Ice firms up coaching staff ... Bondra signs with KHL team ... Mariners to honour T-Birds

F Adam Hughesman (Tri-City, 2006-12) has signed a one-year contract with Bordeaux (France, Ligue Magnus). This season, with Orli Znojmo (Czech Republic, Erste Bank Liga), he had 15 goals and nine assists in 49 games. . . . The head coach of Bordeaux is former St. Louis Blues F Philippe Bozon, father of F Tim Bozon (Kamloops, Kootenay, 2011-15). . . .

D Lukáš Bohunický (Kootenay, 2005-07) has signed a one-year extension with Dukla Trenčín (Slovakia, Extraliga). This season, he had three goals and five assists in 55 games. . . . 

F Denis Tolpeko (Seattle, Regina, 2003-06) has signed a one-year extension with Spartak Moscow (Russia, KHL). This season he started with Sochi (Russia, KHL), scoring two goals and five assists in 31 games. He was released on Dec. 20 and signed with Spartak on Dec. 21. He had two goals and an assist in 15 games with Spartak. . . . 

F Richard Rapáč (Moose Jaw, Prince George, 2006-07) has signed a one-year contract with Poprad (Slovakia, Extraliga). This season, with Zug Academy (Switzerland, NL B), he had eight goals and a team-high 16 assists in 39 games. He also was pointless in one game with Zug (NL A). . . . 

F Matt Ellison (Red Deer, 2002-03) has signed a two-year contract with Metallurg Magnitogorsk (Russia, KHL). This season, with Dinamo Minsk (Belarus, KHL), he had 16 goals and 33 assists in 54 games. He led the team in scoring. Ellison had one year left on his contract with Dinamo Minsk but asked for his release and it was granted on June 2. . . .

F Radovan Bondra (Vancouver, Prince George, 2015-17) has signed a one-year contract with Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, KHL). This season, with Vancouver, he had 19 goals and 12 assists in 32 games, then put up 13 goals and 19 assists with Prince George. He finished the season with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs, going pointless in five games.

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Jon Klemm, a former NHL defenceman who is from Cranbrook, B.C., has joined the Kootenay Ice as associate coach.

James Patrick, who was named the Ice’s head coach on Tuesday, made the announcement Wednesday morning.

The Ice also announced that assistant coaches Gordon Burnett and Roman Vopat will be returning, while they have added Denis Sproxton as goaltending coach.

Klemm, 47, was an assistant coach with the Spokane Chiefs for three seasons (2009-12). Klemm also played in the WHL with the Seattle Thunderbirds and Spokane (1987-91) before going on to a pro career that included 773 NHL games split between the Quebec Nordiques, Colorado Avalanche, Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars and Los Angeles Kings. He won a Memorial Cup with the Chiefs in 1991 and  Stanley Cups with the Avalanche in 1996 and 2001. Klemm retired after playing the 2008-09 season with the Straubing Tigers of Germany’s DEL. In recent years, Klemm has been coaching minor hockey in the Dallas area.

Burnett, 36, is preparing for his third season with the Ice, while Vopat just completed his first season there. Prior to that, Vopat was on staff with the Prince George Cougars for two seasons.

Sproxton, 46, has served as a goaltending consultant with Hockey Canada, Hockey Alberta and the Chiefs. Sproxton played four seasons in the WHL (Prince Albert, Swift Current, 1987-91). He was the Spokane Chiefs’ goaltending coach (2003-11) and won a Memorial Cup there in 2008.

The Ice also added Jake Heisinger to its staff as manager of hockey operations and player experience. Heisinger has a degree in business management from Curry College in Boston. He is the son of Craig Heisinger, the assistant GM and director of hockey operations with the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets.

The Ice also announced that director of scouting Garnet Kazuik, trainer/ equipment manager Darcy Ewanchuk, and athletic consultant Cory Cameron all will be returning.

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The Prince George Cougars have lost another 20-year-old from their roster with the news, as reported above in The MacBeth Report, that F Radovan Bondra has signed a one-year deal with Slovan Bratislava, a Slovakian team that plays in the KHL. . . . Bondra, who is from Trebisov, Slovakia, was a fifth-round selection by the Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL’s 2015 draft. . . . Bondra started this season with the Vancouver Giants, then was traded to the Prince George Cougars for F Bartek Bison, F Tyler Ho and a third-round pick in the 2018 WHL bantam draft. . . . With Bondra gone, the Cougars still have nine 20s on their roster — F Jared Bethune, F Aaron Boyd, D Shane Collins, F Brodan O’Brien, F Jesse Gabrielle, D Brendan Guhle, F Jansen Harkins, D Tate Olson and F Tanner Wishnowski. Gabrielle (Boston Bruins), Guhle (Buffalo Sabres) and Harkins (Winnipeg Jets) have signed NHL contracts.

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Steve Konowalchuk, the head coach of the WHL-champion Seattle Thunderbirds, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch on Saturday evening before the Seattle Mariners face the visiting Toronto Blue Jays at Safeco Field. . . . It’s all part of an evening during which the Mariners will honour the WHL champions, who won the Ed Chynoweth Cup with a 4-3 OT victory over the host Regina Pats in Game 6 of the final series.

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The Medicine Hat Tigers have signed F Corson Hopwo to a WHL contract. He was a seventh-round selection in the 2016 bantam draft. From Victoria, he played this season at the Delta Hockey Academy, putting up 19 goals and 25 assists in 30 games with the Elite 15s.

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Rob Sklaruk is the new general manager of the Spruce Grove Saints, who are under new ownership. Team president Ryan Smyth made the announcement on Wednesday. Sklaruk has lived in the area for 25 years and for the past five seasons has been president, GM and assistant coach for the senior AAA Stony Plain Eagles. He also is a former Eagles player.

