Two more veterans leave WHL . . . Ex-WHLer forced to stop playing

Jerrid Sauer has joined the Medicine Hat Tigers' coaching staff.
(Photo: Medicine Hat Tigers)

It may not be a problem, but it would seem to be a trend.
First, there was D Reid Gow, 20. Then, D Cole Wedman, 20, followed suit. On Sunday, it was D Jeremy McIntosh's turn.
And now F Geordie Maguire and F Aspen Sterzer have moved on.
Gow and McIntosh, 19, both cited a loss of passion in deciding not to return to the Spokane Chiefs. Wedman, who had been dealt by Spokane to Moose Jaw over the summer, has informed the Warriors that he won't report, choosing instead to attend the U of Alberta.
Now you can add Maguire and Sterzer to the list.
Maguire, 19, isn’t in camp with the Swift Current Broncos and apparently will be heading to school.
From Winnipeg, he began his WHL career in 2012-13, picking up nine points, including four goals, in 65 games with the Wheat Kings. The Everett Silvertips had selected Maguire in the fifth round of the 2010 bantam draft, then dealt him to Brandon for G Brandon Anderson, 20, and a fifth-round pick in the 2013 draft.
At the WHL’s 2013 bantam draft, the Wheat Kings dealt Maguire to Regina, along with a third-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft, in exchange for "draft day considerations."
At the 2013-14 trade deadline, the Pats traded Maguire to the Broncos for a sixth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. Maguire, who led the Manitoba midget AAA league in scoring in 2011-12, had 14 points, seven of them goals, in 27 games with Regina, and one goal in eight games with the Broncos.
Sterzer, meanwhile, has chosen not to report to the Red Deer Rebels for his 20-year-old season.
Greg Meachem, the Red Deer Advocate's sports editor, reports that Sterzer has told Brent Sutter, the Rebels' GM/head coach, that the passion is gone and that he plans on going to school.
“We’ll stay patient with it and see what happens," Sutter told Meachem, "but during my conversation with him he said he just didn’t feel he has the passion to play any more. He made that commitment to his family, to his mom and dad, that if he wasn’t at the pro level after his 19-year-old year that he would go to school.”
Sterzer played 174 regular-season WHL games, 144 of those with the Kamloops Blazers. He missed a lot of the 2012-13 season with health issues, including a brain injury. The Blazers traded him to the Rebels last season, giving up F Matt Bellerive and a third-round 2014 bantam pick. Sterzer had 21 points, 12 of them goals, in 30 games with Red Deer. Between the two teams, he had 53 points, including 29 goals, in 70 games.
“For us, it was disappointing. It caught us off guard,” Sutter added. “We didn’t expect it after our year-end exit meetings. He kept in contact with our coaches through the summer and was doing the conditioning stuff that was required of him.
“Then all of a sudden he changed his mind.”
Without Sterzer, the Rebels have three 20-year-olds on their roster -- D Brett Cote, who was acquired from the Victoria Royals for a second-round 2014 draft pick on May 1, D Devan Fafard and F Brooks Maxwell.
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Albin Blomqvist turned 21 on Jan. 8, so no longer is eligible to play in the WHL.
Not that he would be able to were he 20 years of age, because he has become another victim of brain injuries.
Blomqvist, from Osby, Sweden, played two seasons (2011-13) with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. In his first season, he had a goal and two assists in 38 games; the next season, he had three assists in 31 games.
Last season, he was limited to one game with Osby IK, a Division 2 club in Sweden.
As Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News reports, Blomqvist has had to retire, and he has written a letter to Hockeysverige.se.
“It’s a tough read and brings up a lot of important issues for the hockey world,” Kennedy writes right here.
Kennedy continues: “Translated into English, Blomqvist rails against a culture that pushes dreams more than reality. With his hockey career over and no chance at playing in the NHL, the defenceman also has come to the realization that his singular focus and lack of education may not have been the best idea.”
Blomqvist‘s brother, Axel, plays for the Victoria Royals and has signed with the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets.
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The OHL announced Wednesday that it has made more moves aimed at getting fighting out of the game.
What follows is from the OHL news release:
“The OHL will be augmenting the current staged fight rule whereby players receive an automatic game misconduct for a fight occurring immediately following the drop of the puck at the commencement of a period or game. Such rule has been expanded so as to include a fight that occurs immediately following any faceoff during the game. Should a staged fight occur, the player(s) involved shall each receive a game misconduct in addition to the major penalty and any other penalties assessed.
“If a player receives a third game misconduct during the season for a combination of any five-minute major and game misconduct penalties for checking to the head, checking from behind, boarding, kneeing and clipping, for which suspensions have not previously been applied, he shall receive an automatic one-game suspension. For each subsequent game misconduct, the suspension shall be increased accordingly.
“If a player receives a third minor penalty for instigating during the season, he shall receive an automatic one-game suspension. For each subsequent instigating minor penalty, the suspension shall be increased accordingly.
