Wednesday . . . early

The Portland Winter Hawks have picked up LW Joel Ridgeway, 18, from the Tri-City Americans in exchange for a conditional 2009 sixth-round bantam draft pick. Ridgeway had five points and four penalty minutes in 46 games last season. He was pointless in two games this season.
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The CHL Mosaik MasterCard top 10, as selected by an anonymous panel of NHL scouts (rank, reecord, last week, number of weeks in rankings):
1. Windsor Spitfires (4-0-0-0) 1 3
2. Moncton Wildcats (6-0-0-0) 6 2
3. Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (6-1-0-0) 2 3
4. Swift Current Broncos (4-0-0-0) 7 2
5. Guelph Storm (4-0-0-0) -- 1
6. Spokane Chiefs (3-1-0-0) 9 3
7. Drummondville Voltigeurs (5-0-0-1) 10 2
8. Vancouver Giants (4-0-0-1) -- 1
9. Belleville Bulls (2-1-0-0) 4 3
10. Shawinigan Cataractes (5-2-0-0) -– 2
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F Kirt Hill, 20, who was released by the Regina Pats and subsequently cleared WHL waivers, has signed with the USHL’s Lincoln Stars. He suffered a broken thumb in a scrap with C Scott Doucet, another 20-year-old, during the Pats’ training camp and hasn’t played since.
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For more on why D Alex Plante changed his mind and decided to stay with the Calgary Hitmen rather than stick to his guns and demand a trade, check out the story by John Down of the Calgary Herald. It’s right here.
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The Carolina Hurricanes have revealed that C Zach Boychuk, who turns 19 on Oct. 4, has had a pin removed from his right wrist, which means the Lethbridge Hurricanes star is one step closer to returning to action. The pin was surgically removed and Boychuk now will wait for two weeks before taking part in contact drills. Carolina took him with the 14th pick in the NHL’s 2008 draft.