Tag: Rich Pilon

Celebrating Indigenous Hockey Legends banquet coming to Regina

REGINA (May 13, 2025) — The non-profit Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation is partnering with the Regina Hotel Association to celebrate Indigenous hockey.

A dinner, billed as ‘Celebrating Indigenous Hockey Legends’, is scheduled for Sept. 30 at the Conexus Arts Centre on Lakeshore Drive in Regina’s beautiful Wascana Park.

The dinner also is being held in conjunction with National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

It is anticipated that the evening will include two hot stove sessions featuring some of those legends, including Kalley Armstrong, Ron Delorme, the King brothers, D.J. and Dwight, Jon (Nasty) Mirasty, Rich Pilon, Jordin Tootoo, Hall-of-Famer Bryan Trottier and Dave (Tiger) Williams, with more to be added.

“Having the opportunity to hold an event in a city with one of the richest histories in hockey on such a significant day and adding in the banquet’s theme is just a recipe for a successful event,” said Garth Malarchuk, a longtime scout with the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs and the WCPHS Foundation’s chairman of the board. “This certainly meets one of our foundation’s primary mandates in supporting and giving back to the community.”

The dinner also will feature auctions involving hockey sweaters from Indigenous players.

Some of the proceeds from the evening will be shared with Regina-area organizations, including the Ranch Ehrlo Society’s Outdoor Hockey League, which had a single-season high 466 players participate in 2024-25, its 32nd season. Also receiving some of the proceeds will be Sask Sport, for KidSport Saskatchewan, and the Circle Project, which, according to its mission statement, “provides support and programs based on the Aboriginal vision of wholeness, balance, and healing. By promoting positive human development, we encourage people to help themselves through education, cultural awareness, family and community.”

“Regina has always been a city where hockey lives at the heart of the community. We are proud to welcome the 2025 Western Canadian Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation gala dinner and celebrate the legacy and contributions of the scouts who shape the game we love,” Sandra Jackle, the RHA’s president and CEO, said. “Partnering this event with National Day for Truth and Reconciliation not only amplifies the energy but also highlights the strong hockey culture that defines our city.

“We are thrilled to support this initiative, which not only brings the hockey world together but also gives back to the Regina community through the Scouts Foundation mission and outreach.”

Tammy Hoffart, KidSport’s provincial co-ordinator, added: “KidSport is a children’s charity designated to assist children ages 5-18 of families facing financial obstacles to participate in community sport programs. In 2024, KidSport provided opportunities to 5,500 children in Saskatchewan — 1,254 of which self identified as Indigenous. . . . Hockey remains one of our top-funded sports and in 2024 KidSport helped 861 kids through over $300,000 in grants to participate.

“Connecting with the Indigenous Hockey Legends banquet will help as KidSport looks to broaden our reach in 2025 and celebrate 30 years of helping get kids off the sidelines and into the game.”

Banquet tickets — $250 each or $1,600 per table of eight — are available at the Foundation’s website (hockeyscoutsfoundation.com).

In the lead-up to the dinner, the foundation and the hotel association will sponsor a contest involving Regina high school students. It will run from Sept. 1-14. The Foundation is looking for a ‘Celebrating Indigenous Hockey Legends’-related design to use on t-shirts, with sale proceeds to be given to charity. The contest winner will receive a bursary and an invitation to the banquet as a guest of the foundation. Watch for more details on this contest to be revealed in August.

“As a Reginan and a scout, I am really excited for the possibilities that exist for our foundation through an event such as this,” said Ross Mahoney, the WCPHS Foundation’s vice-president and the NHL-Washington Capitals’ assistant general manager. “I also am a former Regina high school teacher, so am really looking forward to being involved with the schools and our contest.”

The WCPHSF is in its infancy, having held its startup banquet less than two years ago. It raised enough money through that dinner and all that went with it, including a roast of Hockey Night in Canada’s Ron MacLean and various auctions, that it was able to get its Wall of Honour built and installed in the Viking Rentals Centre, the arena in Okotoks, Alta.

The Foundation held its inaugural induction dinner on July 29, 2024, during which 49 past and present-day scouts were saluted. The theme was ‘Tales From the Road,’ with two hot stove sessions featuring a whole lot of story-telling.

