THE WEDNESDAY THRILLER … WITH PHIL ANDREWS

Voice of the Pats Phil Andrews

What a week it has been, in the best way possible.

We got a taste of hockey again as the Regina Pats held their 2014 spring training camp, we enjoyed the inaugural Chris Getzlaf & Friends Golf Classic and the Riders and CKRM announced their broadcast extension!

First of all I will start with the Pats. In talking with head Coach Malcolm Cameron he said this was the most skilled group of guys he’s seen in his three years with the organization at Spring Camp. The skill was evident as was the sheer size of the players. None were bigger than Luc Smith at 6’4″, 202 lbs. He signed a standard WHL Player agreement on Sunday after the camp concluded.  He had a solid spring camp.  2014 1st round pick goaltender Jordan Hollett also signed with the team after camp.  Hollett is already 6’3″ at 15 years old. He is an exciting prospect and also looked good on the weekend.

I was also impressed with Jake Elmer, the Pats’ 6th round pick in 2013. He grew four inches from last year’s camp and had a great season with the Edge School Elite 15’s midget club.  He scored 37 goals and added 34 assists for 71 points which was tied for the team lead.

Sam Steel was the best player on the ice on the weekend. He is healthy and was dominant. Steel will be an exciting player to watch this coming season. Steel had some tough luck last year with injuries and spent the end of the season with the Pats, and there is no doubt he will make the team as a 16 year old this year in my opinion.

A lot of people have been asking me these days how the Pats will be next season. Here is my assessment:

The Pats roster will go through some pretty serious changeover in 2014/15. The team loses Dyson Stevenson (38 goals), Chandler Stephenson (30 goals), Boston Leier (33 goals) and Jesse Zgraggen (37 points).  Chandler is entering his overage year but its almost a guarantee he will be in Hershey of the AHL.

It’s not all gloom and doom however for the Blue & White. Dryden Hunt and Connor Gay are coming off breakout seasons as 18 year olds. Hunt, after missing all but two games the season before, scored 20 goals and 40 points. Gay was a call up in 2012/13 and went from one goal to 19 and 43 points last season. They will be key pieces this year.

Morgan Klimchuk will be back for his 19-year old season, unless of course he makes the Flames. In 57 games last year he scored 30 goals and added 44 assists. He is entering what will likely be his last year of junior hockey, he will have a good year.

Max Kammerer has had a year to get acquainted with the WHL.  He is so skilled and could be poised to put up some decent numbers.  He led Team Germany in scoring at the U18 World Championships this year.  Adam Brooks, Rylee Zimmer and Austin Wagner will also be looking top take a step forward in the coming year.  Carter Hansen is back for his 19 year old season, he was a mainstay in the Pats grind line that was so good down the stretch.

On the back end the Pats return everyone except Jesse Zgraggen. Captain Kyle Burroughs, Colby Williams, Dmitry Sinitsyn, Isaac Schacher, Chase Harrison, Griffin Mumby and Brady Reagan. Sinitsyn is coming into his 20 year old season and I would guess he will be on the team. He played a lot of minutes last year, and it would be tough to replace that.

That leaves Logan McVeigh, Braden Christoffer, Patrick D’Amico and Dawson MacAuley as the other potential overagers. Some interesting decisions to make there.  Glad I’m not the one making them, all good guys, and good players.

Daniel Wapple is without a doubt the starting goalie this season, he will games for this team.

Then there are the young guys looking to crack the roster. Colton Kroeker is coming off a great season where he led the South Delta Prep club and the prep league in scoring with 58 points in 28 games. 24 of those were goals.

Add Luc Smith, Jake Elmer, Rykr Cole, Dane Schioler, Jared McAmmond, Adam Berg, Brady Third, Sean Richards and Riley Woods to the list of possible rookie forwards.

On the back end there are Liam Schioler, Brady Pouteau, Nathyn Mortlock, William Lovell, Andrew McCann, Ryan Krushen, Nikolas Koberstein, Brendan Kallis, James Hilsendager and Jared Freadrich.

The potential backup goaltenders, Tyler Fuhr, Kurtis Chapman and Tyler Brown.

No question there is depth in this organization, the future looks bright from where I stand.

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Voice of the Riders Rod Pedersen at the podium

620 CKRM and the Saskatchewan Roughriders announced a multi-year broadcast extension Tuesday morning. The picture above is from the news conference at Pilsner Place in Mosaic Stadium.  A great morning!  Rider Radio isn’t going anywhere.

Meanwhile if you haven’t yet, buy and watch the Rider DVD All In.  Unbelievable.  Goosebumps all over is a guarantee.

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The CFL Labour talks continue to be front and centre here in the province. I was unsure of where I really stood on the whole issue until talking with Rider Radio colour analyst Carm Carteri on Saturday and then again on the Sportscage on Monday.

The thing that stuck out the most to me was the fact that the league has offered bonuses to players who report to camp.  Rough math makes the money available at 1.2 or 1.3 million dollars.  Why not add that to the salary cap and the players are happy?  But the league only wants to make it a one-time thing.  Like Carm said on Monday, the money is obviously there.  I want to see football start on time but I do think the players deserve more money based on the revenue coming in.

The second thing that really struck me is how liberally teams spend money on their staff.  Look at Hamilton, hiring George Cortez, firing him a year into his four year deal, buying him out and then paying Kent Austin. That money doesn’t count towards the cap but that’s over a million dollars. Teams have money and are willing to spend it on coaches, why not give a little more to the players?  I don’t blame teams for paying coaches big money or spending dollars for special training camps or whatever, that’s their prerogative.  I do think however, everyone deserves a piece of the pie.

I’m no expert but from where I am sitting this just doesn’t add up.

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It looks to me like the L.A. Kings are going to win their second Stanley Cup in three years. The Kings look almost unbeatable.  They might even be better than the team that went all the way in 2012.  Marion Gaborik has been great.  What a pick up he was this year!  The Blackhawks might win at home tonight but there is no way they win this series in my opinion.

The challenger for the Cup will be the New York Rangers.  They have had an outstanding post season. Yes they lost Game 5 last night on the road but they will win at home in game 6. Henrik Lundquist will bounce back, no question about it.

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The Toronto Blue Jays are is first place in the AL East.  They lead the majors in home runs and were the fourth team to get to 30 wins.  Edwin Encarnacion is a beast – 13 home runs in May – a franchise record. the pitching is better and the defense has been lights out.  I know it’s only May but the excitement is building.  Much like the Leafs however, I won’t be planning any parades or trips to a post season game.

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The Regina Red Sox have started training camp ahead of opening weekend. The Sox are on the road Friday to play the Weyburn Beavers in their season opener. The home opener is Sunday at 2 pm against Swift Current.  Scott Douglas is the new manager this year.  Looking forward to another good season of baseball in Regina.

That’s it for today, have a good week.

Phil
@PhilTheThrill18

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