It was the Tyler Ennis show tonight.....Medicine Hat beat Prince Albert 6-2 and Ennis scored all six goals for the Tigers. My memory of the WHL goes back at least 20 years and this is the first six goal game I can recall in a long, long time. The WHL record for most goals in a game by one player is seven though, held by five different people.
Not to worry about the outcome of the rest of the weekend's games.....we know who the WHL's player of the week is going to be, come Monday.
Other things that happened....
- Medicine Hat and Swift Current officially clinched playoff spots with wins.
- Chilliwack has been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs after their loss to Vancouver.
- Edmonton has taken a one point lead over Prince Albert in the race for 8th in the East.
- Regina lost, thus squandering a chance to make up ground on both Edmonton and Prince Albert, and falling six points out of the playoffs now. The fat lady has finished warming up and has stepped up to the mic....
- Kelowna lost, thus giving up valuable ground to the Chiefs in the race for #3 in the West.
- Saskatoon rolled into Brandon and beat the Wheaties in their own barn, stretching their lead in the Eastern division race to six points.
Coming up......Vancouver can wrap up #1 in the Western conference with a win Saturday night in Everett.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
Scoring up
Just looking at the scoring totals around the league, and it appears that scoring is definitely up in the WHL this year.....way up. So far this year there have been an average of 6.53 goals scored per game, which is up a full half-goal per game from the 6.00 GPG scored last season. That's about an 8% increase in scoring. Pretty good increase over the course of one season, especially without the addition of any rule changes designed to increase scoring.
The top scoring team last year (Tri-City) had 262 goals on the season. Two teams (Calgary & Vancouver) have already exceeded that total this year, with four more (Brandon, Saskatoon, Tri-City, and Kelowna) on pace to do so before the end of the year. Imagine, six teams with more goals than last year's top scoring team.
Calgary has already topped the 300 goal mark and Vancouver will almost certainly get there too. The last time a WHL team scored more than 300 goals in a season was the 2002-03 Kelowna Rockets with 311.
Average goals per game for recent seasons:
So what's behind the big increase in scoring this year? Any ideas?
The top scoring team last year (Tri-City) had 262 goals on the season. Two teams (Calgary & Vancouver) have already exceeded that total this year, with four more (Brandon, Saskatoon, Tri-City, and Kelowna) on pace to do so before the end of the year. Imagine, six teams with more goals than last year's top scoring team.
Calgary has already topped the 300 goal mark and Vancouver will almost certainly get there too. The last time a WHL team scored more than 300 goals in a season was the 2002-03 Kelowna Rockets with 311.
Average goals per game for recent seasons:
| Goals | Games | GPG | |
| 2008-09 | 4561 | 698 | 6.53 |
| 2007-08 | 4759 | 792 | 6.01 |
| 2006-07 | 4629 | 756 | 6.12 |
| 2005-06 | 4195 | 720 | 5.83 |
| 2004-05 | 3910 | 720 | 5.43 |
| 2003-04 | 3985 | 720 | 5.53 |
| 2002-03 | 4587 | 684 | 6.71 |
| 2001-02 | 4766 | 684 | 6.97 |
| 2000-01 | 4598 | 648 | 7.10 |
| 1999-00 | 4260 | 648 | 6.57 |
| 1998-99 | 4549 | 648 | 7.02 |
So what's behind the big increase in scoring this year? Any ideas?
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Zippity Dudas
On the heels of his team-worst -3 against the Hitmen last night, the Pats have released overage defenceman Jesse Dudas. The Hitmen scored four even strength goals and Dudas was on the ice for three of them.
The move leaves the Pats with only two overagers and means they gave up a 2010 4th round bantam pick for 19 games (and a -10) of Dudas.
The move leaves the Pats with only two overagers and means they gave up a 2010 4th round bantam pick for 19 games (and a -10) of Dudas.
Thursday notes
Notes for today...
Moose Jaw voters have voted, by a 60% to 40% count in yesterday's referendum, to proceed with building a new arena for the Warriors. If I'm not mistaken, this is the 2nd time Moose Jaw voters have been asked if they want to build a new rink and the 2nd time they have said Yes. It's time for those who are opposed to sit down and be quiet now....this country is a democracy and the majority have spoken twice now.
Hopefully the other outstanding issues (minor hiccups like "where to build the damn thing in the first place") get sorted out ASAP so construction can begin. Having the rink ready for any part of 2009-10 is impossible of course, and I would think having it ready for the start of 2010-11 is probably not feasible either since it seems arenas usually take 18-24 months to build. Perhaps for midway through 2010-11, similar to Seattle moving buildings in midseason this year. Or for sure for the start of 2011-12.
To on-ice matters now.....
Kelowna clinched home ice in the first round of the playoffs last night, meaning all four home ice teams for the first round of the Western conference playoffs are set. Vancouver, Tri-City, Spokane, and Kelowna will all host a series. In the East, three of the home ice teams (Calgary, Saskatoon, and Brandon) are set as well.
After his two goals last night, the Hitmen's Joel Broda now stands at 49 goals on the season so he will most likely be the first player to 50 goals this season. When he hits the magic 50 mark, he'll be the first WHLer to score 50 in a season in three years, since Kelowna's Justin Keller did it in 2005-06.
Broda's teammate Brett Sonne is at 46 goals now so he could hit 50 as well with four more goals in Calgary's last six games. Should Broda and Sonne both hit the 50 mark, it would be the first time one WHL team had two 50 goal men since Brad Moran and Pavel Brendl both got 50 on the 1998-99 Hitmen. Although it has to be pointed out that Broda scored the first 36 of his goals this season for Moose Jaw....
Broda & Sonne might be the only 50 goal scorers in the league this year too. At midseason I think there were something like 6 or 7 players on pace to score 50, but as of today there are only those two still on the pace:
Of course these are just projections based on the player's average goals-per-game to date plus the number of remaining games the player has. Kane could easily get 50 with a couple good games, as could Bowman or Benn.
Couple other notes gleaned from various sources; first, the Hitmen play their final regular season home game on Saturday against the Rockets. They will be on the road for the last two-plus weeks of the season due to the Tim Hortons Brier (Canadian mens curling championship) taking over the Saddledome. If the Hitmen win that game though, they will have 33 home ice wins this season which will tie them with three other teams (88-89 Broncos, 89-90 Blazers, 89-90 Thunderbirds) for most home wins in a season.
And, Calgary and Vancouver both have the ability to get 126 points if they win all their remaining games this season, which would best one of the WHL's longest-standing and most impressive records, which is Brandon's 125 points in the 1978-79 season. Only one of the Hitmen/Giants can get 126 points though since they have one head-to-head game remaining so they cannot both win all their remaining games.
