Giants get their coach . . . Chiefs deal D-man to Tigers . . . Hitmen, Thunderbirds sign skaters

F Štěpán Novotný (Kelowna, Swift Current, 2008-11) signed a one-year contract with the Graz 99ers (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). Last season, with Žilina (Slovakia, Extraliga), he had 13 goals and nine assists in 39 games. He also played 13 games with Nitra (Slovakia, Extraliga), scoring three goals.
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The Vancouver Giants will introduce Lorne Molleken today as their newest head coach. . . . Molleken, 59, is one of four coaches to have won more than 600 WHL regular-season games. His 603 victories trail only the retired Ken Hodge (742), Don Hay (637), who now is with the Kamloops Blazers, and Don Nachbaur (632) of the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Molleken, who is from Regina, began his coaching career with the SJHL’s Weyburn Red Wings. In the WHL, he has been the head coach of the Moose Jaw Warriors, Regina Pats and Saskatoon Blades. He also has coached in the AHL and NHL. . . . In Vancouver, he takes over from Claude Noel, who wasn’t retained following the last season. Noel took over from Troy Ward, who was hired last summer and fired after 25 games. . . . Ward was hired after the Giants allowed Hay out of his contract in order for him to return to Kamloops. . . . The Giants have missed the playoffs in two of the past three seasons. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman has more on the Molleken signing right here.
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Steve Ewen, who covers the Giants for the Vancouver Province, takes a look right here at the team’s coaching situation. He says it’s time the organization changed its approach and started grooming future head coaches.
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With the Vancouver Giants having signed Lorne Mollken, it means that all 22 WHL teams now have head coaches in place. . . . Of those teams, three have made coaching changes since the 2014-15 season ended. . . . The Kootenay Ice hired Luke Pierce to replace Ryan McGill, who is believed to have been on Vancouver’s shortlist. . . . The Lethbridge Hurricanes hired Brent Kisio to take over from Peter Anholt, who will focus on his general manager’s duties. . . . Molleken, who turned 59 on June 11, is the third-oldest coach in the WHL, younger than only John Paddock of the Regina Pats, who turned 61 on June 9, and Don Hay of the Kamloops Blazers, who hit 61 on Feb. 13. . . . The youngest? Pierce will be 32 on Aug. 18, with Kisio scheduled to turn 33 on Dec. 15.
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The Spokane Chiefs have dealt D Tamas Laday, 19, to the Medicine Hat Tigers for an eighth-round selection in the 2016 bantam draft. Laday, a 6-foot-7, 215-pound Hungarian, had six assists in 60 games as a freshman last season with the Chiefs. . . . The trade allows the Chiefs, who also have Austrian F Dominic Zwerger on their roster, to select one player in today’s CHL import draft. They go into the draft with the 26th selection. . . . The Tigers also have German F Markus Eisenschmid on their roster. He had 44 points, including 19 goals, in 50 games last season, but at 20 years of age would be a two-spotter in 2015-16.
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The CHL import draft poses a lot of problems for WHL general managers because, in many instances, they don’t control a whole lot about it. So it’s always interesting to see what some of them have to say.
Here’s what John Paddock, the Regina Pats’ GM/head coach, told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post:
“It’s like picking a needle out of a haystack. You try to do your work. You have friends or people you know in the pro ranks that see these guys play. You talk to agents. You try to get as much information as you can.”
Paddock also said:
“You hope and pray. There are no guarantees of anything. When I looked around our league last year, there’s not a lot of significant Europeans. There’s the odd top one like (Leon) Draisaitl and (Ivan) Provorov, but with a lot of teams I couldn’t tell you who their Euros are.”
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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, send an email to greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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The QMJHL’s Charlottetown Islanders will introduce Jim Hulton as their new head coach on Thursday. . . . He will replace Gordie Dwyer, who was dropped after the Islanders didn’t get through the second round of the postseason. . . . Hulton, 46, has OHL coaching experience with the North Bay Centennials, Mississauga IceDogs, Belleville Bulls and Kingston Frontenacs. . . . He also spent three seasons (2008-11) as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Florida Panthers. . . . Since 2011, Hulton has been the general manager and head coach of the USHL’s Tri-City Storm.
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Josh Hepditch, the former general manager and head coach of the junior B Creston Valley Thunder Cats of the Kootenay International junior league, has signed on as head coach of the County Aces, a junior A team that plays out of St. Stephen, N.B., in the Maritime Hockey League. . . . Last season, Hepditch was general manager and head coach of the MHL’s Amherst Ramblers.
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F Patrick D’Amico, who played out his eligibility with the Regina Pats last season, will attend the New Jersey Devils’ development camp. . . . F Tyler Soy, 18, of the Victoria Royals and F Jakob Stukel, 18, of the Vancouver Giants will be in the development camp of the Edmonton Oilers. . . . Tri-City Americans D Brendan O’Reilly, an 18-year-old from Southlake, Texas, will skate with the Dallas Stars. . . . F Terrell Draude, 18, of the Calgary Hitmen will be in camp with the Tampa Bay Lightning. . . . F Markus Eisenschmid, 20, of the Medicine Hat Tigers is to attend the Montreal Canadiens’ development camp. . . . D Justin Hamonic, who played with the Tri-City Americans as a 20-year-old last season, is going to camp with the Colorado Avalanche.
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The Calgary Hitmen have signed F Tristen Nielsen, the 19th overall selection in the 2015 bantam draft. Nielsen, from Fort St. John, B.C., played last season at the Edge School in Calgary. He had 97 points, including 59 goals, in 52 games with the bantam prep team.
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The Seattle Thunderbirds have signed D Brandon Schuldhaus, who was a fifth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. Schuldhaus, a 17-year-old native of Houston, Texas, who now lives in Calgary, has played two seasons at Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Faribault, Minn. Last season, with the midget AAA team, he had 12 points, five of them goals, in 31 games.
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D Patrick Wey, 24, has retired from hockey after being unable to return from two concussions incurred less than a year apart. . . . Wey, from Pittsburgh, was a fourth-round pick by the Washington Capitals in the 2009 NHL draft. He had been playing with the AHL’s Hershey Bears. . . . Mike Vogel, who writes for the Capitals, tweeted the news Monday morning. . . . Wey has said he will pursue “educational interests.” . . . Wey played 28 games in 2013-14 and just three games last season. . . . He suffered his first concussion in a fight on March 30, 2014, while up with the Capitals, then suffered the second one in the third game of last season, thanks to an elbow to the head.
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Another year passes with no Clare Drake in the HHOF. Would John Wooden be left out of basketball's Hall?

