Warriors versus Broncos lives up to hype in playoffs

Brayden Burke has had a big post-season for the Warriors.

    As far as the WHL concerned, it has been the current day equivalent of Mohammad Ali versus Joe Frazer in boxing.

    Finishing first and second respectively in the WHL’s regular season standings, the Moose Jaw Warriors and the Swift Current Broncos are staging a classic heavyweight tilt in their best-of-seven WHL Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series. After the four games, the series is tied 2-2 with Game 5 set for Friday at 7 p.m. at Mosaic Place in Moose Jaw.

    Game 6 follows on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex in Swift Current. If necessary, Game 7 is slated for Monday at 7 p.m. at Mosaic Place in Moose Jaw.

    The Warriors finished first overall in the WHL posting a 52-15-2-3 record in the regular season, while the Broncos are second overall with a 48-17-5-2 mark. Due to the fact the two club’s play out of the WHL’s East Division, the latest they could meet under the circuit’s current playoff format was in the second round.

    While it easy to lament this series isn’t determining a conference or league champion, the stellar efforts of both sides shouldn’t be forgotten in the here and now.

Matteo Gennaro is starting to heat up for the Broncos.

    For the Warriors, the 2018 WHL playoffs is turning into the post-season of Brayden Burke. The overage left-winger has been playing arguably some of the best hockey of his WHL career.

    In the Warriors first round series win over the Prince Albert Raiders that went a marathon seven games, Burke was the difference maker on many nights. The Edmonton, Alta., product was the difference maker again on Tuesday netting two goals, two assists and posting a plus-three rating in the plus-minus department as the Warriors prevailed 4-3 in overtime at the Innovation Credit Union i-plex.

    Burke came to the Warriors in an early season trade in the 2016-17 campaign in a deal with the Lethbridge Hurricanes with some baggage surrounding questions about his character and maturity.

    He has been outstanding for the Warriors on and off the ice this season posting 31 goals, 82 assists and a plus-44 rating in 61 regular season games. His goal, point and plus-minus totals were all career highs and his assist total matched a career high.

    Burke, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 165 pounds, has been a standup person for the Warriors answering questions in a mature and thoughtful fashion win or lose. For those that have dealt with him over his four complete seasons in the league, he has visibly grown from a boy into a man, and he is every bit deserving of the three-year NHL entry-level contract he signed with the Arizona Coyotes on March 1.

Brett Howden scored the OT winner on Tuesday.

    The Coyotes signed Burke as an undrafted free agent.

    Warriors captain Brett Howden scored the overtime winner on Tuesday night netting a pair of goals, an assist and a plus-two rating in the win. He has two goals and four assists in the first four games of the series and is trying to do his best to leave the WHL on a high note.

    The Oakbank, Man., product is eligible to return for an overage season, but having signed a three-year NHL entry-level contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Howden’s return to the major junior ranks is not expected next season.

    On Swift Current’s side, overage centre Matteo Gennaro, who was acquired in a trade with the Calgary Hitmen earlier this season, is starting to catch fire. The St. Albert, Alta., product had a goal in Tuesday’s overtime time loss to the Warriors. On Wednesday, he scored all three of Swift Current’s goals in a 3-2 double overtime win at the Innovation Credit Union i-plex.

    Gennaro’s winner was a laser beam from the right slot.

    His performance became that much more important when the Broncos star right-winger Tyler Steenbergen went down due to injury early in the first period after being hit with a point shot from teammate Sahvan Khaira in the offensive zone.

    Netminder Stuart Skinner, who was acquired by the Broncos in a trade with the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Jan. 9, made 51 saves to secure the win for Swift Current on Wednesday. Skinner backed the Hurricanes to an appearance in the WHL Eastern Conference championship series.

Stuart Skinner made 51 saves in a win on Wednesday.

    The Warriors and Broncos have played hard in the shadow of an accident involving the team bus of the Humboldt Broncos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League with a semi-truck just north of Tisdale last Friday. The crash resulted in the deaths of 16 players and team staffers of the storied junior A franchise.

