Eakin Signs With Capitals *Update with News Release*

The Washington Capitals have wasted no time getting Broncos F Cody Eakin into the fold. In what's virtually un-heard of for a 3rd round pick, the Capitals signed the 18 year-old Eakin to an entry-level contract.

Eakin was drafted just four months ago at the NHL draft in Montreal.

Today's announcement will no doubt give Cody a bigger look at the upcoming World Junior evaluation camp.

This is great news for the Winnipeg native, congratulations

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News Release:

The Washington Capitals have signed Broncos forward Cody Eakin to a three-year entry-level contract, vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today. In keeping with club policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Eakin, from Winnipeg, was drafted by the Caps in the 3rd round 85th over-all at this past June’s NHL Entry Draft. This season Eakin is leading the Broncos in goals with 9 and has 12 points in as many games.

"We are very happy for Cody", comments Broncos head coach and general manager Mark Lamb," it is special for a player to not only get drafted, but sign an NHL deal. It is good to see a player of his caliber get rewarded with a contract from a great organization such as Washington."

Tuesday Update

Gull Lake native and Swift Current "AAA" midget Legionnaire Mason Logan was involved in a Regina Pats trade yesterday.

15 year-old Mason Logan was the compensation heading to the Medicine Hat Tigers as the Regina Pats acquired 18 year-old D Cody Carlson.

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The Broncos and Hockey Canada will announce this afternoon what two teams will face-off in Swift Current in a pre-tournament World Junior game.

It's said to be an all Eastern European rivalry.

Exhibition games will be held throughout the province including Prince Albert, Unity, Moose Jaw, Weyburn and more.

More details this afternoon.

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The Broncos are putting together their idea for a team poster this season. From what I've heard it should be an entertaining photo shoot.

You will have to stay tuned for that.

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There's nothing official yet, but we could hear news later this week about an NHL signing regarding one of the Broncos. I told the family I'd hold off until something was in place. Hopefully there's more later this week.


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A major reason the Broncos are winless on the road? Look no further than their PP away from home ice. The clubs is a combined 0/18 on the powerplay on the road this season.

At home? The PP is 10/42 or 23.8 %

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The Broncos bus limped into Swift Current last night after coming down with some electrical troubles in Swift Current Sunday night in Medicine Hat.

The next time the Broncos need it will be Sunday when they head to Regina... I think I'll grab the radio station vehicle on Sunday instead.

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You heard it here first, Medicine Hat Tigers F Emerson Etem will be the WHL's Eastern Conference Rookie of the Year. Honorable mentions to Red Deer's Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Brandon's Toni Rajala.

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I should have more later today....

G'day!

Jon

Announcement Postponed

There will be an announcement from Hockey Canada tomorrow instead... see below for details.

Jon

World Junior Announcement Today

The Swift Current Broncos and the City of Swift Current will announce this afternoon what two teams will face-off in a pre-tournament World Junior game in December at the Credit Union i-plex.

I'll have the details some time after 2pm today.


Jon

Tigers 4 Broncos 3

The Broncos played a solid game, but in the end it wasn’t enough to get a win, let alone a point in Medicine Hat.

The Broncos outshot the rival Tigers 35-22, including 17-6 in the third period but Tyler Bunz made some timely saves in the third period to protect the lead.

Broncos Assistant Coach Tim Kehler joined us post-game and talked about the weekend.

“I think its two games were we deserved a better fate than what we ultimately got. To come away with only a point is disappointing based on our work rate, and the commitment right throughout our line-up. I really liked the offense we generated (in Medicine Hat) getting 35 shots in a tough place to play with 17 in the third period.

Against a team known for being fleet of foot, I thought we skated them into the ground in the final period. We got the chances we needed, they got some timely goals on some seeing-eye shots and things just weren’t going our way. It just seemed it wasn’t meant to be.”

The Broncos had several good chances late including Micheal Stickland being robbed right in front with 50 seconds to play as Bunz slid across to make the save.

Kehler continued:

“The only concern from the coaching staff is when the kids put out like they have through two games, when you only come away with one point, you don’t want the guys to be discouraged and think maybe there is another way to be successful because what we’re doing will make us a successful and effective team.”

The Broncos got their goals from Adam Lowry, Mike Brown and Cody Eakin. Eakin also dropped the gloves with Mathew Konan after an awkward hit delivered to Michael Stickland in the 2nd period.

Eakin took an instigator penalty that had him miss most of the 2nd period due to 17 minutes in penalties with the misconduct.

The Broncos fall to 0-4-0-1 on the road and will now host Kamloops Wednesday in their next game.

To make good on a lost bet, I did wear the Tigers jersey up in the booth for the 1st period. I have pics to prove it. Orange is a not a good look for me.

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Perhaps what was more frustrating is what happened after the game as the Broncos encountered bus problems for the 2nd time this trip.

An hour and a half later and with now working headlights or signal lights, the Trax bus outfit sent a bus over to help us out. An assist to the Tigers Bob Ridley who helped set it up. Thanks Rids.

Countdown in the 'Hat

We're an hour from face-off in Medicine Hat as the Broncos conclude a two-game weekend swing against the Tigers.

The Broncos played pretty well in Edmonton but ran into a hot goaltender in Cam Lanigan who made 42 saves for a 3-2 shootout win.

The team was very sound for the most part defensively and rolled all four lines up-front.

It's the first point the Broncos have picked up this season on the road, tonight they are hoping for their first win away from the Credit Union i-plex.

The Broncos rolled in pretty late last night, hopefully they had enough rest to keep up with what's sure to be a pretty offensive team the Tigers are sporting this season.

