It was just a couple of weeks ago when it looked like the Calgary Hitmen were falling off a cliff. They had suffered a three-game losing streak—a home-and-home loss to Edmonton was mixed in, never good—and found themselves under .500 and looking up at the Red Deer Rebels.
But things have quietly turned around in Calgary. The Hitmen ripped off seven wins in a row before dropping a 4-3 overtime decision to Regina on Friday night. They have caught Lethbridge in the Central Division standings and are now just four points behind Red Deer for the division lead.
How have they done it? Goals from depth guys to go along with stingy defense. During the seven-game streak they only allowed 1.8 goals-per-game, which included goalie Cody Porter recording his third career shutout in a 6-0 win against Kootenay.
Early in the season, Calgary relied on defencemen Travis Sanheim and Jake Bean to carry the load offensively, but lately contributions from the forwards have become more commonplace. Radel Fazleev (35 points, 10th overall) has taken over the team scoring lead and picked up nine points in his past four games. New players Jackson Houck and Jakob Stukel have also added much needed depth, scoring at point-per-game paces since arriving.
The Hitmen have had a carousel of sorts in net, but Monday acquired goalie Nik Amundrud from Saskatoon for a sixth-round draft pick. Amundrud was the key player in the big Nikita Scherbak between Everett and the Blades a couple Septembers ago. Amundrud, 18, has struggled so far this year in Saskatoon with a 4.32 GAA, but now will play behind a much better defence.
Do the Hitmen have the horses now to push Red Deer? The Rebels have been good to start the season and still may pull off a big move, but for now, Calgary is clawing its way closer.
Here’s the rest of this weeks WHL musings:
Trade winds blowing
The Amundrud trade was not the only one to go down over the past couple of days. Four trades in total on Sunday afternoon and into Monday morning have some guys packing their bags.
The most notable move was Everett picking up blueliner Brycen Martin from Saskatoon in exchange for D-man Jantzen Leslie, forward Ryan Anderson and a second-round pick in the 2017 Bantam Draft.
He didn’t come cheap, but Martin will give the offensively challenged Silvertips a boost on the back end. He is a puckmover who should help jump start an Everett team that struggles getting its offence into gear. At the same time, there is not a better defensive team, Everett has only allowed 44 goals so far. The Silvertips are currently chasing Seattle and Spokane in the U.S. Division.
Where’s Point?
It’s been two weeks since the WHL’s top player, Brayden Point, was injured in a game against Prince Albert. The next day, Moose Jaw head coach Tim Hunter informed the local media that Point’s injury wasn’t serious and that he was going to be day-to-day. Point hasn’t played in any of the Warriors’ six games since. While technically that is day-to-day, it does appear the injury is a bit more serious than first reported.
Turn out the lights
When the Seattle Thunderbirds and Vancouver Giants hit the ice for the second period on Friday night in Seattle they had to wait a few minutes. Twenty-three minutes, to be exact. The ShoWare Center lights failed to come back on. Both teams headed back to the dressing rooms and the crowd lit up the stadium with cell phones and sang along with the house music.
Player of the week
Brayden Burke, LW, Lethbridge Hurricanes
The Hurricanes have won four straight and continue their strong rebound season. Burke was central in all four wins with a goal and seven assists over the streak. The 5-10, 164-pounder leads the team in scoring and is eighth overall with 39 points.
2016 NHL Draft Eligible spotlight
Noah Gregor, C, Moose Jaw Warriors
Gregor scored twice, including the overtime winner in Moose Jaw’s 3-2 win at Seattle on Saturday. The rookie has been a pleasant surprise this year and is a big reason for Moose Jaw’s optimistic future.
He is tied for the lead in WHL rookie scoring with 30 points and has teamed well with fellow 2016 NHL Draft-eligible Brett Howden. Things are looking good in Moose Jaw and the Gregor-Howden combination is going to be key for the Warriors in the next couple of seasons.