Things continue to go swimmingly for Ferris Backmeyer, the six-year-old from Kamloops who underwent a kidney transplant overnight June 29 at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. . . . In fact, Ferris and her older sisters â Ksenia and Tavia â were able to go for a bit of a stroll on Wednesday. . . . As for what’s next, her mother, Lindsey, reports that the catheter that was installed because of a urine leak is to come out this morning (Friday). If that goes well through the weekend, Ferris will be discharged to Ronald McDonald House on Monday. And if things continue on the right track next week, the Backmeyers could be looking at a transfer to Vancouver and B.C. Children’s Hospital shortly after that. . . . CFJC-TV has a piece on Ferris with an interview with Lindsey right here.
Thursday was another busy day on the WHL coaching front, what with two new head coaches introduced â one of those was a huge surprise â and a veteran head coach leaving for the AHL. . . . At the end of the day, only one WHL franchise was left without a head coach . . . although Marty Murray, the Brandon Wheat Kingsâ general manager who took over as head coach early last season, has yet to say whether heâll return to the bench.
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Kevin Constantine is back in the WHL for a third go-round, this time as head coach of the Wenatchee Wild (nee Winnipeg Ice/Kootenay Ice/Edmonton Ice). . . . Constantine, 64, agreed to a four-year contract with the Wild. He spent the past two seasons as the head coach of the Hungarian team FehĂ©rvĂĄr AV19 that plays in the Austrian-based ICE Hockey League. . . . He has been coaching in Europe for the past six seasons. . . . Before heading overseas, Constantine did two four-season stints (2003-07, 2013-17) as head coach of the Everett Silvertips. . . . He was named the WHLâs coach of the year for 2003-04. That was the Silvertipsâ first season and they reached the WHL final. . . . His coaching resume includes seven years as an NHL head coach, split among the San Jose Sharks, Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils. . . . Constantine takes over the Wild from James Patrick, the teamâs head coach for the previous six seasons while it was in Cranbrook and Winnipeg. . . . Chris Clark, the head coach of the Wild while it was in the BCHL, will work as associate head coach, with a full-time assistant coach yet to be hired. . . . Leigh Mendelson is the goaltender coach and director of recruiting. . . . The Wildâs news release is right here.
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After eight seasons as an assistant coach with his hometown team, Brad Herauf has been named head coach of the Regina Pats. He takes over from John Paddock, who announced his retirement on Monday. . . . Alan Millar, the Patsâ new general manager, is more than a little familiar with Herauf. Before leaving for a two-year run with Hockey Canada, Millar was in the Moose Jaw Warriorsâ front office. . . . Herauf actually took over as Reginaâs interim head coach for a bit late in the 2021-22 season with Paddock away as he dealt with some health concerns. . . . Herauf, 40, was on the coaching staff of the Regina Pat Canadians, a U18 AAA team, before joining the Pats. . . . While introducing Herauf as head coach, the Pats also announced that Ken Schneider will be returning as assistant coach and that goaltender coach Daniel Wapple also will be back. Schneider is preparing for his third season in that role. Wapple joined the team during last season. . . . The Pats are looking for another full-time assistant to fill the opening created by Heraufâs promotion. . . . Tyler Shire of the Regina Leader-Post has a story right here.
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The Vancouver Giants confirmed on Thursday what Steve Ewen of Postmedia reported on Wednesday â head coach Michael Dyck is leaving to join the Toronto Marlies as an assistant coach. The Marlies are the AHL affiliate of the NHLâs Toronto Maple Leafs. . . . The Giants now are the only one of the WHLâs 22 teams without a head coach. . . . Dyck, 54, had been the Giantsâ head coach for five seasons. . . . In his first season there (2018-19), the Giants reached the WHL final where they lost Game 7, 3-2 in OT, to the host Prince Albert Raiders. . . . âThe Giants are a first-class organization,â Dyck told Ewen, âand a lot of that has to do with the stability (majority owner Ron Toigo) has set up here. The ownership group, the management group, the players . . . itâs been just an amazing experience. And then living in a city like Vancouver. It couldnât have been any better.â . . . Ewenâs story is right here.