And.... the Tigers jersey is waiting here in the booth for me to put it on...guess it's time to make good on that bet...

Gotta run,


Jon

More From Edmonton

A few more hours away from face-off here in Edmonton. We've been here for about 24 hours now. Sometimes you almost forget why you're actually here. Of course, it's to play a game but it can get lost with everything else going on including last night's Oiler game.

I know the coaching staff will be stressing "the reason why we're here" both today and leading up to face-off.

Broncos Head Coach / GM Mark Lamb is a pretty good host here in his the city where he played for parts of five seasons and coached for another. He's hockey royalty here in the city. And why not, after winning a Stanley Cup and scoring some big goals over the years it's almost rockstar status. No kidding around.

He took the team to one of his four restaurants he has ownership in. Last night it was the The Lux Steakhouse downtown. In a word, wow.

The team got a five star meal complete with steak and chicken and some cheesecake to close. The staff was tripping over themselves to make sure Mark was happy and content with the food and service.

I shudder to think what the bill would have been. Mark took care of it and we headed out to the game.

He's also part of one of Edmonton's hottest downtown locations called 100. About half the Oilers headed down there after a 5-2 win against the Wild.

Everyone is always happy to see and chat with Mark in Edmonton, that was evident at the game last night too. Kevin Lowe, Pat Laforge, Ethan Moreau, Kelly Buchberger, Tom Renney, etc.

Safe to say he's a pretty likable guy.

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Heard around the dinner table last night...

Broncos A.C. Tim Kehler: Hey Graeme (Craig) , are you sure you want to have that 2nd piece of cheesecake? We're playing on the fastest ice surface in Western Canada tomorrow.

Graeme: Hey, I've PLAYED on this ice before...no big deal.

Tim: Yeah... was it between the first and 2nd period or between the 2nd and the 3rd? ; )

Haha, T.K. is always good for some chuckles on the road.

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The team will leave directly after tonight's game and head to Medicine Hat. The Broncos play the Tigers tomorrow night at 6pm.


Jon

Edmonton Blogging

The hockey club arrived in Edmonton in the mid-afternoon yesterday and it's been eventful ever since.

We dropped off the gear at Rexall Place and the Oilers were gracious enough to give us a tour of their dressing room area. Let's keep in mind it's gameday for the Oil and we are three hours away from face-off against the Minnesota Wild.

Good thing Broncos Head Coach / GM is hockey royalty in this city. His longtime friend and former teammate Kelly Buchberger led us through the tour. Not many teams would do this...let alone hours before a game.

I snapped a few pics:

The Bulin stall. Later he would make 27 saves in a 5-2 win over Minnesota.

Broncos F Brad Hoban wanted a pic in front of Ales Hemsky's stall. He was scratched with the flu.

Oilers player lounge inside the room

Later that night the Oilers hooked us up with press box seating:

I have to run but more blogging later today....

Jon

On the Road....

The Broncos are getting an early jump on their trip to Edmonton today. We hope to get checked-in, catch a team meal and then head to the Oilers/Wild game courtesy the Oilers and Mark Lamb.

I'll try to sneak around and get some things I can use on our two broadcasts this weekend. I don't know how much of the game I'll get to see.


The last Oilers game attended, I was a year into my Broncos play-play job and I managed to get into the Hockey Night in Canada booth and watch a period with Chris Cuthbert and Greg Millen.


I'll never forget the look on Kelly Hrudey's face... I was up poking around the media area when he stopped me and asked If he could help. I introduced myself and he proceeded to treat me like a long-time friend even though I'd just met him. He quickly escorted me into the HNIC booth for the 2nd period.

Awesome!


The one thing that has amazed me over the years is how willing some of the National guys are to let you into their world. No "big leaguing" going on. They want you to soak it all in and if they can be of any help the better.

The Broncos were in Vancouver a couple years ago. I called ahead to get media accreditation to the Canucks/Flames game at GM Place.


I wasn't in the media lounge more than 10 minutes and I was sharing stories with Jim Hughson, play-by-play host for the Canucks on Sportsnet at the time.


An hour later I'm watching the game from the media gondola with the Canucks broadcast team Jim Hughson and John Garrett. An hour after that, Roger Millions let me observe the Flames Sportsnet broadcast next door. Quite a night.


Maybe I am a bit of a "nerd" when it comes to this sort of stuff. Any chance you have to learn from the best, I guess you should jump at the opportunity.

If any sports broadcaster is reading this let me suggest a good book to read. Pick up "Walking With Legends" by Ralph Mellanby.

Mellanby was the long time producer of Hockey Night in Canada on CBC. If you ever wanted a behind the scenes look of what goes on and what the personalities are like I suggest you have a look.

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As for the Broncos, Edmonton is a good set-up for road teams. Teams usually stay in a nice hotel downtown close to the action. There is also the NHL rink factor of playing at Rexall Place. For many players, tomorrow night will be the first time they've played in an NHL building.The team is still in search of their first road win of the season after an 0-3 start away from the friendly confines of the Credit Union i-plex.

Edmonton will be another tough test. They lost their 2nd game in a row on home ice last night as the visiting Portland Winterhawks came in and picked up a 5-2 win.



It's safe to say they will be a little owly. The Oil Kings are still short some key players due to injury. Not sure what their line-up will look like tomorrow night.



The Broncos could have F Dane Muench in the line-up. Dane has only played a game and a 1/3 of another after going down with an injury in Prince Albert in the 2nd game of the season.



I'm expecting a visit from Broncos over-age forward Matt Tassone as well. Maybe we will throw him on the broadcast for a period to get the update on his pending return.