— Mark Spector (@SportsnetSpec) June 29, 2015

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Merry Christmas from the Broncos . . . Big victory for Pats . . . Bizarre night in Kelowna

There are so many third, fourth, fifth, etc., sweaters and uniforms being used in the hockey work now that the novelty has long been lost.
But every once in a while a team is able to come up with something that is kind of neat.
Which brings us to the Swift Current Broncos and the sweaters that will be used on Saturday night, one of which is pictured above.
When the Broncos take to the ice against the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings, Swift Current will be wearing what perhaps can best be described as Christmas green and red uniforms with a nifty logo -- a bronco with antlers.
Ryan Switzer, the team’s director of communications and digital media, advises that “they will be auctioned off via silent auction during the game with proceeds helping out the inaugural Innovation Credit Union Salvation Army kids Christmas party later this month. The team will be having a get-together with under-privileged families in the area.”
Switzer also points out that for fans unable to attend Saturday’s game, “There is a Dillon Heatherington jersey up for auction online right now on our website.” That website is right here.
And, as you might have guessed if you are familiar with this kind of stuff, the sweaters were designed by former Broncos F Taylor Vause, who has a gift for this sort of thing.
You are able to follow Vause on Twitter (@wizardofvause) or check out some of his NHL-related work right here.
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F Pavel Brendl (Calgary, 1998-2001) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Skalica (Slovakia, Extraliga). Last season, with Brno (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he had four assists in six games, and in 14 games with Lausitzer Füchse Weisswasser(Germany, DEL2), he had three goals and 12 assists. . . .
D Justin Kirsch (Calgary, Moose Jaw, 2009-13) has signed a contract for the rest of the season with Löwen Frankfurt (Germany, DEL2). This season, with the Missouri Mavericks (ECHL), he had one assist in four games; he also was pointless in one game with the Knoxville Ice Bears (SPHL). Kirsch has dual Canadian-German citizenship. . . .
F Kamil Vávra (Regina, 2003-04) has been released by Šumperk (Czech Republic, 1. Liga). In 29 games, he had five goals and two assist.
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Red Fisher, who covered the Montreal Canadiens for more than 55 years for the Montreal Star and Montreal Gazette, put retirement aside for a while as he remembered the late Jean Beliveau. Fisher’s piece is right here.
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D Tamas Laday of the Spokane Chiefs will play for Hungary in the IIHF U20 World Championship (Division I Group B) later this month. The tournamet is scheduled for Dunaujvaros, Hungary, Dec. 14-20. . . . This will be quite a thrill for Laday as it will take place 50 km from his hometown of Szekesfehervar. . . . Laday, a WHL freshman, has one assist in 21 games with the Chiefs. A year ago, he played for Hungary in the IIHF U20 Division II Group A tournament, scoring twice and adding five assists in five games. . . . Laday is scheduled to leave the Chiefs on Dec. 8 and return for a Dec. 27 game against the visiting Tri-City Americans.
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The Medicine Hat Tigers open a road trip on Friday night against the Silvertips in Everett. Sean Rooney of the Medicine Hat News reports that the Tigers are hopeful that F Markus Eisenschmid will return to their lineup at some point during that trip. Eisenschmid, a 19-year-old German, suffered a broken kneecap when he blocked a shot on Oct. 25 against the visiting Calgary Hitmen. He finished that game and played again on Oct. 28 against the Red Deer Rebels. But he hasn’t played since then. . . . He wants to get back in the lineup, too, because he wants to get some games in before leaving Dec. 17 to join the German team that will play in the World Junior Championship in Toronto and Montreal.
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The Portland Winterhawks have signed F Austin Gray, a 17-year-old from Prince George. Gray is playing for the Prince George-based Cariboo Cougars of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League. The Cougars' captain, he has a league-leading 37 points, including 20 goals, in 19 games with the first-place club. It is anticipated that he will finish the season with the Cougars. . . .
Following a 5-2 loss to the visiting Prince Albert Raiders last night, the Prince George Cougars announced two roster moves. . . . They have signed D Kirk Bear, 19, and added him to their 50-player protected list. . . . They also released Slovakian D Martin Bobos, 19. . . . Bear is pointless in four games; Bobos had one assist in 15 games, after earning seven assists in 67 games last season. . . . The Cougars are carrying 25 players, including 16 forwards and seven defencemen. . . . They are scheduled to meet the Rockets in Kelowna on Friday.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:

In Regina, F Pavel Padakin scored a Teddy Bear goal for the third straight season and the Pats went on to a 4-2 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Each of the previous two seasons, Padakin scored the Teddy Bear goal in a Calgary Hitmen uniform. He was acquired by the Pats on Sept. 23 and got the goal at 11:21 of the second period. It was his eighth goal this season. . . . F Sam Steel scored twice for the Pats, including an empty-netter. He’s got seven goals. . . . F Peter Quenneville scored both Brandon goals, giving him seven. . . . F Rykr Cole, the pride of Moosomin, Sask., scored his second goal, giving the Pats a 3-1 lead at 6:46 of the third. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny, in his eighth straight start, stopped 37 shots. . . . Regina G Daniel Wapple turned aside 26 shots in posting his eighth straight victory. . . . Brandon F Tim McGauley had a five-game goal streak end. . . . The Wheat Kings were without F Rihards Bukarts for a third straight game, while D Kale Clague remains out with an injury incurred at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge. . . . Brandon D Mark Matsuba left in the first period after taking a hit from Regina F Dryden Hunt. . . . The Pats (17-10-1) have won four in a row; they are 9-2-0 in their last 11. . . . The Wheat Kings (21-6-2) had been 4-0-1 in their previous five. . . . Brandon is 7-3-1 over its last 11. . . . In the East Division, Brandon leads second-place Regina by nine points. . . . The Pats and Wheat Kings meet again Friday, this time in Brandon. . . .

