10 WHL Things By Glen Erickson, Volume XV

1 – WJC Roster – Hockey Canada announced the roster for its annual selection camp for the 2026 World Junior Championship. There is WHL content, including five skaters, one goalie, two coaches and some support staff. National Junior Team general manager Alan Millar, who had his hands full with the Regina Pats these past couple of seasons, took a full-time position with Hockey Canada to lead the team and everything involved. Brad Lauer (Spokane Chiefs) and Dan de Palma (Kamloops Blazers) will work with the coaching staff, de Palma primarily with the goaltenders. At first glance, the roster seems a bit “light” in terms of WHL players. Forwards Braeden Cootes (Seattle), Tij Iginla (Kelowna) and Carter Bear (Everett) join defencemen Ethan MacKenzie (Edmonton) and Carson Carels (Prince George). Goaltender Josh Ravensbergen (Prince George) will also participate. Team Canada will play two pre-tournament games against Sweden this week, Wednesday in Kitchener and Saturday in London. Look for TSN to provide plenty of notice on its telecasts that the 2026 edition marks its 50^th season bringing the WJC to live television.

2 – From Parts Unknown – Among the 27 players attending the training camp in Niagara Falls are some who will certainly be familiar to WHL followers. Gavin McKenna, Cole Reschny, Keaton Verhoeff, Jackson Smith and Harrison Brunicke, none of whom are playing in the DUB this season. All but Brunicke, who has played nine games with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the last one on November 3, are playing in the NCAA. The WHL included these players in its press release, citing their ties to the league. None of those from the DUB who chose the NCAA for this season are lighting it up offensively so far, but there is no debating their contributions to some of the previous successes for Hockey Canada programs. Brunicke was invited last season for the WJC but could not attend due to a shoulder injury. Iginla was also invited last season but underwent season-ending hip surgery in mid-December. McKenna looks to be the only player with WHL ties returning from last year’s entry at the WJC. The only other WHL returnee appears to be de Palma.

3 – Staff Sentiments – The list of invitees is always scrutinized and always criticized. The powers-that-be know this. “It’s not an all-star team,” said general manager Alan Millar. “We have to build what is really a true team. We prioritize hard skill over soft skill. Players that are only good with time and space, play on the perimeter, don’t compete, don’t help you win. We want players that play hard, get on the inside, finish their checks, go to the net, get into the hard areas. There are players that produce points and have success offensively, but you can’t trust them to help you win at this level.” I don’t completely agree with Millar’s take on this. Do you remember when Canadian teams would just relentlessly attack? They would aggressively dominate, suffocate opponents in the attacking zone. But for many years now, so much focus has become all about systems and how to defend. Of course, the smart hockey people aren’t asking me for any advice. Presumably, head coach Dale Hunter likes what he sees. “I’m thrilled for the opportunity to coach this exceptional group of young men as we head into the World Juniors,” said Hunter. “Our goal is clear – we’re going to Minnesota to compete for a gold medal. I’m excited to get to work, bring this team together and help these players play the kind of fast, disciplined, determined hockey Canadians expect.”

4 – What A Troublemaker – Have some fun with the piece on the WHL website that features Brandon Wheat Kings forward, Jordan Gavin. The 19-year-old from Surrey, B.C. heaved the puck over the glass midway through the first period in the Wheaties 7-4 win over the Regina Pats. He atoned for the transgression later in the contest by contributing two assists in the winning cause. Brandon acquired Gavin at the trade deadline last season in the deal that saw defenceman Charlie Elick land with the Tri City Americans. Gavin’s delay of game penalty against Regina was his first minor penalty as a member of the Wheat Kings, a span of 65 games. During his career with the Americans, Gavin’s wild side saw him collect a total of six penalty minutes in 180 games. But let’s be clear, Gavin is no shrinking violet. All told for his career, Gavin has played 247 games, regular season and playoffs combined, collecting 79 goals and 142 assists. A player in the DUB doesn’t put up those kinds of numbers without driving the net and willingly navigating high traffic areas. If in fact the best ability is availability, Gavin would seem to be a player who makes life easy for his coaches. He can be counted on to stay in the lineup and on the ice. He hasn’t missed a game since the 2022-2023 season.

5 – Okanagan Ups and Downs – Good news! The Kelowna Rockets have confirmed Vojtech Cihar is expected to join the team after the 2026 WJC. Cihar, who signed a ELC with the Los Angeles Kings last week, was acquired by the Rockets from the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the trade that also netted Kelowna Shane Smith, a 20-year-old forward. Can you imagine how the roster would look with a healthy Peyton Kettles penciled in every night? Alternatively, I really like guys who play with an edge, but I think Rockets forward Dawson Gerwing is attracting the wrong kind of attention. It began last season on January 29 with a one-game suspension for cross-checking. He was relegated to the sidelines for two games on the Rockets current road trip through the East Division after instigating “festivities” on the ice in Swift Current. This came on the heals of his three-game suspension November 8 for a boarding infraction in Victoria. Every future transgression will come along with “repeat offender” notoriety. I think Gerwing has to figure out how to stay on the ice, where he can be a valuable disruptor and help to create space for his teammates. Kelowna is 2-1 on its road trip through the East Division and plays in Moose Jaw, Saskatoon and Prince Albert this week before the break in the schedule.

