Wednesday, December 18, 2013

WHL prospects at the Macs

The Macs Midget Hockey Tournament people released their schedule and list of invited teams for this year's tournament today. If you don't know what this is, it is one of the biggest AAA midget tournaments of the year and it's held every year from December 26 to January 1 in Calgary. It's a great chance to see many future WHLers going head to head in competition against some of the other best teams from the prairies and even some international teams every year.

If you're interested in following the tournament but can't go to the games in person, you can follow the results at their website, http://www.macstournament.ab.ca

Anyways, if you're interested, here's the list of WHL prospects that will be featured in this year's tournament...I've given the player's position, year of birth, WHL club that holds his rights, and how those rights were acquired by the team:


Battlefords Stars (North Battleford, SK):
*Spencer Bast (F-97) - Kamloops Blazers (Listed player)
Brandon Lesko (F-98) - Calgary Hitmen (2013 10th round pick)
Rylan Toth (G-96) - Red Deer Rebels (Listed player)

* Bast will not participate in the Macs as he will be playing at the World U-17 Challenge at the time

Calgary Buffaloes:
Adam Berg (F-97) - Regina Pats (Listed player)
Brayden Brown (F-97) - Edmonton Oil Kings (Listed player)
Mark Drohan (D-98) - Tri-City Americans (2013 3rd round pick)
Oliver Lester (D-97) - Victoria Royals (2012 9th round pick)
Ryely McKinstry (D-98) - Vancouver Giants (2013 2nd round pick)
Matthew Phillips (F-98) - Victoria Royals (2013 2nd round pick)
Jack Thomas (D-96) - Kootenay Ice (2011 12th round pick)
Logan Thompson (G-97) - Brandon Wheat Kings (2012 6th round pick)
Carsen Twarynski (F-97) - Calgary Hitmen (Listed player)

Calgary Flames:
Carter Czaikowski (D-98) - Portland Winterhawks (2013 6th round pick)
Cole Davis (F-97) - Lethbridge Hurricanes (Listed player)
Aaron Hyman (D-98) - Calgary Hitmen (2013 3rd round pick)
Riley Morris (G-97) - Medicine Hat Tigers (2012 7th round pick)
Mark Rassell (F-97) - Medicine Hat Tigers (Listed player)
Kurtis Rutledge (D-97) - Tri-City Americans (2012 8th round pick)
Evan Tschumi (F-97) - Red Deer Rebels (Listed player)

Calgary Northstars:
Brayden Dunn (F-98) - Victoria Royals (2013 4th round pick)
Josh Logel (F-98) - Red Deer Rebels (2013 7th round pick)
Austin Strand (D-97) - Red Deer Rebels (2012 3rd round pick)
Kyle Yewchuk (D-98) - Edmonton Oil Kings (2013 3rd round pick)

Calgary Royals:
Shane Allan (F-97) - Kootenay Ice (2012 7th round pick)
Logan Ferguson (F-97) - Edmonton Oil Kings (Listed player)
Josh Giacomin (F-97) - Spokane Chiefs (Listed player)
Cole Josefchak (D-97) - Edmonton Oil Kings (Listed player)
Max Lajoie (D-97) - Swift Current Broncos (2012 5th round pick)
Sean Montgomery (F-98) - Prince Albert Raiders (2013 6th round pick)

Cariboo Cougars (Prince George, BC):
Bryan Allbee (D-97) - Kootenay Ice (Listed player)
Chase Dubois (F-98) - Prince George Cougars (Listed player)
Steven Jandric (F-97) - Portland Winterhawks (Listed player)
Jesse Roach (F-97) - Vancouver Giants (2012 2nd round pick)
Colton Thomas (F-98) - Seattle Thunderbirds (2013 8th round pick)

Edmonton Canadian Athletic Club (CAC):
Brayden Burke (F-97) - Red Deer Rebels (2012 7th round pick)
Matthew Dykstra (F-97) - Victoria Royals (2012 4th round pick)
Cole Gammer (F-97) - Tri-City Americans (2012 9th round pick)
Brendan Holterhus (F-97) - Vancouver Giants (Listed player)
Ryan McKinnon (F-97) - Vancouver Giants (Listed player)
Benjamin McLeod (D-97) - Edmonton Oil Kings (Listed player)
Dylan Stewart (F-97) - Prince Albert Raiders (2012 5th round pick)
Eric Szudor (G-97) - Lethbridge Hurricanes (2012 6th round pick)

Edmonton South Side Athletic Club (SSAC):
Justin Greer (D-97) - Portland Winterhawks (2012 4th round pick)
Garan Magnes (F-97) - Edmonton Oil Kings (Listed player)
David Quenneville (D-98) - Medicine Hat Tigers (2013 1st round pick)
Stuart Skinner (G-98) - Lethbridge Hurricanes (2013 1st round pick)
Peter Tomaras (F-98) - Saskatoon Blades (2013 9th round pick)

Leduc Oil Kings:
Noah Gregor (F-98) - Victoria Royals (2013 3rd round pick)
Dalton Hamaliuk (D-98) - Spokane Chiefs (2013 2nd round pick)
Trevor Martin (G-96) - Spokane Chiefs (2011 9th round pick)
Curtis Miske (F-97) - Spokane Chiefs (2012 2nd round pick)
Tristan Starzynski (F-97) - Edmonton Oil Kings (2012 8th round pick)

Lloydminster Bobcats:
Chasetan Braid (F-97) - Saskatoon Blades (Listed player)
Kale Clague (D-98) - Brandon Wheat Kings (2013 1st round pick)
Jerad Coghill (D-97) - Prince Albert Raiders (2012 6th round pick)
James Hilsendager (D-97) - Regina Pats (2012 9th round pick)
Cole Johnson (F-98) - Swift Current Broncos (2013 2nd round pick)
Andrew Koep (F-97) - Edmonton Oil Kings (2012 2nd round pick)
Austin McGrath (G-98) - Medicine Hat Tigers (2013 4th round pick)
Mason Shaw (F-98) - Medicine Hat Tigers (2013 2nd round pick)

Moose Jaw Generals:
Rykr Cole (F-97) - Regina Pats (2012 3rd round pick)
Shane Collins (D-97) - Prince George Cougars (2012 3rd round pick)
Dawson Davidson (D-98) - Kamloops Blazers (2013 3rd round pick)
Jared Dmytriw (F-98) - Victoria Royals (2013 4th round pick)
Colby Entz (G-98) - Red Deer Rebels (Listed player)
Branden Klatt (F-98) - Edmonton Oil Kings (2013 6th round pick)
Jared Legien (F-98) - Kootenay Ice (2013 1st round pick)
Regan Nagy (F-97) - Victoria Royals (2012 2nd round pick)
Grant Naherniak (G-96) - Red Deer Rebels (2011 5th round pick)
Donovan Neuls (F-97) - Seattle Thunderbirds (2012 8th round pick)
Caleb Riess (F-98) - Red Deer Rebels (2013 4th round pick)
Kyle Sargent (D-98) - Red Deer Rebels (2013 9th round pick)
Ben Verrall (D-96) - Prince Albert Raiders (Listed player)

Notre Dame Argos (Wilcox, SK):
Colin Burston (F-97) - Calgary Hitmen (Listed player)
Dillon Dube (F-98) - Kelowna Rockets (2013 1st round pick)
Kaden Elder (F-98) - Seattle Thunderbirds (2013 1st round pick)
Dylan Ferguson (G-98) - Kamloops Blazers (2013 8th round pick)
Matt Kustra (G-97) - Prince George Cougars (2012 8th round pick)
Gage Ramsay (F-98) - Vancouver Giants (2013 3rd round pick)
Nolan Reid (D-98) - Saskatoon Blades (2013 2nd round pick)
Taylor Ross (F-98) - Spokane Chiefs (2013 4th round pick)

Okanagan Rockets (Kelowna, BC):
Brendan Barry (G-97) - Kelowna Rockets (Listed player)
Tanner Browne (D-97) - Lethbridge Hurricanes (in trade with Brandon - was Brandon's 2012 2nd round pick)
Liam Finlay (F-97) - Regina Pats (Listed player)
Tyson Jost (F-98) - Everett Silvertips (2013 1st round pick)
Jake Kryski (F-98) - Kamloops Blazers (in trade with Prince Albert - was Prince Albert's 2013 1st round pick)
Tanner Wishnowski (F-97) - Kelowna Rockets (Listed player)

Prince Albert Mintos:
Dakota Boutin (F-97) - Brandon Wheat Kings (2012 3rd round pick)
Connor Ingram (G-97) - Kamloops Blazers (Listed player)
Rhys Kipling (D-96) - Prince Albert Raiders (Listed player)
Loch Morrison (D-97) - Calgary Hitmen (2012 7th round pick)
Matthew Parsons (D-98) - Swift Current Broncos (2013 3rd round pick)
Kody White (F-97) - Lethbridge Hurricanes (2012 11th round pick)
Lance Yaremchuk (F-96) - Prince Albert Raiders (2011 6th round pick)

