10 WHL Things, Volume VII

By Glen Erickson

1 – The Turnstiles – The past weekend saw Western Hockey League attendance pass the 319,000-mark. That’s an average of 3,551 through the first 90 games, although a couple of rinks in the east division cannot accommodate that number unless the Fire Marshall is on vacation. So far this season, seven games have attracted a crowd over 5,000 spectators, five of those in U.S Division buildings. Everett and Spokane have played home games in front of two 5,000-plus crowds, while Seattle has drawn over 5,000 once. The largest crowd so far – 8,309 – watched the Chiefs knock off the visiting Tri City Americans in its home opener. North of the 49^th parallel, the largest crowd of the season to date was opening night in Saskatoon, when 8,253 spectators at Sask Tel Centre watched the Blades hammer Swift Current, 9-3. Can you guess which is the other western Canada-based team to attract a crowd over 5,000 this season?

2 – Overage Deadline – I’ve always been partial to and supportive of overage players in the WHL. The “20’s” are typically guys with over 200 games experience, but very few play in the league with an NHL entry level contract in their back pocket. The majority land at Canadian universities, benefitting from the WHL Scholarship Program while continuing to play hockey at an elite level. According to the WHL, a total of 149 former Dub players appeared on opening night rosters for Canada West university teams this season. Things will be flushed out in the WHL this week as we’ll know, for the time being, what personnel decisions the teams have chosen to make. There have already been a number of moves with overage player implications including Brayden Boehm (MHAT to VIC), Connor Hvidston (SC to CGY), Carlin Dezainde (PG to SC) and Harrison Meneghin (LETH to MHAT). The player I’m watching? Goaltender Austin Elliott of the Saskatoon Blades.

3 – Road Warriors – A tough weekend for the Kamloops Blazers, who dropped three straight decisions on the road in the state of Washington. It was a three-in-three road trip for the Blazers, and these can be a grind, beginning in Seattle (3-1) before two games in Kennewick against the Tri City Americans (5-4 in OT and 5-3). The schedule doesn’t get any easier this week for the Blazers – in fact, it’s really odd – as the team hauls back to Kamloops for a Tuesday tilt against the visiting Prince Albert Raiders, then heads back out of town for a Thursday contest in Portland. That’s gotta be an 8.5-hour drive each way, plus pit stops and the mandatory conversations with border security. Two nights later after the game in Portland, the Blazers host the Wenatchee Wild. Kamloops is in tough this season, what looks like a bit of a down year after pretty much running the show in the B.C. Division for a couple of seasons post-covid hysteria, during which the city hosted the very successful 2023 Memorial Cup. The Blazers are currently 2-5-1-1.

4 – Chemistry Lessons – There might be a sign that another B.C Division team could be turning the corner after rather an indifferent start to the current campaign. The Kelowna Rockets finally have its full complement of veteran players back after National Hockey League teams made some final personnel decisions. With the likes of Andrew Cristall, Tij Iginla, Caden Price, Hiroki Gojsic and Max Graham returning to the Okanagan Valley, along with import forward Jakub Stancl, it’s apparent the Rockets have a deep, skilled core group. Its current three-game heater, including a 9-4 romp over the visiting Portland Winterhawks Saturday, then a 7-5 win over the Prince Albert Raiders Monday, is certainly what the organization and its fanbase needed. Although the team’s paltry 3-5 record out of the gate is not at all awe-inspiring, nobody expects the Rockets to languish among the league’s cellar dwellers this season. The 16 goals scored this past weekend accounts for more than half the team’s total output through eight games. It’s fair to say the organization is nearing the top of its junior hockey cycle after some down seasons. The team is built to win now.

5 – From the Depths – During the 2019-2020 season, the Rockets went through a slew of injuries to its top players. Not just bumps and bruises. Nope. Broken bones. Plenty of them. The man-games lost among its top six forwards that season was decimating, a really bad deal for the 2020 Memorial Cup host team. As the playoffs approached, the roster did begin to take shape, but it would have been challenging for Kelowna to knock off the high-octane Kamloops Blazers in the first round. The Rockets organization had taken shots throughout the regular season from various media, many who felt Kelowna wouldn’t have the best roster amongst the WHL teams that had bid to host the 2020 Memorial Cup. Others felt general manager Bruce Hamilton hadn’t done enough to bolster the Rockets roster for the tournament.

6 – The Pick – Through it all, Hamilton had a plan for that Memorial Cup tournament, but it did not include trading away the Rockets’ 2020 first round bantam draft pick. When I asked him back then, he was emphatic when he responded, “I made a promise to my staff that I wouldn’t trade that pick”. Sadly, when the world chose to come to a complete stand still amid covid hysteria, the 2020 Memorial Cup was cancelled. It was a huge disappointment across the entire CHL, and the host city was gutted by the news. The years of planning, in anticipation of putting on a show to top the 2004 event held in Kelowna, went for naught. The Rockets had traded away no less than half-a-dozen future draft picks for players who wouldn’t see a minute of post-season play in 2020. But Hamilton still had that number one pick. Come draft day, Kelowna selected Andrew Cristall with the eighth pick overall.

