Showing posts with label Western Hockey League. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Western Hockey League. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

WHL teams select 27 imports ... Ice takes Kohler third overall ... Blades' GM: It's an odd draft ...

The CHL import draft was held on Wednesday, which means a whole lot of general managers held their noses and jumped into the pool.
One who didn’t was Colin Priestner of the Saskatoon Blades. His team has two imports scheduled to return, so Priestner didn’t have to spend “500 hours on the phones and emails” to prepare for the draft.
“It really is an odd draft,” Priestner told Kevin Mitchell of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix.
“It’s the only draft in the world where you don’t know what the players are. Every team’s got a different list of players from the agents; it’s agent-driven. Some teams are told this player’s under contract in Europe and will not be coming over, and the same player gets drafted five picks later to a big-market team, and suddenly, they don’t have a (European) contract.
“You get told no a lot. You’re calling agents, and you’re getting told no hundreds of times, then you’re seeing these players show up in Ontario or Quebec. It’s frustrating, because there’s no defined list of who’s opting in. The obvious solution to that is an opt-in draft. But the problem with that is, if a player opts in for the CHL draft and someone takes him in a small town in Quebec he doesn’t want to go to, he’ll just stay in Europe. It’s a frustrating situation for all our managers to go through, because you really don’t know who’s available.”
This isn’t new to this draft; it’s been going on since Noah first set sale. In fact, former Kootenay Ice GM Jeff Chynoweth talked about this exact thing for years and for a while even chose not to participate.
For whatever reason, though, the CHL chooses to maintain the status quo, other than banning the selection of goaltenders, that is.
Anyway . . . Mitchell’s complete story with Priestner is right here.
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The OHL’s Barrie Colts had the first pick in Wednesday’s CHL import draft and, as expected, took Russian F Andrei Svechnikov, who already is being seen as a potential No. 1 selection in the NHL’s 2018 draft.
Last season, he had 29 goals and 29 assists in 48 games with the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks.
The CHL’s 60 teams combined to take 72 players, with 22 WHL teams taking 27 players, and don’t forget that the picking of goaltenders is verboten.
What follows is a team-by-team look at the WHL’s 22 teams and how they fared. Note that I use a different numbering system than most teams. When a team passes on a pick, I don’t give it a number because no player was selected. This means that, for example, while the CHL will say that the Regina Pats took F Emil Oksanen with the 120th selection, he actually was the 70th player chosen. Yes, there were a total of 48 passes in this draft.
Anyway . . . here we go:
Kootenay Ice — 3. F Gilian Kohler (2000), Switzerland. . . . Had eight goals and a league-high 42 assists in 43 games with a U-20 team in Switzerland last season. Also had a goal and five assists in 21 games with Switzerland’s U-18 team. . . . 55. D Martin Bodak (1998), Slovakia. . . . Has played the past two seasons in Finland. . . . Last season, he had seven goals and 15 assists in 38 games with Tappara’s U-20 team. . . . These are the first import selections by the Ice’s new owners — Greg Fettes and Matt Cockell. . . . This would seem to indicate that Russian D Nikita Radzivilyuk won’t return for a second season.
Vancouver Giants — 5. F Milos Roman (1999), Slovakia. . . . Had four goals and two assists in 29 games last season with HC Frydek-Mistek, a pro team in the second tier of pro hockey there. . . . Also had five assists in four games for Slovakia at last summer’s Ivan Hlinka Memorial. . . . He is represented by Gerry Johansson of Edmonton-based The Sports Corporation, which is where former Giants GM Scott Bonner now works. . . . 56. F Yannik Valenti (2000), Germany. . . . Had 20 goals and 23 assists with Jungadler Mannheim’s U-19 side. . . . Was pointless in three games with Germany at the U-18 Worlds (Division I Group A). . . . The two selections would seem to indicate that Dutch F Bartek Bison, 19, won’t be back. He was acquired last season from the Prince George Cougars.
Prince Albert Raiders — 8. F Dominik Bokk (2000), Germany. . . . Had 34 goals and 37 assists in 41 games with Kolner EC, a U-19 team. . . . “He’s considered to be the top talent to come out of Germany since Leon Draisaitl,” Curtis Hunt, the Raiders’ GM, said in a news release. . . . Led the IIHF U1-8 Worlds (Division I Group A) with seven goals and was tied for second in points (10), in five games. . . . The Raiders passed in the second round as they expect Czech D Vojtech Budik, 19, back for a third season.
Edmonton Oil Kings — 11. F Andrei Pavlenko (2000), Belarus. . . . Last season, he had 11 goals and 19 assists with the Belarussian U-18 team. . . . Had two goals and two assists in three games with a U-17 team at the Mac’s tournament in Calgary. . . . Had two goals and one assist in seven games at the U-18 Worlds. Played on line with Oil Kings F Artyom Baltruk . . . With Baltruk returning, Edmonton passed in the second round.
Saskatoon Blades — The Blades passed in both rounds. . . . Czech D Libor Hajek and Russian D Mark Rubinchik both are expected to return.
Spokane Chiefs — 15. F Milos Fafrak (1999), Slovakia. . . . Had 11 goals and 28 assists in 44 games with the Slovakian U-18 team in the U-20 Extraliga. . . . Added two goals and two assists in five games at the U-18 Worlds. . . . 59. D Filip Kral (1999), Czech Republic. . . . Put up four goals and six assists in 13 games with HC Kometa Brno in the Czech U-20 league, then was moved to Kometa Brno in the Czech Extraliga, where he had two assists in 23 games. . . . Neither of the two Czechs from last season — F Pavel Kousal nor F Ondrej Najman — will be back.
Calgary Hitmen — The Hitmen passed as they anticipate having Russian F Andrei Grishakov and D Vladislav Yeryomenko of Belarus back for another go-round.
Brandon Wheat Kings — 20. F Martin Kaut (1999), Czech Republic. . . . Last season, had four goals and 12 assists in 22 games with Pardubice in U-20 Czech league. . . . Also played 26 games with HC Dynamo Pardubice in Czech Elite League. . . . Brandon’s other import is Czech D Daniel Bukac, who will return for a second season.
Red Deer Rebels — 23. F Kristian Reichel (1998), Czech Republic. . . .Had two goals and six assists in 41 games last season with Litvinov (Czech Extraliga). . . . Was pointless in five games at the World Junior Championship. . . . His father, Robert, put up 630 points in 830 regular-season NHL games (1990-2004) split between the Calgary Flames, New York Islanders, Phoenix Coyotes and Toronto Maple Leafs. . . . Red Deer made just the one selection as Russian D Alexander Alexeyev will return for a second season.
Victoria Royals — 26. F Igor Martynov (1999), Belarus. . . . Last season, had four goals and seven assists in 20 games with Belarus’ U-20 team. . . . Played at U-18 World Championship, leading team with three goals and four assists in seven games. . . . Had two assists in five games as Belarus won gold at the U-20 Worlds (Division 1 Group A). . . . Was selected in 2016 import draft by the OHL’s Peterborough Petes but didn’t report. Also was picked by Dinamo Minsk in the third round of the KHL’s 2016 draft. . . . The Royals passed in the second round. Russian F Yan Khomenko, who was acquired from the Moose Jaw Warriors on May 4, is their other import.
Portland Winterhawks — 28. F Samuel Fagemo (2000), 17, Sweden. . . . Last season, played for Frolunda’s U-18 and U-20 teams, totalling 17 goals and 22 assists in 41 games. . . . Had seven points in six games as Sweden won the U-17 World Hockey Challenge. . . . Portland was allowed to pick one import because Finnish D Henri Jokiharju was a first-round selection (Chicago Blackhawks) in the 2017 NHL draft. . . . Also on Portland’s roster is Danish F Joachim Blichfeld. Keep in mind that if the Winterhawks sign Fagemo and he makes the roster, he can’t be traded. That means that if Jokiharju and Blichfeld both return, one of them would have to be moved.
Tri-City Americans — 31. D Roman Kalinichenko (2000), Russia. . . . Played last season for CSKA Moskva’s U-17 side, scoring twice and adding four assists in 29 games. . . . Also played for Russia at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge. Was pointless in six games. . . . Is scheduled to play for Russia at Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament in August. . . . 61. D Sergei Sapego (1999), Belarus. . . . Last season, he had 20 points, including three goals in 26 games with Belarus’ U-18 team and one assist in 12 games with the U-20 team. He had a goal and an assist in seven games at the U-18 Worlds. . . . The Americans’ roster also includes Finnish D Juuso Valimaki, who was a first-round pick by the Calgary Flames in the NHL’s 2017 draft, and they are expecting veteran Russian D Vladislav Lukin, 20, at training camp.
Swift Current Broncos — The Broncos passed in both rounds as Finnish F Aleksi Heponiemi and Russian Artyom Minulin are expected to return.
Kamloops Blazers — 36. Justin Sigrist (1999), Switzerland. . . . Last season, he had nine goals and 22 assists in 41 games with the GCK Lions, a U-20 team in the Elite Junior A League. . . . Added a goal and two assists in five games at the U-18 Worlds. . . . Twin sister Shannon played for Switzerland at 2016 IIHF Women’s World Championship in Kamloops. . . . Czech D Ondrej Vala will be back for a third season, so the Blazers passed in the second round.
Moose Jaw Warriors — 39. D Oleg Sosunov (1998), Russia . . . They say that he’s 6-foot-8 and 220 pounds, so he could have an impact in the Eastern Conference. . . . Last season, he was pointless in 32 games with Loko Yaroslav of the MHL. . . . The Tampa Bay Lightning selected him in the sixth round of the NHL’s 2016 draft. . . . With Russian D Dmitri Zaitsev returning, Moose Jaw passed on its second selection.
Lethbridge Hurricanes — 42. F Yegor Zudilov (2000), Russia. . . . Had 31 goals and 34 assists in 36 games with Avangard Omsk’s U-17 team last season. . . . Won’t turn 17 until Sept. 10. . . . Russian D Igor Merezhko will return for a third season, so Lethbridge passed in the second round. F Ebor Babenko, 20, also is on the Hurricanes’ roster.

