Tragic news for WHL fans, as apparently former Blazer and Hurricane goaltender Michael Maniago was killed last night in a car accident in Calgary, allegedly caused by a drunk driver. Maniago was just 20 years old and had opted to leave the WHL this year to concentrate on his schooling.
Calgary news station piece on the crash is here. Calgary police news release is here.
The name of the deceased has not been confirmed to be Maniago but Bruce Luebke (link on the left) has it on his blog and I have heard from another source as well that it was Maniago. Very unfortunate...
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Rockets ink pick
The Rockets have signed 2008 first-round bantam pick Shane McColgan to a WHL education contract and he will make his WHL debut next month.
This avoids the sticky situation for the Rockets that they find themselves in with 2007 first round pick Luke Moffatt, who appears to have shunned the WHL in favour of the NCAA route.
This avoids the sticky situation for the Rockets that they find themselves in with 2007 first round pick Luke Moffatt, who appears to have shunned the WHL in favour of the NCAA route.
Thursday stuffing
Not much "stuff" to report today, but there will surely be some "stuffing". Happy Turkey Day to the readers of this blog south of the 49th....for those of you north of the border like me, get back to work....
Only note from yesterday was the CHL-Russia game which saw the WHL all-stars beat the touring Russian Jr B squad 5-0. Did the Russians even have one serious scoring chance in the entire game? I don't think so. If this truly is two-thirds of the Russian World Junior team like some people have said, then I think the Russians need to worry about relegation to the World Junior B-pool for 2009-10 because that team was dominated by a WHL team which only featured maybe 6 or 7 players who'll be on the eventual Canadian WJC team. That Russian team would have no chance against the full Canadian WJC team. Or the American team, or the Swedes, or the Finns, or the Czechs. In truth, if there's more than 2 or 3 players off this team on the eventual Russian WJC team, I'd be shocked. Again, why do we play these games?
Almost forgot to mention that Karl Alzner made his NHL debut last night for the Capitals after being called up from the AHL earlier in the day. The thing that makes this noteworthy is that Alzner led all Capitals defencemen in ice time in the game and was 2nd on the team only to Ovechkin. When was the last time a guy making his NHL debut almost led his team in ice time?
Only note from yesterday was the CHL-Russia game which saw the WHL all-stars beat the touring Russian Jr B squad 5-0. Did the Russians even have one serious scoring chance in the entire game? I don't think so. If this truly is two-thirds of the Russian World Junior team like some people have said, then I think the Russians need to worry about relegation to the World Junior B-pool for 2009-10 because that team was dominated by a WHL team which only featured maybe 6 or 7 players who'll be on the eventual Canadian WJC team. That Russian team would have no chance against the full Canadian WJC team. Or the American team, or the Swedes, or the Finns, or the Czechs. In truth, if there's more than 2 or 3 players off this team on the eventual Russian WJC team, I'd be shocked. Again, why do we play these games?
Almost forgot to mention that Karl Alzner made his NHL debut last night for the Capitals after being called up from the AHL earlier in the day. The thing that makes this noteworthy is that Alzner led all Capitals defencemen in ice time in the game and was 2nd on the team only to Ovechkin. When was the last time a guy making his NHL debut almost led his team in ice time?
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Wednesday thoughts
Slow news week for WHL fans since there's only one WHL game Monday - Thursday this week due to the pointless CHL-Russia games.
So, let's turn our attention today to Moose Jaw, where the bickering continues over the building (or not building, more accurately) of their new rink. Flashback to June 16, where Moose Jaw city council voted to build a new arena for the 2010-11 season, with a project manager to be hired by August 1 and to start construction by December 1.
Well, December 1 is less than a week away and there appears to be no start of construction in sight in Moose Jaw. If they had started construction five months ago on June 17th, they'd have the excavation done and most of the concrete poured by now. Instead, it's more plebiscites, more threats, more bickering. I really don't care what they do.....just make a decision one way or the other and either get some shovels in the ground or let the WHL start looking for a new home for the team. One or the other.
So, let's turn our attention today to Moose Jaw, where the bickering continues over the building (or not building, more accurately) of their new rink. Flashback to June 16, where Moose Jaw city council voted to build a new arena for the 2010-11 season, with a project manager to be hired by August 1 and to start construction by December 1.
Well, December 1 is less than a week away and there appears to be no start of construction in sight in Moose Jaw. If they had started construction five months ago on June 17th, they'd have the excavation done and most of the concrete poured by now. Instead, it's more plebiscites, more threats, more bickering. I really don't care what they do.....just make a decision one way or the other and either get some shovels in the ground or let the WHL start looking for a new home for the team. One or the other.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Tuesday notes
Been away for a few days, which is why no posts.....
I see Scott Gabriel has declined to join the Regina Pats after they claimed him on waivers from the Winter Hawks. Apparently Gabriel just wants to stay at home in Edmonton and play for the Jr A Sherwood Park Crusaders in the AJHL. Can't really blame the guy I guess, he has played his entire junior career so far away from home up until now, and if he's not really a good pro candidate then continued higher exposure the WHL offers probably doesn't matter to him. Better to stay close to home, play in front of family and friends every night, etc.....something he probably didn't get to do much of playing in Portland. Might even be able to start classes at the University of Alberta too, etc.
And I hear Jadon Potter of the Bruins broke some vertebrae in his neck in an incident on the weekend which saw him slide headfirst into the boards. 6-8 weeks in a hard neck brace and no guarantee he can play hockey again. This is certainly one of the most serious injuries we've seen in the WHL in several years (thankfully!) and you never like to see kids get hurt like that. Bumps and bruises and sprains are part of the game but broken necks, that's horrible stuff. Hopefully Potter makes a full recovery and IS able to resume his career (if he wants to).
And a QMJHL note now, we go back to the "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" file again and more stupidity from the Patrick Roy family. This time it's younger son Frederick, who has been suspended 15 games for cross-checking an opponent in the face on Friday night in a QMJHL game. You can see the incident here. This is hockey's first family of dirtbags....never mind whether they're good hockey players or not, they're clearly all prone to loss of self-control on the ice. The older brother, Jonathan, is already facing criminal charges stemming from the brawl last spring and now there's some suggestion that Frederick could get hit with a charge over this incident too. Daddy must be so proud of the boys.
As an aside, I notice none of Roy's victim (Vincent Bourgeois)'s teammates came to his aid as the little weasel skated away like nothing happened after the incident. Thank the QMJHL's new rules on brawling for that....in the old days, Frederick Roy would have been eating through a straw for six weeks after the opposition got through with him and he'd never do such a thing again. I'm NOT a proponent of uncontrolled brawling and such idiocy in the game, but there has to be some leeway given for the players to police themselves in such incidents.
I see Scott Gabriel has declined to join the Regina Pats after they claimed him on waivers from the Winter Hawks. Apparently Gabriel just wants to stay at home in Edmonton and play for the Jr A Sherwood Park Crusaders in the AJHL. Can't really blame the guy I guess, he has played his entire junior career so far away from home up until now, and if he's not really a good pro candidate then continued higher exposure the WHL offers probably doesn't matter to him. Better to stay close to home, play in front of family and friends every night, etc.....something he probably didn't get to do much of playing in Portland. Might even be able to start classes at the University of Alberta too, etc.
