Seattle captain gets AHL deal ... Warriors' pick signs with Lightning ... WHL flavour to conference

Today's Malcolm pic.twitter.com/XuifFqkIIu

— Edmonton Journal (@edmontonjournal) July 1, 2017

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D Filip Novák (Regina, 1999-2002) has signed a one-year extension with České Budějovice (Czech Republic, 1. Liga). He had two goals and four assists in 14 games there last season. Novák started last season with Pardubice (Czech Republic, Extraliga), scoring a goal and adding two assists in nine games, then moved to Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, KHL), where he had three assists in 11 games. . . .

F Linden Vey (Medicine Hat, 2006-11) has signed a one-year contract with Barys Astana (Kazakhstan, KHL). Last season, he was pointless in four games with the Calgary Flames (NHL). In 61 games with the Stockton Heat (AHL), he had 15 goals and a team-high 40 assists. . . .

D Darren Dietz (Saskatoon, 2009-13) has signed a one-year contract with Barys Astana (Kazakhstan, KHL). Last season, he had six goals and six assists in 39 games with the Hershey Bears (AHL), and had two assists in 13 games with the Texas Stars (AHL) 13. . . .

F Radek Duda (Regina, Lethbridge, 1998-2000) has signed a one-year extension with Freiburg (Germany, DEL2). Last season, he had 18 goals and 29 assists in 48 games.

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F Scott Eansor, who played out his junior eligibility in winning a WHL title with the Seattle Thunderbirds last season, went to the New York Islanders’ development camp without a contract. On Saturday, he signed with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the Islanders’ AHL affiliate, for 2017-18. . . . Eansor played four seasons with the Thunderbirds, totalling 129 points, including 47 goals, in 219 games. Last season, the native of Englewood, Colo., captained the Thunderbirds and had 18 goals and 20 assists in 40 games, then added five goals and seven assists in 20 playoff games.

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The NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning have signed D Oleg Sosunov, 19, to a three-year entry-level contract. He was a sixth-round selection in the NHL’s 2016 draft. . . . On Wednesday, the Moose Jaw Warriors picked Sosunov, who is from Ryazan, Russia, in the CHL’s import draft. . . . Interestingly, the Tampa Bay news release on Sosunov’s signing doesn’t mention the Warriors. . . . The 6-foot-8, 230-pound Sosunov was pointless in 32 games with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (MHL) last season.

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There will be a real WHL flavour to the annual Hockey Coaches Conference when it runs in Vancouver, July 14-15.

At least five of the presenting coaches have ties to the WHL.

Glen Gulutzan, the head coach of the NHL’s Calgary Flames, played with the Moose Jaw Warriors, Brandon Wheat Kings and Saskatoon Blades. His presentation is entitled ‘Motivating your team by creating a vision.’

Richard Matvichuk, the head coach of the Prince George Cougars, is to present on teaching puck retrieval and breakout skills. He spent three seasons (1989-92) as a defenceman with the Blades.

Jamie Kompon, an assistant coach with the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets, spent two seasons as the Portland Winterhawks’ general manager and head coach. His presentation is: Details of the game — A breakdown of some essential skills.

Jay Varady, the head coach of the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers, will present on technology in coaching. He is a former Everett Silvertips assistant coach.

Craig Cunningham, who played with the Vancouver Giants and the Winterhawks, now is a pro scout with the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes. He will speak on the impact of coaches.

For more info on the conference, click right here.

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BTW, if you want to contact me with some information or just feel like commenting on something, you may email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

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Kennewick vote looks like "No" . . . Hitmen need assistant coach

F Radek Duda (Regina, Lethbridge, 1998-2000) has signed a one-year contract with Freiburg (Germany, DEL2). Last season, he had seven goals and nine assists with Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic, Extraliga), a goal and nine assists in two games with Sokolov (Czech Republic, 2.Liga), and a goal and three assists in 20 games with Litvinov (Czech Republic, Extraliga). . . .

F Ned Lukacevic (Spokane, Swift Current, 2001-06) has been released by Chamonix-Morzine (France, Ligue Magnus) at his request. Last season, with the Coventry Blaze (England, UK Elite), he had four goals and nine assists in 21 games. He also had nine goals and 12 assists in 25 games with the Edinburgh Capitals (Scotland, UK Elite). . . .

