Something I was thinking about this morning....who are the top teams in the league in terms of depth of scoring? Brandon leads the league in goals with 301 (almost twice Prince George's league-worst output of 154, think about that a moment) but which teams have the most scoring threats, as opposed to teams with one or two big guns?
The breakdown of snipers by # of goals:
| 20-24 | 25-29 | 30-34 | 35-39 | 40-44 | 45-49 | 50+ | Total 20+ | |
| Brandon Wheat Kings | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Calgary Hitmen | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Medicine Hat Tigers | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Kootenay Ice | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Tri-City Americans | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Everett Silvertips | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Vancouver Giants | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Portland Winterhawks | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Prince Albert Raiders | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Moose Jaw Warriors | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Spokane Chiefs | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Regina Pats | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Swift Current Broncos | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Chilliwack Bruins | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Saskatoon Blades | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Red Deer Rebels | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Kamloops Blazers | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Kelowna Rockets | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Lethbridge Hurricanes | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Seattle Thunderbirds | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Prince George Cougars | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Edmonton Oil Kings | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
So you can see that Brandon, in addition to leading the league in goals, also leads in depth with 8 players boasting 20 or more goals. They only have one player over 40 goals but they can roll out almost three full forward lines of guys with 20 or more. Which line do you put your checkers out against when you're the opposition? Same with Calgary - only one guy over 35 goals but they can put out 7 forwards with 20-plus.
Compare that to the teams with the leading goalscorers - Spokane (Beach, 51 goals), Regina (Eberle, 46 goals) and Swift Current (Eakin, 45 goals). They may have one big shooter each but they do not have the same depth behind those guys - only four players 20+ each. Is it easier to face those teams in the playoffs (yes, I know Regina isn't going to be there) when you have a lot less scoring options you have to spread your checkers around for? The flip side of that argument though is that with less support, those guys ALREADY face the best checkers every night and they are still getting their goals....
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