A few Twitter tidbits from Tuesday’s three-game night on the WHL playoff scene . . .
Geoffrey Brandow (@GeoffreyBrandow): “Moose Jaw forces Winnipeg into allowing their most goals this season (8). Lynden Lakovic, who scored twice in the regular season, does so in one playoff game. Youngest (and first 16-year-old) with 2-goals in 1 playoff game with Warriors in Internet Era. . . . Brayden Yager, who sits 3rd on list behind Lakovic and Kendall McArdle, registers 4 assists matching career competitive best. Jagger Firkus extends point streak to 13 with a pair of tallies, 4th multigoal game in span. Ryder Korczak collects 1+2, 3rd straight multipoint effort.” . . .
Brandow, again: “Red Deer is a step away from a conference final appearance after a come-from-behind win. Frantisek Formanek finds a home for 3rd playoff goal while Dwayne Jean Jr. puts team ahead for good. 5 goals since joining the Rebels, all have come at home.” . . .
More from Brandow: “Seattle wins in a romp, most road goals in playoffs since March, 2017. Half of their eight markers come on man advantage. Brad Lambert leads charge with a goal and 5 assists. 11 assists, 13 points in series (PG has 6 — 3G, 3A — as a whole). . . . Dylan Guenther grabs another pair of goals, extending goal streak to 13. First since Giorgio Estephan to have 10+ goals in consecutive playoffs (11 w/ LET in 2017; 13 w/ SC in 2018).” . . .
From Troy Gillard (@Troy_Gillard): “Kyle Kelsey has set a Rebels record by winning six-straight playoff games, besting Shane Bendera’s record of five-straight in 2001.”
WHL PLAYOFF NOTES:
And then there were seven . . .
One more team bowed out of the WHL playoffs on a four-game Wednesday night, leaving six standing in the chase for the Ed Chynoweth Cup. BTW, the road team won each of the four games. . . .
In Prince George, the No. 1 Seattle Thunderbirds won their eighth straight game beating the No. 4 Cougars, 8-2, to sweep that Western Conference semifinal series.
The Thunderbirds now await a winner of the other semifinal between the No. 2 Kamloops Blazers and No. 3 Portland Winterhawks. Last night in Portland, the Blazers posted a 3-2 victory and lead the series, 3-0. They’ll play Game 4 tonight in Portland. That will be the WHL’s lone game of the night.
Meanwhile, in the Eastern Conference, the No. 2 Saskatoon Blades avoided a sweep by beating the No. 3 Rebels, 4-2, in Red Deer. They’ll play Game 5 in Saskatoon on Friday, with the Rebels holding a 3-1 series lead.
And, in Moose Jaw, the No. 1 Winnipeg Ice tied the series with the No. 4 Warriors, posting a 3-2 OT victory. Those teams now head for Winnipeg and Game 5 on Friday, then return to Moose Jaw for Game 6 on Monday.
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WEDNESDAY IN THE WHL PLAYOFFS:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Winnipeg (1) at Moose Jaw (4) — F Zack Ostapchuk scored on a PP in OT to give 
the Winnipeg Ice a 3-2 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . That series is tied, 2-2, as the teams return to Winnipeg for Game 5 on Saturday night. . . . They are scheduled to play a sixth game in Moose Jaw on Monday night. . . . F Vladislav Shilo (2) gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 8:22 of the first period. . . . The Warriors tied it at 12:57 as F Martin Rysavy (5) scored. . . . The Ice went back in front, 2-1, 50 seconds in to the second period on a goal from F Matt Savoie (8). . . . F Jagger Firkus (8) got the Warriors back even at 1:22 of the third period. . . . Ostapchuk scored his sixth goal of the playoffs at 11:56 of OT. . . . Winnipeg D Ben Zloty drew three assists. He has 13 points, all assists, in eight games. . . . The Ice was 1-for-2 on the PP; the Warriors were 0-for-1. . . . G Daniel Hauser earned the victory with 29 saves, nine fewer than Moose Jaw’s Connor Ungar. . . . The Warriors welcomed back F Robert Baco after he completed a three-game suspension for a goaltender interference major he took in Lethbridge on April 5. . . . The Ice was without F Evan Friesen, who completed a two-game suspension for a headshot on Moose Jaw D Matthew Gallant in Game 2. Gallant, who likely is in concussion protocol, hasn’t played since the hit. . . .
