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”


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.

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Shawn Belle (Regina, Tri-City, 2000-05) signed a tryout contract with Adler Mannheim (Germany, DEL). He didn’t have any points in nine games with the Edmonton Oilers and Colorado Avalanche (both NHL) and six goals and 20 assists in 51 games with the Oklahoma City Barons and Lake Erie Monsters (both AHL) last season. The contract is through Sept. 22.
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The Swift Current Broncos have suffered something of a blow with the departure of G Steffen Soberg.
Soberg, 18, is from Oslo, Norway, and was a fourth-round pick by the Washington Capitals in the 2011 NHL draft. The Broncos used the sixth overall pick in the CHL’s 2011 import draft to take Soberg.
He arrived at the Broncos’ training camp and was expected to be the Broncos’ No. 1 goaltender. Shawn Mullin, the radio voice of the Broncos, reported that Soberg “played half an exhibition game before injuring his knee and missing the Edmonton tournament.”
Soberg didn’t go to the Capitals’ camp, and the Broncos, according to Mullin, are saying that “Soberg had to leave to deal with personal issues.”
This isn’t to say Soberg won’t return to Swift Current, but his departure leaves the Broncos with Austin Smith and Steve Myland as their goaltenders.
Smith, an 18-year-old from Calgary, was a second-round pick in the 2008 bantam draft. Smith was 0-6-0, 4.86, .871 in 11 appearances with the Broncos last season.
Myland was acquired from the Kootenay Ice in the January blockbuster in which the Broncos surrendered F Cody Eakin. Myland, a 17-year-old from Cloverdale, B.C., played last season with the Valley West Hawks of the B.C. Major Midget League. The Ice selected him in the 10th round of the 2009 bantam draft.
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On the afternoon after his side absorbed a 10-1 loss at the hands of the Medicine Hat Tigers, GM/head coach Rich Preston of the Lethbridge Hurricanes acquired a new goaltender.
The Hurricanes picked up G Damien Ketlo, 20, from the Regina Pats for a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft.
The plan in Lethbridge would seem to call for Ketlo, who is entering his fourth WHL season, to partner with Brandon Anderson, 19, who has signed with the NHL’s Washington Capitals. Or perhaps the plan is to move Anderson, who would seem to be a rather valuable asset.
In speaking with Kelowna Rockets head coach Ryan Huska on Friday, he mentioned that he feels his club’s one-two punch in goal — Adam Brown, who is expected to return from the camp of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, and Jordon Cooke — is as good as any in the league.
Huska put it like this: “If we get Adam back, which we are expecting we will, we feel like we have a good one-two punch . . . some teams don’t have a one.”
That being the case, Anderson might become a really valuable chip.
Ketlo is one of four 20-year-olds on the Hurricanes’ roster, joining F Cam Braes, F Austin Fyten and F Brody Sutter.
The deal leaves Regina with three 20-year-olds on its roster — D Brandon Davidson, D Art Bidlevskii and F Garrett Mitchell, all of whom are at NHL camps.
The Pats are down to three goaltenders now — veteran Matt Hewitt, 19, and freshmen Teagan Sacher of Winnipeg, who turns 17 on Dec. 1, and Adam Beukeboom, 17, of Sundre, Alta.
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A story in Coquitlam Now contained an interesting quote from Jon Calvano, the head coach of the BCHL’s Coquitlam Express.
His club recently had two players — Austin Carroll and Jason Fram — move on to WHL teams. Carroll, a ninth-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft, is with the Victoria Royals, while Fram, an eighth-round pick in 2010, went to the Spokane Chiefs.
“It's an old cliché, but it is what it is,” Calvano told the newspaper. “We are both in the position of developing players and both in it to win. I'd be foolish to say that the WHL is not a good league and won't open doors for players; we're just different options. When it's all said and done, I wish both players well.”
