This is the second in a six-part series that will run over the course of the next two months as the 2018-19 Western Hockey League season draws to a close.
As each of the 22 teams wrap up their campaigns, we’ll look back at how their years went, how wrong Daily Herald sports reporter Lucas Punkari was in his assessments of each club and what the future holds for them.
Kamloops Blazers (28-32-6-2 – 3rd in BC Division – Lost to the Victoria Royals in six games)
What I Predicted:
Best Case Scenario:
Thanks to Dylan Ferguson’s netminding skills and an offence with a number of weapons, the Blazers have their best campaign since a run to the Western Conference final in 2013. Not only do they get the Memorial Cup hosting duties for 2020, but they are also able to land forward prospect Massimo Rizzo at last.
Worst Case Scenario:
Not only do they miss out on getting the Memorial Cup and Rizzo, Ferguson ends up starting his career in the pro ranks earlier than expected with the Vegas Golden Knights organization. With a younger back-end, the Blazers find themselves far back of their provincial rivals in the race for the division crown.
What Actually Happened:
After trading some veteran assets and finding themselves on the outside looking in, the Blazers rallied from seven points down in the final days of the regular season to force a tiebreaker game against the Kelowna Rockets. Not only did they knock their biggest rival out of the playoffs, but they also went back and forth with the Victoria Royals before losing in six games.
What Lies Ahead:
Although they lose Ferguson, Dylan Garand and Humboldt Broncos netminder Rayce Ramsay form an excellent young duo in between the pipes. The forward group should be a ton of fun to watch with a lot of exciting talent, which includes 2018 first round draft pick Logan Stankoven. If the defence continues to step up their play, this could be one of the best Blazers teams in years.
Seattle Thunderbirds (31-29-6-2 – 5th in the US Division – Lost to the Vancouver Giants in six games)
What I Predicted:
Best Case Scenario
They aren’t a flashy bunch, but the Thunderbirds lean on their veteran players to earn the third seed in the US Division and are a thorn in the side to Portland and Spokane throughout the campaign.
Worst Case Scenario
Languishing at the bottom of the standings, the Thunderbirds deal their older guys away and start a youth movement. As a result, they miss out on the post-season for the first time since 2012.
What Actually Happened:
Despite dealing Zack Andrusiak at the trade deadline and losing draft eligible prospect Dillon Hamaliuk to a season-ending knee injury in December, the Thunderbirds were one of the hottest teams in the second half as they made the playoffs and put up a strong fight against the Vancouver Giants.
A key part in their success was the play of netminder Roddy Ross, who posted a 16-5-1-2 record with a 2.76 goals against average and a .919 save percentage after coming over from the AJHL’s Camrose Kodiaks.
What Lies Ahead:
Although all three of their graduating overagers (Noah Philp, Sean Richards and Nolan Volcan) are forwards, there’s still strong weapons up front with Matthew Wedman, Henrik Rybinski, Payton Mount and Hamaliuk returning.
Ross will be back for a second season and the defence looks solid, especially if Jarret Tyszka comes back as an overager if he’s not signed by the Montreal Canadiens. This could be one of the teams to watch in the Western Conference next year.
Red Deer Rebels (33-29-4-2 – 5th in East Division – Lost to the Prince Albert Raiders in four games)
What I Predicted:
Best Case Scenario
The offence proves to be better than expected and the defensive play of Alexander Alexeyev and Dawson Barteaux makes the Rebels a team no one wants to face in the first round of the playoffs.
Worst Case Scenario
No one can score goals and the Rebels sell off Brandon Hagel and Alexeyev at the deadline for assets. Red Deer misses out on the playoffs for the first time since losing a tiebreaker game in 2014 and the fans want changes.
What Actually Happened:
The Rebels got off to a strong start and ended up adding to their roster by trading for Dallas Stars prospect Brett Davis and fellow 1999-born forward Cam Hausinger from the Kootenay Ice.
However, a late season swoon saw them just sneak into the post-season as they were swept aside by the top-ranked Prince Albert Raiders. An eight-game losing skid to wrap up the campaign happened without the services of Alexeyev, who suffered a knee injury against the Brandon Wheat Kings on March 8th.
What Lies Ahead:
With Alexeyev moving on to the Washington Capitals organization, Barteaux takes over as the anchor on defence and Ethan Anders will look to improve on his numbers in his third season as the starter.
The biggest question mark is up front, however, as leading scorers Jeff De Wit, Reese Johnson and Hagel all age out of juniors. If Davis doesn’t sign with Dallas, he and Hausinger could pace the offence, but the rest of the roster will need to step up their performances.
