The Western Hockey League’s 50th anniversary season kicks off this weekend and it comes with a lot of pomp and circumstance. As exciting as the various celebratory activities will be, nothing beats the actual game on the ice. After a long summer, WHL hockey is back.
There are a lot of good teams and story lines to play out. Can the Kelowna Rockets repeat? Will the Brandon Wheat Kings take the next step? How ready are the Red Deer Rebels for the MasterCard Memorial Cup? Is there a dark horse contender out there?
Here is a look at the top teams and contenders in the WHL this season.
The Favorites
It’s not really going out on a limb to say that the Wheat Kings are the odds-on favorites in the WHL this year. They are coming off an impressive 53-win season that saw them get all the way to the WHL final. There they fell to a more experienced Kelowna Rockets, but with the majority of their key players back, last year’s loss could be just the lesson the Wheat Kings need to win it all.
Brandon led the league in goals scored in 2014-15 and there’s no reason to think they won’t again this season. They return a stellar group of players, led by 42-goal scorer Tim McGauley, Jayce Hawryluk (30 goals), Rihards Bukarts (33 goals) and last year’s rookie sensation Nolan Patrick (30 goals). John Quenneville and Reid Duke also return to give Brandon even more scoring depth. There simply isn’t a forward group as dangerous as the Wheat Kings’ this year.
On the back end, Brandon got a surprise when New York Islanders prospect Ryan Pilon left the team and the game just prior to training camp. While losing a quality defenceman is tough, there was good news this week when the Philadelphia Flyers returned first-round pick Ivan Provorov. There was some worry that he would stick in the NHL but his return brings back a point-per-game blueliner. Kale Clague, Macoy Erkamps and Colton Waltz round out the D corps, but don’t be surprised if GM/coach Kelly McCrimmon makes a move at some point—probably of the splashy variety—to strengthen the defence even more.
In goal Jordan Papirny proved last year that he belongs among the elite of WHL goalies. He won 44 games and led the Wheat Kings into the final.
Brandon will win the Eastern Division and Conference and will be hoisting the Ed Chynoweth Cup in the spring.
The Rockets came within one heart-crushing overtime goal of winning the 2015 Memorial Cup. Despite that loss, Kelowna had a memorable season that included its fourth WHL title. The Rockets also won the trade deadline last year when they picked up Leon Draisaitl and Josh Morrissey and pretty much ran away with the rest of their schedule. Those guys are gone now, but like Brandon, they return a still-loaded roster.
On print and digital newsstands now: iOS | Android | Windows
GM Bruce Hamilton found himself on the hunt for a new head coach for the second straight summer as Dan Lambert moved to the NHL to take an assistant job with the Buffalo Sabres. Hamilton brought in Brad Ralph, who had been coaching in the ECHL, to take over what Lambert and Ryan Huska had built the past few years. Needless to say Ralph has walked into a pretty good situation.
Kelowna will be led by Arizona Coyotes draft pick Nick Merkley who just might end up fighting it out for the league lead in scoring this season. Merkley turned in 90-point campaign last year and he just keeps getting better. He’s not alone however as overager Tyson Baillie will be back and looking to add to his 37-goal output in 2014-15. Second year player Dillon Dube was impressive last season and could very well be in for a breakout season in his draft year. His secondary scoring will be key for Kelowna.
The biggest step back the Rockets are taking is on the blueline where they lost a lot of experience and offence when Morrissey and Madison Bowey moved on to the pro ranks. Buffalo Sabres prospect Devonte Stephens returns and they are hoping that Lucas Johansen can step up after looking good in his rookie year. Look for Hamilton to be in the market for a defenceman as the season moves along.
In goal there was some speculation that 20-year-old Jackson Whistle might be expendable but he will be back in net as the season starts. Backing him up is Michael Herringer who looked pretty solid last year in relief of Whistle. Can he push for more playing time this season?
The Contenders
With five NHL Draft Picks on their roster, the Thunderbirds Seattle could be in for one of their biggest years in quite a while. With Mathew Barzal (New York Islanders), Ryan Gropp (New York Rangers) and Keegan Kolesar (Columbus Blue Jackets) leading the way up front Seattle will going to score more than last year. Gone to the pros is Shea Theodore on defence, but Ethan Bear seems poised for his best season after being drafted by the Edmonton Oilers.
The biggest question in Seattle is do the Thunderbirds ave enough goaltending to win the U.S. Division and make a deep playoff run? They brought in Taz Burman from Red Deer and he will compete with the returning Logan Flodell for the No. 1 job.
Brent Sutter knows he’s going to the Memorial Cup this year as the host team and probably has to make a move or two to be serious contender. The Rebels are not without quality, however, as Avalanche prospect Connor Bleackley will return along with Adam Musil to lead them up front. Red Deer also brought in Ivan Nikolishin from Everett and Lane Pederson from Seattle to add scoring depth.
On the blueline the Rebels are led by Haydn Fleury and have solid goaltending in Rylan Toth. It’s safe to say that Sutter and the Rebels will be among the most active buyers this season—they will have to decide how much of their future they want to mortgage for a potential Memorial Cup championship.
The Dark Horses
It seems like every season fans and pundits around the WHL are eager to kick dirt on Portland’s chances. While the Winterhawks suffered some serious losses on their roster—namely Nic Petan, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Chase De Leo—they are far from being a bottom feeder. Columbus draft pick Paul Bittner (38th overall) will be back and relied on to score. They were able to land Edmonton Oilers pick Caleb Jones and Nashville Predators prospect Jack Dougherty on defence. For years Portland would out score you but this year their blueline and goalie Adin Hill will be the strength of the club.
It’s been a while since there was this much optimism in Prince George but the Cougars are on their way to a solid year. They can score goals with the likes of Winnipeg Jets draftee Jansen Harkins (47th overall) and they picked up some grit this off-season with the acquisition of Boston Bruins prospect Jesse Gabrielle from Regina.
Last year they struggled to stop the puck and improving on the back end will be key for the Cougars. They added 20-year-old goalie Mack Shields from Calgary this summer and he should give them the stability to make some noise in the B.C. Division.