6 – Chiefs Chatter – Have a week, eh? It would appear the Spokane Chiefs have little interest in becoming sellers as the trade deadline approaches. After adding 20-year-old forward Logan Wormald from Lethbridge this past week, the Chiefs also acquired overage import forward Dominik Petr and a future draft pick from the Saskatoon Blades in return for defenceman Kaden Allan and forward Elias Pul. Petr, from Czechia, becomes a two-spotter in Spokane, occupying a both an overage and an import spot on the roster. He scored nine goals and 20 assists this season and was the Blades’ second leading scorer at the time the deal was made. When he lands in Spokane, he will stand as the Chiefs’ top point-getter. Spokane now has a full complement of 20-year-olds (Sam Oremba; Wormald; Petr) and imports (Petr; goalie Linus Vieillard; and forward Assanali Sarkanov). Spokane sports a 16-16 record through 32 games. Also, Seattle Kraken forward Berkly Catton is on the shelf with an upper-body injury, listed as week-to-week, which will preclude him from being lent to Canada’s entry at the 2026 WJC. When the 19-year-old Saskatoon-native is healthy enough to return, is there any chance he lands back in the WHL with the Spokane Chiefs?

7 – 2026 WHL Prospects Game – I like this! Yes, it’s reminiscent of a typical all-star game, which I think is kind of overdue. We’ll see about 45 current WHLers at the festivities scheduled for February 18 at the Langley Events Centre. I like the East versus West concept and I’m curious to see how the league puts together the respective rosters. According to WHL Commissioner, Dan Near, “we’re looking forward to showcasing the league’s elite NHL Draft-eligible talent.” Assuming the NHL Central Scouting information will contribute to some degree to the roster building, I wonder how many current DUB players who were passed over at the 2025 NHL Draft will be tabbed to participate? More to come in the New Year. Stay tuned!

8 – 1987 WHL All Star Game – I last covered a WHL-specific glitter game almost 40 years ago. The All-Star Game was held in Regina at the Agridome on January 20, 1987. The East Division defeated the West Division, 4-3. There was plenty to unpack at that game in the Queen City, and indeed league-wide that season. I recall that a couple of weeks before the All-Star Game, there was the “Punch Up in Piestany” and for many, it was a big topic of conversation in Regina. That’s the WJC game where Team Canada and the Russians brawled in the Czech Republic and were both disqualified from the tournament. There were a handful of WHLers playing for Team Canada, who also participated in the All-Star Game, the likes of Theo Fleury, Glen Wesley, Greg Hawgood and others. And don’t forget that about a week before the scrap at the WJC, on December 30, 1986, that was the day the Swift Current Broncos bus crashed and four players lost their lives. Remember, this was all pre-Internet and pre-email. In his book, “When the Lights Went Out”, author Gare Joyce chronicled how the players on Team Canada were advised of the Broncos bus crash during the tournament in Czechoslovakia. A piece of paper with a list of the names of the deceased players was circulated among the players while they were on the Team Canada bus. That’s how they found out. And sadly that season, about six weeks after the All-Star Game, I was back in Regina on business and was at the game March 1, 1987 where the late Brad Hornung, then of the Regina Pats was seriously injured at the Agridome. He lived the rest of his life a quadriplegic after the check from behind in the contest that night against Moose Jaw. On the upside that season, Kamloops forward Rob Brown scored 76 goals and 136 assists in 63 games for 212 points to win the scoring title. That record still stands to this day. For me, it was perhaps the most emotionally challenging three months I ever experienced in association with the WHL.

9 – A Sum of Our Experiences – Others had similar experiences. The late Robin Brownlee, who I met a few times during the late 1990’s while I worked in the golf business in Edmonton, was a sportswriter for the Edmonton Journal back then. Brownlee covered the WHL early in his career and alluded to the Hornung injury in a piece he wrote about a similar check he witnessed by Evander Kane on Matt Benning in an NHL game while covering the Edmonton Oilers. In a February, 2018 piece for the Oilers Nation website, Brownlee wrote, “…that kind of hit – a push from behind near the boards – has been burned into my brain for more than 30 years now, dating back to a WHL game between the Regina Pats and Moose Jaw Warriors in March of 1987 when Hornung went head-first into the end boards. He never got up. Horning was rendered a quadriplegic. I was covering the WHL in Kamloops then and I’ve never forgotten it.” I know the feeling. As an official during my days in West Kelowna a couple decades ago, one of my weaknesses (of many, I suppose) was that I would tend to blow my whistle a little early when making icing calls. It earned me the odd wrist slap from evaluators and occasionally players, coaches and fans would lean on me, too. None of them would’ve had any idea that, at 24-years-of age, I’d sat in the Agridome about eight rows up from ice level right on the goal line the night Hornung hit the boards behind the Moose Jaw net. The speed with which I watched so many young players race toward the end boards on either very clear or very close icing calls, scared the hell out of me as a linesman. Even from my perch in the cheap seats these days, it still does.

