Schenn has the Saskatoon Blades looking like heavy favourites as the WHL playoffs are set to begin.
The Saskatoon Blades will play their first meaningful game in two weeks when they open the playoffs against rival Prince Albert on Saturday. Most other Western Hockey League playoff series' begin Friday.
The Blades captured the Scott Munro Trophy as regular season champions on Mar. 9. Saskatoon snatched the favourite tag from the Portland Winterhawks, a team most predicted would finish atop the standings prior to the commencement of the season.
Thanks in part to the play of hometown hero Brayden Schenn, the Blades captured their first regular season championship since 1988.
Meanwhile, Schenn's previous team, the Brandon Wheat Kings, could provide a scary opposition as a dark horse. The Wheat Kings are one of the hottest teams in the second half, but won't have the luxury of home ice. All of the Wheat Kings' home games will be played in Winnipeg at the MTS Centre due to the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair at Westman Place.
The Favourite
Saskatoon Blades
Regular season record: 56-13-1-2 (115 points)
League ranking: First in Eastern Conference, first overall
Goal differential: 310-213
First round opponent: Prince Albert Raiders
Expectations were high for the Saskatoon Blades coming into the season, but even a modest Blades fan would have to admit that this team performed higher than expected. The bridge city bunch posted the seventh-highest win total in a season at 56, six more than the next closest team in Portland.
Saskatoon head coach and general manager Lorne Molleken sold the farm when he traded for local product Brayden Schenn from the Brandon Wheat Kings. However, Schenn provided immediate dividends as the Blades won a stunning 23 of 27 games with him in the lineup.
Strengths: The Blades tied for the league-lead in goals scored with 310 this season. Saskatoon's offence was strong from the outset, but Schenn's addition brought it to another level. The Blades averaged 3.8 goals per game prior to Schenn's acquisition, then averaged more than five goals a game with him in the lineup -- a difference just shy of one and a half goals per game.
Of course, Schenn isn't the only player providing offence for the Blades. The team featured four players with more than 80 points in forwards Marek Viedensky, Josh Nicholls and Curtis Hamilton along with defenceman Stefan Elliott. The Blades had seven players reach the 20-goal plateau, including Schenn, who played in just 29 games this season.
Starting goaltender Steven Stanford became the fourth goalie in franchise history to win 40 games in a season. His 2.78 goals against average and .910 save percentage are both among league leaders.
Weaknesses: Schenn brings a number of intangibles on the ice, but the Blades will also be counting on him for leadership. Although this team is as strong as they come, aside from Schenn there's not much experience. The Blades have underachieved in the playoffs the past two years after impressive regular seasons.
Last year's first-round win over the Red Deer Rebels was just the team's first in four years and second in the previous 10 years. There's no question this team has the talent, but it lacks playoff-winning experience as a whole.
Why Saskatoon is the favourite: In spite of the lack of experience, the Blades are the most complete team in the league this season. Their offence matches up well against any opponent and the team can play solid defensively should its offence struggle. There's no better time than now for this franchise to win its first league title.
The Darkhorse
Brandon Wheat Kings
Regular season record: 32-31-1-8 (73 points)
League ranking: Sixth in Eastern Conference, 12th overall
Goal differential: 281-275
First round opponent: Medicine Hat Tigers
There's probably never been a scarier-looking dark horse than the Brandon Wheat Kings this season. After losing in the MasterCard Memorial Cup final to the Windsor Spitfires on home ice last season, the Wheat Kings were expected to rebuild and miss the playoffs for the first time in 11 seasons.
Brandon appeared to be playing the part early this season, until Brayden Schenn was returned by the Los Angeles Kings. The Wheat Kings didn't acquire any immediate assets in trading Schenn to Saskatoon, and surprisingly, became one of the hottest teams in the second half after his departure.
Strengths: Only four teams scored more goals than the Wheat Kings this season. Brandon even scored 16 more goals than its first round opponent, Medicine Hat, despite finishing 27 points behind the Tigers in the standings.
The offence was led by the dynamic duo of Mark Stone and Scott Glennie. Stone finished tied for third in league scoring with 106 points while Glennie set a personal best with 91 points. Shayne Wiebe led the team in goals with 44 while the Wheat Kings boasted seven 20 or more goal scorers this season.
One of the team's brightest surprises this season was the play of rookie defenceman Ryan Pulock, who finished tied for ninth among rookies with 42 points. A seventh-round Bantam pick in 2009, Pulock set the franchise mark for points as a rookie defenceman, a record previously held by Wade Redden.
Weaknesses: As is often the case amongst Wheat Kings teams, defence and goaltending remains somewhat of a mystery. Brandon decided to let go of both goaltenders from last season, overages Jacob De Serres and Andrew Hayes, in order to phase in two rookie goaltenders.
While the duo of Liam Liston and Corbin Boes performed admirably, the pressure-cooker of a playoff series will provide the ultimate test. The Wheat Kings aren't known as a defence-first team and might need to make some key adjustments along the way.
Why Brandon can surprise: This team is peaking at the right time. The Wheat Kings enter the playoffs having won 18 of their last 25 games and seven of their last 10. More importantly, Brandon proved it could play with the league's elite along the way. The Wheat Kings were one of just two teams to have beaten the league-leading Blades with Schenn in their lineup, and they did so three times. There's something to be said of a hot team going into the playoffs and head coach Kelly McCrimmon has a knack for getting the most out of his players.
