Tag: Jim Pedersen

Pedersen Show to open Wall of Honour day celebrations

OKOTOKS (July 9, 2025) — The celebration surrounding the non-profit Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation’s second annual Wall of Honour induction dinner will get underway on the morning of July 29.

While the dinner is to be held that evening at the Viking Rentals Centre in Okotoks, home of the Wall of Honour, veteran broadcaster Rod Pedersen will kick things off when he opens The Rod Pedersen Show at 10 a.m. (MT) from the lobby of the Sheraton Cavalier Calgary, the Foundation’s host hotel.

“The WCPHSF is doing a great thing with this Wall of Honour, and what they’re doing for the scouting fraternity as a whole,” Pedersen said. “Scouts are easily the most unheralded part of sports teams, but arguably the most important! To have the opportunity to shed more light on what they do by broadcasting our show from the event is a huge blessing.”

What will make the day so much more special is that Pedersen’s late father Jim, a longtime Dallas Stars scout, will be one of the 29 past and present-day scouts inducted into the Wall of Honour.

“I can’t wait to see my Dad’s scouting buddies in Okotoks and hear their war stories on air,” Pedersen said. “Our family is incredibly grateful to have our father recognized in this way and we’re excited to hopefully add to a great event.”

Pedersen’s show will run until noon from the hotel that is located at 2620-32nd Ave. NE. It is anticipated that a number of celebrity guests, honourees and foundation directors will make appearances.

“The Foundation is thrilled that Rod will be able to broadcast from the Sheraton Cavalier that day,” said Garth Malarchuk, the Foundation’s chairman of the board. “This will be a terrific opportunity for us to get out the message that we are about more than the Wall of Honour, that we are about helping charities and those in the scouting fraternity who maybe have been dealt a bad hand medically and need some help.

“Having The Rod Pedersen Show on the air like that is also an exciting way for us to get our big day started.”

The show is available for viewing on the Game+ television network. It also is available on YouTube, Facebook, Spotify. Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts or Stitcher. Or you can visit rodpedersen.com/listenlive/.

—30—

WCPHS Foundation will salute Pedersen

The Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation is to hold its second annual Wall of Honour induction dinner in Okotoks on July 29. . . . If you aren’t aware, the Wall of Honour makes its home in the Viking Rentals Centre in Okotoks. . . . And the dinner will be held right there, too. . . . It’ll be a night of fun, fun, fun, what with various auctions and a Hot Stove session or two involving members of the hockey-playing Sutter family. . . . Tickets for the dinner are available at tickets.hockeyscoutsfoundation.com. . . . With all that in mind, we are introducing members of the Wall of Honour’s Class of ’25, so we would like you to meet the late Jim Pedersen.

JIM PEDERSEN

(June 11, 1937 — July 21, 2018)

From Milestone, Sask., where he was raised on a farm and played goal in minor hockey. . . . Spent 26 years as a scout with the Dallas Stars. Was part of their 1999 Stanley Cup championship team. . . . Prior to the NHL, he scouted for the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen, Prince Albert Raiders, Regina Pats and Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . From the Regina Leader-Post: “As well, Pedersen assisted people who were dealing with substance-abuse issues and offered counselling to young people. A lifelong 4-H member, he raised purebred Angus cattle.” . . . Ross Mahoney, the Washington Capitals’ assistant GM, knew Pedersen for more than 30 years. “I know he was an extremely hard worker,” Mahoney said, “because every time I went to a game, there was Jim Pedersen. I thought that maybe there were four or five Jim Pedersens, but there was only one.”

WCPHS Foundation announces 2025 Wall of Honour inductees

OKOTOKS, Alta. (Jan. 7, 2025) — The Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation will add 29 names to its Wall of Honour when it holds its second induction dinner this summer.

The foundation announced today that the 2025 class will include three pioneers of scouting, seven from the early era (1968-80), 17 from the modern era, and two from the major junior ranks.

The 2024 class featured 44 inductees — five Pioneers, 17 from the modern era, 20 from the modern era, and two major junior scouts.

The Wall of Honour, which features a rolling video display with a brief bio of each inductee, is located in the Viking Rentals Centre in Okotoks, Alta. The induction dinner will be held there at a date yet to be announced.

“It’s a difficult process,” said Scott Bradley, who is a member of the Wall of Honour selection committee. “It’s an honour to be one involved in the Foundation and the process.”

