10 WHL Things, Volume XVII

By Glen Erickson

We’re about halfway there now, with the annual break in the Western Hockey League schedule upon us, save for a handful of games tonight and tomorrow. It’s also that time of year we hunker down with an eye on the trade wire. Proceed with caution.

1. Top of the Heap – The Everett Silvertips have been the best and most consistent team this season. The ‘Tips are a solid 12-3-1-1 at Angel of the Winds Arena, but its 13-2-1 record on the road is tops in the WHL. That’s an .844 winning percentage. Everett is the league’s highest scoring team with 151 goals, and also the stingiest, having surrendered only 79 goals through its 33 games. Defenceman Landon Dupont, he of the exceptional status designation, and draft eligible forward Carter Bear receive the bulk of good press when people talk ‘Tips, and goaltender Jesse Sanche has been a solid pick up since coming over from the Kamloops Blazers. But 20-year-old forward Tyler McKenzie has been an outstanding performer this season. McKenzie leads the team with 24 goals and 25 helpers in 33 games, along with a plus-35 rating. The Red Deer, Alberta native was a savvy off-season addition by general manager Mike Fraser at the 2024 WHL Draft, a virtual throw away by the Medicine Hat Tigers who moved him to Everett in return for a third-round pick. The Tigers then included that pick in its deal with the Seattle Thunderbirds for rearguard Bryce Pickford. Everybody involved has to be smiling about these transactions! McKenzie, who was the Tigers sixth round pick at the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft, is the top-scoring overage skater in the league to date, four points ahead of Spokane Chiefs forward, Shea Van Olm.

2. Cellar Dwelling – Moose Jaw Warriors manager Jason Ripplinger served notice during the first half of the season the organization is in rebuild mode. The Warriors stocked the cupboard by moving some veteran pieces to contending teams as the players wind down their junior careers. Those who have left are taking championship pedigree and valuable experience to their new teams. It can also be spun as rewarding these players by sending them to a contender as their careers wind down. Last season, enroute to its first ever WHL Championship, the Warriors dealt its 2025 first round pick to the Edmonton Oil Kings. Then on December 2, Moose Jaw re-acquired a 2025 first round pick from Lethbridge in the deal that sent Brayden Yager and Jackson Unger to the Hurricanes. Given the ‘Canes success this season, it’s unlikely it will be a lottery pick for the Warriors. Coincidentally, the last time Moose Jaw had a lottery pick was at the 2020 WHL Draft. With the second overall pick, they selected Yager, who has certainly been in the news of late.

3. Rebuild, Retool, Replenish – Just 40 minutes east along the TransCanada Highway in Saskatchewan, it can’t be at all easy these days for Regina Pats general manager Alan Millar, who is tasked with trying to do what it takes with what he’s got to work with. The yacht has long since sailed on what the organization might have obtained had it dealt superstar Conor Bedard at the trade deadline during his final WHL season. The Pats ownership certainly guaranteed itself some commerce in the Queen City by keeping Bedard in the fold. According to the WHL website, since December 31, 2023, the Pats have sent 10 players packing along with eight draft picks. In return, a total of 16 players and 15 draft picks have become property of the Pats. Regina hasn’t had a lottery pick at the WHL Draft for awhile but that might change next May. (Both Cole Temple (2022; #5 overall) and Bedard (2020; #1 overall) came compliments of trades made with the Swift Current Broncos.) The Pats have a pair of 2025 first round picks. I think one is their original selection, which would appear to make it lottery bound. One pick for certain came from Everett in the deal for Jaxsin Vaughan last month, so if that was originally property of the Silvertips and based on how the WHL standings are playing out this season, it will not be a particularly high pick for the Pats in round one.

4. The American Way – How do the Spokane Chiefs and Tri City Americans approach the trade deadline? Regardless of its 3-1 loss at the hands of the Prince George Cougars on the weekend, the Chiefs are the hottest team in the league right now. Spokane, 9-1 in its last ten games, had won ten in a row before the Cougars ended the streak that included seven wins against U.S. Division rivals. At 22-10, the Chiefs are second in the division but trail the Everett Silvertips by nine points. Tri City won 13 in a row prior to embarking on its road trip through the East Division last month, where it went 4-2 through six games. But Tri City has limped into the schedule break, losing five of its last six. How do the Chiefs and Americans like their chances heading into the second half of the season? What kind of roster juggling might be considered? Wenatchee replenished its draft capital last season with a couple big moves, but are they looking for a dance partner this time around? Seattle has some assets that would be of certain value to other teams, and note that according to the WHL website, the T-Birds currently have only one overager on the roster.

5. East Down and Bound – The surprisingly successful first half of the season has the Saskatoon Blades atop the East Division with a 17-10-2-2 record through 31 games, good for 38 points and second place in the eastern conference. The Blades had been virtually unbeatable on home ice, until lately, having lost to Red Deer, Calgary and Brandon at SaskTel Centre. Will they stay the course this season, banking on an East Division title, the second seed in the conference, and potential playoff revenue that can come with home ice advantage? The Blades have very little future draft capital, with three picks in the first seven rounds at the 2025 WHL Bantam Draft. Even worse, in 2026 they will not pick until the sixth round! Will there be the kind of offers forthcoming that convince general manager Colin Priestner to part with some elite talent? How would this short-circuit what has been a pretty good campaign so far? The Swift Current Broncos and Brandon Wheat Kings have shown an ability to hang in with the top teams in the league, but both continue to search for consistency. The Wheaties are second only to Everett in terms of keeping the puck out of its own net. The Prince Albert Raiders had a solid 8-1-1 run a few weeks back, but they, along with the Moose Jaw Warrior and Regina Pats appear hard-pressed to earn a post-season berth. The Raiders, however, will enter the break with games in hand on the teams it’s most closely pursuing. Who will be East Division buyers or sellers?

