East-West Clash
Saturday night saw a matchup between two teams that have WHL Championship aspirations. The Brandon Wheat Kings ventured into Kelowna to take on the Rockets for an early measuring-stick game. The game was close for 40 minutes before Kelowna exploded for four third-period goals on their way to an impressive 6–1 win.
Goalie Jackson Whistle was great in this one, stopping 31 Wheat King shots as Brandon outshot Kelowna by 10. Whistle stopped 2015 NHL Draft–eligible Jesse Gabrielle on a penalty shot in the first period to set the tone and keep his team from falling behind early. Nick Merkley had a big game for the Rockets as well—chipping in with a goal and three big assists.
So that settles it, right? Kelowna is the best team in the league? It certainly was a big win but we should cut Brandon some slack as they had played the night before in Kamloops and were skating in their third game in four nights while Kelowna was playing with two nights’ rest. Still, it was an impressive win for the Rockets in a game that was closer than the final score indicated.
Calgary ready to make a push?
Before the season the Hitmen were thought to be one of the best teams in the WHL. But so far they have stumbled to a 7-6-0-1 start and are in third place in the Central Division behind Medicine Hat and Edmonton. They got Vancouver Canucks prospect Jake Virtanen back this weekend and promptly dropped two out of three games.
The Hitmen’s slow start is a bit of a mystery. They’re scoring a lot of goals and have been good on both special teams, where they are near the top of the league. They are allowing just over three goals per game which isn’t a disaster but could probably be improved some.
With a home-and-home against a good Swift Current team this coming weekend they have a chance to make a statement and get going on a run.
Bozon is back
Kootenay Ice forward Tim Bozon made his return to the WHL on Friday night. The Canadiens prospect battled meningitis last year but made it to Montreal’s training camp in September. Now he’s back with Kootenay and he picked up an assist in Friday’s game against Calgary. His return will be a big boost for a Kootenay team that has struggled offensively this season and finds itself in last place in the Central Division.
Wild Wild West
The Kelowna Rockets are on top of the Western Conference standings and are clearly the top team out West. Who is second though?
Currently, only seven points separate last-place Portland from second-place Everett in the conference. Comparatively in the East, 15 points stand between second place and last. The Western Conference is going to be fun to watch the rest of the way as these teams battle for playoff positions.
Everett continues to win with a stingy defence and just enough scoring. They have one loss in regulation and turned in a dominant performance in a win over Tri-City Friday that saw them outshoot the Americans 38–13. And if not for Tri-City goalie Eric Comrie that game would have been much worse.
The Kamloops Blazers continue to hang around out West and are tied in points with Everett. Cole Ully has been huge for the Blazers, leading the league in scoring with 26 points. How he was left off of the WHL Super Series team is truly a head-scratcher.
At the bottom of the standings is the curious case of the Portland Winterhawks. Portland was on their Eastern Conference swing this last week and showed some signs of getting their act together. They went 4-2 on the trip and have won their last two games. They have a big test this week with two home games against the Kelowna Rockets.
Seattle coach fined
Seattle Thunderbirds bench boss Steve Konowalchuk was not in a joyful mood after his club’s 2–1 overtime loss at Everett Saturday night. He felt that there were some embellishments by the Silvertips that led to two Everett power-play goals, including the game-winner in overtime. During his post-game press scrum he told the media that the officiating in the WHL was “atrocious” along with some other choice words. On Monday, the league announced that Konowalchuk was being fined $750 for his remarks.
Everett does a good job of drawing penalties and on Saturday was given five power plays to Seattle’s three. Overall on the year the Silvertips have been given 61 power plays compared to only 34 against. They are the least penalized team in the league by a wide margin. Is that disparity a result of great discipline? Embellishment? A little of both? Whatever the answer, it seems that not only was Konowalchuk standing up for his players but perhaps he was planting a seed for future games against Everett.
Player of the week
Rihards Bukarts, LW, Brandon Wheat Kings: It seems that every week a different Brandon Wheat King is hot and this week it was Bukarts’s turn. The 18-year-old Latvian potted three goals along with three assists in Brandon’s three games this past week and has 14 points in his last six games.
Runners-up: Portland got back to winning this week and Chase De Leo was the main reason why. The Winnipeg Jets prospect had three goals and five assists this week. Calgary’s Jake Virtanen made his return and got on the board quick with two goals and three helpers in his first two games back.
2015 NHL Draft Tracker
Nick Merkley, C, Kelowna Rockets: Merkley had a big four-point game in Kelowna’s 0win over Brandon this past weekend. He is now second in WHL scoring with 24 points and is making those around him better as he has racked up 20 assists.
Ryan Pilon, D, Brandon Wheat Kings: One of several draft prospects on the Wheat Kings roster, Pilon assisted on three goals this past weekend and has 16 points in his 14 games this year. He is second in defencemen scoring, trailing Madison Bowey by two points.
Mathew Barzal, C, Seattle Thunderbirds: Barzal had a three-point night Friday against Spokane, which included his sixth goal of the season. After only scoring 14 goals last year he is now on a pace to pot 33 this year.
Adam Musil, C, Red Deer: Rebels Musil picked up three points this past weekend for the Rebels. He is off to a point-per-game start and could be the Rebels centrepiece for their Memorial Cup year next season.
Frosh Week
Kamloops’s Deven Sideroff continues to be impressive. He leads WHL rookies in scoring and notched his first career hat trick this weekend against Brandon. That gives him four goals and four assists in his last four games. He’s a big reason for the early success that the Blazers have enjoyed.