2013-2014 WHL Central Divison

[Jamie Benn]

1. Edmonton Oil Kings
2. Calgary Hitmen
3. Red Deer Rebels
4. Kootneay Ice
5. Medicine Hat
6. Lethbridge Hurricanes

Edmonton Oil Kings
Overagers: Cody Corbett (D), Stephane Leagult (LW), Riley Keiser (C)
Imports: Mads Eller (C), Edgars Kulda (LW)

Legault - Lazar - Samuelsson
Moroz - Keiser - Kulda
Benson- Eller - Baddock
Ralph - Pollock - Bertolucci
Koep, Walter

Corbett - Mayo
Sautner - Shmoorkoff
Carroll - Irving

Jarry
Dea

Calgary Hitmen
Overagers: Brady Brassart (C), Jaynen Rissling (D), Jesse Zggragen (D), Peter Kosterman (D)
Imports: Pavlo Padakin (RW), Razel Fayleev (Not Sure If He Reports)

Virtanen - Chase - Brassart
Jones - Clayton - Padakin
Fayleev - Brooks - Peterson
Oleksyn - Lang - Calladine
Daraude

Rissling - Helgesen
Zggragen/Kosterman - Thrower
Harmsworth - Thomas
Riddle

Dreidger
Shields

Red Deer Rebels
Overagers: Lukas Sutter (C), Rhyse Deino (LW), Patrick Bartosak (G)
Imports: Dominik Volek (LW), Patrik Bartosak (G)

Volek - Bleackley - Dieno
Bellerive - Musil - Maxwell
Millette - Johnson - Stockl
Mpofu - Feser - Smith
Pawlenchuk, Ferguson, Miller

Fleury - Doetzel
Fafard - Gaudet
Boomgaarden - Strand
MacLachlan

Bartosak
Pouliot
Burman

Kootneay Ice
Overagers: Jagger Dirk (D), Zach McPhee (F), Tanner Muth (D)
Imports: Rinat Vailev (D), Jakub Prochazka (LW)

Descheaneau - Reinhart - Philp
Shirley - Martin - Cable
Prochazka - O'Connor - McPhee
Boyd - Vetterl - Hubic
Elyniuk

Dirk - Muth
Murray - Faith
Thomas - Vailev
Peel, Fildbrant

Skapski
Hoflin

Medicine Hat Tigers
Overagers: Curtis Valk (C), Boston Leier (LW), Dylan Bredo (C)
Imports: Marek Langhamer (G), Markus Eisenschmid (RW)

Shinkaruk - Valk - Koules
Leier - Bredo - Cox
Penner- McVeigh - Eisenschmid Sanford
Labelle - Broadhead - Sanford Butcher
Owre, Butcher

Becker - Lewington
Schultz - Jensen
Staples - Stanton
Forrest, Hunker

Langhamer
Williams/Robidoux

Lethbridge Hurricanes
Overagers: Corbin Boes (G), Brady Ramsay (F), Josh Derko (F)
Imports: Axel Blomqvist (F), Kristians Khenkel (D) (Not sure if reports)

Yakubowski - McKenchie - Watson
Blomqvist - Estephan - Ramsay
Duke - Maxwell - Olynek
Derko - Laurencelle - Harper
Wong, Nemeth, Leverton

Pilon - Erkamps
Hackman - Topping
Henry - Khenkel/Simpson
Sayers, Lenchyshyn

Boes
Tai

Click to read more...

 

[Maverick41]

For Medicine Hat, import Markus Eisenschmid has stated immediately after the import draft that he would head over to North America. So unless the team doesn't want him, he should play for the Tigers this season.

 

[edmontonfan59]

Wow awesome lists!! With Oil Kings at the top of your list do you feel they have enough to stay on top of the Div.?

 

[Tiger Trauma]

I think the Tigers have potential to score 300 goals, and have their best defensive group in a long time. I think they have a lot of depth at every position and have assets to bring in an impact player should they choose to do so. Historically they don't do that though.

They'll have a great 1-2 punch in Shinkaruk and Valk...everyone else is more of a scoring by committee. Logan Mcveigh, Trevor Cox, Boston Leier, Miles Koules, could/should all put up 20+ goals....barring injuries.....then they have 6 young guys who tore up the oppositions 3rd/4th lines all season who were in and out of the lineup to get everybody ice-time. I think all 6 have potential to breakout, but that might be hard playing 3rd/4th line minutes. We will see how Import Markus Eisenschmid plays into all this. He might be anchoring the 3rd line RW position.