This year’s induction banquet — A Night With the Sutters — is scheduled for Okotoks on July 29, with a class of 29 to be inducted. The night will include hot stove sessions featuring hockey’s Sutter brothers.

There is a whole lot more to the WCPHSF than a Wall of Honour.

Since its inception, the Foundation has operated as a non-profit organization under the Alberta Societies Act; it recently applied for registered charity status with Revenue Canada.

The Foundation’s Vision statement, which is on its website (hockeyscoutsfoundation.com), includes:

“Our non-profit foundation is appreciative and indebted to the game of hockey and all that it has provided to our life’s experiences. Because of that we feel a strong obligation and commitment to give back to charities, communities and individuals who could benefit from our support and financial assistance.”

The Foundation already has helped out in those areas with organizations as varied as Bear Clan Bow River and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. It also has provided financial help to scouts with medical issues.

The Foundation’s long-range plan includes providing financial assistant to individuals in the scouting community who are facing medical challenges; conducting seminars to provide future scouts, parents, players and coaches with information about the realities of playing hockey at a professional level; organize ‘Bid for Kids’ auction packages with all proceeds going to a designated individual or child-focused organization; supporting organizations across Western Canada with funding to reduce operational costs; and donations to health-related charities.

For further info, contact . . . 

Garth Malarchuk, WCPHSF chairman of the board

gmalarchuk@torontomapleleafs.com

Tim Lenardon, WCPHSF co-ordinator

timlenardon78@gmail.com

Gregg Drinnan, WCPHSF editor/historian

greggdrinnan@gmail.com

CFL trying hard to get more players vaccinated . . . Warriors sign two imports . . . Murray leaves Western Michigan

Are you ready for some football? . . . The CFL season opens on Thursday night CFLwhen the Hamilton Tiger-Cats visit the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in a rematch of the 2019 Grey Cup game. That just happens to have been the last CFL game played because of the pandemic. . . . Winnipeg won that game, 33-12, in Calgary, taking possession of the Grey Cup for the first time since 1990. . . . On Tuesday, the CFL announced a cancellation program that could result in teams forfeiting a game and players not being paid. . . . “Our goal is to ensure we have zero game cancellations due to issues caused by an outbreak of COVID-19 within our football operations,” CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie said in a statement. “While this policy spells out what will happen if cancellations do occur, its main purpose is to encourage all of our players to get fully vaccinated in order to minimize the risk to our season and, most importantly, their health and safety.” . . . There is more on this story right here.

The WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors have signed Slovakian F Robert Baco and Czech F Martin Rysavy, both of whom were selected in the CHL import drafts. . . . Baco, 18, was selected in the 2021 draft on June 30. He played last season with Karlovy Vary’s U-20 side, scoring two goals and adding four assists in nine games. He also had one goal and an assist in nine games while on loan to SK Kadan in the Czech2 league. He added two goals and two assists in six international games for Slovakia. . . . Rysavy, also 18, was the sixth overall selection in the 2020 import draft. He played last season at home with HC Prerov in Czech2, putting up three goals and six assists in 19 games. He was pointless in six games with HC Vitkovice in the Czech Republic’s top league. He also played in the IIHF U-18 Worlds in Texas, finishing with two goals and an assist in five games. The Columbus Blue Jackets selected him in the seventh round of the NHL’s 2021 draft.

The SJHL’s Weyburn Red Wings are expected to name a new general manager/head coach on Thursday. The club revealed Tuesday that Rich Pilon, its general manager and head coach, no longer is part of the organization. . . . Greg Nikkel of sasktoday.ca wrote a brief story that quoted team president Brent Stephenson as saying: “There will be no further details at this time due to legal reasons.” . . . According to Nikkel, Stephenson added that the matter may end up in court, so no additional comment can be made.” . . . Pilon, 53, is a former WHL and NHL defenceman. He joined the Red Wings as general manager and head coach on April 29, 2019. . . . On Tuesday afternoon, the team’s website didn’t list a general manager/head coach or an assistant coach.

