My WHL Division Previews

[R S]

The last few days I've been putting together previews for all 22 WHL teams, broken down into divisions. I've posted the first one today and will be following with the rest in the coming days as the puck drops on the regular season by week's end.

I started down south with the US Division.

Portland Winterhawks

2013-14 record: 54-13-2-3 = 113 points – 1st in US Division – 2nd in Western Conference

I feel it necessary to start off the US Division preview with the team who won the entire Western Conference last year, the Portland Winterhawks. The Winterhawks are in pretty special company heading into the year, having won the division in three of the past four seasons and looking to head to the WHL’s Championship Series for a 5th straight year. Will they accomplish that goal? Time will tell, but they certainly have the personnel to get them there.

Speaking of personnel, they do lose quite a few key guys from their 2013-14 squad, which was the highest scoring bunch in the league. Gone are the likes of Brendan Leipsic, Taylor Leier, Matt Dumba, Garrett Haar, Derrick Pouliot and others. But despite those massive departures, they seem to be as deep offensively as any team in the league. Nic Petan and Oliver Bjorkstrand will be looked upon to dominate in their final year of junior, with Dominic Turgeon, Keegan Iverson and Alex Schoenborn expected to take big leaps forward now that they are drafted into the NHL. They’ve also got a potential 1st rounder for the 2015 NHL Draft in their top 6, likely on a line with Petan and Bjorkstrand, in big Paul Bittner. It’s a scary group.

The back half of their lineup isn’t quite as scary, but it should still be effective. While losing some of the above-mentioned blueliners will hurt, they’ve still got some experience in guys like Josh Hanson, Anton Cederholm and newcomer Joshua Smith. Besides those veterans, Keoni Texeira is expected to take a big step forward for them in his draft year while Washington Capitals prospect and former Sioux City Musketeers captain Blake Heinrich should add some pop to the lineup as he netted 3 goals in 3 pre-season games.

In goal, Brendan Burke is back while veteran Corbin Boes has graduated. Burke will be looking to follow up his 34 win season with another good year, likely having more appearances than his 2013-14 total of 48. The team still has three goalies on their roster with 6’4 Aidin Hill (’96) and Michael Bullion (’97). One would assume Hill starts while Burke is with the Phoenix Coyoes when the WHL season starts, with Bullion ending up as the third guy on the depth chart once Burke returns. But, I guess you never know. Bullion did post some solid numbers in pre-season hockey.

Unique Storyline: New Coach, Same Results?

Like many other WHL teams, the Winterhawks begin the 2014-15 season with a new head coach behind the bench in Jamie Kompon. Kompon takes over for Mike Johnston, who left the organization to become the head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins (can you believe it took someone THAT long to give Johnston a head coaching job in the NHL?). Things look like they’ve been left in pretty good hands with Kompon, a former ECHL defenceman and assistant coach in the NHL. He brings a wealth of knowledge with him to the Winterhawks, where he will be both the head coach and general manager. He’s a former Stanley Cup Champion with the Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings, having also spent time as a coach with the St. Louis Blues. Having spent time with those teams, it’s safe to assume he knows how to play fast-paced, puck-possession hockey. That’s what the Winterhawks players and fans are used to, and I would imagine things will still flow in that direction as we kick off 2014-15.

Standings Prediction: 1st in US Division – 1st in Western Conference

Seattle Thunderbirds

2013-14 record: 41-25-2-4 = 88 points – 2nd in US Division – 4th in Western Conference

There is plenty of buzz around the Thunderbirds as the season approaches, and much of it has to do with the NHL Draft. Seattle’s roster features several highly ranked prospects for the deep 2015 NHL Draft, including potential top 10 selection and former 1st overall bantam pick Matt Barzal. Along with Barzal, Ryan Gropp is a highly touted forward prospect, with Ethan Bear looking to make a big splash on the blueline. And while it’s easy to get caught up in the sparkle of the draft, it must be noted that this team will need to get some good performances up front in order to make up for the loss of some solid forwards. Gone are the likes of Roberts Lipsbergs, Branden Troock, Connor Honey, Jaimen Yakubowski and Alexander Delnov. Ouch.

Despite those losses up front, they’ve still got a decent cast of characters to insulate Gropp and Barzal. Justin Hickman leads that pack as the player who spent much of 2013-14 on the wing with the two star sophomores. Big Keegan Kolesar looks to take his game to the next level as he had 4 points in 6 pre-season games after putting up only 8 in 60 games all last season. The same can be said for Colorado’s Scott Eansor. Sam McKechnie is a veteran who will be counted on more this coming season while former 5th round pick and Saskatoon Blazers alumni Lane Pederson had 5 points in 7 pre-season games. If their two new imports Alexander True (48th in 2014) and Florian Baltram (108th in 2014) can have average rookie campaigns as 1997’s it will go a long way in determining how far this team might get in the postseason.

