WHL This Week: Oct. 6, 2016
It’s October and we’re only getting started! The 2016-17 Western Hockey League campaign is through two weeks of action and there’s been a wide array of conversation pieces as we inch further into the season.
From the Prince George Cougars sitting atop the CHL Top-10 Rankings to some jaw-dropping highlight reel plays, the on-ice entertainment has been nothing short of exactly that – entertaining. There’s been more than enough to talk about off the ice as well as teams shuffle around a variety of players in search of the ideal recipe for success.
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Perhaps at the top of the charts is four-pack of NHL signings over the past week. First, it was Kamloops Blazers defenceman Ondrej Vala, an undrafted free agent, signing a three-year entry level contract with the Dallas Stars last week. FULL STORY
This week, it was a pair of Swift Current Broncos blueliners putting pen to paper as Max Lajoie and Colby Sissons signed on the dotted line. FULL STORY
Lajoie, a draft pick of the Ottawa Senators, signed a three-year entry level contract with his club while Sissons, an undrafted free agent, struck a deal with the New Jersey Devils after attending their training camp this fall.
Finally, goaltender Carter Hart put his name to paper with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers after being drafted by the club in the second round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. FULL STORY
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Right down the line from the NHL signings of Vala, Lajoie and Sissons is the unveiling of the NHL Central Scouting Service’s Players to Watch List, which featured 52 names from the Western Hockey League, including the highly-anticipated Nolan Patrick of the Brandon Wheat Kings. FULL STORY
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The WHL unveiled rosters for the 2016 Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup this past week, pitting the best of the best from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. against one another in a prospect showdown. FULL STORY
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On the international stage, five WHL graduates – Braden Holtby, Carey Price, Jay Bouwmeester, Shea Weber and Ryan Getzlaf – won a World Cup Championship as members of Team Canada. FULL STORY
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The unsung heroes of the league often go unnoticed, but this past weekend provided an opportunity for the Swift Current Broncos to recognize one of their local heroes as athletic trainer Jamie LeBlanc worked his 1,000th CHL game. FULL STORY
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There was no shortage of key performances on the ice, but nothing topped the five-point outing put forth by Anaheim Ducks prospect and Regina Pats forward Sam Steel. This past Sunday, the 30th overall pick of the Ducks notched two goals and five points to fuel the Pats to a 7-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. Add in a two-goal night in his return from NHL camp on Friday and that amounted to seven points in two contests – good enough for WHL and CHL Player of the Week honours. FULL STORY
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The CHL Top-10 Rankings were unveiled Wednesday afternoon, with the upstart and undefeated Prince George representing the WHL atop the charts, while the Brandon Wheat Kings and Regina Pats also made appearances. FULL STORY
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Trade winds continued to swirl across the Western Hockey League with the trickle-down effect from the NHL having an impact on rosters across Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest United States.
Sept. 30 – Red Deer Rebels acquire forward Dawson Martin (1998) from the Calgary Hitmen in exchange for a sixth round pick in 2017.
Oct. 2 – Lethbridge Hurricanes acquire defenceman Brennan Riddle (1997) from the Prince Albert Raiders in exchange for a draft pick in 2018.
Oct. 3 – Red Deer Rebels acquire defenceman Jared Freadrich (1998) from the Regina pats in exchange for a fourth round pick in 2017.
Oct. 5 – Saskatoon Blades acquire forward Kolten Olynek (1996) off waivers from the Prince Albert Raiders.
Results
Sept. 30
Kootenay ICE 4 at Lethbridge Hurricanes 5
Saskatoon Blades 1 at Medicine Hat Tigers 5
Red Deer Rebels 4 at Moose Jaw Warriors 3 (OT)
Kelowna Rockets 1 at Prince George Cougars 4
Everett Silvertips 3 at Portland Winterhawks 3
Swift Current Broncos 5 at Prince Albert Raiders 2
Edmonton Oil Kings 3 at Regina Pats 6
Seattle Thunderbirds 4 at Vancouver Giants 2
Kamloops Blazers 0 at Victoria Royals 1
Oct. 1
Red Deer Rebels 2 at Brandon Wheat Kings 5
Saskatoon Blades 3 at Kootenay ICE 2
Calgary Hitmen 0 at Lethbridge Hurricanes 4
Edmonton Oil Kings 2 at Moose Jaw Warriors 3 (OT)
Kelowna Rockets 0 at Prince George Cougars 3
Portland Winterhawks 6 at Seattle Thunderbirds 1
Tri-City Americans 2 at Spokane Chiefs 5
Medicine Hat Tigers 3 at Swift Current Broncos 1
Kamloops Blazers 5 at Victoria Royals 2
Oct. 2
Swift Current Broncos 3 at Brandon Wheat Kings 2
Edmonton Oil Kings 2 at Prince Albert Raiders 5
Red Deer Rebels 2 at Regina Pats 7
Everett Silvertips 2 at Tri-City Americans 3 (OT)
Kamloops Blazers 1 at Vancouver Giants 3
Oct. 4
Moose Jaw Warriors 3 at Kootenay ICE 2
Portland Winterhawks 3 at Swift Current Broncos 7
Oct. 5
Tri-City Americans 1 at Everett Silvertips 3
Kelowna Rockets 6 at Lethbridge Hurricanes 3
Moose Jaw Warriors 4 at Medicine Hat Tigersr 5 (OT)
Portland Winterhawks 5 at Prince Albert Raiders 3
Kamloops Blazers 4 at Red Deer Rebels 5
Victoria Royals 3 at Vancouver Giants 2
Oct. 6
Prince Albert Raiders 0 at Saskatoon Blades 2
Weekend Schedule
Oct. 7
Swift Current Broncos at Brandon Wheat Kings
Kamloops Blazers at Calgary Hitmen
Kelowna Rockets at Edmonton Oil Kings
Tri-City Americans at Everett Silvertips
Portland Winterhawks at Moose Jaw Warriors
Vancouver Giants at Prince George Cougars
Medicine Hat Tigers at Red Deer Rebels
Kootenay ICE at Regina Pats
Victoria Royals at Seattle Thunderbirds
Lethbridge Hurricanes at Spokane Chiefs
Oct. 8
Kamloops Blazers at Medicine Hat Tigers
Kootenay ICE at Moose Jaw Warriors
Vancouver Giants at Prince George Cougars
Kelowna Rockets at Red Deer Rebels
Brandon Wheat Kings at Regina Pats
Portland Winterhawks at Saskatoon Blades
Victoria Royals at Spokane Chiefs
Prince Albert Radiers at Swift Current Broncos
Lethbridge Hurricanes at Tri-City Americans
Oct. 9
Edmonton Oil Kings at Saskatoon Blades
