08-09 WHL schedule

OK....by pasting together all the available tentative schedules and removing duplicates, you can get 699 of the WHL's 792 games this year.....that's 88% of the schedule.

UPDATE: Regina's complete tentative schedule is up now, and Kamloops has posted their tentative schedule on their website now as well. Only Calgary, Kelowna, Kootenay, Lethbridge and Medicine Hat are not out yet. Regan Bartel reports on his blog that Kelowna's schedule has been released but it's not on their website yet anyway.

I've added Regina and Kamloops....we now have 749 of the 792 games this year, or 95%.

Sep 18: Spokane at Kootenay	Dec 27: Chilliwack at Everett
Sep 19: Regina at Brandon	Dec 27: Kamloops at Kelowna
Sep 19: Red Deer at Calgary	Dec 27: Swift Current at Medicine Hat
Sep 19: Medicine Hat at Edmonton	Dec 27: Saskatoon at Prince Albert
Sep 19: Everett at Kamloops	Dec 27: Calgary at Red Deer
Sep 19: Kootenay at Lethbridge	Dec 27: Portland at Seattle
Sep 19: Swift Current at Moose Jaw	Dec 27: Tri-City at Spokane
Sep 19: Seattle at Prince George	Dec 27: Prince George at Vancouver
Sep 19: Prince Albert at Saskatoon	Dec 28: Moose Jaw at Calgary
Sep 20: Kamloops at Chilliwack	Dec 28: Everett at Chilliwack
Sep 20: Calgary at Edmonton	Dec 28: Prince George at Kamloops
Sep 20: Vancouver at Everett	Dec 28: Red Deer at Kootenay
Sep 20: Spokane at Portland	Dec 28: Edmonton at Lethbridge
Sep 20: Saskatoon at Prince Albert	Dec 28: Tri-City at Portland
Sep 20: Seattle at Prince George	Dec 28: Spokane at Seattle
Sep 20: Medicine Hat at Red Deer	Dec 28: Regina at Swift Current
Sep 20: Moose Jaw at Swift Current	Dec 29: Kamloops at Tri-City
Sep 20: Kelowna at Tri-City	Dec 30: Prince George at Kelowna
Sep 21: Lethbridge at Kootenay	Dec 30: Brandon at Lethbridge
Sep 21: Kelowna at Portland	Dec 30: Swift Current at Prince Albert
Sep 21: Brandon at Regina	Dec 30: Regina at Saskatoon
Sep 23: Kelowna at Kamloops	Dec 30: Chilliwack at Seattle
Sep 23: Kootenay at Red Deer	Dec 30: Moose Jaw at Vancouver
Sep 24: Edmonton at Calgary	Dec 31: Moose Jaw at Chilliwack
Sep 24: Vancouver at Kamloops	Dec 31: Calgary at Edmonton
Sep 24: Moose Jaw at Prince Albert	Dec 31: Red Deer at Everett
Sep 26: Moose Jaw at Brandon	Dec 31: Brandon at Kootenay
Sep 26: Red Deer at Edmonton	Dec 31: Seattle at Portland
Sep 26: Portland at Everett	Dec 31: Spokane at Tri-City
Sep 26: Calgary at Kootenay	Jan 1: Prince Albert at Regina
Sep 26: Regina at Prince Albert	Jan 1: Lethbridge at Saskatoon
Sep 26: Saskatoon at Swift Current	Jan 2: Kootenay at Edmonton
Sep 26: Seattle at Tri-City	Jan 2: Moose Jaw at Kamloops
Sep 26: Prince George at Vancouver	Jan 2: Spokane at Kelowna
Sep 27: Kootenay at Calgary	Jan 2: Everett at Portland
Sep 27: Prince George at Chilliwack	Jan 2: Lethbridge at Prince Albert
Sep 27: Seattle at Everett	Jan 2: Tri-City at Prince George
Sep 27: Kamloops at Kelowna	Jan 2: Medicine Hat at Swift Current
Sep 27: Brandon at Moose Jaw	Jan 2: Red Deer at Vancouver
Sep 27: Vancouver at Portland	Jan 3: Red Deer at Chilliwack
Sep 27: Edmonton at Red Deer	Jan 3: Moose Jaw at Kelowna
Sep 27: Prince Albert at Regina	Jan 3: Tri-City at Prince George
Sep 27: Swift Current at Saskatoon	Jan 3: Brandon at Regina
Sep 27: Tri-City at Spokane	Jan 3: Prince Albert at Saskatoon
Sep 28: Vancouver at Chilliwack	Jan 3: Everett at Seattle
Sep 28: Edmonton at Kootenay	Jan 3: Portland at Spokane
Sep 30: Spokane at Kamloops	Jan 3: Lethbridge at Swift Current
Oct 1: Spokane at Chilliwack	Jan 3: Kamloops at Vancouver
Oct 1: Everett at Kelowna	Jan 4: Regina at Brandon
Oct 1: Moose Jaw at Regina	Jan 4: Kamloops at Seattle
Oct 1: Edmonton at Saskatoon	Jan 6: Medicine Hat at Edmonton
Oct 1: Red Deer at Swift Current	Jan 6: Moose Jaw at Prince George
Oct 3: Red Deer at Brandon	Jan 6: Brandon at Swift Current
Oct 3: Kamloops at Edmonton	Jan 7: Prince Albert at Calgary
Oct 3: Tri-City at Prince Albert	Jan 7: Tri-City at Everett
Oct 3: Chilliwack at Prince George	Jan 7: Portland at Kamloops
Oct 3: Everett at Spokane	Jan 7: Seattle at Kelowna
Oct 3: Seattle at Vancouver	Jan 7: Medicine Hat at Red Deer
Oct 4: Regina at Brandon	Jan 7: Chilliwack at Spokane
Oct 4: Kamloops at Calgary	Jan 9: Saskatoon at Brandon
Oct 4: Swift Current at Kootenay	Jan 9: Prince George at Everett
Oct 4: Red Deer at Moose Jaw	Jan 9: Chilliwack at Kamloops
Oct 4: Medicine Hat at Prince Albert	Jan 9: Portland at Kelowna
Oct 4: Chilliwack at Prince George	Jan 9: Vancouver at Kootenay
Oct 4: Tri-City at Saskatoon	Jan 9: Prince Albert at Lethbridge
Oct 4: Spokane at Seattle	Jan 9: Edmonton at Moose Jaw
Oct 4: Portland at Vancouver	Jan 9: Swift Current at Regina
Oct 5: Swift Current at Lethbridge	Jan 9: Tri-City at Seattle
Oct 5: Red Deer at Regina	Jan 10: Edmonton at Brandon
Oct 5: Medicine Hat at Saskatoon	Jan 10: Kamloops at Chilliwack
Oct 7: Saskatoon at Brandon	Jan 10: Prince George at Kelowna
Oct 7: Tri-City at Swift Current	Jan 10: Vancouver at Lethbridge
Oct 8: Edmonton at Medicine Hat	Jan 10: Swift Current at Medicine Hat
Oct 8: Tri-City at Moose Jaw	Jan 10: Prince Albert at Red Deer
Oct 8: Prince Albert at Prince George	Jan 10: Moose Jaw at Saskatoon
Oct 8: Kootenay at Regina	Jan 10: Everett at Spokane
Oct 10: Tri-City at Brandon	Jan 10: Portland at Tri-City
Oct 10: Prince Albert at Chilliwack	Jan 11: Swift Current at Calgary
Oct 10: Saskatoon at Edmonton	Jan 11: Everett at Portland
Oct 10: Seattle at Everett	Jan 11: Edmonton at Regina
Oct 10: Prince George at Kamloops	Jan 11: Prince George at Seattle
Oct 10: Kootenay at Moose Jaw	Jan 13: Tri-City at Chilliwack
Oct 10: Spokane at Portland	Jan 13: Vancouver at Medicine Hat
Oct 10: Kelowna at Vancouver	Jan 13: Lethbridge at Moose Jaw
Oct 11: Chilliwack at Kamloops	Jan 13: Saskatoon at Regina
Oct 11: Prince George at Kelowna	Jan 14: Tri-City at Kelowna