The real strength of this team appears to be on the blueline, and that’s a big positive. While Seattle was one of three teams in the Western Conference to score exactly 238 goals in 2013-14 (PG and Victoria did so as well), they surrendered 249. That tally was the most of any playoff team in the conference and simply not good enough. Luckily, they return all of their top 7 defencemen from last year. They’ve got a nice mix of offence and defence on the backend, highlighted by potential 80 point guy Shea Theodore. Along with him, they’ve got a pair of solid 1994’s in Evan Wardley and Adam Henry. Henry brings some skill, while Wardley brings the punish. Jared Hauf, Jerret Smith, Kevin Wolf and Ethan Bear will also provide good minutes, with Sahvan Khaira appearing to crack their final roster as a 1998. It’s a balanced group which possesses tiers of skill and defensive ability, not to mention arguably the best pure offensive defender in the league. It’s a group that will need to provide good defensive structure while also having the ability to get the puck up the ice to the forwards, who are a good mix of skill and lunch bucket attitude.

Looking further back into their own end, the Thunderbirds do have an interesting battle going on in the crease. Taran Kozun was fantastic last year after getting dealt from the Kamloops Blazers to Seattle, posting 14 wins in 24 games with a .928 save percentage and 2.40 GAA. While he seems to be a lock in the crease, the Thunderbirds do have a bit of a battle in regards to their 20 year olds, which Kozun is, more on that later. I would assume he’s their starter, but I know they also really like 1997-born Logan Flodell and 2013-14 backup Danny Mumaugh, a 1996, was fairly decent in his second full campaign. So what do they do? Keep Kozun and Flodell? Keep Kozun and Mumaugh? Keep Flodell and Mumaugh? I won’t speculate, but it seems like it could be hard to keep Flodell off the roster considering how he’s developed and how he performed in a pair of pre-season games, registering a .947 save percentage.

Unique Storyline: Still Too Many 94’s

I’ve alluded to it throughout, but the Thunderbirds still have too many 20 year olds on their roster and will need to make some tough decisions. Looking at it right now, they’ve got five on their roster and have done quite well cutting back, considering I believe they had 13 1994-born players at the end of last season. The five on their roster now are Sam Mckechnie, Justin Hickman, Adam Henry, Evan Wardley and Taran Kozun. Two have to go, but who do you choose? If I were a betting man, which I kind of am, I would say that Kozun, Henry and Hickman are the three that stick around. I think Wardley has some decent value and would improve some team’s blueline nicely. Mckechnie is a good character kid who wouldn’t look out of place as some team’s third overage player. Either way there are some tough calls to make and I wish all five of them the best of luck.

Standings Prediction: 2nd in US Division – 4th in Western Conference

The rest of the US--> http://whl-from-above.blogspot.ca/2014/09/2014-15-us-division-preview.html

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[R S]

Here is part two of my series, staying out west by highlighting the BC Division:

Kelowna Rockets

2013-14 record: 57-11-0-4 = 118 points – 1st in BC Division – 1st in Western Conference

Like many teams, the Kelowna Rockets lost some key players over the offseason. Included in that group were their top three scorers from last year in Myles Bell, Ryan Olsen and Damon Severson. Not only that, they also lost their starting goalie, the CHL’s Top Goalie in fact, in Jordon Cooke. Oh yeah, and their head coach Ryan Huska moved on with Dan Lambert replacing him. So how will the Rockets weather that storm and earn top spot in the BC Division, as I’m predicting them to? Well, it’s not actually that hard when you draft and develop as well as Bruce Hamilton and his group have.

Despite the above-mentioned forwards, the Rockets bring back some talented kids up front including potential 1st round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft Nick Merkley. He was the WHL’s Top Rookie last year and will be looking to build off his 58 point campaign. Along with him down the middle, they also have Tyson Baillie, Rourke Chartier, Cole Linaker and new import Tomas Soustal. Others like Austin Glover, Kris Schmidli and Justin Kirkland are back on the wings, with Kirkland poised for a big year after being a Nashville Predators draft selection in 2014. It’s a great group, and I haven’t even mentioned the fact that Tyrell Goulbourne, Carter Rigby and Colton Heffley are fighting for roles as 20 year olds. The Rockets will score, maybe not 310 times like last year (2nd in the WHL), but they will have no trouble creating offence.

As mentioned, Severson is off to the pro game to play with Albany of the AHL. He was their leading defensive scorer last season, but besides him the Rockets return the rest of their group. And it’s a good one. They’re led by Washington Capitals prospect Madison Bowey, who scored an impressive 21 goals last year. Along with him, they feature Riley Stadel, Mitchell Wheaton, Jesse Lees, Dalton Yorke and potential overager Colten Martin. They’ve also got some stud prospects itching for minutes, but more on them in a second. When looking at how their roster stacks up, it actually becomes apparent that they don’t have the room to give everyone proper ice time. They return 7 guys who were at least semi-regulars last season. You have to imagine someone needs to leave The Defence Factory early in the season. What a good problem to have.

