Benson, Howorko, Mort all retire

Two players off the Swift Current Broncos’ roster — forwards Shea Howorko and Brent Benson — tweeted on Tuesday, confirming that they have had to quit playing hockey due to post-concussion syndrome.
Shawn Mullin, the radio voice of the Broncos, spoke with Howorko. That story, along with the interview, is right here.
Here’s one paragraph:
"I don't even know what it feels like not to have a headache anymore," Howorko said. "It's just like part of my life now I guess. Just wake up with a headache and continue my day but not be active at all."
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Mullin ends his piece on Howorko with this: "The Western Hockey League Concussion Management Safety Program reports that concussions were down over 20% overall during the 2012-13 season compared to the 2011-12 season."
Unfortunately, the WHL has never released statistics involving how many concussions there were. Of course, you are aware that the WHL lists all injuries as being of the lower- or upper-body variety. Until the WHL presents the hard evidence that concussions were down 20 per cent — which would be a whopping decrease in one year — it's pretty tough, if not impossible, to believe that statement.
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D Tanner Mort, 20, won’t be returning for a fifth season with the Spokane Chiefs. Mort, who is from Post Falls, Idaho, plans on attending the U of Idaho and studying engineering. . . . According to a Chiefs’ news release, Mort “missed the majority of the 2012-13 season after sustaining a neck injury on October 12, 2012, at Kamloops. Though any head trauma subsided quickly, the neck injury symptoms persisted, which influenced Mort's decision to move on.” . . . He played 137 regular-season games with the Chiefs, recording 32 points, four of them goals.
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Jay McKee, a former NHL defenceman, has signed on as the playing coach of the Dundas, Ont., Real McCoys, the host team for the 2014 Allan Cup tournament. McKee is preparing for his second season with the McCoys, but last season he only played. . . . Ken Mann and Ron Bernacci will serve as McKee’s assistant coaches.
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The Rose Garden in Portland is no more. The NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers and Moda Health announced Tuesday that, effective immediately, the arena is to be known as the Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. . . . According to a news release: “The agreement was jointly announced during a press conference in the center’s South Atrium. At the request of Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen, the new logo for the Moda Center, when unveiled at a later date, will incorporate a rose as a salute to the city of Portland.” . . . Financial terms of the deal for naming rights weren’t disclosed. . . . The WHL’s Portland Winterhawks play some of their games in the arena.
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Jim Matheson, the Edmonton Journal’s hall-of-fame hockey writer, says it’s time for NHL owners to pony up and pay Wayne Gretzky what is owed to him for his time in Phoenix with the Coyotes. That blog entry is right here.
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D Landon Oslanski (Spokane, Lethbridge, Everett, 2009-13) has signed with the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder. Oslanski played out his junior eligibility last season with the Everett Silvertips. . . . After Everett’s season ended, he joined the Thunder and got into six playoff games, picking up one assist, on an OT goal at that. . . . He had 48 points in 72 games with Everett last season.
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The Prince Albert Raiders are less than two weeks away from the start of training camp and general manager Bruno Campese can’t wait to get rolling. Dave Leaderhouse of the Prince Albert Daily Herald has more right here.
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The Saginaw, Mich., Times Herald reported Tuesday that D Dalton John Young of the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit “was arraigned Sunday on charges of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, first-degree home invasion, and resisting and obstructing a police officer.” . . . There is more right here.
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“On Tuesday, those who best knew Jordan Boyd held onto those memories a little tighter,” write Sean Gordon and Allan Maki of The Globe and Mail. “It was all they could do after hearing the 16-year-old Nova Scotia athlete had died Monday, during a skating drill at the Titan rookie camp.
“While the exact cause remains unknown, Boyd’s death has generated an outpouring of grief and questioning: What happened? Why Boyd? Was there any way of preventing it?”
Boyd, 16, died during a training camp session in the camp of the QMJHL’s Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Monday.
The Globe and Mail story is right here.
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Whitey Bulger, who was convicted this week of, among other things, 11 murders, has a Stanley Cup ring and he wants to keep it. Chris Nilan, who was married for 25 years to the daughter of a Bulger girlfriend, says it isn’t one of his rings. Stu Cowan, the sports editor of the Montreal Gazette, has a whole lot more right here. Did you know that Bulger may have paid for Nilan’s wedding?
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Charles P. Pierce, who can write, tackles the subject of “Tiger Woods and the weary pursuit of Jack Nicklaus.” That piece, from grantland.com, is right here. “Woods was never effervescent, even in the glorious heart of his young career,” Pierce writes, “but he didn't look the way he does now, coming up the fairway toward the green like an aging farmer coming to work in fields he knows are burnt and fallow but remembers with fondness and with pain the verdancy they once had.”
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And here’s one more good read for today. It’s from Murray Chass, one of the greatest baseball writers to ever sit before a typewriter or keyboard. I have just recently discovered his website (murraychass.com) and have been digging in. This piece right here is a devastating look at Bud Selig, the commissioner of Major League Baseball, and his reign during the steroid era.
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From Brent Benson (@benzySON): “Like to thank @bladeshockey and @SCBroncos for my time spent in both places, great memories with guys ill never forget #bestofluckboys”
Benson, the sixth overall selection in the 2008 bantam draft, has had to retire prior to his 20-year-old season due to post-concussion syndrome.
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From Shea Howorko (@ShaezerBeam): “Like to thank the @SCBroncos organization & fans for a tremendous experience! Unfortunately due to my injury my career is done! #GreatTeam”
Howorko, like Benson, has had to retire due to post-concussion syndrome. A second-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft, Howorko is 19.