Tri-City Americans (34-28-5-1 – 4th in US Division – Lost to the Everett Silvertips in five games)
What I Predicted:
Best Case Scenario
A strong offensive core and Beck Warm’s goaltending allows the Americans’ young defence to settle in. The team improves a lot in the second half and they battle for home ice advantage.
Worst Case Scenario
The defence is a hot mess from the word go and the Americans end up trading Michael Rasmussen at the deadline, which leads them to miss out on a wildcard spot.
What Actually Happened:
Although Rasmussen never came back from the Detroit Red Wings, the Americans did strengthen their defence by adding overage Aaron Hyman from the Regina Pats. Warm was an absolute workhorse in goal all season as the Americans returned to the playoffs, but they didn’t have enough depth to match up with a strong Everett Silvertips side.
What Lies Ahead:
Warm should be back for his final season and although the offence will lose some weapons such as Parker AuCoin and Nolan Yaremko to graduation, they will have Riley Sawchuk and Sasha Mutala to lead the way, along with Kyle Olson if he doesn’t sign with the Anaheim Ducks. Once again though, the defence does look to be the question mark going forward as they’ll need a number of guys to step up in the points department.
Medicine Hat Tigers (35-27-4-2 – 4th in Central Division – Lost to the Edmonton Oil Kings in six games)
What I Predicted:
Best Case Scenario
With one of the best offences in the country and Jordan Hollett turning into one of the top netminders in his age group, the defence is able to find their legs and the Tigers go on to have their best season since winning the league in 2007.
Worst Case Scenario
Mason Shaw doesn’t return to the WHL and the defence is a hot mess, forcing the squad into a number of 8-7 thrillers. The Tigers season ends early yet again and head coach Shaun Clouston finds himself looking for a new gig.
What Actually Happened:
Shaw never came back as he started his pro career with the Iowa Wild, while Danish import Mads Sogaard became the main goalie for the Tigers. Despite some injuries and a few of the projected top forwards being traded away, the Tigers made the playoffs once again and gave the Edmonton Oil Kings quite a battle in the first round.
What Lies Ahead:
The forward group looks strong once again, with rookie Cole Sillinger set to enter the league on a full-time basis. In goal, Sogaard and incoming freshman Garin Bjorklund will take the reigns, which will make Hollett as a nice asset for a team looking for a 20-year-old netminder. However, the Tigers defence once again has some questions marks around it, especially since two of this year’s graduating overagers are on the blueline.
Portland Winterhawks (40-22-3-3 – 3rd in the US Division – Lost to the Spokane Chiefs in five games)
Best Case Scenario
With Cody Glass and Henri Jokiharju turning in two of the best campaigns in recent memory, the Winterhawks reach the top of the US Division and enjoy their best season since making the conference final in 2015.
Worst Case Scenario
Jokiharju ends up starting his pro career with the Chicago Blackhawks and Glass surprisingly makes the Vegas Golden Knights roster. As such, a younger Winterhawks squad spins their wheels and go out of the playoffs early in rather quiet fashion.
What Actually Happened:
Although Jokiharju made the jump to the pro ranks, the Winterhawks surprisingly got Danish import Joachim Blichfeld back from the San Jose Sharks and saw him lead the WHL in scoring with 114 points as an overager. Glass had the best point per games average in the league at a 1.82 clip, but those 69 points came in a not so nice 38 games as he missed time due to injuries and the World Juniors.
The Winterhawks were an exciting team, but they weren’t near the level of the Silvertips. The opening round loss in five games to the Spokane Chiefs has to be a huge disappointment, especially since they made a big splash at the deadline to get goaltender Joel Hofer from the Swift Current Broncos.
What Lies Ahead:
So how do you cope with losing Blichfeld and Glass up front? By having a ton of guys coming back with Lane Gilliss, Jake Gricius and Josh Paterson (who came over from the Saskatoon Blades) being overage candidates and youngsters Reece Newkirk, Cross Hanas and Seth Jarvis set to move into bigger roles.
The defence is a little on the younger side, especially with Brendan De Jong and Jared Freadrich graduating, but John Ludvig and Clay Hanus look set to lead the way. What remains to be seen is who take the reigns in goal. Shane Farkas can come back as an overager, but it’s hard to see the Winterhawks not making Hofer the starter, especially with the number of picks they gave up to land the St. Louis Blues prospect.