Oct 11: Seattle at Portland	Jan 14: Lethbridge at Prince Albert
Oct 11: Saskatoon at Red Deer	Jan 14: Portland at Spokane
Oct 11: Tri-City at Regina	Jan 15: Vancouver at Edmonton
Oct 11: Everett at Spokane	Jan 16: Prince Albert at Brandon
Oct 11: Kootenay at Swift Current	Jan 16: Vancouver at Calgary
Oct 11: Prince Albert at Vancouver	Jan 16: Seattle at Everett
Oct 12: Saskatoon at Calgary	Jan 16: Tri-City at Kamloops
Oct 12: Seattle at Chilliwack	Jan 16: Swift Current at Lethbridge
Oct 12: Brandon at Red Deer	Jan 16: Saskatoon at Medicine Hat
Oct 12: Medicine Hat at Swift Current	Jan 16: Spokane at Portland
Oct 13: Brandon at Edmonton	Jan 16: Kelowna at Prince George
Oct 13: Prince Albert at Kamloops	Jan 16: Chilliwack at Red Deer
Oct 13: Regina at Lethbridge	Jan 16: Moose Jaw at Regina
Oct 15: Prince George at Calgary	Jan 17: Chilliwack at Edmonton
Oct 15: Regina at Edmonton	Jan 17: Swift Current at Kootenay
Oct 15: Prince Albert at Kelowna	Jan 17: Saskatoon at Lethbridge
Oct 15: Chilliwack at Lethbridge	Jan 17: Regina at Moose Jaw
Oct 15: Portland at Spokane	Jan 17: Kamloops at Portland
Oct 15: Saskatoon at Swift Current	Jan 17: Brandon at Prince Albert
Oct 15: Everett at Vancouver	Jan 17: Kelowna at Prince George
Oct 17: Portland at Brandon	Jan 17: Vancouver at Red Deer
Oct 17: Prince George at Edmonton	Jan 17: Everett at Seattle
Oct 17: Kelowna at Everett	Jan 17: Spokane at Tri-City
Oct 17: Prince Albert at Kootenay	Jan 18: Chilliwack at Calgary
Oct 17: Chilliwack at Medicine Hat	Jan 18: Kamloops at Everett
Oct 17: Swift Current at Moose Jaw	Jan 18: Saskatoon at Kootenay
Oct 17: Regina at Red Deer	Jan 18: Red Deer at Medicine Hat
Oct 17: Kamloops at Spokane	Jan 18: Tri-City at Seattle
Oct 17: Seattle at Tri-City	Jan 20: Edmonton at Calgary
Oct 18: Swift Current at Brandon	Jan 20: Chilliwack at Medicine Hat
Oct 18: Kamloops at Everett	Jan 20: Brandon at Swift Current
Oct 18: Chilliwack at Kootenay	Jan 21: Prince George at Edmonton
Oct 18: Regina at Medicine Hat	Jan 21: Spokane at Everett
Oct 18: Portland at Moose Jaw	Jan 21: Vancouver at Kelowna
Oct 18: Prince George at Red Deer	Jan 21: Kootenay at Prince Albert
Oct 18: Kelowna at Seattle	Jan 21: Brandon at Saskatoon
Oct 18: Spokane at Tri-City	Jan 21: Kamloops at Seattle
Oct 19: Calgary at Edmonton	Jan 23: Moose Jaw at Brandon
Oct 19: Kelowna at Vancouver	Jan 23: Kelowna at Chilliwack
Oct 21: Tri-City at Kamloops	Jan 23: Prince George at Lethbridge
Oct 21: Red Deer at Kootenay	Jan 23: Edmonton at Prince Albert
Oct 21: Prince George at Lethbridge	Jan 23: Calgary at Red Deer
Oct 21: Portland at Prince Albert	Jan 23: Kootenay at Regina
Oct 21: Saskatoon at Regina	Jan 23: Spokane at Seattle
Oct 22: Red Deer at Calgary	Jan 23: Saskatoon at Swift Current
Oct 22: Kelowna at Chilliwack	Jan 23: Everett at Tri-City
Oct 22: Vancouver at Edmonton	Jan 23: Kamloops at Vancouver
Oct 22: Seattle at Kamloops	Jan 24: Kootenay at Brandon
Oct 22: Prince George at Medicine Hat	Jan 24: Kelowna at Kamloops
Oct 22: Moose Jaw at Prince Albert	Jan 24: Prince George at Medicine Hat
Oct 22: Portland at Saskatoon	Jan 24: Prince Albert at Moose Jaw
Oct 24: Moose Jaw at Calgary	Jan 24: Lethbridge at Red Deer
Oct 24: Chilliwack at Kelowna	Jan 24: Edmonton at Saskatoon
Oct 24: Prince George at Kootenay	Jan 24: Portland at Seattle
Oct 24: Vancouver at Red Deer	Jan 24: Tri-City at Spokane
Oct 24: Portland at Regina	Jan 24: Everett at Vancouver
Oct 24: Seattle at Spokane	Jan 25: Regina at Calgary
Oct 24: Edmonton at Swift Current	Jan 25: Vancouver at Chilliwack
Oct 24: Everett at Tri-City	Jan 25: Saskatoon at Moose Jaw
Oct 25: Kamloops at Chilliwack	Jan 25: Prince Albert at Swift Current
Oct 25: Brandon at Kelowna	Jan 25: Everett at Tri-City
Oct 25: Saskatoon at Kootenay	Jan 27: Regina at Kootenay
Oct 25: Vancouver at Lethbridge	Jan 27: Brandon at Red Deer
Oct 25: Edmonton at Prince Albert	Jan 27: Medicine Hat at Seattle
Oct 25: Moose Jaw at Red Deer	Jan 28: Brandon at Edmonton
Oct 25: Everett at Seattle	Jan 28: Spokane at Everett
Oct 25: Prince George at Spokane	Jan 28: Seattle at Kamloops
Oct 25: Portland at Swift Current	Jan 28: Prince George at Kelowna
Oct 26: Saskatoon at Lethbridge	Jan 28: Regina at Lethbridge
Oct 26: Prince Albert at Regina	Jan 28: Swift Current at Moose Jaw
Oct 27: Brandon at Kamloops	Jan 28: Portland at Tri-City
Oct 28: Kootenay at Edmonton	Jan 28: Medicine Hat at Vancouver
Oct 28: Tri-City at Everett	Jan 30: Seattle at Everett
Oct 28: Calgary at Prince Albert	Jan 30: Brandon at Kootenay
Oct 28: Swift Current at Saskatoon	Jan 30: Saskatoon at Moose Jaw
Oct 29: Lethbridge at Chilliwack	Jan 30: Tri-City at Portland
Oct 29: Seattle at Kelowna	Jan 30: Swift Current at Prince Albert
Oct 29: Brandon at Prince George	Jan 30: Vancouver at Prince George
Oct 29: Kootenay at Red Deer	Jan 30: Chilliwack at Spokane
Oct 29: Moose Jaw at Regina	Jan 31: Brandon at Calgary
Oct 29: Calgary at Saskatoon	Jan 31: Regina at Edmonton
Oct 29: Tri-City at Vancouver	Jan 31: Medicine Hat at Kamloops
Oct 31: Brandon at Chilliwack	Jan 31: Everett at Portland
Oct 31: Spokane at Everett	Jan 31: Vancouver at Prince George
Oct 31: Lethbridge at Kamloops	Jan 31: Lethbridge at Red Deer
Oct 31: Red Deer at Regina	Jan 31: Moose Jaw at Saskatoon
Oct 31: Prince Albert at Swift Current	Jan 31: Kelowna at Seattle
Oct 31: Portland at Tri-City	Jan 31: Kootenay at Spokane
Nov 1: Edmonton at Everett	Jan 31: Prince Albert at Swift Current
Nov 1: Red Deer at Prince Albert	Jan 31: Chilliwack at Tri-City
Nov 1: Kamloops at Prince George	Feb 3: Red Deer at Brandon
Nov 1: Regina at Saskatoon	Feb 3: Edmonton at Calgary
Nov 1: Kootenay at Spokane	Feb 3: Kelowna at Kamloops
Nov 1: Moose Jaw at Swift Current	Feb 3: Regina at Saskatoon
Nov 1: Seattle at Tri-City	Feb 4: Saskatoon at Edmonton
Nov 1: Brandon at Vancouver	Feb 4: Everett at Kamloops
