THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Tomas Polak (Red Deer, 2007-09) was recalled from loan to Most (Czech Republic, 1.Liga) by Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic, Extraliga) and reassigned to Bernousti Medvedi (Czech Republic, 1.Liga). Polak had three assists in 11 games during his assignment to Most. . . .
Bernousti Medvedi has released F Radek Meidl (Seattle, Tri-City, 2006-08) from his try-out contract. Meidl had three goals and two assists in 14 games during his try-out.
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The book that is referenced over there on the right, Sudden Death: The Incredible Saga of the 1986 Swift Current Broncos, has been popping up in various bookstores.
If you are at all interested in it, you may want to know something about Leesa Culp, who was instrumental in bringing this project to fruition.
There is a story on her and her involvement right here.
If you missed it (and one or two of you likely did), I appeared with Bob Stauffer on 630 CHED in Edmonton on Thursday to talk about the book. I was followed on air by former WHLer Peter Soberlak and Brian Costello of The Hockey News. If you visit CHED's website, you will find an archive where you are able to listen to back programming. We were on in the hour from noon to 1 p.m.
I also did an interview with Cam Moon, the radio voice of the Red Deer Rebels, and he plans on playing that during two intermissions of one game on the team’s current road trip.
On top of that, Dan Russell of Sportstalk, the nightly show on Vancouver radio station CKNW, has done a one-hour interview that is to be played one night next week and one more time before Christmas.
I also will be chatting with Pat Siedlecki, the radio voice of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, on his weekly show on Monday evening.
And there are regular appearances with Drew Wilson, the play-by-play voice of the Prince Albert Raiders on CKBI. The most recent of those was last Monday.
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The host team for the 2013 Memorial Cup and a team hoping to be the host in 2016 got together on a deal on Friday.
The Saskatoon Blades, who will play in the 2013 tournament as the host team, acquired F Nathan Burns, 19, from the Vancouver Giants for F Travis McEvoy, 18, a third-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft and a first-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft. (The Brandon Wheat Kings have an option on that selection through a deal in which Saskatoon acquired F Brenden Walker over the summer. The Wheat Kings can flip picks in that first round.)
Burns, from Edmonton, has nine points and 18 penalty minutes in 15 games with the Giants this season. He was in the Blades’ lineup last night when they met the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook. Burns, a seventh-round pick in the 2008 bantam draft, is the younger brother of former Blades F Michael Burns.
McEvoy, from Thorsby, Alta., had 11 points in 64 games last season and had four assists in 13 games with the Blades this season. He is expected to make his Giants debut tonight in Cranbrook against the Ice.
At 6-foot-0 and 210 pounds, McEvoy gives the Giants a big centre, something coveted by head coach Don Hay, especially on a team that began this season rather smallish up front.
The Giants, who lost 5-1 to the Tigers in Medicine Hat on Thursday to fall to 4-11-0, now hold seven selections in the first three rounds of the 2013 bantam draft -- two firsts, two seconds and three thirds — and, of course, two picks in the first-round of the 2014 draft.
While the Giants haven’t made an official announcement, they are expected to bid to play host to the 2016 Memorial Cup tournament. When that happens, you can expect them to be the favourites to win that right.
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The Kootenay Ice have added another veteran forward to its roster. On Friday, the ice acquired F Zach McPhee, 19, from the Everett Silvertips for a conditional seventh-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft. McPhee, who is from Vernon, B.C., had left the Silvertips earlier this season after going pointless in 11 games. Last season, he had 10 points in 34 games.
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Hey, before we look at Friday’s games, if you’re a stats person, zip on over to the QMJHL website and check out its online scoresheets. They include faceoff stats, shots by skaters, and hits. Well, WHL, what are you waiting for?
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Brandon G Corbin Boes stopped 40 shots to help the Wheat Kings to a 3-2 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . F Nick Buonassisi broke a 2-2 tie with his seventh goal at 15:10 of the third period. . . . This was Brandon’s first home game after a seven-game road trip that ended in Prince George on Saturday. . . . Moose Jaw is 1-6-1 on the road now. The Warriors have scored only 14 goals in those games, with 10 of them coming via the PP. . . . F Jordan Messier scored his first goal for the Warriors since being acquired from the Tri-City Americans. He showed up with an undisclosed injury and has played in only five games with Moose Jaw. This was his first game after a five-game absence. In this game, he also took a big hit from Brandon D Ryley Miller. . . . Moose Jaw D Kendall McFaull (flu) sat out and the Warriors lost F Justin Kirsch with an undisclosed injury in the first period. . . . F Ryley Lindgren, who co-leads the Manitoba midget AAA league in scoring with the Winnipeg Thrashers, was in Brandon’s lineup and earned an assist. Lindgren had quite a week. He had a goal and an assist on Wednesday as the Thrashers beat the visiting Kenora Thistles, 6-4. On Thursday night, Lindgren had an assist in helping the MJHL’s Selkirk Steelers to a 4-3 shootout victory over the host Virden Oil Capitals. . . . In three games in three nights in three leagues in three levels, Lindgren had a goal and three assists. . . . A fifth-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft, Lindgren has 18 points in 12 games with the Thrashers. . . .

