Glen Erickson’s 10 DUB Things, Volume II
Photo: MJ Warriors
By Glen Erickson
Opening weekend has come and gone. Let’s get to it!
1 – CHL Top 10: The rankings early on are always interesting as they’re published before the teams hit the ice. Out of the gate, with assistance from NHL Central Scouting, three WHL teams appeared in the Top 10. The Medicine Hat Tigers were ranked first in the nation, along with the Prince George Cougars (#7) and Kelowna Rockets (#10). The teams will jockey for positions on the weekly rankings, which will take shape based more on wins and losses as the season progresses. Medicine Hat took care of business on the weekend with a 4-2 win over the Edmonton Oil Kings at home in front of 4,822 spectators at Co-Op Place. The Rockets dropped its home opener to the Portland Winterhawks on Saturday (4,508), while the Cougars entertained a total of 8,384 fans over two nights while collecting a win and an OT loss over the Spokane Chiefs at the CN Centre.
2 – Has it Really Been 15 Years?: It’s funny how a specific achievement can bring back memories. Note the performance this past weekend by Roger McQueen of the Brandon Wheat Kings, who tallied four times on opening night in a 5-2 win over the Moose Jaw Warriors Friday at Westoba Place. He also picked up a pair of assists Saturday as Brandon knocked off the Pats in Regina, 5-1. The last time a player scored four goals on opening night in the WHL was back on September 17, 2009. I was in Prospera Place that night in Kelowna, working the radio broadcast for the Vancouver Giants alongside play-by-play legend, Morley Scott. Rockets import forward Stepan Novotny scored four times in the contest – he could’ve had six – but the Giants eked out a 6-5 road win to open the 2009-2010 season. The winning goal was kind of odd…it came in overtime on a shorthanded penalty shot by Giants forward Craig Cunningham.
3 – 2025 NHL Draft: I’ve always been partial to Bob McKenzie’s rankings. It goes back to my days reading the Hockey News when McKenzie was an editor. That’s way back when I’d scour the newsprint. Remember newsprint? McKenzie has pegged McQueen as the WHL’s top skater to start the 2024-2025 campaign, the sixth-ranked prospect overall. McQueen, from Saskatoon, is a graduate of the Saskatoon Stallions and Blazers programs. The Wheat Kings selected McQueen in the first round, fourth overall at the 2021 WHL Bantam Draft. He’s been on the Hockey Canada radar, too, with a U17 World Hockey Challenge, Hlinka Gretzky Cup and U18 World Junior Championship under his belt. Now in his third full season with the Wheaties, McQueen managed 51 points in 53 games last season. At 6’5 and 193 pounds, the lanky, right-handed shooting forward will be hard for scouts and opponents to ignore. He’ll celebrate his 18th birthday next week, on Wednesday. October 2.
4 – More 2025 NHL Draft: At number 20 in McKenzie’s ranking is Prince George Cougars goaltender Joshua Ravensbergen. NHL organizations have absolutely fallen in love with 6’5 netminders over the past decade or two and Ravensbergen certainly checks that box. At 6’5 and 192 pounds, he’s already NHL-sized. The North Vancouver product didn’t hear his name called when he was eligible for the WHL Bantam Draft, but the Cougars were paying close attention as he performed for the Vancouver Northwest U-18 triple-A Hawks in the BC Elite Hockey League. In 38 WHL appearances last season, Ravensbergen compiled at 26-4-1-1 record, 2.46 goals against average and a .907 save percentage. In the playoffs, the numbers got better! He went 9-2-1 with a 1.98 GAA and .938 save percentage as the Cats fell just a couple of wins short of the WHL Championship Series. It’s heady stuff for a rookie goalie, who also earned an invitation to the Hockey Canada’s National Junior Team Summer Showcase last month. The last WHL goalie chosen in the first round at the NHL Draft? Sebastian Cossa of the Edmonton Oil Kings went 15th overall to the Detroit Red Wings in 2021.
5 – 20/20 Vision: I’ve always enjoyed watching the careers of the WHL’s overage players continue to evolve. There are only 66 spots available for them among the 22 WHL teams and many of them will never play in the NHL. The teams do not have to carry a full complement of three overagers but most choose to do so. The 20’s can be invaluable as mature, experienced leaders, used to the rigors of a career in the WHL. I always watch closely in mid-October when the teams are required to firm up their three overage players. Some teams like to keep a veteran goaltender, and occasionally an overage import player will stick around…also known as a two-spotter. Of course, things can change among 20-year-olds up until the WHL trade deadline in early January, and in some cases, they’ll even change leagues! Most of these players ultimately benefit from the WHL Scholarship Program, destined for Canadian universities and USports hockey where they can continue to play at an elite level.
6 – It’s Extraordinary: The Landon Dupont era in Everett began this past weekend, as the Silvertips played their home opener in front of 6,247 spectators at Angel of the Winds Arena. Dupont is only the second player granted exceptional status in the WHL, the other being Connor Bedard. Prior to Bedard, an exceptional status application by Matthew Savoie, the first player selected at the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft, was denied. Dupont, who produced 62 points in 30 games last season for the Edge Academy U18 team as a 14-year-old, is now 15 years old, but will not celebrate his 16th until May 28, 2025. The Calgary-native, a right-handed shooting defenceman, chipped in with an assist and a plus-2 rating in the Silvertips opening night loss, 4-3 to the visiting Vancouver Giants. “He’s the whole package,” opined Mike Fraser, who at the time was the Silvertips assistant general manager speaking with CBC Calgary at the 2024 WHL Bantam Draft. “He’s got great skating and edges, scoring ability, great skill, smarts. I think he’s a bit of an underrated defender as well.”
