Edmonton to face Thunderbirds in WHL Final
 |
| Jake Neighbours (#21) and Kaiden Guhle (#4) share a laugh. |
In advancing to the WHL Final, the Oil Kings have been on a tear posting a 16-1 record in their last 17 outings including play in the regular season and playoffs. That record includes posting a 12-1 mark so far in the WHL’s post-season.
The Oil Kings open the WHL Championship series on Friday at 7 p.m. local time at Rogers Place in Edmonton taking on the Seattle Thunderbirds in a best-of-seven set.
So far in the WHL post-season, the Oil Kings swept the Lethbridge Hurricanes 4-0 in a first round series and got the brooms out again for an impressive 4-0 of the Red Deer Rebels, who had a 45-19-2-2 regular season record.
In the WHL’s Eastern Conference Championship Series, the Oil Kings looked like they were going to be in a heavyweight fight against the Winnipeg Ice. The Ice had the WHL’s top record in the regular season at 53-10-3-2, while the Oil Kings were second overall at 50-14-3-1.
The final CHL Top 10 rankings released on April 20 saw the Ice rated second overall, while the Oil Kings were listed third overall.
The Oil Kings needed an overtime goal from centre Tyler Horstmann to take Game 1 of that series with the Ice in Winnipeg 5-4. One night later in Game 2, the Ice posted a 5-1 victory on home ice to even the series at 1-1.
The Ice win ended a 13-game winning streak for the Oil Kings that stretched back into the regular season. The victory was a costly one for the Ice, who lost star 18-year-old centre Matthew Savoie to injury.
 |
| Justin Sourdif has been a big addition for the Oil Kings. |
Savoie wasn’t able to return to the series and the Ice’s fortunes went downhill. Due to the distance between Edmonton and Winnipeg, the series between the two clubs was played in a two-three-two format, and the Oil Kings closed the set out in five games with three straight wins at Rogers Place in Edmonton.
The Oil Kings claimed a 4-3 overtime win in Game 3 with Sourdif potting the winner. Edmonton also held a 55-21 edge in shots on goal in that contest.
The Oil Kings proceeded to claim a 4-2 victory in Game 4 holding a 36-22 edge in shots on goal. In Game 5 held last Friday, the Oil Kings cruised to a 7-1 victory to clinch the series holding a 37-20 edge in shots on goal.
Edmonton held a 7-0 lead until Ice star right-winger Connor McClennon scored with 2:40 remaining in the third period to break up the Oil Kings chances of getting a shutout.
Overage left-winger Carter Souch had two goals and two assists in that series clinching win for the Oil Kings. Veteran right-winger and Oil Kings regular season scoring leader Dylan Guenther, who turned 19-years-old in April, posted four assists, while star offensive-defenceman Kaiden Guhle and a pair of goals and one assist.
The Oil Kings are more than making up for lost time with their current long run in the WHL post-season. The previous time a WHL Playoffs were held back in 2019 the Oil Kings advanced to the Eastern Conference Championship Series and ultimately fell to the eventual WHL champion Prince Albert Raiders in six games.
 |
| Dylan Guenther has piled up the points for the Oil Kings. |
After falling to the Raiders in the 2019 WHL Eastern Conference Championship series, the Oil Kings were expected to be contenders for a league crown in the immediate upcoming campaigns. With the world falling into the grips of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the WHL was unable to hold playoffs in 2020 and 2021, and the CHL championship tournament – the Memorial Cup – was also cancelled in each of those years.
In 2019-20, the Oil Kings sat third overall in the WHL regular season standings with a 42-12-6-4 before the WHL campaign was paused on March 12, 2020 before the remainder of the campaign was ultimately scrapped.
During an abbreviated 2020-21 regular season held for development purposes, the Oil Kings topped the overall regular season standings with a 20-2-0-1 record.
Edmonton’s turnaround coincided with Kirt Hill becoming the team’s president of hockey operation and general manager and Brad Lauer taking on the role of head coach before the start of the 2018-19 campaign.
The Oil Kings entered the current campaign with a roster loaded with veteran stars and elected to go “all in” on the trade front in an effort to try and win league and CHL championships assuming the post-season would be played to a conclusion.
 |
| Carter Souch wants to close his WHL career on a big high note. |
The Oil Kings have five other NHL Draft selections on their roster including captain Jake Neighbours (St. Louis Blues), Guenther (Arizona Coyotes), netminder Sebastian Cossa (Detroit Red Wings), import centre Jakub Demek (Vegas Golden Knights) and left-winger Jalen Luypen (Chicago Blackhawks).
Edmonton’s depth include import and overage offensive-defenceman Simon Kubicek, who led all Oil Kings blue-liners in regular season scoring with 41 points coming on 14 goals and 27 assists.
Overage right-winger Josh Williams was second in team scoring in the regular season with 82 points coming off 34 goals and 48 assists. Overage left-winger Carter Souch also had a strong campaign piling up 71 points on 22 goals and 49 assists playing in all the Oil Kings 68 regular season games.
When the Oil Kings post-season run ends, they will graduate their three overages and will only be able to return three of the 11 players currently on their roster as 19-year-olds. The Oil Kings will like return to a reloading phase, when next season comes around.
