WHL blog: What do Wheat Kings know we don’t?

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Hoden had six points last week and is fast moving up NHL Draft boards. (Marissa Baecker/Getty)

For a while last week, it looked like the WHL trade deadline had arrived early. Vancouver and Calgary got things going with a five-player deal and then Portland and Brandon hooked up for another big trade on Thursday.

Brandon sent 20-year-old import Rihard Bukarts to the Winterhawks in exchange for a couple conditional third-round draft picks. The move fills Portland’s open overage and import slots on the roster, as well as giving them a much needed offensive punch.

For the Wheat Kings, this move opens up some interesting scenarios.

They were going to have to make a move with a 20-year-old at some point because Tim McGauley will return from injury and that would have put Brandon over the limit. But by giving up Bukarts, the Wheat Kings have also opened up an import slot. This is intriguing because they own the CHL rights to Calgary Flames Swedish blueline prospect Oliver Kylington who is currently playing with Stockton in the AHL.

Does Kelly McCrimmon know something we don’t?

Kylington was drafted in the second round by the Calgary Flames and after a lot of debate about where he should play, landed in the AHL. With Stockton he’s appeared in six games, scoring twice for three points and is minus-2. Those numbers aren’t eye-popping but they also don’t indicate a guy who needs to be sent to junior. But, there are some who have watched his play who feel he could use another year to develop.

If the Flames do decide to send Kylington down, it would be a boon for the Wheat Kings and would strengthen an already strong blueline—imagine how good he would look alongside Ivan Provorov. If Kylington doesn’t return, McCrimmon has two extra draft picks to make another move to shore up his roster. We’ve all seen the masterful trades that he can pull off so having two more picks with which to work with is like giving him extra chips at the poker table.

Brandon just finished an eight-game road swing out west and finished 6-2 with their only losses coming to Portland and Seattle.

Here are the rest of this week’s WHL musings.

Red Deer on top in Central

The Memorial Cup hosts had an up-and-down start to the season but have turned it on of late to take over the top perch in the Central Division. They’re relying heavily on imports Ivan Nikolishin and Michael Spacek for scoring, with the former leading the team by one point over Spacek.

They picked up Nikolishin in a trade with the Everett Silvertips during the summer and the Russian is thriving in an offence that allows him to show off his talents more so than in the past. He’s already potted 10 goals and is on a pace to easily destroy his career high of 18 set two seasons ago in Everett.

After the two Euros, the scoring drops off a bit for Red Deer and you can bet that owner/GM/coach Brent Sutter is looking to add another dynamic scorer. The only question will be who that is and how costly he will be as the Rebels have to toe the fine line between building for the Memorial Cup while avoiding a gutting of their future.

No Virtanen for the Hitmen

Not sure if the Calgary Hitmen were literally waiting on pins and needles for the return of Jake Virtanen from the Vancouver Canucks, but if they were, they can put those pins and needles away. The Canucks announced over the weekend that the bruising forward—selected sixth overall in the 2014 NHL Draft—had made the club and would not be returned to junior.



Where does Calgary go from here?

The trade early in the week opened up a forward spot and brought in some younger players, so more movement could be on the way. The Hitmen have high-end talent on the blueline in Travis Sanheim and Jake Bean but are not getting consistent scoring up front. The two have combined for 13 goals—31 percent of the team’s total.

Calgary has only three wins in their past 10 and will be a team to watch come the actual trade deadline. Do they move an asset if they fall out of the race?

Player of the week

Mathew Barzal, C, Seattle Thunderbirds
The New York Islanders first-rounder got the week off right by picking up five assists as Seattle blew out Brandon 7-2. He then added a goal and two helpers against Kootenay and two more assists in Calgary. That’s 10 points in three games, which is no small feat. Always the playmaker, Barzal is averaging 1.6 helpers a game this year and has upped his career average to .89. Get your stick on the ice when playing with him.

2016 Draft-eligible of the week

Brett Howden, C, Moose Jaw Warriors
The Warriors continue to be a pleasant surprise this year and the big centre from Oakbank, Man., is playing a big role. Howden potted three goals and picked up three more assists in three games on the weekend. He’s averaging more than a point-per-game with 17 and could start working his way into first-round consideration.

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