Tag: Regina Pats

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.”

Meet another member of the Wall of Honour’s Class of 2025

The Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation’s second annual Wall of Honour induction dinner is scheduled for Okotoks on July 29. . . . Okotoks, the home of the BCHL’s Oilers, also is the home of the Wall of Honour. Yes, it’s right here in the Viking Rentals Centre. . . . That also will be the site of induction dinner, tickets for which are available at tickets.hockeyscoutsfoundation.com. . . . As dining time approaches, we are introducing folks to members of the Wall of Honour’s Class of ’25. This time we would like you to meet Brian Gross.

BRIAN GROSS

(Oct. 11, 1942 — )

From Lethbridge, he was raised on a farm, learning to skate on a frozen dugout. . . . Began scouting by working southern Alberta for the Regina Pats (1980-83). Regina hired him full-time (1983-85), and he answered to Glen Dirk and Bob Strumm. . . . When they moved to the Spokane Chiefs, Gross went along (1986-90) as an Alberta and tournament scout. . . . Then it was on to the Tacoma/Kelowna Rockets (1991-95), before a return to Regina (1995-97), this time as director of scouting. . . . San Jose hired him in 1997 and he spent 25 seasons with the Sharks, covering Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest, before retiring. . . . Worked 32 years with Alberta Government Telephones until 1993. . . . A highlight was getting undrafted Kelowna D Josh Gorges into San Jose’s camp and watching him go on to 13-season NHL career.

Brad Hornung headed for Wall of Honour

The Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation is to hold its second annual Wall of Honour induction dinner in Okotoks, Alta., on July 29. On that evening, we will honour 29 scouts — three Pioneers of Scouting, seven from the Early Era (1968-80), 17 from the Modern Era (1981-Present) and two from the world of major junior hockey. . . . Tickets are available at tickets.hockeyscoutsfoundation.com. . . . Now we would like to introduce you to one of our 2025 inductees, the late Brad Hornung, who got into scouting after a devastating injury ended his playing career. 

BRAD HORNUNG

(Feb. 13, 1969 — Feb. 8, 2022)

Born in Fort Erie, Ont., he was left a quadriplegic at 18 after being checked from behind while playing for the Regina Pats on March 1, 1987. Suffered a burst fracture of the third cervical vertebrae and crushed spinal cord. . . . Cancer claimed him five days from his 53rd birthday. . . . Was hired as an intern by GM Mike Smith of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2001 and spent three seasons scouting for them. He later worked with NHL Central Scouting. . . . Completed Grade 12 after being injured, then earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the U of Regina’s Campion College in 1996. The school presented him with an honourary Doctor of Laws degree in 2018. . . . The Pats have retired his number (8). . . . Inducted posthumously into Regina Sports Hall of Fame (builder) in 2022 and the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame (hockey, builder) in 2025.

Giants have their man, do Hurricanes have their’s, too? . . . Ex-Ice coach joins Royals’ front office . . . Raiders get goaltender from Rebels

The Vancouver Giants are expected to introduce Manny Viveiros as their new Vancouverhead coach during their annual golf tournament today (Thursday). . . . Viveiros, a former WHL player and coach, has spent the past three seasons as the head coach of the Henderson Silver Knights, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights. . . . In Vancouver, Viveiros, 57, will take over from Michael Dyck, who left the Giants after five seasons for a position as an assistant coach with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. . . . Viveiros also worked in the WHL as the director of player personnel and head coach of the Swift Current Broncos for two seasons, winning the WHL title in 2018. He was the head coach of the Spokane Chiefs for one season (2019-20). . . .

That will leave the Lethbridge Hurricanes as the only one of the WHL’s 22 Lethbridgeteams without a head coach. The leading candidate to replace Brent Kisio in Lethbridge is believed to be Bill Peters. The 58-year-old Peters has had two WHL coaching stints, both with the Spokane Chiefs.  He was an assistant coach for three seasons (1999-02) and their head coach for three seasons (2005-08). . . . He also spent three seasons (2002-05) as the head coach of the U of Lethbridge men’s hockey team. . . . Peters was the head coach of the NHL’s Calgary Flames when he resigned on Nov. 29, 2019. The resignation came after former NHL F Akim Aliu alleged that Peters had directed racist comments at him a few years earlier in the dressing room of the Rockford Ice Hogs, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks. Peters was Rockford’s head coach at the time. . . . He signed on as head coach of Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg of the KHL on April 15, 2020, and was fired on Nov. 30, 2022. . . . Kisio left the Hurricanes on Aug. 10 for an assistant coaching position with the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights. Kisio spent eight seasons as the Hurricanes’ head coach.

Socrates

The Victoria Royals have added James Patrick to their organization. The former Kootenay/Winnipeg Ice head coach has signed on as director of player VictoriaRoyalsdevelopment. . . . Patrick, 60, spent the past six seasons as the Ice’s head coach. . . . Patrick is the third key off-season hiring for the Royals, joining Joey Poljanowski, the vice-president of hockey operations, and Jake Heisinger, the associate general manager. Poljanowski joins the Royals from the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes, while Heisinger had been in Winnipeg with the Ice. . . . Interestingly, Patrick has spent the past 17 seasons in the coaching game, the first 11 as an NHL assistant coach with the Buffalo Sabres and then the Dallas Stars. That followed a playing career that included 1,280 regular-season NHL games over 21 seasons. . . .