And I hear Jadon Potter of the Bruins broke some vertebrae in his neck in an incident on the weekend which saw him slide headfirst into the boards. 6-8 weeks in a hard neck brace and no guarantee he can play hockey again. This is certainly one of the most serious injuries we've seen in the WHL in several years (thankfully!) and you never like to see kids get hurt like that. Bumps and bruises and sprains are part of the game but broken necks, that's horrible stuff. Hopefully Potter makes a full recovery and IS able to resume his career (if he wants to).
And a QMJHL note now, we go back to the "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" file again and more stupidity from the Patrick Roy family. This time it's younger son Frederick, who has been suspended 15 games for cross-checking an opponent in the face on Friday night in a QMJHL game. You can see the incident here. This is hockey's first family of dirtbags....never mind whether they're good hockey players or not, they're clearly all prone to loss of self-control on the ice. The older brother, Jonathan, is already facing criminal charges stemming from the brawl last spring and now there's some suggestion that Frederick could get hit with a charge over this incident too. Daddy must be so proud of the boys.
As an aside, I notice none of Roy's victim (Vincent Bourgeois)'s teammates came to his aid as the little weasel skated away like nothing happened after the incident. Thank the QMJHL's new rules on brawling for that....in the old days, Frederick Roy would have been eating through a straw for six weeks after the opposition got through with him and he'd never do such a thing again. I'm NOT a proponent of uncontrolled brawling and such idiocy in the game, but there has to be some leeway given for the players to police themselves in such incidents.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
50 G's
Was playing around with the stats yesterday, looking at the league's leading goal scorers and such, and I realized that there are no less than six players this season who are currently on pace to score 50 goals:
(GPG = Goals Per Game; Rem. = games remaining; Proj. = Projected final total)
Now, some of these guys are only on pace for exactly 50 so they need to keep up their current pace for the rest of the season to hit the magic mark - something that some of them will no doubt not be able to do. Plus there's injuries, possible World Junior invites, etc, all things which will conspire to keep some of these guys from achieving 50. But you have to think Benn looks pretty good right about now, he's on pace for almost 70. He can slip a bit off that pace and still hit 50.
The WHL has not seen a 50 goal scorer the past two seasons. The last WHLer to score 50 goals was the Rockets' Justin Keller in 2005-06, when he got 51.
| GP | G | GPG | Rem. | Proj. | ||
| Jamie Benn | Kelowna Rockets | 20 | 20 | 1.00 | 49 | 69 |
| Dana Tyrell | Prince George Cougars | 22 | 17 | 0.77 | 48 | 54 |
| Joel Broda | Moose Jaw Warriors | 20 | 15 | 0.75 | 50 | 53 |
| Evander Kane | Vancouver Giants | 21 | 15 | 0.71 | 51 | 51 |
| Brandon Kozun | Calgary Hitmen | 26 | 18 | 0.69 | 46 | 50 |
| Jordan Eberle | Regina Pats | 24 | 17 | 0.71 | 46 | 50 |
(GPG = Goals Per Game; Rem. = games remaining; Proj. = Projected final total)
Now, some of these guys are only on pace for exactly 50 so they need to keep up their current pace for the rest of the season to hit the magic mark - something that some of them will no doubt not be able to do. Plus there's injuries, possible World Junior invites, etc, all things which will conspire to keep some of these guys from achieving 50. But you have to think Benn looks pretty good right about now, he's on pace for almost 70. He can slip a bit off that pace and still hit 50.
The WHL has not seen a 50 goal scorer the past two seasons. The last WHLer to score 50 goals was the Rockets' Justin Keller in 2005-06, when he got 51.
Wednesday note
One note today big news out of Speedy Creek, where it looks like the Broncos are going to get pushed out of their building in the first round next season, 2009-10.
The Credit Union i-Plex is being taken over by the Ford World Women's Curling Championships from March 20-29, 2010, and that should be right around the time of the first round of the WHL playoffs. Looking at a calendar, I'd bet the 09-10 season will see its playoffs start on Friday March 19th, and will want to be wrapped up by March 30 or 31, to start the 2nd round on Friday April 2nd. So since the curling ice needs to go in a few days before the event starts, basically there are no possible home playoff dates for the Broncos in that period. So the first round of the playoffs for the Broncos wouldn't just have to have a funky schedule, it would have to be held somewhere else. Period.
Of course, the Broncos need to MAKE the playoffs in 09-10 first before we really worry about this but it's a significant issue for them if it happens....I mean, it's playoffs and they're looking at losing home ice advantage by probably having to play their "home" games in a neutral site, possibly at the home rink of one of the Eastern division teams who do miss the playoffs. The last time I remember a team actually having to play at a neutral site in the playoffs was when Prince Albert had to play some home playoff games in Saskatoon in 1998-99 because the Air Canada Cup was in their building.
But, this is the price the Broncos have to pay for having wanted their facility upgraded. The city of Swift Current fixed up the rink and now they want to put some marquee events in it, things which will bring money into the city. Can't blame the city for wanting to do that. I guess the only question would be why the curling event can't be held one week earlier, which would allow the Broncos to just finish the regular season on the road and have their building back for the playoffs.
The Credit Union i-Plex is being taken over by the Ford World Women's Curling Championships from March 20-29, 2010, and that should be right around the time of the first round of the WHL playoffs. Looking at a calendar, I'd bet the 09-10 season will see its playoffs start on Friday March 19th, and will want to be wrapped up by March 30 or 31, to start the 2nd round on Friday April 2nd. So since the curling ice needs to go in a few days before the event starts, basically there are no possible home playoff dates for the Broncos in that period. So the first round of the playoffs for the Broncos wouldn't just have to have a funky schedule, it would have to be held somewhere else. Period.
Of course, the Broncos need to MAKE the playoffs in 09-10 first before we really worry about this but it's a significant issue for them if it happens....I mean, it's playoffs and they're looking at losing home ice advantage by probably having to play their "home" games in a neutral site, possibly at the home rink of one of the Eastern division teams who do miss the playoffs. The last time I remember a team actually having to play at a neutral site in the playoffs was when Prince Albert had to play some home playoff games in Saskatoon in 1998-99 because the Air Canada Cup was in their building.
But, this is the price the Broncos have to pay for having wanted their facility upgraded. The city of Swift Current fixed up the rink and now they want to put some marquee events in it, things which will bring money into the city. Can't blame the city for wanting to do that. I guess the only question would be why the curling event can't be held one week earlier, which would allow the Broncos to just finish the regular season on the road and have their building back for the playoffs.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Two player moves
Couple player moves this morning to mention.....first, the Kamloops Blazers have filled their overage hole through the return of Brady Calla from the AHL. This is obviously a pretty significant addition to get a player of Calla's calibre back unexpectedly.
I wonder if the Blazers will now owe Moose Jaw something extra for the Calla-for-Ellerby trade last year. After all, Calla's back in the WHL as an overage and Ellerby is not, and sometimes these trades have clauses attached to them that provide for additional compensation if one player plays as an overage. Guess we'll see.
