Showing posts with label Steve Hamilton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Steve Hamilton. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 9:04 PM
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Monday, March 20, 2017

No coaching changes appear imminent . . . Blades staff back for sure . . . Lawsuit moves to Toronto




F Jakub Rumpel (Medicine Hat, 2006-07) has signed a one-year extension with Preussen Berlin (Germany, Oberliga). This season, he had eight goals and 15 assists in 12 games. He started the season on a tryout with Schönheide (Germany, Oberliga). He had a goal and two assists in four games, then was released on Nov. 23. He signed with Preussen on Jan. 20. . . .
F Jan Eberle (Seattle, 2006-08) has signed a one-year extension with Olomouc (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had seven goals and 10 assists in 51 games this season.
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Here’s a look at the 22 WHL head coaches who have more than 300 regular-season victories to their credit (following 2016-17):
1. Ken Hodge (Edmonton, Portland), 742
2. Don Hay (Kamloops, Tri-City, Vancouver) 720
3. Don Nachbaur (Seattle, Tri-City, Spokane) 692
4. Lorne Molleken (Moose Jaw, Saskatoon, Regina) 626
5. Ernie McLean (Estevan, New Westminster) 548
6. Mike Williamson (Portland, Calgary, Tri-City) 534
7. Pat Ginnell (Flin Flon, Victoria, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, New Westminster) 518
8. Peter Anholt (Prince Albert, Seattle, Red Deer, Kelowna, Lethbridge) 466
    Jack Shupe (Medicine Hat, Victoria) 466
10. Dean Clark (Calgary, Brandon, Kamloops, Prince George) 465
11. Kelly McCrimmon (Brandon) 456
12. Bob Lowes (Seattle, Brandon, Regina) 453
13. Brent Sutter (Red Deer) 441
14. Marc Habscheid (Kamloops, Kelowna, Chilliwack, Victoria, Prince Albert) 424
15. Doug Sauter (Calgary, Medicine Hat, Regina, Brandon) 417
16. Marcel Comeau (Calgary, Saskatoon, Tacoma, Kelowna) 411
17. Bryan Maxwell (Medicine Hat, Spokane, Lethbridge) 397
18. Graham James (Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Calgary) 349
19. Bob Loucks (Lethbridge, Tri-City, Medicine Hat) 340
20. Willie Desjardins (Saskatoon, Medicine Hat) 333
21. Kevin Constantine (Everett) 326
22. Shaun Clouston, Medicine Hat 320
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Colin Priestner, the general manager of the Saskatoon Blades, says the team’s coaching staff will be back for another go-round next season.
When Taking Note queried Priestner on that subject, he quickly responded: “For sure. They did an
unbelievable job.”
Dean Brockman was in his first season as head coach, after spending two seasons working with Bob Woods, the previous head coach, who now is an assistant with the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres. Bryce Thoma and Ryan Keller completed their first seasons as Saskatoon’s assistant coaches. Of course, Jerome Engele, the other assistant coach, is a Blades lifer.
The Blades have yet to appear in the postseason during the Priestner era. Mike Priestner, who is based in Edmonton, purchased the team prior to the 2013-14 season. The Blades had been the host team for the 2013 Memorial Cup tournament.
This season, they dealt with a number of long-term injuries, but were in the playoff chase right to the final weekend.
Meanwhile, Steve Ewen of Postmedia points out that “Jason McKee is the longest-serving (head) coach that the Vancouver Giants have had among the past four bench bosses. He’s lasted an entire season.”
The Giants missed the playoffs in McKee’s first season behind their bench, but they went all-in for the future at the trade deadline and also paid the price when F Tyler Benson and D Darian Skeoch, two key performers, had their seasons cut short by injuries.
Vancouver is on the outside looking in for a third straight season, and the fourth time in five springs, 
Still, as Ewen writes, “By all accounts, owner Ron Toigo is bringing back McKee, 37, and general manager Glen Hanlon, 60, for a second season. There’s a calm. They need to capitalize on that.”
Ewen’s piece is right here.
McKee has two seasons left on his contract.
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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
If interested, you also are able to follow me on Twitter at @gdrinnan.
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The Spokane Chiefs joined the Vancouver Giants as the other Western Conference team not to make the playoffs. Don Nachbaur, the Chiefs’ head coach and the third-winningest coach in WHL regular-season history, has one season left on his contract.
In the Eastern Conference, the other non-playoff teams are the Edmonton Oil Kings, Kootenay Ice and Prince Albert Raiders.
Steve Hamilton, the Oil Kings’ head coach, signed what was announced as a “multi-year” deal in July 2014, and you would think he isn’t going anywhere. He spent four seasons as an assistant under Derek Laxdal and moved up when Laxdal left for a job with the AHL’s Texas Stars. Hamilton has Oil Kings bloodlines — his father, Al, is a former team captain who also captained the Oilers. The Oil Kings committed to a rebuild when they dealt D Aaron Irving and F Lane Bauer, two key 20-year-olds, at the deadline.
The future of Luke Pierce, who has completed two seasons as head coach of the Kootenay Ice, may hinge on what appears to be the impending sale of the franchise. Pierce signed a three-year contract, so has a year left on his deal. The Ice went young two seasons ago and has paid a steep price, going 26-99-19 during Pierce’s stint in Cranbrook.
In Prince Albert, veteran WHL coach Marc Habscheid has a contract that runs through 2018-19. He took over from the fired Cory Clouston on Nov. 1, 2014.
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Rick Westhead, a senior reporter with TSN, has filed his latest piece on the proposed class-action lawsuits that more than 400 present and former major junior players have filed. The lawyers were in a Calgary courtroom last month and, while there hasn’t been a decision rendered from there just yet, the scene now has shifted to Toronto.
“The Ontario Hockey League says its teams may have to pare back their drug education, anti-doping, concussion management, and medical and dental programs if the league loses a minimum-wage lawsuit, according to a new court filing,” Westhead writes.
“The OHL made the claims days before it appears in Ontario Superior Court on Tuesday to begin a hearing into whether a lawsuit filed against the league by former players should be certified as a class action.”
According to a rebuttal filed by the plaintiffs: “. . . The vast majority of the benefits which the defendants claim are threatened are not true player benefits. It would be impossible for the league to operate without coaches, away games, billeting, equipment, etc. Accordingly, the likelihood of these ‘benefits’ being cut is virtually nil.”
Westhead’s latest story is right here.
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MONDAY-THURSDAY GAMES:

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

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

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

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 9:21 PM
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Sunday, February 12, 2017

A WHL playoff situational ... Oil Kings shake that skid ... Hurricanes blow past Ice


If you’re wondering about there being four afternoon games on Monday and all of them in B.C., well, we are celebrating Family Day. Heaven forbid that we in B.C. should celebrate Family Day on Feb. 20, along with the good folks of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
If you know anything about the goofiness of B.C. politics, well, it’s a miracle that we don’t celebrate our Family Day on Feb. 30.
So that’s why the Portland Winterhawks are visiting the Blazers in Kamloops today, while the Seattle Thunderbirds meet the Rockets in Kelowna, the Spokane Chiefs are in Prince George to face the Cougars, and the Tri-City Americans and Vancouver Giants clash in Langley, B.C.
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With five weeks left in the WHL’s regular season, it’s time for a look at the playoff picture.
As often has been stated, with the number of loser points being doled out — to date, the total this season is 136 — it is hard for teams to make up ground, especially if the need is to pass more than one team in order to move on up the standings.
Anyway . . . here’s a division-by-division look, with the number in parentheses after each division representing the number of loser points that its teams have been awarded:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
East Division (43): The Regina Pats (40-6-7) are going to finish atop the overall standings. They will win the conference pennant, so will play the second wild-card team that at the moment is the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Moose Jaw Warriors (32-17-8) are second. They won’t catch Regina, but could be caught by the third-place Swift Current Broncos (29-17-9), who are five points back with two games in hand. Regardless, they may be headed to a first-round matchup with only home-ice to be decided. . . . The defending-champion Brandon Wheat Kings (27-20-8) will be in the playoffs, either in third place — they are five points behind Swift Current with each team having 17 games remaining — or in the conference’s first wild-card spot. The latter almost surely will mean a first-round go with the Medicine Hat Tigers, who seem likely to finish as the conference’s second seed. . . . This could be the season in which five East Division teams qualify for the playoffs with only the Prince Albert Raiders (14-38-5) not making it.
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Central Division (40): The Medicine Hat Tigers (40-16-1) may have pocketed the division title on Saturday when they beat the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes, 5-0. The Tigers now lead the division by eight points. They only have one loser point, but have seven more victories than do the Hurricanes (33-16-7), the beneficiaries of seven loser points. . . . . The Tigers are six points behind league-leading Regina but the Pats hold four games in hand. The Tigers, then, would appear headed to a first-round engagement with the conference’s first wild-card team and that, right now, looks to be Brandon. . . . The Hurricanes are likely to go into a first-round meeting with the third-place Red Deer Rebels (23-24-9), whose season has been full of inconsistencies. . . . However, the Rebels need to be careful because they are only five points ahead of the Calgary Hitmen (20-26-10). . . . The Edmonton Oil Kings (19-33-4) and Kootenay Ice (12-35-9) aren’t going to make it.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
B.C. Division (23): The Prince George Cougars (37-16-4) once appeared to have an insurmountable lead, but that is down to four points over the hard-charging Kamloops Blazers (34-18-6). While the Cougars have been treading water — they are 4-4-2 in their past 10 games — the Blazers, with the WHL’s top goaltending tandem in Connor Ingram and Dylan Ferguson, have gotten close enough that they are looming large in Prince George’s rearview mirror. The teams will meet five times before season’s end, too. . . . Finish first and you’ll get the conference’s second wild-card team in the first round. Finish second and you’ll get the division’s third-place team. . . . It’s looking like the Kelowna Rockets (32-20-4) and Victoria Royals (31-22-4) will scrap for third spot. Kelowna goes into the week with a two-point edge over Victoria. . . . The Vancouver Giants (18-34-5) will be on the outside looking in for the fourth time in five seasons.
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U.S. Division (30): The Seattle Thunderbirds (35-15-5) finally tracked down the Everett Silvertips (32-12-10) and passed them. Seattle is 18-2-2 since the Christmas break. . . . Seattle and Everett, which is 1-1-0 on its six-game East Division trip, will meet three more times. . . . The Tri-City Americans (31-23-3) are third, but have lost three in a row and now are only two points ahead of the Portland Winterhawks (30-23-3), who are 8-2-0 in their last 10 outings. Portland holds down the conference’s second wild-card spot, just three points behind Victoria. . . . About the only thing in the U.S. Division that isn’t up in the air is fifth place. The Spokane Chiefs (23-23-9) are eight points out of the playoffs and, with only 17 games remaining, have their work cut out if they are to make the playoffs. They last missed in 2005-06. 
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SUNDAY’S GAMES:

At Edmonton, the Oil Kings broke a record-tying 16-game losing streak as they beat the Calgary Hitmen 3-2 in OT on F Tyler Robertson’s goal. . . . Robertson, now with 14 goals, scored at 1:12 of extra time. He
TYLER ROBERTSON
has tied his career high in goals from last season. . . . “It was a great feeling to watch that puck go in the net,” Steve Hamilton, Edmonton’s head coach, said in a story on the team’s website. “We talked about wanting to be dialed in for the full length of this game. Of course, we needed some extra time, but it only adds to the relief to watch (Robertson) get that goal. That was a pretty important goal for everybody. I think there was just a collective exhale from everyone involved.” . . . Edmonton hadn’t won since New Year’s Day when it beat the visiting Hitmen 4-3 on F Lane Bauer’s goal 21 seconds into OT. Bauer now plays for the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Edmonton also lost 16 in a row in 2009-10, from Dec. 19 through Jan. 30. That streak ended on Jan. 31 with a 5-4 victory over the visiting Prince Albert Raiders on D Adrian Van de Mosselaer’s goal at 3:07 of OT. . . . On Sunday, the Oil Kings jumped out to an early 2-0 lead as F Trey Fix-Wolansky scored his 15th goal, on a PP, at 2:50 of the first period and F Davis Koch got No. 16 at 6:02. . . . The Hitmen tied it later in the first period. . . . F Beck Malenstyn got his 23rd goal at 13:37, with D Jake Bean scoring his seventh, on a PP, at 15:34. . . . G Patrick Dea stopped 22 shots for the Oil Kings. . . . Dea also set a franchise single-season record for assists by a goaltender. His fifth assist of the season, this one on Fix-Wolansky’s goal, broke the record he had shared with Laurent Brossoit, who did it in 2012-13. . . . The Hitmen got 29 saves from G Trevor Martin. . . . Each team was 1-7 on the PP. . . . Edmonton D Wyatt McLeod left in the second period with what appeared to be an injury to his right shoulder. McLeod, who turned 17 on Jan. 27, is a freshman from Dawson Creek, B.C. He has six assists in 41 games. . . . With McLeod out, the Oil Kings’ coaching staff gave ample ice time to Robertson’s brother, Matthew, a 15-year-old who joined the team earlier in the week from the midget AAA Sherwood Park Kings. . . . The Oil Kings (19-33-4) are 10 points from a playoff spot. . . . The Hitmen (20-26-10) are two points behind the Saskatoon Blades, who hold down the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. Calgary also has closed to within five points of the Red Deer Rebels, who are third in the Central Division. . . . Announced attendance: 13,524.
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At Cranbrook, B.C., F Zak Zborosky returned to haunt his former teammates as he scored twice and added an assist in leading the Lethbridge Hurricanes to a 6-4 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . .
ZAK ZBOROSKY
Zborosky, a 20-year-old from Regina, had 44 points, 28 of them goals, in 41 games with the Ice when he was moved at the trade deadline. With Lethbridge, he has eight goals and 11 assists in 15 games. . . . F Matt Alfaro, who also went to Lethbridge in that deal, had one assist. . . . The Ice got F Colton Kroeker and F Brett Davis in return, along with a couple of draft picks. Kroeker matched Zborosky with two goals and an assist, while Davis had two assists. . . . Kroeker, who has 13 goals, gave the Ice a 2-0 lead when he scored at 1:01 and 8:23 of the first period. . . . Zborosky answered with goals at 11:22 and 12:49 of the first. . . . F Josh Tarzwell’s second goal, at 16:27, gave the visitors their first lead. . . . Kootenay tied it on F Vince Loschiavo’s 21st goal, at 18:44. . . . F Egor Babenko’s 19th goal, at 19:45, capped a seven-goal first period and gave Lethbridge a 4-3 lead. . . . F Tyler Wong’s 40th goal increased the lead to 5-3 at 6:10 of the second and F Ryan Vandervlis (5) added a shorthanded goal at 9:21. . . . Kootenay got its final goal from F Kaeden Taphorn (4) at 14:32 of the second. . . . Wong also added an assist to his goal. . . . G Adam Swan blocked 28 shots to earn his first WHL victory for Lethbridge. Swan, who will turn 17 on March 25, was an 11th-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft. From Ashern, Man., he has been playing for the midget AAA Interlake Lightning. . . . The Ice started G Jakob Walter, who gave up five goals on 25 shots in 26:10. Payton Lee finished up with 33 saves on 34 shots in 32:34. . . . Lethbridge was 1-3 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-3. . . . The Hurricanes played three games in fewer than 48 hours, winning two of them. . . . Lethbridge (34-16-7) has won 10 of its past 11 games. The Hurricanes are second in the Central Division, six points behind the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Kootenay (12-35-9) has lost six in a row (0-5-1). . . . Announced attendance: 1,597.

