Thursday notes . . .

After losing 2-0 to the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings on Wednesday, Red Deer Rebels head coach Brian Sutter had a thing or three to say about his club’s performance. Among his gems, as reported in the Red Deer Advocate, was this one about F Cody Esposito, who goes 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds: "You can't be built like Tarzan and play like Jane." . . .

Craig Bonner, the Vancouver Giants’ assistant GM/assistant coach, will miss his club’s weekend games. With the trade deadline arriving Jan. 10, Bonner is heading into the Eastern Conference on a scouting junket. . . . The Giants are believed to be in the market for an experienced defenceman. . . .

On the European scene, Garth MacBeth reports that the Vienna Capitals released G Kelly Guard after the return from injury of Sebastian Charpentier. According to the club’s website, Guard will leave Vienna on Saturday. He played six games and went 3-3-0 with a 2.01 GAA, one shutout, and a save percentage of .928. A funny stat — in his three losses, he faced 22, 22, and 20 shots. In his three victories, he faced 39 (shutout), 28, and 36 shots. . . .

With the WHL trade deadline arriving Jan. 10 at 3 p.m. Calgary time, all eyes seem to be on D Ty Wishart of the Prince George Cougars. And it now seems quite evident that the Cougars, perhaps in trying to stage something of an auction, have asked teams to step right up and make their bids.
Here’s what Lethbridge Hurricanes GM Roy Stasiuk told Jon Keen, the radio voice of the Swift Current Broncos:
"The nice part about Ty Wishart is that not only is he a good player but at the same time he doesn't cost you two spots as he's not an overager. There's a lot of overage defencemen (who) are out there (who) are very good. The problem is if you don't have room for one on your roster you're going to have to move one.
“Wishart would be the premier guy. The price is very very high and, there again, you have to decide if you're the team that's going to try and win it all.
“I won't mislead you. We've inquired about Ty Wishart. We were asked to give our offer, which we did, and I hear it's going to take a lot more than (that) to acquire the player.
“We are going to use some common sense and not sell the farm for a three-month player who's already signed a pro contract and, in all honesty, who knows where his heart and head is at in terms of finishing off his WHL career and starting a pro career."
Wishart was selected 16th overall by the San Jose Sharks in the NHL’s 2006 draft.