In the same vein, should one of the Hitmen/Giants indeed win all their remaining games, they would also have 61 wins on the season which would top the 1980-81 Victoria Cougars' record of 60 wins.
The Giants have four road games remaining and if they won all four, they would set a new league record for most road wins in a season with 29. The current record of 28 belongs to the 1999-00 Hitmen.
Some playoff picture notes now....
- tough night for the Pats last night. Not only did they lose, but the two teams they are fighting with for the last Eastern playoff spot, Prince Albert and Edmonton, both won. The Pats are now five points out of the playoffs with eight games left. They probably need at least six wins in those last eight games in order to make the playoffs. In other words, the fat lady is warming up in Regina. How can a team with some high-end talent, like the Pats have, miss the playoffs?
- the race for the U.S. division crown and #2 seed in the West is not quite the race we'd hoped. Tri-City has an eight point lead on the Chiefs, with the Chiefs having only one game in hand. Making up at least six points with ten games to play is a tall order for the Chiefs.....they likely have to sweep all three of the remaining head to head games in order to do it.
- the Chiefs also have to keep an eye on the rear view mirror, where the Rockets are now riding their bumped, just one point back. The Rockets can't finish any higher than #3 seed in the conference for the first round, but catching the Chiefs for #3 means the Rockets would avoid the Giants in the 2nd round of the playoffs. So that #3 seed is pretty valuable to the Rockets.
Moose Jaw voters have voted, by a 60% to 40% count in yesterday's referendum, to proceed with building a new arena for the Warriors. If I'm not mistaken, this is the 2nd time Moose Jaw voters have been asked if they want to build a new rink and the 2nd time they have said Yes. It's time for those who are opposed to sit down and be quiet now....this country is a democracy and the majority have spoken twice now.
Hopefully the other outstanding issues (minor hiccups like "where to build the damn thing in the first place") get sorted out ASAP so construction can begin. Having the rink ready for any part of 2009-10 is impossible of course, and I would think having it ready for the start of 2010-11 is probably not feasible either since it seems arenas usually take 18-24 months to build. Perhaps for midway through 2010-11, similar to Seattle moving buildings in midseason this year. Or for sure for the start of 2011-12.
To on-ice matters now.....
Kelowna clinched home ice in the first round of the playoffs last night, meaning all four home ice teams for the first round of the Western conference playoffs are set. Vancouver, Tri-City, Spokane, and Kelowna will all host a series. In the East, three of the home ice teams (Calgary, Saskatoon, and Brandon) are set as well.
After his two goals last night, the Hitmen's Joel Broda now stands at 49 goals on the season so he will most likely be the first player to 50 goals this season. When he hits the magic 50 mark, he'll be the first WHLer to score 50 in a season in three years, since Kelowna's Justin Keller did it in 2005-06.
Broda's teammate Brett Sonne is at 46 goals now so he could hit 50 as well with four more goals in Calgary's last six games. Should Broda and Sonne both hit the 50 mark, it would be the first time one WHL team had two 50 goal men since Brad Moran and Pavel Brendl both got 50 on the 1998-99 Hitmen. Although it has to be pointed out that Broda scored the first 36 of his goals this season for Moose Jaw....
Broda & Sonne might be the only 50 goal scorers in the league this year too. At midseason I think there were something like 6 or 7 players on pace to score 50, but as of today there are only those two still on the pace:
| Joel Broda | 53.8 |
| Brett Sonne | 50.9 |
| Evander Kane | 49.0 |
| Drayson Bowman | 46.5 |
| Jamie Benn | 46.3 |
| Andrew Clark | 42.3 |
| Matt Tassone | 41.5 |
| Brandon Kozun | 41.5 |
| Tyler Ennis | 40.3 |
Of course these are just projections based on the player's average goals-per-game to date plus the number of remaining games the player has. Kane could easily get 50 with a couple good games, as could Bowman or Benn.
Couple other notes gleaned from various sources; first, the Hitmen play their final regular season home game on Saturday against the Rockets. They will be on the road for the last two-plus weeks of the season due to the Tim Hortons Brier (Canadian mens curling championship) taking over the Saddledome. If the Hitmen win that game though, they will have 33 home ice wins this season which will tie them with three other teams (88-89 Broncos, 89-90 Blazers, 89-90 Thunderbirds) for most home wins in a season.
And, Calgary and Vancouver both have the ability to get 126 points if they win all their remaining games this season, which would best one of the WHL's longest-standing and most impressive records, which is Brandon's 125 points in the 1978-79 season. Only one of the Hitmen/Giants can get 126 points though since they have one head-to-head game remaining so they cannot both win all their remaining games.
In the same vein, should one of the Hitmen/Giants indeed win all their remaining games, they would also have 61 wins on the season which would top the 1980-81 Victoria Cougars' record of 60 wins.
The Giants have four road games remaining and if they won all four, they would set a new league record for most road wins in a season with 29. The current record of 28 belongs to the 1999-00 Hitmen.
Some playoff picture notes now....
- tough night for the Pats last night. Not only did they lose, but the two teams they are fighting with for the last Eastern playoff spot, Prince Albert and Edmonton, both won. The Pats are now five points out of the playoffs with eight games left. They probably need at least six wins in those last eight games in order to make the playoffs. In other words, the fat lady is warming up in Regina. How can a team with some high-end talent, like the Pats have, miss the playoffs?
- the race for the U.S. division crown and #2 seed in the West is not quite the race we'd hoped. Tri-City has an eight point lead on the Chiefs, with the Chiefs having only one game in hand. Making up at least six points with ten games to play is a tall order for the Chiefs.....they likely have to sweep all three of the remaining head to head games in order to do it.
- the Chiefs also have to keep an eye on the rear view mirror, where the Rockets are now riding their bumped, just one point back. The Rockets can't finish any higher than #3 seed in the conference for the first round, but catching the Chiefs for #3 means the Rockets would avoid the Giants in the 2nd round of the playoffs. So that #3 seed is pretty valuable to the Rockets.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
It's D-Day in Moose Jaw...
Moose Javians are voting today in a referendum on whether to build a new arena.....I'm pretty sure we have heard this before, haven't we? Wasn't it supposed to be settled last June when the league gave them a do-or-die deadline and the city agreed to build the new rink? If so, one man with a shovel could have had the hole dug by now but as it is, not a single pick has hit the dirt yet.
I support keeping the Warriors in Moose Jaw.....but if the count of the votes tonight doesn't produce a favourable result for building a new rink, or if it DOES produce a favourable result but the process still gets bogged down by opposition B.S. one more time, then I think it's time for the Warriors to have a new city to call home as soon as the league can facilitate that.....