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MONDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Portland at Kamloops, 2 p.m.
Seattle at Kelowna, 2:05 p.m.
Spokane at Prince George, 2 p.m.
Tri-City vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 2 p.m.

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Friday, July 25, 2014

Tweet! Tweet! Virtanen breaks the news








D Ryan Button (Prince Albert, Seattle, 2007-11) has signed a one-year contract with the Iserlohn Roosters (Germany, DEL). Last season, with the Texas Stars (AHL), he had three goals in 26 games. He also had 23 points, including seven goals in 26 games with the Idaho Steelheads (ECHL).
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1. WHL teams will start training camps in about four weeks time, and the Regina Pats still don’t have a head coach. In fact, they are the only WHL team without a head coach. They are short two assistant coaches, as well. . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has the latest right here.
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2. The Vancouver Canucks have signed F Jake Virtanen of the Calgary Hitmen to a three-year entry-level contract. Virtanen, from Abbotsford, B.C., was the sixth overall selection in the NHL’s 2014 draft. He had 71 points, including 45 goals, in 71 games with the Hitmen last season, his second in the WHL. The Hitmen selected him with the first overall pick in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . In what surely is a sign of the times, Virtanen broke the news of his signing via his Twitter account.
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3. The Saskatoon Blades have signed F Wyatt Sloboshan, 17, to a WHL contract. Sloboshan was a third-round selection by the Swift Current Broncos in the 2012 bantam draft. The Blades acquired him in January as part of a deal in which F Nathan Burns went to Swift Current. From Vanscoy, Sask., Sloboshan had 77 points, including 27 goals, in 45 games with a midget team at the Okanagan Hockey Academy.
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4. The Edmonton Oil Kings have added Ryan Marsh to their coaching staff as the lead assistant under head coach Steve Hamilton. Marsh 39, has been an assistant coach with the U of Alberta Golden Bears for the past two seasons and the hockey director for Vimy Ridge Academy for 12 years. . . . Hamilton and Marsh are friends, having coached together with the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints and Fort Saskatchewan Traders. They also worked together at Vimy Ridge.
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5. Dustin Forbes is the new play-by-play voice of the Lethbridge Hurricanes. He takes over from Pat Siedlecki, who lost his spot when CJOC chose not to get involved in bidding for a new contract. . . . The Hurricanes will be heard on Rock 106 when the new season begins. . . . Forbes spent last season with the BCHL’s Cowichan Capitals. He also has done play-by-play for the SJHL’s La Ronge Ice Wolves and the junior B Richmond Sockeyes and Comox Valley Glacier Kings.
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6. The CFL hit the big time on Friday . . . the really, really big time. ESPN.com carried a story on the goings-on Thursday in Edmonton that culminated Friday morning when Connor Croken, 20, claimed the winnings from the 50-50 draw that was held during the game between the Eskimos and Calgary Stampeders. Croken showed up to let them know the $322,216 was his. He'll be back Tuesday to pick up his cheque. . . . The ESPN piece is right here.
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Monday, July 7, 2014

Oil Kings have a head coach . . . More coaching news, too








F Dustin Cameron (Saskatoon, Prince Albert, 2004-10) has signed a one-year contract with Heilbronner Falken (Germany, DEL2). Last season, with the Ravensburg Towerstars (Germany, DEL2), he had 58 points, including 23 goals, in 53 games. He finished second in scoring on his team.
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1. Steve Hamilton was introduced Monday as the new head coach of the Memorial Cup-champion Edmonton Oil Kings. Hamilton takes over from Derek Laxdal, who left after four seasons to become the head coach of the AHL’s Texas Stars. . . . Hamilton, 40, was an assistant under Laxdal for the past four seasons. . . . The son of former Oil Kings defenceman Al Hamilton, Steve joined the Oil Kings after spending four seasons as GM/head coach of the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints. He won three AJHL coach-of-the-year awards. . . . The Oil Kings will hire another assistant coach, who will join Hamilton, assistant coach Sean Brown and goaltending consultant Dustin Schwartz on staff.