Also, thanks to Warriors broadcaster James Gallo in Moose Jaw who produced a feature on Theoran Fleury's recent allegations he was abused by Graham James. His book "Playing With Fire" is getting some attention. I'll air James' feature tomorrow night before face-off.

We're on the air at 6:30pm with the pre-game, 7pm play-by-play on the Eagle 94.1 FM.

My last stop before catching the bus is a round of coffees for the staff...one of the lesser known duties of the radio broadcaster.

Then it's seven hours of relaxation, a couple movies, some conversation, a little game prep and a few Z's. Contrary to popular belief, time on the bus is mostly enjoyable.

Talk to you from Edmonton......

Jon

WHL Goal Scoring Up

I thought I'd share something I was working on for the WHL Radio Show this week....

In case you haven't noticed, the number of goals scored this year in the WHL is up from last year's overall pace.

Through 105 WHL games this season, we are seeing an average of 7.23 goals per game. Last year's average was 6.51 goals per game. So, goals are up %9.9 so far this season.

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Wednesday Already?

Short week and plenty to do before hitting the road this weekend...

The place to be this week is Kelowna with the WHL General Manager Meetings going on. I'm sure some important items are being tabled. We should be hearing something out of Kelowna later this week.

For now, if you have a BB or smartphone, the WHL has launched it's new mobile site. I was on it last night and it looks pretty good. The site is a good time passer if you're on the bus heading home from a game and looking to stay updated with scores from around the league.

You can access it on your BB or smartphone by heading to whl.ca. You will be automatically directed to the mobile site.

The WAP site will still be offered at www.wap.whl.

Jon




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Only Rider Fans Get It

Here's a quickie that was passed on to me....


After living a full life, Doug Berry, the (once)
Winnipeg Blue Bomber coach, died. When he got to heaven, God
was showing him around. They came to a modest little house
with a faded Blue Bomber flag in the window.

"This house is yours for eternity," said God. "This is
very special; not everyone gets a house up here."

Doug felt special, indeed, and walked up to his house.
On his way up the porch, he noticed another house just
around the corner. It was a gorgeous white and green
three-story mansion with a 50-foot tall flagpole with an
enormous Saskatchewan Roughrider flag, and in every window,
he could see Saskatchewan fans.

Doug looked at God and said, "God, I'm not trying to
be ungrateful, but I have a question. I was a good coach,
ran a clean program, took the Bombers to the Grey Cup, and
came close to winning a national championship."

God said, "So what do you want to know, Doug?"

Doug asked: "Well, why does Ken Miller, the
Saskatchewan coach, get a better house than me?"

God chuckled and said, "Doug, that's not Ken's house;
that's mine."

Broncos Wrap Homestand With Win / Making Good On a Bet

The Swift Current Broncos wrapped a their five-game homestand with what they are calling there best defensive effort of the season.

The Broncos defeated the road wearing Kootenay Ice 3-1 allowing only 17 shots in the contest.

The home-team broke open a scoreless game in the 2nd period with goals from Brad Hoban and Derek Claffey while out-shooting the Ice 18-4.

Geordie Wudrick converted on a 2-on-1 with Justin Dowling in the opening minute of the 3rd period. Brayden McNabb broke Morgan Clark's shutout bid at 6:48 of the third period with a shot that deflected off a Bronco defenseman.

Brad Hoban spoke about the win in the Wiens' Agritec post-game show.

"I thought as a team we played a real solid game. We knew they would try and slow it down and make it a dead kind of game. They are a hard-working team but that's definitely the best defensive effort we've had this year."

Local product F Andy Blanke is trying to make the most of his limited ice-time in a 4th line role. Andy played a physical game and dished out a couple of big hits.


"I guess I'll just go out there and take every shift as it comes and do whatever the coaches want me to do. (I'll) try to make an impact every shift and work hard...that's how I've always been taught."

Assitant Coach Tim Kehler shared his thoughts:

"It was just a real business-like effort. The 2nd period was a great set-up period for us where we pushed the tempo offensively and did so without giving up anything defensively. No penalties in the period and no opportunity for a team that wanted to be a counter-punch, rope-a-dope type team with not a lot of energy and some key players missing. We just never game them an opportunity to create anything in transition or easy man-power advantage plays. It was just a real efficient game from our group."


The Broncos won't play until Saturday night in Edmonton against the Oil Kings. The team will get to Edmonton Friday night in time to take in the Oilers/Minnesota Wild game courtesy the Oilers and Mark Lamb.

Apparently Broncos Head Coach/GM Mark Lamb is pulling out his all-access Oilers card from the mid to late 80's that gets you anything you want in the City of Champions. It will be a nice treat for the guys to begin the weekend.



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October 18th is a day I've had circled on my calendar - but for all the wrong reasons.

I won't back-out of a bet I made with Medicine Hat CHAT-TV's Rhonda Carlson last year in the playoffs.

Hopefully Dave, Mike or Tim from the Tigers office can supply me with a Tigers jersey to don in the broadcast booth Sunday in Medicine Hat.

If you can remember back to March, Rhonda and I made a "jersey bet". The losing party had to wear the other team's jersey on the air. Being a TV anchor, she had more to lose than I did but accepted anyways. The series went seven games with Medicine Hat taking the decider.


I still think Rhonda looks better in Bronco colors than I ever would in orange and black. (original photo may be slightly altered below)

The bet made for some good chatter around the series with Rhonda appearing on our Eagle 94.1 FM morning show a couple times and vice-versa.

I'll follow through on my commitment. I may even post a picture on the blog. Rhonda if you're at the game Sunday come on up to the broadcast booth for a photo op.





