THE MacBETH REPORT:
Dinamo Minsk has recalled F Sergei Drozd (Tri-City, 2009-10) from assignment to Neman Grodno (Belarus, Ekstraliga). He had 17 points, including five goals, in 17 games with Neman. . . .

F Jaroslav Kristek (Tri-City, 1998-2000) has been released by mutual agreement from Dinamo Minsk (Belarus, KHL). He had one assist in seven games.
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1. The Vancouver Giants revealed on Tuesday that F Tyler Benson, the first overall pick in the 2013 bantam draft, will make his WHL debut on Nov. 16 against the visiting Tri-City Americans. . . . Benson, 15, has 34 points, including 15 goals, in 16 games with the Pursuit of Excellence U-18 Prep team. . . . Veteran WHL referee Steve Papp has been selected to work the World Junior Championship that begins Dec. 26 in Malmo, Sweden. . . .

2. The Kamloops Blazers' roster stands at 22 after the club dropped F Mitch Friesen, 17, on Tuesday. . . . A native of Surrey, B.C., Friesen had two assists in 55 games with the Blazers over last season and this one. This season, he had one assist in nine games. . . .


3. The QMJHL's Saint John Sea Dogs fired Mike Kelly, their general manager and head coach, on Tuesday. . . . At 5-10-2, the Sea Dogs have the WHL's second-poorest record and are winless in eight. . . . Kelly, a former head coach of the Brandon Wheat Kings, was the Sea Dogs' associate coach when they had three straight 50-win seasons (2009-12) and also won a Memorial Cup. He had been head coach since the summer of 2012. . . . A new coach is expected to be introduced within days.

4. The Everett Silvertips will be without G Austin Lotz for up to four weeks. It seems he suffered an ankle injury during a 7-6 overtime victory over the Blazers in Kamloops on Saturday -- he apparently was injured in regulation time and he did finish the game -- and now is encumbered with a walking boot. . . . Lotz started his 11th straight game on Saturday. . . . With Lotz injured, Daniel Cotton, 19, moves up the depth chart, while the Silvertips have brought in Nik Amundrud, 16, to back him up. Amundrud, who is from Melfort, Sask., was a third-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft.

5. If you are a baseball fan of a certain vintage, you recognize the radio call letters KMOX. Yes, that is the AM radio home of the St. Louis Cardinals. KMOX is at 1120 on the AM dial and its 50,000-watt signal covers a good part of North America and beyond. . . . David Waldstein of The New York Times set out Sunday to see if he could outdrive the signal while Game 4 of the World Series was being played. . . . This is good stuff and it's right here.

6. The St. Louis Cardinals are in Boston to meet the Red Sox in Game 6 of the World Series tonight. And you are wondering what it would cost you to get into Fenway Park for this one. Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports has the answer(s) right here.

7. If you're a regular here, you will recall that yesterday I had a bit about Vancouver Canucks head coach John Tortorella and the way he is playing his top three forwards well over 20 minutes per game. . . . That led me to wonder whether an NHL coach really needs 12 forwards at his disposal. . . . In Tuesday's Vancouver Sun, columnist Iain MacIntyre pointed out that the Caucks had gone into Monday's game against the visiting Washington Capitals not having practised in 10 days. Seriously. . . . The Canucks didn't practise while on a seven-game road trip and when the trek was over Tortorella gave his side two days off. That led them into Monday's game, which they won, 3-2. . . . The Canucks, who are 9-4-2 going into tonight's game against the visiting Detroit Red Wings, played nine of their first 15 games on the road. . . . Prior to Monday's game, Tortorella promised that "we'll practice (Tuesday). Win or lose." . . . They did. . . . But 10 days without a practice. Sacrilege, surely.

8. Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald reports that the Moose Jaw Warriors are concerned that an unnamed junior A team may have tampered with F Todd Fiddler, 20, before he was dropped from the WHL team's roster on Monday. . . . That story is right here.
www.mjtimes.sk.ca/Sports/Hockey/2013-10-28/article-3450719/Fiddler-and-Warriors-part-ways/1

TUESDAY NIGHT:
In Prince Albert, the Medicine Hat Tigers unleashed a 50-shot attack and beat the Raiders, 3-1. . . . G Cole Cheveldave stopped 47 shots for the Raiders, 26 more than Marek Langhamer of the Tigers. . . . The Tigers were without F Hunter Shinkaruk (hip) for a second straight game. . . . F Mike Winther of the Raiders sat out Game 2 of a four-game suspension for a headshot. . . . This was the 10th time the Clouston brothers opposed each other as WHL coaches. Cory, who has coached the Kootenay Ice, Brandon Wheat Kings and Prince Albert, is 5-4-1, while Shaun, the Tigers' head coach, is 5-5. . . .

In Kent, Wash., F Seth Swenson had a goal and two assists to lead the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 4-2 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Seattle is 11-3-2 and now leads the Western Conference, by one point over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Wheat Kings are 0-3 on their swing through the U.S. Division. . . . Swenson scored his fourth goal in three games, this one coming on a second-period penalty shot. . . . F Sam Mckechnie scored in his first game with the Thunderbirds. He and F Jaimen Yakubowski were acquired last week from the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Yakubowski made his Seattle debut on the weekend; Mckechnie hadn't had as much opportunity to skate after he and Yakubowski were sent home to await a trade, so his debut had to wait. . . . Meanwhile, Yakubowski got a major and game misconduct in the first period for a headshot on D Taylor Green. . . .

 In Prince George, F Jackson Houck struck for three goals to lead the Vancouver Giants to a 6-5 victory over the Cougars. . . . Houck now has two WHL hat tricks to his credit. . . . The teams play again tonight in P.G. . . . Houck went into the game with three goals this season. . . . F Chase Witala scored one of the Cougars' goals as he ran his sniping streak to six games. . . . Witala also had three assists, giving him 20 points, 10 of them goals, in 10 games. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Connor Sanvido's shootout goal gave the Swift Current Broncos a 3-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Sanvido was the only one of six shooters to score. . . . The Hurricanes have lost three in a row and have won once in their last 10 outings. . . . F Riley Sheen, acquired last week from the Seattle Thunderbirds, scored in his first game with the Hurricanes.

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Seaman not expected in Brandon camp

THE MacBETH REPORT:
G Leland Irving (Everett, 2003-08) signed a one-month try-out contract with Jokerit Helsinki (Finland, SM-Liiga). He had a 3.33 GAA and a .883 save percentage in six games with the Calgary Flames (NHL) and a 3.40 GAA and a .884 save percentage in 12 games with the Abbotsford Heat (AHL) last season. . . .

F Brad Schell (Spokane, 1999-2004) signed a one-year contract with Milan Rossoblu (Italy, Serie A). He had 15 goals and 49 assists in 44 games with Lillehammer (Norway, GET-Ligaen) last season to finish fifth in league scoring and second in the league in assists. . . .

F Ales Kilnar (Vancouver, 2012-13) signed a one-year plus option contract with Orli Znojmo (Czech Republic, Austria Erste Bank Liga) after a successful tryout. He had two goals and one assist in five exhibition games during his two-week trial. Last season, Kilnar had no points in one game with the Vancouver Giants, no points in three games with Jokipojat Joensuu U20 (Finland, A-Junior SM-Liiga), four goals and seven assists in 15 games with Vitkovice Ostrava U20 (Czech Republic, Extraliga U20), and three goals and three assists in seven games on loan to Poruba (Czech Republic, 2. Liga). . . .