I support keeping the Warriors in Moose Jaw.....but if the count of the votes tonight doesn't produce a favourable result for building a new rink, or if it DOES produce a favourable result but the process still gets bogged down by opposition B.S. one more time, then I think it's time for the Warriors to have a new city to call home as soon as the league can facilitate that.....
Monday, February 23, 2009
Monday notes
I've updated the playoff picture preview post (below) with some more info, such as the dates of each team's remaining games, the head-to-head records for current playoff matchups, and the "magic numbers" have been examined carefully to ensure they are all correct.
Everett clinched a playoff spot on the weekend, so the only eventual Western conference playoff team that hasn't clinched yet is Prince George.
Moose Jaw was mathematically eliminated on the weekend. I expect Chilliwack will follow suit by the end of the coming weekend.
A look at the potential playoff matchups coming later today, probably. In the meantime I have one NHL note that caught my eye this morning. Seems enigmatic Canadiens star Alexei Kovalev and Habs G.M. Bob Gainey have a "special bond".
Says Kovalev: "I don't like to tell things to people or say how I feel. I'm not that open as a person. Bob is the only one I open up to and say how I feel."
Given the stormy relationship Kovalev has had with the Canadiens this season, I'd guess that the last time he opened up to Gainey, it went something like "Bob, I wish I knew how to quit you".
And speaking of quitting, 18 year old Prince George Cougars forward Corey Tyrell packed his bags and left the Cougars over the weekend as well, supposedly in a disagreement with the team over his ice time, possibly spurred by pressure from his family. Great quote from Cougars coach Wade Klippenstein about the situation too: "Did Walter Gretzky expect Keith to get the same icetime as Wayne?".
Everett clinched a playoff spot on the weekend, so the only eventual Western conference playoff team that hasn't clinched yet is Prince George.
Moose Jaw was mathematically eliminated on the weekend. I expect Chilliwack will follow suit by the end of the coming weekend.
A look at the potential playoff matchups coming later today, probably. In the meantime I have one NHL note that caught my eye this morning. Seems enigmatic Canadiens star Alexei Kovalev and Habs G.M. Bob Gainey have a "special bond".
Says Kovalev: "I don't like to tell things to people or say how I feel. I'm not that open as a person. Bob is the only one I open up to and say how I feel."
Given the stormy relationship Kovalev has had with the Canadiens this season, I'd guess that the last time he opened up to Gainey, it went something like "Bob, I wish I knew how to quit you".
And speaking of quitting, 18 year old Prince George Cougars forward Corey Tyrell packed his bags and left the Cougars over the weekend as well, supposedly in a disagreement with the team over his ice time, possibly spurred by pressure from his family. Great quote from Cougars coach Wade Klippenstein about the situation too: "Did Walter Gretzky expect Keith to get the same icetime as Wayne?".
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Friday games
Things that happened tonight....
- the Hitmen clinched first place in the Eastern conference. The Blades can only tie them in points and although they'd also be tied in wins and head-to-head results, the Blades would lose the goal differential tiebreaker and therefore the Hitmen will finish #1.
- the Giants lost in Kelowna and in doing so, relinquished sole control over who finishes #1 overall. If the Hitmen win their remaining eight games, they will finish #1 overall and the Giants cannot catch them.
- Moose Jaw moved to within one loss of being the first team mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. One more loss by the Warriors, or one win by either Prince Albert or Edmonton, and the Warriors will officially be golfing come March 16.
- Medicine Hat and Swift Current won over Lethbridge and Kootenay respectively, which opens up a little bit of distance between #4/#5 (MH/SC) and #6/#7 (LTH/KTN) in the battle for positioning in the Eastern standings.
- Edmonton won to move back into a tie with the Raiders for the last playoff spot in the East. Regina won too, so they avoid falling further off the pace in that race.
- Tri-City won while Spokane lost, giving the Ams a solid two point gain on the night in the race for first place in the U.S. division and the #2 seed in the Western conference.
- the Hitmen clinched first place in the Eastern conference. The Blades can only tie them in points and although they'd also be tied in wins and head-to-head results, the Blades would lose the goal differential tiebreaker and therefore the Hitmen will finish #1.
- the Giants lost in Kelowna and in doing so, relinquished sole control over who finishes #1 overall. If the Hitmen win their remaining eight games, they will finish #1 overall and the Giants cannot catch them.
- Moose Jaw moved to within one loss of being the first team mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. One more loss by the Warriors, or one win by either Prince Albert or Edmonton, and the Warriors will officially be golfing come March 16.
- Medicine Hat and Swift Current won over Lethbridge and Kootenay respectively, which opens up a little bit of distance between #4/#5 (MH/SC) and #6/#7 (LTH/KTN) in the battle for positioning in the Eastern standings.
- Edmonton won to move back into a tie with the Raiders for the last playoff spot in the East. Regina won too, so they avoid falling further off the pace in that race.
- Tri-City won while Spokane lost, giving the Ams a solid two point gain on the night in the race for first place in the U.S. division and the #2 seed in the Western conference.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Two notes
Couple things today...
Firstoff, the first significant NHL trade of the runup to the trade deadline was made today, with Ottawa sending ex-WHLer Dean McAmmond and San Jose's 2009 first round pick (which the Sens acquired from Tampa Bay in the Andrej Meszaros deal) to the Islanders for Mike Comrie and Chris Campoli.
Ummm...why? Ottawa is 13 points out of a playoff spot right now and Comrie has a whopping 7 goals this season. He isn't going to put them over the top and into the playoffs. Ottawa is a team that should be looking to stockpile picks and do a little rebuilding, not give away first round picks. This is Sens G.M. Bryan Murray trying to save his job. If they miss the playoffs, he'll probably be fired. Maybe they should just fire him now and prevent further boneheaded moves like this.
My other note is still on the topic of draft picks. Stats geeks like me love this kind of stuff. TSN columnist Scott Cullen has figured out the typical value of a pick in the NHL draft depending on where in the draft it comes. Top-ten picks typically yield at least a top-nine forward or top-six d-man for example, while the chances that a 2nd round pick will play at least 100 games in the NHL drops to about 25-30% from the 45-95% chance that a first rounder will. Check it out, I found it pretty interesting.
Firstoff, the first significant NHL trade of the runup to the trade deadline was made today, with Ottawa sending ex-WHLer Dean McAmmond and San Jose's 2009 first round pick (which the Sens acquired from Tampa Bay in the Andrej Meszaros deal) to the Islanders for Mike Comrie and Chris Campoli.
Ummm...why? Ottawa is 13 points out of a playoff spot right now and Comrie has a whopping 7 goals this season. He isn't going to put them over the top and into the playoffs. Ottawa is a team that should be looking to stockpile picks and do a little rebuilding, not give away first round picks. This is Sens G.M. Bryan Murray trying to save his job. If they miss the playoffs, he'll probably be fired. Maybe they should just fire him now and prevent further boneheaded moves like this.