    Before Game 2 on Saturday in Moose Jaw, a moment of silence was observed at Mosaic Place, where the players from the Warriors and Swift Current Broncos rounded the centre ice circle in a show of support for the SJHL club. The equipment staff on both the Moose Jaw and Swift Current sides worked tirelessly and together to insert the Humboldt Broncos team logo on to the helmets of their players.

    Gennaro has been playing with a heavy heart having lost close friend Stephen Wack in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, and he mentioned his feelings on his Twitter account and post-game media interviews. Wack, who was also from St. Albert, was a defenceman with the Humboldt squad.

    Going forward, the series between Moose Jaw and Swift Current is a tossup. For those going to the final contests to close out this series, they will likely see some stellar games no matter who wins.

Wouters up for scholastic player of the year

Blades centre Chase Wouters is up for a major WHL award.

    On Wednesday’s Saskatoon Blades sophomore centre Chase Wouters was named the scholastic player of the year for the WHL’s Eastern Conference.

    The 18-year-old finished up his second complete season in the WHL netting 18 goals, 33 assists and a plus-seven rating in the plus-minus department appearing in all of the Blades 72 regular season games. The assistant captain has posted an 89 per-cent average so far in his Grade 12 year in high school.

    Wouters, who stands 6-feet and weighs 177 pounds, was ranked 103^rd among North American skaters in the midterm rankings for NHL Central Scouting. He is currently in Russia taking part in the Hockey Canada’s training camp for under-18 world championships along with Blades teammates centre Kirby Dach and netminder Nolan Maier. The under-18 world championships run April 19 to 29 in Chelyabinsk and Magnitogorsk, Russia.

    On a league level for overall scholastic player of the year, Wouters will up against Spokane Chiefs defenceman Ty Smith, who was named the scholastic player of the year for the WHL’s Western Conference.

    The Daryl K. (Doc) Seaman Memorial Trophy for the WHL’s scholastic player of the year will be handed along with all the other league’s major awards on May 2 in Red Deer, Alta.

    The last member of the Blades to be named the WHL’s scholastic player of the year was defenceman Nelson Nogier back in the 2013-14 campaign.

Back in the Express with a story on Jockims

Kaitlin Jockims helped the Star win a SFMAAAHL title.

    I was back in the pages of the Saskatoon Express this week with ultra-talented double sport athlete Kaitlin Jockims.

    The 16-year-old Grade 10 student at Centennial High School is a star guard for the Chargers senior girls’ basketball team and a standout winger on the Saskatoon Stars female midget AAA hockey team. Jockims has played in the provincial team program for both basketball and hockey.

    This season, Jockims helped the Chargers earn a berth in Hoopla, which is the Saskatchewan provincial high school basketball championship tournament, held in late March in Prince Albert. She aided the Stars in winning their third Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League title in the last four years and earn a berth at the Esso Cup national female midget AAA hockey championship tournament for the third time in the last four years.

    The Esso Cup runs April 22 to 28 in Bridgewater, N.S.

    She recently attended a tryout camp for Canada’s under-17 girls’ basketball team in Toronto, Ont.

Jockims father is Greg Jockims, who guided the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s basketball team to a U Sports national title in 2010 as head coach.

    The story on Kaitlin Jockims can be found right here.

Drinnan’s Humboldt Broncos piece to appear in the Express

    In the aftermath of the tragedy involving the Humboldt Broncos bus accident, Gregg Drinnan, who is “the Dean” when it comes to covering the WHL, penned an upbeat fictitious piece about the storied junior A franchise.

    Last Friday, the Broncos bus was involved in an accident with a semi-truck just north of Tisdale. The crash resulted in the deaths of 16 players and team staffers from the club.

    In a tribute for the team, people across Canada and I dare say the world have been placing hockey sticks outside of their homes at night for the deceased Broncos players to use in the afterlife.

Drinnan wrote a piece about the members of the team who have passed on playing a game in the afterlife. It was an outstanding read and has receive much praise.