“The number of fighting majors that a player can receive in a game before a game misconduct is assessed shall be reduced from three to two.
“If a player receives a fourth minor penalty during the regular season in any one of the following categories, ie., checking from behind, checking to the head, kneeing, clipping or boarding, he shall receive a one-game suspension. For each subsequent minor penalty in any of the particular categories, the suspension shall be increased accordingly.
“Each OHL team shall have a threshold of three major penalties for fighting during each game. A disciplinary fine shall be assessed for each team exceeding such threshold.”
Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports Canada has more on the OHL changes right here.
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Alan Caldwell, over at Small Thoughts At Large, is in pre-training camp form in a big way. The other day, he took a look at the team-by-team 20-year-old situation. . . . Now he’s working on training camps, starting with rosters as they become available, and opening dates. Check it out right here; there also is a link over there on the right.
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F Jake Mykitiuk, who played two seasons (2011-13) with the Prince George Cougars, is going to camp with the Tri-City Americans. He had 21 points, including seven goals, in 126 games with the Cougars. Last season, the 5-foot-7, 160-pound Mykitiuk, who turns 19 on Nov. 21, split last season between the AJHL's Sherwood Park Crusaders and Spruce Grove Saints. He totalled 38 points, 16 of them goals, in 39 AJHL games.
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F Austin Calladine, who turns 19 on Dec. 21, is in camp with the Swift Current Broncos. A second-round pick by the Calgary Hitmen in the 2010 bantam draft, he has a goal and two assists in 37 regular-season games, 33 with the Hitmen in 2012-13. The Hitmen dealt him to the Saskatoon Blades for a conditional 2015 eighth-round bantam draft pick on Sept. 26. The Saskatoon native was pointless in three games with the Blades, then put up 34 points, 17 of them goals, in 46 games with the SJHL's Flin Flon Bombers.
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F Shane Danyluk won’t be back with the Prince Albert Raiders for a fifth season. Danyluk, 20, cleared WHL waivers on Wednesday. He expressed a desire to play in the BCHL for his hometown Salmon Arm SilverBacks. Danyluk was a second-round selection in the 2009 bantam draft. . . . Last season, he had 24 points, including seven goals, in 71 games. In 248 regular-season games, he put up 77 points, 25 of them goals. . . . Danyluk’s departure leaves the Raiders with five 20-year-olds on their roster -- F Calder Brooks, F Dakota Conroy, F Jayden Hart, D Sawyer Lange and F Carson Perreaux.
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The Medicine Hat Tigers have added Jerrid Sauer, 26, to their coaching staff. He will work as an assistant coach, alongside GM/head coach Shaun Clouston and assistant coach Joe Frazer. . . . Sauer, from Medicine Hat, played in the WHL with the Swift Current Broncos (2002-06) and the Tigers (2005-08). He then went on to the U of Calgary. . . . On the Tigers’ staff, he will replace Darren Kruger, who now is senior director, player development. . . . Sauer played for the Tigers in 2006-07 when they won the WHL championship.
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The Everett Silvertips go into the season under a bit more pressure than some other teams. That's because ownership has guaranteed its season-ticket holders at least a fourth-place finish in the 10-team Western Conference.
In February 2013, the Silvertips guaranteed season-ticket holders that they would finish at least sixth in the 10-team Western Conference or they would cough up $100 towards 2014-15 season tickets. Everett didn't have to pay up after finishing fourth.
At the same time, Everett management guaranteed at least a fourth-place finish in the conference in 2014-15. If the Silvertips don't get that high, season-ticket holders who renewed early will get a $100 credit towards 2015-16 tickets.
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Veteran F Trent Lofthouse, who turns 20 on Nov. 17, is in camp with the Portland Winterhawks. He also has played with the Everett Silvertips, Victoria Royals and Vancouver Giants. Last season, he started with Victoria, playing 11 games, and finished with the Giants. In 148 regular-season games, he has 38 points, including 25 goals. . . . As of now, Lofthouse is scrapping with F Adam De Champlain, F Trace Elson and D Josh Hanson for Portland’s three 20-year-old spots.
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The Central Hockey League’s Denver Cutthroats have suspended operations effective immediately. The franchise now is looking for additional investors and hopes to operate again in 2015-16. For now, all players who had signed with Denver are free agents.
The Central league also appears to have lost the Arizona Sundogs, and this could be permanent.
Brandon-based player agent Darryl Wolski tweeted Wednesday evening that the Sundogs “have ceased operations . . . players have been notified.”
That being the case, any players who have signed with the Sundogs now will be free agents.
Without Denver and Arizona, the Central league is down to seven teams. Shed a tear for F T.J. Fox. He played last season for the Cutthroats. On Friday, he signed with the Sundogs.
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Love the #OHL's additional penalties for fighting and dirty play. Players will eventually get the message #hockey
— Morris Dallacosta (@MoDaCoatLFPress) August 20, 2014

