F Lukáš Vantuch (Calgary, Lethbridge, 2005-07) has been loaned by Liberec to Hradec Králové (both Czech Republic, Extraliga) for the rest of this season. He had been an injury replacement with Landshut (Germany, DEL2) earlier this season, earning three assists in six games. He was released on Oct. 21. . . .
D Ty Wishart (Prince George, Moose Jaw, 2004-08) has signed a contract for the rest of the season with Mora (Sweden, Allsvenskan). This season, with the Evansville Icemen (ECHL), he had one goal and one assist in 14 games. He was a teammate with the NY Islanders and Bridgeport (AHL) with Mora head coach Jeremy Colliton (Prince Albert, 2001-05).
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The Moose Jaw Warriors will retire No. 28 in honour of F Ryan Smyth (1992-95) on Feb. 6. A second-round selection by
the Warriors in the 1991 bantam draft, he totalled 224 points, 110 of them goals, in 188 regular-season games with the Warriors. . . . The Warriors also have retired numbers worn by Kelly Buchberger (24), Mike Keane (25) and Theo Fleury (9). . . . According to a news release, “His best season was 1993-94, in 72 games he had 50 goals and 105 points. He is one of 10 players in Warriors history to score 50 goals in a season, and one of 13 players to record 100 or more points in a season.” . . . The Edmonton Oilers selected Smyth with the sixth pick of the NHL’s 1994 draft. He played 1,270 NHL games, with the Oilers, New York Islanders, Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings. He also is known as Captain Canada for having played 90 games for various national teams. According to the news release, Smyth “is the only player in hockey history to win gold at the Olympics, World Cup, World Championships, World Juniors, and Spengler Cup.” . . . ---
Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald reports that Everett Silvertips F Nikita Scherbak is day-to-day with a "deep thigh bruise." Scherback was taken from the ice in Kent, Wash., on a stretcher on Saturday night, during a game in which Everett beat the Seattle Thunderbirds 3-2 in a shootout. . . . Scherbak has 28 points, including 11 goals, in 19 games, but he won't play tonight against the visiting Kamloops Blazers.
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F Marcus Messier, 20, has joined the AJHL's Drumheller Dragons, and has three points, including two goals, in three games going into Tuesday action. Messier left the Prince Albert Raiders on Nov. 8, citing "personal family matters." He was placed on WHL waivers on Nov. 13. . . . Tip of the fedora to Tyler King, the radio voice of the AJHL's Fort McMurray Oil Barons, for the info.
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Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet has split his weekly 30 Thoughts into two pieces this time. . . . He opens right here with a terrific piece on memories of Pat Quinn and Victor Tikhonov. . . . Friedman follows up with his 30 Thoughts right here.
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Purely for your reading enjoyment, right here is a piece written by Jef Lund for Rolling Stone. The headline says it all: The 15 Worst Owners in Sports. . . . Note that this one comes with a language warning.
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THE DEPT. OF DISCIPLINE:
F Carter Folk of the Lethbridge Hurricanes drew a three-game suspension under supplemental discipline for an incident in a game against the host Kootenay Ice on Friday night. D Dylan Overdyk was injured on the play and is out indefinitely. . . .F Matthew Campese of the Kamloops Blazers was suspended for two games for a knee-on-knee hit on F Chase Witala of the Prince George Cougars on Friday night. Witala left the game and didn’t return, nor did he play Saturday in Vancouver. He is shown on the injury report as day-to-day. . . .
F Aaron Macklin of the Prince George Cougars and F Dakota Odgers of the Vancouver Giants scrapped off the opening faceoff in Vancouver on Saturday. . . Macklin drew a two-game suspension for his second such fight of the season; Odgers got a one-game suspension. . . . Vancouver drew a $250 fine for the fight, while Prince George was hit with a $500 fine. . . .
F Chase Lang of the Calgary Hitmen drew a one-game suspension after taking a cross-checking major and game misconduct during a Sunday game in Red Deer. . . .
