Monday . . .

A veritable potpourri for you to enjoy with your morning coffee . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:

D Ryan Jorde (Tri-City, Lethbridge, Moose Jaw, 1997-2002) signed a one-year contract with Gap (France Ligue Magnus). He had no goals and four assists in 20 games with the Hull Stingrays and Newcastle Vipers (both UK Elite) last season.
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It’s true.
Penn State, the home of Joe Paterno and the Nittany Lions, is going to have an NCAA Division 1 hockey team.
And it’s primarily because of a man named Terry Pegula, who has given US$88 million to the university, which is located in State College, Pa., to fund the construction of a new arena.
Ray Parrillo of the Philadelphia has that story and lots of Pegula right here. It turns out he fell in love with hockey because of the Broad Street Bullies.
And there’s more on that story right here, including speculation on possible conference realignment down the road.
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The Spokane Chiefs have gotten D Brenden Kichton, 18, back from the camp of the Detroit Red Wings. But he’ll miss up to six weeks with a broken finger. He was injured while playing for the Detroit team at the prospects tournament in Traverse City, Mich. . . . Earlier on the weekend, the Chiefs got veteran F Levko Koper, 20, back from the camp of the Atlanta Thrashers. He is preparing for a fifth season with the Chiefs. . . . Spokane also has reassigned F Connor Chartier, 16, to the midget AAA ranks in Alberta. He was a second-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft. . . . The Chiefs are down to 25 players, including three goaltenders and 14 forwards.
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When writing earlier about Swiss F Roman Wick, I noted that he had played with the Red Deer Rebels. It turns out he also played in Lethbridge. As noted by Ryan Ohashi, the Hurricanes’ efficient director of communications:
“Roman Wick actually spent two seasons in the WHL and the better part of the second one he played here in Lethbridge.
“The interesting side note to that is that years later when we drafted a then-little known Swiss D-man named Luca Sbisa, Wick ran into him in Switzerland and told him all about what a great experience he had here and in the WHL. Luca was sold and came over unranked then went in the first round of the (NHL) draft that year.
“The extra side note is that the same family that billeted Roman also billeted Luca -- we have decided it has to be something in the food.”
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The Edmonton Oilers trimmed 20 players from their training camp roster on Monday. Among the players assigned to junior teams are G Tyler Bunz (Medicine Hat), F Drew Czerwonka (Kootenay), D Brandon Davidson (Regina), F Curtis Hamilton (Saskatoon), D Martin Marincin (Prince George) and F Kristians Pelss (Edmonton). . . . D Dallas Ehrhardt (Moose Jaw) and F Chase Schaber (Kamloops) were released from tryout agreements and are headed back to the WHL. Ehrhardt didn’t see much ice time with the Oilers as he suffered a knee injury while the prospects were in Penticton, B.C. World from the Warriors camp is that he will be out for up to six weeks with a strained MCL in his right knee. A torn MCL in that same knee cost him almost two months of last season.
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The Phoenix Coyotes have returned F Evan Bloodoff, 20, to the Kelowna Rockets, and D Justin Weller, 19, to the Red Deer Rebels.
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The San Jose Sharks have signed D Curt Gogol, who turns 19 today (Sept. 21), to a three-year NHL contract. The Saskatoon Blades acquired Gogol last season from the Kelowna Rockets. The website CapGeek.com reports that the deal is worth US$530,000, $555,000 and $555,000 in the NHL, and $50,000, $55,000 and $60,000 in the AHL. The contract carries with it an annual $30,000 signing bonus. . . . Gogol had six assists and 120 penalty minutes in 35 games with Kelowna and one goal and 29 penalty minutes in eight games with the Blades last season. In 2008-09, he had five points and 144 penalty minutes in 63 games with the Rockets. . . . He wasn’t selected in the NHL draft.
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The Detroit Red Wings have returned F Mitchell Callahan (Kelowna), F Landon Ferraro (Everett), F Antonin Honejsek (Moose Jaw) and F Brooks Macek (Tri-City).
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The Kootenay Ice is down to 26 players after assigning five 16-year-old players -- F Levi Cable (midget AAA Yorkton Harvest); F Colby Cave (midget AAA Battlefords Stars); D Jeff Hubic (midget AAA Tisdale Trojans), F Jared Iron (midget AAA Beardy’s Blackhawks) and D Mike Simpson (junior B Delta Ice Hawks). . . . Cave was the 13th overall pick in the 2009 bantam draft, while Hubic was taken in the fourth round, Simpson in the sixth and Iron in the eighth. . . . The Ice still has two players in NHL camps -- D Brayden McNabb (Buffalo) and F Steele Boomer (Chicago).