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Another player forced to retire

THE MacBETH REPORT:

 D Ray Macias (Kamloops, 2002-07) signed a one-year contract with the Braehead Clan Glasgow (Scotland, UK Elite). He had nine goals and nine assists in 39 games with the Schwenninger Wild Wings (Germany, 2. Bundesliga) last season. . . .


F Levi Nelson (Swift Current, 2004-08) signed a one-year contract with Ritten/Renon (Italy, Serie A). He had 10 goals and 14 assists in 32 games with the Bakersfield Condors (ECHL), three goals and three assists in 10 games with the Greenville Road Warriors (ECHL), and one goal and one assist in 11 games with Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg (Germany, DEL) last season. . . .
F Tyler Beechey (Edmonton/Kootenay, Calgary, 1997-2002) signed a one-year contract with the Schwenninger Wild Wings (Germany, DEL). He had 14 goals and 16 assists in 34 games with the Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL) last season., This will be Beechey’s seventh season in the DEL.
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The WHL has had another player retire due to post-concussion syndrome.
F Brent Benson, who was the sixth overall selection in the 2008 bantam draft, won’t play in his 20-year-old season.
Benson suffered at least two brain injuries last season and is believed to have had at least five during his career.
From Weyburn, Sask., Benson had 18 points in 64 games with the Saskatoon Blades as a 16-year-old. He added 44 points in 65 games as a sophomore, and 37 in 62 games in his third season.
Last season, he was dealt to the Swift Current Broncos for D Graeme Craig on Oct. 18. He had three assists in 11 games with the Blades and a pair of helpers in 10 games with the Broncos before being shut down.
Benson put up 105 points, including 35 goals, in 216 regular-season games.
Earlier this summer, Swift Current F Shea Howorko, 19, revealed that he has had to quit playing due to post-concussion syndrome.
The Broncos selected Howorko, who is from Swift Current, in the second round of the 2009 bantam draft.
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In a deal involving two 17-year-old defencemen, the Prince George Cougars have dealt Jordan Harris to the Swift Current Broncos for Zack Gonek.
Harris, who is from Prince Albert, had told the Cougars he would prefer to play closer to home. The 6-foot-1, 170-pounder was the 10th overall selection in the 2011 bantam draft. He started last season with the midget AAA Prince Albert Mintos and put up 12 assists in 21 games. However, he suffered a concussion and missed significant playing time. He joined the Cougars early in January and finally played on Feb. 6. In 17 games with Prince George, he had five assists.
Gonek, who is from St. Albert, Alta., was taken by the Broncos with the 13th pick of the 2011 bantam draft. Last season, with the midget AAA St. Albert Raiders, he had four points in 24 games.
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Shawn Mullin, the radio voice of the Swift Current Broncos, tweeted Wednesday afternoon that F Dakota Odgers “is going to be out until Nov/Dec after shoulder surgery.” Odgers, the 17-year-old son of former WHL and NHL F Jeff Odgers, was pointless in eight games with the Broncos last season. He was a second-round pick by the Broncos in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . Mullin also noted that F Ty McLean, 18, has been invited to the Broncos’ training camp. McLean, from Redvers, Sask., had one assist in 24 games with the Regina Pats last season. He was a fifth-round selection by the Pats in the 2010 bantam draft.
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The Saskatoon arena that is home to the Blades may soon be getting a new name. Kevin Menz of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reports that the credit unions involved purchasing the naming rights to Credit Union Centre won’t be renewing the deal when it expires on Oct. 31, 2014. . . . There’s more right here.
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F Jordan Wyton, 20, has signed with the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits. Wyton, from Lethbridge, played the last three seasons with the Moose Jaw Warriors. Last season, in 35 games, he had 10 points. He spent some time on the shelf with a brain injury. In fact, he played on three games between Nov. 11 and Feb. 22 with what is believed to have been a brain injury. . . . In 173 regular-season games, he had 40 points, including 12 goals.
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Billy Moores, one of the really good guys in the game of hockey, is back with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, this time as the director of coaching development and special projects. . . . Joanne Ireland of the Edmonton Journal has more right here.
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Brian Cobb has been hired by the Spokane Chiefs as director of public/media relations. Cobb worked as an intern in public relations and marketing with the Seattle Thunderbirds in 2011-12. With the Chiefs, he takes over from Jay Stewart, who had held that position since 2000 and now is vice-president of sponsorships.
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One of these days, perhaps Friday, Major League Baseball will hand out some more suspensions in the Biogenesis doping scandal. But what about other sports? Should they be concerned? . . . Allen Barra of The Atlantic points out right here that there is a whole lot more to this story than baseball, but some other sports don’t seem to care.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The junior B Revelstoke Grizzlies of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League have hired James Eccles as their new general manager and head coach. For the past two seasons, Eccles has been head coach of the major midget Okanagan Rockets, who play out of Kelowna. He replaces Kevin Kraus, who now is an assistant coach with the BCHL’s Salmon Arm SilverBacks.
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From Lukas Walter (@Lukaswalter9): “Well off to @pdxwinterhawks camp in August couldn’t be more excited and would like to thank the @TCAmericans and hope to see everyone in exys”
Walter, a 20-year-old forward, had three points in 68 games with the Americans last season. The Winterhawkshave two other 20-year-olds on their roster — F Shane McColgan and D Garrett Haar.

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WHL loses player to brain injury

THE MacBETH REPORT:

F Riley Holzapfel (Moose Jaw, 2004-08) signed a two-year contract with HV71 Jönköping (Sweden, SHL — formerly known as Elitserien). He had 21 goals and 30 assists in 76 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL) last season. . . .

