D Paul Albers (Calgary, Regina, Vancouver, 2001-06) has signed a one-year extension with Cortina (Italy, Serie A). Last season, he had seven goals and 22 assists in 42 games with Cortina. . . .
F Stanislav Gron (Seattle, Kootenay, 1997-99) has signed a one-year extension with Cortina (Italy, Serie A). Last season, he led Cortina in scoring, with 67 points, including 29 goals, in 40 games.
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The Spokane Chiefs took a hit Sunday when D Jeremy McIntosh informed general manager Tim Speltz that he won’t be returning. . . . “Jeremy contacted me Sunday evening to inform me of his decision to move on," Speltz said in a news release. “He said he has lost his passion for the game and is not as committed as he feels is necessary to play in the WHL.” . . . A native of Calgary, McIntosh had four goals and six assists in 70 games last season. In his freshman season, 2012-13, he had a goal and four helpers in 65 games. . . . “I am hoping he reconsiders his position and as an organization we will be as patient as possible should he have a change of heart,” Speltz added. "We expected Jeremy to be a big part of our defensive core this season and his decision is a total surprise." . . . McIntosh was a sixth-round selection by the Chiefs in the 2010 bantam draft. . . . Two other veteran defencemen who finished last season with the Chiefs also are gone from the WHL. Reid Gow, the Chiefs’ captain last season, has chosen not to return for his 20-year-old season, while Cole Wedman, 20, was dealt to the Moose Jaw Warriors and has since decided to attend the U of Alberta.---
F Bryson Gore won’t be returning for a third season with the Moose Jaw Warriors. Gore, 19, is from Milo, Alta. . . . According to the Warriors, Gore “has decided to remain at home near Lethbridge and is considering his future hockey and academic opportunities.” . . . Last season, Gore had 18 points, including 11 goals, in 68 games. The previous season, he had nine goals and seven assists in 69 games. . . . He was a 10th-round selection by the Portland Winterhawks in the 2010 WHL bantam draft. He was listed by the Warriors after being dropped from Portland’s protected list.---
According to Shawn Mullin, the radio voice of the Swift Current Broncos, F Maxim Letunov won’t be reporting to the WHL team. Letunov, an 18-year-old from Moscow, was selected by the Broncos in the CHL’s 2014 import draft. He was a second-round pick by the St. Louis Blues in the NHL’s 2014 draft, after playing last season with the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms. He had 43 points, including 19 goals, in 60 games with the Phantoms. Mullin tweeted that “there have been discussions and the door remains open. Looks like he will play in the USHL still.” . . . Letunov also has committed to Boston U, so that may have figured in his decision not to journey to Swift Current.---
What business is up 500 per cent over the last 10 years? Worth peanuts 10 years ago, it’s now worth $75.5 million annually. If you said the tattoo removal business, go to the head of the class. . . . Sophia Harris of CBC News has an interesting story right here.
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The SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers, the reigning RBC Cup champions, have shaken things up a bit. . . . Don Chesney, who had been their general manager, now is director of marketing. . . . Trent Cassan, their head coach, has added the GM’s duties to his portfolio and he has signed a two-year contract extension.
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Blake Cosgrove has joined the AJHL’s Calgary Canucks as an assistant coach. He will work alongside GM Chad Shiel and head coach Ryan Barrett. . . . A native of Chilliwack, B.C., Cosgrove, 28, played two seasons with the BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs and four years at Northern Michigan.
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The Simon Fraser U men’s hockey team has promoted Jim Camazzola (Kamloops, Seattle, New Westminster, 1982-85) from assistant coach to associate coach. . . . He works alongside Mark Coletta, who is preparing for his seventh season as head coach. . . . SFU also has added Tom Spencer as an assistant coach. He was the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League’s coach of the year last season after taking the Valley West Hawks to the league final.
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D Nikolai Ladygin (Medicine Hat, Tri-City, 2001-02) has signed for the rest of this season with the Hull Stingrays (England, UK Elite). He started this season with the Generals Kiev (Ukraine, PHL); no statistics are available. Last season, he had six points, two of them goals, in 35 games with Yuzhny Ural Orsk (Russia, Vysshaya Liga).
