THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Todd Dutiaume (Brandon, 1991-94) signed a one-year contract extension as player-head coach with the Fife Flyers (Scotland, UK Elite). He had nine goals and 17 assists in 54 games with the Flyers this season. Dutiaume has been with the Flyers since 1999 and has been the playing head coach since 2005. You can read about it right here and also get a look at Fife’s sweaters. You have to admire a team that has a tartan as part of the sweater, both home and away.

F Scott Wasden (Medicine Hat, Kamloops, 2004-09) signed a one-year contract with Duisburg (Germany, Oberliga). He had 11 goals and five assists in 28 games with the U of British Columbia Thunderbirds (CIS) this season.

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1. Jason Vondersmith of the Portland Tribune takes a look back a the career of Portland Winterhawks sniper Ty Rattie right here. Where does former Winterhawks GM/head coach Ken Hodge rank Rattie in Portland’s history?

2. The Red Deer Rebels have acquired F Lukas Sutter, 20, from the Saskatoon Blades in a deal that comes with some conditions. . . . For starters, the Blades will get a third-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft should Sutter be returned by the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets. . . . The Blades also will get D Kevin Pochuk, 18, or a seventh-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft. The Blades will have to make that choice. . . . Pochuk, from Winnipeg, had five points in 32 games this season. He was a fifth-round selection in the 2010 bantam draft. . . . Sutter played three seasons with the Blades, finishing with 103 points, 45 of them goals, and 520 penalty minutes in 220 games. . . . This season he had 24 points, including 13 goals, and 168 penalty minutes in 72 games. . . . Sutter was a second-round selection by Winnipeg in the NHL’s 2012 draft but hasn’t signed with the Jets. . . . Lukas is a nephew — his father is Rich Sutter — to Brent Sutter, the Rebels’ owner, general manager and head coach. . . .

3. Here’s what Brent Sutter told Greg Meachem, the sports editor of the Red Deer Advocate: “You look at our top nine forwards and it was important to add someone like Lukas to our team,” said Sutter. “Our hockey operations staff sat down and evaluated players in our league who we thought could fit in here with an element that we need, and he was at the top of our list. Yes, there are things that have to happen to get him here and Winnipeg will decide that. That being said, it’s a deal that was worth doing. Lukas should fill a gap in our forward group. If we can get him here, he’ll be a great addition to our team.”

4. Lukas Sutter’s presence leaves the Rebels with five 1993-born players on their rosters, the others being F Rhyse Dieno, F Tyson Ness, D Cody Thiel and G Patrik Bartosak. . . . The Blades, who aleady have traded away three players off the roster that played in the Memorial Cup last month, still have a dozen 1993-born players on their roster, although two of those are imports.

5. Willy Palov of the Halifax Chronicle Herald checks in right here with his opinion of the CHL’s ban on European goaltenders. No, he doesn’t like it, either.

6. The Lethbridge Hurricanes have a new look and a new logo. It all was unveiled at a news conference on Thursday morning. . . . The Hurricanes were forced into the change when they, according to a news release, “were informed by the NHL that they could no longer use their current logo.” It was too similar to the logo that belongs to the Washington Capitals. . . . At the same news conference, the Hurricanes announced a partnership with the Lethbridge Minor Hockey Association. All LMHA rep teams will be nicknamed the Junior Hurricanes and will use the same logo.

7. Austin Madaisky and his family are back in their Surrey, B.C., home for the first time since it was gutted by fire on Aug. 11. . . . Madaisky, who played four seasons in the WHL (Calgary, Kamloops, 2008-12), tweeted: “First time sleeping back in the house since the fire...it sure has come a long way #home”

8. Hockey fans are hoping for the best but fearing the worst as former Edmonton Oil Kings F Kristians Pelss is missing and feared dead in Riga, Latvia. . . . There have been numerous reports of a man believed to be Pelss having jumped from the Stone Bridge and into the Daugava River in Riga. . . . However, a body has yet to be found. . . . The Edmonton Journal has more right here.