Moose Jaw Warriors (40-20-6-2 – 3rd in East Division – Lost to the Saskatoon Blades in four games)
What I Predicted:
Best Case Scenario
With a solid defence, the Warriors are able to find their footing on offence as more pieces develop to play with Justin Almedia. Adam Evanoff handles the reigns as a starter and the Warriors make their fourth straight trip to the playoffs.
Worst Case Scenario
Josh Brook and Jett Woo miss time due to injuries, Almedia can’t come close to his offensive production of a year ago and the goaltending is a mess. Head Coach Tim Hunter moves up to the pro ranks after the Warriors miss the post-season.
What Actually Happened:
The Warriors ended up finishing higher in the standings than many expected, with the line of Tristin Langan, Brayden Tracey and Almedia becoming one of the best in the country. The trio was limited to just four points in their opening round series with the Saskatoon Blades, though the series was a lot closer than the sweep would indicate.
What Lies Ahead:
Langan will age out of juniors and Almeida could also be leaving Moose Jaw as he’s a signed prospect of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Josh Brook is off to join the Montreal Canadiens system, but the defence still has Woo and Dameon Hunt to lead the way.
Evanoff should have a solid transition into being the full-time starter, but the Warriors will need a ton of guys to step up on offence to try and match Tracey’s production. The biggest question though is if Hunter will return for his sixth season with team or if he will take a pro opportunity.
Lethbridge Hurricanes (40-18-5-5 – 2nd in Central Division – Lost to the Calgary Hitmen in seven games)
What I Predicted:
Best Case Scenario
Jordy Bellerive and Dylan Cozens go beast mode on the entire league, while Calen Addison wins the defenceman of the year award. General Manager Peter Anholt makes a move for a high-end blueliner at the deadline and the Hurricanes make the final for the first time since 2008 ahead of hosting the 2020 Memorial Cup.
Worst Case Scenario
Bellerive struggles as he looks to get back on track from his off-season injuries, while import netminder Akira Schmid doesn’t have a great campaign as he gets used to playing in North America. In addition to missing out on getting next year’s Memorial Cup, the Hurricanes aren’t close to being a title threat and Anholt makes a move or two to solidify a younger core around Cozens and incoming rookie forward Zack Stringer.
What Actually Happened:
Shortly after losing the Memorial Cup bid to the Kelowna Rockets, the Hurricanes pushed their chips in by adding Nick Henry and Jake Leschyshyn from the Regina Pats. That move gave the team one of the most dynamic offences in the WHL as their 268 goals proved to be the second best in the regular season, although they were still well back of the 307 markers that the Prince Albert Raiders had.
However, the team’s netminding question wasn’t solved until late in the campaign. Schmid was lit up for seven goals in his debut against the Brandon Wheat Kings and was cut soon after, though the New Jersey Devils prospect would go on to play for Switzerland at the World Juniors and has a 2.13 goals against average with a .928 save percentage with the USHL’s Omaha Lancers at the moment.
Reece Klassen took over the starting duties after Schmid left, but he was dealt to the Spokane Chiefs at the trade deadline when Liam Hughes was brought in from the Seattle Thunderbirds. However, Hughes’ tenure in Lethbridge ended up being just six games as he left the team for personal reasons.
Rookie Carl Tetachuk then became the number one netminder and he put together a great freshman campaign, as the hometown product posted a 24-9-1-1 record with a 2.88 goals against average and a .900 save percentage.
Despite rattling off an eight-game win streak to end the regular season, the Hurricanes campaign ended much earlier than planned as they dropped a seven-game battle to the Calgary Hitmen on Tuesday at the home of the Lethbridge Pronghorns (the Nicholas Sheran Arena) as the World Men’s Curling Championship takes place at the ENMAX Centre. They kept their season alive with a wild 7-6 win Sunday in Calgary, but they were unable to dig themselves out of a 3-0 first period deficit in the series decider.
What Lies Ahead:
Tetachuk should continue to improve as a starter next season and the defence looks pretty solid with Addison leading the way, even if it is on the younger side.
However, the Hurricanes will lose a ton of firepower on offence as Jake Elmer and Taylor Ross will both age out, while Bellerive, Henry and Leschyshyn can all start their pro careers. Barring a dominant NHL pre-season, Cozens should be back for another year and the likes of Logan Barlage and Zack Stringer will become key pieces up front, but the depth is nowhere near what it was this season. Another playoff appearance seems likely, but don’t be surprised if Addison and Cozens both end up being targets for title contenders next January.