Red Deer Optimist Chiefs:
Gabe Bast (D-96) - Medicine Hat Tigers (Listed player)
Layne Bensmiller (F-97) - Calgary Hitmen (Listed player)
TJ Brown (D-98) - Brandon Wheat Kings (2013 4th round pick)
Jeffrey De Wit (F-98) - Red Deer Rebels (2013 1st round pick)
Jordie Lawson (F-96) - Victoria Royals (Listed player)
Andrew Nielsen (D-96) - Lethbridge Hurricanes (Listed player)
Chase Olsen (F-97) - Medicine Hat Tigers (Listed player)
Carter Sawicki (F-96) - Kootenay Ice (Listed player)
Jayden Sittler (G-96) - Kootenay Ice (Listed player)
Tyler Steenbergen (F-98) - Swift Current Broncos (2013 1st round pick)
Travis Verveda (D-97) - Kamloops Blazers (Listed player)

Regina Pat Canadians:
Michael Eskra (D-97) - Vancouver Giants (2012 5th round pick)
*Logan Flodell (G-97) - Seattle Thunderbirds (2012 3rd round pick)
*Jayden Halbgewachs (F-97) - Moose Jaw Warriors (in trade with Kamloops - was Kamloops' 2012 1st round pick)
Owen Sillinger (F-97) - Saskatoon Blades (in trade with Vancouver - was Vancouver's 2012 10th round pick)

 * Flodell and Halbgewachs will not participate in the Macs as they will be playing at the World U-17 Challenge at the time

Sherwood Park Kings:
Brandon Biro (F-98) - Swift Current Broncos (2013 10th round pick)
Tyler Brown (F-97) - Kelowna Rockets (Listed player)
Travis Child (G-97) - Swift Current Broncos (2012 2nd round pick)
Danton Davis (F-97) - Prince Albert Raiders (Listed player)
Jared Freadrich (D-98) - Regina Pats (2013 4th round pick)
Jack Hamly (F-98) - Spokane Chiefs (Listed player)
Joel Lakusta (D-98) - Saskatoon Blades (2013 7th round pick)
Skyler Mckenzie (F-98) - Portland Winterhawks (2013 8th round pick)
Cameron Reagan (D-97) - Kamloops Blazers (2012 4th round pick)
Sam Steel (F-98) - Regina Pats (2013 1st round pick)

South Island Royals (Victoria, BC):
Josh Anderson (D-98) - Prince George Cougars (2013 1st round pick)
Cam Coutre (F-98) - Seattle Thunderbirds (Listed player)
Dawson Haines (F-98) - Moose Jaw Warriors (2013 4th round pick)
Haydn Hopkins (F-97) - Saskatoon Blades (2012 12th round pick)

UFA Bisons (Strathmore, AB)
Mason McCarty (F-97) - Red Deer Rebels (2012 4th round pick)

Valley West Hawks (Langley, BC):
Trevor Ayre (F-98) - Seattle Thunderbirds (Listed player)
Matt Barberis (D-98) - Vancouver Giants (2013 1st round pick)
Matt Bradley (F-97) - Medicine Hat Tigers (2012 2nd round pick)
Luke Gingras (F-98) - Saskatoon Blades (2013 4th round pick)
Davis Koch (F-98) - Edmonton Oil Kings (2013 2nd round pick)
Jesse Lansdell (F-98) - Saskatoon Blades (Listed player)
Mitch Newsome (F-97) - Saskatoon Blades (2012 12th round pick)
Devante Stephens (D-97) - Kelowna Rockets (Listed player)
Ty Westgard (F-98) - Victoria Royals (2013 8th round pick)

Vancouver NE Chiefs:
Caleb Fantillo (F-98) - Medicine Hat Tigers (2013 6th round pick)
Jordan Henderson (D-97) - Spokane Chiefs (2012 4th round pick)
Lucas Johansen (D-97) - Kelowna Rockets (2012 6th round pick)

Vancouver NW Giants:
Tak Anholt (F-98) - Lethbridge Hurricanes (2013 2nd round pick)
Quinn Benjafield (F-98) - Kamloops Blazers (2013 1st round pick)
Dante Fabbro (D-98) - Seattle Thunderbirds (2013 1st round pick)
Tavin Grant (G-98) - Prince George Cougars (Listed player)
Keyvan Mokhtari (F-98) - Everett Silvertips (2013 7th round pick)
Ty Schultz (D-97) - Medicine Hat Tigers (2012 1st round pick)
Owen Stout (F-97) - Prince George Cougars (Listed player)

There are three other, international, teams at the Macs this year: the Alaska Jr. Aces, the Finnish U-17 team, and the Switzerland U-17 team. There wouldn't be any WHL prospects on the Finnish or Swiss teams (CHL teams can't draft European players until they're 17) and I did not find any WHL-affiliated players on the roster of the Alaska Aces.

There are also several WHL prospects who are listed as Affiliate Players of these teams above. So some of these players may play in the Macs although it is not guaranteed:

Calgary Flames:
Cale Makar (D-98) - Medicine Hat Tigers (2013 8th round pick)

Calgary Royals:
Reed Morison (F-98) - Portland Winterhawks (Listed player)

Edmonton Canadian Athletic Club (CAC):
Austin Shmoorkoff (D-97) - Red Deer Rebels (Listed player)

Edmonton South Side Athletic Club (SSAC):
Matt Berlin (G-98) - Spokane Chiefs (2013 7th round pick)
Colby Sissons (D-98) - Swift Current Broncos (Listed player)

Leduc Oil Kings:
Lane Zablocki (F-98) - Prince George Cougars (2013 5th round pick)

Lloydminster Bobcats:
Dalton Angeltvedt (D-98) - Swift Current Broncos (2013 9th round pick)
Ryan Gilchrist (G-98) - Seattle Thunderbirds (Listed player)
Dallas Hines (D-98) - Kootenay Ice (2013 5th round pick)

Prince Albert Mintos:
Zac Paziuk (F-97) - Kootenay Ice (2012 10th round pick)
Cole Young (F-98) - Prince George Cougars (2013 11th round pick)

Red Deer Optimist Chiefs:
Luke Coleman (F-98) - Prince Albert Raiders (2013 5th round pick)
Matt Krawiec (D-98) - Kootenay Ice (2013 6th round pick)
Landon Mackenzie (D-98) - Swift Current Broncos (Listed player)

Regina Pat Canadians:
Caleb Griffin (F-98) - Seattle Thunderbirds (2013 12th round pick)
Brandon Griffiths (D-98) - Prince Albert Raiders (2013 7th round pick)

Sherwood Park Kings:
Carter Hart (G-98) - Everett Silvertips (2013 8th round pick)
Colin Paradis (D-98) - Moose Jaw Warriors (2013 4th round pick)

UFA Bisons (Strathmore, AB)
Kurtis Chapman (G-98) - Regina Pats (2013 7th round pick)
Shaye Seefried (D-98) - Saskatoon Blades (2013 8th round pick)

So the totals by WHL team - not counting AP's or the players who are away at the World U-17's:

Red Deer Rebels: 11
Edmonton Oil Kings: 10
Medicine Hat Tigers: 10
Saskatoon Blades: 9
Victoria Royals: 9
Kamloops Blazers: 7
Lethbridge Hurricanes: 7
Prince Albert Raiders: 7
Spokane Chiefs: 7
Vancouver Giants: 7
Calgary Hitmen: 6
Kelowna Rockets: 6
Kootenay Ice: 6
Prince George Cougars: 6
Regina Pats: 6
Seattle Thunderbirds: 6
Swift Current Broncos: 6
Brandon Wheat Kings: 4
Portland Winterhawks: 4
Tri-City Americans: 3
Everett Silvertips: 2
Moose Jaw Warriors: 1

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Dumba moves

Is this the kickoff deal to start the WHL's trade deadline runup? Portland and Red Deer swung a potential blockbuster today, with the Rebels sending '94 defenceman Mathew Dumba and a conditional bantam draft pick to Portland in return for '95 forward Presten Kopeck and conditional bantam draft picks.

I say potential blockbuster because of the small detail that Dumba is currently in the NHL, on the roster of the Minnesota Wild. But he hasn't suited up for a game for them in over two weeks and has only played in 13 of 32 games overall, averaging 12 and a half minutes of ice time per game. Which is not a lot of ice time for a defenceman so all these factors put together - plus the fact that they've already decided to loan him to the Canadian team for the World Juniors - would seem to indicate that the Wild are coming to the conclusion that Dumba is not in their plans for the remainder of this season. If I were a betting man I would be laying down a wager that we'll see Dumba in Winterhawks colours by the 2nd week of January.