In Cranbrook, F Shane McColgan’s OT goal gave the Saskatoon Blades a 3-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . McColgan got his fourth goal of the season at 3:06 of extra time. . . . Ice F Erik Benoit forced OT with his third goal at 9:11 of the third period. . . . Saskatoon F Josh Nicholls had two goals, giving him 14, and an assist. . . . F Zach McPhee drew an assist and was plus-1 in his first game with the Ice. . . . . . . F Nathan Burns, acquired by Saskatoon earlier in the day from Vancouver, was pointless in his debut with the Blades. . . . The Blades, who got off to such a shaky start, are 2-0 since returning from a 10-day break in their schedule. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Jay Merkley scored twice as the Hurricanes scored the game’s first four goals and beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 5-2. . . . Merkley has seven goals. . . . Medicine Hat G Cam Lanigan, named the WHL’s goaltender of the month earlier in the week, was gone in the second period after giving up four goals on 28 shots. Marek Langhamer relieved him and stopped 24 of 25 shots. . . . The Hurricanes are 3-0-1 in their last four outings. . . .

The host Prince Albert Raiders erased a 2-0 deficit and beat the Edmonton Oil Kings, 3-2. . . . Edmonton led 2-0 at 14:08 of the second period. . . . Raiders F Jonas Knutsen broke a 2-2 tie with his second goal at 12:33 of the third period. . . . Raiders G Luke Siemens stopped 37 shots. . . . D David Musil was pointless and plus-1 in his debut with the Oil Kings, who acquired him earlier in the week from the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Raiders have won three in a row and lead the East Division by five points over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . The Raiders also lead the Eastern Conference by three points over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . The Oil Kings began a six-game road swing that has them in Swift Current tonight and Kamloops on Tuesday. . . .

F Brooks Macek scored two empty net goals as the Calgary Hitmen beat the Pats 4-1 in Regina. . . . The Pats have lost four in a row. . . . Macek, whose goals both came in the final minute, also had an assist. . . . Calgary G Chris Driedger stopped 30 shots. . . . Macek has nine goals this season. . . .

The host Swift Current Broncos erased a 2-1 deficit with three goals early in the third period and beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 4-3. . . . Swift Current F Graham Black, who scored twice, tied the game 17 seconds into the third and F Adam Lowry and F Chance Lund, who was acquired from Seattle over the summer, scored at 3:48 and 4:25, both goals coming shorthanded on the same Thunderbirds PP. . . . This was the start of Seattle’s six-game East Division swing. . . .

The Kamloops Blazers got shootout goals from F Brendan Ranford and F Cole Ully to beat the visiting Prince George Cougars, 2-1. . . . Kamloops F Matt Needham forced OT with his fourth goal at 1:36 of the third period. . . . D Marc McNulty scored for the Cougars in the second period. I checked and he isn’t related to The Wire’s Jimmy McNulty. . . . The Blazers went 5-1-0 as they played six games over an eight-day stretch. . . . Kamloops F Dylan Willick left in OT with an injury to his right leg after getting caught up in a mess of players during a scramble in the Blazers’ crease. . . . The Kamloops line of JC Lipon, Colin Smith and Tim Bozon have been held pointless for two straight games now. . . .

F Ty Rattie had a goal and two assists to help the Portland Winterhawks beat the visiting Victoria Royals, 6-2. . . . Rattie is on a nine-game point streak, the longest in the WHL at the moment. . . . Rattie now has 22 points in 14 games. . . . F Nic Petan added two goals and an assist for the winners, while D Tyler Wotherspoon had three assists. . . . Petan has 24 points in 15 games. He has points in six straight and that includes five multi-point outings. . . . The Winterhawks have won seven in a row and are 7-0-1 in their last eight outings. . . . The Royals have lost three in a row. . . .