In Prince George, D Josh Morrissey scored a goal and added two assists to help the Prince Albert Raiders to a 5-2 victory over the Cougars. . . . It was the opening game of the Raiders’ B.C. Division tour that continues Friday in Kamloops. . . . Former Cougars F Jordan Tkatch broke a 1-1 tie with his sixth goal at 10:44 of the second period and F Gage Quinney, with his fifth, made it 3-1 at 19:06. . . . Raiders F Reid Gardiner added insurance with his 15th at 9:30, before Morrissey scored his seventh into an empty net at 18:50. . . . That was Morrissey’s 60th regular-season goal, tying the franchise record that was held by Emanuel Viveiros (1982-86). . . . F David Soltes had a goal, his ninth, and an assist for the Cougars. He has six PP goals. . . . Prince George had F Chase Witala (leg) and D Marc McNulty (undisclosed) back in the lineup. McNulty had missed nine games, while Witala watched for two. . . . The Raiders, who are 7-5-0 under head coach Marc Habscheid, improved to 14-14-0, while the Cougars slipped to 13-15-0. . . .

In Kelowna, F Rourke Chartier, the WHL’s leading sniper, scored twice as the Rockets dumped the Saskatoon Blades, 5-1. . . . The Rockets scored the game’s last five goals. . . . Chartier, who is from Saskatoon, has 31 goals. . . . F Nick Merkley had a goal, his ninth, and two assists for Kelowna, while D Madison Bowey drew three assists and D Riley Stadel had two. . . . Chartier also leads the WHL in points (50), one more than Merkley, who is No. 1 in assists (49). . . . In one of the more bizarre moments of this season, the starting goaltenders -- Nik Amundrud of the Blades and Jake Morrissey of the Rockets -- got into a third-period fight at centre ice. They received the only fighting majors during that stoppage in play. The fight happened despite the fact that Amundrud’s backup, Trevor Martin, is fighting a flu bug, while the Rockets had two goaltenders, Jackson Whistle (ill) and Michael Hollinger (injured), unable to play. . . . In fact, the Rockets had an AP on the bench whose name wasn’t on the on-line scoresheet. . . . It turns out it was Sam Bobyn, who, according to Rockets play-by-play man Regan Bartel, became the first Kelowna-born goaltender to play for the Rockets. . . . Morrissey, in his first start on home ice, stopped 20 shots. Bobyn came on at 8:40 of the third, but didn’t face a shot. The Blades were outshot 9-0 in the third period, if the scoresheet is to be believed. . . . The Rockets improved to 23-3-3. . . . The Blades (7-20-2) have lost five in a row (0-4-1), including the first two games on their B.C. Division tour. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix is on the road with the Blades and has a game story right here. . . .

In Everett, F Nikita Scherbak scored twice and added an assist to lead the Silvertips to a 4-2 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Scherbak broke a 1-1 tie at 13:16 of the second period and added insurance with a PP goal at 17:00 of the third. He’s got 14 goals. . . . Everett D Kevin Davis had two assists. . . . F Adam Helewka scored his 14th goal for the Chiefs. . . . Everett F Ivan Nikolishin scored his eighth goal and added an assist. . . . Everett G Austin Lotz stopped 31 shots, 10 more than Spokane’s Tyson Verhelst. . . . Everett took two of the game’s three minor penalties. . . . Everett improved to 17-5-4, while the Chiefs, who have lost two straight, are 14-9-3.
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Beyond excited for my partnership with @DonnellyFord1 huge thanks for setting me up with this beauty! #customtrucks pic.twitter.com/WyFPRRy2CC
— Curtis Lazar (@CurtisLazar95) December 3, 2014