To break down the rest of the deal, it's hard to really understand who gets what since all the draft picks involved are conditional. We know the Rebels get Kopeck (who is currently injured and not due back until mid-January or so) and that's really the only thing for sure right now. I would speculate (and only speculation) that the conditional pick the Rebels give up is only in the case that Dumba never comes back to the WHL. In that situation, the Rebels will send the Hawks a pick and the deal is simply Kopeck for the pick, and nothing else happens.

If Dumba DOES come back though then the Rebels don't owe the Hawks a pick at all. Instead the Hawks will send the Rebels a few more picks and the deal becomes Dumba for Kopeck and those picks. (All my speculation here still though, remember)

The conditional picks going to Red Deer are another good source of speculation. Normally a deal for a player of Dumba's calibre would involve a 1st round bantam pick, or even more than one. (Case in point: Kootenay gave up a 1st round pick plus a prospect who was a past 1st round pick, for Tim Bozon of Kamloops earlier this year). The stumbling block in Portland giving the Rebels a first round bantam pick for Dumba is that they don't have any first round picks again until 2018 thanks to the WHL sanctions last year. So it seems pretty safe to say they didn't give up any 1st rounders for Dumba.

So was it 2nds? 3rds? We don't know....I guess we'll have to wait and see if Dumba comes to Portland and then analyze the price the Hawks paid once we know what it was.

This deal also cements the Rebels as sellers at this year's trade deadline, joining Lethbridge, Moose Jaw, and Kamloops as teams we can be fairly certain are willing to deal veterans for younger players and prospects. From the Rebels point of view, that might include goaltender Patrik Bartosak, the reigning CHL goaltender of the year. He's an overage AND an import, which will reduce the potential suitors for him, but he would be a nice pickup for a team that sees itself taking a little playoff run but are uncertain about their goaltending. Other possible trade bait in Rebelville would be overage forward Lukas Sutter (Memorial Cup experience there with the Blades last year) and maybe 19 year old defenceman Brady Gaudet?

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Playoff chances

Another one of the things I like to do around here one or more times a year is a look at each team's chances of making the playoffs at a given point in the season. Since we know approximately how many points it takes to make the playoffs in the WHL, we can see what kind of performance each team will need for the rest of the season to get to the minimum point requirement to finish 8th in their conference.

Over the last five years, it has taken an average of 73.2 points to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference (let's call that 73 points) and in the West, an average of 60.4 (we'll call it 60). Obviously this number fluctuates every year - for example, at current paces it will take 78 in the East this year and 69 in the West. But since this year's paces will change as the season progresses, for the sake of our analysis here we'll use the 5-year averages of 73 and 60.

So, the current Eastern conference standings:


GP PTS Win%
Medicine Hat Tigers 24 35 0.729
Swift Current Broncos 28 33 0.589
Prince Albert Raiders 24 30 0.625
Edmonton Oil Kings 23 29 0.620
Calgary Hitmen 22 28 0.636
Kootenay Ice 26 28 0.538
Brandon Wheat Kings 25 27 0.540
Regina Pats 24 26 0.542
Red Deer Rebels 24 23 0.479
Saskatoon Blades 26 21 0.404
Moose Jaw Warriors 27 18 0.333
Lethbridge Hurricanes 25 10 0.200

And current Western conference standings:

GP PTS Win%
Everett Silvertips 25 38 0.760
Portland Winterhawks 24 36 0.750
Kelowna Rockets 21 34 0.810
Spokane Chiefs 24 33 0.688
Victoria Royals 26 31 0.596
Tri-City Americans 26 30 0.577
Seattle Thunderbirds 24 28 0.583
Vancouver Giants 26 25 0.481
Prince George Cougars 26 22 0.423
Kamloops Blazers 24 15 0.312

And now the points (and records) required to make the playoffs in the East, assuming 73 points are needed:

Points Record Win %
Medicine Hat Tigers 39 19-28-1 0.406
Swift Current Broncos 41 20-23-1 0.466
Prince Albert Raiders 44 22-26-0 0.458
Edmonton Oil Kings 45 22-26-1 0.459
Calgary Hitmen 46 23-27-0 0.460
Kootenay Ice 46 23-23-0 0.500
Brandon Wheat Kings 47 23-23-1 0.500
Regina Pats 48 24-24-0 0.500
Red Deer Rebels 51 25-22-1 0.531
Saskatoon Blades 53 26-19-1 0.576
Moose Jaw Warriors 56 28-17-0 0.622
Lethbridge Hurricanes 64 32-15-0 0.681

And in the West, assuming 60 points are needed:

Points Record Win %
Everett Silvertips 23 11-35-1 0.245
Portland Winterhawks 25 12-35-1 0.260
Kelowna Rockets 27 13-37-1 0.265
Spokane Chiefs 28 14-34-0 0.292
Victoria Royals 30 15-31-0 0.326
Tri-City Americans 31 15-30-1 0.337
Seattle Thunderbirds 33 16-31-1 0.344
Vancouver Giants 36 18-28-0 0.391
Prince George Cougars 39 19-26-1 0.424
Kamloops Blazers 46 23-25-0 0.479

The most obvious thing that stands out here is that, given the low number of points required to make the playoffs in the West, doing this for the West so early in the season is kind of useless. Pretty much every team in the conference is still quite plausibly capable of attaining 60 points without needing a drastic turnaround. Kamloops may be a .312 team right now but they only need to get to .479 (not even above .500!) to get 60 points. 

The East though, that's another story. It's already fair to say that the playoff hopes of the Hurricanes and Warriors may be over, only 1/3 of the way into the season. The Hurricanes, currently at .200, need to play at a .681 pace the rest of the season to get to 73 points. That kind of turnaround seems unlikely in the extreme. Same goes for the .333 Warriors, who would need to improve to .622 for the rest of the season.

Saskatoon, at .404 currently, needs to get to .576 and that, while a tall order, remains do-able if things turn around for them a bit sometime soon.

So, it's still early in the year but two teams may have already firmly established themselves as trade deadline sellers (Nick Walters? Josh Derko? Travis Brown? Jesse Forsberg?). 

Friday, October 18, 2013

Trainwreck in Lethbridge

News out of Lethbridge today has the Hurricanes sending a pair of 19 year old forwards - Sam McKechnie and Jaimen Yakubowski - home to await trades. Apparently both players had requested trades and it looks like the team intends to oblige them.

Yakubowski and McKechnie were the team's two leading goalscorers last year, Yakubowski with 32 goals and McKechnie with 26, and were 2nd and 3rd respectively in team overall points. This year though, the two each had only one goal - Yakubowski with 1g, 0a in 11 games and McKechnie with 1g, 2a in 9 games.

It's unusual to see that kind of regression in points, especially from 19 year olds. It also makes you wonder what the Hurricanes might be able to get in return for these guys. The most likely culprit for the drop-off in these players' production is that the team has a new coach this year and perhaps these players are being used differently than they were last year....that would also explain the trade requests too obviously, if the players were clashing with coach Drake Berehowsky. Any team acquiring these players would need to keep these things in mind.

All this only further underscores the mess that the Hurricanes organization has become though....they are 1-9-1, have an offence that is generating a league 2nd-worst 2.0 goals per game on average (only Vancouver's 1.9 is worse), been outscored 56-22 in 11 games, and are giving up an average of 41.8 shots against per game.

The organization has missed the playoffs for four straight years (although past coach/GM Rich Preston was at the helm for all four years, never once making the playoffs) and have gotten the high draft picks that come with that, but are apparently still no closer to returning to the playoffs than they were four years ago. It's early yet of course but a 1-9-1 record and that 40+ shots per game suggests there's a significant mountain to be climbed if they are to turn things around and make the playoffs this year.

Anyways, given that Berehowsky has (I'm assuming) already alienated two of his teams' best veterans and doesn't have better results than last year to prove that his approach is a better way, how long before it's fair to question the wisdom of his hiring? At the time he was hired this summer, many pointed out that Berehowsky's coaching resume was a little thin - only one year as a head coach, last year in the ECHL (his team missed the playoffs) and five years as an assistant, only two at the junior level (in the OHL).

It's a mess.

Friday, September 20, 2013

Regular season begins

The WHL's 2013-14 season kicked off last night with the Swift Current Broncos whipping the Regina Pats 7-2. 16 more of the league's teams start their seasons tonight and the last four stragglers join the new season tomorrow.

With that in mind, a few observations on current rosters and recent transactions....

The WHL's overage deadline is still 3 weeks off (assuming it's October 10 like it usually is) but already the current overage picture is making it look like the deadline might be a quiet one. Currently only five teams (Everett, Kelowna, Medicine Hat, Seattle, and Tri-City) have too many overagers on their rosters while a whopping four teams (Edmonton, Kootenay, Prince George, and Vancouver) have room to add one more each. Assuming nothing else changed (though you know it will!), it would seem at least a few of the current surplus overagers will somehow find homes on the teams that have openings, and only one or two overagers currently on a WHL roster will end up having to leave the league.

