NEUGSIE’S CENTENNIAL CUP PRIMER

By: Jamie Neugebauer
Voice of the ND Hounds/DUBNetwork MJ Warriors Beat Writer

As the Estevan Centennial Cup approaches on Thursday, beginning at noon live on the Hockey Canada stream, I thought instead of my usual ‘Around the Rinks’, I would go through the 10 teams in the field and take you behind the scenes with some of my prep. I also mean for this to be my pre-tournament power ranking, though who knows how teams will look at this stage once the puck is really dropped!

I’ll start from 1, the top team heading in, and down to 10.

1. Brooks Bandits, Alberta Junior Hockey League: Nobody with any sense would put anyone but the CJHL’s No. 1 team as the big pre-tournament favourites. In fact, they were in this spot all year, and nothing during the season changes it. They have stars at this level all over the ice, but my biggest question mark for them is the health of Zach Bookman, the best defenceman by a mile in Junior A hockey in Canada this year. The Merrimack commit had 102 points in the regular season AS A DEFENCEMAN, and was over a point-per-game in the playoffs until he got hurt early in the final vs. Spruce Grove. If he’s not 100 percent, does it matter? Michigan commit T.J. Hughes will be the centre of attention after his 66-goal campaign, and there is little doubt that 2003-born Wisconsin committed Dman Boston Buckberger is going to be picked in the mid-rounds of the NHL Draft this summer. Do not want to belabour the point, but they are big pre-tournament favourites.

2. Estevan Bruins, Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League: I think the value of home-ice advantage is what rockets them ahead of one or two others, but the way they totally shut down a very, very good Flin Flon Bombers team at home in the SJHL finals, to the tune of four goals against in four games, means this team has bought totally into what coach Jason Tatarnic is preaching – solid, unselfish, shot-blocking, defence-first hockey…aka winning hockey. Olivier Pouliot is the type of talent that could dazzle any junior hockey game right now and lead by a whole pack of Major Junior vets, including Memorial Cup experienced Eric Pearce and SJHL Playoff MVP goaltender Boston Bilous (who were both monsters in the SJHL final), there is nothing underdog about this club to me. Until they face Brooks. Keep an eye on Dayton Deics, an uncommitted offensive defenceman who never seems to be in trouble in his own end either.

3. Summerside Western Capitals, Maritime Junior Hockey League: I think there was not a lot of competition for them out east, but Felix-Anthony Ethier more than did his job in net, and in Union College, NCAA D1 commit Colby MacArthur they have a very real game-breaker at the Junior A level. Ed McNeill is as good a power play QB as any D-man in this tournament too, and as a first-class organization, their players will be very well-prepared for this. They have a lot of QMJHL experience too, not that THAT is the be-all and end-all, but this is a dangerous group.

4. Flin Flon Bombers, Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League: I was on incredible Flin Flon broadcaster Rob Hart’s show before OT in Estevan in the all-important Game 5 of the final, and he asked me if I was surprised the Bombers were putting up a fight. I was stunned! I absolutely ADORE the way local boy Mike Reagan has put together this squad, and the SJHL final could absolutely have gone either way. They were maybe 5.8 seconds away from winning it all even though they were incredibly banged up a few weeks ago, and with arguably the tournament’s best D-Corps, with time to rest and heal, this team should absolutely do well if you ask me. Captain Zack Smith, coming off a 17-point post-season and a dominant final, is made for the type of hockey we’re going to see at the Centennial: heavy, tough, tight, as is 6-6 bulldozer, Drew Kuzma. Rylan Thiessen’s health on the back end would be massive, and Xavier Lapointe was the best Dman in the SJHL this past year. Cal Schell was nothing short of spectacular almost all year in the sticks.