F Gal Koren (Kelowna, 2010-11) has signed a one-year extension with Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia, Erste Bank Liga). Last season, he had three assists in 17 games with the Manchester Storm (England, UK Elite) and two goals and an assist in 32 games with Olimpija Ljubljana. . . .

D Colin Joe (Kelowna, Saskatoon, 2004-09) has signed a one-year contract with Jegesmedvék Miscolc (Hungary, MOL Liga). Last season, with the Colorado Eagles (ECHL), he had three goals and 11 assists in 58 games.

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It appears that voters in Kennewick, Wash., have voted against the implementation of a sales tax that would have resulted in improvements to the Toyota Center, the home of the WHL’s Tri-City Americans. . . . As of Thursday night, there were about 2,000 ballots yet to count, with the no side holding a lead of 53 to 47 per cent. . . . According to the Tri-City Herald, “The Kennewick Public Facilities District asked voters to approve a two-tenths of a percent sales tax increase to fund a $35-million upgrade to the (Three Rivers Convention Center). It would have added 2 cents to a $10 purchase in the city.” . . . Wendy Culverwell of the Herald reported earlier in the week that a ‘yes’ vote would have allowed the replacing of “aging equipment, including the 28-year-old ice plant for the hockey arena and the old locker room. The project would have made Toyota Center more accessible to visitors with disabilities, as well by upgrading parking and entrances and increasing seating.” . . . The vote took place on Tuesday, with a voter turnout of 30 per cent. . . . Bob Tory, the Americans’ general manager, told Taking Note last night that he will withhold comment until everything is finalized on Aug. 16.

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The Calgary Hitmen are in need of an assistant coach after Trent Whitfield left to join the Providence Bruins, the AHL  affiliate of the Boston Bruins. Whitfield, a 39-year-old native of Alameda, Sask.,
had been with the Hitmen for one season. He played four seasons (1994-98) with the Spokane Chiefs. He also had played four seasons (2009-13) with Providence. . . . Whitfield spent 2014-15 as an assistant coach with the AHL’s Portland Pirates. . . . Boston announced Thursday that it has hired Whitfield and Jay Leach as Providence assistant coaches. They will work alongside Kevin Dean, who took over as head coach on July 18. . . . If you are interested in the Hitmen posting, email a resume to assistantcoach@hitmenhockey.com.

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F Deven Sideroff of the Kamloops Blazers has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Anaheim Ducks, who selected him in the third round of the 2015 NHL draft. . . . Sideroff, a 19-year-old from Summerland, B.C., is in Hockey Canada’s summer evaluation camp for national junior team prospects. . . . According to generalfanager.com, the contract calls for NHL salaries of US$667,500, $742,500 and $742,500, with a $70,000 salary in the AHL. The first year carries $257,500 in performance bonuses, with $182,500 in each of the last two years. Sideroff also gets a $277,500 signing bonus, payable in three annual instalments. . . . Sideroff, a superior skater, had 59 points, including 19 goals, in 63 games last season after missing the start with mononucleosis. . . . In 141 career regular-season WHL games, he has 109 points, including 39 goals.

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The Everett Silvertips have hired Rob Tagle as their athletic trainer. He takes over from Wayne Duncan, who was there for the past two seasons. According to a news release, Duncan “assumes supervision of medical and health needs, and pursuing the objective of injury prevention and minimal recovery time for Silvertips players.” . . . Tagle, 25, previously worked with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins as a graduate assistant athletic trainer. He is from West Freehold, N.J.

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The BCHL’s Salmon Arm Silverbacks are looking for an athletic therapist/equipment manager for the 2016-17 season. If you are interested, you can send an email to team president Troy Mick at gm@silverbacks.com. . . . A job description is posted right here.

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Dave Barry, the Miami Herald’s superb columnist, is in Rio de Janiero, so it’s time for the Olympic Summer Games to begin. Barry takes a look at the buildup to the Games right here.