Defensively Dylan Bredo and Tyler Lewington will anchor their top line. They have Kyle Becker, Ty Stanton, and Spenser Jensen fighting for the middle-pairing. (Jensen and Stanton were ranked by central scouting but not picked)..those 3 all have good smarts in their own end, Stanton/Jensen have wheels.

As well as last years #1 pick Ty Schultz, and Matt Staples

Right now if they had a backup goalie they would have enough players to dress a full roster + 1 extra forward, not counting any prospects looking to make their team.

The questions for them is size up front and consistency of goal-tending.

Last season Marek Langhamer reworked his technique and even though he was the backup goalie he was a different goalie in the second half of the season, but will he be consistent enough for a #1 position? He has great athleticism, and reflexes and it took him some time to Adjust to the North American Game.

Size up front at the forward position maybe an issue. If Jake Doty is traded/released they may only have two forwards up front over 6 feet, minus incoming prospects.

Tigers have a very similar team to the one that took out Saskatoon in 4, except everyone is a year older. Don't expect them to be 5th in the division, I think they have real good shots to be 1 or 2.

 

[R S]

I think the Tigers have potential to score 300 goals, and have their best defensive group in a long time. I think they have a lot of depth at every position and have assets to bring in an impact player should they choose to do so. Historically they don't do that though.

They'll have a great 1-2 punch in Shinkaruk and Valk...everyone else is more of a scoring by committee. Logan Mcveigh, Trevor Cox, Boston Leier, Miles Koules, could/should all put up 20+ goals....barring injuries.....then they have 6 young guys who tore up the oppositions 3rd/4th lines all season who were in and out of the lineup to get everybody ice-time. I think all 6 have potential to breakout, but that might be hard playing 3rd/4th line minutes. We will see how Import Markus Eisenschmid plays into all this. He might be anchoring the 3rd line RW position.

Defensively Dylan Bredo and Tyler Lewington will anchor their top line. They have Kyle Becker, Ty Stanton, and Spenser Jensen fighting for the middle-pairing. (Jensen and Stanton were ranked by central scouting but not picked)..those 3 all have good smarts in their own end, Stanton/Jensen have wheels.

As well as last years #1 pick Ty Schultz, and Matt Staples

Right now if they had a backup goalie they would have enough players to dress a full roster + 1 extra forward, not counting any prospects looking to make their team.

The questions for them is size up front and consistency of goal-tending.

Last season Marek Langhamer reworked his technique and even though he was the backup goalie he was a different goalie in the second half of the season, but will he be consistent enough for a #1 position? He has great athleticism, and reflexes and it took him some time to Adjust to the North American Game.

Size up front at the forward position maybe an issue. If Jake Doty is traded/released they may only have two forwards up front over 6 feet, minus incoming prospects.

Tigers have a very similar team to the one that took out Saskatoon in 4, except everyone is a year older. Don't expect them to be 5th in the division, I think they have real good shots to be 1 or 2.

I also really like the Tigers, but think there D is more questionable than you are giving it credit for. Has it been confirmed anywhere that Bredo is for sure going to play D?

If not, who's going to help move the puck and QB the PP for them? It's nice to have a ton of offensive pieces like they do, but I'm a big believer in having someone to get those guys the puck. A guy like Lewington is ok in that area but him along with Stanton, Staples etc are all guys I would consider to be more suited for a defensive style.

Langhamer is obviously a big question too, but I think he has it in him to have a very big year after adjusting in year one in 2012-13.

 

[Tiger Trauma]

Bredo will be playing Defense. He went back their when Dylan Busenius was traded and became the #1 guy.

Bredo won the fastest skater competition even over Emerson Etem when he was here. Jensen, Stanton, Lewington are all pretty good skaters as well.

As for the PP quarterback. Their is not a definitive #1 guy. They usually go with 4 forwards but I could see Lewington, Bredo, Stanton, Becker all being given PP time.

Being honest I see the Tigers as more of a #2-3 team in the conference. I think though they definitely have the pieces to make some noise and improve on that, whether that's #1 type noise remains to be seen.

 

[Royal Canuck]

Edmonton takes a big hit this season, they won't be the powerhouse anymore.

 

[ELL]

Kootenay will miss defenceman Muth, who has retired.

 

[OttawaOilers]

Wow, the Oil Kings new Alternate Third Jersey's are so different:







Don't know what to think.

 

[fuhr]

Oil Kings fall to Silvertips, as Jarry continues to struggle
http://www.ourhometown.ca/hockey/HH0239.php