Nov 2: Regina at Prince Albert	Feb 4: Red Deer at Moose Jaw
Nov 4: Chilliwack at Kamloops	Feb 4: Lethbridge at Portland
Nov 4: Edmonton at Seattle	Feb 4: Chilliwack at Prince George
Nov 4: Kelowna at Tri-City	Feb 6: Prince Albert at Brandon
Nov 5: Prince George at Kamloops	Feb 6: Everett at Kelowna
Nov 5: Medicine Hat at Moose Jaw	Feb 6: Moose Jaw at Kootenay
Nov 5: Edmonton at Portland	Feb 6: Tri-City at Portland
Nov 5: Everett at Regina	Feb 6: Chilliwack at Prince George
Nov 5: Red Deer at Spokane	Feb 6: Edmonton at Regina
Nov 5: Prince Albert at Swift Current	Feb 6: Red Deer at Saskatoon
Nov 7: Swift Current at Brandon	Feb 6: Lethbridge at Seattle
Nov 7: Edmonton at Chilliwack	Feb 6: Vancouver at Spokane
Nov 7: Prince Albert at Moose Jaw	Feb 6: Calgary at Swift Current
Nov 7: Vancouver at Prince George	Feb 7: Edmonton at Brandon
Nov 7: Medicine Hat at Regina	Feb 7: Lethbridge at Everett
Nov 7: Everett at Saskatoon	Feb 7: Kamloops at Kelowna
Nov 7: Red Deer at Seattle	Feb 7: Spokane at Kootenay
Nov 7: Portland at Spokane	Feb 7: Moose Jaw at Medicine Hat
Nov 7: Kamloops at Tri-City	Feb 7: Vancouver at Portland
Nov 8: Medicine Hat at Brandon	Feb 7: Prince Albert at Regina
Nov 8: Seattle at Chilliwack	Feb 7: Red Deer at Swift Current
Nov 8: Edmonton at Kelowna	Feb 7: Seattle at Tri-City
Nov 8: Red Deer at Portland	Feb 8: Everett at Chilliwack
Nov 8: Everett at Prince Albert	Feb 8: Swift Current at Saskatoon
Nov 8: Vancouver at Prince George	Feb 8: Vancouver at Seattle
Nov 8: Swift Current at Regina	Feb 8: Kelowna at Spokane
Nov 8: Moose Jaw at Saskatoon	Feb 8: Lethbridge at Tri-City
Nov 8: Tri-City at Spokane	Feb 9: Portland at Prince George
Nov 9: Kamloops at Portland	Feb 10: Kamloops at Calgary
Nov 9: Red Deer at Tri-City	Feb 10: Brandon at Moose Jaw
Nov 11: Everett at Brandon	Feb 10: Portland at Prince George
Nov 11: Vancouver at Chilliwack	Feb 10: Medicine Hat at Saskatoon
Nov 11: Seattle at Prince Albert	Feb 11: Spokane at Everett
Nov 11: Red Deer at Prince George	Feb 11: Edmonton at Kootenay
Nov 11: Calgary at Swift Current	Feb 11: Medicine Hat at Prince Albert
Nov 12: Vancouver at Kelowna	Feb 11: Kamloops at Red Deer
Nov 12: Edmonton at Medicine Hat	Feb 11: Swift Current at Regina
Nov 12: Everett at Moose Jaw	Feb 11: Chilliwack at Vancouver
Nov 12: Calgary at Regina	Feb 13: Calgary at Brandon
Nov 12: Seattle at Saskatoon	Feb 13: Prince George at Chilliwack
Nov 12: Lethbridge at Spokane	Feb 13: Seattle at Everett
Nov 14: Calgary at Brandon	Feb 13: Vancouver at Kelowna
Nov 14: Medicine Hat at Edmonton	Feb 13: Kamloops at Lethbridge
Nov 14: Prince George at Portland	Feb 13: Saskatoon at Medicine Hat
Nov 14: Spokane at Prince Albert	Feb 13: Regina at Moose Jaw
Nov 14: Seattle at Regina	Feb 13: Spokane at Portland
Nov 14: Everett at Swift Current	Feb 13: Swift Current at Prince Albert
Nov 14: Kelowna at Vancouver	Feb 13: Kootenay at Red Deer
Nov 15: Seattle at Brandon	Feb 13: Edmonton at Tri-City
Nov 15: Prince George at Chilliwack	Feb 14: Tri-City at Everett
Nov 15: Kelowna at Kamloops	Feb 14: Prince George at Kelowna
Nov 15: Edmonton at Kootenay	Feb 14: Red Deer at Lethbridge
Nov 15: Calgary at Moose Jaw	Feb 14: Kamloops at Medicine Hat
Nov 15: Tri-City at Portland	Feb 14: Calgary at Regina
Nov 15: Regina at Prince Albert	Feb 14: Portland at Seattle
Nov 15: Medicine Hat at Red Deer	Feb 14: Edmonton at Spokane
Nov 15: Spokane at Saskatoon	Feb 14: Saskatoon at Swift Current
Nov 16: Chilliwack at Kamloops	Feb 14: Chilliwack at Vancouver
Nov 16: Edmonton at Lethbridge	Feb 15: Red Deer at Kootenay
Nov 16: Red Deer at Medicine Hat	Feb 15: Calgary at Moose Jaw
Nov 16: Swift Current at Saskatoon	Feb 15: Brandon at Prince Albert
Nov 16: Portland at Vancouver	Feb 15: Chilliwack at Seattle
Nov 18: Spokane at Brandon	Feb 15: Prince George at Spokane
Nov 18: Portland at Chilliwack	Feb 16: Kelowna at Portland
Nov 18: Prince Albert at Medicine Hat	Feb 17: Saskatoon at Red Deer
Nov 18: Seattle at Moose Jaw	Feb 17: Brandon at Swift Current
Nov 19: Portland at Everett	Feb 17: Prince George at Tri-City
Nov 19: Prince George at Kamloops	Feb 18: Saskatoon at Calgary
Nov 19: Tri-City at Kelowna	Feb 18: Portland at Everett
Nov 19: Prince Albert at Lethbridge	Feb 18: Chilliwack at Kelowna
Nov 19: Spokane at Regina	Feb 18: Brandon at Medicine Hat
Nov 19: Kootenay at Saskatoon	Feb 18: Prince Albert at Moose Jaw
Nov 19: Seattle at Swift Current	Feb 18: Seattle at Spokane
Nov 19: Chilliwack at Vancouver	Feb 20: Red Deer at Calgary
Nov 21: Kootenay at Brandon	Feb 20: Kamloops at Chilliwack
Nov 21: Prince Albert at Calgary	Feb 20: Edmonton at Prince George
Nov 21: Tri-City at Chilliwack	Feb 20: Moose Jaw at Regina
Nov 21: Portland at Everett	Feb 20: Spokane at Seattle
Nov 21: Spokane at Moose Jaw	Feb 20: Kootenay at Swift Current
Nov 21: Kelowna at Prince George	Feb 20: Everett at Tri-City
Nov 21: Edmonton at Red Deer	Feb 20: Kelowna at Vancouver
Nov 21: Regina at Swift Current	Feb 21: Swift Current at Brandon
Nov 21: Kamloops at Vancouver	Feb 21: Kelowna at Everett
Nov 22: Prince Albert at Edmonton	Feb 21: Vancouver at Kamloops
Nov 22: Tri-City at Everett	Feb 21: Seattle at Portland
Nov 22: Vancouver at Kamloops	Feb 21: Moose Jaw at Prince Albert
Nov 22: Regina at Medicine Hat	Feb 21: Edmonton at Prince George
Nov 22: Kootenay at Moose Jaw	Feb 21: Calgary at Red Deer
Nov 22: Kelowna at Prince George	Feb 21: Kootenay at Saskatoon
Nov 22: Lethbridge at Red Deer	Feb 21: Spokane at Tri-City
Nov 22: Brandon at Saskatoon	Feb 22: Kelowna at Chilliwack
Nov 22: Portland at Seattle	Feb 22: Regina at Moose Jaw
Nov 22: Spokane at Swift Current	Feb 22: Tri-City at Portland
Nov 26: Everett at Tri-City	Feb 22: Kootenay at Prince Albert
Nov 28: Swift Current at Calgary	Feb 22: Vancouver at Seattle
Nov 28: Vancouver at Chilliwack	Feb 24: Chilliwack at Portland
