Noise on hockey major junior transfers misplaced

Jake Neighbours in action for the Oil Kings in 2019.

When it comes to people being upset over the transfer of major junior hockey players, the noise of the bark might be the most minor annoying thing.

In Western Canada, the idea of major junior transfers really came to light publicly on Oct. 23, when the WHL announced it had granted temporary transfers to WHL roster players to continue their development playing competitive hockey in junior A, junior B or the under-18 levels.

These loans are slated to expire on Dec. 20.

At the moment, the WHL is still planning to start its upcoming regular season on January 8, 2021. WHL clubs are planning to open training camps after the Christmas break.

Of course, the sport of hockey is trying to deal with the fact the world is in the grips of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Those in hockey are trying to do the best they can to keep the sport motoring along like those in all other aspects in life are trying to adjust to the pandemic the best they can.

Due to the pandemic, revenues that usually run to the sports world, including hockey, have been cut dramatically. As a result, many junior A hockey teams have moved more to a pay to play type of format.

Those transferring down from the WHL will have their hockey related expenses covered by their major junior club. If WHL players that transfer down have signed NHL contracts, they likely are already benefitting from getting some extra resources from their NHL team.

Cole Fonstad in action for the Raiders in 2018-19.

There have been some in the worlds of junior A, junior B and the under-18 levels who have cried foul, because a WHL veteran is taking the spot of a player that paid to play.

I think what people are forgetting is the fact that we are in the middle of a pandemic. At the moment, the best way for athletes to get games in at any level is to play in leagues that are as regionally based as possible.

Leagues that have to frequently cross borders provincially or with the United States are going to have the toughest time to get going.

At the moment, Everett Silvertips overage left-winger Cole Fonstad, who helped the Prince Albert Raiders win a WHL title in 2019, is playing for his hometown Estevan Bruins in junior A’s Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.

Fonstad is connected with his community and odds are high he had connections with the Bruins. If he wants to play for his hometown junior A team during these crazy pandemic times, he should be allowed to do that, and that is exactly what happened in his case.

As a bonus, he gets a rare chance to play at home. The Bruins are slated to open their SJHL regular season schedule by traveling to Melville on Friday to face the Millionaires. The Bruins are scheduled to host the Millionaires on Saturday in Estevan.

Ozzy Wiesblatt in action for the Raiders last season.

Some of those raising their arms up against these major junior transfers say it will spoil the chemistry on teams in the junior A, junior B and under-18 ranks. These arguments are made with the belief that everything in the sports world will play out as scheduled without any speed bumps.

Newsflash – the world is in the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic. A positive COVID-19 test on any of these hockey teams could throw a schedule in flux. Just look at the headaches the CHL’s Quebec Major Junior Hockey League has dealt with for at least the past four weeks with multiple positive COVID-19 tests on some teams.

A number of clubs had to stop activities for being located in areas of the province of Quebec that are designated red zones.

Starting this past Monday, all hockey activities in the Manitoba capital city of Winnipeg have ceased for a period of 14 days at the moment as that centre works to halt the increase of new COVID-19 cases.

All it takes is one public health order from stopping any of these teams and leagues in their tracks.

There are no guarantees the junior A Centennial Cup national championship tournament for the 2020-21 campaign will go ahead. The Keystone Cup tournament to crown a junior B champion for Western Canada might not be played.

The Telus Cup tournament to determine an under-18 AAA male national championship hockey team and the Esso Cup tournament to determine an under-18 AAA female national championship hockey club are still at the risk of not going forward.

Rhett Rhinehart in action for the Blades last season.

It is still entirely possible the WHL season won’t get off the ground and the same goes for the OHL season.

Nothing is operating as it normally should in these COVID-19 pandemic times, and people have to remember that.

Raiders right-winger Ozzy Wiesblatt and Edmonton Oil Kings left-winger Jake Neighbours have been loaned to the junior A Brooks Bandits of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. Wiesblatt went in the first round and 31^st overall in October’s NHL Entry Draft to the San Jose Sharks and has since signed with the Sharks.

Neighbours was picked in the first round and 26^th overall in that same NHL Entry Draft by the St. Louis Blues. He has since signed with the Blues.