 D T.J. Fast (Tri-City, 2006-08) signed a one-year contract with Eispiraten Crimmitschau (Germany, 2. Bundesliga). He had one assist in 17 games with the Bakersfield Condors (ECHL) last season.
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The WHL has lost another player to brain injury-related problems.
Shea Howorko, a forward with the Swift Current Broncos, has had to retire.
“My career is done . . . unfortunately,” he told me via Facebook on Thursday.
Howorko, a 19-year-old from Regina, was a second-round selection by the Broncos in the 2009 bantam draft.
He had three points in 61 games as a freshman in 2010-11, but was limited to 30 games — he had four points — in 2011-12. He wasn’t able to play at all last season. In fact, he last played on Dec. 3, 2011.
“The only thing that’s scared me is if it could be permanent, if I could never play hockey again,” Howorko told Brad Brown of the Prairie Post in December 2012. “That’s my goal, is I want to come back and play. What’s scary is that it could take out my career. I try to keep hope every single day.”
If you want to get a feel for what Howorko has gone through, read this Dec. 6 story by Brown.
(Tip of the hat to @saskawhat for the tweet.)
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F Jaimen Yakubowski of the Lethbridge Hurricanes will attend the Detroit Red Wings’ prospects camp that begins Saturday in Traverse City, Mich. Yakubowski, 19, had 50 points, including 32 goals, in 66 games last season, his second in the WHL. He is from Dalmeny, Sask., and is represented by Turning Point Sports Management.
As well, D Matt Staples of the Medicine Hat Tigers is in the Dallas Stars’ prospects camp. From Coppell, Texas, he had three points in 30 games with the Tigers as a freshman last season.
Red Deer Rebels F Matt Bellerive, who turns 19 on July 12, will go to camp with the Toronto Maple Leafs’ prospects. Bellerive, who played two WHL seasons with the Vancouver Giants before being dealt to Red Deer, is from North Vancouver. He had 36 points, 15 of them goals, in 69 games last season.
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 If you haven’t already read Cold a Long Time: An Alpine Mystery, you absolutely must. It is the story of the disappearance of former Saskatoon Blades defenceman Duncan MacPherson and the heart-wrenching situations his parents found themselves in as they searched for him. . . . If you haven’t read it, order it right here. I promise you that you won’t be sorry. This is one of those reads that will stay with you for a long, long time. . . . There is a solid review of it right here.
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Somehow, I missed this terrific read right here on the Aaron Hernandez situation. It was written by Charles P. Pierce of Grantland.com. And even though it was written before Hernandez ws arrested, it’s well worth your time.
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Jerry Brewer of the Seattle Times writes right here that his city’s motto “should be something like: Always the robbed, never the robber.” . . . Still, he feels Seattle has gained a lot despite being used as leverage by the NBA and NHL.
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There were 40,000 people in attendance Thursday as Joey Chestnut won his seventh straight Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating championship on Coney Island, N.Y. The New York Daily News was there, too, and reported that Chestnut, who ate 69 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes, “ate 20,010 calories, 1,173 grams of fat and 48,990 miligrams of sodium.” . . . According to the Post, “A normal American . . . is supposed to consume 2,000 calories a day, and no more than 200 grams of fat or 2,300 milligrams of salt.” . . . Chew on that for a while.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Philippe Boucher is scheduled to be introduced Monday as the new general manager and head coach of the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts. He takes over from Patrick Roy, now the head coach of the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. Roy also owns a piece of the Remparts. . . . Boucher spent the past two seasons as vice-president of hockey operations and general manager of the Rimouski Oceanic. . . . Rimouski, meanwhile, added the GM’s portfolio to head coach Serge Beausoleil’s duties. . . .

Stephane Paquette of Acadie Nouvelle reported last night that Darren Rumble will be introduced today as head coach of the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats. . . . Rumble has spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach with the Seattle Thunderbirds.
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From Brent Parker (@Patguy65): “Hey @CityofRegina would it kill you to throw some lines on the roads around town. I'm unemployed give me a can of paint and ill do it!”