Mental illness costs Cdn economy $51B/year in direct treatment costs, lost productivity & quality of life. Early intervention is paramount!
— Wood's Homes (@ChildMntlHealth) August 21, 2014

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Sam Reinhart burning it up

Earlier in the week, there was a link her to a blog post from Gregg Sutch, a former OHL player who detailed how he came to lose his love for hockey. . . . John Matisz of QMI Agency has spoken with Sutch and follows up the blog post quite nicely. That report is right here.
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The Saskatoon Blades have signed F Chasetan Braid, who has been on their list since early 2013. He first attended their training camp in 2012. From Chauvin, Alta., Braid has 47 points, including 15 goals, in 35 games with the Lloydminster Bobcats of the Alberta Midget AAA League.
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An NHL team in Seattle in time for the 2015-16 season? Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times reports that there soon will be talks between the NHL and various parties on expansion fees. That piece is right here.
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THURSDAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
No games scheduled.
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FRIDAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
Medicine Hat at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Victoria at Regina, 7 p.m.
Calgary at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Swift Current at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Spokane at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
Vancouver at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Kamloops at Portland, 7 p.m.
Kelowna at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Prince Albert at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
Seattle at Everett, 7:35 p.m.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
In Moose Jaw, the Calgary Hitmen ran their winning streak to a season-high eight games with a 6-4 victory over the Warriors. . . . Calgary F Pavel Padakin had two goals and an assist, while F Jake Virtanen scored twice. Padakin has 24 goals; Virtanen has 38. . . . Calgary F Brady Brassart ran his point streak to 11 games with three assists. . . . With the victory, the Hitmen clinched a playoff spot for the 16th time in their 19-year history. . . . D Jaynen Rissling, Calgary’s captain, was back after serving a two-game suspension. . . . F Colton McCarthy scored twice for Moose Jaw, giving him four, while F Brayden Point got his 27th goal and added two assists. . . . Ice G Mack Shields started his sixth straight game -- he‘s 6-0-0. G Chris Driedger, who missed three games with a team-issued suspension, was on the bench for a second straight game. He hasn’t played since beat the Giants 5-0 in Vancouver on Feb. 7. . . . The Hitmen (40-15-6) are tied with the Edmonton Oil Kings for first place in the Central Division and the Eastern Conference. The Oil Kings have the tiebreaker with more victories (42-40) and have three games in hand. . . . The Warriors (15-35-9) have lost three in a row. . . .