The other move is that the Raiders have added Cole Penner back to their lineup after he was cut during the preseason for lack of comittment. Penner was the 4th overall pick in the 2006 bantam draft but so far has yet to make much of a mark at the WHL level, mostly due to the off-ice problems he has had. This is probably his last kick at the can with the Raiders. With the AJHL's Brooks Bandits so far this year, he had 12 points and 107 PIM in 16 games.
I wonder if the Blazers will now owe Moose Jaw something extra for the Calla-for-Ellerby trade last year. After all, Calla's back in the WHL as an overage and Ellerby is not, and sometimes these trades have clauses attached to them that provide for additional compensation if one player plays as an overage. Guess we'll see.
The other move is that the Raiders have added Cole Penner back to their lineup after he was cut during the preseason for lack of comittment. Penner was the 4th overall pick in the 2006 bantam draft but so far has yet to make much of a mark at the WHL level, mostly due to the off-ice problems he has had. This is probably his last kick at the can with the Raiders. With the AJHL's Brooks Bandits so far this year, he had 12 points and 107 PIM in 16 games.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Screening the goaltender
A new screening-the-goalie tactic that nobody really wants to see coming to the hockey rink near them anytime soon.....
....or any other sport either, for that matter......
....or any other sport either, for that matter......
Monday stuff
Slow day today.....only one bit of news caught my eye really and that was that the Rebels assigned 16 year old defenceman Kevin Woodyatt to a midget team in Arizona.
Yes, Arizona. Of course, that's where he is from, although he played midget last year at Notre Dame in Saskatchewan. This year the Rebels had tried to assign him to the local AAA midget team in Red Deer, but I guess his presence on that team caused some controversy since he wasn't from the Red Deer midgets' usual drawing area, and thus his presence on the team was costing a local player a spot. It wasn't an issue last year in Notre Dame since that's a boarding school with kids from all over the place, but it was an issue this year. And I think everyone can certainly see where the Red Deer folks who had a problem with this are coming from too. I can't say I disagree with them.
So, now he's back in Arizona where presumably the calibre of hockey is a fair bit below what he'd be playing at in Red Deer AAA. Probably not what he needs at this point in his career. I guess the whole point of this post is, why don't the Rebels just keep the kid on their WHL roster? He has already played a few games for them this year and they only have 23 players on their roster, with only two other 16 year olds. Why not keep him around in the WHL, even if he only gets into 30 games and practices with the club every day, that has to be better than what he'll be playing at home.
Yes, Arizona. Of course, that's where he is from, although he played midget last year at Notre Dame in Saskatchewan. This year the Rebels had tried to assign him to the local AAA midget team in Red Deer, but I guess his presence on that team caused some controversy since he wasn't from the Red Deer midgets' usual drawing area, and thus his presence on the team was costing a local player a spot. It wasn't an issue last year in Notre Dame since that's a boarding school with kids from all over the place, but it was an issue this year. And I think everyone can certainly see where the Red Deer folks who had a problem with this are coming from too. I can't say I disagree with them.
So, now he's back in Arizona where presumably the calibre of hockey is a fair bit below what he'd be playing at in Red Deer AAA. Probably not what he needs at this point in his career. I guess the whole point of this post is, why don't the Rebels just keep the kid on their WHL roster? He has already played a few games for them this year and they only have 23 players on their roster, with only two other 16 year olds. Why not keep him around in the WHL, even if he only gets into 30 games and practices with the club every day, that has to be better than what he'll be playing at home.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Friday notes
Stuff for today....
The changes keep on coming in Portland, with two players added and two players deleted yesterday. Gone are 18 year old rookie forward Ryan Anderson - who got into just 6 games this season for the Hawks - and overage forward Matt Schmermund. With Schmermund's departure, the Hawks now have zero overagers on their roster. Obviously they are planning to play the heck out of the kids and hope it yields dividends down the road.
The two new players are a pair of forwards, 17 year old Sawyer Mick and 19 year old Jonathan Milhouse. Mick is the younger brother of former Winter Hawk star (and former WHL coach) Troy Mick. Yes, younger brother. There's 22 years difference in their ages but they are apparently brothers. Milhouse is no stranger to the WHL, he had a 35-game cup of coffee three years ago with the Everett Silvertips. Milhouse leaves the BCHL's Victoria Grizzlies, where he was assured of a shot at the Royal Bank Cup (since they're the hosts) to join a Hawks team which probably isn't going to contend for a title until some time after his WHL career is over. Kind of the exact opposite route that Evan Pighin chose to take.
In other player news on the left coast, Seattle has inked their 2008 4th round bantam pick, Texas forward Colin Jacobs, to a WHL education deal. This is a pretty significant signing for the Birds since Jacobs was considered a first round talent - maybe even top-ten - in the draft but he dropped so low because of questions about whether he wanted to take the WHL route. For the Birds to have signed him means they basically now have two first round-calibre players from that draft.
The Russian roster for the 2008 ADT Canada-Russia Challenge series has been named and as we've come to expect, has more dogs than the local pound. Nobody has ever heard of most of those players and nobody will ever hear of most of them again. Every year Canada trots out 60-70 of their best 16-19 year olds for this tournament and every year Russia trots out two or three players who eventually play at the WJCs for them plus 18-20 guys who couldn't play Jr B in this country. Why, oh why, do we keep playing this stupid tournament? Let's go back to CHL all-star games.
Lastly, I saw in the notes for tonight's Calgary-Brandon game that the Stone brothers, Calgary's Michael and Brandon's Mark, will face each other for the first time in the WHL tonight. Nothing new there since dozens of brother combinations have played in the WHL over the years. But it made me curious what other brother combinations are playing in the WHL this year, so I looked it up....I believe there are 9 sets this year:
Evan & Lucas Bloodoff (both with Kelowna)
Collin & Drayson Bowman (Kelowna & Spokane)
Brett & Clarke Breitkreuz (Edmonton & Regina)
Blake & Taylor Gal (Spokane & Medicine Hat)
Calvin & Chet Pickard (Seattle & Tri-City)
Brad & Nick Ross (Portland & Kamloops)
Mark & Michael Stone (Brandon & Calgary)
Cody & Dustin Sylvester (Calgary & Kootenay)
Corey & Dana Tyrell (both Prince George)
The changes keep on coming in Portland, with two players added and two players deleted yesterday. Gone are 18 year old rookie forward Ryan Anderson - who got into just 6 games this season for the Hawks - and overage forward Matt Schmermund. With Schmermund's departure, the Hawks now have zero overagers on their roster. Obviously they are planning to play the heck out of the kids and hope it yields dividends down the road.
The two new players are a pair of forwards, 17 year old Sawyer Mick and 19 year old Jonathan Milhouse. Mick is the younger brother of former Winter Hawk star (and former WHL coach) Troy Mick. Yes, younger brother. There's 22 years difference in their ages but they are apparently brothers. Milhouse is no stranger to the WHL, he had a 35-game cup of coffee three years ago with the Everett Silvertips. Milhouse leaves the BCHL's Victoria Grizzlies, where he was assured of a shot at the Royal Bank Cup (since they're the hosts) to join a Hawks team which probably isn't going to contend for a title until some time after his WHL career is over. Kind of the exact opposite route that Evan Pighin chose to take.