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The Kamloops Blazers expect to have 24 players with birthdates in 2000, 2001 and 2002 on the ice

Saturday and Sunday as they hold a prospects camp. However, F Massimo Rizzo, a first-round selection in the 2016 bantam draft, won’t be there. The 14th overall pick in that draft, Rizzo is vacationing with family in Italy after finishing this season with the BCHL’s Penticton Vees. . . . The 13 players selected ahead of Rizzo in that draft all have signed WHL deals. . . . Kamloops This Week reports that the Blazers expect to meet with the Rizzo family “at the end of the month to discuss Massimo’s future.” . . . Rizzo, who will turn 16 on June 13, had 53 points, including 12 goals, in 28 games with the Burnaby Winter Club’s prep team this season. He was pointless in three regular-season games with the Vees and had one goal in seven playoff games. In the Western Canada Cup, he put up a goal and four assists in six games, then added one goal in five games at the RBC Cup.

The Blazers expect to have F Josh Pillar, the 14th overall selection in the 2017 bantam draft, at their prospects camp, although he hasn’t yet committed to them. All told, eight of the WHL’s 22 first-round picks have yet to sign.

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A few days ago, Patrick Conway, who keeps close tabs on the KHL, took a look at the coaches of the Bobrov Division. This week, he checks out the men behind the benches in the Tarasov Division, and it’s all right here.

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I’m also on Twitter (@gdrinnan).

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Two of the head coaches who appeared in the Memorial Cup and have WHL ties moved into the pro ranks on Wednesday, Kris Knoblauch with the Philadelphia Flyers and Rocky Thompson with the Chicago Wolves, the AHL affiliate of the NHL expansion Vegas Golden Knights.

Knoblauch, 38, signed on as an assistant coach with the Flyers after spending the past five seasons as the head coach of the Erie Otters, who won this season’s OHL playoff championship.

Knoblauch, who is from Imperial, Sask., took over as head coach during 2012-13. In each of his four full seasons as head coach, the Otters won at least 50 games, marking the first time in OHL history that a team posted more than three straight 50-win seasons. He played in the WHL (Red Deer, Edmonton/Kootenay, Lethbridge, 1996-99) and was the Ice’s head coach for two seasons (2010-12), winning the 2011 WHL championship.

Thompson, meanwhile, is the new head coach of the Chicago Wolves. The Golden Knights have taken over the Wolves from the NHL’s St. Louis Blues. Craig Berube, the Wolves’ head coach this season, is expected to end up on the Blues’ staff.

Thompson, 39, guided the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires, as host team, to the Memorial Cup title, beating the Otters, 4-3, in the championship game.

Thompson, from Calgary, spent two seasons with the Spitfires.

As a player, he spent four seasons in the WHL (Medicine Hat, Swift Current, 1993-97). He began his coaching career in the WHL as an assistant coach with the Edmonton Oil Kings (2007-10), before moving on to the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons. He spent one season on staff with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, then took over the Spitfires’ bench.

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Former WHL D Nolan Baumgartner has joined the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks as an assistant coach with head coach Travis Green. Baumgartner had been an assistant coach with the AHL’s Utica Comets, where Green was the head coach before being moved up to the Canucks as head coach. . . . Baumgartner, 41, is from Calgary. He played four seasons with the Kamloops Blazers (1992-96) and was on two Memorial Cup-championships teams (1994, 1995). . . . He twice was named the WHL’s top defenceman and once was the CHL’s top defenceman. . . . The Canucks also announced that Green’s other assistant coaches would be Newell Brown, Doug Jarvis and Manny Malhotra. . . . Also returning are skills coach Glenn Carnegie and video coach Ben Cooper, who is a former Victoria Royals assistant coach (2011-13).

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The ECHL’s Tulsa Oilers have hired Rob Murray as their director of hockey operations and head coach. Murray, 50, spent the previous six seasons as head coach of the ECHL’s Alaska Aces, who have ceased operations. Murray has been coaching since 2003 when he was an assistant with the AHL’s Providence Bruins. In Tulsa, Murray replaces Jason Christie, who left the team after their season ended.

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Congrats to @TheWHL milestone award winners Dave "Radar" Horning & Colin "Toledo" Robinson (1500 games) & Innes Mackie (3000 games) pic.twitter.com/w1H3vA3hKz

— Brian Cheeseman (@b_cheeseman) June 8, 2017

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Blazers pay for Ingram's diatribe . . . Broncos, Pats ready to go . . . Silvertips get call from Hall of Fame

He had the stones to say what everyone else in that division has been saying off the record for years. https://t.co/jaY41tgHYj

— Ian Furness (@IanFurnessSea) April 5, 2017

The WHL has fined the Kamloops Blazers $500 “for comments from player following game versus Kelowna on April 2,” according to the league’s website.

This, of course, alludes to G Connor Ingram and his reaction to a situation that developed Sunday night

CONNOR INGRAM

during the Blazers’ 4-2 season-ending loss to the visiting Kelowna Rockets.

If you’re late to this, Kelowna had a 2-0 lead midway through the third period when Kamloops F Deven Sideroff, his stick in the air, deflected a point shot past Kelowna G Michael Herringer. The call on the ice was a goal, but the officials went to video review in an attempt to determine whether Sideroff had made contact with the puck with his stick above the cross-bar.

The replays shown to the crowd on the scoreclock video screens were inconclusive, so there was much consternation in the stands when the goal was disallowed.

Ron Robison, the WHL commissioner, was in the building and entered the video review booth where, according to Marty Hastings of Kamloops This Week, “he was seen analyzing the replay and talking with video goal judge Rob Fryer.”

On Monday, Ingram told Hastings:

“When it’s a goal on the ice, you usually have to have pretty conclusive evidence to turn it over. Like I said (Sunday) night, when you play Kelowna, you’re not going to get that call. The commissioner is in the building. He’s up in that room. You know as soon as he goes up there, you’re not going to get it. It’s disappointing, but that’s what happens when you play those guys and, with who runs their team, they’re going to get those calls. That’s just the way it is.”

