After ten days with no web access, I'm back today and trying to catch up on what I have missed....of course most of this is old news to most of you but I'll run it down anyway....
The Hitmen have a new head coach, with Kelly Kisio stepping aside to focus full-time on his G.M. duties like he did for the first eight years he was the G.M.....taking his place as head man behind the bench is his assistant for the last two years, Dave Lowry. I think this is a good move in general as I really think both these very demanding jobs should have only one person doing them. I don't think the Hitmen will miss a beat as Lowry and Kisio are/were very similar coaches.
There also may be a ray of sunshine breaking through the clouds over the Portland Winter Hawks. Apparently a group of ex-Hawks now in the NHL like Brent Peterson, Brendan Morrow, Marian Hossa, Ray Ferraro, Scott Nichol, and pro golfer Peter Jacobsen (a Portland native) are interested in buying the team. Whether this goes anywhere, we'll have to see....starting with whether the current owners are even interested in selling, that's the first question....
Bunch-o-trades made while I was away too.....the biggest is probably Chilliwack trading Cody Smuk and a 2009 3rd round bantam pick to Lethbridge for Jesse Craige and a 2009 8th round pick. I get why this is a good trade for Chilliwack to get Craige. But why is it a good trade for Lethbridge to trade him away? This can only mean though that Lethbridge is planning to use at least two overage defencemen - probably Ben Wright and Mitch Versteeg - next year because otherwise they have only three returning players on defence.
Close behind that one was Kelowna trading overage forward Colin Joe and import forward Milan Kytnar to Saskatoon for Saskatoon's first-round import pick and a 2009 5th round bantam pick. Getting Joe gives the Blades two overagers for next year now, while moving him out means the Rockets have only one. Look for the Rockets to pick up some more overagers somewhere else before the season gets well underway.
Medicine Hat dealt their 2005 first-round bantam pick, Jordan Hickmott, to Prince Albert in exchange for a swap of first-round import picks plus P.A.'s 2nd round import pick. Hickmott obviously has not panned out the way the Tigers envisioned three years ago....perhaps he can resurrect things in Prince Albert.
Seattle traded '91 forward Josh Lazowski to Red Deer for '90 forward Spencer Edwards and a 2nd round import pick. This is the second trade in two weeks between these two teams which sees one of Red Deer's underwhelming '90s sent to Seattle for one of Seattle's unproven '91s.
The least-significant trade was Tri-City sending goalie Kyle Jahraus to Seattle for a conditional 10th round bantam pick. A 10th round pick is weak enough, but conditional on him making the team....there's not a lot of confidence there that Jahraus will either make the team or be even an average player in the WHL.
As for the import draft, I might have more on the WHL picks in that draft later this week, we'll see. No rush I don't think. Two teams released 08-09 eligible imports though, Seattle releasing Jan Eberle and Kootenay releasing Jiri Ryzuk.
Also, some other teams must have released players although they have not announced it. Red Deer must have released either Tomas Polak or Juraj Valach in order to make their first round pick. I hear they released Valach but have not seen that comfirmed anywhere. Prince George must have released Jan Kupec in order to have made two selections. No surprise about Kupec though, I don't think. But Medicine Hat made two picks which means they must have released goalie Tomas Vosvrda, which I think is a bit surprising since he was pretty decent last year.
Oh, and there was that NHL draft thingy. I hear it took four hours to make the first 30 picks. Who does the NHL think they are, the NFL? I always thought the NFL's first round was the "sports event" most bloated with needless time-wasting and commentator blabbing.....I mean, you've been watching the eligible players for 364 days, if you need 15 minutes to decide who the best player available is then maybe you're too stupid to have that job. The NHL might be making a move on that title. I say, five minutes per pick....no more. If you don't have the first syllable of your pick's name out of your mouth 300 seconds after the last syllable of the previous pick's name came out, you lose the pick.
NHL free agency starts tomorrow....bunch of trades and signings happening in the last couple days there as teams try to get their vulnerable players locked up before everyone else gets a crack at them. Former WHL #1 overall bantam pick Jarret Stoll was traded from Edmonton to Los Angeles yesterday for defenceman Lubomir Visnovsky.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Thursday notes
Three more Eastern teams have released their schedules, bringing the total number of Eastern scheds out now to six of the eleven teams. The new ones are Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, and Swift Current.
The WHL's statement on Portland never materialized yesterday, apparently because some of the parties affected by the statement were travelling. The release will instead be sometime today.
UPDATE: the release is out. Basically, the news is that the Portland owners have agreed to reinstate Ken Hodge as the team's G.M. and to give him full control over hockey operations. The league has also recieved "further assurances that the Portland WHL franchise will operate in a manner acceptable to the WHL", whatever that is supposed to mean. Presumably it means "try not to suck so badly anymore" but it's a little short on the specifics of how that should be accomplished. I hope it also means "please pay your bills so your players won't have to hold a bottle drive to buy sticks this year".
Having Hodge return as the G.M. is not a bad step. I know there's a school of thought out there that the game has passed Hodge by, and there might be some truth to that. But it's infinitely better than having a couple guys with questionable hockey backgrounds making the important player decisions. Even if you think Hodge's player assessment skills are a bit past their due date, he DOES know how to run a hockey team properly and that's what you want in that spot.
Anyway, barring any more major news today, this will be my last blog post for probably about 10 days. Yes, it's vacation time for me. I'll be back at the start of July, just in time for the NHL free agency craziness.
The WHL's statement on Portland never materialized yesterday, apparently because some of the parties affected by the statement were travelling. The release will instead be sometime today.