In other player news on the left coast, Seattle has inked their 2008 4th round bantam pick, Texas forward Colin Jacobs, to a WHL education deal. This is a pretty significant signing for the Birds since Jacobs was considered a first round talent - maybe even top-ten - in the draft but he dropped so low because of questions about whether he wanted to take the WHL route. For the Birds to have signed him means they basically now have two first round-calibre players from that draft.
The Russian roster for the 2008 ADT Canada-Russia Challenge series has been named and as we've come to expect, has more dogs than the local pound. Nobody has ever heard of most of those players and nobody will ever hear of most of them again. Every year Canada trots out 60-70 of their best 16-19 year olds for this tournament and every year Russia trots out two or three players who eventually play at the WJCs for them plus 18-20 guys who couldn't play Jr B in this country. Why, oh why, do we keep playing this stupid tournament? Let's go back to CHL all-star games.
Lastly, I saw in the notes for tonight's Calgary-Brandon game that the Stone brothers, Calgary's Michael and Brandon's Mark, will face each other for the first time in the WHL tonight. Nothing new there since dozens of brother combinations have played in the WHL over the years. But it made me curious what other brother combinations are playing in the WHL this year, so I looked it up....I believe there are 9 sets this year:
Evan & Lucas Bloodoff (both with Kelowna)
Collin & Drayson Bowman (Kelowna & Spokane)
Brett & Clarke Breitkreuz (Edmonton & Regina)
Blake & Taylor Gal (Spokane & Medicine Hat)
Calvin & Chet Pickard (Seattle & Tri-City)
Brad & Nick Ross (Portland & Kamloops)
Mark & Michael Stone (Brandon & Calgary)
Cody & Dustin Sylvester (Calgary & Kootenay)
Corey & Dana Tyrell (both Prince George)
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Running with Gregg's idea
....or more accurately, Bill Motiuk's idea. On Gregg Drinnan's blog today, he details Motiuk's idea for a different points system for wins and losses in hockey, graded on whether the game was decided in regulation, overtime, or a shootout. If you haven't read the article already, read it now before reading the rest of this post because you won't understand the rest of this post otherwise.
What I've done is re-worked the current WHL standings to use Motiuk's proposed system, just to see how things would be different. First, the current standings the way the WHL does it now:
(I've ranked the teams by win% in order to eliminate variance in games played)
And now, the way the standings would look using Motiuk's idea:
The last column, "Shift", is the number of places up or down in the overall standings that the team would move from their current position if Motiuk's system was used. So the biggest beneficiary of this system would be Kelowna, who are 4 positions better using this method, while the biggest drop is Kootenay, who drop four places.
A quick explanation about the winning % calculation too since you can see the winning percentage is different in the second method. I have calculated winning % in Motiuk's method as a "points percentage", the same as it is in the current standings. It's not a reflection on the number of games a team actually wins, but rather the percentage of possible points they actually get. Each game is worth three points maximum so a team that has played 20 games could have a maximum of 60 points. Thus, they would need 30 points to be a .500 team and so on.
I'm off to recalculate last year's final standings now using this method. I'll post those results later this afternoon when I'm done.
UPDATE: I've redone last year's final standings using Motiuk's idea...
Last year's final standings the way the WHL counts it up:
And the final standings they way they would be using Motiuk's system:
Seattle would gain the most, being three positions higher in the standings. Regina would lose the most, being three positions lower. Tri-City would not have been first overall, they would have been third and Vancouver would have been #1.
But would any of the playoff matchups last year have been affected? As it was we had:
Calgary vs. Moose Jaw
Regina vs. Swift Current
Lethbridge vs. Brandon
Medicine Hat vs. Kootenay
Tri-City vs. Kamloops
Vancouver vs. Chilliwack
Spokane vs. Everett
Seattle vs. Kelowna
With the alternate system, we would have seen:
Calgary vs. Moose Jaw
Brandon vs. Swift Current
Lethbridge vs. Kootenay
Medicine Hat vs. Regina
Vancouver vs. Kamloops
Spokane vs. Chilliwack
Tri-City vs. Kelowna
Seattle vs. Everett
So the matchups would have been completely different. Only #1 vs. #8 in the Eastern conference, Calgary vs Moose Jaw, would have remained the same. Most notable is that not only would Regina not have been the #2 seed, they wouldn't even have had home ice advantage in the first round.
An interesting proposal, for sure. Thoughts?
What I've done is re-worked the current WHL standings to use Motiuk's proposed system, just to see how things would be different. First, the current standings the way the WHL does it now:
(I've ranked the teams by win% in order to eliminate variance in games played)
| GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | PTS | Win % | ||
| 1 | Vancouver Giants | 19 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 33 | 0.868 |
| 2 | Calgary Hitmen | 24 | 19 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 0.812 |
| 3 | Spokane Chiefs | 20 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 29 | 0.725 |
| 4 | Tri-City Americans | 21 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 30 | 0.714 |
| 5 | Saskatoon Blades | 22 | 15 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 0.705 |
| 6 | Swift Current Broncos | 22 | 14 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0.636 |
| 7 | Brandon Wheat Kings | 20 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 0.625 |
| 7 | Regina Pats | 24 | 13 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 30 | 0.625 |
| 9 | Medicine Hat Tigers | 22 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 26 | 0.591 |
| 10 | Kelowna Rockets | 21 | 12 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0.571 |
| 11 | Everett Silvertips | 21 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 23 | 0.548 |
| 12 | Kootenay Ice | 24 | 10 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 25 | 0.521 |
| 13 | Prince Albert Raiders | 25 | 13 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0.520 |
| 14 | Kamloops Blazers | 23 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 23 | 0.500 |
| 15 | Lethbridge Hurricanes | 20 | 9 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 0.475 |
| 16 | Edmonton Oil Kings | 24 | 9 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 21 | 0.438 |
| 17 | Prince George Cougars | 22 | 9 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 0.432 |
| 18 | Chilliwack Bruins | 21 | 7 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 0.405 |
| 18 | Seattle Thunderbirds | 21 | 7 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 0.405 |
| 20 | Red Deer Rebels | 25 | 7 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 19 | 0.380 |
| 21 | Moose Jaw Warriors | 20 | 6 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 0.325 |
| 22 | Portland Winter Hawks | 19 | 5 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0.263 |
And now, the way the standings would look using Motiuk's idea:
| GP | W | OTW | SOW | L | PTS | Win % | Shift | ||
| 1 | Vancouver Giants | 19 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 45 | 0.789 | 0 |
| 2 | Calgary Hitmen | 24 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 53 | 0.736 | 0 |
| 3 | Saskatoon Blades | 22 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 41 | 0.621 | 2 |
| 4 | Spokane Chiefs | 20 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 37 | 0.617 | -1 |
| 5 | Swift Current Broncos | 22 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 39 | 0.591 | 1 |
| 6 | Kelowna Rockets | 21 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 36 | 0.571 | 4 |
| 7 | Tri-City Americans | 21 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 34 | 0.540 | -3 |
| 8 | Brandon Wheat Kings | 20 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 32 | 0.533 | -1 |
| 9 | Regina Pats | 24 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 35 | 0.486 | -2 |
| 10 | Medicine Hat Tigers | 22 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 31 | 0.470 | -1 |
| 11 | Everett Silvertips | 21 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 26 | 0.413 | 0 |
| 12 | Prince Albert Raiders | 25 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 30 | 0.400 | 1 |
| 12 | Lethbridge Hurricanes | 20 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 24 | 0.400 | 2 |
| 14 | Kamloops Blazers | 23 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 27 | 0.391 | 0 |
| 15 | Prince George Cougars | 22 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 24 | 0.364 | 2 |
| 16 | Edmonton Oil Kings | 24 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 24 | 0.333 | 0 |
| 16 | Kootenay Ice | 24 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 24 | 0.333 | -4 |
| 18 | Seattle Thunderbirds | 21 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 17 | 0.270 | 0 |
| 19 | Moose Jaw Warriors | 20 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 16 | 0.267 | 2 |
| 20 | Portland Winter Hawks | 19 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 14 | 0.246 | 2 |
| 21 | Chilliwack Bruins | 21 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 15 | 0.238 | -3 |
| 22 | Red Deer Rebels | 25 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 16 | 0.213 | -2 |
The last column, "Shift", is the number of places up or down in the overall standings that the team would move from their current position if Motiuk's system was used. So the biggest beneficiary of this system would be Kelowna, who are 4 positions better using this method, while the biggest drop is Kootenay, who drop four places.