My other note is still on the topic of draft picks. Stats geeks like me love this kind of stuff. TSN columnist Scott Cullen has figured out the typical value of a pick in the NHL draft depending on where in the draft it comes. Top-ten picks typically yield at least a top-nine forward or top-six d-man for example, while the chances that a 2nd round pick will play at least 100 games in the NHL drops to about 25-30% from the 45-95% chance that a first rounder will. Check it out, I found it pretty interesting.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Playoff picture
Just over three weeks remaining 'til playoff time now. A look at the various races still ongoing for the various playoff positions....
Western Conference:
- Vancouver will finish #1. They have a 17 point lead plus two games in hand over their nearest competitor. They will not blow that lead. 9 more points (or lost points for Tri-City) will make it official for the Giants.
- the U.S. division crown and #2 seed is a close, close race between Tri-City and Spokane. The Ams have a two point lead but Spokane has a game in hand, so if the Chiefs win that game then they're tied. There's three more head-to-head games left so there's plenty of drama and potential lead changes to come yet. Spokane has the lead in the season series so the Chiefs would win the tiebreaker (right now anyway) if they finished tied in points and wins.
- the #3 & #4 seeds in the west will be Kelowna plus the loser of the U.S. division race....that part is all but for sure, as there is a 15 point gap between #4 Kelowna and #5 Kamloops/Everett (they're tied) which is not going to be overcome by the Blazers or Silvertips. Kelowna is 7 points back of Spokane for #3 so they still have a shot at #3 if they have a good finish to the season. They have a tough, road-heavy schedule remaining though including an Alberta trip.
- #5 through #7 are wide open, with the Blazers (59), Silvertips (59) and Thunderbirds (58) all within one point of each other and battling for these spots. Seattle plays 10 of their last 12 games at home, you have to think they might have the edge in this race. Plus they play Portland four times. Everett has one game in hand on the Blazers but the Blazers have a slightly easier schedule remaining. Could come down to the final weekend.
- #8 is Prince George's. They're ten points behind #7 and probably aren't going to catch anyone with only 11 games left. So they get the Giants in the first round. Lucky them.
- Chilliwack and Portland will miss the playoffs. It's not mathematical for either of them yet but they are respectively 12 & 14 points out of the playoffs right now and for teams with only 30-some points all year to this point, that kind of comeback just isn't going to happen unless the Cougars plan to lose all their remaining games. And even that might not be enough.
Eastern Conference:
- Calgary will finish #1. They have an 18 point lead on the Blades and will officially lock it up with one more win or Blades loss.
- Saskatoon and Brandon are battling for the East division crown (and #2 seed), with the loser of that race getting #3 seed. The Blades currently have a four point lead in this race, with the Wheat Kings having a game in hand, so it's close. The best part? They play each other three more times yet this season. The outcome of the race could hinge on who gets the most points out of those head-to-head meetings.
- #4 through #7 is pretty much wide open. There's only a five point spread between those four teams (Medicine Hat, Swift Current, Lethbridge, and Kootenay) so the opportunity to finish #4 and start the playoffs at home is still a legitimate option for all those teams. There's also lots of four-point head-to-head games still to be played between the four teams....there's nine games down the stretch featuring two of those four teams playing each other. Apart from that though, Medicine Hat has a very home-friendly schedule remaining, while Kootenay and Lethbridge are the opposite with lots of road games.
- the race for #8 and the last playoff spot is a three-way affair between Prince Albert (58 pts), Edmonton (54 pts) and Regina (52 pts). Most likely none of those teams are going to make up enough points to move up and challenge for 7th, so only one of those three is going to make the playoffs, and whoever it is has to play Calgary in the first round. Regina's in a freefall lately but they do have two games in hand on the Raiders and Oil Kings so they can get right back into the race with a couple extra wins there. Edmonton plays six of their last ten games against Red Deer, Prince George, and Moose Jaw, so there's a possibility of a number of points from those games. Prince Albert and Regina have tougher opponents than that. Should be a good race.
- Red Deer and Moose Jaw will definitely miss the playoffs. As with Chilliwack/Portland, it's not official yet (it will be soon for the Warriors though) but they are both so far back that it's not very realistic to expect a surge into the postseason.
And of course we can't forget the conference-independant race for #1 overall between Vancouver and Calgary. Calgary currently has an 8 point lead on the Giants for the overall crown, but the Giants have six (yes, SIX) games in hand on the Hitmen so the Giants control their own destiny here. Four wins out of those six games will put them into a tie. There is one head-to-head game remaining, March 6 in Vancouver. Tomorrow night the Giants will start an insane stretch which will see them play 8 games in 10 days (!!!) and make up four of those games in hand on the Hitmen, so we'll see where the Giants are and what they have left in the tank at the end of that.
Funny how similar the conference are....runaway #1's, tight races for #2/#3, close packs of teams battling in the #5-#7 spots, etc.
Western Conference:
- Vancouver will finish #1. They have a 17 point lead plus two games in hand over their nearest competitor. They will not blow that lead. 9 more points (or lost points for Tri-City) will make it official for the Giants.
- the U.S. division crown and #2 seed is a close, close race between Tri-City and Spokane. The Ams have a two point lead but Spokane has a game in hand, so if the Chiefs win that game then they're tied. There's three more head-to-head games left so there's plenty of drama and potential lead changes to come yet. Spokane has the lead in the season series so the Chiefs would win the tiebreaker (right now anyway) if they finished tied in points and wins.
- the #3 & #4 seeds in the west will be Kelowna plus the loser of the U.S. division race....that part is all but for sure, as there is a 15 point gap between #4 Kelowna and #5 Kamloops/Everett (they're tied) which is not going to be overcome by the Blazers or Silvertips. Kelowna is 7 points back of Spokane for #3 so they still have a shot at #3 if they have a good finish to the season. They have a tough, road-heavy schedule remaining though including an Alberta trip.
- #5 through #7 are wide open, with the Blazers (59), Silvertips (59) and Thunderbirds (58) all within one point of each other and battling for these spots. Seattle plays 10 of their last 12 games at home, you have to think they might have the edge in this race. Plus they play Portland four times. Everett has one game in hand on the Blazers but the Blazers have a slightly easier schedule remaining. Could come down to the final weekend.
- #8 is Prince George's. They're ten points behind #7 and probably aren't going to catch anyone with only 11 games left. So they get the Giants in the first round. Lucky them.
- Chilliwack and Portland will miss the playoffs. It's not mathematical for either of them yet but they are respectively 12 & 14 points out of the playoffs right now and for teams with only 30-some points all year to this point, that kind of comeback just isn't going to happen unless the Cougars plan to lose all their remaining games. And even that might not be enough.
