The Western Hockey League front office has come down hard on Tri-City Americans star forward Brendan Shinnimin. The 19-year-old Winnipeg native has been hit with a 12-game suspension after being assessed a boarding major and game misconduct for his hit from behind on Josh Nicholls of the Saskatoon Blades. The incident occurred in the late stages of a 5-3 Blades win Oct. 6 at Saskatoon and left Nicholls with a bruised back and concussion. Shinnimin was tied for the league scoring lead with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Red Deer Rebels at the time, with three goals and 13 points in seven games.