Showing posts with label Travis Child. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travis Child. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

A fan's thoughts on Memorial Cup ... Oil Kings acquire goaltender ... Portland loses assistant coach


G Michael Garnett (Red Deer, Saskatoon, 1999-2002) has signed a two-year contract with the Nottingham Panthers (England, UK Elite). This season, with Medvescak Zagreb (Croatia, KHL), he was 3.15, .903 in 17 games. Garnett will attend Loughborough University while playing for the Panthers.
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 With the Memorial Cup having ended Sunday and with the host Windsor Spitfires having won it all without winning even one round in the OHL playoffs, there has been much debate about the tournament’s format.
This week, I received an email from a WHL fan, one who is knowledgeable and a season-ticket holder.
Here’s what this fan wrote:
“I have been reading your various comments about the Memorial Cup (attendance problems, idea for a format change), and thought I’d give you a perspective from purely that of a junior hockey fan who has
zero interest in this event. Yes, the ticket prices as quoted are high, but in my view that’s definitely not the only issue or even the main issue.
“My sole reason for lack of interest in the event is that it’s an exhibition event, not a championship. What you have are three teams who have to play well enough in the regular season to make the playoffs, then win four best-of-seven series in their respective leagues, plus one team that doesn’t have to do any of that.
“The single biggest requirement for competition in sports is a level playing field — all teams playing by the same rules and starting from the same place. The Memorial Cup, by allowing a host team in the tournament, violates that basic tenet, which renders the ‘championship’ meaningless.
“The Windsor Spitfires could have theoretically gone 0-68 this season and ended up in the same place. In fact, by getting knocked out in the first round of the OHL playoffs, one could argue that they had an advantage over the other teams by being well-rested and avoiding injuries. They also had a chance to recover before the tournament, unlike the other three teams that each had to play 20-some games to get there and then had four or five days rest (and had to travel during that time).
“If I were a Windsor player or fan, winning the Memorial Cup would feel like a hollow victory, because the team was given the unfair advantage of a head start and didn’t have to accomplish other things along the way usually necessary to win a championship.
“Think of the Stanley Cup — if prior to the start of the season, one team was already guaranteed a berth in the final. That’s what the Memorial Cup is and that renders it exhibition hockey without any real meaning. “Personally, I only am interested in games that count for something, regular season or playoffs, but not games that somehow don’t count in at least some way on the road to winning a title.
“The other issue with the whole ‘host team’ designation is that it forces the host team to mortgage the future and make maybe unnatural moves during a pre-determined season. I dread that my hometown team (Victoria Royals) one day plays host to the event as they’ve been rumoured to be bidding on a couple of times.
“Facing years of futility (like the Saskatoon Blades are going through now after being the host team in 2013) just to build up for one shot at winning an exhibition tournament is about the worst trade-off one could make. If the Royals ever play host to the event, I won’t be attending, and knowing what would happen to the team in the years following, I would probably give up my season tickets rather than pay to watch a few seasons of a subsequently bad team, especially given the reason they’d be bad.
“So for me the only solution is to go back to a three-team format with the winners of each league, which would be a true CHL championship.
“The difficulty with respect to fan interest is that unlike other leagues/sports, there’s no connection between the three CHL leagues. The teams don’t play each other, and there’s little player movement between leagues.
“The closest parallel I can think of is baseball prior to inter-league play. However, there you at least had player movement between the American and National leagues, so the leagues were connected. The CHL has none of that, and as a WHL fan I pay virtually no attention to the Ontario or Quebec leagues.
“Even so, a chance to be crowned CHL champion in a three-team affair would mean something — I know it did to me when the Victoria Cougars went there in 1981. However, the chance to win an exhibition tournament just doesn’t generate any interest, at least not from me.”
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The Edmonton Oil Kings have traded for G Travis Child, who will turn 20 on June 13, from the Brandon Wheat Kings for a conditional fifth-round selection in the 2018 bantam draft.
Child, from Killam, Alta., was acquired by Brandon, along with D Kade Jensen and a second- and fifth-
TRAVIS CHILD
round 2019 bantam draft picks from the Swift Current Broncos for G Jordan Papirny and a 2018 fourth-round draft pick.
Child was 4-3-1, 2.84, .894 in nine appearances with Brandon. With the Broncos, he had been 13-3-3, 3.03, .902 in 24 games.
The Wheat Kings are left with four 20s on their roster — G Logan Thompson, D James Shearer, F Meyer Nell and Jensen.
Child joins three other goaltenders with WHL experience on the Oil Kings’ depth chart. Patrick Dea, 20, has played in 123 regular-season games; this season, he was 19-31-3, 3.86, .882. Liam Hughes, 18, got into seven games this season (1-4-2, 3.26, .895) but missed a lot of time due to injury. Josh Dechaine, 19, saw action in 17 games as a freshman this season (3-8-1, 4.41, .876).
The Oil Kings now have five 20s on their roster — Child, Dea, F Adam Berg, F Jesse Roach and F Colton Kehler.
Goaltenders have become rather popular as trade targets in the last while, with four of them having been moved. Other than Child, Jordan Hollett, 18, went from the Regina Pats to the Medicine Hat Tigers; Nick Schneider, 20, moved from Medicine Hat to the Calgary Hitmen; and Mario Petit, 20, was dealt by the Everett Silvertips to the Kootenay Ice.
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NHL teams have until today (Thursday) at 5 p.m. ET to sign players selected in the 2015 draft or they will be eligible to be selected in the 2017 draft.
The Columbus Blue Jackets revealed Wednesday that they won’t sign D Sam Ruopp of the Prince George Cougars, while the Vancouver Canucks earlier said they wouldn’t be signing Cougars D Tate Olson.
Other players from that draft who have yet to sign are F Giorgio Estephan of the Lethbridge Hurricanes (Buffalo Sabres), F Matt Bradley of the Regina Pats (Montreal Canadiens), F Brad Morrison of the Cougars (New York Rangers), F Glenn Gawdin of the Swift Current Broncos (St. Louis Blues), and F Matteo Gennaro of the Calgary Hitmen (Winnipeg Jets).
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Peter Toigo has been named assistant general manager of the Vancouver Giants. Toigo had been the organization’s vice-president of operations. . . . “Peter has worked in the capacity of assistant general manager since I arrived last year,” Giants GM Glen Hanlon said in a news release. “I believe that now is a good time to formally announce Peter’s expanded role as we move forward. We feel good about the direction that the team is going in, and Peter has been a big part of that plan.” . . . Toigo, who has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Gonzaga U in Spokane, has been with the Giants since 2008 when he was director of team services. He was named vice-president of operations in 2011 and will continue in that role while also being the AGM. . . . Toigo’s father, Ron, is the Giants’ majority owner.
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The Spokane Chiefs have signed F Cedric Chenier, 17, to a WHL contract. Chenier, from Winnipeg, was a ninth-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft. This season, he had 65 points, including 30 goals, in 43 games with the midget AAA Winnipeg Wild. That was good enough to win the Manitoba Midget Hockey League scoring title. He added 16 points, including 13 assists, in 11 playoff games as the Wild won the MMHL championship.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings have signed F Jonny Hooker, who will turn 16 on Oct. 3, and D Neithan Salame, 16, to WHL contracts. . . . Hooker, a Winnipegger, was an eighth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. Hooker had 30 goals and 12 assists in 30 games with the Rink Hockey Academy midget prep team this season. . . . Salame, from Edmonton, was a seventh-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. This season, he had two goals and 12 assists in 34 games with the midget AAA Edmonton Knights of Columbus Pats.
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BTW, if you want to contact me with some information or just feel like commenting on something, you may email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
I’m also on Twitter (@gdrinnan).
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Coaching

