For the News-Advertiser....
Lauer joins Clouston in the NHL
by Jeff Bromley
Two years ago, almost to the day, former Kootenay Ice assistant coach Brad Lauer was headed for Port Alberni of the BCHL to run the Junior A club as coach and GM. An ownership issue with the club never resolved itself and his future on Vancouver Island took an abrupt turn to the AHL.
Last week the Ottawa Senators announced that Lauer would be rejoining his old boss Cory Clouston on the bench as an assistant coach with the NHL club for the 2009-10 season. “I never thought it would happen this quick,” said Lauer, a former player with the Senators in the club’s second year past expansion in 1993-94. “But it was a good step, coming back to junior and getting into coaching and not only learning how to coach but getting to know the junior players and how they mature. Then the last two years understanding the pro part of the game, it was a good move to start back in the WHL, going the minor pro route and then getting this opportunity.”
Lauer admits that his five-year relationship with Senators bench boss Cory Clouston when the two ran the show in Cranbrook with the Ice from 2002-07 sewed the seeds for the opportunity he’s been given. “It makes you feel good,” said Lauer, a product of Humboldt, Saskatchewan who was drafted by the New York Islanders in the 2nd round, 34th overall in 1985. Lauer also brings 323 games of NHL experience with four different teams.
“We always got along but we also had our battles and our disagreements but it was never personal but always in the best interests of the team. It produced a great relationship and I respect Cory a lot. Even after five seasons together you never really know where you stand but after something like this happens, we had a great five years together here and I feel very fortunate to get another opportunity to work with him again.”
Lauer’s appointment, along with Clouston among others in the NHL has signalled a trend of late of NHL club’s not only promoting from within but promoting hockey coaches that have worked their way up through the ranks from Junior to minor pro instead of regurgitating names who’ve been in the NHL for decades. Lauer, Clouston and another former Ice coach in Ryan McGill. who is in the same position as Lauer with the Calgary Flames, are evidence of a growing trend.
“I think it started more recently when a guy like Bruce Boudreau was promoted to the Washington Capitals as a head coach and is having success. You’re starting to see teams and hockey people bringing up coaches who have developed in the AHL and the junior ranks,” said Lauer. “You see more and more coaches coming out of the farm system – which is obviously great for myself and others. We may not have the experience that guys who’ve been in the league for ten years might have but we have a hunger to get the next level. It’s good to see.”
Going from the friendly confines of the AHL in Milwaukee Lauer now finds himself in the middle of a hornet’s nest in terms of the current controversy surrounding Senators star Dany Heatly, who asked for a trade in early June even though he still has four years remaining on his six-year contract worth $45 million, including a $4 million bonus that was paid July 1, after the trade demand.
A disgruntled Heatly didn’t agree with Clouston – who replaced Craig Hartsburg in January and went 19-11-4the rest of the way to earn himself a two-year deal with the Senators – and who ultimately made the club’s star player accountable. Shortly after Clouston was signed Heatly made his trade request known creating a media and fan firestorm that hasn’t subsided. “The only thing I really know about it is what I read in the papers,” said Lauer. “Even talking to Cory, obviously it’s still there but there hasn’t been any change.”
“He’s a heck of a player and where it’s at right now, it’s unfortunate. Hopefully it gets resolved soon and doesn’t become more of a distraction to the team.”
Quick Hits - Former Ice captain Adam Cracknell signed a contract with the St. Louis Blues for the upcoming season. Cracknell, who played the last three seasons with the Calgary Flames AHL and ECHL affiliates in Quad-Cities and Las Vegas, respectively, is likely ticketed for the Blues AHL affiliate in Peoria, Illinois... Former Ice list player D Kevin Connauton, 19, has left the NCAA's Western Michigan Broncos to join the Vancouver Giants, who listed the Edmonton product last season after the Ice dropped him. Connauton was drafted in the 3rd round, 83rd overall, by the Vancouver Canucks last month... Kootenay's first round bantam pick from 2008, forward Brendan Hurley, missed Alberta's provincial summer camp for that province's portion of Team Pacific for the World U-17 Challenge this December in Timmins, Ontario due to a bout of mono. Hurley's status for Kootenay Ice training camp due to begin September 3 is unknown. Kootenay 2nd round pick from last year, forward Ryan Bloom, also participated at the camp.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Lauer to Senators....
Almost two years from the day I started this blog, though he was then thought to be headed to the BCHL's Alberni Valley Bulldogs as GM and head coach, former Ice assistant coach Brad Lauer is headed to the NHL.
