WINNIPEGGER HEISINGER WINS THOMAS EBRIGHT AWARD
This summer, the American Hockey League, honored Manitoba Moose General Manager Craig Heisinger with the Thomas Ebright Award in recognition of career contributions to the AHL.
Heisinger began his tenure with the Moose as the team’ s equipment manager in 1996. He transitioned to the role of assistant general manager of the team three years later. Heisinger took over as general manager of the club in 2002 and has remained in that position ever since, occupying the role through the team’ s move to St. John’ s in 2011 and return to Winnipeg in 2015. In 2009, the Winnipeg native was recognized by the AHL with the James C. Hendy Memorial Award as the league’ s outstanding executive.
Deeply involved in the community away from the rink, Heisinger is a spokesperson for Project 11. Throughout the year, he presents at schools, workshops and events in honor of Rick Rypien, a former member of the Moose and Jets who battled with depression.
NOTE: The Thomas Ebright Award honors Tom Ebright, the former owner and governor of the Baltimore Skipjacks and Portland Pirates who passed away in 1997.
THE NOTEBOOK
Lorette’ s Joel Messner, a defenseman and former star with the Eastman Selects and the MJHL’ s Selkirk Steelers is 2017-18 captain at the University of Nebraska Omaha … Riese Gaber of the Dauphin Kings has committed to play for head coach Andy Murray at Western Michigan University … Sarah Zacharias has accepted the position as Director of Hockey at Balmoral Hall. Gerry Wilson has stepped down … A pair of MJHL alumni were selected in the 2017 NHL draft in June in Chicago. Nick Henry( Portage Terriers) and Wyatt Kalynuk( Virden Oil Capitals) were selected by Colorado and Philadelphia, respectively. Henry, who currently plays for the Regina Pats, was taken 94th overall. He’ s a former MJHL rookie of the year( 2015-16). Kalynuk, who has played the last two seasons in the USHL, was selected 196th overall. He broke in with Virden as a 16-year-old three years ago and is heading to the University of Wisconsin … Tyler Anderson of the MJHL’ s Steinbach Pistons has committed to play with the St. Cloud State University Huskies. The former Winnipeg Wild defenseman is off to St. Cloud State this season … The other Tyler Anderson, the big power-forward from Niverville who attended Washington Capitals development camp this summer, has committed to Lake Superior State … Former OCN Blizzard netminder Brody Claeys, 20, from Dauphin has committed to play at WCHA’ s University of Alaska- Anchorage. Claeys played last season for the BCHL’ s Port Alberni Bulldogs … The Manitoba Women’ s Junior Hockey League will take part in The Great Northern Trip to Dauphin and Swan River on Saturday Oct. 14 and Sunday Oct. 15. Two MWJHL teams will play two league games during that weekend. The first game will be played in Dauphin at 4 p. m. on Saturday and Game 2 will be played Sunday at 1 p. m. in Swan River …
Former Winnipeg Blues star and USHL’ s Sioux City Musketeers forward Jackson Keane is leaving the USHL this season to play for the Penticton Vees of the BC Junior Hockey League. Keane has committed to play next season for the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux … Arnie Caplan, a Winnipegger who returns via Portage College in Alberta, is the new head coach and general manager of the MJHL’ s Waywayseecappo Wolverines. Ray Walker, a fixture in Western Manitoba is the team’ s new marketing / broadcasting manager … Meanwhile, the Swan Valley Stampeders hired Headingly’ s Jamie Corbett as the team’ s new assistant coach / marketing director … The 2016-17 MJHL Coach of the Year, Paul Dyck, has signed a long term extension with the Pistons. The extension means he’ ll be with the Pistons until at least the end of the 2020-21 season. He started in Steinbach midway through the 2011-12 season, taking over from the legendary Richmond Gosselin from St. Malo … Former Steinbach Pistons forward Cole Smith, now at the University of North Dakota, attended the Tampa Bay Lightning Development Camp this summer … There were five Manitoba players involved with the recording of the APTN Show Hit the Ice this summer: Corbin Mariash, 17, of Winnipeg who played with the Triple A Midget Interlake Lightning last season; Jaden Pashe, 15, of the Pilot Mound Buffaloes; Hunter Halcrow of Thompson who will likely play for the MJHL’ s Waywayseecappo Wolverines this season; Bryden Sinclair of Peguis who plays for the Pilot Mound Buffaloes; and goaltender Allan Kohli from Winnipeg who played for the Norman Northstars last season and led Team Manitoba to the National Aboriginal Hockey Championship … Back on May 10, Jeremey Leipsic from Winnipeg, one of the best forwards in the CJHL with the Portage Terriers this season, was named winner of Manitoba’ s 2016 Jewish Athlete of the Year Award at the Annual Rady CC Athlete of the Year Dinner. He was one of only five CJHL players to reach, or surpass 100 points this season and in his final year of Jr. A., he was named an MJHL first-team all-star forward, a three-time RBC / MJHL Player of the Month recipient while winning the MJHL scoring race. He was also awarded the MJHL’ s Hockey Ability and Sportsmanship Award …
CORRECTION
In our report on Balmoral Hall Blazers’ star Olivia Cvar in the Champions Edition of Game On Magazine back in May, we incorrectly reported that she would be entering St. Cloud State University at the start of the 2018-19 season. She will actually start school at the beginning of the 2019-20 season. We regret the error...
SEPTEMBER 2017 | GAME ON | 145