THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Ned Lukacevic (Spokane, Swift Current, 2001-06) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Banska Bystrica (Slovakia, Extraliga). He was pointless in two games on try-out with Eispiraten Crimmitschau (Germany, 2. Bundesliga) earlier this season. . . .
F Jordan Knackstedt (Red Deer, Moose Jaw, 2004-08) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Milan Rossoblu (Italy, Serie A). He had one assist in 11 games with Tingsryd (Sweden, Allsvenskan) to start the season. Knackstedt was on a two-month contract with Tingsryd that expired Thursday. This is a return to Italy for Knackstedt, who had 18 goals and 35 assists in 42 games with Bolzano in Serie A last season. . . .
F Lee Goren, who played two games with Saskatoon in 1995-96 before heading off to the University of North Dakota, was released by Pelicans Lahti (Finland, SM-Liiga). He had four goals and eight assists in 13 games this season.
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The Portland Winterhawks, the WHL’s hottest team at present, are in Vancouver to meet the Giants tonight. . . . Vancouver is expected to be without F Cain Franson, who is believed to have a concussion. He has missed the club’s last six games. . . . The Winterhawks (13-3-1) have won nine in a row; the Giants are 5-12-0. . . . This game is available on Shaw TV, with Dan Russell calling the play. . . . Meanwhile, Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reports that the Gaints “are changing up their play-by-play situation again.” . . . According to Ewen, Morley Scott is returning to do some road games, while Blake Price, who has been doing some home games, also will be going on the road. . . . “Team officials confirmed Thursday that they had let go Alex Grebenyuk,” Ewen writes. . . . Grebenyuk had taken over from Dan Elliott, who was dropped after two years on the job and now is doing media relations at UBC. . . . Ewen’s report is right here.
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The Prince George Cougars will be without sophomore F Jake Mykitiuk for the immediate future. Mykitiuk, who turns 17 on Nov. 21, has been diagnosed with mononucleosis. He already has missed four games.
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The Everett Silvertips have signed F Kyle Raymond to a WHL contract. Raymond, 16, as a seventh-round selection in the 2011 WHL bantam draft. He is playing with the junior B Princeton Posse of the Kootenay International Junior League. In 17 games, the 6-foot-4, 185-pound Raymond has 12 points and 22 penalty minutes. . . . Raymond, from Langley, B.C., is with the Silvertips for tonight’s game against the host Tri-City Americans. He will return to the Posse after the weekend. . . . At the same time, the Silvertips returned F Brandon Bruce, 19, to the BCHL’s Merritt Centennials. Bruce was pointless in four games with the Silvertips.
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D Wes Vannieuwenhuizen, 20, the captain of the Vancouver Giants, took a puck to the mouth on Sunday night during a 9-1 loss to the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick, Wash. It cost him three teeth. “That's the way she goes,” he told Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun. “My mom told me it was bound to happen because I had so many problems with my front teeth before. I think I've had them chipped about four or five times already.” . . . Vannieuwenhuzien also has a four-stitch cut on his lower lip and a fractured upper palate. He will play tonight wearing a full cage. . . . Pap’s complete story is right here.
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Former Vancouver Giants F Casey Pierro-Zabotel scored two goals last night, leading the ECHL’s Gwinnett Gladiators to a 4-3 victory over the host Orlando SolarBears. . . . Pierro-Zabotel, who has six goals, recovered from being drilled from behind by Orlando’s Mike Liambas in the first period to help the Gladiators win their sixth straight game. . . . With 19 points, Pierro-Zabotel leads the ECHL scoring race. He won the WHL’s 2008-09 scoring title, with 115 points in 72 games.
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G Logan Flodell, who signed with the Seattle Thunderbirds on Wednesday, stopped 18 shots last night to help the Regina Pat Canadians to a 5-1 victory over the Notre Dame Hounds in Wilcox, Sask. . . . The Pat Canadians got three goals from F Mitch Lipon, the younger brother of Kamloops Blazers F JC Lipon, who is leading the WHL scoring race. . . . Mitch has eight points, including five goals, in his last two games. . . . The Pat Canadians (8-2-2), who have won four straight, are tied for first place with the Tisdale Trojans (8-3-2). . . . The most amazing number, however, falls under goals-against -- the Pat Canadians have surrendered 17 goals in 12 games. The Prince Albert Mintos (7-3-2) are No. 2, having allowed 27 goals.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From Edmonton broadcaster (630 CHED) Dan Tencer (@dantencer): “Oil Kings head coach Derek Laxdal says Oilers draft pick Mitch Moroz has upper body injury and might not play for Team WHL in Super Series.”


