10 WHL Things, Volume XX

By Glen Erickson

1 – Trade Winds Blowing Hard – As expected, there was a flurry of trade activity after the Western Hockey League roster freeze ended on December 27. I’m not sure there were as many blockbusters as the headlines would suggest, but it’s fashionable prose these days. Rather than examining individual trades, we’ll look at how the divisional landscapes have changed so far. The trade deadline is three full days away, Thursday, January 9 at 6:00pm MST.

2 – Central Division – The Calgary Hitmen have been busy for months. It started with the acquisition of 20-year-old Connor Hvidston from Swift Current and general manager Garry Davidson et al have certainly served notice they’re all in for the 2024-2025 season. By adding Kalem Parker, Tanner Howe, Lukas Hansen, Daniel Hauser, Sawyer Mynio and Carson Birnie – that’s about one third of the lineup – it may take the Hitmen awhile to gel. The Lethbridge Hurricanes have also been active during the first half of the season, adding Shane Smith, Vojtech Port, Brayden Yager, Jackson Unger and Jordan Gustafson. With general manager Peter Anholt at the helm, I wonder if the ‘Canes might add another piece. The Medicine Hat Tigers and Edmonton Oil Kings have yet to jump into the pool with both feet. The Tigers may not have to, as they would really benefit from the return of Cayden Lindstrom who has been rehabbing injuries under the guidance of the Columbus Blue Jackets. On the other hand, he may not even return. Can they afford to wait? Does Edmonton have an appetite to sell one of its highly valuable 2025 first round selections? Both could become lottery picks. It would appear Red Deer will be sellers.

3 – U.S. Division – The Wenatchee Wild have been busy since the break, and they have been winning, too! But it all still seems like they’re playing catch up after inheriting very little draft capital from the franchise’s Winnipeg ownership. The big pieces moved out this time around are import forward Kenta Isogai and goaltender Daniel Hauser, both 20-year-olds. Kudos to general manager Bliss Littler for finding dance partners willing to take on the relatively expensive rentals. In terms of acquisitions, everyone else has been quiet so far, but the deadline is still a couple of days away. Gotta think the Tri City Americans and Spokane Chiefs are on the phone. Are the Everett Silvertips prepared to stand pat? Seattle is selling.  

4 – B.C. Division – I think it’s an understatement to suggest the Victoria Royals have made a splash. It’s more like the Belly Flop World Championship? I really like the Royals deep dive to add significant offensive punch up front in Isogai, then Brandon Lisowsky from the Saskatoon Blades. They’re young on defence, but big and mobile. This group of rearguards will continue to benefit from working under head coach James Patrick. But do they need to add a veteran goaltender? All eyes are now on the Kelowna Rockets, with at least four high end skaters – two of them are imports – that could be on the move. Would general manager Bruce Hamilton deal within the Division? Prince George may have to beef up its backend, too. I don’t see Kamloops being particularly active, but the organization has a couple of really productive forwards and also five picks in the first two rounds at the 2025 WHL Draft. What do the Vancouver Giants have up their sleeve?

5 – East Division – It’s been well-documented the Saskatoon Blades have very little draft capital the next couple of years, so the deals that sent Lisowsky to Vancouver Island and Lukas Hansen to Calgary helped address this need. The next domino to fall could be defenceman Tanner Molendyk if general manager Colin Priestner is so inclined. The Blades can move some assets and build for the future without fear of missing the playoffs this season. The Regina Pats and Moose Jaw Warriors have been sellers all season long. Do the Brandon Wheat Kings, Swift Current Broncos or Prince Albert Raiders feel they might be a player or two away from advancing to the second round of the playoffs? Hey, it wouldn’t be a league championship run, but a little extra post-season ticket revenue is never a bad thing.

6 – WJC Fallout – An examination of the Team Canada roster confirms that four players – Gavin McKenna, Porter Martone, Jack Ivankovic and Matthew Schaefer – haven’t been drafted yet. But, every other player on the roster arrived at the tournament with a signed National Hockey League entry level contract in his pocket. These contracts are earned through hard work, determination and smart decisions by tremendously talented players. So, I’m going to park the “they’re just kids” narrative. The lack of discipline by the players during the preliminary round games was baffling because they bloody well know better and it continued in the quarter-final game. I’m not vilifying the players. The evidence speaks for itself.

7 – Leadership – Some very good coaches have told me over the years that with good teams, the players have the room…at least the team leaders do. I’m confident there are some players who would’ve liked to grab a teammate or two by the scruff of the neck to discuss their decision-making disorders on the ice. Fact is, the Canadian players lined up against their age-class peers in Ottawa and were soundly outplayed in at least three of its five tournament matches. All the chatter about success “5-on-5”? This is relevant, why? Eight shootout misses? Is that on the coaching staff? Sheesh! Players gotta play.

8 – “Accountability” – The big buzzword of late, isn’t it? A performance evaluation of coaches and management is totally fair. Head coach Dave Cameron doesn’t come across as a real likeable guy, which makes him an easy target, but I’d be surprised if the lunatic fringe could name even a couple of other members of the coaching staff. Cameron has had to answer for some historic losses by Team Canada at the WJC. If the likes of Mike Johnston, Sylvain Favreau, Chris Lazary, Justin Pogge and James Emery truly was the primary problem, I’d like to hear that from the players because these were all in the dressing room. Peter Anholt might not knock your socks off with charisma, but he is a brilliant hockey man, he doesn’t suffer fools and he’s never been shy to ensure players understand expectations. Al Murray has contributed to three Stanley Cup winning teams…’nuff said! Do any of the critics out there even know that Brent Seabrook was a member of the management team? I didn’t like hearing Scott Salmond apologize to the extent he did, but I suppose that has kind of become the way we fall on our sword in Canada. As is always the case, we’ll also find out after the fact about a player or two playing injured. The forensics at Hockey Canada will be done with great care and will be handled professionally by people far more intelligent than me. I’m also confident they won’t be looking to Twitter (“X”) for advice.

9 – Officiating – It’s long been a convenient narrative for Canadian hockey fans and media types to roll our eyes at the perceived absurdity of the IIHF rulebook and how officials call the games. I can certainly think of a few calls and non-calls that were absolute head-scratchers, but that’s not an unfamiliar part of the annual adventure at all IIHF tournaments. The decisions made by referees will be considered and assessed by those charged with supervising officials and I’m certain a couple of guys cost themselves opportunities to officiate at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games. But during this edition of the WJC, too many players chose to make the referees’ job incredibly easy by committing blatant fouls. That’s on the players.

10 – RANDOMS – Is there anything more chicken-bleep in hockey than a slew-foot?…Is there anything more relaxing than during a prairie winter than watching golf at Kapalua in early January?…Speaking of golf, how many WHL teams whiffed on former Saskatoon Blades goalie Austion Elliott from Strathmore, Alberta? He couldn’t find a home in the WHL as a 20-year-old this season, but he’s compiled a 16-0-0-0 record as a member of the OHL’s London Knights. Combine that with his 3-0-0-0 record for the Blades before he was released…The Calgary Hitmen and Prince George Cougars are the hottest teams in the WHL right now, rolling along a 8-2 in their last ten games…The two most penalized teams in the league are the Seattle Thunderbirds (599 minutes) and Medicine Hat Tigers (565). Interestingly, Seattle is in last place in the western conference standings. Medicine Hat is atop the standings in the eastern conference…Wouldn’t it would be nice if Canadians would hold the Prime Minister’s feet to the fire to the extent they are willing to vilify a national team head coach?…When was the last time the Kansas City Chiefs were shutout?…Happy New Year!

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