Showing posts with label Mike Fraser. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mike Fraser. Show all posts

Thursday, July 27, 2017

Hitmen trim two 20-year-olds ... Rasmussen joins Team Canada's camp ... Ex-Royals coach stays in NHL

The last rays of a setting sun bounce off a cloud over
the Monte Lake fire on Thursday night.
We woke up to a whole lot of smoke on Thursday, but it apparently was coming from the Elephant Hill fire, which is the one that has caused so much damage in the Ashcroft/Cache Creek area, and not the Monte Lake fire that started late Wednesday afternoon. However, by late afternoon on Thursday most of the smoke had moved away from our area, leaving behind a beautiful evening. . . . However, there was quite a bit of air traffic between Kamloops and Monte Lake at the same time, so they obviously aren't out of the woods there just yet. . . . With high winds and high temps forecast -- we've been around 35 and are headed for at least 37 in a day or two -- the summer of fire doesn't appear to be anywhere near its end.
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THE MacBETH REPORT . . .

F Taylor Stefishen (Prince George, 2010-11) has signed a one-year contract with the Edinburgh Capitals (Scotland, UK Elite). Last season, he had 12 goals and 23 assists in 44 games with Dijon (France, Ligue Magnus). He led his team in assists and points.
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A LITTLE OF THIS . . .


The Calgary Hitmen are left with four 20-year-olds on their roster after G Cody Porter and D Jaydan Gordon cleared waivers. . . . That leaves the Hitmen with G Nick Schneider, F Jakob Stukel, F Matteo Gennaro and D Brady Reagan as the four remaining 20s on their roster. Each WHL team will have to declare a maximum of three 20s shortly after the new season begins. . . . Porter, from North Vancouver, was 14-16-3, 3.46, .888 in 34 appearances with the Hitmen last season. In 117 regular-season appearances, 42 with the Vancouver Giants and 75 with Calgary — he is 52-42-9, 3.30, .887. . . . Gordon, from Cochrane, Alta., had two goals and six assists in 70 games last season. He played his first two seasons with the Swift Current Broncos. In 172 career games, he has three goals and 13 assists. . . . Porter’s departure leaves Schneider as Calgary’s undisputed No. 1 goaltender. At the moment, veteran Kyle Dumba, 19, would appear to be No. 2 on the depth chart. Chance are, however, that the Hitmen won’t want to go into the season with a 19-year-old in a backup role. . . . Schneider, who was acquired from the Medicine Hat Tigers this summer, has signed an entry-level contract as a free agent with the NHL’s Calgary Flames, whose parent company also owns the Hitmen.
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F Michael Rasmussen has been added to Team Canada’s roster for the World Junior Showcase that is scheduled to begin today (Friday) in Plymouth, Mich. . . . Rasmussen, from the Tri-City Americans, had last season cut short by a broken scaphoid in his left wrist. His addition to the roster would seem to indicate that he now is healthy. . . . Rasmussen was added after F Tyler Benson of the Vancouver Giants was forced to opt out. He apparently hasn’t yet fully recovered from sports hernia surgery in the spring. . . . F Nolan Patrick of the Brandon Wheat Kings, who has had at least two surgical procedures due to sports hernias, also isn’t able to take part. . . . Also unable to take part are F Gabe Vilardi of the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires and F Adam Mascherin of the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers.
Meanwhile, G Carl Stankowski, who backstopped the Seattle Thunderbirds to their first WHL championship last season, was scratched from Hockey Canada’s U-18 selection camp in Calgary due to an undisclosed injury. His spot was filled by Kevin Mandolese of the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. . . . Team Canada, under head coach Brent Kisio of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, will leave next week for the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup in Breclav, Czech Republic, and Bratislava, Slovakia. The tournament opens on Aug. 7.
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F Kolten Olynek, who played out his junior eligibility last season, has decided to attend the U of Western Ontario and play for the Mustangs in 2017-18. Olynek, who is from Saskatoon, was a second-round selection by the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the WHL’s 2011 bantam draft. . . . He split last season between the Prince Albert Raiders and Saskatoon Blades. During his career, he also played with the Hurricanes, Moose Jaw Warriors and Spokane Chiefs. . . . In 253 regular-season games, he had 32 goals and 45 assists.
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D Austin Adam, who played four seasons in the WHL with the Everett Silvertips and Moose Jaw Warriors, is transferring to Simon Fraser U after spending one season at the U of Western Ontario. . . . The 6-foot-6 Adam, 22, is from Surrey, B.C. He had a goal and two assists in 28 games with the Mustangs last season. . . . SFU plays in the B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League.
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Mike Fraser, a veteran WHL scout who now works for the Brandon Wheat Kings, also has been writing a column for the Brandon-based Westman Journal. Those columns have mostly revolved around the world of WHL scouts and there adventures. However, there has been a change at the Journal and Fraser has chosen to end his column-writing career, at least for now. His last column is right here.
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Really . . . I mean, really . . . how are we doing in Kamloops in this summer of flames? Well, it seems that old friend Jack Knox of the Victoria Times Colonist paid us a recent visit and he quite liked what he saw, except for the fact that his volunteer services weren’t needed, that is. . . . His last column is right here.
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If you’re a regular here, and even you aren’t, feel free to contribute to the feeding of the Drinnan family by making a donation to the cause. You are able to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
If you would like to contact Taking Note with information, have a question or just feel like commenting on something, feel free to send an email to greggdrinnan@gmail.com. I’m also on Twitter (@gdrinnan).
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THE CONCUSSION REPORT . . .

