St. Marys Lincolns continue to search for another assistant coach, who will work on the bench along with head coach Jamie Baker and assistant Tim Schultz.
Two men were recently interviewed, but one took an assistant coach’s position with the Wilfrid Laurier University men’s team, and the other decided not to take the job, Lincs’ GM Warren Nye told the Journal Argus.

•Nye said Lincolns would be making a half-dozen cuts on Monday night of this week. “We’ll be cutting down to probably 13 forwards, seven or eight defencemen, and the two goalies,” the GM said.
With six players attending OHL camps this week, coach Baker said he’s keeping a few extra bodies around.
“We expect most will be back, but you never know. They might not make the OHL team, but a team might want to move them to their Tier II (Provincial ‘A’) team.
“It’s a wait-and-see for the next few days, but we pretty much know what we want. Some kids have made it difficult, so we might even carry one or two extra to start the season and then go from there,” he added.
After a workout tonight (Sept. 1) at the PRC, Lincs play their final two pre-season games on the road this weekend.
They play the Siskins Saturday in Waterloo at 3 p.m., and the Sugar Kings Sunday in Elmira at 2 o’clock.

•St. Marys resident Paul Petrie has joined the London Nationals’ coaching staff.
“I run the defence, and all the defensive systems,” he told the newspaper.
Petrie is also on the Elgin-Middlesex ‘AAA’ Major Bantams’ coaching staff along with bench boss Merlin Malinowski and assistants Brenton Kemp and Chad Petrie.
Paul Petrie spent several years on the Lincolns’ coaching staff under Malinowski. Another London coach is former Lincs’ forward Kelly Thomson.

—Nationals, meanwhile, still had 30 players in their camp as of this past weekend. Nats have eight players back from their 2009-10 team, and they dressed four vets in a 6-3 win in Stratford last Friday night.
One veteran, forward Shaun Furlong, is trying out for the UWO Mustangs.
Paul Petrie says Nationals have picked up a high-scoring forward who will make fans take notice this season.
He’s Noah Schwartz, who had 26 goals and 55 points in 54 games a year ago with the Hamilton Tier II Provincial Jr. A team. “He could be the best player in our league,” Petrie says.
The 18-year-old Schwartz is attending Western.

—A couple of Lincolns’ veterans are currently sidelined with injuries and won’t be ready for game action until well into the regular season.
Later this month, Jamie Commerford, 20, is getting a plate removed from his shoulder, which was operated on earlier this year. After three to four weeks of rehab., the big forward from London probably won’t be back in the line-up until November.
Commerford was enjoying his best year in Junior hockey when he suffered a shoulder separation midway through last season. He had 15 goals, including seven on powerplays, and 35 points in 23 games.
Winger Ian McIntosh, meanwhile, won’t be available until January, GM Nye says. The 20-year-old Londoner “blew his knee out” playing ball hockey this summer.
McIntosh had six goals and 22 points in 36 games last winter, but is capable of hitting the 20-goal plateau this season.

—Lincs recently made a trade, acquiring the playing rights to centre Mike Mandarelli, 17, from London Nationals. In return, St. Marys sent winger Tom Jobson’s rights to the Nats.
Jobson, 20, from Glencoe, spent the entire 2008-09 season with the Lincolns, and last year with Mt. Brydges Bulldogs of the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League (SOJHL).
Mandarelli played ‘AAA’ Midget for the Jr. Knights last season.

—Six players, who have been skating with the Lincs, headed to Ontario Hockey League camps this week. They include: Brady Wiffen (Kingston), Scott Coghlin (Peterborough), Jordan Minello (Sarnia), Mike Mandarelli (London), Darren Young (London) and Paul Thompson (Niagara).

—Lincolns are again affiliated with Exeter Hawks of the SOJHL. Hawks went to Game 7 of the SOJHL final last spring, losing 1-0 to Thamesford Trojans.
Exeter started its camp last Thursday night in St. Marys. Hawks have another skate in St. Marys this Thursday.
Calvin Penney, Dillon Drinkwalter, Neil Van De Walle, David Sproat, Nick Tybik and Brent Rae were SMMHA products who skated with Exeter last week.

—Forward Ty Bilcke, of Exeter, younger brother of former Lincs’ defenceman Tim, has signed with Listowel Cyclones of the Midwestern Conference.
Bilcke, 16, a Windsor Spitfires’ draft pick, played for the Huron-Perth Lakers’ Minor Midgets a year ago.
Tim, a rugged blue-liner, spent three seasons in St. Marys.

—Waterloo Siskins have just two returnees—one forward and one defenceman—back from their 2009-10 team, which finished in second place (43-7-1) in the Midwestern Conference, just one point behind Brantford Golden Eagles.
“We’ve got a lot of new faces, and we have a lot of evaluating to do,” Siskins’ assistant coach Mike Payne told the Journal Argus following a pre-season game in St. Marys last Wednesday.
“We’re looking at having a lot of youth and speed this season, but a lot of inexperience as well.”
Payne noted that Waterloo won’t have one 20-year-old in its line-up this year.