A couple of Saturday items . . .

The Vancouver Giants have signed C Dalton Sward, the 21st overall pick in the 2009 bantam draft, and RW Matthieu Bellerive, who was taken 43rd overall. Sward, from Abbotsford, turned 15 on Jan. 10; Bellerive, from North Vancouver, won’t turn 15 until Dec. 7. . . . The Giants wrapped up their rookie camp Friday and carried a dozen players over to main camp, which totals 53 players.
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The Red Deer Rebels opened camp without D Joel Kot and F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Greg Meachem, sports editor of the Red Deer Advocate, reports that Kot, 19, had told the team he wouldn’t report. As Meachem writes: “His absence, along with the graduation of Luke Egener and Tommi Kivisto’s decision to remain in Finland after one season with the Rebels, leaves the club with four returning rearguards in Colin Archer, Alex Petrovic, Cullen Morin and Justin Weller.” . . . Kot suffered a back injury early in 2007-08 and missed most of that season. He came back last season and had 10 points in 64 games. . . . Czech D Jindra Barak, a newcomer, is scheduled for blood tests after not feeling well and being held out of practice Saturday. . . . Meachem also reports that Nugent-Hopkins, the first overall pick in the 2008 bantam draft, is at home in Burnaby. Head coach Jesse Wallin told Meachem: “He’s got some kind of an infection, but he had some blood tests and it’s not (mononucleosis). It’s just some kind of flu or virus, so he’ll likely miss the first couple of days and get back at it after that. We’re certainly hoping that he can be here by Tuesday. We’re playing it by ear and there’s no point in rushing him. We want him to be feeling good when he gets on the ice. It’s just kind of a day to day thing with him.”