CNN — New York City will require proof of vaccination to enter all restaurants, fitness centers and indoor entertainment venues, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday. “If you’re unvaccinated, unfortunately, you will not be able to participate in many things,” de Blasio said. “If you want to participate in our society fully, you’ve got to get vaccinated.”

Virus

RHP Luis Gil made his MLB debut with the New York Yankees on Tuesday night, taking the spot in the starting rotation that usually belongs to Gerrit Cole. . . . Cole tested positive on Monday, so is likely to be out until at least sometime next week. . . . On Tuesday, the Yankees revealed that LHP Jordan Montgomery also has tested positive so he, too, is likely to be out at least 10 days. . . . Last month, the Yankees, who have more than 85 per cent of their people fully vaccinated, had six players test positive, including OF Aaron Judge. . . . BTW, Gil pitched six scoreless innings, giving up just four singles and one walk, as the Yankees beat the visiting Baltimore Orioles, 13-1, on Tuesday night.

Western Michigan U announced on Tuesday that Andy Murray has resigned after 10 seasons as head coach of the men’s hockey team, with Pat Ferschweiler promoted to replace him. . . . “The last 10 years at WMU have been as rewarding as anything I have done in my life,” Murray said in a news release. “I am in great health and full of energy, so this is not a retirement. I still have a number of things on my bucket list and now is the time to pursue those.” . . . Murray, 70, has coached since 1976 when he was the head coach of the MJHL’s Brandon Travellers. His past includes stints as an assistant coach in the NHL with the Philadelphia Flyers, Minnesota North Stars and Winnipeg Jets. He also worked as the head coach of the Los Angeles Kings for six seasons and the St. Louis Blues for two seasons and parts of two others. . . . He also owned the BCHL’s Salmon Arm Silverbacks for six seasons with childhood friend Garry Davidson. . . . Ferschweiler has been the program’s associate coach since 2019. He joined the program as an assistant coach in 2010 under head coach Jeff Blashill. Ferschweiler left the Broncos to work under Blashill with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins and then the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings, before returning in 2019.

The host Winnipeg Goldeyes dumped the Sioux City Explorers, 14-6, on GoldeyesTuesday night in the first American Association baseball game in the Manitoba capital since Sept. 2, 2019. There were 2,716 fans in Shaw Park. You will recall that I had something here yesterday about the problems the Explorers were having fielding a team because a majority of their players aren’t vaccinated and even some of those who are vaccinated didn’t want to come over the U.S.-Canada border for fears of testing positive and having to quarantined. . . . Here’s Ted Wyman of the Winnipeg Sun: “That was a big problem for the Explorers, who had only nine of 24 players on the roster who were vaccinated. Eight of those nine vaccinated players were leery about crossing the border and chose not to travel to Winnipeg. So the Explorers signed a bunch of players from the Pecos League, considered a step down from the American Association, to travel to Winnipeg.”

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Or, for more information, visit right here.

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Raiders put Giants behind 8-ball. . . . P.A. scores seven in first period. . . . Winds of change blowing in Brandon

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F Yegor Babenko (Lethbridge, 2015-17) has been traded by Severstal Cherepovets to Traktor Chelyabinsk (both Russia, KHL) for monetary compensation. This season, with Rubin Tyumen (Russia, Vysshaya Liga), he had seven goals and 11 assists in 25 games. He also was pointless in three games with Dynamo Moscow (Russia, KHL), and had two goals three assists in 15 games with Severstal Cherepovets. . . .

F Liam Stewart (Spokane, 2011-15) has signed a one-season contract with the Southern Stampede Queenstown (New Zealand, NZIHL). Last season,  with the Guildford Flames (England, UK Elite), he had 12 goals and 11 assists in 35 games. He didn’t play this season after suffering a concussion. . . . Stewart holds dual UK/New Zealand citizenship and is considered a local player in New Zealand. However, in the UK, he is considered an import because he played his minor hockey in the U.S.

