F Roman Tomanek (Calgary, Seattle, 2004-06) was released by Banska Bystrica (Slovakia, Extraliga). He had eight goals and four assists in 23 games for Banska Bystrica this season. Tomanek started the season with Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic, Extraliga), going pointless in seven games. . . .
D Aris Brimanis (Brandon, 1992-93) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Hannover Indians (Germany, 2.Bundesliga). He had six goals and 13 assists in 52 games with the Hannover Scorpions (Germany, DEL) last season.
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WHL TRADE TRACKER (trades made since Dec. 27):
Trades: 3
Players: 9
Draft picks: 3
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The Prince George Cougars dealt F Charles Inglis, 19, to the Red Deer Rebels for F Daulton Siwak and a third-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft.
Inglis had been sent home by the Cougars following a game on Dec. 2 in Kamloops. From what I understand, he was found in violation of a team rule that, while by itself may not have been considered a big deal, was the last straw.
Inglis, selected fourth overall by the Saskatoon Blades in the 2007 bantam draft, has a lot of talent but hasn’t been able to harness it off the ice. He put up 60 points, including 32 goals, in 69 games with the Cougars last season and had 16 points, nine of them goals, in 16 games when he was sent home this season. He has twice attended NHL camps, first with the Phoenix Coyotes and then with the San Jose Sharks.
Siwak, from Olds, Alta., had seven points, including five gaols, in 18 games. He was in his third season with the Rebels.
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The Saskatoon Blades have traded D Devan Fafard, 17, and a seventh-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft to the Red Deer Rebels for D Matthew Pufahl, 18, and F Locke Muller, 18.
Fafard, an eighth-round pick by Saskatoon in the 2009 bantam draft, has two assists and 38 penalty minutes in 23 games. He is from Carlyle, Sask.
Pufahl, who is from Saskatoon, has four points in 30 games. He was a fourth-round pick by Red Deer in the 2008 bantam draft.
Muller, from St. Paul, Alta., has six points in 33 games.
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JUST NOTES:
F Tyrel Seaman of the Brandon Wheat Kings played Wednesday in a 3-2 OT victory over the visiting Regina Pats. It was his first appearance after missing nine games with a concussion. Bruce Luebke, the radio voice of the Wheat Kings, reports that Seaman didn’t practice Thursday. “It appears there may have been a whiplash affect on Seaman after he was on the back end of a domino collision involving defenceman Ryley Miller and Regina forward Jordan Weal,” Luebke reported. . . . It wasn’t known Thursday whether Seaman would be able to play tonight against the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings. . . .
The Calgary Hitmen boarded their bus in Prince George on Thursday at 10 a.m., and headed south to Kamloops where they are to play the Blazers tonight.
Unfortunately, there was a serious accident on the highway and the Hitmen, along with a whole lot of other people, spent a good part of their day just sitting. The Hitmen arrived at Interior Savings Centre in Kamloops just after 7:30 p.m., what normally is about a six-hour drive turned into almost a 10-hour day.
The Cougars, who beat the Hitmen 3-1 on Wednesday, avoided the accident – they actually left after the game and headed for Vancouver, where they are to play the Giants tonight.
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It would appear that Portland Winterhawks F Sven Bartschi, who is playing for Switzerland at the World Junior Chamionship, has a concussion and is out indefinitely. Bartschi was injured when he took a hit in a 4-3 shootout loss to Sweden on Wednesday.
Swiss head coach Manuele Celio has said that he doesn’t expect Bartschi to play today against Latvia and that he isn’t sure when he might play again.
“He got a hit in the (neutral) zone,” Celio told reporters. “He wasn’t prepared for it. He didn’t feel really good after the hit. So now the doctors try to check on him, look at what’s going on in neck, head; could be like a concussion now.”
Bartschi, whose NHL rights belong to the Calgary Flames, has already put up an amazing 54 points, including 42 assists, in 25 games with the Winterhawks. . . .