Bruce Hamilton, the owner, governor, president and general manager of the Rockets, was in the Sandman Centre. He also is the WHL’s chairman of the board and is generally seen as the league’s most powerful individual.

Obviously, the WHL couldn’t allow Ingram’s comments to skate with no reaction, thus the $500 fine to the Blazers.

However, the WHL likely could have saved itself a lot of grief had it had someone explain things to the media both before and after the game.

The game was to have started at 7 p.m. However, there were a couple of terrible accidents, one of them involving a fatality, on the Coquihalla Highway between Kamloops and Vancouver that resulted in it being closed. As a result, three of the scheduled on-ice officials as well as Jeff Bradley, who was to have been the game supervisor, were stuck on the Coquihalla and backup officials were summoned.

With Bradley in limbo, Robison stepped into the role of game supervisor, so was there to support Fryer.

The WHL should have had someone — why not Robison? — address the media before the game and explain all of this, including the fact that the game’s start time had been moved to 8 p.m. Someone should have provided the media with the names of the scheduled officials and their circumstances, along with the names of the replacement officials and from where they were travelling. Someone should have explained that Robison had stepped into the role of game supervisor.

Later, perhaps immediately after the game, someone from the WHL — why not Robison, as the supervisor? — should have met with the media and explained how the decision had been reached to overturn the call on the ice on Sideroff’s non-goal. Was there an angle, or angles, available in the video review booth that wasn’t shown on the big screen? Is the picture quality in the video review booth better than what is on the big screen? What role did Robison play in the process?

On Wednesday, Hastings spoke with Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president, hockey. Doerksen explained Robison‘s role:

“The video goal judge makes the call, but he certainly received verification that the call was correct that he was making. . . . the video goal judge made the determination of the decision and he was supported by the commissioner, who was in the booth to take a look at it as well. The WHL supervisor has the final say on any very close call.”

In this case, of course, Robison was acting as the WHL supervisor.

Doerksen refused to question the optics of the situation.

“(Robison) did exactly what was expected of that role,” Doerksen told Hastings. “To go into support and make sure, in conjunction with the video goal judge, that the call being made was correct.”

On Tuesday, Ingram 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. The contract includes three annual signing bonuses of US$92,500. So chances are Ingram can afford to pay the fine himself, should the Blazers suggest it.

Hastings complete story, including a testy exchange with Doerksen, is right here.

#Kamloops pic.twitter.com/fbc3UVn8ua

— Chad Balcom (@hawkeyblog) April 6, 2017

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Once again the @SCBroncos are back on the road.  Heading a little further east this time. Round 2 starts tomorrow... pic.twitter.com/B8G4KrC8Q0

— Jamie LeBlanc (@Butter_29) April 5, 2017

The second round of the WHL playoffs get rolling tonight with one game — the Swift Current Broncos and the Pats will get it going in Regina.

The Pats (52-12-8) finished atop the overall standings, 24 points ahead of the third-place Broncos (39-23-10).

Regina swept the Calgary Hitmen from a first-round series, while the Broncos went seven games in eliminating the Moose Jaw Warriors. Swift Current won Game 7 in Moose Jaw — the home team was 2-5 in that series — so playing on the road won’t be an issue.

The Pats went 7-0-1 in the season series; the Broncos were 1-7-0.

Of course, the Broncos are playing the underdog card.

“There’s a reason they’re ranked No. 1 in the country,” Manny Viveiros, the Broncos’ director of player personnel and head coach, told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post. “They’re deep, they’re well coached and they’re a real good hockey team. We’re very honoured to have an opportunity to play these guys. There’s no question they’re the favourites and we’re the underdogs but we’re OK with that. It’s a challenge we look forward to.”

Sportsnet will show Game 2 of the series from Regina on Friday night and Game 3 from Swift Current on Monday night.

Meanwhile, Shaw TV will televise the second-round series between the Medicine Hat Tigers and Lethbridge Hurricanes. That series opens with games in Medicine Hat on Friday and Saturday nights.

The Tigers (51-20-1), who finished atop the Central Division, eight points ahead of the Hurricanes (44-21-7), were 4-3-0 in the season series. The Tigers scored at least five goals in five of those games, including games of seven, eight and nine scores.

The two Western Conference series will open on Friday, with the Everett Silvertips playing host to the Seattle Thunderbirds, and the Portland Winterhawks in Kelowna against the Rockets.

The Silvertips (44-16-12) won the U.S. Division pennant, finishing two points ahead of the Thunderbirds (46-20-6). Everett was 4-4-2 in the season series with Seattle, while the Thunderbirds went 6-4-0. In the 10 games, the winning team scored one, two or three goals on six occasions.

The Rockets (45-22-5) wound up second in the B.C. Division, while the Winterhawks (40-28-4) were fourth in the U.S. Division and are in the playoffs as the conference’s first wild-card entry. Kelowna was 3-1-0 against the Winterhawks this season. Kelowna won twice in Portland, 3-2 and 5-3, on Oct. 29 and 30. The Winterhawks won the most recent meeting, 5-4, in Kelowna on Jan. 28.

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The 2018 CHL Top Prospects Game will be played in Guelph‘s Sleeman Centre, home of the OHL’s Storm, on Jan. 25. Next year’s game will be the 23rd annual Top Prospects contest, an event that features 40 of the top NHL draft-eligible players from the OHL, QMJHL and WHL. This will be the first time the game will have been played in Guelph.