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THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Micki DuPont (Kamloops, 1996-2000) signed a one-year contract
extension with Kloten (Switzerland, NL A). DuPont signed a three-year contract extension in January, so this extension keeps him under contract to Kloten through the 2015-2016 season. In 29 games this season, DuPont has five goals and 12 assists. DuPont led all NL A defencemen in assists (35) and points (41), was named to the league all-star team, and was named Defenceman of the Year last season.
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Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune has a few questions for the WHL right here.
Yes, the questions have to do with WHL vs. Portland Winterhawks.
You have to read this if for no other reason than Eggers’ exchange, as brief as it was, with Cory Flett, the WHL’s director of communications.
There’s nothing wrong with ending your week with a good chuckle and this might do it for you. It also sums up the WHL’s approach to this entire mess.
portlandtribune.com/pt/12-sports/124492-no-appeal-yet-for-winterhawks;-good-luck-abby-chin;-a-big-honor-for-karen-gaffney;-and-more-notes
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An apology to the Portland Winterhawks Booster Club for something that was posted here yesterday.
I read something on an Oregon Live blog that was posted by community blogger Samantha Meese and obviously misinterpreted it.
Samantha wrote, in part:
“I encourage other fans to join me in donating to the Portland Winterhawks Booster Club for the express purpose of financially supporting air travel for the families of our players.”
I took that to mean that the booster club was collecting money for that purpose.
Meese later tweeted that “this was my idea. I’m simply donating to the Booster Club and designating my funds to help families.”
Stuart Kemp, the booster club’s president, later offered this clarification, and also touched on the Free Mike J t-shirts the group is selling:
“First off, the shirts are not to pay for air tickets or anything else. Any profits from these will be designated for the Education Fund. We had a long time fan front the cost of the shirts to be paid back as we sold them. They are only sold at the Booster Club table which is not under the jurisdiction of the Portland Winterhawks Hockey Club or The Western Hockey League. There is no connection whatsoever. . . .
“As the Booster Club is a 501 (c)3 Registered Charity, we are authorized and do accept donations to the Booster Club. Anyone can earmark what they feel the money should go toward and we make every effort to see that this is accomplished. That said, we are also very aware of legalities and as such are checking whether if someone designates the use of the funds for flights or camps or whatever, that we can do so.
“In any case, on any disbursement, we must receive an application to access these funds and release such only based on merit and full approval of the Booster Club board and membership with the exception of the Player's Education Fund as that is mandated by the Booster Club charter.”
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Obviously, the price of playing poker in the WHL this trading season is going to be awfully steep.
On Thursday, the Kamloops Blazers gave up their 2012 first-round bantam draft pick, F Jayden Halbgewachs, a 2015 first-round selection and D Tyler Bell, 18, in order to land D Joel Edmundson, a 19-year-old stay-at-home type, and a fourth-round pick in 2015.
Edmundson, 6-foot-4, 210-pounder from Brandon, has eight points in 29 games this season. He was a second-round selection by the St. Louis Blues in the 2011 NHL draft. He had been a sixth-round selection by Moose Jaw in the 2008 bantam draft.
Dave Hunchak, the Blazers’ associate coach, was the head coach in Moose Jaw when the Warriors drafted Edmundson. Hunchak also was the head coach in 2010-11, Edmundson’s first season in Moose Jaw. With the Blazers, Hunchak handles the defencemen.
In his third WHL season, Edmundson has eight goals, 43 assists and 256 penalty minutes in 156 games.
Bell, a sophomore from Regina, has two goals, 14 assists and 97 penalty minutes in 83 games. This season, he has four points and 36 penalty minutes in 29 games.
Halbgewachs, 5-foot-7 and 140 pounds, was the 19th overall selection in the 2012 bantam draft. He is with the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians. He has 14 points, including eight goals, in 19 games after scoring twice and being named the away star in a 4-0 victory over the host Swift Current Legionnaires last night. (G Logan Flodell, who returned to Regina this week after a brief stint backing up with the Seattle Thunderbirds, stopped 28 shots for the shutout.)
While a lot of people around the WHL have been pointing a finger at Lorne Molleken, the general manager and head coach of the Saskatoon Blades, for driving up the price of poker, it’s likely that the bar for the Moose Jaw-Kamloops deal was set by a swap between the Vancouver Giants and Edmonton Oil Kings.
In that one, the Giants dealt D David Musil, 19, to Edmonton for D Mason Geertsen, 17, and the 2013 first-round draft pick. Musil was selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the second round of the 2011 NHL draft.