A quick explanation about the winning % calculation too since you can see the winning percentage is different in the second method. I have calculated winning % in Motiuk's method as a "points percentage", the same as it is in the current standings. It's not a reflection on the number of games a team actually wins, but rather the percentage of possible points they actually get. Each game is worth three points maximum so a team that has played 20 games could have a maximum of 60 points. Thus, they would need 30 points to be a .500 team and so on.
I'm off to recalculate last year's final standings now using this method. I'll post those results later this afternoon when I'm done.
UPDATE: I've redone last year's final standings using Motiuk's idea...
Last year's final standings the way the WHL counts it up:
| GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | PTS | Win % | ||
| 1 | Tri-City Americans | 72 | 52 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 108 | 0.750 |
| 2 | Spokane Chiefs | 72 | 50 | 15 | 1 | 6 | 107 | 0.743 |
| 3 | Vancouver Giants | 72 | 49 | 15 | 2 | 6 | 106 | 0.736 |
| 4 | Calgary Hitmen | 72 | 47 | 20 | 1 | 4 | 99 | 0.688 |
| 5 | Lethbridge Hurricanes | 72 | 45 | 21 | 2 | 4 | 96 | 0.667 |
| 6 | Regina Pats | 72 | 44 | 22 | 4 | 2 | 94 | 0.653 |
| 7 | Medicine Hat Tigers | 72 | 43 | 22 | 5 | 2 | 93 | 0.646 |
| 8 | Kootenay Ice | 72 | 42 | 22 | 5 | 3 | 92 | 0.639 |
| 9 | Seattle Thunderbirds | 72 | 42 | 23 | 5 | 2 | 91 | 0.632 |
| 10 | Brandon Wheat Kings | 72 | 42 | 24 | 3 | 3 | 90 | 0.625 |
| 11 | Swift Current Broncos | 72 | 41 | 24 | 1 | 6 | 89 | 0.618 |
| 12 | Moose Jaw Warriors | 72 | 37 | 21 | 6 | 8 | 88 | 0.611 |
| 13 | Kelowna Rockets | 72 | 38 | 26 | 2 | 6 | 84 | 0.583 |
| 14 | Everett Silvertips | 72 | 39 | 30 | 0 | 3 | 81 | 0.562 |
| 15 | Saskatoon Blades | 72 | 29 | 34 | 3 | 6 | 67 | 0.465 |
| 16 | Chilliwack Bruins | 72 | 28 | 35 | 4 | 5 | 65 | 0.451 |
| 17 | Kamloops Blazers | 72 | 27 | 41 | 2 | 2 | 58 | 0.403 |
| 18 | Prince Albert Raiders | 72 | 26 | 41 | 3 | 2 | 57 | 0.396 |
| 19 | Edmonton Oil Kings | 72 | 22 | 39 | 4 | 7 | 55 | 0.382 |
| 20 | Prince George Cougars | 72 | 20 | 48 | 1 | 3 | 44 | 0.306 |
| 21 | Red Deer Rebels | 72 | 18 | 47 | 4 | 3 | 43 | 0.299 |
| 22 | Portland Winter Hawks | 72 | 11 | 58 | 2 | 1 | 25 | 0.174 |
And the final standings they way they would be using Motiuk's system:
| GP | W | OTW | SOW | L | PTS | Win % | Shift | ||
| 1 | Vancouver Giants | 72 | 44 | 3 | 2 | 23 | 140 | 0.648 | 2 |
| 2 | Spokane Chiefs | 72 | 44 | 1 | 5 | 22 | 139 | 0.644 | 0 |
| 3 | Tri-City Americans | 72 | 41 | 5 | 6 | 20 | 139 | 0.644 | -2 |
| 4 | Calgary Hitmen | 72 | 41 | 3 | 3 | 25 | 132 | 0.611 | 0 |
| 5 | Lethbridge Hurricanes | 72 | 38 | 2 | 5 | 27 | 123 | 0.569 | 0 |
| 6 | Seattle Thunderbirds | 72 | 39 | 1 | 2 | 30 | 121 | 0.560 | 3 |
| 7 | Medicine Hat Tigers | 72 | 35 | 5 | 3 | 29 | 118 | 0.546 | 0 |
| 8 | Brandon Wheat Kings | 72 | 37 | 1 | 4 | 30 | 117 | 0.542 | 2 |
| 9 | Regina Pats | 72 | 32 | 5 | 7 | 28 | 113 | 0.523 | -3 |
| 10 | Kootenay Ice | 72 | 31 | 6 | 5 | 30 | 110 | 0.509 | -2 |
| 11 | Swift Current Broncos | 72 | 30 | 7 | 4 | 31 | 108 | 0.500 | 0 |
| 12 | Everett Silvertips | 72 | 29 | 6 | 4 | 33 | 103 | 0.477 | 2 |
| 13 | Kelowna Rockets | 72 | 29 | 4 | 5 | 34 | 100 | 0.463 | 0 |
| 14 | Moose Jaw Warriors | 72 | 28 | 4 | 5 | 35 | 97 | 0.449 | -2 |
| 15 | Saskatoon Blades | 72 | 23 | 3 | 3 | 43 | 78 | 0.361 | 0 |
| 16 | Chilliwack Bruins | 72 | 23 | 1 | 4 | 44 | 75 | 0.347 | 0 |
| 17 | Kamloops Blazers | 72 | 22 | 1 | 4 | 45 | 72 | 0.333 | 0 |
| 17 | Prince Albert Raiders | 72 | 22 | 2 | 2 | 46 | 72 | 0.333 | 1 |
| 19 | Edmonton Oil Kings | 72 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 50 | 58 | 0.269 | 0 |
| 20 | Prince George Cougars | 72 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 52 | 55 | 0.255 | 0 |
| 21 | Red Deer Rebels | 72 | 12 | 1 | 5 | 54 | 43 | 0.199 | 0 |
| 22 | Portland Winter Hawks | 72 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 61 | 29 | 0.134 | 0 |
Seattle would gain the most, being three positions higher in the standings. Regina would lose the most, being three positions lower. Tri-City would not have been first overall, they would have been third and Vancouver would have been #1.
