10 WHL Things Volume VIII

By Glen Erickson

Game of the Week – It was an important matchup for both Prince George and Medicine Hat Wednesday at the CN Centre in BC’s northern capital. In the only meeting between the two teams last season, almost a year to the day, the Cougars rolled into the Gas City and hammered a depleted Tigers team, 8-1. It was probably the low point of the entire championship season in Medicine Hat and in a way, rather a statement win for Prince George. Last week, the Tigers exacted a measure of revenge, clipping the Cougars 6-3 in front of 3,229 spectators. It was the Tigers first win on their road trip through the BC Division, having dropped games in Victoria and Vancouver. Prince George dropped to 7-3 following the loss. Through 10 games, the Tigers sat firmly among the league leaders in goals scored with a total of 49. The Cougars penalty kill led the league at 91.9% efficiency. A night earlier, the Spokane Chiefs edged the Edmonton Oil Kings, 3-2 in a shootout in the Alberta capital. It would not surprise me to see these four teams among the upper echelon in the DUB all season long.
Game of the Week, Part Deux – I toss this into the mix only because it serves as the home opener for the Portland Winterhawks, Saturday at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The Winterhawks, who had played their first 11 games on the road while the finishing touches to the renovations at the Glass Palace were completed, built a 5-0 lead before defeating the Saskatoon Blades, 6-3. The Blades played the night before, dropping a 3-2 decision to Everett, the first game on their US Division road trip. The Winterhawks are celebrating 50 years in the WHL and styled swanky celebratory jerseys for their home opener. You can have a peek if you dial up the highlights on the WHL website.
Comebacks and Speed Bumps – It was a busy three games in three nights for the Blazers, who started the weekend off on home ice with yet another comeback victory. Kamloops trailed the Medicine Hat Tigers 4-2 in the third period at the Sandman Centre, then tallied twice to force overtime. Defenceman Isa Guram sent the local faithful into a frenzy with the overtime winner. But the tables turned the next night, as Kamloops led Vancouver 4-2, before the Giants scored three unanswered goals to win 5-4 in overtime. Then Sunday at the Langley Events Centre, Vancouver overcame the Blazers’ 3-1 lead with four straight goals to win 5-3. The games against Vancouver (7-7-1) were the Blazers (6-6-1-1) first two this season against a BC Division rival.
Off-Season Successes – Gotta give the Prince George Cougars management team some credit for a few intriguing off-season moves that have, so far, provided very favourable results. At the CHL Import Draft in May, the Cougars selected Alexander Levshyn in the second round with the 110^th pick. From Ukraine, the 6’3 netminder landed in Prince George after a season in the OJHL, or what I have referred to over the years as Tier 2. Levshyn and incumbant Josh Ravensbergen may very well be the league’s top tandem. Levshyn has compiled a 3-1 record, a 2.28 goals against average and .913 save percentage so far. Rookie forward Brock Souch was acquired June 30 from the Regina Pats in exchange for a 2029 fifth round draft pick. (Was this the first deal made by Pats current general manager Dale Derkatch? He took the reins on June 24.) Souch signed with Prince George and is off to a great start with five goals and 13 assists and a plus-9 rating in his first 11 WHL games. Souch is 19, so you won’t find him among “rookie” scoring leaders, but he is indeed a first year WHLer.
Raiders Shut the Door – It was a productive weekend for the only team in the DUB yet to lose a game in regulation time. The Prince Albert Raiders won twice on the weekend over the East Division rival Swift Current Broncos. In fact, the Raiders didn’t allow a goal, earning a 4-0 win on home ice before trouncing the Broncos in Speedy Creek, 5-0 Saturday. The goaltending tandem of Dimitri Fortin and Michal Orsulak each delivered a clean sheet on the weekend. Prince Albert dominated territorial play during the home-and-home set, outshooting the Broncos 77-36. The Raiders, now 9-0-2, are tied at 20 points atop the eastern conference standings with the Edmonton Oil Kings. Prince Albert has four games in hand. Calgary visits the Art Hauser Centre Friday for a Halloween Night tilt.
Impact of Ed Chynoweth – An interesting piece by Will MacLaren published on the CHL website last week, looking back on Ed Chynoweth’s reign as WHL commissioner. Growing up in southeast Saskatoon, just a couple of blocks away from the Chynoweth family, I was well aware of Mr. Chynoweth’s presence in the community and his connection to the hockey world. I’ve been involved in sales and marketing for my entire adult life. There are those who make payroll and those who need payroll. I have always had immense respect for the time, effort, preparation, organization and persistence required by people who understand how to generate revenue to produce income. Ed Chynoweth had an aura about him and many of us who knew and understood sales and marketing would wonder aloud frequently that the man could sell clothes to a mannequin. And yes, it was entirely a compliment. It still is! I’ve been blessed to have shared time with Bruce Hamilton in Kelowna and I’m glad MacLaren was able to speak with the Rockets owner about his personal experiences over the years with Chynoweth. “He was one of the main mentors for guys like me, Kelly McCrimmon, Tim Speltz, Kelly Kisio, Russ Farwell,” Hamilton shared with MacLaren. “We were the younger guys working at that time and he kept us on the straight and narrow. He was also a wealth of information. He was a great supporter. He’d know when you needed a kick in the ass, but he’d be quick to pat you on the back when it was called for, too. His mark is everywhere.” In an era where so many among us seem comfortable and intent on erasing history, I’m appreciative the likes of MacLaren and others will take the time to look back and highlight some of the great Canadians who have had an enormously positive impact on life and business from coast to coast.
The Media Circus – A curious but poignant piece penned last week by Darren Steinke, an old media wag with plenty of miles under his belt, including what I believe is a storied and stellar career covering the WHL in a number of different cities. “Stanks” has been a great friend to the amateur sports community for decades, producing, at his own expense his blog, “Stanks Sermon”. Like many of us enjoying life in our 60’s, we completely understand the concept of change, even though there are those half our age who prefer to cling to the fallacy that we are steadfastly against change in any form. Stanks and I can wholeheartedly relate to the challenges associated with our aging parents and the expectations from within one’s family. Indeed, as I complete this submission, I will file it, then make my way to my mother’s care facility in Saskatoon for the day. Stanks would be a guy who could write an entire novel on life change and its impact on career aspirations, the kind of insights I suspect so many young people would likely, even smugly, view as total fiction. In his recent lengthy post this past weekend, he also alluded to media accreditation and the process. I know a bit about all of this, but note that I do view myself as a bit more of a peripheral media guy, a freelance writer, compared to those who are paid salaries by media outlets. Now, we certainly are not all everybody’s buddy, but I believe we’ve all experienced some head-scratching moments in our dealings “on the beat” over the years. There is indeed a modern-day petulance that has slithered into the world of organized sports at many levels. It’s seldom productive, typically imposed on those who don’t necessarily adhere to the concept of embracing how an organization might prefer to control the messaging. There are volunteer board members across the country who demonstrate an incredible level of arrogance and won’t hesitate to try and “big time” others. Make no mistake, these participation-ribbon children of the past few decades are now adults among us…and it shows. I hope you’ll give his Stanks’ piece a look, if you dare, as it provides some interesting insights. Aside from a few political tidbits he touches on, some I don’t entirely agree with and some I totally support, I think he provides mature and informative insights.
Randoms – The Penticton Vees, now 7-5-1-1, waltzed into Everett on the weekend and drubbed the Silvertips, 7-0, in front of 7,430 supporters. It was the Vees first trip to the Angel of the Winds Arena. It was the ‘Tips (11-1-1) first regulation loss of the season…The Calgary Hitmen (7-3-1) are off to a great start, amid so much off-season conjecture the roster left many more questions than answers. A couple of noteworthy victories have come against the conference leading Edmonton Oil Kings, 9-4-1-1. The Alberta rivals have met twice, Calgary has won both times, and is responsible for fifty percent of Edmonton’s losses…A tough start for the Lethbridge Hurricanes, now 3-11-1-1. The ‘Canes are mired in the eastern conference cellar with seven points and have surrendered 71 goals, the most in the DUB…Over in the western conference, the Wenatchee Wild are 2-7-1-1 and with six points sit last in the entire league so far…The Medicine Hat Tigers wrapped up its BC Division road trip with a 3-1 win in Penticton Monday. It was the second regulation win on the roady for the defending league champs, to go along with an overtime victory and a loss in OT. Through some illness and injuries during its run through British Columbia, the Tigers compiled a 3-2-1 record and improved to10-4-1-1 for the campaign…Saskatoon remains south of the 49^th parallel this week with three more games on the docket during it US Division road trip…The Tri City Americans hit the road later this week with games in Lethbridge and Medicine Hat for an abbreviated road trip through the Central Division. The Americans will travel to Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer in January.

