THE MacBETH REPORT:
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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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Tyler Redenbach (Prince George, Swift Current, Lethbridge, 2001-05) will be loaned to Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga) by Olten (Switzerland, NL B) for the European Trophy finals. Redenbach has four goals and 14 assists in 20 games for Olten this season. Red Bull have five players playing with the Austrian national team during the finals, so the club needs some reinforcements. The European Trophy is a tournament featuring 24 teams from six European countries. It started in August with group play and the top eight advanced to the finals, which run Dec. 16-18 in Salzburg and Vienna. . . .
F Justin Mapletoft (Red Deer, 1996-2001) signed a tryout contract with Basel (Switzerland, NL B). He had six assists in 14 games with Schwenninger Wild Wings (Germany, 2.Bundesliga) and one goal and two assists in two games with Sierre (Switzerland, NL B) earlier this season. No contract terms were released by Basel.
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David Branch, the president of the Canadian Hockey League and the commissioner of the OHL, is major junior hockey’s visionary.
It is a role that once was filled by Ed Chynoweth, when he was the head of the CHL and running the WHL. Chynoweth was terrific at looking into the future and choosing the direction in which his league should travel.
Now it is Branch who is showing a knack for prescience.
It is Branch who, as the head of the OHL, first began cracking down on headshots and using the lengthy suspension as a deterrent.
Now, he says, the day is coming when hockey will move to ban fighting.
In a piece written by Michael Traikos of the National Post, Branch talks of ejecting players who fight.
“I think, practically, that’s really the only rule you could have,” Branch told Traikos. “And then you may choose going forward to increase the sanctions if you become a habitual fighter. There’s such a changing attitude. If you had brought that up 20 years ago, (team owners and general managers) would have shook their heads. Now, there’s more and more people saying, ‘How can we get there?’ And it’s coming.”
Traikos has presented an intriguing column, and it’s right here.
Branch, among other things, says hockey doesn’t need fighting to sell tickets.
He also points out:
“You look at the Memorial Cup; there’s no fights. You look at the world junior championships; you don’t have any fighting there. And I really believe attitudes have been changing and continue to change and there’s a steady, natural evolution away from it. The time will come where it will be deemed to be totally unacceptable and that will reduce it further.”
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Let us not forget that almost two years have passed since Don Sanderson, a player with the senior Whitby, Ont., Dunlops, died after falling to the ice and hitting his helmetless head on the ice during a fight.
Sanderson was injured on Dec. 14, 2008, and was in a coma before dieing in a Hamilton hospital on Jan. 2, 2009.
At the time, David Branch was quoted by CBC as saying:
"All of us that are in positions to exercise some influence have an obligation to challenge as to what we can do to hopefully not see something like this occur again.”
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If you have ever wondered how fighting came to be a part of hockey, well, check out this piece right here by Jeff Z. Klein of The New York Times.
Perhaps the most relevant paragraph in that piece is this quote from Adam Proteau of The Hockey News:
“You can no more ban fighting in hockey than in any other sport. But you can punish it more appropriately, starting with a game misconduct and ejection for any fight, and a sliding scale of fines/suspensions for repeat offenders.”
Proteau is the author of the newly published book Fighting the Good Fight: Why On-Ice Violence Is Killing Hockey.
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F Eric Walker of the Vancouver Giants has had charges he was facing dismissed in Marquette County District Court in Michigan.
Walker, then a student-athlete at Northern Michigan University, and six other hockey players were charged in conjunction with some stolen bicycles on campus.
The case was heard on Tuesday, with four of the players pleading no contest.
Charges against Walker, 18, who left school and joined the Giantgs before the case reached court, F Dylan Walchuk, a 19-year-old from McBride, B.C., and F Ryan Aynsley, 21, of Kelowna were dismissed.
According to The North Wind, the NMU campus newspaper, “Walchuk and Aynsley were originally charged with receiving and concealing property under $200. Walker was originally charged with receiving and concealing property valued at more than $200 but less than $1,000.”
The other four players pleaded no contest and are to be sentenced on Tuesday.
The North Wind has more right here.
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Former Portland Winterhawks player and coach Brent Peterson has been fighting Parkinson’s Disease and underwent deep brain stimulation earlier in the week. KATU-TV has the story right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The OHL’s Saginaw Spirit has fired GM/head coach Todd Watson and brought in Greg Gilbert as head coach. At the time of the change, the Spirit was 11-17-0 and six points out of the playoffs, despite a roster that includes seven NHL draft selections. . . . Jim Paliafito, the Spirit’s assistant GM and director of scouting, takes over as GM. . . . Gilbert spent three seasons (2003-06) as head coach of the OHL’s Mississauga IceDogs. Most recently, the was fired by the AHL’s Adirondack Phantoms during the 2010-11 season. . . . Watson signed on as head coach for 2007-08 and was 154-115-33, plus 12-18 in the playoffs.
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Head on over to Small Thoughts at Large (link on the right) for a look at the number of WHL players who could miss regular-season games between now and early January. As usual, Alan Caldwell has done a bang-up job of keeping track of the Christmas absentees.
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In Moose Jaw, F Kenton Miller scored twice to help the Warriors to a 4-1 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Miller has 10 goals this season. . . . The Rockets, who trailed 3-0 in the second period, were burned for four PP goals as the Warriors went 4-for-7. . . . The Rockets are 0-1-1 on their East Division swing. . . .

