If you knew Skinner in the WHL, it is easy to cheer for him

Stuart Skinner raises the Ed Chynoweth Cup in 2018.

“Skin-Ner.”

Inevitably, that would be something Stuart Skinner heard every time played goal in an opposing WHL rink. In suiting up for three-and-a-half seasons with the Lethbridge Hurricanes and a half campaign with the Swift Current Broncos from 2014 to 2018, someone in an opposing rink would inevitably get up and bellow out “Skin-Ner” is his or her best imitation of Simpsons character superintendent Gary Chalmers.

During the 2018 WHL Playoffs as Skinner was backstopping the Broncos to a WHL championship win, he was asked about that heckle. The star netminder, who was 19-years-old at the time, took that noise with some amusement.

“I’ve been around it for four years,” said Skinner at that time. “I hear it every place I go.

“I like it. I think it gives more energy and kind of gets me pumped up.”

These days Skinner, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 230 pounds, is a 25-year-old professional goaltender who has played last season and the current campaign full time in the NHL for his hometown Edmonton Oilers. He has backstopped the Oilers to their first appearance in the Stanley final since 2006.

The Oilers currently trail the best-of-seven Stanley Cup final series 1-0 to the Florida Panthers. Game 2 is set for Monday in Sunrise, Florida (6 p.m. Saskatchewan time, Sportsnet West).

Back in his WHL days, Skinner was good natured and had a good youthful energy to him. It felt like nothing ever got to him, and he had a lot of fun handling the big moments. In 207 career regular season contests played between the Hurricanes and Broncos, Skinner posted a 104-72-15 record, a 3.22 goals against average, a .908 save percentage and 12 shutouts.

It seemed like he was made for the big moments. He was also made for fun moments too like on March 18, 2016, when he scored an empty-net goal for the Hurricanes in a 9-3 home ice victory over their biggest rivals the Medicine Hat Tigers.

Stuart Skinner dives on a puck for the Hurricanes in 2017.

The packed crowd of 5,320 spectators at the Enmax Centre broke into a thunderous ovation as Skinner made sure to do the goal scorer’s flyby of his team’s bench. At that point in time, not too many people saw someone do a goal scorer’s flyby dressing in full goalie gear.

Skinner was a key reason the Hurricanes went on a long playoff run in 2017 and the Broncos captured the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions in 2018.

In the 2017 WHL Playoffs, Skinner backstopped the Hurricanes to the WHL Eastern Conference Championship Series for the first time in nine years. They fell in the conference title series in six games to the Regina Pats.

During the 20 contests the Hurricanes played in the post-season, Skinner posted a 10-10 record, a 3.09 goals against average and a .916 save percentage.

On January 9, 2018, Skinner was dealt to the Broncos in a blockbuster deal as Swift Current was loading up for a potential long run through the post-season. 

With Skinner holding the fort in goal, the Broncos won their first WHL championship since 1993. In 26 games in the WHL Playoffs, Skinner posted a 16-10 record, a 2.20 goals against average, a .932 save percentage and six shutouts.

Skinner’s sixth shutout was a 31-save beauty as the Broncos claimed the WHL Championship Series win a 3-0 win over the Everett Silvertops in Game 6 before a sellout crowd of 2,890 spectators at the then Innovations Credit Union i-Plex in Swift Current.

At the Memorial Cup tournament that was hosted in 2018 in Regina, the Broncos were playing on fumes at the event that crowns a CHL champion. They were trying, but it was noticeable the battles they went through in the WHL post-season took their toll.

Stuart Skinner (#74) got the Hurricanes to a conference final in 2017.

While the Broncos lost all three of their games at that event, Skinner posted a .902 save percentage. In a round robin clash against the OHL champion Hamilton Bulldogs, Skinner made 54 saves trying to steal a game the Broncos would ultimate lose 2-1.

In the professional ranks, Skinner would face a whole different challenge. 