Lauer was introduced as the Ottawa Senator's head coach today and will rejoin head coach Cory Clouston. Lauer and Clouston played the same roles with the Ice from 2002-03 through 2006-07 and then the former Senators player left the club to take an assistant's position with the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL.
Steve Ewen at his blog is reporting that former Ice list defenseman Kevin Connaughton, who never came to the Kootenays and instead parlayed playing with the AJHL's Spruce Grove Saints into an NCAA scholarship with Western Michigan, has decided to forgo his NCAA eligibility and join the Vancouver Giants. This comes at the behest of the Vancouver Canucks, who drafted the Edmonton product in June. The Giants listed Connauton after the Ice dropped him from their list and heavily recruited him last season.
The only former captain not to be on the move of late, save perhaps for Colin Sinclair, is also switching clubs. Forwad Adam Cracknell signed with the St. Louis Blues after spending the last three seasons with the AHL and ECHL farm clubs of the Calgary Flames (Quad Cities in the AHL and Las Vegas in the ECHL).
Here's another story on D David Musil going to the Giants from the Vancouver Province. Strangely enough the story quotes Chilliwack owner Darryl Porter who didn't mention whether or not the club bid for Musil after Kootenay won the lottery.
A quick note on Ice first round pick from 2008 Brendan Hurley who seems to have contracted Mono, according to the PA Herald. The Herald did a piece on the Raiders first round pick from the same year, forward Mark McNeill. McNeill is back on skates after suffering a severed Achilles tendon after Hurley and McNeill collided at an Alberta U-17 regional try-out camp.
Lastly, another Ice alumni - forward Duncan Milroy - is back from playing the the DEL in Germany and has signed with the Minnesota Wild. Milroy spent the previous five seasons with the Montreal Canadiens AHL affiliate in Hamilton.
Lauer was introduced as the Ottawa Senator's head coach today and will rejoin head coach Cory Clouston. Lauer and Clouston played the same roles with the Ice from 2002-03 through 2006-07 and then the former Senators player left the club to take an assistant's position with the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL.
Steve Ewen at his blog is reporting that former Ice list defenseman Kevin Connaughton, who never came to the Kootenays and instead parlayed playing with the AJHL's Spruce Grove Saints into an NCAA scholarship with Western Michigan, has decided to forgo his NCAA eligibility and join the Vancouver Giants. This comes at the behest of the Vancouver Canucks, who drafted the Edmonton product in June. The Giants listed Connauton after the Ice dropped him from their list and heavily recruited him last season.
The only former captain not to be on the move of late, save perhaps for Colin Sinclair, is also switching clubs. Forwad Adam Cracknell signed with the St. Louis Blues after spending the last three seasons with the AHL and ECHL farm clubs of the Calgary Flames (Quad Cities in the AHL and Las Vegas in the ECHL).
Here's another story on D David Musil going to the Giants from the Vancouver Province. Strangely enough the story quotes Chilliwack owner Darryl Porter who didn't mention whether or not the club bid for Musil after Kootenay won the lottery.
A quick note on Ice first round pick from 2008 Brendan Hurley who seems to have contracted Mono, according to the PA Herald. The Herald did a piece on the Raiders first round pick from the same year, forward Mark McNeill. McNeill is back on skates after suffering a severed Achilles tendon after Hurley and McNeill collided at an Alberta U-17 regional try-out camp.
Lastly, another Ice alumni - forward Duncan Milroy - is back from playing the the DEL in Germany and has signed with the Minnesota Wild. Milroy spent the previous five seasons with the Montreal Canadiens AHL affiliate in Hamilton.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Chynoweth on Musil going to Giants....
For the News-Advertiser...
Ice win lottery, lose player
by Jeff Bromley
If immediate predictions are any indication defenseman David Musil may be the best 16-year-old rookie in the WHL this season. Unfortunately he won’t be suiting up for the Kootenay Ice. In one of the stranger trades to come down the WHL pipe Kootenay was awarded the rights to the 16-year-old rearguard on June 23 - listed at 6’5” and over 200lbs and pegged to be a top-ten NHL Draft pick in 2011 - when the league held a lottery for Musil’s playing rights. The Ice won the day and then promptly traded the promising player to the Vancouver Giants for a 5th round bantam draft pick in 2010 and an eyebrow-raising 1st round pick in 2011.