In Swift Current, F Tim Bozon scored two goals and added two assists to help the Kamloops Blazers open their East Division trek with a 5-4 victory over the Broncos. . . . Bozon, from Switzerland, is in his freshman season. He has 28 points, including 13 goals, in 30 games. . . . F J.C. Lipon, who is from Regina, had two goals, giving him 12, and an assist for Kamloops. He has 12 goals and 18 assists in 30 games. Last season, he finished with three and 18 in 65 games. . . . Swift Current F Adam Lowry scored the Teddy Bear goal and added three assists. . . . F Taylor Vause scored twice for the Broncos, giving him 20. . . . Kamloops G Cole Cheveldave stopped 32 shots and preserved the victory with a blocker save on Lowry in the game’s dying moments. . . . Kamloops won its eighth straight game, something it hadn’t done since 2006-07. . . . The Broncos had their three-game winning streak end. . . .

In Saskatoon, the Blades erased a 2-0 second-period deficit and beat the Regina Pats, 4-2. . . . F Michael Burns pulled the Blades even at 4:07 of the third period — he has 13 goals; he score 15 all of last season — and F Matej Stransky broke the tie at 18:08. He has 15 goals. . . . Saskatoon G Andrej Makarov stopped 40 shots. . . .

In Edmonton, the Oil Kings ran their winning streak to nine games as they dropped the Prince Albert Raiders, 5-3. . . . Edmonton got four assists from F Dylan Wruck, while F T.J. Foster had two goals. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry stopped 34 shots. . . . Edmonton F Tyler Maxwell had a goal and an assist. In eight games since being acquired from the Everett Silvertips, Maxwell, 20, has 15 points and is plus-14. . . .

In Medicine Hat, the defending-champion Kootenay Ice ended a four-game losing skid with a 3-2 victory over the Tigers. . . . F Drew Czerwonka broke a 2-2 tie at 15:16 of the third period. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 31 shots, one fewer than Medicine Hat’s Kenny Cameron. . . . Tigers F Emerson Etem had the Teddy Bear goal, his 29th score this season. . . . Ice D John Neibrandt scored his first goal of the season. It came in his 32nd game. Last season, his first in the WHL, he had one goal in 65 games. . . .