Saskatoon (2) at Red Deer (3) — The Saskatoon Blades erased a 2-0 first-
period deficit en route to a 4-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . The Rebels still hold a 3-1 series lead as the series goes back to Saskatoon for Game 5 on Friday night. . . . F Kai Uchacz, without a point in the first three games of this series. scored twice to give the Rebels a 2-0 first-period lead. A 50-goal man in the regular season, he has six goals in these playoffs. . . . D Aidan De La Gorgendiere (1) got the Saskatoon comeback started, on a PP, at 12:09 of the second period. . . . F Jayden Wiens (5) tied it at 4:12 of the third period and F Brandon Lisowsky (3) gave Saskatoon the lead 43 seconds later. . . . D Tanner Molendyk (1) added insurance at 8:15. . . . The Blades got 34 saves from G Ethan Chadwick. . . . Saskatoon F Justin Lies was tossed with a headshot major and game misconduct for a hit on Red Deer F Kalan Lind at 3:24 of the first period. Lind was down for several minutes before being removed on a stretcher. Lind was taken to Red Deer Regional Hospital where he underwent an examination before being released.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
Seattle (1) at Prince George (4) — The Seattle Thunderbirds advanced to the 
Western Conference final with an 8-2 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Thunderbirds swept their second straight series. They will meet either the Kamloops Blazers or Portland Winterhawks in the conference final. . . . The Thunderbirds outscored the Cougars, 25-5, in the four games. In eight playoffs games — they swept the Kelowna Rockets in the first round — the Thunderbirds have outscored the opposition, 39-8. Seattle has yet to allow more than two goals in a game in these playoffs. . . . Last night, four of Seattle’s first five goals came from skaters who scored for the first time in the eight-game run — F Sam Popowich, D Jeremy Hanzel, D Bryce Pickford and D Luke Prokop. . . . In all, the Thunderbirds got goals from eight different players, with F Colton Dach (2), F Mekei Sanders (2), F Reid Schaefer (3) and F Jared Davidson (5) also scoring. . . . Dach had two assists and was the only Seattle skater with three points. . . . Seattle F Brad Lambert, who put up six points in Game 3, had two assists in this one. He finished the four games with two goals and 12 helpers. . . . The Cougars had F Riley Heidt back from a one-game suspension, and he had two assists. . . . Prince George was without F Jaxsen Wiebe, who drew one of those TBD suspensions for a match penalty he incurred in Game 3. . . . F Zach Funk (5) and F Chase Wheatcroft (5) had the Cougars’ goals. . . . The Thunderbirds got 22 saves from G Thomas Milic, who now is 8-0, 1.13, .953. . . .
Kamloops (2) at Portland (3) — F Fraser Minten’s PP goal at 1:56 of the third 
period turned out to be the winner as the Kamloops Blazers beat the Portland Winterhawks, 3-2. . . . Kamloops leads the series, 3-0, and can finish it tonight in Portland. . . . The Blazers are 7-0 in these playoffs. . . . F Jakub Demek (3) gave Kamloops a 1-0 lead at 9:48 of the first period. . . . F Jack O’Brien (3) pulled Portland even, on a PP, at 11:23. . . . F Logan Stankoven (8) gave the visitors a 2-1 lead, on a PP, at 4:35 of the second period, with Minten getting his second goal of the playoffs at 1:56 of the third period. . . . D Luca Cagnoni (1) got Portland to within a goal at 14:02 of the third period, but the Winterhawks weren’t able to equalize. . . . Kamloops was 2-for-3 on the PP; Portland was 1-for-4. . . . G Dylan Ernst stopped 23 shots for Kamloops, 10 fewer than Portland’s Jan Spunar. . . . Stankoven also had an assist, and now has 18 points in seven games. . . . He and F Jagger Firkus of the Moose Jaw Warriors are two points behind F Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats, who put up a WHL-leading 20 points in a seven-game loss to the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Blazers drew a $250 fine from the WHL on Monday for a warmup violation prior to Game 1 on Friday in Kamloops. It was their second such fine in these playoffs; they also were fined $250 for a warmup violation prior to a first-round game against the host Vancouver Giants on April 4.
