Texas CHL Teams Involved in Quiet Deadline Deals

The Central Hockey League (CHL) trade deadline expired on Monday at 3:00 PM (CST) with very little movement. The Tulsa Oilers made two deals and several players who were dealt prior in the season were on the move again finding new homes at the deadline.

The Mississippi RiverKings made a late splash finalizing a deal just minutes before the deadline expired that had high-scoring forward Martin Gascon of the Tulsa Oilers on the move again. Gascon was traded from the Arizona Sundogs to the Oilers on January 27th and in six games with Tulsa he scored a goal with an assist. On the season, Gascon has 46 points (8-38=46) in 47 games.

To get Gascon, the RiverKings sent forward Jason Weitzel and future considerations to Tulsa. Weitzel was acquired earlier in the day by Mississippi from the Amarillo Gorillas as the future considerations in the Brad Bonello deal that happened earlier in the season. Weitzel has 11 goals and 14 assists in 39 games with the Gorillas.

The other deal made by the Oilers sent forward Jereme Tendler to the Corpus Christi IceRays in exchange for defenseman Matt Smyth. Tendler has four goals and three assists in 36 games with Tulsa this season. Smyth has three goals, seven assists and 113 penalty minutes in 44 games with the Rays this season.

The Laredo Bucks made a four player swap with the Rapid City Rush on ‘deadline day’ acquiring forward Josh Bonar and the rights to forward Mickey Gilchrist from the Rush in exchange for forward Mitch Stephens and defenseman Ryan Hand. Bonar has no points in five games with Rapid City but was a 20-goal scorer a year ago with Rio Grande Valley. Gilchrist is currently playing in Asia but could join the Bucks in the coming weeks upon his return to North America.

The Rush get Stephens (acquired by the Bucks from New Mexico at the end of January) who has 50 points (14-36=50) in 47 games this season combined with Laredo and New Mexico. Hand has two points (1-1=2) and 57 penalty minutes in 22 games with the Bucks.

Deadline Deals:
-Mississippi gets Jason Weitzel (F) from Amarillo as a part of future considerations from a previous trade
-Mississippi trades Weitzel to Tulsa along with future considerations in exchange for Martin Gascon (F)
-Corpus Christi trades Matt Smyth (D) to Tulsa in exchange for Jereme Tendler (F)
-Laredo trades Ryan Hand (D) and Mitch Stephens (F) to Rapid City in exchange for Josh Bonar (F) and the rights to Mickey Gilchrist (F)

Texas’ Kinnunen and Arizona’s Emond Earn Weekly Award

The Central Hockey League announced today that the recipients for the Oakley CHL Player and Goaltender of the Week for the period ending January 4th, 2009 are defenseman Justin Kinnunen of the Texas Brahmas and for the second consecutive week, goaltender Marco Emond of the Arizona Sundogs.

Kinnunen returned to the Brahmas line-up on New Year’s Eve after missing five games with an injury. The recently named starter for the 2009 CHL All-Star Game finished the week with three goals and two assists in three games, all Texas wins. On Saturday, the Negaunee, Michigan native recorded just the second hat trick by a defenseman in Brahmas history in the team’s 4-1 victory over Laredo. The win moved Texas past the Bucks into first place in the Southeast Division. On the season, Kinnunen has eight goals (two shorthanded) and 11 assists ranking just outside the top 10 among defensemen in scoring. His +12 plus/minus rating is fourth among defensemen and sixth among all CHL players.

Emond wins the goaltending award for the consecutive week marking the first time the same goaltender has won in consecutive weeks since Shawn Degagne (Amarillo) during the 2003-04 season. Last week, the Valleyfield, Quebec native went 3-0 stopping 110 of 113 shots (.973 save percentage) allowing just one goal in each game he played. His victories came at home versus New Mexico and on the road versus Bossier-Shreveport and Oklahoma City. The 5-10, 195-pound goaltender has won five straight games allowing just four goals over that stretch and is 12-9-1 on the season with a 3.30 goals against average.

In recognition of their achievement, both Kinnunen and Emond will receive a special gift from Oakley.

Oakley CHL Player of the Week
Justin Kinnunen, Texas Brahmas
Position: D
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 3
Goals: 3
Assists: 2
Points: 5
Plus/Minus: +2

Oakley CHL Goaltender of the Week
Marco Emond, Arizona Sundogs
Position: G
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 3
Record: 3-0-0
GAA: 1.00
Save %: 0.973
Saves: 110 of 113

Arizona’s Emond Wins December’s CHL Oakley Three-Star Award

The Central Hockey League announced today that Marco Emond of the Arizona Sundogs has won the Oakley Three Stars Award for the month of December/2008. Emond will receive a pair of Oakley THUMP sunglasses which feature blue tooth technology and a built in MP3 player. Learn more about the wide range of Oakley products at www.oakley.com.