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The Brandon Wheat Kings revealed on Tuesday that they won’t be renewing the contract BrandonWKregularof Grant Armstrong, who had been their general manager through three seasons. . . . Kelly McCrimmon, the Wheat Kings’ owner, said in a news release that Armstrong “was responsible for many of the moves that will serve us well in the future. At the same time, I also felt a change was necessary as we look to return to a higher level as an organization.” . . . McCrimmon is the assistant GM with the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights. He will be taking over as the Golden Knights’ GM on Sept 1. . . . Armstrong signed as Brandon’s general manager to take over from McCrimmon when he signed with Vegas. . . . The Wheat Kings were 102-87-23 with Armstrong as the general manager. This season, they finished 31-29-8, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2013. . . . Before joining Brandon, Armstrong was with the Victoria Royals for four seasons as director of player personnel and assistant GM. Prior to that, he worked with the Portland Winterhawks for five seasons, the last four as head scout. . . . The Wheat Kings’ news release is right here. . . .

With a new general manager to be hired at some point, you are free to wonder about the future of head coach David Anning and assistant coach Don MacGillivray. After three seasons, their contracts are up, too. . . . The news release on Armstrong’s departure doesn’t mention the coaching staff.

The Tri-City Americans announced Tuesday that they have renewed the contracts of goaltending coaches Eli Wilson and Liam McOnie “through the 2021 season.” . . . Wilson and McOnie have worked with the Americans since the 2017-18 season. They also run goaltending camps through Eli Wilson Goaltending.

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Thank you very much.

The BCHL’s Vernon Vipers have hired Jason McKee as general manager and head coach, Vernonreplacing Mark Ferner, who got the team into the BCHL final this season, his fifth season in his second stint with the organization. . . . Ferner, 53, was the Vipers’ head coach for four seasons (2007-11), getting them into three national finals and winning two of them, before spending time on the coaching staffs of the Everett Silvertips and Kamloops Blazers. This time, he had been the Vipers’ director of hockey operations and head coach since early in the 2014-15 season. . . . This season, the Vipers went 26-21-11 to finish fourth in the seven-team Interior Division. They reach the championship final where they were swept by the Prince George Spruce Kings. . . . McKee, 40, was the head coach of the Vancouver Giants for two seasons (2016-18). Prior to that, he was with the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints for 10 seasons, the last six as general manager and head coach. . . . Brothers John and Tom Glen purchased the Vipers in September from Libby Wray, whose husband, Dr. Duncan Wray, had owned the franchise from 1992 through his death on Jan. 11, 2018. . . . John Glen was quite involved with the Saints, although not at the ownership level. He also is a former scout with the Giants.

If you’re a junior hockey fan you should be following Victor Findlay (@Finder_24) on Twitter. He always has up-to-date information on players moving from the WHL to the Canadian university scene, including F Kody McDonald, who played out his eligibility with the Victoria Royals this season and will be playing for the Carleton Ravens of Ottawa next season. Findlay also reports that Josh Curtis, who was a 20-year-old with the Prince George Cougars, will be joining the Queen’s U Gaels, who play out of Kingston, Ont. Findlay also has F Ryan Jevne (Medicine Hat Tigers) going to the U of Alberta Golden Bears in Edmonton, F Nolan Yaremko (Tri-City Americans) off to the Calgary-based Mount Royal Cougars, and F Ryan Vandervlis (Lethbridge Hurricanes), F Mike MacLean (Prince George) and F Jeff de Wit (Red Deer Rebels) all joining the Montreal-based Concordia Stingers.

The Halifax Mooseheads broke a 1-1 tie with two second-period goals and then added two more in the third, en route to a 5-1 victory over the visiting Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in the QMJHL’s championship final on Tuesday night. . . . The series now is tied, 2-2, with Game 5 in Rouyn-Noranda on Thursday night, and Game 6 back in Halifax on Saturday afternoon. A seventh game would be played in Rouyn-Noranda on Monday. . . . Both teams already know they will play in the Memorial Cup because Halifax is the host team. . . .

In the OHL, the Ottawa 67’s will meet the Storm in Guelph in Game 4 tonight (Wednesday). The 67’s hold a 2-1 lead after dropping a 7-2 decision to the host Storm on Monday night. That was the first loss of these playoffs for the 67’s, who now are 14-1.