“Mark (Holick), Garnett (Kazuik - Kootenay’s Director of Scouting) and I were quite excited,” said Ice GM Jeff Chynoweth when they found out the Ice had won the draw. “We were going to have an opportunity to get this guy and have him in our line-up this year. But it wasn’t meant to be and for us to get a first round pick 2011 and a 5th round pick in 2010 when the day before we didn’t have anything, it’s a pretty good deal for us.”
If the name sounds familiar for the 16-year-old Czech d-man it’s because his father, Frantisek or commonly known as Frank, Musil played 797 games in the NHL over a 13-year career, retiring in 2001 to become a scout with the Edmonton Oilers, his last NHL club. David grew up in the Edmonton area and played most of his minor hockey there before moving over to the Czech Republic. Last season as a 15-year-old he played pro hockey in a Czech tier two league and in June the Musil family relocated to Burnaby, BC.
Normally that would mean he would be eligible to be listed by any WHL team and the team that scooped him up was the Vancouver Giants, who promptly listed him at the beginning of June. However, at the WHL meetings later that month some teams cried foul at the process saying that Musil shouldn’t have been available to be listed as import players aren’t available to be listed or drafted until they turn 17. Further mudding the waters is the fact that Musil is actually a Canadian citizen, having been born in Canada while his father was playing Calgary Flames but unavailable for the Bantam Draft last year because he was playing over in Europe.
The league decided that a lottery draft would be held to determine who gets the highly-touted player’s rights and Kootenay’s ball popped up. After contacting the Musil family Chynoweth was informed that it was nothing against the particular team - as Frank had heard of the organization, its success and knew of family patriarch Ed Chynoweth - but due to a number of factors including his Musil’s older daughter who received a volleyball scholarship to Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, the family decided that they wanted to stay together in the Lower Mainland. That’s when Chynoweth starting entertaining offers and Vancouver came up with the first and fifth round picks.
“There’s no question, I’d rather have the player,” said Chynoweth. “I’m not going to sit here and tell you otherwise but what am I going to do? If I didn’t do anything and kept him on our list, maybe the player goes back to Europe. Come the European draft he might not be in our league."
Would I like to have him in our line-up? Yes, I would. When we won the lottery we were as excited as we’ve been in a long time. Unfortunately it was short-lived. Frank said it had nothing to do with our organization and it was strictly a family decision for the Musil family.”
Quick Hits – Kootenay now has nine picks in the first five rounds of the 2010 Bantam Draft including their own top four picks; Swift Current’s 2nd and 4th round picks from the Negrin/Stickland deal; Everett’s 3rd round pick in the trade for Thomas Heemskerk; Kelowna’s 4th round pick from the Kris Lazaruk deal and Vancouver’s fifth round pick in the Musil trade that was obtained by the Giants in an earlier deal from the Kamloops Blazers. Got it? Good, they’ll be a test during training camp…. Four former Kootenay Ice captains were on the move this week. Jason Jaffray, 28, signed as free agent with the Calgary Flames after playing the last two seasons for the Vancouver Canucks and their AHL affiliate the Manitoba Moose. Steve McCarthy, also 28, was signed to a one-year deal with the Anaheim Ducks after spending an injury-filled season in the Russian Continental Hockey League; McCarthy joined his former junior owner when Scott Niedermayer, a minority owner with the Ice, signed a one year extension with the Ducks earlier this month. Defenseman Dean Arsene, after spending the last five season with the Hershey Bears of the AHL and winning the Calder Cup championship last month, signed with the Edmonton Oilers and Thursday morning Nigel Dawes was picked up on waivers by the Calgary Flames after Phoenix put him on the waiver list after he filed for salary arbitration. The Flames will have to go through the arbitration hearing or sign him prior. Dawes joins former teammates Jaffray and John Negrin in the Flames stable as well as his former World Junior coach in Brent Sutter and assistant coach Ryan McGill, who coached Dawes for his WHL rookie season in which the club won a Memorial Cup in 2002… Due to the economic downturn the Ice have decided to take a one-year hiatus from their annual alumni game and golf tournament weekend usually held one week before training camp… And finally, though it took another six months, the Letter of Understanding signed by the Ice and the City of Cranbrook in January is now a signed 15-year lease between the two parties, minus the contentious attendance out-clause, that comes into effect for the 2009-10 season.