But, it won't be that simple....there's some probable complications coming in the form of more NHL cuts - players like Dalton Thrower and Marek Tvrdon do not appear on Vancouver's roster but could still return to the WHL. And I wouldn't be one bit surprised if Edmonton is holding open that overage spot because of the possibility that one of their umpteen NHL-signed 20 year olds could still be returned unexpectedly to the WHL. A Martin Gernat, for example.

Conversely, four of those five teams who have too many overagers (Kelowna, Medicine Hat, Seattle, and Tri-City) still have one of their prospective overagers away at NHL camps (Myles Bell, Jacob Doty, Mitch Elliot, and Zach Yuen, respectively) and who knows, maybe some of those guys stick in the AHL and don't return. That would solve their WHL clubs' decision making pretty quickly. Only Everett has four overagers in their actual dressing room right now.

Another note about the overagers who are at NHL camps - if they aren't returned to their WHL teams by September 26, then their WHL teams will get an extension on the October 10 overage deadline. That's because the WHL allows teams two weeks to make a decision (if one is required) on players returned late from the NHL.

From overagers to imports now.....there is still one team, Everett, who have too many import players on their roster. Vancouver would join that list if Tvrdon were to be returned, but for now it's just Everett. Everett doesn't actually have three imports right this minute since defenceman Mirco Mueller is still with the NHL's San Jose Sharks, but he is expected to be returned at some point. When that happens, Everett will have a difficult decision to make since they are not allowed to trade new imports Ivan Nikolishen or Waltteri Hopponen. Their options will be to trade Mueller (would YOU trade away an NHL 1st round draft pick, a guy who could anchor your blueline for two more years yet??) or release one of Nikolishin (7 points in 6 preseason games) or Hopponen (5 points in 6 preseason games). Releasing one of those guys will surely see them snapped up on the WHL waiver wire by a team with import openings or inferior imports. It's not exactly a Sophie's Choice but it's not a very palatable one for the Silvertips for sure.

As for moving an import - whether it's Everett or Vancouver doing the moving - the options are a bit limited right now. Only four teams currently do not have two imports already: Kootenay, Lethbridge, Tri-City, and Victoria. Lethbridge is expecting Khristian Khenkel to show up after his visa situation is resolved, so they are probably not in the running to acquire anyone. Kootenay currently has zero imports; they are expecting Rinat Valiyev to show up (visa issues there too), but even if he does they'll still have another opening.

Goaltending is another situation where several teams are still unresolved: Lethbridge, Saskatoon, Seattle, and Swift Current all still have three goaltenders on their rosters. In Lethbridge and Swift Current the starting goalies are set (Corbin Boes and Eetu Laurikainen respectively) but the holder of the backup job remains to be determined yet: incumbent Chris Tai vs rookie Johnny Hogue in Lethbridge, and incumbent Landon Bow vs. rookie Travis Child in Swift.

In Saskatoon and Seattle, the question of who is #1 is still unanswered. In Saskatoon, the Blades appeared last week to be set with Alex Moodie as starter and Nathan Alalouf as backup, but then they acquired 19 year old Troy Trombley from Tri-City and I'm sure he isn't there to be the backup. It looks like Alalouf might be heading to Jr A while Moodie and Trombley slug it out for each start there. Meanwhile in Seattle there are three goalies there and no clear #1, #2, or #3 between three guys with minimal WHL experience - Devon Fordyce, Justin Myles, and Danny Mumaugh.

One last thing that has caught my eye the last couple weeks is a few veteran players being released - non-overage guys who played a year or two or three in the league but are being released because they've been passed in their teams' pecking order by younger players. It has to be tough for these players. They include Stewart Coyle, Braiden Doucette, Jarrett Fontaine, Riley Guenther, Harrison Harper, Darian Henry, Jake Mykitiuk, Michael Mylchreest, Bryar Ortynski, and Kade Pilton. Probably even missed a few there.

Of particular interest to me are Fontaine, Mykitiuk, and Mylchreest - all three are '95s who were released by the Prince George Cougars. In fact, all three were 16 year old rookies with the Cougars back in 2011-12, the year that the Cougars carried an almost unheard-of six 16 year olds full-time. (Alex Forsberg, Jordan Tkatch, and Chase Witala were the other three). You may remember that was a time of excitement in Prince George, the start of a rebuild, a youth movement. It's safe to say that those hopes didn't pan out as expected, especially since Forsberg's tenure with the team has also been rocky.

There's a larger conversation to be had here about the wisdom of keeping and playing so many young players at one time, especially on a weak team (the Cougars were 2nd-last in the WHL in 11-12) without a strong group of veterans to lead the way and take the pressure. 

Even when you do everything right you'll still have the occasional player who simply doesn't develop as you expect, that happens on every team at every level. But three out of six is a pretty high failure rate and it's fair to ask questions about whether the Cougars' decision to keep six 16 year olds that season was a good idea in hindsight. And that, in turn, should be part of an even larger conversation about why that franchise has been over .500 only three times in the last 13 years and never by more than 7 points. 

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

2013-14 Roster breakdown

This is an annual feature around these parts - the WHL team roster breakdowns. Below you will find a chart with every WHL team on it, along with the number of players on their roster currently, plus average heights (in inches), weights (in pounds), and ages, plus the # of rookies, imports, and players of each age (this season 16 year olds = all players born in 1997, and so on).

The rosters used to produce this chart are the ones found in my rosters post and both that post and this one should be updated daily (or as required) when teams make cuts/trades.

All heights and weights used come from the WHL and/or team sites.



Total         Ht       Wt     Avg Age   Rookies  Imp's16's 17's 18's19's20's
Brandon Wheat Kings2372.13192.7817.968228553
Calgary Hitmen2373.61197.7818.047227563
Edmonton Oil Kings2472.88189.4218.218216773
Everett Silvertips2373.35187.1717.967244753
Kamloops Blazers2372.52185.0018.007118743
Kelowna Rockets2472.08184.2518.135226673
Kootenay Ice2372.78184.1318.136224872
Lethbridge Hurricanes2671.62183.7317.968028853
Medicine Hat Tigers2472.00182.0418.2942051063
Moose Jaw Warriors2471.75185.4617.8372210543
Portland Winterhawks2472.38189.5818.178224963
Prince Albert Raiders2372.26186.4318.178233773
Prince George Cougars2572.80185.1617.9692351043
Red Deer Rebels2372.74188.7417.919245653
Regina Pats2472.54185.0817.968244853
Saskatoon Blades2372.83191.8317.968218833
Seattle Thunderbirds2473.50192.2918.049236492
Spokane Chiefs2472.21185.6318.179208763
Swift Current Broncos2372.00185.0918.0472161033
Tri-City Americans2573.12186.0017.9610145763
Vancouver Giants2572.20185.7218.245125693
Victoria Royals2472.46185.5818.005227753

Friday, September 6, 2013

2013-14 Team rosters

The rosters for all the teams in the WHL....I know you can find this info on the WHL site too so this is more just to show which players I include in the height/weight/age breakdown post....

Brandon Wheat Kings (23):
Goaltenders (2): Curtis Honey (94), Jordan Papirny (96)
Defencemen (7): Taylor Green (95), Rene Hunter (93), Kord Pankewicz (96), Ryan Pilon (96), Ryan Pulock (94), Eric Roy (94), Colton Waltz (95)
Forwards (14): Rihards Bukarts (95), Tyler Coulter (96), Jesse Gabrielle (97), Jayce Hawryluk (96), Brett Kitt (96), Ryley Lindgren (96), Quintin Lisoway (95), Tim McGauley (95), Jens Meilleur (93), Richard Nejezchleb (94), John Quenneville (96), Peter Quenneville (94), Chad Robinson (93), Braylon Shmyr (97)
Last Updated: November 18

Calgary Hitmen (23):
Goaltenders (2): Chris Driedger (94), Mack Shields (95)
Defencemen (7): Colby Harmsworth (95), Kenton Helgesen (94), Jaynen Rissling (93), Alex Roach (93), Travis Sanheim (96), Ben Thomas (96), Josh Thrower (96)
Forwards (14): Cal Babych (97), Brady Brassart (93), Calder Brooks (94), Greg Chase (95), Terrell Draude (97), Radel Fazleyev (96), Zane Jones (94), Chase Lang (96), Joe Mahon (94), Braden Oleksyn (96), Pavlo Padakin (94), Linden Penner (95), Elliott Peterson (95), Jake Virtanen (96)
Last Updated: November 15