While the Royals haven’t updated their website in quite a while, Taking Note has been told that two men whose pictures are on the ‘Hockey Staff’ page no longer are with the organization. J.F. Best, who is shown as the assistant general manager and director of player personnel and player development, is gone, as is longtime WHL executive and scout Stu MacGregor, who is listed as a senior regional scout out of Kamloops. . . . Best had been with the Royals since signing as an assistant coach on June 27, 2017. . . . MacGregor joined the Royals four years ago. He was the Kamloops Blazers’ assistant GM and director of player personnel for three Memorial Cup titles (1992, 1993 and 1995), part of 13 seasons over two stints with the organization. He also was with the Edmonton Oilers for 13 seasons, the last eight as director of amateur scouting. MacGregor was the Blazers’ GM when he was swept out the door when majority owner Tom Gaglardi made some changes after the 2017-18 season.

Parol

Keeping Score was told on Wednesday that Robbie Sandland no longer is Kamloopswith the Kamloops Blazers. He had been one of their two assistant general managers and also was the director of player personnel. . . . Sandland 40, is from Nanaimo. He joined the Blazers as their head B.C. scout in 2018 and was promoted to director of player personnel a year later. He added the AGM tag a year ago. . . . Shaun Clouston is the Blazers’ GM and head coach. Tim O’Donovan is the other assistant GM. . . . The Blazers’ website still shows Sandland as the team’s assistant GM and director of player personnel. But, then, it still shows Ken Fox as one of three head scouts and he told Taking Note on Aug. 8 that he had retired, a move the team acknowledged two days later on X, formerly know as Twitter.

Fence

The Prince Albert Raiders have acquired G Chase Coward, 20, from the Red Deer Rebels for a conditional fifth-round selection in the WHL’s 2024 draft. . . . From PrinceAlbertSwift Current, Coward played in 45 games over four seasons with the Rebels, going 25-23-4, 2.66, .904. . . . Due to hip issues — he underwent double hip surgery — he got into only four games last season (1-2-1, 2.98, .902). He was 0-2-0, 4.76, .830 in two playoff games. . . . Tikhon Chaika, the Raiders’ starter last season who is from Belarus, won’t be returning after signing with the KHL’s Dinamo Minsk. Chaika, 20, is from Minsk. He made 101 regular-season and playoff appearances with the Raiders over the past two seasons. . . . It could be that the Raiders start the season with Coward and Max Hildebrand, 19, as their goaltenders. Hildebrand was 11-14-3, 3.71, .871 as a sophomore last season. . . . The trade would appear to leave Kyle Kelsey, 19, as the Rebels’ starting goaltender. Last season, in 37 games, he was 21-11-5, 2.64, .907. He followed that up by going 7-2-1, 2.36, .912 in 11 playoff appearances.

Injuries

The Lethbridge Hurricanes have hired Brodan Salmond as their goaltending consultant following the resignation of Kevin Swanson, who had been the organization’s goaltending coach for five seasons. . . . Salmond, 24, played four seasons in the WHL, splitting time with the Kelowna Rockets and Moose Jaw Warriors. He spent the past four seasons playing with the U of Calgary Dinos. . . . The Hurricanes also announced that D Nolan Bentham, 20, has chosen not to play in 2023-24. That decision leaves Lethbridge with three 20-year-olds on its roster — D Joe Arntsen, D Chase Pauls and F Blake Swetlikoff.

The Regina Pats have signed Dale McMullin, their director of scouting, to a Reginacontract extension. The length of the extension wasn’t released. . . . McMullin is going into his 12 season as the club’s director of scouting. . . . McMullin, 68, played five seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings back in the day. A prolific scorer, he put up 418 points, including 168 goals, in 309 regular-season games. The Wheat Kings weren’t very good back in those days, and he only got into 10 playoff games. That only makes his regular-season scoring feats even more impressive.

Condolences to Tim Lenardon and family on the death of his father, Norm, on Tuesday. Norm was 89. He was a player on the 1961 Trail Smoke Eaters, who went 6-0-1 to win the 1961 World championship in Geneva, Switzerland. . . . Tim was a longtime scout with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. Like his father before him, Tim played for his hometown Smoke Eaters (1979-83), who then were in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. Tim put together seasons of 56, 109, 139 and 172 points with the Smokies before going on to play three seasons at Brandon University. His pro career included 15 NHL games — one goal in seven games with the New Jersey Devils (1986-87) and one goal in eight games with the Vancouver Canucks (1989-90). . . . His father was a key contributor to the Smoke Eaters and scored perhaps the biggest goal of the 1961 World championship. . . .  If you haven’t seen the documentary about that Trail team, find it and spend an hour with it. It’s titled Trophy Town. It won’t disappoint you. . . . Greg Nesteroff of mykootenaynow.com has more on Norm Lenardon right here.