F Jaroslav Kristek (Tri-City, 1998-2000) signed a one-year contract extension with Neman Grodno (Belarus). He had 21 goals and 33 assists in 42 games last season to finish second in league scoring for the league champions from Grodno.
———
Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun reports that F Tyrel Seaman won’t be with the Brandon Wheat Kings when they open camp on Aug. 28.
Henderson writes: “Wheat Kings head coach/GM Kelly McCrimmon said . . . Seaman, who hasn’t played since Nov. 18, 2012 due to concussion issues, won’t be at training camp next week.”
Seaman, a 19-year-old from Choiceland, Sask., had eight points in 24 games last season, after putting up 19 points in 32 games as a sophomore. In 2010-11, he had eight points in 52 games.
Seaman suffered a brain injury in late November 2011, came back after the Christmas break and was re-injured in his first game back. He returned to play in the regular-season’s last four games.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors selected two Russian players — D Alexei Sleptsov and F Alexander Chirva — in the CHL’s 2013 import draft. They expect Sleptsov to arrive today, but Chirva’s arrival has been delayed. It seems a strike by Canada’s foreign service workers is causing problems with the visa process.
Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald has more right here.
Gourlie also has reported that F Jordan Wyton, 20, won’t be returning to the Warriors, choosing instead to play for the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits. That leaves the Warriors with two 20-year-olds on their roster — F Todd Fiddler and F Sam Fioretti.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors have traded D Spencer Morse, 18, to the Red Deer Rebels for an undisclosed conditional selection in the 2016 WHL bantam draft. Morse, from Calgary, was a second-round selection by Moose Jaw in the 2010 bantam draft. The 6-foot-4, 200-pounder had five points in 46 games with the Warriors last sesaon. The pick starts out as a 10th-rounder and can improve from there, depending on what Morse brings to Red Deer.
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Kevin Sawyer is back with the Spokane Chiefs, this time as a part-time assistant coach working in the areas of player development and player evaluation. Sawyer, a former Chiefs captain (1994-95) and assistant coach, will work on a monthly basis. Last season, he filled a similar role while Spokane head coach Don Nachbaur was away as an assistant coach with Canada’s national junior team. Sawyer also was an assistant with the Chiefs from 2004-06. He also has worked on Chiefs’ broadcasts on SWX and WHL telecasts on Root Sports.
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Elmore Leonard died Tuesday at the age of 87. If you don’t know Leonard’s writing, it isn’t too late. . . . Right here is The New York Times obituary on Leonard.
———
Steve Fainaru and John Barr of ESPN.com have written another incisive piece that involves a doctor, former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue and the concussion-related lawsuit filed by more than 4,800 retired players against the NFL. That piece is right here.
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The Philadelphia Phillies fired manager Charlie Manuel earlier this week, replacing him with Ryne Sandberg (who really should be managing the Chicago Cubs, shouldn’t he?). . . . Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes right here about what it was like covering Manuel’s Phillies.
———

From Corey Graham (@CoreyGraham): “Oil Kings have scheduled a presser with GM Randy Hansch and HC Derek Laxdal for (today). Just speculation, contract extension for HC?”