John Urschel sometimes was referred to as the smartest man in football. Urschel, 26, was in line to be the Baltimore Ravens’ starting centre in the upcoming season, that was before he surprised coaches, teammates and observers by announcing his retirement on Thursday. That decision came two days after researchers released the results of a study in which CTE was found in the brains of 110 of 111 deceased football players. . . . There’s more on Urschel’s decision right here.
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THE COACHING GAME . . .

Ben Cooper, a former WHL assistant coach, has signed on with the NHL’s Florida Panthers as their video coach. Cooper, 40, spent the past three seasons as the Vancouver Canucks’ video coach. Prior to that, he worked two seasons (2011-13) with the WHL’s Victoria Royals. . . . He also has experience with Hockey Canada, and was on the coaching staff of Canadian teams that won gold at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and the 2009 World Junior Championship.
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TWEET OF THE DAY



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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 9:45 PM
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Thursday, July 20, 2017

Why was K9 a healthy scratch? ... AHL's 2015 man of year joins Seattle ... Toth heading to school


D Patrik Maier (Kamloops, Moose Jaw, 2014-16) has signed a tryout contract with Benátky nad Jizerou (Czech Republic, 1. Liga). Last season, he had a goal and three assists in 53 games with Nové Zámky (Slovakia, Extraliga). . . . 
F Dustin Johner (Seattle, 1999-2004) has signed a one-year contract with the Belfast Giants (Northern Ireland, UK Elite). Last season, with Villach (Austria, Erste Bank Liga), he had 13 goals and 26 assists in 54 games.
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In this space on Thursday, there was a revisitation of a confrontation between a couple of WHL head coaches. Yes, there was photographic evidence, too.
The picture and story prompted all kinds of responses, including the above tweet from Brent Parker, who was the Regina Pats’ general manager for 15 years so was front and centre in a lot of the rivalry with the Moose Jaw Warriors.
In the tweet, he referred to the shenanigans that went on during a home-and-home series on March 24 and 25, 2000.
The series opened in the Moose Jaw Civic Centre, aka the Crushed Can.
At the time, the Warriors had a mascot with the moniker of Puckhead and it looked pretty much like you might imagine — with a giant puck for a head.
At one point during the game, Puckhead was taunted by a few fans who apparently were pals of Pats F Ryan Thomas. One thing led to another and a couple of the fans bodychecked Puckhead. When Puckhead shoved back, one of the fans, according to a piece at CBC.ca, began punching her.
Yes, Puckhead’s outfit was inhabited by a woman, the late Doreen Gurnsey, who was in her sixth season as the mascot. (Gurnsey passed away on Oct. 1, 2007.) 
“I’ve been kicked," she told CBC a few days later. “I’ve had beer poured over me. One fellow one time gave me a shove towards the ice. I mean that's down to the bleachers towards the ice. And it was just lucky that I had straddled the railing and was able to grip on. I'm quite sure I might not have lived through that.”
Anyway, during the altercation, Puckhead’s head came off. You know that the two fans were surprised to see a woman’s face looking back at them, and they quickly and quietly exited stage right.
In a recollection that is posted at rodpedersen.com, veteran Pats/Warriors observer Kelly Remple wrote:
“Following the game, Pats head coach Tim Tisdale sat quietly in the front of the bus, waiting to depart for the Queen City. A lunatic sporting black, red, and white approached the bus and banged on the door. The bus driver opened the door to hear what this maniac was shouting. As the door opened, the crazed fan looked at Tisdale and, like Jack Nicholson in The Shining, said: ‘Your dog is dead. DEAD! You understand me. Your dog is DEAD!’ A concerned Tisdale called home and asked his wife, ‘Honey, is the dog OK?’ ”
There were reports of threatening phone calls to the Pats’ office the following day and, of course, Parker made reference to threatening faxes.
For the record, the Warriors won the Friday game, 6-3, in front of 3,074 fans. The next night, the Pats posted a 3-2 victory before 6,231 fans. Yes, there was a line brawl. No, K9 wasn’t there to witness it.