The Edmonton Oil Kings have been fined $250 for a warmup violation in Brandon on Saturday night.
Yes, the WHL’s Christmas shopping fund is rounding nicely into shape.
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The Kelowna Rockets, who played on the weekend with 16 skaters, two under the maximum, have added F Jordan Bortsmayer and F Kole Lind, at least for the short term. . . . Both player for the midget AAA Saskatchewan Contacts. . . . Bortsmayer was a third-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft, while Lind went in the fourth round. Lind has 34 points, including 21 goals, in 20 games; Bortsmayer has nine assists in 20 games. . . .
F David Soltes of the Prince George Cougars will play for his native Slovakia at the World Junior Championship in Toronto and Montreal, Dec. 26 through Jan. 5. . . . Soltes has 11 points, including eight goals, in 20 games in his sophomore season. Last season, a knee injury limited him to only 14 games with the Cougars. . . . He is scheduled to leave the Cougars on Dec. 11. . . .
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Brandon, F Brett Stovin scored at 1:35 of OT to give the Saskatoon Blades a 5-4 victory over the Wheat Kings. . . . Stovin, who was foiled by G Jordan Papirny on a first-period penalty shot, has four goals this season. . . . The Blades took a 4-2 third-period lead on goals by F Nikita Soshnin, his second, at 13:52, and D Ryan Coghlan, his first, at 15:38. . . . The Blades traded F Cory Millette to the Prince Albert Raiders last week at least in part to free up playing time for Soshnin, who has goals in two straight games. . . . Brandon F Tim McGauled forced OT with his 12th goal at 19:50. . . Brandon F Reid Duke had a goal, his seventh, and two assists. . . . Saskatoon G Trevor Martin stopped 40 shots, while Nik Amundrud was dressed as the backup. . . . Brandon was 1-for-2 on the PP; the Blades' PP unit didn't get even one opportunity. . . . The Wheat Kings (19-5-2) had won their previous two games, while the Blades (7-16-1) came in 0-3-1 in their previous four. . . . The teams will meet again Friday, this time in Saskatoon. . . . Before then, though, the Blades will entertain the Moose Jaw Warriors tonight. . . . 
In Edmonton, the Prince Albert Raiders scored three second-period goals en route to a 4-3 victory over the Oil Kings. . . . The Raiders have won five straight regular-season games in Edmonton. . . . F Jayden Hart, with his 13th, D Sawyer Lange (6) and F Simon Stransky (3) scored for the visitors as they erased a 1-0 deficit and took a 3-2 lead into the third period. . . . F Matteo Gennaro, with his third, gave the Raiders a 4-2 lead at 16:12 of the third period. . . . Edmonton F Lane Bauer scored his ninth at 18:39. . . . Edmonton D Ashton Sautner tied a career high with his eighth goal of the season, running his point streak to seven games in the process. . . . F Reid Gardner had two assists for the Raiders, who got 23 saves from G Rylan Parenteau. He won for the sixth time in seven starts as the Raiders (12-13-0) ran their winning streak to four. The Raiders are 5-4-0 under head coach Marc Habscheid. . . . G Patrick Dea turned aside 36 shots for the Oil Kings, as Tristan Jarry (ill) sat out for a second straight game. . . . “We were a train wreck in our own end," Edmonton head coach Steve Hamilton said on the team's website. “Our D-zone, it was maybe the softest we’ve been in our own end all (season). If our guys choose to forget this one, then they’re missing the boat. They need to remember this because we were brutal in our own end.” . . . Edmonton had been 5-0-1 in its previous six home games. . . . The Oil Kings (12-10-4) now have lost three in a row (1-1-1). . . . The Oil Kings are at home to the Swift Current Broncos tonight; the Raiders travel to Calgary to play the Hitmen. . . . 