2. There now are four WHL teams still without head coaches. The Moose Jaw Warriors, Portland Winterhawks, Regina Pats and Vancouver Giants continue to look for new men to run their benches. . . . The Winterhawks are believed to be close to introducing a GM/head coach to replace Mike Johnston, who now is the head coach of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins. I was told on Monday that the Winterhawks are on the verge of signing an “NHL guy.”

3. The NHL’s Vancouver Canucks revealed that they are adding Doug Lidster to their coaching staff as an assistant to head coach Willie Desjardins. The two worked together with the Medicine Hat Tigers (2002-03) and the last two seasons with Texas Stars, who won the 2014 Calder Cup as AHL champions. . . . Glen Gulutzan, who was on John Tortorella’s staff in Vancouver last season, is expected to remain with the Canucks as an assistant coach.

4. There seems to be another move afoot to unionize major junior hockey players, but as Rick Westhead and Robert Cribb of the Toronto Star reports right here, it already seems to be stumbling around like a thirsty man in the desert.
Sunaya Sapurji of Yahoo! Sports Canada has more on this story right here.

5. There is quite a scrap going on in Oakland involving the A’s. At least one man, Oakland City Councilman Larry Reid, thinks it all could end with the A’s moving to Montreal or San Antonio. There is more on that right here.

6. It has come to this. . . . The Manitoba Soccer Association has suspended a player for 15 years for an alleged attack on a referee. Oliver Sachgau of the Winnipeg Free Press has more right here. Interestingly, Branko Dukic, who also has been charged with assault causing bodily harm, is a referee himself.
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Mike Kelly, who did a turn as head coach of the Brandon Wheat Kings (2003-04), has joined the NHL’s Florida Panthers as an assistant coach under head coach Gerard Gallant. He and Kelly worked together with the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs. . . . The Panthers also hired Mark Morris as an assistant coach. He spent the past eight season as the head coach of the Manchester Monarchs, the Los Angeles Kings’ AHL affiliate. When the Kings didn’t renew his contract, it created the opening that has since been filled by Mike Stothers, who left the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Dwayne Gylywoychuk, who played with the Brandon Wheat Kings and also was in the organization as the head coach and an assistant coach, has been named an assistant coach with Canada’s national women’s hockey team. Doug Derraugh, the head coach of the women‘s team at Cornell U for nine seasons, is the head coach. The other assistant is Tim Bothwell, a former Medicine Hat Tigers head coach (1990-92), who is on staff at the Edge School in Calgary.
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Thursday, July 3, 2014

Laxdal leaves Oil Kings . . . Price is right at U of T








The KHL has announced that Lev Prague (Czech Republic) will go on “administrative leave” for the 2014-2015 season for financial reasons. Two major sponsors, Gazprom and Skoda, have withdrawn their financial sponsorship, reducing Lev Prague’s revenue by 50 per cent. Lev remains a member of the KHL and may rejoin the league in 2015. Ex-WHL players on Lev last season included F Michal Řepík (Vancouver, 2005-08) and F Jakub KlepiÅ¡ (Portland, 2001-02), who signed with Färjestad Karlstad (Sweden, SHL) last week. . . .
D David Turon (Portland, 2002-03) has signed a one-year contract with Havířov (Czech Republic, 1. Liga). He grew up and played as a youth in Havířov. Last season, with Meran/Merano (Italy, Inter-National-League), he had 22 points, including 12 goals, in 25 games. In 16 games from January on with Fassa (Italy, Serie A), he had nine points, two of the goals, in 16 games. . . .
F Kris Foucault (Swift Current, Kootenay, Calgary, 2006-11) has signed a one-year contract with the Vienna Capitals (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). Last season, he had 22 points, 11 of them goals, in 58 games with the Iowa Wild (AHL). . . .
F Kris Beech (Calgary, 1996-2001) has signed a one-year contract with Innsbruck (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). Last season, with the Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL), he had 24 points, eight of them goals, in 36 games. In two games in March with the Vienna Capitals (Austria, Erste Bank Liga), he had a goal and three assists.
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There will be yet another coaching change in the WHL with the news on Thursday that Edmonton Oil Kings head coach Derek Laxdal has signed a three-year deal with the Texas Stars, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Dallas Stars.
AHLLaxdal leaves the Memorial Cup-champion Oil Kings for the team that won the Calder Cup as the AHL’s playoff champions. Willie Desjardins, the AHL team’s head coach, now is the head coach of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks.
Laxdal, 48, spent four seasons with the Oil Kings, with the team winning at least 50 games in each of the last three. The Oil Kings also appeared in the last three WHL championship finals, winning two of them.
With Laxdal behind the bench, the Oil Kings put together a 182-83-23 regular-season record.
Prior to joining the Oil Kings, Laxdal spent five seasons as head coach of the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads, who were affiliated with Dallas. Under Laxdal, the Steelheads won the Kelly Cup as ECHL champions in 2007.
From Stonewall, Man., Laxdal also played in the WHL (Portland, Brandon, New Westminster, 1982-86) and was a member of the Memorial Cup-champion Winterhawks in 1983.
It will be a shock if the Oil Kings don’t fill the head-coaching vacancy from within by promoting highly touted assistant coach Steve Hamilton, who is presently on vacation. Chances are he’ll be introduced as head coach next week.
Meanwhile, the Moose Jaw Warriors, Portland Winterhawks, Regina Pats and Vancouver Giants continue to search for head coaches, while the Calgary Hitmen, Kamloops Blazers, Kelowna Rockets, Saskatoon Blades and Tri-City Americans have already made changes at that position.
Interestingly, only the Rockets have promoted from within as five-year assistant coach Dan Lambert has taken over from Ryan Huska, who now is the head coach of the Adirondack Flames, the Glens Falls, N.Y.,-based AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Calgary Flames.
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Hockey Canada will have to replace Derek Laxdal as head coach of the U-18 team that is to play in the Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament in August.
Laxdal was named head coach on June 12, with Jody Hull, the head coach of the OHL’s Peterborough Petes, and Eric Veilleux, the head coach of the QMJHL’s Baie-Comeau Drakkar, as assistant coaches.
The U-18 team’s selection camp is scheduled for Calgary, Aug. 2-5, with the tournament to run Aug. 11-16 in Breclav, Czech Republic, and Piestany, Slovakia.
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1. So what are we to make of all these WHL coaches who have move on up hockey’s ladder? . . . “That tells you how good this league is,” former Moose Jaw Warriors head coach Mike Stothers told Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald. “It’s outstanding. I don’t want to blanket it and say it’s the best in all of junior hockey, but I don’t know how it can’t be. Every team has a great coach and that just bodes well for the league and the future of it.” . . . After three years with the Warriors, Stothers is leaving to become head coach of the AHL’s Manchester Monarchs.