Import draft has two agents seething . . . In the NHL, it's only money

F Chuck Kobasew (Kelowna, 2001-02) has signed a two-year contract with Bern (Switzerland, NL A). Last season, with the Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL), he had two goals in 33 games, and in 12 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), he had 13 points, 11 of them goals, in 12 games. . . .
F Willie Coetzee (Red Deer, 2007-10) has signed tryout contract with the Graz 99ers (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). Coetzee was with the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL) last season, but hurt a knee in training camp and missed the season. In 2012-2013, with the Toledo Walleye (ECHL), he had 68 points, including 28 goals, in 64 games. He led the Walleye in goals, assists and points. He also was pointless in one game with Grand Rapids. . . .
F Oscar Möller (Chilliwack, 2006-08) was released by Skellefteå (Sweden, SHL) in order for him to sign a two-year contract with Ak Bars Kazan (Russia, KHL). Last season, with Skellefteå, he had 45 points, 27 of them goals, in 48 games. He led his team in goals, led the league in PPG (15) and finished sixth in the league scoring race. Under the terms of his release, Möller will return to Skellefteå in 2016-17 to complete the remaining three years on a contract he signed in February 2013.
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The CHL’s import draft has always been driven by agents; in fact, you could make the case that it is owned by agents.
When the CHL decided to ban the picking of goaltenders in the import draft there are people out there who were surprised that the agents seemed to let it slide by with nary a peep.
Which brings us to Wednesday and the 2014 import draft.
For starters, it seems there are some new rules governing the draft. As Mark Staudinger (@MarkStaudz), who scouts the WHL for Red Line Report, tweeted: “Not only are Euro Goaltenders no longer allowed, but also major financial changes. Teams now penalized for signing players to huge packages.”
No, I don’t know what he meant by “huge packages.” Wink! Wink!!
And so it was that the OHL’s Sarnia Sting selected Czech F Pavel Zacha with the first pick of Wednesday’s draft. It was a move that brought howls of protestation from Allan Walsh, one of the most outspoken agents in the hockey world.
Walsh (@walsha) tweeted:
1. “Sarnia was advised that Pavel Zacha has a professional contract in Czech Republic for 2 more years and has no interest in playing for them.”
2. "Sarnia just wasted the #1 overall pick in the CHL Import Draft on a player who's not coming and has a professional contract. #RookieGM.”
3. “Looking forward to Sarnia's statement on how pleased they are to draft Pavel Zacha. #Wasted#1Pick.”
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Zacha is projected as a top-10 selection in the NHL’s 2015 draft. The Hockey News reported in April that Zacha had signed a three-year contract with Liberec of the Czech Extraliga.
Nick Sinclair, the Sting’s first-year general manager, told Brent Boles of the Sarnia Observer: “With the import draft there's always some uncertainty with the players coming over here. It's a calculated risk that we took. . . . We're optimistic that Sarnia can be a place that will really enhance his draft status.”
Sinclair also said he took Zacha because he was seen as the best player available.
“Skates very well, very skilled, good hockey sense – he's got all the tools to be a real good NHL player,” said Sinclair. “Hopefully, Pavel will be wearing our jersey come September.”
A team took the best player available. Isn’t that the way drafts are supposed to work? Well, not when the agents are used to running the show.
Which brings us to the 13th selection of the 2014 import draft, where the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads picked Swedish F William Nylander, who had been selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the NHL’s 2014 draft.
It wasn’t long after Mississauga had taken Nylander that journalist/author Gare Joyce was tweeting about another “pissed” agent.
Joyce (@GareJoyceNHL) tweeted three times:
1. “agent 4 @MapleLeafs 1st-rounder Nylander sez he ‘had no communication w Mississauga Steelheads’ who picked client 13th in CHL import draft.”
2. “Agent Theofanous pissed that Steelheads jumped in. ‘I would not have made the pick w/o talking to agent or client.’ ”
3. “Theofanous: ‘It's William's intention to play for @MapleLeafs next yr, not junior.’ ”
That would be agent Paul Theofanous of Theofanous Management International.
So there were at least two angry agents when the CHL’s latest import draft drew to a close. You can bet there were more than that many CHL general managers giggling about it.
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1. The WHL’s 22 teams combined to select 29 players, 20 of them in the first round, in Wednesday’s import draft. The Prince George Cougars, who held the 15th pick, and Portland Winterhawks, who had No. 59, both passed as each already has two imports, none of whom are NHL first-round draft picks, on its roster. With teams now prohibited from trading import draft selections, the Cougars and Winterhawks simply passed. . . . All told, nine of the CHL’s 60 teams passed in the first round, and only 20 players were taken in the second round. When it was all over, 51 teams had taken 71 players from 12 countries.

