Winterhawks notebook: Former goalie Burke returns to face old team

Goalie Brendan Burke, who has helped the Calgary Hitman close in on the Central Division lead, returns to Portland on Wednesday to face the team that traded him to Calgary on Jan. 6.

Burke is 7-1-0-1 and has given up only 18 goals in nine games for Calgary. He came up big in a pair of weekend wins over division-leading Medicine Hat.

Around the rink

This week: Host Vancouver, 7 p.m. Friday (Memorial Coliseum); host Lethbridge, 7 p.m. Saturday (Memorial Coliseum); at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m. Tuesday; host Calgary, 7 p.m. Wednesday (Memorial Coliseum).

Last week: Beat Tri-City 7-1; won at Tri-City 5-1.

Where they stand: At 33-20-1-3, the Winterhawks are second in the U.S. Division. Their 70 points are six behind first-place Everett. Both have 15 regular-season games remaining. Third-place Seattle is five points behind Portland.

Prospects sign: Winterhawks signed 15-year-old defensemen Jake Hobson and Jackson Caller, both 2014 Bantam Draft picks.

Leipsic traded: Former Winterhawk Brendan Leipsic was traded this week from Nashville to Toronto in a swap that sent Maple Leafs veterans Cody Franson and Mike Santorelli to the surging Nasville Predators. Leipsic is fourth among American Hockey League rookies with seven goals and 35 points for Milwaukee is expected to finish this season with the AHL Toronto Marlies.

Free hockey clinics: On Saturday kids ages 4-9 can try hockey for free at Mountain View Ice Arena in Vancouver. The introductory clinic is scheduled for 8:30 to 9:45 a.m. To learn more, contact Jason Hirt at 360-896.8700 ext. 24, or at jasonhirt@gmail.com. Winterhawks Skating Center in Beaverton is hosting a clinic from 9:50 to 10:50 a.m.