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A Wayne Gretzky rookie card (1979 O-Pee-Chee) has sold for US$465,000, a record for a hockey card. The card sold at the National Sports Collectors Convention in Atlantic City, N.J. The card is believed to be one of a kind because it has been graded as PSA 10. It is impossible to earn a higher grade.

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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

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Patrick Wellar has signed on as an assistant coach with the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones. Wellar, a 32-year-old from Carrot River, Sask., played four seasons (2000-04) in the WHL, with the Portland Winterhawks and Calgary Hitmen. . . . He was a player-assistant coach last season for the ECHL’s Alaska Aces, getting 14 points, 12 of them assists, in 72 games. . . . During his playing career, he won three ECHL titles and one AHL championship.

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A mint Wayne Gretzky rookie card sold for 465,000 dollars today. I've got one of my own. #timetocashin pic.twitter.com/bKI01UVvoY

— Regan Bartel (@Reganrant) August 5, 2016

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Another WHL team looking for head coach . . . Brandon boys win two in OT . . . Royals still alive

pic.twitter.com/rb7fEKokHk
— Drive BC (@DriveBC) April 16, 2015

F Radek Duda (Regina, Lethbridge, 1998-2000) has signed a two-year extension with Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, as team captain, he had 19 goals and 17 assists in 46 games.
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THE COACHING GAME:

There now are three WHL teams without head coaches.
The Kootenay Ice joined the fray on Wednesday with the announcement that it won’t be renewing head coach Ryan McGill’s contract when it expires on June 30.
"At this time, we feel we need a fresh face and voice moving forward to lead our team,” Jeff Chynoweth, the Ice’s president and general manager, said in a news release.
The Ice will be an awfully young team next season, so Chynoweth told Taking Note that a decision was made to find a new voice.
“Just looking at what we are losing this year, in terms of players, and how much of a step back I think we are going to take next (season) with a young and unproven team,” Chynoweth told Taking Note via text.
The Ice’s roster includes 11 players born in 1995 and three who were born in 1994. F Sam Reinhart isn’t expected back, while F Tim Bozon, F Austin Vetterl and F Levi Cable used up their junior eligibility.
McGill, 46, is from Sherwood Park, Alta.
This was McGill’s second stint as the Ice’s head coach. He was in his third season this time around; he also was head coach 1997-2002. In total, his record is 280-222-53. Under McGill, the Ice won the WHL championship in 1999-2000 and 2001-02, and the Memorial Cup in the spring of 2002.
Between his two tours of duty with the Ice, McGill was an AHL head coach for seven seasons and an assist with the NHL’s Calgayr Flames for two seasons.
The Ice went 37-31-4 this season to finish fourth in the Central Division and earn the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card berth. The Ice then lost a first-round series in seven games to the Calgary Hitmen.
You have to think that McGill will wait and see if any pro offers come his way before he decides on his next move.
Along with the Ice, the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Vancouver Giants also are without head coaches.
Peter Anholt, who stepped in as GM and head coach in Lethbridge in mid-season, has said he won’t be back as head coach and will be hiring. In Vancouver, the Giants parted company with Claude Noel at season’s end. Noel also had been a mid-season replacement.
Last off-season, 10 of the WHL’s 22 teams made coaching changes.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:

In Regina, F Tanner Kaspick scored at 3:36 of OT to give the Brandon Wheat Kings a 3-2 victory over the Pats. . . . The Wheat Kings lead the series, 3-1. Game 5 is scheduled for Brandon on Friday. . . . Kaspick, who is from Brandon, scored his first WHL playoff goal. He had one goal in 53 regular-season games. . . . Kaspick turned 17 on Jan. 28. . . . Regina D Connor Hobbs was hit with a kneeing major and game misconduct for a hit on Regina D Ryan Pilon at 7:22 of the third period. . . . Pilon needed help leaving the ice. . . . Brandon scored once on the ensuing PP as F Peter Quenneville scored his third goal at 7:53. That tied the score 2-2. . . . Hobbs had scored Regina’s second goal, at 6:27 of the second, on a PP. . . . Brandon F Nolan Patrick scored the game’s first goal, his second, at 19:37 of the first period. . . . Regina D Colby Williams came out of the penalty box, took a breakaway pass from F Pavel Padakin and went into to score his third goal at 4:27 of the second. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny stopped 30 shots, 15 fewer than Regina’s Daniel Wapple. . . . Brandon was 1-for-4 on the PP; Regina was 1-for-3. . . . Earlier in the game, Brandon F Mark Matsuba (headshot) and D Ivan Provorov (boarding) were given minor penalties for fouls the Pats felt could have been majors. . . . “It’s tough but it is what it is,” Wapple told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post. “We can’t point fingers but at the same time there were a couple hits that definitely could have been more than a two-minute penalty and ours is a five-minute penalty. It is what it is. You can’t do anything about it now.” . . . Regina head coach John Paddock offered:“Clearly to us Provorov should not have been in the game and clearly (Tuesday) night Reid Duke shouldn’t have been in the game (after a cross-check to Adam Brooks). Those are things we have to deal with. You have to find a way. We found a way. We played good enough to win.” . . . Regina again was without D Sergey Zborovsky, who is serving a three-game suspension for a hit on Brandon F Jayce Hawryluk in Game 2. Zborovsky had his suspension set at three games on Wednesday, meaning he will be eligible to return for Game 6. . . . Hawryluk hasn’t played since being hit by Zborovsky, who took an interference major and game misconduct on the play. . . . Attendance was 5,161. . . . The Wheat Kings have played five road games in these playoffs and each of them has ended in a 3-2 score. Brandon is 4-1 in those games. Two of them have gone to OT and Brandon has won both. . . . BTW, F Jesse Gabrielle had been credited with the game-winning goal in Regina’s 3-2 victory on Tuesday night. Sometime after that game, it was changed to F Taylor Cooper. Both are former Wheat Kings.

In Medicine Hat, F Jordy Stallard scored at 7:22 of OT to give the Calgary Hitmen a 2-1 victory over the Tigers. . . . The Hitmen lead the series 3-1 with Game 5 scheduled for Friday in Calgary. . . . Should Calgary win on Friday, last night’s game will have been the last one for the Tigers in the Arena. They will move into the Regional Event Centre next season. . . . Interestingly, attendance was 3,518 — not the usual 4,006. . . . Stallard, like Kaspick, is from Brandon. Stallard, 17, had six goals in 58 regular-season games; he has three goals in these playoffs. . . . Tigers D Ty Lewington scored the game’s first goal, his first, at 19:41 of the first period on a PP. . . . Calgary tied it when F Jake Virtanen scored his second goal, on a penalty shot, at 6:24 of the second. . . . Calgary F Elliott Peterson was awarded a penalty shot just 29 seconds after Virtanen’s goal. Peterson, however, lost control of the puck and wasn’t able to get off a shot. . . . Calgary G Mack Shields turned aside 35 shots, while Medicine Hat’s Marek Langhamer kicked out 20. . . . The Tigers had a 14-3 edge on shots in the third and 6-2 in OT. . . . Medicine Hat was 1-for-5 on the PP; Calgary was 0-for-1. . . . F Adam Tambellini, the WHL’s leading playoff scorer, was among Calgary’s scratches. He has an undisclosed injury. The Hitmen continue to be without D Jake Bean and F Chase Lang. . . . The Tigers had F Chad Butcher (broken thumb) back after a five-game absence. As a result of his return, F Mark Rassell was scratched. . . . Laurence Heinen wrote this game story right here for the Calgary Herald.

