Tuesday . . . early

 F Bradley Ross of the Portland Winterhawks went to the Toronto Maple Leafs with the 43rd pick of the NHL’s 2010 draft. That was no surprise, because he is Brian Burke’s kind of player. The Toronto Star has more on Ross right here.

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There’s a new pest in the Calgary Flames’ camp and two former WHLers, Carter Bancks and Mitch Wahl, know Lance Bouma and his routine rather well. Vicki Hall of the Calgary Herald has that story right here.
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F Josh Winquist of the Everett Silvertips is expected to play in the club’s last two exhibition games this weekend. Winquist, 17, had to wait for medical clearance after having offseason shoulder surgery. The Everett braintrust expects big things out of Winquist, who was a third-round pick in the 2008 bantam draft. . . . The Silvertips have 27 players on their roster, including four goaltenders and eight defencemen. But that includes seven players at NHL camps.
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Mike Chambers of the Denver Post reports that F Justin Jones is on the roster of the Denver University Pioneers. Jones walked on with the team and made the roster. . . . Jones is the son of former NBA player Popeye Jones, who played for the Denver Nuggets (1999-2000). . . . This is relevant in WHL circles because the Everett Silvertips selected D Seth Jones with the 11th pick of the 2009 bantam draft. Seth, 16, played midget AAA in Dallas last season and will start this season with the U.S. NTDP’s U-17 team. . . . So you can look for the Pioneers to spend some time recruiting Seth, who already is 6-foot-4.
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When he played for the Regina Pats (1990-94), Karry Biette was a go-to guy, meaning he knew what was going on and the media loved to talk with him after games. Now he’s the GM/head coach of the SJHL’s Estevan Bruins, and it sounds like he’s still a go-to guy. Here he is at the very end of an interview from the SJHL’s website:
“The only reason I’m still sitting in the desk talking to you is we finished in last place and I made $12,000. I manage money pretty good. Now it’s time for me to prove whether I can manage players pretty good. Like I told the people of Estevan at our AGM, the proof’s in the pudding. I’m sick of talking about last year. I’m sick of hearing about last year. Fire me at Christmas if we’re not in the top three.”
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The ECHL’s Alaska Aces have signed F Scott Burt (Seattle, Swift Current, Edmonton, Red Deer, 1994-98) and G Travis Yonkman (Swift Current, 2005-09). . . . The 33-year-old Burt is preparing for his third season with the Aces. He was the team captain and a player/assistant coach each of the last two seasons. . . . Last season, Burt, who resides in Anchorage, he had 30 points in 50 games has he battled injuries. . . . Yonkman, 22, spent last season with the U of Alberta Golden Bears. He was 20-5 with a 2.64 GAA and a .909 save percentage.
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Russian F Misha Fisenko, who was with the WHL-champion Calgary Hitmen last season, has signed with the Central league’s Laredo Bucks. Fisenko, 20, spent two seasons in the WHL, splitting time with the Vancouver Giants and Calgary. He had 72 points in 115 career games, including 44 points in 55 games last season with the Hitmen. . . . The Bucks also signed F Jared Jagow (Regina, Prince Albert, Seattle, 2006-09). Jagow, 21, started last season with the Elrose Aces of the Sask Valley Hockey League, then moved to the Central league’s Corpus Christi IceRays and finished up at the U of Regina.
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The SPHL’s Columbus Cottonmouths have re-signed F Levi Lind (Regina, 2004-07). He will go to camp with the ECHL’s Gwinnett Gladiators; if he doesn’t make it there he will return to Columbus. Lind, 22, had 52 points in 56 games with the Cottonmouths last season and was named to the SPHL’s all-rookie team. . . . His younger brother, Dan, also has signed with the Cottonmouths. He played last season with the SJHL’s Melville Millionaires and Nipawin Hawks.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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