2. The Swift Current Broncos are expected to introduce Josh Dixon as associate coach this morning. . . . “Although Dixon offered a polite ‘no comment’ when contacted via text message on Thursday,” Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reported, “multiple WHL sources confirmed that Dixon is set to be named the new associate coach of the Broncos, replacing Darren Evjen, who recently stepped down for family reasons.” . . . Evjen is going back to teaching school, although he will remain involved with the team to some extent. . . . Dixon spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach with the Regina Pats but resigned last month when he and the team’s new owners weren’t able to reach agreement on a new contract.

3. Malcolm Cameron, who was fired as head coach of the Regina Pats last week, has told the Regina Leader-Post’s Greg Harder that he is “very, very interested” in the opening in Moose Jaw. In fact, Cameron already has submitted his resume. . . . Cameron spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the Pats, before taking over a year ago after the resignation of Pat Conacher. In Cameron’s lone season as head coach, the Pats finished atop the East Division and then were swept from the playoffs by the Brandon Wheat Kings in the first round.

4. Jim Brosnan was a decent relief pitcher who turned out to be a much better writer. He wrote The Longest Season, one of the best baseball books in anyone’s library. In fact, it’s one of the best books. Period. . . . Brosnan died Saturday at 84. . . . There’s more right here from The New York Times.

5. Ira Berkow of The New York Times writes:
“Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner whose remarkable story of survival as a prisoner of war in World War II gained new attention in 2010 with the publication of a best-selling biography by Laura Hillenbrand, died on Wednesday in Los Angeles. He was 97.
“A statement released by his family said he had been suffering from pneumonia.”
If you haven’t read Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, do yourself a favour and give it a read.
Berkow’s obituary of Zamperini is right here.

6. D Nick Walters, 20, of the Lethbridge Hurricanes has signed an amateur tryout (ATO) with the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets. A fourth-round pick by the St. Louis Blukes in the 2012 NHL draft, Walters wasn’t signed, so was a free agent. He also has played with the Everett Silvertips and Brandon Wheat Kings.

7. Veteran WHL coach Dan Price has signed on as a full-time assistant coach with the CIS U of Toronto Varsity Blues. Price, a former goaltender with the U of Regina Cougars (1995-98), will work alongside Darren Lowe, who is preparing for his 20th season as the Blues’ head coach. . . . Price graduade from law school at the U of Saskatchewan in 2001. . . . Last season, he was an assistant coach with the Tri-City Americans. He also has worked as a scout or assistant/associate coach with the Regina Pats, Calgary Hitmen and Chilliwack Bruins.
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Monday, June 23, 2014

A mother talks about her son and mental illness . . . Lambert takes over in Kelowna