Emond finished the month with a bang being named first star in each of the last three games of December. The Valleyfield, Quebec native allowed just two goals in his final three starts going 3-0 for the defending Ray Miron President’s Cup Champions. For the season, Emond is 12-9-1 with a 3.30 goals against average and a .902 save percentage.

In the season Oakley Three Star standings, Laredo’s Darryl Smith leads with 38 points followed by Colorado’s Andrew Penner with 37 points. Emond has 32 points on the season.

Oakley CHL Three Star Player of the Month
Marco Emond, Arizona Sundogs
Position: Goaltender
(December Totals)
Games – 10
Record – 5-5-0
Shutouts – 1
GAA – 3.68
Save % – .899
First Star – 3 times (15 points)
Second Star – 1 time (3 points)
Third Star – 0 times (0 points)
Total Points – 18

Oakley CHL Three Star Player of the Month Winners
October – Travis Clayton, Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs
November – Bobby Chaumont, Mississippi RiverKings
December – Marco Emond, Arizona Sundogs

CHL Player/Goaltender of the Week Announced

The Central Hockey League announced today that the recipients for the Oakley CHL Player and Goaltender of the Week for the period ending December 28th, 2008 are forward Chris Robertson of the New Mexico Scorpions and goaltender Marco Emond of the Arizona Sundogs.

Robertson is coming off a week that saw him score four goals with two assists. The Scorpions center helped put an end to a three-game losing streak and to another more dubious streak, never winning a regulation game in Colorado, by netting his second hat trick of the season in a 6-4 New Mexico win at Colorado on Saturday. The Owen Sound, Ontario native followed that up by scoring the game winning goal on Sunday in the Scorpions 3-1 win over the Southern Conference’s top team, the Odessa Jackalopes. For the season, the 6-0, 200-pound forward has 30 points (14-16=30) in 28 games.

Emond strung together back-to-back wins at Rapid City versus the expansion Rush last week. On Friday night, the Valleyfield, Quebec native made 29 saves earning his first shutout of the season. The next night, the 5-10, 195-pound goaltender made 33 saves as the Sundogs won 2-1. On the season, Emond is 9-9-1 with a 3.66 goals against average.

In recognition of their achievement, both Robertson and Emond will receive a special gift from Oakley.

Oakley CHL Player of the Week
Chris Robertson, New Mexico Scorpions
Position: F
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 3
Goals: 4
Assists: 2
Points: 6
Plus/Minus: +1

Oakley CHL Goaltender of the Week
Marco Emond, Arizona Sundogs
Position: G
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 2
Record: 2-0-0
GAA: 0.50
Save %: 0.984
Saves: 62 of 63

CHL Performance of the Week Awarded

The Central Hockey League (CHL) announced today that the CHL record-tying 10 combined power play goals in the Arizona/Colorado game on December 13th has been voted the winner of the CHL Performance of the Week for Week Nine. The Eagles won the Ray Miron President’s Cup rematch by a final score of 7-5.

The Sundogs/Eagles power play exhibition received 36% of the 624 votes cast. Coming in second place was Mike Gorman’s (AMA) 48 save performance in a Gorillas victory in Colorado on December 12th which received 37% of the votes.

Each team went 5 for 12 on the man advantage with Joel Irving (ARZ), Adam Perry (ARZ) and Ryan Tobler (COL) each scoring a pair of power play goals for their respective teams. The first nine goals of the game were scored on the power play.

The nominees for the CHL Performance of the Week for week 10 of the season (Dec. 15-21) are as follows:
-Rapid City’s three-goal third period in 3-2 win versus Rocky Mountain on Dec. 16
-OKC’s 3-2 shootout win over Colorado in the Northern Conference battle on Dec. 17
-Corpus Christi’s Kris Tebbs making 31 saves in the IceRays 2-1 win over Odessa ending the Jacks 11-game win streak on Dec. 18
-Wichita’s Tim Boron making 53 saves in a 2-1 win over Mississippi on Dec. 19
-Laredo’s Darryl Smith scoring the game winning goal with 16 seconds remaining in the Bucks 5-4 win over Corpus Christi on Dec. 20

Fans can vote for the winner through Monday, December 29th with the winner being announced on Tuesday, December 30th.

