Latest news with #Winnipeg
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Winger from West St. Paul chosen 13th overall by Detroit Red Wings in NHL draft
West St. Paul's Carter Bear began his professional hockey journey Friday night when he was chosen by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2025 National Hockey League entry draft. A six-foot-tall forward who played left wing for the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League, Bear was selected with the 13th overall pick, making him the first Manitoban to be drafted. Bear led the Silvertips with 40 goals and 42 assists last year, despite playing only 56 games when his season was cut short by an Achilles injury. Bear was born in Winnipeg, but his parents are from Peguis First Nation. Shortly after he was chosen, the Southern Chiefs Organization sent its congratulations via social media, describing it as "a historic and proud moment for Carter, his family, and his Nation." The Winnipeg Jets held the 28th overall pick in the draft, where they took Swedish defenceman Sascha Boumedienne, who played much of his junior hockey in the United States, including last season with the Boston University Terriers. The six-foot-two Boumedienne scored three goals and added 10 assists in 40 games last year with the Terriers, advancing all the way to NCAA Frozen Four, where they were beaten 6-2 by Western Michigan in the championship game. The draft's first piece of Manitoba content came earlier in the first round, when lanky centre Roger McQueen was taken 10th overall by the Anaheim Ducks. The six-foot-five McQueen was a bit of a question mark going into the draft, after missing parts of the past two seasons with a back injuries. But when he did play, the Saskatoon-born forward showed a deft scoring touch, racking up 31 goals and 40 assists over 70 games in the two seasons combined.
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Former police chief, CAO among Winnipeg's top paid city employees last year
Winnipeg's police chief and top bureaucrat remained among the city's highest paid civil servants in 2024, despite leaving their positions midway through the year. The police chief received $498,841 in 2024, according to the city's annual compensation disclosure published Friday. The figure — which may include any combination of salary and other forms of compensation — would be almost $200,000 higher than what the city paid for the same position a year previous. Danny Smyth retired from the role on Sept. 3, 2024. He'd been the highest-paid civil servant in 2023, when he was compensated $305,874. The disclosures may include compensation in the form of taxable benefits, overtime, retroactive pay adjustments, retirement allowance, sick pay cash out, vacation pay cash out, back pay and severance pay. Before retiring, Smyth had served seven years as chief and had been with the Winnipeg police service for more than 38 years. Smyth's predecessor, Devon Clunis, received $368,883 in compensation in 2016, his last year as police chief. He'd been with the service for 29 years. Only ranks of police officers are shown on the annual disclosure. A "chief of police" also claimed the No. 4 spot in 2024 with $312,419 in compensation. Art Stannard took over from Smyth as acting chief before Gene Bowers took on the job permanently this March. CAO Jack 3rd highest-paid civil servant in 2024 Michael Jack, who resigned last June from his role as the city's chief administrative officer, was the third highest-paid civil servant with $410,769 in compensation. Jack's resignation came a week after an audit of the city's workforce found gaps in how the city reviewed staff performance, saying there was "limited accountability" in how it documented whether leaders were meeting key goals. He had the second-highest compensation out of civil servants in 2023, receiving $287,782. Sherwood Armbruster — who took over as interim CAO in June — received $222,731 in 2024. Joseph Dunford, the provincial deputy minister of public service delivery, is set to take over the role permanently on Aug. 4. The disclosures include all civic employees who make $85,000 or more. About 4,200 made the latest list. Others in the top 10 include human resources director Angie Cusson, Moira Geer who served as deputy CAO, fire chief Christian Schmidt, and four unnamed police officers: a superintendent, a sergeant and two deputy chiefs. Mayor Scott Gillingham was No. 21 on the list with $223,338.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Game Recap: Valkyries 83, Sky 78
Canadiens: Hughes Is Considering Every Possibility One of the most intriguing names in free agency this Summer was former Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews. The 37-year-old veteran center elected to go home and sign with the Winnipeg Jets earlier this week. Further to the announcement, TSN and The Athletic insider Pierre LeBrun revealed that the Montreal Canadiens were one of the teams interested in Toews. 1:52 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