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Two more WHLers — D Josh Brook of the Moose Jaw Warriors and F Kyle Olson of the Tri-City Americans — have been added to the roster of the Canadian team that left Wednesday for Slovakia and the IIHF U-18 World Championship tournament  that is to be played in Poprad and Spisska Nova Ves, from April 13-23. . . . As well, Moose Jaw D Jett Woo is with the team as an underage player, allowing him to gain international experience. . . . Canada will play exhibition games against Russia in Bratislava on April 9 and Switzerland in Piestany on April 10. . . . Canada opens tournament play on April 13 against Latvia. . . . On April 4, Hockey Canada named F Jaret Anderson-Dolan of the Spokane Chiefs, F Stelio Mattheos of the Brandon Wheat Kings and G Ian Scott of the Prince Albert Raiders to the team, and added Spokane D Ty Smith as an underage player.

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D Brendan Guhle of the Prince George Cougars has left to join the Rochester Americans, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres. Guhle, 19, played three games for the Sabres in December. . . . Ted Clarke of the Prince George Citizen reports that Cougars F Radovan Bondra, 19, will join the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs, who are affiliated with the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, while F Jesse Gabrielle, 19, is off to the AHL’s Providence Bruins, who are hooked up with the NHL’s Boston Bruins.

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F Evan Polei of the Red Deer Rebels is off to join the Bakersfield Condors, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. Polei, who played four seasons in Red Deer, turned 21 on Feb. 19 so has used up his junior eligibility. This season, he had 33 goals and 29 assists in 69 games, then added three goals and six assists in six playoff games. However, he sat out the Game 7 loss to the host Lethbridge Hurricanes on Tuesday night as he served a one-game WHL suspension for a checking-to-the-head major and game misconduct he incurred in Game 6.

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F Brett Howden of the Moose Jaw Warriors will finish his season with the Syracuse Crunch, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning. Howden, 19, was taken by the Lightning with the 27th selection of the 2016 NHL draft. This season, he had 38 goals and 43 assists in 58 regular-season games. He added two goals and an assist in a seven-game first-round loss to the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Howden signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Lightning on Dec. 28.

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The Detroit Red Wings have signed D Dennis Cholowski, 19, to a three-year entry-level contract. The Red Wings selected him with the 20th overall pick of the NHL’s 2016 draft. Cholowski, from Langley, B.C., played two seasons with the BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs, then spent this season at St. Cloud State, recording one goal and 11 assists in 36 games. . . . Cholowski’s WHL rights are held by the Prince George Cougars, who selected him in the 10th round of the 2013 bantam draft.

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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.

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Mike Gabinet, 35, is the new head coach of the U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks. Gabinet had been the team’s associate coach. He played four seasons with the Mavericks. He later worked at NAIT in his hometown of Edmonton as an assistant coach with the Ooks, taking over as head coach for 2015-16. A year ago, the Mavericks hired him as associate coach. Gabinet takes over as head coach from Dean Blais, who resigned last month after eight seasons behind the bench. Gabinet now is the youngest head coach in NCAA Division I hockey. . . . Eric Olson of The Associated Press reported that Gabinet will get US$250,000 per year on a five-year deal, along with a country club membership and a car. There is a $20,000 bonus for a regular-season title, $50,000 for a berth in the Frozen Four, and $75,000 for a national championship.

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When the @HHOF calls, you answer. pic.twitter.com/isY2sCt9EZ

— james stucky (@jamesstucky) April 5, 2017

The Everett Silvertips received a request from the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, so equipment guru James Stucky got right to work. The stick that F Cal Babych used in ending the longest game in CHL history on Sunday is on its way to the hall. The Silvertips beat the host Victoria Royals, 3-2, with Babych scoring in the fifth OT period.

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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:

No Games Scheduled.

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THURSDAY’S GAME (all times local):

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

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.

Pats make big splash before deadline . . . Cougars add another top gun . . . More trades

WHL trades since Dec. 27:

Trades: 31.

Players: 55.

Bantam draft picks: 40.

Conditional bantam draft picks: 10.

(WHL trade deadline is Jan. 10, 3 p.m. MT).

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The Regina Pats jumped into the WHL’s trade deadline pool on Tuesday, making like a cannonballer at a Hawaiian resort. They made a deal with the Red Deer Rebels that involved four players, two first-round

bantam draft picks and two conditional selections.

The Pats acquired D Josh Mahura, 18, F Jeff de Wit, 18, and a conditional third-round pick in 2019 for F Lane Zablocki, who turned 18 on Dec. 27, D Dawson Barteaux, 16, a first-round pick in 2017, a first-round pick in 2018 or 2019, and a conditional third-rounder in 2020.

Mahura and de Wit both played for the Rebels last season when they were the host team for the 2016 Memorial Cup tournament. The Pats, obviously, are a serious contender for the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions this season and are considered by most observers to be the favourite to be named hosts of the 2018 Memorial Cup.

Thus, any deals the Pats make have to be examined under that light. Were the Pats to win the WHL this season and also be the host team for the 2018 Memorial Cup, Mahura and de Wit could play in three straight national championship tournaments.

Keep in mind, too, that the Pats own the WHL rights to D Tyson Jost, who is playing for the U of North Dakota Fighting Hawks. Should he end up joining the Pats at some time, and they are hoping he will be in their lineup next season, they will owe a first-round pick to the Everett Silvertips. Should Jost end up in Regina for 2016-17, Red Deer likely would get that 2018 first-rounder, with the 2019 pick going to Everett.

The 6-foot-0, 180-pound Mahura, from St. Albert, Alta., missed all but two games last season with an

injury to his left knee, but that didn’t stop the Anaheim Ducks from selecting him in the third round of the NHL’s 2016 draft. He was injured on the opening weekend of the 2015-16 season and was back in time to play in 17 playoff games and the Memorial Cup.

This season, Mahura had 33 points, including nine goals, in 39 games with the Rebels. In 92 career regular-season games, he has 42 points, 11 of them goals. The Rebels selected him in the second round of the 2013 bantam draft.