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Carsen Germyn (Kelowna, Red Deer, 1998-2003) signed a two-year contract extension with the Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL). He had 14 goals and 25 assists in 49 games for the Tigers last season. This contract extension is in addition to the one-year extension Germyn signed in April. He now is under contract with Straubing through the 2014-15 season. . . .
F Jakub Sindel (Brandon, 2004-05) signed a one-year contract with Fassa (Italy, Serie A). Sindel played 46 games with four clubs in three leagues last season. He started with Kloten (Switzerland, NL A) (five games, two assists, one broken jaw), moved to Dinamo Riga (Latvia, KHL) (21 games, one goal), then made his way to Finland, playing 11 games with Kärpät Oulu (SM-Liiga) (three assists) and nine games with Ässät Pori (SM-Liiga) (no points). . . .
D Jakub Cutta (Swift Current, 1998-2000) signed a contract through Nov. 4 with Liberec (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had two goals and five assists in 33 games with Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic, Extraliga) last season. . . .
F Bandon Campos (Everett, Chilliwack, 2006-08) signed a one-year contract with The Hague (Netherlands, Eredivisie). Campos had 14 goals and 34 assists in 60 games with the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees (CHL) last season. . . .
F Jordan Knackstedt (Red Deer, Moose Jaw, 2004-08) signed a one-year contract with Tingsryd (Sweden, Allsvenskan). He had 18 goals and 35 assists in 42 games with Bolzano (Italy, Serie A) last season, leading the team in scoring and to the Italian championship. . . .
F Jaroslav Kristek (Tri-City, 1998-2000) signed a one-year contract with Neman Grodno (Belarus, Ekstraliga). He had 10 goals and six assists in 39 games with Lev Poprad (Slovakia, KHL) and one goal and one assist in 11 games while on loan to Kosice (Slovakia, Extraliga).
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You wonder if it’s the canary in the WHL’s coal mine.
James Shewaga, the sports editor of the Brandon Sun, has a column in today’s newspaper that looks at the Wheat Kings’ season-ticket numbers to this point.
As he wrote the piece on Thursday, the Wheat Kings had sold 2,284 season tickets. Last season, they had 2,973 season-ticket holders. Do the math and you realize that they are down 689.
Kelly McCrimmon, the Wheat Kings’ owner and general manager, told Shewaga that “at this point, I’m not concerned.”
McCrimmon also said that if they don’t get to 3,000 season tickets, “I would be very disappointed.”
And he should be disappointed because the Wheat Kings have iced a competitive product for a number of years now, and this season promises to be no different.
Later in the column, a quote from McCrimmon practically jumped off the computer screen.
“The reality in the Western Hockey League,” McCrimmon told Shewaga, “is expenses are growing at a much higher rate than our revenues, and that’s a fact.”
Think about that for a moment.
If you’re in business and your expenses are out-pacing your revenues, you are in a spot of trouble. And if you aren’t able to turn the tide, you soon are out of business.
While there are WHL teams out there that are believed to be making a goodly pile of money, there are others that aren’t.
The Lethbridge Hurricanes have lost more than $1 million over the last two seasons, including $602,000 in 2011-12.
The Swift Current Broncos have lost in the neighbourhood of $800,000 on their hockey operation in each of the last two seasons. For 2010-11, that number was $882,587. However, off-ice fund-raising, along with corporate sponsorship and suites, left the deficit at $197,226.
For 2009-10, the loss suffered by the hockey operation was $820,688. However, again, money from such things as corporate sponsorships, suites and the World Junior Championship cut the overall deficit to $58,927.
How long will those teams be able to continue to work as hard as they do just to survive?
Or will the WHL have to implement some form of revenue sharing just to enable some of its franchises to survive?
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There was some movement on the WHL’s 20-year-old front on Thursday.
The Kelowna Rockets added two 20s to their lineup, acquiring F Dylen McKinlay from the Kootenay Ice and claiming J.T. Burnett off waivers from the Everett Silvertips.