CHL's Arizona Sundogs Purchased by Consolidated Sports Holdings

The Central Hockey League (CHL) announced today that Consolidated Sports Holdings (USA) Inc. has purchased Prescott Valley Hockey Club, LLC, operator of the Arizona Sundogs, and that Consolidated Sports Holdings (USA) Inc. will take over the day-to-day operations of the CHL team beginning immediately. Tim’s Toyota Center will host a formal press conference to introduce the new ownership group early in the New Year.

“Consolidated Sports is delighted to become a partner in the CHL and especially in Prescott Valley and we look forward to the wonderful opportunity that this location provides. We are assuming control of an ongoing operation, the Arizona Sundogs, complete with management, staff and a players roster that has been a successful franchise for the last three years,” stated Bill Yuill, President of CSH.

Consolidated Sports has been involved in minor league baseball for many years and more recently owns and operates sports properties in the USA. This CHL franchise will compliment the organization that operates a major junior hockey franchise in the Western Hockey League, located in Everett, Washington.

Consolidated Sports Holdings (USA) Inc., has appointed Bill Yuill as Governor and Terry Thom as Alternate Governor for the balance of the 2008-09 season.

“On behalf of the Prescott Valley Hockey Club, we would like to thank the wonderful community of Prescott Valley and Prescott for their support of the Arizona Sundogs since the very first shovel was put in the ground of Tim’s Toyota Center, which became home of the Champion-to-be,” said Shawn Fowler, co-owner of the Arizona Sundogs. “We are truly appreciative of the support from the community, the league, league officials, and all of the Central Hockey League member teams. We wish the new Owners great success for many years to come.”

“The Central Hockey League is proud to welcome Consolidated Sports Holding (USA) Inc. to the CHL family,” said CHL Commissioner Duane Lewis. “Their history of success in running sports franchises, as well as other businesses, speaks for itself, and they will retain the high standards set by the Arizona Sundogs organization. On behalf of the entire League, we would like to thank the ownership group of Eric Lacroix and Shawn Fowler for their leadership in establishing the Sundogs as one of the premier sports teams in the country. We are certain the Northern Arizona area will see a smooth transition in the ownership of the club, and we all look forward to their continued success long into the future.”

About the Arizona Sundogs
The Sundogs are in their third season in the CHL playing their home games at Tim’s Toyota Center in Prescott Valley, Arizona. The Sundogs reached the plateau of the CHL last season by winning the Ray Miron President’s Cup in just their second year as a franchise. They did so in impressive fashion by becoming the first CHL team in a decade to win The Cup via a series sweep in the finals.

The Arizona Sundogs next home game is Wednesday, December 17th when they begin a three-game home stand versus the Texas Brahmas.

Claude Lemieux Training with CHL's Arizona Sundogs

Several weeks ago, I had posted a story that mentioned Claude Lemieux's interest in returning to the NHL after a five-year absence. Well, it seems that Claude hasn't given that dream up just because no teams have been interested so far. He's eyeing pro hockey in North America again - this time in the CHL. The league sent out the following press release:



The 2008 Central Hockey League Ray Miron President’s Cup Champion Arizona Sundogs have announced that four-time Stanley Cup Champion and former Conn Smythe Trophy winner Claude Lemieux has joined the Club for formal on-ice workouts. In September, Lemieux expressed interest in making a return to the National Hockey League (NHL).

Lemieux, 43, won four Stanley Cup Championships with three different teams (Montreal – 1986, New Jersey – 1995, Colorado – 1996, New Jersey – 2000) during his 20 seasons in the NHL. A veteran of nearly 1,200 NHL games, Lemieux won the Conn Smythe trophy while with New Jersey in 1995, selected as the league’s playoff MVP.

In 1197 regular season NHL contests, the Buckingham, Quebec, native registered 379 goals, 406 assists and 1756 penalty minutes (PIM).

Known for strong play in the postseason, Lemieux added 80 goals, 78 assists and 529 PIM in 233 playoff appearances and ranks among the league’s all-time best in several playoff categories. His 233 playoff appearances rank tied for fourth all-time and his 80 career playoff goals rank ninth all-time. Lemieux also ranks third all-time in career playoff game-winning goals (19) and career PIM (529).

Lemieux has been skating with the Sundogs for the past week and will continue to do so in an effort to pursue a comeback to the NHL. Five years removed from the game, Lemieux retired from NHL play in 2002-03 after splitting his final season with the Phoenix Coyotes and Dallas Stars.

The Sundogs next take on Southwest Division foe New Mexico on Wednesday, Oct. 22 at Tim’s Toyota Center in Prescott Valley. Game time is set for 7:05pm. Tickets are available by phone at 1-866-4-GET-TIX (1-866-443-8849), on the internet at www.gettix.net and in person at the Tim’s Toyota Center Box Office.