 Oliver David has left the Portland Winterhawks’ coaching staff to take over as the head coach of the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints. . . . David, 38, spent one season with the Winterhawks, having joined them from Dubuque, where he had been the assistant GM and associate coach. . . . The Fighting Saints were 108-61-2-9 with David on their staff. . . . David takes over from Jason Lammers, who moved to Niagara University as the head coach of the Purple Eagles. . . . The Winterhawks now are looking for an assistant coach to work alongside Mike Johnston, their vice-president, GM and head coach, and associate coach Kyle Gustafson.
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As you tossed and turned in bed last night, you were trying to figure out who is coaching the KHL’s Dinamo Minsk. Admit it. You were, and it kept you awake. Well, Patrick Conway has come to the rescue. . . . The Stanley Cup final maybe two games old, but KHL training camps for 2017-18 are on the horizon. Conway starts his previews with a look at the coaches in the West Conference with the six teams in Bobrov Division, and it’s right here.
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Sunday, January 15, 2017

Big day for Shirleys . . . Ex-WHL tough guy dies at 56 . . . Americans run table in East Division


Yes, Craig Cunningham, who played in the WHL with the Vancouver Giants and Portland Winterhawks, was in attendance at an AHL game in Tucson, Ariz., on Saturday night. It was the first game he has attended since suffering a heart attack during the pregame warmup on Nov 19. That is former Everett Silvertips GM Doug Soetaert, now the general manager of the Tucson Roadrunners, at the left.
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Collin Shirley was all smiles late Saturday night, and it wasn’t all because the Kamloops Blazers captain had scored once and added two assists in a 6-3 victory over the visiting Vancouver Giants.
A lot of it was because his younger sister, Sophie, had been named the event’s top forward at the IIHF U-18 World Women’s Championship that concluded Saturday in Zlin, Czech Republic. Team USA beat Canada, 3-1, in the final.
Sophie, 17, finished the tournament with two goals and four assists in five games, tying with three others for the tournament scoring lead.
“She’s good,” Collin, 20, said. “She’s a really good skater and a skilled player. She’s really fast and skilled.”
With a laugh, he added: “It was tough to go home (to Saskatoon) at Christmas time and have her give it to me.”
It didn’t take any prodding to get Collin to admit that he’s awfully proud of his sister. His schedule only allowed him to take in part of one game during the U-18 tournament. But, as luck would have it, he picked the right one, Friday’s semifinal in which Sophie had two goals and an assist in a 6-2 victory over Sweden.
“When ever I get a chance to watch her it’s fun to see how far she’s come over the past two years,” he said. “It’s awesome.”
It’s worth noting that there’s another Shirley who’s a pretty fair player, too. That would be Grace, 15, who has 25 points, including 12 goals, in 20 games with the Saskatoon Stars of the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League.
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Boris Fistric, who won a Memorial Cup championship with Ernie McLean’s New Westminster Bruins died Friday night in an Edmonton hospital. He was 56.
BORIS FISTRIC
Fistric died of a brain hemorrhage after falling on steps at home and striking his head.
He had worked at Edmonton Exchanger for 32 years.
As per Fistric’s wishes, there won’t be a memorial service.
Fistric, an Edmonton native, played two-plus seasons with the Bruins, totalling 27 goals, 76 assists and 973 penalty minutes — he had seasons of 414 and 460 minutes — in 143 games.
He helped the Bruins to the 1978 WHL championship and Memorial Cup title. In the regular season, he had nine goals, 34 assists and 414 penalty minutes. In 21 playoff games, he had three goals and 16 assists, along with 142 penalty minutes.
He was traded to the Brandon Wheat Kings early in 1979-80, where he had a goal, eight assists and 164 penalty minutes in 23 games.
Fistric, 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, was vastly under-rated as a passer, perhaps because his propensity for taking penalties over-shadowed that part of his game.
He was selected by the Detroit Red Wings in the third round of the NHL’s 1979 draft.
Fistric played two seasons with their IHL farm team, the Kalamazoo Wings, totalling 15 goals, 57 assists and 788 penalty minutes in 140 regular-season games. He added two assists and 109 penalty minutes in 10 playoff games.
He retired after the 1981-82 season.
Fistric’s son, Marc, played four seasons (2002-06) with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants before going on to a pro career that included 325 NHL games. A hard-hitting defenceman, Marc’s season was halted by back problems after the 2014-15 season.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:


At Brandon, G Travis Child stopped 18 shots to earn a shutout in his first start with the Wheat Kings as
TRAVIS CHILD
they beat the Kootenay Ice, 4-0. . . . Child was acquired from the Swift Current Broncos at the trade deadline on Tuesday. . . . He has two shutouts this season, the first two of his career. . . . The Wheat Kings had beaten the visiting Ice, 8-3, on Friday night. . . . F Ryan Bettens (2) opened the scoring at 12:31 of the first period, with F Connor Gutenberg (9) making it 2-0 at 7:57 of the second. . . . F Reid Duke (25) added another at 14:53, with D Daniel Bukac rounding out the scoring with his first WHL goal, on a PP, at 17:16 of the second. . . . D Kale Clague had two assists. . . . G Payton Lee turned aside 39 shots for the Ice. . . . Brandon was 1-6 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-3. . . . Brandon F Nolan Patrick went pointless in his second game back. . . . F Vince Loschiavo, who scored one of the Ice’s goals on Friday night, was scratched from this one. . . . Brandon (22-17-4) has won two in a row. The Wheat Kings hold down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot, eight points ahead of the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Kootenay (10-27-8) has lost three straight. . . . Announced attendance: 4,045.
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At Calgary, the Prince George Cougars scored three times in the third period and beat the Hitmen, 5-4. . .
TY EDMONDS
. Calgary took a 3-2 lead into the third. . . . Prince George F Jansen Harkins, who has 12 goals, scored at 7:20 and 12:54 to put his side oiut front, 4-3. . . . F Radovan Bondra upped that to 5-3 with his 21st goal at 17:24. . . . Calgary F Beck Malenstyn (18) got it back to within one at 18:39. . . . F Josh Maser (3) had given the Cougars a 1-0 lead at 2:10 of the first period. . . . Calgary tied it on F Mark Kastelic’s eighth goal, at 10:47. . . . Prince George went back out front when F Brad Morrison scored his 17th goal at 13:54. . . . The Hitmen took the lead on second-period goals from F Jakob Stukel (14), at 8:10, and D Jake Bean (3), on a PP, at 19:23. . . . Bondra also had two assists. . . . The Hitmen got three assists from D Vladislav Yeryomenko and one from Bean. . . . G Ty Edmonds blocked 47 shots for the Cougars in winning his 24th game this season. His 93 career victories are three off the franchise record held by Scott Myers. . . . G Trevor Martin stopped 24 shots for Calgary. . . . Calgary was 1-5 on the PP; Prince George was 0-3 on the PP. . . . Prince George F Jesse Gabrielle was hit with a cross-checking major and game misconduct at the end of the third period. . . . The Cougars went 3-1-0 in playing four games in five nights in Alberta. . . . The Cougars scratched D Sam Ruopp and D Tate Olson, both with undisclosed injuries, and F Aaron Boyd (ill). . . . Prince George (31-12-2) has won three in a row and is atop the overall standings, one point ahead of Regina, although the Pats have five games in hand. . . . The Hitmen (15-20-6) had points in each of their previous two games (1-0-1). They are within four points of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 6,607.
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At Everett, F Keegan Kolesar’s goal at 4:44 of OT gave the Seattle Thunderbirds a 4-3 victory over the
KEEGAN KOLESAR
Silvertips. . . . Kolesar has seven goals this season. . . . Seattle took a 2-0 lead on second-period goals from D Ethan Bear (12), at 8:22, and F Alexander True (11), at 8:46. . . . F Matthew Wedman drew the primary assist on each of those goals. . . . The Silvertips tied it on goals from F Connor Dewar (7), at 10:07, and F Eetu Tuulola (11), at 12:20. . . . Seattle went back out front at 15:32 of the third period when F Mathew Barzal scored his third goal of the season, beating Everett G Carter Hart through the legs. The two were teammates on Team Canada at the World Junior Championship. . . . Everett forced OT when F Matt Fonteyne got No. 13 at 17:23. . . . Bear and Barzal also had an assist each. . . . Seattle got 28 saves from G Rylan Toth, while Hart stopped 34 at the other end. . . . The Thunderbirds were 0-1 on the PP; the Silvertips were 0-3. . . . Seattle (22-14-4) has won four in a row and is third in the U.S. Division, three points ahead of the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Everett (27-5-8) has points in four straight (2-0-2). It leads the U.S. Division by three points over the Tri-City Americans. The Silvertips have eight games in hand. . . . Announced attendance: 8,249, a sellout on Local Heroes Night.
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At Kamloops, line mates Collin Shirley and Lane Bauer combined for a goal and five assists as the Blazers doubled the Vancouver Giants, 6-3. . . . Shirley had a goal and two assists, while Bauer drew
JOE GATENBY
three helpers. Nick Chyzowski, the third member of that line, scored once. . . . The Blazers took a 3-0 first-period lead on goals from F Deven Sideroff (25), Chyzowski (13) and F Rudolfs Balcers (23). . . . F Brendan Semchuk, who is from Kamloops, scored his seventh for the Giants, at 3:59 of the second period. . . . The Blazers jumped back into control on two goals from D Joe Gatenby, at 15:59 of the second period and 3:22 of the third. The latter came via the PP. . . . Gatenby went into this season with five goals in 174 regular-season games, all with the Kelowna Rockets. He has five goals in 44 games with the Blazers, including the first two two-goal games of his career. . . . Vancouver opened the third period with goals from F Brayden Watts,  his fifth, and F Ty Ronning, his 18th, at 5:00 and 10:51. . . . Shirley iced it with a highlight-reel shorthanded score at 14:19. He’s got 18 goals. . . . Balcers and Sideroff added an assist each. . . . F James Malm had three assists for Vancouver, with Watts adding two to his goal. Ronning had one assist. . . . Kamloops G Dylan Ferguson, making his 15th straight start, stopped 25 shots. G Connor Ingram, who hasn’t played since being with Team Canada at the World Junior Championship, should rejoin the Blazers before they entertain the Moose Jaw Warriors on Tuesday. . . . Vancouver G David Tendeck stopped 28 shots. . . . Kamloops was 1-3 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-3. . . . The Blazers (26-16-3) had lost their previous two games (0-1-1). They are tied with the Kelowna Rockets for second in the B.C. Division. . . . The Giants (16-25-3) have lost five in a row. . . . Vancouver F Tyler Benson missed his sixth straight game with what was said on Jan. 4 to be a minor injury. . . . Announced attendance: 3,923.
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At Lethbridge, F Alec Baer scored two goals for the second time in three games to help the Hurricanes to a 6-5 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Baer had three goals in 39 games with the Vancouver
ALEC BAER
Giants. He has four in three games since being dealt to Lethbridge. . . . The Oil Kings got three goals from F Colton Kehler, who has 14 scores. . . . Lethbridge scored the game’s first three goals, with Baer counting at 1:25 and D Brennan Riddle (4) at 16:00 of the first period, and F Tyler Wong getting No. 31, and the 250th point of his career, at 2:15 of the second. . . . Kehler got his first goal, on a PP, at 3:50. . . . Baer put the home boys up by three again, at 6:34. . . . Kehler answered that one, on a PP, at 19:14. . . . F Egor Babenko (15) scored for Lethbridge at 2:43 of the third period, but Edmonton F Trey Fix-Wolansky replied with his 12th, at 3:01. . . . Lethbridge F Giorgio Estephan’s 22nd goal, at 5:38, ended up being the winner. It also was his 200th career point. . . . The Oil Kings got close as Kehler completed the hat trick at 10:09 and D Conner McDonald (3) scored at 18:32. . . . Lethbridge F Zak Zborosky had two assists, with Wong and Babenko adding one each. . . . Edmonton got two assists from each of D Will Warm and F Davis Koch, with Fix-Wolansky getting one. . . . G Ryan Gilchrist stopped 29 shots for the Hurricanes, nine more than Edmonton’s Patrick Dea. . . . Edmonton was 2-4 on the PP; Lethbridge was 1-5. . . . D Matthew Robertson made his WHL debut with the Oil Kings. He was their first-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. He was brought in from the midget AAA Sherwood Park Kings. . . . Lethbridge (24-15-6) has points in five straight (4-0-1) and is second in the Central Division. . . . Edmonton (18-22-4) has lost five in a row and now is tied with the Saskatoon Blades for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . Announced attendance: 3,577.
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At Portland, F JareT Anderson-Dolan scored two goals and set up another, and F Keanu Yamamoto had two goals as the Spokane Chiefs beat the Winterhawks, 6-5. . . . The Winterhawks had beaten the host
JARET ANDERSON-DOLAN