UPDATE: the release is out. Basically, the news is that the Portland owners have agreed to reinstate Ken Hodge as the team's G.M. and to give him full control over hockey operations. The league has also recieved "further assurances that the Portland WHL franchise will operate in a manner acceptable to the WHL", whatever that is supposed to mean. Presumably it means "try not to suck so badly anymore" but it's a little short on the specifics of how that should be accomplished. I hope it also means "please pay your bills so your players won't have to hold a bottle drive to buy sticks this year".
Having Hodge return as the G.M. is not a bad step. I know there's a school of thought out there that the game has passed Hodge by, and there might be some truth to that. But it's infinitely better than having a couple guys with questionable hockey backgrounds making the important player decisions. Even if you think Hodge's player assessment skills are a bit past their due date, he DOES know how to run a hockey team properly and that's what you want in that spot.
Anyway, barring any more major news today, this will be my last blog post for probably about 10 days. Yes, it's vacation time for me. I'll be back at the start of July, just in time for the NHL free agency craziness.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Wednesday notes
Couple of 'hump day' notes......
UPDATE: Prince George and Seattle have completed a minor trade this morning. The Cougars acquire the rights to 17 year old forward prospect Zac Ashdown from Seattle in exchange for a conditional 4th round pick. Ashdown was Seattle's 2nd round pick in the 2006 bantam draft and spent last year with Notre Dame of the Saskatchewan major midget league, where he was a point-a-game player. I suspect there may be some issues with getting Ashdown to commit to the WHL and that's why a good prospect got traded for just a conditional 4th round pick. If the Cougars can't get him to come play, they probably don't owe Seattle anything.
As expected, some teams have begun posting their tentative 08-09 schedules on their websites. Brandon has theirs up, as do Red Deer (link is to a Word document) and Saskatoon.
Another team has signed their 2008 first-round bantam pick.
A few months too late for him to personally enjoy it, but the Hockey Hall of Fame has posthumously inducted former WHL Commissioner Ed Chynoweth, in its Builder category.
And a couple notes from the WHL's Board of Governors meetings: Kelowna Rockets president Bruce Hamilton has been elected chairman of the league's board of governors for the next two years. The league also stated that the Warriors will remain in Moose Jaw, after the city decided yesterday to build a new rink.
And perhaps the most important news yesterday - since we pretty much already knew the Moose Jaw situation was resolved - is that the league discussed the woes of the Portland franchise and will issue a statement about the Winter Hawks today. I don't know about you but I'm very interested to hear what the league has to say about that ever-deepening mess.
And one last note, back to Moose Jaw....I read today that the average $90 per homeowner property tax increase (to pay for the rink) amounts to a 9.76 percent hike. Now, a nearly 10% tax hike is something few people are going to like, but simple math shows us that this means the average Moose Jaw homeowner was paying $920 annually in property taxes before. Some of us who live in the big cities laugh at the idea of paying that little.....
UPDATE: Prince George and Seattle have completed a minor trade this morning. The Cougars acquire the rights to 17 year old forward prospect Zac Ashdown from Seattle in exchange for a conditional 4th round pick. Ashdown was Seattle's 2nd round pick in the 2006 bantam draft and spent last year with Notre Dame of the Saskatchewan major midget league, where he was a point-a-game player. I suspect there may be some issues with getting Ashdown to commit to the WHL and that's why a good prospect got traded for just a conditional 4th round pick. If the Cougars can't get him to come play, they probably don't owe Seattle anything.
As expected, some teams have begun posting their tentative 08-09 schedules on their websites. Brandon has theirs up, as do Red Deer (link is to a Word document) and Saskatoon.
Another team has signed their 2008 first-round bantam pick.
A few months too late for him to personally enjoy it, but the Hockey Hall of Fame has posthumously inducted former WHL Commissioner Ed Chynoweth, in its Builder category.
And a couple notes from the WHL's Board of Governors meetings: Kelowna Rockets president Bruce Hamilton has been elected chairman of the league's board of governors for the next two years. The league also stated that the Warriors will remain in Moose Jaw, after the city decided yesterday to build a new rink.
And perhaps the most important news yesterday - since we pretty much already knew the Moose Jaw situation was resolved - is that the league discussed the woes of the Portland franchise and will issue a statement about the Winter Hawks today. I don't know about you but I'm very interested to hear what the league has to say about that ever-deepening mess.
And one last note, back to Moose Jaw....I read today that the average $90 per homeowner property tax increase (to pay for the rink) amounts to a 9.76 percent hike. Now, a nearly 10% tax hike is something few people are going to like, but simple math shows us that this means the average Moose Jaw homeowner was paying $920 annually in property taxes before. Some of us who live in the big cities laugh at the idea of paying that little.....
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Warriors staying put & scheduling begins
The Moose Jaw Warriors are likely staying put in Moose Jaw. Their city council voted last night to build a new $61.3 million, 4,500 seat arena in downtown Moose Jaw. The facility will also include eight ice sheets for curling, and a separate indoor soccer facility will be built nearby as part of the same funding package. The cost of the project will be funded by a property tax increase which will see the average Moose Jaw homeowner paying $90 more per year in taxes.
The city would like to see construction underway by December 1. The WHL's original facility deadline of the start of the 2009-10 season is probably not attainable with that date - no one can build a facility like that in ten months - but I would imagine the WHL board of governors will vote in their meetings today and tomorrow to give the Warriors a one year extension of that deadline, meaning the team will need to have the facility ready for 2010-11.
A note here - the proposal passed city council by a vote of 4-2. If support for this project was as strong in the city as we are lead to believe, then those two councilors who voted against the project should be voted out in the next municipal election.....shouldn't they? We'll see.
