Tuesday . . .

The Calgary Hitmen have a new head coach.
A source told me late Tuesday night that Mike Williamson “has agreed to go to the Calgary Hitmen as (head) coach.”
The source asked for anonymity because an official announcement hasn’t yet been made.
Williamson will take over from Dave Lowry, who guided the Hitmen to the WHL championship final in May in his only season as head coach. He now is an assistant coach with the parent Calgary Flames.
Williamson, 36, played three seasons (1991-94) as a defenceman with the Portland Winterhawks. He then spent four-plus seasons as an assistant coach before stepping up to replace Harold Snepsts as head coach on Feb. 3, 2000. Williamson was only 27 when he took over as head coach.
Williamson left the Winterhawks on July 18, 2007, when the then-ownership group announced that his contract wouldn’t be renewed.
Williamson later filed a civil lawsuit against the Winterhawks, claiming breach of contract.
Of late, Williamson had returned to the Winterhawks family as co-chair – along with former play-by-play man Dean (Scooter) Vrooman – of the team’s recently formed alumni association.
He has been working as the operations manager for Northwest Sleevewear, a screening and embroidery company in Portland.
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This leaves the Tri-City Americans as the only WHL team without a head coach.
They are looking to find a replacement for Don Nachbaur, who left last week after six years as head coach. He now is head coach of the AHL’s Binghamton Senators.
Had Williamson not gone to Calgary, you can bet that Tri-City GM Bob Tory would have been most interested.
As it is, Tory will only say that there are "lots of good candidates" out there.
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THE MacBETH REPORT: F Michal Lukac (Prince George) signed a one-year contract with Asplöven Haparanda (Sweden Division 1). He had 11 goals and 13 assists in 40 games for Poprad (Slovakia Extraliga) last season.
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F Evander Kane of the Vancouver Giants has signed a three-year contract with the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers. They selected him fourth overall in the NHL’s 2009 draft. Kane, 18, had 96 points, including 48 goals, in 61 games with the Giants last season. He added 15 points in 17 playoff games. . . . You can get that Giants GM Scott Bonner and head coach Don Hay are operating as though Kane won’t be back with them in the fall. . . .
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Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald reports that Silvertips G Thomas Heemskerk will go to camp with the NHL’s San Jose Sharks. The 19-year-old Heemskerk, who was acquired from the Kootenay Ice last season, accepted a free-agent tryout deal from the Sharks. . . .
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John MacNeil of the Prince Albert Herald reports that C Mark McNeill, the Raiders’ first pick, fifth overall, in the 2008 bantam draft, is back on skates. McNeill severed his left Achilles tendon on May 17. McNeill is a couple of weeks ahead of schedule but still may not to be able to participiate in the start of training camp on a complete basis. The Raiders open camp on Aug. 20. . . . "We'll see how it goes in the next couple of weeks, to see if I'm ready to go in camp,” McNeill told MacNeil. “But if I'm ready to go, I'm ready to go. We'll just see where I'm at, come that time." . . . F Brendan Hurley, whose skate cut through McNeill’s tendon, is recuperating from mononucleosis. Hurley was a first-round pick, 15th overall, by the Kootenay Ice in the 2008 draft. . . .
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F Dan DaSilva, a product of the Portland Winterhawks (2002-05) has re-signed with the AHL’s Worcester Sharks. The 24-year-old DaSilva, who had 13 points in 26 with the Sharks last season, signed a one-year deal. He also had 10 points in 12 AHL playoff games, after totaling 21 points in 36 games with the ECHL’s Phoenix RoadRunners. . . .
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The Central league’s Colorado Eagles have announced that Chris Hartsburg won’t be returning as assistant coach. Hartsburg had been with the Eagles for five seasons, four of them as a player. He is the son of Everett Silvertips head coach Craig Hartsburg. . . . The Eagles’ president and general manager is Chris Stewart, who once did a turn as head coach of the Prince Albert Raiders.
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The Swift Current Broncos held their Hall of Fame weekend and inducted the 1989 Memorial Cup-champion team. In fact, you may have seen the photo on the WHL website that features Sheldon Kennedy and Dan Lambert, both of whom played on that team, holding a plaque that salutes the champions. The plaque includes the names of almost everyone who played a prominent role with the team, including the governor (John Rittinger), assistant GM/assistant coach (Lorne Frey), athletic therapist (Grant Farquhar), public relations director (John Foster) and director of player personnel (Bruce Franklin). Missing from the plaque is the name of the team’s general manager and head coach. That would be Graham James, and we all know that story. Apparently, the Broncos and the WHL are hoping that by ignoring James, history will fade away. Unfortunately, some skeletons just never disappear from closets, no matter how much sweeping is done.
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The highlight of the Broncos’ Hall of Fame induction dinner, other than the 1989 team entering the Hall, likely was the appearance of Debbie and Joe Sakic. Sakic played for the Broncos (1985-88) but wasn’t on the Memorial Cup team. He had been drafted and was playing for the NHL’s Quebec Nordiques as an 18-year-old at the time. In typical Sakic fashion, he and his wife simply arrived unannounced at the Hall of Fame dinner. Yes, Joe spent a lot of time signing autographs, chatting up fans and posing for pictures. . . .
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G Joni Ortio has told Randy Sportak of the Calgary Sun that he plans on playing another season in his native Finland. That might be bad news for the Swift Current Broncos, who selected him in last month’s CHL import draft. Assuming Ortio stays at home, Morgan Clark would appear to be the Broncos’ top goaltender on their depth chart at this moment. . . . Sportak’s story is right here.
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Following the New York Islanders’ prospects camp, Greg Logan of Newsday offered up comments on three WHLers:
Travis Hamonic -- Second-rounder from 2008 heads back to Moose Jaw in the Western Hockey League for one more season. He must be signed by June 1 next year and certainly could join Bridgeport at the end of the season.
Jyri Niemi -- Third-rounder from 2008 missed minicamp with an injury but returns to Saskatoon in the WHL for his final season. Like Hamonic, he must be signed by June 1, 2010 and might join Bridgeport at end of season. Expected to play for Finland at World Juniors in Saskatoon.
Jared Spurgeon -- Sixth-rounder from 2008 missed minicamp after undergoing shoulder surgery but will play his final season with WHL Spokane. He's in the same situation as Hamonic and Niemi as a player who must be signed by June 1, 2010.
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C Scott Wasden, who captained the Kamloops Blazers last season, has committed to the UBC Thunderbirds for 2009-10. Wasden, from Westbank, B.C., played four WHL seasons – he was traded by the Medicine Hat Tigers to Kamloops during the 2007-08 season – and completed his eligibility last season. He had 53 points in 112 regular-season games with the Blazers.