9. When Kevin Constantine walked into a news conference to be introduced as the new head coach of the Everett Silvertips, he received a standing ovation. Constantine, 54, is back for a second go-round with the Silvertips, having been the head coach for the first four years of their existence. They won seven playoff series under his guidance; they haven’t won any since his departure. . . . Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald has more right here.


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THE MacBETH REPORT:
Södertälje (Sweden, Allsvenskan) announced that D Jason Strudwick (Kamloops, 1993-1995) has informed the team he has retired from hockey. Strudwick had three goals and six assists in 29 games this season for Södertälje. . . .
F Todd Dutiaume (Brandon, 1991-94) signed a one-year contract extension as player/head coach of Fife Flyers (England, UK Elite). He had four goals and nine assists in 44 games for the Flyers this
season, their first in the UK Elite league. . . . Dutiaume just completed an especially horrible season — his wife, Kelly, 38, who was eight months pregnant with twins, died in late February after suffering a heart attack.
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After the piece that appeared here this week on the retirement of Kelowna Rockets F Max Adolph due to post-concussion syndrome, a former WHL coach sent along an interesting email.
“Sad story but one that is being repeated far too often and don't get reported — unless YOU hear about them!
“Coincidentally, I was in a car accident in mid-April and suffered whiplash/concussion. I was stopped behind a van and and was rear-ended . . . driving me into the van ahead. . . .
“I am feeling lots better, but still going to physio and massage 3-4 times/week for 1.5-2 hours per time to improve my neck mobility. . . .
“I haven't been concussed since I finished playing in the mid-1980s. I had a few doozies and lots more minor bell ringers. Time tends to make one forget how you feel at the time — maybe it is a side effect of the concussions?
“All I know is it sure sucks sitting in a dark room . . . music, voices, loud sounds, certain lights, etc., set me off into brutal headaches (and I never get headaches!), dizziness, nausea! I couldn't even count to 10.
“Pretty sure the WHL would have considered me as having 'an upper body injury!'
“So as passionate as I was prior about fighting, stupid penalties (checking to the head) and the overall declining/complete absence of respect (behaviour reinforced by no penalties or mere slaps on the wrist and hidden as 'upper body injuries' by the WHL) . . . now I am really pissed! Nothing like experiencing a concussion (in an environment where I won't feel pressured to get back; like a young, impressionable kid trying to climb the ladder) to add further passion to my mandate.”
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Drew Wilson, the veteran radio voice of the Prince Albert Raiders, filed an interesting piece to paNOW.ca earlier this week.
“The Prince Albert Raiders,” he writes, “could soon have substantial financial backing from a $1.5 million line of credit. The money is being offered by successful businessman and team Vice President Gord Broda.”
Wilson’s complete story is right here.
Broda is the president of Broda Construction. He also is the father of Joel Broda, who scored more than a few WHL goals with the Tri-City Americans, Moose Jaw Warriors and Calgary Hitmen (2004-10). Joel played this season with the AHL’s Houston Aeros.Anyway . . . Raiders president Dale McFee has told Wilson that the franchise will remain under its community ownership structure. McFee also said that the Raiders, who missed the playoffs this season, may break even on the season.
