Deadline early returns

For fun today, a quick look at how teams have done since the January 10 trade deadline:

	GP	W	L	OTL	SL	PTS	GF	GA	PIM	PCT
Kootenay Ice	9	7	1	1	0	15	31	27	98	0.833
Swift Current Broncos	6	5	1	0	0	10	20	17	128	0.833
Edmonton Oil Kings	10	8	2	0	0	16	44	15	177	0.800
Medicine Hat Tigers	10	6	4	0	0	12	38	28	131	0.600
Calgary Hitmen	7	4	3	0	0	8	26	20	126	0.571
Red Deer Rebels	7	3	2	2	0	8	15	16	73	0.571
Prince Albert Raiders	8	4	3	1	0	9	22	28	92	0.563
Brandon Wheat Kings	8	4	4	0	0	8	18	23	96	0.500
Saskatoon Blades	8	3	3	0	2	8	23	21	91	0.500
Lethbridge Hurricanes	8	2	4	0	2	6	24	41	190	0.375
Moose Jaw Warriors	8	2	4	0	2	6	19	34	117	0.375
Regina Pats	6	0	5	1	0	1	9	20	88	0.083

	GP	W	L	OTL	SL	PTS	GF	GA	PIM	PCT
Kelowna Rockets	9	7	0	2	0	16	46	26	136	0.889
Victoria Royals	9	7	1	0	1	15	45	32	167	0.833
Portland Winterhawks	9	5	2	0	2	12	42	21	150	0.667
Kamloops Blazers	9	5	3	0	1	11	30	26	135	0.611
Tri-City Americans	9	5	4	0	0	10	38	36	134	0.556
Everett Silvertips	10	5	4	1	0	11	26	37	216	0.550
Prince George Cougars	9	3	5	1	0	7	18	26	139	0.389
Seattle Thunderbirds	9	3	5	1	0	7	26	42	163	0.389
Spokane Chiefs	9	3	5	1	0	7	27	33	130	0.389
Vancouver Giants	7	1	6	0	0	2	19	37	132	0.143

And while we're at it, a rundown of all the trades made between January 1 and January 10, and how the players involved are doing with their new teams....all stats are GP-G-A-PTS-+/--PIM


Jan 1: Medicine Hat trades Dylan Busenius, Jayden Hart, and 2014 6th round bantam pick  to Prince Albert for Logan McVeigh, Zach Hodder, Connor Hobbs, and 2013 2nd round bantam pick:

Logan McVeigh with Medicine Hat: 15-5-5-10-+4-10
Zach Hodder with Medicine Hat: 15-0-4-4-0-8
Dylan Busenius with Prince Albert: 12-0-7-7--7-6
Jayden Hart with Prince Albert: 12-2-6-8--3-11

Jan 2: Kamloops trades Rob Trzonkowski and 2015 5th round bantam pick to Vancouver for Kale Kessy:

Rob Trzonkowski with Vancouver: 3-0-0-0-0-9
Kale Kessey with Kamloops: 11-3-2-5--1-16

Jan 3: Everett trades Trent Lofthouse to Victoria for 2014 6th round bantam pick:

Trent Lofthouse with Victoria: 8-3-1-4-+3-0

Jan 7: Calgary trades 2013 4th round bantam pick to Victoria for Jesse Zgraggen:

Jesse Zgraggen with Calgary: 9-2-3-5-+8-8

Jan 7: Lethbridge trades Jay Merkley to Swift Current for Josh Derko and 2014 3rd round bantam pick:

Jay Merkley with Swift Current: 7-2-2-4--3-0
Josh Derko with Lethbridge: 3-2-0-2-+1-14

Jan 9: Edmonton trades 2013 2nd round bantam pick to Vancouver for Trevor Cheek:

Trevor Cheek with Edmonton: 11-6-5-11-+10-10

Jan 9: Kootenay trades Mike Simpson to Lethbridge for 2013 5th round bantam pick:

Mike Simpson with Lethbridge: 8-0-0-0--9-22

Jan 9: Spokane trades 2016 6th round bantam pick to Vancouver for Stewart Coyle:

Stewart Coyle with Spokane: 7-0-0-0--1-2

Jan 9: Edmonton trades Klarc Wilson to Prince George for 2014 3rd round bantam pick:

Klarc Wilson with Prince George: 9-1-1-2--1-10

Jan 10: Brandon trades Ayrton Nikkel and conditional 2015 6th round bantam pick to Everett for Nick Walters and Taylor Sanheim:

Ayrton Nikkel with Everett: 7-0-0-0--4-30
Nick Walters with Brandon: 8-0-3-3--2-9

Jan 10: Brandon trades Alessio Bertaggia to Spokane for Marek Kalus, Rhett Gardner, 2013 3rd round bantam pick, 2013 5th round bantam pick:

Alessio Bertaggia with Spokane: 2-2-2-4-+2-0
Marek Kalus with Brandon: 8-2-2-4-+2-0

Jan 10: Moose Jaw trades Andrew Johnson to Seattle for 2013 4th round bantam pick:

Andrew Johnson with Seattle: 9-3-1-4--5-6

Jan 10: Regina  trades Colten Mayor to Calgary for Carson Samoridny and 2013 4th round bantam pick:

Colten Mayor with Calgary: 7-0-3-3-0-8
Carson Samoridny with Regina: 4-1-0-1-0-2

Jan 10: Brandon trades Michael Ferland to Saskatoon for 2013 1st round bantam pick:

Michael Ferland with Saskatoon: 8-1-3-4-+4-2

Jan 10: Spokane trades Collin Valcourt to Saskatoon for 2015 1st round bantam pick and 2013 5th round bantam pick:

Collin Valcourt with Saskatoon: 8-3-1-4-+2-4

Jan 10: Saskatoon trades Adam Kambeitz to Seattle for 2014 3rd round bantam pick:

Adam Kambeitz with Seattle: 9-2-2-4--5-10

Jan 10: Kootenay trades Erik Benoit to Saskatoon for 2013 4th round bantam pick:

Erik Benoit with Saskatoon: 8-2-1-3-+3-0

Trade deadline wrapup

All the dealing is done, so a few notes as the dust settles....

