Wednesday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Jakub Sindel (Brandon, 2004-05) signed a one-year contract with the Pelicans Lahti (Finland SM-Liiga) after his release by Tappara Tampere (SM-Liiga) earlier in the day. He had 11 goals and nine assists in 44 games with Kometa Brno (Czech Republic Extraliga) last season and no points in six exhibition games with Tappara this season. . . .
D Josef Melichar (Tri-City Americans, 1997-99) has been assigned on loan to Ceske Burejovice (Czech Republic Extraliga) by Linköping (Sweden Elitserien) until mid-October. He had five goals and nine assists in 52 games for Ceske Budejovice last season.
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The WHL’s exhibition season began Wednesday night with two games. In Moose Jaw, the Warriors doubled the Swift Current Broncos, 4-2, while, in Prince Albert, the Saskatoon Blades edged the Raiders, 3-2, in a shootout. Yes, the dreaded shootout already has reared its ugly head! . . . Anyway, for more on those games, visit the WHL website. A tip of the cap to whomever is responsible for the posting of scoring summaries on the website. Tonight’s were there by 9:50 Pacific time. Great stuff. . . . By the way, attendance in Moose Jaw was reported at 2,473.
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A teenaged shoplifter in Kelowna has learned not to mess with Hitch. Don Plant of the Kelowna Daily Courier reports that well-known hockey coach Ken Hitchcock, who hangs out in Kelowna during the summer these days, “was in a parked car outside clothing shop Cruzwear Unlimited on Bernard Avenue on Wednesday morning. A 14-year-old boy left the store with three pairs of shorts as employee Sherrie Lessare grabbed his pack sack and held on.
When she called for help, Hitchcock and a man riding a motorcycle seized the thief and pinned him against the store window. Lessare phoned the downtown security patrol while the two men detained the youth.
“They were both just wonderful people,” she said later. “Both guys, no questions asked, just came and helped.”
The youth ended up being banned from the store and also was informed that he would be charged with trespassing were he to return.
And if you know Hitchcock, you know he wasn’t done.
The former Kamloops Blazers head coach, Plant reports, “came back to the store half an hour later to see if Lessare was OK.”
Hitchcock declined The Daily Courier’s request for an interview.
By the way, Plant also reported that “Lesarre . . . described (Hitchcock) as ‘distinguished,’ tanned, wearing walking shorts and expensive white runners.”
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You likely have heard by now that the Subway Super Series will be stopping in Kamloops on Nov. 17 and Prince George on Nov. 18, with the Blazers and then the Cougars facing a touring Russian side.
If you missed it, the CHL/WHL press release started like this:
“Team WHL will renew their rivalry with the Russian National Junior Team in Kamloops . . .”
Isn’t it time people took off the blinders and quit calling the Russian outfit the national junior team? Sheesh, the CHL holds a 36-6 record in the seven years of the series.
The WHL, by the way, is 13-1 and has outscored the Russians, 65-21.
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The Regina Pat have acquired F Colin Reddin, 20, from the Prince Albert Raiders for a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. Reddin split 68 games between the Portland Winterhawks and Prince Albert last season, totalling 23 points, including 10 goals. He is preparing for his fourth WHL season, and is from Corona Del Mar, Calif. . . . Regina now has two 20-year-olds on its roster, with F Cass Mappin being the other. . . . The deal leaves the Raiders with three 20-year-olds — D Nathan Deck, D Jordan Rowley and Belarussian F Igor Revenko. Revenko is due to arrive in Prince Albert on Friday and GM/head coach Bruno Campese is adamant that he will be one of the 20-year-olds this season.
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The Swift Current Broncos have signed five players — F Brandon Bruce, 17, of Kelowna; F Brendan Hopkins, 16, of Airdrie, Alta.; F Zac MacKay, 15, of Swift Current; F Josh Sinatynski, 15, of Fort Saskatchewan, Alta.; and, D Bobby Zinkan, 15, of Calgary. . . . The latter three all are 2010 bantam draft selections.
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Swift Current F Dillon Wagner, 19, is at home in Edmonton, recovering from offseason knee surgery. The Broncos hope to have him back late this month. . . . F Michael Hay, a Winnipegger who had one point in 30 games with Swift Current last season, will play this season with the MJHL's Selkirk Steelers.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors have signed F Brayden Cuthbert, a 2009 bantam draft pick from Brandon, and G Brandon Stone, 17, of Langley, B.C.
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Kelly Kisio, the general manager of the defending-champion Calgary Hitmen, admits that, yes, he had discussions with the Calgary Flames’ brass about moving up to the NHL club. But, yes, he’s back with the Hitmen. The Calgary Herald has that story right here.
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The Tri-City Americans have broken up one of the three brother acts that were in their training camp. F Mitch Owsley, the 17-year-old brother of starting goaltender Drew Owsley, is on his way back to Lethbridge. . . . Also leaving are G Ross Baadsvik of Langley, B.C., G Jay Hudon of Zenon Park, Sask., D Josh Cronan of Nanaimo, B.C., and D Brett Pile of Winnipeg. . . . F Lucas Nickles has been reassigned to the junior B team in Golden, B.C. . . . .Two others players — G Eric Comrie and F Trevor Moore — will be returning to Los Angeles after Thursday’s workout. Both will report to the midget AAA Los Angeles Selects.
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Veteran F Carter Ashton, who had taken part in only day of training camp, struck for four goals Wednesday night as Team Blue beat Team White 4-2 in the Regina Pats’ intrasquad game. . . . A sprained wrist suffered at the Canadian national junior team’s selection camp in August had kept Ashton out of contact drills.
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The Prince George Cougars survived a scare Tuesday when F Brett Connolly, the Tampa Bay Lightning’s first pick in the NHL’s 2010 draft, went down during their intrasquad game. Connolly, who missed most of last season with hip problems, was felled in a collision and came up limping. Eventually, he was diagnosed with a bruised kneecap. "We were a little bit (concerned) but he's fine," Dallas Thompson, the Cougars’ general manager, told the Prince George Citizen. "The doctor and (Cougars trainer Ramandeep Singh Dhanjal) looked at him and he had a bruised kneecap. So he iced it down and he was fine." . . . The Cougars weren’t on the ice Wednesday, choosing to have a team softball game, instead. The Citizen reports that Connolly played an active role in the softball game. . . . As for the intrasquad game, Team Black dumped Team White, 9-4. F Parker Stanfield and F John Odgers each scored twice for the winners, with F Spencer Asuchak doing the same for Team White.
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D Scott Jackson (Seattle, 2002-08) is getting closer to his goal of a regular spot in the NHL. That story is right here.