Kelowna Rockets — 45. D Libor Zaransky (2000), Czech Republic. . . . Last season, had nine goals and 26 assists with HC Kometa Brno’s U-20 side. . . . Son of D Libor Zabransky, who was taken by the St. Louis Blues in ninth round of NHL’s 1995 draft . . . 67. F Marek Skvrne (1999), Czech Republic. . . . Was a teammate of Zaransky’s with Kometa Brno. Had eight goals and 13 assists in 21 games. . . . The Rockets’ roster also includes Czech F Tomas Soustal, 20.
Prince George Cougars — 48. F Vladislav Mikhalchuk (1999), Belarus. . . . Had 14 goals and 21 assists in 31 games in the U-18 program last season, and also had four assists in 13 games with the U-20 team. . . . Helped a team from Belarus win the Mac’s midget event in Calgary, putting up six goals and three assists in seven games. . . . The Cougars passed in the second round, as Russian F Nikita Popugaev is expected to return.
Seattle Thunderbirds — 50. F Nikita Malukhin (2000), Russia. . . . Last season, had four goals and two assists in 28 games with Irbis Kazan (MHL). . . . The Thunderbirds will have Finnish F Sami Moilanen back for a second season, so they passed in the second round. . . . Danish F Alexander True, 20, likely won’t return as a two-spotter. He scored the championship-clinching goal in Game 6 in Regina as the Thunderbirds won their first WHL title. . . . His brother, Oliver, 17, was picked yesterday by the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s.
Everett Silvertips — 52. F Martin Fasko-Rudas (2000), Slovakia. . . . Last season, he had 15 points, including eight goals, in 31 games with Slovakia’s U-18 team in a U-20 league. . . . Also had a goal and three assists in two games with HK Dukla Trencin’s U-20 team. . . . 70. F Pavel Azhgirei (2000), Belarus. . . . Won’t turn 17 until July 12. . . . Shown at 6-foot-6 and 192 pounds . . . Last season, he had five goals and five assists in 34 games with Belarus’ U-17 team, and also had three assists in 13 games with the U-20 team. . . . Finnish F Eetu Tuulola won’t be back for a second season, while Austrian F Dominic Zwerger has used up his junior eligibility.
Medicine Hat Tigers — 53. F Mick Kohler (1998), Germany. . . . The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder had 60 points, including 16 goals, in 31 games with Kolner EC’s U-19 team, and had two goals and two assists in 20 games with Dresdner Eislowen (DEL 2). . . . 71. D Linus Nassen (1998), Sweden. . . . He had 16 points, including three goals, with Lulea’s U-20 team, and also had a goal and an assist in 21 games with Lulea of the SHL. . . . Was selected by Brandon in the 2016 import draft but didn’t report . . . Was a third-round selection by the Florida Panthers in the NHL’s 2016 draft. . . . F Swedish F John Dahlstrom, 20, will play professionally at home in 2017-18. Latvian D Kristians Rubins, 20, remains on the Tigers’ roster.
Regina Pats — 54. D Yegor Zamula (2000), Russia. . . . Had three goals and 23 assists in 36 games with U-17 Metallurg Magnitogorsk . . . 72. F Emil Oksanen (1998), Finland. . . . Played professionally last season, putting up 13 goals and six assists in 48 games with Espoo United of the Mestis League. . . . Also had three goals and four assists in seven games with Finland’s U-20 team. . . . Swedish F Filip Ahl won’t return for a second season. The Pats’ roster also includes Russian D Sergey Zborovskiy, 20, who is expected to play in the New York Rangers’ organization.


