Former Centennial netminder on the move

Former North Bay Centennial goaltender Alex Auld will be packing his bags for Florida; not for a vacation, but on a permanent basis. The Thunder Bay native was part of a blockbuster trade Friday night between the Vancouver Canucks and Florida Panthers that sends Auld, Todd Bertuzzi and Bryan Allen to Florida in exchange for Roberto Luongo, Lukas Krajicek and a draft pick.

For Auld, who just finished off his first full season as a starter in the National Hockey League, he actually returns to the team that originally drafted in the second round, 40th overall in 1999 when he was still a member of the Centennials.

Mike Kelly heading to the NHL?

The Vancouver Canucks may be one step closer to hiring former North Bay Centennial head coach Mike Kelly as one of their new assistant coaches.

The Canucks announced Friday that they are letting go both of their assisant coaches, Mike Johnson and Jack McIlhargey, who follow former head coach Marc Crawford out of Vancouver.

That could pave the way for Kelly, who was an assistant coach last year under new Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault, as both were with the Manitoba Moose; the Canucks AHL affiliate.