The Rockets gave up a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft for McKinlay.
McKinlay had 39 points, including 15 goals, and 37 penalty minutes in 66 games with the Ice last season. Before that, he played three seasons with Chilliwack Bruins.
Barnett was dealt by the Kamloops Blazers to Everett early last season, but got into only 20 regular-season games with the Silvertips thanks to a knee injury. He had 12 points in those 20 games and later returned in the playoffs.
The Rockets went into the day with one 20-year-old on their roster — D Mitchell Chapman — and finished with three.
When all was said and done, the Ice was left with four 20-year-olds — F Drew Czerwonka, D Joey Leach, F Brock Montgomery and F Elgin Pearce.
Everett’s roster features three 20s — F Cody Fowlie, F Ryan Harrison and D Landon Oslanski, the latter having been claimed off waivers from the Lethbridge Hurricanes last month. Harrison is back skating after being out with mononucleosis. He will miss the first four games of the regular season with a supension left over from last season.
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The Victoria Royals have dealt D Kade Pilton, 18, to the Regina Pats for F Demico Hannoun, 17, and a conditional third-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft. . . . Pilton had 13 points and 52 penalty minutes in 43 games with the Royals last season. The 6-foot-5, 186-pounder was a second-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft. . . . Pilton was selected by the Chilliwack Bruins in the second round of the 2009 bantam draft. Regina head coach Pat Conacher was an assistant coach with the Bruins in 2010-11 so has some familiarity with Pilton. . . . Hannoun played last season with the BCHL’s Surrey Eagles, putting up 26 points in 49 games. Regina selected him in the ninth round of the 2010 bantam draft.
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JUST NOTES: The Medicine Hat Tigers have assigned F Rhyse Dieno, 19, to the SJHL’s La Ronge IceWolves. He had 11 points in 50 games with the Tigers last season. . . . F Kohl Baum of the Everett Silvertips, who had off-season shoulder surgery, is expected to see some game action this weekend. . . . D Mathew Dumba of the Red Deer Rebels has a walking boot on one foot after suffering a sprained ankle in practice this week. The Rebels expect him to be ready to start the season next weekend. . . . The Saskatoon Blades will hold out as many as six players from games this weekend. F Ryan Graham (back), F Shane McGolgan (knee), G Alex Moodie (hamstring) and D Dalton Thrower (groin) won’t play, while F Matej Stransky (foot) and F Lukas Sutter (shoulder) also are hurting. . . .
D Christos Zinis, an eighth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft, has signed with the Moose Jaw Warriors. Zinis, from Broomfield, Colo., played last season with the major bantam Colorado Thunderbirds. News of his signing was tweeted by Turning Point Sports Management. . . . It turns out that the Red Deer Rebels surrendered a fifth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft for F Wyatt Johnson, 17, who had been in camp with the Vancouver Giants. . . . F Colton Sissons of the Kelowna Rockets has signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the NHL’s Nashville Predators. Sissons, 19, was a second-round pick by the Predators in the NHL’s 2012 draft. He had 41 points, including 26 goals, in 58 games with the Rockets last season. . . . F Connor Rankin of the Tri-City Americans is expected to sit out this weekend after taking a stick to the mouth last weekend. He lost one tooth and ended up needing caps on three others.
———
F Tyler Redenbach, who won the WHL’s 2003-04 scoring title while with the Swift Current Broncos, got his SM-liiga season off to quite a start Thursday as he helped HIFK to a 7-3 victory over Jokerit. Redenbach drew four assists in the victory, with linemate Ville Peltonen scoring three times and adding an assist.
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Ken Dryden has worked in the NHL as a player and a front-office guy. In the latter role, as president of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Dryden was involved in high-level meetings during which he would have watched NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in action. Today’s Globe and Mail contains this piece, written by Dryden, that pretty much sums up the state of the NHL today.