He was selected by the Oilers in the third round and 78^th overall by the Oilers in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. The Oilers signed him to three-year NHL entry-level contract on May 14, 2018.

Skinner spent his first two seasons as a professional playing in the Oilers minor league system. He made his first NHL start in the 2020-21 campaign, and played 13 games for the Oilers in the 2021-22 campaign before becoming a full time member of the team in 2022-23.

He has put up some good numbers so far in his NHL career. In 123 career regular season games with the Oilers, Skinner has posted a 72-36-10 record, a 2.69 goals against average, a .909 save percentage and four shutouts.

If you know someone who plays in the NHL for a Canadian team, it is advised to not look at the Platform-X social media line. That goes double if the person you know is a goalie for his hometown Canadian team.

While Skinner was a finalist last year for the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year, it seems like some of the Oilers supporters in the social media world expect Skinner to be Patrick Roy right now. When struggles have come Skinner’s way, some Oilers fans will basically post their team would be better off with anyone else in goal.

Stuart Skinner helped bring a WHL title to Swift Current in 2018.

In the WHL, those who play for their hometown teams are viewed that much bigger of being a hero when they succeed in good times and take seemingly twice the harder criticism in the bad times. Those extremes are seen in a larger way at the NHL level.

The Oilers dropped Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final 3-0 on Saturday in Florida despite holding a 32-18 edge in shots on goal. 

Skinner stopped 15-of-17 shots sent his way. He had no chance on the two goals the Panthers scored on him, and the Florida side sealed the win with an empty-net tally.

Still, you are going to hear voices about how Panthers star netminder Sergei Bobrovsky is going to put Skinner in his back pocket in this series. Bobrovsky was sensational making 32 saves for the shutout in Game 1, where the Oilers likely would have had seven or eight goals on any other netminder.

For those that knew Skinner during his WHL days, the soft spot in the heart for him is always there. If the Oilers ultimately don’t win this series, you hope the there won’t be an effort by some fans in Edmonton to run him out of town.

If that materializes, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Vegas Golden Knights and their brilliant general manager Kelly McCrimmon swoop in to pick him up.

Right now, it would be preferable if the storybook situation plays out here. 

Stuart Skinner will try to add a Stanley Cup win to his resume.

That would see the Oilers become the first Canadian based team to win the Stanley Cup since the 1993 victory by Roy and the Montreal Canadiens, and Skinner materializes as the ultimate hometown hero in the Alberta capital city along the way.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Missed opportunities starting to haunt Raiders

Goalie Tikhon Chaika stops a screen shot for the Raiders.

If the Prince Albert Raiders don’t win their next game, their playoff hopes will be dashed for 2022.

While followers of the WHL will likely be taxing their mathematical skills regarding which team will get the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference, the story is simple for the Raiders as they head towards their final two regular season games. On Friday, the Raiders travel to Swift Current to take on the host Broncos (7 p.m., Innovation Credit Union i-Plex).

The Broncos sit in eighth place and currently hold the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference with a 26-34-5-2 for 59 points in the standings. The Raiders are two points behind the Broncos with a 26-35-4-1 mark.

If the Raiders lose that Friday clash be it regulation or extra time, they will be eliminated from playoff contention. They need to win that Friday game to ensure their regular season finale on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre against the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings remains meaningful as far as the post-season race is concerned.

This column of mine appeared in the Prince Albert Daily Herald. To read the full article, feel free to click the link right here.

Warriors will a way to Game 7 with out of nowhere comeback

Halbgewachs nets winner in triple overtime

The Warriors celebrate Jayden Halbgewachs’ triple OT winner.

    SWIFT CURRENT, Sask. - You could have almost stuck of a fork in the Moose Jaw Warriors, because it looked like they were done.

    Trailing a best-of-seven WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series 3-2 to the Swift Current Broncos, the Warriors showed little life through the first 46 minutes of Game 6 at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex in Swift Current on Saturday night.

    The host Broncos led 1-0 entering the third period and held a 28-9 edge in shots on goal in the opening 40 minutes. 

