F Brandon Magee (Chilliwack/Victoria, 2009-14) has signed a tryout contract with Kometa Brno (Czech Republic, Extraliga). Last season, Magee had 67 points, including 25 goals, in 65 games.
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1. Bob Woods, a defenceman for two seasons (1987-89) with the Brandon Wheat Kings, is headed back to the WHL as the next general manager and head coach of the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix broke the story on Twitter late Sunday afternoon. His piece is right here. . . . The Blades will introduce Woods at a news conference today. . . . From LeRoy, Sask., a community two hours east of Saskatoon, Woods, 46, has spent the last two-plus seasons as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks. . . . He has been in the coaching game for 17 seasons, including two as an assistant coach with the Washington Capitals. He also has coached in the ECHL and the AHL, where he spent four seasons with the Hershey Bears. . . . He won AHL championships in Hershey as a player, assistant coach and head coach. . . . Anaheim head coach Bruce Boudreau, with whom Woods has a long history, is signed through 2014-15, while the contracts of Woods and fellow Ducks assistant Brad Lauer are up this month. . . . Les Lazaruk, the radio voice of the Blades, reported that Woods signed a five-year contract that includes performance bonuses, including one that would reward him should the Blades be named the WHL's scholastic team of the year. . . . The Blades, who won 16 games last season, are looking to replace Lorne Molleken and David Struch, the GM and head coach, respectively, who were released after last season.
2. Sooner or later, sporting teams are going to realize that, in this era of social media, there aren’t any secrets. The days of a team holding a news conference and having a new head coach walk out from behind a curtain to the surprise of many are over. . . . Word began to leak out early Sunday afternoon that the Saskatoon Blades had signed Bob Woods as their new general manager and head coach. . . . Late in the afternoon, Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix tweeted a link to his story on the Woods signing. In that story, Nugent-Bowman noted that Blades managing partner Colin Priestner had declined comment. . . . Shortly after Nugent-Bowman’s story hit Twitter, the Blades’ own Twitter account confirmed the hiring in a series of tweets, and also revealed that a news conference will be held Monday morning. . . . With so much emphasis on social media and the immediacy it provides, it could be that the time has come for an organization, assuming it wants to control the story, to make an announcement as soon as a deal is done.
3. As you will have read in The MacBeth Report, F Brandon Magee, who turned 20 on Jan. 23, has signed a tryout deal with Kometa Brno of the Czech Republic’s Extraliga. . . . Should Magee return to the WHL for his 20-year-old season, he would miss the first 12 games. That’s because he drew a 12-game suspension from the WHL for two cross-checking incidents in the Victoria Royals’ final playoff game of last season. . . . Magee’s deal, and it’s only for a tryout, will be finalized upon completion of physical and medical testing. . . . Magee, who is from Edmonton, played one season with the Chilliwack Bruins and three with Victoria. In 268 regular-season games, he put up 203 points, including 90 goals.
4. F Steven Hodges of the Victoria Royals has signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Florida Panthers, who selected him in the third round of the NHL’s 2012 draft. . . . Hodges, from Yellowknife, turned 20 on May 5. Last season, he had 47 points, including 21 goals, in 52 games. In 247 regular-season games, he has 157 points, including 75 goals. He played one season with the Chilliwack Bruins and the last three with Victoria.
5. The deadline for NHL teams to sign players selected in the 2012 draft came and went over the weekend. It’s believed that a number of WHL players didn’t get NHL deals, so most will be eligible for the 2014 draft later this month. Among those players who went unsigned are D Travis Brown (Victoria, Chicago Blackhawks); F Alexander Delnov (Seattle, Florida Panthers); F Coda Gordon (Swift Current, Calgary Flames); F Logan Nelson (Victoria, Buffalo Sabres); D Dmitry Sinitsyn (Regina, Dallas Stars); F Tyrel Seaman (Brandon, St. Louis Blues); F Lukas Sutter (Red Deer, Winnipeg Jets); D Nick Walters (Lethbridge, St. Louis Blues; and F Mike Winther (Calgary, Dallas Stars). . . . Sutter and Nelson, who have completed their 20-year-old seasons, become unrestricted free agents if they are unsigned. . . . Seaman actually retired with concussion problems after the 2012-13 season. . . . Delnov signed a two-way deal last week with Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk of the KHL.