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Amazon

Is it the USHL’s time to be No. 1? . . . Norway’s hockey federation feeling the pinch . . . Memorial Cup champs get 74 days between games

Smoke
We are among the fortunate ones in the Southern Interior of B.C., because, while the smoke is terrible, we aren’t in any danger. Dorothy and I haven’t packed a go-bag, but we have made a list of what will be included should it become necessary. As I write this (Sunday, 8:30 p.m.), the smoke, most of it from a fire 30-to-40 km to the east of us, is worse than pictured. We no longer are able to see the South Thompson River that is visible in the right side of the photo. The wind blows the smoke in through any nook or cranny and our air purifier is getting a workout. But we’re safe and thankful for that.

As was mentioned here the other day, the WHL has hired the New Jersey-based recruiting firm TurnkeyZRG to help in its search for a commissioner to replace Ron Robison, who is retiring after the 2023-24 season.

In the job description posted on TurnkeyZRG’s website, this statement appears:

“The Western Hockey League (WHL) is the best hockey development league in the world.  Last month, the WHL had more top draft picks (including the #1 pick Connor Bedard) and more overall picks than any other league or country in the world.”

Uhh, well, actually . . . no. The OHL had 35 players selected, with 33 being taken from the WHL.

And then there’s the 16-team USHL. Yes, the USHL.

As Allan Mitchell of The Athletic wrote in a story posted on Friday: “If you ushlinclude the U.S. National Development Team as part of the USHL, the number of players being drafted exceeds each of the Canadian junior leagues.”

The USNDT plays a full 62-game schedule in the USHL, which is why Mitchell included it in these numbers.

The USHL, including the USNDT, had 39 players selected in the NHL’s 2023 draft, with the OHL (35), WHL (33) and Sweden (22) next in line.

Furthermore, according to Mitchell, when the 2022-23 NHL season began, there were 193 USHL grads on team rosters, while there were 173 from the OHL and 115 from the WHL.

Mitchell makes the USHL’s case with a whole lot of numbers, then adds:

“I’ve spoken to NHL scouts about the quality of the USHL compared to the established Canadian junior leagues. The consensus opinion has the USHL trailing the Canadian leagues, although all admit the gap is closing.”

He also points out: “Most scouts have been around the game for a long time. The USHL was an upstart when many current scouts were early in their careers. The older generation of NHL scouts may believe the USHL still trails, but the growing evidence suggests this is no longer the case.”

Mitchell closes his piece with this:

“In this quick look at the leagues, USHL players are No. 1 in populating opening-night NHL rosters (2022-23), No. 1 in populating the 2023 NHL draft and No. 1 in the top three tiers of The Athletic’s top-100 players.

“The NHL industry is telling us the USHL’s time is coming.

“The numbers are telling us the USHL’s time is here.”

If nothing else, all of this is food for some kind of thought. Discuss among yourselves.

If you subscribe to The Athletic, the complete story is right here.

Clam

Things are tough financially in Norway where the country’s ice hockey federation has suspended all activities for its senior women’s and senior men’s national teams through December. The federation also has laid off five full-time employees. . . . Norwegian broadcaster NRK reported that “the men’s U20 national team . . . will play at the WC in December.” . . . According to NRK, “The drastic cuts come just a few weeks after the (federation) confirmed a deficit of 9 million (kroner) in 2022. This was 3 million more than they had budgeted.” . . . The women’s national team is in China at the IIHF’s Division 1A championship and won’t be impacted until returning home. That is the IIHF’s last 2023 championship of its calendar.

Ass

Headline at The Onion — MLS Parents Complain Leo Messi Too Advanced For Sons’ League

Bob Baun was a hard-rock defenceman on the 1966-67 Toronto Maple Leafs, who won the Stanley Cup. You no doubt are aware that the franchise has yet to win another championship. . . . Steve Simmons of Postmedia points out that “the only regulars remaining from the ’67 Leafs, still around to share their stories, are those who were under the age of 30 in 1967 — Dave Keon, Frank Mahovlich, Bob Pulford, Ron Ellis, Pete Stemkowski, Mike Walton and Brian Conacher.”

——

Simmons, again: “No surprise that Taylor Swift turned down the Super Bowl, which doesn’t pay much for its halftime entertainment. She probably couldn’t afford the pay cut.” . . . And she surely doesn’t need the exposure.

Insomn

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

Landon Watson, who left the Regina Pats earlier this month, has joined the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes as manager of hockey operations. Watson, who is from Neilburg, Sask., had been with the Pats through seven seasons; he was their director of hockey operations for two years. . . . The Pats have named Tristan Frei, who is from Regina, as Watson’s replacement. . . .

F Savin Virk, 16, has committed to attend Michigan State U. The Tri-City Americans selected the Surrey, B.C., native in the third round of the WHL’s 2022 draft. He played at Yale Hockey Academy in Abbotsford, B.C., for the past three seasons, putting up 26 goals and 21 assists in 29 games with the U18 team last season.

THINKING OUT LOUD — The QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts played their first exhibition game of the new season on Thursday night. That was only 74 days after they won the Memorial Cup in Kamloops. That’s right . . . 74 days, which, if my math is correct, isn’t even three months. . . . I tried to watch the NFL exhibition game between the visiting Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks on Saturday night. I really did. But the Seahawks’ broadcast crew couldn’t even pretend there were two teams on the field. Embarrassing! . . . On Sunday, I turned on the MLB game between the San Francisco Giants and the Braves in Atlanta. And there was the Braves’ play-by-play man sounding like Buck Martinez — “Get out of here ball.” . . . It’s really too bad that more broadcast teams can’t emulate Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow, who do Giants’ games, or Dick Bremer and Justin Moreau, who handle a lot of Minnesota Twins’ games. You know who they work for, but they don’t feel the urge to shout it to the heavens. . . . Let’s be honest here. You were watching the B.C. Lions and Saskatchewan Roughriders playing in Regina on Sunday and you went into the second half wondering how the home team was going to blow it, weren’t you?