In Prince Albert, F Bryson Gore broke a 2-2 tie with two third-period goals to lead the Moose Jaw Warriors to a 4-3 victory over the Raiders. . . . F Reid Gardiner pulled the Raiders into a 2-2 tie at 3:14 of the third period. . . . Gore than struck for his fourth and fifth goals of the season, at 12:06 and 18:28, the latter into an empty net. . . . Raiders D Dylan Busenius got his side to within one at 19:21 of the third. . . . The Warriors, who have won two in a row, had three defencemen — Travis Brown, Jesse Forsberg and Reid Zalitach — each get two assists. . . . The Raiders have lost seven in a row and now are tied with the Red Deer Rebels for the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . 
In Swift Current, the Broncos overcame an early 2-0 deficit with five straight goals and went on to dump the Kamloops Blazers, 6-3. . . . Kamloops got PP goals from F Cole Ully and F Aspen Sterzer at 11:10 and 11:51 of the first. . . . Ully has 15 goals; Sterzer has 14. . . . The Blazers were without F Chase Souto who suffered a suspected brain injury in a fight with F Bryson Gore of the host Moose Jaw Warriors on Sunday. . . . F Colby Cave got the Broncos even with his 19th and 20th goals, at 3:35 and 10:47 of the second. The latter came via the PP. . . . Cave also had an assist, while F Graham Black had three helpers. . . . F Collin Shirley had two assists for Kamloops. . . . The Blazers finished 3-3-0 on their East Division swing, but lost the last two. . . . The Broncos had lost four in a row. . . . 
In Saskatoon, the Kelowna Rockets finished running the East Division table as they dropped the Blades, 7-1. . . . Kelowna, which has won 12 in a row, went 6-0 on its East Division trek. . . . The Rockets set a franchise record with their 13th straight road victory. . . . Kelowna (28-3-2) leads the overall standings by eight points over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Blades have lost 11 straight. . . . The Rockets scored the game’s last six goals. . . . F Carter Rigby scored twice for Kelowna, while D Mitchell Wheaton had a goal and three assists and F Rourke Chartier, who is from Saskatoon, had a goal and two helpers. . . . Kelowna held a 51-28 edge in shots. . . . Rockets G Jackson Whistle stopped 27 shots. . . . Kelowna F Myles Bell had a goal and an assist. He totalled seven goals and three assists on the six-game jaunt. Prior to the trip, he had one goal in eight games. . . . The Blades were without F Logan Harland, F Brett Stovin, F Collin Valcourt and F Nick Zajac, all of whom are injured. As well, D Nelson Nogier suffered an undisclosed injury Sunday in Edmonton and, according to the Blades, “is expected to miss several weeks.” . . . Thus, the Blades had three prospects arrive in time for this game. D Turner Ottenbreit, a 16-year-old from Yorkton, Sask., was a 12th-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. F Parker Smyth, 15, was a second-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft, while F Cody Prevost, 16, is a list player. Smyth, from Red Deer, is a nephew to Edmonton Oilers F Ryan Smyth. . . .
In Calgary, the Hitmen scored the game’s first six goals and went on to a 6-3 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . The Hitmen have points in their last 10 games (9-0-1) and now lead the Eastern Conference by two points over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Calgary F Greg Chase scored twice, giving him 19 goals, while F Radel Fazleev had three assists. . . . The Hitmen were 2-for-4 on the PP and also had two shorthanded goals. . . . Earlier Tuesday, the NHL’s Calgary Flames announced they had signed Regina F Morgan Klimchuk to a three-year entry-level contract. Klimchuk, a Calgarian who is out with a hip injury suffered in the Subway Super Series, was the 28th overall pick in the 2013 NHL raft. He has 29 points, including 12 goals, in 26 games. His contract is worth US$832,500. A $92,500 signing bonus is payable each season. The AHL salary is $70,000. . . . 