In Everett, the Tri-City Americans scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Silvertips, 5-1. . . . Tri-City F Patrick Holland enjoyed his second career three-goal game. He has 10 goals this season. . . . The Silvertips have lost nine in a row, the longest losing streak in franchise history. . . . F Adam Hughesman had a goal, his 22nd, and an assist for the Americans, who got 21 saves from G Eric Comrie. . . . Hughesman, with 286 career points, moved past F Dylan Gyori and into fifth place on the Americans’ career list. . . . Everett F Cody Fowlie took a checking-from-behind majorat 17:14 of the third period. . . . The Ameicans have won four in a row on the road and five straight overall. . . . The Americans are at home to the Portland Winterhawks tonight. . . .

In Vancouver, F Jaimen Yakubowski broke a 1-1 tie on a second-period penalty shot and the Lethbridge Hurricanes went on to a 4-2 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Yakubowski scored on the penalty shot at 2:29 of the second, then added his sixth goal of the season at 4:38. . . . Lethbridge went 1-2 on a brief trip into the B.C. Division. . . . The Hurricanes hadn’t beaten Vancouver in seven years, a span of 12 games. . . .

In Spokane, D Cody Carlson’s shootout goal gave the Prince George Cougars a 4-3 victory over the Chiefs. . . . The shootout went four rounds, with Carlson the last shooter. His goal won it, 2-1. . . . The Chiefs scored the game’s first three goals and took that lead into the third period. . . . The Cougars tied it on Carlson’s PP goal at 16:12. . . . D Jason Fram got the Teddy Bear goal, his second score this season. . . . Cougars F Campbell Elynuik drew a ‘tbd’ suspension for boarding major Friday night in 1-0 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash. . . .

In Kent, Wash., F Colin Jacobs, the sixth shooter, scored the lone goal of the shootout as the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Victoria Royals, 4-3. . . . Seattle had scored the first three goals of the game, with the Royals getting the last three, all on third period PPs. D Hayden Rintoul tied it at 6:18. . . . The three goals came in a span of 2:19. . . . Seattle F Tyler Alos and Jacobs each scored their first goals of the season. Jacobs was playing only his second game after returning from an undisclosed injury. . . . Victoria F Taylor Crunk was ejected with a cross-checking major at 8:59 of the second period. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 35 shots, two more than Victoria’s Keith Hamilton.
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Logan McVeigh, Kamloops.
F Cody Fowlie, Everett (major).
F Tyler Alos, Seattle.
F Carter Proft, Spokane.
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For today’s good read, we turn to a piece penned by Peter King of Sports Illustrated, but involved a number of SI staff members.
If you have ever wondered what life after football is really like, check this out right here.
It’s about the 1986 Cincinnati Bengals and the condition the players are in today. 

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Justin Mapletoft (Red Deer, 1996-2001) signed a contract through Nov. 30 with Sierre (Switzerland, NL B). He had six assists in 14 games this season for the Schwenninger Wild Wings (Germany, 2.Bundesliga) prior to his release last week. Sierre signed Mapletoft as an injury replacement for former OHL F Lee Jinman.
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In Calgary, F Lukas Sutter scored two goals, including the winner, as the Saskatoon Blades dumped the Hitmen, 6-5. . . . Sutter broke a 5-5 tie at 8:58 of the third period as the Blades won their seventh straight game. . . . Sutter, an 18-year-old from Lethbridge, now has 21 points, including eight goals, in 24 games. Last season, he finished with 19 points, four of them goals, in 71 games. . . . Calgary F Jimmy Bubnick had a goal and two assists. He has 183 points in 285 career regular-season games. . . . Saskatoon G Andrey Makarov stopped 41 shots. He leads the WHL with 15 victories. . . . The Blades, with 35 points, lead the overall standings, one point ahead of the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . .

In Vancouver, the defending-champion Kootenay Ice got big nights from the Reinhart boys and beat the Giants, 4-1. . . . F Sam Reinhart, 16, had a goal and three assists, and older brother Max, 18, had a goal and two helpers. The Reinhart boys are from Vancouver. . . . Sam has 14 points in 23 games; Max has 25 points in 20 games. . . . The Giants had won six in a row going into this one. . . . The Ice is 2-0 on what is the start of a nine-game road swing. It opened with an 8-3 victory over the Victoria Royals on Saturday night and continues on Tuesday in Prince George against the Cougars. . . . D Eric Walker, who has left Northern Michigan U and joined the Giants, didn’t play. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 33 shots in improving his record to 11-4-3. He has a 1.82 GAA and a .936 save percentage. . . . Vancouver opens its six-game East Division swing on Friday in Prince Albert. . . .