UPDATE: the Moose Jaw paper has a bunch of articles up on their website now about the new building and the meetings - which apparently included at least one scuffle in the public gallery between two citizens with opposing viewpoints on what was happening. Ah, democracy in action.
Main article here. Article about councilors who opposed it here. One thing comes to mind in regards to the councilor who was concerned that some downtown business owners would not sell their lots and thus the arena would have to be shoehorned in between businesses. Does the principle of eminent domain not apply in Moose Jaw? Can the city not simply expropriate the properties of the landowners who refuse to sell at a reasonable price?
Moving on here, the WHL's Eastern conference teams held their major scheduling meetings yesterday, which means there's probably tentative copies of the 08-09 schedule out there for those teams. We might start seeing them being posted on team website or around the web somewhere soon....about the only significant piece of information I have about the schedules is that apparently all five U.S. division teams will make their six-game Eastern division swings before the end of November. No word on when the Central teams will make their U.S. trips.
One last note here....Tri-City has inked goaltender Drew Owsley to a WHL education contract. Now, after signing Brett Martyniuk last week, the Americans now have FIVE goaltenders under WHL education deals. They can only play two of them, and both of last year's goalies will be back. Sure, the team can make a trade or two, but you can bet all five of those kids will not be in the WHL next year......is this the right thing to be doing? Jahraus, Martyniuk, and Owsley have given up their NCAA chances by signing these contracts and they are far from guaranteed spots in the WHL. Maybe I'm wrong and maybe all three of these kids are locks as future WHLers - or maybe none of them had any interest in the NCAA anyway - but I just don't think teams should be signing these kids unless the team is 100% sure the kid will play in the WHL eventually.
Another note on the signing issue....here's Rebels owner Brent Sutter's take on the way some teams sign so many players. Sez Sutter: “I don’t like signing too many players too soon unless we know for sure that they can play for us at 16 (years of age) or for sure the next year. I don’t want to hurt their (NCAA scholarship) eligibility if it turns out that they can’t play at the major junior level. I just won’t do that to kids. I don’t think it’s fair, I don’t think it’s right and I’m firm in that belief. The odd time someone will sign and it just doesn’t work out, but I do not believe you just go out and sign every player you draft.”
Hmmm....not saying the Americans are guilty of that - they may truly be convinced that all three of those goalies can play for them. But something to think about since Sutter seems to be taking a shot at some teams in the league with those comments.
The city would like to see construction underway by December 1. The WHL's original facility deadline of the start of the 2009-10 season is probably not attainable with that date - no one can build a facility like that in ten months - but I would imagine the WHL board of governors will vote in their meetings today and tomorrow to give the Warriors a one year extension of that deadline, meaning the team will need to have the facility ready for 2010-11.
A note here - the proposal passed city council by a vote of 4-2. If support for this project was as strong in the city as we are lead to believe, then those two councilors who voted against the project should be voted out in the next municipal election.....shouldn't they? We'll see.
UPDATE: the Moose Jaw paper has a bunch of articles up on their website now about the new building and the meetings - which apparently included at least one scuffle in the public gallery between two citizens with opposing viewpoints on what was happening. Ah, democracy in action.
Main article here. Article about councilors who opposed it here. One thing comes to mind in regards to the councilor who was concerned that some downtown business owners would not sell their lots and thus the arena would have to be shoehorned in between businesses. Does the principle of eminent domain not apply in Moose Jaw? Can the city not simply expropriate the properties of the landowners who refuse to sell at a reasonable price?
Moving on here, the WHL's Eastern conference teams held their major scheduling meetings yesterday, which means there's probably tentative copies of the 08-09 schedule out there for those teams. We might start seeing them being posted on team website or around the web somewhere soon....about the only significant piece of information I have about the schedules is that apparently all five U.S. division teams will make their six-game Eastern division swings before the end of November. No word on when the Central teams will make their U.S. trips.
One last note here....Tri-City has inked goaltender Drew Owsley to a WHL education contract. Now, after signing Brett Martyniuk last week, the Americans now have FIVE goaltenders under WHL education deals. They can only play two of them, and both of last year's goalies will be back. Sure, the team can make a trade or two, but you can bet all five of those kids will not be in the WHL next year......is this the right thing to be doing? Jahraus, Martyniuk, and Owsley have given up their NCAA chances by signing these contracts and they are far from guaranteed spots in the WHL. Maybe I'm wrong and maybe all three of these kids are locks as future WHLers - or maybe none of them had any interest in the NCAA anyway - but I just don't think teams should be signing these kids unless the team is 100% sure the kid will play in the WHL eventually.
Another note on the signing issue....here's Rebels owner Brent Sutter's take on the way some teams sign so many players. Sez Sutter: “I don’t like signing too many players too soon unless we know for sure that they can play for us at 16 (years of age) or for sure the next year. I don’t want to hurt their (NCAA scholarship) eligibility if it turns out that they can’t play at the major junior level. I just won’t do that to kids. I don’t think it’s fair, I don’t think it’s right and I’m firm in that belief. The odd time someone will sign and it just doesn’t work out, but I do not believe you just go out and sign every player you draft.”
Hmmm....not saying the Americans are guilty of that - they may truly be convinced that all three of those goalies can play for them. But something to think about since Sutter seems to be taking a shot at some teams in the league with those comments.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Draft notes
Only four days 'til the NHL draft now....remember it's split over two days this year - the first round is on Friday night and the rest goes on Saturday.
