Tuesday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Pavel Brendl (Calgary, 1998-2001) signed a contract with KalPa Kuopio (Finland SM-Liiga) through Nov. 6, when SM-Liiga takes a 10-day break for national team games. Kimmo Kapanen, KalPa's general manager, said that it is unlikely that the club can afford to keep Brendl longer than this. "This time period is really affordable for us, but for the whole season, it would be a million dollar investment for us and we can't afford it," Kapanen said to the Kuopio newspaper Savon Sanomat. Brendl had 27 goals and 10 assists in 51 games for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (Russia KHL) last season. One of the minority owners of KalPa is former Prince Albert F Scott Hartnell.
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As mentioned here earlier today, RW Luke Walker, 20, signed a three-year NHL deal with the Colorado Avalanche and has been assigned to the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters. . . . According to CapGeek.com, his AHL salary will be US$50,000, $50,000 and $55,000, with the NHL salary at $540,000, $575,000 and $575,000. . . . His $140,000 signing bonus is payable in $40,000, $50,000 and $50,000 increments. . . . Forgot to mention earlier that, in case you forgot, Walker was a member of the U.S. team that won the world junior championship in January. He played for the U.S. after suffering a horrible facial injury during a WHL game in early December.
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The Red Deer Rebels have placed G Kraymer Barnstable, 20, on waivers and it would appear he will end up with a junior A team. He became expendable with the return of G Darcy Kuemper, 20, from the camp of the NHL’s Minnestoa Wild. . . . Red Deer will go with Bolton Pouliot, 16, to back up Kuemper. . . . Barnstable is the second 20-year-old goaltender to leave a team this week. The Brandon Wheat Kings have dropped Andrew Hayes, who spent the last three seasons with them.
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Red Deer now is carrying four 20-year-olds — Kuemper, D Colin Archer, F Brett Ferguson and F Brad Haber. . . . Brandon is carrying five 20-year-olds — G Jacob DeSerres, D Darren Bestland, D Mark Schneider, F David Toews and F Shayne Wiebe, who is the team captain. . . . Each WHL team has to get down to a maximum of three 20-year-old players by Oct. 14.
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D Mark Pysyk, 18, has been named captain of the Edmonton Oil Kings. He returned from the camp of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres on Monday — they selected him 23rd overall in the NHL’s 2010 draft. . . . Pysyk was the third overall pick in the 2007 bantam draft; he was Edmonton’s first-ever selection. . . . F Rhett Rachinski will be an alternate captain, while D Adrian Van de Mosselaer and F Jordan Hickmott each will wear an ‘A’ at home and F Mike Piluso and F Travis Ewanyk will be alternates on the road.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
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