Ice win lottery, lose player
by Jeff Bromley
If immediate predictions are any indication defenseman David Musil may be the best 16-year-old rookie in the WHL this season. Unfortunately he won’t be suiting up for the Kootenay Ice. In one of the stranger trades to come down the WHL pipe Kootenay was awarded the rights to the 16-year-old rearguard on June 23 - listed at 6’5” and over 200lbs and pegged to be a top-ten NHL Draft pick in 2011 - when the league held a lottery for Musil’s playing rights. The Ice won the day and then promptly traded the promising player to the Vancouver Giants for a 5th round bantam draft pick in 2010 and an eyebrow-raising 1st round pick in 2011.
“Mark (Holick), Garnett (Kazuik - Kootenay’s Director of Scouting) and I were quite excited,” said Ice GM Jeff Chynoweth when they found out the Ice had won the draw. “We were going to have an opportunity to get this guy and have him in our line-up this year. But it wasn’t meant to be and for us to get a first round pick 2011 and a 5th round pick in 2010 when the day before we didn’t have anything, it’s a pretty good deal for us.”
If the name sounds familiar for the 16-year-old Czech d-man it’s because his father, Frantisek or commonly known as Frank, Musil played 797 games in the NHL over a 13-year career, retiring in 2001 to become a scout with the Edmonton Oilers, his last NHL club. David grew up in the Edmonton area and played most of his minor hockey there before moving over to the Czech Republic. Last season as a 15-year-old he played pro hockey in a Czech tier two league and in June the Musil family relocated to Burnaby, BC.
Normally that would mean he would be eligible to be listed by any WHL team and the team that scooped him up was the Vancouver Giants, who promptly listed him at the beginning of June. However, at the WHL meetings later that month some teams cried foul at the process saying that Musil shouldn’t have been available to be listed as import players aren’t available to be listed or drafted until they turn 17. Further mudding the waters is the fact that Musil is actually a Canadian citizen, having been born in Canada while his father was playing Calgary Flames but unavailable for the Bantam Draft last year because he was playing over in Europe.
The league decided that a lottery draft would be held to determine who gets the highly-touted player’s rights and Kootenay’s ball popped up. After contacting the Musil family Chynoweth was informed that it was nothing against the particular team - as Frank had heard of the organization, its success and knew of family patriarch Ed Chynoweth - but due to a number of factors including his Musil’s older daughter who received a volleyball scholarship to Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, the family decided that they wanted to stay together in the Lower Mainland. That’s when Chynoweth starting entertaining offers and Vancouver came up with the first and fifth round picks.
“There’s no question, I’d rather have the player,” said Chynoweth. “I’m not going to sit here and tell you otherwise but what am I going to do? If I didn’t do anything and kept him on our list, maybe the player goes back to Europe. Come the European draft he might not be in our league."
Would I like to have him in our line-up? Yes, I would. When we won the lottery we were as excited as we’ve been in a long time. Unfortunately it was short-lived. Frank said it had nothing to do with our organization and it was strictly a family decision for the Musil family.”
Quick Hits – Kootenay now has nine picks in the first five rounds of the 2010 Bantam Draft including their own top four picks; Swift Current’s 2nd and 4th round picks from the Negrin/Stickland deal; Everett’s 3rd round pick in the trade for Thomas Heemskerk; Kelowna’s 4th round pick from the Kris Lazaruk deal and Vancouver’s fifth round pick in the Musil trade that was obtained by the Giants in an earlier deal from the Kamloops Blazers. Got it? Good, they’ll be a test during training camp…. Four former Kootenay Ice captains were on the move this week. Jason Jaffray, 28, signed as free agent with the Calgary Flames after playing the last two seasons for the Vancouver Canucks and their AHL affiliate the Manitoba Moose. Steve McCarthy, also 28, was signed to a one-year deal with the Anaheim Ducks after spending an injury-filled season in the Russian Continental Hockey League; McCarthy joined his former junior owner when Scott Niedermayer, a minority owner with the Ice, signed a one year extension with the Ducks earlier this month. Defenseman Dean Arsene, after spending the last five season with the Hershey Bears of the AHL and winning the Calder Cup championship last month, signed with the Edmonton Oilers and Thursday morning Nigel Dawes was picked up on waivers by the Calgary Flames after Phoenix put him on the waiver list after he filed for salary arbitration. The Flames will have to go through the arbitration hearing or sign him prior. Dawes joins former teammates Jaffray and John Negrin in the Flames stable as well as his former World Junior coach in Brent Sutter and assistant coach Ryan McGill, who coached Dawes for his WHL rookie season in which the club won a Memorial Cup in 2002… Due to the economic downturn the Ice have decided to take a one-year hiatus from their annual alumni game and golf tournament weekend usually held one week before training camp… And finally, though it took another six months, the Letter of Understanding signed by the Ice and the City of Cranbrook in January is now a signed 15-year lease between the two parties, minus the contentious attendance out-clause, that comes into effect for the 2009-10 season.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Ice win.... Lottery?????