Eastern Conference:
- Calgary will finish #1. They have an 18 point lead on the Blades and will officially lock it up with one more win or Blades loss.
- Saskatoon and Brandon are battling for the East division crown (and #2 seed), with the loser of that race getting #3 seed. The Blades currently have a four point lead in this race, with the Wheat Kings having a game in hand, so it's close. The best part? They play each other three more times yet this season. The outcome of the race could hinge on who gets the most points out of those head-to-head meetings.
- #4 through #7 is pretty much wide open. There's only a five point spread between those four teams (Medicine Hat, Swift Current, Lethbridge, and Kootenay) so the opportunity to finish #4 and start the playoffs at home is still a legitimate option for all those teams. There's also lots of four-point head-to-head games still to be played between the four teams....there's nine games down the stretch featuring two of those four teams playing each other. Apart from that though, Medicine Hat has a very home-friendly schedule remaining, while Kootenay and Lethbridge are the opposite with lots of road games.
- the race for #8 and the last playoff spot is a three-way affair between Prince Albert (58 pts), Edmonton (54 pts) and Regina (52 pts). Most likely none of those teams are going to make up enough points to move up and challenge for 7th, so only one of those three is going to make the playoffs, and whoever it is has to play Calgary in the first round. Regina's in a freefall lately but they do have two games in hand on the Raiders and Oil Kings so they can get right back into the race with a couple extra wins there. Edmonton plays six of their last ten games against Red Deer, Prince George, and Moose Jaw, so there's a possibility of a number of points from those games. Prince Albert and Regina have tougher opponents than that. Should be a good race.
- Red Deer and Moose Jaw will definitely miss the playoffs. As with Chilliwack/Portland, it's not official yet (it will be soon for the Warriors though) but they are both so far back that it's not very realistic to expect a surge into the postseason.
And of course we can't forget the conference-independant race for #1 overall between Vancouver and Calgary. Calgary currently has an 8 point lead on the Giants for the overall crown, but the Giants have six (yes, SIX) games in hand on the Hitmen so the Giants control their own destiny here. Four wins out of those six games will put them into a tie. There is one head-to-head game remaining, March 6 in Vancouver. Tomorrow night the Giants will start an insane stretch which will see them play 8 games in 10 days (!!!) and make up four of those games in hand on the Hitmen, so we'll see where the Giants are and what they have left in the tank at the end of that.
Funny how similar the conference are....runaway #1's, tight races for #2/#3, close packs of teams battling in the #5-#7 spots, etc.
Say what?
Maple Leafs G.M. Brian Burke sez that an NHL team recently offered him a top-five pick in this June's NHL draft in exchange for Luke Schenn, and that he turned it down.
Uh....whaaaat? Firstoff, there's probably only one team in the NHL right now who have a guaranteed top-five pick and that's the Islanders. Atlanta's close but a few wins could move the Thrashers out of the bottom five too. Everyone else is way too bunched together to say for sure that a team's pick will be in the top five in the draft.
So if it were the Islanders and they did make this offer, then Isles G.M. Garth Snow is an even bigger moron than anyone first thought, because it means he's prepared to give up either John Tavares or Victor Hedman (and if they finish last, the Islanders are guaranteed of at least one of those two players) for Luke Schenn.
Schenn is good....I like Luke Schenn. But I would give him up in a heartbeat for Tavares or Hedman. Which is why you have to wonder about anyone making this offer. Just like you have to really wonder about Burke for turning it down. Or, maybe, there was no such offer and Burke is just B.S.ing people because he likes attention.
Uh....whaaaat? Firstoff, there's probably only one team in the NHL right now who have a guaranteed top-five pick and that's the Islanders. Atlanta's close but a few wins could move the Thrashers out of the bottom five too. Everyone else is way too bunched together to say for sure that a team's pick will be in the top five in the draft.
So if it were the Islanders and they did make this offer, then Isles G.M. Garth Snow is an even bigger moron than anyone first thought, because it means he's prepared to give up either John Tavares or Victor Hedman (and if they finish last, the Islanders are guaranteed of at least one of those two players) for Luke Schenn.
Schenn is good....I like Luke Schenn. But I would give him up in a heartbeat for Tavares or Hedman. Which is why you have to wonder about anyone making this offer. Just like you have to really wonder about Burke for turning it down. Or, maybe, there was no such offer and Burke is just B.S.ing people because he likes attention.
Albany bus crash
Four players and one staff member are in hospital after the AHL's Albany River Rats had their bus roll over on Interstate 90 in Massachusetts early this morning. Hopefully everyone will be OK....the injuries are being described as cuts and bruises so hopefully nothing is too serious, but any time you get admitted to hospital it can't be minor either.
Near as I can tell, there are only two ex-WHLers on the River Rats - former Blazers/T-Bird Benn Olson and former Warrior/Hitman Brett Carson.
Near as I can tell, there are only two ex-WHLers on the River Rats - former Blazers/T-Bird Benn Olson and former Warrior/Hitman Brett Carson.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
McGuire's Olympic picks
One year from the start of the competition, TSN's Pierre McGuire has made his picks for the 2010 Canadian men's Olympic hockey team....check out who Pierre likes at this link here.
Personally, I think he got it mostly right but he's got rocks in his head for picking Carey Price as one of the goalies. Has he seen Price play lately? The Carey Price of 2007-08 had a shot at this team but the Carey Price of 2008-09 has no shot at all. Price needs to come back with a much better 2009-10 if he wants to be on the team a year from now.
Same goes for Steve Mason, who McGuire left off the team (Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo are the other two goalies with Price) but who McGuire said was close to beating out Price. Uh, Mason is 20 years old and hasn't even played one full pro season yet. Yeah, Mason has been spectacular in the NHL this year but I'm just really leery of picking 20 and 21 year olds for something as big as the Olympics, especially an Olympics being played at home in Canada. The pressure on the Canadian players to win gold is going to be unbelievable and I think more consideration has to be given to experience and maturity. Guys who have been through the pressure cooker before, etc. I know we're talking about "only" the 3rd goalie here but it's still a guy who may, through injury or struggles by Luongo/Brodeur, potentially have to play a key role for the team. I think they need a more seasoned, veteran guy in there.
I would have definitely picked Cam Ward instead of Price....or even Marty Turco. Turco is having a tough year in the NHL this year but hey, so is Price and McGuire still picked Price. Ward is having a great year though and has been around a few years, won a Stanley Cup. I might even pick Marc-Andre Fleury ahead of Price too.