6. Central Perks – As I’ve said before, it’s entirely conceivable that all five Central Division teams will make the playoffs. If Red Deer can find a way to score with some measure of consistency, they could be a very tough out in the post season. Both Calgary and Edmonton are rolling into the break in pretty good form. The Hitmen have tinkered with its roster, but the Oil Kings appear to have some draft capital available if they want to dip their toe into the trade market. Lethbridge pushed all its chips to the centre of the table with the Yager/Unger deal. The Tigers, whose tremendous depth has enabled the team to lead the division and conference standings, achieved this without the coaching staff being able to ice an entirely healthy roster even once. And all of this while being the most penalized team in the WHL! I don’t think adding a mature, veteran defenceman would hurt their cause at this point, the type of individual who could add some stability on the backend. On the other hand, why worry about it? If Gavin McKenna is back next year, the Tigers will probably be a better team than they are this season. Still, one wonders, will anyone in the Central choose to make another splash at the trade deadline?

7. The Left Coasters – How do you think the Prince George Cougars and Victoria Royals like their chances? Tied atop the B.C. Division standings with 39 points, I wonder if either team might feel it’s a player or two away from running away with the division crown and what will probably be the second seed in the conference. Vancouver, which sits third in the division, seven points in arrears, has some high-octane scorers. But, can the Giants make the kind of deal that will help them reel in the frontrunners? Kamloops, with three first round picks and two second round picks in 2025 could perhaps use a couple of these to beef up its roster to jump into the playoff hunt. Kelowna appears to be in some disarray, certainly underachieving so far, and the Rockets have the assets required to demonstrate its commitment to strengthening the roster ahead of the 2026 Memorial Cup.

8. World Junior Championship – A total of eight WHL players will don the maple leaf in Ottawa and play on television at the 2025 WJC. It’ll be a career highlight for Sawyer Mynio, Berkly Catton, Gavin McKenna, Tanner Howe, Caden Price, Tanner Molendyk, Brayden Yager and Carson Bjarnason. I’m not sure if it’s ever happened before, but three Team Canada players are graduates of the same midget program. Catton, Yager and Price all played for the Saskatoon Contacts before embarking on their junior careers. Among the cuts were Riley Heidt – also a Contacts’ grad, Andrew Cristall and Scott Ratzlaff. Both Heidt (Prince George) and Cristall (Kelowna) were in the lineup for their respective WHL teams on Saturday, a day after receiving the bad news. Ratzlaff (Seattle) did not dress in the T-birds loss to Portland. Of this group, I’m confident some will possess a new WHL address in the coming weeks, in addition to Yager (Lethbridge) and Howe (Calgary) who have already landed in new digs.

9. The Chairman of the Board – Bruce Hamilton has a 50-year history in various roles as a contributor to the WHL as a player, coach, scout, executive and team owner. But more important, it would seem to demonstrate commitment. However, is there a more polarizing figure in the WHL? I’m not sure anybody takes more heat, but while so many seem to take pleasure in ripping on him, I will pose the question to you people, for the umpteenth time; why do the powers-that-be in your favourite WHL city continue to vote for Hamilton to occupy the role as Chairman of the Board? Like any organization, there will always be leaders, and of course, those who prefer not to be. I reached out to the Kelowna Rockets owner, president and general manager last week and we spoke at some length, between chuckles that his presence in the WHL pre-dates the Internet! Amid the social media stench of late, I was not at all surprised to find the Chairman of the Board to be entirely refreshing.

10. The Governor’s Choice – Among my queries, I asked Hamilton why the governors keep electing him for the role as Chairman of the Board, and why others either haven’t put their names forward or been nominated by their peers. “Well, I don’t know,” Hamilton laughed. “They generally nominate you then call for a close and that’s it. They just kind of say to me, ‘you’re stuck there’. But it’s been a real special thing for me, and I have the utmost respect for my partners. I’ve had to walk a real fine line there, because I’m representing them all the time, not just myself. I did want to be involved in the transition here from Ron (Robison) to Dan (Near) coming in (as league commissioner). Just to help Dan through some of the dynamite you have to deal with, and he’s done a great job. I take great pleasure in the fact I was involved when we hired Ron and when he rode off into the sunset, to be involved in the group that brought Dan here. It’s been very fulfilling as Chairman, but like I say, it’s time coming for somebody else to take over.”

RANDOMS – Terms I won’t be using any time soon: physicality; people-kind; all of us command; linesperson…I think it’s a neat scheduling quirk. The halfway mark of the WHL regular season will arrive on New Year’s Eve, as we close out 2023. There are a total of 748 games on the slate and #374 between Spokane and Tri City is scheduled for Dec. 31 in Kennewick, Washington…It’s a gift I’m thankful I received. The book is entitled, “Fossil Future: Why Global Human Flourishing Requires More Oil, Coal and Natural Gas – Not Less”, by Alex Epstein. It chronicles reasons our schools and media (our “knowledge system”) choose to focus on catastrophic side effects of fossil fuels, while refusing to acknowledge the tremendous benefits of industrialization that enable us all to flourish. Even if you are a proponent of renewable energy dominance, I think Epstein’s logic and balance will at least have you thinking out loud…We saw “Red One” starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson while in Las Vegas last month. Good old Saint Nick gets kidnapped! It’s the best Christmas holiday movie I’ve seen in a long, long time and it is family friendly. I had the option that night to watch the Jake Paul/Mike Tyson scrap instead. I’m sure glad we chose the movie…Speaking of Santa Claus and gifts for those who can use a lift, there’s one more Teddy Bear Toss game to go! It’s Friday, December 27 in Saskatoon…Merry Christmas everyone!