Monday . . . early

The Toronto Maple Leafs have informed D Luke Schenn and the Kelowna Rockets that the Saskatoon native’s WHL career is over. To this point in the season, it seems that Schenn, who turns 19 on Nov. 2, has been the Maple Leafs’ best defenceman, so they are going to keep him. This, of course, means that he won’t get an opportunity to play for Canada at the World Junior Championship. And, as Toronto head coach Ron Wilson pointed out: "This may sound arrogant on my part but I truly believe he can get better coaching at this level (than in junior)." Which, of course, is true. Having recently lost Brent Sutter, Craig Hartsburg and Peter DeBoer to NHL teams, the major junior leagues now are full of unqualified coaches who do a pathetic job of preparing players for the NHL. . . . Sheesh, rather than slagging other coaches, why couldn’t Wilson have pointed out that someone must have done something right in order to help Schenn get to this point in his career? . . . Earth to Ron Wilson: You don’t need to tell us that you are arrogant. We can read. We can see. We can hear. So we are well aware.
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The Prince George Citizen reported Monday that the Cougars are expected to bring in D Scott Brkich, 18, from the AJHL’s Drayton Valley Thunder. Brkich, 6-foot-4 and 202 pounds, played a couple of games with the Medicine Hat Tigers early in the season.
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The Kelowna Rockets may have lost D Luke Schenn to the league with superior coaching, but they did sweep the player-of-the-week awards. . . . LW Jamie Benn is the Boston Pizza player of the week after picking up nine points, including five goals, in three games. . . . Adam Brown is the WHL’s nominee as the ADT CHL goaltender of the week about going 2-0 with two shutouts. Brown, a 17-year-old from Yorba Linda., Calif., is the son of Anaheim Ducks assistant coach Newell Brown.
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USA Hockey has revealed that Buffalo will be the host city for the 2011 World Junior Championship. It will open Dec. 26, 2010, and run through Jan. 6, 2011. Grand Forks and Minneapolis-St. Paul also were in the running.