    It will appear in the hard copy of the Saskatoon Express next week. Drinnan’s piece online can be found right here.

Everyone heals differently, I’m ready to travel

Just taking a quick selfie out on the WHL circuit.

    With the bus accident involving the Humboldt Broncos hitting so close to home, everyone has been dealing with this tragedy in their own way.

    Everyone has to be allowed to heal up and move on with their own time.

    On Wednesday, the board of governors of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, which the Broncos are part of, voted unanimously to continue with the league’s playoffs. The best-of-seven Canalta Cup league championship series will be played between the Nipawin Hawks and the Estevan Bruins beginning on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in Nipawin.

    The Broncos at the time of their crash were playing the Hawks in a best-of-seven league semifinal series on the junior A circuit, which the Hawks were leading 3-1. The Humboldt squad was on the way to Nipawin for Game 5 of that series when the bus accident occurred.

    I am all in favour of this move by the SJHL. I believe playing the games will help the overall healing process.

    On Tuesday, I wrote about my experiences riding on the team bus with the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders. I know a lot of people might have fear getting back on a team bus after what happened, and that is understandable.

    For myself, I would be and am ready to get back on a team bus again. That atmosphere and experiences for me have always been positive on team busses, and I will take advantage of that experience every chance I get.

    The only downfall for me is that fact I have never been the best when it comes to sleeping on the bus. I always battle trying to fall asleep, but that is only a small nuisance.

    On a solo front, I am actually itching to get on the road to cover a sporting event. I have always enjoyed heading out to different communities especially in the WHL circuit. I hope I get to make my next trip soon.

    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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Blades sign top three WHL Bantam Draft selections

De La Gorgendiere and Crnkovic introduced to local media

Aidan De La Gorgendiere, left, and Kyle Crnkovic signed with the Blades.

    The Saskatoon Blades two newest first round WHL Bantam Draft picks were looking pretty wide eyed on Wednesday afternoon.

    During a news conference at the SaskTel Centre, the WHL club introduced defenceman Aidan De La Gorgendiere and forward Kyle Crnkovic to a sizable gathering of local media. The gather also included a large contingent of Blades coaches, staff and management, seven other players that were selected by the team at the May 4 draft held in Calgary and a large representation of parents.

    De La Gorgendiere and Crnkovic looked a little overwhelmed by the number of people in attendance at the conference. The two 15-year-olds had smiles when they signed their WHL Standard Player Agreements with the club.

    The Blades also announced they signed forward Braden Plaschewsky to a WHL Standard Player Agreement too, which meant the team got commitments from their top three picks from this year’s WHL Bantam Draft. The Blades selected Plaschewsky, who is from Calgary, in the second round and 31^st overall.

Aidan De La Gorgendiere, left, signs his WHL Standard Player Agreement.

    “It is just a fun day,” said Blades general manager Colin Priestner. “We spend a lot of time in rinks at bantam games all year.

    “Our scouts spend hundreds of hours each at the rinks. To get a couple first round picks like this signed so quickly, it is a big relief for me. It is a huge thing.

    “I can go on vacation now and enjoy my summer a little more. It is one of those things where we really wanted these two players.”

    The Blades selected De La Gorgendiere in the first round and fifth overall. The Langley, B.C., product, who stands 6-feet and weighs 169 pounds, played with the Abbotsford, B.C., based Yale Hockey Academy bantam squad netting five goals and 21 assists in 30 games. His parents, father Graham De La Gorgendiere and mother Marla Meginbir, are both from Saskatoon.

    De La Gorgendiere still had a lot of family in Saskatoon including grandparents and aunts and uncles. 

Kyle Crnkovic signs his WHL Standard Player Agreement.

    He was pumped to sign with the Blades.

    “It is a great opportunity for me,” said De La Gorgendiere. “I’m looking forward to the future here.

    “I knew I wanted to play here once I got drafted. That was my decision.”