In Spokane, the Red Deer Rebels opened a five-game road trip with a 3-1 victory over the Chiefs. . . . Spokane remains without F Mitch Holmberg, who hasn’t played since taking a headshot on Oct. 26. . . . Red Deer F Turner Elson tied the game 1-1 at 6:19 of the second, via the PP, and F Wyatt Johnson got the winner at 9:35. . . . The goal was Johnson’s first in the WHL and came in his third game. Acquired from Vancouver earlier, he missed the start of the season with a concussion. . . . D Brady Gaudet, acquired from Kamloops last month, got Red Deer’s third goal. . . . Spokane had won its first seven home games. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., F Marcus Strömwall got the winner as the Tri-City Americans beat the Everett Silvertips, 3-2. . . . Strömwall got his seventh goal, on the PP, at 6:59 of the third period to break a 2-2 tie. . . . The Americans, who are 4-0 against Everett this season, had lost their last three games. . . . Tri-City F Justin Feser drew two assists, giving him 150 in his career. That ties him with F Patrick Holland and F Ian McDonald for 12th on the Americans’ career list. . . . D Ryan Murray drew two assists for Everett.
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By the way, 17 of the WHL’s 22 teams are at .500 or better, thanks to the loser point.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Lukas Sutter, Saskatoon
D Macoy Erkamps, Lethbridge
D Cody Corbett, Edmonton
D Richard Nedomlel, Swift Current
F Joel Hamilton, Red Deer

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
D Rinalds Rosinskis, Prince George
F JC Lipon, Kamloops
F Tanner Eberle, Moose Jaw
F Josh Uhrich, Moose Jaw
D Harrison Ruopp, Prince Albert
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From Alan Caldwell (@smallatlarge), the proprietor of the Small Thoughts At Large blog that is linked over there on the right: “Am I the only one who doesn't care about the NHL cancelling the Winter Classic? Sick of these outdoor games. Done to death already.”