In Brandon, the Victoria Royals scored four first-period goals and went on to beat the Wheat Kings, 5-3. . . . The Royals have won seven straight games now; they also have won nine straight on the road, including the first three stops on this five-game East Division swing. On top of that, they have at least a point in 14 straight games. . . . The Wheat Kings have lost seven in a row. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pulock opened the scoring with his 18th goal at 4:42 of the first. . . . Victoria F Logan Nelson got his 20th 16 seconds later and F Tyler Soy, with his 12th, gave the Royals their first lead at 8:50. . . . F Steven Hodges, with his 19th, and F Austin Carroll, with his 31st, added Victoria goals before the period ended. . . . Hodges also had two assists, while D Brett Cote had two helpers, too. . . . The Royals held a 49-26 edge in shots. . . . Victoria G Patrik Polivka went the distance in his second straight start after not playing since Jan. 31. . . . The Wheat Kings dressed only 16 skaters, two under the maximum. Brandon was without D Colten Waltz, who is sitting out a suspension. . . . Brandon also was without the Quenneville brothers, Paul and John, and F Jayce Hawryluk, all with injuries. D Rene Hunter and F Rihards Bukarts were back, though. . . . Victoria, 24-3-3 since Dec. 12, is third in the Western Conference, three points behind the Portland Winterhawks, who almost certainly will be the second seed because they are comfortably atop the U.S. Division. . . . The Wheat Kings (28-25-8) are seventh in the Eastern Conference, two points behind the Swift Current Broncos. . . .

In Saskatoon, F Logan McVeigh broke a 2-2 tie at 16:41 of the third period as the Regina Pats beat the Blades, 4-2. . . . McVeigh has 10 goals this season. . . . Regina F Morgan Klimchuk scored the game’s first two goals as the Pats grabbed the lead early in the second period. . . . The Blades tied it early in the third on goals by D Ayrton Nikkel, his fifth, and F Chase Clayton, his 10th. . . . Klimchuk completed his hat trick, getting his 23rd goal into an empty net at 19:55 of the third period. . . . Prior to the game, the Blades honoured Les Lazaruk, their longtime radio voice, for having worked his 1,500th game on the weekend. . . . The Blades, who were the host team for the 2013 Memorial Cup, were eliminated from the playoff race; this will be the first time since 2008 that they aren’t in the postseason. After the game, WHL Facts (@WHLFacts)t weeted: “2 - This will be the 2nd straight season that a Memorial Cup host missed the playoffs the following season (Shawinigan).” . . . Regina went 8-0-0 against Saskatoon this season. . . . The Pats (32-22-6) are 5-0-1 in their last six and lead the East Division by four ponts over Swift Current. . . . The Blades (16-40-5) are 11th in the Eastern Conference. . . .

In Cranbrook, F Sam Reinhart had a goal and three assists to lead the Kootenay Ice to a 5-2 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Reinhart ran his point streak to 18 games. . . . F Curtis Valk of the Tigers had his point streak snapped at 18 games. . . . Reinhart has 32 goals. He also has 88 points in 48 games, three more than he totalled in 72 games last season. . . . In Reinhart’s 18-game tear, he has a five-point game, a four-point outing and seven three-pointers. He has multiple points in 12 of those games. He has 26 points in nine February games. . . . The Ice ended this game with two empty-netters, one from Reinhart and the other from Tim Bozon, who got his 29th. . . . Ice F Jaedon Descheneau had a goal, his 38th, and two assists. . . . The Tigers led this one 2-1 with five minutes left in the third period. . . . Ice F Luke Philp tied it, getting his 26th goal at 15:51. Descheneau broke the tie at 17:37. . . . Ice G Mackenzie Skapski stopped 40 shots. . . . The Ice (34-22-4) has won three in a row; it’s fifth in the conference, three points behind Medicine Hat (36-21-3). Each team has 12 games remaining. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Jackson Houck drew three assists to help the Vancouver Giants to a 5-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . The Giants opened a three-game Alberta swing by getting goals from five players. . . . Vancouver F Cain Franson scored his 25th goal and added an assist, while F Dominik Volek had two assists. . . . The Giants outshot the Hurricanes, 48-29. . . . Vancouver (29-23-10) is sixth in the Western Conference, five points behind the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Hurricanes (12-45-5) have the WHL’s poorest record. They have lost four straight. . . .