For defencemen he's got Bouwmeester, Boyle, Burns, Green, Niedermayer, Phaneuf, and Weber. Good picks, I think....and five of them are WHL grads too, how can you not like that. The most glaring omission here is probably Chris Pronger....but from his play recently it would appear Pronger's best years are behind him and he's moving into the last few years of his career here so maybe it shouldn't be that surprising. Other notable names left off.....Campbell, Regehr, Keith? But I don't see how you can take any of those 7 guys off that team except maybe Brent Burns but even at that, are any of the guys NOT on the team significantly better than Burns? I don't see it.
At forward, McGuire has Carter, Crosby, Doan, Gagne, Getzlaf, Heatley, Iginla, Lecavalier, Morrow, Nash, Mike Richards, Savard, and Thornton.
Biggest name not there is definitely Patrick Marleau. Jason Spezza isn't there either but quite frankly Spezza doesn't deserve it with his inconsistent play. No Eric Staal or Mike Cammalleri either.
McGuire has Savard as his 13th forward. I think I might have used that spot on a younger player, like a Jonathan Toews instead. Being the extra forward is a good place for a younger player (who Canada is going to count on in 4, 8, 12 years from now) to soak up some experience and it's not as big a deal as being the 3rd goalie because if your 13th forward struggles a bit when he gets to play, who cares. If your 3rd goalie struggles when he gets to play....big trouble.
All in all, some interesting reading which is sure to spark plenty of water-cooler talk around Canada in the next few days. Who do YOU think should and shouldn't be on the team, from McGuire's picks?
Personally, I think he got it mostly right but he's got rocks in his head for picking Carey Price as one of the goalies. Has he seen Price play lately? The Carey Price of 2007-08 had a shot at this team but the Carey Price of 2008-09 has no shot at all. Price needs to come back with a much better 2009-10 if he wants to be on the team a year from now.
Same goes for Steve Mason, who McGuire left off the team (Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo are the other two goalies with Price) but who McGuire said was close to beating out Price. Uh, Mason is 20 years old and hasn't even played one full pro season yet. Yeah, Mason has been spectacular in the NHL this year but I'm just really leery of picking 20 and 21 year olds for something as big as the Olympics, especially an Olympics being played at home in Canada. The pressure on the Canadian players to win gold is going to be unbelievable and I think more consideration has to be given to experience and maturity. Guys who have been through the pressure cooker before, etc. I know we're talking about "only" the 3rd goalie here but it's still a guy who may, through injury or struggles by Luongo/Brodeur, potentially have to play a key role for the team. I think they need a more seasoned, veteran guy in there.
I would have definitely picked Cam Ward instead of Price....or even Marty Turco. Turco is having a tough year in the NHL this year but hey, so is Price and McGuire still picked Price. Ward is having a great year though and has been around a few years, won a Stanley Cup. I might even pick Marc-Andre Fleury ahead of Price too.
For defencemen he's got Bouwmeester, Boyle, Burns, Green, Niedermayer, Phaneuf, and Weber. Good picks, I think....and five of them are WHL grads too, how can you not like that. The most glaring omission here is probably Chris Pronger....but from his play recently it would appear Pronger's best years are behind him and he's moving into the last few years of his career here so maybe it shouldn't be that surprising. Other notable names left off.....Campbell, Regehr, Keith? But I don't see how you can take any of those 7 guys off that team except maybe Brent Burns but even at that, are any of the guys NOT on the team significantly better than Burns? I don't see it.
At forward, McGuire has Carter, Crosby, Doan, Gagne, Getzlaf, Heatley, Iginla, Lecavalier, Morrow, Nash, Mike Richards, Savard, and Thornton.
Biggest name not there is definitely Patrick Marleau. Jason Spezza isn't there either but quite frankly Spezza doesn't deserve it with his inconsistent play. No Eric Staal or Mike Cammalleri either.
McGuire has Savard as his 13th forward. I think I might have used that spot on a younger player, like a Jonathan Toews instead. Being the extra forward is a good place for a younger player (who Canada is going to count on in 4, 8, 12 years from now) to soak up some experience and it's not as big a deal as being the 3rd goalie because if your 13th forward struggles a bit when he gets to play, who cares. If your 3rd goalie struggles when he gets to play....big trouble.
All in all, some interesting reading which is sure to spark plenty of water-cooler talk around Canada in the next few days. Who do YOU think should and shouldn't be on the team, from McGuire's picks?
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Thursday thoughts
Sorry for not much new posted in the last few days....been busy.
Big night last night for the Eastern conference playoff picture. Prince Albert won while Regina, Edmonton, and Red Deer all lost....I think it's time to draw the curtains on Red Deer's playoff chances. It's not mathematical for them yet but they're 12 points back of the 8th place Raiders now and even with those 3 games in hand, you just know it's not going to happen.
Regina's plummet out of the playoff picture continues.....they've lost five straight and 8 of their last 9, and are now four points out of a playoff spot and have a tougher remaining schedule than the Raiders too. They've got four games left against Moose Jaw (including 3 of their next 4 games) and they better win them all because those are the only soft points left on their schedule.
Brandon clinched a playoff spot last night with the Pats' loss too, BTW.
Big night last night for the Eastern conference playoff picture. Prince Albert won while Regina, Edmonton, and Red Deer all lost....I think it's time to draw the curtains on Red Deer's playoff chances. It's not mathematical for them yet but they're 12 points back of the 8th place Raiders now and even with those 3 games in hand, you just know it's not going to happen.
Regina's plummet out of the playoff picture continues.....they've lost five straight and 8 of their last 9, and are now four points out of a playoff spot and have a tougher remaining schedule than the Raiders too. They've got four games left against Moose Jaw (including 3 of their next 4 games) and they better win them all because those are the only soft points left on their schedule.
Brandon clinched a playoff spot last night with the Pats' loss too, BTW.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Stretch groupings
Just looking at the standings here while updating my playoff picture post (below) and noticed that you can pretty easily separate the teams so far into a few groups in each conference....
East:
Group #1: Calgary - nobody in the East is going to catch them. Their only race really is with Vancouver for #1 overall.
Group #2: Saskatoon & Brandon. They're not going to catch Calgary but these two will battle it out for first in the East division and the #2/#3 seeds in the East conference. Saskatoon currently has an 8 point lead so Brandon has some work to do.
Group #3: Medicine Hat, Swift Current, Lethbridge, & Kootenay. Five points currently separate these four teams in the battle for spots #4 through #7 in the conference. Whoever comes out ahead in the pack gets the #4 seed and home ice in the first round. None of them are likely to catch Saskatoon or Brandon for #3 seed, nor are they likely to fall into the next group battling for the #8 spot.