Nov 28: Portland at Everett	Feb 24: Regina at Swift Current
Nov 28: Regina at Kamloops	Feb 24: Spokane at Vancouver
Nov 28: Brandon at Lethbridge	Feb 25: Lethbridge at Brandon
Nov 28: Moose Jaw at Red Deer	Feb 25: Regina at Calgary
Nov 28: Prince Albert at Saskatoon	Feb 25: Red Deer at Edmonton
Nov 28: Kootenay at Seattle	Feb 25: Vancouver at Everett
Nov 28: Spokane at Tri-City	Feb 25: Spokane at Kamloops
Nov 29: Moose Jaw at Edmonton	Feb 25: Prince Albert at Kootenay
Nov 29: Kootenay at Everett	Feb 25: Moose Jaw at Saskatoon
Nov 29: Chilliwack at Kelowna	Feb 25: Chilliwack at Tri-City
Nov 29: Brandon at Medicine Hat	Feb 27: Saskatoon at Brandon
Nov 29: Seattle at Portland	Feb 27: Tri-City at Everett
Nov 29: Regina at Prince George	Feb 27: Regina at Kootenay
Nov 29: Swift Current at Red Deer	Feb 27: Prince Albert at Medicine Hat
Nov 29: Kamloops at Spokane	Feb 27: Lethbridge at Moose Jaw
Nov 29: Vancouver at Tri-City	Feb 27: Kamloops at Prince George
Nov 30: Brandon at Calgary	Feb 27: Kelowna at Red Deer
Nov 30: Prince Albert at Edmonton	Feb 27: Portland at Spokane
Nov 30: Moose Jaw at Lethbridge	Feb 27: Edmonton at Swift Current
Nov 30: Saskatoon at Prince George	Feb 27: Chilliwack at Vancouver
Dec 2: Regina at Chilliwack	Feb 28: Saskatoon at Brandon
Dec 2: Saskatoon at Kamloops	Feb 28: Vancouver at Everett
Dec 2: Edmonton at Medicine Hat	Feb 28: Edmonton at Moose Jaw
Dec 2: Kootenay at Portland	Feb 28: Kamloops at Prince George
Dec 3: Saskatoon at Kelowna	Feb 28: Prince Albert at Red Deer
Dec 3: Edmonton at Lethbridge	Feb 28: Portland at Seattle
Dec 3: Swift Current at Prince Albert	Feb 28: Tri-City at Spokane
Dec 3: Calgary at Spokane	Feb 28: Lethbridge at Swift Current
Dec 3: Kootenay at Tri-City	Mar 1: Vancouver at Chilliwack
Dec 3: Regina at Vancouver	Mar 1: Lethbridge at Regina
Dec 5: Saskatoon at Chilliwack	Mar 1: Everett at Seattle
Dec 5: Kamloops at Edmonton	Mar 1: Portland at Tri-City
Dec 5: Regina at Kelowna	Mar 3: Red Deer at Kootenay
Dec 5: Red Deer at Lethbridge	Mar 3: Moose Jaw at Medicine Hat
Dec 5: Medicine Hat at Moose Jaw	Mar 3: Everett at Portland
Dec 5: Calgary at Portland	Mar 3: Calgary at Prince George
Dec 5: Everett at Prince George	Mar 3: Brandon at Saskatoon
Dec 5: Brandon at Swift Current	Mar 3: Spokane at Seattle
Dec 5: Seattle at Tri-City	Mar 4: Calgary at Kamloops
Dec 6: Medicine Hat at Brandon	Mar 4: Spokane at Kelowna
Dec 6: Lethbridge at Edmonton	Mar 4: Red Deer at Lethbridge
Dec 6: Chilliwack at Kelowna	Mar 4: Brandon at Prince Albert
Dec 6: Seattle at Portland	Mar 4: Moose Jaw at Swift Current
Dec 6: Moose Jaw at Prince Albert	Mar 4: Tri-City at Vancouver
Dec 6: Everett at Prince George	Mar 6: Moose Jaw at Brandon
Dec 6: Kamloops at Red Deer	Mar 6: Kelowna at Chilliwack
Dec 6: Kootenay at Spokane	Mar 6: Swift Current at Edmonton
Dec 6: Calgary at Tri-City	Mar 6: Portland at Kamloops
Dec 6: Saskatoon at Vancouver	Mar 6: Saskatoon at Prince Albert
Dec 7: Regina at Red Deer	Mar 6: Spokane at Prince George
Dec 7: Calgary at Seattle	Mar 6: Kootenay at Red Deer
Dec 7: Chilliwack at Vancouver	Mar 6: Medicine Hat at Regina
Dec 9: Spokane at Chilliwack	Mar 6: Tri-City at Seattle
Dec 9: Swift Current at Edmonton	Mar 6: Calgary at Vancouver
Dec 9: Calgary at Everett	Mar 7: Portland at Chilliwack
Dec 9: Kamloops at Lethbridge	Mar 7: Vancouver at Kelowna
Dec 9: Brandon at Moose Jaw	Mar 7: Spokane at Prince George
Dec 10: Kamloops at Kootenay	Mar 7: Swift Current at Red Deer
Dec 10: Swift Current at Prince George	Mar 7: Brandon at Regina
Dec 10: Brandon at Saskatoon	Mar 7: Lethbridge at Saskatoon
Dec 10: Seattle at Vancouver	Mar 7: Tri-City at Seattle
Dec 12: Chilliwack at Edmonton	Mar 8: Lethbridge at Edmonton
Dec 12: Medicine Hat at Everett	Mar 8: Regina at Moose Jaw
Dec 12: Swift Current at Kelowna	Mar 8: Everett at Portland
Dec 12: Moose Jaw at Lethbridge	Mar 8: Kamloops at Vancouver
Dec 12: Prince George at Portland	Mar 10: Red Deer at Medicine Hat
Dec 12: Red Deer at Prince Albert	Mar 10: Saskatoon at Moose Jaw
Dec 12: Brandon at Regina	Mar 11: Swift Current at Brandon
Dec 12: Seattle at Spokane	Mar 11: Kootenay at Edmonton
Dec 13: Prince Albert at Brandon	Mar 11: Vancouver at Kamloops
Dec 13: Chilliwack at Calgary	Mar 11: Portland at Kelowna
Dec 13: Prince George at Everett	Mar 11: Regina at Prince Albert
Dec 13: Swift Current at Kamloops	Mar 11: Prince George at Seattle
Dec 13: Moose Jaw at Kootenay	Mar 11: Everett at Spokane
Dec 13: Medicine Hat at Portland	Mar 13: Prince George at Chilliwack
Dec 13: Red Deer at Saskatoon	Mar 13: Kelowna at Kamloops
Dec 13: Seattle at Spokane	Mar 13: Brandon at Moose Jaw
Dec 13: Vancouver at Tri-City	Mar 13: Saskatoon at Prince Albert
Dec 14: Lethbridge at Edmonton	Mar 13: Portland at Seattle
Dec 14: Vancouver at Medicine Hat	Mar 13: Tri-City at Spokane
Dec 14: Saskatoon at Regina	Mar 13: Regina at Swift Current
Dec 14: Medicine Hat at Tri-City	Mar 13: Everett at Vancouver
Dec 14: Prince George at Vancouver	Mar 14: Moose Jaw at Brandon
Dec 16: Prince Albert at Moose Jaw	Mar 14: Chilliwack at Everett
Dec 16: Kelowna at Red Deer	Mar 14: Kamloops at Kelowna
Dec 16: Lethbridge at Regina	Mar 14: Seattle at Portland
Dec 16: Calgary at Saskatoon	Mar 14: Edmonton at Red Deer
Dec 16: Medicine Hat at Spokane	Mar 14: Swift Current at Regina
Dec 16: Swift Current at Vancouver	Mar 14: Prince Albert at Saskatoon
Dec 17: Lethbridge at Brandon	Mar 14: Spokane at Tri-City
Dec 17: Swift Current at Chilliwack	Mar 14: Prince George at Vancouver
Dec 17: Kelowna at Edmonton	Mar 15: Red Deer at Edmonton
Dec 17: Saskatoon at Moose Jaw	Mar 15: Chilliwack at Portland
Dec 17: Calgary at Prince Albert	Mar 15: Everett at Seattle
Dec 17: Kamloops at Prince George	Mar 15: Kelowna at Spokane
Dec 27: Regina at Brandon	Mar 15: Prince George at Tri-City
Dec 27: Moose Jaw at Edmonton