Yes, you read that right. Apparently, without fanfare, team press release or any announcement from the league the Kootenay Ice won a lottery draw for the playing rights to 16-year-old Czech Import d-man David Musil, as reported by Kootenay Ice broadcaster Jeff Hollick on his blog this morning.
The reason there was a lottery for his playing rights is that a) Musil is 16 and as a 16-year-old cannot be drafted in the CHL Import Draft until next June and b)is expected to be one of the hottest prospects in the league this season and an expected top-ten NHL Draft pick in 2011. That and he and his family just relocated to Burnaby and of course desired to play near home.
Enter the Vancouver Giants. As soon as Musil became Kootenay property he was dealt to the Giants in exchange for a 5th round Bantam pick in the very deep 2010 Bantam Draft and a 1st round pick in the 2011 Draft. No small potatoes for a player who has never played a minute of WHL hockey.
Musil, at 6'5" and over 200lbs, is already drawing comparisons to Swedish d-man Victor Hedman who was selected second overall last week in the NHL Draft.
Ice GM Jeff Chynoweth was unavailable for comment as he is on holidays until mid-week. I'll have a story on the deal Wednesday.
If the name sounds familiar it's because David is the son of former NHL rearguard Frank, who played for the Calgary Flames, Minnesota North Stars, Ottawa and Edmonton over a 15-year NHL career from 1986-2001.
I'll admit, while getting the top prospect to play in the WHL is a coup for the league, it wasn't much a stretch that he wouldn't want to play out west. Musil played last season in a second-tier Czech pro league as a 15-year-old but grew up in Edmonton, playing a high level of peewee and bantam hockey with the likes of Dillon Simpson (son of former NHL'er Craig) and Keagan Lowe, son of former Oiler player and GM Kevin, where his dad finished his NHL career and was hired on as an Oiler Scout.
The bloodlines are also deep as David's mother is former pro tennis player Andrea Holikova, sister to recently retired NHLer Bobby Holik. His great uncle would be former Czech star Jaroslav Holick, Bobby's father, who won a World Championship with the Czechslovakian team in 1972 and coached the Czech juniors to a World Junior Gold medal in 2000.
You'd think though, during a time of year where the league and team gets little or no coverage, that a player of Musil's supposed stature would be celebrated with some sort of, or any, press announcement. There's not been an official peep of this anywhere besides Hollick's blog - and now every other WHL blog. Regardless of what you might think of a player dictating where he wants to go, if the kid is as good as they say, make some noise about it!
As Jeff reports on his blog the Ice do pick up another two picks, giving them a bevy of picks (8 by my count in the first five rounds but he has 9 so I'm probably missing one - the club's five, another 2nd and 4th from the Negrin/Stickland deal and the Vancouver pick) for a deep 2010 Draft but the first round pick of the Giants in 2011 could be even bigger as the Giants - though they never really seem to rebuild - should be going through a down phase in the junior cycle. Hell, it could even be a lottery pick.
Some other stuff of late: F Ryan Fox, 19, obtained near the deadline last season when F Kris Foucault wouldn't report to the Ice after being recalled from Canmore after Dustin Sylvester's ankle injury and was subsequently dealt to the Hitmen for Fox, has decided to head to school early and not play out his two remaining years of junior eligibility. I don't know if I'd call it a huge blow to the club as injuries limited what Fox could do after the deal and on the depth chart, I don't know if he'd be more than a 3rd line forward. A tough spot for a 19-year-old. The Calgary product will go to SAIT in Calgary... Still no update from 20-year-old Tylan Stephens and whether or not he'll return for his overage season this fall... Former Ice captain Jason Jaffray signed with the Calgary Flames this week. Hopefully he'll get a better look in cowtown than he did in Vancouver... Another former captain in Trail's Steve McCarthy is back from pro hockey Siberia - literally after spending a season in Russia's KHL - and signed a one-year deal with the Anaheim Ducks...Former Ice players signing new deals: D Aaron Rome signed with the Canucks. A good spot for the Nesbitt, Manitoba product as the Canucks lack of depth on the blueline - with Mattias Ohlund gone to Tampa - should give Rome a decent shot at being a regular... D Matt Walker - Tampa. A Warrior. Broken finger in playoffs... still played... nuff said... D Mike Busto was acquired by the Habs in the Gomez deal... The Flames signed former Ice foward Ryley Armstrong and Fernie product Jason Krog signed with the Atlanta Thrashers.