Bradley is in his 32nd season with the Boston Bruins and now is in his sixth season as senior advisor to the general manager. His father, Bart, was a long-time Bruins’ scout who was inducted into the Wall of Honour in 2024.

“A lot of us have worked with all of these guys,” Scott added. “I come from a scouting family. The founding fathers . . . the pioneers . . . these men are legends to me.”

The three pioneers to be inducted this summer spent more than 70 years in the scouting business. Denis Ball, Jeep George and Jimmy Walker, all deceased, were true legends of the game.

The early era inductees feature Dennis McIvor, Tom McVie and Doug Overton Sr., along with the late Larry Hornung, Jim Pedersen, Larry Popein and George Wood.

The modern era scouts to be inducted are Darwin Bennett, Jim Benning, Shane Churla, the late Glen Cochrane, Milt Fisher, Ernie Gare Jr., Erin Ginnell, Brian Gross, Dennis Holland, the late Brad Hornung, Tim Lenardon, Stu MacGregor, Ray Payne, Brad Robson, Carter Sears, Marty Stein and Al Tuer.

The major junior scouts to be honoured in 2025 are Keith Wilson and the late Al Macpherson.

“It’s exciting to be included in the Wall of Honour,” said Gare Jr., who wrapped up his scouting career by spending 15 seasons with the New York Rangers.

The Hornungs, Larry and Brad, are father and son. Ginnell is the Foundation’s president; his late father, Pat (Paddy), was part of the inaugural induction class in 2024, as were Tuer’s late father, Graham, and Benning’s late father, Elmer.

“I was very surprised and honoured when Ron Delorme called me with the news,” said Payne, who has been scouting for more than 30 years.“I wasn’t aware of how the selection process worked, or who was part of the selection group. It was nice to know that it was something that was voted on by peers.” 

Stein, who won four Stanley Cups while scouting for the Detroit Red Wings for 25 years, said: “I’m very honoured to receive this accolade on the Wall of Honour.”

Stein, who now is with the Buffalo Sabres, added that he really wanted “to thank the Wall of Honour committee for this tribute.”

The inductees are chosen by the foundation’s selection committee, which comprises Dennis Beyak, Scott Bradley, Ron Delorme, Gregg Drinnan, Erin Ginnell, Ross Mahoney, Garth Malarchuk, Shane Malloy, Mike Penny and Blair Reid, all of whom are on the board of directors or act as advisors to the board.

In making its choices, the committee looks at such things as longevity and dedication within the industry.

“Scouting is a tough and demanding job that requires a lot of travel and time away from your family,” said Mahoney, the Foundation’s vice-president who is an assistant general manager with the Washington Capitals. “I had the privilege of knowing most of the honourees from this 2025 class of inductees. They all were committed and dedicated individuals who represented their respective teams in a professional and classy manner.”

—30—

WHL to restrict trading of youngest players . . . Royals, Pats make deal . . . Pedersen service set for Friday

MacBeth

F Brock Montgomery (Kootenay, 2009-13) signed a one-year extension with the Tilburg Trappers (Netherlands, Germany Oberliga Nord). Last season, he had 26 goals and 25 assists in 40 games. He led the league in PIM, with 134. . . .

D Richard Nedomlel (Swift Current, 2010-13) signed a tryout contract with Hradec Králové (Czech Republic, Extraliga). Last season, he had two assists in 34 games with Sparta Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He also was pointless in four games while on loan to Mladá Bloeslav (Czech Republic, Extraliga). . . .

F Peter Quenneville (Brandon, 2013-15) signed a one-year contract with Sparta Sarpsborg (Norway, GET-Ligaen). Last season, he had two goals and an assist in 13 games with Pardubice (Czech Republic, Extraliga); three goals and one assist in nine games with SaiPa Lappeenranta (Finland, Liiga); and six goals and four assists in 12 games with the Aalborg Pirates (Denmark, Metal Ligaen). . . .

F Dylan Hood (Kelowna, Moose Jaw, 2006-11) signed a one-year contract with Cergy (France, Division 1). Last season, he had five goals and three assists in 13 games with the Huntsville Havoc (SPHL).

ThisThat

Taking Note has been told that the WHL has acted in an attempt to put a halt to the number of young players who get traded within the league.

The move is a reaction to the number of deals that were made in the period leading up to last season’s Jan. 10 trade deadline.