I'm not going to be here for the draft....starting Thursday this blog will be silent for 10 days or so while I take a vacation. That means nothing about the NHL draft here, nor will I have anything about the CHL's import draft which goes next Wednesday (or is it Thursday?). Not until I get back anyway.
If you're in need of a good NHL draft fix today, Michael Remmerde over at NHL Draft Notes has begun doing team-by-team looks at the WHL, listing all the draft-eligible prospects on each team and his analysis on each of their chances of getting picked.
I'm not going to be here for the draft....starting Thursday this blog will be silent for 10 days or so while I take a vacation. That means nothing about the NHL draft here, nor will I have anything about the CHL's import draft which goes next Wednesday (or is it Thursday?). Not until I get back anyway.
If you're in need of a good NHL draft fix today, Michael Remmerde over at NHL Draft Notes has begun doing team-by-team looks at the WHL, listing all the draft-eligible prospects on each team and his analysis on each of their chances of getting picked.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Ams-Broncos trade
Small trade made tonight between Swift Current and Tri-City. The Broncos send the rights to 18 year old defenseman Scott Macaulay to Tri-City for a conditional 2009 5th round pick.
Macaulay has his eye on a NCAA scholarship and the fact that the pick is a conditional one probably means the Broncos get nothing if Macaulay never reports to Tri-City. But the Ams are hoping they can convince him to come to the WHL and possibly play with his older brother Blair, who could be one of the Americans' overagers next year. That plus every player on the Americans is from Winnipeg too (like the Macaulays) so playing there is like a minor hockey family reunion.
Macaulay has his eye on a NCAA scholarship and the fact that the pick is a conditional one probably means the Broncos get nothing if Macaulay never reports to Tri-City. But the Ams are hoping they can convince him to come to the WHL and possibly play with his older brother Blair, who could be one of the Americans' overagers next year. That plus every player on the Americans is from Winnipeg too (like the Macaulays) so playing there is like a minor hockey family reunion.
Thursday notes
The NHL has hired another former WHL bench boss as a head man in the big league. This time it's former Swift Current Broncos coach & G.M. Todd McLellan who has been hired as the new head coach of the San Jose Sharks.
By my count, McLellan makes five former WHL head coaches who are now head coaches in the NHL. The other four are Mike Babcock, Ken Hitchcock, Tom Renney, and Brent Sutter.
By my count, McLellan makes five former WHL head coaches who are now head coaches in the NHL. The other four are Mike Babcock, Ken Hitchcock, Tom Renney, and Brent Sutter.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Warriors update
Some more news on the Warriors front, in the run-up to the WHL's general meetings next Tuesday & Wednesday...
Turns out the league sent a letter to Moose Jaw city council on May 30, asking them to confirm their commitment to providing an acceptable arena. The letter states that in the absence of such a commitment, the league will have no alternative but to recommend that the franchise be relocated to another city for the 2009-10 season.
Ron Robison says the league won't settle for another verbal "yes, we'll build something" promise. They want some kind of contract in place between the City of Moose Jaw and the WHL...presumably this would allow them to seek damages from the City should the City continue to waste everyone's time getting something built. Sounds like the league is willing to be a little bit flexible on WHEN the arena gets built but they want it in writing that it WILL be done.
The WHL wants a response to the letter by Monday. I would say the league is really putting the screws to the City of Moose Jaw now. Either they contractually commit to building something by Monday, or the league could very well vote next week to relocate the franchise for 09-10.
The Warriors' reaction to the ultimatum is here. One of the things I find most curious about the whole situation is that the guy representing the Warriors in this mess - team president and governor Darrin Chow - is also one of the elected city councilors. Is he not in a conflict of interest position at both jobs when it comes to this issue?
So, which city that used to have WHL hockey will be the first in line to get a team again? Winnipeg? Victoria? Nanaimo? Billings? Tacoma? Great Falls? Portland?
Turns out the league sent a letter to Moose Jaw city council on May 30, asking them to confirm their commitment to providing an acceptable arena. The letter states that in the absence of such a commitment, the league will have no alternative but to recommend that the franchise be relocated to another city for the 2009-10 season.
Ron Robison says the league won't settle for another verbal "yes, we'll build something" promise. They want some kind of contract in place between the City of Moose Jaw and the WHL...presumably this would allow them to seek damages from the City should the City continue to waste everyone's time getting something built. Sounds like the league is willing to be a little bit flexible on WHEN the arena gets built but they want it in writing that it WILL be done.
The WHL wants a response to the letter by Monday. I would say the league is really putting the screws to the City of Moose Jaw now. Either they contractually commit to building something by Monday, or the league could very well vote next week to relocate the franchise for 09-10.
The Warriors' reaction to the ultimatum is here. One of the things I find most curious about the whole situation is that the guy representing the Warriors in this mess - team president and governor Darrin Chow - is also one of the elected city councilors. Is he not in a conflict of interest position at both jobs when it comes to this issue?
So, which city that used to have WHL hockey will be the first in line to get a team again? Winnipeg? Victoria? Nanaimo? Billings? Tacoma? Great Falls? Portland?
Wilson to Toronto and other notes
By now everyone has heard the Maple Leafs have inked Ron Wilson to be their new head coach...I'm definitely not a Leafs fan but this decision has me scratching my head a little bit about the way that team is being run.
They do not have a general manager yet....Cliff Fletcher is only the interim guy in that job, holding down the fort until a new full-time guy can be found to take over. So why is Fletcher being allowed to hire coaches? It would seem to me that at a minimum, a new general manager should be allowed to choose his own coach. I'm not saying Ron Wilson is a bad coach; he has a very respectable .600 winning percentage in his last six years coaching in the NHL, even if he hasn't had much playoff success. But the point is that the Leafs have just eliminated any potential G.M. candidates who don't think Ron Wilson is the best coach available. Who's going to sign on for that job, in that city, with that kind of high profile and job pressure, without being able to have in place the coach they want to hitch their fortunes to?