More scheds

Four more schedule links.....Brandon, Kootenay, Portland, and Vancouver.

Brandon has had theirs available forever, I just couldn't get their site working yesterday when I was putting the links together. Vancouver's link is actually to a post at Steve Ewen's blog where he has posted a press release he received from the Giants. It's not on the Giants' website yet.

Only seven tentative team schedules still not available now: Calgary, Kamloops, Kelowna, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Regina, and Tri-City.

One other note today - if your dream job is to get paid to watch hockey games, then Everett might be looking for you....

One month to go....

It's July 29th, which might seem just another insignificant day as we fans await the start-up of hockey for 08-09, but it's actually a milestone: the first exhibition games this year are on August 29th, so we're now officially only one month (just 31 days!) away from seeing game action!!

OK, so it's a stretch to get excited about that but we gotta take what we can get during these dog days.

With exhibition action only a month away and many teams due to open training camps in as little as three weeks, we still don't have a regular season schedule and the league says the ETA for that is still over a week away on August 7th. But half the league's teams - Chilliwack, Edmonton, Everett, Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, Prince George, Red Deer, Saskatoon, Seattle, Spokane, and Swift Current - have their tentative schedules available on their websites. And even if your team isn't on that list, you can piece together a good chunk of your team's schedule by combining their dates against those eleven teams.

Another thing we'll be able to start following soon is the annual Ivan Hlinka Memorial U-18 tournament in the Czech Republic, which runs from August 12th to 16th. Hockey Canada's selection camp for the players who will represent Canada in that tournament begins August 1st in Calgary and will feature 17 WHLers - Carter Ashton (Lethbridge), Jimmy Bubnick (Kamloops), Jared Cowen (Spokane), Cody Eakin (Swift Current), Stefan Elliott (Saskatoon), Landon Ferraro (Red Deer), Scott Glennie (Brandon), Curtis Hamilton (Saskatoon), James Henry (Vancouver), Ryan Howse (Chilliwack), Evander Kane (Vancouver), Nathan Lieuwen (Kootenay), Matt Mackenzie (Calgary), Brayden McNabb (Kootenay), Garrett Mitchell (Regina), Chase Schaber (Calgary), and Brayden Schenn (Brandon) - plus Medicine Hat Tigers prospect Dylan Olsen from the AJHL's Camrose Kodiaks. So, there should be a healthy helping of WHLers on Canada's team again this year.

On the south side of the border, the Team USA roster for the Hlinka tournament has been set and features one WHLer, defenceman Collin Bowman of the Kelowna Rockets.

Another bit of hockey news here; you'll remember the sudden mid-season death last year of Mickey Renaud of the OHL's Windsor Spitfires. Well, the cause of his death is now official and it was a heart condition known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy which killed him. It's a thickening of a portion of the heart muscle and was also the cause of death of former NHLer Sergei Zholtok, who died during a Russian league game in 2004, and also killed basketball players Reggie Lewis and Hank Gathers, amongst others.

To continue a bit on the HCM angle, HCM also caused the retirement from hockey earlier this summer of Shattuck-St. Mary's hockey player David Carle. Carle (younger brother of Matt Carle of the San Jose Sharks) was diagnosed with HCM after a physical at the NHL draft combine in June and opted to retire from hockey rather than risk premature death. He was expected to be a 2nd or 3rd round pick in June's draft but ended up not being picked after retiring....no surprise there of course. Anyway, Carle was due to attend Denver University this fall on scholarship; the school will still honour his scholarship and he'll attend DU as a student only. Classy move by DU if you ask me.

UPDATE: It has been pointed out to me that David Carle actually was drafted after all, in the 7th round by Tampa Bay. Tampa Bay's new owner, Oren Koules, said after the draft that the Lightning knew it was probably wasting a pick but that the kid had worked his whole life to get drafted and somebody should at least do that for him.

Nice move by Tampa Bay....unless one of the kids picked after Carle becomes an NHL star....

The loss of Carle meant DU had an opening for a defenceman this fall, and Portland Winter Hawks prospect Patrick Wiercioch seized the opportunity. Wiercioch had a verbal commitment to Wisconsin for 2009-10 but de-committed to Wisconsin and will go to Denver this fall instead, which no doubt pleases the Ottawa Senators, who picked Wiercioch in the 2nd round in June and didn't want him to waste another year in Tier-II next year. There had been some speculation that Wiercioch may come to the WHL if he couldn't start playing NCAA this fall but obviously that's not going to happen anymore so Portland isn't likely to ever see Wiercioch, who was the key return for the Hawks in the Michael Sauer trade with Medicine Hat in January 2007.

Friday notes

Every team in the WHL has a coach again: the Pats have hired Dale Derkatch as their new man.