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According to Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times Colonist, the Victoria Royals will be without D Zach Habscheid (upper body) for “up to six weeks.” D Tyler Stahl also has an upper body injury, meaning the Royals are missing two of their top four defencemen. . . . As well, Victoria F Brendan Persley is out with mononucleosis. . . . Stahl was selected by the Carolina Hurricanes in the sixth-round of the NHL’s 2010 draft. His injury has prevented him from joining them in training camp. . . . RW Jordan DePape (hip flexor) didn’t get on the ice a whole lot in the Kamloops Blazers’ camp before leaving to join the Winnipeg Jets’ rookie team for a tournament in Penticton. The Jets kept DePape off the ice Sunday — he did work out off the ice — but hope he can play in a game today.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From D Matt Dumba of the Red Deer Rebels:
“Would rather punt my dog off a bridge than lose to Calgary.”
That was after the Calgary Hitmen beat the Rebels 4-2 on Saturday.
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And now for something completely different. . . .
Buzz Bissinger, who wrote Friday Night Lights, provides his take on remembering 9/11. You’ll find it right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Petr Kalus (Regina, 2005-06) was released by Jokerit Helsinki (Finland, SM-Liiga) at the end of his tryout contract. He had one
goal in three exhibition games for Jokerit this month. . . .
F Shay (Red Deer, 2000-04) and D Logan (Tri-City, 2001-06)
Stephenson each signed one-year contracts with Vålerenga Oslo (Norway, GET-Ligaen). Logan had two goals and three assists in 43 games for the Adirondack Phantoms (AHL) last season, while older brother Shay didn’t play. Two seasons ago, Shay had six goals and 13 assists in 36 games with the Las Vegas Wranglers (ECHL) and four goals and two assists in seven games with Vålerenga. . . .
F Josh Bonar (Kamloops, Vancouver, Regina, 2000-03) signed a one-year contract extension with Miskolci Jegesmedve JSE (Hungary, Interliga). He had 29 goals and 30 assists in 31 games for Miskolc during MOL Liga play last season, leading the league in goals and scoring. In Hungarian league play (OB I. Bajnoksag), Bonar had 10 goals and 10 assists in 14 games. The MOL Liga, comprising teams from Hungary and Romania, was renamed Interliga this summer.
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JUST NOTES: The Regina Pats and Evraz Place announced Tuesday that they have agreed on a five-year lease for the Brandt Centre. If you have followed this story, you know that this is like The Rock and Stone Cold reaching a truce back in the day. . . . "We are pleased that we are able to announce a longer term lease agreement with Evraz Place. The process has been long and at times frustrating for both parties but with the help of our legal counsel Neil Tulloch and the co-operation of Neil Donnelly from Evraz we were able to find some common ground," Pats president Brent Parker said in a news release. . . . The previous deal expired on May 31. . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has more right here. . . .
The staff at the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton includes some names that will be familiar to WHL fans. Blake Wesley, a former Portland Winterhawks defenceman is the director of hockey operations. . . . Robert Dirk, a former Regina Pats defenceman, is the GM and head coach of the junior B team, the Penticton Lakers. . . . Brian Pellerin, who played with the Prince Albert Raiders and has worked as an assistant coach with Portland, is the prep team head coach. . . . Tim Hunter, who played in the WHL with the Seattle Breakers, is the head coach of the varsity Red team. . . . Mike Needham, who was a sniper with the Kamloops Blazers and is on their staff as skills coach, is head coach of the OHA’s bantam Tier 1 team. . . . Former Blazers head coach Barry Smith is head coach of the bantam Tier 2 team. . . .
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The Saskatoon Blades will travel to Prince Albert for an exhibition game against the Raiders tonight. Drew Wilson has all the action on CKBI and you can find it on the Internet.
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A tip of the hat to general manager/head coach Jesse Wallin and the Red Deer Rebels.
D Matt Dumba has yet to skate in the Rebels’ training camp, which is exactly what happened a year ago with F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
“Like Ryan, Mathew played hockey all of August,” Wallin told Greg Meachem, the Red Deer Advocate’s sports editor. “After returning from overseas (with the Canadian national under-18 team), he flew to Toronto (for an NHL developmental/orientation camp). We’ll give him a week off to catch his breath and get him skating Friday.”
With the amount of time young players are spending in the gym and on skates during the summer months, more teams should be providing some of these players with more time off.