In Victoria, F Greg Chase scored at 5:30 of OT as the Royals stayed alive with a 5-4 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Kelowna, which had won its first seven playoff games, holds a 3-1 edge in the series, with Game 5 scheduled for Kelowna on Friday night. . . . Chase has seven goals in these playoffs. . . . The Rockets had 2-0, 3-1 and 4-2 leads before the Royals tied it with goals 24 seconds part in the third period. . . . F Jack Walker scored his second goal of the game and third of the playoffs at 10:42 and F Brandon Magee got his WHL-leading ninth goal at 11:06. . . . D Lucas Johansen, with his first goal, and F Tyson Baillie, with his sixth, gave the Rockets a 2-0 first-period lead. . . . Victoria F Austin Carroll got his first goal at 17:47 to cut into the lead, but Kelowna F Rourke Chartier, with his sixth, got that one back 26 seconds later. . . . Walker and Kelowna F Tomas Soustal traded second-period goals. . . . Soustal, who had eight goals in 65 regular-season games, has four in eight playoff games. . . . Kelowna went 0-for-8 on the PP, including a chance in OT after Magee was penalized for goaltending interference at 0:18. . . . Victoria G Justin Paulic stopped 36 shots, 10 more than Kelowna’s Jackson Whistle. . . . The Royals were 0-for-3 on the PP. . . . F Alex Forsberg had two assists for Victoria, including one on the winner. . . . Kelowna F Nick Merkley wasn’t able to score on a penalty shot at 4:29 of the second period, with his side ahead 3-1. . . . Attendance was 4,909.
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There has been an interesting development in Regina where a company that is owned by co-owners of the Pats has registered a builders’ lien against the team's landlords, the Regina Exhibition Association. It all has to do with work done installing the Brandt Centre’s score clock earlier this season. . . . Austin M. Davis of the Regina Leader-Post has the story right here.
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The Everett Silvertips have signed F Brian King, who was a fourth-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft. He was born in New Hampshire but now is from Golden, Colo. From the Silvertips’ news release: “King, 16, served as an alternate captain this season for the Rocky Mountain RoughRiders 16U AAA team based in Westminster, Colo. In 10 games at East Coast Elite League events, King scored six goals to lead the RoughRiders and tied for third on the team with seven points. Playing another 18 games in the Colorado Amateur Hockey Association, the 5-foot-11, 175-pounder had 11 points on three goals and eight assists. He attended USA Hockey’s 2014 Select 15 Development Camp last summer, notching a goal and an assist in five games.”
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Mike Stothers, who spent the previous three seasons as head coach of the Moose Jaw Warriors, is the AHL’s coach of the year. Stothers, 53, left the Warriors prior to this season to take over as head coach of the Manchester Monarchs, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. . . . With three games still to play, the Monarchs are 48-16-6-3. They will go into the playoffs as the Eastern Conference’s top seed. . . . The AHL award is voted on by coaches and media members in each of the league’s 30 cities.
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Fans, despite what you may have heard the last couple days, the #OilKings will definitely be making the move to @RogersPlace in 2016
— Edmonton Oil Kings (@EdmOilKings) April 15, 2015

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.