6. There was a neat ad in Saturday’s Edmonton Journal, with the Queen City Sports and Entertainment Group, the new owners of the Regina Pats, buying space to send a message that reads: “Hail to the Kings on returning the Memorial Cup to the WHL.” . . . In all the time I’ve been around the WHL, I can’t ever remember one organization taking out an ad in a newspaper to congratulate another team on winning the Memorial Cup. Well done, Pats!
7. The AJHL’s Lloydminster Bobcats will play host to the 2016 RBC Cup for the national junior A championship. That means, of course, that the Bobcats get into the tournament as the host team. . . . The 2015 RBC Cup will be played in Portage la Prairie, Man., with the MJHL’s Terriers as the host team.8. Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen writes right here that “Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk is spearheading an international movement to boycott the products of major sponsors, including Budweiser and Anheuser-Busch InBev, until the 2018 World Cup is moved away from Russia.” . . . As Warren points out, Melnyk “is livid at the hypocrisy of FIFA . . . for allowing (Russia) to stage the tournament while Russian president Vladimir Putin is waging war.” . . . I keep waiting for someone to start asking questions about why the CHL continues to be involved with the Subway Super Series while Putin continues his military aggressiveness.
9. If you’re into baseball and reading, Bryan Curtis of Grantland has a long read just for you. It’s all about baseball books, old and new, and it’s right here.
10. Here’s the schedule for the Stanley Cup final between the Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers (all times Pacific; x - if necessary):
Wednesday: at Los Angeles, 5 p.m.
Saturday: at Los Angeles, 4:30 p.m.
Monday, June 9: at New York, 5 p.m.
Wednesday, June 11: at New York, 5 p.m.
x-Friday, June 13: at Los Angeles, 5 p.m.
x-Monday, June 16: at New York, 5 p.m.
x-Wednesday, June 18: at Los Angeles, 5 p.m.
11. And just to get your ready for the Stanley Cup final, there’s a little earworm right here. Enjoy!
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THE COACHING GAME:
Derek Lalonde is the new head coach of the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye. He had been the general manager and head coach of the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers. . . . Lalonde replaces interim head coach Dan Watson, an assistant who stepped up when Nick Vitucci resigned as head coach in February.---
This actually was a late Friday night tweet . . .
From Denis Skapski (@skapper20): “20 yrs ago, our son Mackenzie was born the night NY won the Cup. 20 yrs later the Rangers return to the Final and today he signed with them.”
There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.
In Edmonton, D Dysin Mayo broke a 1-1 tie at 12:41 of the third period and the Oil Kings went on to beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 3-1. . . . The Oil Kings hold a 2-0 edge as the series heads for Prince Albert and games on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. . . . After two scoreless periods, Prince Albert F Dakota Conroy got the game’s first goal 20 seconds into the third period. . . . Edmonton F Riley Kieser tied it on a PP at 8:06. . . . Edmonton F Luke Bertolucci added insurance at 15:32. . . . Kieser, who also had an assist, scored his first WHL PP goal. He and Bertolucci are on Edmonton’s third line, along with F Mads Eller. . . . For the first two games, the Oil Kings assigned F Curtis Lazar the task of checking Prince Albert F Leon Draisaitl. . . . Oil Kings G Tristan Jarry stopped 31 shots, two more than Prince Albert’s Cole Cheveldave. . . . 