In Medicine Hat, the Tigers scored three times on the PP and twice while shorthanded as they stung the Vancouver Giants, 6-1. . . . The Giants' Alberta road swing got off to an inauspicious start when Tigers D Kyle Becker scored shorthanded at 2:22 of the first period. . . . Becker added a second shorthanded goal at 18:01 of the first period. . . . He's got six goals this season. . . . The home side was 3-for-6 on the PP. . . . Tigers F Matt Bradley scored his sixth goal and added three assists, while D Tyler Lewington also had three assists. . . . Vancouver starter Payton Lee surrendered three goals before leaving at 7:25 of the first period. . . . The Tigers (17-6-2) had lost their past two games. . . . The Giants (9-16-0) have lost four straight. . . . Medicine Hat G Marek Langhamer turned aside 24 shots in posting his 50th career regular-season victory. . . . F Matt Bellerive scored Vancouver's goal, his 10th, at 18:33 of the third period. . . . Prior to the game, the Tigers honoured the memory of the late Pat Quinn, who was one of the Giants' owners, with a moment of silence. “That was a touch of class,” Giants head coach Troy Ward told Ryan McCracken of the Medicine Hat News. “I wouldn’t expect anything less out of this organization. I think the whole hockey world has a touch of class. It’s a wonderful business to be in at a very sad time for our organization and hockey in general.” . . . The Giants meet the Hurricanes in Lethbridge tonight. . . .
In Portland, the Winterhawks scored the game's last three goals and beat the Victoria Royal, 4-2. . . . Portland D Blake Heinrich tied the game 2-2 with his second goal of the season at 6:54 of the second period. . . . Portland F Oliver Bjorkstrand scored his second goal of the game, and 15th of the season, at 19:10 of the second for a 3-2 lead. . . . F Dominic Turgeon added insurance with his seventh oal at 16:54 of the third. . . . Portland F Nic Petan had two assists, while Turgeon also had an assist. . . . Victoria F Greg Chase scored his first goal for the Royals since coming over from the Calgary Hitmen in a trade last week. . . . Portland G Adin Hill stopped 36 shots, including all 16 he faced in the third period. . . . Victoria G Jayden Sittler, making his third straight start, turned aside 32 shots. . . . Portland (12-12-3) has won three in a row. . . . The Royals (14-12-2), who are to face the Chiefs in Spokane tonight, had won their previous two starts.---
WHL Weekly Report Injuries: #7 Paul Bittner, F, lower body, TBD http://t.co/77KMkXsMZO. The NSA should have the secrecy of WHL injuries.
— Fake Mike Johnston (@FakeMikeJ) November 25, 2014
F Brandon Magee has decided to return to the Victoria Royals for a fifth season. Magee, 20, signed a tryout deal with Kometa Brno (Czech Republic, Extraliga) in May but has since decided to opt out of that deal. . . . From Edmonton, Magee played one season with the Chilliwack Bruins and is preparing for his fourth with the Royals. Last season, he had 67 points, including 25 goals, in 65 games. In his career, he has 203 points, 90 of them goals, in 268 games. . . . He will miss the first 12 games of the season with a suspension left over from the WHL playoffs last spring. . . . The Royals expect to open the season with Magee, D Travis Brown and F Austin Carroll as their three 20-year-olds.
The road from Bakersfield, Calif., to Moose Jaw stopped in Phoenix for F Brayden Watts, who was a third-round selection by the Warriors in the WHL’s 2014 bantam draft. . . . Watts will be in Moose Jaw when camp opens on Thursday. He’s too young to stick this season, but Bob Bartlett, the Warriors’ manager of U.S. scouting and player development, says Watts has a chance to play next season. . . . Mike Griffith of the Bakersfield Californian has Watts’ story 
The Minnesota Wild announced Saturday morning that it has signed F Brady Brassart of the Calgary Hitmen to a three-year entry-level contract. . . . Brassart, 20, was an undrafted free agent. . . . This season, Brassart, who is from Vernon, B.C., has 75 points, including 33 goals. . . . In 315 career regular-season games, he has 259 points, including 110 goals. . . . Brassart was a second-round selection by the Spokane Chiefs in the 2008 bantam draft. On Aug. 18, 2011, he was dealt to the Hitmen for a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. “Brady fell behind in his development with our forwards at the similar age,” Chiefs general manager Tim Speltz said at the time of the trade. “That said, we felt it would be best for Brady to get a fresh start with another WHL team.” . . . Prior to this season, Brassart was in camp with the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Kamloops Blazers have added D Cam Reagan and F Deven Sideroff, both 16, to their roster for the remainder of this season. . . . Reagan, from Sherwood Park, Alta., played on Saturday night against the Tigers in Medicine Hat. He was a fourth-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft. This season, with the midget AAA Sherwood Park Kings, he had 25 points, four of them goals, in 35 games. Last night marked his fifth game this season with the Blazers. . . . Sideroff, a list player from Summerland, B.C., is expected to join the Blazers on Monday. He has three assists in six games with them this season. He spent the winter with the Okanagan Hockey Academy midget prep team in Penticton, B.C., putting up 66 points, including 30 goals, in 39 games. 