In the Vancouver-Saskatoon deal, Molleken gave up F Travis McEvoy, 18, a third-rounder in 2013 and a first-rounder in 2014 for F Nathan Burns, 19.
The Blazers now have three 19-year-old shutdown defencemen, with Edmundson joining Tyler Hansen and Sam Grist, the latter acquired earlier in the season from the Tri-City Americans.
Some observers had thought the Blazers might make a pitch for Moose Jaw’s top defenceman, 18-year-old Morgan Rielly. However, after moving Edmundson yesterday, Moose Jaw general manager Alan Millar told a media scrum that he won’t be moving Rielly.
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Former NHLer Todd Harkins, who has won two B.C. Major Midget League titles as head coach of the Vancouver-Northwest Giants, will join the Prince George Cougars as an interim assistant coach next week.
Harkins, the BCMML coach of the year for last season, will take over from assistant coach Jason Becker later this month and stay until early January. Becker will be leaving the Cougars as he is head coach of Team Pacific, the B.C.-Alberta team that will play in the U17 World Hockey Challenge in Drummondville and Victoriaville, Que.
Harkins’ is to join head coach Dean Clark behind the bench for the first time on Dec. 28 when the Cougars play in Victoria against the Royals.
Harkins’ son, Jansen, was selected second overall by the Cougars in the WHL’s 2012 bantam draft. Jansen made his WHL debut with the Cougars on Nov. 11 in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Giants in Vancouver. Harkins has 30 points in 17 games with the Northwest Giants this season.
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The Kootenay International Junior Hockey League is moving into 100 Mile House, B.C. The Wranglers, who are finishing this season as the Penticton Lakers, will begin play in 100 Mile House in September. A group in 100 Mile House, which is about two hours north of Kamloops, is purchasing the franchise from the Okanagan Hockey Academy. If you’re wondering about the community’s name, it’s located 100 miles up the Cariboo Wagon Trail from Lillooet. The Wranglers will play out of the 700-seat South Cariboo Recreation Centre.
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In a story published today, Brad Brown of the Prairie Post, a Swift Current-based newspaper, has provided a thorough look at the life of a concussed WHL player. That player is F Shea Howorko of the Swift Current Broncos, who hasn’t played a game in a year.
This is a frightening story.
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Brian Toporek of Schooled in Sports has posted a story that should be ready by anyone who has anything to do with youth sports.
Here’s how he starts it:
“A sweeping new study has found evidence that long-term brain damage can occur after playing football for just a few years . . . in high school.
Released Monday by the Boston University Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, the study found such injuries to six young men who played football in high school, but stopped before college, and did not play professionally.”
This is startling – really, really startling stuff – and his full report is right here.
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Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reports that the Regina Pats dropped two players from their roster on Thursday. . . . F Ty McLean, 17, who had one assist in 24 games, has joined the SJHL’s Weyburn Red Wings. . . . F Henry Hardarson, 18, who was pointless in 24 games, is off to the U18 Phoenix Firebirds of the North American Prospects Hockey League. Hardarson is from Phoenix.
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THURSDAY’S GAME:
In Kennewick, Wash., the Seattle Thunderbirds scored the game’s last six goals to erase a 4-2 deficit and double the Tri-City Americans, 8-4. . . . Seattle F Connor Sanvido had two goals and two assists, and was plus-4, while F Brendan Rouse drew three assists and was plus-6. . . . Seattle F Seth Swenson also scored twice, and F Robert Lipsbergs had a goal and an assist, running his point streak to 10 games. He has 12 goals and four assists over that stretch. He has scored in nine of his last 10 games. . . . The Americans had won 22 straight home games with the Thunderbirds, a streak that began in February 2008. . . . It was Teddy Bear Night and F Parker Bowles score the goal for the Americans.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None
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From Regan Bartel (@Reganrant), the radio voice of the Kelowna Rockets: “So here's the deal WHL GM's. U want to pick up 19 year-old player, despite skill set, be prepared to cough over 1st rounder. #thanksMolleken”
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More from Bartel: “If WHL team wanted to acquire Ryan Murray they would have had to give up first born, key to the city and this weeks winning lottery numbers.”
Bartel may be upset because just last week he all but had Moose Jaw D Morgan Rielly ticketed for Kamloops. LOL!
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And then there was this one from Prince Albert Raiders G Luke Siemens (@siems31), as he and his mates headed for Cranbrook: “well what do ya know our bus may have broke down again with a broken belt #thestreakisalive #4times”