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The rivalry between the Seattle Thunderbirds and Everett Silvertips may have taken another turn away from love on Thursday. That’s because the Thunderbirds, the WHL’s reigning champions, have hired Kyle Hagel as an assistant coach.
As is evident from the above tweet, Hagel and Mitch Love, Everett’s assistant GM/assistant coach, are
KYLE HAGEL
(Photo: seattlethunderbirds.com)
quite familiar with each other.
There is a whole more to Hagel than a scrap, however.
Hagel, 32, is from Hamilton. He played four seasons at Princeton before going on to a pro career that ended after last season. A defenceman who sometimes played on left wing, he played the last three seasons with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers.
After 2014-15, Hagel was honoured as the AHL’s IOA/American Specialty AHL man of the year. He was presented with the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award, which is awarded annually, according to the AHL, to a player “for his outstanding contributions to his local community and charitable organizations.” That was the fifth time that Hagel had been nominated by his AHL team for the award.
Hagel also is a co-founder of HP4K (Hockey Players for Kids), a non-profit organization that, according to its website, is “made up of hockey players around the world who are dedicated to positively impacting the communities they play in. . . . HP4K believes that promoting player interaction with children is the best way they can achieve this impact, and acts as a catalyst in connecting players with kids in their communities.”
O’Dette and Hagel met for the first time when they were teammates for part of the 2008-09 season with the ECHL’s Fresno Falcons. That was Hagel’s first season as a pro player, while it was O’Dette’s last one.
The Thunderbirds will hire one more assistant coach before the season. One vacancy was created when the Thunderbirds moved Matt O’Dette from assistant to head coach after Steve Konowalchuk left for the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks. The other spot came open when assistant coach Tyler Alos chose to leave the organization.
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G Rylan Toth, who played out his junior eligibility with the Seattle Thunderbirds last season, has decided to attend UBC and play for the Thunderbirds in 2017-18. . . . Toth led WHL goaltenders in regular-season victories (36) last season. He had a 2.75 GAA and .902 save percentage. He suffered an undisclosed injury late in the season and didn’t play again until getting into two games during the Memorial Cup tournament. . . . Toth also played two seasons with the Red Deer Rebels. . . . In 158 regular-season games, the Saskatoon native was 90-51-13, 2.76, .906.
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The BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals have signed Brian Passmore as their new general manager and head coach. He takes over from Bob Beatty, who has resigned after four seasons with the Capitals. Beatty had spent 17 seasons in the SJHL before signing with the Capitals prior to the 2013-14 season. . . . Passmore, 37, has been the head coach of the bantam prep team at Shawnigan Lake School for the past two seasons. . . . Passmore also has coaching experience in the junior B Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League, having spent two seasons with the Peninsula Panthers and one with the Westshore Wolves. . . . The Capitals also announced that Dan Whiteford will be back for a second season as assistant coach, while Darren Rodney, who had been the assistant GM,  now is director of hockey operations.
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Mike Fraser, who scouts for the Brandon Wheat Kings, also has been writing a weekly column for the Brandon-based Westman Journal. In this week’s ponderings, who looks back at five years with the Wheat Kings. That column is right here. . . . With the Journal undergoing a change in the editor’s office, Fraser has chosen to step back, so next week’s column will be his last one. 
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Darren Steinke, the wandering blogger, spent a lot of the 2016-17 WHL season visiting various arenas. On Thursday, he blogged about his travels and how much fun he had. It’s all right here.
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If you’re a regular here, and even you aren’t, feel free to contribute to the feeding of the Drinnan family by making a donation to the cause. You are able to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
If you would like to contact Taking Note with information, have a question or just feel like commenting on something, feel free to send an email to greggdrinnan@gmail.com. I’m also on Twitter (@gdrinnan).
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 9:49 PM
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Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Brown backstops Pats to Game 3 win ... Holmes scores winner ... Seattle stymied on late PP


F Waltteri Hopponen (Everett, 2013-14) has signed a one-year contract with Espoo United (Finland, Mestis). This season, with HPK Hämeenlinna (Finland SM-Liiga), he had one assist in 21 games. On loan to LeKi Lempäälä (Finland, Mestis), he had six goals and eight assists in 23 games.
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 There was never any chance that F Keegan Kolesar of the Seattle Thunderbirds would be suspended after he took a minor penalty for kneeing in OT during Game 2 of the WHL’s championship final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup on Saturday in Regina.
During a scrum, Kolesar issued a post-whistle knee to Pats D Connor Hobbs. The Pats scored on the ensuing PP, to record a 4-3 victory and tie the series, 1-1.
Hobbs went down after the knee struck him, but wasn’t injured.
 “A team cannot request supplemental discipline for a minor penalty unless there’s an injury that will keep the player out of at least one game,” Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president, hockey, told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post. Doerksen looks after discipline for the WHL.
Had Kolesar been slapped with a major and game misconduct, Doerksen would have given the play an automatic review.
Interestingly, Kolesar missed Game 1 of the championship series as he served a one-game suspension handed down after he took a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct in the last game of the Western Conference final with the Kelowna Rockets.
Harder’s story is right here.
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The Regina Pats are to be the host team for the 2018 Memorial Cup. As such, they have at least some hope of luring F Tyson Jost into their lineup for the 2017-18 WHL season.
Jost played this season at the U of North Dakota, then finished up with the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, which had taken him 10th overall in the 2016 NHL draft.
Jost, who turned 19 on March 14, had 35 points, including 16 goals, in 33 games at UND, then added one goal in six NHL games. He also played for Canada at the World Junior Championship, putting up a goal and three assists in seven games.
The Pats acquired Jost’s rights from the Everett Silvertips, who had selected him with the seventh overall pick in the 2013 WHL bantam draft.
However, judging from the above quote from Joe Sakic, the Avalanche’s GM, it could be that Jost is ticketed for the NHL team next season.
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The Prince George Cougars have signed D Jack Sander, 17, of Beaumont, Alta., to a WHL contract. Sander played the past two seasons with the midget AAA Leduc, Alta., Oil Kings. This season, he had three goals and eight assists in 34 regular-season games, then added two goals and five assists in 14 playoff games. The Cougars got a good look at him during the recent Telus Cup national championship in Prince George, where he had a goal and an assist in five games.
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The Everett Silvertips announced Tuesday that they have signed Bil La Forge, their director of player personnel, to a “multi-year contract extension.” Jesse Gelenyse of the Everett Herald reports that it is a two-year extension. . . . La Forge, who turned 43 on Tuesday, has completed three seasons as Everett’s director of player personnel. From Edmonton, he signed on with the organization as a scout in 2008 and was promoted to head scout for the 2011-12 season. In the WHL, he also has worked with the Tri-City Americans and Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . La Forge’s late father, Bill, did a turn as head coach of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks and also coached the WHL’s Regina Pats and Kamloops Junior Oilers.
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F Colby McAuley, who played out his junior eligibility with the Prince George Cougars this season, has signed a two-year contract with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda. . . . The Barracuda is the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s San Jose Sharks. . . . In 191 regular-season games with the Cougars, McAuley had 44 goals and 52 assists. This season, he had 26 goals and 29 assists, both single-season highs, in 68 games. . . . After the season, he signed an ATO with the Barracuda and recorded two assists in four games.
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Mike Fraser, the Writing Scout, completed his 12th season as a WHL scout with the end of Thursday’s bantam draft. In this week’s column for the Brandon-based Westman Journal, Fraser lets us in on a scout’s feelings as another long season draws to its conclusion. That column is right here.
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In the QMJHL, the visiting Saint John Sea Dogs beat the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, 2-0, on Tuesday night and now lead the championship series, 3-0. They’ll play Game 4 in Blainville-Boisbriand tonight. . . . G Callum Booth earned the shutout with 22 saves. F Samuel Dove-McFalls (5) scored both goals, the first at 12:28 of the second period and the second at 19:44 of the third. . . . Announced attendance was 3,500. . . . The OHL final also resumes tonight. The visiting Erie Otters hold a 2-1 lead over the Mississauga Steelheads.
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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
If interested, you also are able to follow me on Twitter at @gdrinnan.
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Coaching