Randoms, Part Deux…I think the big roster news in the DUB this past week is the return of defenceman Radim Mrtka to the Seattle Thunderbirds. Mrtka appeared in only 43 WHL games last season, yet that was sufficient for the Buffalo Sabres to use the ninth overall pick on the Czech rearguard at the 2025 NHL Draft. The 6’6, 216-pounder had been sent from Buffalo to the Rochester Americans, but it would seem prudent the 18-year-old will spend this season in major junior. Mrtka’s return comes on the heels of teammate Braeden Cootes landing back with the T-Birds after a stint with the Vancouver Canucks. Cootes was the 15^th overall pick at the 2025 NHL Draft…The Pittsburgh Penguins could have an enormous impact on the fortunes of two WHL teams. How good will the Kamloops Blazers backend look if Harrison Brunicke returns from Pittsburgh? What might become of forward Ben Kindl if the Pens return him to the Calgary Hitmen? Do players of this calibre stick with their original teams in the DUB or do they become valuable trade deadline assets?…Has anyone noticed how quickly Cameron Schmidt, with 10 goals and 13 assists, of the Vancouver Giants has inserted himself into the WHL scoring race? Schmidt, from Prince George, has chipped in with 13 points in his last six games. The Minnesota Wild’s 2025 third rounder has closed the gap on JP Hurlburt of the Blazers, who leads the DUB with 28 points…Rayden LeGall (EVT) leads all WHL goalies with nine wins to date. Jordan Switzer (MH) is next with seven…Ryan Lin (VCR) leads all defencemen in scoring with three goals and 17 assists through 15 games.

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