THE COACHING GAME:
The NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights announced on Wednesday that they and Manny Viveiros, the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights, “have mutually agreed to part ways.” . . . Viveiros’s contract expires on June 30. He was the Silver Knights’ head coach through their first three seasons of existence. They went 89-79-11 over that stretch, and 3-4 in two playoff appearances. . . . This season, the Silver Knights finished 29-38-5, good for ninth in the 10-team Pacific Division. They didn’t qualify for the playoffs. . . . Viveiros is a former WHL player and coach. He played four seasons (1982-86) with the Prince Albert Raiders. He was the general manager and head coach of the Swift Current Broncos for two seasons (2016-18) and guided them to the 2018 WHL championship. He also was the head coach of the Spokane Chiefs for the 2019-20 season. . . . Kelly McCrimmon, the Golden Knights’ general manager, was quoted in the news release announcing Viveiros’s departure. Tim Speltz, once the longtime GM of the Spokane Chiefs, is the Silver Knights’ GM. There wasn’t any mention of Henderson assistant coach Jamie Heward or video coach Andrew Doty in the news release. Heward played and coached in the WHL, while Doty once worked with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . .
The Connecticut Whale of the Premier Hockey Federation has extended head coach Colton Orr’s contract through the 2024-25 season. In May 2022, his contract had been extended through the 2023-24 season. . . . Orr, who played four seasons in the WHL, has been the professional women’s team’s head coach through four seasons. . . . In the WHL, Orr played with the Swift Current Broncos, Kamloops Blazers and Regina Pats (1999-2003).
JUNIOR JOTTINGS:
F Marcus Almquist of the Victoria Royals has turned pro, signing with the Rødovre Mighty Bulls of Metal Ligaen, the top league in his native Denmark. Almquist, who will turn 20 on Sept. 13, is from Rødovre, Denmark, and will join his new team for the 2023-24 season. He previously played 19 games for the Bulls in 2020-21, while on loan from the Royals, putting up five goals and an assist. In 82 games over two seasons with the Royals, he had 33 points, 19 of them goals. . . .
Three of the four QMJHL second-round series ended in sweeps, with only the Halifax Mooseheads and Moncton Wildcats still battling. . . . The Gatineau Olympiques swept the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, the Quebec Remparts quickly disposed of the Rimouski Oceanic, and the Sherbrooke Phoenix ousted the Drummondville Voltigeurs in four games. . . . The Mooseheads hold a 2-1 edge on the Wildcats going into Game 4 tonight in Moncton. The winner of this series will meet Quebec in the next round, with Gatineau and Sherbrooke facing off in the other semifinal. . . .
In the BCHL, the Penticton Vees advanced to the third round of the playoffs on Wednesday night with a 5-1 victory over the host Wenatchee, Wash., Wild. The Vees swept the best-of-seven series and now have won 24 straight playoff games. Last season, the Vees lost their first playoff game, then won 16 in a row en route to the championship. This post-season, they have opened with eight straight victories.
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has chosen to leave the organization “for personal reasons.” . . . Gasper joined the Wheat Kings as assistant GM on Aug. 15, 2019, and was named GM on April 16, 2021. . . . Gasper took over from Darren Ritchie, who moved on to the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs as an amateur scout. . . . According to the news release, Gasper “will transition out of his current position over the coming weeks and will assist in hiring his replacement.” . . . Kelly McCrimmon was the Wheat Kings’ general manager for 27 seasons before leaving to join the front office of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights. Since 2016, Grant Armstrong, who now scouts for the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning, Ritchie and Gasper have held the position.
manager this week, and you have to think there might be a coaching change in the offing there.
decision on their hands, too.
Kamloops Blazers opened best-of-seven conference semifinal series with victories. . . . The pace will pick up tonight with all eight remaining teams in action. . . . In the Eastern Conference, the No. 1 Ice will again play host to the No. 4 Moose Jaw Warriors, who fell 6-1 last night, while the No. 3 Red Deer Rebels visit the No. 2 Edmonton Oil Kings, who hold a 1-0 edge. . . . In the Western Conference, the No. 2 Blazers and No. 8 Vancouver Giants will meet again in Kamloops, where the home team won, 3-1, last night, while the No. 3 Portland Winterhawks and No. 4 Seattle Thunderbirds open their series in Kent, Wash.