Deer
A doe and two fans take a break in a field behind our home east of Kamloops. After eating, they chose to rest before heading up into the hills above the South Thompson River.

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Herman

Veteran scout retires from Blazers . . . Hitmen get draft picks in trades . . . Wilson returns as Smoke Eaters’ radio voice

Ken Fox, one of the Kamloops Blazers’ three head scouts, has retired after Kamloopsspending more than 30 seasons in the WHL. Fox had been with the Blazers since the summer of 2008. . . . From Holdfast, Sask., Fox left the Swift Current Broncos — he had been their assistant scouting director — to join the Blazers. His time in the WHL also included four seasons with the Vancouver Giants and nine with the Red Deer Rebels. . . . His life, Fox told Keeping Score, now “will be different after 35 years.” . . . Fox’s retirement leaves the Blazers with Scott Blakeney and Jason Pashelka as their head scouts. . . .

The WHL’s Calgary Hitmen made a couple of deals on Tuesday, sending F Brandon Whynott, 19, to the Tri-City Americans and D Trey Patterson, 20, to the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Calgary received a fifth-round selection in the 2024 WHL draft from Tri-City and a sixth-rounder in 2026 from Seattle. . . . Whynott, a second-round pick by the Hitmen in the 2019 draft, is from Langley, B.C. In 141 games with the Hitmen, he had 12 goals and 35 assists. . . . Patterson, from Calgary, was acquired from the Red Deer Rebels, had one goal and 14 assists in 68 games last season. In 147 career games, he has two goals and 21 assists. . . .

The Prince Albert Raiders are going to retire the No. 16 in honour of F Dan Hodgson with the Moose Jaw Warriors in town on Nov. 25. Hodgson spent three seasons (1982-85) with the Raiders, putting up 493 points, including 188 goals, in 204 regular-season games. . . . He was saluted as the CHL’s player of the year for 1984-85, after he scored 70 goals and added 112 assists in 64 games. . . . He led the Raiders to their first WHL title that season as team captain, and also helped them to the Memorial Cup championship. . . . There is a complete news release right here. . . .

The Regina Pats have hired Tristan Frei as their manager of hockey operations, Reginareplacing Landon Watson who, according to the team, “has accepted a position with a National Hockey League club.” . . . Watson, 28, had been with the Pats through seven seasons, starting as an intern in January 2016. He also worked as a video analyst and director of hockey analytics. He had been director of hockey operations for two years. . . . Frei, 27, spent the past two seasons playing with the EIHL’s Guildford Flames. From Regina, he played with the Regina Pats Canadians (2010-13) and the U of Regina Cougars (2016-21). . . .

Drew Wilson, once the radio voice of the Prince Albert Raiders, is the new-old play-by-play man for the BCHL’s Trail Smoke Eaters. Wilson is a news and sports anchor at Bounce Radio in Trail. . . . He also was the Smoke Eaters’ play-by-play voice 20 years ago before moving to Prince Albert. “It’s the exact job I did before moving to PA in 2004,” he told Taking Note. “I guess you can go home.”

Herman2

THE COACHING GAME:

The Swift Current Broncos have hired Taras McEwen, 32, as an assistant coach. He joins the Broncos after spending six seasons with the Winnipeg Ice (hey, remember them?), first as a scout and then last season as an assistant coach. . . . During his time with the Ice, he also worked as the general manager of the Winnipeg Blues, one of two MJHL teams that is owned by the Winnipeg Ice’s former owners, and took over as head coach for 2020-21. . . . Taras’s father, Brad, is a former GM/head coach of the Broncos. . . .

The Edmonton Oil Kings have added Kyle Chipchura to their staff as a development coach. Chipchura, 37, was coaching with the Northern Alberta Xtreme’s program for the past two seasons. . . . From Westlock, Alta., Chipchura played four seasons with the Prince Albert Raiders before going on to a 15-year pro career. . . . From a news release: “Chipchura joins Ladislav Smid as a development coach with the organization. Smid, who is entering his second season with the club, will oversee the development of Oil Kings prospects, while Chipchura will work with the team during practices and home games.” . . .

The SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers announced on Monday that Mat Hehr, their general manager and head coach, has left the organization “to pursue a new opportunity in coaching.” He had been with the Terriers for seven years. . . . It turns out that Hehr is joining the Northern Alberta Xtreme. Calvin Daniels of Yorkton This Week wrote that Hehr told him that the Xtreme ownership has a vision to grow the program and also to own an AJHL franchise. . . . Hehr, 34, signed on with the Terriers as an assistant coach in 2016 and was named GM/head coach during the 2017-18 season.

Einstein

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Cement

Backmeyers one step closer to home . . . Winterhawks lose pair of veteran scouts . . . Pats round out coaching staff

The Backmeyers aren’t back in Kamloops yet, but they are back in their home province of B.C.