Headline at The Beaverton (@TheBeaverton) â Climate wondering how much it has to change before humans notice.
JUNIOR JOTTINGS:
The Everett Silvertips posted an item on Twitter on Thursday afternoon that featured a photo of a goaltender and this message: âThank you, Tim!â . . . That would seem to indicate that the Silvertips have released Swiss G Tim Metzger, 18. The 6-foot-6, 205-pounder was picked up in the CHLâs 2002 import draft. He made 17 appearances with Everett last season, going 4-5-0, 3.35, .888. . . . Earlier this week, the Silvertips signed Finnish F Julius Miettinen, 17, who was selected in this yearâs import draft. Their roster also includes Czechia F Dominik Rymon, 19, who had two goals and nine assists in 18 games last season. . . .
The BCHLâs Coquitlam Express has signed 2005-born F Grady Lenton, who played last season with the WHLâs Kelowna Rockets. On June 7, the Rockets dealt Lenton, a first-round WHL draft pick in 2024 and a second-rounder in 2027 to the Seattle Thunderbirds for F Tij Iginla. . . . Last season, Lenton had four goals and four assists in 59 regular-season games with the Rockets. . . .
Chris Price is the new head coach of the junior B Chilliwack Jets of the Pacific Junior Hockey League. . . . Last season, he was on the coaching staff of the BCHLâs Chilliwack Chiefs. Earlier, he spent three seasons as head coach and assistant general manager with the PJHLâs Aldergrove Kodiaks. . . . At the same time, majority owner Clayton Robinson, last seasonâs head coach, now is the Jetsâ full-time president and general manager.
THINKING OUT LOUD: If you haven even the slightest interest in Canadian history â and even if you donât â and if you are on Twitter, make sure to follow Craig Baird (@CraigBaird). I guarantee that you will learn things every day about this countryâs past. The work this guy does is amazing. . . . ICYMI, the Edmonton Elks lost their 20th straight home game on Thursday, dropping an ugly 37-29 decision to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in front of a whole lot of empty seats. The Elks now share the professional sporting record for most consecutive home losses with the 1953 St. Louis Browns, who moved to Baltimore once that season was over. The Elks will have two weeks to stew over this one. Will Chris Jones still be running things in Edmonton when the B.C. Lions come calling on July 29? He has so many titles there that he likely would have to fire himself and that isnât going to happen. . . . With head coach Michael Dyck having left the Vancouver Giants, as you will have read here earlier, do you think majority owner Ron Toigoâs first call was to James Patrick, the former head coach of the Winnipeg Ice?
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Konowalchuk who left the organization after his second season with the team. . . . Walser, 45, had been an assistant coach with the OHLâs Peterborough Petes since 2017. The Petes won the OHL title last season. . . . As a player, he spent five seasons in the QMJHL, split between the Beauport Harfangs and Rimouski Oceanic. He then went on to a 19-season professional career before turning to coaching. The coaching career began with the Belfast Giants of the Elite Ice Hockey League where he was the playing head coach for two seasons. . . . The Rebelsâ news release is right here.
Vancouver Giants after five seasons with the team. Ewen wrote that âmultiple sourcesâ indicated that Dyck will be joining the Toronto Marlies, the AHL affiliate of the NHLâs Toronto Maple Leafs, as an assistant coach. . . . Dyck took over as the Giantsâ head coach for the 2018-19 season and guided them to the WHL final where they lost Game 7, 3-2 in OT, to the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Ewenâs complete story is 
leading candidate would appear to be Brad Herauf, an assistant coach with the team since 2015-16. From Regina, he spent two seasons as head coach of the U18 AAA Regina Pat Canadians before joining the Pats as an assistant coach. . . . John Paddock, the Patsâ vice-president of hockey operations, general manager and head coach, announced his retirement on Monday. Alan Millar now is the vice-president of hockey ops and GM.
