Daily Dose of the Dub: Chiefs Head Coach Lambert joins NHL’s Predators, More WHL teams sign prospects

Chiefs head coach Dan Lambert leaves team for NHL job

The Spokane Chiefs are without a head coach after Head Coach Dan Lambert accepted an assistant coaching job with the Nashville Predators. Lambert recently signed a contract extension with the Chiefs on May 21st, and Lambert told The Spokesman-Review’s Dan Thompson that the Predators came calling almost immediately after that.

Lambert had been with the Chiefs for two seasons, in which the Chiefs posted an 81-46-5-8 record along with a berth in the 2019 WHL Western Conference Final. He was also named head coach of Team Canada for the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

The Chiefs are now one of three teams officially looking for a new head coach along with the Kamloops Blazers and Prince George Cougars. It’s believed the Brandon Wheat Kings may join that group as well after Head Coach David Anning’s contract expired on May 31st.

Rebels sign three prospects

The Red Deer Rebels have signed defenseman Hunter Mayo, defenseman Jace Weir and forward Carter Anderson to their standard WHL Player Agreements.

Mayo was drafted by the Rebels in the second round of the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft. He is a native of Martensville, Saskatchewan and played for the Martensville Maurauders Bantam AA team in the SBAAHL. In 28 games, he had 15 goals and 27 assists. He was also drafted in the fifth round of the 2019 SJHL Draft by the Kindersley Klippers.

Weir is a native of Coldstream, B.C. and was also drafted by the Rebels in the second round of the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft. He stands at six-foot-one and weighs 185 pounds and played this season with the North Zone Bantams. In 18 games, he had eight goals and 24 assists.

Anderson was a third-round pick of the Rebels in this year’s bantam draft out of the Rink Hockey Academy in the CSSHL. The Thompson, Manitoba native suited up on the Bantam Prep team, scoring 17 goals and 11 assists in 29 games.

Broncos sign 2019 3rd round pick Dyck 

The Swift Current Broncos have signed 2019 3rd round pick Reid Dyck to his standard player agreement. The Winkler, Manitoba native played for the Pembina Valley Hawks Bantam AAA team in the WBAAA. The netminder posted a 3.44 GAA and a .912 save percentage in 23 games.

Blades sign Wiens to a standard player agreement

The Saskatoon Blades have signed 2003-born forward Jayden Wiens to a standard WHL Player Agreement. Wiens was selected by the Blades in the eighth-round of the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft. He is one of six 2003-born players the Blades currently have signed to the team, and of those six, three are forwards.

The Carrot River, Saskatchewan native played in the SMHL this season with the Tisdale Trojans. The five-foot-eight forward who weighs 146 pounds played 34 games with the Trojans scoring seven goals and adding 27 assists.

WHL players showcase fitness at NHL Scouting Combine

With the 2019 NHL Entry Draft in Vancouver just weeks away, top draft-eligible players headed to Buffalo for the annual scouting combine. The group featured a total of 15 WHL players and perhaps the most impressive performance came from Lethbridge Hurricanes forward Dylan Cozens. The forward who is projected to go in the top 10 picks of the NHL draft finished in the top 10 among all players in six physical tests, his best result coming on the unpopular (among players) Wingate test, where he finished second.

You can find full results here. 

Oil Kings forward Luypen growing hair out for cancer research

Edmonton Oil Kings forward Jalen Luypen is growing out his hair in support of the Kids Cancer Care Foundation of Alberta. Luypen is hoping to raise a total of seven thousand dollars for the Foundation. If you would like to donate to Luypen’s campaign you can do so here. 

WHL prospects selected in NAHL draft

The NAHL, a tier-two league in the U.S. held their annual entry draft on Tuesday and a number of WHL prospects heard their names called:

  • Jackson Salt (ninth-round pick in 2015 WHL Draft by the Lethbridge Hurricanes) was selected by the Springfield Jr. Blues, 18th overall.
  • Niklas Norman (sixth-round pick in 2016 WHL Draft by the Saskatoon Blades) was selected by the Jamestown Rebels in the fourth round. He is currently committed to the University of Minnesota for this season.
  • Spencer McHardy (eighth-round pick in the 2015 WHL Draft by the Red Deer Rebels) was selected in the fifth round by the New Jersey Jr. Titans
  • Cooper Haar (fourth-round pick in the 2014 WHL Draft by the Kelowna Rockets) was selected by the Lone Star Brahmas in the sixth round.
  • Mitchell Becker (eighth-round pick in the 2016 WHL Draft by the Victoria Royals) was selected by the New Mexico Ice Wolves in the eighth round.
  • Riley Stuart (fifth-round pick in the 2017 WHL Draft by the Tri-City Americans) was drafted by the Jamestown Rebels in the ninth round.
  • Josh Langford (fourth-round pick in the 2016 WHL Draft by the Lethbridge Hurricanes) was drafted by the New Mexico Ice Wolves in the 11th round. He is committed to the University of Maine for the 2020/21 season.
  • Shane Griffin (eighth-round pick in the 2016 WHL Draft by the Victoria Royals) was drafted by the Jamestown Rebels in the 15th round.

Four WHL alumni win Kelly Cup with ECHL’s Growlers

The Newfoundland Growlers defeated the Toledo Walleye 4-3 in Game Six to take home the Kelly Cup. WHL alumni Giorgio Estephan (327 GP, 131 G, 194 A with the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Swift Current Broncos)  scored the game-winning goal after being set up by fellow WHL alumni Hudson Elynuik (280 GP, 84 G, 139 A with the Kootenay ICE and the Spokane Chiefs). Also featuring in the Growlers lineup were WHL alumni Matt Bradley (281 GP, 111 G, 136 A with the Medicine Hat Tigers and Regina Pats) and Kristians Rubins (109 GP, 10 G, 41 A with the Medicine Hat Tigers).

Marlies sign Woods to AHL contract

The Toronto Marlies of the AHL have signed Spokane Chiefs graduating forward Riley Woods to a one-year AHL contract. Woods played 230 games in the WHL with the Regina Pats and Spokane Chiefs scoring 75 goals and 105 assists, including 29 goals and 46 assists with the Chiefs this past season.

Loewen becomes NHL free agent

Kamloops Blazers graduating forward Jermaine Loewen has become an NHL free agent as the Dallas Stars did not offer him a contract prior to the June 1st deadline for 2018 NHL Draft picks. Loewen was a seventh-round pick of the Stars in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, becoming the first Jamaican-born player to be drafted in the NHL. In 295 WHL games with the Blazers, Loewen had 64 goals and 142 assists.

Blaze sign WHL alumni Hamonic

The Coventry Blaze of the EIHL have signed Tri-City Americans alumni Justin Hamonic for the 2019-20 season. Hamonic played 255 games with the Americans, scoring three goals and 43 assists.

Lajoie added to University of Alberta Wall of Fame

Serge Lajoie, who spent this season behind the bench of the Kamloops Blazers, has been added to the University of Alberta Wall of Fame. The Blazers posted a 28-32-6 record under Lajoie this season before the two sides parted ways at the end of the season. Lajoie has spent 13 seasons at the University of Alberta as either a player or coach. He is set to coach the OHA Edmonton Prep team in the 2019/20 season.