5. Pickering Panthers, Ontario Junior Hockey League: What a turnaround this organization has seen since I left that league!? They were the pits! Former Toronto Maple Leaf and Panthers’ head coach Rob Pearson and his staff have essentially merged the players and resources of the now-defunct Whitby Fury with the Panthers (two communities nearby) and brought in a crew that is deeper and comes at you in waves, more than it has superstars. They had a wild 7-game series with the Toronto Jr. Canadians in the OJ final that only recently ended, so the confidence and mojo should still be going, and one-time Ontario Hockey League No. 1 goaltender Zach Roy has a solid chance to be the best netminder at this event. Brendan Tomilson, the captain, is the man to watch on the blue line, after his 17-assist post-season.

6. Longueuil College-Francais, Quebec Junior Hockey League: Look, there is tons and tons of skill on this team, not the least of which belonging to CJHL Forward of the Year nominee Maxime Gagne, who had 40 goals and 94 points in the regular, but here’s the but: the reputation of the league is very offensive and very open, and while the talent on this club could give absolutely anyone a headache, because of the style they are used to, I had the hardest time slotting them in. The addition of Tommy Bouchard from their blood rival Grand Falls at the deadline was money, and he was unstoppable, while goaltender Simon Berube had some good moments and some OKAY ones. Whatever happens, their games will be non-stop entertainment.

7. Dauphin Kings, Manitoba Junior Hockey League: This is a well-built, hard-working squad I want to see prove me wrong. Carson Cherepak was a revelation in the net after his move from Sherwood Park in the Alberta League, and captain Parker Malchuk has been an absolute monster all year. Mathew Rathbone, a Former SJHLer with Weyburn, has had a massive playoff almost out of nowhere, and it is the tenacity of guys like him that helped this great organization out-slug fellow Manitoba giants Steinbach in their league final. U of Saskatchewan commit Colby Jaquet is as slick as they come on the back end in this event, and I am a huge, huge fan of the speed and tenacity of Nakodan Greyeyes, who returned mid-season to Dauphin after a stint in the States. He is worth the price of admission himself! Do you want underdogs to love? Check out the Kings.

8. Ottawa Jr. Senators, Central Canadian Hockey League: This club, much like Summerside, really really rolled over their respective league, and William Desmarais in net is diminutive, but plays like a giant, and could stonewall anyone on any given night…so take this team lightly at your peril. They really are only low here because I don’t believe they had the strongest league this year, When they play I will have my eyes glued to the University of Maine commit Bodie Nobes, the son of the great Kelly Nobes, an incredible Canadian university coach whom I worked with once upon a time, and who tragically has passed away. Bodie has a great blend of skill and bite, and my pals coaches Ben Barr and Jason Fortier in Maine are going to love him (and so are you).

9. Soo Thunderbirds, Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League: They rely an awful lot on a very young boy in net in 2004-born Noah Metivier, but he had a massive year and playoffs and is emblematic of the fact that youth is where you should be paying attention to this team. The big star, that I’m sure will have NHL (yes, NHL) scouts interested is 2005 (!!) born defenceman Andrew Gibson, who has already had a taste of the Ontario Hockey League, and scored 21 goals as a mostly-16-year-old defenceman in a Junior A hockey league. At 6-foot-3, 190-pounds, and a right shot, my buddy John Dean, the head coach with the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds, for whom the La Salle, Ont. native had six games, absolutely raves about him. There are a lot of local Soo boys on this team, so watch for a lot of passion where the Birds are concerned. They should also have lots of momentum: they overturned a 3-0 deficit in the league final vs. Hearst!

10. Red Lake Miners, Superior International Hockey League: I, like many, thought the Kam River Walleye would cruise their way to the Centennial, so the surprise, when it was the Miners who are coming west, was at least moderate. Coached by ex-NHLer Geoff Walker, they are almost all 2001 and 2002-born players and are led by 36-goal man Jordan Baranesky upfront. A couple of interesting SJHL connections here with Mathieu Belanger, the former Weyburn Red Wing who had a really solid playoff, and hard-nosed former La Ronge Ice Wolves’ forward Carter Albrecht, whom I expect to bring some of that La Ronge peskiness to Miners games. This is going to be a great experience for this crew!

(Follow Jamie on Twitter at @Neugsie)