ALESSIO BERTAGGIA

It seems there is a second WHL team with a roster that doesn’t include even one player who was acquired via the trade route.
A note from Dave Trimmer of the Spokane Spoksman-Review points out that the Spokane Chiefs are carrying 23 players, with 12 of them acquired in the bantam draft, two in the CHL import draft and nine by being listed.
When the season began, D Bruin McDonald was on the Chiefs’ roster and he had been acquired from the Prince George Cougars. However, he was released early in the season and now is with the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies.
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F C.J. Stretch (Kamloops, 2005-10) is with the ECHL’s Ontario Reign, waiting for the opportunity to get more playing time and working on his defensive play and playing without the puck. There’s more right here.

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Alessio Bertaggia is back in the news (thanks to @ukrainetzd for the tweet). . . . With the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation having released the names of the 28 players it is considering for its national junior team roster, I was interested only in forwards Sven Bartschi and Nino Niederreiter of the Portland Winterhawks. Yes, both of them are on that roster, as expected. . . . But I forgot all about Alessio Bertaggia, who was the subject of some attention in these parts about three months ago. . . . You may recall that it was Bertaggia who somehow, despite not having been selected in the CHL import draft, made his way to Portland and was on the ice during the Winterhawks’ training camp. . . . In the end, the WHL disciplined the Winterhawks, thus ending another colourful chapter in league history, The Saga of Red No. 23. . . . Anyway, Bertaggia is on that 28-player roster. . . .
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Some countries have released national junior team preliminary rosters that include WHL players. . . .
The Czech Republic roster includes Marek Hrbas (Edmonton Oil Kings) and David Musil (Vancouver Giants) among its 13 defencemen. The preliminary roster also features 21 forwards, including Antonin Honejsek (Moose Jaw Warriors), Roman Horak (Chilliwack Bruins) and Robin Soudek (Chilliwack). . . .
Slovakia will open a camp in Bratislava on Monday. The 23-player roster for this camp doesn’t include any WHL players. The Slovaks will trim that number to 15 and open another selection camp in Jamestown, N.Y., on Dec. 16. . . . The Slovaks will add eight CHL players to their roster for that camp, and then will play pre-tournament games against Norway (Dec. 21) and Russia (Dec. 23). . . .
Germany’s preliminary roster includes F Marcel Noebels (Seattle) and F Bernhard Keil (Kamloops). Germany will open a short camp in Fussen on Dec. 15 and then set up shop in Buffalo/Niagara Falls, on Dec. 18. . . .
Finland will open a camp in Vierumaki, Dec. 12-16, before moving to Toronto on Dec. 18. . . .
F Mark Mieritz of the Brandon Wheat Kings will play for Denmark at the IIHF Division 1, Group B U-20 championship in Slovenia, Dec. 12-18. Mieritz, who has six points in 27 games with the Wheat Kings, will play two games this weekend and then leave for home.
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The 2012 World Women’s curling championship will be played in Lethbridge, March 17-25. That will put the Hurricanes on the road as the WHL regular season winds down or early in the first round of the playoffs. You may recall that the World championship was decided in Swift Current last spring, with the Broncos playing first-round ‘home’ games in Regina. . . . The Vancouver Giants and Kamloops Blazers will meet in Whitehorse on Feb. 12. The Whitehorse Star reports that tickets for that game will go on sale Saturday. They’re priced at $30 a pop with a limit of two per customer. . . . Bogdan Rudenko, a former OHL player who bounced around the minor pro leagues for a few years, is facing a murder charge in North Carolina. That story is right here. . . . F Randy McNaught, 20, of the Vancouver Giants had surgery on an ankle Monday. He was injured Oct. 9 during a game in Kamloops. He isn’t expected back before February. He got into only eight games with the Giants, who acquired him from the Saskatoon Blades.
