Thursday . . .

The Kamloops Blazers have named Dan De Palma as their new goaltending coach. He takes over from Steve Passmore, who resigned Aug. 10, citing time commitment issues. . . . De Palma, a Kamloops resident, has spent that last three years as a scout/goaltending coach with the Prince George Cougars. . . . By the way, Kamloops was the Canadian hot spot today -- I think it hit 39C -- and the Blazers were at Hillside Stadium for fitness testing, which included some 400-metre jaunts.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings and Westman Communications Group have cut a new deal that will have AM radio station 880 CKLQ continue as the voice of the team through 2011-12. CKLQ sports director Bruce Luebke is preparing for his 17th season as the voice of the Wheaties. The new deal calls for CKLQ to expand its pregame show to 30 minutes. It will supply play-by-play of all regular-season and playoff games.
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The Wheat Kings also announced that they have sold 3,055 season tickets, breaking last season’s franchise record of 2,780. Of that figure, about 600 were purchased by new season-ticket buyers. The Wheat Kings are the host team for the 2010 Memorial Cup. Season-ticket holders have until Oct. 15 to purchase Memorial Cup ticket packages. But because the club must provide the CHL with 1,800 seats for the MC, only the first 3,302 season- ticket holders will be guaranteed their seat for the championship tournament, which runs May 14-23.
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Swedish D Alexander Urbom, 19, is expected to arrive in Brandon on Friday. He was a third-round pick by the New Jersey Devils in the NHL’s 2009 draft and was the 23rd overall pick in the CHL import draft. . . . Meanwhile, the arrival of Finnish F Toni Rajala, taken 14th overall by Brandon, has been delayed due to a knee injury sustained this summer at a tournament in Europe. A fourth-round pick by the Edmonton Oilers, he has signed an NHL contract. . . . Wheat Kings F Jay Fehr, who had 84 points in 68 games last season, was involved in a boating accident over the summer and came out of it with a lacerated leg. “He was boating with his family and he was on one jet ski, his father was on the other and they collided,” Kelly McCrimmon, the Wheat Kings’ GM/head coach, told Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun. “He had a laceration to his leg. Initially … we weren’t certain how serious it would be. It looks like it’s coming along real well and he shouldn’t be held up, hopefully not at all.” . . . Fehr is expected to be one of Brandon’s three 20-year-olds this season. . . . Henderson also reports that Brandon RW Sanfred King, who needed surgery after a broken leg ended his season, has had the pins removed from the leg and has been skating. He is waiting for medical clearance before starting work at training camp, which opens Aug. 28.
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On the eve of training camp, the Vancouver Giants named C Lance Bouma, 19, as their new captain and the eighth in franchise history. Bouma has played 173 games with the Giants, since he first played for them in 2005-06. Bouma succeeds D Jon Blum as the club’s captain.
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The Saskatoon Blades are awaiting the arrival in camp of C Lukas Sutter. He is the son of former WHL/NHL F Rich Sutter, who now works for the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Lukas, a second-round pick in the 2008 bantam draft, is on a U.S. team that is playing in a U-17 tournament in Fussen, Germany. His dad was with the Chicago Blackhawks when Lukas was born.
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Swedish F Hampus Gustafsson, 18, is in camp with the Saskatoon Blades, who selected him 57th overall in the CHL’s 2009 import draft. His agent, Gunnar Svensson, had a son, Bjorn, play with the Blades (2003-05).
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The Regina Pats learned one of the most basic of hockey lessons Thursday – no ice, no skate. The Pats were to have opened camp with a couple of on-ice sessions in Lumsden, Sask., on Thursday night. A press release issued by the team Thursday evening noted: “The players were ready, so were the coaches, scouts, training staff and even the team photographer. There was only one problem . . . the ice wasn’t ready. Due to poor ice problems at the Lumsden Arena, the first two sessions of training camp had to be cancelled.” . . . The players will be on the ice Friday morning.
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The Swift Current Broncos are in camp without any imports. Finnish G Joni Ortio, picked in the 2009 CHL import draft, has said he won’t be reporting. Meanwhile, third-year F Jan Dalecky hasn’t reported. Jon Keen, the radio voice of the Broncos, reports that the 19-year-old Dalecky “looks to be staying in his native Czech Republic.”
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F Judd Blackwater, who played with the Memorial Cup-champion Spokane Chiefs in 2007-08, has signed to return to the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder. He had eight points in 19 regular-season games after joining them on Dec. 30. He added eight assists in 10 playoff games. He also saw time last season with the ECHL’s Fresno Falcons and the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs and Rochester Americans. . . . D Jason Lundmark (Moose Jaw, 2001-04) has signed with the Central league’s Colorado Eagles. Yes, he is a brother to former WHLer Jamie Lundmark. Jason played for the Eagles before, leaving after 2005-06 and playing in Germany since then.
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There are some interesting names on the Lethbridge Hurricanes’ new board of directors. That would include Dick Gibson, who was removed from the broadcast crew – it was a decision made by management at CJOC 94.1 FM – midway through last season, and Pat Shimbashi, a blast from Lethbridge’s hockey past. Read all about it right here.