Lots of stuff from Tuesday . . .

The Portland Winterhawks have dealt D Ryan Kerr, 20, to the Calgary Hitmen for a 2010 conditional (round undisclosed) bantam draft pick. Kerr, who is from North Vancouver, was the first overall pick in the 2004 bantam draft, selected by the Prince George Cougars. He also has played with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Last season, he had seven points and 97 penalty minutes in 56 games. He has played 210 career regular-season WHL games, with 30 points and 369 penalty minutes.
This move leaves Portland’s roster with five 20-year-olds – D Brock Cornish, F Chris Francis, G Kurtis Mucha, D Stefan Schneider and F Radim Valchar. However, the oft-injured Cornish may not return, while Valchar would be a two-spotter (20-year-old import) and Portland GM/head coach Mike Johnston might be in a position to accommodate him.
The Hitmen, meanwhile, now have Kerr and F Jason MacDonald as for-sure 20-year-olds, with F Bostjan Golicic, a Slovenian, a possibility and maybe F Joel Broda. Of course, Golicic would be a two-spotter. . . .
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Portland’s list of potential 20-year-olds no longer includes D Travis Ehrhardt, although he certainly is eligible to return. Ehrhardt, however, has signed a three-year NHL contract with the Detroit Red Wings and could play in their organization or be returned to Portland. Ehrhardt, who was acquired by Portland from the Moose Jaw Warriors during 2007-08, is the Winterhawks’ captain. He had 37 points last season and was named the club’s MVP. He was never selected in the NHL draft. . . .
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As expected, the Vancouver Giants have signed Morley Scott as their director of broadcast and media relations. He replaces Dave Sheldon, whose contract wasn’t renewed. Scott, who is from Edmonton, spent 16 seasons doing play-by-play and colour on radio and TV broadcasts of Edmonton Oilers games before being moved aside prior to last season. . . .
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The Everett Silvertips will play host to an NHL exhibition game, with the Phoenix Coyotes and Tampa Bay Lightning playing at Comcast Arena on Sept. 22. Former Silvertips star F Peter Mueller plays for the Coyotes, as does former Everett D Shaun Heshka, who was just acquired from the Vancouver Canucks. . . . But what is it with the ticket prices for these NHL exhibition games? Prices for this game run between US$50 and US$65, plus a $1 facility charge (whatever that is). . . . There also is a Peter Mueller Package available, at $88, and a Wayne Gretzky Package priced at, yes, $99. One includes an upper bowl ticket to the NHL game and a lower bowl ticket to nine games in the Silvertips’ preseason tournament; the other includes a lower bowl NHL ticket and tournament tickets. . . .
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Former Kamloops Blazers D Chad Starling (1998-2000) has re-signed with the AHL’s Ontario Reign. That would be Ontario as in California. Starling, 28, had seven points and 93 penalty minutes last season, the Reign’s first. He is preparing for his ninth season as a pro. . . . It’s worth noting that Starling is from Delisle, Sask., the hometown of hockey’s famous Bentley brothers. . . . Max Bentley was the owner of one of hockey’s best-ever nicknames, the Dipsy Doodle Dandy from Delisle. . . .
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D Michael Funk, who played four seasons with the Portland Winterhawks (2002-06), has signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Vancouver Canucks. Funk, a 22-year-old from Abbotsford, was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the second round of the NHL’s 2004 draft. His 2008-09 season was hampered by two concussions. He became an unrestricted free agent when the Sabres chose not to qualify him. . . .
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Jeff Holick, the radio voice of the Kootenay Ice, reports that F Ryan Fox, 19, has told the club not to count on him being at training camp. Acquired from the Calgary Hitmen for F Kris Foucault, Fox has decided to get on with his education. He had eight points, and was plus-6, in 25 games with the Ice. . . .
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G Garret Zemlak, 20, of the Prince Albert Raiders has accepted a free-agent tryout invitation from the NHL’s Washington Capitals and will attend their prospects camp next week in Arlington, Va. Last season with the Raiders, Zemlak, who has never been selected in the NHL draft, had a 3.65 GAA and a .896 save percentage in 33 games. . . . Chilliwack Bruins D Brandon Manning, 19, who hasn’t been drafted by an NHL team, is in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ prospects camp. Jim Swanson of the Prince George Citizen reports that Manning is rooming with Russian prospect Igor Mironov whose father, Boris, was an NHL defenceman. . . .
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F Kyle Beach of the Lethbridge Hurricanes is in the Chicago Blackhawks’ prospects camp and says his maturity level continues to grow. The Chicago Tribune has a story right here. . . .
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Bob Duff used to cover the Saskatoon Blades for the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. These days, he writes for the Windsor Star. Here’s a piece he has done on Red Deer Rebels F Landon Ferraro. . . .
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The Moose Jaw Warriors lost $503,120 for the fiscal year ending May 31. That’s right . . . more than half a million big ones. . . . Actually, they put $500,000 into the Multiplex project, meaning their operation lost $3,120. That was what was reported to the club’s annual general meeting. . . . Good for the Warriors for stepping up to the plate and putting some money into their future home. . . . The Moose Jaw Times-Herald has the whole story from the Warriors’ AGM, including how a ruling from the Saskatchewan Gaming Corporation factored into the club’s posting a loss. . . . The Times-Herald also has word on club president Darin Chow’s decision to step aside. . . . Those stories will be on the newspaper’s website. . . .
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A hockey player who was a fourth-round pick in the NHL’s 2009 draft was sentenced for manslaughter on Monday. The case followed an incident in a rugby game. Newsday has the story right here. . . .
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Doyle Potenteau of the Kelowna Daily Courier spoke with Rockets D Kyle Verdino, who was in that ugly car accident the other day. Potenteau’s story is right here. . . .
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Sarah and David Shore have four sons, but will any of them play in the WHL? The Denver Post has a story on the Shore family of Cherry Hills, Colo., and it’s right here. . . .
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Darren Yopyk, a native of St. Paul, Alta., is the new head coach and director of hockey operations for the BCHL’s Westside Warriors. He has spent the last four years on the coaching staff at Merrimack College. Yopyk replaces Mark Howell, who left to become head coach of the U of Calgary Dinos. . . .
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Former WHL F Kris Versteeg, who played in Lethbridge, Kamloops and Red Deer (2002-06), will long remember July 7. That’s the day he signed a three-year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks worth US$9.25 million. Not bad for the 134th selection in the NHL’s 2004 draft. He actually was drafted by the Boston Bruins.