The WHL's U.S. division is proving once again to be the cream of the crop.
Junior hockey is all about cycles.
Cycles are the nature that breeds an even, competitive playing field in the junior game. It's the ultimate equalizer in a sports world overrun by salary caps and free agency. In junior hockey, this year's top team could be next year's rebuilding team.
It's all about balance.
And yet one division in the Western Hockey League seemingly defies the logic that what goes up, must come down.
The WHL's U.S. Division could once again be the cream of the crop this season. All five teams stand a better than average chance of figuring in the Western Conference playoff picture with at least two bearing the contender status.
The biggest contender is the league-leading Portland Winterhawks. It can be argued the Winterhawks are in the middle of, or approaching the end of, a magnificent cycle with the likes of 18-year-olds Ryan Johansen and Nino Niederreiter.
Portland head coach and general manager Mike Johnston doesn't necessarily feel the target on his team's back, but isn't about to take any of his divisional opponents lightly.
"I think you've got a target on your back when you've been a good team for a couple years and people know how good you are from year to year," he said.
The big surprise this season is the Seattle Thunderbirds. Seattle was the lone U.S. Division team not to make the playoffs last season, but is positioning itself well early this season. The Thunderbirds are tied for fourth in the Western Conference standings and third in the division.
After losing all 12 games against the Winterhawks a year ago, Seattle general manager Russ Farwell attempted building a team that could compete with Portland.
"It's forced us to make changes to our structure," Farwell said. "You have to kind of keep track of what they're doing. We had to adjust our team because of how big and strong Portland had gotten and we have to adjust with that."
One characteristic each U.S. Division team shares is a quality goaltender. Some of the leagues top goaltenders the last decade have called an American-based franchise home.
The Thunderbirds lead the way with Calvin Pickard. Portland and Everett boast National Hockey League draft picks Mac Carruth and Kent Simpson. Tri-City and Spokane have gone with Drew Owsley and James Reid.
"Every (U.S. team) has solid goaltending and I would even rank those guys at the top of the league mostly," Johnston said.
Pickard, the younger brother of Tri-City graduate Chet Pickard, is widely considered not only the best of the group, but the best in the league.
"We haven't seen anyone yet that would be better," Farwell said. "Consistency-wise, I don't think there's anyone that would touch Calvin."
Four teams from the U.S. Division have been crowned MasterCard Memorial Cup champions. The Winterhawks won it in 1983 and 1998 while the Spokane Chiefs equaled that total with championships in 1991 and 2008.
The Chiefs won junior hockey's Holy Grail in 2008 after what has gone down as one of the most memorable playoff meetings in league history - against who else, but a division rival.
Spokane defeated Tri-City in the seventh game of the Western Conference final that year in a series that was almost entirely decided in overtime. Five of the seven games required additional time while three went to double-overtime. The Chiefs never lost again, beating Lethbridge in four in the final and sweeping their way through the Memorial Cup.
As Spokane general manager Tim Speltz recalls, the intense series with Tri-City helped pave the way for the Memorial Cup championship.
"It is still described - not by me - but by a lot of people as being the best playoff series ever in the Western Hockey League," Speltz said. "I think that gave us the foundation to be successful in winning that series."
The Chiefs are behind the eight ball early this series due to a slow start. That means Spokane is not only trying to measure itself against a team like Portland, but every other team in the division.
"We're sitting here in what we think is the dog fight of our life," Speltz said. "We don't just have the Portland games circled."
The consistently tough opposition within the division may be attributed to the tenure of the management running each team. With the exception of Johnston in Portland, each GM has a long-standing tenure in each market.
"You can't count on anyone mismanaging or taking themselves out of the running," Farwell said.
The Winterhawks are considered to be the top of the pack in the never-ending soap opera of contending U.S. Division teams. They know the competition will be stiff, particularly from those closest to them.
"Our goal is to win our division and it's going to be a real tough battle," Johnston said. "Trying to win this division is a lofty goal."
Whether it's just a cycle or the nature of business in the U.S. Division, nothing is taken for granted.