Goaltending is really the only question for this club. Cooke has graduated, leaving two-year backup Jackson Whistle as the starter. Whistle has 64 career games under his belt and while he’s not overly experienced, he has posted some pretty good results including a 34-13 record with a sub-2.70 GAA. Has he played behind a great defence in Kelowna while posting those numbers? Yes, he has. But that hasn’t changed for this coming year. They’re still a stacked team. He’s 19 years old and has been around a bit, if he can stay healthy and even just be “average” this team should still be good enough to battle Victoria for a division title. Look for 1997-born Jake Morrissey, Josh Morrissey’s brother, to be the backup and eventual starter in the cage down the road.

Unique Storyline: Who’s The Next Defensive Stud?

I called Kelowna “The Defence Factory” and it’s no secret that they are. Let’s see…Shea Weber, Duncan Keith, Luke Schenn, Tyler Myers, Alex Edler, Josh Gorges, Scott Hannan and Sheldon Souray are some of the NHL names that have spent time roaming the Rockets blueline. So who’s next? It seems like every year the team has a shiny new toy. Last year Joe Gatenby got into only 43 games, but he looks poised to take that next big step forward during his NHL Draft year. Meanwhile, a couple of new faces look to be ready for minutes. Lucas Johansen is one of them. He’s the brother of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Ryan Johansen and is a former 6th round pick. At the time of that selection he was considered to be a “potential steal” by their director of player personnel Lorne Frey. He’s coming off a good year in midget and has a skillset that should fit in perfectly. Devante Stephens is another name to watch. Like Johansen, he’s a 1997, but was undrafted. The Surrey product is pushing hard to make a name for himself and earn a roster spot, further cementing the idea that the Rockets might need to trade a body or two to keep the development train rolling along.

Standings Prediction: 1st in BC Division – 2nd in Western Conference

Victoria Royals

2013-14 record: 48-20-1-3 = 100 points – 2nd in BC Division – 3rd in Western Conference

The Victoria Royals have some unfinished business to take care of in 2014-15. They return much of their 2013-14 club, a team that fell in the second round of the WHL Playoffs at the hands of the Portland Winterhawks. And while I have Victoria pegged to finish 3rd in the conference, like they did last year, it’s pretty obvious to me that this team could actually end up being better than both the Winterhawks and Rockets.

The Royals return their top three scorers from the 2013-14 season, all of which are forwards. While Brandon Magee and Axel Blomqvist are guaranteed to be back as big contributors, 57-point man Austin Carroll’s future is still a bit up in the air. The Calgary Flames draft pick is a 1994-born player, meaning he’s technically eligible to sign a professional deal and move up from the WHL as early as this fall. Tyler Soy is eligible for the NHL Draft and should greatly improve on his 30 points from 2013-14, while Brandon Fushimi and Logan Fisher will both be looking to elevate their games in bigger roles. Along with those veterans, they’ve got some younger players looking to make a push to stick with the team for the season. Jared Dmytriw, one of two 1998-born forwards still on their roster, has had a nice pre-season, being tied for the team lead in pre-season scoring as I write this. Matthew Campese is looking to earn a full-time job while Nic Petan’s cousin Dante Hanoun should crack the squad. He’s the other 1998-born forward left on their roster, is the former 11th overall pick in the 2013 Bantam Draft and had 52 points in 32 major midget games last year for the Greater Vancouver Canadians.

While the forward group is fairly solid for the Royals, the blueline appears to be their biggest strength. They return 5 defencemen from their 2013-14 club and that doesn't include the fact that Jack Walker is switching back to the blueline from the wing. Travis Brown headlines the bunch with Joe Hicketts looking like he’ll also be one of the best offensive blueliners in the WHL this coming year after going undrafted but showing strong at Detroit’s rookie camp. Keegan Kanzig will once again be a tower of power on their backend with Chaz Redekopp already earning some major attention ahead of the 2015 NHL Draft. I’ve also heard some decent things about the future of 1998-born Ralph Jarratt. It’s a scary talented group on the blueline and one has to imagine they’ll again be the favourites to post the lowest total of goals against in the conference, as they did last season.

While this team has a big group of returning players both up front and on defence, their dynamic goaltending duo has been cut in half. Patrik Polivka has moved on to play in Europe after two solid seasons, including posting 28 wins in 43 appearances last year. That leaves Coleman Vollrath as the man in charge. And while he didn’t play as much as Polivka last year, he still put up great numbers with 20 wins in 34 games, a 2.29 goals against average and .928 save percentage. Michael Herringer has played well this pre-season as a 1996, with 1997-born Evan Smith being the other guy competing for the backup job.