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Ryan Kinasewich (Medicine Hat, Tri-City, 1998-2004) was released by mutual agreement by Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had four goals and seven assists in 14 games this season. . . .
F Ashton Rome (Moose Jaw, Red Deer, Kamloops, 2002-06) signed a one-year contract with Dusseldorf (Germany, DEL). He was pointless in five games this season with the Greenville Road Warriors (ECHL). Last season, Rome had 11 goals and nine assists in 66 games with the Portland Pirates (AHL). . . .
F Domenic Pittis (Lethbridge, 1991-94) signed a contract through Nov. 30 with Visp (Switzerland, NL B). He had 12 goals and 19 assists in 49 games with the ZSC Lions Zurich (Switzerland, NL A) last season. . . .
F Martin Hanzal (Red Deer, 2006-07) signed a lockout contract with Ceske Budejovice (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had eight goals and 26 assists in 64 games with the Phoenix Coyotes last season.
F Scott Hartnell (Prince Albert, 1997-2000) has agreed to a lockout contract with KalPa Kuopio (Finland, SM-Liiga). He had 37 goals and 30 assists in 82 games with the Philadelphia Flyers last season. Hartnell’s contract will become effective on Nov. 15 should the NHL lockout still be in effect. Hartnell is one of the owners of KalPa and would join Nashville F Craig Smith on the team. According to the local Kuopio newspaper Savon Sanomat, the agreements with both players are consistent with all NHL locked-out players currently playing in Finland. The players are drawing no salaries; the clubs are providing only travel expenses, local accommodations, and contract insurance premiums. The paper reports that the insurance premiums for Hartnell are about €40,000 per month (US$51,800) and about €10,000 per month (US$12,950) for Smith. . . .
If people are wondering about wages in normal situations in Europe, Swedish player agent Gunnar Svensson told Edmonton Journal reporter Jim Matheson that the three best-paying hockey leagues, in order, are the NHL, the KHL, and Sweden’s Elitserien. He went on to say that top salaries in Elitserien are around $500,000 US per season and the average is about $110,000 US.
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No longer will teams be able to go into the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland and try to run the Winterhawks out of the bandbox. Paul Buker of The Oregonian has the story right here about how the Coliseum now has an NHL-sized ice surface. . . . The first game on the new surface is scheduled for Sunday with the Tri-City Americans playing the Winterhawks.
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The Everett Silvertips have trimmed two 19-year-olds players from their roster. . . . G Cole Holowenko has returned home to await a move, while F Zach McPhee has left the club. . . . According to a news release, McPhee chose to leae “to pursue opportunities outside the major junior level.” . . . Holowenko was acquired from the Prince Albert Raiders, but went 0-2-1, 6.41, .808 and was passed on the depth chart by Austin Lotz and Daniel Cotton. . . . McPhee, who came over from the Tri-City Americans in 2010-11, had 10 points in 49 games with Everett. This season, he was pointless in 11 games. . . .
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Veteran F Drew Czerwonka, 20, has chosen to leave the Kootenay Ice and retire. He had been the team’s captain since the start of last season. . . . In 227 games, Czerwonka, who is from Glenavon, Sask., had 112 points, including 48 goals, and 321 penalty minutes. . . . He was in his fifth season with the Ice, but injuries limited him to 40 games last season. He had four assists in eight games this season. . . . “More or less that he had lost the fire and it's been on his mind for about the past month,” Jeff Chynoweth, the Ice’s president and general manager, told Jeff Holick, the club’s radio voice. “He gave it a lot of thought. He's a very thorough young man and . . . I respect the decision.” . . . For more, check out Holick’s blog over there on the right.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Vancouver, the Giants ended a five-game losing streak with a 4-1 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . The Royals had won the first three games of the season series. . . . The Royals are in Kamloops tonight. . . . The Royals, who had won three in a row, didn’t get even one shot on goal in the first period, the second time this season they have been blanked in one period. It happened in Kamloops in the second period of a 5-2 loss on Oct. 10. . . . F Marek Tvrdon had three goals and an assist for the Giants. . . . Tvrdon, a 31-goal man last season, now has four this time around but he is on a seven-game point streak. . . . F Kale Kessy, 20, played in his first game with Vancouver. He was acquired from the Medicine Hat Tigers while in the midst of a 12-game WHL-issued suspension. . . . G Payton Lee, 16, made his second straight start for Vancouver, this time stopping 13 shots. . . . The Giants left on a road trip right after the game and, according to Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province, Lee wasn’t on the bus. He has returned to the junior B Richmond Sockeyes, leaving the Giants with Liam Liston and Tyler Fuhr as their goaltenders. . . . The Giants were without F Cain Franson, who suffered an injury in a 3-2 loss to the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings on Wednesday. He may have been hurt on a play on which Brandon D Tyler Yaworski was given a headshot major. Yaworski was hit with a ‘tbd’ suspension on Friday morning. . . . Vancouver lost F Thomas Foster with an apparent shoulder injury in the first period. . . . The Giants play in Edmonton on Sunday. . . .

The Everett Silvertips won their fourth straight game, beating the visiting Spokane Chiefs, 6-5. . . . It was Everett’s first home victory of the season. The Silvertips, who entertain the Seattle Thunderbirds tonight, are 1-3-1 at home. . . . F Kohl Bauml had two goals for Everett. . . . D Ben Betker had a goal and an assist, both WHL firsts, for the Silvertips. . . . G Daniel Cotton stopped 29 saves in winning his fourth straight game. . . . The Chiefs trailed 6-2 before scoring the game’s last three goals. . . . According to a Spokane news release, “The Chiefs suffered a further blow when leading scorer Mitch Holmberg took a hit to the head midway through the first period and had to leave the contest.” There were no headshot penalties handed out, according to the online scoresheet. . . . Holmberg has 23 points, including 11 goals, in 14 games. . . .

F Colin Smith had a goal and three assists to help the host Kamloops Blazers to an 8-1 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Smith ran his season-opening point streak to 14 games as the Blazers ran their record to 13-0-1. . . . F JC Lipon, the WHL’s leading point man, had three assists. . . . Kamloops has won 11 straight games. . . . F Dylan Willick and F Tim Bozon had two goals each. . . . Kamloops D Tyler Hansen had a goal and two assists. He was playing in his 199th regular-season game and this was his first three-point outing. . . . Bozon also had an assist, giving the Blazers’ big line a 10-point night. . . . Kamloops F Jordan DePape scored in his return from a shoulder injury that cost him six games. . . . The Wheat Kings are 2-3-1 on a seven-game road trip that ends tonight against the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Blazers are at home tonight to Victoria. The Royals beat the Blazers 4-3 in a shootout on Sept. 28 and that is the lone blemish on Kamloops’ record. . . .

