Coaching news

Sounds like the WHL's last two remaining coaching vacancies may now be filled.

Neither of these two hirings are confirmed, but reports and rumors are pointing towards the Moose Jaw Warriors hiring former OHL coach Mike Stothers as their head coach, while their rival Regina Pats are said to be close to inking former Kootenay Ice coach Ryan McGill as their new coach.

Stothers is a former minor pro defenceman who had a few brief cups of coffee in the Show with the Flyers. He has been an assistant coach in the NHL with the Flyers (2000-2002) and more recently with the Atlanta Thrashers last year. He was the head coach of the OHL's Owen Sound Attack for five years from 2002 - 2007, finishing with an average .522 winning percentage there.

The big hire though - if it's true - has to be the Pats landing Ryan McGill. McGill was the head coach of the Ice from 1997 through 2002, culminating in their Memorial Cup win in 2002. He left the WHL for the pro ranks right after the Memorial Cup, and spent the next 7 year as head coach of the Rangers and Flames' AHL affiliates before being assistant coach for the Flames the last two years. The Flames let him go in May in a purge of their NHL assistants. Looks like he might be about to return to the WHL and if so, he brings immediate credibility to that franchise as a guy who put some very very good teams on the ice in Cranbrook. His last three seasons with the Ice featured a couple .700 teams, two WHL titles, and one Memorial Cup.