Moose Jaw Warriors on Friday night, taking the Eastern Conference semifinal in five games. The No. 1 Ice will meet the No. 2 Edmonton Oil Kings in the Eastern Conference final. That series, which will follow a 2-3-2 format for travel reasons, is scheduled to open in Winnipeg with games on May 20 and 21. . . . 
the No. 4 Moose Jaw Warriors, 6-3. . . . The Ice won the conference semifinal, 4-1, and will meet the Edmonton Oil Kings in the final. The No. 2 Oil Kings are 8-0 in the playoffs, having made short work of the No. 7 Lethbridge Hurricanes and No. 3 Red Deer Rebels. . . . The Ice now is 8-2 and will play host to Edmonton for Games 1 and 2 on May 20 and 21. . . . Last night, the Warriors took a 2-0 lead on goals from F Ryder Korczak (3), at 0:46, and F Thomas Tien (2), at 15:52, in the first period. . . . The Ice scored the next four goals. F Zachary Benson (8) cut the deficit to one at 17:04, before Winnipeg took control with three second-period goals â F Matt Savoie (5) tied it at 1:39; F Cole Muir (2) made it 3-2 at 11:12; and F Conor Geekie (3) upped it to 4-2 at 15:04. . . . F Atley Calvert (3) got the Warriors to within one, on a PP, at 17:04, but that was it for the visitors. . . . Savoie (6) added his second goal at 4:03 and F Mikey Milne (9), who also had two assists, scored a shorthanded empty-netter at 18:28. . . . The Ice got 23 saves from G Daniel Hauser, while G Carl Tetachuk stopped 22 shots for the Warriors. . . .The Warriors had D Daemon Hunt, their captain, back in the lineup. Hunt, who is to turn 20 on Sunday, last played on March 19. . . . 
in the third period, and beat the No. 2 Blazers, 5-2. . . . Kamloops leads the series, 3-2, with Game 5 scheduled for Sunday in Langley, B.C. . . . F Zack Ostapchuk, the WHLâs leading playoff scorer, had two goals and two assists for Vancouver. He has 23 points, two more than linemate Fabian Lysell. . . . The Blazers led this one 2-1 after two periods as F Luke Toporowski (7) and F Matthew Seminoff (3) sandwiched a Vancouver goal by F Adam Hall (9). . . . F Ty Thorpe (3) got the Giants into a 2-2 tie at 1:33 of the third period and Ostapchuk (6) put them out front at 2:32. . . . Hall (10), who also had an assist, and Ostapchuk (7) later added empty-netters. Hall leads the WHL playoffs in goals. . . . G Jesper Vikman had a big night for the Giants, stopping 35 shots, 14 more than G Dylan Garand of the Blazers. . . .
Portland Winterhawks to a 5-2 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Portland leads the series, 3-1. . . . Theyâll meet again tonight, this time back in Portland. . . . The Winterhawks had lost Game 3, 5-0, at home on Wednesday night. . . . Portlandâs PP went into the game with three goals in its past 23 opportunities. Last night, it was 3-for-4. . . . Hanas (2) got his guys started at 7:09 of the first period and F Tyson Kozak (2) made it 2-0 at 14:35. . . . Seattle F Lukas Svejkovsky (6) scored a PP goal at 4:56 of the second period. . . . Portland got second-period goals from Hanas (3), at 11:42, and F Jack OâBrien (2), at 17:44, both via the PP. . . . Hanas (4) finished the scoring with a shorthanded empty-netter at 19:41. . . . F Kyle Chyzowki had a big night with three assists. . . . G Taylor Gauthier stopped 31 shots for Portland, including a late second-period penalty-shot attempt by F Reid Schaefer with Portland leading 4-1. . . . Seattle got 17 stops from G Thomas Milic. . . . According to Winterhawks historian Andy Kemper, Hanasâs hat trick was Portlandâs first in the playoffs since F Nic Petan turned the trick in a 5-1 victory over the visiting Kelowna Rockets on April 23, 2014.