For what its worth, the Leafs' search for a G.M. has taken far too long anyway....which I think probably means the guy they really want currently has a job somewhere else. Certainly adds credibility IMO to any speculation that they want either Brian Burke or Ken Holland.
Still in the NHL, I see there's more egg on the league's face over the Nashville ownership situation. Remember last summer they rejected Blackberry billionaire Jim Balsillie's attempt to buy the Nashville Predators in favour of a bid fronted by former San Jose Sharks part-owner William "Boots" DelBiaggio....well, it now turns out Boots doesn't actually have any money and has filed for bankruptcy with debts of $67 million. One of his biggest creditors is Craig Leipold, who's the guy Boots bought the Predators from. So in other words, he never actually paid Leipold all the money for the team. Balsillie, on the other hand, has a net worth in excess of $4 billion....I think he coulda wrote a personal cheque for the Predators.
Balsillie will never get an NHL team though unless he changes the way he plays the game. Even before he had bought the Predators he was negotiating a lease in Hamilton and selling season ticket packages there, making no secret that he planned to move the team if he got it. He's outspoken and a very public guy (he would be the NHL version of Mark Cuban or George Steinbrenner) and this is not the way the NHL does business. Quick, how many NHL owners can you name? They're a collection of mostly quiet, behind-the-scenes owners and they're probably not ever going to vote to bring Balsillie's shenanigans into their fold. I think he'd be a great, passionate owner for a team but he's going to have to learn to tone it down before the NHL owners club is going to accept him.
Back to the WHL quickly, a hiring the other day in Moose Jaw made me think for a second too. The Warriors have hired Kevin Higo as their new assistant coach, replacing Rene Lemire. Higo comes from the AJHL's Brooks Bandits, where he was G.M. & head coach. He has also been G.M. and head coach in two other AJHL cities, Fort McMurray and Crowsnest Pass and is a former AJHL coach of the year. So why would a guy like Higo, with that kind of resume featuring years of Jr A head coaching and G.M. experience, accept a WHL assistant coach position....especially one in an unglamorous WHL stop like Moose Jaw? Usually guys with that kind of Jr. A resume only leave for WHL head coach positions. Assistant coach in Moose Jaw has to be a step down in the hockey world from longtime head coach & G.M. in the AJHL. Oh well....
They do not have a general manager yet....Cliff Fletcher is only the interim guy in that job, holding down the fort until a new full-time guy can be found to take over. So why is Fletcher being allowed to hire coaches? It would seem to me that at a minimum, a new general manager should be allowed to choose his own coach. I'm not saying Ron Wilson is a bad coach; he has a very respectable .600 winning percentage in his last six years coaching in the NHL, even if he hasn't had much playoff success. But the point is that the Leafs have just eliminated any potential G.M. candidates who don't think Ron Wilson is the best coach available. Who's going to sign on for that job, in that city, with that kind of high profile and job pressure, without being able to have in place the coach they want to hitch their fortunes to?
For what its worth, the Leafs' search for a G.M. has taken far too long anyway....which I think probably means the guy they really want currently has a job somewhere else. Certainly adds credibility IMO to any speculation that they want either Brian Burke or Ken Holland.
Still in the NHL, I see there's more egg on the league's face over the Nashville ownership situation. Remember last summer they rejected Blackberry billionaire Jim Balsillie's attempt to buy the Nashville Predators in favour of a bid fronted by former San Jose Sharks part-owner William "Boots" DelBiaggio....well, it now turns out Boots doesn't actually have any money and has filed for bankruptcy with debts of $67 million. One of his biggest creditors is Craig Leipold, who's the guy Boots bought the Predators from. So in other words, he never actually paid Leipold all the money for the team. Balsillie, on the other hand, has a net worth in excess of $4 billion....I think he coulda wrote a personal cheque for the Predators.
Balsillie will never get an NHL team though unless he changes the way he plays the game. Even before he had bought the Predators he was negotiating a lease in Hamilton and selling season ticket packages there, making no secret that he planned to move the team if he got it. He's outspoken and a very public guy (he would be the NHL version of Mark Cuban or George Steinbrenner) and this is not the way the NHL does business. Quick, how many NHL owners can you name? They're a collection of mostly quiet, behind-the-scenes owners and they're probably not ever going to vote to bring Balsillie's shenanigans into their fold. I think he'd be a great, passionate owner for a team but he's going to have to learn to tone it down before the NHL owners club is going to accept him.
Back to the WHL quickly, a hiring the other day in Moose Jaw made me think for a second too. The Warriors have hired Kevin Higo as their new assistant coach, replacing Rene Lemire. Higo comes from the AJHL's Brooks Bandits, where he was G.M. & head coach. He has also been G.M. and head coach in two other AJHL cities, Fort McMurray and Crowsnest Pass and is a former AJHL coach of the year. So why would a guy like Higo, with that kind of resume featuring years of Jr A head coaching and G.M. experience, accept a WHL assistant coach position....especially one in an unglamorous WHL stop like Moose Jaw? Usually guys with that kind of Jr. A resume only leave for WHL head coach positions. Assistant coach in Moose Jaw has to be a step down in the hockey world from longtime head coach & G.M. in the AJHL. Oh well....