 Sam Waterfield is the new head coach of the junior B Saanich Braves of the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League. Cook replaces Brad Cook, who remains with the organization as vice-president of hockey operations. Waterfield is a former Braves defenceman who has been attending NAIT in Edmonton. . . . Mackenzie Valentine, who also played for the Braves, will be staying on as an assistant coach. . . . This season, the Braves finished second in the five-team South Division, at 29-15-1-3. In the playoffs, they dropped a first-round series to the third-place Kerry Park Islanders in six games.
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Former WHL/NHL F Mike Sillinger has joined the staff of the Okanagan Hockey Academy as a skills coach. Sillinger, 45, worked with the Edmonton Oilers as their director of player development (2008-15), and also has been an assistant coach with the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians (2013-17).
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TUESDAY’S GAME:


At Kent, Wash., the Regina Pats, with some terrific play from G Tyler Brown, held off a late Seattle power play to beat the Thunderbirds, 3-2. . . . Regina now leads the championship final for the Ed Chynoweth
TYLER BROWN
Cup, 2-1, with Game 3 scheduled for Kent tonight. . . . All three games have been decided by one goal. In Regina, Seattle won Game 1, 2-1, in OT, with Regina taking Game 2, 4-3, in OT. . . . Last night, Regina F Austin Wagner was hit with a cross-checking minor at 18:33 of the third period. Seattle pulled G Carl Stankowski for the extra attacker, giving the hosts a 6-on-4 advantage. . . . However, Brown, who finished with 35 saves, held the fort. . . . Stankowski stopped 25 shots. That included stopping Regina F Sam Steel, the WHL’s scoring champion, on a penalty shot at 12:45 of the third period. Steel decked to the backhand, but Stankowski stayed with him to make the save. . . . The winning goal came from F Robbie Holmes (3), who scored off the rush from the left wing. He had two goals in 54 regular-season games. . . . The first period featured five PPs and four goals, three of them coming with the man advantage. . . . D Connor Hobbs (6) got Regina on the scoreboard first, pounding home a slapshot while on the PP, at 3:27. . . . The Thunderbirds tied it at 7:18, on a PP, with F Alexander True (10) scoring off a pass from F Mathew Barzal, who now has a 13-game playoff point streak. . . . The Pats went back out front at 7:33, on another PP, as D Chase Harrison scored his first goal of these
ROBBIE HOLMES
playoffs on a wrist shot through traffic. At that point, eight of the 13 goals scored in the series had come from defencemen. . . . Seattle tied it at 14:48 as F Sami Moilanen (5) scored the only even-strength goal of the period, this one coming off a rebound. . . . Regina was 2-4 on the PP; Seattle was 1-4. . . . Seattle’s chances on its final PP weren’t helped when Barzal was hit with an embellishment minor, with Regina F Wyatt Sloboshan taking a hooking minor on the same play. . . . Seattle head coach Steve Konowalchuk didn’t like that call one bit, telling reporters: “If a guy throws his hands up and loses his stick, it’s a sure sign of penalty.” . . . True’s 10th goal of these playoffs set a single-playoff franchise record, breaking the mark set by F Torrey DiRoberto in 1997. (Stick tap to TBird Tidbits). . . . Regina scratches: F Adam Brooks, D Dawson Davidson and F Jake Leschyshyn, all with injuries, G Max Paddock, F Duncan Pierce and F Owen Williams. . . . Seattle’s scratches: G Rylan Toth (injured), F Elijah Brown, F Tyler Carpendale, F Dillon Hamaliuk, D Jake Lee and F Luke Ormsby. . . . Announced attendance: 6,178. . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has a game story right here. . . . Andy Eide of 710 ESPN Seattle has a game story right here.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Regina vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m. (Regina leads, 2-1)
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THURSDAY’S GAME:

No Game Scheduled.
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FRIDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Regina vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m.

