Taking Note

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Zdenek Blatny (Seattle, Kootenay, 1998-2001) signed a one-year contract with the Graz 99ers (Austria, Erste Bank Liga) after a successful tryout. He had two goals nad four assists in six games with the Hannover Indians (Germany 2.Bundesliga) and one goal and 10 assists n 16 games with Kosice and Dukla Trencin (both Slovakia, Extraliga) last season.
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JUST NOTES: G Brendan Jensen of the Vancouver Giants will attend rookie camp with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. Jensen, an 18-year-old from El Granada, Calif., will go into Giants’ camp as the favourite to emerge as the club’s starter. . . . The Giants have been hoping to have Finnish G Jonathan Iilahti as their starter. However, Iilahti, a sixth-round draft pick by the Canucks in 2010, will play in Finland again this season. . . .  Mark Segal, who split time with Jensen last season with the Giants, won’t be back for his 20-year-old season. He plans on attending McGill U in Montreal and playing for the Redmen. . . . The Swift Current Broncos have signed D Brycen Martin, the second overall selection in the 2011 bantam draft. From Calgary, Martin played for the Calgary Bisons of the Alberta major bantam league last season, putting up 42 points in 31 games. The Broncos have signed their first four selections from the 2011 draft. . . . The Regina Pats have signed their first two selections from the 2011 bantam draft. F Adam Brooks of Winnipeg was taken 25th overall, while F Dane Schioler, also from Winnipeg, was taken with the 36th pick. Brooks had 111 points in 40 games with the bantam AAA Winnipeg Hawks. Schioler, whose father Dave played for the Winnipeg Monarchs (1976-77), played on a line with Brooks and put up 77 points. . . .
Cory Cameron is the Kootenay Ice’s new athletic therapist. Cameron, from Revelstoke, B.C., has spent six years as a rehabilitation consultant with Crash Conditioning in Calgary. He has WHL experience with the Vancouver Giants (trainer, 2006-09) and Calgary Hitmen (assistant trainer, 2004-06). . . . Don Clark is the new president of the Lethbridge Hurricanes’ board of directors. Clark was elected Tuesday as the new board held its first meeting. He replaces Brian MmcNaughton, who wasn’t re-elected at last week’s annual general meeting. Also on the new board are Brian Wichers (vice-president), Adele Barrington, Herb Beswick, Rick Braden, Brad Cook, Auke Elzinga, Dick Gibson, Randy Joevenazzo, John Koliaska, George McCrea, Dave Olson, Duane Ptycia, Kelly Shigehiro, Pat Shimbashi and Jim Whittaker. . . . The U of Calgary Dinos announced Wednesday that they have received commitments from three former WHL players. G Jacob DeSerres (Seattle, Brandon, 2007-10) is from Calgary. He played last season for the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs, who won the Memorial Cup. He will compete for playing time with two other ex-WHLers, Dustin Butler and Kris Lazaruk. Also attending the U of Calgary will be F Dylan Hood (Kelowna, Moose Jaw, 2006-11), who had 83 points in 71 games with Moose Jaw last season, and F Thomas Frazee (Portland, Medicine Hat, Moose Jaw, Regina, Kamloops), who had 71 points in 70 games split between Regina and Kamloops.
Sophomore F Brayden Cuthbert is in camp with the Moose Jaw Warriors and will skate but won’t take part in scrimmages. He hasn’t yet received medical clearance as he recovers from a concussion suffered on Jan. 22. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald also reports that the Warriors are looking at F Markus McCrea, 19, who played the last three seasons with the Everett Silvertips and F Sean Aschim, 19, who played with the Prince Albert Raiders and Kelowna Rockets in 2009-10 and with the SJHL’s Melfort Mustangs last season. . . . Slovakian D Filip Vasko has arrived in Kelowna and will be in camp with the Rockets. Vasko, 17, was selected by the Rockets in the 2011 CHL import draft. He will be one of 160 players in the Rockets’ rookie camp. . . . Stu Ballantyne, who resigned earlier this month as the Vancouver Giants’ chief operating officer, now is the chief executive officer of the 2015 Canada Winter Games, which are to be held in Prince George. The Games are scheduled for Feb. 12 through March 1. . . . The Everett Silvertips have their two new imports — Slovakian F Vladimir Dolnik and German D Dominik Bittner — are in town and ready for camp. . . . The Red Deer Rebels have welcomed Czech G Patrik Bartosak to town. He was picked in the 2011 import draft. It turns out he is a nephew of former NHLer Radek Bonk.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Former NHL D Mark Hardy, 52, has joined the ECHL’s Ontario Reign as an assistant coach. He’ll work with head coach Jason Christie, who left the Central league’s Bloomington Blaze earlier in the week to sign with the Reign.
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Jane Sims of the London Free Press was in court on Wednesday where she witnessed the sentencing of a former hockey player with a long history of mental illness. Her story is right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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