Since they chose Derkatch over the much-more-qualified Marc Habscheid, then you have to assume that it's pretty likely that Habscheid's compensation demands - salary plus extras that may or may not have included part ownership of the franchise or the right to buy the franchise should it be sold - were too rich for the Parkers. Or maybe Brent Parker just thinks Derkatch is a better coach than Habscheid. Don't laugh.....Habscheid was an unproven WHL coach once too. Time will tell whether this is the right hire or not.

At the press conference, Derkatch was asked for his vision of the Pats. He said he'd like a team that will lead the league in scoring, lead the league in goals against, and be 3rd or 4th in the league in penalty minutes. So his vision is for a pretty tough team. Pats opponents, you've been notified.

Also, the Western conference held its scheduling meeting yesterday, so we should probably see some tentative schedules coming out in the next few days.

Slow news week

Been almost a week since my last post here.....times are slow right now it seems, not just in the WHL and hockey world but in the sports world in general. No NHL, no NFL, no NBA.....only baseball and CFL football are playing their seasons right now and nothing much going on there to generate news....

Anyways, Marc Weber has an update on the Evan Pighin/Chilliwack situation in his blog. It seems the Bruins met with Pighin last week and laid out the facts of his situation - ie, he can't simply walk away from the Bruins and join the BCHL.

As I see it though, Pighin has the biggest card still in his hand although who knows if he wants to play it: he can simply not show up for Bruins camp and try to force the issue. Surely the Bruins will not make him sit out his last season of junior just because he wants to play Junior A instead of in the WHL. But on the other hand, I see the Bruins' position too: in order to let Pighin play Junior A, they have to first waive him through the WHL. What's stopping a contending or big market team from picking him up off the WHL waiver wire and having Pighin then agree to play for that contending or big market team since it could offer the kind of NHL/pro exposure he's looking for. Then the Bruins are left with nothing. Tough situation all around.

In other WHL news, it sounds like the Pats may have narrowed their head coach search down to two names: Marc Habscheid and Dale Derkatch.

At first glance, that contest is a no-contest: Habscheid is infinitely more qualified at the WHL level than Derkatch is. Habscheid has been a head coach in two WHL cities already, won a Memorial Cup, and also has NHL coaching experience. Derkatch, well, he was a pretty good player in the WHL in the 80's but that's all the WHL experience he has.

But, the devil is always in the details.....Habscheid is obviously going to command a heckuva lot more money than Derkatch will, and Habscheid may want other things as well. Things like G.M. Brent Parker's job. So Parker might have to decide whether he wants to continue to be the Pats G.M. or whether this is a good opportunity to step aside and hire an extremely qualified replacement. Another report suggested that Habscheid may also want first right of refusal to buy the Pats, should the Parkers ever decide to sell the team. So, some tough decisions to be made by the Parkers in the coming days/weeks.

If it's just the coaching job, then it's a no-brainer that you take Habscheid and pay him whatever the price is. But if all these other factors are in the mix too....maybe Derkatch becomes more appealing as the issue-free candidate?

Another note, Rockets fans can probably forget about seeing Mikael Backlund in their lineup this season after reading this article. He's going back to Sweden this year if he doesn't crack the NHL. So, a wasted import pick by the Rockets.

Boychuk has surgery

Lethbridge star Zach Boychuk underwent surgery on his left wrist earlier this week to repair a fracture. The surgery was called a success, and the doctor estimates he should be recovered in three months.

That puts his return to the ice at around mid October.....which is probably good news for the Lethbridge version of the Hurricanes and bad news for the NHL version of them. For the NHL squad, this means he won't be ready to play until shortly after the start of the NHL season and therefore he probably has no chance of making the NHL roster since he'll miss all of training camp and won't be in game shape when he IS ready to play. For the WHL Canes, it's good news because it means he'll very likely be back in the WHL this year although he'll miss the first 10 games or so of the season.

08-09 look ahead: overagers

It's the dog days of the offseason right now, the time between the NHL draft and the start of WHL training camps where nothing much seems to happen. So, to help pass time, here's a look at the potential overage situations around the league.

Basically what I've done is listed all the 07-08 19 year old who are still property of their 07-08 team and thus (only theoretically, in some cases) eligible to play as overagers in 08-09. Then a few notes about who I think the likely three choices would be if the season started tomorrow.

Brandon Wheat Kings: Daniel Bartek (F), Andrew Clark (F), Chad Erb (D), Matt Lowry (F), Matt McCue (D)

Bartek is a two-spot player and won't be back but the other four should all be in the mix. Clark and Lowry are probably locks for spots, based on their numbers last year. Plus, there are four younger defencemen returning which means they probably only need one of Erb or McCue. I'd go with Erb. McCue might find work somewhere else in the WHL but more realistically is probably headed for Jr A.


Calgary Hitmen: Karl Alzner (D), Kyle Bortis (F), Ian Duval (F), T.J. Galiardi (F), Carson McMillan (F), Keith Seabrook (D), Dan Spence (G), Ryan White (F)

Alzner, Galiardi, and White have signed pro contracts and will not be back. The other five all likely will be. Bortis is a lock for a spot, and while Seabrook didn't have a great year last year the Hitmen probably need another veteran guy on the blueline so he stays too. Duval and McMillan should battle for the third spot; I'd pick Duval. McMillan will definitely find a new home in the WHL, probably via trade. Spence might too if some team needs a middle-of-the-pack calibre starting goalie enough to use an overage spot on him.


Chilliwack Bruins: Partik Bhungal (F), Evan Pighin (F), Mark Santorelli (F)

Could be a couple solid guys here, or it could be pretty slim pickings. Santorelli is likely headed pro but could be returned for another junior season. Pighin appears set on dropping down to Jr A unless the Bruins can convince him otherwise. If both those guys are back, that's huge for the Bruins. If neither are, they're going to be in the market for a couple impact O/A's because Bhungal is strictly a role player. He might keep his spot in Chilliwack by default but he might not make the cut on a lot of other teams in the league. As for what the Bruins might be looking for in O/A's to acquire....they need everything except maybe a goalie. Definitely at least one more top-three forward (good luck getting one of those) and a top-four defenceman.


Edmonton Oil Kings: Cameron Cepek (D), Brenden Dowd (F), Robin Figren (F), Jeff Lee (F), Brandon Lockerby (D), J-P Szaszkiewicz (F)

Figren is gone pro. The other five should be back; I'm thinking I'd keep Cepek, Dowd, and Szaszkiewicz if I were them but on the other hand, the Oil King blueline is so horrible looking for next year that they might need to keep Lockerby too just to have another veteran guy.


Everett Silvertips: Taylor Ellington (D), Eric English (F), Zach Hamill (F), Jonathan Harty (D), Leland Irving (G), Graham Potuer (D)

Hamill and Irving are gone pro and Harty has left the WHL to pursue his education. The other three should be back but I can't see English sticking around since most overagers need to get more than three shifts a game to have a spot. So the Tips could be looking to add an O/A, perhaps a defenceman with some puck-moving abilities if one is available.


Kamloops Blazers: Brady Calla (F), Kenton Dulle (F), Juuso Puustinen (F), Ivan Rohac (F), Scott Wasden (F)

Spencer Fraipont and Sasha Golin were released by the team. Puustinen and Rohac are headed back overseas, and Calla is expected to turn pro. That leaves Dulle and Wasden as the only candidates, with room for one more. I'm thinking they could use a defenceman with some size.