In Red Deer, the Edmonton Oil Kings unleased a 54-shot attack as they beat the Rebels 4-1. . . . Edmonton F Curtis Lazar scored his 33rd goal, while F Henrik Samuellson notched No. 29. . . . Edmonton D Griffin Reinhart was back on the ice after missing three games with the flu. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry stopped 14 shots. . . . The Oil Kings (42-14-2) are tied with Calgary atop the Central Division and the Eastern Conference. Edmonton owns the tiebreaker by virtue of more victories (42-40). . . . Red Deer (28-29-4) is tied with the Prince Albert Raiders for the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . The Rebels, 1-8-1 in their last 10, have lost three in a row. . . .

In Kelowna, the Rockets scored three first-period goals en route to a 5-1 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . The Rockets outshot the visitors 51-16, including 20-5 and 19-5 in each of the first periods. . . . Kelowna F Myles Bell scored his 39th goal. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke lost his shutout bid when Tri-City F Rodney Southam scored his third goal at 18:42 of the third period. . . . Kelowna (47-8-4) leads the overall standings by seven points over Portland. . . . The Americans (27-27-6) are eighth in the Western Conference, two points ahead of the Prince George Cougars. Tri-City holds three games in hand. . . .

In Spokane, F Shane Danyluk scored two second-period goals to spark the Prince Albert Raiders to a 4-1 victory over the Chiefs. . . . Danyluk, who turned 20 on Jan. 19, is from Salmon Arm, B.C. He was playing in his 236th regular-season game and has 23 goals. This was his third career two-goal game. . . . Raiders G Cole Cheveldave stopped 36 shots. . . . D Dakota Conroy also had two goals for the visitors, his second, No. 24 this season, into an empty net at 17:29 of the third. . . . Raiders F Chance Braid had two assists. . . . The Raiders (28-28-4) moved into a tie with Red Deer for the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . The Chiefs (34-21-5) are a comfortable fifth in the Western Conference.
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From WHL Facts (@WHLFacts): “15 - With tonight's victory, the @WHLKootenayICE have guaranteed themselves a 15th straight .500+ season... A new WHL record (KAM 1982-96).”
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Also from WHL Facts: “7 - After tonight's loss, the @TCAmericans’ WHL record-tying streak of 7 consecutive 40+ win seasons will come to an end this year.”