COVID-19 while preparing for an overseas deployment in the Pacific. HMCS Winnipeg is back home in Esquimalt, B.C., after seven sailors tested positive, only weeks before the ship is due to participate in a major training exercise and two overseas missions. . . .
old school in a playoff game on Wednesday night. . . . It almost was like back in the day when coaches provided some entertainment value and gave folks something to talk about, and often resulted in this question: âWere they just trying to sell tickets?â Ahh, those were the days, when coaches would climb on partitions and try to get at each other, or they would meet under the stands and engage in, yes, fisticuffs. . . .
seasons or more in a row. The New Westminster Bruins actually ruled for four straight seasons (1974-78), something that involved four consecutive championships. The Raidersâ reign was a bit quirkier; they won the Ed Chynoweth Cup on May 13, 2019, then COVID got in the way so there werenât any playoffs in 2020 or 2021. That, of course, meant that the WHL hasnât had another champion since 2019, so the Raiders were the defending champions when this playoff run began. . . . Unfortunately for them, their three-year reign ended on Friday night in Winnipeg as they lost, 8-2, to the Ice, which won the series, 4-1. . . . Hereâs a brief look at last nightâs goings-on . . .
F Zack Ostapchuk, their captain, as they skated to a wild 11-6 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . The series is tied 2-2 with Game 5 scheduled for tonight in Everett. Theyâll be back in Langley for Game 6 on Monday. . . . Vancouver took a 6-4 lead into the third period, only to have Everett tie it on goals from F Jacob Wright (5), his third of the game, at 0:12, and D Olen Zellweger (2), at 2:49. . . . The Giants responded with the gameâs last five goals â Ostapchuk (2), at 5:55, F Colton Langkow (2), at 5:40, F Fabian Lysell (3), at 9:27, D Evan Toth (1), at 14:14, and F Kyle Bochek (1), at 19:46. . . . Everett held a 3-1 lead at 11:16 of the first period, but the Giants scored the next three goals, taking a 4-3 lead when D Alex Cotton scored at 5:00 of the second. . . . F Hunter Campbell (3) tied it at 9:48, with the Giants taking a 6-4 lead on Cottonâs second goal of the game, at 13:32, and Lysell, at 15:47. . . . Cotton also had two assists, for a four-point outing. . . . D Connor Horning had three assists for the winners. . . . Wright also had an assist, giving him four points. . . . Each team had 30 shots. . . . Vancouver was 4-for-7 on the PP; Everett was 2-for-6. . . . Everett F Jackson Berezowski, a 46-goal man, was scratched again. An undisclosed injury has kept him out of the first five games of this series. . . .
including the OT winner, as the No. 4 Seattle Thunderbirds beat the No. 5 Kelowna Rockets, 4-3. . . . The Thunderbirds won the series, 4-1. . . . The WHLâs online scoresheet has Kelowna F Nolan Flamand scoring the gameâs first goal, at 5:09 of the second period. But Regan Bartel, the Rocketsâ longtime play-by-play voice, says it was F Max Graham. So who are you going to believe â the scoresheet or the voice? Iâm going with Bartel. . . . Seattle took a 3-1 lead on goals from F Jared Davidson (3), at 9:47 of the second period, Rempe, at 7:24 of the third, and F Jordan Gustafson (2), at 10:19. . . . The Rockets tied it on goals 10 seconds apart from D Jake Lee (1), at 12:24, and F Gabriel Szturc (2), at 12:34. . . . Rempe won it with his third goal of the series at 1:20 of OT. . . . The Thunderbirds held a 44-21 edge in shots.