Edmonton Oil Kings (24):
Goaltenders (2): Tristan Jarry (95), Tyler Santos (94)
Defencemen (8): Ben Carroll (95), Cody Corbett (93), Aaron Irving (96), Dysin Mayo (96), Jesse Mills (97), Griffin Reinhart (94), Ashton Sautner (94), Stephen Shmoorkoff (94)
Forwards (14): Brandon Baddock (95), Lane Bauer (96), Cole Benson (95), Luke Bertolucci (95), Mads Eller (95), Riley Kieser (93), Edgars Kulda (94), Curtis Lazar (95), Mitchell Moroz (94), Reid Petryk (93), Brett Pollock (96), Brandon Ralph (96), Henrik Samuelsson (94), Mitchell Walter (96)
Last Updated: November 15

Everett Silvertips (23):
Goaltenders (2): Daniel Cotton (94), Austin Lotz (95)
Defencemen (8): Austin Adam (95), Ben Betker (94), Kevin Davis (97), Noah Juulsen (97), Cole MacDonald (95), Mirco Mueller (95), Matthew Pufahl (93), Micheal Zipp (96)
Forwards (13): Logan Aasman (95), Patrick Bajkov (97), Kohl Bauml (94), Darcy DeRoose (18), Matt Fonteyne (97), Manraj Hayer (93), Jujhar Khaira (94), Dawson Leedahl (96), Brayden Low (94), Ivan Nikolishin (96), Tyler Sandhu (96), Carson Stadnyk (95), Josh Winquist (93)
Last Updated: November 15

Kamloops Blazers (23):
Goaltenders (2): Taran Kozun (94), Bolton Pouliot (94)
Defencemen (7): Connor Clouston (96), Josh Connolly (95), Sam Grist (93), Edson Harlacher (96), Ryan Rehill (95), Matthew Thomas (95), Jordan Thomson (96)
Forwards (14): Nick Chyzowski (97), Luke Harrison (95), Joe Kornelsen (93), Eric Krienke (96), Mitch Lipon (96), Nathan Looysen (96), Aaron Macklin (95), Matthew Needham (95), Tyson Ness (93), Collin Shirley (96), Jesse Shynkaruk (96), Chase Souto (94), Aspen Sterzer (94), Cole Ully (95)
Last Updated: November 20

Kelowna Rockets (24):
Goaltenders (2): Jordon Cooke (93), Jackson Whistle (95)
Defencemen (8): Madison Bowey (95), Joe Gatenby (97), Jesse Lees (95), Cole Martin (94), Damon Severson (94), Riley Stadel (96), Mitchell Wheaton (95), Dalton Yorke (96)
Forwards (14): Tyson Baillie (95), Myles Bell (93), Rourke Chartier (96), Zach Franko (93), Austin Glover (96), Tyrell Goulbourne (94), Colton Heffley (94), Justin Kirkland (96), Cole Linaker (95), Nick Merkley (97), Henrik Nyberg (94), Ryan Olsen (94), Carter Rigby (94), Kris Schmidli (96)
Last Updated: September 30

Kootenay Ice (23):
Goaltenders (2): Wyatt Hoflin (95), Mackenzie Skapski (94)
Defencemen (7): Landon Cross (94), Jagger Dirk (93), Tanner Faith (95), Troy Murray (97), Landon Peel (94), Jordan Steenbergen (96), Rinat Valiev (95)
Forwards (14): Mathew Alfaro (96), Tim Bozon (94), Levi Cable (94), Ryan Chynoweth (95), Jaedon Descheneau (95), Hudson Elynuik (97), Jeff Hubic (94), Jonathon Martin (95), Zach McPhee (93), Kyle O'Connor (96), Luke Philp (95), Sam Reinhart (95), Austin Vetterl (94), Zachary Zborosky (96)
Last Updated: November 15

Lethbridge Hurricanes (26):
Goaltenders (3): Corbin Boes (93), Teagan Sacher (94), Chris Tai (95)
Defencemen (8): Tyler Bell (94), Macoy Erkamps (95), Griffin Foulk (95), Lenny Hackman (95), Kade Jensen (97), Bryton Sayers (96), Joel Topping (95), Nick Walters (94)
Forwards (15): Carter Amson (96), Taylor Cooper (95), Josh Derko (93), Reid Duke (96), Giorgio Estephan (97), Carter Folk (96), Remi Laurencelle (95), Russ Maxwell (94), Spencer Meyer (96), Reid Nemeth (96), Kolten Olynek (96), Brady Ramsay (93), Riley Sheen (94), Jamal Watson (95), Tyler Wong (96)
Last Updated: November 20

Medicine Hat Tigers (24):
Goaltenders (2): Marek Langhamer (94), Daniel Wapple (95)
Defencemen (8): Scott Allan (96), Kyle Becker (94), Dylan Bredo (93), Spencer Jensen (95), Tyler Lewington (94), Ty Stanton (95), Matt Staples (95), Tommy Vannelli (95)
Forwards (14): Gavin Broadhead (95), Chad Butcher (96), Trevor Cox (95), Jacob Doty (93), Markus Eisenschmid (95), Miles Koules (94), Chad Labelle (95), Logan McVeigh (94), Alex Mowbray (96), Steven Owre (96), Blake Penner (96), Cole Sanford (95), Hunter Shinkaruk (94), Curtis Valk (93)
Last Updated: September 30

Moose Jaw Warriors (24):
Goaltenders (2): Justin Paulic (95), Zachary Sawchenko (97)
Defencemen (7): Travis Brown (94), Tyler Brown (97), Jesse Forsberg (93), Kirk Johnson (95), Alexei Sleptsov (96), Dallas Valentine (96), Reid Zalitach (96)
Forwards (15): Erik Benoit (93), Alexander Chirva (96), Scott Cooke (94), Brandon Delgrosso (96), Ben Duppereault (96), Tanner Eberle (94), Sam Fioretti (93), Bryson Gore (95), Colton McCarthy (96), Brayden Point (96), Brandon Potomak (95), Jack Rodewald (94), Josh Uhrich (96), Miles Warkentine (96), Torrin White (95)
Last Updated: November 20

Portland Winterhawks (24):
Goaltenders (2): Brendan Burke (95), Jarrod Schamerhorn (95)
Defencemen (7): Anton Cederholm (95), Garrett Haar (93), Josh Hanson (94), Shaun MacPherson (94), Derrick Pouliot (94), Keoni Texeira (97), Layne Viveiros (95)
Forwards (15): Steven Alldridge (96), Paul Bittner (96), Oliver Bjorkstrand (95), Adam De Champlain (94), Chase De Leo (95), Keegan Iverson (96), Presten Kopeck (95), Taylor Leier (94), Brendan Leipsic (94), Shane McColgan (93), Nic Petan (95), Ethan Price (97), Adam Rossignol (93), Alex Schoenborn (95), Dominic Turgeon (96)
Last Updated: November 15

Prince Albert Raiders (23):
Goaltenders (2): Cole Cheveldave (93), Nick McBride (97)
Defencemen (8): Tomas Andrlik (95), Dylan Busenius (93), Tyler Dea (95), Brendan Guhle (97), Mackenzie Johnston (93), Sawyer Lange (94), Josh Morrissey (95), Mackenze Stewart (95)
Forwards (13): Chance Braid (94), Dakota Conroy (94), Shane Danyluk (94), Leon Draisaitl (95), Reid Gardiner (96), Matteo Gennaro (97), Jayden Hart (94), Craig Leverton (95), Carson Perreaux (94), Gage Quinney (95), Tim Vanstone (96), Mike Winther (94), Darcy Zaharichuk (96)
Last Updated: November 15

Prince George Cougars (25):
Goaltenders (2): Ty Edmonds (96), Brett Zarowny (95)
Defencemen (9): Martin Bobos (95), Joe Carvalho (95), Zach Gonek (96), Raymond Grewal (95), Peter Kosterman (93), Tanner Lishchynsky (95), Marc McNulty (95), Tate Olson (97), Sam Ruopp (96)
Forwards (14): Carson Bolduc (96), Troy Bourke (94), Jari Erricson (94), Todd Fiddler (93), Alex Forsberg (95), Jansen Harkins (97), Brad Morrison (97), Tyler Mrkonjic (96), Zach Pochiro (94), Brett Roulston (94), David Soltes (95), Jordan Tkatch (95), Klarc Wilson (93), Chase Witala (95)
Last Updated: November 15

Red Deer Rebels (24):
Goaltenders (2): Patrik Bartosak (93), Taz Burman (97)
Defencemen (7): Kirk Bear (95), Nick Charif (95), Kolton Dixon (95), Kayle Doetzel (95), Devan Fafard (94), Haydn Fleury (96), Brady Gaudet (94)
Forwards (15): Matt Bellerive (94), Conner Bleackley (96), Cole Chorney (96), Rhyse Dieno (93), Wyatt Johnson (95), Brooks Maxwell (94), Vukie Mpofu (96), Adam Musil (97), Meyer Nell (97), Grayson Pawlenchuk (97), Evan Polei (96), Christian Stockl (95), Lukas Sutter (93), Dominik Volek (94)
Last Updated: November 15