    De La Gorgendiere said one of his favourite WHL players was defenceman Ty Smith, who just wrapped up his 16-year-old rookie season with the Spokane Chiefs, and the NHL players he tries to model his game after are Brent Seabrook of the Chicago Blackhawks and Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers.

    “I feel I am a 200-foot defenceman,” said De La Gorgendiere. “I have a little bit of offensive ability I can put towards the Blades, and I also have a good first pass out of my own zone.”

    Crnkovic was selected in the first round and 10^th overall by the Blades. The Chestermere, Alta., product played for the Kelowna, B.C., based Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy team racking up 40 goals and 39 assists in 30 games.

Colin Priestner, left, gives a jersey to Aidan De La Gorgendiere.

    He was amazed by the welcoming he received at the press conference.

    “It is pretty overwhelming, but it is also pretty cool at the same time,” said Crnkovic, who stands 5-foot-6 and weighs 149 pounds. “I’m just very excited to be part of the organization.

    “I’m really looking forward to it. When Saskatoon picked me, it was a huge honour. I’ve heard nothing but good things about the organization.”

    Crnkovic said he tries to model his game after Mitch Marner of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and he loves to be a playmaker. The speedy forward said he enjoyed meeting the Blades coaches, management and staffers in person.

    “They’ve been so nice and so welcoming,” said Crnkovic. “I’m just really looking forward to it.

“I just need to get bigger and stronger and just work as hard as I can this summer.”

    The Blades WHL Bantam Draft picks from this year won’t be able to play with the club on a full-time basis until the start of the 2018-19 season. 

Colin Priestner, left, gives a jersey to Kyle Crnkovic.

    They can play in five games in the upcoming campaign as 15-year-olds.

    Blades head coach Dean Brockman was having his initial in person meetings with many of the draft picks and said he doesn’t want to place too many expectations on the newcomers.

    “For us, it is just take your time with the development and make sure that they are ready to come when they are ready to come,” said Brockman. “I don’t want to put the pressure on them that they have to be the guys right off the bat.”

    The bench boss just had a simple hope for the most recent bantam picks in their first visit to the city.

    “You just want them to feel welcomed,” said Brockman. “You also want them to know that this is what it is going to be like.

    “I don’t think there is anybody that has been over the top or out of the ordinary.”

Pats’ Mahura signs with Ducks

Pats D Josh Mahura signed with the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks.

    Josh Mahura had an outstanding post-season for the Regina Pats, and he was rewarded for his efforts with an NHL contract.

    On Wednesday, veteran defenceman signed a three-year NHL entry-level contract with the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks selected Mahura in the third round and 85^th overall in last year’s NHL Entry Draft.

    The St. Albert, Alta., product, who turned 19 earlier this month, was acquired by the Pats in a blockbuster deal on the WHL’s trade deadline day on Jan. 10 from the Red Deer Rebels. Between the Rebels and the Pats, Mahura appeared in 73 regular season games recording 17 goals, 36 assists and a plus-17 rating in the plus-minus department.

    He came through during a number of key moments for the Pats in the post-season as they advanced to the best-of-seven WHL Championship series for the first time since 1984 before falling in six hard fought contests to the Seattle Thunderbirds. Mahura, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 185 pounds, recorded eight goals, 13 assists and a plus-seven rating in 23 playoff games.

    The National Lacrosse League’s Saskatchewan Rush will recognize the Pats for their WHL playoff run on Saturday at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon. The Rush are hosting the Colorado Mammoth in Game 2 of the best-of-three West Division Final at 7:30 p.m. that night, and they lead the series 1-0.

    Four members from the Pats, who claimed the WHL’s Eastern Conference championship, are from the Saskatoon area including star offensive defenceman Connor Hobbs and forwards Dawson Leedahl, Wyatt Sloboshan and Jake Leschyshyn.

    While the Rush have successfully branded themselves as a provincial team, the Pats should get an interesting reception considering the SaskTel Centre is the home of their traditional long-time rivals, the Saskatoon Blades.

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