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The Red Deer Rebels will be wearing special jerseys on Saturday
when they meet the visiting Calgary Hitmen.

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Jakub Sindel (Brandon, 2004-05) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Ässät Pori (Finland, SM-Liiga). He had two assists in five games with Kloten (Switzerland, NL A), one goal in 21 games with Dinamo Riga (Latvia, KHL), and three assists in 11 games with Kärpät Oulu (Finland, SM-Liiga) this season. . . .
F Jan Fadrny (Brandon, Kelowna, 1998-2001) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Martin (Slovakia, Extraliga). He had 13 goals and 25 assists in 26 games for Königsbrunn (Germany, Regionalliga) this season. . . .
F Brad Schell (Spokane, 1999-2004) was released by Dornbirn (Austria, Nationalliga). He had 18 goals and 32 assists in 27 games for Dornbirn this season. Schell was released to open a import roster slot for former NHL and AHL F Scott Barney. . . .
D Ross Lupaschuk (Lethbridge, Prince Albert, Red Deer, 1996-2001) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Jokerit Helsinki (Finland, SM-Liiga). He had 10 goals and 17 assists in 38 games with the Vienna Capitals (Austria, Erste Bank Liga) this season. . . .
F Kyle Bruce (Kamloops, Prince Albert, Vancouver, 1999-2004) signed a contract for the rest of this season with the Dundee Stars (Scotland, UK Elite). He had two goals and 11 assists in 26 games with the Braehead Clan (Scotland, UK Elite) this season. . . .
F Kirill Starkov (Red Deer, 2006-07) signed a contract for the rest of this season with SønderjyskE Vojens (Denmark, AL-Bank Liga). He had three goals and 12 assists in 39 games with Rögle (Sweden, Allsvenskan) this season. . . .
D Jason Beckett (Seattle, 1997-2000) was released Monday by Kallinge/Rommeby (Sweden, Division 1). He had two goals and three assists in 32 games with Kallinge/Ronneby this season. . . . On Tuesday, Beckett signed a contract for the rest of this season with Västervik (Sweden, Division 2). . . .
F Jaroslav Kristek (Tri-City, 1998-2000) was assigned on loan by Lev Poprad (Slovakia, KHL) to Kosice (Slovakia, Extraliga) for the rest of this season. He had eight goals and six assists in 36 games for Lev this season. . . .
G Tyler Plante (Brandon, 2003-07) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Djurgården Stockholm (Sweden, Elitserien). He started the season with the San Antonio Rampage (AHL), playing two games with a 3.14 GAA and a .899 save percentage. Plante also appeared in four games with the Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL), registering a 2.65 GAA and a .896 save percentage. After being released by Florida Panthers, he signed on with Mora (Sweden, Allsvenskan). There, he had a 3.00 GAA and a .899 save percentage in six games. . . .
F Milan Kytnar (Kelowna, Saskatoon, Vancouver, 2007-10) was assigned on loan by the Edmonton Oilers to HPK Hämeenlinna (Finland, SM-Liiga) for the rest of this season. He had one goal and two assists in 13 games with the Oklahoma City Barons (AHL), five goals and three assists in 14 games with the Stockton Thunder (ECHL) and was pointless in one game with the Oilers this season.
———
ASK THE COMMISSIONER:
Why does the WHL not shut down for the CHL Top Prospects Game? Your ticket buyers are denied watching a number of your best players over the Christmas/New Year season because of the various international assignments. So why not shut down for three days while the TPG and its skills competition are being held and give the ticket-buying public a break?
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THE COACHING GAME:
Lonny Bohonos (Moose Jaw, Seattle, Portland, 1991-94) is the new head coach of the Thunder Bay North Stars of the junior A Superior International league. Bohonos was named interim head coach following the firing of Todd Howarth. . . . Howarth stepped down, citing personal reasons. He had been the head coach since 2002-03. . . . Bohonos, who is from Winnipeg, has lived in Thunder Bay since 2006, where he has coached in the Thunder Bay Kings organization. . . . The North Stars are 22-15-5 and in third place.
———
JUST NOTES:
The Red Deer Rebels have hooked up with Finning Canada for a Saturday promotion to benefit KidSport in Central Alberta. The Rebels will wear special sweaters for Saturday’s game against the visiting Calgary Hitmen. The sweaters will be part of a silent auction to be held during the game. . . . According to a Rebels’ news release: “The silent auction will begin when the doors open at 6:30 p.m. It will conclude, at the latest, by the end of the first period intermission. There will be a limit of one jersey per fan, and each jersey will have a ‘buy now’ price. After the game, each player will sign his jersey before presenting it to the person who made the successful bid.” . . .
The Saskatoon Blades have added D Nelson Nogier, 15, to their lineup for tonight’s game against the visiting Swift Current Broncos. Nogier, the son of former WHL G Pat Nogier, is from Saskatoon and plays for the midget AAA Contacts. Nelson was a fourth-round selection in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . The Blades are without F Lukas Sutter and D Dalton Thrower, both of whom are at the Top Prospects Game in Kelowna, D Matt Pufahl (ankle) and F Travis McEvoy (concussion). . . . McEvoy and Pufahl both were injured in fights during a game on Saturday. Pufahl broke an ankle and has had surgery. He is expected to be out up to eight weeks. . . .
The Blades also have added former D Curtis Leschyshyn to their coaching staff. He will help out for the next couple of weeks with Jerome Engele away until the middle of February. . . .
The Portland Winterhawks will induct Brent Peterson, a former player and coach, into their Hall of Fame on Friday, prior to a game against the visiting Everett Silvertips. The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 6:45 p.m. . . . The Winterhawks will be looking to extend their franchise-record home-ice winning streak to 19 games. The Silvertips are coming off a doubleheader sweep in Prince George.
Doug Harrison of CBC Sports has done up an interesting feature on Sherry Bassin, the general manager of the OHL’s Erie Otters. You may check it out right here. If you do, pay particular attention to the sidebar in which Bassin talks about the importance of delegating wisely.
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I really don’t know why it took until now for me to stumble upon a blog that is titled The Agents of Change. But I did happen upon it and it’s definitely worth your checking out. Written by long-time agent Ritch Winter, there is lots of food for thought here.
———
The Detroit Red Wings will play the Flames in Calgary tonight. Prior to the game, the Flames will honour the memory of Brad McCrimmon, who played for both teams. McCrimmon, who played for the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings and coached the Saskatoon Blades, was killed when a plane carrying the KHL’s Lokomotiv Yaroslavl club crashed on Sept. 7.
There’s more right here.
And if you haven't yet made a donation and got your Love for Lokomotiv bracelet, skip on over to right here and get it done.