Group #4: Prince Albert, Regina, Edmonton, Red Deer. The four contenders for the last playoff spot; the first three are all tied with 52 points; Red Deer is 8 points back but they have 2 - 4 games in hand on the other three so they can still catch up. Barring a big surge by anyone which moves them up into group #3, only one of these four teams is going to make the playoffs.
Group #5: Moose Jaw. They're not mathematically out of it yet but realistically, the season is over for the Warriors. They're almost 20 points out of a playoff spot right now with only 19 games left to play. Not going to happen.
West:
Group #1: Vancouver - same as Calgary. They're not going to be caught in their own conference so their only job down the stretch is to beat out Calgary for #1 overall.
Group #2: Tri-City & Spokane. Battle for the U.S. division crown and the #2 seed that goes with it. Loser probably gets the #3 seed ahead of Kelowna. Americans currently have a 6 point lead in this group but the Chiefs have three games in hand. Bunch of head-to-head four-point meetings coming up too.
Group #3: Kelowna. In a group by themselves because they're not going to be any better than the #3 seed at best and more likely #4 considering the points/games in hand situation between them and Tri-City/Spokane.
Group #4: Kamloops, Everett, & Seattle. Three teams who aren't likely going to challenge for the #4 spot and home ice in the first round, but aren't likely to drop out of the playoffs either. Between the three of them, they'll probably split up the #5 - #7 seeds. Kamloops currently has 5 & 7 point leads on the other two but have played three more games than both of them too.
Group #5: Prince George, Chilliwack, & Portland. The battle for the last playoff spot. Might not be much of a battle unless the Cougars hit a rough patch, because the Cougars currently have 8 and 14 point leads on their two opponents. Portland has four games in hand which they can use to whittle their deficit to 6 points if they won all those games.
East:
Group #1: Calgary - nobody in the East is going to catch them. Their only race really is with Vancouver for #1 overall.
Group #2: Saskatoon & Brandon. They're not going to catch Calgary but these two will battle it out for first in the East division and the #2/#3 seeds in the East conference. Saskatoon currently has an 8 point lead so Brandon has some work to do.
Group #3: Medicine Hat, Swift Current, Lethbridge, & Kootenay. Five points currently separate these four teams in the battle for spots #4 through #7 in the conference. Whoever comes out ahead in the pack gets the #4 seed and home ice in the first round. None of them are likely to catch Saskatoon or Brandon for #3 seed, nor are they likely to fall into the next group battling for the #8 spot.
Group #4: Prince Albert, Regina, Edmonton, Red Deer. The four contenders for the last playoff spot; the first three are all tied with 52 points; Red Deer is 8 points back but they have 2 - 4 games in hand on the other three so they can still catch up. Barring a big surge by anyone which moves them up into group #3, only one of these four teams is going to make the playoffs.
Group #5: Moose Jaw. They're not mathematically out of it yet but realistically, the season is over for the Warriors. They're almost 20 points out of a playoff spot right now with only 19 games left to play. Not going to happen.
West:
Group #1: Vancouver - same as Calgary. They're not going to be caught in their own conference so their only job down the stretch is to beat out Calgary for #1 overall.
Group #2: Tri-City & Spokane. Battle for the U.S. division crown and the #2 seed that goes with it. Loser probably gets the #3 seed ahead of Kelowna. Americans currently have a 6 point lead in this group but the Chiefs have three games in hand. Bunch of head-to-head four-point meetings coming up too.
Group #3: Kelowna. In a group by themselves because they're not going to be any better than the #3 seed at best and more likely #4 considering the points/games in hand situation between them and Tri-City/Spokane.
Group #4: Kamloops, Everett, & Seattle. Three teams who aren't likely going to challenge for the #4 spot and home ice in the first round, but aren't likely to drop out of the playoffs either. Between the three of them, they'll probably split up the #5 - #7 seeds. Kamloops currently has 5 & 7 point leads on the other two but have played three more games than both of them too.
Group #5: Prince George, Chilliwack, & Portland. The battle for the last playoff spot. Might not be much of a battle unless the Cougars hit a rough patch, because the Cougars currently have 8 and 14 point leads on their two opponents. Portland has four games in hand which they can use to whittle their deficit to 6 points if they won all those games.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Injuries hit WHL draft prospects
Serious injuries have struck two of the WHL's top prospects for the 2009 NHL draft. Both Spokane defenceman Jared Cowen and Brandon forward Scott Glennie are out indefinitely as of today.
Cowen sustained a knee injury - believed to be a partial tear of the MCL although an official diagnosis is awaiting the results of an MRI - and is probably done for the remainder of the regular season at least. The injury occured on a routine play last Friday against Chilliwack, as Cowen rode a Bruins player into the boards.
Glennie sustained a broken left elbow in the Wheat Kings' win over the Hitmen on Saturday. No word on how long he'll be out but I would imagine broken elbows take a fair amount of time to heal as well.
Both Cowen and Glennie were expected to be first round picks in the NHL draft. Hopefully the injuries do not hurt their eventual draft position.....
UPDATE: Cowen is done for the season. The injury is a sprained right MCL and a "high-grade" injury to the right ACL, which will require reconstructive surgery. The team hopes Cowen will be ready for the start of the 2009-10 season, but he is finished for this year. Big blow to the Chiefs, losing a player like this.
Cowen sustained a knee injury - believed to be a partial tear of the MCL although an official diagnosis is awaiting the results of an MRI - and is probably done for the remainder of the regular season at least. The injury occured on a routine play last Friday against Chilliwack, as Cowen rode a Bruins player into the boards.
Glennie sustained a broken left elbow in the Wheat Kings' win over the Hitmen on Saturday. No word on how long he'll be out but I would imagine broken elbows take a fair amount of time to heal as well.
Both Cowen and Glennie were expected to be first round picks in the NHL draft. Hopefully the injuries do not hurt their eventual draft position.....
UPDATE: Cowen is done for the season. The injury is a sprained right MCL and a "high-grade" injury to the right ACL, which will require reconstructive surgery. The team hopes Cowen will be ready for the start of the 2009-10 season, but he is finished for this year. Big blow to the Chiefs, losing a player like this.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Stretch records
Stealing an idea from James Mirtle's blog here.....basically, what kind of stretch runs do the various WHL teams need in order to make the playoffs?
For the purposes of this, I assume that you'll need 70 points to make the playoffs in the East and 55 points to make it in the West. If you really disagree with those numbers, feel free to tweak these records below to suit yourself.
Using those numbers, Calgary, Saskatoon and Brandon in the East and Vancouver, Tri-City, Spokane, Kelowna, and Kamloops in the West are all guaranteed of playoff spots because they have already reached those 70/55 point thresholds. Only Calgary, Vancouver, and Tri-City have mathematically clinched spots, but the idea is that Saskatoon, Brandon, Spokane, Kelowna, and Kamloops could still make the playoffs without winning another single game this year because the teams below them won't get enough points down the stretch to knock them out.