“I just can’t even believe we did it,” Lindsey wrote on Facebook. “Eight weeks ago we left Vancouver and travelled across the country to Toronto for a kidney transplant. We left with some big hopes and dreams, sprinkled with a whole lot of fear.”

And why not? After all, Lindsey and her husband, Pat, had been told at one point in their journey that a second transplant for their youngest daughter, Ferris, 6, likely was impossible.

“We were given ‘the choice’ to just (let her) live her days out on dialysis or proceed with listing her and giving it a second shot,” Lindsey explained. “It was a no-brainer living the life Ferris was living that she needed another shot if she were to have any chance at growing up.”

So off they went in pursuit of another kidney and — guess what? — so far, so good.

“We were shocked, that things actually went as planned, that the transplant was successful and our girl was gifted a whole new life,” Lindsey wrote.

They left Toronto on Thursday, five weeks after Ferris had undergone a kidney transplant at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

Ferris Backmeyer, flanked by sisters Ksenia (left) and Tavia, didn’t need her stroller this time when she walked into BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver. (Photo: Lindsey Backmeyer/Facebook)

And now they are back at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, a facility with which they are quite familiar having been regulars there and at the Ronald McDonald House over the past five years.

“Walking into the hospital I had goosebumps everywhere,” Lindsey wrote.

What made things really special was . . .

“It was incredible watching Ferris just WALK into the hospital. I’m not sure she ever has before,” Lindsey explained. “She definitely hadn’t walked to a clinic appointment before.”

And it seems that Ferris received something of a warm welcome.

“It was incredibly heartwarming seeing their response to how well she’s doing. Lots of happy tears. Even as she sat in front of them . . . they just couldn’t believe she wasn’t a dialysis patient anymore . . . that she’s getting her shot!”

So now the five of them are back living at Ronald McDonald House as they wait to see what the future holds. Hopefully it means a return to Kamloops isn’t too far away.

Tavia told her mother “it felt like we were home finally. It really really did. The bigs were off with their friends until bedtime. Ferris played hard. Everyone was just so happy to be ‘home’.”

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

The Portland Winterhawks announced on Friday that veteran scouts Brad Davis and Ray Payne have left the organization. . . . Davis, who had been the head Manitoba scout, said he is leaving “to pursue other opportunities.” He had been with the Winterhawks for 16 years. . . . Ray Payne, who was Portland’s B.C. regional scout, was preparing for his seventh season with the Winterhawks. Payne had a long history as an NHL scout, working at various times with the Minnesota North Stars, San Jose Sharks, Washington Capitals and Vancouver Canucks. He was with the Calgary Hitmen before moving over to the Winterhawks. . . .

The City of Seattle, presumably with the support of the NHL’s Seattle Kraken and the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds, wants to play host to the 2026 World Junior Championship. . . . Reports surfaced late last week to that effect. . . . It is believed that Las Vegas, Minneapolis/St. Paul and St. Louis also have expressed interest in playing host to the event. . . . The 2024 tournament is to be held in Gothenburg, Sweden, with the tournament moving to Ottawa for 2025. A decision on 2026 is expected to be made sometime during the 2023-24 season. . . .

It would seem that the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League has added an ‘A’ to its name. Yes, it is referred to as the Kootenay International Junior A League in a recent news release in which it announced that it now will allow each of its teams to have six 20-year-old players on its roster, up one from where it was in recent seasons. . . . “Adding an additional 20-year old roster spot provides added flexibility for our member clubs as they build their teams for the 2023/24 season and brings us closer in line with other Junior A leagues across the country,” Jeff Dubois, the league’s commissioner, said in the news release. . . . The KIJHL and two other leagues in B.C., all of which had been junior B, have been designated Junior A Tier 2 by BC Hockey.

THE COACHING GAME:

The Regina Pats have hired Evan McFeeters as an assistant coach, filling the spot created when Brad Herauf was promoted to head coach following the retirement of John Paddock. . . . McFeeters, 35, had been the head coach of the AJHL’s Sherwood Park Crusaders for one season. He also has coached with the AJHL’s Canmore Eagles and Brooks Bandits. McFeeters is from Canmore. . . . He joins assistant coach Ken Schneider and goaltending coach Daniel Wapple on the Pats’ staff.

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Hospital to Ferris: You’re outta here! . . . She’s ‘a free bird’ . . . Bedard signs his first NHL contract

In the words of her mother, Lindsey, Ferris Backmeyer “is a free bird” today.

Ferris2
Ferris Backmeyer, post-transplant, enjoys time at a Toronto park. (Photo: Lindsey Backmeyer/Facebook)

Ferris, a six-year-old from Kamloops, is in Toronto with her family, recovering from a kidney transplant that was done at the Hospital for Sick Children.

The joy this family — it includes Pat, Lindsey’s husband, and older sisters Tavia, 11, and Ksenia, 9 — now is feeling just bursts off the computer screen as one reads Lindsey’s latest Facebook post.

“Nineteen hospital sleeps was 100% worth it to be right where we are. On the other side,” Lindsey writes. “It’s pretty (bleeping) dreamy!! It was the most surreal hospital experience we’ve ever had. A really quick recovery from a post-op/pain perspective and then a kid who is the least sick that she’s ever been in hospital!”