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Brock Otten from ohlprospects.blogspot.com — there’s a link over there on the right — is beating the drum for an interesting suggestion.
“I can already hear you saying it. In fact, I'm prepared to read your comments that tell me just that,” he begins. “I'm going to try and convince you that the OHL (and CHL) should increase the number of Import players allowed on each team's roster.”
If you are interested in the rest of his argument, check out his blog.
But I, for one, would be all for that.
And I would go two steps further . . .
I would do away with the provision that a 20-year-old import player takes up two spots — one as an import and one as a 20-year-old. (Teams are allowed to list two imports and three 20-year-olds on their rosters; a 20-year-old import thus takes up two of those five spots.)
I also would allow teams to keep four or five 20-year-old players. I would push for five, but would settle for four.
“The question is,” Otten writes, “would the league not benefit from increasing the quality of its talent base?”
Oh, boy, would it ever.
I have never been able to understand how it is that teams in the CHL will spend money to develop players and then cut one of them loose when he turns 20, not because he isn’t good enough to play, but because they are only permitted to keep three players in his age group.
The same holds true for imports. With the money spent on recruiting imports, getting all the paperwork done, flying them back and forth . . . why cut one loose because he’s 20 years of age when he still has another season in him?
Of course, it is doubtful that the CHL ever will go to three import players or more than three 20-year-olds.
Why not?
Because the CHL and its teams will argue that they are in the business of developing players.
While I would certainly agree with that, I would argue that they also are in the entertainment business. And given a little more maturity the product that now is being presented to the paying customers could be a whole lot better than it is today.
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JUST NOTES: F Ryan Johansen, who still is eligible to play for the Portland Winterhawks, scored twice as the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 on Saturday night. Johansen has five goals, including all three of CBJ’s game-winners. That is one off the league lead, held by Vinny Lecavalier of the Tampa Bay Lightning. . . .
The Everett Silvertips have picked up F Teal Burns, 19, from the Prince Albert Raiders for a sixth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. Burns, who is from Victoria, opened this season with the Vancouver Giants, before being dealt to the Raiders. He has eight assists and eight penalty minutes in 16 games. He also has played for the Portland Winterhawks, who selected him in the eighth round of the 2007 bantam draft. . . . With F Tyler Maxwell, 20, having asked for a trade and subsequently been sent home, Everett had an opening for a player with WHL experience. . . .
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In Kamloops, the Blazers outshot the Edmonton Oil Kings 22-1 in the second period as they posted a 5-2 victory. . . . The Oil Kings were without D Griffin Reinhart and F Klarc Wilson, both of whom were injured in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Rockets in Kelowna on Friday. Edmonton D Mark Pysyk didn’t return after the first period in Kamloops. . . . According to Oil Kings head coach Derek Laxdal, Reinhart and Pysyk have upper body injuries — there is a real epidemic of those in the WHL this season — and Wilson has, uhh, a lower body owwie. . . . 