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Apparently, pigs can fly.
That’s what you think when you hear that the Seattle Thunderbirds have made a trade with their fiercest rivals, the Everett Silvertips.
But that’s what happened Sunday when the Thunderbirds dealt G Daniel Cotton, 18, to Everett for a 2014 sixth-round bantam draft pick. (The Seattle news release had the deal for a sixth-round pick; Everett’s news release reported it is a “conditional” sixth-rounder.)
Cotton, 0-8-0 in 18 appearances with the Thunderbirds while backing up Calvin Pickard over the last two seasons, had yet to play for Seattle this season. Last season, he was 0-8-0, 4.91, .876.
But it has been obvious for a while that Seattle will go with Brandon Glover, 20, as its starter, with Justin Myles, 17, in a support role.
The 6-foot-5 Cotton, who is from Vancouver, had not appeared in a Seattle game yet this season.
Everett lost G Austin Lotz, 17, to a groin injury during the second period of a 5-2 loss to the host Thunderbirds on Saturday night.
Cotton joined the Silvertips immediately and was on the bench, backing up Cole Holowenko, as Everett played host to the Tr-City Americans on Sunday night. Cotton came on in relief to stop 14 shots as Everett dropped a 5-3 decision to Tri-City.
The Silvertips now head out on a six-game swing into the East Division that opens Friday in Brandon.
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Interestingly, the Silvertips, as Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald points out, have traded for three goaltenders since July.
On July 23, Everett dealt F Geordie Maguire to the Brandon Wheat Kings for G Brandon Anderson and a 2013 fifth-round bantam draft pick. Anderson, 20, is with the ECHL's Reading Royals at the moment.
Then, on Sept. 17, Everett got Cole Holowenko from the Prince Albert Raiders for G Andy Desautels and D Evan Morden.
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F Nicolas Kerdiles had 48 points, including 22 goals, with the U.S. NTDP U-18 team last season. The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder was a second-round selection, 36th overall, by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2012 NHL draft. This season, the Irvine, Calif., native was going to play with the U of Wisconsin Badgers. . . . But somethine has gone awry and he was declared ineligible for a game the Badgers played Saturday. . . . No one seems quite sure what is going on, but Kerdiles’ WHL rights are owned by the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Kelly Friesen of Yahoo! Sports has more right here.
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G Spencer Tremblay, 18, who was released last month by the Moose Jaw Warriors, is joining the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats. Tremblay, from Winnipeg, got into 20 games with the Warriors last season. He was 7-4-3, 3.62, .896.
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SUNDAY’S STUFF:
D Spencer Humphries scored on the PP at 4:11 of OT to give the host Calgary Hitmen a 6-5 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . That ruined a terrific game by Edmonton F T.J. Foster, who scored his side’s first four goals. . . . This was Foster’s first four-game game but the third hat trick of his career. It also was the first four-goal game in the modern day history of the Oil Kings, who came into the WHL in 2007-08. . . . The Hitmen are 2-0-0 versus Edmonton this season. . . . Edmonton F Michael St. Croix forced OT with a PP goal at 19:20 of the third. . . . Calgary D Alex Roach, who had four goals in each of his first two seasons, had two goals and and an assist, and was plus-4. . . .

F Austin Carroll’s PP goal at 6:15 of the second period broke a 1-1 tie and the Victoria Royals went on to a 2-1 victory over the host Vancouver Giants. . . . Victoria G Patrik Polivka got the victory with a 29-save performance. . . . Vancouver F Cain Franson came up empty on a penalty shot at 18:29 of the third period. . . . The Royals went 2-1-0 in a three-in-three road swing. They are back on the road Wednesday, against the Blazers in Kamloops, before enjoying a four-game homestand. The Royals then will play seven in a row on the road and then return for six straight at home. . . .

The Prince Albert Raiders continue to tear it up, scoring the first four goals and going on to beat the Kootenay Ice, 5-3, in Cranbrook. . . . The Raiders now are 6-0-1 and have the WHL’s best winning percentage (.929). . . . The Raiders are 3-0-0 on a four-game swing into the Central Division that wraps up Tuesday in Lethbridge. . . . F Shane Danyluk scored his first two goals of the season and added an assist for the Raiders. . . . F Sam Reinhart drew three assists for the Ice. He has eight points in five games. . . . D Davis Vandane scored Prince Albert’s second goal in his first game since being acquired from the Spokane Chiefs. . . . F Leon Draisaitl, the Raiders’ exciting German freshman, scored his first goal and added an assist. . . . G Andy Desautels, in his first appearance with the Raiders since being acquired from the Everett Silvertips, stopped 26 shots for the victory. . . . An 18-year-old from White City, Sask., Desautels hadn’t appeared in a WHL game since March 20, 2011, when he played 9:37 for the Everett Silvertips in a 5-0 loss to the Giants in Vancouver. He came on in relief of Luke Siemens in that one. . . . Siemens now is the Raiders’ starter, with Desautels in a backup role. . . .

F Matt Bellerive scored the only goal of the shootout as the visiting Red Deer Rebels dumped the Moose Jaw Warriors, 4-3. . . . F Cory Millette, who is from Storthoaks, Sask., and played for the midget AAA Moose Jaw Generals, forced OT with a goal at 19:11 of the third. . . . F Sam Fioretti scored his seventh goal of the season for Moose Jaw. He has 12 points and a share of the WHL scoring lead. . . . However, Fioretti, Moose Jaw’s third shooter in the circus, hit the crossbar. . . . The Warriors had won 19 straight regular-season home games. . . .