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The Chilliwack Bruins got down to 26 players on their roster by assigning F Zane Jones, 16, and D Brett Cote, 16, to undisclosed destinations. Cote was a third-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft; Jones was taken in the fifth round. . . . The Bruins are carrying three goaltenders, eight defencemen and 15 forwards. . . . They also have three players in NHL camps -- D Roman Horak and D Brandon Manning (both New York Rangers) and F Kevin Sundher (Buffalo).
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Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has penned a three-part series on the Parker family’s ownership of the Regina Pats. Part 1 is right here.
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The Montreal Canadiens have returned F Brendan Gallagher to the Vancouver Giants. He was a fifth-round pick in the 2010 NHL draft.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings are down to 32 players after returning F Daniel Asham to the midget AAA Winnipeg Wild and D Dylan Kuczek to the midget AAA Winnipeg Thrashers. Kuczek was a second-round pick in the 2009 draft, while Brandon took Asham in the eighth round. . . . As well, D Josh Elmes, 17, is off to join the MJHL’s OCN Blizzard. He was an eighth-round pick in 2008.
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The Wheat Kings continue to prepare for the opening of the season with five goaltenders among the 32 players still on their roster. GM/head coach Kelly McCrimmon was believed to be planning on opening with one of two 20-year-olds -- Andrew Hayes or Jacob DeSerres -- and Liam Liston, 17. . . . However, he hasn’t been able to move either of the veterans -- there are a number of 20-year-old goaltenders in the league and two of them (Morgan Clark, from Swift Current to Prince George, and Jeff Bosch, from Moose Jaw to Kamloops) already have been on the move. . . . But McCrimmon also has Ty Rimmer, 18, and Corbin Boes, 17, on his roster. Ironically, Rimmer made the roster a year ago as Hayes’ backup, but was sent to junior A after DeSerres was acquired from the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Brandon opens at home to the Regina Pats on Friday. . . . Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun also reports that Brandon still has three players -- F Scott Glennie (Dallas), F Brayden Schenn (Los Angeles) and F Mark Stone (Ottawa) -- in NHL camps. As well, F Jens Meilleur, 17, suffered a broken hand in an exhibition game Saturday so is out for a while. . . . Brandon did get F David Toews (New York Islanders) and F Michael Ferland (Calgary Flames) back from NHL camps. Both players practised in Brandon on Monday, although neither skated with their NHL teams because of injuries. Henderson reports that Toews, 20, was diagnosed with a torn labrum in one shoulder, but later was found not to be badly injured. “It was really, really frustrating not to be able to get to play out there,” Toews told Henderson. “I was being pretty negative on myself for a few days there but I was lucky enough to get a second look at it and get a couple doctors opinions and I’m lucky that it’s not as severe as we thought it was at first. So that’s a good thing and I’m taking the positive out of the fact that I don’t need to get surgery and that I can keep playing here is huge for me.” . . . Ferland, 18, has been out for two weeks with a twisted knee. He didn’t take part in contact drills on Monday.
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The Prince Albert Raiders are down to 25 players after releasing C Troy Gasper, 18. He plans on returning to the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos. . . . The Raiders, who open Friday in Saskatoon, are carrying two goaltenders, nine defencemen and 14 forwards. . . . The Blades visit Prince Albert on Saturday. . . . D Ryan Button, 19, is in camp with the Boston Bruins. . . . John MacNeil of the Prince Albert Daily Herald reports that four players are injured -- D Mathew Berry-Lamontagna (wrist), F Shane Danyluk (ankle), F Tyler Paslawski (head) and F Igor Revenko (leg). Danyluk, who was injured Aug. 28, won’t play for a while, while Revenko, who was hurt Saturday, may be back on the ice Tuesday.
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A note from Howie Stalwick, a veteran WHL observer, from the Kitsap Sun of Bermerton, Wash. . . .
Top 10: All-time best NHL players developed in the major junior WHL — 10. Jarome Iginla, RW (Kamloops). 9. Cam Neely, RW (Portland). 8. Clark Gillies, LW (Regina). 7. Grant Fuhr, G (Victoria). 6. Mike Modano, C (Prince Albert). 5. Mark Recchi, RW (Kamloops). 4. Scott Niedermayer, D (Kamloops). 3. Joe Sakic, C (Swift Current). 2. Bryan Trottier, C (Swift Current-Lethbridge). 1. Bobby Clarke, C (Flin Flon). Note: Players who made token appearances in the WHL, like Hall of Fame C Mark Messier (Portland), were not considered.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
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