In Edmonton, the Calgary Hitmen took over sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference with a 3-2 victory over the Oil Kings. . . . F Greg Chase had three assists for Calgary. . . . The Hitmen got off to a 2-0 first-period lead on goals by F Elliott Peterson, his 11th, and F Connor Rankin, his 19th. . . . F Edgars Kulda got Edmonton on the board with his 26th, at 1:50 of the second, but Calgary D Kenton Helgeson restored the two-goal lead at 12:31 of the second. That was his ninth goal and came via the PP. . . . Edmonton F Mitch Moroz got his 32nd goal at 13:46 of the third. . . . F Henrik Samuelsson had two assists for Edmonton. . . . Calgary G Chris Driedger stopped 38 shots, seven more than Edmonton’s Tristan Jarry. . . . Calgary F Brady Brassart, who signed a three-year contract with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild earlier in the day, had one assist as he ran his point streak to 15 games. . . . According to WHL Facts (@WHLFacts), that is the longest streak by a Calgary skater since F Brandon Kozun strung together a 16-gamer in October-November 2009. . . . The Hitmen (43-15-7) lead the Oil Kings (44-16-3) by two points atop the conference. Edmonton has two games in hand. . . . 
In Swift Current, D Julius Honka scored twice to help the Broncos to a 7-4 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Broncos led 3-0 before the game was 13 minutes old, only to have the Hurricanes come back and tie it. . . . Swift Current then scored the next three goals to take control. . . . Honka, a freshman defenceman from Finland, has 16 goals. . . . F Graham Black and F Colby Cave each scored his 30th goal of the season for the Broncos. Black also had two assists. . . . The Broncos (32-24-9) are sixth in the Eastern Conference, five points behind Kootenay and three points ahead of Brandon. . . . The Hurricanes (12-50-5) have lost nine straight games as they head towards the end of the poorest season in franchise history. The 1972-73 Winnipeg Jets finished with 42 points (16-42-10). The 1987-88 Hurricanes went 20-48-4, for 44 points. . . . 
In Saskatoon, F Jayce Hawryluk enjoyed a five-point outing to lead the Brandon Wheat Kings to an 8-5 victory over the Blades. . . . Hawryluk, who turned 18 on Jan. 1, had two goals and three assists, giving him 62 points, including 22 goals, in 56 games this season. The sophomore from Roblin, Man., had 43 points, 18 of them goals, in 61 games last season. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pulock scored his 21st goal of the season. It was the 62nd goal of his career and broke the Wheat Kings’ record for most goals by a defenceman in a career that had been held by the late Brad McCrimmon. . . . “It’s an honour,” Pulock told Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. “It’s a pretty special record in the organization with Brad holding that record. I’m kind of emotional. I’m proud to be the holder of that record.” Pulock is the Wheat Kings’ captain, a position McCrimmon once held. . . . F Nick Zajac scored twice for the Blades, giving him 11. . . . Hawryluk broke a 3-3 tie with a shorthanded goal at 11:44 of the second period and F Tim McGauley, with his 19th goal, added a PP score at 15:55. . . . The Blades have lost five in a row; they also have lost eight straight home games. . . . Brandon was 3-for-4 on the PP and counted three times while shorthanded; the Blades were 0-for-6 on the PP. . . . Brandon (31-26-8) is three points behind the sixth-place Swift Current Broncos in the Eastern Conference. . . . The Blades (16-44-5) won’t appear in the playoffs. . . . 