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Moose Jaw deadline approaches
My comment in the Warriors prospect posting about the "Winnipeg/Victoria Warriors" is made in jest, but all WHL fans should be keeping an eye out for big news out of Moose Jaw in the next 7 days.
Why? Because one week from today the WHL will hold its annual summer meetings, and that date - June 17 - is the deadline the WHL imposed on the Warriors (ages ago) to either have a plan for a new WHL-standard arena in place or risk losing their franchise.
As of today, no such plan for an arena is in place yet. Last I heard, Moose Jaw city council was still dickering over where to put the new arena IF they decided to build one...I can see how it's a tough decision, since Moose Jaw is huge and there's so many places it could go. They haven't even approved a design or anything either and the clock is ticking down here.
WHL commish Rob Robison has spent a great deal of time on the Moose Jaw issue and you have to think he wouldn't be doing that if the league didn't mean business. I'm not sure exactly what the league's options are should the team & city fail to meet the deadline, but one obvious route they can go is to revoke the franchise and sell it elsewhere. Lawyers could get rich off the lawsuit that could arise from that but should anything like this happen and the city loses the team, you can't say the city wasn't given a fair chance to keep it. This has been going on for years now.
Why? Because one week from today the WHL will hold its annual summer meetings, and that date - June 17 - is the deadline the WHL imposed on the Warriors (ages ago) to either have a plan for a new WHL-standard arena in place or risk losing their franchise.
As of today, no such plan for an arena is in place yet. Last I heard, Moose Jaw city council was still dickering over where to put the new arena IF they decided to build one...I can see how it's a tough decision, since Moose Jaw is huge and there's so many places it could go. They haven't even approved a design or anything either and the clock is ticking down here.
WHL commish Rob Robison has spent a great deal of time on the Moose Jaw issue and you have to think he wouldn't be doing that if the league didn't mean business. I'm not sure exactly what the league's options are should the team & city fail to meet the deadline, but one obvious route they can go is to revoke the franchise and sell it elsewhere. Lawyers could get rich off the lawsuit that could arise from that but should anything like this happen and the city loses the team, you can't say the city wasn't given a fair chance to keep it. This has been going on for years now.
08-09 Prospects: Kootenay
And lastly, the Ice....
| Jordan Bauer Acquired: listed player | ||||||
| Right Wing, ht/wt unknown 08-09 Age: 17 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| Edmonton SSAC (AMHL AAA midget) | 36 | 11 | 20 | 31 | 74 | |
| Cody Bisbing Acquired: 2008 10th round bantam pick | ||||||
| Right Wing, 5'7", 130 lb 08-09 Age: 15 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| DYHA Firebirds (USA bantam AAA) | stats not available | |||||
| Ryan Bloom Acquired: 2008 2nd round bantam pick | ||||||
| Center, 5'8", 140 lb 08-09 Age: 15 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| Calgary Bisons (AMBHL AAA bantam) | 33 | 30 | 25 | 55 | 18 | |
| Calgary Bisons (AMBHL AAA bantam - PLF) | 12 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 2 | |
| Calgary Bisons (Edmonton tournament) | 5 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 0 | |
| Calgary Rangers (SAML midget 15 y.o.) | stats not available | |||||
| Calgary South Flames (Alberta Cup) | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | |
| Mike Cassivi Acquired: 2006 5th round bantam pick | ||||||
| Left Wing, 6'0", 170 lb 08-09 Age: 17 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| Grand Forks Border Bruins (KIJHL Jr B) | 42 | 18 | 18 | 36 | 18 | |
| Mike Connolly Acquired: listed player | ||||||
| Center, 5'10", 175 lb 08-09 Age: 19 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| Camrose Kodiaks (AJHL Jr A) | 37 | 25 | 41 | 66 | 39 | |
| Camrose Kodiaks (AJHL Jr A - PLF) | 12 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 38 | |
| Camrose Kodiaks (Royal Bank Cup) | 6 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 | |
| - Connolly is headed to Minnesota-Duluth for 08-09 | ||||||
| Drew Czerwonka Acquired: 2007 1st round bantam pick | ||||||
| Left Wing, 6'1", 165 lb 08-09 Age: 16 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| Regina Pat Canadians (SMHL AAA midget) | 42 | 18 | 10 | 28 | 113 | |
| Regina Pat Canadians (SMHL AAA midget - PLF) | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 44 | |
| Regina Pat Canadians (Macs Midget) | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| Kootenay Ice (WHL) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Jagger Dirk Acquired: 2008 11th round bantam pick | ||||||
| Defense, 5'11", 160 lb 08-09 Age: 15 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| Penticton (BCAHA AA bantam) | stats not available | |||||
| Riley Gillies Acquired: 2005 4th round bantam pick | ||||||
| Right Wing, 5'10", 185 lb 08-09 Age: 18 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| Moose Jaw Warriors (SMHL AAA midget) | 44 | 14 | 19 | 33 | 116 | |
| Moose Jaw Warriors (SMHL AAA midget - PLF) | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | |
| Moose Jaw Warriors (Macs Midget) | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| Quinn Gould Acquired: listed player | ||||||
| Center, 6'2", 175 lb 08-09 Age: 18 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| Fort Saskatchewan Rangers (AMHL AAA midget) | 33 | 33 | 12 | 45 | 30 | |
| Fort Saskatchewan Rangers (AMHL AAA midget - PLF) | 12 | 12 | 2 | 14 | 16 | |
| Fort Saskatchewan Rangers (Macs Midget) | 4 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 2 | |