G Brandon Glover stopped 44 shots to help the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 3-1 victory over the visiting Tri-City Americans. . . . Glover stopped 17 shots in the third period when his mates scored twice to break a 1-1 tie. . . . This was the first meeting of the season between the teams. Last season, the Americans lost the first game and then won nine in a row from the Thunderbirds. . . . Seattle F Robert Lipsbergs broke a 1-1 tie with his first WHL goal at 4:12 of the third period. . . . Tri-City had won its last four games in Seattle’s home rink in Kent, Wash. . . . After eight in a row on the road, the Americans are at home to the Spokane Chiefs tonight. . . .

F Colton Sissons scored twice to lead the visiting Kelowna Rockets to a 3-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Sissons recorded his 50th career goal and 100th career point. . . . He’s got eight goals this season. . . . Kelowna F Ryan Olsen came off a three-game suspension to score his club’s other goal. . . . The Rockets play in Edmonton tonight. . . . Red Deer F Wyatt Johnson played his first game of the season. He missed all of the exhibition season and 15 regular-season games with a concussion. . . . The Rebels are at home to the Calgary Hitmen tonight. . . .

F Curtis Valk scored five times and set up another as the Medicine Hat Tigers whipped the host Calgary Hitmen, 10-1. . . . F Hunter Shinkaruk had a goal and four assists for the Tigers. . . . Valk, who has a WHL-leading 14 goals, scored three times in the second period as Medicine Hat took a 7-0 lead. . . . The Tigers scored four PP goals in 10 chances. . . .

The Moose Jaw Warriors scored the games last three goals and beat the host Prince Albert Raiders, 3-2. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Prince Albert. . . . F Dakota Conroy scored his eighth goal since coming to Prince Albert in a swap with the Victoria Royals. . . . Moose Jaw F Brayden Point pulled his side even with two second-period PP goals and F Sam Fioretti got the winner at 13:11 of the third. Fioretti has 12 goals. . . . F Justin Kirsch had three assists for Moose Jaw. . . . The Raiders have lost four of their last five home games. . . . Prince Albert F Tim Vanstone completed a four-game suspension. . . .

The Lethbridge Hurricanes reached the .500 mark with a 6-1 victory over the visiting Regina Pats. . . . The Hurricanes are 7-7-1. . . . G Ty Rimmer, who has started all 15 Lethbridge games, stopped 28 shots. . . . Lethbridge held a 55-29 edge in shots, including 44-13 after two periods. . . . The Swift Current Broncos visit Lethbridge tonight. . . . 

First, the Kootenay Ice lost its captain, then it lost a hockey game. F Drew Czerwonka, 20, announced his retirement prior to the Ice dropping a 5-2 decision to the visiting Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Ice was able to dress only 17 skaters, one under the limit. They also are down to two 20-year-olds and GM Jeff Chynoweth is actively looking for a third. . . . The Ice scored the game’s first goal, with the Broncos then scoring four in a row.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Elliott Peterson, Calgary (twice)
F Henrik Nyberg, Kelowna
D Tyler Bell, Kamloops
F Alex Gogolev, Victoria
F Connor Honey, Seattle

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From Kamloops Blazers F Jordan DePape (@papskos17): “Congrats to my ex-roommate Kurtis Mucha on becoming the first goalie in Canada West hockey history to score a goal tonight. #he’scatching me”
Mucha stopped 18 shots as the U of Alberta Golden Bears scored a 7-1 victory over the host Lethbridge Pronghorns. . . . Mucha was credited with the game’s first goal at 12:40 of the first period when he was the last Alberta player to touch the puck before the Pronghorns scored an own goal with a delayed penalty about to be called on Alberta. 