7 – Better Late Than Never: If you like to keep a close eye on WHL rosters, try to note how certain youngsters emerge early on, particularly the players selected in the late rounds at the annual bantam draft. One of the coolest examples I recall is WHL alum Darren Helm. He was a ninth-round bantam pick in 2002 by the Medicine Hat Tigers who, in his third WHL campaign, contributed to the Tigers 2007 league championship and played in the Memorial Cup. Earlier that season, he won a gold medal at the 2007 World Junior Championship as a member of Team Canada. A fifth-round pick in 2005 by the Detroit Red Wings, he had his name engraved on the Stanley Cup as a 21-year-old. Then, 14 years later, he won the Stanley Cup again as a member of the Colorado Avalanche. High draft picks will always receive the bulk of media attention and in many cases, more chances to play and longer looks throughout their careers. But a case can certainly be made for the concept of “better late than never”.
8 – Eight is Enough: A player I’m watching out of the gate? Forward Tommy Lafreniere of the Kamloops Blazers, a 2022 eighth-round pick, 174th overall. Kamloops has been referred to as “little Montreal” in hockey circles over the years, given the organization’s successes over the years and its somewhat lively and frenzied fanbase. Coincidentally, that’s where Lafreniere was born – near Montreal. He played minor hockey in Quebec prior to three seasons at the Yale Academy in Abbottsford. If the numbers are accurate, the 5’11, 171-pounder has grown about five inches and added almost thirty pounds to his frame since being drafted by the Blazers. Kamloops plays in a nifty building with a supportive following and while the Blazers might be in tough among BC Division teams this season, I always watch with interest how young teams improve and evolve.
9 – Take A Break: The teams will rest a bit and practice all week, then return to action Friday night. Taking the week off from regular season games this time of year will allow for a number of players to return from NHL training camps. So, expect a few WHL teams to ice different rosters next weekend. It will be a pretty busy weekend, as all but six teams will play at least twice. The Wenatchee Wild are the first team to play three games on consecutive nights – at home to Spokane Friday, on the road Saturday in Seattle, then back at home Sunday to host Prince George. These three-in-three weekends can be an absolute grind. The first mid-week games on the schedule, which typically do not produce great results at the gate, will be played on Wednesday, October 2 in Calgary and Kelowna.
10 – From the Booth: He’s baaaaaack! Martin Ring has assumed the position at the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert for another season, riding shotgun beside new play-by-play voice Nick Nielsen on the Raiders broadcasts. “Marty” has a long and varied history in the WHL, as his parents were long-time supporters, billeting many players over the years including Leon Draisaitl. You might even hear his mother, Carol, occasionally perform the national anthem. It all started more than 20 years ago in the booth when then play-by-play voice Brian Munz asked Ring to sit in on a broadcast. Ring possesses a wealth of WHL and Raiders hockey knowledge and will tell you he’s really enjoyed the ride as colour commentator, especially a particularly emotional night I recall that left him somewhat speechless on the air for a few moments. It was May 13, 2019…the night the Raiders defeated the Vancouver Giants, 3-2 in game seven on home ice in overtime to win the organization’s second WHL championship. Unforgettable!
RANDOMS…Portland, Saskatoon and Brandon played two games each and provided offensive outbursts. The Blades scored a total of 13 times, while the Wheat Kings and Winterhawks score 10 goals apiece…The Lethbridge Hurricanes were the stingiest team this past weekend, allowing only two goals while collecting a pair of victories. The Swift Current Broncos surrendered 13 goals in two lopsided losses to Saskatoon. The only team that did not play this past weekend? The Calgary Hitmen…I could be mistaken, but it appears the Victoria Royals, who hosted the Tri City Americans twice on the weekend, doesn’t have a radio broadcast partner yet this season. At least I couldn’t find a broadcast on the airwaves. Remy Zanotto was introduced as the new play-by-play voice; on Friday. The game sheet online on opening night only provided a link to “Away Audio”, which was the ever-versatile Craig Beauchemin on the call for the Amerks. I’d tell you to “stay tuned”, but I can’t tell you where to dial in. Maybe Facebook?…A great take by Mike Stackhouse on the Rod Pedersen Show website in his 10 Weekend Things on Sunday. Give point #2 a read. In fact, read it twice and let it percolate. Then later in his commentary, his gentle rip at Taylor Swift just nails it again. Gotta like his stance on the hypocrisy of sports fans…Some sports figures I’d like to see write a “tell all” book: Dennis Beyak, Peter Loubardias, Kevin Muench, Marlon Martens, Mark O’Meara…With the win in Calgary on Saturday night, it’ll be an “up week” in September for Saskatchewan Roughriders fans. Finally! Trust me, it’s been awhile.
(Glen Erickson is a freelance WHL writer based in Medicine Hat, AB)
McQueen = Sundin