By far the most active team was Saskatoon, which is no surprise since they are the only team in the CHL right now that knows they will be playing in May for junior hockey's biggest prize. Go big or go home, right. The thing about all the deals they have made though, if they win the Memorial Cup (or even "just" the WHL Championship) then it's all good, the future consequences don't really matter much. The franchise has never won a WHL title or a Memorial Cup in its 45-plus year existence, and ending that streak would no doubt make Blades fans giddy.

But. What if they don't win this year? The consequences for the Blades for the next few years look pretty grim, really. For starters, their roster this year has 14 players on it who are 19 years old. At most they can bring back three of those players next year, which means they will lose eleven of them. Add to their three graduating overagers and the Blades are going to lose 14 players off their current roster. That is crippling turnover....it's only survivable if you have a strong group of prospects ready to step in, and....well....the Blades traded away their first and second round bantam picks in 2010, 2011, and 2012, so they do not have any of the top 107 picks from the 2010 draft, top 65 picks from 2011, or top 55 picks from 2012 in their system. While high picks aren't the be-all, end-all of acquiring young talent, it hurts to not have any of the first few rounds of players. Unless the Blades have been exceptionally good and/or lucky in the later rounds and with listing undrafted gems, they aren't going to have an extremely deep list right now.

They have also traded away their 2013, 2014, and 2015 first round picks now too. By 2016, it'll have been six straight years without a first round pick for the Blades. (In the interests of accuracy, they did use their first round pick in 2010 - they just traded the player eight months later)

It's going to be tough to rebuild that team. Just win this year.....that will make the painful years to come seem better.

Enough about Saskatoon - a few other teams made deals today too.

Brandon was obviously the day's biggest seller, moving Bertaggia and Ferland for two players and three draft picks. At the bottom of the Eastern Conference, the writing was on the wall that the Wheaties weren't going anywhere this year and so they turned two players who wouldn't be back next year into extra first, third, and fifth round picks, plus acquired two prospects, Rhett Gardner from Spokane and Taylor Sanheim from Everett, who are among the top scoring 16 year olds in the Saskatchewan and Manitoba midget leagues. Hard not to like the way the Wheat Kings are setting themselves up for a reloading in a year or two.

And I like what Seattle has done, somewhat under the radar. The Birds had a good start to the season but have slumped badly lately and dropped down the standings a bit. Adding a guy like Kambeitz is going to give that team a kick in the pants. He's not the world's most skilled player but he's a hard working guy who was the team captain in Red Deer and will bring those traits to Seattle's room. Andrew Johnson is a nice depth pickup for their forward ranks as well - now we see if these two moves can correct Seattle's slump and move them back up the standings a bit into the very competitive middle of the Western conference.

One other trade of note is the trade that DIDN'T happen and that was Prince George failed to trade former #1 overall bantam pick Alex Forsberg, who will now join the SJHL's Humboldt Broncos for the remainder of what is his NHL draft year. I gather the offers the Cougars were getting for Forsberg were just not up to what they were looking for, and so they probably did the right thing - far better to make no deal now and try again in the summer than to make a worse deal now just to get it over with.

More trades

Seattle has acquired 18 year old forward Andrew Johnson from the Moose Jaw Warriors in exchange for a 2013 4th round bantam pick.

And Calgary has acquired 19 year old forward Colten Mayor from Regina in exchange for 18 year old forward Carson Samoridny and a 2013 4th round bantam pick.

Also, 19 year old forward Collin Valcourt has been traded to Saskatoon by Spokane; in return the Chiefs get a 2013 5th round bantam pick and Saskatoon's 2015 first round bantam pick. Yes, a first round pick. Valcourt is a good player - strong, gritty player, exactly what a playoff team would want. And whaddya know, the Chiefs are a playoff team, probably one that can go two or three rounds this spring. So why would they want to trade Valcourt for future draft picks? The answer would appear to be that Saskatoon simply upped the price to the point where Spokane couldn't say No anymore. Remember, if Saskatoon struggles for a few years after this season, that 2015 first round pick that the Chiefs got could end up being a lottery pick. For Collin Valcourt. You can see why this might have gotten too hard for the Chiefs to decline.

In fairness to the Blades, Valcourt is not drafted or signed by any NHL club and so there is a strong possibility that he will play in the WHL again next year as an overager. It makes the price slightly more reasonable when you figure they'll have him for a year and a half - or can trade him next fall to recoup something. Which is more than can be said for Saskatoon's OTHER trade today:

The Blades sent their 2013 first round bantam pick to Brandon for overage forward Michael Ferland. This is more than I figured the Wheat Kings were going to get for Ferland, who was possibly the best power forward in the WHL last season.

Acquiring Ferland gave Saskatoon too many overagers, so they traded one of theirs, forward Adam Kambeitz, to Seattle for a 2014 3rd round pick. (So to sum up: upgrading from Kambeitz to Ferland cost the Blades a swap of a first round bantam pick for a third round pick)

Acquiring Kambeitz gave Seattle too many overagers, so they released forward Brendan Rouse. Rouse was immediately snapped up on waivers by the Vancouver Giants, who had an opening for an overage.

And Saskatoon made one other trade as well, sending a 2013 4th round bantam pick to the Kootenay Ice for 19 year old forward Erik Benoit. Benoit gets to go from the last place team in the Eastern Conference, to a team with a guaranteed Memorial Cup spot.

Chiefs/Wheat Kings

Brandon completes its second big deal of the day, this one with Spokane.

Wheat Kings send 19 year old import forward Alessio Bertaggia to the Spokane Chiefs, in exchange for 19 year old import forward Marek Kalus, the rights to 16 year old midget forward Rhett Gardner, and 2013 3rd and 2014 5th round bantam picks.