In Everett, Seattle F Branden Troock’s first WHL playoff goal, at 2:58 of the third period, broke a 1-1 tie and sent the Thunderbirds on their way to a 3-1 victory over the Silvertips. . . . This is the only first-round series that is alternating venues with each game. Seattle takes a 2-0 series lead back to its home arena in Kent for Tuesday night. . . . Troock has battled injury problems throughout his three-year career and is only now playing in his first playoff games. . . . Everett F Carson Stadnyk opened the scoring at 3:51 of the first period. . . . Seattle F Roberts Lipsbergs tied it on a PP at 5:01 of the second. . . . Seattle F Russ Maxwell added insurance with his second goal of the series at 8:45 of the third. . . . Seattle G Taran Kozun stopped 26 shots, while Everett’s Austin Lotz turned aside 13. . . . Seattle D Shea Theodore had two assists. . . . Seattle was 1-for-4 on the PP; Everett was 0-for-5. . . . 
In Kelowna, F Ryan Olsen snapped a 1-1 tie at 17:18 of the first period and the Rockets went on to beat the Tri-City Americans, 3-1. . . . The Rockets lead the series 2-0 as it heads to Kennewick, Wash., for games on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. . . . As in Edmonton and Everett, the visiting team scored first and then surrendered three straight goals. . . . F Phil Tot scored for the Americans at 10:37 of the first period, but the Rockets got that one back when F Myles Bell counted on the PP at 14:40. . . . Rockets D Joe Gatenby scored his first WHL goal at 3:01 of the second period to provide some breathing room. Gatenby, a 16-year-old from Kelowna, had six assists in 43 regular-season games. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 24 shots, 20 fewer than Tri-City’s Eric Comrie. . . . The Rockets were 1-for-5 on the PP; the Americans were 0-for-4. . . . 
In Regina, F Tim McGauley scored twice and added an assist as the Brandon Wheat Kings dropped the Pats, 8-4, to take a 2-0 lead in their series. . . . They’ll now head for Brandon and games on Wednesday and Friday nights. . . . The Wheat Kings went into Regina and outscored the Pats 14-7 in winning the first two games. . . . As in Sunday’s other four games, the home side scored first as F Connor Gay got his second goal of the series at 1:37 of the first period. . . . Brandon scored twice before the first period ended and added two more goals early in the second to take control. . . . Brandon F Richard Nejezchleb had a goal and two assists, while F Tyler Coulter drew two assists. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pulock had a goal and an assist, giving him 12 points, including eight assists, in his last five games. . . . The Wheat Kings also got a goal from F Nolan Patrick, the fourth overall pick in the 2013 bantam draft. . . . D Jesse Zgraggen had two assists for Regina. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny stopped 27 shots, while Regina’s Dawson MacAuley kicked out 36. . . . Brandon was 2-for-8 on the PP; the Pats were 0-for-3. . . . Regina F Dyson Stevenson, who sat out Game 1 with a broken hand, was back for this one but was held off the scoresheet. . . . F Peter Quenneville and veteran D Eric Roy were among Brandon’s scratches. Quenneville, who was in Game 1, played the last two regular-season games, and scored five times, after being out since Feb. 17. Roy left Game 1 with an undisclosed injury.
EDMONTON (1) vs. PRINCE ALBERT (8)
The Kootenay Ice played a game on Friday in which they didn’t incur even one penalty. I then wondered in this space if that previously had happened with a Ryan McGill-coached team. Turns out it did. Jeff Hollick, the radio voice of the Ice, informs that it happened earlier this season. . . . On Oct. 13, the host Ice beat the Prince Albert Raiders 2-0 in a game in which referees Brett Montsion and Kyle Scrivens chose not to penalize either team.
In Edmonton, the Vancouver Giants scored three first-period goals and went on to beat the Oil Kings, 5-1. . . . Vancouver won twice on a three-game trip into Alberta. . . . F Jackson Houck scored two PP goals for the Giants. He’s got 30 goals this season. . . . The Giants were 3-for-6 on the PP; the Oil Kings were 1-for-7. . . . With D Dalton Thrower and D Brett Kulak out, the Giants had D Ryely McKinstry play his second WHL game. He was a second-round selection in the 2013 banta draft. . . . Giants G Payton Lee turned aside 32 shots. . . . Vancouver (30-24-10) are sixth in the Western Conference, six points behind Spokane. . . . The Oil Kings (43-15-2) slipped to third in the Eastern Conference. . . .