De Wit, from Red Deer, had four goals and five assists in 36 games with the Rebels this season, his third in Red Deer. Last season, the 6-foot-3, 190-pounder had 23 points, seven of them goals, in 70 games. In 174 career games, he has 14 goals and 30 assists.

Zablocki, from Wetaskiwin, Alta., had nine goals and 16 assists in 33 games with the Pats this season. Last season, as a freshman, he had 18 goals and 19 assists in 72 games. The 6-foot-0, 185-pounder was a fifth-round pick by the Prince George Cougars in the 2013 bantam draft. Regina acquired Zablocki in a deal that had F Jesse Gabrielle go to Prince George.

Barteaux was a first-round selection by the Pats in the 2015 bantam draft. From Foxwarren, Man., the 6-foot-1, 170-pound Barteaux will turn 17 on Thursday. He has two assists in 18 games with the Pats this season.

Something else that makes this trade interesting is that the Pats are loading up for a run at perhaps two Memorial Cups, while the Rebels are working to rebuild after making a boatload of moves leading into the 2016 tournament.

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The Prince George Cougars added another top-end player to their roster on Tuesday when they acquired Slovakian F Radovan Bondra, 19, from the Vancouver Giants for Dutch F Bartek Bison, 18, F Tyler Ho, 16, and a third-round pick in the 2018 WHL bantam draft.

Later in the day, the Cougars got F Tanner Wishnowski, 19, from the Spokane Chiefs for a conditional eight-round pick in the 2018 bantam draft.

Bondra was a fifth-round pick by the Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL’s 2015 draft. In 90 career games, the 6-foot-5, 215-pound Bondra has 34 goals and 27 assists. This season, he had 19 goals and 12 assists in 32 games with the Giants.

Bondra was to join the Cougars in Red Deer prior to a game with the Rebels on Tuesday. They are to play in Medicine Hat on Wednedsay, Lethbridge on Friday and Calgary on Saturday.

The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Bison, who is from Amsterdam, has been sidelined with a concussion since Dec. 3. He had five goals and an assist in 22 games with the Cougars this season, after putting up six goals and nine assists in 56 games last season.

Ho, from North Vancouver, is the key to this deal from the Giants’ perspective. He was a third-round

selection by Prince George in the 2015 bantam draft and has signed a WHL contract. Ho has 14 goals and 21 assists in 26 games with the Valley West Hawks of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League.

Meanwhile, Wishnowski, from Oakbank, Man., hasn’t played since Nov. 19 due to an undisclosed injury.

He was listed by the Kelowna Rockets in 2013. Last season, he had seven goals and six assists in 54 games with the Rockets. He started this season with Kelowna, scoring once and adding an assist in 10 games, before being dealt to Spokane. In 13 games with the Chiefs, he had two goals and six assists before being injured.

The Cougars are on an Alberta road swing and Wishnowski will join them when they get home on Sunday.

In the past month, the Cougars added three prime-time players in Bondra, Russian F Nikita Popugaev and D Brendan Guhle, giving up six players and five bantam draft picks in the deals.

After putting Wishnowski on their roster, the Cougars were left with a 24-man roster that includes 15 players born in 1996 or 1997.

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The Prince Albert Raiders have acquired F Jordy Stallard, 19, and a seventh-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft from the Calgary Hitmen for F Luke Coleman, 18, and a 2018 fourth-round selection.

The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Stallard, from Brandon, had eight goals and 19 assists in 32 games with the Hitmen this season. In 158 career games, he has 35 goals and 67 assists. The Hitmen selected him in the fourth round of the 2012 bantam draft. The Winnipeg Jets picked him in the fifth round of the NHL’s 2016 draft.

Coleman, from Red Deer, was a fifth-round pick by the Raiders in the 2013 bantam draft. This season, he had seven goals and five assists in 39 games with the Raiders. In 123 career games, he has 21 goals and 21 assists.

Interestingly, the Hitmen are scheduled to visit Prince Albert on Wednesday night.

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The Moose Jaw Warriors have acquired F Branden Klatt, 18, from the Edmonton Oil Kings for a fourth-round pick in the 2018 bantam draft and a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2019.

The Warriors also added F Spencer Bast from the Kamloops Blazers for an eighth-round selection in the 2018 bantam draft.

This season, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound Klatt, who is from Moose Jaw, had four goals and five assists in 41 games with Edmonton. In 85 career games, he put up five goals and 12 assists.

The Oil Kings selected Klatt in the sixth round of the 2013 bantam draft.

Bast, from Macklin, Sask., turned 20 on Jan. 5. A list player, the 5-foot-11, 170-pound Bast had six goals and five assists in 40 games with the Blazers this season. Last season, in 47 games, he had four goals and eight assists.

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Giants wheeling, dealing . . . Patrick back Friday? . . . Concussion ends Morrisseau's season

F Robin Kovář (Vancouver, Regina, 2001-04) has been released by the Manchester Phoenix (England, Premier) for financial reasons. He had 39 points, including 18 goals, in 32 games.

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WHL trades since Dec. 27:

Trades: 25.

Players: 43.

Bantam draft picks: 33.

Conditional bantam draft picks: 6.

(WHL trade deadline is Jan. 10 at 3 p.m. MT, which is 4 p.m. in Brandon and 2 p.m. in Vancouver and Portland).

—

When last I left you, I had written that the Lethbridge Hurricanes, after a number of moves on Monday, had 21 players on their roster, including 12 forwards and seven defencemen. “Obviously, then,” I wrote, “Anholt isn’t finished.”

Shortly after I posted that, Peter Anholt, the Hurricanes’ general manager, acquired F Alec Baer, 19, from the Vancouver Giants for a third-round selection in the 2017 WHL bantam draft.