The Oil Kings will have their hands full with a feisty Thunderbirds team. The Thunderbirds finished fourth overall in the WHL’s Western Conference regular season standings with a 44-18-4-2 record.
 |
| Luke Prokop was a huge addition to the Oil Kings blue-line. |
The Thunderbirds were down 3-1 in their series against the Winterhawks before rallying for the 4-3 win. Seattle trailed Kamloops 3-2 in the Western Conference Championships Series and won two straight to take that set 4-3.
The Thunderbirds took Game 7 of the series against the Blazers by a 3-2 score on Tuesday at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops.
Seattle’s roster includes playmakers in 19-year-old centre Jared Davidson, overage right-winger Lukas Svejkovsky, 17-year-old defenceman Kevin Korchinski and netminder Thomas Milic, who turned 19-years-old in April. Head coach Matt O’Dette has done a solid job of getting the Thunderbirds to this point.
In another twist to this series, the WHL didn’t have any interlocking play between conferences during the regular season, so the WHL Championship Series will be the first time the Oil Kings and Thunderbirds have seen each other in the current campaign.
The Oil Kings have an added bonus in this series as it will be played in a two-two-three format. The Thunderbirds are only able to host Games 3 and 4 of the set at the ShoWare Centre in Seattle due to schedule conflicts with high school graduations.
 |
| Josh Williams is closing out his Oil Kings career. |
The Oil Kings have to like their chances of capturing the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions for the first time since 2014, where they also advanced on to win the Memorial Cup.
While the Oil Kings weren’t able to see potential long playoff runs in 2020 and 2021 due to world events, they are making up for lost time in the 2022 post-season to fulfill the old adage it is better late than never.
In the grand scheme of things, the long run through the WHL Playoffs is a just reward for the Oil Kings.
Blazers’ Stankoven named WHL player of the
year, other notes
The skilled centre, who turned 19-years-old in late February, claimed the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as part of the WHL handing out its individual awards on Wednesday. Stankoven appeared in 59 regular season games with the Blazers in the 2021-22 campaign recording 45 goals, 59 assists and a plus-46 rating in the plus-minus department.
He helped his hometown Blazers top the B.C. Division for a third straight season posting a 48-17-3 regular season record in the 2021-22 campaign. The Blazers finished second overall in the WHL’s Western Conference during the regular season.
Beside taking the WHL’s player of the year award, Stankoven was also the recipient of the Brad Hornung Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s most sportsmanlike player.
Stankoven was one of three Blazers who captured major individual awards. Dylan Garand took home the Del Wilson Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s goaltender of the year, and right-winger Connor Levis was named the recipient of the Daryl K. (Doc) Seaman Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s scholastic player of the year.
Other award winners include Olen Zellweger of the Everett Silvertips, who claimed the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s defenceman of the year, defenceman Luke Prokop of the Edmonton Oil Kings captured the Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s humanitarian of the year and left-winger Arshdeep Bains of the Red Deer Rebels was presented the Bobby Clarke Trophy as the WHL’s top scorer.
Bains led the WHL in regular season scoring with 112 points coming off 43 goals and 69 assists appearing in all of the Rebels 68 regular season games.
Moose Jaw Warriors centre Brayden Yager took home the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s rookie of the year. During the regular season, Yager put up 59 points for the Warriors coming off 34 goals and 25 assists in 63 games skating through his 16-year-old season.
Yager played for the Warriors full time during the abbreviated 2020-21 campaign that lasted 24 games as a 15-year-old. The WHL allowed the first year players from the 2020-21 campaign to be eligible for rookie of the year honours this season.
The WHL did name a rookie of the year for the abbreviated 2020-21 campaign with Regina Pats phenom centre Connor Bedard taking that accolade for that campaign.
Also on Wednesday, Winnipeg Ice head coach James Patrick captured the Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s coach of the year. Patrick led the Ice to first overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 53-10-3-2 record.
Ice general manager Matt Cockell claimed the Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s executive of the year.
The Brandon Wheat Kings were named the winners of the Jim Donlevy Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s scholastic team of the year, and the Silvertips claimed the WHL’s business award.
Referee Chris Crich captured the Allen Paradice Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s top official.
- Last Friday, the CHL announced the Kamloops Blazers were awarded the hosting rights for the 2023 Memorial Cup tournament that crowns a CHL champion. It will mark the second time in team history the Blazers have hosted the Memorial Cup. The Blazers hosted the 1995 Memorial Cup and won that tournament after also winning the WHL championship.
- On Monday, the Saskatoon Blades signed defenceman Isaac Poll to a WHL Standard Player Agreement. The Blades selected Poll, who is from White City, Sask., in the first round and 21st overall in the WHL Prospects Draft held on May 19. Poll, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 160 pounds, played for the Prairie Storm under-15 AA team last season posting 10 goals and 28 assists in 26 games.
- On Tuesday, the Prince Albert Raiders signed centre Luke Moroz to a WHL Standard Player Agreement. The Raiders selected Moroz, who is from Grand Coulee, Sask., in the first round and 15th overall in the WHL Prospects Draft held on May 19. Moroz, who stands 5-foot-8 and weighs 143 pounds, played for the Prairie Storm under-15AA team last season posting 47 goals and 61 assists in 27 regular season games.
- I was back in the pages of the Prince Albert Daily Herald with a column on the WHL U.S. Priority Draft and the WHL Prospects Draft. That column can be found by clicking right here.
If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.
-------
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.