Remember that Ferris hasn’t known much but kidney problems and dialysis — either peritoneal or hemo — for most all of her short life. What she is experiencing now is unbelievably awesome.

Ferris1
Ferris Backmeyer is a swinging young lady in the early days of her post-transplant life. (Photo: Lindsey Backmeyer/Facebook)

After undergoing the transplant, Ferris’s recovery was interrupted a tad by a bladder leak that required the installation of a catheter. But Lindsey reports that the leak “appears to have healed up well” and the catheter has been removed

Lindsey adds:

“The last week she has felt pretty good. No pain meds at all. Just waiting for the catheter and drain to come out. We managed to go out on passes in the afternoon/evening knowing that if the ultrasound looked solid (Sunday) we would get to leave (Monday)! It took allll day but we left at dinner time.

“We’ve been to this park daily and so far it’s filling her cup! That, and the Krispy Crèmes!!”

Now . . . if you’ve been following Ferris’s story for any length of time and are aware of what this family has been through, well, try reading this without things getting a bit misty.

Ferris3
Ferris Backmeyer is loving another Krispy Kreme donut. (Photo: Lindsey Backmeyer/Facebook)

“We’ve had so many sweet moments over the past couple of weeks,” Lindsey writes. “The big one is the eating. She’s no longer getting any tube feeds at all. Eating way too much food and meeting her fluid goals for the day. Watching her try new foods and demolish whole meals puts the biggest smile on my face. It’s unbelievable but also something I just knew was in her future.”

The really good news is that Ferris’s new kidney “continues to be soooo happy. There’s still some fine-tuning to be done with getting her weight down safely. She breathes really fast and her X-ray showed fluid on her lungs. I see it in her (impossible not to with a respiratory rate in the 60s) and it’s really hard to watch but her sats and heart rate are happy. It’s been that way for a couple weeks now and she’s pretty fine otherwise. But something I’d love to improve!”

For now, the Backmeyers will hang around Ronald McDonald House and wait for a transfer to BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver. If all goes well that move could take place in two weeks. After that, well, it would home to Kamloops for the first time in months.

And they really are going to enjoy the next couple of days because their medical team doesn’t want to see Ferris until Thursday.

“We haven’t had two whole days away from a hospital since the end of February!!” Lindsey notes. “That’s a huge win if you ask me!! It’s been 2.5 weeks since she’s had a dialysis treatment! There are wins falling from the sky lately!”

Lindsey also has maintained a sense of humour through all of this, and you can feel it as she writes: “Hell, I even finally got my first EI cheque . . . I’ve only been off work for four months already but yay for finally getting that sorted out!”

So . . . Lindsey, please tell us how you really feel . . . how you really, really feel.

“Life feels incredibly easy right now,” she writes. “Waiting for the shoe to drop but the longer we go with steadiness that fear settles a bit. This is not how we typically do things! Smoooooth! We literally just do meds and go for bloodwork and ultrasounds.”

FerrisLogoYou may not be aware that there isn’t a cure for kidney disease. Once you have it there isn’t any shaking it. Transplant recipients, while freed from having to do dialysis, are on a rather serious drug regimen.

Here’s Lindsey describing Ferris’s situation as of now:

“The meds are pretty intensive with several being cytotoxic and she’s on a schedule that has us giving meds five times throughout the day and a once daily injection. But it’s not a record amount of drugs for us by any means.

“It was definitely a record amount of money spent though!! Today’s bill was $2,000 for a three-week supply . . . which is trying to be sorted out for us. I’m fairly certain we will pay and then get reimbursed for a big chunk. It’ll be a non-issue once we get back to B.C.

“She’s on immunosuppressants, antibiotics, antiviral, antifungal, blood-thinner injections and a handful of others. I’m just not used to getting such a big bill for meds she’s already been on before and were covered.”

Yes, there are some considerable differences in what is/isn’t covered between Ontario and B.C.

Of course, to see Ferris and where she’s at now, well, everything this family has been through has been worth it.

“I’m like you realize we’ve done all these things for years. Right?” Lindsey concludes. “(It’s) all worth it to be where we are at right now. I can dream dreams that feel so within our reach I can taste it!! Some normalcy. Meds. That’s it!! Okay . . . so far I think we got this!!”

F Connor Bedard, the first overall selection in the NHL’s 2023 draft, signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday, which just happened to be his 18th birthday. . . . Bedard dominated talk in the first four months of 2023, thanks to his performance with Team Canada at the World Junior Championship and the last three months of what likely have been the last season of his WHL career with the Regina Pats. . . . Bedard, at 17, led the WHL in goals (71) and points (143), and was tied for the lead in assists (72), all in 57 games. . . . At the WJC, he put up 23 points, nine of them goals, in seven games. He led the tournament in points as he set a Canadian single-tournament record. He was fourth in tournament scoring for the 2023 event. . . . Bedard was named the CHL’s player of the year, the IIHF’s male player of the year and won the E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence that is presented by NHL Central Scouting to the “draft prospect who best exemplifies commitment to excellence through strength of character, competitiveness and athleticism.” . . . Because he’s 18, Bedard will have to be returned to the Pats for the 2023-24 season, unless he makes the Blackhawks’ roster. . . . On which option are you betting? LOL!! . . . Bedard and the Blackhawks open the regular season on Oct. 10 in Pittsburgh against F Sidney Crosby and the Penguins.

