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.

———



 

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.


There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Mike Wirll (Brandon, Prince Albert, Prince George, Lethbridge, 1997-2003) signed a contract for the rest of this season with the Braehead Clan (Scotland, UK Elite). He had two assists in six games for the Carstairs Redhawks (Alberta, Chinook Senior) this season. . . .
G Todd Ford (Swift Current, Prince George, Vancouver, 2000-04) was released at his request for personal reasons by the Heilbronner Falken (Germany, 2.Bundesliga). He had a 2.76 GAA in 31 games for the Falcons this season. Ford went out in style, getting the shutout in Heilbronn's 4-0 victory over Ravensburg on Sunday evening. . . .
F Jakub Sindel (Brandon, 2004-05) agreed to extend his tryout contract with Kärpät Oulu (Finland, SM-Liiga) for another week, which includes three games. It was set to expire Sunday. He has three assists in eight games with Kärpät. Earlier this season, Sindel had two assists in five games with Kloten (Switzerland, NL A) before breaking his jaw, and one goal in 21 games with Dinamo Riga (Latvia, KHL). Sindel has some roots in Finland. He has played in Finland two of the past three seasons and he spent five years as a child in Finland while his father, G Jaromir Sindel, played in SM-Liiga.
———
The Kootenay Ice left Cranbrook on Monday, headed for Regina and a Wednesday night engagement with the Pats.
As of late Monday night/early Tuesday morning, the Ice was sitting in the parking lot of a grocery store in Sparwood, B.C., waiting for Highway 3 to reopen.
Such is life in the WHL.
“Exactly,” tweeted Ice G Mackenzie Skapski. “Anything can happen. They are obstacles you have to overcome.”
———
Three players from the UBC Thunderbirds, each with ties to the WHL, will join assistant coach Tyler Kuntz and assorted other UBC hockey alumni in the Ride to Conquer Cancer.
That ride will take them from Vancouver to Seattle on June 16 and 17.
Each of the riders is hoping to raise $2,500 for the cause.
F Scott Wasden (Medicine Hat, Kamloops, 2004-09), F Justin McCrae (Saskatoon, Spokane, 2003-09) and F Wyatt Hamilton, whose brother Wacey played in the WHL, will take part in the ride.
Wasden and Hamilton are in their third years at UBC and both are in the Sauder School of Business. McCrae also is in his third year; he is enrolled in kinesiology. When he done his undergraduate degree, he plans to attend law school.
If you are interested in more info on the Thunderbirds, who are coached by old friend Milan Dragicevic, check out Kuntz’s blog right here.
———
Brent Stecker of the Wenatchee World reports that USA Hockey has blocked a proposed move by the NAHL’s Wenatchee Wild to the BCHL. Stecker’s story is right here.
———
Ryan Johansen could still be with the Portland Winterhawks. Instead, he is with the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, who are hoping he will become the franchise centre they have long needed..
Corey Masisak of NHL.com has more right here.
———
MONDAY’S GAMES:
In Spokane, F Seth Swenson scored twice as the Seattle Thunderbirds stunned the Chiefs, 3-2. . . . Seattle ended a seven-game losing streak. . . . Swenson was in the penalty  box when F Justin Hickman scored shorthanded at 14:36 of the third period, breaking a 2-2 tie. . . . Swenson, who has three goals this season, had tied the game at 11:35 of the third. . . . Swenson was acquired a week ago from the Portland Winterhawks in a deal that had F Marcel Noebels and two first-round bantam draft picks to the other way. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 31 shots, 10 more than Spokane’s Mac Engel. . . .  The season series now is 1-1 with six games remaining. . . .

In Portland, the Winterhawks set a franchise record as they beat the Tri-City Americans, 5-1. . . . This was the Winterhawks’ 17th straight victory on home ice, erasing the record set in 1993-94. . . . Portland F Oliver Gabriel enjoyed the first three-goal game of his career, In fact, he broke a 1-1 tie with the game’s next three goals. . . . The Winterhawks won their 30th game of the season. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie scored his WHL-leading 40th goal of the season. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth leads the WHL with 28 victories. He has won nine straight starts. . . . Tri-City leads the season series, 5-1-0. . . . Portland had F Sven Baertschi back in the lineup for the first time since Dec. 16. He picked up a concussion while playing for Switzerland at the World Junior Championship. He had one assist in his first game back. He was back with Rattie and they had Cam Reid at centre. . . . The Americans were without F Brendan Shinnimin, who served a one-game suspension for an accumulation of embellishment penalties. . . . You don’t get suspended for an accumulation of charging penalties or high-sticking penalties or tripping penalties or interference penalties. But you get suspended for too many embellishment penalties? What is wrong with this picture? . . . The Americans will play their fifth game in seven days when they are at home tonight to the Seattle Thunderbirds, who have lost 19 in a row at the Toyota Center. . . . The Americans have won their last 13 home games.
———
MONDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Tyler Wotherspoon, Portland.

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.