In Portland, F Sven Bartschi’s goal just 30 seconds into OT gave the Winterhawks a 4-3 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Winterhawks had beaten the visiting Chiefs 6-5 in a shootout on Friday. . . . Portland has won five straight. . . . Bartschi had a goal and two assists; he has 30 points, including 23 helpers, in 13 games. . . . Portland’s Ty Rattie, who plays on a line with Bartschi, had two goals and two assists. . . . Rattie has 14 points in five November games, picking up at least two points in each game. . . . Interestingly, the team’s 20-year-old captains — Portland D William Wrenn and Spokane F Darren Kramer — duked it out at 12:23 of the first period. It was Wrenn’s second fight in 51 games; Kramer has had 54 in 83 games. . . .

In Brandon, the Wheat Kings won their third straight game, beating the Prince Albert Raiders, 7-4. . . . The Wheat Kings had won 4-1 in Prince Albert on Wednesday night. . . . The victory lifted Brandon (14-6-2) into first place in the Eastern Conference. . . . Brandon F Mark Stone had two goals and two assists, moving back into the lead in the WHL points race, with 46. He is two ahead of Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem. . . . D Ryan Pulock, who is having an all-star season, had two goals and an assist. He has 28 points, tops among defencemen. . . . Brandon was 4-for-6 on the PP. . . .