This is a big return for Bertaggia - PROVIDED the Wheat Kings can get Gardner into their lineup. Gardner was Spokane's second round pick in the 2011 bantam draft but declined to attend their training camp this season and is said to be mulling the NCAA route.

Kalus was a 40 point scorer last year but has been injured most of this season and only recently returned to the lineup, where he has not been as effective as he was last year.

And you can't let a let an opportunity for a good joke pass by, so.....if Bertaggia can wear #23 for the Chiefs (currently Adam Power has that number), then he'll once again be "Red #23".

First move of the day

First trade of deadline day is in....

Brandon has sent 17 year old defenceman Ayrton Nikkel and a conditional 2015 6th round bantam pick (no word on what the conditions are) to the Everett Silvertips in exchange for 18 year old defenceman Nick Walters and the rights to 16 year old midget forward Taylor Sanheim.

Nikkel and Walters are a couple pretty good defencemen with backgrounds as high bantam picks. Walters was Everett's first round pick in 2009, while Nikkel was Saskatoon's 2nd round pick in 2010 and was part of the big Brayden Schenn trade which saw his rights move to Brandon.

Sanheim could be a key to the deal for the Wheat Kings; he is currently 5th overall in scoring in the Manitoba AAA midget league with 45 points in 32 games. He is not committed to the WHL yet but his twin brother, defenceman Travis Sanheim, has signed with the Calgary Hitmen so you might think that Taylor will also be interested in the WHL route in Brandon.

Deadline day

It's trade deadline day today.....teams have until the clock strikes 3:00 pm at the WHL's head offices in Calgary (that's 4pm if you're in Manitoba or Saskatchewan, and 2pm for those of you in the Pacific time zone) to make moves.

Bunch of moves to report from last night, just to get caught up here:

 - Moose Jaw has assigned 18 year old forward Brett Brooks to the MJHL's Winnipeg Blues for the rest of the season in order to get more playing time. Sounds like he is still in their plans for next year though, when he will be 19.

 - Vancouver Giants 18 year old forward Tanner Moar has left the team and has apparently decided to end his hockey career.

 - the Giants also made a trade, sending 17 year old defenceman Stewart Coyle to the Spokane Chiefs for a 6th round pick in the 2016 draft. Yes, 2016. Coyle is only 17 himself but could be two or three years into a pro career or into his CIS scholarship before the draft pick player ever plays in the WHL.

That pick is the first 2016 pick traded in the WHL.

 - and in another trade, Edmonton has sent 19 year old forward Klarc Wilson to the Prince George Cougars in return for a 2014 3rd round bantam pick. It has to be a tough blow for Wilson, going from the defending champs and one of the top teams in the league, to one of the worst. But he'll get a lot of playing time in Prince George, I'm sure, and will be in a leadership position there, with his WHL championship and Memorial Cup experience from last year.

2012-13 Team rosters

As I usually do here on the blog, I'll be tracking the rosters for each team in the league. If you know of a roster I don't have, or cuts, additions, etc, drop me a line (email address is on the right) or leave a comment.

Last Updated: January 10, 3:30pm MST

Brandon Wheat Kings (23): 
Goaltenders (2): Corbin Boes (19), Curtis Honey (18)
Defencemen (6): Rene Hunter (19), Ryan Pulock (18), Eric Roy (18), Nick Walters (18), Colton Waltz (17), Tyler Yaworski (20)
Forwards (15): Nick Buonassisi (20), Taylor Cooper (17), Jayce Hawryluk (16), Marek Kalus (19), Quintin Lisoway (17), Geordie Maguire (17), Tim McGauley (17), Jens Meilleur (19), Richard Nejezchleb (18), Jack Palmer (17), Kord Pankewicz (16), John Quenneville (16), Chad Robinson (19), Tyler Seaman (18), Jason Swyripa (19)
Last Updated: January 10

Calgary Hitmen (25): 
Goaltenders (2): Chris Driedger (18), Mack Shields (17)
Defencemen (8): Colby Harmsworth (17), Kenton Helgesen (19), Spencer Humphries (20), Peter Kosterman (19), Jaynen Rissling (19), Alex Roach (19), Josh Thrower (16), Jesse Zggragen (19)
Forwards (15): Brady Brassart (19), Calder Brooks (18), Austin Calladine (17), Greg Chase (17), Chase Clayton (18), Brendan Hurley (19), Zane Jones (18), Chase Lang (16), Brooks Macek (20), Colten Mayor (19), Pavlo Padakin (18), Elliott Peterson (17), Victor Rask (19), Cody Sylvester (20), Jake Virtanen (16)
Last Update: January 10

Edmonton Oil Kings (24):
Goaltenders (2): Laurent Brossoit (19), Tristan Jarry (17)
Defencemen (8): Cody Corbett (19), Martin Gernat (19), Keegan Lowe (19), Dysin Mayo (16), David Musil (19), Griffin Reinhart (18), Ashton Sautner (18), Stephen Shmoorkoff (18)
Forwards (14): Brandon Baddock (17), Cole Benson (17), Luke Bertolucci (17), Trevor Cheek (20), Travis Ewanyk (19), T.J. Foster (20), Edgars Kulda (18), Curtis Lazar (17), Stephane Legault (19), Mitchell Moroz (18), Brett Pollock (16), Henrik Samuelsson (18), Michael St. Croix (19), Dylan Wruck (20)
Last Update: January 9

Everett Silvertips (24):
Goaltenders (2): Daniel Cotton (18), Austin Lotz (17)
Defencemen (8): Austin Adam (17), Ben Betker (18), Connor Cox (20), Cole MacDonald (17), Mirco Muller (17), Ayrton Nikkel (17), Landon Oslanski (20), Michael Zipp (16)
Forwards (14): Logan Aasman (17), Kohl Bauml (18), Lucas Grayson (18), Ryan Harrison (20), Manraj Hayer (19), Dawson Leedahl (16), Brayden Low (18), Ty Mappin (16), Reid Petryk (19), Tyler Sandhu (16), Mitch Skapski (16), Stathis Soumelidis (18), Carson Stadnyk (17), Josh Winquist (19)