More this week...
The reason there was a lottery for his playing rights is that a) Musil is 16 and as a 16-year-old cannot be drafted in the CHL Import Draft until next June and b)is expected to be one of the hottest prospects in the league this season and an expected top-ten NHL Draft pick in 2011. That and he and his family just relocated to Burnaby and of course desired to play near home.
Enter the Vancouver Giants. As soon as Musil became Kootenay property he was dealt to the Giants in exchange for a 5th round Bantam pick in the very deep 2010 Bantam Draft and a 1st round pick in the 2011 Draft. No small potatoes for a player who has never played a minute of WHL hockey.
Musil, at 6'5" and over 200lbs, is already drawing comparisons to Swedish d-man Victor Hedman who was selected second overall last week in the NHL Draft.
Ice GM Jeff Chynoweth was unavailable for comment as he is on holidays until mid-week. I'll have a story on the deal Wednesday.
If the name sounds familiar it's because David is the son of former NHL rearguard Frank, who played for the Calgary Flames, Minnesota North Stars, Ottawa and Edmonton over a 15-year NHL career from 1986-2001.
I'll admit, while getting the top prospect to play in the WHL is a coup for the league, it wasn't much a stretch that he wouldn't want to play out west. Musil played last season in a second-tier Czech pro league as a 15-year-old but grew up in Edmonton, playing a high level of peewee and bantam hockey with the likes of Dillon Simpson (son of former NHL'er Craig) and Keagan Lowe, son of former Oiler player and GM Kevin, where his dad finished his NHL career and was hired on as an Oiler Scout.
The bloodlines are also deep as David's mother is former pro tennis player Andrea Holikova, sister to recently retired NHLer Bobby Holik. His great uncle would be former Czech star Jaroslav Holick, Bobby's father, who won a World Championship with the Czechslovakian team in 1972 and coached the Czech juniors to a World Junior Gold medal in 2000.
You'd think though, during a time of year where the league and team gets little or no coverage, that a player of Musil's supposed stature would be celebrated with some sort of, or any, press announcement. There's not been an official peep of this anywhere besides Hollick's blog - and now every other WHL blog. Regardless of what you might think of a player dictating where he wants to go, if the kid is as good as they say, make some noise about it!
As Jeff reports on his blog the Ice do pick up another two picks, giving them a bevy of picks (8 by my count in the first five rounds but he has 9 so I'm probably missing one - the club's five, another 2nd and 4th from the Negrin/Stickland deal and the Vancouver pick) for a deep 2010 Draft but the first round pick of the Giants in 2011 could be even bigger as the Giants - though they never really seem to rebuild - should be going through a down phase in the junior cycle. Hell, it could even be a lottery pick.
Some other stuff of late: F Ryan Fox, 19, obtained near the deadline last season when F Kris Foucault wouldn't report to the Ice after being recalled from Canmore after Dustin Sylvester's ankle injury and was subsequently dealt to the Hitmen for Fox, has decided to head to school early and not play out his two remaining years of junior eligibility. I don't know if I'd call it a huge blow to the club as injuries limited what Fox could do after the deal and on the depth chart, I don't know if he'd be more than a 3rd line forward. A tough spot for a 19-year-old. The Calgary product will go to SAIT in Calgary... Still no update from 20-year-old Tylan Stephens and whether or not he'll return for his overage season this fall... Former Ice captain Jason Jaffray signed with the Calgary Flames this week. Hopefully he'll get a better look in cowtown than he did in Vancouver... Another former captain in Trail's Steve McCarthy is back from pro hockey Siberia - literally after spending a season in Russia's KHL - and signed a one-year deal with the Anaheim Ducks...Former Ice players signing new deals: D Aaron Rome signed with the Canucks. A good spot for the Nesbitt, Manitoba product as the Canucks lack of depth on the blueline - with Mattias Ohlund gone to Tampa - should give Rome a decent shot at being a regular... D Matt Walker - Tampa. A Warrior. Broken finger in playoffs... still played... nuff said... D Mike Busto was acquired by the Habs in the Gomez deal... The Flames signed former Ice foward Ryley Armstrong and Fernie product Jason Krog signed with the Atlanta Thrashers.
More this week...
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