In Swift Current, the Broncos built up a 3-0 lead and hung on to beat the Moose Jaw Warriors, 3-2. . . . The Warriors had won seven in a row. . . . F Shea Howorko, a 17-year-old from Regina, scored his second goal of the season and it stood up as the winner. He has two goals in 22 games, both of them coming in his last two outings; last season, he had one in 61. . . .

In Cranbrook, D Joey Leach had two goals as the host Kootenay ice bounced the Seattle Thunderbirds, 5-1. . . . Leach has four goals this season. . . . Ice G Mackenzie Skapski stopped 13 shots. . . . Seattle finished 2-4-0 on its swing through the Central Division. . . .


In Lethbridge, F Jordan Messier had two goals and an assist to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 7-3 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie stopped 13 shots for his fourth straight victory. . . . The Americans held an 18-0 edge in shots in the third period. . . . He was beaten by F Nick Buonassisi on a second-period penalty shot. . . . The Americans went 3-0 on their brief trip into the Central Division and six in a row overall on the road. . . .

In Medicine Hat, F Matej Stransky had two goals — he’s got 12 — as the Saskatoon Blades beat the Tigers, 5-1. . . . Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem was held pointless for the second time this season. . . . Saskatoon F Jake Trask broke a 1-1 tie at 14:09 of the first period as the Blades scored the game’s last four goals. . . . F Chris Collins was back in Saskatoon’s lineup after missing three weeks with a broken thumb. . . .

In Everett, the Silvertips scored two PP goals early in the second period and went on to beat the Prince George Cougars, 3-2. . . . Everett G Austin Lotz earned his first WHL victory as Everett ended a six-game losing streak. Lotz stopped 21 shots in his third start. . . . Prince George F Charles Inglis, the enigmatic one, took a charging major at 19:56 of the first period. Everett F Ryan Harrison scored PP goals at 3:28 and 4:48 of the second period. . . . Inglis is certain to hear from Richard Doerksen, who handles discipline for the WHL. Inglis served a 10-game suspension for a check to the head earlier this season. . . . Everett F Josh Birkholz left the game after the Inglis hit. . . . Everett F Jesse Mychan also can expect a phone call after taking a major for a check to the head at 14:08 of the second period. . . . Mychan also is a repeat offender, having served a two-game sentence for a check to the head in the exhibition season and another two-gamer late in October. . . . The Cougars lost F Brock Hirsche and D Jesse Forsberg to injuries during the game. . . .

In Vancouver, F Marek Tvrdon scored 56 seconds into OT to give the Giants a 3-2 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Vancouver D Neil Manning forced OT with a PP goal at 5:00 of the third period. . . . It was Manning’s first goal this season. . . . Tvrdon has 10. . . . The Giants are 9-1-1 at home. . . .

In Victoria, the Rebels got a goal and three assists from D Alex Petrovic as they won their third game in four nights, beating the Royals, 7-4. . . . The Rebels beat the Rockets 6-4 in Kelowna on Wednesday, then dumped the Blazers 5-3 in Kamloops on Friday. . . . Overall, Red Deer has won six straight. . . . Victoria was again without F Kevin Sundher (undisclosed). . . .
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Could it be that while the WHL has been working on educating its players on the harm that can be caused by checks to the head, it has forgotten about the nastiness of hits from behind?
Well, there were a gawd-awful 10 checking-from-behind minors handed out on Saturday night, which means it’s time to bring back the nightly count.
SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT (10):
Kenton Miller, Moose Jaw
Richard Nedomlel, Swift Current
Carter Proft, Spokane
Alessio Bertaggia, Brandon
Mitchell Moroz, Edmonton
Tyler Alos, Seattle
Mitch Topping, Tri-City (double minor)
Mason Burr, Red Deer
Austin Carroll, Victoria
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Bryant Perrier, who no longer is the general manager and head coach of the MJHL’s Neepawa Natives, says he is being “hung out to dry” over a hazing incident that has enveloped that team.
Perrier has spoken with Dan Lett of the Winnipeg Free Press, and that story is right here.
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Are you wondering how something like the Penn State sexual abuse scandal could happen? Ron Bracken, a former sports editor of the Centre Daily Times, writes about just that right here. And it has everything to do with transparency, or lack of same.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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