But would any of the playoff matchups last year have been affected? As it was we had:
Calgary vs. Moose Jaw
Regina vs. Swift Current
Lethbridge vs. Brandon
Medicine Hat vs. Kootenay
Tri-City vs. Kamloops
Vancouver vs. Chilliwack
Spokane vs. Everett
Seattle vs. Kelowna
With the alternate system, we would have seen:
Calgary vs. Moose Jaw
Brandon vs. Swift Current
Lethbridge vs. Kootenay
Medicine Hat vs. Regina
Vancouver vs. Kamloops
Spokane vs. Chilliwack
Tri-City vs. Kelowna
Seattle vs. Everett
So the matchups would have been completely different. Only #1 vs. #8 in the Eastern conference, Calgary vs Moose Jaw, would have remained the same. Most notable is that not only would Regina not have been the #2 seed, they wouldn't even have had home ice advantage in the first round.
An interesting proposal, for sure. Thoughts?
Notes on a Thursday
The Saskatchewan and Manitoba hockey people have named the 22 players who will make up Team West at the World Under-17 Challenge this year in Port Alberni, B.C. after Christmas.
Only 10 of the 22 players are currently in the WHL, which is unusual - but there are only 13 full-time players in the WHL this season who were born in '92 and are from Saskatchewan or Manitoba so only three of them DIDN'T make this team - Graham Hood and Justin Slobozian of Regina, and Colton Stephenson of Edmonton.
By comparision, there are at least 45 full-time WHLers this year aged 16 who are from B.C. or Alberta so Team Pacific (which will be released soon, I would think) should be chock-full of WHLers and in fact some very deserving candidates won't make the cut. The 1992 age group is obviously a lot stronger in B.C. and Alberta than in the two more easterly provinces.
Only 10 of the 22 players are currently in the WHL, which is unusual - but there are only 13 full-time players in the WHL this season who were born in '92 and are from Saskatchewan or Manitoba so only three of them DIDN'T make this team - Graham Hood and Justin Slobozian of Regina, and Colton Stephenson of Edmonton.
By comparision, there are at least 45 full-time WHLers this year aged 16 who are from B.C. or Alberta so Team Pacific (which will be released soon, I would think) should be chock-full of WHLers and in fact some very deserving candidates won't make the cut. The 1992 age group is obviously a lot stronger in B.C. and Alberta than in the two more easterly provinces.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Wednesday stuff
Couple WHL notes today.....first, the Giants finally suffered a regulation loss yesterday afternoon when they were beaten 3-2 in Chilliwack by the Bruins. The Giants' record now falls to a dismal 14-1-0-3 and a mere .861 winning percentage.
The other note, from Jon Keen's blog, is that Broncos overage defenceman Jesse Dudas is apparently set to make his return from his knee injury next Friday, the 21st. That will give the Broncos four overagers on their roster and they'll then have two weeks to make a move to get back down to three. The other overagers on the team are forward Keegan Dansereau, defenceman Spencer McAvoy, and goaltender Travis Yonkman. There won't be any difficulties finding a team in the league that wants one of those four. Yonkman might be hardest to trade given the league's glut of goalies so it'll probably be one of the other three who goes.
To the NHL now, I heard about this last week but didn't get around to commenting until today. Apparently the New York Rangers have asked the NHL to give them a compensatory draft pick for losing prospect Alexei Cherepanov. Cherepanov, as we all know, died last month during a game in Russia.
This is the most classless and insulting thing the Rangers have done in a long time, maybe ever. Basically the Rangers are saying that because they're not going to sign Cherepanov before next year's draft (I wonder why?), that they should get the compensatory 2nd round pick that teams get when they let first round picks re-enter the draft instead of signing them. Gee, they're "letting" a dead guy re-enter the draft. How generous of them!
It sucks losing a top prospect like this but them's the breaks. It could have happened to any team in the league.
If the Rangers actually get away with this then the Flames should ask for compensation for the fact that their 1986 first round pick, George Pelawa, died in a car accident two months after being drafted. The league didn't give them anything then.
UPDATE: A reader pointed me to this article on the Cherepanov situation, which I think is dead on the mark.
The other note, from Jon Keen's blog, is that Broncos overage defenceman Jesse Dudas is apparently set to make his return from his knee injury next Friday, the 21st. That will give the Broncos four overagers on their roster and they'll then have two weeks to make a move to get back down to three. The other overagers on the team are forward Keegan Dansereau, defenceman Spencer McAvoy, and goaltender Travis Yonkman. There won't be any difficulties finding a team in the league that wants one of those four. Yonkman might be hardest to trade given the league's glut of goalies so it'll probably be one of the other three who goes.
To the NHL now, I heard about this last week but didn't get around to commenting until today. Apparently the New York Rangers have asked the NHL to give them a compensatory draft pick for losing prospect Alexei Cherepanov. Cherepanov, as we all know, died last month during a game in Russia.
This is the most classless and insulting thing the Rangers have done in a long time, maybe ever. Basically the Rangers are saying that because they're not going to sign Cherepanov before next year's draft (I wonder why?), that they should get the compensatory 2nd round pick that teams get when they let first round picks re-enter the draft instead of signing them. Gee, they're "letting" a dead guy re-enter the draft. How generous of them!
It sucks losing a top prospect like this but them's the breaks. It could have happened to any team in the league.
If the Rangers actually get away with this then the Flames should ask for compensation for the fact that their 1986 first round pick, George Pelawa, died in a car accident two months after being drafted. The league didn't give them anything then.
UPDATE: A reader pointed me to this article on the Cherepanov situation, which I think is dead on the mark.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Fun with rosters
A question posed to me the other day got me started on this latest project....who are the biggest and smallest teams in the league?
Below are the results, based on the height/weight listed on the rosters on WHL.ca. Height in these charts is given in inches and weight in pounds.
Teams ranked by average height:
Hmmm....Portland is the biggest team in the league (by a whole half-inch over #2!) and Vancouver is the 3rd-smallest, but those stats sure don't have much to do with the standings.
Counting forwards only:
Defencemen only now:
And goaltenders....not that size is such a big deal here:
The tallest players in the league are:
There are nine players listed at 6'5".
The smallest players in the league are:
After them, twelve players are listed at 5'8".
The stockiest players in the league, using a pounds-per-inch-of-height ratio:
And the slightest ("skinniest"?) players:
Below are the results, based on the height/weight listed on the rosters on WHL.ca. Height in these charts is given in inches and weight in pounds.