Oil Kings sign assistant coach . . . Clouston, Speltz to U-18 team

F Juraj Rožník (Swift Current, Regina, 2010-11) has signed a tryout contract with Dukla Trenčín (Slovakia, Extraliga). Last season, with Martin (Slovakia, Extraliga), he had 10 points, including six goals, in 41 games. . . .
F David Hruška (Red Deer, 1995-96) has signed a one-year contract with Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic, Extraliga) after Karlovy Vary negotiated his release from Orli Znjomo (Czech Republic, Erste Bank Liga). Last season, with Chomutov (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he had 32 points, 18 of them goals, in 52 games. . . .
F Radek Duda (Regina, Lethbridge, 1998-2000) has signed a one-year contract with Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic, Extraliga). Duda played last season with Plzen (Czech Republic, Extraliga), leading the team in scoring with 41 points, including 17 goals, in 47 games. He was second in the league with 141 penalty minutes. . . .
F Grant Toulmin (Swift Current, 2005-07, 2008-09) has signed a one-year contract with Heilbronner Falken (Germany, DEL2). Last season, with Nipissing University (CIS) in North Bay, Ont., he had 38 points, including 16 goals, in 28 games. . . .
D Kalvin Sagert (Kamloops, Lethbridge, Prince George, 2002-08) has signed a one-year contract with Miskolci Jegesmedvék (Hungary, MOL-Liga). Last season, he had one assist in 11 games with the Wichita Thunder (CHL), 10 assists in 24 games with the San Francisco Bulls (ECHL), and a goal and three assists in 32 games with the Kalamazoo Wings (ECHL).
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1. Ryan Marsh has signed on with the Memorial Cup-champion Edmonton Oil Kings as an assistant coach. Marsh (Tri-City, 1992-95) played four seasons at the U of Alberta in Edmonton before going on to a brief pro career. He has been with Vimy Ridge Academy in Edmonton for 15 years, the past 10 as campus director. He also was an assistant coach with the U of Alberta Golden Bears. . . . The 39-year-old native of Quesnel, B.C., moves into the spot created when Steve Hamilton was promoted from assistant coach to head coach. Hamilton took over from Derek Laxdal, now the head coach of the AHL’s Texas Stars. . . . Sean Brown also is on the Oil Kings’ staff as an assistant coach.
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2. Shaun Clouston, the general manager and head coach of the Medicine Hat Tigers, has been added to the coaching staff of the Canadian U-18 team that will play in the Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament next month. . . . Clouston replaces Eric Veilleux, who now is the head coach of the AHL’s Norfolk Admirals. . . . Clouston, 46, has been with the Tigers since 2003-04. He has been the head coach for four seasons and the GM for the past two. . . . At the same time, Tim Speltz, the general manager of the Spokane Chiefs, has been added to the Program of Excellence management group. Speltz, 56, replaces Mark Hunter, the GM of the OHL’s London Knights, who isn’t available for the Ivan Hlinka Memorial. Speltz has been the Chiefs’ GM since 1990. . . . Team Canada’s selection camp is scheduled for Calgary’s Markin MacPhail Centre, Aug. 2-5. There should be 44 players in attendance, with 22 of them going on to play for Canada. The tournament is to run Aug. 11-16 in Breclav, Czech Republic, and Piestany, Slovakia.
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3. It’s hardly scientific and it’s a far cry from being official, but readers of this blog have spoken. Asked which of three teams should play host to the 2016 Memorial Cup, 47.9 per cent of respondents voted for the Red Deer Rebels. The Victoria Royals drew 34.1 per cent, with the Vancouver Giants at 17.9 per cent. . . . The 2016 Memorial Cup tournament is to be played in a WHL city; those three teams have said they will be involved in the bidding. . . . The Memorial Cup hasn’t been decided in Alberta since 1974 when the Regina Pats won it in the Calgary Corral.
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4. F Tim Bozon of the Kootenay Ice, who spent March in a Saskatoon hospital battling Neisseria meningitis, is preparing to play in a competitive game for the first time since Feb. 28. Bozon, 20, will play for France’s U-23 team at a tournament in Ostrava, Czech Republic, next week. . . . Tal Pinchevsky of nhl.com has more right here.
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5. Earlier in the week, Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada posted his final 30 Thoughts of the season, which means 2013-14 finally is over. Because it was his last post for the season, Friedman actually had at least 54 thoughts. . . . It’s all right here.
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6. So there’s this beer league in Buffalo . . . it’s the Performax Hockey League. And when the guys got together the other night, they had a visitor. This guy lit it up for five goals. He also had five assists. Patrick Kane. You may have heard of him. . . . There’s more right here, including a great post-game tweet.
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7. Running back Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens has been suspended for, uhh, two games for precipitating an incident of domestic abuse. The disciplinary move has come in for considerable criticism, none of it any harsher than this column right here by Michael Powell of The New York Times.
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Alan Caldwell, over at Small Thoughts at Large, tweeted this on Thursday: “The annual WHL prospects postings are coming to the blog soon, likely starting later today.” You will find them on his blog and there’s a link over there on the right. . . . Former Portand Winterhawks D Brad Symes has died in his hometown of Edmonton, where he was a firefighter. He was 38. There is more right here. . . . The Simon Fraser U men’s hockey team will play exhibition road games against the Bowling Green Falcons on Oct. 4 and the Miami U RedHawks on Oct. 5. Those games are scheduled for Bowling Green, Ohio, and Oxford, Ohio.
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Flights delayed cause the president wants to fly home out of LAX.. Your world we're just living in it #ThanksObama
— Mitch Callahan (@Mcally15) July 24, 2014

Looks like I will be wearing black and green next year at U of S! #huskies
— Jordon Cooke (@jordoncooke30) July 25, 2014

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:
F Mike Wirll (Brandon, Prince Albert, Prince George, Lethbridge, 1997-2003) signed a one-year contract extension with the Dundee Stars (Scotland, UK Elite). He had 35 goals and 43 assists in 57 games for the Stars this season; that was good for fifth place in league scoring. . . .


