Things will be fun in the WHL’s Western Conference this year. It’s really deep and there are a number of high-profile players and 2015 NHL Draft prospects on display. The Portland Winterhawks have owned by the the West recently, winning four straight conference titles. But they’ll be in tough to make it five in a row.
Here’s how the West will be won.
Who’s going to win this thing?
Portland is still loaded but a serious challenge will come from the club that was supposed to overtake them last season, the Kelowna Rockets. It just won’t be easy.
While the Winterhawks lost big-name players like Matthew Dumba, Brendan Leipsic and Derrick Pouliot, the cupboard is hardly bare. Nic Petan and Oliver Bjorkstrand have been teamed up and were scorching through the pre-season, and with 2015 NHL Draft prospect Paul Bittner also on their line, Portland will score.
The Rockets can also score. Nick Merkely, Madison Bowey, Justin Kirkland and Rourke Chartier are all back. Kelowna does lose Jordon Cooke in net, but Jackson Whistle looks more than able to pick up where Cooke left off. The Rockets have has always hung their hat on playing defence—while Portland will rely on outscoring you—and that will ultimately be the difference when these two teams meet in the conference final.
Who could surprise?
While all the attention is rightfully on Portland and Kelowna heading into the season, keep an eye on the Victoria Royals. They finished third in the West last year and fell to Portland in the second-round playoff series that got nasty at times. Victoria is physical and will once again get outstanding goaltending from Coleman Vollrath, who takes over as the No. 1 guy. The Royals will need to score, and for that to happen they’ll need draft-eligible Tyler Soy to come up big, along with Austin Carroll and Brandon Magee.
Victoria may very well end up in third out west again, but they present an unpleasant playoff match-up for whoever has to meet them.
Which team could be in for a long year?
The Spokane Chiefs could be in trouble. Don Nachbaur’s team graduated last year’s leading scorer in Mitch Holmberg, their second-leading scorer in Mike Aviani and their top goalie in Eric Williams. To make matters worse, defencemen Reid Gow and Jeremy McIntosh announced this summer that they were not going to return. That left Spokane with a lot of younger, unproven players, none of whom seem to have the 100 goals the Chiefs lost in Holmberg and Aviani. With a tough U.S. Division schedule ahead of them, Spokane is in danger of not making the playoffs this season.
Preseason all-conference team
Nic Petan, C, Portand Winterhawks: The Winnipeg Jets prospect shows no signs of slowing down this coming season. He is a shifty playmaker who sees the ice well and will be teamed with Oliver Bjorkstrand, which will put Petan in the league’s scoring race. Honorable mention – Mathew Barzal, Seattle Thunderbirds.
Oliver Bjorkstrand, RW, Portland Winterhawks: The Dutch import and Columbus prospect topped the 50-goal mark last season and so far this preseason looks like he has somehow improved. With Petan setting him up, he could very well could make a bid for 60 goals. Honorable mention – Brandon Magee, Victoria Royals.
Cole Ully, LW, Kamloops Blazers: The Blazers have fallen on tough times the past couple of years, but Ully still managed 30 goals on a last place team. That’s impressive and he may be one of the most underrated players in the West.
Shea Theodore, D, Seattle Thunderbirds: The Anaheim Ducks prospect led WHL defencemen in scoring last year with 79 points. There is no reason to think the smooth-skater won’t equal that total this year, if not push past the 80-point mark.
Madison Bowey, D, Kelowna Rockets: With Damon Severson gone, Bowey will be the anchor of the Rockets blueline. He lit the lamp 21 times last season and with a strong group in front of him he’ll be in for another big scoring season.
Eric Comrie, G, Tri City Americans: Playing for an up-and-down Americans squad last year, the Winnipeg Jets prospect still managed a .925 save percentage. Tri City will be improved this year, making Comrie that much tougher to beat. He has tremendous anticipation, seeing plays before they happen and always is in position. He will be in the hunt to represent Canada at the World Junior Championship.
New faces in new places:
The coaches: The WHL saw a tremendous number of coaching changes this year and in the West some big names moved on. Mike Johnston, who built the Portland empire, is now in Pittsburgh with the Penguins. In Kelowna, Ryan Huska joined the pro ranks with Calgary’s AHL team in Adirondack. The legendary Don Hay left the Vancouver Giants to go back to the Kamloops Blazers. And in Tri City Jim Hiller did not have his contract extended.
The Winterhawks went to the NHL ranks for Johnston’s replacement and signed Chicago assistant Jamie Kompon to be head coach and GM. Dan Lambert, a long-time Kelowna assistant, steps up to take over for Huska with what should be very little adjustment. Vancouver took their time to find Hay’s replacement but finally settled on Troy Ward. After leaving Calgary, Mike Williamson will take over for Hiller in Tri City.
The Rookie: The Vancouver Giants are expecting big things from rookie Tyler Benson. He was selected first overall in the 2013 Bantam Draft and looked good in the pre-season. Vancouver is a club that is looking to rebound from an inconsistent year last season and Benson could help them in that regard.
The import: The Seattle Thunderbirds are hoping Alexander True can generate some much needed secondary scoring. The Thunderbirds had pretty good luck with their previous two imports—Roberts Lipsbergs and Alex Delnov—but with both of those guys gone, they will need True to pick up some of the scoring his predecessors brought to the table.
Five 2015 NHL Draft Eligible players to watch
Last year the West lacked the high-end draft prospects, but they will be making up for that this season in a big way. The majority of the WHL’s best for the 2015 draft are going to be skating out west.
Mathew Barzal, C, Seattle Thunderbirds: After turning in a solid rookie campaign, he has vaulted himself into the top 10 of most draft rankings. Barzal is an elite-level playmaker who sees the ice well and is strong on the puck. That playmaking ability allowed him to pick up 40 assists as a 16-year-old last year. He’s got some good finishers playing with him now, so expect that number to jump.
Paul Bittner, F, Portland Winterhawks: Another year and another good looking prospect coming out of Portland. Bittner is a huge power forward who can skate and has nice hands. It looks like he will play with Petan and Bjorkstrand, which could pay off big for him come draft day.
Nick Merkley, C, Kelowna Rockets: The dynamic center notched 22 goals in his first WHL season. That was good enough to earn him the WHL Rookie of the Year award and has put him high on several draft watch lists.
Ethan Bear, D, Seattle Thunderbirds Defenceman Ethan Bear’s stock has been skyrocketing ever since his solid rookie campaign with Seattle. Bear is never rattled and brings an accurate and booming slap shot to the table. He made Team Canada for the Ivan Hlinka tournament and was one of the better skaters there. Don’t be surprised if he ends up being selected in the first round when it’s all said and done.
Jansen Harkins, F, Prince George: The Cougars are hoping that new ownership will breathe life into a struggling franchise. Harkins is a player they can build around in order to do just that on the ice. He picked up 34 points as a rookie and will be a key player for a Prince George franchise that has the playoffs in their sights.