Winnipeg Free Press
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Jets select swift Swedish blue-liner
The Winnipeg Jets have added another mobile, puck-moving defenceman to the pipeline. With the 28th overall pick in the NHL Draft, the Jets chose Swedish blue-liner Sascha Boumedienne, who spent last season with the Boston University Terriers and had three goals and 13 points in 40 NCAA games. Boumedienne is known for his offensive game and skating ability and boosted his stock with an exceptional showing at the World U18 championship in Texas, setting a tournament record for assists (13) and points (14) by a defenceman. Damian Dovarganes / The Associated Press Sascha Boumedienne tries on a Jets jersey Friday night after goalie Eric Comrie (centre) announced the Swedish blue-liner was Winnipeg's first pick of the 2025 NHL Draft. The Jets didn't have a first-rounder in 2024, but their first pick was Alfons Freij, who has a similar prospect profile and recently signed his entry-level contract with the Jets — though he's expected to return to play in Sweden's top league next season. Winnipeg's top defence prospect is Elias Salomonsson of Sweden, so while the Jets have often said they don't draft by passport, it doesn't seem like a coincidence they've gone to that well this often since 2022 — when Salomonsson was chosen 55th overall. Boumedienne was the seventh defenceman chosen in the first round and he's considered to have a high ceiling, as someone who can run a power play and eventually projects to be a Top-4 D-man. The left-handed shooter has enjoyed an interesting development path, as he was born in Finland and grew up in Sweden. He eventually made his way to North America to play in the Ohio Blue Jackets AAA program before joining the Younstown Phantoms of the USHL. There's some NHL lineage as well, as Boumedienne's father, Josef, had a lengthy professional hockey career that included 47 games as a defenceman with the New Jersey Devils, Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals. Looking ahead to Day 2 of the 2025 NHL Draft, the Jets have four more selections currently, the next one coming in the third round (92nd overall). The Jets also have picks scheduled for the fourth, sixth and seventh rounds. It will be interesting to see what strategy the Jets use on the second day and whether they look to trade up into the second round or look to add additional draft capital. Everett Silvertips foreward Carter Bear of West St. Paul was the first Manitoba chosen as he went 13th overall to the Detroit Red Wings. The other player with Manitoba connections, Brandon Wheat Kings centre Roger McQueen went 10th overall to the Anaheim Ducks. Although the draft is taking centre stage, there's already been plenty of talk about the additions to the roster that the Jets need to make in the coming days. Bringing in Winnipegger Jonathan Toews, who has agreed to a one-year deal that will be official on July 1, was an important step but the Jets will be looking to further augment the roster. With just a few more days to go before free agency opens on July 1, there's been some speculation about what the Jets might do if forward Nikolaj Ehlers opts to sign elsewhere. Although Ehlers hasn't ruled out staying with the Jets, with Sam Bennett staying with the Florida Panthers and John Tavares signing an extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday, the expectation is Ehlers will have plenty of suitors who are offering a significant raise from the US$6 million he's been making during the past seven seasons. Once Mitch Marner decides where he's going to go, Ehlers will be one of the most highly sought-after forwards this summer on the open market. One of the possible replacements for Ehlers is right-winger Brock Boeser, who spent the past eight seasons and change with the Vancouver Canucks after finishing his NCAA career with the University of North Dakota. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Boeser, 28, has amassed 204 goals, 230 assists and 434 points in 554 NHL games — including 25 goals and 50 points in 75 games last season. Boeser is one season removed from posting career-highs of 40 goals and 73 points and he carried that into the playoffs, where he collected 12 points in 12 post-season games. Although Boeser's not as dynamic as Ehlers, he's a proven goal-scorer that has eclipsed 20 goals on six different occasions in his first eight full seasons. X and Bluesky: @WiebesWorld Ken WiebeReporter Ken Wiebe is a sports reporter for the Free Press, with an emphasis on the Winnipeg Jets. He has covered hockey and provided analysis in this market since 2000 for the Winnipeg Sun, The Athletic, and TSN. Ken was a summer intern at the Free Press in 1999 and returned to the Free Press in a full-time capacity in September of 2023. Read more about Ken. Every piece of reporting Ken produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Shooting Stars soar over lethargic Sea Bears
