WHL to Pro Graduation 2013

[johnnydrum]

Hiya All.
Greetings from sunny (just for a change!) England
Due to the fact that I can only listen into the games via the teams websites, and catch brief "next day highlights", I like to make my own "mini guide" for next season (much to my wifes amusement at my hockey "nerdyness"..lol)
Was wondering if the good folks here, could let me know , from a team by team basis, which players will NOT be returning next year?

I would imagine that Edmontons super star Micheal St Croix (it will be sad to see the little dynamo go) will have graduated to the AHL, so who else would the WHL be losing.?

Thanks so much for everyones help.

Click to read more...

 

[Brewster]

From the Oil Kings:

TJ Foster, Dylan Wruck and Trevor Cheek were all 20 year olds this season and have exhausted their eligibility. As of this moment, Cheek is the only one of that group with a pro contract, as he signed with the Avalanche during the playoffs.

Travis Ewanyk, David Musil, Keegan Lowe, Martin Gernat, Michael St Croix and Laurent Brossoit are all 19 year olds with pro contracts. Brossoit is definitely graduating to the AHL next year and I would imagine all of Gernat (teams rarely use an import and overage slot on the same guy), St Croix and Musil will stick in the pros as well. Ewanyk and to a lesser extent Lowe could definitely go either way and both could potentially be back as overagers for one last WHL hurrah.

19 year olds without pro contracts include Cody Corbett and Stephane Legault. Not too worried about loosing either of them, though we could be forced into releasing/trading one of them depending on the paths that Lowe and Ewanyk walk next year.

As far as grade A 18 year olds with a shot at making a pro team go, Henrik Samuelsson and Griffin Reinhart are prime candidates. Reinhart is almost certainly gone. Samuelsson, much like Ewanyk and Lowe, could end up going either way. IMHO, Henrik could use another season in junior while Griff is ready to move on.

 

[S E P H]

Nvm, delete.

 

[johnnydrum]

From the Oil Kings:

TJ Foster, Dylan Wruck and Trevor Cheek were all 20 year olds this season and have exhausted their eligibility. As of this moment, Cheek is the only one of that group with a pro contract, as he signed with the Avalanche during the playoffs.

Travis Ewanyk, David Musil, Keegan Lowe, Martin Gernat, Michael St Croix and Laurent Brossoit are all 19 year olds with pro contracts. Brossoit is definitely graduating to the AHL next year and I would imagine all of Gernat (teams rarely use an import and overage slot on the same guy), St Croix and Musil will stick in the pros as well. Ewanyk and to a lesser extent could definitely go either way and both could potentially be back as overagers for one last WHL hurrah.

19 year olds without pro contracts include Cody Corbett and Stephane Legault. Not too worried about loosing either of them, though we could be forced into releasing/trading one of them depending on the paths that Lowe and Ewanyk walk next year.

As far as grade A 18 year olds with a shot at making a pro team go, Henrik Samuelsson and Griffin Reinhart are prime candidates. Reinhart is almost certainly gone. Samuelsson, much like Ewanyk and Lowe, could end up going either way. IMHO, Henrik could use another season in junior while Griff is ready to move on.

Blimey, sorry mate, it seems the Oil Kings are losing a lot of talent!
What a group of prospects they have nurtured....
Thank you so much for your help....

Would love to hear from everyone. Seattle, Victoria.....
Blimey just thought, will this game tonight be Ratties last in the WHL?

 

[Royal Canuck]

The Royals are losing Tyler Stahl, Jamie Crooks and Jordan Fransoo.

Highly Doubt any of them crack an NHL squad, probably 3rd/4th liners in the AHL.

 

[Brewster]

Blimey, sorry mate, it seems the Oil Kings are losing a lot of talent!
What a group of prospects they have nurtured....
Thank you so much for your help....

Would love to hear from everyone. Seattle, Victoria.....
Blimey just thought, will this game tonight be Ratties last in the WHL?

No chance Rattie is back. He's got absolutely nothing left to prove in junior, regardless of how things turn out tonight.

 

[Jamie Benn]

The Royals are losing Tyler Stahl, Jamie Crooks and Jordan Fransoo.

Highly Doubt any of them crack an NHL squad, probably 3rd/4th liners in the AHL.

Fransoo will be back next year, Gogolev is gone back to Russia (probably the KHL).

Nelson, Fransoo and Ben Walker will probably be back as overagers.

 

[johnnydrum]

Guys, thank you so much.

I will really miss Gogolev. I thought he was terrific in the games I listened into.
Any idea where the Royals would select in the Import Draft?
(they still have Povlika in nets next year, right?)

Still keen on hearing from everyone...what about the Blazers? Am I correct in thinking they would be losing some key guys too?
Any Seattle fans out there?

This is great info for a far away follower and my "home made guide" is off and running (again, much to my wifes amusement lol)...thankfully I am going to print it all at work (lol..nothing like using works ink..lol)
Please keep them coming guys...

