10 WHL Things, Edition XIII
by Glen Erickson
It’s time for Lucky 13! Coming to you from the sunny southern USA. Read on if you dare!
1 – NCAA – For decades, the Western Hockey League – indeed, the “Q” and the “O” as well – have pretty much been ignored by the NCAA. There really is no other way to put it. If a youngster played just one shift in a major junior game, the NCAA would not entertain accommodating the player. But now, with news landing in hockey circles last week that the NCAA Division 1 council has voted to begin accepting players from major junior, the landscape will change. We don’t know how much, but it will change, and there will be what I’ll refer to as a trickle effect, though some may view it as a mad dash. The big winner in all of this? The NCAA. Big win, IMO!.Huge! And, these almighty types south of the border have got to be asking themselves, “why didn’t we do this a long time ago?”
2 – Money Problems – I wonder how WHL teams will be impacted moving forward. Smarter people than me have had many years of experience at the helm, but I’ve just spent a couple of weeks in the USA and every time I opened my wallet, I paid about 40% more for goods and services. So, if or when a player elects to attend a Division 1 school south of the 49th parallel utilizing his WHL scholarship, how much more will it cost his WHL team compared to the amount paid in Canadian dollars when a player attends a Canadian university? I’ll be exploring this in the coming weeks.
3 – Different Strokes – Only time will truly tell how all of this plays out. Of course, there will be much speculation, and I think there will also be some derogatory commentary at times. I’ve already heard some of it. Things like not having to coddle 16-year-old players anymore, and their parents. One junior hockey aficionado suggests the BCHL could be in a “world of hurt”. I’m not sure how…yet. In any event, the WHL reports on its website that since 1993, over $25M has been delivered to over 6,000 players. It seems like plenty of money in support of players furthering their education, because many don’t use the scholarship funds they accrue. I’ll leave that to all of you to decide.
4 – Rebel Yell – When Red Deer left on its road trip through the US Division, the Rebels sat atop the Central Division. Not anymore. Four straight losses will take care of that and the Rebels wind things up with games in Portland and Spokane this weekend. That’s a hard roady! The US Division teams are playing it tough on home ice. The Lethbridge Hurricanes have jumped into the Central Division lead with 25 points (12-5-1) and the Medicine Hat Tigers have also moved ahead of Red Deer. The ‘Canes are on a four-game winning streak.
5 – Streaking – The last time the Tri City Americans sat in their dressing together after a losing effort was October 8 in Seattle, a 5-2 loss to the Thunderbirds. Give that some thought. The Americans have reeled off 12 straight wins! At 13-3-1 on the campaign, it’s been quite some time since the Toyota Centre dwellers in Kennewick, Washington have gotten off to such a torrid start. The Amerks .794 winning percentage is second best in the league behind the Everett Silvertips. Tri City begins its road trip through the East Division tonight in Prince Albert against the Raiders.
6 – Gate Keepers – A close look at goaltending statistics confirms Brandon’s tandem of Carson Bjarnason and Ethan Eskit are doing their part so far to give the Wheat Kings a chance to win every night. Bjarnason, 19, has the best save percentage in the WHL at .925, though his 4-4-1 record isn’t particularly eye-popping. His 2.69 goals against average is solid. Eskit has elevated his stature with a 5-1-1 record in eight appearances and his 2.59 goals against average is second in the WHL behind Jesse Sanche of the Everett Silvertips (2.15). The Wheaties are moving along at 9-5-2-1, good for third place in the East Division behind Swift Current and Saskatoon. A couple of key injuries have hampered Brandon early on, but it never, ever hurts when a team can find ways to keep the puck out of its own net.
7 – Bronc Busting – Speaking of Swift Current, the Broncos have won five straight and its 9-1 record for its last ten games has the group from Speedy Creek atop the East Division with 26 points. Luke Mistelbacher is second in league scoring with 13 goals and 22 assists in 19 games, including a four-point outing in Swift Current’s 5-4 overtime victory over Moose Jaw this week. I’m also intrigued by the impact of 19-year-old Carlin Dezainde, who the Broncos acquired from the Prince George Cougars. In 13 games with Swift Current, Dezainde has chipped in with seven goals and six helpers. The Broncos have the weekend off before they entertain the Tri City Americans on Tuesday.
8 – Trade Winds – I had an interesting conversation while driving down the I-15 in Utah last week when an old hockey pal rang me up. (God bless him for helping to keep me awake!) We talked NCAA and the Kelowna Rockets. We both opined the group in the Okanagan Valley, chugging along at 7-7-1-1 for last place in the BC Division, needed a boot in the ass. We wondered about a shake up in goal and perhaps some grit on the backend. Coincidentally, Kelowna acquired defenceman Nate Corbet from the Medicine Hat Tigers a couple of days ago. Corbet established himself as a bit of a goer back in September at the Young Stars Classic at Penticton, attending through an invite from the Edmonton Oilers. He didn’t hesitate to drop the mitts on multiple occasions and I’m confident that Rockets brass was able to take note. At 6’2 and 181 pounds, he’s an aggressive, lanky rearguard who I think moves around with pretty good agility. In Kelowna, the Rockets will need Corbet to flex his muscle, but more importantly, he has to stay on the ice and out of the sin bin. He’ll join Kelowna in Prince George this weekend.
9 – Glitter Games – On the heels of 15 WHL players returning to their respective teams with medals from a tremendously successful World U-17 Hockey Challenge in Sarnia, Ontario, CHL teams are gearing up for more roster absences as the inaugural CHL USA Prospects Challenge presented by Kubota is next up on the developmental docket. The teams will battle twice this month, once in London and then in Oshawa. Blake Fiddler of the Edmonton Oil Kings has been tabbed to be an alternate captain.
10 – RANDOMS – Kudos to my old golf industry pal Lisa Vlooswyk! She’s been documenting her travels through Washington and Oregon as she and her husband Anton follow the exploits of their son, Luke, a promising defenceman with the Red Deer Rebels. Most people know her as “Lisa Longball”, one of the most entertaining public speakers our nation has ever produced. She’s a great “follow”. You can find her on all the socials…I have found the bizarro world of political punditry across the United States to be eminently entertaining this week. I’m comfortable with my opinions, but rest assured, I do listen to both sides, particularly because the left-leaners provide so much incredibly outlandish material. It’s a rhetoric that just keeps on giving! Any right-leaning broadcaster is just glorifying the Republican victory, championing a return to the concepts of fiscal restraint, meritocracy, accountability and all that goes along with that ideology. The left leaning types continue to mourn the election results, spewing its moral superiority and basically scolding those who don’t agree with their take on life in general. The polarization just continues to run rampant. Strap yourselves in folks…It’s Grey Cup Weekend in Vancouver. Take the Argos to upset the Blue Bombers, 19-17. Hey, that’ll be more fun than a Winnipeg blowout!