Unique Storyline: Are Their Scoring Concerns Legitimate?

While I do like some individual pieces up front, it’s no secret that Victoria isn’t exactly an offensive juggernaut. They’re a team that really takes care of their own end first and foremost. But, while they’re impressive goals against tallies from 2013-14 are exactly that, impressive, they didn’t exactly blow teams away offensively. Their 238 goals for were tied with two other teams for 4th best in the Western Conference, but ranked 11th overall in the WHL. Their powerplay clicked 20.5% of the time, not good enough to crack the top 12 in the league. They’ve followed that up with only scoring 11 times in 6 pre-season games, winning once. And while it’s the pre-season and they’ve had players gone to NHL camps, it’s still worth noting that they haven’t been able to score as much as some other top-ranked teams. Returning their top three scoring forwards and defenceman from last year is at least a start.

Standings Prediction: 2nd in BC Division – 3rd in Western Conference

The rest ==> http://whl-from-above.blogspot.ca/2014/09/2014-15-bc-division-preview.html

 

[R S]

Bumped with the start of my Eastern Conference coverage, beginning in the Central. Look to finish this project off tomorrow with the East Division.

Calgary Hitmen

2013-14 record: 48-17-3-4 = 103 points – 2nd in Central Div. – 3rd in Eastern Conference

The Calgary Hitmen are an interesting topic when looking ahead to the 2014-15 season. They return many extremely good players from last year’s squad, but have also lost some of the key figures from a club who has finished second in their division for three seasons in a row. They’ve also got a new boss behind the bench in Mark French, who takes over for Mike Williamson. They went 4-2 in the pre-season, scoring the second most goals of any Eastern Conference team. And while there may be many changes to how this squad looks, they’re a fairly safe bet to be a top finisher in not only their division, but in the Eastern Conference.

It appears as if the Hitmen will be losing 5 of their top 9 scorers from last year’s 103-point team, but only two of those are forwards. They would be Brady Brassart, who was signed by the Minnesota Wild last year and Pavel Padakin, who I hear is the odd man out in their import battle. Despite those losses (they scored 62 goals combined) the Hitmen have a ton of firepower on the front lines. Greg Chase is back, with a new contract from the Edmonton Oilers, looking to do better than just repeat his 85 point year. Vancouver Canucks 6th overall pick Jake Virtanen could score 50 goals this season, while Adam Tambellini has been pegged by some as a possible leading WHL scorer this year. That doesn’t even mention veterans like Mike Winther, Chase Lang, Radel Fazleev, Elliott Peterson and Connor Rankin, who are all back again. Meanwhile youngsters like Terrell Draude, Landon Welykholowa, Jordan Stallard, Layne Bensmiller and Russian Pavel Karnaukhov all had very good pre-season showings. This team will score. Probably more times than any other team in the conference.

On the blueline, they did lose some very key pieces. Gone are Jaynen Rissling and Alex Roach. I expect rover Kenton Helgesen to also play pro as a signed member of the Anaheim Ducks organization. All three were big time minute munchers who played well in any and all situations. Luckily, they do have a pair of young defencemen who are ready to take control of their blueline. Travis Sanheim was a 1st round pick by the Flyers this past June and should be close to a 45 or 50 point defender this coming year. I think the Tampa Bay Lighting got great value in selecting Ben Thomas in the 4th round of that same draft. They’ll have no problem excelling as 25 minute guys this year. I’ve really liked the growth of Colby Harmsworth’s game over the last year and he likely slides in as the team’s 3rd defender. After him, Michael Zipp and Kirk Johnson provide some decent depth. The Hitmen also have some real bright young players on defence. I liked Lochlan Morrison in the one pre-season game I saw the Hitmen play, while Jake Bean and Aaron Hyman have both been getting some nice reviews as 1998’s. Overall it’s a group that’s not nearly as good as last year’s team, but should still be considered well above average in comparison to the rest of the conference.

The biggest question the Hitmen face is in goal, with Chris Driedger signing on with the Ottawa Senators and making the jump to the AHL this season. He’s been a horse for them the past 3 seasons, appearing in a combined 148 games with 88 wins in that stretch. That leaves 1995-born Mack Shields as the go-to guy between the pipes. Shields has been a serviceable backup in this league the last two years, posting a 30-10 record with a goals against average under 3.00 and a .900 save percentage. But can he handle a full load of 50 or more starts? That’s a pretty big ask, regardless of how good the team in front of him is. Overall I think he should respond to that challenge ok and prove to be a goaltender that won’t win them many games, but won’t lose many for them either. If he can stay in the middle of the pack in most of the main stat categories, the Hitmen should challenge for the top spot in the conference.

Unique Storyline: Can They Piece It All Together?