Teams ranked by average height:
| Players | Avg Ht | Avg Wt | Avg Age | |
| Portland Winter Hawks | 26 | 73.35 | 186.35 | 17.81 |
| Saskatoon Blades | 24 | 72.88 | 189.88 | 18.08 |
| Red Deer Rebels | 24 | 72.79 | 183.42 | 17.83 |
| Brandon Wheat Kings | 25 | 72.76 | 185.72 | 18.08 |
| Swift Current Broncos | 24 | 72.75 | 188.92 | 18.04 |
| Lethbridge Hurricanes | 23 | 72.65 | 189.35 | 18.00 |
| Regina Pats | 24 | 72.63 | 183.00 | 17.83 |
| Kelowna Rockets | 23 | 72.48 | 188.96 | 17.87 |
| Calgary Hitmen | 23 | 72.43 | 188.96 | 18.04 |
| Kamloops Blazers | 22 | 72.36 | 182.23 | 17.82 |
| Prince George Cougars | 25 | 72.32 | 184.40 | 18.08 |
| Seattle Thunderbirds | 24 | 72.17 | 189.71 | 18.04 |
| Prince Albert Raiders | 23 | 72.13 | 186.91 | 18.00 |
| Chilliwack Bruins | 26 | 72.08 | 184.92 | 17.77 |
| Moose Jaw Warriors | 23 | 72.04 | 182.70 | 17.78 |
| Kootenay Ice | 22 | 72.00 | 184.00 | 17.86 |
| Edmonton Oil Kings | 24 | 71.92 | 182.17 | 17.88 |
| Spokane Chiefs | 23 | 71.91 | 186.74 | 18.00 |
| Everett Silvertips | 24 | 71.63 | 190.29 | 17.96 |
| Vancouver Giants | 23 | 71.48 | 181.83 | 18.04 |
| Tri-City Americans | 25 | 71.32 | 181.32 | 17.88 |
| Medicine Hat Tigers | 24 | 71.17 | 179.79 | 18.38 |
Hmmm....Portland is the biggest team in the league (by a whole half-inch over #2!) and Vancouver is the 3rd-smallest, but those stats sure don't have much to do with the standings.
Counting forwards only:
| # | Avg Ht | Avg Wt | Avg Age | |
| Portland Winter Hawks | 15 | 73.27 | 182.27 | 17.87 |
| Saskatoon Blades | 15 | 72.67 | 189.00 | 17.93 |
| Prince George Cougars | 14 | 72.36 | 179.07 | 17.93 |
| Red Deer Rebels | 14 | 72.29 | 182.71 | 17.93 |
| Brandon Wheat Kings | 14 | 72.21 | 181.86 | 18.29 |
| Moose Jaw Warriors | 13 | 72.15 | 182.46 | 18.15 |
| Lethbridge Hurricanes | 13 | 72.08 | 189.85 | 18.23 |
| Regina Pats | 15 | 72.07 | 180.87 | 17.80 |
| Swift Current Broncos | 14 | 72.00 | 188.86 | 17.79 |
| Kelowna Rockets | 14 | 71.86 | 188.79 | 17.86 |
| Kamloops Blazers | 13 | 71.77 | 179.46 | 17.77 |
| Prince Albert Raiders | 13 | 71.77 | 182.54 | 18.15 |
| Spokane Chiefs | 13 | 71.77 | 184.92 | 17.92 |
| Seattle Thunderbirds | 14 | 71.71 | 183.36 | 18.29 |
| Chilliwack Bruins | 15 | 71.67 | 185.53 | 17.67 |
| Calgary Hitmen | 14 | 71.64 | 186.43 | 18.14 |
| Edmonton Oil Kings | 14 | 71.36 | 180.64 | 17.93 |
| Vancouver Giants | 14 | 71.36 | 182.29 | 17.79 |
| Kootenay Ice | 13 | 71.31 | 184.23 | 17.85 |
| Everett Silvertips | 15 | 71.27 | 188.40 | 17.73 |
| Tri-City Americans | 15 | 70.80 | 177.07 | 17.73 |
| Medicine Hat Tigers | 14 | 70.00 | 174.71 | 18.50 |
Defencemen only now:
| # | Avg Ht | Avg Wt | Avg Age | |
| Lethbridge Hurricanes | 8 | 74.25 | 192.75 | 17.63 |
| Kelowna Rockets | 7 | 74.00 | 195.43 | 17.71 |
| Calgary Hitmen | 7 | 74.00 | 197.71 | 18.00 |
| Swift Current Broncos | 8 | 73.88 | 186.88 | 18.13 |
| Brandon Wheat Kings | 9 | 73.78 | 190.89 | 17.89 |
| Regina Pats | 7 | 73.71 | 188.29 | 17.86 |
| Portland Winter Hawks | 9 | 73.56 | 195.78 | 17.78 |
| Red Deer Rebels | 8 | 73.25 | 186.63 | 17.63 |
| Kamloops Blazers | 7 | 73.14 | 186.29 | 17.86 |
| Medicine Hat Tigers | 8 | 73.13 | 189.75 | 18.38 |
| Chilliwack Bruins | 9 | 73.11 | 187.22 | 17.89 |
| Saskatoon Blades | 7 | 73.00 | 193.14 | 18.43 |
| Seattle Thunderbirds | 8 | 72.75 | 196.25 | 17.88 |
| Kootenay Ice | 7 | 72.71 | 186.86 | 18.00 |
| Tri-City Americans | 7 | 72.71 | 189.43 | 18.29 |
| Prince Albert Raiders | 8 | 72.63 | 191.63 | 17.63 |
| Edmonton Oil Kings | 7 | 72.57 | 187.00 | 17.86 |
| Prince George Cougars | 9 | 72.44 | 192.56 | 18.00 |
| Spokane Chiefs | 8 | 72.38 | 187.50 | 18.00 |
| Everett Silvertips | 7 | 71.86 | 196.43 | 18.57 |
| Vancouver Giants | 7 | 71.71 | 180.86 | 18.57 |
| Moose Jaw Warriors | 8 | 71.50 | 184.38 | 17.25 |
And goaltenders....not that size is such a big deal here:
| # | Ht | Wt | Avg Age | |
| Red Deer Rebels | 2 | 74.50 | 175.50 | 18.00 |
| Saskatoon Blades | 2 | 74.00 | 185.00 | 18.00 |
| Kootenay Ice | 2 | 74.00 | 172.50 | 17.50 |
| Swift Current Broncos | 2 | 73.50 | 197.50 | 19.50 |
| Kamloops Blazers | 2 | 73.50 | 186.00 | 18.00 |
| Everett Silvertips | 2 | 73.50 | 183.00 | 17.50 |
| Moose Jaw Warriors | 2 | 73.50 | 177.50 | 17.50 |
| Regina Pats | 2 | 73.00 | 180.50 | 18.00 |
| Portland Winter Hawks | 2 | 73.00 | 174.50 | 17.50 |
| Seattle Thunderbirds | 2 | 73.00 | 208.00 | 17.00 |
| Edmonton Oil Kings | 3 | 73.00 | 178.00 | 17.67 |
| Calgary Hitmen | 2 | 72.50 | 176.00 | 17.50 |
| Prince Albert Raiders | 2 | 72.50 | 196.50 | 18.50 |
| Brandon Wheat Kings | 2 | 72.00 | 189.50 | 17.50 |
| Kelowna Rockets | 2 | 71.50 | 167.50 | 18.50 |
| Medicine Hat Tigers | 2 | 71.50 | 175.50 | 17.50 |
| Prince George Cougars | 2 | 71.50 | 185.00 | 19.50 |
| Vancouver Giants | 2 | 71.50 | 182.00 | 18.00 |
| Spokane Chiefs | 2 | 71.00 | 195.50 | 18.50 |
| Tri-City Americans | 3 | 70.67 | 183.67 | 17.67 |
| Chilliwack Bruins | 2 | 70.50 | 170.00 | 18.00 |
| Lethbridge Hurricanes | 2 | 70.00 | 172.50 | 18.00 |
The tallest players in the league are:
| Brett Ponich | Portland Winter Hawks | 6'7" | 205 |
| Keith Aulie | Brandon Wheat Kings | 6'6" | 222 |
| Tyler Myers | Kelowna Rockets | 6'6" | 211 |
| Tayler Jordan | Portland Winter Hawks | 6'6" | 171 |
There are nine players listed at 6'5".