victory over the No. 8 Prince Albert Raiders. . . . The Ice, which outscored the Raiders, 27-9, won the series, 4-1, and will open the second round at home on Friday against either the No. 4 Moose Jaw Warriors or No. 6 Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Winnipeg held a 13-1 edge in shots in the first period, and 35-13 through 60 minutes. . . . F Zach Benson (5), who also had an assist, and F Connor McClennon (4) each scored twice for the Ice, with F Mikey Milne (5) also scoring once. . . . F Jack Finley (1) had a goal and two assists. . . . The Ice had F Matt Savoie back in the lineup, and he scored once and added an assist. He missed three games with an apparent leg injury after being hurt in Game 1. . . . 
Brandon Wheat Kings, 3-1. . . . The Rebels hold a 3-2 lead in the series, with Game 6 scheduled for Sunday in Brandon. . . . Uchacz gave his guys a 1-0 lead, on a PP, just 47 seconds into the game. . . . F Jhett Larson (1) made it 2-0 at 12:32 of the first period. . . . Brandon got to within a goal at 6:28 of the third when D Vincent Iorio (1) scored. . . . Uchacz provided insurance with his second goal of the game and series at 13:03. . . . G Chase Coward earned the victory with 27 saves. . . . This now is the lone Eastern Conference series remaining alive, as the No. 1 Winnipeg Ice, No. 2 Edmonton Oil Kings and No. 4 Moose Jaw Warriors all have advanced to the second round. . . . Should Red Deer win this series, the second round will have Winnipeg meet Moose Jaw and Edmonton play Red Deer. A Brandon victory in seven games would mean Winnipeg gets the Wheat Kings with Edmonton drawing Moose Jaw. . . .
headed as they doubled the No. 5 Saskatoon Blades, 6-3. . . . The Warriors swept the series. . . . F Jagger Firkus (3) scored twice and added an assist for the Warriors, giving them a 1-0 lead at 5:55 of the first period and making it 3-1 at 8:52 of the second. . . . F Josh Pillar (3) kept the Blades close with two goals, getting his side to within one twice, at 2-1 and 3-2. . . . F Thomas Tien (1) restored Moose Jawâs two-goal lead at 5:26 of the third period, only to have F Trevor Wong (1) pull Saskatoon close again, at 12:47. . . . The Warriors iced it when F Atley Calvert (2) scored at 16:22, then F Robert Baco (1) got the empty-netter at 18:09. . . . D Denton Mateychuk (1) had a goal and two assists for the Warriors.
hammer on the Sicamous Eagles âfor violations under (its) COVID-19 vaccination policy.â The league explained in a news release: âThe sanctions stem from the participation of an Eagles player in team activities, including KIJHL regular-season games, at a time when they did not meet the KIJHLâs requirement of being fully vaccinated.â . . . The team has been fined an undisclosed amount, while general manager Ron Sleeman was suspended for 45 days and head coach Gerald Bouchard drew an eight-game sentence. . . . Sleeman is out until Jan. 23; Bouchard can return to the bench on Jan. 14. . . . The Eagles went into Fridayâs action with a 5-13-1 record, good for sixth place in the six-team Doug Birks Division. . . . Hereâs Sheila Devost, the Eagleâs president: âThe KIJHL has policies and rules for teams to follow . . . when they are not adhered to, there are consequences. We broke the rules and now must respect we have to face the consequences.” . . .