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.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:54 PM
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Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Hurricanes blow past Rebels; Vandervlis sparks Game 7 victory . . . Ingram gets NHL deal


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 A couple of years ago, Dean (Scooter) Vrooman, who would be one of the first inductees into a WHL Hall of Fame if their was such an animal, did the research into the WHL and seven- and nine-game playoff series.
I have updated it to include the first round of this season’s playoffs.
From 2012 through April 4, the road team is 3-10 in Game 7s. (The three victories? The Edmonton Oil Kings beat the Portland Winterhawks, 4-2, in Game 7 of the 2014 championship final; the Kelowna Rockets scored a 3-2 OT victory over the Victoria Royals in Game 7 of the B.C. Division final in 2016; and on Monday night the Swift Current Broncos went into Moose Jaw and beat the Warriors, 3-2.)
From 2004 through 2011, the road team was 10-10 in Game 7s.
From 1986 through 2003, the road team was 3-29 in Game 7s (or Game 9s).
From the beginning of the WHL in 1966-67 through 1984, the road team was 5-10 in Game 7s or Game 9s.
Overall, in 80 deciding games in series that went the distance (7 or 9 games) in league history, the home team is 59-21.
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Meanwhile, Hartley Miller, who worked on the Prince George Cougars’ radio crew this season, provided some information now that the first round of the WHL playoffs is over.
He points out that the first round featured 44 games with the home-road split right down the middle — 22-22. There were two Game 7s, with the home team going 1-1.
In six of the eight series, the home team went .500.
The exceptions? In the series between the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Red Deer Rebels, the home team was 5-2; in the matchup between the Moose Jaw Warriors and Swift Current Broncos, the home team was 2-5.
Bring on the second round!
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NHLG Connor Ingram of the Kamloops Blazers has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning, which selected him in the third round of the NHL’s 2016 draft. Ingram is on his way to join the Syracuse Crunch, the Lightning’s AHL affiliate. . . . Ingram was 2-4, 2.18, .946 in a just-completed first-round series against the Kelowna Rockets. Tampa Bay GM Steve Yzerman was in Kamloops for Game 4. That night, Ingram stopped 48 shots in a 1-0 loss to the Rockets. . . . In three seasons with the Blazers, Ingram is 81-50-18, 2.68, .918. . . . He turned 20 on March 31, so next season will be eligible to play in anywhere in Tampa Bay’s organization or in the WHL as a 20-year-old.
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The Portland Winterhawks have signed D Ryan Miley, who is from Brookings, S.D. He played this season with the Sioux Falls Stampede U16 AAA team, putting up 39 points, including 14 goals, in 50 games. Miley, who will turn 17 on July 12, is an undrafted list player, who was in Portland’s training camp prior to this season.
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F Tyler Robertson, who played three-plus seasons with the Edmonton Oil Kings, has committed to attend NAIT and play for the Ooks next season. Robertson, from Sherwood Park, Alta., was part of the 2014 Memorial Cup-championship Oil Kings team. . . . Robertson, who will turn 21 on Oct. 1, had 87 points, including 40 goals, in 235 regular-season games with the Oil Kings.
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With the Regina Pats and Swift Current Broncos preparing to begin a second-round WHL playoff series on Thursday, Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post takes a look at the franchise that really is a miracle on the Saskatchewan prairie. That piece is right here. 
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Mike Fraser, the wandering and writing scout, is back with another solid piece. This week, he takes a look at a terrific underdog story from the Alberta Midget Hockey League, and also bemoans the fact that there won’t be a Pacific regional midget AAA series this month. That piece, from the Westman Journal, is right here.
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USHLThe Sioux City Musketeers wrapped up the Anderson Cup as the USHL’s regular-season champions on Sunday with a 4-1 victory over the visiting Tri-City Storm. With three games remaining, the Musketeers, who also won the Western Conference title, were at 40-10-7 and had won seven in a row. Jay Varady, the Musketeers’ head coach, spent seven seasons (2003-10) in the WHL on the coaching staff of the Everett Silvertips. He is in his fourth season with the Musketeers. Mark LeRose, in his third season as Sioux City’s general manager, was an assistant in Everett for three seasons (2007-09, 2013-14). . . . The USHL playoffs begin next week.
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In the OHL on Tuesday night, the host London Knights beat the Windsor Spitfires, 3-2, in Game 7 of that first-round series. The Knights are the defending Memorial Cup champions, while the Spitfires are in this year’s tournament as the host team. . . . In another OHL Game 7, the host Kingston Frontenacs scored a 3-2 OT victory over the Hamilton Bulldogs. . . . In the OHL’s second round, the Knights face the Erie Otters, the Frontenacs go against the Peterborough Petes, the Owen Sound Attack plays the Soo Greyhounds, and the Oshawa Generals meet the Mississauga Steelheads.
There was one Game 7 in the QMJHL’s first round, with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles scoring a 5-4 OT victory over the Gatineau Olympiques on Tuesday night. . . . In the second round, the Screaming Eagles will face the Charlottetown Islanders, the Acadie-Bathurst Titan go against the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, the Val-d’Or Foreurs play the Saint John Sea Dogs, and the Chicoutimi Sagueneens face the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.
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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
If interested, you also are able to follow me on Twitter at @gdrinnan.
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TUESDAY’S GAME:

At Lethbridge, the Hurricanes scored four PP goals en route to a 6-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels in Game 7 of their first-round series. . . . Lethbridge won the series by winning each of the last three games. . . . The Hurricanes, who finished second in the Central Division, advance to meet the first-place Medicine
RYAN VANDERVLIS
Hat Tigers in a second-round series. They will open with games in Medicine Hat on Friday and Saturday nights. . . . The Hurricanes and Tigers haven’t met in the playoffs since 1991. Back then, the 14-team WHL featured two divisions and the Hurricanes beat the Tigers in seven games in the division final. The Spokane Chiefs then swept the Hurricanes from the championship final. . . . Last night, the Hurricanes, who hadn’t won a series since 2009, opened a 2-0 lead on first-period PP goals just 1:03 apart. . . . D Brennan Menell scored at 7:21, the first of two goals the home team would score with a 5-on-3 advantage. . . . F Giorgio Estephan (2) made it 2-0 at 8:24. . . . F Lane Zablocki (6) scored for Red Deer at 19:08, but Lethbridge got that one back just 22 seconds later when F Ryan Vandervlis counted. . . . Vandervlis enjoyed a four-point outing. . . . The Hurricanes got some insurance from F Jordy Bellerive (2), who scored while shorthanded at 9:29 of the second period. . . . F Brandon Hagel (7) got the Rebels to within two goals at 2:31 of third period, but the Hurricanes put it away with two more PP goals. . . . Vandervlis scored his fourth goal of the series at 8:18 and Menell got his third goal at 10:33. . . . The Hurricanes got two assists from each of F Tyler Wong, F Zak Zborosky, Vandervlis and Estephan, with Bellerive and Menell each getting one. . . . Vandervlis, an 18-year-old from Red Deer, finished the series with four goals and three assists. In the regular season, he had 25 points, including eight goals, in 60 games. . . . G Stuart Skinner recorded the victory with 31 saves. . . . Red Deer starter Riley Lamb gave up four goals on 19 shots in 29:29. Lasse Petersen came on to finish up, allowing two goals on 12 shots in 30:31. . . . Lethbridge was 4-6 on the PP; Red Deer was 0-3. . . . The Rebels were without F Evan Polei, who had nine points, including three goals, in the first six games. He was serving a WHL suspension after taking a headshot major and game misconduct in Game 6. . . . Lethbridge F Tanner Nagel, the subject of that hit, didn’t finish Game 6. But he was cleared to play and was in the lineup for Game 7. . . . Announced attendance: 5,244.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:

No Games Scheduled.
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THURSDAY GAMES (all times local):

Swift Current at Regina, 7 p.m. (Game 1)

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:11 PM
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Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Closing in on WHL playoffs . . . Raiders get No. 1 draft selection . . . Hockey Canada picks Hamilton


D Brett Carson (Moose Jaw, Calgary, 2001-06) has signed a one-year extension with SaiPa Lappeenranta (Finland, Liiga). This season, he had three goals and five assists in 30 games.
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The WHL playoffs open on seven fronts on Friday night.
There are series previews available elsewhere, starting with dubnetwork.ca and whl.ca, so I’m not going to bother replicating any of that work.
Instead, here’s a quick look at each series and the injury implications, knowing full well that, like Sgt. Schultz, we’ll know nothing until Friday’s lineups are posted:
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WESTERN CONFERENCE

Everett (44-16-12, 1st in U.S., 1st in conference) vs. Victoria (37-29-6, 2nd wild-card): They’ll play Friday and Saturday in Everett. . . . The Silvertips swept the season series, going 4-0-0; the Royals were 0-3-1. . . . D Aaron Irving missed a couple of late-season games but has returned and will be a key for Everett. Their top three defencemen — Noah Juulsen, Kevin Davis and Irving — all are right-hand shots. . . . Everett F Devon Skoleski didn’t finish Sunday’s final game, while F Orrin Centazzo won’t play again this season. . . . Victoria F Tyler Soy missed a good chunk of time late in the season, but returned for the last couple of games. . . . The Royals may open without F Ryan Peckford, D Ralph Jarratt and D Chaz Reddekopp, all of whom are injured. Peckford is practising, while Jarratt is skating in a non-contact sweater. Reddekopp, who has a broken foot, won’t be there for the start of the series.
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Prince George (45-21-6, 1st in B.C.) vs. Portland (40-28-4, 1st wild-card): It starts with games Friday and Sunday in Prince George. . . . How competitive was the Western Conference? Portland is a wild-card entry with 40 victories. . . . In the season series, the Cougars were 2-2-0; the Winterhawks 2-1-1. . . . Prince George F Brad Morrison suffered an ankle injury in a Feb. 24 fight and hasn’t played since. He’s a point-a-game guy. . . . Portland F Cody Glass, who will be an early first-round selection in the NHL’s 2017 draft, missed the season’s last five periods. He had 94 points, including 32 goals, in 69 games. . . . The Winterhawks have been without F Evan Weinger, a 20-goal man, for 10 games. He last played on Feb. 24. . . . Portland might find motivation from the fact that it wanted a 2-3-2 format, but Prince George got the 2-2-1-1-1 it wanted, perhaps believed that the bus travel will wear on the Winterhawks. . . . The Cougars, who went wire-to-wire to win the B.C. Division, will get motivation from the fact it didn’t place one player on the conference all-star team or have anyone win an individual award. They also didn’t show up in the final CHL rankings.
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Seattle (46-20-6, 2nd in U.S.) vs. Tri-City (41-28-3, 3rd in U.S.): They’ll get started in Kent, Wash., on Friday and Saturday. . . . Seattle won the season series, 6-2-0. . . . Seattle F Mathew Barzal had 79 points, including 69 assists, in 41 games but hasn’t played since March 7 because of the mumps. Will he, or won’t he? We won’t know until Friday. . . . Seattle G Rylan Toth led the WHL with 36 victories but last played on March 11. How badly injured is he? We’ll find out on Friday. . . . Two Tri-City forwards — Max James and Vladislav Lukin — are back from late-season injuries. Each played two of three weekend games and should be ready for Friday. However, F Nolan Yaremko is likely out after being injured in practice last week, and F Michael Rasmussen (wrist) won’t play in this series.
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Kelowna 45-22-5, 2nd in B.C.) vs. Kamloops (42-24-6, 3rd in B.C.): The series begins in Kelowna on Friday and Saturday. . . . Kamloops was 6-3-1 in the season series; the Rockets were 4-6-0. . . . Since the start of the 2015-16 exhibition season, these teams have met 30 times. Kelowna is 16-13-1 in those games; Kamloops is 14-14-2. . . . A year ago, the Rockets beat the Blazers in a seven-game first-round series, winning Game 7, 2-1, in OT on a goal by F Tomas Soustal. . . . The Rockets have been missing Soustal, a point-a-game guy who hasn’t played since he was injured while blocking a shot on March 1. . . . The Blazers are believed to be healthy.
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EASTERN CONFERENCE