Baer, from St. Louis Park, Minn., is a list player who signed with the Giants on Feb. 15, 2013.

This season, the 5-foot-10, 170-pound Baer has three goals and 15 assists in 39 games this season, his fourth with the Giants. In 240 career games, he has 44 goals and 61 assists.

Baer is expected to be in the Hurricanes’ lineup on Wednesday when they visit the Edmonton Oil Kings.

——

News 1130 Sports of Vancouver reported Monday night that the Giants “have traded forward Radovan Bondra” to the Prince George Cougars.

According to the radio station, the Giants will get a third-round bantam draft pick and “1-2 players” from the Cougars.

Bondra, 19, is from Trebisov, Slovakia. He is a 6-foot-5, 220-pounder with good offensive skills.

This season, Bondra has 19 goals and 12 assists in 32 games. Last season, as a freshman, had had 30 points, including 15 goals, in 58 games.

The Chicago Blackhawks selected Bondra in the fifth round of the 2015 NHL draft.

The addition of Bondra would the Cougars with three imports, the other two being Russian F Nikita Popugaev, who was acquired last week from the Moose Jaw Warriors, and Dutch F Bartek Bison, who hasn’t played since Dec. 3 due to a concussion.

Vancouver’s other import is Russian D Dmitry Osipov, 20.

——

If things go well at practice this week, F Nolan Patrick could be back in the Brandon Wheat Kings’ lineup on Friday against the visiting Kootenay Ice.

Patrick, who remains the consensus No. 1 pick for the NHL’s 2017 draft, has played only six games this season, none since Oct. 11. He underwent surgery for a sports hernia in July, missed most of training camp, played six games and hasn’t played since.

Kelly McCrimmon, the Wheat Kings’ owner who now is the assistant GM with the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights, told TSN’s Bob McKenzie that Patrick was to take part in a full practice on Monday. “He’ll practise full up this week and he aims to play Friday so long as the rest of the week goes well,” McCrimmon said.

Patrick had four goals and five assists in those six games.

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You may be wondering how F Nolan Patrick of the Brandon Wheat Kings can be the favourite as the No. 1 selection in the NHL’s 2017 draft despite playing only six games this season. Well, Craig Button of TSN has released his latest rankings — Craig’s List features his top 105 — and he explains why Patrick remains No. 1. That’s all right here.

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F Koby Morrisseau, 16, has been shut down for the rest of this season by the Spokane Chiefs. He has

KOBY MORRISSEAU

been played on the long-term injured reserve list.

“After further review and consideration with medical professionals and his family, we have decided to shut Koby down for the rest of the (season),” Spokane general manager Scott Carter said in a news release. “His health is our top priority. We wish him the best as he works toward a full recovery.”

Morrisseau, from Grandview, Man., was a first-round selection in the 2015 WHL bantam draft. This season, he had one goal and one assist in 22 games.

Morrisseau has suffered two concussions this season.

The first occurred Sept. 3 in an exhibition game against the Portland Winterhawks in Everett. Morrisseau spent that night in hospital after leaving the ice on a stretcher following a check from behind. Portland F Brett Clayton was suspended for six games as a result of the hit.

Morrisseau was back in time for the start of the regular season on Sept. 24.

He last played on Dec. 13 against the host Seattle Thunderbirds. He needed attention from both teams’ training staffs and left the game following a hard check from Seattle D Turner Ottenbreit.

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D Luke Reid, a second-round selection by the Victoria Royals in the 2016 WHL bantam draft, has made a verbal commitment to attend North Dakota. Reid, 15, is from Warman, Sask. Reid plays for the Battlefords Stars of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League.

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A few years ago, a football player to a severe blow to the head while wearing a mouth guard with motion sensors. “The information from those sensors,” according to a piece in The New York Times, “has given researchers a more detailed and precise window into what was happening within the player’s brain in the milliseconds after the hit.” . . . That complete piece, including great video work, is right here. You really need to check this out in order to see just what happens to the brain after a shot to the head.

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His name is Beck Cold https://t.co/Y5V5i2kJQy

— Chad Balcom (@hawkeyblog) January 9, 2017

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MONDAY’S GAMES:

No Games Scheduled.

——

TUESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Tri-City at Moose Jaw 7 p.m.

Prince George at Red Deer, 7 p.m.

Calgary at Saskatoon, 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.

Välimäki feted in Finland . . . Brooks' streak at 20 . . . Blades stun Warriors

Juuso Välimäki (centre) of the Tri-City Americans shakes hands
with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, who is behind his
wife Jenni Haukio (in purple). (YLE screen grab)

Juuso Välimäki is greeted by Finnish First Lady Jenni Haukio.(YLE screen grab)

D Juuso Välimäki of the Tri-City Americans was in Helsinki, Finland, on Tuesday where he was among those feted in that country’s Independence Day celebrations that included the Linnan Juhlat — Palace Ball — which, according to The MacBeth Report, “is a REALLY big deal . . . it is televised live and garners high ratings.

Välimäki was among the honourees because he captained the Finnish team that won the U-18 IIHF world championship in Grand Forks, N.D., in April.

Here’s more from The MacBeth Report:

It begins with the reception line, where everyone is individually greeted by the President (currently Sauli Niinistö) and spouse/significant other (wife in this case, Jenni Haukio).

The first people through the line are war veterans, led this year by 91-year- old General Jaakko Valtanen, former Commander of the Finnish Armed Forces. These are veterans of the Winter War and Continuation War, two wars fought during the Second World War, when the Soviet Union twice attacked Finland. The veterans are dwindling in number every year, just like here.

Afterwards, it's dinner, then dancing. 

Anyway . . . 

From Turun Sanomat (Turku's daily newspaper), a story that includes a picture of Välimäki arriving at the Palace is right here.

There are more pictures of the reception line right here.