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The man started clearing the backlog on his desk on Monday.
Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s hanging judge, handed out 11 games in suspensions to six players.
F Justin Kirsch of the Moose Jaw Warriors got hit the hardest. He drew a four-game suspension for a checking-from-behind major against the visiting Swift Current Broncos on Friday. He sat out Saturday’s game in Swift Current so has three games left to serve. Kirsch hit Swift Currrent D Reece Scarlett, who left the ice on a stretcher and is out week-to-week.
D Mathew Dumba of the Red Deer Rebels got a two-game suspension for his headshot on Hitmen F Joe Kornelson in Calgary on Friday. Dumba didn’t play Sunday in Edmonton so has one game left in the suspension.
D Joel Edmundson of the Warriors got hit with two games for fighting off a faceoff against Swift Current on Friday. He, too, has served one game.
F Josh Nicholls of the Saskatoon Blades (charging major) and F Ty Rattie of the Portland Winterhawks (cross-checking major) each got one-game suspensions.
Also drawing a one-game suspension was F Zach McPhee of the Everett Silvertips who drew a game misconduct for an unspecified reason against the visiting Prince George Cougars on Saturday.
Meanwhile, D Kale Kessy of the Medicine Hat Tigers drew a ‘tbd’ suspension for a headshot major and game misconduct in a game against the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes on Saturday. He hit Lethbridge D Ryan Pilon, who left the game and didn’t return.
At the same time, there have yet to be suspensions (or the waiving of penalties) for Moose Jaw F Andrew Johnson (charging major), Lethbridge D Spencer Galbraith (headshot major) and Prince George F Jari Erricson (headshot major).
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The Vancouver Giants dealt F Matt Bellerive to the Red Deer Rebels for a third-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft. Bellerive, a second-round selection by Vancouver in the 2009 draft, left the Giants and requested a trade after being a healthy scratch from two weekend games.
Bellerive, who turns 18 on Dec. 7, had 14 points in 45 games last season.
“He’s a guy who is still a younger player,” Jesse Wallin, Red Deer’s head coach, told Greg Meachem, the sports editor of the Red Deer Advocate. “We feel he has lots of potential to break out yet. He went through two seasons in Vancouver and from what I understand he left the team out of frustration.
“He’s a guy who we hope can find his way with a fresh start, a new environment. He’s a hard-nosed kid who has some ability as well. He was a good scorer at the bantam and midget levels and we’re hoping that with a change of scenery here and a fresh start that he can start to produce and be a guy who can definitely be a top-six forward for us and provide some offence.”
Bellerive is expected to play for the Rebels on Friday against the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers.
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JUST NOTES:
The Prince Albert Raiders lost D Zach Hodder, 19, with an apparent shoulder injury on Saturday. If that’s the case, it’s really too bad as Hodder as a history of shoulder problems. He was the 20th overall selection in t he 2008 bantam draft, taken by the Vancouver Giants. He was never able to find a spot there and then made a brief stop last season in Saskatoon with the Blades. Reports out of Prince Albert had him playing quite well. . . .
The Swift Current Broncos have assigned D Zack Gonek, 16, to the midget AAA St. Albert, Alta., Raiders. Gonek, the 13th overall selection in the 2011 bantam draft, got into five exhibition games with the Broncos and had 13 penalty minutes. He had 21 points and 91 penalty minutes with the midget   AA St. Albert Flyers last season. . . .
D Seth Jones of the Portland Winterhawks and D Cody Corbett of the Edmonton Oil Kings will miss weekend WHL games as they travel to Buffalo to play in Saturday’s All-American Prospect Game. There will be 40 of the top American players in the game, with teams coached by Phil Housley and Rob McClanahan. . . . Corbett is on Team Housley, while Jones is on Team McClanahan. . . .
D Antoine Corbin of the Prince Albert Raiders and F Brendan Ranford of the Kamloops Blazers will be leaving their teams this week and reporting to the training camp of the Hamilton Bulldogs, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens. Both are 20 years of age so are eligible to sign and play in the AHL.
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Dwight Mullins is the new head coach of the ECHL’s Elmira Jackals. Mullins (Lethbridge, Calgary, Saskatoon, 1982-88)) spent the last three seasons as head coach of the Central league’s Allen, Texas, Americans. He lost that job when former NHLers Ed Belfour, Craig Ludwig and Mike Modano became involved in the Allen ownership group and hired Steve Martenson as head coach. . . . In Elmira, Mullins replaces Pat Bingham (Kamloops, New Westminster, 1985-89), who stepped down a couple of weeks ago.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
Mark Cuban (@mcuban), the owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, after watching Monday Night Football from Seattle: “I would love to see what my reaction would be if a Mavs game ended like #MNF. #Expensive #NBAtime”


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