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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 1:29 PM
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Saturday, June 24, 2017

Los Angeles draft pick has opportunity to make difference ... Anderson-Dolan ready to be leader in LGBTQ community


One of the 217 selections made in the two-day NHL draft that wrapped up Saturday in Chicago has a chance to have a bigger impact than all the rest combined. The Los Angeles Kings used a second-round
(Photo: @LAKings)
pick, 41st overall, to take F Jaret Anderson-Dolan of the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs.
Anderson-Dolan, or JAD as he’s come to be known in this Twitter-ruled world, is from Calgary, where his home life was put together by two mothers — Fran and Nancy.
The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Anderson-Dolan is a terrific WHL player. The puck follows him around and he makes things happen. He followed a 14-goal, 26-point freshman season by putting up 39 goals and 37 assists in 72 games last season.
He has an impeccable work ethic and is mature beyond his 18 years.
He has said repeatedly that he is quite prepared to get involved with the LGBTQ movement. Last season, for a Feb. 26 game against the visiting Kelowna Rockets, he used Pride Tape on a stick for a game. It was all part of a program known as Hockey is for Everyone. His teammates quickly followed suit for the warmup and some, including JAD, kept the tape on for the game.
He was featured in a number of stories from the draft. Here’s what he told Jon Rosen of lakingsinsider.com about living in a two-mother household:
(PHOTO: @spokanechiefs)
“For me, growing up it was really normal. Obviously, I don’t know any other way of growing up. Even though people may say obviously it’s a little bit different, but for me it’s completely normal. For me it kind of gives you a little bit of perspective, just how much the world is changing. I think it’s come a long way in the past couple years, so it’s really cool to be in this situation and have a voice in the community that way.”
He provided Rosen with some insight into his youth, with this:
“Growing up, Nancy, she has her own business with food addiction treatment, so I was raised in a house where we eat well and eat organic food and things like that, so for me, it’s just kind of a habit, just talking about things you can do to get an advantage of your opponent. If I’m disciplined with that, then maybe it’ll give me a little bit of an advantage. I was raised in a house where we eat right, so it’s pretty easy for me.”
He also is a leader, witness his wearing an ‘A’ with the Chiefs and being named captain of Canada’s team at the U-18 worlds.
“It meant a lot,” he told Rosen. “Just to represent Canada is a huge honor. Being named captain was a huge honor, and it was something that was really exciting. I think you learn from your parents. Fran was a leader on almost every hockey team she played for, so I think just being raised right, a lot of credit to my parents. For me, I just try to lead by example.”