In Moose Jaw, F Paul Ciarelli scored at 1:40 of OT as the Brandon Wheat Kings beat the Warriors, 7-6. . . . Brandon F Alessio Bertaggia tied the score at 6-6 when he scored on a penalty shot at 10:39 of the third. He finished with two goals, giving him 11. . . . The Warriors took a 6-3 lead into the third period. Trailing 3-2, they seemingly took control by scoring four times in a span of 4:07 in the second period. . . . One night earlier, Brandon had coughed up a 4-0 lead in losing 5-4 to the Broncos in Swift Current. . . . Last night, Brandon F Mark Stone had a goal and three assists. He leads the WHL scoring race, with 54 points in 25 games. He has an eight-point lead on F Emerson Etem of the Medicine Hat Tigers, who has played two fewer games. . . . F Andrew Johnson had two goals and two assists for the Warriors. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pulock left the game early in the second period after being checked from behind by Moose Jaw F Tanner Eberle, who was given a major and game misconduct. . . .
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SUNDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT
F Tanner Eberle, Moose Jaw (major)
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JUST NOTES: When G Calvin Pickard of the Seattle Thunderbirds blanked the visiting Tri-City Americans 3-0 on Friday, it was the first shutout in the league since Oct. 29. On that night, Tyler Bunz of the Medicine Hat Tigers and Patrik Bartosak of the Red Deer Rebels both pitched shutouts. . . . There have been only 15 shutouts in the WHL this season. . . .
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Joe O’Connor of the National Post spent some time at a special breakfast the other day. Among the guests was Jim McKenny, who has been sober for 25 years but has a son on the streets. That piece is right here.
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David Shoalts of The Globe and Mail knows the NHL will be celebrating the return of Sidney Crosby today. But, as he points out, this isn’t the end of the concussion problems. The last three paragraphs of this piece are especially interesting because they deal with how much concussions might be down in the NHL this season.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Dan DaSilva (Portland, 2002-05) was released by mutual agreement by Lev Poprad (Slovakia, KHL). He had one assist in 15 games this season with Poprad. . . .
F Justin Mapletoft (Red Deer, 1996-2001) was released by the Schwenninger Wild Wings (Germany, 2.Bundesliga). He had six assists in 14 games for the Wild Wings this season. . . .
After the first day of his tryout, F Lynn Loyns (Spokane, 1997-2001) has signed a contract  with the DEG Metro Stars Dusseldorf (Germany, DEL) for the rest of this  season. Loyns had one goal and one assist in nine games with Villach (Austria, Erste Bank Liga) this season. Last season, he had six goals and 11 assists in 21 games for Val Pusteria (Italy, Serie A). . . .
D Darrell Hay (Tri-City, 1996-2000) has rejoined Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic, Extraliga) after being released last week by Liberec (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had one goal in 20 games for Liberec this season. Last season, Hay had five goals and 10 assists in 52 games for Mlada Boleslav. The contract is for the remainder of this season. . . .
Joining Hay in Mlada Boleslav is F Andrej Podkonicky (Portland,  1996-98). Podkonicky was assigned on loan to Mlada Boleslav for the rest of the season by Kometa Brno (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had three goals and three assists in 16 games with Brno this season. Podkonicky was with Liberec last season, getting nine goals and 19 assists in 52 games for the club. . . .
F Patrik Valcak (Lethbridge, Kelowna, 2003-04) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Nitra (Slovakia, Extraliga) after his release by Trinec (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had no points in eight games with Trinec this season. Valcak had four goals and 15 assists in 23 games for Olofström (Sweden, Division 1) last season.
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Reports on Wednesday night — the first of which I think came from Mark Stepneski of ESPNDallas.com — indicate that the NHL’s board of governors has approved Tom Gaglardi, the majority owner of the Kamloops Blazers, as the new owner of the Dallas Stars.
The board, which isn’t scheduled to meet until early next month, apparently held a fax vote and Gaglardi’s ownership was approved.
Next up is a hearing in bankruptcy court in Delaware on Friday morning. The sale of the franchise is expected to be granted approval there.
That being the case, the Stars are expected to hold a news conference on Monday at which Gaglardi will be introduced as the owner.
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Remember the song Needles and Pins, by The Searchers. If it isn’t already, you have to wonder if it is a favourite song of F Branden Troock of the Seattle Thunderbirds.
Jim Riley, who covers the Thunderbirds on a freelance basis for the Seattle Times, has written an interesting piece on Troock and how acupuncture is helping him overcome a problem with headaches. It is especially interesting when you realize that Troock was thought to have been suffering with post-concussion syndrome. It turned out to be a neck problem that, as Seattle athletic therapist Phil Varney told Riley, “was mimicking concussion symptoms.”