Chiefs, 5-4, on Friday night. . . . Last night, F Riley Woods (8) gave Spokane a 1-0 lead at 1:24 of the first period. . . . Portland F Skyler McKenzie tied it with his 27th goal at 1:55. . . . The Chiefs scored the next three goals, with Anderson-Dolan counting at 9:01, Yamamoto scoring at 9:55 and F Eli Zummack (3) scoring, on a PP, at 4:11 of the second period. . . . The Winterhawks replied with three straight goals. F Alex Overhardt (6) scored on a PP at 5:36, with F Ryan Hughes (16) getting the Winterhawks to within one at 6:13 and McKenzie tying it at 8:26. . . . The Chiefs went up by two as Yamamoto got No. 18 at 11:57 and Anderson-Dolan scored his 22nd at 11:57 of the third. . . . (I wonder how often that happens? The same team scores back-to-back goals at the identical time in back-to-back periods.) . . . F Cody Glass (21) pulled Portland back to within a goal at 18:34. . . . Woods and Zummack each had an assist for Spokane. . . . F Joachim Blichfeld had two assists for Portland, with Glass and Overhardt each getting one. . . . The Chiefs got 38 saves from G Dawson Weatherill. . . . Portland starter Cole Kehler was beaten three times on five shots in 9:55. Shane Farkas finished up in his WHL debut, allowing three goals on 20 shots in 48:04. Farkas, who turned 18 on Thursday, is from Penticton, B.C. . . . This was the fourth meeting of eight this season between these teams. Portland now is 3-1-0, while the Chiefs are 1-2-1. . . . Hughes has a goal in each of the four games. . . . F Keegan Iverson, the team captain, was among the Portland scratches after he didn’t finish Friday’s game due to an undisclosed injury. . . . The Chiefs (18-19-7) had lost their previous four games (0-3-1). They are two points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Winterhawks (22-19-1) are in possession of the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot but are just two points ahead of Spokane. . . . Announced attendance: 7,005. . . . F Matt Revel, acquired by the Winterhawks from the Kamloops Blazers at the trade deadline, is scheduled to travel to Portland on Jan. 22. Revel, 20, has been out since Dec. 10 with a collarbone injury that is expected to keep out until some time in February.
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At Regina, F Adam Brooks scored the game’s last two goals to give the Pats a 7-6 OT victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Brooks tied the game with 8.6 seconds left to play and won it 18 seconds into
ADAM BROOKS
OT. The winner was the 100th goal of his career. . . . He finished with two goals, giving him 24, and an assist. . . . The Raiders actually led this one 4-0 after one period on two goals from F Carson Miller, who has seven, and singletons from F Curtis Miske (8) and F Jordy Stallard (10). Miller’s first goal and Stallard’s score came via the PP. . . . Regina got back into it with three straight second-period goals — F Bryan Lockner got his third, and second in two nights, while F Jeff de Wit got No, 5 and F Dawson Leedahl got his 18th. . . . F Parker Kelly’s shorthanded goal restored Prince Albert’s two-goal lead at 6:43 of the third period. He’s got seven goals. . . . Regina F Nick Henry’s 21st goal, on a PP, pulled the home boys back to within one, at 7:48. . . . Raiders F Spencer Moe (4) gave them a 6-4 lead at 10:08. . . . F Jake Leschyshyn (17) scored for Regina at 12:09, setting the stage for Brooks’ heroics. . . . Regina got three assists from F Sam Steel, two from D Josh Mahura, and one from de Wit. . . . Steel and Brooks are tied for the WHL scoring lead, each with 73 points. . . . D Vojtech Budik had two assists for the Raiders, with Miller adding one for a three-point night. . . . G Kurtis Chapman, up from the MJHL’s Portage Terriers, made his first career WHL started for Regina and gave up four goals on 13 shots in 20 minutes. He was backed up by Max Paddock, who plays for the midget AAA Brandon Wheat Kings. Paddock, a nephew to Regina GM/head coach John Paddock, came on in relief and posted his first WHL victory by stopping 13 of 15 shots. . . . The Pats are down to the third and fourth goaltenders on their depth chart. Starter Tyler Brown went out with an undisclosed injury during Friday’s 6-5 loss to the visiting Tri-City Americans. Backup Jordan Hollett has been out with an ankle injury since before Christmas. . . . The Raiders got 29 saves from Nic Sanders. . . . Prince Albert was 2-5 on the PP; Regina was 1-2. . . . When the Raiders went up 4-0, it meant that the Pats had given up nine straight goals. The Tri-City Americans had scored the game’s last five goals in a 6-5 victory in Regina on Friday. . . . D Connor Hobbs and F Filip Ahl were among Regina’s scratches. . . . The Raiders were without F Simon Stransky, who left Friday’s 4-3 loss to the visiting Red Deer Rebels after absorbing a third-period hit from D Brandon Schuldaus. . . . Regina (28-5-7) had lost its previous two games. It is second in the overall standings, one point behind the Prince George Cougars. . . . Prince Albert (8-33-5) has lost nine in a row (0-6-3). . . . Announced attendance: 5,127.
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At Saskatoon, F Lukus MacKenzie’s shorthanded goal broke a 2-2 tie at 6:58 of the third period and the Blades went on to a 4-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . MacKenzie has six goals. . . . F Michael Farren’s fourth goal, on a PP, gave Saskatoon a 1-0 lead at 3:37 of the first period. . . . Red Deer F Evan Polei then scored twice, giving him 19, at 7:04 and 15:08 of the second period, for a 2-1 lead. . . . The Blades tied it on F Gage Ramsay’s sixth goal, on a PP, at 2:18 of the third period. . . . F Jesse Shynkaruk added insurance for the Blades, his 17th goal going into an empty net at 19:43. . . . Farren also had an assist. . . . F Adam Musil had two helpers for the Rebels. . . . G Logan Flodell stopped 20 shots for the Blades, one more than Red Deer’s Lasse Petersen. . . . Saskatoon was 2-4 on the PP; Red Deer was 0-1. . . . The Blades (17-22-6) have won two in a row and are tied with the Edmonton Oil Kings for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . The Rebels (20-18-6) had won their previous two games. They are third in the Central Division. . . . Announced attendance: 3,173.
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At Swift Current, F Jordan Topping and F Morgan Geekie scored shootout goals to give Tri-City a 4-3
JORDAN TOPPING
victory over the Broncos, allowing the Americans to run the table on their East Division trip. . . . F Ryley Lindgren’s 15th goal, his first since coming over to the Broncos from the Lethbridge Hurricanes earlier in the week, opened the scoring 25 seconds into the game. . . . F Jordan Topping gave the visitors a 2-1 lead with goals at 9:39 of the first and 9:38 of the second. . . . F Glenn Gawdin (16) and F Tyler Steenbergen (33) put the Broncos back out front by scoring at 1:10 and 6:07 of the third. . . . Geekie’s 25th goal, at 15:04 of the third, on a PP, forced OT. . . . Topping scored in the second round of the circus, with Lindgren replying for the Broncos. Geekie’s third-round goal won it. . . . F Aleksi Heponiemi had two assists for Swift Current and Steenbergen added one to his goal. . . . Tri-City got 28 stops from G Rylan Parenteau, while Jordan Papirny stopped 29 at the other end. . . . Tri-City was 2-5 on the PP; Swift Current 0-6. . . . The Americans (28-17-3) have won six in a row. They are second in the U.S. Division, 11 points ahead of Seattle, which holds eight games in hand. . . . The Broncos (24-13-8) have lost two straight (0-1-1). They are third in the East Division, three points behind the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Announced attendance: 2,080.
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At Victoria, G Griffen Outhouse stopped 36 shots to lead the Royals to a 3-0 victory over the Moose Jaw
GRIFFEN OUTHOUSE
Warriors. . . . Outhouse turned aside 11 shots in the first period and 15 in the third as he posted his third shutout this season and the seventh of his career, which is in its second season. . . . Outhouse also won his 23rd game this season as he improved his career record to 41-18-7. . . . F Tyler Soy opened the scoring with his 18th goal, at 12:26 of the first period. . . . Victoria went up 2-0 when F Vladimir Bobylev (4) struck on a PP, at 2:26 of the second period. . . . F Matt Phillips got No. 28 at 19:35 of the second. . . . Moose Jaw G Zach Sawchenko stopped 27 shots. . . . The Royals were 1-5 on the PP; the Warriors were 0-5. . . . Victoria (23-18-4) had lost its previous three games. It holds down the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . Moose Jaw (26-11-7) is 1-1-0 on its B.C. Division tour. The Warriors remain second in the East Division, four points behind the Regina Pats and three ahead of the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Announced attendance: 5,275.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Lethbridge at Calgary, 4 p.m.
Regina at Prince Albert, 4 p.m.
Spokane vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 5:05 p.m.
Red Deer at Swift Current, 4 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 12:29 AM
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Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Wheaties send Papirny to Broncos, add two defencemen . . . Tracking Regina first-rounders . . . Revel to Portland