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Broncos Head Coach / GM Mark Lamb departed for Kelowna this morning for General Manager meetings. There is some interesting items on the agenda. It will be Mark's first taste of all the General Manager's in one room together.

Don't be surprised if some deals shake-out of the tree over the next couple days around the league especially with the deadline to get down to three 20 year-olds set for Thursday.

Have a great week,

Jon

Broncos Host Ice

It's a Monday matinee today at the Credit Union i-plex as the Broncos host the Kootenay Ice to conclude a five-game homestand.

For the Ice, it's the finale of a five-game roadie through the east division. They are 1-3 on their trip after a 4-2 loss in Moose Jaw last night.

It's the return over-age and former Bronco defenseman Ryan Molle who was traded to Kootenay before the season started. Former Broncos F Christian Magnus won't play because of a broken finger.

The Broncos won all four head-to-head meetings against the Ice last season.

We're on the air at 2pm with the pre-game show on the Eagle 94.1 FM. Play-by-play at 2:30pm

Ugly

I guess every game can't have the drama, the wild endings and great flow back and forth.

Last night, the game was at best an eye-glazer from a Broncos perspective. The Oil Kings came in and played a workmanlike, defensive style and it was effective for a 5-2 win.

The teams enterered the 3rd period tied 2-2. Thomas Vincour banked home the go-ahead goal at 6:39 when it bounced off a defender in front of the Broncos goal. The Oil Kings score two into the empty-net in the final minute for the 5-2 final.

The game lacked emotion from the Broncos side.

Brad Hoban and Cody Eakin scored for the Broncos while Alex Sirard took the loss in goal.

The loss is the Broncos first on home ice as they fall to 5-1 at home and 5-4 overall.

This recap, as boring as it is, may be more exciting than last night's game.

Ok, off to have some turkey!

Back tomorrow, Happy Thanksgiving.

Jon

Happy Thanksgiving!

This is my 1000th post on this blog.

Enjoy the long weekend. The Broncos host Kootenay tomorrow afternoon at 2:30pm. We're on the air with the pre-game show at 2pm.

Short recap of the Broncos / Oil Kings game is coming.


Jon

WILD!

There may be 64 games left in the regular season, but I don't think the one tonight between the Broncos and Warriors will be outdone anytime soon.

In a game the Broncos had no business really being in, the hometown boys fought back from a 5-1 deficit at one point to score four third period goals for a 7-6 stunner over the Warrriors. The game winner courtesy Geordie Wudrick with only 18 seconds to play.

It was like the scene in the baseball movie Fever Pitch when the die hard Red Sox fan and main character Ben missed a Red Sox game for the first time only to learn they had come back from a seven run deficit in the bottom of the 9th to defeat the hated Yankees. He was irate... if you missed tonight's game, that's probably how you might feel.

An ending so dramatic, Warriors Head Coach Dave Hunchak could only smile and shake his head. He's seen this act before.

What a tough way to lose.

Hunchak is 1-15 against his former team since taking over the Warriors bench. This loss perhaps the hardest to take.

With the Warriors going up 5-1 on a short-handed goal, assistant coach Tim Kehler said in the post-game "it was heading in that direction where you hope you can switch to straight time for the 2nd half of the game."

The Broncos somehow managed to end the 2nd period down 6-3 despite being badly outplayed for the most part. It was a game the Warriors couldn't do much wrong...for two periods.

A goaltending change to back-up Alex Sirard and a 3:23 powerplay to start the 3rd period at least gave the Broncos hope.

The Broncos came out guns blazing in the third, first scoring a PP goal on a Brad Hoban set-up to Cody Eakin at 1:02. Later on a 4-on-3, Eakin's one-timer from the right circle cut it to 6-5 at 2:35.

The Broncos continued the pressure pouring 27 shots on goal in the final frame and appeared destined to get another.

The tying goal came at 13:56 as Dillon Wagner banged home a rebound. 6-6.

The Warriors had a powerplay in the final minute for 31 seconds after a Bronco PP moments earlier went awry. Geordie Wudrick stepped out of the penalty box as Justin Dowling went for the touchdown pass. Wudrick couldn't handle the hot pass but tracked it down in the corner, beat a Warrior off the wall and used his big reach to get it around Brandon Glover in the Warriors' crease with just 18 seconds to go.

Pandemonium at the i-plex.

In our post game show I asked Assistant Coach Tim Kehler what was the first thing Head Coach Mark Lamb said to him in the coaches office.

"Where's the beer?" Replied Kehler with a laugh.

In fact, this might have been Lamber getting caught up a bit in the moment, but he said it was one of the wildest games he's ever been a part of - and he's seen a lot of hockey in his time."

Geordie Wudrick's winner was also his hat-trick goal. He said post-game he called the comeback in the face-off to open the 3rd period.

"I told (the Warriors) Travis Hamonic we were coming back in this one... he replied, not tonight. I told him just watch."

You really have to be amazed when looking back at the head-to-head meetings over the last two plus seasons. It's a script the X-Files would be envious of.

The Broncos have now won eight in a row against the Warriors going back to last season. It also moves the Broncos to 5-0 on home ice this season and 5-3 overall for a share of first place in the east division.

Next up, the Broncos continues their five game homestand as they host the Edmonton Oil Kings tomorrow night (Saturday) at the Credit Union i-plex.

One more things, the Broncos dealt 18 year-old G Chad Ketting to the Kelowna Rockets for a conditional 7th round pick in 2011.



G'night,

Jon

Dowling's Goal #1 on Plays of the Week

Justin Dowling's goal to open the scoring Sunday against the Red Deer Rebels has been chosen as the #1 play of the week by the WHL.

