Trailblazer Prokop key cog in Oil Kings WHL title win

Luke Prokop controls the puck at the point for the Oil Kings.

“What if it could be better than you image.”

That was a quote said by Edmonton Oil Kings star defenceman Luke Prokop during a conversational interview conducted by sports broadcaster and pro-wrestling celebrity Renee Paquette that also featured Ethan Bear, Saroya Tinker and Natalie Spooner. The interview was broadcast on the social media and web platforms overseen by the company Uninterrupted, which is an athlete empowerment brand founded by Lebron James and Maverick Carter that features videos from the perspective of athletes.

The conversation interview conducted by Paquette with the four hockey players focused on their journeys in the sport and inclusivity in the game. The conversation segment closed with Prokop saying that quote with the hopes it would be something positive the others could take with them.

On July 19, 2021, Prokop, who was still with the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen and 19-years-old at the time, became with first WHL and CHL player to come out as gay. His announcement gained much greater attention due to the fact he was selected by the Nashville Predators in the third round and 73^rd overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft held on October 6 and 7 of that year.

The Predators proceeded to sign Prokop to a three-year NHL entry-level contract on December 9, 2020.

When Prokop came out that he was gay, he became the first active player with an NHL contract to do so.

Since his announcement on July 19, 2021, Prokop has become an advocate and spokesperson for more inclusivity in the game. He has done all sorts of thoughtful interviews regarding his coming out announcement in various media outlets.

On Monday, Prokop, who stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 220 pounds, became a WHL champion. He helped his hometown Oil Kings blank the Seattle Thunderbirds 2-0 in Game 6 of the WHL Final before 7,185 spectators at Rogers Place in Edmonton.

Luke Prokop fires a shot on goal for the Oil Kings.

The Oil Kings claimed the best-of-seven championships series with the Thunderbirds 4-2. In Monday’s series clinching win, Prokop teamed with Oil Kings star captain Jake Neighbours to set up star defensive partner Kaiden Guhle for Edmonton’s second goal.

Away from the ice, Prokop, who turned 20-years-old in early May, has received massive praise and great support for his coming out announcement. He said in interviews the reaction has been better than he imagined.

On the ice after he made his coming out announcement, Prokop had a career campaign in the WHL and a season that was better than anyone imagined. While he can play a heavy game in the physicality department, it was obvious Prokop was more comfortable in his own skin as his offensive game really came around at the major junior level.

He started the 2021-22 campaign with the Hitmen, who had selected Prokop in the first round and seventh overall in the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft. Prokop was an assistant captain with the Hitmen and opened the season posting one goal, one assist and a minus-three rating in the plus-minus department in three games with Calgary side that was in a reload phase.

While it was evident early on the 2021-22 campaign was going to be one of building for the future for the Hitmen, it was also evident it would be an “all in” campaign for the Oil Kings when it came to winning a WHL title and possibly the Memorial Cup as CHL champions.

The Memorial Cup tournament to determine a CHL champion will be held in Saint John, N.B., and it begins this coming Monday with a clash between the OHL champion Hamilton Bulldogs and the host Saint John Sea Dogs. The Oil Kings begin play at the tournament this coming Tuesday taking on the QMJHL champion Shawinigan Cataractes.

The Oil Kings targeted Prokop as someone they wanted to acquire to bolster their roster. On October 13, 2021, they acquired him in a trade with the Hitmen sending 18-year-old defencemen Keagan Slaney and Blake Heward with a second round selection in the 2022 WHL Prospect Draft and a conditional fourth round pick in the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft to Calgary.

Luke Prokop is on the Oil Kings top defensive pairing.

On December 1, 2021, the Oil Kings made a blockbuster trade to acquire Guhle from the Prince Albert Raiders. Prokop and Guhle would become the Oil Kings top defensive pair.

In 55 regular season games with the Oil Kings, Prokop recorded 10 goals 23 assists and a plus-38 rating. Combined with his totals from his three games with the Hitmen, Prokop had a career season in all statistical categories.