For me, the Hitmen storyline is fairly simple and I’ve alluded to it throughout. Can they have all of their questions answered by the time the important games start in the second half of the season? They come in with some fairly high outside expectations, as noted by their 7th overall pre-season ranking among all CHL teams. Those expectations are there despite having some less than stellar playoff performances in the last few seasons. As mentioned, they’ll score a ton of goals regardless of who their imports or 20 year old players are, but those remain questions none the less. A new coaching staff is in place and that sometimes takes it’s time to sort out. They seem fairly top-heavy on their blueline, unless the 1998’s that crack their roster show they can really play the game and have little in the way of an adjustment period. Can Shields handle the goaltending load in a respectable manner? The questions are there. While I’m confident they’ll find the answers to those questions (I am picking them to be first in their division), I still have to point out that this team isn’t as much of a slamdunk as some might think.

Standings Prediction: 1st in Central Division – 2nd in Eastern Conference

Edmonton Oil Kings

2013-14 record: 50-19-2-1 = 103 points – 1st in Central Div. – 1st in Eastern Conference

Is this the year we finally see a big drop off from the Oil Kings? I’ve learned a lot over the last few years while following and working in this league and one of those things is to never bet against Edmonton. It’s been a magical run for the Oil Kings since they last missed the playoffs in 2009-10. In the 4 years since then, under Derek Laxdal, the team has averaged over 45 wins per season (including 3-straight 50+ win seasons), have won the WHL title twice and took home the 2014 Memorial Cup this past May to cap it all off. And while Steve Hamilton is now the guy behind the bench and they have experienced some major player turnover, I just don’t see this team falling that far down the standings.

It’s scary to look at some of the talent this team has lost since last year, especially among their forward ranks. Six of their 7 top scoring forwards from last year’s team are likely gone, with that group including both Curtis Lazar and Edgars Kulda, who are eligible to play professional. So, how do they replace those 172 goals from Henrik Samuelsson, Mitch Moroz, Reid Petryk, Riley Kieser, Kulda and Lazar? To put it in basic terms, it won’t be easy and they won’t likely match their 290 goals from last year, a spot that was tops in the conference. Brett Pollock is back and looking to improve on his 55-point sophomore season. Mads Eller should easily double his 23 points from last year. Luke Bertolucci and Brandon Baddock are also both due for big bumps in offensive production. Lane Bauer is a guy that I could see having a bit of a breakout year now that he’ll have more responsibility, rookie Andrew Koep led them in pre-season scoring, while I expect Tyler Robertson to garner some solid NHL Draft attention as a late 1996. And while you can talk about personnel until you are blue in the face, the Oil Kings continue to succeed because of their style of play and their top-notch development system. They draft well, uncover undrafted talent, make smart trades and ultimately put players in good positions to succeed. They’ve lost many players from their Memorial Cup winning team, but like any good franchise, they’ve got depth to help fill those holes.

Much of the team’s blueline does return for this season, minus record-setting offensive defenceman Cody Corbett, who has graduated and will play pro with the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters. Dysin Mayo and Aaron Irving are two freshly drafted players who return to anchor their defensive group, while Ashton Sautner and Blake Orban return as 20 year olds. That’s a fairly solid set of 4 defencemen. 1995-born Ben Carroll put up some solid pre-season numbers as he looks to expand off of his 11 points in 52 games last season, while big Jesse Mills, Chance Patterson and Marsel Ibragimov all remain on the team’s roster as 1997’s. I would consider this blueline to be better, personnel-wise, than their rivals to the south in Calgary.

Possibly the biggest reason why I see this team maintaining a high spot in the standings is in goal, where they roll out possibly the best goalie in the CHL in Tristan Jarry. He won 44 regular season games last season, and while I don’t expect him to repeat that, he will undoubtedly provide a great amount of stability for what is a fairly young team overall. This will be Jarry’s final year of junior as he should jump to the AHL next season. With that in mind, look for Edmonton to keep Tyler Dea (1997) as their backup, passing the torch off to him next season.

Unique Storyline: The Return Of Lazar

What’s going to happen with Ottawa Senators prospect and Oil Kings star Curtis Lazar. As a 1995-born player, the Senators have the option of either playing him in the NHL or sending him back to the WHL. This brings up two questions for me. First, does he make the Senators? He’s bulked up and is a very versatile player. The Senators have already experimented with him as a winger at rookie camp, testing the waters to see how he might fit in their lineup as a first-year NHL player. Second, if he does get sent back to junior, what does Edmonton do with him? This team is in the second tier of “contenders”, in my opinion, but adding him to the lineup would likely elevate them to that top level with the likes of Kelowna, Portland, Victoria, Calgary, etc. Would they take another run at a WHL title, or would they opt to trade Lazar and fully restock the cupboards? It’s a tough decision, but we’ve all seen what happens when teams hang on to their stars too long and fail to fully realize their opportunity to build from the ground up. In the end, the trading of Lazar is likely a non-issue as I think there’s likely a 90% chance he plays in Ottawa this season.

