D Patrik Vrana (Moose Jaw, Prince George, 2006-07) was released by mutual agreement by Sumperk (Czech Republic, 1.Liga). He had one goal in nine games with Sumperk this season. Last season, Vrana had three goals and three assists in 31 games with Piestany (Slovakia, 1.Liga) and no points in seven games with Olomouc (Czech Republic, 1.Liga). . . .
D Jordan Henry (Moose Jaw, Red Deer, 2003-07) was released at the end of his tryout contract with Södertälje (Sweden, Allsvenskan). He had one goal and one assist in seven games during his tryout. . . .
F Matt Keith (Spokane, Red Deer, 1999-2003) signed a tryout contract with Dornbirn (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had no points in four games with Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic, Extraliga) earlier this season. . . .
G Alexander Fomitchev (Calgary, Seattle, 1997-2000) was traded from Tver (Russia, Vysshaya Liga) to Ryazan (Russia, Vysshaya Liga) for G Andrei Shutov. Fomitchev had a 3.63 GAA and a .884 save percentage in eight games with Tver this season.
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The fur has started to fly in Saskatoon where the Blades, the host team for the 2013 Memorial Cup, are trying to put the brakes on an early-season skid.
The Blades, whose 2-5-0 start includes a 10-1 loss to the visiting Swift Current Broncos on Friday, have acquired F Adam Kambeitz, 20, who was the captain of the Red Deer Rebels.
In return for Kambeitz, the Blades surrendered F Christian Stockl, 17, and a third-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft.
That moves gets the Rebels down to the limit of three 20-year-olds — F Turner Elson, F Charles Inglis and D Brandon Underwood. Elson has been on the shelf with a lower-body injury, but might return tonight in Swift Current against the Broncos.
The deal also allows the Rebels to get back a third-round pick in the 2014 draft, as they had given one to the Vancouver Giants last month in exchange for F Matt Bellerive.
The Blades, meanwhile, will have to make another move this week, as they also are carrying F Brenden Walker, F Josh Nicholls and D Connor Cox as 20s.
Stockl, a Winnipegger, was a fourth-round pick by the Blades in the 2010 bantam draft. He had 69 points in 38 games with the midget AAA Winnipeg Wild last season. D Kevin Pochuk and F Jesse Miller, both of whom are on the Rebels’ roster, also were with the Wild lastd season.
Stockl played in five of the Blades’ seven games, scoring once.
As for Kambeitz, there’s not much doubt what the Blades are hoping to get from him.
“He’s a real intense kid that plays the game for keeps,” Lorne Molleken, the Blades’ GM/head coach, told Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. “That’s something we need to improve on in our forward group. I think that he’ll do a real good job for us.”
Kambeitz has four points, all assists, in nine games with the Rebels this season.
Nugent-Bowman’s complete story is right here.
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D Dalton Thrower, a healthy scratch for two games, is expected back in the Saskatoon Blades’ lineup when they play host to the Portland Winterhawks on Wednesday. Thrower was a second-round selection by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2012 NHL draft.
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For today’s good read, check out the incomparable Roy MacGregor’s latest take on the NHL lockout. It’s right here.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From Vancouver Sun sports columnist Iain MacIntyre (@imacVanSun): “As long as Bettman insists on immediate rollback and Fehr says every $ of every contract must be paid, nothing else matters.”
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