So in a nutshell, what follows is the record each of the other teams in the league needs to post in order to make the playoffs:
East:
West:
So in other words, Medicine Hat needs to win four of their last 18 games in order to get to 70 points and be reasonably assured of making the postseason. Etc, etc.
For the purposes of this, I assume that you'll need 70 points to make the playoffs in the East and 55 points to make it in the West. If you really disagree with those numbers, feel free to tweak these records below to suit yourself.
Using those numbers, Calgary, Saskatoon and Brandon in the East and Vancouver, Tri-City, Spokane, Kelowna, and Kamloops in the West are all guaranteed of playoff spots because they have already reached those 70/55 point thresholds. Only Calgary, Vancouver, and Tri-City have mathematically clinched spots, but the idea is that Saskatoon, Brandon, Spokane, Kelowna, and Kamloops could still make the playoffs without winning another single game this year because the teams below them won't get enough points down the stretch to knock them out.
So in a nutshell, what follows is the record each of the other teams in the league needs to post in order to make the playoffs:
East:
| Medicine Hat Tigers: 4-14-0 |
| Swift Current Broncos: 5-13-0 |
| Lethbridge Hurricanes: 6-11-1 |
| Kootenay Ice: 6-12-1 |
| Prince Albert Raiders: 9-7-0 |
| Regina Pats: 9-8-0 |
| Edmonton Oil Kings: 9-7-0 |
| Red Deer Rebels: 14-6-0 |
| Moose Jaw Warriors: 19-1-0 |
West:
| Everett Silvertips: 2-18-0 |
| Seattle Thunderbirds: 2-16-1 |
| Prince George Cougars: 7-11-1 |
| Chilliwack Bruins: 10-8-1 |
| Portland Winter Hawks: 14-9-0 |
So in other words, Medicine Hat needs to win four of their last 18 games in order to get to 70 points and be reasonably assured of making the postseason. Etc, etc.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Sbisa returns
Huge plus for the Hurricanes.....Philadelphia has sent defenceman Luca Sbisa back to the WHL. This time, after all the rumoured returns, it's official.
After playing 40 games in the NHL, we can only imagine what kind of impact Sbisa will make on the Hurricanes blueline. 25-30 minutes a game in all situations and about a point a game average sounds about right to me. Certainly will make the East stretch run and playoffs more interesting.
After playing 40 games in the NHL, we can only imagine what kind of impact Sbisa will make on the Hurricanes blueline. 25-30 minutes a game in all situations and about a point a game average sounds about right to me. Certainly will make the East stretch run and playoffs more interesting.
Clouston gets NHL job, top prospects notes
With the firing of Craig Hartsburg as Ottawa Senators coach this morning, former Kootenay Ice head coach Cory Clouston has been promoted from the Senators' AHL team and is now the new head coach of the NHL club.
Update: current Senators assistant (and former Warrior & Pat head coach) Curtis Hunt has apparently been offered Clouston's old job as head coach in the AHL. No word on what will happen if he declines....I guess they could keep him as Clouston's assistant in the NHL, if Clouston is OK with that. Or I guess Hunt could get a pink slip. I'm thinking he'll take the AHL gig.
And Red Line Report scout Mike Remmerde has some scouts' notes on the Top Prospects game over on his NHL Draft Notes blog. Interesting stuff, to see a scout's perspective on some of the WHL prospects in the game.
Update: current Senators assistant (and former Warrior & Pat head coach) Curtis Hunt has apparently been offered Clouston's old job as head coach in the AHL. No word on what will happen if he declines....I guess they could keep him as Clouston's assistant in the NHL, if Clouston is OK with that. Or I guess Hunt could get a pink slip. I'm thinking he'll take the AHL gig.
And Red Line Report scout Mike Remmerde has some scouts' notes on the Top Prospects game over on his NHL Draft Notes blog. Interesting stuff, to see a scout's perspective on some of the WHL prospects in the game.
Couple notes
Couple notes on a Monday morning....
First, Sportsnet has announced their February schedule of CHL games. You can find that here. WHL games they'll be carrying in February are:
Feb 4: Saskatoon at Edmonton
Feb 18: Saskatoon at Calgary
Feb 20: Moose Jaw at Regina
Feb 22: Kelowna at Chilliwack
Mar 4: Tri-City at Vancouver
Couple of good looking tilts on there, the Calgary/Saskatoon and Tri-City/Vancouver matches feature the four division leaders (as of today anyway) in the league. And then there's the Moose Jaw vs Regina game....lots of bad blood under the bridge between those two teams over the years but they're both in a real tailspin of late.
Speaking of schedules, the schedule for this year's Memorial Cup is out. The WHL rep will play the tournament opening game on May 15th against host Rimouski, then get two days off before they play the QMJHL rep on Monday, May 18th and the OHL rep on Tuesday, May 19th.
And lastly, still with the QMJHL, the owner of the league's only U.S. team - the Lewiston MAINEiacs - has applied to move the team at the end of this season to Boisbriand, a suburb of Montreal. Apparently the team has lost money every year it has been in Lewiston, including the year they won the QMJHL title and went to the Memorial Cup, 2006-07. There is a brand new 3,500 seat arena waiting for the team in Boisbriand, should the move be approved.
3,500, eh....isn't that too small for a major junior team according to the WHL?
First, Sportsnet has announced their February schedule of CHL games. You can find that here. WHL games they'll be carrying in February are:
Feb 4: Saskatoon at Edmonton
Feb 18: Saskatoon at Calgary
Feb 20: Moose Jaw at Regina
Feb 22: Kelowna at Chilliwack
Mar 4: Tri-City at Vancouver
Couple of good looking tilts on there, the Calgary/Saskatoon and Tri-City/Vancouver matches feature the four division leaders (as of today anyway) in the league. And then there's the Moose Jaw vs Regina game....lots of bad blood under the bridge between those two teams over the years but they're both in a real tailspin of late.
Speaking of schedules, the schedule for this year's Memorial Cup is out. The WHL rep will play the tournament opening game on May 15th against host Rimouski, then get two days off before they play the QMJHL rep on Monday, May 18th and the OHL rep on Tuesday, May 19th.
And lastly, still with the QMJHL, the owner of the league's only U.S. team - the Lewiston MAINEiacs - has applied to move the team at the end of this season to Boisbriand, a suburb of Montreal. Apparently the team has lost money every year it has been in Lewiston, including the year they won the QMJHL title and went to the Memorial Cup, 2006-07. There is a brand new 3,500 seat arena waiting for the team in Boisbriand, should the move be approved.
3,500, eh....isn't that too small for a major junior team according to the WHL?
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