Forenregeln » Walters says this years draft offers a diminished pool bec

VANCOUVER - The Vancouver Giants have hired Troy Ward as their new head coach. Ward takes over the WHL team after three seasons as coach of the AHLs Abbotsford Heat, the Calgary Flames former top minor-league affiliate. "Its an honour," Ward said in a statement. "You talk about the WHL and the history of the league and everything that goes with it and the exposure, and obviously Vancouver is right there at the top." Ward takes over for longtime head coach Don Hay, who left for the Kamloops Blazers. Nike Shoes Black Friday Sale . "For the past several weeks, Logan has been dealing and playing with an upper body injury," said general manager Doug Wilson in a statement. "Despite his efforts to play through it, the injury has not responded as we had hoped and Logan has made the decision to undergo a surgical procedure to repair the problem. Wholesale Nike Shoes Black Friday . Kuper, a fifth-round pick in Denvers 2006 draft, started 79 games at guard over eight seasons. He dislocated his left ankle in the last game of the 2011 regular season, and though he started another seven games after that, he never returned to his previous level. http://www.nikeshoesblackfriday.com/ . TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie tweeted on Monday that Hemsky will be going to market as an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Nike Shoes Black Friday Online . They actually finished with a better record in ‘07 than they did in ‘06 but only marginally, going from 61 victories to 66. Nike Shoes Black Friday Discount .com) - The Toronto Raptors are paying Rudy Gay a visit on Wednesday night when they head into the Sleep Train Arena to take on the Sacramento Kings.WINNIPEG -- The coach and general manager of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers say wins are the only thing that will show whether theyve assembled a better team this season. "I want to say our fans are going to see a team that theyre proud of, that regardless of the outcome on each particular game, that the fans are going to leave the stadium knowing that we gave it all," GM Kyle Walters said Friday on one of the conference calls CFL teams are having with the media as they prepare for the new season. But there were no bold predictions as to whether the Bombers are a better team yet than they were last season. "Its all words until we hit four wins," said Mike OShea, the former Toronto special teams co-ordinator preparing for his rookie season as a CFL head coach. Last season, the Bombers tied their worst record ever in the 18-game schedule as they finished in the CFL cellar at 3-15. "What does better mean?" asked Walters. "Thats the beauty I guess of our line of work that better is quantifiable with wins and losses." The teams on-field balance sheet shows additions and subtractions since that last troubled season ended. General manager Joe Mack got his pink slip well before the final game and coach Tim Burke was sacked after it was all over. Since then, the biggest loss was defensive star Henoc Muamba. The Canadian linebacker who was Winnipegs top defensive player, top Canadian player and top player overall in 2013 signed with the Indianapolis Colts of the NFL. And one possible import replacement, former Tennessee Titan Gerald McRath, didnt pan out. He went to the teams mini-camp in Florida and the defensive staff didnt see what they were looking for in the veteran. "Its not something were worried about," said OShea, pointing to players still on the roster who can fill the hole. The Bombers also lost Canadian speciial teams linebacker James Green and import receiver Wallace Miles to the Ottawa Redblacks in the CFL expansion draft.dddddddddddd They lost receiver and 2012 CFL rookie of the year Chris Matthews to the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL but picked up free agent Nick Moore from the B.C. Lions, the third leading receiver in the CFL in 2013. They traded Canadian receiver Kito Poblah to the Lions for defensive back and four-time CFL all-star Korey Banks. The Bombers lost free agent offensive lineman Justin Sorensen, last seasons starter at centre, to the Edmonton Eskimos and are looking to use their second overall pick next week to select someone in the CFL draft they hope can be a starting centre. Overall though, Walters says this years draft offers a diminished pool because of rule changes regarding the NFL draft and red-shirted freshmen. "Youre going to see some real good players drafted next week," he said. "Theres just not the depth." The Bombers also struck out in every bid to land a bona fide starting CFL quarterback, although they insist theyre thrilled with former Saskatchewan backup Drew Willy, who has been guaranteed the job even before training camp starts. Both Walters and OShea were emphatic Friday that nothing will change that. "He demonstrated down in Florida to be very accurate," said OShea. "Hes not afraid to go down field . . . He took risks in practice. He didnt try to play it safe. . . He absorbed the playbook very quick. He showed some leadership, I dont forsee that changing from the start of training camp to the end." OShea said theyre not going into camp with a wait-and-see attitude. "What weve done in the off-season I believe is showing that were not waiting to see whats going to happen next, were taking a real active step in creating what we want to happen next," he said. ' ' '