With Anderson-Dolan opening up a world of new marketing opportunities for hockey, it will be interesting to see how the WHL handles this situation.
In May, Josh Horton, then with the Spokane Spokesman-Review, wrote a feature on Anderson-Dolan that included this:
“When Anderson-Dolan was going through the WHL bantam draft process, some teams told him and his family they would not take him because of his two mothers.
“Anderson-Dolan, with the talent to be picked in the top five of the draft, slipped all the way to No. 14 to Spokane.”
Anderson-Dolan told Horton:
“I can’t change people’s opinions. If that’s how they feel about it, I’d honestly rather not be in that organization if they’re going to be like that. I’d rather be in an organization with the Chiefs where they support it completely.
“Maybe that ended up with me falling in the draft a little bit, but I don’t really care, honestly.”
What do the Kings think?
Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times tweeted this quote, from Mark Yannetti, the Kings’ director of amateur scouting: “If anyone has a problem, they should screw themselves and find another job. . . . He has two loving, wonderful parents.”
(It may be only a coincidence that in the week leading up to the draft, Los Angeles added former Chiefs head coach Don Nachbaur to its coaching staff as an assistant.)
Interestingly, while all sorts of radio, TV, newspaper and Internet-based reporters were writing about Anderson-Dolan’s home life, a pre-draft feature that was posted on the WHL’s website (whl.ca) on June 19 doesn’t mention it, his mothers or the role his prepared to play away from the arena.
No matter, though, because as JAD told Horton:
“I’m proud of my moms. I’m proud of my uncles, my aunties, everyone I know that is openly gay. I have no shame about it, and neither do they.”
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Meanwhile, in Saskatoon, the Blades, including president Steve Hogle, spent Saturday showing support for that city’s LGBTQ community.




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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 4:14 PM
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Thursday, June 15, 2017

WHL says suit doesn't fit ... Pats get forward from Chiefs ... Benson recovered from surgery


F Justin Kelly (Prince Albert, Spokane, Saskatoon, 1997-2002) has signed a one-year extension with the Bietigheim Steelers (Germany, DEL2). Last season was an injury-plagued one for Kelly, who had five goals and 10 assists in 10 games. In the playoffs, he added four goals and 11 assists in 12 games. . . . 
F Radim Valchar (Portland, Lethbridge, 2007-10) has signed a two-year extension with Csíkszereda Miercurea-Ciuc (Romania, MOL Lisa). Last season, he had 14 goals and 13 assists in 24 games. He led his team in goals and was second in points.
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 A Calgary judge has given the OK for a lawsuit against the WHL and its Canadian teams to go ahead as a class action.
At the same time, Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Robert Hall exempted the WHL’s five U.S. teams.
The lawsuit is asking that teams be required to pay minimum wages and other items such as overtime, back pay and vacation pay for former and present-day players who qualify and choose not to opt out.
The WHL quickly responded on Thursday by issuing a statement.
“This was a procedural decision only and makes no determination regarding the merits of the claim and, in particular, the status of WHL players,” WHL commissioner Ron Robison said in that statement. “The claim fundamentally misunderstands the nature of amateur sport, including major junior hockey. We believe players are not employees but amateur athletes, and we believe our case is strong.”
On Thursday, while certifying the lawsuit as a class action, Justice Hall outlined the eligibility requirements, which are dependent on age and geography.
From Justice Hall’s decision:
The B.C. class is open to “all players who were or are members of a WHL team owned and/or operated by one or more of the defendants located in B.C. at some point, commencing Oct. 30, 2012, and all players who were members of a team who were under the age of 19 on Oct. 30, 2012, but excluding any players who commenced played for a team on or after Feb. 15, 2016.”
The Alberta and Manitoba class may be joined by “all players who were or are members of a team owned and/or operated by one or more of the defendants in Alberta or Manitoba at some point, commencing Oct. 30, 2012 and ending April 18, 2017, and all players who were members of a team who were under the age of 18 on Oct. 30, 2012.”
The Saskatchewan class may be joined by “all players who were or are members of any team owned and/or operated by one or more of the defendants in Saskatchewan, commencing Oct. 30, 2012, and all players who were members of a team who were under the age of 18 on Oct. 30, 2012, but excluding any players who commenced playing for a team on or after April 29, 2014.”
At the same time, Justice Hall exempted the five U.S. teams that play in the WHL.
“I believe it would be inappropriate,” Justice Hall wrote, “for an Alberta court to tell Washington and Oregon how their law should be interpreted and applied in these circumstances. There are actions available in those states, applying their rules of procedure, some of which differ considerably from Canada and Alberta procedures; such as the fact that in Canada a class member is a plaintiff unless he or she opts out, whereas in their jurisdictions a class member is not a plaintiff unless he or she opts in. It would be preferable that actions proceed in Washington and Oregon in respect to the” U.S. defendants.
TSN’s Rick Westhead, who has covered this situation extensively, tweeted yesterday that it’s “worth noting players, either current or former, can join class action lawsuit in secret . . . (without) teams or league knowing they have done so.”
A similar lawsuit brought against the OHL and its teams got the go-ahead from Ontario Superior Court Justice Paul Perell on April 27. The OHL had a 20-day window in which it could appeal, something it chose not to do.