F Radek Duda (Regina, Lethbridge, 1998-2000) signed a two-year contract with Plzen (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had two goals and 12 assists in 19 games with Chomutov (Czech Republic, Extraliga) and 10 goals and 10 assists in 25 games with Liberec (Czech Republic, Extraliga) this season. . . .



D Tomas Voracek (Prince Albert, 2007-09) signed a three-year contract with Liberec (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had one goal and three assists in 51 games with Vitkovice Ostrava (Czech Republic, Extraliga) this season. . . .




D Brett Palin (Kelowna, 2000-05) has declined a contract extension offer for next season from Chomutov (Czech Republic, Extraliga). Palin had seven goals and 13 assists in 50 games for Chomutov this season.
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 Roy MacGregor of The Globe and Mail is following the NHL playoff series between the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens. . . . MacGregor, as only he can do, breaks down the reaction to the hit by Ottawa defenceman Eric Gryba on Montreal forward Lars Eller. . . . That piece is right here.
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D Jaynen Rissling of the Calgary Hitmen has signed an ATO with the Hershey Bears, the AHL affiliate of the Washington Capitals. . . . Rissling was selected by the Capitals in the seventh round of the NHL’s 2012 entry draft. . . . The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Rissling has played four seasons with the Hitmen. This season, he had 28 points in 61 games. . . . He is a nephew of F Gary Rissling, who played in the WHL (Edmonton, Calgary, 1974-77) and also for Hershey.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Shane Kuss and Roger Ross will serve as co-head coaches with the junior B Delta Ice Hawks of the Pacific International Junior Hockey League. . . . "You're going to see a scenario where Shane will be at 90-95 percent of our games," Peter Zerbinos, the Ice Hawks’ general manager and director of hockey operations, told Mark Booth of the Delta Optimist. "That's why we went with the co-coaching roles." . . . Booth’s story is right here.

Fran Gow, who resigned this week as general manager and head coach of the AJHL’s Drayton Valley Thunder, has signed on as the AJHL’s vice-president of hockey operations. . . . Gow had spent more than 20 years and 1,000 games coaching in the AJHL, the last four of them with the Thunder.
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Ron Robison, the commisioner of the 22-team WHL, met with the media in Portland prior to Game 1 of the championship final between the Winterhawks and Edmonton Oil Kings.
It was Robison’s first communication with the Portland press corps since before the WHL disciplined the Winterhawks for what the league calls “player benefit violations.”
So how did the tête-à-tête go?
Here’s Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune:
“Taking in WHL commissioner Ron Robison's response Friday night to reporters' questions about the ruthless sanctions imposed on the Winterhawks early this season brought to mind the famous line of distempered tennis legend John McEnroe: You can't be serious!"
At one point in his column, Eggers comes awfully close accusing Robison of not telling the truth.
Eggers apparently has seen the regulations that Robison says “are internal.”
“The regulations are absolutely not clear,” Eggers writes. “I looked through the WHL rulebook, which prohibits teams from paying for flights for family members during a team's annual ‘Parents Weekend.’ There is nothing, however, that specifically addresses any other time of year.
“The Hawks' contention was, ‘We didn't know flying in family members at other times wasn't legal.’ The league's contention was, ‘You should have known. It was understood by everyone in the league.’
“When asked a second time about the specific rules violations, Robison answered, ‘The regulations are internal. The information has been made very clear. There were violations. They're written down in the regulations, absolutely. The information was provided to the club, but for internal purposes only.’
“Wait a minute. They are written into the regulations, but kept secret from the general public? For what reason? It's like NBA Commissioner David Stern saying the Trail Blazers broke a rule for tampering with a player, and it's in the rulebook, but we're not going to let the public see it. You just have to take our word for it. Robison's stipulation is not only nonsensical, but untrue.”
Eggers’ complete column is right here.
Paul Buker of The Oregonian also was in attendance, and wrote:
"After arriving fashionably late — 10 minutes or so — for Friday’s scheduled WHL Finals series media availability, Robison was quickly inundated with questions about the sanctions levied against the hometown team on Nov. 28.
"'I’m hoping we don’t have to go into a lot of detail,' said Robison, who was true to his word on that one.
"No new ground was broken, and if anything, local media were left scratching their heads once again."
Buker's piece is right here.
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The OHL final opened last night with the host London Knights dropping a 4-2 decision to the Barrie Colts. . . . London scored first, but the Colts got the next three. Still, it was 3-2 for 10 minutes in the third period, until Barrie F Mark Scheifele iced it with an empty-netter. . . . Attendance was 9,046. . . . Game 2 is scheduled for London on Sunday night.
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The QMJHL final also opened last night. G Zach Fucale stopped 28 shots to lead the host Halifax Mooseheads to a 4-0 victory over the Baie-Comeau Drakkar. . . . Attendance was 10,595. . . . Game 2 is to be played tonight in Halifax.
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The WHL’s playoff situation:
CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL
Portland vs. Edmonton
(Edmonton leads, 1-0)
(All times local)
Game 1: Friday — Edmonton 4 at Portland 1 (10,097)
Game 2: Today, at Portland (Rose Garden), 7 p.m.
Game 3: Tuesday, May 7, at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Game 4: Wednesday, May 8, at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Game 5: Friday, at Portland (Rose Garden), 7 p.m.
x-Game 6: Sunday, May 12, at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
x-Game 7: Monday, May 13, at Portland (Rose Garden), 7 p.m.
x – if necessary.