He helped the Oil Kings finish second overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 50-14-3-1 record and were rated third in the final CHL Top 10 rankings release on April 20.

Prokop helped the Oil Kings roll through the WHL Playoffs with a 16-3 record with the Thunderbirds providing the biggest challenge in the WHL Final. In the Oil Kings 19 playoff games, Prokop posted four goals, 12 assists and a plus-23 rating.

His most memorable outing came in Game 2 of the WHL Championship Series. With the Thunderbirds having claimed Game 1 of the set 2-1, Prokop had two goals and two assists to push the Oil Kings past the Thunderbirds 5-4 in Game 2 before 10,290 spectators at Rogers Place.

With the two sides locked in a 4-4 tie with 11:14 remaining in the third period, Prokop let loose with an off-speed point shot that was deflected home by Oil Kings right-winger Brendan Kuny for the winning tally. The win allowed the Oil Kings to tie the series up at 1-1 before eventually taking the series in six games.

Following Game 6 last Monday, Prokop got to skate around the Rogers Place ice surface with the Ed Chynoweth Cup as a WHL champion.

Before the WHL Championship Series rolled around, Prokop was named the winner of the Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s Humanitarian of the Year for his community work with the LGBTQ2S+ community and playing a vital role in the development of the Oil Kings first Pride Day Game help on April 9 at Rogers Place.

Luke Prokop (#6) celebrates a goal with the Oil Kings.

As the Oil Kings set up shop in Saint John, N.B., for the Memorial Cup, the national media will likely gravitate to Prokop mainly due to the impact his story has on the game off the ice, especially considering June is Pride Month. 

You can expect he will continue to be a stellar ambassador for inclusivity.

On the ice, it would not be a surprise to see Prokop come through in a key moment to help the Oil Kings win the Memorial Cup.

For Prokop, it seems like more moments that are better than anyone can imagine are possible.

Allan, Molendyk off to Hockey Canada camps

Nolan Allan will attend Canada’s National Junior Team Summer Camp.

Prince Albert Raiders defenceman Nolan Allan and Saskatoon Blades rearguard Tanner Molendyk will be looking to impress the brass of Hockey Canada this summer.

Allan, who is entering his 19-year-old season with the Raiders, will take part in Canada’s National Junior Team Summer Camp that runs July 23-27 in Calgary, Alta. The Davidson, Sask., product will trying to better his case to make the roster for Canada’s entry that will play at the world juniors that are held December 26, 2022 to January 5, 2023 in Halifax, N.S., and Moncton, N.B.

Last season, Allan appeared in 65 regular season games with the Raiders posting seven goals, 34 assists and a minus-four rating in the plus-minus department. Allan helped Canada win gold at the world under-18 championships in 2021.

Former Blades centre Colton Dach, who is entering his 19-year-old season with the Kelowna Rockets, and Seattle Thunderbirds defenceman and Saskatoon product Kevin Korchinski, who will be entering his 18-year-old campaign this coming season, were also invited to Canada’s National Junior Team Summer Camp.

A trio of WHL head coaches will help run the junior team summer camp including Shaun Clouston of the Kamloops Blazers, Brent Kisio of the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Brad Lauer of the Edmonton Oil Kings.

Tanner Molendyk is going to Canada’s under-18 selection camp.

Molendyk is heading to Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team Selection Camp that runs July 20 to 27 in Calgary. Players from that camp will be selected to play in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup that runs July 31 to August 6 in Red Deer, Alta.

Last season as a 16-year-old rookie, Molendyk appeared in 55 regular season games for the Blades posting three goals, 15 assists and a minus-six rating.

The under-18 camp invites also includes Saskatoon area forwards Riley Heidt, who plays for the Prince George Cougars, and Brayden Yager, who plays for the Moose Jaw Warriors along with Tanner Howe, who is a forward from Prince Albert who plays for the Regina Pats. Saskatoon product and defenceman Caden Price, who plays for the Kelowna Rockets, also received an under-18 camp invite.