Last Update: January 10

Kamloops Blazers (24):
Goaltenders (2): Cole Cheveldave (19), Taran Kozun (18)
Defencemen (8): Josh Connolly (17), Landon Cross (18), Joel Edmundson (19), Sam Grist (19), Tyler Hansen (19), Marek Hrbas (19), Ryan Rehill (17), Jordan Thomson (16)
Forwards (14): Tim Bozon (18), Mitch Friesen (16), Brayden Gelsinger (17), Kale Kessy (20), Joey Kornelsen (19), J.C. Lipon (19), Aaron Macklin (17), Matt Needham (17), Brendan Ranford (20), Colin Smith (19), Chase Souto (18), Aspen Sterzer (18), Cole Ully (17), Dylan Willick (20)
Last Updated: January 3

Kelowna Rockets (25):
Goaltenders (2): Jordon Cooke (19), Jackson Whistle (17)
Defencemen (7): Madison Bowey (17), MacKenzie Johnston (19), Jesse Lees (17), Colten Martin (18), Damon Severson (18), Riley Stadel (16), Mitch Wheaton (17)
Forwards (16): Tyson Baillie (17), J.T. Barnett (20), Myles Bell (19), Rourke Chartier (16), Cody Fowlie (20), Zach Franko (19), Austin Glover (16), Tyrell Goulbourne (18), Colton Heffley (18), Cole Linaker (17), Dylen McKinlay (20), Henrik Nyberg (18), Ryan Olsen (18), Carter Rigby (18), Colton Sissons (19)

Last Updated: January 8

Kootenay Ice (21):
Goaltenders (2): Wyatt Hoflin (17), Mackenzie Skapski (18)
Defencemen (6): Jagger Dirk (19), Tanner Faith (17), Joey Leach (20), Tanner Muth (19), Landon Peel (18), Matthew Thomas (17)
Forwards (13): Jordyn Boyd (18), Levi Cable (18), Jaedon Descheneau (17), Jeff Hubic (18), Jon Martin (17), Zach McPhee (19), Brock Montgomery (20), Kyle O’Connor (16), Luke Philp (17), Jakub Prochazka (18), Sam Reinhart (17), Collin Shirley (16), Austin Vetterl (18)

Last Updated: January 10

Lethbridge Hurricanes (23):
Goaltenders (2): Ty Rimmer (20), Christopher Tai (17)
Defencemen (7): Macoy Erkamps (17), Lenny Hackman (17), Adam Henry (18), Daniel Johnston (20), Ryan Pilon (16), Mike Simpson (18), Joel Topping (17)
Forwards (14): Axel Blomqvist (17), Josh Derko (19), Reid Duke (16), Harrison Harper (18), Graham Hood (20), Remi Laurencelle (17), Craig Leverton (17), Russell Maxwell (18), Sam Mckechnie (18), Brady Ramsay (19), Michael Sofillas (19), Jamal Watson (17), Tyler Wong (16), Jaimen Yakubowski (18)

Last Updated: January 10

Medicine Hat Tigers (24):
Goaltenders (2): Marek Langhamer (18), Cam Lanigan (20)
Defencemen (7): Kyle Becker (18), Zach Hodder (19), Spenser Jensen (17), Tyler Lewington (18), Derek Ryckman (20), Ty Stanton (17), Matt Staples (17)
Forwards (15): Dylan Bredo (19), Gavin Broadhead (17), Chad Butcher (16), Trevor Cox (17), Jacob Doty (19), Miles Koules (18), Chad Labelle (17), Boston Leier (19), Logan McVeigh (18), Steven Owre (16), Elgin Pearce (20), Blake Penner (16), Cole Sanford (17), Hunter Shinkaruk (18), Curtis Valk (19)

Last Updated: January 2

Moose Jaw Warriors (24):
Goaltenders (2): Justin Paulic (17), Daniel Wapple (17)
Defencemen (8): Tyler Bell (18), Travis Brown (18), Braiden Doucette (17), Kirk Johnson (17), Kendall McFaull (20), Spencer Morse (17), Morgan Rielly (18), Dallas Valentine (16)
Forwards (13): Tanner Eberle (18), Sam Fioretti (19), Bryson Gore (17), Carter Hansen (17), Justin Kirsch (20), Colton McCarthy (16), Jordan Messier (20), Brayden Point (16), Brandon Potomak (17), Josh Uhrich (16), Miles Warkentine (16), Torrin White (17), Jordan Wyton (19)

Last Updated: January 10

Portland Winterhawks (25):
Goaltenders (2): Brendan Burke (17), Mac Carruth (20)
Defencemen (8): Josh Hanson (18), Seth Jones (18), Shaun MacPherson (18), Derrick Pouliot (18), Troy Rutkowski (20), Layne Viveiros (17), Kirill Vorobyev (17), Tyler Wotherspoon (19)
Forwards (15): Joey Baker (19), Paul Bittner (16), Oliver Bjorkstrand (17), Adam De Champlain (18), Chase De Leo (17), Keegan Iverson (16), Preston Kopeck (17), Taylor Leier (18), Brendan Leipsic (18), Joe Mahon (18), Nic Petan (17), Taylor Peters (20), Ty Rattie (19), Alex Schoenborn (17), Dominic Turgeon (16)
Last Updated: January 8

Prince Albert Raiders (23):
Goaltenders (2): Andy Desautels (18), Luke Siemens (20)
Defencemen (7): Dylan Busenius (19), Riley Guenther (18), Sawyer Lange (18), Evan Morden (19), Josh Morrissey (17), Harrison Ruopp (19), Davis Vandane (20)
Forwards (14): Anthony Bardaro (20), Chance Braid (18), Dakota Conroy (18), Austin Daae (19), Shane Danyluk (18), Leon Draisaitl (17), Reid Gardiner (16), Jayden Hart (18), Jonas Knutsen (19), Mark McNeill (19),Carson Perreaux (18), Joey Santucci (18), Tim Vanstone (16), Mike Winther (18)
Last Updated: January 2