WHL trades since Dec. 27:
Trades: 35.
Players: 62.
Bantam draft picks: 45.
Conditional bantam draft picks: 11.
(WHL trade deadline passed on Jan. 10 at 3 p.m. MT).
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The WHL hung the “CLOSED” sign on its meat market on Tuesday afternoon, but not before 62 players had changed addresses. That’s just  since Dec. 27.
Since Nov. 8, which was the date of the season’s first major deal — the Lethbridge Hurricanes sent F Brayden Burke to the Moose Jaw Warriors for F Ryan Bowen, a second-round bantam draft pick and a conditional third-rounder — the WHL office has cleared 53 trades involving 89 players, 59 bantam draft picks and 17 conditional draft picks.
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No one keeps track of the movement of WHL bantam draft picks like Alan Caldwell over at Small Thoughts At Large.
On Tuesday afternoon, he posted a couple of tweets point out the following involving the Regina Pats and some of their first-round bantam draft picks, starting with 2015.
D Dawson Barteaux, Regina’s first-round pick in 2015, was traded to the Red Deer Rebels on Tuesday.
The Pats’ 2016 first-rounder was dealt to Red Deer last season in a trade that brought back F Jake Leschyshyn.
Regina’s 2017 first-round pick was part of a deal involving Red Deer on Tuesday.
The Pats still own their 2018 first-rounder but it will go to the Everett Silvertips if F Tyson Jost reports to them. Jost is a freshman with the U of North Dakota Fighting Hawks.
Regina’s 2019 first-round pick will go to Everett if Jost reports or to Red Deer as part of Tuesday’s deal.
Got that? If not, check out Caldwell’s site. There’s a link over there on the right.
Jost spent two seasons with the BCHL’s Penticton Vees before heading to North Dakota. The Colorado Avalanche selected him with the 10th overall pick in the NHL’s 2016 draft.
For the latest on the Pats and Jost, check out this story right here by Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post.
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“More than 150 players and almost 200 draft picks have been exchanged in (major) junior hockey leading up to the trade deadline, including picks far, far into the future,” writes Ken Campbell of The Hockey News.
In one trade involving the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires and Hamilton Bulldogs, a second-round selection in the OHL’s 2026 draft changed hands. Yes, 2026!
Campbell’s piece is right here.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings, the WHL’s defending champions, shook up things a bit just before the WHL trade deadline arrived by sending G Jordan Papirny, 20, to the Swift Current Broncos.
Papirny, who was in his fourth season in Brandon, was the go-to goaltender as Brandon won the Ed Chynoweth Cup last season.
From Edmonton, Papirny and a fourth-round pick in the 2018 bantam draft were sent to the Swift Current Broncos for G Travis Child, 19, D Kade Jensen, 19, and two draft picks — a second-rounder pick in the 2019 draft and a fifth-rounder in 2019.
The Wheat Kings then traded that second-round pick and D Jordan Wharrie, 19, to the Vancouver Giants for Russian D Dmitry Osipov, 20. Wharrie will be joining his third team this season, having started with the Victoria Royals.
Papirny, who was a first-round pick by Brandon in the 2011 bantam draft, is the Wheat Kings’ franchise career leader in games played (188), minutes played (10,967) and victories (111). He and Tyler Plante share the record for shutouts (12).
This season, Papirny was 13-11-1, 3.24, .906 in 26 games. In his career, he is 111-53-20, 2.90, .907. He also holds the franchise record for playoff appearances by a goaltender (49) during which he went 33-15-1, 2.87, .910.
Jensen, from Calgary, is in his fourth WHL season, having also played with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, who selected him in the fifth round of the 2012 bantam draft. In 41 games this season, the 6-foot-2, 190-pounder has three goals and six assists. In 220 career games, he has 14 goals 32 assists.
Child goes to Brandon where he will share the net with Logan Thompson, who also is 19. Child, from Killam, Alta., was a second-round pick by Swift Current in the 2012 bantam draft.
This season, in 24 games, Child was 13-3-3, 3.03, .902 with the Broncos. In 75 career games, he is 23-23-6, 3.20 and .902.
Osipov, 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, has one goal and 10 assists in 42 games with the Giants this season. In 239 career games with Vancouver, he has seven goals and 31 assists. With Brandon, Osipov joins Czech D Daniel Bukac, 17, as the import players and F Tyler Coulter and F Reid Duke as the 20-year-olds. 
Wharrie, from Port Moody, B.C., had three goals and seven assists in 34 games with the Wheat Kings, who acquired him in September from the Victoria Royals.
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Having added F Ryley Lindgren, 20, from the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Monday and G Jordan Papirny, 20, from the Brandon Wheat Kings on Tuesday, the Swift Current Broncos found themselves with too many 20-year-olds.
In order to get down to the maximum of three, the Broncos traded F Calvin Spencer to the Vancouver Giants for a conditional ninth-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft.
The 6-foot-1, 220-pound Spencer, from Brooklyn Park, Minn., had 10 goals and six assists in 36 games with the Broncos this season. In 200 career games, the first 99 of them with the Seattle Thunderbirds, he has 26 goals and 27 assists.
The Giants now have two 20-year-olds on their roster, with Spencer joining D Jeff Rayman.
The Broncos now have F Ryan Graham, Papirny and Spencer as their 20s.
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The Portland Winterhawks made two moves on Tuesday, one a trade and the other a waiver claim.
Portland dealt D Jake Hobson, 17, to the Swift Current Broncos for a fifth-round pick in the 2018 bantam draft.
Hobson, from Christopher Lake, Sask., is the son of former WHL D Doug Hobson and played the previous four seasons with teams in Prince Albert. He was a third-round pick by the Winterhawks in the 2014 bantam draft.
This season, as a freshman, he had one assist in 18 games with Portland.
Meanwhile, the Winterhawks also claimed F Matt Revel, 20, off waivers from the Kamloops Blazers. Revel was in his fourth season with Kamloops when he suffered a collarbone injury during a game against the host Edmonton Oil Kings on Dec. 10. He isn’t expected to be able to play until some time in February.
Revel, from Abbotsford, had seven goals and 11 assists in 31 games with Kamloops this season. Last season, the 5-foot-11, 190-pounder finished with 53 points, including 23 goals, in 66 games. In 303 career games, including 104 with the Saskatoon Blades, he has 169 points, 69 of them goals.
In Portland, Revel joins D Shaun Dosanjh, who was on the Blazers’ roster earlier in the season, and F Keegan Iverson as the 20-year-olds.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 6:12 PM
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Sunday, September 25, 2016