The Tri-City Americans jumped out to a 4-0 lead and then hung on for a 5-3 victory over the host Everett Silvertips. . . . Tri-City scored four goals on 16 shots to drive Everett starter Cole Holowenko to the bench at 6:03 of the second period. . . . G Daniel Cotton, acquired earlier in the day from Seattle, came on to stop all 14 shots he faced. . . . The Americans are 4-3-1 with three of those victories over Everett. . . . The Americans open their six-game East Division swing in Brandon on Saturday.
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CHECKING FROM BEHIND COUNT:
None.
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CHECKING TO THE HEAD COUNT:
D Wes Vannieuwenhuizen, Vancouver
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From Jonathan Filewich (@jonfilewich), who played four seasons (2000-04) with the Prince George Cougars: “This Thanksgiving I can’t help but think of the Fogolin family feeding the @PGCougars a decade ago. I’m thankful I met Michael Fogolin.”

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Rick Brodsky, the owner of the WHL’s Prince George Cougars, appeared on CKNW’s SportsTalk with Dan Russell on Thursday night. The three-hour talk show is based in Vancouver.
Brodsky, who has been involved at the ownership level in three cities and also did a lengthy stint as chairman of the WHL’s board of governors, displayed an honesty that really was a breath of fresh air in this day of upper- and lower-body injuries.
He told Russell that the Cougars’ problems in Prince George are, to a large degree, self-inflicted because the team hasn’t been the team management has wanted it to be. He also pointed out that the sinking lumber-based in that city economy has been a major factor in the dropoff in attendance.
Brodsky also admitted to Russell that he talked with Chilliwack interests last spring after the Bruins were sold and in the process of relocating to Victoria.
Furthermore, Brodsky said that the Cougars are solidly in Prince George and that he has absolutely zero interest in selling the franchise. But, he told Russell, he would look into any situation that might arise should there be anything viable out there.
Without that, Brodsky said, the Cougars are rolling up their sleeves and working hard.
Brodsky also talked about Winnipeg, Fort McMurray, Nanaimo . . . from his and the league’s perspective.
As mentioned, this was an interesting interview simply because Brodsky didn’t try to duck and run from any of Russell’s questions.
You are able to listen to the interview right here. It’s in Hour 3 of the Thursday, Jan. 19 program.
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Goodness knows there are enough stories out there about concussions and hazing and headshots and fighting and all the rest.
So how about one about how three players from the Prince Albert Raiders — Shane Danyluk, Josh Morrissey and Carson Perreaux — saved the life of a six-week-old puppy?
Hey, nothing like a warm-puppy story to warm the cockles of your heart on a cold January day.
The complete story is right here.
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WHL players have taken part in 1,004 fights to this point in the season. At the end of the 2010-11 regular season, there had been 1,713 scraps.
What this means is that fighting in the WHL is down marginally, from 2.16 fights per game last season to 2.02 this time around.
In last season’s 70 playoff games, there were 45 fights, an average of 0.64 per game.
Darren Kramer of the Spokane Chiefs led the WHL with 46 bouts last season and is the leader again this season, with 18.
The Chiefs will hold a bobblehead night in his honour on Saturday. Not only will the doll’s head bobble, but so will the gloves.
This is progress?
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JUST NOTES:
F Josh Nicholls is expected to return to the Saskatoon Blades’ lineup tonight as they play host to the Brandon Wheat Kings. Nicholls had 35 points, including 20 goals, in 30 games when he left a Dec. 3 game with a knee injury. Nicholls missed 16 games. . . . He has spent a few games helping the coaches run the Blades’ bench. On Thursday, Nicholls tweeted: “I have decided to step down from my duties as Assistant Coach with the Blades. I will remain with the team in another capacity #reggiedunlop” . . . Nicholls is expected to go right back onto the Blades’ top offensive line, alongside Matej Stransky and Brent Benson. . . . Meanwhile, G Andrey Makarov (concussion) has returned to practice but isn’t expected to play until next week. . . . Alex Moodie, 16, is expected to start for the Blades tonight and perhaps again Saturday against the visiting Victoria Royals. He has made 11 appearances since Dec. 29. . . .