In Red Deer, the Swift Current Broncos struck for three third-period goals and beat the Rebels, 5-3. . . . The Rebels held a 3-1 lead late in the second period, only to have F Coda Gordon score at 19:27. . . . F Jay Merkley, with his 25th goal, pulled the Broncos even at 1:12 of the third and F Andrew Johnson gave them the lead, with his seventh, at 12:33. That was Johnson’s second goal of the game. . . . Gordon added his 22nd into an empty net at 19:45. . . . F Graham Black continued his superb season with the Broncos by drawing four assists. He has 80 points, 51 of them assists, in 59 games. . . . Swift Current D Julius Honka didn’t pick up a point, but finished at plus-4. . . . The Broncos went in having lost eight of 10, while the Rebels now have lost 11 of 13. . . . The Broncos (30-24-8) are sixth in the Eastern Conference, six points in back of Kootenay. . . . The Rebels (29-30-4) are tied with Prince Albert for the conference’s last playoff spot. . . . 
In Kent, Wash., the Kamloops Blazers scored two shootout goals and beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 3-2. . . . Seattle F Alexander Delnov forced OT with his 25th goal, via the PP, at 5:01 of the second period. . . . F Jesse Shynkaruk and F Matt Bellerive scored for Kamloops in the skills competition; F Branden Troock had scored for Seattle. . . . Kamloops G Cole Kehler stopped 33 shots in 57:57 of play. He came on at 7:03 of the first period with his side trailing, 1-0. Starter Bolton Pouliot had to leave after being involved in a goalmouth collision with Seattle F Russell Maxwell, who was steered in that direction by Kamloops D Sam Grist. . . . G Taran Kozun, appearing against his former team, turned aside 28 shots. . . . Kamloops is 6-21-1 on the road, with two of those victories in Kent. The Blazers won 7-1 there on New Year’s Eve. . . . At home, the Blazers beat the Thunderbirds 3-1 and then dropped a 3-2 decision. . . . Kamloops (13-44-5) is 2-8-0 in its last 10. . . . Seattle (37-19-6) is fourth in the Western Conference, four points ahead of Spokane. . . . The Thunderbirds staged their 2014 Hockey Challenge on Saturday, with six charity games wrapped around their game with the Blazers. The late game featured Team Furness vs. Team Shea, and included former Seattle players Mark Parrish, Brendan Witt, Chris Wells, Jesse Wilson, Jamie Huscroft, Brett Duncan, Regan Mueller and Danny Lorenz. . . . Also featured were actors Michael Mantenuto, who played Jack O’Callahan in Miracle, and former pro hockey player/scout/executive-turned-actor Mike Butters. Interestingly, Mantenuto, according to a Thunderbirds news release, “is a Sergeant in the US Army with the 1st Special Forces Group stationed at Fort Lewis, Wash.” Butters, meanwhile, “is a character actor who has appeared in over 50 movies, including the Saw franchise and D2 – The Mighty Ducks, 100 commercials and 20 television shows.” . . . The Hockey Challenge, which began in 1998, is a fund-raiser for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Western Washington and Alaska. . . .
In Medicine Hat, F Miles Koules scored twice and added an assist as the Tigers dropped the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 5-3. . . . His first goal, 56 seconds into the game, came via a penalty shot. . . . Koules, the son of Oren Koules, who had a stint with the Tigers (1979-80), has 23 goals. Dad had 13 points, six of them goals, in 33 games with the Tigers. The next season, with the Spokane Flyers, Oren put up 73 points, including 28 goals, in 67 games. Miles, 19, has 45 points in 61 games as a sophmore. Last season, he had 40 points, 19 of them goals, in 69 games. . . . It’s worth noting that the Medicine Hat roster also includes F Blake Penner, whose father, Craig, played for the Tigers (1982-86) and F Gavin Broadhead, whose father, Curt, also played in The Hat (1977-81). As well, the Tigers have D Gabe Bast, 17, on their list. His father, Tom, played four seasons with the Tigers (1973-77). . . . Medicine Hat was 3-for-3 on the PP. . . . The Tigers (38-21-3) are the only team in the WHL not to have lost in a shootout. They are fourth in Eastern Conference, five points ahead of Kootenay. . . . Lethbridge (12-46-5) has lost five in a row. . . . 