Rich Pilon, who was named the head coach of the SJHL’s Weyburn Red Wings on April 29, now is the team’s general manager, as well. The Red Wings announced Tuesday that Pilon will add the GM’s duties, taking over from Tanner McCall, who had been the GM and head scout. . . . McCall, who also scouts for the Moose Jaw Warriors, had been with the Red Wings for five seasons, the last three as general manager and head scout.

EdChynowethCup

NOTES: Well, who saw that one coming? The Prince Albert Raiders went into Langley, B.C., and humbled the Vancouver Giants, handing them an 8-2 loss in Game 3 of the WHL final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup. . . . The Raiders lead the series, 2-1, with Game 4 in Langley tonight. Game 5 is set for Friday night in Langley. . . . Last night’s decision means that if the Giants are to win the series, they will have to do it in Prince Albert. Games 6 and 7, if one or both are needed, would be played there on Sunday and Monday. . . .

In Game 3, the Raiders took control with seven goals in the first period. . . . The WHL record for most goals in one period of a playoff game is nine and belongs to the Saskatoon Blades (March 30, 1986, second period of a 12-5 victory over the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors). . . .

Oh the games people play now/Every night and every day now. . . . According to the lineup sheet circulated prior to the game, Raiders D Max Martin would play, with D Loeden Schaufler and F Jakob Brook listed with question marks beside their names. That would seem to have indicated that one of those two would play and the other would sit. . . . Martin didn’t finish Game 2 after suffering an apparent shoulder injury when he went awkwardly into the boards in the second period. Last night, he took the pregame warmup and then was scratched. Schaufler and Brook both were dressed and on the Prince Albert bench. . . .

F Dante Hannoun of the Raiders had a goal and two assists in Game 3. He leads the WHL playoffs with 12 goals. His 23 points have him tied with Vancouver D Bowen Byram for the scoring lead. Byram had one assist in Game 3. . . .

According to tweets from Steve Ewen, there were a number of NHL luminaries in the crowd, among them Scotty Bowman (Chicago Blackhawks), and Rob Blake and Todd McLellan (Los Angeles Kings).

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TUESDAY HIGHLIGHTS:

The Prince Albert Raiders scored 41 seconds into the first period and made it 2-0 at 2:27 PrinceAlbertas they went on to an 8-2 victory over the Vancouver Giants in Langley, B.C. . . . The Raiders lead the WHL final for the Ed Chynoweth Cup, 2-1, with Game 4 in Langley tonight. . . . Prince Albert had won Game 2, 4-0, so has outscored Vancouver, 12-2, over the last two games. . . . The visitors led 4-0 at 6:33 of the first period, 6-0 at 16:30 and 7-0 going into the second period. . . . The Giants took the game’s first four minor penalties, all of them in the opening 6:33. The Raiders responded with three PP goals. . . . F Parker Kelly (5,6) and F Brett Leason (8,9) each scored twice and added an assist for the victors, with F Dante Hannoun (12) scoring once and adding two assists. . . . F Ozzy Wiesblatt (5), F Cole Fonstad (2) and F Noah Gregor (10) added a goal each. . . . D Sergei Sapego, F Aliaksei Protas and F Sean Montgomery added two assists each for the Raiders. . . . F Brayden Watts (6) and F Yannik Valenti (3) scored PP goals for the Giants after they had fallen behind 8-0. . . . Prince Albert was 4-8 on the PP; Vancouver was 2-8. . . . G Ian Scott blocked 27 shots for the Raiders. . . . Vancouver starter David Tendeck gave up three goals on 13 shots. He allowed two goals on four shots in 2:27, then was relieved by Trent Miner for the remainder of the first period. Miner allowed five goals on 14 shots. Tendeck returned for the final two periods and stopped eight of nine shots. . . . The referees were Mike Campbell and Chris Crich, with Ron Dietterle and Michael Roberts the linesmen.

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Ex-WHLer charged after incident at Kelowna beach. . . . Pilon takes over as Red Wings’ coach. . . . Storm is writing quite a story in OHL

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F Jozef Balej (Portland, 1999-2002) has signed a one-year extension with Freiburg (Germany, DEL2). He had five goals and two assists in eight regular-season games, then had seven goals and eight assists in 14 games in playdowns (relegation playoffs). He started the season with Žilina (Slovakia, Extraliga). The team captain, he had three goals and eight assists in 31 games. . . .