In Edmonton, the Victoria Royals fell behind early but roared back for a 5-3 victory over the Oil Kings, who had won their previous nine games. . . . Victoria G Patrik Polivka stopped 37 shots. . . . Royals F Brandon Magee had a goal, his 12th, and two helpers. The goal was an EN. . . . F Mitch Moroz gave Edmonton a 1-0 lead, with his 21st goal, at 4:30 of the first. . . . F Matt Dykstra, a 16-year-old from Edmonton, pulled Victoria even with his first WHL goal in his third goal this season at 11:37 and F Axel Blomqvist gave the Royals the lead, with his 11th, at 16:36. . . . Victoria scored four straight goals before Edmonton cut the lead to 4-3. . . . The Royals took the game’s first five minor penalties, all in the second period, but surrendered only one PP goal. . . . Victoria went 3-1-1 on a road swing that featured stops in Vancouver, Swift Current, Medicine Hat, Lethbridge and Edmonton. . . . The Royals are tied for third with the Everett Silvertips in the Western Conference, just two points behind the Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Oil Kings trail the Eastsern Conference-leading Calgary Hitmen by two points. . . . 
In Red Deer, F Lukas Sutter scored twice and F Conner Bleackley had a goal and two assists as the Rebels beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 5-2. . . . F Curtis Valk opened the scoring for the Tigers, getting his 15th goal, on the PP, at 1:33 of the second. . . . The Rebels scored the next four goals, with Sutter getting his sixth and seventh, and Bleackley adding his 17th. . . . Red Deer G Patrik Bartosak kicked out 46 shots. . . . Red Deer was without four of its top six scorers — F Matt Bellerive, F Rhyse Dieno and F Brooks Maxwell are injured, while F Dominik Volek is in the Czech Republic national junior team’s selection camp. . . . Greg Meachem, the sports editor of the Red Deer Advocate, also reports that Red Deer F Vukie Mpofu left after the warmup. Mpofu a 17-year-old freshman, was injured during a Monday practice and apparently aggravated the injury during the warmup. . . . F Brayden Burke, a 16-year-old from Edmonton, made his WHL debut with the Rebels. He was a seventh-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. . . . The Rebels have won three straight and now are tied with the Prince Albert Raiders for the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . 
In Kent, Wash., F Branden Troock scored twice and set up another as the host Seattle Thunderbirds defeated the Tri-City Americans, 5-2. . . . Troock, who was plus-4, has 7 goals. . . . F Alexander Delnov helped Seattle with a goal, his 16th, and three assists. He was plus-4. . . . Seattle F Ryan Gropp, the third member of that line, had one goal, his fifth, and also was plus-4. . . . Seattle is 9-1-0 in its last 10 and is just four points behind the U.S. Division-leading Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Thunderbirds dressed 16 skaters. Among the scratches was F Keegan Kolesar, who took a headshot from Portland F Brendan Leipsic on Saturday. Leipsic drew a seven-game suspension. . . . The Americans have lost four in a row. . . . 
In Portland, F Josh Winquist scored twice as the Everett Silvertips halted a four-game losing skid with a 4-2 victory over the Winterhawks. . . . The Silvertips had lost six of seven. They also had dropped 16 straight regular-season decisions in Portland. . . . Winquist, whose second goal was into an empty net, has 26 goals. . . . According to the WHL website, Everett G Austin Lotz made 14 saves in the game’s first 26:37, then was replaced by Daniel Cotton, who stopped seven of nine shots. . . . According to the Everett Herald, Lotz was injured “after taking a knee to head from Portland’s Shane McColgan.” The Herald has the injury occurring late in the first period, with Lotz not returning for the second. Lotz, according to the newspaper, stopped all seven shots he saw, with Cotton coming in to stop 13 of 15. . . . Earlier in the day, Portland F Brendan Leipsic was suspended for seven games for a headshot on Seattle F Keegan Kolesar. Leipsic, who has 43 points, 20 of them goals, in 29 games, will be eligible to return on Jan. 8 against the host Silvertips. . . . Leipsic served a three-game suspension earlier this season
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