The Winnipeg Sea Bears arrive at the midpoint of the Canadian Elite Basketball League season on a losing note. The pro hoops squad was bested 103-93 by the Scarborough Shooting Stars before 7,575 fans at Canada Life Centre on Friday. Winnipeg has now lost back-to-back contests after building a four-game winning streak with its new-look squad. BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS Shooting Stars guard Donovan Williams (right) stands tall as Sea Bears guard Tevian Jones drives to the hoop Friday night in CEBL action. 'We talked about Scarborough's type of style of play, we knew there were three areas we needed to do the job to stop them: we needed to do the job transition defence, impacting the ball one-on-one and controlling the defensive boards, and I think we were zero-for-three tonight,' said head coach Mike Taylor, whose club was outrebounded 43-30 on this night. Shooting Stars guard Terquavion Smith scored the game-winning basket. The visitors entered Target Score Time with a 94-80 advantage. Winnipeg dropped to 3-4 at home and 5-7 overall, fourth in the Western Conference. Scarborough improved to 7-5, good for second in the Eastern Conference. It was the final meeting of the regular season between the out-of-conference squads. 'I think a lot of it is that our team has a lot of self-confidence, a lot of self-belief, and I think that they were on cruise control for a lot of these possessions. I think we were a little bit late. Because we were late, we ended up fouling, so we got to be on time, we've got to do a better job setting our defence, we've got to do a better job doing the physical things in the half-court,' said Taylor. 'We do have a talented offensive team, there's no doubt, but we see that if you're not going to show up and be ready to do the hard work and defend, then you're going to have a tough time stopping good teams.' Sea Bears star centre Simi Shittu continued to be a force in the paint, registering a team-high 25 points in 29:31 of action. Guards Jalen Harris and Tevian Jones supplied 21 points, respectively. Newest Sea Bear, guard Cody John, who signed with the club on Thursday, tallied three points in his debut. John was acquired to provide a reliable shooting presence off the bench for the Sea Bears, who have struggled mightily in that department. He played 16:24 but shot one-for-six from the field and registered one steal and a block as he acclimated to his new surroundings. The Shooting Stars outscored the Sea Bears 21-12 off the bench. 'It is challenging,' said Shittu. 'Obviously, we're still trying to match each other and figure out each other's spots and tendencies… we just got to kind of lock in on the mistakes we made today and move forward.' Donovan Williams, who led the league with 25.5 points per game entering the night, paced all players with a game-high 30 points. Smith supplied 28 points, while forward Joirdon Nicholas supplied 13 points and seven assists off the bench. Winnipeg led for all of 2:18 in the contest, and that came during an 8-0 run to open the action. Scarborough shot the lights out in the opening frame, firing 59 per cent from the field and 60 per cent from beyond the arc to assume a 34-22 lead after the opening frame. Shooting Stars guard Smith led all players with 10 points in the opening frame. In the second quarter, the visitors began to do their damage from the interior, scoring 20 of their 24 points inside the paint as they sliced through the Winnipeg defence. Scarborough's lead grew to as much as 21, but the Sea Bears managed to hang around, wearing a 58-46 deficit at the break. The Sea Bears cut the deficit to as little as three in the third quarter, but that was as close as they would get. The Shooting Stars held a 78-70 advantage after the third quarter. Both of Winnipeg's latest defeats saw the club get away from its defensive system that prevented its opponents from reaching the 90-point threshold during its winning streak. They have now allowed 201 points in the last two contests. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. 'I love our team,' said Taylor. 'We got off to a really slow start. We waited for some reinforcements. The reinforcements arrived. We got on a big run. We showed flashes of what we can be, but we've got to reach that standard of our performance to get to that championship level. And right now, we're very inconsistent,' said Taylor. 'We've got to do a better job with the details, and I think that this is the adversity that produces a really good team. So we've got to take ownership of it. We've got to grow from it. We've got to work to improve.' The Sea Bears now hit the road for a pair of contests against other Eastern Conference squads. The club is back in action on Tuesday, Canada Day, for a meeting with the Ottawa BlackJacks (4-6). Winnipeg will also face the Niagara River Lions on Friday, July 4. X: @jfreysam Joshua Frey-SamReporter Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh. Every piece of reporting Josh produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