10 – DUB Randoms – A real nifty piece on the WHL website that discusses officiating, what are referred to as “hotspots”. It provides some pretty clear explanations…The last night of play before the break in the schedule is December 19. Play resumes December 27…The Brandon Wheat Kings are on a bit of a roll, winners of six straight games, four of those on home ice and a Sunday victory in Edmonton over the Oil Kings. The Wheaties play in Red Deer and Medicine Hat this week before the break in the schedule…A nice introduction to the Penticton Vees and its fanbase for goaltender Ethan McCallum last week. Acquired from the Saskatoon Blades, McCallum earned an 18-save shutout in his first start for the Vees…Penticton played four games in five nights, winning three. They took a few teams to the woodshed. Following the 8-0 victory over Tri City on home ice, the Vees won in Seattle 5-1, then 8-1 in Portland, before dropping a 4-0 decision to the Winterhawks Sunday…The Saskatoon Blades played four games in five nights last week and really filled the net enroute to three consecutive wins before dropping a 5-4 nail-biter to the Prince Albert Raiders at SaskTel Centre on Sunday. Through the four games, the Blades outscored their opponents, 24-13…Prince Albert, which played three games in three nights and won them all, has won five in a row and sits atop the Eastern Conference standings after weekend play.

*DUB Randoms, Part Deux – Interesting score sheets from the weekend. In the Blades 3-2 win over the Warriors at Moose Jaw, forward Rowan Calvert accounted for all three goals. Not to be outdone, Roan Woodward scored three times for Victoria in the Royals 3-1 win over the Vancouver Giants at the Langley Events Centre. Both are 20-year-olds, good Saskatchewan lads born two days apart in September, 2005. Calvert is from Moose Jaw and Woodward from Nipawin…Woodward had a four-goal game this season, also against Vancouver back on September 27. Ryden Evers (Penticton), his teammate Matteo Danis, and Zach Olsen (Saskatoon) round out the quartet of players with a four-goal game so far this season…Brandon Wheat Kings players have accounted for seven hat tricks this season, the most by any one team. Joby Baumuller, Luke Mistelbacher and Chase Surkan have two each, while Jordan Gavin has one…A few WHL difference-makers the guys at Hockey Canada chose to pass over for its WJC selection camp; Cameron Schmidt, Terik Parascak, Bryce Pickford…Games in hand only matter if you win them…A huge loss for the entire WHL as Moose Jaw Warriors 19-year-old forward Lynden Lakovic, who hasn’t played since November 22, may be done for the season due to an upper body injury. Gotta think he was on Hockey Canada’s radar for the WJC…Medicine Hat (21-6-3-2) is on a heater, having won nine games in a row. The Tigers haven’t lost in regulation time since November 8, a 7-4 loss at home to Brandon. Medicine Hat’s final game before the break is Wednesday at Co-Op Place when the Wheaties come calling.

*Randomania – Asking for help is a show of strength…Stuart Skinner is now a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins, while Tristan Jarry returns to Edmonton to play with the Oilers. Jarry’s NHL playoff experience consists of eight games in total, none of those played since the spring of 2022. I think the Oilers will miss Skinner, as much or even more than the other former WHLer in the deal, defenceman Brett Kulak, who accompanies Skinner out of the Alberta Capital for The Steel City. Kulak, who played for the Vancouver Giants, hasn’t missed a regular season game in the NHL since the 2021-2022 season. The winner of the deal on trade day? Kyle Dubas and the Penguins. But, let’s see what the future holds. Skinner and Jarry won WHL championships with Swift Current (2018) and Edmonton (2014) respectively…PSA for the far-left ideologues among us; Crafting policy and spending taxpayer’s money while demanding Canadians loathe ourselves and our history, isn’t helping anyone focus on the value of national unity…I like that Bo Levi Mitchell re-signed with the Hamilton Tiger Cats. He’s still good for the league…Did you know you can buy a “smart” toilet these days? It has lighting so you can create ambience. Isn’t that a nice touch! It compelled comedian Bill Maher to opine, “let’s be honest, if it was really that smart, would it be a toilet?”…You have two ears and one mouth. Listen twice as much as you talk…Dick Van Dyke, born December 13, 1925, celebrated his 100^th birthday Saturday. Wow!

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