That story is right here.
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JUST NOTES: Congratulations to head coach Mike Williamson of the Calgary Hitmen, who got his 300th coaching victory Sunday. Williamson, in his third season with the Hitmen, also was head coach of the Portland Winterhawks; in fact, his first 219 regular-season victories came with Portland. Hitmen team captain Cody Sylvester presented Williamson with the game puck from No. 300 on Wednesday. Williamson is the 19th coach in the WHL history to get to 300. . . . The Prince George Cougars released F Tayler Thompson, 18, on Monday. Thompson had four points in 16 games. He also was minus-15. . . . The Tri-City Americans were working for Habitat for Humanity on Wednesday. Check out the photos right here. . . .
F Brendan Gallagher of the Vancouver Giants signed a three-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday. Gallagher, 19, was a fifth-round selection by Montreal in the 2010 NHL draft. Gallagher has 31 points, including 18 goals, in 18 games with the Giants this season. . . . The Everett Silvertips have signed F Carson Stadnyk, 16, to a WHL contract. Stadnyk, from Saskatoon, was an eight-round selection in the 2010 bantam draft. He is playing with the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts and has 27 points, including 15 goals, in 16 games. . . .
The NBA has cancelled games through Dec. 15, so the Portland Winterhawks have moved a Dec. 2 game against the Everett Silvertips to the Rose Garden. Game time will be 7 p.m. . . . Everett has assigned F Michael Bell, 16, to a BCHL team yet to be determined. He was pointless in 10 games with Everett. . . .
After a long run, Ben Wiebe has stepped aside as governor for the Swift Current Broncos. Wiebe will remain on the board of directors — he has had a chair there since the Broncos returned from Lethbridge in time for the 1986-87 season. He had been the governor for 17 years. Al Stewart is the club’s new governor, with GM/head coach Mark Lamb the alternate governor. Stewart has experience as alternate governor and chairman of the Broncos’ board. As well, Liam Choo-Foo is the new chairman of the board, with Kyle McIntyre the secretary. . . .
G Tyler Bunz of the Medicine Hat Tigers was struck in the head by an errant clearance as he was on the WHL’s bench during a 5-2 victory over the Russians in the Subway Super Series game in Regina on Wednesday night. He left the bench almost immediately and was taken to hospital for tests. There was no news as of late last night. Bunz is scheduled to start tonight Super Series finale in Moose Jaw. . . . However, Bunz did Tweet a note: “Congrats to the boys for the series clinching win! sorry I couldnt cheer you on! Big game by @cpickard1! Your the maaan.” . . .
David La Vaque of the Minneapolis Star Tribune has reported that F Ben Walker, the captain of the high school Edina Hornets, is leaving to sign with the Victoria Royals. The Hornets are coached by former NHL D Curt Giles, who confirmed the move. According to La Vaque: “Walker contributed to the Hornets' Class 2A state title run in 2010. As a junior last season he scored 18 goals and added 14 assists. Known for his speed, the 5-foot-10, 174-pound Walker scored 14 goals and added 13 assists playing 24 games for Team Southwest of the Elite League this fall.” Giles and Marc Habscheid, the Royals’ GM/head coach, were teammates on the NHL’s Minnesota North Stars in the late 1980s.
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SIT DOWN BOYS:
The WHL has suspended F Jesse Mychan for 10 games after he picked up a checking-to-the-head major and game misconduct for a hit on D Jesse Forsberg of the the visiting Prince George Cougars on Saturday. The WHL’s reasons for suspension included Mychan leaving his feet to deliver the hit, Forsberg being injured on the play (he is shown as being out week to week) and that it is Mychan’s third suspension this season. . . . F Charles Inglis of the Cougars drew a one-game suspension for the charging major he picked up for a hit on Everett F Josh Birkholz, who is out day-to-day. . . .
The OHL has issued two more lengthy suspensions, along with one for which it is getting some heat. F Dean Pawlaczyk of the Saginaw Spirit drew a 15-game sentence for a checking-to-the-head major assessed in a game against the Plymouth Whalers on Nov. 6. . . . F Alex O’Neil of the Brampton Battalion got a 10-game suspension for a checking-to-the-head major against the Niagara IceDogs on Nov. 11. . . . F Ryan Rupert of the London Knights got five games for a slashing major he incurred against the Soo Greyhounds on Nov. 11. A lot of observers expected Rupert to draw far more than five games for his violent slash at an opposing player, especially after it resulted in a post-game melee. When all was said and done, the OHL has suspended eight players, including Rupert, for a total of 19 games.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From Theo Fleury, who was in Lloydminster for a fund-raising game:
“Standing outside BP's and some kid asks Ron Duguay if he's Bon Jovi. Best thing I've heard in a longtime. That's funny.”