Kelowna Rockets: Tysen Dowzak (D), Myles MacRae (F)

MacRae has told the Rockets he wishes to drop down to Jr A next year and he'll probably be allowed to do that, leaving Dowzak as the only overager on the current Rockets roster. What they're looking for probably depends on whether they lose one of Luke Schenn or Tyler Myers (or even both!) to the NHL this year. If they lose one or both of those guys then they'll probably be looking for veteran defencemen to replace them. If they get both those guys back, then they might have the best defence in the league and look for the Rockets to round out a pretty solid looking team with some more forwards. In fact, there might not even be room for Dowzak on that blueline if Schenn and Myers are back....so maybe see Dowzak swapped for a forward too in that case.


Kootenay Ice: Andrew Bailey (F), Ian Barteaux (D), Eric Frere (D), Arnaud Jacquemet (F), Kris Lazaruk (G), Ben Maxwell (F), Zach Sim (D)

Maxwell is gone pro and Jacquemet is playing in Europe next year. The other five should be back to fight for three spots and by far the biggest decision is whether to keep Kris Lazaruk or hand the goaltending reins over to Thomas Heemskerk and Nathan Lieuwen. All three of those goalies are going to be in the WHL next year but only two in Cranbrook. They can keep Lazaruk and apprentice one of Heemskerk/Lieuwen as his backup again next year (trading the other one) or they can deal Lazaruk and go with the two younger goalies. I think they choose the latter option and deal Lazaruk, which should get them a good return from a team needing a goalie (give Bob Green or Chad Lang a call!). I'd then keep Bailey, Barteaux, and Frere as the three overagers. Sim will either find a new spot in the league or drop down to Jr A.


Lethbridge Hurricanes: Adam Chorneyko (F), Mitch Fadden (F), Paul MacDonald (D), Michael Maniago (G), Mitch Versteeg (D), Ben Wright (D)

Five of these guys will definitely be back; the sixth, Fadden, may turn pro but there's also a good chance he'll be back in the WHL. Not in Lethbridge though, as G.M. Ray Stasiuk already all but said that Fadden would be traded if he returned. Maniago is also going to be on the outside looking in, as the team does not need an overage backup goalie. He'll be dealt or released as well. Between the other four, Wright is a lock and Chorneyko is a good bet too since the team doesn't need three O/A defencemen. The third spot would be between Versteeg and MacDonald. I'd bet on Versteeg. Should Fadden indeed return to the Hurricanes, then he's a lock too of course but we're assuming he's not back one way or the other.


Medicine Hat Tigers: Mikael Ahlen (F), Jordan Bendfeld (D), Brennan Bosch (F), Sean Ringrose (F)

Ahlen is not coming back; the other three are. And not a bad threesome they are either.


Moose Jaw Warriors: Keaton Ellerby (D), Evan Fuller (F), Ryley Grantham (F), Riley Holzapfel (F), Jordan Knackstedt (F), Brett Ward (D), Ty Wishart (D)

Ellerby, Holzapfel, and Wishart are gone to the pros. Knackstedt and Grantham are drafted as well but I think we'll probably see them both back, leaving four players to compete for three spots. Knackstedt and Grantham probably lock up spots, leaving Fuller vs. Ward for the third spot although I think the Tribe might want to look at acquiring a goalie for that third spot. If they don't, then I probably keep Fuller over Ward since there is decent blueline depth.


Portland Winter Hawks: Scott Gabriel (D), Matt Schmermund (F), Tyler Swystun (F), Jordan White (G)

All four should be back but I can't see them keeping White as an overage backup to Kurtis Mucha. They need to groom a younger goalie since they could possibly lose Mucha to the pros after this season. Gabriel, Schmermund, and Swystun could be their three guys although honestly, is Scott Gabriel an overage-calibre player? I think he can be upgraded via a trade


Prince Albert Raiders: Justin Bernhardt (F), Max Brandl (F), Jared Jagow (F), Ryan McDonald (F), Matt Robertson (F)

Brandl won't be back. The other four will, with Jagow being the amazingly obvious odd man out. Nothing against Jagow but the other three are all 65-75 point players at least.


Prince George Cougars: Kevin Armstrong (G), Patrik Magnusson (D), Tommy Tartaglione (G)

Of those three, only Armstrong is going to be there this year. Magnusson is not expected back from Sweden, and Armstrong's presence ensures Tartaglione doesn't have a job. Look for the Cougars to acquire a couple more overagers, at least one a defenceman to add experience to that blueline.


Red Deer Rebels: Luke Egener (D), James Reimer (G), Carter Smith (F), Brennen Wray (F)

Reimer is expected to turn pro, leaving the other three. I'm not sure Carter Smith will stick around though, there have to be upgrades available out there for a team that will badly need some veteran scoring and leadership, especially if they lose Brandon Sutter to the NHL.


Regina Pats: Victor Bartley (D), Ryan DePape (F), Scott Doucet (F), Josh Elder (F), Kirt Hill (F), Michael MacAngus (F), Logan Pyett (D)

Pyett is turning pro but the other six should all be back, which means there's going to be some tough decisions for the new Pats coach to make. I think they keep Bartley, MacAngus, and Doucet, with DePape and Hill for sure finding new teams out there. Elder might too, but he might also be too one-dimensional for an O/A spot in the WHL.


Saskatoon Blades: Colin Joe (D), Garrett Klotz (F), Mike Reich (F)

Klotz is expected to turn pro but both Joe and Reich should be back, with one open spot to fill. They can probably use a top-six forward, especially if they lose Colton Gillies to the NHL. And personally I wouldn't waste an overage spot on Mike Reich's tired act either so if there were a better option out there, don't be surprised if the Blades took it.


Seattle Thunderbirds: Riku Helenius (G), Ashton Hewson (F), Bud Holloway (F), Devon LeBlanc (F), Greg Scott (F)

Helenius, Holloway, and Scott are all gone to the pros, leaving only the recently-acquired Hewson and LeBlanc on the Seattle roster. One more spot available to fill. Probably a defenceman, especially if they lose Thomas Hickey to the NHL.


Spokane Chiefs: Seth Compton (F), Justin Falk (D), Trevor Glass (D), Curtis Kelner (F), Justin McCrae (F)

The Chiefs could lose Falk and maybe McCrae to the pros, but they could also get everyone back too. Two things seem certain to me, and that's that Glass is a keeper and Kelner is an odd man out regardless of how the Falk/McCrae situation goes. Compton's spot probably depends on whether the Chiefs get one or both of Falk/McCrae back. He should have a job somewhere in the WHL for sure though.


Swift Current Broncos: Keegan Dansereau (F), Jesse Dudas (D), Spencer McAvoy (D), Levi Nelson (F), Zack Smith (F), David Stieler (F), Dale Weise (F), Travis Yonkman (G)

Some of the toughest overage decisions in the WHL this fall are in Speedy Creek. Stieler is not coming back as a two-spotter and Nelson is turning pro but the other six guys should all be back and only three of them can stay. I think Yonkman is a lock and probably Dansereau is too, but try and pick one more out of Dudas, Smith, and Weise. Doesn't look good for McAvoy but he, along with the two losers from the Dudas/Smith/Weise trio, should be able to find other spots in the league. Oh, and I'd probably keep Dudas as the third guy, just because they probably need another body on defence more than they need it up front.


Tri-City Americans: Drew Hoff (F), Blair Macaulay (F), Radek Meidl (F), Taylor Procyshen (F), Jason Reese (F)

Meidl isn't expected back; the other four are. I think they have to go with Macauley, Procyshen, and Reese, which makes Hoff the odd man out.


Vancouver Giants: Mike Berube (D), Chris Cloud (F), Spencer Machacek (F), Casey Pierro-Zabotel (F), Michal Repik (F), Craig Schira (D)

Machacek and Repik are gone to the pros, leaving the other four guys to compete for three spots. I think Schira and Pierro-Zabotel are good bets for two of the spots, and Berube's resurrection of his career last year probably gets him the third spot over Cloud.