2. The Prince Albert Raiders held the 24th pick in the first round, but that moved up No. 20 due to teams passing in front of them. With that selection, the Raiders took Czech F Simon Stransky, who turns 17 on Dec. 21. He is the younger brother of former Saskatoon Blades F Matej Stansky (2010-13). . . . The Raiders have two other imports on their roster, the other two being German F Leon Draisaitl and Czech D Tomas Andrlik. Draisaitl was taken third overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2014 NHL draft, so the Raiders are allowed to keep three imports on their roster until his immediate future is decided.

3. The Kootenay Ice took Russian F Alexander Chirva, 18, in the first round. He played last season with the Moose Jaw Warriors, putting up six points, two of them goals, in 58 games. . . . Kootenay’s roster also includes Swiss/French F Tim Bozon, 20, who is expected to play professionally if sufficiently recovered from his bout with Neisseria meningitis, and Russian D Rinat Valiev, 19.

4. The Seattle Thunderbirds used the 42nd selection on Danish F Alexander True, who turns 17 on July 17. His father, Soren, was a 12th-round selection by the New York Rangers in the NHL’s 1986 draft. He later played three seasons in the now-defunct IHL with teams in Flint, Mich., Albany, N.Y., San Diego and Phoenix. . . . Alexander also is a cousin to F Nikolaj Ehlers, who was taken ninth overall by the Winnipeg Jets in the NHL’s 2014 draft. Ehlers played last season with the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads, putting up 104 points in 63 games.

5. The Brandon Wheat Kings used the 25th pick on Russian D Ivan Provorov, 17. He played last season with the USHL’s Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, picking up 19 points, including six goals, in 56 games. Provorov spent the 2012-13 season with a midget team in Wilkes-Barre Scranton, earning 97 pints in 51 games. . . . Provorov joins Latvian F Rihards Bukarts, who turns 19 on Dec. 31, and Czech F Richard Nejezchleb, 20, on Brandon’s roster. . . . Teams are allowed to have two imports on their rosters, but Brandon was allowed to make one selection because Nejezchleb is entering his final year of junior eligibility and could turn pro. The New York Rangers took him in the fifth round of the NHL’s 2014 draft.

6. The Spokane Chiefs, with the 36th pick, took D Tamás Láday of Hungary. According to the Chiefs, he is 6-foot-7 and 212 pounds. “Tamás’s size allows us to get bigger as a team, an area which we felt we needed to improve on,”Chris Moulton, the Chiefs’ director of player personnel, said in a news release. “He is not afraid to engage physically. . . . He has a good skill set for a player with a very large frame. He moves well for a big man, so he does a great job of transitioning the puck. He looks to have a lot of upside and will make our team better in the future.”

7. The Swift Current Broncos used their first-round selection on Russian F Maxim Letunov, who played last season with the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms, earning 43 points, 19 of them goals, in 60 games. The St. Louis Blues selected him 52nd overall in the NHL’s 2014 draft. . . . Because D Julius Honka was a first-round selection (Dallas Stars) in the NHL’s 2014 draft, the Broncos are allowed to carry three imports for now. So they selected Swedish F Andreas Schumacher in the second round. His brother, Michael, played two seasons (2011-13) with the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds before splitting last season between the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters and the Central league’s Denver Cutthroats. He was selected by Los Angeles Kings in the seventh round of the NHL’s 2011 draft.

8. In the second round, the Kamloops Blazers took Swiss D Michael Fora, who turns 19 on Oct. 31. His agent is Hnat Domenichelli, a former Blazers forward (1992-96) who played 11 pro seasons in Switzerland. Domenichelli retired after the 2013-14 season.