And there is more coverage right here, in Finnish, from the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE).

As best as we can tell, Välimäki was the youngest guest at age 18. A Finnish singer named Robin Packalén also is 18, but Välimäki is about six weeks younger. The oldest was a veteran aged 101.

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The Brandon Wheat Kings have acquired F Meyer Nell, 19, from the Red Deer Rebels for a conditonal 10th-round selection in the 2018 bantam draft. Nell is from Boissevain, Man., which is south of Brandon and is playing for the Boissevain Border Kings of the Tiger Hills Hockey League while attending the U of Manitoba in Winnipeg. He spent two seasons with the Rebels, picking up nine goals and 15 assists in 121 games. . . . The Rebels selected Nell in the fifth round of the 2012 bantam draft. . . . Nell is expected to join the Wheat Kings after the Christmas break.

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F Vladimir Bobylyov chose to return to Russia this season, rather than play a second season with the Victoria Royals. Now, according to News 1130 Sports, a Vancouver radio station, Bobylyov, 19, may be coming back to Victoria. Bobylyov — he was Bobylev in his first stint in the WHL — had 67 points, including 28 goals, in 72 games with the Royals last season, after putting up three goals and six assists in 52 games with the Vancouver Giants in 2014-15. After last season, he was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the sixth round of the NHL’s 2016 draft. . . . He hasn’t been productive in Russia, recording one goal and two assists in 20 games with Spartak Moskva of the KHL before being sent to the VHL’s Khimik Voskresensk. He has a goal and an assist in two games there. . . . The Royals have only one import — Russian D Marsel Ibragimov — on their roster so there is room for Bobylyov.

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The WHL handed out 16 games worth of suspensions and $500 in fines on Tuesday. . . . F Zach Fischer of the Medicine Hat Tigers was given a five-game suspension for becoming “engaged with an unsuspecting opponent.” He hit F Matt Fonteyne of the host Everett Silvertips during a Friday game. Fischer has missed two games and will be eligible to return on Dec. 13 against the visiting Kelowna Rockets. He will miss games divisional games against the Red Deer Rebels, Lethbridge Hurricanes and Calgary Hitmen. . . . F Baron Thompson of the Brandon Wheat Kings was hit with a three-game suspension after taking a headshot major and game misconduct for a hit on F Connor Bruggen-Cate against the host Kelowna Rockets on Saturday. He already has sat out one game and will miss another tonight (Wednesday) when the Wheat Kings play the Cougars in Prince George. . . . F Kolby Johnson of the Prince Albert Raiders was given four games for a headshot major and game misconduct after hitting D Chase Harrison of the host Regina Pats on Saturday. Harrison began this week in concussion protocol. Johnson began his suspension by missing Tuesday’s game against the visiting Calgary Hitmen. . . . D Ryan Gagnon of the Victoria Royals will sit for four games after taking a charging major and game misconduct in a Saturday game against the Cougars in Prince George. . . . The Medicine Hat Tigers and Seattle Thunderbirds each were fined $250 for warm-up violations prior to their Saturday game in Kent, Wash. Ch-ch-ching! Just in time for the WHL office’s Christmas party!

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Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reports that the Vancouver Giants were missing two players from Monday’s practice. F Radovan Bondra suffered a leg injury on Friday night against the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings and is expected to return Friday against the visiting Everett Silvertips. D Darian Skeoch watched with his right foot/ankle in an air cast. According to Ewen, Skeoch is week-to-week.

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F Pavel Kousal of the Spokane Chiefs will be leaving the team to play for his native Czech Republic at the World Junior A Challenge in Bonnyville, Alta., Dec. 11-17. Kousal, who is eligible for the 2017 NHL draft, has seven goals and two assists in 24 games in his first season with the Chiefs.

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Patrick Conway offers up his latest look at the KHL and its teams and it’s all right here.

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If you’ve got a comment, some information you would like to pass along, or if you just want to say hello, feel free to contact me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.

If you would like to donate to the cause, please visit the bottom of this post and go right ahead.

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20+ - WHL 20+ Game Point Streaks, Last 5 seasons:
McGauley (24, 2014-15)
S.Reinhart (22, 2013-14)
Lowry (21, 2012-13)
Brooks (20*, 2016-17)

— WHL Facts (@WHLFacts) December 7, 2016

TUESDAY’S GAMES:

At Cranbrook, B.C., F Riley Woods scored at 2:20 of OT to give the Regina Pats a 5-4 victory over the

RILEY WOODS

Kootenay Ice. . . . Woods has four goals this season. . . . Regina F Adam Brooks ran his point streak to 20 games with a third-period goal. He leads the WHL with 46 points, two more than teammate Sam Steel. . . . F Jake Leschyshyn (11) gave Regina a 1-0 lead at 10:47 of the first period. . . . The Ice then took a 3-1 lead on second-period goals from F Vince Loschiavo (7), at 0:33; F Noah Philp (4), at 1:01; and F Zak Zborosky, on a PP, at 5:02. . . . Zborosky has 22 goals and is tied for the WHL lead with F Jayden Halbgewachs of the Moose Jar Warriors. . . . Steel pulled Regina even with two goals, giving him 19, at 10:55 and 15:39. . . . Brooks gave the Pats a 4-3 lead with his 13th goal, at 3:27 of the third period. . . . Loschiavo forced OT with a goal at 11:07. . . . Regina D Sergey Zborovskiy had three assists, giving him 12 points, including nine assists, over his past three games. . . . The Pats got two assists from D Jonathan Smart, who has five points in three games since being acquired from the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Leschyshyn added an assist to his goal. . . . Zborosky added two assists to his goal. . . . It was Zborovskiy versus Zborosky and each had three points. . . . The Pats got 46 saves from G Tyler Brown, while Payton Lee stopped 39 for the Ice. . . . Kootenay was 1-8 on the PP; Regina was 0-1. . . . The Pats (20-2-4) are 4-0-1 in their past five games and now are tied with the idle Everett Silvertips for first place in the overall standings. . . . The Ice (6-17-8) has points in three straight (1-0-2). . . . Announced attendance: 1,538.

