Topping chooses school

THE MacBETH REPORT:

D Matt Suderman (Saskatoon, Everett, 1999-2004) has been granted his release by the Hull Stingrays (England, UK Elite) for personal reasons. In 24 games, he had one assist and 115 penalty minutes.
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“In order to have a buyer, you have to have a seller,” Nevin Markwart told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post on the weekend. Markwart, a former Pats player, fronts a group that is interested in buying the WHL franchise. . . . Harder’s story is right here.
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Meanwhile, Greg Harder also reports that Pats star F Morgan Klimchuk injured a hip in the third period of the Subway Super Series final game in Lethbridge on Thursday. Klimchuk told Harder that he is week-to-week; it sounds as though he won’t play again until after Christmas.
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D Joel Topping, 18, has brought an end to his WHL career in the middle of his second season. Topping, who played 93 games with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, has chosen to return to his hometown and attend Red Deer College. His dream is to become a teacher. . . . Topping, a second-round selection in the 2010 bantam draft, put up 20 points, including one goal, with Lethbridge. . . . That one goal came on Feb. 8, pulling the Hurricanes into a 1-1 tie with the host Prince Albert Raiders at 13:17 of the third period. The Raiders went on to a 2-1 OT victory.
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Scott Parker (Kelowna, 1995-98) was as tough as they come. These days, as this piece right here indicates, he is battling concussion-related problems. Oh, he also calls Bob Hartley, now the head coach of the NHL’s Calgary Flames, a bully.
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From Paul Kingsmith (@paulkingsmith): “With Topping leaving for school it's down to just 9 players on the @WHLHurricanes roster who were with the team at the end of last (season).”


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Travis Green on the move?

THE MacBETH REPORT:

D Matt Suderman (Saskatoon, Everett, 1999-2004) signed a one-year contract with the Hull Stingrays (England, UK Elite). He had one assist in three games with the Mississippi Riverkings (SPHL) and no points in two games with the Bloomington Blaze (CHL) last season.
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For a second straight summer, the Prince Albert Raiders have traded for a 20-year-old goaltender. A year ago, they acquired Luke Siemens from the Moose Jaw Warriors, and he went on to play in a WHL-leading 66 games (25-21-6, 2.89, .912). On Wednesday, the Raiders acquired G Cole Cheveldave and a 2015 fourth-round bantam draft pick from the Kamloops Blazers for F Jake Kryski, 15, and a 2014 seventh-round draft pick. . . . In his second season as the Blazers starter, Cheveldave, in 56 games, was 36-16-2, 2.38, .908. . . . Before acquiring Cheveldave, it seemed the Raiders would open with Andy Desautels of White City, Sask., as their starter. Desautels, 19, got into only 13 games last season, going 2-7-1, 4.01, .873. . . . The deal leaves the Blazers with Taran Kozun, 19, as the veteran goaltender on their roster. He got into 20 games last season, going 11-4-3, 2.36, .914. . . . Kryski was the 13th overall selection in the 2013 bantam draft. He had 118 points, including 59 goals, with the Burnaby Winter Club’s bantam AAA team last season.
The plan in Kamloops as of this moment is to take five goaltenders to camp, with Kozun No. 1 on the depth chart. That would leave the 1996-born Liam McLeod of Kamloops and Cameron Pateman of Regina to fight it out for the backup spot with Ryan Ternes, a 1997-born player from Cochrane, Alta., and Cole Kehler, a late-1997 from Altona, Man.
McLeod backed up with the BCHL’s Prince George Spruce Kings last season. Pateman was with the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians. Ternes played for the minor midget AAA AC (Airdrie-Cochrane) Avalanche. Kehler played high school hockey in Manitoba.
Prince Albert’s roster now includes three 20-year-olds — Cheveldave, D Dylan Busenius and D Evan Morden. Busenius and Morden were acquired during the last season.
The Blazers’ 20-year-old situation is extremely fluid. F Colin Smith, who signed last week with the Colorado Avalanche, and F J.C. Lipon, who was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets last month but hasn’t signed, are candidates unless they end up in the AHL. Also on the Kamloops roster are F Joe Kornelsen and D Sam Grist.
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Bill Dwyre of the Los Angeles Times looks at UCLA men’s basketball coach Steve Alford and his contract and puts it all up against the legendary John Wooden. “The mud and slop into which big-time college athletics keeps descending never ceases to amaze,” Dwyre writes right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Ed Patterson has taken over as head coach of the junior B Kamloops Storm of the Kootenay International Junior League. He spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach with the Kamloops Blazers. Prior to that, he spent two seasons as the Storm’s head coach. . . . Brad Priestlay, the Storm’s head coach last season, remains with the team as an assistant coach, with Todd Rasmussen also back as an assistant coach.
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Michael George is the new assistant general manager and assistant coach with the AJHL’s Drayton Valley Thunder. He had been an assistant coach with the SJHL’s Flin Flon Bombers.
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Corrado Micalef has left his position as an assistant coach with the QMJHL’s Charlottetown Islanders. According to a news release from the Islanders: “Micalef has moved on to a new career after recently graduating from university.” . . . The Islanders now are searching for a replacement.
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The NAHL’s Kenai River Brown Bears have signed Geoff Beauparlant as their head coach. He spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach with the NAHL’s Fairbanks Ice Dogs. . . . Beauparlant, from Georgetown, Ont., replaces Oliver David, who now is an assistant coach with the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints. David had been the Brown Bears’ head coach for four seasons.
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AJ MacLean is the new assistant coach with the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds. MacLean, 29, is from Antigonish., N.S., and spent the previous two seasons as a player/coach with Scotland’s Dundee Stars of Britain’s Elite League. . . . He is the son of Paul MacLean, the head coach of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators. . . . In Sault Ste. Marie, AJ will work with head coach Sheldon Keefe and associate coach Joe Cirella. Greg Amadio has been named the club’s defence development coach with Mike Oliverio as the forward development coach.
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Reports indicate that John Anderson is returning to Chicago as head coach of the AHL’s Wolves. Anderson apparently will be introduced as the team’s head coach on Tuesday. . . . Anderson was the Wolves’ head coach for 11 seasons (1997-2008) while they were an independent operation. They now have an agreement with the NHL’s St. Louis Blues. . . . Anderson later spent two seasons as head coach of the Atlanta Thrashers. For the past two seasons, he has been an assistant coach with the Phoenix Coyotes. . . . The Wolves’ assistant coaches will be Dave Allison and Scott Allen. Allison had been the head coach of the AHL’s Peoria Rivermen; however, the Blues sold that franchise to the Vancouver Canucks, who relocated it to Utica, N.Y. . . . Allen was an assistant coach with Allison last season.
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From Portland freelancer Scott Sepich (@SSepich): “I'm on vacation, but I'm seeing rumors of Travis Green becoming coach of AHL Utica that seem to originate from pro poker player @GregFBT”
Travis Green is the assistant general manager and assistant coach with the Portland Winterhawks.

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.

