 2011, he had 28 points, including 11 goals, in 50 games with the SJHL's La Ronge Ice Wolves last season. . . . Welykholowa, who is from Calgary, had one goal in 18 games with Victoria. He was a third-round pick by the Prince Albert Raiders in the 2011 bantam draft. Last season, he played 34 games the midget AAA Calgary Buffaloes, putting up 26 points, including 12 goals.
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The WHL’s Christmas trade moratorium runs from Dec. 15 through Dec. 27.
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The Everett Silvertips had lost 15 straight games to the Chiefs in Spokane going into last night’s game. It all began with a devastating setback on March 14, 2010. Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald examines the situation right here. . . . BTW, the skid now is at 16 after the Chiefs won 5-3 last night.
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WEDNESDAY:
In Prince Albert, F Curtis Lazar and F Mitch Moroz had two goals each to help the Edmonton Oil Kings to a 7-5 victory over the Raiders. . . . Edmonton has won seven in a row. . . . Lazar’s 20th goal of the season, at 16:03 of the first, gave the Oil Kings a 2-1 lead and they never trailed after that. . . . Lazar’s second goal, at 17:29 of the third, left Edmonton with a 6-4 lead. . . . Moroz has 19 goals in 31 games. Two seasons ago, he scored 16 times in 66 games; last season, he had 13 scores in 69 outings. . . . F Dakota Conroy had two goals for the Raidersd, giving him 15, while F Leon Draisaitl had a goal, his 18th, and two assists. Draisaitl, who will play for Germany at the World Junior Championship, extended his point streak to seven games. He has 19 points, including eight goals, over that stretch. He has multiple points in 10 of 16 games since Nov. 1. . . . Edmonton D Aaron Irving, in his first season, had a goal and an assist. He’s got 24 points, seven of them goals, in 31 games. . . . The Oil Kings (21-9-1) and Calgary Hitmen (19-7-5) each has 43 points, tops in the Eastern Conference. . . . The Raiders, who are tied for fifth with the Regina Pats, have lost four in a row. . . .

In Moose Jaw, the Kelowna Rockets scored the game’s first four goals and went on to a 6-3 victory over the Warriors. . . . The victory, their eighth in a row, lifted the Rockets atop the overall standings. . . . F Myles Bell’s second goal of the game and 12th of the season, shorthanded at 6:47 of the second, gave Kelowna a 4-0 lead. . . . The Warriors got to within 4-3 when F Scott Cooke got his first goal of the season at 9:26 of the third. . . . F Carter Rigby restored Kelowna’s two-goal lead at 15:01. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 35 shots in running his record to 18-1-2. . . . Kelowna is 2-0 on its East Division swing. . . . The Warriors have lost six in a row and, at 8-20-6, are 14 points out of a playoff spot. . . .

In Regina, F Jesse Shynkaruk’s shootout goal gave the Kamloops Blazers a 4-3 victory over the Pats, snapping a franchise-record 13-game losing streak. . . . Shynkaruk, who is from Saskatoon, scored his first WHL goal in a 5-2 loss to the Wheat Kings in Brandon on Tuesday night. . . . The Blazers hadn’t won since beating the visiting Red Deer Rebels 4-1 on Nov. 5. . . . F Matt Needham gave the Blazers a 3-2 lead with his second goal of the game, and seventh of the season, at 19:07 of the third. . . . However, Regina F Boston Leier forced OT with his second goal of the game, and 22nd of the season, at 19:25. . . . Needham also had an assist, while linemate Cole Ully scored once, his 12th, and added two helpers. Ully’s goal pulled the Blazers into a 2-2 tie at 18:37 of the third. . . . Kamloops G Taran Kozun, who was on the bench when Ully scored, stopped 39 shots through OT. . . . Regina has points in its last three games (2-0-1). . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has more right here.

In Lethbridge, F Calder Brooks scored twice to lead the Calgary Hitmen to a 5-3 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Brooks has six goals this season. He gave his mates a 2-0 lead at 18:55 of the first and made it 3-1 at 5:33 of the second. . . . Calgary F Jake Virtanen had a goal, his 15th, and an assist. . . . The Hurricanes had won their previous two home games. . . . Lethbride F Reid Duke got his guys to within 4-3 with his fourth goal at 3:42 of the third. . . . Calgary F Brady Brassart iced it with his 10th, into an empty net, at 19:38. . . . The Hitmen are 6-0-1 in their last seven and 8-1-1 in their last 10. . . .

In Spokane, F Mike Aviani broke a 3-3 tie with a PP goal at 16:12 of the third period as the Chiefs beat the Everett Silvertips, 5-3. . . . Spokane scored the game’s first three goals, taking a 3-0 lead on F Dominic Zwerger’s fifth goal at 4:19 of the second. . . . Zwerger was playing his first game since suffering an undisclosed injury on Nov. 8. . . . The Silvertips scored twice in the second and tied it on F Tyler Sandhu’s 13th goal at 8:19 of the third. . . . Spokane F Mitch Holmberg scored twice, giving him a WHL-leading 35 goals, the last one into an empty net. . . . Holmberg also had an assist, giving him 70 points, four more than Portland Winterhawks F Nic Petan. . . . G Eric Williams stopped 34 shots for Spokane, 17 more than Everett’s Austin Lotz.
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HAVE A GOOD DAY:
Second baseman Robison Cano, who is in the process of cutting a rather large deal with the Seattle Mariners, will make $45 dollars a minute for the next 10 years. That computes to $65,753 each day for 10 years.
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From Barney Shynkaruk (@bshynk): “@jesseshynkaruk0 made Romans night by tossing him a puck in warm up. Then he scores on a dirty move for shootout winner. #proud parents”
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From former Portland/Kamloops G Kurtis Mucha (@tooka31): “Tweet #200. How to double up your followers? Get a quick NHL call up haha. #thankful #twittertips #bruins #lucky #gobears”
Mucha, who plays for the U of Alberta Golden Bears, practised with the Boston Bruins on Wednesday.

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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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