A court hearing involving a lawsuit against QMJHL teams is scheduled for next week in Montreal.
In his statement, Robison pointed out that “our position has been endorsed by governments in the majority of jurisdictions where WHL clubs are located. The provinces of Saskatchewan and British Columbia along with the State of Washington have adopted exemptions to their employment standards acts clarifying that WHL players are amateur athletes. The WHL expects all other provincial and state jurisdictions will also pass similar exemptions in the near future.”
The WHL lobbied heavily for such changes in those jurisdictions. In fact, on Oct. 26, columnist Ian Mulgrew of the Vancouver Sun reported right here:
“The Western Hockey League did not register as a lobbyist before leaning on B.C.’s cabinet to exempt major junior players from the minimum wage law, the provincial watchdog says.”
Erin Beatty, communications director for the B.C. Office of the Registrar of Lobbyists, told Mulgrew that the regulator now is “acting on the potential incident of non-compliance in this case.”
Rob Shaw of Postmedia had reported that, according to Mulgrew, “internal government records, obtained through a Freedom of Information request, indicated aggressive lobbying by the WHL with Premier Christy Clark and Labour Minister Shirley Bond.” Bond is the MLA for Prince George-Valemount.
According to Mulgrew, “It started with a meeting in March 2015. . . . Robison appealed for protection from a class-action lawsuit launched by current and former players seeking minimum wage, holiday pay and other damages from the for-profit league for violating labour standards.”
Mulgrew added: “The direct lobbying effort worked — cabinet quietly passed an order-in-council on Feb. 15, 2016 granting the league the exemption.”
On Thursday, Robison again made the claim that if teams are ordered to pay more to their players, franchises will be in jeopardy of folding.
“Any change to the status of our players as amateur athletes would have major implications to not only the WHL but amateur sport as a whole,” Robison said in the statement. “If WHL clubs were required to provide minimum wage, in addition to the benefits the players currently receive, the majority of our teams would not be in a position to continue operating.”
Robison’s claim means at least 12 of the WHL’s 22 teams would be in danger of collapsing.
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The Regina Pats have acquired F Koby Morrisseau, 17, from the Spokane Chiefs for a fourth-round WHL
KOBY MORRISSEAU
bantam draft pick in 2019 or 2020. The deal also includes two conditional bantam draft picks.
The Pats also get a conditional fifth-round selection in the 2020 draft, while giving up a conditional third-rounder in 2020.
Morrisseau, who is from Grandview, Man., was the ninth-overall election in the 2015 bantam draft.
Last season, he had a goal and an assist in 22 games with Spokane. In his draft season, he had 39 goals and 22 assists in 30 games with the midget AAA Parkland Rangers of the Manitoba Midget Hockey League.
Morrisseau’s 2016-17 season was cut short by concussions.
He was injured on a check-from-behind during a game against the Portland Winterhawks on Sept. 3 in a preseason tournament in Everett and spent a night in hospital.
Morrisseau returned in time to start the regular season on Sept. 24, but left a Dec. 13 game against the Seattle Thunderbirds following a hard check from D Turner Ottenbreit.
On Jan. 9, the Chiefs announced that Morrisseau’s season was over and that he had been placed on the long-term injured reserve list.
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The injury-related trials and tribulations of Vancouver Giants F Tyler Benson have been detailed at length
TYLER BENSON
over the past couple of seasons. However, not until seeing an Edmonton Sun on Wednesday while in Jasper, Alta., was I aware that Benson had undergone surgery for a sports hernia last season. Postmedia’s Jim Matheson, a Hockey Hall of Famer who covers the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, reported that Benson “had surgery to repair (a sports hernia) late this past season.” As Matty added, Benson has “had a cyst on his spine and osteitis pubis, along with the sports hernia, and had a shoulder injury he brought to camp last fall, which ended his chances to play exhibition games.” . . . Benson, who is from Edmonton, was a second-round pick by the Oilers in the NHL’s 2016 draft. He apparently has finished his rehab from surgery and is expected to attend the Oilers’ prospects came in Jasper sometime after next weekend’s 2017 draft. . . . Benson, 19, has played only 63 games with Vancouver over the past two seasons, but has put up 70 points, including 20 goals. The Giants selected him with the first overall pick of the WHL’s 2013 bantam draft.
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The Seattle Thunderbirds have signed D Luke Bateman, who was a fourth-round pick in the WHL’s 2017 bantam draft. From Kamloops, Bateman won’t turn 15 until Sept. 9. Last season, he had three goals and 23 assists with the bantam AAA Kamloops Jr. Blazers.
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The arena in which the Seattle Thunderbirds, the reigning WHL champions, play their home games is soon to undergo a bit of a name change. The facility that has been the ShoWare Center since it opened in 2009 will become the access ShoWare Center in the fall. . . . Steve Hunter of the Kent Reporter writes: “England-based access (which used the small letter for its name, which is Italian for access or admission) bought in 2014 California-based VisionOne, Inc., which owned ShoWare.” . . . Hunter reported that “the owners of access agreed to pay $3 million to get the naming rights for 10 years.” . . . The Thunderbirds, as the main tenant, get $50,000 per year under the terms of the naming rights deal. . . . Hunter’s story is right here.
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Coaching