Prince George Cougars (24):
Goaltenders (2): Mac Engel (19), Brett Zarowny (17)
Defencemen (9): Joseph Carvalho (17), Dallas Ehrhardt (20), Dan Gibb (20), Raymond Grewal (17), Jordan Harris (16), Tanner Lishchynsky (17), Marc McNulty (17), Michael Mylchreest (17), Rinalds Rosinskis (18)
Forwards (13): Caleb Belter (19), Carson Bolduc (16), Troy Bourke (18), Jari Ericsson (18), Jarrett Fontaine (17), Ryan Hanes (20), Colin Jacobs (19), Jake Mykytiuk (17), Zach Pochiro (18), Brett Roulston (18), Jordan Tkatch (17), Klarc Wilson (19), Chase Witala (17)
Last Updated: January 10

Red Deer Rebels (23):
Goaltenders (2): Patrik Bartosak (19), Bolton Pouliot (18)
Defencemen (9): Riley Boomgaarden (18), Kayle Doetzel (17), Mathew Dumba (18), Devan Fafard (18), Haydn Fleury (16), Brady Gaudet (18), Kevin Pochuk (17), Cody Thiel (19), Brandon Underwood (20)
Forwards (12): Matt Bellerive (18), Conner Bleackley (16), Rhyse Dieno (19), Turner Elson (20), Joel Hamilton (18), Wyatt Johnson (17), Brooks Maxwell (18), Marc McCoy (18), Jesse Miller (18), Cory Millette (17), Tyson Ness (19), Christian Stockl (17), Dominik Volek (18)

Last Updated: December 31

Regina Pats (25):
Goaltenders (2): Matt Hewitt (20), Teagan Sacher (18)
Defencemen (8): Kyle Burroughs (17), Luke Fenske (19), Stephen Hak (17), Tye Hand (17), Darian Henry (18), Colton Jobke (20), Griffin Mumby (16), Colby Williams (17)
Forwards (15): Adam Brooks (16), Braden Christoffer (18), Patrick D’Amico (18), Connor Gay (17), Dryden Hunt (17), Morgan Klimchuk (17), Ty McLean (17), Bryar Ortynski (16), Trent Ouellette (19), Jack Rodewald (18), Carson Samoridny (18), Lane Scheidl (20), Chandler Stephenson (18), Dyson Stevenson (19), Emil Sylvegard (19)

Last Update: January 10

Saskatoon Blades (25):
Goaltenders (2): Andrey Makarov (19), Alex Moodie (17)
Defencemen (8): Graeme Craig (19), Darren Dietz (19), Shayne Gwinner (18), Nelson Nogier (16), Matt Pufahl (19), Kyle Schmidt (19), Duncan Siemens (19), Dalton Thrower (19)
Forwards (15): Jessey Astles (19), Eric Benoit (19), Nathan Burns (19), Michael Ferland (20), Ryan Graham (16), Logan Harland (17), Shane McColgan (19), Josh Nicholls (20), Matt Revel (16), Brett Stovin (18), Matej Stransky (19), Lukas Sutter (19), Collin Valcourt (19), Brenden Walker (20), Nick Zajac (17)
Last Updated: January 10

Seattle Thunderbirds (24):
Goaltenders (2): Brandon Glover (20), Justin Myles (17)
Defencemen (8): Jesse Forsberg (19), Griffin Foulk (17), Taylor Green (17), Jared Hauf (17), Jerret Smith (17), Shea Theodore (17), Evan Wardley (18), Kevin Wolf (16)
Forwards (14): Alexander Delnov (18), Mitch Elliot (19), Justin Hickman (18), Michal Holub (16), Connor Honey (18), Andrew Johnson (18), Adam Kambeitz (20), Roberts Lipsbergs (18), Luke Lockhart (20), Connor Sanvido (19), Riley Sheen (18), Seth Swenson (19), Branden Troock (18), Daniel Wray (17)
Last Updated: January 10

Spokane Chiefs (24):
Goaltenders (2): Garret Hughson (17), Eric Williams (19)
Defencemen (8): Stewart Coyle (17), Jason Fram (17), Reid Gow (18), Brenden Kichton (20), Tyler King (17), Jeremy McIntosh (17), Tanner Mort (19), Cole Wedman (18)
Forwards (14): Mike Aviani (19), Alessio Bertaggia (19), Connor Chartier (18), Todd Fiddler (19), Blake Gal (20), Adam Helewka (17), Mitch Holmberg (19), Jackson Playfair (18), Carter Proft (18), Mikulas Rimmel (17), Adam Smith (18), Liam Stewart (18), Dylan Walchuk (20), Riley Whittingham (17)
Last Updated: January 10

Swift Current Broncos (24):
Goaltenders (2): Landon Bow (17), Eetu Laurikainen (19)
Defencemen (7): Dillon Heatherington (17), Brett Lernout (17), Brycen Martin (16), Richard Nedomlel (19), Dalton Reum (20), Reece Scarlett (19), Bobby Zinkan (17)
Forwards (15): Brent Benson (19), Levi Bews (18), Graham Black (19), Denis Bosc (17), Colby Cave (18), Daniel Dale (19), Coda Gordon (18), Shea Howorko (18), Tanner LeSann (17), Adam Lowry (19), Chance Lund (20), Zac Mackay (17), Jay Merkley (17), Ryon Moser (20), Justin Spagrud (17)
Last Updated: January 7

Tri-City Americans (24):
Goaltenders (2): Eric Comrie (17), Luke Lee-Knight (19)
Defencemen (8): Brodie Clowes (17), Drydn Dow (20), Clint Filbrandt (17), Justin Hamonic (18), Michal Plutnar (18), Wil Tomchuk (18), Mitch Topping (19), Zach Yuen (19)
Forwards (14): Parker Bowles (17), Ryan Chynoweth (17), Tyson Dallman (19), Justin Feser (20), Justin Gutierrez (17), Beau McCue (17), Marcus Messier (18), Jesse Mychan (20), Lucas Nickles (18), Connor Rankin (18), Malte Strömwall (18), Philip Tot (19), Lukas Walter (19), Brian Williams (17)
Last Update: November 23