To refresh your memory, from Nov. 13 through Jan. 10, the WHL’s 22 teams combined to whlmake 58 trades that involved 110 players, 77 bantam draft picks and 12 conditional bantam draft picks. (I started counting on Nov. 13 because that was when the Regina Pats, the host team for the 2018 Memorial Cup, made the first big deal, acquiring D Cale Fleury from the Kootenay Ice.)

You may recall that many observers commented in the deadline’s aftermath.

There obviously was concern at the league level. In May, WHL commissioner Ron Robison told Brandon Rivers of dubnetwork.ca:

“We are looking at that very seriously. We were concerned about the level of trade activity this year. We will be coming out soon with a decision. We want to make sure that these players are not concerned about that at that age and we are focusing on restricting moving players at a younger age.”

Taking Note has been told that the league has decided that its teams won’t be allowed to trade any 15- or 16-year-old players who have signed WHL contracts. On top of that, the only time the trading of a 17-year-old player will be allowed is if that player has requested a trade.

The 17-year-old player will have had to approach the team’s general manager to ask for a trade; a team won’t be able to make the first move, asking said player to waive his no-trade clause. Taking Note was told that the WHL will approach a 17-year-old player’s parents to make sure the procedure was followed.

“It’s going to be interesting to see teams that have top-end players to sell . . . when they can’t get another team’s stud prospects or 16-year-olds,” one WHL insider told Taking Note. “All you’ll be able to trade for really is (bantam draft) picks and unsigned players.”

Had these rules been in place prior to the Jan. 10 deadline, you have to wonder if the Swift Current Broncos and Lethbridge Hurricanes would have combined on perhaps the biggest deal of the season.

In that one, the Hurricanes landed F Logan Barlage, F Owen Blocker, D Matthew Stanley, G Logan Flodell, a 2020 first-round bantam draft pick, a third-rounder in 2020 and a conditional second-rounder in 2021, with the Broncos getting F Giorgio Estephan, F Tanner Nagel and G Stuart Skinner.

Barlage was the key component from Lethbridge’s perspective, but he was 16 years of age. Blocker, meanwhile, was 17.

How much might something like this change the face of the WHL? Well, if that Lethbridge-Swift Current trade isn’t made, do the Broncos win the Memorial Cup? At the very least, it’s food for thought.

Up until now, there always have been teams wanting to trade short-term players — rentals, if you will — to teams that are going all-in, and take back young prospects in return. Now, it seems, they won’t be able to make those moves.

Under these new rules it will be interesting to see how those teams who become “sellers” at the deadline choose to go through the rebuilding process.

For example, the Regina Pats spurred a rebuild by acquiring F Jake Leschyshyn, then 15, from the Red Deer Rebels on Jan. 5, 2015, and F Nick Henry, then 17, from the Everett Silvertips at the 2016 bantam draft. Under these new rules, the Pats would have been able to deal for Henry, who hadn’t signed with Everett, but couldn’t have had Leschyshyn, who had signed with the Rebels.

This means, of course, that a team’s bantam draft picks will take on added significance, meaning there will be more pressure on the scouting staffs to make the right selections.

As one WHL scout told Taking Note on Tuesday: “Good . . . make us more accountable.”

The Victoria Royals have acquired F Tanner Sidaway, 19, from the Regina Pats for an VictoriaRoyalseighth-round selection in the 2019 WHL bantam draft. . . . Sidaway, who is from Victoria, split last season between the Kootenay Ice and Regina. He had a goal and an assist in five games with Kootenay, then recorded three assists in 58 games with the Pats. In 2016-17, he had two goals and six assists in 65 games with the Ice. An undrafted player, he originally was listed by the Red Deer Rebels. . . . On Jan. 3, 2016, the Ice acquired Sidaway, F Presten Kopeck, 20, D Ryan Pouliot, 17, and second- and third-round picks in the 2016 bantam draft from Red Deer for F Luke Philp, 20. . . . On Oct. 10, the Ice dealt Sidaway and a seventh-round pick in the 2018 bantam draft to Regina for F Jeff de Wit, 19.

Jim Pedersen, a long-time hockey scout, died on Saturday. He was 81. . . . “He was always very helpful, even though he worked for a different team,” Ross Mahoney, the Washington Capitals’ Regina-based assistant general manager told the Regina Leader-Post. “I know he was an extremely hard worker because every time I went to a game, there was Jim Pedersen. I thought that maybe there were four or five Jim Pedersens, but there was only one.” . . . A memorial service is scheduled for Friday, 2 p.m., at the Memorial Centre in Milestone, Sask. . . . The Leader-Post’s story is right here.

Tweetoftheday