Regina (52-12-7, 1st in East, 1st in conference, 1st overall) vs. Calgary (30-32-10, 2nd wild-card): They’ll get started with games in Regina on Friday and Saturday. . . . Regina won the season series, 3-1-0; Calgary was 1-2-1. . . . The Pats go into the playoffs on an eight-game winning streak. . . . Regina F Jake Leschyshyn (knee) won’t play again this season. The Pats will be without F Nick Henry for Game 1 as he serves a one-game WHL suspension. . . . The Hitmen are believed to be healthy.
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Medicine Hat (51-20-1, 1st in Central) vs. Brandon (31-31-10, 1st wild-card): The Wheat Kings open defence of the Ed Chynoweth Cup in Medicine Hat on Friday and Saturday. . . . The Tigers won the season series, 3-1-0. . . . Medicine Hat may get back two defencemen — Kristians Rubins and Ty Schultz. Both have been out with injuries but have been taking part in full practices this week. . . . Brandon D Garrett Sambrook hasn’t played since Feb. 24. The Wheaties say he is out with an illness that isn’t mumps. . . . F Reid Duke, who led the Wheat Kings in goals (37) and assists (71), was injured in a 7-1 loss to host Regina on Friday and didn’t play in the Pats’ 6-0 victory in Brandon on Saturday. . . . Brandon also was without F Tanner Kaspick, D Kale Clague and F Nolan Patrick on Saturday. However, all four of those players returned to practice this week. . . . The Wheat Kings will get F Tyler Coulter back from a one-game suspension.
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Lethbridge (44-21-7, 2nd in Central) vs. Red Deer (30-29-13, 3rd in Central): They’ll get started in Lethbridge on Saturday and Sunday. . . . The Hurricanes were 5-0-1 in the season series; the Rebels were 1-4-1. . . . Two of the Hurricanes’ top forwards — Matt Alfaro and Zak Zborosky — have played once (March 15) since March 4. Both are point-a-game players. . . . Red Deer won’t have D Alex Alexeyev, F Adam Musil or F Reese Johnson. F Grayson Pawlenchuk is skating but hasn’t been cleared for contact after January shoulder surgery. D Austin Pratt is doubtful.
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Moose Jaw (42-21-9, 2nd in East) vs. Swift Current (39-23-10, 3rd in East): It begins with games in Moose Jaw on Friday and Saturday. . . . The Warriors won the season series, 4-2-0. . . . Despite being 175 km apart on the Trans-Canada Highway, these rivals haven’t met in the playoffs since Moose Jaw won a six-game series in 1999. . . . The Warriors may have F Spencer Bast available after a late-season injury. . . . For their final regular-season game, the Broncos’ scratches included G Jordan Papirny, (mumps), F Lane Pederson, D Colby Sissons, D Max Lajoie, F Kaden Elder and F Ryan Graham. Emanuel Viveiros, the Broncos’ head coach, has said they should have all of them back for Game 1, with the exception of Graham.
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The Prince Albert Raiders won the WHL’s draft lottery on Wednesday, meaning they moved up two spots and now hold the first selection the bantam draft that is scheduled for May 4 in Calgary.
In the standings, the Raiders had finished ahead of the last-place Kootenay Ice, which now has the second pick, and the Vancouver Giants, who have the third pick.
The Edmonton Oil Kings are in the fourth spot, followed by the Saskatoon Blades and Spokane Chiefs. The rest of the first round is in the inverse order of the final regular-season standings, as are the remaining rounds.
The Raiders also hold an option on the Kelowna Rockets’ first-round selection, thanks to a deal in which F Reid Gardiner headed west. The Raiders have to exercise that option this draft or in 2018. Prince Albert also holds two second-round picks and three in the third round.
When Jeff D'Andrea of paNOW asked Curtis Hunt, the Raiders’ general manager about the possibility of trading the No. 1 pick, the response was:
“My track record proves that I’ll trade just about everything. I haven’t thought about it, but if it worked for us now and in the future, I think you have to consider everything moving forward.”
The Raiders haven’t held the first selection since 2001. That’s when they took F Kyle Chipchura, who went on to total 165 points, including 59 goals, over four seasons with them.
Some observers have D Kaiden Guhle, a 6-foot-1, 170-pounder from Sherwood Park, Alta., as the favourite to go first overall. The Raiders selected his brother, Brendan, with the third overall pick in the 2012 draft. He was dealt to the Prince George Cougars this season.
Here is the first-round order for the 2017 bantam draft, as of Wednesday night
1. Prince Albert
2. Kootenay
3. Vancouver
4. Edmonton
5. Saskatoon
6. Spokane
7. Calgary
8. Brandon
9. Swift Current (from Red Deer)
10. Saskatoon (from Victoria)
11. Portland
12. Tri-City
13. Swift Current
14. Kamloops
15. Moose Jaw
16. Lethbridge
17. Kelowna (Prince Albert has option)
18. Prince George
19. Seattle
20. Everett
21. Medicine Hat
22. Red Deer (from Regina)
NOTES: Portland is in the first round with its own selection for the first time since Nov. 28, 2012, when the WHL took away first-round picks in five straight drafts, starting in 2013. That was after ruling that the Winterhawks had violated rules regarding player benefits. . . . Prince Albert holds an option on Kelowna’s first-round pick in 2017 or 2018. . . . Swift Current holds Red Deer’s first-round pick from a Dec. 27, 2015 trade in which F Jake Debrusk went to the Rebels, with F Lane Pederson among the pieces going to the Broncos. . . . Saskatoon has Victoria’s first-round pick from a Jan. 6, 2015 deal in which F Alex Forsberg went to the Royals. . . . Red Deer has Regina’s first-round selection from a Jan. 10 deal that involved, among other things, D Josh Mahura and F Jeff de Wit going to the Pats for F Lane Zablocki and D Dawson Barteaux. . . . To keep up on WHL trades involving draft picks, visit Alan Caldwell’s blog, Small Thoughts at Large, right here.
