F Tyler Redenbach (Prince George, Swift Current, Lethbridge, 2001-05) signed a contract for the rest of this season with HIFK Helsinki (Finland, SM-Liiga), one day after his release by Olten
(Switzerland, NL B). He had six goals and 15 assists in 23 games with Olten this season and one goal in three games of the European Trophy Finals while on loan to Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). . . .
F Justin Mapletoft (Red Deer, 1996-2001) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Basel (Switzerland, NL B) after a successful tryout. He had three assists in five games for Basel during the tryout. Earlier this season, Mapletoft had six assists in 14 games for the Schwenninger Wild Wings (Germany, 2.Bundesliga) and one goal and two assists in two games with Sierre (Switzerland, NL B).
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The Kamloops Blazers have decided not to discipline F Ryan Hanes, 19, who was involved in an altercation in Cactus Jack’s Saloon, a downtown bar, on Dec. 23.
“This incident occurred on the player’s own time and was not related to any team activity,” reads a news release issued by the team on Thursday.
“We have concluded that Ryan was a victim of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. The Club will take no disciplinary action. Ryan will be out of our lineup with an upper body injury for a yet to be determined time.”
The Blazers left Thursday for Prince George, where they are to play the Cougars tonight and Saturday. Hanes didn’t make the trip. He is shown on the WHL injury list as being out “week to week” with an “upper body injury.”
Meanwhile, the junior B Kamloops Storm, which plays in the Kootenay International league, doesn’t appear prepared to discipline F Colton De Frias, its leading scorer.
Kamloops This Week reported Thursday that De Frias, 20, is facing a charge of assault causing bodily harm after he was involved in an altercation in the downtown area on Oct. 23. The incident apparently happened in front of a bar.
Barry Dewar, the Storm’s owner and GM, told the newspaper that De Frias hasn’t been disciplined because “it was a non-team activity.”
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It sounds like F Charles Inglis is pleased to be out of Prince George.
“Prince George is not a great place to play,” Inglis, 19, tells Greg Meachem, the sports editor of the Red Deer Advocate. “I wasn’t treated very well there and I know other guys aren’t treated very well there considering the amount of traveling they do and how far away they are from everybody. (Red Deer) is a very, very professional organization compared to there and it’s the kind of atmosphere I want to be in.”
The Cougars dealt Inglis to the Rebels on Dec. 29 for F Daulton Siwak and a third-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. The Cougars had acquired him from the Saskatoon Blades early in the 2010-11 season for a second-round pick.
The Blades traded him to the Cougars, saying he had broken team rules. The Cougars say the same thing happened with them. They sent Inglis home on Dec. 3 to await a trade.
Interestingly, the Cougars are scheduled to play in Red Deer on Jan. 21, while the Rebels will be Prince George on Feb. 15.
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There has been no comment from the Victoria Royals after D Jesse Pauls, 19, announced his retirement Wednesday morning.
Pauls played in a 9-4 loss to the visiting Calgary Hitmen on Tuesday, then informed Marc Habscheid, the general manager and head coach, the next morning that he was done.
Contacted by the Victoria Times Colonist on Wednesday night, the newspaper reported that “Habscheid refused to comment on Pauls' departure.”
The newspaper reported Thursday night that “the team made no official comment on the reason for Pauls’ retirement. Pauls declined comment.”
Pauls, who missed a lot of last season with a badly broken leg, had 12 points in 26 games this season.
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The Red Deer Rebels have released F Josh Cowen, 20, but are keeping him with the team as an assistant coach.
The Rebels had to make a move because, with players coming off the injury list, they found themselves with four 20-year-olds, one over the allowable limit.
This move leaves them with G Deven Dubyk, D Justin Weller and D Aaron Borejko.
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The Edmonton Oil Kings announced Thursday what had been known for a couple of days — “U.S.-born Henrik Samuelsson will join the team from Modo in the Swedish Elite League.”
Samuelsson, who is eligible for the 2012 NHL draft, is expected to join the Oil Kings on Monday. He is the son of former NHL D Ulf Samuelsson, who now coaches with Modo.
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The Everett Silvertips have assigned F Teal Burns to an undisclosed BCHL team. The Nanaimo Clippers hold his BCHL rights. Burns, 19, had four assists in six games with the Prince Albert Raiders this season. Since being acquired by Everett, he had three points in 15 games. . . . He also has played with the Portland Winterhawks and Vancouver Giants over the last two seasons. . . .
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The Saskatoon Blades are expected to go back to G Alex Moodie, 16, tonight when they meet the Pats in Regina. With starter Andrey Makarov playing for Russia at the World Junior Championship, the Blades brought in Moodie from the MJHL’s Winnipeg Saints to support Adam Todd. . . . Moodie is 2-1-0, 3.60, .882 in his first three starts. . . .
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Jack Blatherwick, a columnist at Let’s Play Hockey (letsplayhockey.com), has posted an interesting column.
In it, he writes that it’s time to start playing hockey the way it is meant to be played — by the rules.
“It is time for a New Year’s resolution: Stop the violence, the venomous trash talk by all of us and the intimidation of referees,” he writes. “Reduce the reliance on physical intimidation, and increase the skills. ELIMINATE ALL CHECKING AGAINST THE BOARDS.
“You can ride the opponent into the boards if you achieve body position first, but you cannot hit the opponent into the boards. Referees would not have to decide which hit from behind is legal and which is not. THERE IS NO LEGAL HIT INTO THE BOARDS.
“We agree with those who say, ‘It’s a physical game.’ However, the limits are defined in the rulebook. Let’s put everyone in the same competitive starting blocks by using the book, not the unwritten macho code, which basically leaves the interpretation of ‘physical’ to each individual or each coach.”
The complete column, and it’s great food for thought, is right here.
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F Taylor Peters of the Portland Winterhawks has been quite a story in that neck of the woods ever since he and his billets’ son ventured out on kayaks in the dark of night to rescue a couple of other kayakers.
There are video reports from Portland TV stations right here and right here and right here.
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Brian Burke, the man who runs the Toronto Maple Leafs, held a news conference Thursday at which he lamented having to assign tough guy Colton Orr to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.
Damien Cox of the Toronto Star was there and he opines right here.
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Jeff Blair of The Globe and Mail was at the same press conference. His take on it is right here.
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If you saw any of Burke's news conference on TV, perhaps you're thinking like I am that it's time for him to ditch the tie altogether. Hey, we get the fact that you don't like to wear a tie. So don't wear one!
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F Tyler Johnson of the Spokane Chiefs is the Husky WHL player of the month for December. He had 22 points in 12 games. . . . Drew Owsley of the Tri-City Americans is the Vaughn WHL goaltender of the month. He was 6-2 with a 1.75 GAA and a .945 save percentage. . . . The WHL hammered F Josh Cowen of the Red Deer Rebels with an eight-game suspension on Tuesday. Cowen was disciplined for sucker-punching Saskatoon Blades D Stefan Elliott in a 7-3 loss in Saskatoon on Jan. 1. . . . 
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