The Regina Pats may have D Brandon Underwood back in the lineup tonight when they meet the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers. Underwood has missed 18 games with a fracture ankle. He was injured Dec. 4 when he blocked a shot in a game against the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . .
An interesting tidbit from Dave (Crash) Cameron of the Edmonton Sun, on the Oil Kings line that has Tyler Maxwell with Michael St. Croix and Dylan Wruck: “Since acquiring Maxwell from the Everett Silvertips, the line combo of the Californian with St. Croix and Wruck wracked up 104 points in the 21 games together. Maxwell had 30 points (13G, 17A), Wruck 35 (13G, 22A) and St. Croix 39 (15G, 24A).”
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F Rocco Grimaldi, a second-round selection by the Florida Panthers in the NHL’s 2011 draft, has been shut down by the U of North Dakota hockey team. Grimaldi, who is to turn 19 on Feb. 8, is to have surgery to repair damage to a knee. Grimaldi’s WHL rights belong to the Portland Winterhawks.
The Grand Forks Herald has more on Grimaldi right here.
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D Dougie Hamilton of the OHL’s Niagara IceDogs has been suspended for 10 games for a check to the head of F Michael MacDonald of the Sudbury Wolves on Jan. 13. MacDonald came out of it with a concussion. Hamilton, who has 50 points in 34 games, was taken ninth overall by the Boston Bruins in the NHL’s 2011 entry draft. He played for the Canadian junior team at the recently completed World Junior Championship. . . . He will be eligible to return to the lineup on Feb. 12. . . .
Meanwhile, the QMJHL has suspended D Alex Filiatrault of the Val d'Or Foreurs for seven games after a knee-on-knee hit on F Anthony Duclair of the Quebec Remparts on Saturday. Filiatrault ended up with an automatic one-game suspension and the league added six more on Thursday. Duclair is expected to sit for more than a week with a bruised knee.
By the way, Patrick Roy, the Remparts’ GM and head coach, drew a $2,500 fine for referring to the on-ice officials as a “disgrace” after a Jan. 4 loss to the Victoriaville Tigres. Roy now has been fined three times this season for a total of $7,000.
Meanwhile, the Moose Jaw Warriors await word from the WHL office as to the length of suspension to D Dylan McIlrath, who took out Victoria Royals D Jesse Zgraggen with an elbow to the head on Wednesday night.
“I know my thought process coming in wasn’t to hit him up high,” McIlrath told Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald on Thursday. “I wanted to ride him into the boards and make a routine hip check, like I’ve done so many times before,” McIlrath said. “It was just a bang-bang play. It’s unfortunate.
“I saw him on the ice. Obviously, I didn’t want to see anyone to get injured. I felt bad right after it happened. He went down pretty hard. It’s tough to see.”
McIlrath is a repeat offender, having sat out three games after a charging major he incurred on Nov. 23 for a hit on F Trevor Cheek of the Calgary Hitmen.
Prior to this season, McIlrath, a first-round selection by the New York Rangers in the 2010 NHL draft, had never been suspended.
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There was some tremendously interesting news out of the BCHL on Thursday after the board of governors held its semi-annual meeting in Richmond.
For starters, the governors voted to trim the number of regular-season games from 60 to 56.
That will cut down on the number of mid-week games, allowing teams to schedule the bulk of their games on Friday and Saturday nights.
The BCHL also will hold a massive showcase event on Sept. 7-9 in which each team will play twice. Those games will count as regular-season games, with the season beginning in earnest on Sept. 14. It will end on March 10, 2013.
What that means is that each team, with the exception of the team that plays host to the showcase, will play 27 home games.
For more, including a new conference alignment and more, check right here.
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David Shoalts of The Globe and Mail is reporting that “the results of an RCMP investigation into Len Barrie’s financial dealings with his former Bear Mountain golf resort and real-estate development” near Victoria have been turned over to the B.C. Attorney General’s office.
That story is right here.

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