6-1 victory over the No. 4 Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Ice leads the conference semifinal, 1-0, with Game 2 set for tonight in Winnipeg. . . . F Owen Pederson (4) gave the Ice a 1-0 lead 18 seconds into the first period. . . . F Jakin Smallwood (4) upped it to 3-0 just 57 seconds into the second period. . . . F Mike Milne (6) made it 6-0 at 0:11 of the third period. . . . Pederson finished with two goals, giving him five in these playoffs, and an assist, while Milne added two assists to his goal. . . . Winnipeg G Daniel Hauser stopped 18 shots. He lost his shutout bid when F Brayden Yager (3) scored at 17:48 of the third period. . . . Winnipeg was 2-for-4 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 0-for-4.
streak to 15 games in the process, as the No. 2 Blazers opened with a 3-1 victory over the No. 8 Vancouver Giants. . . . Game 2 will be played in Kamloops tonight. . . . Bankier (2) opened the scoring, on a PP, at 18:28 of the first period. . . . Bankier, who put up 60 points in 68 regular-season games, has quietly put together a 15-game point streak. He finished the regular-season on a 10-game tear (five goals, 11 assists) and has put up two goals and six assists in five playoff games. . . . F Reese Belton (1), at 2:43, and F Ethan Rowland (1), at 16:29, gave the Blazers a 3-0 lead with second-period goals. . . . F Adam Hall (8) got the Giants on the board at 7:04 of the third. . . . Kamloops G Dylan Garand stopped 30 shots. In these playoffs, he is 5-0, 0.80, .968. . . . The Blazers lost F Luke Toporowski late in the first period with what appeared to be an injury to his left shoulder. F Daylan Kuefler moved into his spot on the team’s top line, alongside Logan Stankoven and Drew Englot. . . . Marty Hastings of Kamloops This Week tweeted later that Shaun Clouston, the Blazers’ GM/head coach, said the “early feel” is that Toporowoski’s injury isn’t long-term, that he’s “sore,” and that he’ll be re-evaluated Saturday. . . . Toporowski missed the last 12 games of the regular season with a knee injury. . . . On the same stoppage during which Toporowski left, the Giants lost D Mazden Leslie, who left while favouring his right leg. 
Saturday. . . . Six of those players will skate with Team Canada, the first time one team has had that many players on the roster. G Reid Dyck, D Owen Pickering, F Josh Davies, F Josh Filmon, F Connor Hvidston and F Mathew Ward all are part of Canada’s 25-man roster. . . . D Rayan Bettahar of the Broncos is on the host team’s roster. . . . Other WHLers on Team Canada’s roster are G Ethan Buenaventura, Calgary Hitmen; D Lukas Dragicevic, Tri-City Americans; D Kalem Parker, Victoria Royals; D Grayden Siepmann, Calgary; F Connor Bedard, Regina Pats; F Tanner Howe, Regina; and F Brayden Schuurman, Victoria. . . . I will be curious to see how F Matthew Wood of the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies stacks up here. Wood, who turned 17 on Feb. 6, is from Lethbridge He led the WHL in goals (45) and points (85) in 46 games. He has committed to attend the U of Connecticut for 2023-24. The Regina Pats selected Wood in the second round of the WHL’s 2020 draft.. . . Canada will open Saturday against Team USA. . . . The tournament will be played in Kaufbeuren and Landshut, and is to run through May 1. . . . Team Canada’s roster is 
scoring defenceman, back in the lineup on Friday when they open the playoffs against the visiting Vancouver Giants. . . . “Olen will be set to play,” Dennis Williams, Everett’s general manager and head coach, told Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald. . . . Zellweger led defencemen in assists (64) and points (78), all in 55 games. . . . He hasn’t played since suffering an undisclosed injury on April 10. He sat out Everett’s last two games, both road losses — 5-1 to the Portland Winterhawks and 4-1 to the Tri-City Americans. . . . The Silvertips go into the playoffs having lost three in a row while being outscored 13-3. In fact, they are just 2-3-2 in their last seven outings.
the NHL’s 1982 draft. He attended their 1984-85 training camp but refused to report to the IHL-Milwaukee Admirals, so was placed on Chicago’s suspended list. He was still there in November 1984 when Al Patterson, the Bruins’ general manager and head coach, acquired him from Kamloops. At the time, Camazzola, then 20, was a clerk in a Lower Mainland department store. By January, he knew he wanted back on the ice.