Let them play and keep getting competitive games with the Bandits.

The Saskatoon Blades loaned veteran defenceman Rhett Rhinehart, who will turn 19-years-old near the end of the month, to Flin Flon Bombers, who are a junior A team in Manitoba that plays in the SJHL.

Let Rhinehart skate with the Bombers.

It is possible these transfers could remain with their respective junior A through the end of the 2020-21 campaign and still not play for a national title.

Alex Bernauer in action for the Contacts last season.

At the under-18 AAA level, forward Alex Bernauer of the Saskatoon Contacts might have been a 17-year-old rookie with the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades had times been normal.

The Contacts roster contains dynamic 15-year-old forwards Riley Heidt and Brayden Yager, who are pegged to be in the WHL as 16-year-olds in 2021-22. In April’s WHL Bantam Draft, Heidt was picked in the first round and second overall by the Prince George Cougars and Yager went in the first round and third overall to the Moose Jaw Warriors.

Let all three of those talented forwards be teammates on the Contacts.

The major junior transfers are something that is reasonable and should be applauded for being done to make the best out of these COVID-19 pandemic times.

ACAC cancels winter season, other notes

Megan Nagy (#1) makes a block for the Rattlers in 2012.

The Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference will not be having a 2020-21 campaign

On Wednesday, the ACAC announced it was cancelling its extended 2021 winter semester season due to the fact most of its member institutions were extending on-line program delivery into the winter semester due to a surge of COVID-19 cases in the province of Alberta.

In June, the ACAC had cancelled its fall season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Combined with Wednesday’s announcement, the ACAC will not be hosting any athletic competitions for the 2020-21 campaign.

In a statement on Wednesday, the ACAC announced it supports its member institutions’ efforts in protecting the health and safety of students and the broader community.

The released added that no status for the 2021-22 campaign has been determined at this time.

On Tuesday, the Medicine Hat College Rattlers said they had made the decision to forgo competing in the ACAC winter season in basketball, volleyball and futsal.

The Canadian Colleges Athletic Association, which is the national umbrella the ACAC plays under, had officially cancelled all of its national championship tournaments in June.

• On Wednesday, the Alberta Junior Hockey League announced a member of the Whitecourt Wolverines had tested positive for COVID-19. The junior A exhibition encounters between the Wolverines and Drayton Valley Thunder have been cancelled. The two sides were set to play Friday night in Drayton Valley and Saturday night in Whitecourt.
• On Wednesday, the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers shut down their facility after receiver Kendrick Bourne tested positive for COVID-19. He immediately went into self-quarantine and is on the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list. Later on Wednesday, receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel and offensive tackle Trent Williams were added to the 49ers reserve/COVID-19 list for being in close contact with Bourne. All four of those players are out of the 49ers lineup for their upcoming game. The 49ers (4-4) are as still slated to host the Green Bay Packers (5-2) on Thursday night.
• Gregg Drinnan put together another round up on how the COVID-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc on the sports world in his Taking Note blog on Tuesday. His Tuesday post 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.

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Borbandy aims to catch on with U of S Huskies blue-line

Defender Teagan Borbandy hopes to catch on with the Huskies.

    Teagan Borbandy doesn’t want to hang up her skates just because she had to switch schools.

    For the past two seasons, Borbandy was a defensive defender with the Red Deer College Queens of the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference. Over two seasons, she appeared in 29 regular season games with the Queens posting an assist and 22 penalty minutes, and she helped Red Deer College win an ACAC title in 2016.

    The Langdon, Alta., product is pursuing studies in bio-chemistry and knew she would have to transfer out of Red Deer College to a University to finish her degree. Borbandy wanted to transfer to the University of Saskatchewan for academics, and her thoughts started to drift towards the Huskies women’s hockey team, who play in the U Sports ranks.

    “I love Saskatchewan, and I love this school,” said Borbandy. “It is beautiful.

    “They have a really good program, so I thought I would come. I decided about two months ago that I wanted to continue to playing hockey, so I came out as a walk on.”

