THE COMMITMENT, Part 2: D Patrick Wiercioch, who plays for the USHL’s Omaha Lancers and is at No. 119 in Central Scouting’s rankings, has said he will attend Wisconsin and play for the Badgers. A second-round bantam draft pick of the Medicine Hat Tigers in 2005, his WHL rights now belong to the Portland Winter Hawks. They acquired him, along with D Lee Morrow, 16, from the Tigers for D Michael Sauer on Dec. 27, 2006. . . . Wiercioch, from Maple Ridge, B.C., has missed a lot of this season with a hand injury. . . .
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THE MacBETH REPORT: It’s coming up on the next round of national team tournaments. The two on tap next are the LG Hockey Games in Stockholm, Feb. 7-10, with Czech Republic, Finland, Russia and Sweden participating, and The Skoda Cup, Feb. 8-10 in Lausanne, Switzerland, with France, Germany, Slovakia and Switzerland. . . . Czech Republic, Germany, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland have named their teams. Sweden and the Swiss have no ex-WHL players on their teams.Russia has named former Seattle F Oleg Saprykin to its team. Saprykin is having a nice season with Central Red Army Moscow. He is currently eighth in scoring in the Russian Superliga, with 25 goals and 16 assists. He has 115 PM, and is plus-12 in 46 games.
Czech Republic has named G Milan Hnilicka (Swift Current), D Josef Melichar (Tri-City), F Jan Hrdina (Seattle/Spokane) and F Jakub Klepis (Portland) to its team. Hnilicka is with Ufa (Russian Superliga), Melichar with Linköping (Sweden Elitserien), Hrdina with HV71 Jönköping (Sweden Elitserien), and Klepis with Slavia Prague (Czech Extraliga).
Slovakia named G Rastislav Stana (Moose Jaw/Calgary) and F Andrej Podkonicky (Portland). Stana is with Linköping (Sweden Elitserien) and Podkonicky is with Vityaz Chekhov (Russia Superliga).
Germany named D Jason Holland (Kamloops), D Chris Schmidt (Seattle) and F Yannic Sedenberg (Medicine Hat) to its team. Holland and Sedenberg are with Ingolstadt (German DEL) and Schmidt is with Iserlohn (DEL).
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The weekly ranking of WHL teams from the Western Major Junior Hockey Writers Association, showing ranking, last week’s ranking, team, first-place votes and points (22 for a first, 21 for a second, etc.):1. (2) Spokane Chiefs (11) 367
2. (4) Calgary Hitmen (4) 350
3. (3) Tri-City Americans (1) 348
4. (1) Vancouver Giants (1) 326
5. (5) Regina Pats 303
6. (7) Lethbridge Hurricanes 291
7. (6) Kelowna Rockets 276
T8. (8) Kootenay Ice 233
T8. (9) Moose Jaw Warriors 233
10. (11) Medicine Hat Tigers 226
11. (12) Everett Silvertips 209
12. (10) Brandon Wheat Kings 195
13. (13) Seattle Thunderbirds 177
14. (14) Swift Current Broncos 155
15. (16) Kamloops Blazers 128
16. (15) Chilliwack Bruins 122
17. (17) Edmonton Oil Kings 100
18. (18) Saskatoon Blades 90
19. (19) Prince Albert Raiders 64
20. (20) Red Deer Rebels 57
21. (21) Prince George Cougars 33
22. (22) Portland Winter Hawks 18
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MONDAY’S CHATTER: Former WHLer Ray Neufeld is back in the coaching game. He has been named an assistant coach with the MJHL’s Dauphin Kings. Neufeld, who will work under head coach Marlin Murray, played for the Flin Flon Bombers/Edmonton Oil Kings (1976-79). He had been serving as a colour analyst on Selkirk Steelers broadcasts. . . . With G Kris Lazaruk (groin) expected to play Tuesday against the Hitmen in Calgary, the Kootenay Ice has returned G Nathan Lieuwen to the BCHL’s Westside Warriors. . . . The Ice is hoping to get C Ben Maxwell (thigh) back this week, perhaps Friday against the visiting Spokane Chiefs. . . . LW Drayson Bowman, who leads the Chiefs in goals (30) and points (60), is sidelined with an arm injury but he, too, may return Friday. . . . Also due back this week is Vancouver Giants RW Michal Repik, who has missed 20 games with a concussion. Repik was in a regular jersey at practice on Monday. . . . Everett Silvertips RW Kyle Beach, out with a concussion since Jan. 16, isn’t likely to play Tuesday against the visiting Prince Albert Raiders or Wednesday in Kelowna against the Rockets. He may, however, get in the lineup for a Saturday night visit by Vancouver. . . . The Giants are at home to the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Wednesday. This is an interesting matchup when you consider that (a) the Hurricanes are 2-0 and have outscored their opposition 17-1 in their first two B.C. Division stops; (b) the Giants have lost two in a row and they have lost three straight in regulation time only once since the start of 2005-06; and, (c) Lethbridge head coach Michael Dyck was on Vancouver head coach Don Hay’s staff before taking the Hurricanes’ job. . . . Game on!!!
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