Standings Prediction: 2nd in Central Division – 3rd in Eastern Conference

Medicine Hat Tigers

2013-14 record: 44-24-3-1 = 92 points – 3rd in Central Div. – 4th in Eastern Conference

The Medicine Hat Tigers seem to do it every year. They never seem to be a standout team on paper, but always find a way to play well and end up not just making the playoffs, but surprising people along the way. That was the case again last year as they climbed to 4th in the conference standings during the regular season and then knocked off Kootenay and Swift Current in the playoffs before eventually falling to Edmonton in the Eastern Conference Finals. They did that all without arguably their best player, Hunter Shinkaruk, who underwent hip surgery and didn’t play a game for them from December 2nd until the end of the year. And while the 2014-15 version of this team doesn’t seem to have many elite talents, they’re a well-coached group that should have no problem making the playoffs for the 13th straight season.

While the Tigers lose their top scorer from last season in 1993-born Curtis Valk, they still possess a ton of depth. That depth comes in the shape of 9 of their top 11 scoring forwards from last year all being set to return. Trevor Cox, Cole Sanford and Miles Koules highlight that group as that trio combined for 83 goals and over 200 points in 2013-14. If the pre-season is any indication, it looks like German import Markus Eisenschmid is due for an uptick in production after posting 23 points as a WHL rookie last year, as well. And while the Tigers are returning a large number of players from last year’s squad, they also appear to have some game-breaking talent ready to step into the lineup up front. 15 year old Mason Shaw led them in scoring in the pre-season, putting up 8 points in 5 games. He turns 16 in November and is therefore eligible to play this year as a 1998. Meanwhile, 1997 Matthew Bradley also had a great exhibition campaign, putting up 6 goals in 5 games, tied with Sam Steel for the most in the WHL. For the Tigers, the nicest part of that emergence might just be the fact that those young players won’t be counted on night in and night out to provide offence. Too much depth seems like a good problem to have.

Speaking of depth, the blueline packs a nice punch for Medicine Hat as well. While the team loses forward-turned-defenceman Dylan Bredo, they still bring back a deep group. Tommy Vannelli is the key component as the St. Louis Blues prospect is a special talent who should be near a point per game this season as a 1995. Tyler Lewington is as mean as they come, combining a mix of skill and physical force. After those two, they’ve got a bunch of size including Ty Stanton, Matt Staples, Kyle Becker and 6’6 Scott Allan, who had 3 points in 4 pre-season games. Ultimately I don’t think all 4 of those guys will be in Medicine Hat for good this year and that’s due to the amount of young talent they have pushing for minutes. The third of the WHL’s Quenneville brothers, David, is an elite puck mover and looks to be a lock after being the 10th overall pick in 2013. 1997-born Connor Hobbs won Gold with Canada this summer at the Ivan Hlinka tournament and he is a sure-fire bet to see some good opportunity to climb into their top 4. And finally, Ty Schultz appears to be a player they’ll keep around as a former 16th overall selection who had over a point per game in midget last year with the Vancouver North West Giants. It’s a young, deep and extremely talented group. They quite possibly have the best blueline in the division.

In goal is where things could be a bit more interesting. Technically speaking, 1994-born Czech Marek Langhamer is eligible to be back. But, as a signed member of the Phoenix Coyotes organization, I would say the chances of that are pretty slim. That leaves Jared Rathjen as the starter, who is also a 1994. He spent last year in Vancouver, appearing in 29 games while posting a record of 13-8-4-1 with a sub-3.00 goals against average and .898 save percentage. 1997-born Nick Schneider will fight with Rathjen for starts as he was 8-2-0-2 split between the Regina Pats and Tigers last year while also having a pretty solid pre-season. Neither guy is terribly proven (at least Rathjen has over 70 games under his belt) and it’s clear that when it comes to on-ice personnel, goaltending would be their only real question.

Unique Storyline: Can They Challenge The Big Two?

Coming into writing these previews I felt that the Hitmen and Oil Kings were quite clearly the best teams in the division. And while I still feel that way, for the most part, it’s obvious to me that the Tigers could potentially challenge for a division title if things go well. Another thing is also clear, unlike the WHL’s Eastern Division, the Central won’t be a walk in the park. Calgary and Edmonton are both solid hockey clubs, Red Deer is young, but will work hard, Kootenay is a bit of a wildcard, while there’s no chance that Lethbridge will be as bad as they were last year. It will be a grind for all the teams involved. Can the Tigers overall depth help them challenge the other teams in the division, especially the Hitmen and Oil Kings? If they get some goaltending, it could definitely happen.

Standings Prediction: 3rd in Central Division – 5th in Eastern Conference

Rest of the Central ==> http://whl-from-above.blogspot.ca/2014/09/2014-15-central-division-preview.html

 

[superdeluxe]

Nice coverage.