 Trevor Letowski is the new head coach of the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires, the reigning Memorial Cup champions. Letowski takes over from Rocky Thompson, now the head coach of the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. . . . Letowski, 40, has been Windsor’s associate coach for the past six seasons. Prior to that, he spent six seasons on the coaching staff of the Sarnia Sting.
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Mike Vellucci is the new head coach of the Charlotte Checkers, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes. Vellucci has been an assistant GM with the Hurricanes through four seasons and will continue in that role, too. . . . With the Checkers, he replaces Ulf Samuelsson, who left after one season to join the Chicago Blackhawks as an assistant coach. . . . Vellucci hasn’t coached since 2012-13 when he was the OHL’s coach of the year while with the Plymouth Whalers. He spent 14 seasons with the Whalers. 

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 9:36 PM
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Friday, May 26, 2017

The WHL and its Memorial Cup nightmare: What to do?


What’s going on here?
In the nine Memorial Cup tournaments from 2000 through 2008, WHL teams were 22-19 against teams from the OHL and QMJHL. As well, five different WHL teams won the tournament.
The Vancouver Giants, as the host team, won the title in 2007. The WHL-champion Spokane Chiefs won it in 2008. The WHL was skating in high clover.
Since then, well, if you’re a WHL fan the numbers are ugly.
Since then, there have been nine Memorial Cup tournaments and only one has been won by a WHL team — the 2014 Edmonton Oil Kings. Don’t forget, too, that three of the tournaments in that stretch were played in WHL cities. That means that only one of 12 WHL teams to have played in the tournament over that time has brought home the loot.
If you take a look at those 12 teams, only four won more games than they lost in the round-robin portion of the tournament — the 2016 Red Deer Rebels, who were the host team, the 2013 Portland Winterhawks, 2010 Calgary Hitmen and 2009 Kelowna Rockets.
In the past two tournaments, the WHL champions — the Brandon Wheat Kings in 2016 and Seattle Thunderbirds this time around — went a combined 0-6 and were outscored 34-8 — yes, 34-8! — in six round-robin games. The Thunderbirds went 0-3 and were outscored 18-3 in the tournament that is ongoing in Windsor, Ont.
So . . . what’s going on?
The easy thing is to say, well, junior hockey is cyclical and this is all part of the cycle.
But that is supposed to be a three- or four-year cycle. Could this be deeper than that?
As one long-time observer suggested to me on Sunday, after the host Windsor Spitfires had whipped the Thunderbirds, 7-1: “Too many teams, not enough players.”
The WHL has 22 teams. There are 20 in the OHL and 18 in the QMJHL. In the past nine years, the OHL has won four Memorial Cup titles, the QMJHL three, with the 2017 event yet to be decided, but likely headed for an OHL team.
The WHL faces stiff competition from junior A teams in recruiting talent. This season, there were 56 junior A teams operating in Western Canada — 11 in the MJHL, 12 in the SJHL, 16 in the AJHL and 17 in the BCHL.
Of course, a player in junior A maintains his NCAA eligibility, while a player who signs a WHL contract loses his. With 22 teams, the WHL has to find a way to attract more of the better players. It needs to raise the talent level on the bottom half its rosters, which is where the OHL teams have an edge.
Then there is the issue of travel.
The WHL’s regular-season schedule — each team plays 72 games — with all of the travel that comes with it, works against it as it limits practice time, something that is invaluable in what is a development league. It’s worth noting that the OHL and QMJHL regular seasons are 68 games in length.
During Tuesday’s game, Sportsnet put up a graphic showing the playoff travel of each of the four
Memorial Cup teams. The Spitfires, who played only one round, were at 1,146 km. The OHL-champion Erie Otters finished at 5,376, with the QMJHL-champion Saint John Sea Dogs at 10,320. The Thunderbirds travelled 13,724 km. Keep in mind, too, that of all the CHL playoff series this spring, the one between Seattle and the Everett Silvertips featured the two teams in the closest proximity to each other. Yes, the Thunderbirds did some serious travelling in the other three series.
But . . . the Thunderbirds won the WHL title in Regina on a Sunday night, flew to Abbotsford, B.C., the next day and rode the bus home. Two days later, they flew to Windsor. Could they not have cut down on some of the travel by staying in Regina and flying from there to Windsor?
I wondered the same thing a year ago when the Wheat Kings won the championship in Seattle, bussed to Abbotsford, flew home for a couple of days and then drove to Red Deer, only to go 0-3 and be outscored 16-5.
The WHL needs to work harder to get its players more rest and more practice time. When the teams returned from their Christmas break this season, each of the 22 teams, with minimal if any practice time, promptly played three games in four nights. The WHL needs a schedule with a minimum of three games in three nights and no more four in fives. Oh, and one other thing — if a team plays on a Saturday night it shouldn’t have to play a Sunday game that starts before 6 p.m.
Of course, none of this would guarantee a WHL victory in the Memorial Cup, but surely it would make life at least a bit easier for its players, which can only be good for the product.
Meanwhile, a former WHL coach told Taking Note that there is one other thing involved in all of this. It seems that not all teams are able to come down from the high of winning a WHL championship and then scale the heights again a few days later at the Memorial Cup.
“It's really hard to reset your team mentally after you win your league title because of the grind it takes to win,” he said. “Then you have to get ready mentally for a one-win tourney format . . . not all young players can do it.”
Just more food for thought . . .

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 12:02 PM
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Thursday, January 19, 2017

CHL releases financial figures ... SPHL team in bus crash ... Phillips burns Oil Kings again


While one WHL team had pre-tax net income of $9,074,157 from 2012 through 2016, another lost $6,278,354 from 2012 through 2015.
The figures are part of a summary of financial information prepared by KPMG and dated Dec. 22, 2016, as ordered by a Calgary judge last year. 
The Canadian Hockey League, the OHL and WHL are facing a potential class-action lawsuit in which more than 370 former and present major junior players are asking to be paid minimum wage and such things as holiday pay and overtime.
Teams were ordered by a Calgary judge to compile and submit financial information, including tax statements, from 2011 through 2016. Twenty WHL teams prepared the information through 2016, while two — the Portland Winterhawks and Prince George Cougars — filed through 2015. All of this was audited by KPMG, which also prepared affidavits for the court.
Teams in the report aren’t identified; rather, they are numbered 1 through 22.
Team 8 averaged a net pre-tax income of $1,814,831 for the five years, while Team 18 lost an average of $1,569,589 in the first four of those years.
According to a five-year summary, the WHL had 11 teams show a profit over that period, with the other 11 losing money.
Team 8 was far and away the most profitable of the teams, with Team 15 next in line, showing an average net income of $509,593 for the five years, boosted by a net income of $1,238,831 in 2016.
The report shows just how volatile the major junior market can be. For example, Team 11 claimed a net loss of $807,627 in 2013, a net income of $193,133 for 2014 and $849,128 for 2015. In 2016, that figure was $349,318. Meanwhile, Team 13 followed four straight profitable years with a loss of $890 for 2016.
Five of the 22 teams showed a profit in each of the five years, while three others lost money each year.
While Team 8 showed a seven-figure profit in four of the five years, only one other team had such a single-year profit. Team 15 showed a net income of $1,238,831 for 2016. 
The report shows that the WHL had five-year total revenues of $375,718,507, with operating expenses of $347,047,705, meaning that its five-year operating profit was $1,670,802.
Factoring in other income and expenses, defined by KPMG as “income and expenses resulting from transactions that are outside of regular operations,” the WHL as an entity showed a pre-tax loss of $1,065,792 over the period in question.
There are enough figures in all of this to choke a horse, but of interest . . . 
In 2012, each WHL team received $76,400 — a total of $1,680,800 — from the World Junior Championship that was held in Calgary and Edmonton.
In 2013, each WHL team received $148,913 — a total of $3,276,088 — from the Memorial Cup that was held in Saskatoon.
In 2015, each of the 22 teams got $43,043 — a total of $946,946 — from the WJC that was held in Montreal and Toronto.
In 2016, each team got $118,477 — a total of $2,606,494 — from the Memorial Cup that was held in Red Deer.
The report also shows that WHL teams have paid out $9,675,219 in education money over the five years, an annual average of $1,935,044. That includes $2,195,925 in 2016.
Interestingly, all of this information was turned over to the court after which TSN’s Rick Westhead reported that “the CHL has asked a judge to seal those records, which will be used to establish the profitability of the teams and major junior leagues.” The CHL issued a news release Thursday night that included all of the information.
That news release is right here.
It is believed that the parties are to appear in court in Calgary on Jan. 24.
——