Vancouver Giants (25):
Goaltenders (2): Payton Lee (16), Jared Rathjen (18)
Defencemen (7): Arvin Atwal (17), Mason Geertsen (17), Brett Kulak (18), Tyler Morrison (17), Blake Orban (18), Wes Vannieuwenhuizen (20), Reid Zalitach (16)
Forwards (16): Anthony Ast (17), Scott Cooke (18), Thomas Foster (16), Cain Franson (19), Jackson Houck (17), Riley Kieser (19), Luca Leone (16), Travis McEvoy (18), Carter Popoff (17), Brendan Rouse (20), Tristan Sieben (18), Dalton Sward (18), Jason Trott (20), Rob Trzonkowski (18), Marek Tvrdon (19), Taylor Vickerman (16)
Last Updated: January 10

Victoria Royals (23):
Goaltenders (2): Patrik Polivka (18), Coleman Vollrath (17)
Defencemen (7): Brett Cote (18), Jordan Fransoo (19), Ryan Gagnon (16), Joe Hicketts (16), Keegan Kanzig (17), Tyler Stahl (20), Jack Walker (16)
Forwards (14): Austin Carroll (18), Jamie Crooks (20), Taylor Crunk (17), Mitch Deacon (19), Logan Fisher (17), Brandon Fushimi (16), Alex Gogolev (20), Luke Harrison (17), Steven Hodges (18), Trent Lofthouse (18), Brandon Magee (18), Logan Nelson (19), Tim Traber (19), Ben Walker (19)

Last Updated: January 7

2012-13 Roster breakdown

For fun, a look at how the team rosters are shaping up this season - basically a breakdown of each team's roster (based on the rosters found one post down) with the average height, weight, and age of the players on the roster, plus the numbers of rookies, imports, and players of each age.

I will try and keep this updated at the same time as the rosters are updated.

Last Updated: January 10, 4:30pm MST

	# Players	Ht	Wt	Avg Age	Rookies	Imp's	16's	17's	18's	19's	20's
Brandon Wheat Kings	24	72.42	190.33	17.83	11	2	4	6	6	6	2
Calgary Hitmen	25	73.00	193.40	18.12	8	2	3	5	6	8	3
Edmonton Oil Kings	24	72.83	188.21	18.21	6	2	2	5	6	8	3
Everett Silvertips	23	72.13	183.39	17.70	11	2	5	6	6	3	3
Kamloops Blazers	24	72.33	183.71	18.17	7	2	2	6	5	8	3
Kelowna Rockets	24	72.21	186.83	17.96	6	1	3	6	7	5	3
Kootenay Ice	20	72.95	187.30	17.80	6	1	2	7	6	3	2
Lethbridge Hurricanes	24	71.88	188.58	17.79	10	1	3	8	7	3	3
Medicine Hat Tigers	24	72.17	182.25	17.92	11	1	3	7	6	5	3
Moose Jaw Warriors	23	72.04	183.74	17.52	11	0	5	9	4	2	3
Portland Winterhawks	25	72.96	189.24	17.80	11	2	3	8	8	3	3
Prince Albert Raiders	23	72.35	188.52	18.26	6	2	2	2	10	6	3
Prince George Cougars	24	72.21	187.58	17.96	8	1	1	10	5	5	3
Red Deer Rebels	24	72.33	183.00	17.92	9	2	2	6	10	4	2
Regina Pats	25	72.28	184.60	17.96	11	1	2	7	9	4	3
Saskatoon Blades	25	72.88	192.68	18.44	4	2	3	3	2	14	3
Seattle Thunderbirds	25	73.92	193.12	18.00	9	2	2	7	8	5	3
Spokane Chiefs	26	72.27	185.54	18.08	9	2	0	10	7	6	3
Swift Current Broncos	24	72.92	187.88	18.08	9	2	1	9	4	7	3
Tri-City Americans	24	72.29	180.21	18.17	6	2	0	8	7	6	3
Vancouver Giants	25	72.32	185.44	17.72	8	1	5	6	8	3	3
Victoria Royals	23	72.43	186.78	17.91	8	2	4	5	6	5	3

Two more deals Wednesday

Two trades so far today...

 - Kootenay has sent 18 year old defenceman Mike Simpson to the Lethbridge Hurricanes for a 2013 5th round bantam pick. This is not your usual trade deadline trade as Kootenay is giving up a guy who could have played another two and a half years for them yet, so this is not a standard move-veteran-who-won't-be-back kind of thing. I'd guess that on Kootenay's side of the deal, either they have another move in the works to bring in another defenceman and are clearing up a spot for that player, or they anticipate a bunch of young guys making the team on the blueline next year and are making room for those kids now.

For the Hurricanes, this is their 2nd deal in three days to bring in older players and size. Makes you wonder if the Hurricanes think they could make some noise in the playoffs - they're currently 5th in the Eastern Conference with 46 points in 44 games and are within 5 points of two of the teams ahead of them (Prince Albert and Red Deer). A strong stretch run could get them home ice in the first round and perhaps the ability to give an Edmonton/Calgary/Prince Albert some trouble in the 2nd round. They do have one of the league's best goaltenders and we know how much the ability to have a goalie steal a game or two is worth in a playoff series.

The other trade was more of what you expect at the trade deadline: the last-overall Vancouver Giants have sent overage forward Trevor Cheek to the defending champion Edmonton Oil Kings in exchange for a 2013 2nd round bantam pick. Edmonton had an open overage spot and so do not have to move anyone out in order to make room for Cheek on their roster.

The pick Edmonton sent to Vancouver is actually Portland's 2nd round pick, which the Oil Kings had acquired from Portland exactly one year ago today in exchange for the rights to Cam Reid. Edmonton still has their own 2013 2nd round pick to use come May.