F Cody Sylvester (Calgary 2008-13) has signed a one-year contract extension with Bad Nauheim (Germany, DEL2). This season, he had 24 goals and 34 assists in 46 games. An alternate captain, he was second on the team goals, assists and points. . . .

F Dustin Sylvester (Kootenay, 2004-10) announced his retirement through the Bad Nauheim (Germany, DEL2) press release that announced his brother Cody’s contract extension. In 52 games this season, Dustin, an alternate captain, had 26 goals and 45 assists. He led the team in goals, assists and points; he was third in the league’s scoring race. . . .

F Jannik Hansen (Portland, 2005-06) announced his retirement in an interview with Danish TV2. This season, with CSKA Moscow (Russia, KHL), he had seven goals and 11 assists in 45 games. . . .

G Marek Langhamer (Medicine Hat, 2012-15) has signed a two-year contract extension with Amur Khabarovsk (Russia, KHL). This season, in 19 games, he was 9-8-2, 1.98, .929, with three shutouts and an assist. . . . He started the season with Brno (Czech Republic, Extraliga), going 5-3-0, 2.38, .916 in eight games. . . .

F Liam Jeffries (Kootenay, 2006-07) has signed a one-season extension with the Perth Thunder (Australia, AIHL). Last season, he was pointless in two games. This is Jeffries’ eighth season with Perth.

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Giffen Nyren, a defenceman who played four seasons in the WHL, faces charges of assault and willfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer after a man grabbed a baby from a mother in a Kelowna park on Sunday afternoon. . . . The child was wrestled from the man, who ultimately ran, removed his clothes and jumped into Okanagan Lake. . . . Nyren, 30, is from Calgary. He played from 2006-10 with the Moose Jaw Warriors, Kamloops Blazers and Calgary Hitmen. He was part of a Calgary team that won the WHL’s 2010 championship and appeared in the Memorial Cup in Brandon. . . . He began this season playing professionally in France, and finished it with the Lacombe Generals of Allan Cup Hockey West. He is one of nine defencemen listed on the Generals’ roster on their website, but he didn’t play in any of their games as they won the Allan Cup in Lacombe last month. . . . There is more on this story right here.

At some point, the OHL’s Niagara IceDogs signed a player and promised to pay him ohl$10,000 for each season he play with them. The unidentified player spent four seasons there, but, in the end, the IceDogs didn’t pay him. The player sent an email to David Branch, the OHL commissioner, and the stuff has hit the fan since then. . . . Rick Westhead of TSN reported Monday that “an Ontario Superior Court judge has agreed to unseal documents related to an investigation into player recruiting violations by the Ontario Hockey League’s Niagara IceDogs.” . . . Unless the OHL chooses to appeal, those documents will be unsealed on Friday. . . . Westhead’s story is right here.

Rich Pilon, a former WHL and NHL defenceman, is the new head coach of the SJHL’s WeyburnWeyburn Red Wings. The team made it official on Monday. . . . Pilon, 51, played two seasons (1986-88) with the Prince Albert Raiders, then went on to a 14-year pro career that included 631 regular-season NHL games, most of those with the New York Islanders. . . . He has coached minor hockey teams in Saskatoon, and has worked with the city’s two midget AAA teams. . . . Pilon takes over from Kyle Haines, an assistant coach who stepped in as interim head coach after the Red Wings fired Wes Rudy in December. . . . Austin Arvay of discoverweyburn.com has more right here.

F Bowden Singleton, who will turn 15 on May 15, has committed to the U of North Dakota and the Fighting Hawks for 2022-23. From Calgary, he played this season with the Northern Alberta Xtreme bantam prep team, putting up 42 goals and 24 assists in 29 games. . . . He is rated as a first-round pick for Thursday’s WHL bantam draft. . . . Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald has more right here as NCAA teams rush to add commitments before the recruiting rules change. . . .

