First round picks

First, some more really good stats on the playoffs over on Jeff Hollick's blog, if you're interested in stuff like which WHL team roster has the most playoff experience, etc.

My picks for each of the first round series....

West:

#1 Vancouver vs #8 Prince George:

Prince George's chances pretty much come down to whether their goaltending can steal them four games from the Giants, because they are ridiculously far behind in every category. And Kevin Armstrong is good but he's not that good that he can beat the Giants four times. He probably won't even beat them once. Giants in four.

#2 Tri-City vs #7 Everett:

Kind of the same story as the Vancouver series. The talent and experience mismatch is such that Everett needs their goaltender to steal games in order to have a chance. If Americans goalie Chet Pickard is not ready to play yet then that's another boost for Everett's chances. But I'm going to assume Pickard is ready to play.....I'll give Everett one game on their home ice in front of their noisy crowd, so Americans in five games.

#3 Kelowna vs #6 Kamloops:

And another mismatch....Kamloops isn't that bad of a team but hey, they were beaten NINE straight times (and outscored 48-18 in the process) by Kelowna this year. What more needs to be said. Again with the goalie theme, Kamloops could steal a game if Justin Leclerc turns in a performance like he did in beating the Giants a few weeks back. But otherwise, I don't think the Blazers have a chance. Rockets in five.

#4 Spokane vs #5 Seattle:

Well, it's a closer matchup than some people think. Spokane has been healthier....they're missing three of their top seven defencemen right now, and Seattle was a pretty decent team after that horrible start - they're .593 since the 2-10 start; Spokane was .660 this year. But Spokane plays a made-for-playoffs style all year and they are full of guys with oodles of playoff experience. Seattle might make it a bit interesting but not enough to win. Spokane in six.


East:

#1 Calgary vs #8 Edmonton:

The Battle of Alberta, WHL playoff style....when was the last time that happened? I'd think you probably have to go back to the mid-70's. Unfortunately, this one won't be much of a Battle. Edmonton has four whole games of playoff experience on their entire roster (Calgary has 339), Calgary was 55 points better in the regular season and Calgary torched both of Edmonton's goaltenders this year (Jung 5.08 GAA, .858 SV%; Lanigan 6.87 GAA, .766 SV%) so stealing a game might be a bit much to ask too. Calgary in four.

#2 Saskatoon vs #7 Lethbridge:

On paper the #3 overall versus the #12 overall isn't that much of a matchup but Lethbridge is a team that a lot of people have been expecting more from all year. There's no reason to believe they're going to start getting more now, but it's an intriguing matchup if only for that 'what-if' factor that comes when you talk about Lethbridge and the underperforming talent they have. Lethbridge is also a very playoff-seasoned team after last year's run to the WHL finals, boasting almost 300 games of postseason experience on their roster to less than 60 games on Saskatoon's. If there's going to be a big upset in the first round, I think this would be it....but like I said, there's no reason to believe Lethbridge is suddenly going to flip a switch and play up to their potential now. And Saskatoon plays a very good playoff style. I think the Canes might make this one a little bit interesting but in the end, Saskatoon in six.

#3 Brandon vs #6 Kootenay:

Two decently evenly matched teams IMO. It seems like most people are heavily favoring Brandon, but why? Kootenay played the Wheat Kings even at 2-2 this year (even the goals for-against were tied at 16-16) and I think they can give the Wheat Kings a run. Brandon has a bit more high-end talent though which I think will win out in the long run but it won't be a quick and easy series. Brandon in six.....but seven wouldn't surprise me either.

#4 Swift Current vs #5 Medicine Hat:

No favourite here really, this is probably the most evenly matched of all the first round series this year....the two old rivals were only 7 points apart in the standings and their head-to-head matches were split 2-2. I really think you could flip a coin and have a better chance of determining the winner than any other method. I'm going to say it goes seven games, and the Tigers pull it out with a game seven OT win in Swift Current's barn.