– Jordan Papirny is headed to Habs’ Town. The Wheat Kings’ netminder has been invited to the Montreal Canadiens’ development camp that begins this weekend. A good performance could earn Papirny a return invitation to attend Montreal’s rookie camp this fall. The 18-year old would be eligible again for the 2015 NHL Draft unless he impresses enough to earn a contract. CKLQ’s Bruce Luebke has the full story here.
– Former Wheat Kings’ captain Keith Aulie is off the free agent market after landing a deal in Oil Country, signing a one-year contract with Edmonton. Last season was injury-filled for Aulie, playing in just 15 games, while picking one assist with the Tampa Bay Lightning. In 136 career games with Tampa Bay, Toronto and Calgary, Aulie has four goals, 13 points and 130 penalty minutes. The 25-year-old defenceman was a fourth round pick in 2007.
– The Winnipeg Jets have dipped into the free agent talent pool, signing forward Mathieu Perreault to a three-year deal, worth nine-million dollars. Perreault potted 18 goals and 43 points in 69 games last season Anaheim Ducks. In 228 career games with Washington and Anaheim, Perreault has 51 goals, 113 points, and 106 penalty minutes. He was a sixth round pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.
– The Ottawa Senators have sent captain Jason Spezza to the Dallas Stars. The Stars also get forward Ludwig Karlsson in the deal, while Ottawa gets forwards Alex Chiasson, Alex Guptill and Nic Paul, along with a second round pick in 2015.
– The Vancouver Canucks landed free agent goaltender Ryan Miller, signing him to a three-year contract worth $18 million. Miller was traded to the St. Louis Blues last season after spending the first 11 years of his career with the Buffalo Sabres.
– Holland is among the Top 10 winning communities named for Kraft Celebration Tour. The town will host a broadcast of SportsCentre on TSN on Friday, August 22nd. The Holland Recreation Committee will get at least $25,000 for upgrades, but there’s also a chance to take home a total of $100,000. Voting will take place on July 21st and 22nd at www.kraftcelebrationtour.ca.
– Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ quarterback Drew Willy is the CFL’s Offensive Player of the Week following a whale of a showing to the start the season. Willy completed 19 of 27 passes, for 308 yards and four touchdowns, in the Bombers’ 45-21 beat down of the Toronto Argonauts in Week #1. It’s the first time a Bombers’ QB was won the weekly award since 2001. Meanwhile, Ricky Foley of the Saskatchewan Roughriders is the top Canadian and Defensive Player of the Week. Foley had six tackles and three sacks as the Grey Cup champions won their season opener against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
– The Manitoba Senior Baseball League has confirmed their 2014 all-star game. The contest will take place on Saturday, July 12th at Andrews Field and will feature the stars of the MSBL taking on the top players from the Winnipeg Senior Baseball League. The two league’s have matched up in an all-star contest for the past two seasons, with the MSBL winning both games.
– The Toronto Blue Jays snapped a three-game slide by beating the Milwaukee Brewers 4-1 on Canada Day. Jose Bautista and Colby Rasmus had solo homers, while Drew Hutchison struck out a career-high 10 batters for the Jays. Toronto remains in top spot in the American League East, a game ahead of Baltimore.
– Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard worked magic at Wimbledon, winning her quarter-final match against Germany’s Angelique Kerber in straight sets on Wednesday morning. Bouchard advances to her third straight Grand Slam semifinal after reaching the final four at both the Australian and French Open. Fellow Canadian Milos Raonic will play his quarter-final match at Wimbledon on Wednesday afternoon.
– The quarter-finals are set at the World Cup. Belgium beat the USA 2-1, and Argentina knocked off Switzerland 1-0 to secure spots. The first set of quarter-final matches go Friday, with the championship final on July 13th.