F Dylan Godbout, who is to turn 15 on Sunday, has committed to the U of Wisconsin and says he will join the Badgers for the 2022-23 season. . . . From Woodbury, Minn., Godbout had four goals and eight assists in 12 games with a bantam team, and added two goals and an assist in seven high school games. . . .

D Carson Brisson, 15, has committed to the U of Denver and the Pioneers for the 2022-23 season. . . . Brisson, from Leduc, Alta., had 18 goals and 19 assists with the bantam AAA Leduc Oil Kings this season. . . . 

D Max Burkholder, 15, has committed to Colorado College and the Tigers for 2022-23. From Chaska, Minn., he had three goals and seven assists in 14 games with a bantam team this season. . . . The Portland Winterhawks selected him in the 10th round of the WHL’s 2018 bantam draft.

In the OHL, the Guelph Storm completed their comeback on Monday night as they beat the Spirit, 3-2, in Saginaw in Game 7 of their semifinal series. The Storm had trailed the series, 3-1, before winning three straight games. . . . In the second round, Guelph lost the first three games to London, then came back to beat the Knights in Game 7. . . . The Storm will meet the Ottawa 67’s in the final, starting Thursday in Ottawa. The 67’s are 12-0 in these playoffs.

EdChynowethCup

NOTES: The WHL’s championship final is to open on Friday night with the Prince Albert Raiders playing host to the Vancouver Giants. The series winner will take home the Ed Chynoweth Cup. . . . This is the Raiders’ first appearance in the final since 1985 when they won the title and went on to win the Memorial Cup. . . . Saskatchewan hasn’t been home to a Memorial Cup champion since the Swift Current Broncos won in Saskatoon in 1989. . . . The Giants are in the final for the first time since 2007 when they lost Game 7 to the Medicine Hat Tigers, then won the Memorial Cup as the host team. . . .

Marc Habscheid, the Raiders’ head coach, has been in the WHL final on two other occasions, with the Kamloops Blazers (1999, lost to the Calgary Hitmen) and Kelowna Rockets (2003, won championship). In 2004, the Rockets, with Habscheid their head coach, won the Memorial Cup as host team. . . .

Michael Dyck, in his first season as the Giants’ head coach, was in the WHL’s 2008 final as the head coach of the Lethbridge Hurricanes. They were swept by the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Last season, Dyck was the head coach of the midget AAA Lethbridge Hurricanes, who played at the Telus Cup. Two years ago, Dyck guided the minor midget Hurricanes to a league championship. In 2016, he was the head coach of the bantam AAA Lethbridge Golden Hawks, who won their league title.

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WHL sucks $1,500 out of Lauer. . . . No U-18 gold for Team Canada. . . . Ex-Tigers forward dead at 53

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“So it’s going to cost me a thousand bucks, but whatever it is, it is.”

That was Brad Lauer, who is in his first season as head coach of the Edmonton Oil Kings, EdmontonOilKingsfollowing a 4-0 loss to the Raiders in Prince Albert on Friday night.

The WHL’s Dept. of Discipline spoke on Saturday night, posting on its website that Lauer had been fined $1,500 “for public comments.”

You can be the judge as to whether he got his money’s worth . . .

Early in the Eastern Conference final, Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid expressed concern about the officiating.

“One thing that concerned me a little bit,” Habscheid said after Game 2, “was it was open season on our goaltender. . . . He was getting bumped and stuck and ran all game. We expect (the officials) to take care of that and they didn’t. That was real disappointing.”

The referees that night were Mike Langin and Steve Papp.

At that point, the series was tied, 1-1.

On Friday night, it was Lauer sounding off.

“The officiating sucked,” Lauer told reporters after his PP unit wasn’t given even one opportunity in a 4-0 loss. The Raiders were 1-3 on the PP. “It’s not about their power plays because we deserved some calls (against us), but I’ve never been in a game where we’ve had no calls (for us). . . .”

(Gerry Moddejonge of Postmedia has more on Lauer’s rant right here.)

The referees for this one were Brett Iverson and Mark Pearce.