said it hopes to complete its 68-game regular season on May 1. The league added that it will begin its playoffs on May 5 “and conclude no later than June 15.” . . . That means that the Memorial Cup schedule will have to be redone because it was scheduled to run from June 4 through June 13 in Saint John, N.B. . . . The OHL and WHL haven’t announced any changes to their closing dates for their regular seasons. Both leagues want to finish on April 3, with the playoffs to follow. . . . Interestingly, the QMJHL’s Quebec teams will play in empty facilities until Feb. 7, when they will be allowed 500 fans. Teams in New Brunswick now are at 50 per cent. Patrick McNeil (@cbepbp) adds that the Nova Scotia teams will start with games on the road. . . . And let’s not forget that the IIHF’s World U-18 championship is scheduled to run from April 21 through May 1 in Landshut and Kaufbeurn, Germany. The player pool might be a bit reduced if the three major junior leagues haven’t eliminated many teams.
the game was postponed on Thursday. According to the WHL, the Raiders were “unable to field a complete team due to injuries and an addition six players being added to the COVID-19 protocol list.” . . . With Raiders at Pats on TSN’s schedule as a national telecast, the WHL quickly slipped another game into that slot. A Brandon at Regina game that was postponed from Jan. 21 ended up being played on Friday night and got the national exposure treatment from TSN. The Wheat Kings erased a 2-0 first-period deficit and beat the Pats, 6-4. . . . The WHL also postponed a Saturday game that was to have had Brandon visit Prince Albert. . . . From a news release: “WHL regulations require each WHL club ice a roster with a minimum of 14 healthy skaters in order to compete. At this time, the Raiders are unable to meet that minimum requirement.”
Game 4, seven men held a meeting to discuss an alleged sexual assault that had occurred one of the two previous days. The incident involved video coach Brad Aldrich and Kyle Beach, one of the Black Aces.
with the team after being away following a diagnosis of prostate cancer. He will be taking another leave in December as he undergoes surgery.
scoring three third-period goals in a 3-1 victory. . . . F Connor McClennon (10) gave the Ice a 1-0 first-period lead. . . . F Dylan Guenther (4) tied it at 3:28 of the third, and F Carson Latimer (5) broke the tie at 11:42. F Jaxsen Wiebe (2) added the empty-netter. . . . The Oil Kings (7-2-1) have won three in a row. They also have posted 10 straight victories against the Ice. . . . The Ice (11-1-0) had won its first 11 games. The 1988-89 Swift Current Broncos hold the WHL record for longest winning streak to open a season (12). . . . The Ice and Oil Kings were ranked second and third, respectively, in the CHL’s weekly release. The No. 1-ranked Quebec Remparts (9-2-0) lost, 2-1, to the visiting Shawinigan Cataractes on Thursday. . . .
Silvertips, 4-3, in a shootout. . . . G Dante Gianuzzi stopped 36 shots for Portland (4-5-1), which had lost three straight. . . . Everett (6-0-1) had a 7-0 edge in OT shots. Silvertips Color Guy (@TipsATG) tweeted that Everett hit three crossbars in OT. . . . The Silvertips scored three first-period goals, two via the PP. . . . D Clay Hanus (3) pulled Portland into a tie at 18:37 of the third period. . . . Portland’s first two goals also came via the PP. . . . F Cross Hanas, the first shooter, scored the lone goal of the shootout. . . . 
added a shootout goal as the Brandon Wheat Kings beat the Raiders, 5-4. . . . G Ethan Kruger, who had been out of Brandon’s lineup since being injured on Oct. 9, stopped 33 shots. . . . Hyland’s first career three-point game came in his 33rd outing over three seasons. He has a goal and four assists in seven games this season. . . . The Wheat Kings (5-6-0) had lost their previous three games. . . . The Raiders (2-7-1), who have lost three in a row, got three assists from D Kaiden Guhle. . . . D Remy Aquilon scored his first two goals of the season for Prince Albert. . . . Hyland and F Tyson Zimmer scored shootout goals for Brandon, with Guhle doing the same for the Raiders. . . . Darren Steinke, the travelling blogger, was on hand and posted this story 
Wednesday night. The WHL now is admitting that Brandon’s second goal, which gave it a 2-1 lead, developed after an off-side play.