But when a community-owned and -operated team needs a $1.5-million line of credit as an insurance policy, alarm bells have to go off. After all, there isn’t any kind of expense cap in the WHL and, at least in some organizations, there doesn’t seem to be any desire to spend less money.
As time goes on, then, it is going to be really interesting to see how the small-market teams like the Raiders and Swift Current Broncos are able to survive.
Revenue-sharing anyone?
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JUST NOTES:
A shoutout to Jason Berger, a former equipment manager with the Seattle Thunderbirds who now fills that role with the ECHL’s Florida Everblades. They won the Kelly Cup on Wednesday night. . . .
The OHL’s Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors are no more. The franchise, which changed hands earlier this month, now is known as the Mississauga Steelheads. Landmark Sport Group, under Elliott Kerr, held a name-the-team contest and Steelheads came up a winner. According to a news release, the new nickname is “in reference to the steelhead trout that inhabit the Credit River,” . . . There were more than 1,400 entries, with Hurricanes the runner-up. . . . Logo and colours are to be released later this summer. . . .
The Winnipeg Jets have decided not to sign D Kendall McFaull, the captain of the Moose Jaw Warriors. McFaull, who is heading into his 20-year-old season, was selected by the Atlanta Thrashers in the sixth round of the 2010 draft. The Thrashers, of course, moved to Winnipeg prior to this season. The Jets had until June 1 to sign McFaull. He now will go back into the NHL draft. . . .
The Prince George Cougars have signed F Zach Pochiro, 18, a Las Vegas native who played this season with the NAHL’s Wichita Falls Wildcats. The 6-foot-2, 165-pound Pochiro had 34 points, including 18 goals, and 154 penalty minutes in 52 games with the Wildcats. Interestingly, Cougars owner Rick Brodsky is the majority owner of the Wildcats. Pochiro is the first player to have played for the Wildcats to sign with the Cougars. . . . In 2010-11, Pochiro had 34 points in 31 games with the midget Los Angeles Jr. Kings. . . .
F Chris Wilkie, the son of former WHL D David Wilkie (Seattle, Kamloops, Regina, 1990-94), has committed to the U of North Dakota. Chris was a fourth-round selection by the Victoria Royals in the WHL’s 2011 bantam draft.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints are in the market for an assistant coach after Bobby Kinsella, who also worked as director of scouting, signed on with the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens as an amateur scout working out of Chicago. . . .
The University of Alberta Golden Bears are getting closer to hiring a head coach to replace interim coach Gord Marple, who now is the program’s general manager and assistant coach. . . . On Thursday, the selection committee interviewed Gord Thibodeau, the veteran GM and head coach of the Fort McMurray Oil Barons. . . . There has been speculation that Kris Knoblauch, like Thibodeau a former Golden Bears player, is in the mix but I have been told that is not the case. In fact, with interviews being conducted this week, Knoblauch apparently is visiting family in Saskatchewan. . . . Knoblauch, who just completed his second season as the Ice’s head coach, has a year left on his contract and I was told last night that president/GM Jeff Chynoweth has given him a one-year extension.