In Prince George, F Jansen Harkins broke a 1-1 tie at 8:26 of the third period as the Cougars got past the Kelowna Rockets, 2-1. . . . Cougars F Klarc Wilson got his 25th goal, on a PP, at 14:10 of the first period. . . . Kelowna F Rourke Chartier, with his 20th, tied it at 18:49 of the second. . . . Prince George G Ty Edmonds stopped 42 shots, 16 in the third period. . . . G Jordon Cooke of the Rockets turned aside 23 shots. . . . Prince George F Todd Fiddler ran his point streak to 15 games with an assist on Harkins’ goal. . . . Kelowna D Damon Severson had a nine-game assist streak snapped. . . . The Rockets had beaten the Cougars 4-2 on Friday, giving them their franchise record 25th road victory of the season. The previous record had been set in 2003-04. That victory also allowed the Rockets to have back-to-back 100-point seasons for the first time in franchise history. . . . The Cougars (26-31-8) closed to within a point of Tri-City, which holds down the Western Conference’s last playoff spot. The Americans hold three games in hand. . . . The Rockets (48-9-4) lead the overall standings. . . . 
In Portland, F Chase De Leo had two goals and two assists as the Winterhawks ran their winning streak to 19 games with a 6-3 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . De Leo has 34 goals. . . . The Raiders scored the game’s first two goals and took a 2-1 lead into the second period. . . . Portland took control with four second-period goals. . . . Portland F Nic Petan scored twice, giving him 34, and running his point streak to 15 games. But he had his assist streak end at 14 games. . . . Petan leads the WHL points derby with 105 points, two more than Spokane Chiefs F Mitch Holmberg. . . . F Oliver Bjorkstrand scored his 42nd goal and added two assists for Portland. . . . Prince Albert D Josh Morrissey scored his 22nd goal and added an assist, while F Dakota Conroy scored twice, giving him 26, and F Leon Draisaitl had three assists. . . . Portland (45-12-5) is five points behind Kelowna, which has a game in hand and leads the overall standings. . . . The Raiders (29-29-4) are tied with Red Deer for the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . 
In Spokane, Chiefs F Mitch Holmberg scored the game’s first three goals and his mates road that to a 6-3 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Holmberg leads the WHL with 54 goals. . . . He scored at 10:17, 18:01 (pp) and 19:18 of the first period. . . . F Carter Proft added two goals for the Chiefs, giving him 10. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart had one assist as he ran his point streak to 20 games and his assist streak to 13 games. . . . Ice F Tim Bozon notched his 30th goal of the season. . . . Ice D Jagger Dirk played in his 300th regular-season game, all with Kootenay. . . . The Ice has had a flu bug in its dressing room. F Luke Philp returned after sitting out one game, while D Landon Cross and D Landon Peel were scratched. . . . It all meant the Ice dressed 15 skaters, three under the maximum. . . . The Chiefs (35-21-6) are fifth in the Western Conference and appear likely to finish there. . . . The Ice (35-23-4) appears headed to a fifth-place finish in the Eastern Conference. . . . 
In Kennewick, Wash., F Josh Winquist and F Patrick Bakjov scored in the shootout to give the Everett Silvertips a 3-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . They were the only shooters Everett needed as only F Brian Williams could scored for the home side. . . . F Parker Bowles scored twice for the Americans, his second one, at 11:57 of the third period, forcing OT. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie stopped 39 shots through OT, 19 more than Everett’s Austin Lotz. . . . The Silvertips (30-23-8) have won their last two after a rocky stretch and are seventh in the Western Conference, two points behind Vancouver. . . . The Americans (27-28-7) are 2-6-2 in their last 10 and clinging to the conference’s last playoff spot, one point ahead of Prince George. The Americans have 10 games to play, three more than the Cougars. 
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