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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Ned Lukacevic (Spokane, Swift Current, 2001-06) has been released from his try-out contract by Eispiraten Crimmitschau (Germany, 2. Bundesliga). He was pointless in two games with the Ice Pirates.
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The Vancouver Giants have dealt sophomore F Austin Vetterl, 18, to the Kootenay Ice for a pair of 17-year-old prospects — F Douglas Morris and D Kyle Krabben.
This was a deal the Ice felt it had to make as it is desperately short of forwards heading into a three-game weekend.
“With our injuries and the departure of our captain, our line up is very depleted heading in to the three games this weekend,” Ice general manager Jeff Chynoweth said in a news release. “Austin will bring much needed experience to a roster that is currently the youngest in the WHL. We are hoping for him to play significant minutes in all key situations.”
Vetterl had 17 points in 60 games as a freshman last season. This season, he had gotten into seven of Vancouver’s 14 games and had two assists.
F Drew Czerwonka, the Ice captain, announced his retirement late last week, leaving the club without one of its three 20-year-old players.
As well, the WHL injury list shows the Ice missing F Luke Philp with a lower-body injury (he had his appendix removed) and F Collin Shirley (undisclosed).
The Ice is at home to the Saskatoon Blades tonight.
Morris is with the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints and has 12 points, 10 of them goals, in 15 game. Krabben, a sixth-round bantam draft pick in 2010, has two points in six games with the AJHL’s Okotoks Oilers.
Tyler King, the radio voice of the AJHL’s Fort McMurray Oil Barons, reported via Twitter on Thursday afternoon that the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits have added G Devon Fordyce, 18, from the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Bandits, with a 17-0 record, are the top-ranked team in the Canadian Junior A Hockey League. . . . Fordyce will share time with Michael Fredrick, 18, who is 16-0-0, 2.31, .891.
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Here’s another example of how silly the WHL’s system of reporting injuries as upper or lower body really is.
F Josh Winquist of the Everett Silvertips didn’t play the other night.
Why not?
Well, the WHL’s weekly injury report shows Winquist as being day-to-day with a lower body injury.
Winquist actually had what he thought was strep throat, the second time he had it this season.
On Thursday, the Silvertips revealed that Winquist has mononucleosis and is expected to miss at least three weeks.
Not sure if mononucleosis is an upper- or lower-body injury.
Meanwhile, the Silvertips have added F Brandon Bruce, a 19-year-old from Cranbrook who had been with the BCHL’s Merritt Centennials. He had five points in 15 games with Merritt. Bruce has WHL experience with the 2010-11 Swift Current Broncos for whom he had one assist in 34 games.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES:
In Medicine Hat, F Elgin Pearce broke a 1-1 tie at 4:44 of the second period and the Tigers went on to a 5-1 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Tigers have won five in a row. . . . Medicine Hat is 9-8-1 as 16 of the WHL’s 22 teams are playing at least .500 hockey. Thanks to the loser point, of course. . . . F Hunter Shinkaruk scored twice for Medicine Hat, giving him 11 on the season. . . . Former Tigers F Kale Kessy, who was traded to Vancouver last month, scored the Giants’ goal. . . . Cam Lanigan, the WHL’s goaltender of the month, stopped 37 shots for the Tigers. . . . Vancouver starter Liam Liston left with an injury after Pearce’s goal. Tyler Fuhr came on in relief. . . . Payton Lee, 16, who played a couple of games last week with the Giants before returning to the junior B Richmnd Sockeyes, was scheduled to join Vancouver in today even before Liston’s injury. The Giants (4-11-0) play Saturday in Cranbrook against the Kootenay Ice (4-9-0) and then travel to Kennewick, Wash., for a Sunday date with the Tri-City Americans (9-6-2). . . .

G Jordon Cooke stopped 19 shots to lead the host Kelowna Rockets to a 3-0 victory over Kamloops, ending the Blazers’ franchise-record winning streak at 14 games. . . . The Blazers (16-1-1) are the last of the CHL’s 60 teams to lose in regulation time. . . . Kamloops F Colin Smith had his 17-game point streak end. . . . F Cody Fowlie, 20, scored twice for Kelowna, his first goals in five games with the Rockets since joining them last month. . . . F Tyrell Goulbourne scored the game’s first goal, his first snipe in 29 games. . . . Cooke has a WHL-leading three shutouts.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
F Marek Tvrdon, Vancouver
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
Former Regina Pats D Brandon Davidson (@bdavy3): “Thanks to all my family, friends, fans and everyone for all the love and support. It goes a long way. I appreciate everyone who has reached out and given me t he support. I wll be back and I will battle through this.”
Earlier in the day, the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons revealed that Davidson is being treated for testicular cancer.


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