Anaheim Ducks prospect Luca Sbisa is back with the Western Hockey League's Lethbridge Hurricanes, but the jury is out for just how long.

Sbisa, a defenseman, was assigned to the Alberta-based junior club by the Ducks last Monday, but didn't immediately report to the club. He did, however, return to suit up for the team on Friday, picking up an assist in his return against the Seattle Thunderbirds.

Sbisa has played 47 NHL games, the majority with the Philadelphia Flyers before being dealt to the Ducks along with Joffrey Lupul in the Chris Pronger trade. He had no points and a minus-one rating in eight games for the Ducks this season. He had seven assists in 39 games with the Flyers last season. At 19 years of age, he was ineligible to be sent to the AHL or ECHL.

Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle said that the move had been discussed for two weeks, and the club felt it "couldn't continually keep him (playing) 10-12 minutes a night. It wouldn't be beneficial the way our team was playing."

"We felt he wouldn't garner those minutes here in the next while, so we made a decision based on what's best for the player in the long term," Carlyle said.

Sbisa has been a force on the blue line for Lethbridge. In 80 regular season games he scored 10 goals and has 38 assists, with a plus-15 plus/minus rating. In 30 WHL playoff games he has five goals and 18 points, and led all WHL defencemen in scoring in the 2008 playoffs.

How much longer he will continue to be in the Lethbridge lineup, however, is a topic of discussion around the WHL. The Regina Leader Post reported last week that Sbisa's agent, Andre Rufner, made it known that he would like to see Lethbridge trade his client to another WHL team. The paper says Rufner has allegedly been trying to facilitate a swap. However, Hurricanes head coach and GM Rich Preston says he wants Sbisa in the club's lineup and isn't interested in trading the Swiss-born player, who was drafted 19th overall by the Flyers in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

The WHL has announced its lineups for the 2009 Subway Super Series against the Russians. Thirty-three players were named to the WHL roster for two games against the Russians in late November. NHL prospects for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, including Brett Connolly, Curtis Hamilton, Quinton Howden, Calvin Pickard and Mark Pysyk, will compete in the series along with four first-round draft picks from the 2009: Brayden Schenn, Scott Glennie, Jared Cowen and Carter Ashton. Forward Jordan Eberle and defenseman Colten Teubert represent returning players from Team Canada's 2009 gold medal-winning team. Both were selected in the first round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. ... The WHL's Calgary Hitmen are ranked the top team in the Canadian Hockey League. ... Brandon Kozun of the Calgary Hitmen was the Boston Pizza WHL Player of the Week ending Oct. 26. Kozun picked up nine points, scoring three goals and six assists, to go with a plus-four rating, in four games over the prior week, helping the Hitmen post a 4-0 record in that span. ... The Kelowna Rockets are missing a key piece of their Memorial Cup finalist squad from last season. Tyler Myers will not return to the club and will remain with the Buffalo Sabres for the season. He makes the move after playing three full seasons with the Rockets, as well as a handful of games as a 15-year-old. Last year he led the team to the CHL's Memorial Cup final, scoring 20 points in 22 playoff games. ... Landon Ferraro, the 18-year-old son of former NHLer Ray Ferraro, returned to action Oct. 30, after being sidelined with a knee injury since Sept. 30. The Red Deer Rebels player has played six games this season, tallying a goal and two assists. Ferraro, a 5-foot-11, 165-pound center, was the Detroit Red Wings' second pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft , 32^nd overall in the second round.

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