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CH-CH-CHING! Just about missed this one. Kelly Kisio, the general manager of the Calgary Hitmen, was dinged for $500 for “comments to officials following game at Edmonton on Nov. 24.” . . . Not sure what was said or two whom, but the Hitmen were on the short end of a 4-3 count with the Oil Kings.
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SOME TUESDAY GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
There were three games played, all in the homes of Western Conference teams, and Eastern Conference visitors won all three. . . .
In Vancouver, G Adam Morrison’s 23 saves sparked the Saskatoon Blades to a 2-1 victory over the Giants. . . . The Blades were opening a B.C. Division swing that continues tonight in Chilliwack. . . . F Chris Colins, at 18:53 of the first, and F Josh Nicholls, with his 12th on the PP at 6:17 of the second, gave the visitors a 2-0 lead. . . . Vancouver got closer when F Brendan Rowinski, while shorthanded, got his first goal with the Giants at 17:51 of the second. . . . Rowinski had been acquired from the Moose Jaw Warriors earlier in November. . . . The Giants have lost three in a row, meaning head coach Don Hay is stalled at 499 WHL coaching victories. . . . The Giants meet the visiting Calgary Hitmen on Friday night. . . . Attendance was 5,649. . . .
In Kent, Wash., the Medicine Hat Tigers ran their winning streak to eight games with a 3-1 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Tigers, who meet the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick, Wash., tonight, took a 3-0 lead on F Emerson Etem’s 18th goal, shorthanded in the first, and third-period goals from F Hunter Shinkaruk and D Matthew Konan. . . . F Marcel Noebels of Seattle ruined Tyler Bunz’s shutout bid at 12:41 on a penalty shot. Bunz finished with 28 saves, 12 fewer than Calvin Pickard. . . . Medicine Hat F Linden Vey had one assist. He leads the WHL with 48 points, four more than F Brendan Ranford of the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Attendance was 2,726. . . . The Thunderbirds meet the Rockets in Kelowna tonight and then head for Prince George and Friday and Saturday dates with the Cougars. . . .
In Everett, F Kevin King and F Steele Boomer each set up two goals as the Kootenay Ice beat the Silvertips, 3-1. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen made 26 saves. . . . Ice F Max Reinhart broke a 1-1 tie with his 10th goal just 28 seconds into the second period. . . . Ice F Jesse Ismond added insurance with his ninth at 1:15 of the third. . . . Everett F Landon Ferraro (concussion) was back in the lineup for the first time since Nov. 12. He had an assist. . . . Attendance was 3,663. . . .
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TUESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
One minor:
Everett D Rasmus Rissanen
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Jim Kelley lost his battle with pancreatic cancer on Tuesday.
Kelley, 61, is in the Hockey Hall of a Fame, mostly for his work with the Buffalo News. Of late, he wrote for sportsnet.ca and worked for Toronto all-sports radio station The Fan 590. There was a time when he often appeared on Hockey Night in Canada.
Kelley, who always had an opinion, filed a column to sportsnet.ca on Tuesday at 1:30 a.m. It would be his last one.
That column is right here.