The smallest players in the league are:
| Brendan Gallagher | Vancouver Giants | 5'6" | 150 |
| Joey Frazer | Medicine Hat Tigers | 5'6" | 162 |
| Zack Dailey | Everett Silvertips | 5'6" | 166 |
| Cody Chikie | Saskatoon Blades | 5'7" | 150 |
| Kyle St. Denis | Kelowna Rockets | 5'7" | 164 |
| Johnny Lazo | Tri-City Americans | 5'7" | 165 |
| Uriah Machuga | Kamloops Blazers | 5'7" | 170 |
| Dustin Sylvester | Kootenay Ice | 5'7" | 170 |
After them, twelve players are listed at 5'8".
The stockiest players in the league, using a pounds-per-inch-of-height ratio:
| Ht | Wt | lb/in | ||
| Graham Potuer | Everett Silvertips | 73 | 234 | 3.21 |
| Sena Acolatse | Seattle Thunderbirds | 71 | 220 | 3.10 |
| Mike Brown | Swift Current Broncos | 74 | 228 | 3.08 |
| Rigby Burgart | Calgary Hitmen | 70 | 215 | 3.07 |
| Dominik Pascovsky | Kootenay Ice | 71 | 215 | 3.03 |
| Jesse Dudas | Swift Current Broncosx | 74 | 219 | 2.96 |
| Mike Berube | Vancouver Giants | 73 | 215 | 2.95 |
| Mike Alexander | Everett Silvertips | 70 | 206 | 2.94 |
| Dwight King | Lethbridge Hurricanes | 75 | 220 | 2.93 |
| Blaine Tendler | Prince Albert Raiders | 72 | 210 | 2.92 |
And the slightest ("skinniest"?) players:
| Ht | Wt | lb/in | ||
| Jeremy Boyer | Seattle Thunderbirds | 71 | 152 | 2.14 |
| Morgan Clark | Red Deer Rebels | 73 | 158 | 2.16 |
| Justin Maylan | Prince George Cougars | 73 | 160 | 2.19 |
| Tayler Jordan | Portland Winter Hawks | 78 | 171 | 2.19 |
| Chris Francis | Portland Winter Hawks | 73 | 161 | 2.21 |
| Oliver Gabriel | Portland Winter Hawks | 73 | 161 | 2.21 |
| Logan Proulx | Edmonton Oil Kings | 68 | 150 | 2.21 |
| Brett Connolly | Prince George Cougars | 73 | 162 | 2.22 |
| Graham Hood | Regina Pats | 72 | 160 | 2.22 |
| T.J. Foster | Edmonton Oil Kings | 71 | 158 | 2.23 |
Warriors cut Mathews
Moose Jaw has reassigned goalie Todd Mathews to the SJHL. That gets them back down to two goalies after yesterday's acqusition of Jeff Bosch from Regina.
Devan Dubyk remains the backup goalie for the Tribe....
Devan Dubyk remains the backup goalie for the Tribe....
Tuesday notes
Firstoff, it's Remembrance Day today (Veterans Day for those of you south of the border) so make sure you take at least a few minutes out of your day today to remember and appreciate the sacrifices that were made (and continue to be made even now) by men and women of your country's armed forces so that you and people around the world may enjoy the life you live.
Today is the 90th anniversary of the end of World War I; I read an article the other day in my local paper which exposes just how ignorant some (and I have to emphasize, SOME) of the teenage generation here are about basic Canadian history and the meaning of and reason for Remembrance Day. It greatly upset me to see so many young people completely ignorant of the 115,000 or so Canadian men and women - not much older than these high schoolers themselves in most cases - who died in WWI and WWII. (And the 540,000 American deaths from just those same two wars!). Between the two wars - both of which are still very recent in the big picture of history - between 60 and 120 million people died worldwide, and some kids don't think it's important enough to know basic details of their country's involvement. Sad. Very sad.
As for the poppies....I would gladly put a few dollars in the bucket if it meant even one of those kids would wear one and spend a few moments each day thinking about why they're wearing it and what it means. Sigh. What's that Santayana quote? Those who do not learn from the mistake of history are condemned to repeat them?
Anyway, back to the WHL now....really only one significant bit of news to report today and that's that the Portland Winter Hawks have parted ways with overage tough guy Scott Gabriel. They are looking for takers in a trade but if nothing can be worked out there, I imagine he'll just be released and free to go anywhere. Kamloops, Kelowna, Moose Jaw, and Regina all have open overage spots at the moment, and without Gabriel the Hawks themselves will only have one overager.
Today is the 90th anniversary of the end of World War I; I read an article the other day in my local paper which exposes just how ignorant some (and I have to emphasize, SOME) of the teenage generation here are about basic Canadian history and the meaning of and reason for Remembrance Day. It greatly upset me to see so many young people completely ignorant of the 115,000 or so Canadian men and women - not much older than these high schoolers themselves in most cases - who died in WWI and WWII. (And the 540,000 American deaths from just those same two wars!). Between the two wars - both of which are still very recent in the big picture of history - between 60 and 120 million people died worldwide, and some kids don't think it's important enough to know basic details of their country's involvement. Sad. Very sad.
As for the poppies....I would gladly put a few dollars in the bucket if it meant even one of those kids would wear one and spend a few moments each day thinking about why they're wearing it and what it means. Sigh. What's that Santayana quote? Those who do not learn from the mistake of history are condemned to repeat them?
Anyway, back to the WHL now....really only one significant bit of news to report today and that's that the Portland Winter Hawks have parted ways with overage tough guy Scott Gabriel. They are looking for takers in a trade but if nothing can be worked out there, I imagine he'll just be released and free to go anywhere. Kamloops, Kelowna, Moose Jaw, and Regina all have open overage spots at the moment, and without Gabriel the Hawks themselves will only have one overager.
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