What to read into openers? Not much . . . Silvertips add a veteran import . . . Child blanks Blades . . . Winterhawks on fire




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Two days after the third anniversary of her kidney transplant, Dorothy took part in the Kamloops Kidney Walk for a third time on Sunday.
Dorothy with friends who walked with her on Sunday: Mark
Hunter, Sue and Ron Burt, Tanya Hunter, and Jenn Ruemper,
with Logan and Brooklyn. Dorothy is holding Charlie Hunter
and his brother, Max, is in the stroller.
This one really was special as Dorothy and her friend, Margaret Thompson, were co-honourees. As such, they got to address the crowd before the Walk began. They also were presented with plaques by the Kamloops chapter of the Kidney Foundation of Canada (B.C. and Yukon Branch) in recognition of their “commitment to supporting others dealing with kidney disease and transplantation.” Both women have been instrumental in getting the Kamloops Kidney Support Group off the ground.
Now here’s where you come in . . . 
Organizers also presented Dorothy with a certificate recognizing her as the top fund-raiser in Kamloops. Thanks to all of you — family, friends and all of our friends in the hockey crowd — she raised $2,486, pushing her three-walk total to almost $8,000.
Thank you all so much for being with us over the past three years. Your support really means a lot.
Since Sept. 23, 2013, I can’t tell you how many hockey games I have been at during which someone has approached me and asked about Dorothy. I come home and tell her that (insert name here) asked about her and her face absolutely lights up. It means a lot to know that people care.
Again, thanks so much.
———
Whatever you do, don’t read a whole lot into the first bunch of games in the WHL’s regular season.
At a guess, the WHL’s 22 teams played through the first weekend with as many as 80 of their best players in NHL camps.
The Kelowna Rockets, for example, had six players away as they played a home-and-home series with the Kamloops Blazers, who were missing three players. The Blazers won at home, 9-2, on Friday; the Rockets went home and won, 5-1, on Saturday.
Chatting about it after Friday’s game, Kamloops head coach Don Hay looked ahead to the next time, after opening weekend, the Rockets and Blazers will meet, which will be Nov. 1 in Kelowna.
“I think there are going to be a lot of changes. Both teams will look a whole lot different,” Hay said with a chuckle.
That is pretty much the story across the league.
The Calgary Hitmen, with seven players away, had 10 freshmen in their lineup, six of them playing their first WHL game, when they played host to the Kootenay Ice on Friday.
The Prince George Cougars, with six players away, swept a doubleheader from the Royals in Victoria. The Royals were without five skaters who likely will return sometime in the next few days.
“I’m not going to lose too much sleep because of starting 0-2,” Victoria head coach Dave Lowry said to Cleve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times Colonist. “If we’re 0-15, give me a call.”
The Regina Pats and Prince Albert Raiders split two games. Each team was missing five top-end players.
Perhaps the most interesting development came prior to a home-and-home series between the Edmonton Oil Kings and Red Deer Rebels.
The Oil Kings had two players — D Aaron Irving and F Lane Bauer — in camp with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, who happen to own that city’s WHL franchise.
The Oilers returned both players in time for them to play in Red Deer on Friday. Irving scored 26 seconds into OT — Bauer had the secondary assist — to give Edmonton a 3-2 victory.
One night later, before 18,102 fans at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Bauer’s shootout goal gave the Oil Kings a 4-3 victory. In regulation time, Bauer had a goal and an assist, while Irving drew two assists.
The Rebels, meanwhile, were without five of their top players, none of whom are in camp with the Oilers.
Of course, that begs the question: Would the Oilers have returned Red Deer players to the Rebels in time for the opening weekend had there been any in their camp?
——
There was news late Sunday of at least five WHLers on their way back from NHL camps.
F Hudson Elynuik, who will turn 19 on Dec. 10, will be rejoining the Spokane Chiefs after being with the Carolina Hurricanes, who selected him in the third round of the NHL’s 2016 draft. . . . The Calgary Flames returned four players to their WHL teams. . . . F Brayden Burke, 19, is returning to the Lethbridge Hurricanes after being with the Flames as a free-agent invitee. . . . D Aaron Hyman, 18, is rejoining the Calgary Hitmen after being with the Flames on a free-agent basis. . . . F Matt Phillips is headed back to the Victoria Royals. Phillips, 18, was a sixth-round pick by the Flames in 2016. . . . G Nick Schneider, 19, who signed with the Flames a year ago, has been returned to the Medicine Hat Tigers.