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

News and notes . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Justin Mapletoft (Red Deer, 1996-2001) signed a one-year contract with the Schwenninger Wild WIngs (Germany, 2.Bundesliga). He had 16 goals and 19 assists in 52 games with the Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL) last season. . . .
D Stepan Novotny (Kelowna, Swift Current, 2008-11) signed a two-year contract with Lev Poprad (Slovakia, KHL) after a successful tryout. He had 22 goals and 18 assists in 58 games with the Broncos last season.
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JUST NOTES: Dan O’Connor is the new radio voice of the Prince George Cougars. A 26-year-old from Tsawwassen, O’Connor takes over from Andy Neal as director of broadcasting and corporate sales. He spent the last four seasons with the SJHL’s Battlefords North Stars. Neal and his family are relocating to Victoria. . . . The Calgary Hitmen have claimed F Kenton Miller, 20, off waivers from the Spokane Chiefs. Miller, from Redvers, Sask., had 28 points, including 10 goals, in 55 games last season. His departure leaves the Chiefs with four 20-year-olds on their roster — D Corbin Baldwin, F Darren Kramer, F Steven Kuhn and F Matt Marantz. The Hitmen also show four 20s on their roster — Miller, along with F Jimmy Bubnick, D Ben Wilson and G Mike Snider. . . .
Former Brandon Wheat Kings G Rick Knickle (1977-80) is the Phoenix Coyotes’ new director of amateur scouting. He replaces Keith Gretzky, who reportedly is to join the scouting staff of the Boston Bruins. The Coyotes also named veteran scout Glen Zacharias as their western amateur scout. . . . The Colorado Avalanche has signed Saskatoon Blades D Duncan Siemens to a three-year contract. The Avs selected Siemens with the 11th pick of the 2011 NHL draft. . . .
The 2012 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game will be held at Prospera Place in Kelowna on Feb. 1, with the skills competition and 3-on-3 challenge on Jan. 31. . . . The Swift Current Broncos have signed F Cavin Leth to a WHL contract. Leth was the 39th overall selection in the 2011 bantam draft. He had 45 points, including 28 goals, and 120 penalty minutes in 32 games with the bantam AAA Lethbridge Val Matteoti Golden Hawks last season. That selection had been acquired by the Broncos from Kootenay in the blockbuster January deal that had F Cody Eakin move to the Ice. . . .
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The Canucks won Game 3, 4-3, on Wednesday, to sweep the three-game Ted Hargraves Cup series with the Bruins at the BC Hockey under-17 camp in Salmon Arm.
F Nick Hermary, with two, F Dexter Dancs and F Nick Petan, with his third goal in three games, scored for the winners. F Austin Ferguson, F Matt Needham and F Brandon Potomak replied for the Bruins.
After the victory, Bruins coach Brandon West, who will work as an assistant with the BCHL’s Westside Warriors this season, was heard to tell his guys: “Congrats boys. You are the only Canucks team to win a trophy.”
The BC Hockey evaluation staff will short-list about 20 players over the next two weeks. Those players will be closely watched and 11 of them will be selected, along with 11 players from Alberta, to play for Team Pacific at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge in Windsor, Ont.