 

[Brewster]

Guys, thank you so much.

I will really miss Gogolev. I thought he was terrific in the games I listened into.
Any idea where the Royals would select in the Import Draft?
(they still have Povlika in nets next year, right?)

Still keen on hearing from everyone...what about the Blazers? Am I correct in thinking they would be losing some key guys too?
Any Seattle fans out there?

This is great info for a far away follower and my "home made guide" is off and running (again, much to my wifes amusement lol)...thankfully I am going to print it all at work (lol..nothing like using works ink..lol)
Please keep them coming guys...

Have no intimate knowledge of the Blazers, but I believe they will be losing Ranford, Lipon, Smith, Cheveldave, Hrbas, Edmundson and Kessy.

 

[Juniorhockeyguru]

Have no intimate knowledge of the Blazers, but I believe they will be loosing Ranford, Lipon, Smith, Cheveldave, Hrbas, Edmundson and Kessy.

They will lose Ranford, Edmundson, Kessy, Willick, Hrbas, Kornselsen, Hansen for sure. Smith isn't signed and Lipon isn't drafted. There is a high chance at least 1 of those players will be back next season. Cheveldave is one of the top netminders in the WHL and isn't drafted nor is he signed. Overagers will be Cheveldave, Grist and Lipon.

Bozon-Lipon-Souto
Ully-Needham-Import
Oakes-Sterzer-M.Lipon
Macklin-Chyzowski-Sideroff

Grist-Thomson
Cross-Connolly
Rehill-Clouston


Cheveldave-Kozun



This team will compete again for the Division title with Kelowna. Best goaltending duo in the Western Conference, and 2 lines that will score at a great pace.

 

[Obsidian311]

The Hawks will lose Carruth, Rutkowski, and Peters to age.

Rattie and Wotherspoon to the AHL

Likely we will lose Jones to the NHL

Some people think that Pouliot will be gone but I doubt a team like Pitt with their D depth would want to pull him up early when he could use the defensive development. I think him and Leipsic will get camp invites but ultimately end up back in Portland.

Also I doubt Baker comes back as a 20 year old.

 

[johnnydrum]

T
This team will compete again for the Division title with Kelowna. Best goaltending duo in the Western Conference,

Thank you all for your help.
All/Any info is appreciated.
Just pondering, who are the best goalies?
I would gather, from my very limited knowledge that its something like
Bartosak, Comrie, Brossoit, Makarov ,Jarry, Cheveledae....or am I miles away? lol

 

[Brewster]

Thank you all for your help.
All/Any info is appreciated.
Just pondering, who are the best goalies?
I would gather, from my very limited knowledge that its something like
Bartosak, Comrie, Brossoit, Makarov ,Jarry, Cheveledae....or am I miles away? lol

Jarry has the potential, but I don't think you can put him in the elite of the WHL based on this season.

For me, the top goalers this year were Bartosak, Brossoit, Cheveldave, Makarov, Driedger and Lanigan. Again, I really don't know too much about the Western Conference.

 

[S E P H]

Have no intimate knowledge of the Blazers, but I believe they will be losing Ranford, Lipon, Smith, Cheveldave, Hrbas, Edmundson and Kessy.

Smith has one more year of eligibility I believe and there have been debates on the Avs forum if he should start in the AHL next year or not.

Personally I don't think we should rush him and send him back to juniors for his 20th year.

Lipon can come back.
Bozon can come back.
Cheveldave can come back.
Edmundson can come back, but I highly doubt it.

Kessy is done.
Ranford is done.
Hrbas is done.

Cheveldave will probably be back, but if they could somehow get Lipon and one of Bozon or Smith they will be a very solid team. Cheveldave reminds me of Carruth 2.0 (IMO), he's better than Carruth, but he plays on a stack team and is more on the average side.

 

[Trot]

Any Seattle fans out there?

Glover, Lockhart, and Kambeitz all graduate due to age (the biggest lost being Glover because he's the only goalie with any experience on the roster)

There were only 4 19-year-olds (so barring any offseason trades) management has to drop one of Forsberg, Swenson, Elliot, and Sanvido. My guess is that it'll be Sanvido shipped out but it wouldn't surprise me if it was Elliot.

The only other 2 roster spots that may change are the imports Delnov and Lipsbergs. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Panthers move Delnov up (Seattle hasn't kept many imports around more than a season lately). Lipsbergs depends on what happens in the draft this year, I can easily see him spending another year in Seattle.

 

[johnnydrum]

Lipsbergs depends on what happens in the draft this year, I can easily see him spending another year in Seattle.

Thanks so much guys....i cant wait for the CHL to start already!

Lipsbergs was a great find wasnt he.
Sounded like he was never going to finish in his first month, then wow, it seemed like everything he touched went in.

Brewster: thanks for the goalie info, I struggle with the gaolies as they all seem "mint" everytime I tune into the games, so its hard as a listener to seperate them.