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Kootenay, Victoria cut a deal

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Todd Dutiaume (Brandon, 1991-94) signed a one-year contract extension as player-head coach with the Fife Flyers (UK Elite). He had six goals and 12 assists in 14 games for the Flyers last season as they played in the UK Northern Ice Hockey League. . . .
F Igor Valeev (Lethbridge, Saskatoon, Swift Current, 1998-2000) signed a one-year contract with Kazzinc-Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk (Kazakhstan, Russia Vysshaya Liga). He had no goals and three assists in 24 games for Molot-Prikamie Perm (Russia, Russia Vysshaya Liga) and two goals and three assists in nine games with Arystan Temirtau (Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan Vysshaya Liga) last season. . . .
D Darrell Hay (Tri-City, 1996-2000) signed a one-year contract with Liberec (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had five goals and 10 assists in 52 games for Mlada Boleslav (Czech Repoublic, Extraliga) last season. Liberec GM Ctibor Jech: "Last year in Mlada Boleshla, he was one of the best defencemen. After the season, we decided to make him an offer and we are very pleased that he accepted. We expect that in addition to the typical Canadian style, as a right-hander, he will also contribute on the power play." . . .
F Jeremy Boyer (Seattle, Saskatoon, 2005-10) signed a one-year contract with Valence (France, Division 1). He had 42 goals and 45 assists in 50 games with the Humboldt Broncos and Yorkton Terriers (both SJHL) last season.
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The Kootenay Ice, with a glut of potential 20-year-olds on their roster, have made a move to at least partially alleviate that situation. They dealt D Hayden Rintoul, 20, and an undisclosed conditional bantam draft pick to the Victoria Royals for F Dylen McKinlay, 19.
The Ice, the WHL’s reigning champion, still has six 20-year-olds on that roster, but Kootenay isn’t expecting D Brayden McNabb (Buffalo Sabres) or F Cody Eakin (Washington Capitals) to return.
The other four 20s are F Joe Antilla, F Jesse Ismond, G Nathan Lieuwen and D James Martin.
“Victoria wanted a puck-moving d-man and we wanted a forward who could possibly play in our top six,” Jeff Chynoweth, the Ice’s president and general manager, told me via text message. “We have liked him for a long time and inquired about him two years ago.”
McKinlay, from Langley, B.C., is heading into his fourth WHL season. His first three all were with the Chilliwack Bruins. He had a break-through season in 2009-10, with 43 points, including 20 goals, in 72 games. Last season, he struggled with some injuries and finished with 20 points, six of them goals, in 55 games. He also has some sandpaper in his game and you can bet B.C. Division teams won’t be sad to see him in another division.
McKinlay was a seventh-round selection by the Minnesota Wild in the NHL’s 2010 draft but wasn’t made a qualifying offer, so is a free agent.
Rintoul, from Calgary, also is going into his fourth WHL season. He played his first three seasons with the Ice, totalling 93 points, including 19 goals, in 188 regular-season games. Last season, the 6-foot-1, 190-pounder had 26 points, eight of them goals, in 67 games. He had four points in the Ice’s 19-game run to the championship.
The Royals, then in Chilliwack, carried two 20-year-old defencemen — Jeff Einhorn and Brandon Manning — last season, so were looking for some experience on the back end.
Included among eligible 20-year-olds on the Bruins’ season-ending roster were G Braden Gamble, F Curt Gogol and F Robin Soudek.
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Cleeve Dheensaw of the Victoria Times Colonist has more on the trade right here.
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Jeff Hollick, the radio voice of the Ice, reported later Thursday that Kootenay has added Russian F Alex Kuvaev, 18, to its protected list. Kuvaev had 24 points, including 11 goals, with the Lethbridge Hurricanes last season but was dropped by them prior to the CHL’s 2011 import draft.
The Ice won the WHL championship last season with a roster that didn’t include any import players. As well, president/GM Jeff Chynoweth chose not to take part in the import draft for a second straight year.
Asked if Kuvaev would report, Chynoweth told me, again via text: “Don’t know that for sure. All indications are he is, but I have not been able to confirm everything with his new agent.”
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THE COACHING GAME:
Murray Baron, who played 988 regular-season NHL games, has signed on as an assistant coach with the junior B Kamloops Storm of the Kootenay International junior league. Baron, 44, will work alongside new head coach Geoff Smith, who joined the Storm after his contract wasn’t renewed by the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers. . . . Also on the Storm’s coaching staff are Brent Fritz and Brad Priestlay. . . .
Dave King, a one-time head coach of the WHL’s Billings Bighorns, has stepped aside as an assistant coach with the Phoenix Coyotes and has been named the NHL team’s development coach. . . . Jeff Truitt, another former WHL head coach (Kelowna, Moose Jaw) was on the ice helping run the Coyotes’ development camp on Thursday. Truitt was an assistant coach with the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage, which was affiliated with the Coyotes last season but now is hooked up with the Florida Panthers.
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F Brett Connolly of the Prince George Cougars has moved to Toronto and is working with a personal trainer as he tries to shake the injury bug that has plagued him the last two seasons. Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune has that story right here. These days, Connolly, the sixth overall pick in the 2010 NHL draft, is in camp with the Tampa Bay Lightning prospects.
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Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald is reporting that an official announcement is expected Wednesday regarding a new conference for some of the NCAA’s top college hockey schools.
That story is right here.
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Remember the Detroit Red Wings fan who was charged for taking part in the age-old tradition of tossing octopi during the playoffs?
Well, he was back in court on Thursday.
Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo! Sports has the latest on the Puck Daddy blog right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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