| Spruce Grove Saints (AJHL Jr A) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Scott Helmkay Acquired: 2008 9th round bantam pick | ||||||
| Defense, 5'9", 155 lb 08-09 Age: 15 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| Warman Wildcats (CFHL AA bantam) | 18 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 16 | |
| Warman Wildcats (KIBIHT) | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | |
| Warman Wildcats (Western championships) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Richard Hubscher Acquired: listed player | ||||||
| Center, 5'8", 150 lb 08-09 Age: 17 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| Notre Dame Hounds (SMHL AAA midget) | 40 | 13 | 20 | 33 | 75 | |
| Notre Dame Hounds (SMHL AAA midget - PLF) | 10 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Notre Dame Hounds (Macs Midget) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Notre Dame Hounds (SJHL Jr A) | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| Brendan Hurley Acquired: 2008 1st round bantam pick | ||||||
| Left Wing, 6'0", 170 lb 08-09 Age: 15 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| Fort Saskatchewan Rangers (AMBHL AAA bantam) | 31 | 51 | 32 | 83 | 141 | |
| Fort Saskatchewan Rangers (AMBHL AAA bantam - PLF) | 9 | 16 | 4 | 20 | 46 | |
| Fort Saskatchewan Rangers (Edmonton tournament) | 3 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 8 | |
| Fort Saskatchewan Rangers (REM midget 15 y.o.) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | |
| Edmonton North Oilers (Alberta Cup) | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | |
| Jesse Ismond Acquired: 2006 6th round bantam pick | ||||||
| Left Wing, 5'11", 175 lb 08-09 Age: 17 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| Tisdale Trojans (SMHL AAA midget) | 43 | 19 | 33 | 52 | 107 | |
| Tisdale Trojans (SMHL AAA midget - PLF) | 9 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 22 | |
| Tisdale Trojans (Macs Midget) | 5 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 4 | |
| Clayton Jardine Acquired: 2006 9th round bantam pick | ||||||
| Center, 5'10", 165 lb 08-09 Age: 17 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| Camrose Kodiaks (AJHL Jr A) | 36 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 10 | |
| Camrose Kodiaks (Royal Bank Cup) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Pacific (World U-17 Challenge) | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |
| Michael King Acquired: 2008 3rd round bantam pick | ||||||
| Defense, 6'2", 160 lb 08-09 Age: 15 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| Prince George Cougars (BCAHA AAA bantam) | stats not available | |||||
| Prince George Cougars (KIBIHT) | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| Prince George Cougars (St. Albert tournament) | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| Kyle Knelsen Acquired: 2006 10th round bantam pick | ||||||
| Center, 5'9", 160 lb 08-09 Age: 17 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| UFA Bisons (AMHL AAA midget) | stats not available | |||||
| UFA Bisons (Macs Midget) | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Joey Leach Acquired: 2007 3rd round bantam pick | ||||||
| Defense, 6'1", 160 lb 08-09 Age: 16 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| Tisdale Trojans (SMHL AAA midget) | 42 | 1 | 13 | 14 | 30 | |
| Tisdale Trojans (SMHL AAA midget - PLF) | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
| Tisdale Ramblers (CFHL AA midget) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Tisdale Trojans (Macs Midget) | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| Nathan Lieuwen Acquired: 2006 1st round bantam pick | ||||||
| Goaltender, 6'4", 175 lb 08-09 Age: 17 | ||||||
| GP | GAA | W | L | T/OTL | SV% | |
| Westside Warriors (BCHL Jr A) | 13 | 1.95 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0.931 |
| Westside Warriors (BCHL Jr A - PLF) | 3 | 4.32 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.878 |
| Kootenay Ice (WHL) | 3 | 3.27 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.910 |
| Pacific (World U-17 Challenge) | 4 | 3.73 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0.899 |
| Cason Machacek Acquired: listed player | ||||||
| Defense, ht/wt unknown 08-09 Age: 17 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| Lethbridge Y's Men Titans (AMHL AAA midget) | stats not available | |||||
| Lethbridge Y's Men Titans (Macs Midget) | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| - Machacek is the brother of Vancouver's Spencer Machacek | ||||||
| Tyler Mah Acquired: listed player | ||||||
| Defense, 6'2", 195 lb 08-09 Age: 18 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| Grandview Steelers (PIJHL Jr B) | 44 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 94 | |
| Grandview Steelers (PIJHL Jr B - PLF) | 14 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 38 | |
| Vernon Vipers (BCHL Jr A) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Spencer Mault Acquired: 2007 11th round bantam pick | ||||||
| Left Wing, 6'0", 160 lb 08-09 Age: 16 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| Saskatoon Flyers (SMHA AA midget) | 38 | 13 | 30 | 43 | 69 | |
| Cameron McWilliam Acquired: listed player | ||||||
| Left Wing, 6'3", 210 lb 08-09 Age: 18 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| Grandview Steelers (PIJHL Jr B) | 33 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 26 | |
| Grandview Steelers (PIJHL Jr B - PLF) | 13 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | |
| Nanaimo Clippers (BCHL Jr A) | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| Connor Milligan Acquired: 2007 8th round bantam pick | ||||||
| Defense, 6'0", 170 lb 08-09 Age: 16 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| Winnipeg Wild (MMHL AAA midget) | 21 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 20 | |