His double-toe drag around both Rebel defenseman has been one of handful of nice plays at the Credit Union i-plex this season.

Check out the top five plays at whl.ca



Jon

Drive for Five

Not since 1997 have the Broncos got out to a 4-0 start on home ice as they prepare to host the Moose Jaw Warriors tonight at the Credit Union i-plex.

The Broncos shoot for their fifth straight win at home to begin the season as they take on a much improved Moose Jaw team that has one two in a row entering tonight's contest.

"They are pretty aggressive on the forecheck, they come at you physically. They've got some high end kids in Howden and Bast plus Hamonic on the back-end who can hurt you. It's a team to be reckoned with for sure." - Assistant Coach Tim Kehler.

With that said the Broncos won the season opener against Moose Jaw 6-5 after getting out to a 4-0 first period lead and chasing starting goaltender Jeff Bosch.

The Broncos have beaten the Warriors in seven straight meetings going back to last year and an incredible 14 of the last 15 meetings.

To be fair, the Warriors haven't received the strongest of goaltending in those match-ups. I'd venture Warrior goaltending has posted a .820 save percentage and have gone through 10 goaltender yanks in those head-to-head meetings.

Safe to say the Warriors just haven't gotten "the save" against the Broncos. I'm sure Head Coach Dave Hunchak would agree whole-heartily. Something to ask perhaps in our pre-game show.

Will the trend continue?

Personally I think the Warriors are a "Ryan Holfeld" away from being a real force.

The Broncos are feeling good about their game on home ice according to F Mike Brown.

"We have had good starts to games and have worked hard. Maybe we've tailed off as the game moves on. We've played a solid 60 minutes, we will have to go at them (Warriors) hard."

Face-off is set for 7:30pm as the Broncos begin a busy weekend with home games tonight, tomorrow and Monday afternoon.

F Dane Muench could make his return to the line-up after missing the last five games with injury. If not, you may see him at some point this weekend.

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In case you missed it, the Broncos were involved in that three-way deal with Chilliwack and Seattle Thursday.

The Broncos picked up 18 year-old D Scott Ramsay from Chilliwack as their recent house-cleaning continues. They then one-touched him to Seattle for 16 year-old prospect F Robbie Newton.

Newton is a good looking prospect at 6'2, 180 pounds. He's off to a good start with the Saskatoon "AAA" Contacts and will further add to the prospects depth the team has added recently.

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Have a good long weekend... I'll blog from time-to-time I'm assuming over the course of the next three days.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Jon

Broncos Acquire Prospect Newton

Swift Current Broncos General Manager and Head Coach Mark Lamb announced that the club has acquired 16 year old prospect Robbie Newton from the Seattle Thunderbirds.

Newton came to the Broncos for defenseman Scott Ramsay after the Broncos acquired Ramsay from Chilliwack in exchange for a 7th round pick in the 2010 Bantam Draft.

Head Coach and GM Mark Lamb says; “We are happy to add a skilled forward such as Robbie to our prospect system. He is playing very well for a strong Saskatoon Contact team and he will continue to develop his skills in midget. We look forward to him being a part of our team in the future.”

Newton is 6’2” and 180 pounds; he was originally drafted by Seattle in the 4th round of the 2008 Bantam Draft, 80th over-all. He is currently leading the Saskatoon Contacts in scoring in the Saskatchewan AAA Midget League. Newton and Jonathan Lashyn (another Bronco prospect) will be in Swift Current this Saturday at 2:45PM as the Contacts take on the Legionnaires at the Credit Union i-plex.

Broncos Acquire D-Man from Chilliwack

Lots of activity down at the Broncos office today.... for now here's one deal that's been announced.

Stay tuned.....


The Broncos have picked up 18 year-old defenseman Scott Ramsay from the Chilliwack Bruins in exchange for a 7th round pick in the 2010 WHL bantam draft.

In 94 regular season games with the Bruins Ramsay scored three goals, ten assists and added 182 minutes in penalties.

Another Water Bottle Incident?

Dave Hunchak let it fly last night behind the Warriors bench... fine pending.

Can't help but think this whole thing has been Dean Chynoweth's legacy... although none of his followers have quite shown his accuracy.

The Broncos host the Warriors tomorrow night. They should come in with some confidence after beating both Calgary and Regina in their last two games.

We will have a recap of the Broncos shareholders meeting on Friday night's pre-game show.

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Speaking of Chynoweth, I spoke with his brother Jeff this morning. The Kootenay Ice come in Thanksgiving Monday for a matinee against the Broncos.

It's no longer the "Chynoweth Cup", perhaps a new name is in order. Last year the Broncos won all four head-to-head meetings.

Saturday night on our pre-game show Jeff will provide a Kootenay Ice preview. Kootenay comes in at the end of a six-game east division swing.

Former Broncos Ryan Molle and James Martin will face their former team while F Christian Magnus is out with a broken finger

More later,

Jon

Quotes from last night....

The Swift Current Broncos hosted their annual shareholders meeting last night. Both Broncos Director of Business Operations Jordan Wall and Chairman of the Board of Directors Al Stewart addressed the media after.

Jordan Wall on the $158k operating profit from last season....

"It was a really good year. It was really the first chance to see what we can do with a fully renovated rink. Our concessions went up, our marketing went up, our suites (revenue) went up. It really showed us what we can do when we fill the rink and go into playoffs."

Wall on where season tickets are at this season.....

"We are doing really good right now. We are at 1744 season tickets. Last year we finished with 1766. We are still pushing for 1800 season tickets this year and if things go well I believe we will get there."