Denim and Tweed tonight in 'Toontown

There isn’t any doubt about the game of the night.
On this evening, it’s in Saskatoon where the Blades will be the latest team to try and derail the Portland Winterhawks express.
The Blades are 13-5-1, including 7-1-1 at home.
The Winterhawks have the WHL’s best record (16-2-1) and have won 10 straight games. Portland already has won twice on its East Division swing, beating the Swift Current Broncos 4-2 and the Regina Pats, 5-4 in overtime.
“You’ve got two really good teams and obviously there’s a lot of pride
involved in a game like this,” Lorne Molleken, the Blades’ GM/head coach, told Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. “Our guys have worked
extremely hard leading up to this game but our approach is not going to be
any different than other game.”
Mike Johnston, Portland’s GM/head coach, told Steve Brandon of the Portland Tribune that his guys know this one is special.
"Yeah, they do, for sure," Johnston said. "This is one game they're definitely looking forward to.
"Saskatoon has been a good team for two or three years. A lot of people picked them as the (league) favorite last year, but they didn't make it through. They're well-coached, they've got talent, and I expect to see their best."
Last season, the Blades visited Portland on Jan. 2 and came away with a 6-5 OT victory.
Also tonight, the Blades will be showing off their denim look, with their third jerseys, as they help promote the Professional Bull Riders Canadian Finals that will be held in Saskatoon, Nov. 19-20.
On top of that, Shannon Tweed and Gene Simmons, who are in Saskatoon doing some filming, will be on hand. (By the way, Tweed went to high school in Saskatoon.)
Attendance is expected to be well over 6,000.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors made two trades Thursday.
First, they dealt D Connor Cox, 18, to the Saskatoon Blades, getting back a second-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft. Cox, who is from Lethbridge, had six points in 18 games with the Blades. Two seasons ago, he had four points in 38 games. Last season, he put up 15 points in 42 games. Cox was a fourth-round pick in the 2007 bantam draft.
Later in the day, the Warriors sent F Brendan Rowinski, 20, to the Vancouver Giants for a 2011 third-round draft pick and a sixth-rounder in 2012.
Rowinski, who is from Winnipeg, is just back playing after undergoing offseason knee surgery. His return to the Warriors’ lineup left the club with four 20-year-olds, one over the maximum. The deal leaves the Warriors with G Thomas Heemskerk, F Spencer Edwards and F Dylan Hood as its 20s.
And now the Giants have four 20-year-olds, as Rowinski, who scored 30 goals last season, joins F Craig Cunningham, F Matt MacKay and F Randy McNaught.
McNaught is out with an ankle injury and would appear headed to the injury list. That would free up a spot for Rowinski. The Giants then wouldn’t have to make a decision until two weeks after McNaught’s return from the injury.
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The NHL season really is still in its infancy, but it seems that Willie Desjardins is making an impact. Desjardins, the longtime general manager and head coach of the Medicine Hat Tigers, now is the associate coach with the Dallas Stars. Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News has more right here.
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The Calgary Herald is reporting that F Brett Sutter (Kootenay, Red Deer, 2003-07) was “arrested and charged with assault following an alleged bar fight” on Thursday morning in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Sutter, 23, was charged after an incident outside a bar called American Junkie. He is alleged to have punched a bar patron outside the bar.
Sutter is the son of Calgary GM Darryl Sutter and a nephew of head coach Brent Sutter. Brett, who hasn’t played in a game since Oct. 16, was on the ice for Thursday’s practice.
The Herald story is right here.
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A note from a column written by James Shewaga, the sports editor of the Brandon Sun:
“Friends of Brandonite Ron Popplestone will be holding a Bud, Spud & Steak night Wednesday at Canad Inns for the former Wheat Kings goaltender, who underwent the controversial liberation surgery in Mexico last week to help treat his multiple sclerosis.
“Popplestone, who returned to the Wheat City on Tuesday after the successful surgery, has been feeling much better following the procedure, which helped reduced the numbness and tingling in his hands and face. “Unfortunately, the surgery, which costs between $10,000 and $15,000, is not currently covered by Manitoba Health.
“Wednesday’s event — tickets are $20 and available from Peter Gerlinger, Mike Brolund and Ken Schneider — will serve as a fundraiser, but most importantly will offer a show of support for the Popplestone family.”
Popplestone played his entire WHL career with the Wheat Kings, with the exception of one game.
During the 1979-80 season, Pat Ginnell, then the head coach of the Medicine Hat Tigers, ran out of goaltenders and borrowed Popplestone from the Wheat Kings. Popplestone turned in a 54-save effort in his only appearance with the Tigers who, if memory serves, beat the Regina Pats, 5-4, in overtime.
I also seem to recall the Pats not being too happy with the Tigers’ goaltending arrangement.
Perhaps someone with a better memory than mine can recall the particulars.
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The WHL has added F Brendan Ranford of the Kamloops Blazers to the Team WHL lineup for the Subway Super Series game that is to be played in Kamloops on Nov. 17. Ranford has scored 17 goals in 19 games with the Blazers. . . . Saskatoon Blades G Steven Stanford (concussion) is back practising but won’t play for a few days yet. . . .
In Brandon, the Wheat Kings got two goals from each of F Shayne Wiebe and F Mark Stone and bet the Medicine Hat Tigers 5-2 on Thursday. F Scott Glennie and D Brodie Melnychuk had three assists each for Brandon. . . . F Hunter Shinkaruk had both Medicine Hat goals. . . . The host Chilliwack Bruins went 2-for-11 on the PP in beating the Vancouver Giants, 5-1. . . . Vancouver D Wes Vannieuwenhuizen was ejected with a checking-from-behind major for a second-period hit on Chilliwack F Robin Soudek. Soudek left on a stretcher and was taken to hospital. There was no official word late Thursday night, but he is believed to have checked out OK. A more thorough prognosis should be available today. . . . Vannieuwenhuizen can expect a suspension to be issued, perhaps by Saturday evening when the Giants are scheduled to face the visiting Prince George Cougars. . . . In Calgary, the Kootenay Ice dropped the Hitmen, 4-2. The Ice has won nine of 10, while the Hitmen now have lost 11 in a row. . . . Calgary hasn’t won since it scored a 3-2 OT victory over the Thunderbirds in Seattle on Oct. 16. . . . The Hitmen don’t play until Sunday when they meet, yes, the Ice in Calgary. The Ice plays the Oil Kings in Edmonton on Saturday. . . . For a look at the jerseys the Chilliwack Bruins wore on Thursday, take a trip to right here.
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THURSDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Two minors:
Kootenay D Hayden Rintoul
Medicine Hat F Kale Kessy
One major:
Vancouver D Wes Vannieuwenhuizen

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
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