Remaining draft picks

As promised, a rundown of how many picks in each round of the next few bantam drafts that each team in the WHL currently owns. These charts are compiled from details of trades as publicly released and so I do not guarantee their accuracy as the details of conditionally traded picks, etc, are not always released.

And of course there's the possibility that I simply missed a traded pick here or there. So if you think something is wrong about some of these numbers, please e-mail me or leave a comment and we'll try to figure it out.

Last Updated: January 10, 3:30pm MST

First, the 2013 draft:

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Brandon	2	1	2	1	2	0	1	1	1	1
Calgary	1	1	1	0	2	2	1	1	1	1
Edmonton	0	1	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	2
Everett	1	0	1	2	2	0	1	1	1	1
Kamloops	1	0	2	1	0	1	1	1	1	1
Kelowna	1	1	1	1	0	3	0	1	1	1
Kootenay	1	1	1	2	4	1	1	0	1	1
Lethbridge	1	1	2	1	1	2	1	1	2	1
Medicine Hat	1	2	1	0	0	2	0	1	0	1
Moose Jaw	1	0	1	1	1	1	3	1	1	1
Portland	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	3	1	1
Prince Albert	1	0	1	2	2	1	1	1	1	1
Prince George	1	1	0	0	1	1	0	1	1	1
Red Deer	1	1	0	1	0	0	1	1	1	1
Regina	1	1	0	4	0	2	1	1	1	1
Saskatoon	0	1	0	1	0	1	1	1	1	1
Seattle	2	1	0	0	1	2	1	1	1	0
Spokane	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Swift Current	1	1	1	0	2	0	1	1	1	1
Tri-City	1	2	2	0	1	1	1	2	1	1
Vancouver	2	3	2	0	1	0	1	0	1	1
Victoria	1	1	1	3	1	0	1	0	1	1

(how to read the chart: the columns are the rounds of the draft; a team's number in each column is how many picks I figure they have in that round)

Now the 2014 draft:

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Brandon	1	1	1	1	1	1	0	1	1	1
Calgary	1	1	1	2	2	1	1	1	1	1
Edmonton	1	1	2	1	1	2	1	1	1	1
Everett	1	1	1	1	2	3	2	1	1	1
Kamloops	1	1	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	1
Kelowna	1	1	0	2	0	1	0	1	1	1
Kootenay	1	1	1	1	1	1	0	1	1	1
Lethbridge	1	2	1	1	2	1	1	1	1	1
Medicine Hat	1	1	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	1
Moose Jaw	1	1	0	0	2	2	1	1	1	1
Portland	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Prince Albert	1	1	1	1	2	1	1	1	1	1
Prince George	1	1	0	0	1	1	1	1	1	1
Red Deer	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	1	1	1
Regina	1	1	0	1	1	0	1	1	1	1
Saskatoon	0	1	1	1	0	1	0	1	1	1
Seattle	1	1	0	0	1	1	1	1	1	1
Spokane	1	1	1	2	0	1	1	1	1	1
Swift Current	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Tri-City	1	0	2	2	1	0	1	1	1	1
Vancouver	2	1	4	0	0	0	2	1	1	1
Victoria	1	1	2	1	2	0	2	1	1	1

And I'll throw in the 2015 draft, which is a long way off and not many picks traded there yet, but there have been a few:

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Brandon	1	1	1	1	1	0	1	1	1	1
Calgary	1	1	1	1	2	1	1	1	1	1
Edmonton	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Everett	1	1	1	1	1	2	1	1	1	1
Kamloops	0	1	1	2	0	1	1	1	1	1
Kelowna	1	1	1	1	0	2	1	1	1	1
Kootenay	1	1	1	1	2	1	1	1	1	1
Lethbridge	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Medicine Hat	1	1	1	1	2	1	1	1	1	1
Moose Jaw	2	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	1
Portland	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Prince Albert	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Prince George	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Red Deer	1	1	1	1	1	2	1	1	1	1
Regina	1	1	1	0	0	0	1	1	1	1
Saskatoon	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Seattle	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Spokane	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Swift Current	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Tri-City	1	1	1	2	1	1	1	1	1	1
Vancouver	1	1	1	1	1	0	1	1	1	1
Victoria	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1

Two more deals

Two more trades in the WHL yesterday, as we draw to within 48 or so hours of the trade deadline (3pm MST on Thursday, I believe it is).

The first was a relatively minor deal as the Victoria Royals sent 19 year old defenceman Jesse Zgraggen to the Calgary Hitmen for a 2013 4th round bantam pick. Zgraggen is a nice depth pickup on the blueline for the Hitmen, a 3-year veteran who isn't flashy but gives them another veteran body for a reasonable price.

The other way to look at things there is that adding Zgraggen gives the Hitmen eight defencemen, six who are 18 or older, which means another deal could be on the way which moves one of them out. So we'll see.

The other deal though was a bigger one and a bit of a head scratcher to me: Lethbridge has traded 17 year old forward Jay Merkley to Swift Current for 19 year old forward Josh Derko and a 2014 3rd round bantam pick.

Merkley was the #3 overall pick in the 2010 bantam draft and has 22 points, including 14 goals, in 44 games this year. That's probably a bit lower than what was expected from such a high pick (considering that #5 overall pick and Merkley's bantam teammate, Morgan Klimchuk of the Pats, is well over a point a game this year as a 17 year old) but still 22 points is a respectable number for a 17 year old forward. The guy the Hurricanes are getting, Derko, has only 28 points in his 2.5 year WHL career.

Now, Derko is a different player than Merkley; Derko was never going to be a big scorer and that's not his thing. He's a big body (6'2") who brings some grit, toughness, and leadership - he was an alternate captain for the Broncos. And the Hurricanes are full of small, young forwards and they could definitely use a guy like Derko. It's just the price....Lethbridge fans suffered through a .333 season in 2009-10 to get that #3 overall pick and now the prize for that season is Josh Derko and a 2014 3rd round pick.