D Jonathan Harty (Everett, 2004-08) has signed a one-year contract with Björklöven Umeå (Sweden, Allsvenskan). Last season, with Mora (Sweden, Allsvenskan), he had nine points, including three goals, in 46 games.
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After writing a bit about hockey and mental illness in this space yesterday, I heard from a mother.
It was heart-wrenching. It’s one thing to deal with mental illness in a parent; I can’t imaging what it must be like when one of your children is affected.
This mother has a teenage son who is a hockey player and who “suffers from depression and anxiety.“
“He has always had anxiety disorder and this year it crept into the dark side of depression,” she wrote. “The sad truth is no one wants to talk about it. When I spoke to his coaches about it and what was happening, it almost seemed as though they thought he was just mentally weak. I feel like coaches/teachers and such need to learn more and realize this is an illness, not a sign of weakness.
“It makes me mad,” she continued. “If you were diagnosed with cancer your employer . . . would rally around you.”
Yes, mental illness is just that . . . an illness, and the sooner people realize it is,  the better off we all will be. Unfortunately, when it comes to mental illness, there are employers in the hockey world who prefer to look the other way.
When we are ill, we take medication. I have had open-heart surgery and take medication. My wife has had a kidney transplant and takes medication. When someone has a mental illness, of course there is medication involved.
“Our son is on medication right now and is doing so much better,” the mother wrote, adding that there are times when he wants to go off his meds.
“We just say to him when he wants to stop taking meds that a diabetic doesn't stop his insulin when he is feeling good,” she wrote. “I take meds and am not afraid to admit they help me.”
A couple of other notes . . .
Her husband is involved in hockey and she noted that because of his experience at home he “is very aware of little changes in his own players now and is not afraid to ask questions and investigate when he thinks something is a little off.”
This family has a history in hockey, something she said led to her son facing “unreal” expectations.
Unfortunately, I’m guessing that there are a lot of stories out there that are just like this one, and the thought that there are people out there who may not get the help they need is terrifying.
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Dan Lambert is the new head coach of the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets. His promotion from assistant coach was announced Monday afternoon, about three hours after the NHL’s Calgary Flames announced that they had signed Rockets head coach Ryan Huska as the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Adirondack Flames.
In time, observers will recognize Huska as one of the best coaches in WHL history.
With 295 regular-season victories, he is the winningest coach in franchise history. Only once, in 2011-12, did one of his teams not finish above .500; that team went 31-31-10. The Rockets followed that up with 52- and 57-victory seasons, both of which were franchise records.
Huska was never one to promote himself, so he hadn’t pursued other positions. In the end, the Flames came calling. He was in Calgary on Thursday and a contract offer arrive on Friday.
"I felt really good about the meetings I had and told my wife, Denise, when I got home that I hoped things would work out," Huska told the Kelowna Capital News. "What they stand for just feels right. . . . It's a great opportunity that I'm looking forward to."
No one has won more Memorial Cup championships than Huska, who won three with the Kamloops Blazers (1992, 1994, 1995) and one (2004) as an assistant coach with the Rockets.
A native of Cranbrook, Huska, who turns 39 on July 2, understands how important it is to surround yourself with good people.
"If you don't have good people who aren't passionate about what they do, then you don't get to have individual success," Huska told the Capital News. "Reflecting back, we're proud of the records we've had and the banners we've had, but I'm going to be remembering the team, and all the people that allowed us to get to that point, and allowed me the opportunity to move on. That's what's really special about this organization."
The Flames’ AHL affiliate, which is relocating from Abbotsford, B.C., where it was the Heat, will play out of Glens Falls, N.Y. Huska will replace Troy Ward, whose contract wasn’t renewed.
The 44-year-old Lambert, meanwhile, is a former all-star defenceman with the Swift Current Broncos, who had been an assistant coach with the Rockets for five seasons. He won a Memorial Cup with the 1989 Broncos.
"We spent a lot of time together over the last five years,” Lambert told the Capital News, “and it is sad to see him go but there's no doubt Ryan was ready to move on.
“Him being successful has allowed me to grow as a young coach and now to get this opportunity, I'm very grateful to the Hamilton family and that they trust in me that I can follow in Ryan's footsteps."
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1. That’s quite the Medicine Hat Mafia that the Vancouver Canucks are putting together. . . . Willie Desjardins, signed to a four-year deal as head coach, is, of course, a former Tigers GM and head coach. Canucks president Trevor Linden played for the Tigers and is from Medicine Hat. . . . It’s also expected that Doug Lidster, an assistant coach under Desjardins with the AHL’s Texas Stars, will be on the Vancouver coaching staff. Lidster, a native of Kamloops, is a former Tigers coach. He was on Desjardins’ staff with the Tigers in 2002-03; that was Desjardins’ first season as head coach. Lidster also is a former Canucks captain; in fact, Linden followed Lidster in that role.

2. With Vancouver, the Nashville Predators (Peter Laviolette), Washington Capitals (Barry Trotz), Florida Panthers (Gerard Gallant) and Carolina Hurricanes (Bill Peters) having signed head coaches, all eyes turn to the Pittsburgh Penguins. They lost out on Peters and Desjardins, and now GM Jimmy Rutherford will be going back on the interview circuit. It’s believed that one person he wants to chat with is Mike Johnston, the GM and head coach of the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Darren Dreger of TSN tweeted Monday evening that Johnston “is considered a strong candidate.”