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Curtis Lazar, the second overall pick in the 2010 bantam draft, is working to make a name for himself with the Edmonton Oil Kings. Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal has more right here on the player they call The Czar.
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For today's good read, we send you to the Sporting News, where Craig Custance has written an entertaining read that carries the headline: NHL watches as colleges wage war with Canadian junior hockey. . . . This is as entertaining a look at the 'war' as I have read. It's right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Great day for Morrow

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Doug Lynch (Red Deer, Spokane, 1998-2003) signed a contract extension with Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had seven goals and 21 assists in 44 games with Red Bull last season. . . .
F Simon Ferguson (Lethbriodge, Kelowna, 1999-2004) signed a one-year contract with Esbjerg (Denmark, AL-Bank Liga). He had 20 goals and 15 assists in 51 games with the Utah Grizzlies (ECHL) last season. . . .
F Björn Svensson (Saskatoon, Moose Jaw, 2003-06) signed a one-year contract with Eisbären Berlin (Germany, DEL). He had four goals and 14  assists with Timrå (Sweden, Elitserien) last season. . . .
F Roman Tomanek (Calgary, Seattle, 2004-06) signed a one-year contract with Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had 29 goals and 18 assists in 48 games with Banska Bystrica (Slovakia, Extraliga) last season.
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You just know that this is going to be a great day for Portland Winterhawks D Joe Morrow.
Morrow, who has played three seasons in Portland, is in Edmonton at the Canadian national junior team’s development camp.
And the Pittsburgh Penguins are expected to announce today that they have signed him to a three-year entry-level contract. They selected him 23rd overall in the NHL’s 2011 draft.
Morrow, who doesn’t turn 19 until Dec. 9, had 49 points, including nine goals, and 67 penalty minutes in 60 games with Portland last season. In 165 regular-season games, he has 16 goals and 71 assists, to go along with 152 penalty minutes.
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Hockey Canada finalized the 22-player roster for the team that will play in the U-18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament and five of the skaters are from the WHL. D Matt Dumba (Red Deer), D Derrick Pouliot (Portland), D Griffin Reinhart (Edmonton), D Morgan Rielly (Moose Jaw) and F Hunter Shinkaruk (Medicine Hat) made the club that will play in the tournament that runs from Monday through Aug. 13 in Breclav, Czech Republic, and Piestany, Slovakia. . . . Don Nachbaur, the head coach of the Spokane Chiefs, is an assistant coach. The head coach is Steve Spott of the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers. . . . There is no radio or TV coverage of the tournament. . . . Canada, which has won the tournament each of the last three years, will play an exhibition game against Slovakia in Piestany on Saturday and then opens the tournament against Sweden on Monday.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Jim Parker of the Windsor Star reports that Bob Boughner is expected to return as head coach of the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires today. After winning back-to-back Memorial Cups, Boughner, who owns a piece of the Spitfires, spent last season as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets. . . . Bob Jones, the associate coach under Boughner, was the club’s head coach last season. . . .
Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald reports that the Everett Silvertips may be in the market for a goaltending coach. According to Patterson, “Sources indicate that Sigalet is in line to become the goaltending coach for the AHL's Abbotsford Heat.” . . . Sigalet spent last season working with the Silvertips on a part-time basis. . . .
Greg Ireland is to be named head coach of the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack today. Fred Wallace of CFOS Radio reported Tuesday that the job had been offered to Ireland, 46. A coach since 1992, Ireland spent the last eight seasons in the AHL, with the San Antonio Rampage and Grand Rapids Griffins. He will replace Mark Reeds, who guided the Attack to the OHL championship last season and has since signed on as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Ottawa Senators. . . . Owen Sound assistant coach Terry Virtue, a former WHL player and assistant coach, was on the short list. According to Wallace, Virtue “is expected to remain with the Attack, conceivably with elevated responsibilities.” . . .
The AHL’s Houston Aeros have named Sebastien Laplante and Mike Van Ryn as assistant coaches. They will work with head coach John Torchetti. . . . Laplante, 38, spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach at Northeastern University. . . . Van Ryn, 32, was an assistant coach with the OHL’s Niagara IceDogs last season. . . .