as the Blades dropped the Medicine Hat Tigers, 4-0. . . . Maier (3-1-1, 3.12, .893) had shared the shutout record with Andrei Makarov (115 games, 2011-13). Maier, who has played in 161 games, already holds the franchise record for regular-season victories by a goaltender (94). . . . The Blades (3-1-1) got three assists from F Tristen Robins — one each via PP, shorthanded and even strength — as he enjoyed his fourth straight multi-point game. He has a WHL-leading 11 points, including a league-high nine assists, in four games. . . . F Kyle Crnkovic (5) scored twice. . . . The Tigers are 2-3-0. . . . Darren Steinke was in attendance and the report he posted to his blog is 
in the third period and then scored in OT to beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 5-4. . . . F Alex Swetlikoff (2) pulled Everett (3-0-0) into a tie at 14:10 of the third and F Ben Hammering (2) won it at 2:11 of OT. . . . Hemmerling finished with two goals and two assists. . . . Seattle (2-1-1) lost F Lucas Ciona with a charging major at 13:49 of the second period after he ran into Everett G Braden Holt. Everett scored once on the ensuing PP, F Austin Roest (1) pulling it into a 3-3 tie. . . . The rivalry resumes tonight in Everett. . . .
from Manny Viveiros, who now is the first head coach of the Henderson Silver Knights, an AHL expansion team that is owned by the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights. . . . Viveiros leaves Spokane after one season with the Chiefs. . . . Maglio, 34, is the WHL’s youngest head coach. He joined the Chiefs as an assistant coach for the 2019-20 season. Prior to that, he was with the BCHL’s Prince George Spruce Kings, as an assistant (2015-17) and then head coach (2017-19). . . . Viveiros was an assistant coach with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers in 2018-19, after two seasons as head coach and director of player personnel with the Swift Current Broncos. He guided the Broncos to the 2017-18 WHL championship. . . . Viveiros, 54, was 41-18-5 with the Chiefs when the 2020-21 season was halted by COVID-19. . . . Maglio is the Chiefs’ third head coach since 2017. Viveiros replaced Dan Lambert, who left after two seasons to join the NHL’s Nashville Predators as an assistant coach. . . . Lambert took over from Don Nachbaur, who spent seven seasons in Spokane before his contract wasn’t renewed after 2016-17.
Brandon Wheat Kings as the only one of the WHL’s 22 teams still looking for one. The Wheat Kings chose not to renew head coach David Anning’s contract after last season. . . . Anning had been with the Wheat Kings though seven seasons — four as an assistant coach and three as head coach. . . . 
camp for the national junior team. . . . F Dylan Cozens of the Lethbridge Hurricanes and F Peyton Krebs of the Winnipeg Ice both are injured and won’t be on the ice during the camp, which is to run July 7 through Aug. 3 in Plymouth, Mich. . . . Cozens had surgery last week after suffering an injury to his left thumb in the Buffalo Sabres’ development camp. He is expected to be sidelined for up to three months. The Sabres had picked him seventh overall in the NHL’s 2019 draft. . . . Krebs suffered a partially torn left Achilles tendon during a workout and later underwent surgery. He attended the NHL draft and was taken 17th overall by the Vegas Golden Knights. A timeline hasn’t yet been established for his return. . . . F Connor McMichael of the OHL’s London Knights has been added to the camp roster. He was a first-round pick by the Washington Capitals in the NHL’s 2019 draft.
the Chicago Blackhawks, who selected him third overall in the NHL’s 2019 draft. . . . Dach had 25 goals and 48 assists in 62 games with the Blades last season. He added five goals and three assists in 10 playoff games. . . . In 2017-18, as a WHL freshman, he had seven goals and 39 assists in 52 games. . . . Under terms of the CBA between the NHL and the NHLPA, Dach, 18, will have to play with the Blackhawks or the Blades in 2019-20.
source familiar with the situation has told Taking Note. . . . Shepard, 17, was a second-round pick by Vancouver in the WHL’s 2017 bantam draft. . . . Last season, he had seven goals and 17 assists in 53 games with the BCHL’s Penticton Vees. . . . Prior to that, he played at the Delta Hockey Academy. . . . Shepard made a verbal commitment to Harvard U on April 17, 2018, to start with the 2021-22 season. . . . Signing with the Giants will give him the opportunity to play with his brother Jackson, 19, who was acquired from the Lethbridge Hurricanes on May 25.
both of whom were selected in the first round of the 2019 bantam draft, to WHL contracts. . . . Dowhaniuk, from Sherwood Park, Alta., was the third-overall selection. He had eight goals and 27 assists in 25 games with the OHA Edmonton bantam prep team last season. . . . The Cougars took Ziemmer with the fourth-overall selection. From Mayerthorpe, Alta., he also played with the OHA Edmonton bantam prep team, putting up 37 goals and 39 assists in 29 games. . . .
TAKING NOTE 