Just months removed from a Windsor Spitfires Memorial Cup win, the 2017-18 CHL season is set to get underway Thursday with games in the QMJHL and OHL. The WHL will kick off its season Friday night in Regina, marking the 100th season of the Pats.
Sportsnet will once again bring you CHL action from across the country, including the 2017 CIBC Canada/Russia Series, the Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game and the Mastercard Memorial Cup. Look for other exciting CHL initiatives across all of Sportsnet’s platforms. As we prepare for the start of the season, here are the top 10 storylines across Canada’s major junior leagues.
9. The NHL Draft: Last year, 41 per cent of the 217 players drafted into the NHL came from CHL teams, the lowest percentage since 2006 (37 per cent). The 2018 draft class looks to be strong across all three leagues, starting with Andrei Svechnikov in Barrie, Joe Veleno in Saint John and Ty Smith in Spokane.
8. 50 more?: The Erie Otters established a CHL record with their fourth-straight 50-win season in 2016-17. Kris Knoblauch, the head coach for those four seasons was hired away by the Philadelphia Flyers. The Otters have sneaky firepower, and have enough leadership returning to threaten to extend the record, but things will have to fall into place quickly and the Otters will need luck on their side under new Head Coach Chris Hartsburgh if they are to extend their CHL record.
7. Coaches Carousel: Almost one-third of the 60 CHL teams will have a new bench boss for the 2017-18 season and the OHL alone has nine teams with a new head coach. Veteran George Burnett makes his return to the bench with the upstart Guelph Storm. In the QMJHL, long-time assistants Jim Midgley, Dan Reneaud and Josh Dixon will get their first chance to lead a CHL team. Of the WHL’s six new coaches, former Dallas Stars assistant James Patrick has been tabbed to lead the next era in Kootenay.
6. Who sticks?: From the 2017 draft, Nico Hischier and Nolan Patrick are expected to stick with their respective NHL clubs. What’s more interesting is the 1998-born age group, where the likes of Pierre-Luc Dubois, Logan Brown, Michael McLeod, Max Jones and Sam Steel are all on the cusp of NHL employment.
5. Analytics: We’ve seen a serious influx of number-crunching in the NHL, but with limited resources, it can’t be done at the same level in most CHL markets. Having said that, several teams have been able to either outsource or get help from local students to track as many fancy stats as possible. That growth will continue this season and it’s only a matter of time before there’s widespread acceptance in the CHL.
4. Three to See: The Halifax Mooseheads in the QMJHL. With three projected first round picks for the 2018 NHL Draft and the return of Max Fortier, the Moose will draw the attention of NHL scouts all season. In the OHL, it’s hard to look past the Owen Sound Attack, a team that lost in the 2017 Western Conference final and will return several of its top players. In the WHL, the Moose Jaw Warriors have a solid mix of young and veteran players, but will have to absorb the early departure of netminder Zach Sawchenko, who’s off to the University of Alberta.
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3. World Juniors: In one of the greatest finals in the history of the world juniors Canada finished second in 2017 to the U.S. Dominique Ducharme returns with what should be a more experienced team than he had a year ago. Aside from Team Canada, there are several CHL-based European participants expected to represent their countries. In 2016, a total of 64 CHL players participated in the world juniors and that number dipped to 55 in 2017.
2. The 100th Part I: The Regina Pats are celebrating their 100th anniversary, which will be capped off with the Mastercard Memorial Cup, which the city has hosted twice before in 1980 and 2001. The Pats also competed in the first-ever Memorial Cup Championship game in 1919. As the oldest franchise in the CHL, the Pats have a number of special events planned throughout the course of the year.
1. The 100th Part II: The Mastercard Memorial Cup will be played May 17-27, 2018 in Regina. The Cup was first given out in 1919 as a way to remember those who lost their lives in World War I. There are plans in place to have the Cup travel so that it can be shared with fans across the CHL. Check back regularly to see when and where the Cup may be.
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