The OHL’s Erie Otters have agreed to two-year contract extensions with head coach Robbie Ftorek, who had one year left on his present deal, and assistant coach Peter Sidorkiewicz.
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JUST NOTES: As speculated late last week, the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat has named Ryan Walter (Kamloops, Seattle, 1984-78) as president. Walter spent last season as the head coach of Canada’s national women’s team after working two seasons as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. The Heat is the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Calgary Flames. . . . The BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies have dealt F Evan Richardson, 17, to the Powell River Kings for G Michael Garteig, 20, D Braden Pears, 18, and F Scott Renner, 18. Richardson was selected 15th overall by the Swift Current Broncos in the 2009 WHL bantam draft, but has committed to attend Boston College for the 2013-14 season. Last season, he had 42 points, including 12 goals, in 55 games with the Grizzlies. . . . The Grizzlies apparently were concerned that Richardson may end up in the USHL this season. . . . F Colton Graf (Chilliwack, 2006-08) has chosen to attend Simon Fraser University and play for its hockey club in the B.C. Intercollegiate league. Graf, 21, played the last two seasons with the MJHL’s Dauphin Kings. He put up 92 points in 111 regular-season games with Dauphin.
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Another former WHL player has had to quit hockey because of post-concussion syndrome.
Eric Doyle (Everett, Swift Current, Portland, 2005-10) has told Jon Keen, the radio voice of the Kamloops Blazers: “Over my career I had five diagnosed concussions . . . and probably two more that weren't. The last three concussions all came pretty close together and were the worst by far.”
Doyle last skated in November with the ECHL’s Ontario Reign. He was able to play only 12 games with the Reign, though.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

COLIN SMITH

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
An honours student, Colin Smith was honoured to be honoured Wednesday at the WHL awards luncheon in Calgary.
Smith, who just completed his second season with the Kamloops Blazers, was named the WHL’s scholastic player of the year and was presented with the Doc Seaman Memorial Trophy.
“It was a little nerve-wracking, to say the least,” said Smith, who will turn 18 on June 20. “But it was nice.
“Not too many times do we get rewarded for schoolwork — it’s more on ice. It’s always nice to get recognized in other ways.”
Forward Adam Lowry of the Swift Current Broncos was the Eastern Conference nominee.
Smith is scheduled to graduate with honours from Vimy Ridge Academy in his hometown of Edmonton next month. During the season, he attended Valleyview Secondary.
The Blazers now have had three players win the WHL’s scholastic award. Defenceman Scott Niedermayer won it for the 1990-91 season, while goaltender Devan Dubnyk was the winner for 2003-04. Niedermayer and Dubnyk both went on to be named the CHL’s scholastic player of the year.
On the ice, Smith put up 50 points, including 21 goals, as he played in all 72 of the Blazers’ regular-season games. While the Blazers didn’t make the playoffs, Smith went on to play for Canada at the IIHF U-18 world championship in Germany. He had three points, two of them goals, in seven games as Canada finished fourth.
Seeing some of Europe for the first time, he said, “was really good. It was a cool experience.”
On top of that, he felt he played “pretty well.”
“I tried to play a role and thought I did a pretty good job,” Smith said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t get the result we would have liked. But it was an unbelievable experience otherwise.”
Up next for Smith is the NHL draft.
His play improved markedly in the season’s second half and NHL Central Scouting certainly was paying attention as his ranking went from No. 130 at midseason to 96 in the final seedings.
He wasn’t invited to the NHL scouting combine and won’t be attending the draft in St. Paul, Minn., June 24 and 25.
“I don’t have too many expectations,” he said. “I’m more worried about the work after and next season.”
Smith is the highest-ranked of the three Blazers who showed up on Central Scouting’s list.
Defenceman Tyler Hansen came in at No. 131, while centre Dylan Willick was at No. 164.
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WHL award winners, announced Wednesday in Calgary (runner-up in parentheses):
Player of the year — G Darcy Kuemper, Red Deer Rebels (F Tyler Johnson, Spokane Chiefs).