Even later on Sunday came word that the Detroit Red Wings had returned three free-agent skaters to WHL teams. . . . F Luke Coleman, 18, is on his way back to the Prince Albert Raiders. . . .  D Dylan Doghlan, 18, has been returned to the Tri-City Americans. . . . F Jeff de Wit, 18, will be rejoining the Red Deer Rebels.
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The Everett Silvertips have acquired Austrian F Dominic Zwerger, 20, from the Spokane Chiefs for a third-round selection in the WHL’s 2017 bantam draft. . . . Zwerger played in 189 regular-season
DOMINIC ZWERGER
games with the Chiefs, putting up 60 goals and 59 assists. He led the Chiefs with 27 goals last season. . . . However, Zwerger is a two-spotter — a 20-year-old import. Moving him out allows the Chiefs to get down the maximums of two imports and three 20-year-olds. They now are prepared to go with Czech freshmen forwards Ondrej Najman and Pavel Kousal. Najman is 18; Kousal is to turn 18 on Nov. 14. . . . Spokane’s 20s now are G Jayden Sittler, F Markson Bechtold and F Keanu Yamamoto. . . . Spokane’s roster now is at 26, including two goaltenders and 15 forwards. . . . Acquiring Zwerger left Everett with three imports, the other two being Slovakian F Mario Mucka, who turns 18 on Nov. 10, and Finnish F Eetu Tuulola, 18. Because of a rule prohibiting the trading of first-year import players, the Silvertips had to release one and the odd man out was Mucka, who had one assist in one game after recording one assist in six exhibition games. Tuulola had two goals and an assist in four exhibition games. A sixth-round pick by Calgary in the NHL’s 2016 draft, Tuulola is in camp with the Flames. . . . The acquisition of Zwerger also gets the Silvertips to three 20-year-olds, the others being F Graham Millar and F Lucas Skrumeda.
——
The Kootenay Ice got its roster down to 25 players on Sunday by releasing three 16-year-olds — F Eli Lieffers, D Bobby Russell and D Loeden Schaufler. . . . Lieffers, 16, from Saskatoon, will return to the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts. He was a fourth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. . . . Russell, 16, is from Langley, B.C. A sixth-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft, he will go back to the Valley West Hawks of the B.C. Major Midget League. . . . Schaufler, from Dewinton, Alta., was a third-round pick in 2015. He played last season with the midget AAA Notre Dame Hounds, but the Ice hasn’t yet found a place for him this season.
——
The Saskatoon Blades all wore jerseys in honour of Gordie
Howe during Sunday's pregame warmup.(Photo: Darren Steinke)
It was Thank You, Mr. Hockey Day in Saskatoon on Sunday as the ashes of Gordie Howe and his wife, Colleen, were interred near a statue of Howe at SaskTel Centre, the home of the Blades. Steve Hogle, the Blades’ president, is to be commended for all that went into this celebration of lives that included bringing in the legendary Bob Cole to be the event’s host.
Kevin Mitchell of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, who is a wonderful wordsmith and one of Canada’s best-kept secrets, has his take right here. There is a photo gallery at the bottom of Mitchell’s piece.
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With Vin Scully nearing the finish line, Mark Whicker of the Orange County Register writes:
“The sad irony is that baseball clubs have learned nothing from Scully. He stands for nothing they want.
“He is rigidly non-partisan and, most nights, discusses opposing players more than Dodgers. Scully finds anecdotes that you’ve never heard before, even in the information age. When someone mentioned that he must have great researchers, Scully shook his head. He does it all himself, right to the finish line.
“Nor is Scully interested in umpiring. He doesn’t like the superimposed strike zones that networks use. ‘The umpire has a hard enough job as it is,’ he said.”
Whicker’s piece — and it’s a good read — is right here.
———