Chairman of the Board of Directors Al Stewart on the operating profit....

"It's fantastic. We are always concerned about the financial aspect and you always know you are one or two bad seasons away from significant financial stress. The more that we can put away the better for us if and when we do have a bit of a struggle. In junior hockey, there's good times and bad, that's really just part of it."


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Broncos Post $158k Profit From 08/09

For the third season in a row, the Swift Current Broncos have posted an operating profit. This past season the organization added $158,285 to the team's operating fund.

A record number of ticket sales totalling $757,697 is being touted as the biggest factor plus continued community support from groups like the Hockey Hounds and other fundraising initiatives.

Over the last three seasons the Broncos have added $409, 438 to their operating fund. This after incurring back-to-back years of losses in 2005 and 2006 totalling $405,227.

This closes the books on the Dean Chynoweth era from the financial side and the organization should be thrilled with the turnaround financially over the last three seasons. Of course, the term "cautiously optimistic" is always used year-over-year. You can never get too far ahead of yourselves. The organization continues to walk a fine line and even the slightest unforeseen circumstances could put the team back in the red ink.

The season ahead is looking good financially, but the Broncos may be hard-pressed to be in the black this year. If the team does make the playoffs, a lack of available home dates due to the Women's World Curling Championships may hinder their opportunity for playoff revenue. However the city is working with the Broncos to come up with a solution of compensation.

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In some Board of Director house-cleaning duties, board members Steve Cassidy and Don Szakacs have stepped down from their positions. The two should be commended for their time served and dedication to the organization.

A new Board of Director has been elected on. Local Director of Education for the Chinook School Division Liam Choo-Foo will join the BOD. Knowing Liam for the last two years and having a chance to spend some time with him has told me this is a great choice. Liam's knowledge of how boards work and overall intelligence will be a strong asset to the Broncos.

Just don't ask him advice with your NFL pick'em pool!

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I want to commend the local Hockey Hounds group for another strong fundraising effort of over $130,000. This total is up over $16,000 from last season.

They are the unsung heroes of this organization. President Rick Kettler and their 13 other members have done a fabulous job. They are always looking for some new blood. More volunteers would be appreciated.

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It was one interesting year for the Board of Directors to say the least.

With the resignation of Dean Chynoweth to pursue an opportunity with the New York Islanders, the group was faced with hiring a new front man for the organization.

Under a lot of pressure to make a strong choice, and after careful consideration, the Board moved forward with the decision to hire Mark Lamb as the new Head Coach/General Manager.

The greatest story never told could be the final year of Chynoweth's contract after an extension wasn't offered in the summer and the ensuing uncertainty of the Head Coach /GM position moving forward.

To close, the BOD too often doesn't get the recognition they deserve. It can be a thankless job at the best of times. I want to thank this group for their dedication and expertise.

This is certainly something I would like to take a shot at if the situation ever presented itself once my broadcast days are over.

Being a student of the business the past 10 years and seeing how all 22 WHL organizations operate has given me an idea of what makes the Western Hockey League go round. Meeting and learning from some great hockey people and minds has also been a great experience.

The organization is moving forward in a good direction and the future continues to look bright with Mark Lamb and all the good folks in the organization.

Jon

Shareholders Meeting Tonight

The Swift Current Broncos will recap the 2008/09 season tonight at the annual Shareholders meeting set for 7pm in the lower lounge of the Rec Center.

It's expected they will announce an operating profit from this past season in excess of $100k. The final numbers will be official this evening.

A strong year at the gate plus four home playoff games are said to be the major contributing factors.

Check back for more details later....

MondayUpdate / Civic Election Ramblings...

For the most part the Broncos are having a quiet Monday except for an optional skate. The team went 2/3 in a three games in three nights weekend.

The Broncos will continue a five-game homestand Friday when they host the Moose Jaw Warriors. That night is also Kidsport sports equipment drive night. All fans coming to the game are asked to bring their lightly used sports equipment as a donation to Kidsport. Every donation will enter you for a chance to win Rider tickets.

Kidsport is a group I'm involved with locally and the support in the community has been outstanding. Plese think of us the next time you have a fundraiser.

We recently paid out the most money we ever have for fall/winter sports programs for families in need.

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The Prince Albert Raiders picked up a pair of defenseman from Saskatoon today in a deal that sent G Steven Stanford to the Blades.

The Raiders also released over-age D Pat Kozyra.

The Raiders have an over abundance of defenseman. I still think the Broncos need to find a 1990 defenseman (19 year-old) to help bridge the gap from the veterans to the rookies. The strong play of the rookies though has quelled the need lately.

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I'm on a day off... but it hasn't stopped me from coordinating our Shaw TV show this week and getting things organized for the WHL radio show.

Work really never ends during the hockey season but that's the way I prefer it. Hard to believe we're already 10% finished the regular season.


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Quick civic election update based on recent events....

I'm not going to tell you who you shouldn't vote for in the upcoming Swift Current Civic Election.

I will however say a vote for George Bowditch and Denis Peraullt is a good choice. Two extremely nice individuals who are in it for the right reasons. No hidden agendas or motivated by their own ego. These two are solid choices for City Council. I will mark an X by their names.

As for the mayoral race, I believe Jerrod Schafer appears to be the front runner based on talk in the city. He's followed closely behind by Don "you won't like me when I'm angry" Robinson, and Stacey "please pay attention to me" Ellertson.

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Back to my Monday off.... my mom is visiting. She's already successfully snooped through every closet, storage bin, basket and garbage in the house.

My closet and sock drawer have never been more organized....Mom, while your at it the garage is a mess!