The Portland Winterhawks Booster Club is rolling this week with 43 members riding a bus as it follows the team on a four-game B.C. Division swing. Club members had a great time in Prince George on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, will be in Kamloops for a game tonight and in Kelowna on Saturday night. . . . Included on the trip is ‘Rowdy’ Ardyce Moore, who, according to Ted Clarke of the Prince George Citizen, “considers herself the troublemaker of the bunch.” Ardyce is 91 years of age and has been attending games since the Winterhawks relocated from Edmonton in 1976. . . . Clarke’s story is right here.
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The City of Nanaimo is expected to hold a referendum on March 11 that will involve the potential building of an events centre that will include a hockey arena. Before then, however, there are a lot of questions to be answered, including: Exactly what will be the referendum question?
Kendall Hanson of CHEK News has more right here.
Meanwhile, the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers are wondering what might be in their future. “We’re in a precarious situation,” David LeNeveu, who owns a piece o the franchise and is its president and governor, told Mario Annicchiarico of the Victoria Times Colonist. “Obviously, if a WHL team comes to Nanaimo, that could displace the Clippers. There’s been no decision made on that side. We’ve been working with the league to protect the league and protect ourselves and everyone involved, but there’s not much to say until March 11 happens. Everything is up in the air until that vote goes one way or another.”
That story is right here.
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G Brandon Jaeger of the SPHL’s Columbus Cottonmouths was in hospital being treated for what is believed to be a broken leg on Thursday night after the team bus rolled as it made its way to Peoria, Ill., for a Friday night game. . . . Jaeger, 26, is from Champlin, Minn., who played two seasons with the Wenatchee Wild when that franchise was in the NAHL. He is in his second season with the Cottonmouths. . . . Originally, all 24 people on board the bus were taken to hospital. That included Jerome Bechard, the general manager and head coach. Bechard, from Regina, played four seasons (1986-90) with the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Allan Dawlford of Smiths Station, Ala., the 74-year-old bus driver, also remains in hospital in fair condition. He is to be charged with failure to reduce speed in order to avoid a crash. . . . The Columbus roster includes at least two former WHLers — D Spencer Galbraith (Brandon, Lethbridge, Calgary, 2010-14) and D Petr Senkerik (Kootenay, Prince George, 2009-10). . . . David Eminian of the Peoria Journal Store has more right here.
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THURSDAY’S GAME:

At Edmonton, F Matt Phillips scored three times and F Tyler Soy had four assists as the Victoria Royals
MATT PHILLIPS
doubled the Oil Kings, 6-3. . . . Phillips, who has 32 goals, put up his fourth career hat trick. Three of those, including two this season, have come against Edmonton. . . . D Will Warm (7) gave Edmonton a 1-0 lead at 8:41 of the first period. . . . Phillips tied it, on a PP, at 12:16. . . . F Trey Fix-Wolansky scored his 13th goal, on a PP, at 15:07 to give the home side a 2-1 edge. . . . Victoria tied it when F Jack Walker scored No. 22, on a PP, at 16:48. . . . Edmonton went in front again at 1:57 of the second period when F Artyom Baltruk scored his second goal of the season. . . . D Chaz Reddekopp (8) pulled the Royals back into a tie, with a shorthanded score, at 5:38. . . . Phillips broke the tie at 17:33. . . . F Jared Dmytriw added insurance with his ninth goal, at 6:42 of the third period, and Phillips completed his hat trick at 15:07. . . . Soy drew the primary assist on each of Phillips’ goals and also set up Reddekopp’s shorthanded goal. . . . Victoria D Marsel Ibragimov had two assists, with Walker and Reddekopp adding one each. . . . Fix-Wolansky also had an assist. . . . G Griffen Outhouse stopped 18 shots for the Royals, while Edmonton’s Patrick Dea blocked 36. . . . Victoria was 2-8 on the PP; Edmonton was 1-4. . . . The Royals (25-18-4) have won three in a row. They hold down the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot and are two points behind the third-place Kelowna Rockets in the B.C. Division. . . . The Oil Kings (18-23-4) have lost six straight and are two points out of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 6,389.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Victoria at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Everett, 7:35 p.m.
Portland at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Prince Albert at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Regina, 7 p.m.
Brandon at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Kootenay vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Kelowna at Vancouver, 7:30 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:43 PM
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Monday, January 16, 2017

It's official! Hay's at 704 ... Benson still sidelined ... Silvertips power past Rockets