Lethbridge G.M. Rich Preston's explanation for the deal is that he feels the Hurricanes have ample young forward depth and can afford to make this move. I agree, they have lots of good young guys up front. I just don't see how that justifies trading any player for what appears to be less than full value. If Merkley finds the scoring numbers in Swift that got him that #3 pick status in the first place, this could be a trade that Lethbridge really, really regrets in a year's time.

And one more thing here - another aspect to this trade is that the #1 overall pick in that 2010 draft, Alex Forsberg, is currently at home awaiting a trade from the Prince George Cougars. If the Merkley trade is an indication of the offers on the market out there for Forsberg, then it could be a while before Forsberg finds himself in a new home.

NHL goes back to work

So that other hockey league that some of us like to watch now and then finally got its act together and figured out how to share several billion dollars without anyone involved possibly needing to get another part-time job to make ends meet in the future.

I know it's not ratified by either side yet but realistically that's probably a fait accompli since Don Fehr and Gary Bettman will be recommending acceptance to their respective sides; so, there will be an NHL season after all, probably commencing January 19 from most reports.

So what does this mean to the WHL? IMO, probably not a whole lot. For the OHL this is going to be more significant as there are a few players in the OHL who are probably going to move up to the NHL, but there are only six players in the entire WHL who are eligible for recall to the NHL this season and honestly, I don't think any of them are going to be sticking in the NHL this year when all is said and done.

Those six players are: David Musil (Edmonton Oil Kings / Edmonton Oilers), Derrick Pouliot (Portland Winterhawks / Pittsburgh Penguins), Victor Rask (Calgary Hitmen / Carolina Hurricanes), Ty Rattie (Portland Winterhawks / St. Louis Blues), Morgan Rielly (Moose Jaw Warriors / Toronto Maple Leafs), and Matej Stransky (Saskatoon Blades / Dallas Stars). I was surprised that Griffin Reinhart (Edmonton Oil Kings / New York Islanders) isn't on the list seeing as how he was the #4 overall pick in the draft and has signed with the Islanders already, but I guess the Islanders didn't submit his name for possible recall back in September when the NHL was collecting names. Ryan Murray (Everett Silvertips / Columbus Blue Jackets) is on the list as well but I haven't counted him since he's not going to play hockey again until May at the earliest.

The only one of those guys who I think has a serious shot at playing the entire year in the NHL this year is Rielly and even that is IMO not very likely to happen. All six of them will probably depart the WHL later this week for NHL training camps but I expect them all to be back within a week or three.

The way I see it, it's a short season in the NHL, meaning there is less time to achieve separation in the standings and so every win and loss will be even more important in making the playoffs than in a usual 82 game season. There's very few games available to be messing around trying to find out if an 18 year old kid is ready to play in the NHL or not. Morgan Rielly may be the best prospect the Maple Leafs have had in a while but on the other hand the Leafs haven't made the NHL playoffs since Morgan Rielly was in Atom hockey. He's an 18 year old defenceman who is going to make 18 year old defenceman mistakes and with the pressure in Toronto to make the playoffs, I don't see the Leafs having the patience to endure that learning curve the way they might in an 82 game season.....like next season, for example. This current season in the NHL is going to be about hitting the ice running and sprinting to the playoffs.

You can make the argument that players from junior are in prime midseason form right now and therefore could be more effective when going up against NHLers who have been sitting around for four months, and that's a good point. But really, I don't think it's going to take the NHL guys that long to get going, not with the kind of physical shape NHL athletes keep themselves in nowadays. So that "midseason shape" advantage might last a few games but overall not very long.

So getting back to the WHL....is this going to have a big effect on the WHL the rest of the way? Probably not. Certainly if Moose Jaw had any plans to trade Morgan Rielly this week, they're now going to find a lot of would-be buyers who are now reluctant to consummate the deal, but since the Warriors have previously said they're not trading Rielly, that may be moot anyway.

The G.M.'s and fans of the five teams affected by the above six players' likely departures to NHL camps will probably have to hold their breath for the next few weeks hoping their guys actually do get returned.....but I don't think they'll have to hold it that long. Should be mostly business as usual in the WHL for the most part as a result.

First domino falls

It's not a blockbuster that's going to shake up the league, but the Raiders and Tigers made a five player trade yesterday that amounts to the Raiders loading up their roster a little bit.

Going from the Hat to Prince Albert are 18 year old forward Jayden Hart (who left the Tigers requesting a trade last week) and 19 year old defenceman Dylan Busenius, plus a 2014 6th round bantam pick. Going the Tigers' way are 18 year old forward Logan McVeigh, 19 year old defenceman Zach Hodder, 15 year old defenceman Connor Hobbs (who was Prince Albert's 4th round pick in the 2012 bantam draft) and Prince Albert's 2013 2nd round bantam pick.

The swap of forwards - Hart/McVeigh - may actually be pretty close to a wash. They're both 18, similar in size and point production. It's the swap of defencemen which is a move for this year by the Raiders - and likely the reason they had to give up a decent prospect and a 2nd round pick, because Busenius is a huge upgrade over Hodder. Busenius is in the top-10 in the WHL in scoring by defencemen and was Medicine Hat's first round bantam pick in 2008. Hodder is a depth guy who has bounced around the league, playing only 88 games for four teams over 3.5 years in the league. Busenius is also an undrafted player by the NHL so there's a good chance he will be back in the WHL as an overager in 2013-14 so the Hodder/Busenius portion of the deal is one that will likely benefit the Raiders for two years.

Medicine Hat may still be in a multi-team race for the last two playoff spots in the Eastern conference, but this move is an acknowledgement by them that they are going to be sellers this year. For the Raiders, this is a boost to their blueline as they scrap with Edmonton and Calgary for the top three positions in the East.

So, not a mega-deal but the first of the post-Christmas run-up to the trade deadline. Who will be the next to pull the trigger.....