 

[R S]

Nice coverage.

Thanks for reading.

I've gotten great feedback on Twitter...normally lots of people like to disagree. Haven't gotten that so far haha.

 

[CentralAlbertaScout]

Very great coverage. Will look to follow you on twitter!!

 

[Brewster]

Fantastic work. Pleasure to read.

 

[R S]

Very great coverage. Will look to follow you on twitter!!

Fantastic work. Pleasure to read.

Thanks guys.

 

[R S]

Finished it up today by posting my East Division preview.

I'm expecting big things from Brandon.

Brandon Wheat Kings

2013-14 record: 34-29-6-3 = 77 points – 3rd in East Division – 7th in Eastern Conference

The Brandon Wheat Kings look poised to improve as much as almost any team in the WHL when compared to last year. And that’s saying something, considering this group was already a playoff team in 2013-14. Every aspect of their roster seems to be rounding into form, familiar face Kelly McCrimmon is back behind the bench and possibly the biggest component of all, they don’t seem to have as much inter-division adversity as their friends in the Central seem to have.

It looks as if 7 of their top 9 scorers from last season will be back in the lineup in 2014-15, with 5 of those players being forwards. They are led by Florida Panthers second round pick Jayce Hawryluk, who finished first in team scoring last year with 64 points. He should have no trouble hovering around 30 goals and 80 points this year. Tim McGauley is proving himself to be a very capable junior player after posting 60 points in 68 games last year, while Rihards Bukarts appears to be a lock for 30 goals. John Quenneville was a first round pick in 2014, going to the New Jersey Devils 30th overall, and he’s back and should have the ability to improve on his 58 point season. Richard Nejezchleb appears a likely candidate to turn pro after being drafted by the Rangers this past June, but he’s still yet to be signed. Peter Quenneville is in the same boat as Nejezchleb, being a 1994 who can sign a pro contract, but that appears less likely right now for the Columbus draft pick. And while this team has a large amount of top-end veteran talent set to return, their young talent is also on an elite level. Nolan Patrick led them in pre-season scoring with 7 points in 4 games and looks poised to be a Rookie Of The Year candidate. He’s the 4th overall pick from the 2013 WHL Draft, scored nearly a goal per game in midget last year and is already in a man’s body at 6’3 and over 190 pounds. Along with Patrick, Jesse Gabrielle is a 1997 that plays big, plays hard, provides offence and will be a very sought after draft prospect in 2015, while Braylon Shmyr and Tyler Coulter are second-year players who look to take that next step in several aspects. This group of forwards is scary and I have no real problem considering them top 3 in the league, if not higher.

On defence, they lose captain Ryan Pulock to professional hockey, but still return a very good core. Ryan Pilon heads the group as a potential 1st round pick in 2015 while Eric Roy is also likely back, despite being eligible to sign and play pro in the Calgary Flames organization. While Kord Pankewicz, Taylor Green and Colton Waltz provide some more veteran depth, the team also has a pair of new flashy standouts on the blueline. Kale Clague is a slick puck-mover and former 6th overall pick and should have little issue transitioning to the WHL as a 16 year old. To go along with that big addition, import Ivan Provorov provides another massive boost to their blueline. The 1997-born Russian stands 6’4, was taken 30th overall in this summer’s CHL Import Draft, led their blueline in pre-season scoring with 6 points and already has experience playing in North America with Cedar Rapids of the USHL. Despite being a fairly young group on defence, they’re extremely talented and should have no problem replacing some of the offence that disappeared when Pulock left town.

In goal, Brandon also looks quite comfortable as Jordan Papirny is back for his second full WHL season. The goalie from Edmonton appeared in 46 games last year, going 22-15-4-3 with a .900 save percentage, elevating that to .914 in the postseason. While Papirny wasn’t drafted by an NHL team, he was invited to Montreal Canadiens rookie camp and that should provide a nice confidence boost. I like his chances of improving both his numbers and consistency this season as long as he can stay healthy. Rookie Logan Thompson will back him up after posting very solid pre-season numbers in 3 appearances. I don’t see goaltending being much of a problem for the Wheat Kings, even though it would be their obvious “weakness”, just due to the lack of experience between the pipes.

Unique Storyline: Expectations

The way this preview reads, it’s pretty clear that I really like how the Brandon Wheat Kings are shaping up this season. I’m not the first one to put these kinds of words onto paper or onto a screen, either. And with that comes expectations. Expectations can be a scary thing for a team, especially a young team. I’ve seen if first hand. When a team is expected to win, and doesn’t, it takes a lot of character to keep going, to stay committed, and to ultimately put your best foot forward on your way to reaching your goals on the ice. And while McCrimmon will be managing things like his goaltending, defence pairings and lines as the season gets underway, teaching his team do manage outside expectations could be the biggest challenge of all. The team needs to set their own internal expectations, strive for those and not worry about outside pressures. While that seems pretty simple, sometimes it’s much easier said than done.