â heâs an assistant coach â associate coach Keith McCambridge ran the Vancouver bench on Wednesday night as the Giants dropped a 7-1 decision to the Blazers in Kamloops. It was a homecoming of sorts for McCambridge, who was acquired by the Blazers from the Swift Current Broncos during 1994-95. He played 21 regular-season and 21 playoff games for the Blazers as they won the WHL title and the Memorial Cup. . . . McCambridge was joined behind the bench by former WHL/NHL D Brent Seabrook, who is helping out as a volunteer assistant in Dyckâs absence. . . . BTW, McCambridge is from Thompson, Man., the hometown of former WHL coach-of-the-year Jack Sangster and also F Glen Goodall, who holds the WHL record for most regular-season career games played.
general manager/head coach Gord Thibodeau had âmutually agreed to part ways.â According to a two-paragraph news release, Thibodeau, 58, the winningest regular-season coach in AJHL history, resigned for âpersonal reasons.â . . . At the time of Thibodeauâs departure, the Oil Barons were 26-6-0 and atop the Viterra North Division. . . . âThe team is doing well this year and we positioned ourselves at the top of the North Division here,â David Fitzgerald, the team president, told Laura Beamish of Fort McMurray Today, “and heâs a big part of that. So from that perspective we were moving in the right direction. We had to look at things outside of the ice and heâs had to make a decision from a personal perspective and we respect that.â . . . Beamish’s story is 
season, have added an assistant coach and a goaltender over the past few days. . . . With head coach Michael Dyck on the coaching staff for Canadaâs national junior team, the Giants are bringing in former WHL/NHL D Brent Seabrook to help associate coach Keith McCambridge behind the bench. Seabrook, who is from Delta, B.C., won three Stanley Cups while with the Chicago Blackhawks. . . . The Giants also cut a deal with the Seattle Thunderbirds, acquiring G Connor Martin, 18, for an eighth-round pick in the 2024 bantam draft. As Steve Ewen of Postmedia reports, Vancouver G Jesper Vikman, 19, is expected to be on the roster of Swedenâs national junior team when it is announced today. If thatâs the case, the Giants will use Martin and Will Gurski, 19, while the World Junior Championship is being played in Edmonton and Red Deer, from Dec. 26 through Jan. 5. . . . This was the second trade of the season for Martin. On Nov. 4, Seattle got him from the Victoria Royals for an eight-rounder in the 2022 draft. . . . Ewenâs piece is 
newest acquisition in action. On Monday, the Ice acquired F Jack Finley, 19, and a seventh-round pick in the 2024 WHL draft from the Spokane Chiefs for F Chase Bertholet, 18, F James Form, 19, and a second-round pick in 2024. . . . Before reporting to the Ice, Finley, 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds, will attend the selection team for the Canadian team that will compete in the World Junior Championship. The tournament runs from Dec. 26 through Jan. 5, so should he make the team, he wonât be in Winnipeg for about a month. . . . Finley was the Chiefsâ captain. The Tampa Bay Lightning has signed him to a contract after selecting him in the second round of the 2020 NHL draft. His father, Jeff, played three seasons (1984-87) with the WHLâs Portland Winterhawks before going on to a lengthy pro career. After two seasons as an assistant coach with the Kelowna Rockets, he spent 10 seasons as an amateur scout with the Detroit Red Wings. He now is in his third season as an amateur scout with the NHLâs Winnipeg Jets. . . . Although they hadnât been added the Spokaneâs online roster as of Tuesday night, Bertholet and Form could play Friday in Portland.
of the KHL. His club has won its last two games, both of them in OT, by using an innovative tactic that has yet to reach the NHL. . . . On Dec. 1, Fedorov exchanged his goaltender, Ivan Fedotov, for the extra attacker in the middle of OT and F Mikhail Grigorenko scored to give CSKA Moscow a 1-0 victory over Yaroslavl Lokomotiv. . . . Then, on Monday, Fedorov did it again. This time D Nikita Nesterov scored for a 3-2 victory over Moscow Dynamo. . . . When you think about it, why not? The 3-on-3 OT has turned into a game of puck possession. So why not outnumber the other guys in their zone and run plays as though youâre on the PP? . . . Now we will watch to see which NHL coach has the jam to be the first. Or would someone â hello, Mike Johnston â give it a whirl in the WHL?
Giants wonât have their head coach at their bench when the WHL season opens:
TAKING NOTE 