Regina Pats (24):
Goaltenders (2): Dawson Macauley (94), Nick Schneider (16)
Defencemen (8): Kyle Burroughs (95), Tye Hand (95), Chase Harrison (96), Griffin Mumby (96), Brady Reagan (97), Dmitri Sinitsyn (94), Colby Williams (95), Jesse Zgraggen (93)
Forwards (14): Adam Brooks (96), Braden Christoffer (94), Connor Gay (95), Carter Hansen (95), Dryden Hunt (95), Max Kammerer (96), Morgan Klimchuk (95), Boston Leier (93), Geordie Maguire (95), Marc McCoy (94), Chandler Stephenson (94), Dyson Stevenson (93), Austin Wagner (97), Rylee Zimmer (97)
Last Updated: November 15

Saskatoon Blades (23):
Goaltenders (2): Alex Moodie (95), Troy Trombley (94)
Defencemen (7): Ryan Coghlan (95), Graeme Craig (93), Ross Hnidy (96), Clayton Kirichenko (96), David Nemecek (95), Ayrton Nikkel (95), Nelson Nogier (96)
Forwards (14): Austin Adamson (96), Nathan Burns (93), Chase Clayton (94), Nick Gomerich (96), Ryan Graham (96), Logan Harland (95), Cameron Hebig (97), Graham Millar (96), Cory Millette (95), Matt Revel (96), Nikita Scherbak (95), Brett Stovin (94), Collin Valcourt (93), Nick Zajac (95)
Last Updated: November 15

Seattle Thunderbirds (24):
Goaltenders (2): Danny Mumaugh (96), Justin Myles (95)
Defencemen (8): Ethan Bear (97), Austin Douglas (96), Jared Hauf (95), Adam Henry (94), Jerret Smith (95), Shea Theodore (95), Evan Wardley (94), Kevin Wolf (96)
Forwards (14): Mathew Barzal (97), Alexander Delnov (94), Scott Eansor (96), Mitch Elliot (93), Ryan Gropp (96), Justin Hickman (94), Michal Holub (96), Connor Honey (94), Keegan Kolesar (97), Roberts Lipsbergs (94), Sam McKechnie (94), Seth Swenson (93), Brandon Troock (94), Jaimen Yakubowski (94)
Last Updated: November 15

Spokane Chiefs (24):

Goaltenders (2): Garret Hughson (95), Eric Williams (93)
Defencemen (8): Colton Bobyk (96), Jason Fram (95), Reid Gow (94), Tyler King (95), Jeremy McIntosh (95), Jeffery Rayman (96), Matt Sozanski (96), Cole Wedman (94)
Forwards (14): Mike Aviani (93), Markson Bechtold (96), Jacob Cardiff (96), Connor Chartier (94), Adam Hascic (96), Adam Helewka (95), Mitch Holmberg (93), Blair Oneschuk (95), Jackson Playfair (94), Carter Proft (94), Liam Stewart (94), Riley Whittingham (95), Keanu Yamamoto (96), Dominic Zwerger (96)
Last Updated: September 17

Swift Current Broncos (23):
Goaltenders (2): Landon Bow (95), Eetu Laurikainen (93)
Defencemen (7): Cole Bevan (96), Jordan Harris (96), Dillon Heatherington (95), Julius Honka (95), Brett Lernout (95), Brycen Martin (96), Bobby Zinkan (95)
Forwards (14): Graham Black (93), Denis Bosc (95), Colby Cave (94), Jake Debrusk (96), Glenn Gawdin (97), Coda Gordon (94), Andrew Johnson (94), Tanner Lesann (95), Calvin Leth (96), Zac Mackay (95), Jay Merkley (95), Dakota Odgers (96), Connor Sanvido (93), Justin Spagrud (95)
Last Updated: November 15

Tri-City Americans (24):
Goaltenders (2): Eric Comrie (95), Evan Sarthou (97)
Defencemen (7): Brandon Carlo (96), Justin Hamonic (94), Riley Hillis (96), Michal Plutnar (94), Wil Tomchuk (94), Mitch Topping (93), Parker Wotherspoon (97)
Forwards (15): Jessey Astles (93), Parker Bowles (95), Ty Comrie (97), Matthew Gelinas (95), Justin Gutierrez (95), Justin Marreck (96), Beau McCue (95), Marcus Messier (94), Lucas Nickles (94), Braden Purtill (97), Connor Rankin (94), Rodney Southam (96), Philip Tot (93), Taylor Vickerman (96), Brian Williams (95), Nolan Yaremko (98)
Last Updated: November 15

Vancouver Giants (25):
Goaltenders (2): Payton Lee (96), Jared Rathjen (94)
Defencemen (8): Arwin Atwal (95), Shaun Dosanjh (96), Mason Geertsen (95), Brett Kulak (94), Tyler Morrison (95), Blake Orban (94), Dmitri Osipov (96), Dalton Thrower (93)
Forwards (15): Anthony Ast (95), Alec Baer (97), Trace Elson (94), Thomas Foster (96), Cain Franson (93), Joel Hamilton (94), Jackson Houck (95), Luca Leone (96), Trent Lofthouse (94), Travis McEvoy (94), Carter Popoff (95), Ty Ronning (97), Dalton Sward (94), Tim Traber (93), Robert Trzonkowski (94)
Last Updated: November 20

Victoria Royals (25):
Goaltenders (2): Patrik Polivka (94), Coleman Vollrath (95)
Defencemen (8): Brett Cote (94), Jordan Fransoo (93), Ryan Gagnon (96), Joe Hicketts (96), Keegan Kanzig (95), Jake Kohlhauser (96),Chaz Reddekopp (97), Isaac Schacher (95)
Forwards (15): Axel Blomqvist (95), Austin Carroll (94), Taylor Crunk (95), Logan Fisher (95), Brandon Fushimi (96), Stephen Hodges (94), Brandon Magee (94), Regan Nagy (97), Logan Nelson (93), Jack Palmer (95), Mitch Skapski (96), Tyler Soy (97), Ben Walker (93), Jack Walker (96), Landon Welykholowa (96)
Last Updated: November 20

Sunday, August 25, 2013

2016 Draft Picks

Rundown of the status of all teams' 2016 WHL bantam draft picks, as best as I can piece this together from information given by teams about trades.

Corrections/additions welcome, always....

NOTE: this chart has not been updated since January 2014 and is being replaced by a spreadsheet in the near future. 

Brandon: (1 first, 1 second, 1 third, 1 fourth, 1 fifth, 1 sixth, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - no trades involving 2016 picks

Calgary: (1 first, 1 second, 1 third, 1 fourth, 1 fifth, 1 sixth, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - no trades involving 2016 picks

Edmonton: (1 first, 1 second, 1 third, 1 fourth, 1 fifth, 1 sixth, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - no trades involving 2016 picks

Everett: (1 first, 1 second, 1 third, 1 fourth, 1 fifth, 1 sixth, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - no trades involving 2016 picks

Kamloops: (1 first, 1 second, 2 thirds, 1 fourth, 1 fifth, 0 sixths, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - acquired a 3rd round pick from Saskatoon in the Revel/Thomson/Lipon trade (January 8, 2014)
 - traded a 6th round pick to Red Deer for Bolton Pouliot (September 9, 2013)
 - traded a 7th round pick to Vancouver for Tristan Sieben (September 5, 2013)

Kelowna: (1 first, 1 second, 2 thirds, 1 fourth, 1 fifth, 1 sixth, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - acquired a 3rd round pick from Kootenay for Zach Franko (January 8, 2014)

Kootenay: (1 first, 1 second, 0 thirds, 1 fourth, 1 fifth, 1 sixth, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - traded a 3rd round pick to Kelowna for Zach Franko (January 8, 2014)

Lethbridge: (1 first, 1 second, 1 third, 1 fourth, 1 fifth, 1 sixth, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - no trades involving 2016 picks

Medicine Hat: (1 first, 2 seconds, 1 third, 1 fourth, 1 fifth, 1 sixth, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 0 ninths, 1 tenth)
 - acquired a 2nd round pick from Regina for Boston Leier (October 2, 2013)
 - acquired a 3rd round pick from Regina in Daniel Wapple / Logan McVeigh / Nick Schneider deal (January 10, 2014)
 - traded a 3rd round pick to Vancouver for Anthony Ast (January 10, 2014)
 - traded a 9th round pick to Moose Jaw for Daniel Wapple (September 17, 2013). This is a conditional pick and the round will improve based on Wapple's performance.