In Moose Jaw, D Dmitry Sinitsyn and F Morgan Klimchuk, both of whom missed a game earlier in the week due to illness, scored two goals each to lead the Regina Pats to a 7-3 victory over the Warriors. . . . Sinitsyn, who also had two assists, has eight goals; Klimchuk has 28. . . . Regina scored four power-play goals to lead 5-1 before the second period was 13 minutes old. . . . The Pats went 4-for-8 on the PP; the Warriors were 2-for-10. . . . F Brayden Point scored his 29th goal and added an assist for the Warriors. . . . The Pats, who swept the season series from the Warriors 8-0-0, clinched a playoff spot with the victory. . . . Regina (37-23-6) leads the East Division by seven points over Swift Current. . . . The Warriors (17-39-9) are 10th in the Eastern Conference. . . . 
In Vancouver, F Marek Tvrdon broke a 1-1 tie at 6:19 of the second period and the Kelowna Rockets went on to a 3-1 victory over the Giants. . . . Tvrdon, who has 10 goals, was acquired from the Giants in January. . . . On Friday, before Kelowna scored a 6-0 home-ice victory over the Giants, Regan Bartel, the radio voice of the Rockets, tweeted: “ ‘If he figures it out he may play in the NHL. If he doesn't figure it out he may be playing back in Slovakia.’ - Don Hay on Marek Tvrdon. . . . Gee, do you think Tvrdon was aware of the comments from the Giants’ head coach? . . . The Rockets tied the franchise record for most victories in a season (52) set by last season’s club. . . . Kelowna also clinched the B.C. Division title. . . . F Cain Franson scored his 28th goal, via the PP, to give the Giants the lead at 12:51 of the first period. . . . F Rourke Chartier got his 21st, at 5:15 of the second, to tie it. . . . Tvrdon, who scored on the PP, has 21 points in 22 games since joining the Rockets from the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 32 shots in winning for the 36th time this season. He is 36-5-4 after going 37-14-3 last season. . . . The Rockets (52-9-4) lead the overall standings. . . . The Giants (30-26-10) clinched a playoff spot when Prince George lost at home to Victoria. . . . 
In Kent, Wash., the Portland Winterhawks’ winning streak ended at 21 games, thanks to a 4-1 loss to the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Portland fell one game short of tying the WHL single-season record that is held by the 1967-68 Estevan Bruins. . . . The Winterhawks scored the game’s first goal, by F Chase De Leo, his 36th, at 2:43 of the first period. However, they weren’t able to beat G Taran Kozun again. He finished with 41 saves. . . . Kozun is 13-4-1, 1.80, .944 with the Thunderbirds. . . . Seattle D Shea Theodore tied the game at 6:55 of the first, getting his 18th goal on the PP. . . . Seattle F Alexander Delnov broke the tie with his 27th goal at 11:16. . . . F Justin Hickman, with his 21st, and F Branden Troock, with his 22nd, later added insurance. . . . Portland G Corbin Boes stopped 21 shots as he lost for the first time (12-1-1) in regulation time since being acquired from the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Seattle (39-19-6) last won 40 games in 2007-08 when it finished 42-23-7. It is fourth in the Western Conference, six points ahead of Spokane. . . . Portland (47-13-5) is nine points behind Kelowna in the conference. . . . 