Jon

Dowling; Eakin Score Beauties... Broncos Down Rebels

I sure hope it looked good on our WHL web-tv cast tonight... that way we will have some video evidence of a pair of dangles tonight courtesy Justin Dowling and Cody Eakin.

I think some WHL Plays of the Week lobbying will be in order this week....

Dowling got it started in the 1st period 6:29 in when he toe-dragged both Rebel defenseman and then scored on G Darcy Kuemper in tight on the back-hand.

Eakin's goal was late in the 2nd period as he dangled around another Rebels d-man and scored one-on-one against Kuemper.

Through four home games, the Broncos have scored some crowd-pleasing goals. I would say at least eight have been of the "wow" variety.

Eakin's goal made it 3-0 after two but the Rebels weren't about to go away. Back-to-back goals from Willie Coetzee at 1:45 and 6:29 cut the lead to 3-2. A couple of undisciplined penalties gave the Rebels ample opportunity to find the tying goal.

The Broncos Dillon Wagner scored an empty-netter in the final minute to put the game away. The Rebels thought the play should have been blown down for icing before Wagner picked up the puck - they were probably right.

The win pushes the Broncos to 4-0 on home ice. It's the first time since the 1997/98 season the team has won their first four home games. That year the Broncos won their first nine games on Civic Center ice.

Credit the Rebels, they could have packed in down 3-0 in the 2nd period after the grueling stretch they've been on lately. They were also missing key players F Landon Ferraro and D Alex Petrovic who is a stud on the back-end.

Rookie G Alex Sirard was solid, even sensational at times to back-stop the Broncos to the win. His 24 saves allowed him his first win of the season and his 2nd career WHL win.

Sirard even showed off some of his French in our post-game show. The native of Gatineau, Quebec could become a fan favorite in no time. Hey, let's face it, he's the closest player we have when it comes to WHL imports.

Derek Claffey was a horse on the back-end and picked up 3rd star honours. Taylor Vause scored on a first period PP and played a real solid game. Vause even put the Rebels Josh Cowen over the boards and into the bench on a solid check in the 2nd period. The fans sure appreciated it. Vause was chosen as the 1st star of the night.

The Broncos can say they are the best team at home in the WHL. No other team is 4-0 on home ice in the early goings. It's the road game where they've had their issues with. Thankfully, the Broncos will continue their five-game homestand Friday when they host the Moose Jaw Warriors in what is game three of five in a row at the Credit Union i-plex.

Good night,

Jon

Broncos Rally Back

It didn't look good in the first period, or for that matter in the 2nd when the Raiders Igor Revenko made it 4-1 eight minutes in.

But the Broncos flipped the switch thanks to special teams as Adam Lowry scored on the powerplay to cut it to 4-2 and Justin Dowling scored a pretty short-handed marker two minutes later to make it 4-3 after two.

The Broncos dominated the 3rd, virtually cutting the ice in half while scoring three more times on markers from Michael Stickland, Brad Hoban and Taylor Vause.

The Raiders struggled to generate offense short for a Jordan Hickmott break-away in which Morgan Clark made a stellar pad save on.

The Broncos would outshoot P.A. 30-6 over the last two periods and skate to a much needed 6-4 win.

Rookie 16 year-old Adam Lowry scored his first and second career WHL goals in the win.

The Broncos host Red Deer tonight. Both the teams are playing their third game in as many nights. The Rebels also play their fourth game in five nights.

Face-off at 7pm.

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I see Gregg Drinnan picked up on a line from our pre-game show in Regina Friday night in which Pats Head Coach Curtis Hunt talked about a water bottle tossing incident in Prince Albert Wednesday.

Just to clarify, by no means was Curtis being malicious in his words of "I didn't quite have the accuracy that Chinner did in Swift Current". He said it tongue and cheek and knew he was talking to an audience (in Swift Current) that could relate to the incident.

It had the coaches office in Regina sharing a good chuckle...

Jon

Broncos Winless on the Road

At least Curtis Hunt liked my new shoes before the game....

That turned out to be the highlight in Regina last night as the Pats won 6-1. I'll give credit to Regina, that's the best they've looked since last October.

They were committed, playing good team defense and fearlessly blocking shots all night long. You could say the Pats got some fortunate bounces in front of the Broncos crease but you work for those breaks and they certainly did.

Jordan Eberle buzzed around most of the night and scored the last two Pats goals when the outcome was already decided.

The Broncos powerplay controlled the puck very well but again couldn't find the mark on any of their three cracks. The PP has dipped below 10.0% on the season.

Kudos to Pats rookie G Dawson Guhle. He looked composed and sharp all night long. I think the Pats have a good one there.

Dillon Wagner scored the only Broncos goal on a nice back-hand high over the blocker of Guhle.

Line of the night?

Pats Coach Curtis Hunt in the pre-game show when I asked about his water bottle toss in Prince Albert Wednesday night which cost him a $500 fine.

"Well I didn't quite have the accuracy that Chinner (Dean Chynoweth) did in Swift Current, but you have to do what you have to do sometimes."


The Broncos host Prince Albert tonight. G Garrett Zemlak is hot after making 43 saves last night in a 2-1 shootout win over Saskatoon.

We're on the air tonight at 7pm with the pre-game show.



Jon

Ketting Re-assigned

This move was made earlier in the week.... here's the release:


The Broncos have re-assigned goaltender Chad Ketting to BC.

Ketting, 18, from Sechelt, BC is hoping to stick with a team in the BCHL. With the roster move the Broncos are down to 2 goaltenders and 24 players on the roster

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Regina Bound

(Broncos/Pats in the 2008 playoffs)

The Broncos begin an action packed weekend in Regina against the Pats tonight.

