This is the fourth of a six part series that will during the playoffs as the 2018-19 Western Hockey League season draws to a close.
As each of the 22 clubs 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.
Spokane Chiefs (40-21-2-5 – 2nd in the US Division – Lost to the Vancouver Giants in five games)
What I Predicted:
Best Case Scenario
With two of the best players in the WHL (Jaret Anderson-Dolan and Ty Smith) on their roster and a breakout campaign from Dawson Weatherill in goal, the Chiefs are a well-oiled machine in the US Division and enjoy their best season since winning the Memorial Cup in 2008.
Worst Case Scenario
Weatherill stumbles in goal and the team is forced to find a replacement. The Chiefs make it to the playoffs again but are nowhere near a title threat.
What Actually Happened:
The goaltending was an issue early on with Bailey Brkin eventually platooning with Reece Klassen after Weatherill suffered an injury, while Anderson-Dolan didn’t become a full-time member of the team until after the World Juniors due to a wrist injury and a brief stint with the Los Angeles Kings to start the campaign.
Once everything came together though, the Chiefs were tough to stop, as they knocked out the Portland Winterhawks and the Everett Silvertips in impressive fashion on their way to the first trip to the Western Conference final since 2011.
What Lies Ahead:
Although they’ll lose Luc Smith and Riley Woods to graduation and both Anderson-Dolan and Jake McGrew can start their pro careers, the offence should still be a strength for the Chiefs as Eli Zummack, Adam Beckman and Luke Toprowski can all return.
With that said, the back end could be dramatically different. Brkin should have the inside track for the starting goaltending job over fellow overager Klassen, but the defence could suffer a massive blow if Ty Smith ends up making the New Jersey Devils out of training camp and starts his NHL career a year early.
Edmonton Oil Kings (42-18-4-4 – 1st in Central Division – Lost to the Prince Albert Raiders in six games)
What I Predicted:
Best Case Scenario
The defence improves dramatically and the additions on offence quickly gel with Trey Fix-Wolansky. The Oil Kings rocket up the standings to return to the playoffs, while Brad Lauer gets consideration for Coach of the Year.
Worst Case Scenario
Nothing is solved when it comes to who starts in goal and the Oil Kings find themselves near the bottom of the division again. Fix-Wolansky gets traded at the deadline and the team begins to build around Matthew Robertson, Jake Neighbours and Dylan Guenther.
What Actually Happened:
The best case scenario did occur, but it turned out to be even better than expected as the Oil Kings made it to the conference final for the first time since they won the Memorial Cup in 2014. Obviously, the play of Fix-Wolansky played a huge part in that, but the team itself was much stronger than the casual observer might have assumed when looking at the stat sheet.
What Lies Ahead:
With a strong defensive group (headlined by overager Conner McDonald and a potential first round pick at the 2019 NHL draft in Robertson), a trio of netminders (overager Dylan Myskiw, Todd Scott and incoming rookie Sebastian Cossa) and a bevy of young forwards (Neighbours, Josh Williams and last year’s first overall pick Guenther), things look bright for the Oil Kings ahead of the upcoming season.
They should be in the mix for another division title, but how they replace their three graduating forwards (Quinn Benjafield, Andrew Fyten and Vince Loschaivo) and their leading scorer in Fix-Wolansky (who seems to set to join the Columbus Blue Jackets system) is the biggest question mark they will face in the coming months.