“There was a number of calls (that could have gone against Prince Albert). They could have called Vince Loschiavo, they hit him f—ing three seconds after the whistle goes, and then another trip in the third period. And Trey Fix-Wolansky is run from behind and no calls. Nothing. . . .

“So it’s going to cost me a thousand bucks, but whatever it is, it is.”

Habscheid wasn’t fined for his comments after Game 2, so one might have thought, at least for a moment at least, that perhaps Lauer would be given a freebie, too. But no such luck.

It could be that in this instance the difference between “real disappointing” and “sucked” is $1,500.

The Raiders lead the series, 3-2, going into Game 6 in Edmonton today (Sunday).

Before the IIHF U-18 World Championship got started, many observers were anticipating Canadaa championship final featuring Team Canada and Team USA.

Those two teams will meet today (Sunday) but it won’t be in the final; instead, they will play for third place after both were beaten in semifinal action.

Sweden, the host team, beat Canada, 4-3, on Saturday, after Russia had beaten the Americans, 3-2, in a shootout.

F Albin Grewe’s goal with 2:31 left in the third period broke a 3-3 tie and provided Sweden, which has never won this event, with its victory over Canada before 3,519 fans in Ornskoldsvik.

F Connor Zary (Kamloops Blazers) scored twice for Canada, which went with Taylor Gauthier (Prince George Cougars) in goal.

Canada was hit with seven minor penalties, with Sweden taking two. Sweden scored one PP goal, that one giving it a 3-2 lead at 9:23 of the third period.

“Something we stressed all tournament was discipline,” F Alex Newhook of the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies told the IIHF’s Lucas Aykroyd. “To have that effort tonight and to have that many penalties, it’s definitely a bit disappointing for our group. But we battled through a lot of that.”

In the other semifinal, F Rodion Amirov had two goals, the second one the only goal of the shootout, to spearhead Russia’s victory. Russia last won gold in this tournament in 2007.

Team USA, which was chasing its eighth gold in 11 years, got two goals from F Cole Caufield, who has tied the tournament record (14) that was set by F Alex Ovechkin in 2002.

Russian G Yaroslav Askarov, who isn’t eligible for the NHL draft until 2020, was outstanding, with 40 saves. He also got some help from the crossbar, as Team USA hit it twice, once by sniper Jack Hughes while on a PP late in the 10-minute OT period.

Meanwhile, in the relegation round, Slovakia beat Switzerland, 4-3, thanks to a late penalty shot, to tie the best-of-three series, 1-1, in Umea. . . . F Maxim Cajkovic scored on the penalty shot with 2:28 left in the third period to break a 3-3 tie.

They’ll play Game 3 today in Umea.

Guy Phillips, who played three seasons (1984-87) with the Medicine Hat Tigers, has died. The Regina native was 53. . . . Phillips put up 186 points, including 81 goals, in 183 regular-season games with the Tigers, and added 23 goals and 28 assists in 51 playoff games. He helped the Tigers win the 1987 Memorial Cup. An alternate captain with that team, he had four goals and four assists in four games as he was named a tournament all-star. . . . He went on to play professionally and retired after the 1998-99 season. He played his last five seasons in Germany.

The SJHL’s Weyburn Red Wings are poised to introduce Rich Pilon, a former WHL and WeyburnNHL defenceman, as their new head coach. . . . Pilon, 51, is from Saskatoon. He played two seasons (1986-88) with the Prince Albert Raiders, then jumped right into the lineup of the NHL’s New York Islanders. . . . He went on to play 631 regular-season NHL games, most of them with the Islanders, although he also played with the New York Rangers (114 games) and St. Louis Blues (8). . . . Pilon has coached minor hockey in Saskatoon, including midget AAA teams. . . . It is expected that Tanner McCall will stay on as the Red Wings’ general manager and head scout, and will continue to scout for the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Red Wings fired head coach Wes Rudy in mid-December, with Kyle Haines taking over as the interim head coach. Haines remains with the Red Wings as an assistant coach. . . . Pilon’s son, Garrett, played for three seasons (2015-18) in the WHL, with the Kamloops Blazers and Everett Silvertips. He had 10 goals and 23 assists in 71 games with the AHL’s Hershey Bears this season.

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