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🚨🚨🚨MICHAEL FARREN!!!!!!!! BLADES WIN!!!!🎉🎉🎉#RiseWithUs pic.twitter.com/ylMiCLvI3G

— Saskatoon Blades (@BladesHockey) December 7, 2016

At Moose Jaw, the Saskatoon Blades scored twice in the last two minutes of the third period and then

MICHAEL FARREN

beat the Warriors, 4-3, in a shootout. . . . F Michael Farren scored in the fifth round of the shootout to give the Blades the victory. . . . It was the first shootout of the season for both teams. . . . With the Warriors leading 3-1, Saskatoon F Chase Wouters (3) scored a PP goal at 18:05. . . . The Blades tied it when F Jesse Shynkaruk got No. 8 at 19:01. . . . The last two goals came with G Brock Hamm out for the extra attacker. . . . The Warriors had taken a 2-0 lead into the third period on goals from F Brett Howden (13), at 11:34 of the first period, and F Noah Gregor (13), on a PP, at 19:06 of the second period. . . . F Caleb Fantillo’s second goal of the season allowed the Blades to halve the deficit at 1:36 of the third period. . . . Warriors F Jayden Halbgewachs gave his guys a 3-1 lead, on a PP, at 12:34. The goal gave Halbgewachs the WHL’s goal-scoring lead. F Zak Zborosky of the Kootenay Ice scored his 22nd later in the evening. . . . Halbgewachs also had an assist, while F Nikita Popugaev had two of them. . . . Farren, a 16-year-old from Surrey, B.C., also had two assists for the Blades, as did F Kolten Olynek. . . . Hamm finished with 33 saves through OT and added four more in the shootout as he won for the second time this season. He hadn’t gotten a victory since Oct. 1. . . . Zach Sawchenko stopped 31 shots for the Warriors. . . . Moose Jaw was 2-3 on the PP; Saskatoon was 1-2. . . . The Blades (11-17-2) had been 0-2-1 in their previous three games. . . . Moose Jaw D Matt Sozanski missed his second game with what is believed to be a shoulder injury. . . . The Warriors (16-6-5) had D Matthew Benson, 16, make his WHL debut. Benson has two goals and six assists in 14 games with the Delta Hockey Academy team in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League. . . . The Blades had F Tyler Lees, 16, in their lineup. He has six goals and 14 assists in 19 games with the midget AAA Regina Pats Canadians. He was a fifth-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft. . . . Some notes from Les Lazaruk, the youthful radio voice of the Blazers: “The victory ended a three-game winless streak, was the Double Blue's first win over the Warriors after five straight losses and was the first win at Mosaic Place in Moose Jaw after eight consecutive setbacks, dating back to Nov. 8, 2013. Add in the fact that the Blades were 0-14-0 when trailing after two periods this season and had only won once previously in 18 games when the opposition opened the scoring, and the result was remarkable.” . . . Announced attendance: 2,808.

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At Prince Albert, F Jordy Stallard broke a 2-2 tie at 15:47 of the third period as the Calgary Hitmen got

JORDY STALLARD

past the Raiders, 3-2. . . . Stallard scored his fourth goal on a PP. . . . F Carsen Twarynski (9) gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 2:29 of the second period. . . . The Raiders tied it when F Sean Montgomery scored his eighth goal at 4:36. . . . Calgary took the lead right back, with F Beck Malenstyn (7) scoring at 7:07. . . . That lasted until 19:10 when F Simon Stransky (12) pulled the Raiders into a 2-2 tie. . . . Stransky also had an assist. . . . The Hitmen got 22 saves from G Cody Porter, while Ian Scott of the Raiders blocked 39 shots. . . . Calgary was 1-6 on the PP; Prince Albert was 0-3. . . . The Hitmen (9-14-2) had lost their previous five games. . . . The Raiders 6-22-1 have lost two in a row. . . . F Justyn Gurney, 16, made his WHL debut with the Hitmen. From Delta, B.C., he has 25 points, including eight goals, in 17 games with the Valley West Hawks of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League. Gurney was a sixth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. . . . Announced attendance: 1,824.

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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Tri-City at Everett, 7:05 p.m.

Seattle at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.

Regina at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.

Red Deer at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.

Brandon at Prince George, 7 p.m.

Calgary at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.

Victoria at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.

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TEDDY BEAR, TOQUE AND MITTEN TOSS GAMES:

Friday, Dec. 9: Moose Jaw at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 9: Swift Current at Regina, 7 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 9: Kootenay at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 10: Prince Albert at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 10: Kamloops at Edmonton, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 10: Kelowna at Kootenay, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 10: Calgary at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 10: Everett at Portland, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 10: Seattle at Prince George, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 10: Victoria vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 16: Saskatoon at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 16: Portland vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 17: Brandon at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 17: Portland at Everett, 7:05 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 17: Vancouver at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 21: Vancouver vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.

Nov. 26: D Micheal Zipp, 19:47 1st period, Lethbridge 4 at Calgary 2.

Dec. 2: D Artyom Minulin, 13:24 1st period, Calgary 1 at Swift Current 5.

Dec. 2: F Jordy Bellerive, 14:00 1st period, Red Deer 3 at Lethbridge 5.

Dec. 3: F Adam Musil, 14:27 1st period, Lethbridge 2 at Red Deer 3 (OT).

Dec. 3: D Ondrej Vala, 10:38 1st period, Vancouver 2 at Kamloops 5.
Dec. 3: F Nick Merkley, 6:54 2nd period, Brandon 1 at Kelowna 3.

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