Due to injury, the WHL has made a couple of roster changes as we head into the WHL portion of the Subway Super Series.
Here’s a look at those changes.
The Halifax Mooseheads’ annual trip across Quebec always has a team-bonding element to it. This time around, Quebec-born Moosehead players invited their Maritime-born colleagues over to their homes to get a taste of Quebec life.
It was also an opportunity for Mooseheads coach Dominique Ducharme to visit his hometown Joliette and give back to the community.
The OHL’s 2-1 loss to Team Russia in the Subway Super Series ended an 18-game win streak. Due to travel, it is traditionally the toughest game for Team Russia to play, but the Russians were full-value.
I’m fascinated to see who will win out in the goaltenders battle to earn a spot in the December world junior selection camp.
Jesse Graham giving it a go at forward for the Niagara IceDogs. He’s definitely got the skating ability, but it will be interesting to see how he adjusts to a new position.
More than 1,500 season tickets with the required three-year commitment have been secured by fans anxious for the return of OHL hockey in North Bay. Here’s the best way to keep count.
Great stuff as always each and every week from Denis Demers, the stats guru from the QMJHL. Although this is last week’s version, check back Friday for the latest.
The Henri Ikonen/Sam Bennett/Spencer Watson line for Kingston has huge upside. Two ’96s and ’94 birthdate (Ikonen) bodes well for head coach Todd Gill as the Fronts are well into their rebuild.
Here’s another young OHLer to keep your eye on: Remi Elie of the London Knights has really started to turn some heads. Hockey Prospect is all over him.
Don’t look now, but here come the Portland Winterhawks. After a 3-2 OTL at Regina on Oct. 9, the Hawks have reeled off 12 straight wins. Coincidentally, that’s the same time Mac Carruth returned. He’s 9-0 with a 0.97 GAA and .963 save percentage during the streak. Ty Rattie leads the point parade with 24 points over that stretch.
Nothing like a good ol’ liney to stir up the Saskatchewan rivalry. The Blades-Pats throw-down in the third period of Friday night’s game resulted in a combined total of 159 PIMs, including a grand total of 13 fighting majors. Oh ya, the Blades won the game 6-3.
Speaking of the WHL, nobody — and I mean nobody — keeps better track of the league than Gregg Drinnan of the Kamloops Daily News. You can find his blog here.
The NHL lockout has really spread the rosters of the Subway Super Series’ CHL member league teams thin. Still operating with two different rosters, Hockey Canada head scout Kevin Prendergast and head coach Steve Spott have left no stone unturned in the event the NHL returns to the ice before the World Junior Hockey Championships. If the NHL is still in lockout mode however, don’t expect more than 30 players at the selection camp.
Going right across the CHL, how many game-breakers will Team Canada have when the WJHC opens? Jonathan Huberdeau and Ryan Strome come to mind immediately. After that? Maybe Morgan Rielly.
Thanks to my fine colleagues RJ Broadhead and Rob Faulds: Team Russia head coach Mikhail Varnakov is sour the OHL wouldn’t allow Danil Zharkov and Nikita Zadorov to participate in the second OHL game as a result of the five-games-in-five-days rule. Varnakov felt both the Bulls and Knights should’ve sat out Zharkov and Zadarov one game over the weekend so that they would’ve been available to his team.
Only three teams across the 60-team CHL have scored fewer goals than the Belleville Bulls.
But, only two teams have allowed fewer:
Would Lance Armstrong have been better off had he just admitted taking PEDs? Things didn’t turn out so bad for Jason Giambi, Andy Pettitte and, even though he’s on the decline, A-Rod. I guess they same can be said for Pete Rose and gambling.