Trouble brewing in the Kootenays?

Check out Jeff Bromley's blog today.

Basically, the Ice have triggered the escape clause in their lease again. If their average paid attendance this coming season is below 2800, the Ice will be free to abandon their lease and leave Cranbrook at the end of 2008-09.

That's not to say that they WILL, only that using the clause gives them the option to do so if paid attendance is below an average of 2800 for two consecutive seasons. Last year it was 2770, or an average of 30 fans per game below the required level.

More Seattle/Prince Albert overage moves

In my post about the Leblanc-to-Seattle trade, I mentioned that Leblanc was now Seattle's only overager on their roster and that Prince Albert still had five overagers on theirs.

Turns out I was wrong on both counts. I've been informed that Prince Albert recently dropped Ashton Hewson from their list, and that Seattle picked him up. So the Birds now have acquired two of Prince Albert's original six 08-09 overage candidates, although only Leblanc cost them anything.

Hewson is a good character kid who was named the WHL's Humanitarian of the Year this past season. For an idea of what kind of character this kid has, you have to read this article again.

His numbers are not that good which means he might not normally be a good candidate for an overage spot since he seems like a 3rd line kind of guy and teams usually like to see their overage forwards playing in their top 6. Maybe he has some untapped offensive potential though....guess we'll find out.

Friday notes

Some big news today out of Regina - the Pats are losing their head coach. Curtis Hunt is apparently headed for Ottawa, where he'll be an assistant coach on the staff of new Senators bench boss Craig Hartsburg.

There's never a good time to lose your head coach unexpectedly but in this case, at least it's early July still and the Pats have six weeks to get a new man in and give him time to get set up before training camp starts in late August.

In other WHL news, the Evan Pighin saga takes another turn as the Chilliwack Bruins say he's not free to go to the BCHL's Victoria Grizzlies since he has a contract in the WHL, and they don't plan to release him to play Junior A. They're also more than a little bit peeved about the way the situation was handled, since neither Pighin nor the Grizzlies ever contacted the Bruins to discuss the situation. For his part, Pighin says he really, really wants to step down to Jr A and play in Victoria this year, and is hopeful things can be worked out. You can read more in Chilliwack beat writer Marc Weber's blog.

My take.....the Bruins can say what they like about not releasing Pighin to the BCHL but the bottom line is if he refuses to report to Chilliwack, then he's not going to play there anyway. And surely the Bruins aren't going to make Pighin sit out his last year of junior hockey over a dispute like this. Yes, it's a loss to the team but this is a player who started last year in the BCHL too and who cost the Bruins nothing to acquire in midseason last year. It's a tough break but sometimes that's just the way the cookie crumbles.

Moving on, some of you might remember last November the Edmonton Oil Kings had a promotion in which they changed their team name to the Edmonton Rodeo Kings for one night, in honor of the Canadian Finals Rodeo which is held in Edmonton every year. The face of the promotion was Oil Kings defenceman Matt Swaby, who takes part in rodeo in his spare time.

Well, Swaby's WHL career is over but his rodeo career is just getting underway, and apparently he is competing this week at one of the biggest rodeos on the calendar, the Calgary Stampede. I'm not sure if he is scheduled to have another ride before the Stampede wraps up, but if so, you can find the Stampede rodeo results here.

Thanks to Gregg Drinnan's blog for pointing out the Swaby/Stampede story. I live right in Calgary but somehow managed to miss it. It must be summer.....

Birds, Raiders trade

Less than a week after losing their last 08-09 overage candidate, the Thunderbirds of Kent have taken the first step to restocking their roster with some '88s, acquiring forward Devon Leblanc from Prince Albert - who have a glut of potential overagers - for a 2009 5th round bantam pick.

Leblanc is a big body (6'2", 205 lb) who scored 17 goals last year for the Raiders and 15 the year before, which was split between Red Deer and Prince Albert. He has been knocked in his career for not asserting himself every night and not using his size as well as he could, but he should be a useful 2nd line addition to the Birds, where he could pot 15-20 goals.

The move also gets Prince Albert down to five potential overagers from six. Still in the mix in "Hockeytown North" (does anyone even still call it that???) are Matt Robertson, Jared Jagow, Ryan McDonald, Ashton Hewson, and Justin Bernhardt - all forwards.

AHL team name

The name of Iowa's AHL team was announced yesterday, and it is one of the more unique and interesting names lately: the Iowa Chops.

The logo is a boar's head, and the team owner says of the name, "It illustrates Iowa’s agricultural heritage while also playing into the definition of ‘chops’, having nerve, resilience and staying power. The word ‘chops’ can mean continually defeating someone, and that is the reputation we expect Iowa’s new team to gain in the league."

Now, I can't be alone on this....but when I see a pig's head and the word "Chops", that's not what I think at all. I think......Barbeque!!

And will the teams' lumber be known as the "Chops' sticks?"

Joking aside, it's nice to see a sports team with a "different" name now and then. Lots of teams call themselves safe names like the "Panthers", the "Braves", the "Bears", etc. You gotta have colourful ones like the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees and the Macon Whoopee too.....

Chilliwack note

The BCHL rights of Chilliwack Bruins forward Evan Pighin were acquired by the Victoria Grizzlies in a trade last weekend. Reading the press release on Victoria's website, it sounds like Pighin has agreed to join the Grizzlies next season for his overage year rather than play in the WHL for Chilliwack.

If this is true, it's a blow to the Bruins, who would have been counting on Pighin for some offence next season, especially if they lose leading scorer Mark Santorelli to his NHL contract. Pighin had 48 points in 52 games for Chilliwack last season. In fact, if Santorelli does not return and neither does Pighin, Chilliwack's only 08-09 overage candidate is tough guy Partik Bhungal and whether they're even interested in having him use up one of their three overage spots could be debatable.

Bruins fans need to hope really, really hard that Oscar Moller doesn't crack the lineup of the rebuilding Los Angeles Kings, because losing all three of Santorelli, Pighin, and Moller would decimate their front end, leaving them with Jadon Potter as their top returning scorer.

Monday notes

Couple notes for a slow offseason Monday....

Rumours out of Saskatoon are that Hockey Canada is about to announce that the Saskatoon/Regina bid to host the 2010 World Junior Hockey Championships has been successful. If true, this is very good news for WHL fans as it can't get any easier to attend a WJCs than when it's right in your own backyard.

UPDATED: it's a rumour no longer. It's official now: the 2010 WJCs are headed to the frigid flatlands. As for what this does to the Calgary/Edmonton joint bid for the 2012 WJCs, it can't be good. After being in the west in 2010, I think Hockey Canada might want to take the 2012 event to the eastern part of the country. I guess we'll see.

And a signing from the WHL, perhaps a little unexpected but good news anyway. The Toronto Maple Leafs have inked Seattle forward Greg Scott to a 3-year deal as an undrafted free agent. Scott had 38 goals and 75 points for the T-Birds last year. I love seeing kids who were never drafted end up signing NHL contracts anyway.....the NHL draft isn't the be-all and end-all of pro hockey careers and even if you don't get drafted, hard work will usually get rewarded.

Prior to the signing, Scott was the only overage candidate on Seattle's roster.....so, with him now unlikely to be back in the WHL next year, the Birds have room to acquire three overagers.

And from the NHL.....I'm not one of those folks who completely despises Gary Bettman, but this latest move is just dumb. What's wrong with some schoolyard name-calling, some rivalry building, injecting a little colour into what is becoming a colourless sport? It's the offseason, for crying out loud; any ink a winter sport can get in the summer can't be a bad thing.