Headline at The Beaverton (@TheBeaverton) — Bettman vows to build a whole new city in Arizona if he has to.

Produce

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

Geoff Walker is the new hockey operations general manager and head coach of the AJHL’s Drayton Valley Thunder. . . . In each of the past two seasons, he guided a Superior International Junior Hockey League team to the Centennial Cup tournament, getting there with the Red Lake Miners in 2022 and Kam River Fighting Walleye last season. . . . In Drayton Valley, Walker replaces Corey Bricknell, who stepped up from associate coach to take over from Sean Brown on Jan. 10. The team had announced on June 5 that Bricknell would be returning for a second season, but that apparently isn’t going to happen. . . . Bricknell still shows up on the Thunder website, now as an Edmonton scout. . . .

Cole McCaig is returning to the SJHL’s Flin Flon Bombers as their assistant general manager and assistant coach. He has agreed to a one-year contract extension. McCaig has been with the Bombers since signing on as assistant coach for the 2018-19 season.

Lew Morrison, who played with the Flin Flon Bombers, died on Saturday. He was 75. . . . A native of Gainsborough, Sask., he grew up in Hartney, Man. . . . He was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers with the eighth overall pick of the NHL’s 1968 draft. He played his first three NHL seasons with the Flyers, then went on to the Atlanta Flames, who claimed him in an expansion draft, Washington Capitals, who also grabbed him in an expansion draft, and Pittsburgh Penguins. He finished with career totals of 39 goals and 52 assists. . . . Morrison retired after scoring six times and adding 14 assists in 65 games with the AHL’s Binghamton Dusters in 1977-78. . . . In 1966-67, he helped the Bombers to the MJHL championship with 25 goals and 40 assists in 44 games. The next season, Morrison had 26 goals and 23 assist with the Bombers in what was then the Western Canadian Junior Hockey League. . . . He was inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame in 2017.

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Thongs

Will K.C. bring sunshine to Wild? . . . Patience pays off for Herauf . . . Giants confirm that they need head coach

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Ferris Backmeyer’s older sisters, Ksenia (left) and Tavia, were able to take her for a stroll on Wednesday. (Photo: Lindsey Backmeyer/Facebook)

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 — Ksenia and Tavia — 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 — one of those was a huge surprise — 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 Kings’ general manager who took over as head coach early last season, has yet to say whether he’ll 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 Fehérvár 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 WHL’s coach of the year for 2003-04. That was the Silvertips’ 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 team’s 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 Wild’s 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 Pats’ 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 Warriors’ front office. . . . Herauf actually took over as Regina’s 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 Herauf’s 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 — head coach Michael Dyck is leaving to join the Toronto Marlies as an assistant coach. The Marlies are the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs. . . . The Giants now are the only one of the WHL’s 22 teams without a head coach. . . . Dyck, 54, had been the Giants’ 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. . . . “The Giants are a first-class organization,” Dyck told Ewen, “and 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 . . . it’s been just an amazing experience. And then living in a city like Vancouver. It couldn’t have been any better.” . . . Ewen’s story is right here.

Triathlon

Headline at The Beaverton (@TheBeaverton) — 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: “Thank you, Tim!” . . . 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 CHL’s 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 year’s import draft. Their roster also includes Czechia F Dominik Rymon, 19, who had two goals and nine assists in 18 games last season. . . .

The BCHL’s Coquitlam Express has signed 2005-born F Grady Lenton, who played last season with the WHL’s 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 BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs. Earlier, he spent three seasons as head coach and assistant general manager with the PJHL’s Aldergrove Kodiaks. . . . At the same time, majority owner Clayton Robinson, last season’s head coach, now is the Jets’ full-time president and general manager.

DietCoke

THINKING OUT LOUD: If you haven even the slightest interest in Canadian history — and even if you don’t — and if you are on Twitter, make sure to follow Craig Baird (@CraigBaird). I guarantee that you will learn things every day about this country’s 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 isn’t 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 Toigo’s first call was to James Patrick, the former head coach of the Winnipeg Ice?

Kidney

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If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Tortilla

Rebels have their head coach . . . Giants’ guy moving on . . . Pats to introduce new one today

One new coach coming in . . . one veteran coach leaving . . . and another new coach to be introduced today (Thursday) . . . such was Wednesday in the WHL . . .

Derrick Walser is the new head coach of the Red Deer Rebels, replacing Steve RedDeerKonowalchuk who left the organization after his second season with the team. . . . Walser, 45, had been an assistant coach with the OHL’s 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 Rebels’ news release is right here.

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Steve Ewen of Postmedia reported that head coach Michael Dyck is leaving the VancouverVancouver Giants after five seasons with the team. Ewen wrote that “multiple sources” indicated that Dyck will be joining the Toronto Marlies, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs, as an assistant coach. . . . Dyck took over as the Giants’ 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. . . . Ewen’s complete story is right here.

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The Regina Pats are to name their new head coach today (Thursday). The Reginaleading 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 Pats’ 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.

Paddock
Here’s a photo from the late 1980s of a couple of men who went on to coach in the WHL. That’s Don Nachbaur (26) getting a tip from John Paddock, then the head coach of the AHL’s Hershey Bears. Thanks to Craig West for the photo.