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More coaching news . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Jaroslav Kristek (Tri-City, 1998-2000) signed a one year contract with Lev Poprad (Slovakia, KHL). He had 14 goals and 32 assists in 55 games for Kosice (Slovakia, Extraliga) last season.
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CAMP NOTES: F Jessey Astles of the Kelowna Rockets will attend the Pittsburgh Penguins’ development camp this month and also will be in their rookie camp in Oshawa, Ont., in September. Astles, 18, had six points and 129 penalty minutes in 59 games as a sophomore last season. . . . F Thomas Frazee, who finished up his WHL career with the Kamloops Blazers, will attend the Washington Capitals’ development camp later this month, as will F Taylor Stefishen of the Prince George Cougars. Stefishen also completed his junior eligibility last season. . . . Frazee had 72 points in 70 games as he split the season between the Regina Pats (33 games, 37 points) and Kamloops (37 games, 35 points). . . . Stefishen was a fifth-round selection of the Nashville Predators in the NHL’s 2008 draft but never signed. He left Ohio State to join the Cougars prior to last season and put up 67 points, including 24 goals, in 68 games. . . . F Dylan Willick of the Blazers had 24 goals last season, not 21 as was referenced here yesterday. He will attend the Minnesota Wild’s development camp.
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THE COACHING GAME: Steve Spott, the GM/head coach of the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers, has signed an extension that carries him through the 2017-18 season. Spott, 43, has been with the Rangers since 2002-03 when he came on board as assistant GM/associate coach. He has been GM/head coach since the summer of 2008. The Rangers are 106-77-21 in three seasons with Spott at the helm. . . . Brian Munz of CJOB Radio in Winnipeg reported Monday afternoon that Keith McCambridge (Swift Current, Kamloops, 1991-95) is expected to be named as the next head coach of the AHL team in St. John’s, Nfld., which doesn’t yet have a nickname. It is the relocated Manitoba Moose franchise and is affiliated with the Winnipeg Jets. McCambridge has been an assistant with the Moose for the last two seasons after he spent two seasons as head coach of the ECHL’s Alaska Aces. . . . Tim Wharnsby of CBC Sports tweeted late Monday night that John Torchetti, an associate coach with the Atlanta Thrashers last season, is expected to be named the head coach of the AHL’s Houston Aeros. He would replace Mike Yeo, now the head coach of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild.
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Former Spokane Chiefs F Mitch Wahl missed almost all of last season with a concussion. He’s back on skates now and in the Calgary Flames’ development camp. Steve MacFarlane of the Calgary has that story right here.

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