Some notes from Tuesday

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Tyler Mosienko (Kelowna. 2000-05) signed a one-year contract extension with Esbjerg (Denmark, AL-Bank Liga). He had 18 goals and 26 assists in 39 games for Esbjerg last season. . . .

F Frank Banham (Saskatoon, 1992-96) signed a two-year contract extension with Alba Volan Szekesfehervar (Hungary, Austria Erste Bank Liga). He had 19 goals and 19 assists in 51 games for Alba Volan last season. . . .


D Renat Mamashev (Moose Jaw, 2000-01) signed a one-year contract with Traktor Chelyabinsk (Russia, KHL). Mamashev led all KHL defencemen in scoring and assists with 10 goals and 32 assists in 52 games with Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk (Russia, KHL) last season.
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The Tri-City Americans have added two former WHL players — Curtis Brown (Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, 1992-1996) and Mike Green (Edmonton Ice, Kootenay Ice, 1996-2000) — to their scouting staff. . . . Brown will work in Northern California and the NAPHL. . . . Green will work in the Calgary area.
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Jay Hart of Yahoo! Sports has the latest right here on the case involving former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez. I don’t think you want to pick him for your fantasy team.
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It is one of the most indelible scenes in baseball history. Umpire Tim McClelland points at the Kansas City Royals’ dugout and makes an out sign, and George Brett storms from the dugout to home plate. Yes, it was the ‘Pine Tar Game.” And it turns out the guy who was the bat boy blames himself for the whole mess. Daniel Barbarisi of The Wall Street Journal has that story right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Mark Osiecki has signed on as an assistant coach with the Rockford IceHogs, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks. He’ll work alongside head coach Ted Dent. . . . Osiecki, 44, was the head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes (2010-13).
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The ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones are looking for a head coach after Jarrod Skalde left for an assistant coaching position with the Norfolk Admirals, the AHL affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks. . . . The Cyclones have said that assistant coach Matt Macdonald will stay on staff.
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The USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks have added Trevor Nill to their staff as an assistant coach. Nill played for the Michigan State Spartans (2008-12) and this is his first coaching job. . . . Nill is the son of Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill.
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From Mike McKenna (@MikeMcKenna56): “Most surreal moment of my life. A guy named Scooter at a gas station in Hilton Head with a 10-foot gator tied to the roof of his Camaro.”
McKenna, a goaltender, signed with the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets last week.


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The Seattle Thunderbirds have traded D Reid Fritzke, 16, to the Swift Current Broncos for a conditional fifth-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft. . . . Fritzke, an eight-round pick by Seattle in the 2011 bantam draft, is from Swift Current and plays for the midget AAA Legionnaires. He has 11 points in 26 games. . . . The WHL is under a trade moratorium at the moment, one that runs through Dec. 26. However, a Broncos news release that was issued Monday points out this deal was approved by the WHL office on Friday.
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The Red Deer Rebels will have Bolton Pouliot in goal tonight as they play host to the Kootenay Ice. Patrik Bartosak, the Rebels’ starter, is with the Czech national junior team. Spencer Tremblay injured a knee in Saturday’s 6-1 loss to the visiting Kelowna Rockets and won’t play for a while. Tremblay had been brought in to compete with Pouliot while Bartosak was away. . . . “It’s a tough one for Spence,” Brent Sutter, the Rebels’ owner, general manager and head coach, told Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate. “He won’t be ready to play for maybe three weeks, so the decision now is that Bolton will stay here for sure. We’ll get Spence to a junior A team and look at bringing him back next fall.”
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The Saskatoon Blades are hunting for a seventh straight victory tonight as they meet the  Broncos in Swift Current. As well, Saskatoon F Matej Stransky is riding a seven-game goal streak, tied for the longest in the WHL this season. F Brendan Leipsic of the Portland Winterhawks had a seven-gamer from Oct. 28 through Nov. 10. . . . Saskatoon F Josh Nicholls leads the league with goals (26). Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix points out that the Blades haven’t had a skater lead the WHL in goals since Frank Banham scored 83 times in 1995-96.
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The Vancouver Giants have signed D Michael Eskra, 15, who is with the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound Eskra, who is from Regina, has nine points in 26 games this season. The Giants selected him with the 110th pick of the 2012 bantam draft.
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The Prince George Cougars are going to take a look at D Sam Ruopp, 16, of the midget AAA Regina Pa Canadians after the Christmas break. The 6-foot-2, 170-pounder has 12 points in 25 games this season. He was a fourth-round selection in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . Ruopp, from Zehner, Sask., is the younger brother of Prince Albert Raiders D Harrison Ruopp, who also played for the Pat Canadians. . . . The Cougars return from the break with two games in Victoria against the Royals, on Dec. 28 and 29.

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Darrell Hay (Tri-City, 1996-2000) signed a one-year contract with Cortina (Italy, Serie A). Last season, he had one goal in 20 games with Liberec (Czech Republic, Extraliga) before transferring to Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic, Extraliga), where he had one goal and seven assists in 32 games. . . .
Alba Volan Szekesfehervar (Hungary, Austria Erste Bank Liga) announced the signing of F Eric Johansson (Tri-City, 1997-2002) to a one-year contract extension and F Frank Banham (Saskatoon, 1992-1996) to a one-year contract. Johansson had six goals and 15 assists in 21 games for Alba Volan, while Banham had 19 goals and 23 assists in 47 games for Medvescak Zagreb (Croatia, Austria Erste Bank Liga) last season. . . .
F Steven Goertzen (Seattle, 2001-04) signed a two-year contract with the Sheffield Steelers (England, UK Elite). He had two goals and one assist in 43 games with Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic, Extraliga) last season. Goertzen indicated in the club's press release that he plans to attend the University of Sheffield while playing for the Steelers.
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Peter Anholt, one of the winningest coaches in WHL history, is back with the Seattle Thunderbirds. General manager Russ Farwell announced Thursday that Anholt had been added to the team’s scouting staff. "Peter will concentrate on the player pool already drafted or already playing in the WHL,” Farwell said. "Peter will . . . allow us to do a more in-depth evaluation of the current WHL player pool." Anholt, who spent last season scouting Saskatchewan for the Red Deer Rebels, spent three seasons (1989-91) as Seattle’s head coach, going 127-77-12 coaching record. . . . Anholt, with 450 regular-season coaching victories, is one of 12 men in WHL history to have surpassed the 400-victory barrier. . . . Seattle also announced that it has added Ross Patterson of Calgary to its scouting staff. He will add to the coverage in Alberta.
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The Portland Winterhawks have signed Danish F Oliver Bjorkstrand, who was the 26th selection in the CHL’s 2012 import draft. Bjorkstrand played last season with the Herning Blue Fox of Denmark’s top pro league, putting up 26 points, including 13 goals, in 36 games. He was the league’s top-scoring 16-year-old, by 21 points, as the Blue Fox won the league championship. . . . He also played for Denmark at the 2012 World Junior Championship, scoring two goals. At the 2012 U-18 World tournament, he had seven points in six games.
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THE COACHING GAME:
It would seem that Rich Preston, the GM and head coach of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, will be staying put. There had been speculation that Preston was in the running for an assistant coaching position with the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. But it seems the Kings have signed former St. Louis Blues head coach Davis Payne. . . .
Whoops! It was mentioned here yesterday that Geoff Grimwood is the new head coach of the South Island Royals. I had the right team but the wrong league. The Royals play in the B.C. Major Midget League. They aren’t a junior B squad. . . . Thanks to the two folks who pointed out the error and apologies all around.

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