All games are being televised by Shaw in Canada. They also will be televised in Portland, with Games 3, 4, 5 and 6 on Comcast SportsNet, and Games 2 and 7 on Root Sports.
Comcast and Roots will pick up the Shaw telecast that feature play-by-play man Dan Russell, along with Bill Wilms, Peter Loubardias and Andy Neal.
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FRIDAY’S GAME:
In Portland, G Laurent Brossoit stopped 35 shots, 16 of them in the first period, and F Stephane Legault drew three assists as the Edmonton Oil Kings opened with a 4-1 victory over the Winterhawks. . . . The Winterhawks held a 16-6 edge in shots after one period but went into the second period trailing 1-0 on a goal by F Dylan Wruck at 2:03. That goal came on Edmonton’s first shot of the game. . . . F Henrik Samuelsson gave Edmonton a 2-0 lead at 11:17 of the second. . . . F Taylor Leier got Portland to within one at 3:00 of the third, but Samuelsson got his 11th of these playoffs just 47 seconds later. . . . Edmonton F Curtis Lazar got his ninth at 10:03 to put this one away. . . . Portland was 0-for-4 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-for-1. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 25 shots. . . . Referees were Brett Iverson and Brett Montsion. . . . Legault, who turned 20 on March 3, has 22 points, including 16 assists, in 17 playoff games. In the last two seasons, he has 36 points in 37 playoff games. He is coming off a regular season in which he had 41 points in 57 games. . . . The Oil Kings continue to be without injured D Griffin Reinhart and F Trevor Cheek. Reinhart won’t play in the series; Cheek isn’t expected to play in Game 2.
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“The Portland Winterhawks might want to file a police report,” writes Chris O’Leary of the Edmonton Journal. . . . His story is right here.
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“Game 1 of the WHL Finals was a bucket of cold water in the faces of the Portland Winterhawks,” writes Paul Buker of The Oregonian right here.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT (21):
None

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT (7):
None
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From Lethbridge Herald sports writer Dylan Purcell (@dylpurcell), after the Portland Winterhawks had a goal disallowed last night: “Ron Robison waves off the Portland goal.”
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From Calgary Sun sports writer Randy Sportak (@SUNRandySportak), after a late San Jose Sharks goal forced OT last night: “And writers on deadline swear. Sharks tie it 2-2 with 55.1 seconds remaining. Patrick Marleau with the tally.”
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From Portland fan Larisa Strode (@Hawkiemom): “I haven't been this excited to wear white since my wedding day #1997 #WhlFinals #whiteout #adversity hawks#"

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