Standings Prediction: 1st in East Division – 1st in Eastern Conference

Swift Current Broncos

2013-14 record: 38-25-3-6 = 85 points – 2nd in East Division – 5th in Eastern Conference

The Swift Current Broncos seem to be in a good position when heading into the season. Despite being knocked out of the first round of the playoffs in consecutive seasons, they’ve had solid regular season success by winning 36 and 38 games in those years. While they’ve lost their top two offensive options from last year, and their starting goaltender, I think the Broncos are in a spot to quietly rack up some wins, stay under the radar a bit and quietly slide into a comfortable spot in the middle of the Eastern Conference.

As mentioned, the Broncos lose 1993’s Graham Black and Nathan Burns, the top scorers from last year’s team. That’s a tough blow, considering the two players finished last year with a combined 61 goals and 174 points. I do like how things look to try and replace some of that offence, though. Captain Colby Cave is back for his overage season and he should be capable of improving on his 70 point season from last year. Coda Gordon is also a 1994-born skater, who will likely flank Cave and have a good chance of at least matching his 71 points from last year, too. Jay Merkley looks ready to roll after 7 points in 5 pre-season games, providing a bit more veteran scoring depth for their forward group. Big Swede Andreas Schumacher seems like an intriguing player to watch as well, putting up 3 points in 5 exhibition contests. I also think 1996’s Luca Leone and Dakota Odgers have more to contribute offensively, with Odgers looking particularly improved in my lone pre-season viewing of the Broncos. But, I think the biggest boost this team will get from their offence comes in the form of Glenn Gawdin and Jake DeBrusk. Both are 1997’s and eligible to be drafted into the NHL this coming June and I’m expecting big things. Gawdin plays a smart and fairly heavy game down the middle and should be able to at least double his 22 points from last year, if not hit 50. DeBrusk is a dynamite player who brings speed off the wing, plays aggressively and can finish plays. While he might not double his 39 points from last year, I don’t think a 25 goal, 60 point season is too far of a reach for him. To me they look to be a hard-working bunch up front, a group that will bang, crash and be at least in the middle of the pack offensively in the conference.

The Broncos blueline is shaping up to be one of the best in the WHL, regardless of Julius Honka returns or not. If he does come back to junior, the Broncos will have their top 5 defencemen all back from last year’s team. While Honka is the star of that show and should be a 70 point blueliner if he’s back this year, the rest of the group are no slouches in their own right. Dillon Heatherington, Brett Lernout and Brycen Martin are all drafted into the NHL, while I think Jordan Harris has a ton to offer as a hockey player. Late 1997 Max Lajoie had a very good pre-season and was a clear standout in my viewing of the Broncos last week, while players like Cole Bevan and Stephen Shmoorkoff provide decent depth if they can beat Jaydan Gordon (1997) and Colby Sissons (1998) out of a roster spot. This is an extremely talented group with lots of experience to back that up.

Landow Bow takes the reigns in the cage from Finnish goaltender Eetu Laurikainen, who has graduated from junior hockey and is off to his home country to play pro. Bow has seemingly always played quite well in games where I’ve watched him and has good size at 6’4, but he’s still only got 41 games of WHL experience under his belt. While that is a bit of a concern, I think he can handle the number one role, especially when looking at how structured this team plays defensively. He responded well to the challenge with a dazzling pre-season, surrendering only 5 goals in 4 appearances. Travis Child is the backup and looks to be their goalie of the future as he’s only a 1997.

Unique Storyline: Honka’s Immediate Future

The return of Julius Honka continues to be a fairly big topic of interest for WHL fans. The stud puck-mover was a 1st round pick of the Dallas Stars this past June and has already made some good impressions on his new NHL franchise. But unlike most players freshly drafted out of the CHL, his options don’t appear to be limited to either the Stars of Broncos for this coming season. He has the option to play in Finland, while there also may be a loophole existing where he could find his way onto the AHL’s Texas Stars. It’s a complicated process and one that will probably take another week or two, at least, to sort itself out. As a fan of the league I ultimately hope he comes back to the WHL. But, I’m not going to hold my breath considering the other options he may have, which all include him getting a chance to prove himself against bigger, stronger and faster competition.

Standings Prediction: 2nd in East Division – 4th in Eastern Conference

Rest of the East Division ==> http://whl-from-above.blogspot.ca/2014/09/2014-15-east-division-preview.html

 

[Scouter]

Good previews, esp. one who claims they don't know much about the Western Conference.

 

[R S]

Good previews, esp. one who claims they don't know much about the Western Conference.

Thanks.

Yeah, I hardly watched the Western Conference at all last year and hence didn't actually grade WC players for the 2014 NHL Draft.

Looking forward to watching a lot more of it this season, especially during what looks to be a very deep NHL Draft year.