Both teams are coming off lopsided wins. Back on Saturday the Broncos beat Lethbridge 7-2 while Regina thumped Prince Albert 9-3 on Wednesday.

Broncos Head Coach/GM Mark Lamb is getting himself up-to-speed with the talented Jordan Eberle.

"He's one of those special players. If we just let him skate all over the ice he's going to burn us. He makes bad players look good when he's playing with them and good players look bad when they're playing against him. He's an NHL player that could probably be playing at that level right now. We're going to have to pay special attention to him."

If I time it right, we'll hear from Ebere in our pre-game show.

The Pats Curtis Hunt was fined $500 bucks for tossing a water bottle from the bench Wednesday in Prince Albert. Our plan is to have him on our pre-game coaches show along the Broncos Mark Lamb of course.

There isn't a Pats home broadcast because of Rider coverage on CKRM. If you live in Regina and can't make the game, you can catch our broadcast on Sask-Tel Max channel #834. Or you can find it online of course. Just a pre-game warning.... we are "the official Broncos station".

The Broncos host Prince Albert tomorrow night and Red Deer Sunday.

It's like the Broncos are a college hockey team lately with just weekend games. After the three-in-three they won't play until the following Friday.

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The timeline for the return of Broncos F Matt Tassone is looking better. Tassone is expected to re-join the team later this month. Don't expect him to be in the line-up until mid-to-late November though. It's nice to hear things are progressing nicely with Taz.

Former Bronco Zack Smith was a late Ottawa Senators cut that has him back in Bingo again. Smith and former teammate Keegan Dansereau will begin the season with the Binghamton Senators of the AHL. You would have to think Zack will be one of the first call-ups to the big club once they start going. We'll be watching.

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How good was opening night in the NHL last night?

The Leafs/Habs overtime had a great pace going. Back and forth, yet responsible hockey. It was a treat to watch.

Local product Travis Moen scored for the Habs in his season debut and got his nose dirty a few times. How about former Bronco Colton Orr and Georges Laraque getting after it early in the first period?

Anyone that knows me knows I like the tough stuff. I think I could waste away a day pretty easily watching old NHL fights on youtube.

The thing with Big George is that he's a wrestler. He's not one to stand in there and trade. George is always looking for the take-down - just like last night against Orr. For that, I have to take him off the list as a top-five heavyweight. Stand in there and trade!

Just based on that, I like the style of guys like Orr, Riley Cote and Daniel Carcillo.

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Loved the CBC's call of the game from Jim Hughson though. Although I still like the classic sound of Bob Cole doing Leafs/Habs.

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Here's my random thought of the day....

What's with all the showboating in sports these days?

I'm not a fan of of the stuff that goes on after fights. There's always somebody "raising the roof" or playing to the crowd. I think it's disrespectful to your foe personally. I doesn't matter if you win or lose either. Some guys are used as punching bags for 60 seconds yet emerge with their hands up in the air and a big smile on their face.

I'm ok with a little finger in the air..something subtle. That's it.

The biggest violators for over-celebrations is football - particularly on special teams. A guy gets down the field, makes a tackle and pops op off the turf pumping his chest and asking the crowd to make some noise.

A receiver catches an 11 yard out and promptly pumps the ball to the turf and gives the "first down" signal.

Guess what? You did your job, that's it. Now get off the field.

It's comparable to the mechanic chest-bumping after changing your oil. The grocery bagger doing a celebratory dance after successfully bagging your groceries, the gas jockey who does a cart-wheel after topping you up.

Go watch an old CFL game on ESPN Classics. It's refreshing actually. A guy makes a big play (ei: sack, one-handed catch, interception), dusts himself off and gets back to the huddle.

Ok, rant over.

We're on the air tonight at 6:30pm with the pre-game show. Play-by-play at 7pm... Bronco fans, we'll see you tomorrow night at the i-plex.

Enjoy the weekend,

Jon

Broncos Draft Picks Named to U16 Challenge Cup

The Broncos will have three bantam drafted players play in the U16 Challenge Cup later this month.

I haven't seen a Team Alberta roster yet but here's the rundown:

1st round pick F Evan Richardson - Team BC
2nd round pick F Shae Horowko - Team Sask
4th round pick F Sutton Olson - Team Manitoba

The picks were also the first three the Broncos made in the summer's bantam draft.





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Thursday

Not much brewing on the Broncos front today...

I went down to practice briefly to get some clips for the morning sportscasts...

One thing that's been talked about a little is the intensity of practices. F Justin Dowling talked about it.

"I noticed this year it's a lot more high paced (at practice). After every drill we will do some skating around the rink or from boards to boards. I know Lambsy wants are team to be fast and one of the better conditioned teams in the league."

The Broncos made a small roster move yesterday. It will more than likely be officially announced later today.

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The legend of Dean Chynoweth was alive in Prince Albert last night. Water bottles from both benches rained down at the Art Hauser Center as the Raiders hosted the Regina Pats. From all accounts it sounded pretty heated in the third period. The Pats skated to a 9-3 win in what was Jordan Eberle's return from the Edmonton Oilers.

Expect the league to weigh-in later today. If history has taught us anything, the first water bottle will cost $500... then $250 for each one there-after.

Speaking of Chynoweth, his New York Islanders are projected by TSN to finish dead last in the NHL's Eastern Conference.

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The Colorado Avalanche will retire Joe Sakic's #19 tonight before their season opener against the San Jose Sharks.

For Bronco fans who witnessed Joe's time with the Broncos I'm sure it will be a special night as well.