9. The Red Deer Rebels used their first-round selection to take Latvian D Eduards Jansons, who turns 17 on Sept. 7. Jansons’ is represented by Hockey Hall of Famer Igor Larionov. “His agent . . . absolutely loves the player,” Brent Sutter, the Rebels’ owner, GM and head coach, told Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate. “Igor thinks he’s going to be a real good pro.”

10. In chasing around Tuesday and reading about the NHL’s signing frenzy, I found this lead to a column by the Vancouver Sun’s always astute Iain MacIntyre on the Canucks’ signing of G Ryan Miller:
“Forget about the money because it’s Francesco Aquilini’s money and he has lots of it.”
Which is about when it finally hit me. The NHL has gotten to the same level of insanity as the NBA and much of Major League Baseball when it comes to paying players. In other words, forget about the money because it’s only money and there’s lots more where that came from.
So when you hear that the New York Islanders have signed F Nikolai Kulemin for four years at $4,187,500 per and F Mikael Gravovski for four years at $5 million you don’t need to roll your eyes. Remember: It’s only money.

11. The San Jose Sharks signed enforcer John Scott for one year at $700,000. This comes one day after the Calgary Flames signed D Deryk Engelland for three years and $8,750,000. Last season, Scott, with the Buffalo Sabres, made $750,000; Engelland, with the Pittsburgh Penguins, earned $575,000.

12. Capgeek.com’s latest figures for the NHL and its two-day-old free-agent feeding frenzy: 72 signings totalling US$550,300,000. . . . And the teams aren’t done yet.
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The Edmonton Oil Kings have re-signed head equipment manager Rogan Dean and head athletic therapist Brian Cheeseman. Dean, who is from Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., is preparing for his eighth season with the Oil Kings, while Cheeseman, from Mount Pearl, Nfld., is going into his fifth season in Edmonton. Cheeseman also spent one season with the Tri-City Americans. . . . F Brendan Ranford, who played five seasons (2009-13) with the Kamloops Blazers, has signed a three-year entry-level deal with the NHL’s Dallas Stars. Ranford, 22, played his first pro season in 2013-14, picking up 33 points, 12 of them goals, in 65 games with the AHL’s Texas Stars. He added 16 points, including eight goals, as the Stars won the Calder Cup in 21 games. . . .
F Jamie Lewis of the OHL’s North Bay Centennials has been hit with an eight-game suspension for an anti-doping rule violation. According to a news release from the CHL and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, the violation “resulted from a urine sample collected during in-competition doping control in May 2014 which revealed the presence of methylhexaneamine, a prohibited stimulant. Under the rules of the CHL Anti-Doping Policy . . . Lewis was assessed an eight-game suspension for a first violation for using a prohibited substance.” . . . From the same news release: “Methylhexaneamine is banned in competition by the World Anti-Doping Agencies Prohibited List which is recognized by the CHL. In Canada, methylhexaneamine is not an ingredient in medications licensed by Health Canada, but can be found in supplements.” . . .
Kaleb Toth (Prince Albert, Moose Jaw, Lethbridge, 1993-98) went on to a legendary pro lacrosse career after leaving the WHL. In fact, he scored 346 goals in 206 National Lacrosse League games. Toth, 36, now has been named an assistant coach with the NLL’s Vancouver Stealth. He also coaches the Nanaimo Timbermen of the Western Lacrosse Association.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Troy Mann is the new head coach of the Hershey Bears, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Washington Capitals. Mann was an assistant coach with the Bears (2009-13), but spent last season as head coach of the ECHL’s Bakersfield Condors. . . Bryan Helmer, who played with the Bears and is the AHL’s all-time leading scorer among defenceman, signed on in Hershey as an assistant coach. He had been an assistant with the OHL’s Peterborough Petes. . . . Hershey’s head-coaching job opened up when Mike Haviland left to become the head coach at Colorado College.
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Way to go islanders!!!! Making a 40pt guy a 5 million dollar player!!! Grabovski?? 5 million??? I'm going back to the gym!! Good god
— Jeremy Roenick (@Jeremy_Roenick) July 2, 2014

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