    Borbandy found a phone number for Huskies head coach Steve Kook and called about trying out as a walk on. From that conversation, Borbandy joined the Huskies for their training camp.

Huskies AC Brian McGregor, left, talks with Teagan Borbandy.

    She made the trip with the Huskies to Athabasca, Alta., for the Athabasca College Hockey Challenge last weekend and dressed for one of two exhibition games U of S split against the defending U Sports champion U of Alberta Pandas. The Huskies fell 3-2 after a tiebreaking shootout last Friday and won 2-1 last Saturday.

    As for Borbandy’s status with the team, things are progressing a day at a time.

    “We don’t have an idea of how many defencemen that we are going to take if it is seven, if it is nine,” said Kook, who returned to the Huskies after a one-year professional leave of absence. “If we think you are going to help us, we’ll carry you.

    “We agreed to take it day by day. At the end of every practice, we have a chat, and we’ll let her know if we like to see her another day. It is how it has been.”

    Borbandy, who stands 5-foot-4, comes to the Huskies with a solid hockey background. Besides playing for the Queens, she suited up for three seasons from 2012 to 2015 with the Rocky Mountain Raiders based in De Winton, Alta.

Teagan Borbandy listens to instructions at practice.

    Traditionally, the Raiders have been one of Alberta’s stronger female midget AAA programs, and Borbandy was an assistant captain with that club before finishing her time with that squad as captain.

    She always loved the comradery she had with her teammates and being active on the ice. Her first interactions with the Huskies players and coaches have built a desire to want to stay.

    “They are great,” said Borbandy. “They are such nice girls. They are very opening and helpful.

    “I’ve never seen so many girls that want help each other. It is not a competition within the team. It is a competition to make everybody better.

    “The coaches are great, very nice, encouraging and very supportive. They are always telling me things to improve on which is great. I love feedback.”

    Borbandy’s love for hockey hasn’t diminished over her career. She said it was great to join the Huskies having come from a good situation of having played with the Queens, who were 14-7-3 last season. The Queens fell in a best-of-three ACAC semifinal series to the MacEwan University Griffins 2-1.

    “It was a good step out of midget,” said Borbandy. “I enjoyed my team.

    “I had a great set of girls. I enjoyed the opportunity to continue playing. The school is a great school.”

Teagan Borbandy starts a rush out of her own zone.

    The Huskies had a strong campaign last season posting a 15-10-3 record. They fell in a best-of-three Canada West semifinal series to the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds. The Dogs fell 3-1 in a series deciding Game 3, but had they prevailed, they would have earned a berth to the U Sports final eight national championship tournament.

    When Borbandy talked to Kook about joining the Huskies, the bench boss advised the young defender, who will turn 20 on Sept. 20, to not leave anything behind.

    “We had a chat with her early in the summer, and I said if you are going to come to this thing and if you are going to come to tryouts, don’t come halfway be all in,” said Kook. “Whether it lasts one day or three days, you have to just make sure there are no regrets.

    “What I told her today is you are having a good camp so far. Comeback tomorrow, we want to see more. The way it works is pretty soon you are going to be coming back enough days that you are going to find yourself on a bus with us somewhere.”

Teagan Borbandy moves the puck up ice in a transition drill.

    The Huskies are returning five defenders from last year’s team, so ice time will be at a premium for any newcomers. Going forward, Borbandy can gain further motivation from another hockey development in her family.

    Last Friday, her younger sister, Emma, who is current playing defence for the Raiders, signed a letter of intent to play for the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds women’s hockey team for the start of the 2018-19 campaign. If Teagan stays with the Huskies, it is possible the two siblings might face each other on the ice one day.

    With all that in mind, Teagan said she just wants to work on getting better in the present.

    “My hopes are to work on things I know I need to work on, to improve and get to where some of their top defencemen are and maybe play a few games,” said Borbandy. “It would be awesome.”

    The Huskies resume their pre-season schedule this coming Saturday and Sunday, when they travel to Calgary to face the Mount Royal University Cougars on each of those days. The green and white open the regular season on Oct. 6 against their provincial rivals the U of Regina Cougars at 7 p.m. at the ancient Rutherford Rink.

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