The official figure is 704.
The WHL office has done the research and announced on Monday that Don Hay, the head coach of the Kamloops Blazers, has 704 career regular-season WHL coaching victories.
DON HAY
Taylor Rocca, the WHL’s co-ordinator, communications, did the work, going over game sheets from 1987-88 and 1991-92, and found that Hay posted nine victories as a head coach during those two seasons.
Hay, then a Kamloops assistant, took over as the Blazers’ head coach for the first time in December 1987 when Ken Hitchcock left to join the staff of Canada’s national junior team at the World Junior Championship.
The same thing happened in December 1991 when Hay stepped up as head coach Tom Renney joined Team Canada.
Rocca discovered that the Blazers under Hay were 4-3-0 in Hitchock’s absence, and 5-4-0 when Renney was gone.
Those nine victories are one more than my records had given to Hay, but going off the actual game sheets makes it all official.
So . . . what this all means is that Hay is at 704.
That 3-1 victory over the Kelowna Rockets on Jan. 6 that we all thought was No. 700 actually was No. 703.
Hay, then, will go into the Blazers game tonight (Tuesday) against the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors with 704 victories, the latest one by a 6-3 count over the Vancouver Giants in Kamloops on Saturday.
The game between the Warriors and Blazers will be televised by Shaw, so chances are there’ll be some chatter there about Hay’s pursuit of the WHL record for career coaching victories.
That record (742) is held by Ken Hodge, who coached the original Edmonton Oil Kings and made the move to Portland as the franchise became the Winterhawks for the 1976-77 season
——
A Vancouver radio station reported Monday morning that F Tyler Benson, the captain of the Vancouver Giants, “has a pubic-pelvis bone injury that results in groin pain.”
According to News 1130 Sports, the Giants “say Benson’s pubic-pelvis bone injury is not serious or season-ending but sounds similar to the injury he suffered last (season).”
Benson, 18, has missed the Giants’ past six games.
Last season, he underwent surgery for a cyst near his tailbone and then was done in by inflammation near the pubic bone. He was limited to 30 games and finished with 28 points, including nine goals.
This season, he has 42 points, 11 of them goals, in 33 games.
Benson, who is from Edmonton, was selected by the Oilers in the second round of the NHL’s 2016 draft. The Oilers signed him to a three-year, entry-level contract on Dec. 31.
D Darian Skeoch also is expected to be missing again tonight when the Giants and Victoria Royals meet at the Langley Events Centre. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Skeoch, who has an ankle injury, last played on Dec. 3.
The Giants (16-25-3) have lost five in a row and are 10 points away from a playoff spot.
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The Kootenay Ice, with three defenceman injured, have brought in D Loeden Schaufler, 16, from the Notre Dame Hounds of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League. This season, he has 11 points, including four goals, in 22 games, with the Hounds. From Dewinton, Alta., he was a third-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. . . . The Ice has lost D Sam Huston (2-3 weeks), D Nikita Radzivilyuk (two weeks) and D Ryan Pouliot (1-2 weeks), all with undisclosed injuries. . . . The Ice next plays on Wednesday when it entertains the Prince Albert Raiders.
———


——

MONDAY’S GAME:


At Everett, the Silvertips scored three times on the power play and beat the Kelowna Rockets, 5-4. . . . It was Martin Luther King Day in the U.S., and these teams played an afternoon affair. . . . The Silvertips
RILEY SUTTER
finished 3-7 on the PP; the Rockets were 0-3. . . . “(The Rockets) are big, they’re physical, they’re old school, and by old school I mean war,” Everett head coach Kevin Constantine told Jesse Geleynse of the Everett Herald. “Tonight was war. I respect them for how they play. They play extremely hard and I admire that. I thought it was a playoff type of hockey (game) where it was very emotional and physical, and I’m proud of our guys for hanging in that kind of environment.” . . . D Kevin Davis (4), on a PP, gave Everett a 1-0 lead at 2:55 of the first period. . . . The teams then exchanged goals until the middle of the second period. . . . Kelowna D Lucas Johansen (2) tied it at 4:05 of the first period, with Everett F Bryce Kindopp (6) restoring the lead, at 5:50. . . . F Jack Cowell (4) pulled the Rockets into a 2-2 tie at 12:21, only to have F Connor Dewar (8) put the home boys out front again, at 18:22. . . . F Calvin Thurkauf’s 19th goal, at 19:38, tied it again. . . . In the end, the difference was two second-period PP goals scored by Everett. F Dominic Zwerger scored his 19th at 9:27 and F Riley Sutter got his 14th at 19:17. . . . Kelowna F Conner Bruggen-Cate’s third goal got Kelowna to within one at 13:26. . . . Sutter added two assists to his goal, for his first career three-point outing, while Davis and Zwerger each had one. . . . F Reid Gardiner had two assists for Kelowna but wasn’t able to finish the game after absorbing a hard hit in a second-period collision with Thurkauf. . . . Everett G Carter Hart recorded the victory with 25 stops. It was his 71st career victory, tying him for third with Kent Simpson on the Silvertips’ all-time list. Austin Lotz is next, at 72. Leland Irving is No. 1, with 107. . . . Kelowna starter Michael Herringer gave up four goals on 11 shots in 29:27. Brodan Salmond came on in relief and was beaten once on 15 shots in 29:01. . . . Everett lost F Devon Skoleski in the second period after he took a check from Kelowna F Dillon Dube. . . . The Silvertips (28-5-8) have points in five straight (3-0-2). They are tied for second in the overall standings with the Prince George Cougars, one point behind the Regina Pats. Everett and Regina hold four games in hand on Prince George. . . . The Rockets (26-16-3) had won their previous three games. They are tied for second in the B.C. Division, with the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Announced attendance: 3,712.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Moose Jaw at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Portland at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Everett vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Victoria at Vancouver, 7 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:14 PM
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