Moose Jaw: (1 first, 1 second, 1 third, 1 fourth, 1 fifth, 1 sixth, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 2 ninths, 2 tenths)
 - traded a 3rd round pick to Vancouver for Reid Zalitach (October 28, 2013)
 - acquired a 3rd round pick from Victoria in the Travis Brown deal (January 6, 2014)
 - acquired a 9th round pick from Medicine Hat for Daniel Wapple (September 17, 2013). This is a conditional pick and the round will improve based on Wapple's performance.
 - acquired a 10th round pick from Red Deer for Spencer Morse (August 20, 2013)

Notes:
 - if Carter Hansen plays in the WHL as an overager in 2015-16, Regina owes Moose Jaw a conditional pick, round unknown. From the Hanson/Rodewald deal (September 18, 2013)
 - Victoria owes Moose Jaw a conditional pick, round unknown, in either 2016 or 2017, from the Travis Brown deal (January 6, 2014)

Portland: (0 firsts, 0 seconds, 1 third, 1 fourth, 1 fifth, 1 sixth, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - forfeited their 1st round pick due to WHL sanctions for illegal player benefits (November 28, 2012)
 - traded a 2nd round pick to Red Deer in the Mat Dumba deal (December 10, 2013)

Prince Albert: (1 first, 1 second, 1 third, 1 fourth, 2 fifths, 1 sixth, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - acquired a 5th round pick from Saskatoon in the Graeme Craig/MacKenzie Johnston/Tyler Dea deal (January 8, 2014)

Prince George:  (1 first, 1 second, 1 third, 1 fourth, 1 fifth, 1 sixth, 0 sevenths, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - traded a 7th round pick to Vancouver for Adam Beukeboom (January 9, 2014)

Red Deer:  (1 first, 2 seconds, 2 thirds, 1 fourth, 1 fifth, 2 sixths, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 0 tenths)
 - acquired a 2nd round pick from Portland in the Mat Dumba deal (December 10, 2013)
 - acquired a 3rd round pick from Vancouver for Dominik Volek (January 9, 2014)
 - acquired a 6th round pick from Kamloops for Bolton Pouliot (September 9, 2013)
 - traded a 10th round pick to Moose Jaw for Spencer Morse (August 20, 2013)

Regina: (1 first, 0 seconds, 0 thirds, 1 fourth, 0 fifths, 1 sixth, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - traded a 2nd round pick to Medicine Hat for Boston Leier (October 2, 2013)
 - traded a 3rd round pick to Medicine Hat in Daniel Wapple / Logan McVeigh / Nick Schneider deal (January 10, 2014)
- traded a 5th round pick to Victoria for Isaac Schacher (January 7, 2014)

Notes:
 - if Carter Hansen plays in the WHL as an overager in 2015-16, Regina owes Moose Jaw a conditional pick, round unknown. From the Hanson/Rodewald deal (September 18, 2013)

Saskatoon:  (1 first, 1 second, 0 thirds, 1 fourth, 0 fifths, 1 sixth, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - traded a 3rd round pick to Kamloops in the Revel/Thomson/Lipon trade (January 8, 2014)
 - traded a 5th round pick to Prince Albert in the Graeme Craig/MacKenzie Johnston/Tyler Dea deal (January 8, 2014)

Seattle: (1 first, 1 second, 1 third, 1 fourth, 1 fifth, 1 sixth, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - no trades involving 2016 picks

Spokane:  (1 first, 1 second, 1 third, 1 fourth, 1 fifth, 0 sixths, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - traded a 6th round pick to Vancouver for Stewart Coyle (January 9, 2013)

Swift Current: (1 first, 1 second, 1 third, 1 fourth, 1 fifth, 1 sixth, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - no trades involving 2016 picks

Notes:
 - if Evan Richardson reports to Victoria in the 2015-16 season, the Royals owe the Broncos a 2016 2nd round pick

Tri-City: (1 first, 1 second, 1 third, 1 fourth, 1 fifth, 1 sixth, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - no trades involving 2016 picks

Vancouver: (1 first, 1 second, 2 thirds, 1 fourth, 1 fifth, 2 sixths, 3 sevenths, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - acquired a 3rd round pick from Moose Jaw for Reid Zalitach (October 28, 2013)
 - traded a 3rd round pick to Red Deer for Dominik Volek (January 9, 2014)
 - acquired a 3rd round pick from Medicine Hat for Anthony Ast (January 10, 2014)
 - acquired a 6th round pick from Spokane for Stewart Coyle (January 9, 2013)
 - acquired a 7th round pick from Kamloops for Tristan Sieben (September 5, 2013)
 - acquired a 7th round pick from Prince George for Adam Beukeboom (January 9, 2014)

Victoria: (1 first, 1 second, 0 thirds, 1 fourth, 2 fifths, 1 sixth, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - traded a 3rd round pick to Moose Jaw in the Travis Brown deal (January 6, 2014)
 - acquired a 5th round pick from Regina for Isaac Schacher (January 7, 2014)

Notes:
 - if Evan Richardson reports to Victoria in the 2015-16 season, the Royals owe the Broncos a 2016 2nd round pick
 - Victoria owes Moose Jaw a conditional pick, round unknown, in either 2016 or 2017, from the Travis Brown deal (January 6, 2014)

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

2015 Draft Picks

Rundown of the status of all teams' 2015 WHL bantam draft picks, as best as I can piece this together from information given by teams about trades.

Corrections/additions welcome, always....


NOTE: this chart has not been updated since January 2014 and is being replaced by a spreadsheet in the near future.

Brandon: (1 first, 1 second, 0 thirds, 1 fourth, 1 fifth, 0 sixths, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)

- traded a 3rd round pick to Prince George for Peter Quenneville (November 5, 2013)
- traded a 6th round pick to Everett in the Ayrton Nikkel / Nicholas Walters trade (January 10, 2013). This a conditional pick but I am unsure of the condition(s).

Calgary: (1 first, 1 second, 0 thirds, 2 fourths, 2 fifths, 2 sixths, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)

 - traded a 3rd round pick to Prince Albert in the Brennan Riddle deal (January 7, 2014)
 - acquired a 4th round pick from Prince Albert in the Brennan Riddle deal (January 7, 2014)
 - acquired a 5th round pick from Regina for Darian Henry (December 12, 2012)
 - acquired a 6th round pick from Prince George for Peter Kosterman (September 11, 2013)

Edmonton: (1 first, 1 second, 1 third, 1 fourth, 1 fifth, 0 sixths, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - traded a 6th round pick to Everett in the Reid Petryk deal (October 1, 2013)

Everett: (1 first, 1 second, 1 third, 1 fourth, 2 fifths, 2 sixths, 2 sevenths, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - acquired a 5th round pick from Saskatoon in the Matt Pufahl / Ayrton Nikkel deal (July 3, 2013)
 - acquired a 6th round pick from Brandon in the Ayrton Nikkel / Nicholas Walters trade (January 10, 2013). This a conditional pick but I am unsure of the condition(s).
 - acquired a 6th round pick from Edmonton in the Reid Petryk deal (October 1, 2013)
 - traded a 6th round pick to Lethbridge for Remi Laurencelle (January 4, 2014) - this is a conditional pick and the round of the pick can improve based on Laurencelle's performance.
 - acquired a 7th round pick from Saskatoon for Ty Mappin (January 10, 2014). This is a conditional pick and can improve to a 5th rounder depending on how Mappin does in Saskatoon

Kamloops: (0 firsts, 1 second, 1 third, 1 fourth, 1 fifth, 1 sixth, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - traded a 1st round pick to Moose Jaw in the Joel Edmundson / Tyler Bell deal (December 6, 2012)
 - acquired a 1st round pick from Kootenay in the Bozon/Shirley trade (October 9, 2013)
 - traded a 1st round pick to Saskatoon in the Revel/Thomson/Lipon trade (January 8, 2014)
 - acquired a 4th round pick from Moose Jaw in the Joel Edmundson / Tyler Bell deal (December 6, 2012)
 - traded a 4th round pick to Prince Albert in the Cole Cheveldave / Jake Kryski deal (July 10, 2013). 
 - traded a 5th round pick to Vancouver in the Kale Kessy / Rob Trzonkowski deal (January 2, 2013)
 - acquired a 5th round pick from Kootenay in the Bozon/Shirley trade (October 9, 2013). 

Kelowna: (1 first, 1 second, 2 third, 1 fourth, 0 fifths, 2 sixth, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - acquired a 3rd round pick from Prince Albert for MacKenzie Johnston (October 3, 2013)
 - traded a 5th round pick to Kootenay for Dylan McKinley (September 13, 2012)
 - acquired a 6th round pick from Vancouver for Tanner Moar and Stewart Coyle (September 17, 2012)

Notes:
 - if Brennan Clark reports to Kelowna in 2013-14 or 2014-15, Victoria gets a 6th round pick from Kelowna

Kootenay: (0 firsts, 1 second, 1 third, 1 fourth, 0 fifths, 1 sixth, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - traded a 1st round pick to Kamloops in the Bozon/Shirley trade (October 9, 2013)
 - acquired a 5th round pick from Kelowna for Dylan McKinley (September 13, 2012)
 - traded a 5th round pick to Tri-City for Clint Filbrandt (May 14, 2013). 
 - traded a 5th round pick to Kamloops in the Bozon/Shirley trade (October 9, 2013). 