Some Monday stuff . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Matt Suderman (Saskatoon, Everett, 1999-2004) signed a one-year contract extension with the Dundee Stars (Scotland, UK Elite). He had one goal and five assists in 55 games for Dundee this season. Stars head coach Dan Ceman: "Matt does the dirty work that doesn't always get noticed but is essential for a winning team. He puts his body on the line every game blocking shots, finishing checks, and dropping the gloves if he needs to. Matt also proved himself as a shut down defenceman who we could play against other team's top lines. It's great to have him back." . . .
F Steve Regier (Medicine Hat, 2000-04) signed a two-year contract extension with Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had 11 goals and 22 assists in 50 games for Red Bull this season. . . .
F Sergei Varlamov (Swift Current, 1995-98) signed a one-year contract with Donbass Donetsk (Ukraine, Vyscha Liha). He had eight goals and nine assists in 37 games with Dynamo Minsk (Belarus, KHL) this season. . . .
F Curtis Huppe (Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, Tri-City, 1995-2000) signed a one-year contract with the Guilford Flames (England, Premier). He had 59 goals and 51 assists in 54 games for the league-champion Manchester Phoenix (England, Premier) this season, good for third place in the league scoring race. Huppe was named to the league's second all-star team. Flames head coach Paul Dixon: "Curtis is a guy with the type of offensive ability that we expect will fill some of that gap. He has a very long and proven offensive track record in a variety of very good leagues and he has contributed to championships on several of those teams, which in itself played a very big part in the decision to bring him in. In addition to ability and experience, he has no trouble in situations where the game is a bit more physical which is a useful attribute when we are away, and playing on ice surfaces that have smaller dimensions than Spectrum." . . .
F Lukas Vartovnik (Everett, 2006-08) signed a one-year plus option contract with MHC Martin (Slovakia, Extraliga). He had four goals and two assists in 39 games for Banska Bystrica (Slovakia, Extraliga) and two goals in 14 games on loan to Brezno and Spisska Nova Ves (both Slovakia, 1.Liga) this season. . . .
D Sven Butenschön (Brandon, 1993-96) signed a one-year contract with the Nuremburg Ice Tigers (Germany, DEL). He had one goal in 33 games with Adler Mannheim (Germany, DEL) this season.
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Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times has spoken with Ron Salcer, who was the late Derek Boogaard’s agent. She also spoke with Al DiRoberto, the father of Torrey DiRoberto (Seattle, 1995-99). It turns out that concussions cut short Torrey’s career. Elliott’s piece is right here.
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Jason Peters of the Prince George Citizen writes about Derek Boogaard in today’s paper. There is some insight right here into what Boogaard went through as he dealt with his latest concussion.
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Larry Brooks of the New York Post writes on the legacy of Derek Boogaard, the New York Rangers enforcer whose body was discovered Friday. That piece is right here.
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Randy Starkman of the Toronto Star spoke with former NHLer Keith Primeau about Derek Boogaard and the family’s decision to allow researchers/scientists to examine his brain. Primeau, of course, has had concussion problems of his own. Starkman’s story is right here.
———There are plans afoot to make some changes to the Centrium in Red Deer. Paul Cowley of the Red Deer Advocate has that story right here. Westerner Park would like to add 1,000 seats and 14 luxury boxes to the facility that now has 5,735 seats.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
Former WHLer Matt Kassian is deep into the AHL playoffs with the Houston Aeros, who are affiliated with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild. With the Aeros holding a 2-0 lead on the Hamilton Bullodgs and with the series headed north for Game 3 tonight, Kassian tweeted:
“Big win — travel in the morning to the motherland and colored money.”
If you’re on Twitter, Kassian is at @kassassination.
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SOME NOTES ON THE ICE,courtesy of the Kootenay Ice:
F Jesse Ismond of the Kootenay Ice is the WHL’s player of the week. He had seven points, including three goals, and went plus-6 in the last three games of the WHL’s championship final. . . . The Ice is preparing to appear in its third Memorial Cup, having won it in 2002. . . . The Ice has played 144 playoff games in its 13 seasons in Cranbrook. Only Calgary (165) and Kelowna (155) have played more over that stretch. . . . The Ice is 85-59 in playoff games, and 17-10 in series. . . . The Ice has clinched three WHL championships, each of them on May 13 ((2000, 1-0 over Spokane; 2002; 3-2 in OT over Red Deer; 2011, 4-1 over Portland). . . . Kootenay finished the postseason with 559 games of playoff experience, led by F Kevin King (46), F Cody Eakin (40) and D Brayden McNabb (39). . . . The Ice set a franchise record for most consecutive games won in the playoffs with 11 (March 30–April 27). . . . The Ice set a franchise record for most consecutive games won at home with eight (March 26–May 11). . . . The Ice set a franchise record for most consecutive games won on the road with six (March 30–April 23). . . . F Max Reinhart tied a WHL record for the most goals scored in one game during the playoffs with five on April 27 against Medicine Hat. . . . Reinhart set a franchise record for most shorthanded goals during a playoff season with three and tied a franchise record for most shorthanded goals in one playoff game with two against Medicine Hat on April 27 (Martin Sagat, 2005). . . . Nathan Lieuwen set a franchise record for most shutouts during a playoff season with three and tied the career record for most shutouts in the playoffs with Dan Blackburn (2000 and 2001) F Matt Fraser, who led the WHL playoffs in goals, tied a franchise record for most goals scored during a playoff season with 17 (Duncan Milroy, 2002). . . . McNabb set a franchise record for most points by a defenceman during a playoff season with 27 and led the WHL in plus-minus, at plus-23, during the playoffs.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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