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The WHL also announced its all-star teams and some of its award winners on Wednesday. For a look at those lists, visit whl.ca.
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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
If interested, you also are able to follow me on Twitter at @gdrinnan.
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The U of Saskatchewan Huskies of 2016-17 had some 23 players on their roster who played in the WHL. You may have seen the Huskies on action on TV last weekend. They were in Fredericton, N.B., where they lost the Canadian university final, 5-3, to the U of New Brunswick Varsity Reds on Sunday. . . . But there was more to the story than that. It seems the Huskies ‘adopted’ a young hockey player, Carson Ferdinand, and gave him the thrill of a lifetime by making him part of the team. . . . It’s a nifty story — especially when you consider that Carson’s mother is a swim coach at UNB — and Darren Zary of the Saskatoon Star Phoenix has it all right here.
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Steve Ewen of Postmedia tweeted Wednesday morning that F Ty Ronning of the Vancouver Giants “says he’s signed a PTO with the Hartford Wolf Pack, the AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers.”
The 5-foot-9, 170-pound Ronning was a seventh-round selection by the Rangers in the NHL’s 2016 draft.
The son of former NHL F Cliff Ronning, Ty had 53 points, including 25 goals, in 68 games with the Giants this season. He led them in goals and points, and was selected as the team’s MVP.
In 215 regular-season games, he has 134 points, including 66 goals.
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Hockey Canada has named Darren Rumble, the head coach of the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats, as head coach of the team that will play in the 2017 IIHF U-18 World Championship. . . . Rumble, a former assistant coach with the Seattle Thunderbirds (2012-13), was an assistant coach with Hockey Canada’s U-18 team at the 2015 and 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup summer tournaments. . . . Rumble’s assistant coaches at the World Championship will be Steve Hamilton of the Edmonton Oil Kings and Stephane Julien of the QMJHL’s Sherbrooke Phoenix. . . . Jory Stuparyk of the Oil Kings will be the video coach, with Hockey Canada’s Fred Brathwaite the goaltending consultant. . . . The 10-team U18 World Championship is scheduled for Poprad and Spisska Nova Ves, Slovakia, from April 13-23. Canada is in a pool with Finland, Latvia, Slovakia and Switzerland. The other pool features Belarus, Czech Republic, Russia, Sweden and the U.S.
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The Prince George Cougars have signed F Chance Adrian to a WHL contract. From Dalmeny, Sask., he was a seventh-round pick by the Red Deer Rebels in the 2014 bantam draft. He was dropped and the Cougars added him to their protected list in December. . . . Adrian, who won‘t turn 18 until Nov. 16, had 46 points, including 19 goals, in 43 games with the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts this season.
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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
If interested, you also are able to follow me on Twitter at @gdrinnan.
———
“At some point, you just have to suck it up and play.” . . . That’s how Mike Fraser, the writing scout, starts this week’s column for the Brandon-based Westman Journal. Fraser, who scouts for the Wheat Kings, spends a lot of time in Western Canada’s arenas, and he sees it all. . . . You don’t want to miss his latest work and it’s right here.
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Elliotte Friedman leads this week’s 30 Thoughts with a look at the staredown that is doing on between USA Hockey and its national women’s team. As he points out. the American women are tying to get what Canada’s national women’s team already has. . . . That’s all right here.
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Griffin Foulk, who played in the WHL with the Everett Silvertips, Seattle Thunderbirds, Lethbridge Hurricanes and Swift Current Broncos (2012-16), is from Broomfield, Colo. These days, he’s attending Colorado U and has walked on with the school’s football team, the Buffaloes. "It was one of those things where I elected to forego college hockey and try and go professional at the age of 16, and it kind of came time this past fall to make the call to get my education," Foulk, 21, told Adam Dunivan of BoCoPreps.com. "But I love competing, I love working hard and it's just second nature to me. Coming here, having an opportunity to try out . . . I'm just dipping my toes in the water right now but I hope to make something of it." . . . Dunivan’s story is right here. 
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MONDAY-THURSDAY GAMES:

No Games Scheduled.
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FRIDAY GAMES (all times local):

(Game 1, best-of-seven series)
Swift Current at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Brandon at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Calgary at Regina, 7 p.m.
Kamloops at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Victoria at Everett, 7:35 p.m.
Tri-City vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m.
Portland at Prince George, 7 p.m.
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SATURDAY GAMES (all times local):

(Game 2, best-of-seven series)
Red Deer at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Swift Current at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Brandon at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Calgary at Regina, 7 p.m.
Kamloops at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Victoria at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Tri-City vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.

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.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 9:04 PM
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