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A couple of former prominent WHLer signed PTO deals on Thursday. . . . The AHL’s Abbotsford Heat signed F Judd Blackwater, who spent three seasons with the Spokane Chiefs (2005-08). He has 37 points in 31 games with the ECHL’s Las Vegas Wrangers. . . . Meanwhile, the Toronto Marlies have signed D Ray Macias, who played for the Kamloops Blazers (2003-07). The smooth-skating Macias has eight points in 19 games with the ECHL’s Reading Royals. . . .
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The Vancouver Giants have lost D Luke Fenske (hand). He was injured in a 3-1 loss to the Blazers in Kamloops on Wednesday night.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES:
In Prince Albert, F Anthony Bardaro drew two assists in his first game with the Raiders as they beat the Saskatoon Blades, 5-2. . . . The Raiders now have won five in a row to close within six points of a playoff spot. . . . The Blades scored the game’s first two goals before the first period was five minutes old. D Duncan Siemens got the first one, his fifth of the season. That matches his career high. He has five goals in 36 games this season; he had five in 72 last season. . . . The Raiders held their annual Toque Toss (fans throw toques, scarves and mitts) and D Matt Waseylenko, playing in his second WHL game, got the goal. . . . The Raiders took 60 of 106 penalty minutes. . . . Saskatoon has lost five in a row. . . .
In Red Deer, F Tyson Ness had two goals and an assist to lead the Rebels to a 4-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Ness has 11 goals on the season. . . . His 16 points in 35 games are two more than he had in 68 games last season when he had seven goals and seven assists. . . . Both Ice goals came via the PP. . . . D Devan Fafard and F Charles Inglis, both acquired earlier in the day, were in Red Deer’s lineup. . . . Red Deer G Deven Dubyk stopped 31 shots. . . .
In Lethbridge, F Hunter Shinkaruk had a goal and two assists to help the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 4-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Shinkaruk, 17, has 51 points, including 31 goals, in 38 games. Last season, he finished with 42 points, 14 of them goals, in 63 games. . . . The Hurricanes took 58 of 74 penalty minutes. The Tigers, who have won four straight, were assessed two fighting majors and three minors. . . . The Tigers were 2-9 on the PP; the Hurricanes were 0-3. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., F Brendan Shinnimin had three goals and an assist and was plus-4 as his Tri-City Americans beat the Kelowna Rockets, 5-1, for their ninth straight victory. . . . Shinnimin broke open a 1-1 game with back-to-back shorthanded goals at 4:05 and 8:07 of the second period. . . . He added his third goal at 5:11 of the third, giving him a natural hat trick. . . . He has 20 goals now, thanks to his first regular-season three-goal game. This was his 231st game. . . . Tri-City G Ty Rimmer stopped 33 shots. . . .
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In Tecumseh, Ont., F Sam Reinhart (Kootenay) scored twice as Team Pacific scored a 5-2 victory over Team West in the opening game for both teams at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge. . . . Macoy Erkamps (Lethbridge), Morgan Klimchuk (Regina) and Curtis Lazar (Edmonton), the latter into an empty net, also scored for the winners. . . . Nick Zajac (Saskatoon) and Remi Laurencelle replied for Team West. . . . Laurencelle plays for the midget AAA Winnipeg Wild. He was an eighth-round pick by Lethbridge in the WHL’s 2010 bantam draft. . . . Eric Comrie (Tri-City) was in goal for Team Pacific and saw only 14 shots. . . . There were 34 WHL players suited up for the game. . . . G Austin Lotz (Everett) stopped 34 shots for Team West.
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EXTRAS:Greg Wyshynski, over at the Puck Daddy blog, takes a look at the NHL and concussions, and at what the NHL is doing, and perhaps should do, to cut down on them. That piece is right here.
And, yes, there is a lot of talk among hockey people, even at the midget AAA and junior levels, about a need to slow down the game.
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Puck Daddy also has more on the Don Cherry Piano Desk right here. He talks to the guy who came up with the idea and posted it on YouTube.
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