Lethbridge: (1 first, 1 second, 2 thirds, 1 fourth, 0 fifths, 2 sixths, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - acquired a 3rd round pick from Seattle in the Yakubowski/McKechnie/Sheen/Folk trade (October 24, 2013). 
 - traded a 5th round pick to Regina in return for Teagan Sacher (November 8, 2013)
 - acquired a 6th round pick from Everett for Remi Laurencelle (January 4, 2014) - this is a conditional pick and the round of the pick can improve based on Laurencelle's performance.

Medicine Hat: (1 first, 1 second, 1 third, 0 fourths, 2 fifths, 1 sixth, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - traded a 4th round pick to Moose Jaw for Daniel Wapple (September 17, 2013)
 - acquired a 5th round pick from Vancouver for Kale Kessy (October 12, 2012)

Moose Jaw: (2 firsts, 1 second, 0 thirds, 0 fourths, 2 fifths, 1 sixth, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - acquired a 1st round pick from Kamloops in the Joel Edmundson / Tyler Bell deal (December 6, 2012)
 - traded a 3rd round pick to Seattle in return for Jesse Forsberg (October 9, 2013)
 - traded a 4th round pick to Kamloops in the Joel Edmundson / Tyler Bell deal (December 6, 2012)
 - acquired a 4th round pick from Medicine Hat for Daniel Wapple (September 17, 2013)
 - traded a 4th round pick to Vancouver in the Reid Zalitach deal (October 28, 2013).
 - acquired a 5th round pick from Prince George for Todd Fiddler (November 4, 2013). This is a conditional pick. Not sure what the conditions are.

Portland: (0 firsts, 0 seconds, 0 thirds, 1 fourth, 1 fifth, 1 sixth, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - forfeit their 1st round pick due to WHL sanctions for illegal player benefits (November 28, 2012)
 - traded a 2nd round pick to Red Deer in the Mat Dumba trade (December 10, 2013)
 - traded a 3rd round pick to Saskatoon in the Shane McColgan deal (July 3, 2013

Prince Albert: (1 first, 1 second, 0 thirds, 1 fourth, 0 fifths, 1 sixth, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - traded a 3rd round pick to Kelowna for MacKenzie Johnston (October 3, 2013)
 - acquired a 3rd round pick from Calgary in the Brennan Riddle deal (January 7, 2014)
 - traded a 3rd round pick to Saskatoon in the Graeme Craig/Mackenzie Johnston/Tyler Dea deal (January 8, 2014)
 - acquired a 4th round pick from Kamloops in the Cole Cheveldave / Jake Kryski deal (July 10, 2013)
 - traded a 4th round pick to Calgary in the Brennan Riddle deal (January 7, 2014)
 - traded a 5th round pick to Saskatoon in the Graeme Craig/MacKenzie Johnston/Tyler Dea deal (January 8, 2014)

Prince George: (1 first, 1 second, 2 thirds, 0 fourths, 0 fifths, 0 sixths, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - acquired a 3rd round pick from Brandon for Peter Quenneville (November 5, 2013)
 - traded a 4th round pick to Tri-City for Wil Tomchuk (January 8, 2014). This is a conditional pick. I believe the round of the pick could change to a 3rd rounder depending on when Tomchuk is healthy enough to play for P.G. in 2013-14 season
 - traded a 5th round pick to Moose Jaw for Todd Fiddler (November 4, 2013). This is a conditional pick. Not sure what the conditions are.
 - traded a 6th round pick to Calgary for Peter Kosterman (September 11, 2013)

Red Deer: (1 first, 2 seconds, 1 third, 2 fourths, 1 fifth, 2 sixths, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - acquired a 2nd round pick from Portland in the Mat Dumba trade (December 10, 2013)
 - traded a 4th round pick to Tri-City for Kaleb Denham (October 1, 2012)
 - acquired a 4th round pick from Regina in the Colten Mayor / Stephen Hak deal (October 18, 2012)
 - acquired a 4th round pick from Vancouver for Dominik Volek (January 9, 2014)
 - acquired a 6th round pick from Regina in the Colten Mayor / Stephen Hak deal (October 18, 2012)

Regina: (1 first, 1 second, 1 third, 0 fourths, 0 fifths, 0 sixths, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - traded a 4th round pick to Red Deer in the Colten Mayor / Stephen Hak deal (October 18, 2012)
 - traded a 5th round pick to Calgary for Darian Henry (December 12, 2012)
 - acquired a 5th round pick from Lethbridge in return for Teagan Sacher (November 8, 2013)
 - traded a 5th round pick to Victoria for Isaac Schacher (January 7, 2014)
 - traded a 6th round pick to Red Deer in the Colten Mayor / Stephen Hak deal (October 18, 2012)

Saskatoon: (1 first, 1 second, 3 thirds, 1 fourth, 1 fifth, 1 sixth, 0 sevenths, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - traded a 1st round pick to Spokane for Collin Valcourt (January 10, 2013)
 - acquired a 1st round pick from Kamloops in the Revel/Thomson/Lipon trade (January 8, 2014)
 - acquired a 3rd round pick from Portland in the Shane McColgan deal (July 3, 2013
 - acquired a 3rd round pick from Prince Albert in the Graeme Craig/MacKenzie Johnston/Tyler Dea deal (January 8, 2014)
 - traded a 5th round pick to Everett in the Matt Pufahl / Ayrton Nikkel deal (July 3, 2013)
 - acquired a 5th round pick from Prince Albert in the Graeme Craig/MacKenzie Johnston/Tyler Dea deal (January 8, 2014)
 - traded a 7th round pick to Everett for Ty Mappin (January 10, 2014). This is a conditional pick and can improve to a 5th rounder depending on how Mappin does in Saskatoon

Seattle: (1 first, 1 second, 1 third, 1 fourth, 1 fifth, 1 sixth, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - acquired a 3rd round pick from Moose Jaw in return for Jesse Forsberg (October 9, 2013)
 - traded a 3rd round pick to Lethbridge in the Yakubowski/McKechnie/Sheen/Folk trade (October 24, 2013)

Spokane: (2 firsts, 1 second, 1 third, 1 fourth, 1 fifth, 1 sixth, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - acquired a 1st round pick from Saskatoon for Collin Valcourt (January 10, 2013)

Swift Current: (1 first, 1 second, 1 third, 1 fourth, 1 fifth, 1 sixth, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - no trades involving 2015 picks

Notes:
 - if Evan Richardson reports to Victoria in 2014-15, then the Broncos will get Victoria's 2nd round pick

Tri-City: (1 first, 0 seconds, 1 third, 3 fourths, 2 fifths, 1 sixth, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)

 - traded a 2nd round pick to Vancouver for Taylor Vickerman (August 23, 2013)
 - acquired a 4th round pick from Red Deer for Kaleb Denham (October 1, 2012)
 - acquired a 4th round pick from Prince George for Wil Tomchuk (January 8, 2014). This is a conditional pick. I believe the round of the pick could change to a 3rd rounder depending on when Tomchuk is healthy enough to play for P.G. in 2013-14 season.
 - acquired a 5th round pick from Kootenay for Clint Filbrandt (May 14, 2013)

Vancouver: (1 first, 2 seconds, 1 third, 2 fourths, 1 fifth, 0 sixths, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - acquired a 2nd round pick from Tri-City for Taylor Vickerman (August 23, 2013)
 - acquired a 4th round pick from Victoria in return for Jake Kohlhauser (September 26, 2013). If Kohlhauser plays more than 50 games for the Royals in 2014-15, this becomes a 3rd round pick instead.
 - acquired a 4th round pick from Moose Jaw in the Reid Zalitach deal (October 28, 2013)
 - traded a 4th round pick to Red Deer for Dominik Volek (January 9, 2014)
 - traded a 5th round pick to Medicine Hat for Kale Kessy (October 12, 2012)
 - acquired a 5th round pick from Kamloops in the Kale Kessy / Rob Trzonkowski deal (January 2, 2013)
 - traded a 6th round pick to Kelowna for Tanner Moar and Stewart Coyle (September 17, 2012)

Victoria: (1 first, 1 second, 1 third, 0 fourths, 2 fifths, 1 sixth, 1 seventh, 1 eighth, 1 ninth, 1 tenth)
 - traded a 4th round pick to Vancouver for Jake Kohlhauser (September 26, 2013). If Kohlhauser plays more than 50 games for the Royals in 2014-15, this becomes a 3rd round pick instead.
 - acquired a 5th round pick from Regina for Isaac Schacher (January 7, 2014)

Notes:
 - if Evan Richardson reports to Victoria in 2014-15, then the Royals owe their 2nd round pick to Swift Current
 - if Brennan Clark reports to Kelowna in 2013-14 or 2014-15, Victoria gets Kelowna's 6th round pick