| Winnipeg Wild (MMHL AAA midget - PLF) | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| Kaare Odegarde Acquired: listed player | ||||||
| Defense, 5'11", 170 lb 08-09 Age: 18 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| Canmore Eagles (AJHL Jr A) | 58 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 70 | |
| Canmore Eagles (AJHL Jr A - PLF) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Odegarde has committed to Alaska-Fairbanks for 2009-10 | ||||||
| Brendan O'Donnell Acquired: 2007 9th round bantam pick | ||||||
| Left Wing, 5'10", 156 lb 08-09 Age: 16 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| Winnipeg Wild (MMHL AAA midget) | 40 | 17 | 27 | 44 | 12 | |
| Winnipeg Wild (MMHL AAA midget - PLF) | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 10 | |
| Elgin Pearce Acquired: 2007 2nd round bantam pick | ||||||
| Right Wing, 5'11", 140 lb 08-09 Age: 16 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| Vancouver NE Chiefs (BCAHA AAA midget) | 40 | 14 | 10 | 24 | 56 | |
| Grandview Steelers (PIJHL Jr B) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Derrick Peitsch Acquired: 2007 5th round bantam pick | ||||||
| Goaltender, 6'1", 175 lb 08-09 Age: 16 | ||||||
| GP | GAA | W | L | T/OTL | SV% | |
| Interlake (WMHA AA midget) | 22 | 2.25 | 8 | 7 | 3 | n/a |
| Max Reinhart Acquired: 2007 4th round bantam pick | ||||||
| Center, 6'0", 160 lb 08-09 Age: 16 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| Vancouver NW Giants (BCAHA AAA midget) | 40 | 17 | 8 | 25 | 28 | |
| Vancouver NW Giants (Macs Midget) | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 18 | |
| Langley Chiefs (BCHL Jr A) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| - Reinhart is the son of former NHLer Paul Reinhart | ||||||
| Hayden Rintoul Acquired: 2006 4th round bantam pick | ||||||
| Defense, 6'1", 165 lb 08-09 Age: 17 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| Calgary Buffaloes (AMHL AAA midget) | stats not available | |||||
| Calgary Buffaloes (AMHL AAA midget - PLF) | 12 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 22 | |
| Calgary Buffaloes (Macs Midget) | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 16 | |
| Calgary Buffaloes (Telus Cup) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Adam Rossignol Acquired: 2008 7th round bantam pick | ||||||
| Center, 5'9", 152 lb 08-09 Age: 15 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| Cloverdale Colts (BCAHA AAA bantam) | stats not available | |||||
| Cloverdale Colts (KIBIHT) | 6 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 4 | |
| Brad Ryan Acquired: 2005 6th round bantam pick | ||||||
| Defense, 6'0", 196 lb 08-09 Age: 18 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| Calgary Canucks (AJHL Jr A) | 52 | 3 | 16 | 19 | 96 | |
| Calgary Canucks (AJHL Jr A - PLF) | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 | |
| Dylan Schellenberg Acquired: 2008 8th round bantam pick | ||||||
| Defense, 6'0", 170 lb 08-09 Age: 15 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| Airdrie Xtreme (AMBHL AAA bantam) | 25 | 3 | 17 | 20 | 119 | |
| Airdrie Xtreme (AMBHL AAA bantam - PLF) | 10 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 26 | |
| Airdrie Xtreme (Western championships) | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 22 | |
| Central Thrashers (Alberta Cup) | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| Justin Schultz Acquired: listed player | ||||||
| Defense, 6'1", 170 lb 08-09 Age: 18 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| Westside Warriors (BCHL Jr A) | 57 | 9 | 31 | 40 | 28 | |
| Westside Warriors (BCHL Jr A - PLF) | 11 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 4 | |
| - Schultz is bound for Wisconsin for 09-10 | ||||||
| Riley Simpson Acquired: 2008 12th round bantam pick | ||||||
| Left Wing, 5'6", 129 lb 08-09 Age: 15 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| Red Deer Rebels White (AMBHL AAA bantam) | 32 | 18 | 19 | 37 | 18 | |
| Red Deer Rebels White (AMBHL AAA bantam - PLF) | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | |
| Simon Skrudland Acquired: 2006 3rd round bantam pick | ||||||
| Center, 6'0", 175 lb 08-09 Age: 17 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| Calgary Royals (AMHL AAA midget) | stats not available | |||||
| - Skrudland is the son of former NHLer Brian Skrudland | ||||||
| Colton St. Clair Acquired: 2007 10th round bantam pick | ||||||
| Right Wing, 5'10", 167 lb 08-09 Age: 16 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| P.F. Chang's U18 (USA AAA midget) | stats not available | |||||
| Brett Teskey Acquired: 2008 6th round bantam pick | ||||||
| Goaltender, 6'0", 173 lb 08-09 Age: 15 | ||||||
| GP | GAA | W | L | T/OTL | SV% | |
| Regina Hurricanes (SSMHL AA bantam) | 17 | 4.53 | 3 | 12 | 2 | n/a |
| Connor Tiechko Acquired: 2007 6th round bantam pick | ||||||
| Center, 5'11", 165 lb 08-09 Age: 16 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| Fraser Valley Bruins (BCAHA AAA midget) | 42 | 20 | 19 | 39 | 8 | |
| Tyler Vanscourt Acquired: 2007 7th round bantam pick | ||||||
| Defense, 5'9", 165 lb 08-09 Age: 16 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| L.A. Selects (USA AA midget) | stats not available | |||||
| Jarett Zentner Acquired: 2008 4th round bantam pick | ||||||
| Center, 5'11", 160 lb 08-09 Age: 15 | ||||||
| GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | ||
| Red Deer Rebels Black (AMBHL AAA bantam) | 33 | 21 | 30 | 51 | 18 | |
| Red Deer Rebels Black (AMBHL AAA bantam - PLF) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Red Deer Northstars (SAML midget 15 y.o.) | stats not available | |||||
| Central Thrashers (Alberta Cup) | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
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