Wednesday . . .

The Regina Pats got their roster down to 28 players on Wednesday by dropping veteran forwards Kirt Hill and Ryan DePape, both of them 20 years of age. GM Brent Parker told the Regina Leader-Post’s Greg Harder that the Pats will hang on to their WHL rights in the hopes of trading them. Hill is out with a broken thumb suffered in a training camp bout with F Scott Doucet, who has nailed down one of the Pats’ three 20-year-old spots. The other two belong to D Victor Bartley and F Michael MacAngus. . . .
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I spent a few years in Regina as sports editor of The Leader-Post and I must admit I really miss Brent Parker. He is one person involved in the WHL who gets it. Yes, he does. Parker knows that, first and foremost, he is in the entertainment business, meaning his No. 1 priority is to sell tickets and put bums in the seats. Which is why when someone like The Leader-Post’s Greg Harder asks him a question, there always is a ready answer. . . . Parker is of the opinion that his roster includes four capable goaltenders — Linden Rowat, Jeff Bosch, Damien Ketlo and Derek Tendler. The Calgary Hitmen had goaltender woes in last season’s playoffs and now have a veteran defenceman — Alex Plante, 19 — who wants out. So, Harder asked the obvious question. “Everybody is starting to poke around to see what’s out there,” Parker replied, admitting at the same time that he has chatted with Calgary GM Kelly Kisio. “I made a call to Kis. It wasn’t anything more than the normal course of conversation with teams. I asked him what the situation was (with Plante), what happened, but more out of curiousity. I don’t think those are good situations for anybody when guys aren’t happy and want out.” . . . As for trading away Hill or DePape, Parker told Harder: “I’m not going to hold them up (for ransom). Hopefully we’ll be able to pick something up, even if it’s a conditional draft pick. At some point in time we may have to put them on waivers (which would make them free agents) but that’s not going to happen any time soon.”
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Former Saskatoon Blades C Jason Christie has stepped down as director of hockey operations and head coach of the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies in order to become an assistant coach with the IHL’s Chicago Wolves. During his playing career, Christie played under Don Granato, the Wolves’ new head coach, with the ECHL’s Columbus Chill and Peoria Rivermen. In fact, Christie was a playing assistant coach for Granato in 1999-2000. . . . Maggie Thach of the Salt Lake Tribune reports that Kevin Colley will be introduced as the Grizzlies’ new head coach on Thursday. Colley, 29, was an assistant in Utah last season.
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It’s official. Brian Kilrea, the winningest head coach in major junior hockey history, has said that this will be his final season behind the bench. Kilrea, 74, will stay on as GM at least through 2009-10. Don Campbell of the Ottawa Citizen has the story, and more, right here.
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The Chilliwack Bruins appear to have settled on their two goaltenders, having reassigned G Luke Siemens, 16, to the junior B Summerland Sting of the Kootenay International Junior league. Siemens was a seventh round pick of the Bruins in the 2007 bantam draft. . . . Siemens’ departure leaves sophomore Mark Friesen, 18, and Lucas Gore, who turns 18 on Oct. 22, as the two goaltenders left in camp. Gore spent last season with the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers. . . . Matt Esposito, 19, started last season as the No. 1 goaltender but lost the spot to Friesen later in the season. Esposito chose not to report to the Bruins this season. . . . The Bruins also reassigned three 1993-born palyers to their midget teams — D Mitch Topping (Red Deer), G Cole Holowenko (Penticton, B.C.) and F Tim Traber (Quesnel, B.C.).
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Former WHL D Kalvin Sagert, who played out his eligibility last season with the Prince George Cougars, has accepted an invitation to the Edmonton Oilers’ rookie evaluation camp. Should the 6-foot-2, 220-pounder end up being offered a contract, he’ll have a decision to make because he had committed to attend Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ont., and play for the Thunderwolves. . . . Also in the Oilers’ camp will be two former WHL teammates of Sagert’s — G Devan Dubnyk, a first-round draft pick by Edmonton in 2004, and D Jesse Dudas, who was drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets but never signed.
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The Everett Silvertips’ roster is at 24 players and GM Doug Soetaert says he is prepared to open the season with what he has. The roster doesn’t include veterans Tyler Kieffer and Jordan Mistelbacher, who were sent home over the long weekend for violating team rules. Mistelbacher, 18, is from Winnipeg and is scheduled to play on the Minnesota Wild’s prospects team at a tournament in Traverse City, Mich., later this month. Kieffer, 19, is form Stillwater, Minn. . . . Considering that Everett has something like a dozen rookies on that 24-player roster, you’ve got to think that Kieffer and Mistelbacher will be back once Soetaert feels they’ve done their penance. . . . Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald reports that the Silvertips are on the verge of signing D Brenden Stephen, 18, who is from Vanderhoof, B.C. Stephenm who stands 6-foot-7, got into seven games with Everett last season.
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The Medicine Hat Tigers got their roster down to 36 players by moving three players. F Carson Cooper, 16, has gone back to the midget AAA Medicine Hat Tigers, while G Addison Herosian, 17, of Winnipeg and F Andrew Herle, 17, of Wilkie, Sask., also were released. . . . The Tigers are expected to make more cuts before week’s end as they would like to be down to about 30 players before playing in the Saskatoon Blades’ weekend tournament.