In Spokane, G Eric Comrie stopped 34 shots to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 3-0 victory over the Chiefs. . . . Comrie has three shutouts this season and eight in his career. . . . The Chiefs have been blanked in back-to-back games since they scored nine times in beating the visiting Kamloops Blazers 9-4 on Feb. 23. . . . F Parker Bowles scored the game’s first goal, his 11th, at 3:30 of the first period, via the PP. . . . D Brandon Carlo, with his third, and F Brian Williams, with his 36th, also scored. . . . Spokane G Eric Williams stopped 26 shots. . . . Tri-City (28-29-8) holds down the Western Conference’s last playoff spot, four points up on Prince George. . . . Spokane (36-23-6) is fifth, five points ahead of the Everett Silvertips.
D Kenton Smith (Calgary, 1995-2000) signed a two-week tryout contract with the Braehead Clan Glasgow (Scotland, UK Elite). He had three goals and 16 assists in 59 games with the Cardiff Devils (Wales, UK Elite) last season. According to the club, the tryout is to cover a “slight knock” picked up by D Ray Macias (Kamloops, 2002-07). . . .
All three members of what was at times the best forward line in the WHL last season now have signed NHL contracts. RW JC Lipon of the Kamloops Blazers signed a three-year, two-way entry-level deal with the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday after being a third-round selection in the 2013 draft. . . . Lipon, from Regina, played on a line with C Colin Smith, a seventh-round pick by the Colorado Avalanche in 2012, who has signed, and LW Tim Bozon, a third-round selection by the Montreal Canadiens in 2012, who also has signed. . . . Lipon and Smith both are 20, so are eligible to play in the AHL if they don’t make an NHL roster. Lipon could end up with the St. John’s Ice Caps, while Smith would play for the Cleveland-based Lake Erie Monsters. . . . Bozon, 19, will attend Montreal’s camp, but if he doesn’t make the Canadiens he has to be returned to Kamloops. . . . Last season, Smith had 106 points, including 41 goals, in 72 games, while Bozon put up 91 points, 36 of them goals, in 69 games. Lipon, who missed some time while with Canada’s national junior team, finished with 89 points, including 36 goals, in 61 games.
The Seattle Thunderbirds have signed F Kaden Elder and F Nolan Volcan to WHL contracts. . . . Elder, from Saskatoon, was selected with the 22nd pick of the 2013 bantam draft. He had 64 points in 33 games with the bantam AA Notre Dame Hounds last season. . . . Volcan, from Edmonton, was taken with the draft’s 27th selection. He had 76 points, including 40 goals, in 32 games with the bantam AAA Edmonton Maple Leaf Athletic Club team last season. His father, Marty, is a former WHLer (Portland, Seattle Breakers, Victoria Cougars, 1984-86).
The Tri-City Americans had a busy day as they signed three players to WHL deals. . . . F Jordan Topping, from Salt Spring Island, B.C., is a 16-year-old who had 17 points in 40 games with the North Island Silvertips of the B.C. Major Midget League last season. He was an eighth-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft and is the seventh draft pick to sign with the Americans. He is not related to D Mitch Topping, who is Tri-City’s captain. . . . The Americans also signed D Dylan Coghlan of Nanaimo, B.C., to a contract. Coghlan was a third-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft. He had 40 points in 34 games with the bantam AAA Nanaimo Clippers. . . . Later in the day, the Americans announced the signing of F Michael Sauer, 16, from Bemidji, Minn. He played last season for Bemidji High School, putting up 30 points in 25 games. He has been on Tri-City’s list since March.
The Portland Winterhawks have signed F Ethan Price, 16, who played last season with the Omaha Lancers AAA U-16 team in the North American Prospects League. He had 38 points in 22 games. . . . From Lincoln, Neb., Price was a sixth-round pick in the 2012 WHL bantam draft. . . . From the Winterhawks’ news release: “Price is the latest highly rated American-born player to join the Winterhawks in recent seasons, including current ’Hawks Paul Bittner (Minnesota), Brendan Burke (Arizona), Chase De Leo (California), Josh Hanson (Alaska), Keegan Iverson (Minnesota), Alex Schoenborn (North Dakota), Keoni Texeira (California) and Dominic Turgeon (Colorado). Apart from Hanson, each of those players has at least three years of WHL eligibility remaining.”
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