3. Steve Smith has left the Edmonton Oilers after four seasons as an assistant coach. He has signed on as an assistant with the Carolina Hurricanes. That will lead to speculation involving Derek Laxdal, the head coach of the Memorial Cup-champion Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Oilers head coach Dallas Eakins wanted Smith to move from behind the bench to the press box as an eye in the sky during games. Smith chose to leave for Carolina. . . . You wonder if Laxdal would want to make such a move if it means being the eye in the sky and being that far from the game action.

4. Of course, the Oilers own the Oil Kings. So if Laxdal were to end up on Eakins’ staff, one has to surmise that Oil Kings assistant coach Steve Hamilton, who is highly thought of, would be promoted to head coach.

5. The AHL’s Texas Stars now need a head coach, with Desjardins having moved to the Canucks. Perhaps Laxdal ends up there. . . . Don’t you just love the coaching game of musical chairs?

6. Elliotte Friedman, who is leaving Hockey Night in Canada (RIP) for Sportsnet and its NHL coverage team, has filed his latest 30 Thoughts and it’s right here. Among the news: The Vancouver Canucks, in pursuit of the No. 1 selection in this weekend’s NHL draft, may have offered Medicine Hat Tigers F Hunter Shinkaruk to the Florida Panthers.

7. The Vancouver Giants are the lone WHL team without a head coach. I’m thinking the best candidate is Jim Hiller, who has had success as a WHL head coach with the Chilliwack Bruins (remember them?) and Tri-City Americans. . . . Of course, perhaps he is shopping for a pro job, and maybe that’s holding things up in Vancouver.

8. "Back when we were young, we thought it (smokeless tobacco) was a safe alternative to smoking,” San Diego Padres manager Bruce Bochy told Richard Justice of MLB.com. "We didn't realize how dangerous it was. It's one of the hardest habits to break."
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THE COACHING GAME:
If you are a coach with junior/high performance experience, you may be interested in stepping behind the bench with the major midget Okanagan Rockets, who are based in Kelowna. . . . Mack O’Rourke, who led the Rockets to a league championship, a Pacific Regional title and a third-place finish at the TELUS Cup, is leaving for a job in the oil and gas field. . . . That means that GM David Michaud is searching for a successor. . . . “Our program,” Michaud tells me, “has pushed itself to the point where we need a high-level coach.”
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The BCHL’s Salmon Arm Silverbacks have added Misko Antisin to their coaching staff as an assistant under head coach Brandon West. Antisin (Victoria Cougars, 1983-85) had a lengthy playing career in Europe before getting into coaching. From Vancouver, Antisin has coached in the BCHL, as an assistant coach with the Westside Warriors, and also in the B.C. Major Midget League, as well as in Switzerland.
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The NHL’s Anaheim Ducks have signed Trent Yawney as an assistant coach. Yawney had been the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals. . . . In Anaheim, Yawney will work under head coach Bruce Boudreau and alongside assistants Brad Lauer and Scott Niedermayer, and video co-ordinator Joe Piscotty. . . . Yawney (Saskatoon, 1982-85) is no stranger to the Ducks, having been an associate coach with their AHL team when it was in Syracuse. He also has scouted for the Ducks. . . . Jim Hodges, in the Hampton Roads Virginian-Pilot, reported last night that Admirals assistant coach Jarrod Skaldi is expected to move up as Norfolk’s head coach.
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According to a Monday morning tweet from News1130 Sports, the Vancouver Giants “won't name Don Hay's replacement as head coach till after the NHL draft.” . . . The Lethbridge Hurricanes and Rock 106, which is owned by Rogers Media, have signed a three-year contract involving broadcast rights. They haven’t haven’t yet named a play-by-play voice. The Hurricanes had been heard on 94.1 CJOC for the past seven seasons. . . .
The Seattle Thunderbirds have signed D Sahvan Khaira, who was selected in the ninth round of the WHL’s 2013 bantam draft. Last season, with the Penticton, B.C.-based Okanagan Hockey Academy midget prep team, the 6-foot-1, 210-pounder had 22 points, two of them goals, in 28 games. A native of Cloverdale, B.C., he is the younger brother of F Jujhar Khaira, who played last season with the Everett Silvertips after being a third-round pick by the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL’s 2012 draft. . . . The Vancouver Giants have signed F James Malm, a second-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft, to a WHL contract. Malm, from Langley, B.C., had 144 points, including 70 goals, in 56 games with the Burnaby Winter Club’s Bantam A1 Tier 1 team. . . . The Saskatoon Blades have signed D Schael Higson, a Grande Prairie, Alta., native they listed after he wasn’t selected in the 2013 bantam draft. Higson attended the Blades’ camp prior to last season, then spent the season with the midget AAA Grande Prairie Storm, putting up 20 points, including eight goals, in 33 games.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:41 PM
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