Paul Friesen touched base with a couple of Manitobans the other day, both of whom have ties to the WHL and both of whom now have their names on the Stanley Cup. Vaughn Karpan runs the Vegas Golden Knights’ pro scouting department; Bob Lowes is in charge of amateur scouting. And they both were more than thrilled to see their names etched on Lord Stanley’s mug. . . . Friesen’s piece is right here. . . . BTW, I cannot tell a lie. When the photo of the Golden Knights’ place on the Stanley Cup hit social media, the first thing I did was check for three names — Karpan, Lowes and Kelly McCrimmon. It did my heart a lot of good to see them there. Well done, gentlemen!

Things could get interesting when it’s time for the IIHF to hear bids for the 2026 World Junior Championship. KSDK News out of St. Louis reported Tuesday that “the St. Louis Sports Commission and St. Louis Blues have put together a coalition to bid to host” the 2026 event that would open on Dec. 26, 2005. . . . Short afterwards, Gord Miller of TSN, who has a lot of sources in and around the IIHF through his role as the network’s primary play-by-play voice of the tournament, tweeted: “Hearing Seattle, Tampa and Vegas are also interested in hosting the 2026 World Juniors in the US.”

The junior B Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League, which features 11 teams, announced on Tuesday that it has “applied to BC Hockey, asking to reclassify as a junior A league for the 2023-24 season.” . . . This means that two of the province’s three junior B leagues have applied to BC Hockey for junior A status. The 20-team Kootenay International Junior Hockey League, which includes the Spokane Braves, said last month that it wants to move up. . . . At the moment, B.C. doesn’t have a junior A league because the BCHL has chosen to go (a) rogue, (b) outlaw, (c) independent, or (d) all of the above, and operate outside of Hockey Canada. . . . From a VIJHL news conference: “Recent meetings with BC Hockey and the three leagues (VIJHL, PJHL, KIJHL) have assisted to get a better understanding of the issues that need to be addressed and potential course of action to remedy the concern. . . . The focus on the three leagues is to provide an avenue or pathway that our B.C.-born players can choose to follow their hockey aspirations. All three junior B leagues continue to work collaboratively to assist in filling the void.” . . . The 14-team Pacific Junior Hockey League operates on the province’s Lower Mainland. The PJHL hasn’t yet indicated if it, too, wants junior A status.

Wakeupcall

JUNIOR JOTTINGS:

The Portland Winterhawks have acquired G Justen Maric, 19, from the Moose Jaw Warriors for s sixth-round selection in the WHL’s 2026 draft. Maric went 16-1-0, 2.39, .934 in 17 regular-season appearances with the SJHL’s Battlefords North Stars last season. From Edmonton, Maric got into three games with the Warriors last season (0-1-0, 3.84, .864). . . . He was a fifth-round pick by the Red Deer Rebels in the WHL’s 2019 draft but played in only one game with them in the 2021-22 season. . . .

F Nate Danielson of the Brandon Wheat Kings has signed a three-year entry-level deal with the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings. They selected him ninth overall in the 2023 NHL draft. . . . Danielson, from Edmonton, has 33 goals and 45 assists in 68 games last season. . . . He won’t turn 19 until Sept. 27 and has to be returned to the Wheat Kings unless he plays in the NHL next season. . . .

Eight WHL players have been named to the roster of the Canadian team that will play in the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup that is to be played in Breclav, Czechia, and Trencin, Slovakia. The tournament is scheduled to run July 31 through Aug. 5. Canada opens on July 31 against Finland in Trencin. . . . Kris Mallette, the head coach of the Kelowna Rockets, is one of the team’s assistant coaches. . . . The complete roster is right here.

Snails

THE COACHING GAME:

The NHL’s Anaheim Ducks have added Brent Thompson to their staff as an assistant coach. Thompson, 52, is from Calgary and played three seasons (1988-91) with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . For the past nine seasons, he has been the head coach of the Bridgeport SoundTigers/Islanders, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s New York Islanders. . . . Thompson has two sons playing in the NHL — Tage is with the Buffalo Sabres; Tyce is with the New Jersey Devils.

THINKING OUT LOUD: Major League Baseball really needs to get rid of those ghastly all-star uniforms and put the players back in their team gear. Of course, it won’t happen because it’s all about selling merchandise, isn’t it? . . . Is it true that Jeff Hamilton of the independent Winnipeg Free Press is the only newspaper writer travelling the CFL beat this season? It seems that Postmedia, which owns at least 11 newspapers in CFL cities, isn’t putting any writers on the road. . . . The Edmonton Elks’ 19-game home-field losing skid is on the line tonight against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Should be fun. . . . Interestingly, the Saskatchewan Roughriders had lost seven straight at home before beating the Elks, 12-11, a week ago. . . . And the Ottawa RedBlacks had lost 13 in a row at home before they dumped the Elks, 26-7, two weeks ago.

——

If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:

Living Kidney Donor Program

St. Paul’s Hospital

6A Providence Building

1081 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6

Tel: 604-806-9027

Toll free: 1-877-922-9822

Fax: 604-806-9873

Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca

——

Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney 

Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre

Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182

kidneydonornurse@vch.ca

——

Or, for more information, visit right here.

Nothing