    At the 3:35 mark of the third period, Broncos captain Glenn Gawdin fed a backhand pass from the right corner boards in the offensive zone to star right-winger Tyler Steenbergen in front of the Moose Jaw goal. Steenbergen blew home his ninth goal of the post-season to give the Broncos a 2-0 lead.

Jayden Halbgewachs sets to fire home his overtime winner.

    It appeared the Broncos were on their way to the WHL Eastern Conference championship series for the first time since 2001.

    Out of nowhere, the complexion of the contest changed. At the 6:43 mark of the third period, 17-year-old Warriors defenceman Jett Woo fired home a point shot to cut Swift Current’s edge to 2-1. From that moment onwards, the Warriors, who last made the WHL Eastern Conference championship series in 2012, played a tonne more jump in their stride.

    With 8:42 to play in the third period, Warriors captain Brett Howden tipped home a point shot from star defenceman Kale Clague to tie things up at 2-2. At first, the officials didn’t signal goal, because the back end of the Broncos net was flipped into the air, when Howden deflected Clague’s shot down into the Swift Current cage.

    The officials checked out the video replay and concluded Howden did score as the net never did come off its pegs. That tally ultimately sent the contest to overtime.

Matteo Gennaro scored the first goal in Saturday night’s game.

    The contest remained tied until early in the third overtime period, when the Warriors caught a break after Broncos Russian import defenceman Artyom Minulin was called for hooking.

    On the ensuing power play, Warriors star winger Jayden Halbgewachs wired home the winner from the left side boards at the 1:14 mark to give the Warriors a 3-2 victory. The result sent the majority of the sellout crowd of 2,890 home disappointed outside of the healthy contingent of fans that came from Moose Jaw to support the Warriors.

    Halbgewachs’ goal allowed the Warriors to even the series up at 3-3 and force a series deciding Game 7 to be held Monday at 7 p.m. at Mosaic Place in Moose Jaw. The winner of that contest will face the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the best-of-seven WHL Eastern Conference Championship series.

Warriors goalie Brody Willms makes one of 58 saves.

    On Saturday night, The Broncos came out and peppered Warriors netminder Brody Willms with 12 shots in the opening 20 minutes. The 19-year-old was the key reason the Warriors were able to escape the frame locked in a 0-0 tie.

    Actually, the Warriors almost exited the first with the lead. Broncos netminder Stuart Skinner only faced four shots in the first, but with the Warriors working on the power play late in the frame, he turned away Halbgewachs on a backdoor chance.

    The hosts continued their onslaught of shots in the second, and the Broncos finally took a 1-0 lead with 6:17 to play in the frame.

Tyler Steenbergen put the Broncos up 2-0 early in the third.

    Working on a power play, overage centre Matteo Gennaro tipped home a point shot from Minulin to give the Broncos the edge.

    After Steenbergen scored early in the third to give the Broncos a 2-0 lead, the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex was jumping. All that did was set the stage for what seemed like an improbably Warriors comeback.

    The Broncos had a power play in the first overtime period, but were unable to net the goal that would have won the series.

    Willms made 58 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Warriors. Skinner turned away 35 shots to take the setback in goal for the Broncos.

    In the immediate aftermath of Saturday’s clash, the Broncos will see the overtime loss as one of those games that got away. The Warriors can say the same thing about Game 4 of the series last Wednesday in Swift Current, where the Broncos pulled out a 3-2 victory in double overtime.

Jett Woo’s goal sparked a rally by the Warriors.

    In all reality, the fact that this series is going to a Game 7 likely does justice to the work both sides have put in over the first six games.

    It was expected the Warriors and Broncos would engage in a heavyweight tilt, and that tilt has materialized. The Warriors finished first overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 52-15-2-3 record, and the Broncos finished second overall with a 48-17-5-2 mark.

    Now, we will see who has enough gas in the tank to take the final chapter of this encounter.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.