Rookie of the year — D Matt Dumba, Red Deer Rebels (F Sven Bartschi, Portland Winterhawks).
Goaltender of the year — Kuemper (James Reid, Spokane).
Defenceman of the year — Stefan Elliott, Saskatoon Blades (Tyson Barrie, Kelowna Rockets).
Most sportsmanlike player — Johnson (Elliott).
Scholastic player of the year — F Colin Smith, Kamloops Blazers (Adam Lowry, Swift Current Broncos).
Coach of the year — Don Nachbaur, Spokane (Jesse Wallin, Red Deer).
Executive of the year — Lorne Molleken, Saskatoon (Mike Johnston, Portland).
Humanitarian of the year — F Spencer Edwards, Moose Jaw Warriors (D Jeff Einhorn, Chilliwack Bruins).
Marketing/Communications award — Mike Moore, Calgary Hitmen (Brian Sandy, Tri-City Americans).
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As well, the Swift Current Broncos were named the scholastic team of the year, while Matt Kirk was saluted as the league’s top referee. . . . Nachbaur has won the coach-of-the year award three times and has been with a different team on each occasion. . . . Only Pat Ginnell, who was named top coach on four occasions, has won the award more than Nachbaur. . . . This is the ninth straight season in which an Eastern Conference player  has been honoured as the WHL’s player of the year. The last Western Conference player to take the honour? D Dan Hamhuis of the Prince George Cougars in 2001-02.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Sunday stuff . . .

Brendan Shinnimin (left) and Carter Ashton of the Tri-City Americans
work to defend against Troy Bourke of the Prince George Cougars
in a WHL game in Kennewick, Wash., on Sunday night.
(Photo by John Allen/AridAcres.com)

In Calgary, the Red Deer Rebels scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Hitmen, 4-2. . . . D Matt Dumba broke a 2-2 tie with his 15th goal at 11:16 of the third period. . . . Red Deer F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored Red Deer’s first goal, his 28th, at 15:33 of the second period. He now has 102 points, good for third place in the scoring race. . . . Red Deer has won two in a row and four of five. . . . Calgary has lost two in a row and nine of 10. . . . Red Deer G Darcy Kuemper earned his 43rd victory of the season. . . . The Rebels, with two games left, are atop the Central Division, four points ahead of the Medicine Hat Tigers, who have three games remaining. . . . The Tigers will use up the game in hand on Tuesday against the visiting Kootenay Ice. . . . The Rebels are in Edmonton on Friday. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., F Carter Ashton and F Brendan Shinnimin each scored twice to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 6-3 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . Shinnimin has 32 goals, while Ashton has 31. . . . The Americans, who have four games left, will finish fourth in the Western Conference. . . . Tri-City is 25-7-1 at home, the fifth straight season in which it has won at least 25 games in the Toyota Center. . . . Tri-City G Drew Owsley won his career-best 34th game. . . . Tri-City remains without F Adam Hughesman (knee), who has 39 goals in 60 games. . . . The Cougars, who have two games left, are seventh, one point ahead of the Everett Silvertips. . . . Everett, with four games remaining, plays Wednesday in Kennewick, Wash., against the Americans. . . . The Cougars will go home-and-home with the Kamloops Blazers on the weekend. They’re in Kamloops on Friday and in Prince George on Saturday. . . . The Blazers are ninth, two points behind Everett. . . .
In Chilliwack, F Zach Franko’s 20th goal, at 4:52 of OT, gave the Kelowna Rockets a 3-2 victory over the Bruins. . . . The Rockets, who will finish atop the B.C. Division and be the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed for the first round of playoffs, won for the third time in as many nights. . . . Kelowna has won five in a row and nine of 10. . . . The loser point lifted the Bruins into a tie with the Vancouver Giants for fifth in the conference. . . . Attendance in Chilliwack was 4,022, the second straight night in which the Bruins drew more than 4,000 fans. . . . The Bruins, who have three games left, are in Spokane on Wednesday, the same night that the Giants, with four games to play, are in Portland.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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