7 – Cristall Clear – It was also a symbolic pick of sorts for Kelowna, as prior to the draft, long-time scout and assistant general manager Lorne Frey had announced his retirement. Cristall would be Frey’s final first round selection in his role with the Rockets. Kelowna was ecstatic with the pick and Cristall has provided nothing but verification since his arrival in the WHL. Including playoffs, Cristall has appeared in 213 games, chipping in with 307 points…116 of those are goals. The Burnaby, British Columbia native was selected by the Washington Capitals in the second round, 40^th overall at the 2023 NHL Draft and has signed an entry level contract. In his first two games back in Kelowna this past weekend, he scored twice and added five assists in wins over Portland and Prince Albert. Is it fair to say that, more often than not, the boss really does know what he’s doing?

8 – Foot on the Gas – Over in the eastern conference, the Medicine Hat Tigers have not-so-quietly put together a three-game winning streak of their own. With its full compliment of players back from NHL teams, the Tigers are beginning to look like the offensive juggernaut many predicted as far back as last season. But, as much as this group has the capability to fill the opposition net, they have also begun to get some saves lately from their own netminders, including 20-year-old Harrison Meneghin who was acquired in a deal on with the Lethbridge Hurricanes on October 6. Through its first eight games, Medicine Hat was outshot only twice and in its other six contests, the Tigers outshot its opponents by an average of 13 shots per game. Sure, shots on goal can occasionally be somewhat misleading, but I believe it’s a stat clearly indicative of territorial play. Among other team stats to date, the Tigers possess the second-best power play in the league so far, but they are also the third most penalized team in the league. The Tigers have a couple of stern tests on the docket his week as the Prince George Cougars (the second most penalized team in the league) visit the Gas City, before Medicine Hat travels to Moose Jaw on Friday for a tilt against the Warriors.

9 – The Windy City – Speaking of Lethbridge, the ‘Canes are off to a 5-1-1 start, good for a winning percentage of .786, second only to the 6-1-1 Saskatoon Blades. The Hurricanes haven’t been filling up the net through its first seven games, but the team leads the league in goals against, having surrendered only 18 so far. Special teams have also been a strong suit, thanks to the third best penalty killing unit in the league at 84.9%. The league’s fourth best power play production at 28.1% should also keep opponents wary. The ‘Canes have earned four wins in five starts at the VisitingLethbridge.com Arena, dropping an overtime decision to the Vancouver Giants last week. General manager Peter Anholt, who will again be busy with some Hockey Canada responsibilities this season, was able to move 20-year-old netminder Harrison Meneghin to Medicine Hat, which enabled the organization to manoeuvre a bit with its overage group. Lethbridge has once again bid to host the Memorial Cup and projecting a competitive team during the 2025-2026 season will play a part in the selection process.

10 – America’s Best – The Everett Silvertips completed their very successful east division swing with five wins and one defeat, outscoring their opponents 25-15. The ‘Tips, now 7-2, can relax for a couple of days this week before heading to Portland for a Saturday evening match. Meanwhile, the Spokane Chiefs, also 7-2 through nine games, play three times in eastern conference locales this week to wrap up its east division road trip. Spokane and Everett will meet six times this season, but their first clash is still over a month away. One wonders how the race for top spot in the U.S. Division will look when the Chiefs visit the Silvertips at Angel of the Winds Arena on November 22? Let’s put an “X” on our calendars!

RANDOMS – The easy guess for high attendance numbers in the WHL are the cities with an NHL stadium, like Edmonton and Calgary. Come the Christmas season, Teddy Bear Toss games will fill these arenas! But so far this season, the only city in western Canada other than Saskatoon to attract a crowd over 5,000 spectators is Victoria, where the Royals opening night victory over the Tri City Americans drew 5,001 spectators to the Save-On-Foods Memorial Arena…A nifty accomplishment Monday in Calgary for Hitmen goalie Eric Tu. The 16-year-old from Surrey, B.C. stopped all 31 shots he faced as Calgary knocked off the Prince George Cougars, 5-0. It was Tu’s first career shutout in his second WHL start…A few great books I’ve been able to listen to of late. Such is life on the road these days, for many reasons. I really enjoyed the candor from these hockey personalities. Give ‘em a look, or a listen, if you dare. “Down and Back” by Justin Bourne; “The Grim Reaper” by Stu Grimson; “Burke’s Law” by Brian Burke; “Offside” by Sean Avery…Next up, it’s “When the Lights Went Out” by Gare Joyce, which chronicles the famous punch up in Piestany at the 1987 World Junior Championship.

(Glen Erickson is a hockey writer based in Medicine Hat, AB)