JUST NOTES:

Prior to Saturday’s home-opener, the Kelowna Rockets dedicated the game to the memory of Norbert Heinzelmann and his family. Heinzelmann, a longtime off-ice official, died on Sept. 2 at the age of 57. He had been a volunteer with the Rockets since the team’s first game in Kelowna in 1995. The Rockets beat the Kamloops Blazers, 5-1, in the Saturday game. . . . 
You may recall that the start of Saturday’s game between the Red Deer Rebels and Oil Kings in Edmonton was delayed 90 minutes after an hydraulic lift malfunctioned on the ice surface. You may be wondering what that machine was doing on the ice. A tweet from Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun: “Reason there was a hydraulic cherry picker on the ice before warm up? Photographer putting camera in scoreboard.”
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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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SUNDAY GAMES:

At Saskatoon, G Travis Child stopped 28 shots in recording his first WHL shutout as the Swift Current Broncos beat the Blades, 6-0. . . . Saskatoon had gone into Swift Current and dumped the Broncos 5-1 on Friday night. . . . The shutout came in Child’s 52nd appearance over three seasons, all with the Broncos. He’s a 19-year-old from Killam, Alta. . . . The Broncos got two goals and an assist from Calvin Spencer, while Finnish F Aleksi Heponiemi had four assists. F Brandan Arnold and F Tyler Steenbergen each had a goal and an assist. . . . Saskatoon G Brock Hamm stopped 25 shots. . . . The Broncos were 2-5 in the PP; the Blades were 0-5. . . . Announced attendance: 6,359.
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At Portland, F Skyler McKenzie scored twice to help the Winterhawks to a 7-3 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . It was the second time in two nights that the Winterhawks (2-0-0) scored seven goals on home ice. They beat the Seattle Thunderbirds 7-3 on Saturday night. . . . Portland scored the game’s first three goals and led 3-0 at 13:24 of the first period. The Americans got it to 3-2 by 11:10 of the second, but Portland took control with the next two goals. . . . D Henri Jokiharju, F Evan Weinger and F Ryan Hughes each had a goal and an assist for Portland, while Ty Kolle and F Cody Glass had two assists apiece. . . . Tri-City (1-1-0) got a goal and an assist from F Tyler Sandhu and two assists from each of Dalton Yorke and Juuso Valimaki. F Michael Rasmussen scored his fifth goal in two games. . . . G Cole Kehler stopped 26 shots for Portland, four fewer than Tri-City’s Beck Warm. . . . The Winterhawks were 1-2 on the PP; the Americans were 1-3. . . . Announced attendance: 4,836.
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MONDAY GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.
——

TUESDAY GAME (all times local):


Prince George vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7 p.m.

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