Hockey Canada announced Wednesday that is has moved the 2012 WHC from Winnipeg to the Windsor region. The 10-team event, which features 27 games, is scheduled to run Dec. 29 through Jan. 4. The tournament will be centred in the WFCU Centre, the home of the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires, but games will played throughout the region. With the shifting of the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg, Hockey Canada and True North Sports and Entertainment, the owner of the Jets, felt it best to move the tournament.
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ON THE MOVE: G John Gibson has decided not to attend Michigan and play for the Wolverines, Instead, he is expected to join the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers. Gibson, from Pittsburgh, was selected by the Anaheim Ducks with the 39th pick of the NHL’s 2011 draft. . . . D Connor Murphy, who went 20th overall to the Phoenix Coyotes in that draft, was headed to Miami of Ohio where he would play for the RedHawks. But Murphy, who is from Dublin, Ohio, has changed his mind and now apparently is headed to the OHL’s Sarnia Sting. . . . Earlier in the week, the Saginaw Spirit landed D Jamieson Oleksiak, who was taken 14th overall by the Dallas Stars in 2011, as he left Northeastern University after one year there. . . . There also are reports that Sarnia will be getting F Reid Boucher, a New Jersey Devils’ draft pick (99th overall, 2010). Boucher, from Grand Ledge, Mich., had said he would attend Michigan State in 2012-13. . . . The New York Rangers have signed F J.T. Miller, the 15th pick in the 2011 NHL draft. And, rather than attend the U of North Dakota and play for the Fighting Sioux, he is expected to end up with the OHL’s Plymouth Whalers. Miller was drafted after playing last season with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, so could be assigned by the Rangers to the AHL. It is more likely, however, that he will play for Plymouth.
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The Dallas Stars are one of eight NHL teams who will take part in the annual prospects tournament in Traverse City, Mich. This year’s edition runs from Sept. 10-14.
Included on the Stars roster are a number of players who were in the WHL last season — F Matt Fraser (Kootenay), F Scott Glennie (Brandon), F Cole Grbavac (Medicine Hat), F Matej Stransky (Saskatoon), D Jace Coyle (Medicine Hat), D Brenden Dillon (Seattle) and D Alex Theriau (Medicine Hat). Of that group, Fraser, Coyle and Dillon have used up their junior eligibility.
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John Sharp of the Peoria, Ill., Journal Star reports that Gov. Pat Quinn signed a law Thursday that “helps educate people about concussions while making it harder for student-athletes to slip by and return to the playing field before they are ready.”
Sharp continues: “Quinn signed HB200 during a ceremony at Soldier Field in Chicago. The new law requires athletes to receive written clearance from a licensed health professional before returning from a concussion. It also ensures that student-athletes, parents and coaches are able to identify signs of a concussion through increased education. . . .
“The new law makes a set of guidelines, adopted by the Illinois High School Association in April, mandatory for all elementary, middle, junior high and high schools. Those guidelines specify when a student-athlete can return from a post-concussion injury.”
Sharp’s story is right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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