Rockets head coach Kris Mallette is an assistant coach for Canada’s under-18 team, while Raiders goaltending coach Kelly Guard is a goaltending consultant for the under-18 team. Hurricanes general manager Peter Anholt is part of the management group for the under-18 squad.

Valkyries WWCFL semi will be team’s Teal Game, other notes

The Valkyries will host a WWCFL semifinal on Sunday.

When the Saskatoon Valkyries host their WWCFL semifinal on Sunday, that contest will also be the team’s Teal Game.

On Sunday at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Valkyries (5-0) will host the Edmonton Storm (3-1) in a WWCFL semifinal. That contest will be the Valkyries Teal Game in support of Ovarian Cancer Canada.

The Valkyries are partnering with the Ovarian Cancer Walk of Hope committee in Saskatoon to raise awareness for this disease. Information about Ovarian Cancer will be available at the game.

The winner of the clash between the Valkyries and Storm advances to the WWCFL Championship game to be held on Saturday, June 25 at 7 p.m. at SMF Field.

• On Tuesday, the Regina Pats signed 15-year-old forward Cole Temple to a WHL Standard Player Agreement. The Pats selected Temple in the first round and fifth overall in the WHL Prospects Draft held this past May. This past season, Temple had 58 goals and 50 assists in 28 games with the Brandon Wheat Kings under-15 AAA team. His 108 points led the Under-15 Winnipeg AAA Hockey League in scoring.
• On Wednesday, the Pats signed forward Corban Almen, who will turn 15-years-old in late August, to a WHL Standard Player Agreement. The Pats selected Almen in the second round and 31^st overall in the WHL Prospects Draft that was held this past May. This past season, Almen, who is from Saskatoon, collected 55 goals and 37 assists in 31 games with his hometown Saskatoon Outlaws under-15 AA team. He also appeared in six games with the Saskatoon Blazers under-18 AAA team as an associate player call up picking up a pair of goals and one assist.
• On Thursday, the Saskatoon Blades signed 15-year-old defenceman Jordan Martin to a WHL Standard Player Agreement. The Blades selected Martin in the second round and 41^st overall in the WHL Prospects Draft held this past May. This past season, Martin had seven goals and 21 assists playing in 24 games with the Yale Hockey Academy under-15 prep team in Abbotsford, B.C.
• Going into this year’s Memorial Cup tournament that starts on Monday, the WHL championship team at that event has lost 13 straight games. The last time a WHL champion posted a win at the Memorial Cup came back on May 29, 2015, when the Kelowna Rockets hammered the host Remparts 9-3 in Quebec City, Quebec, in a semifinal contest. The Edmonton Oil Kings will try to end that streak and their first chance comes up on Tuesday, when they face the QMJHL champion Shawinigan Cataractes. The Red Deer Rebels won two games as the Memorial Cup host team in 2016 and the Pats won three games as the Memorial Cup host club in 2018.
• Did you know the NHL Gaming World Championship has a US$100,000 prize pool? The competition features the top EA Sports NHL 22 players in North American and Europe. Players can play the game on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Playstation 4 and Playstation 5.

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.

Fate allows Oil Kings to make up lost time with playoff run

Edmonton to face Thunderbirds in WHL Final

Jake Neighbours (#21) and Kaiden Guhle (#4) share a laugh.

It seems fate has conceded a deserved long run through the WHL Playoffs to the Edmonton Oil Kings.

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 suffered an upper body injury when Oil Kings centre Justin Sourdif drove him into a linesman along the boards. During the regular season, Savoie, who is a projected first round selection for the upcoming NHL Entry Draft, led the Ice in scoring with 90 points coming off 35 goals and 55 assists to go with a plus-54 rating in the plus-minus department.

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.

Edmonton was a team on the rise finishing fifth overall in the 2018-19 WHL regular season standings with a 42-18-4-4 record. It was a huge improvement for the Oil Kings, who finished last in the overall WHL regular season standings in 2017-18 with a 22-42-6-2 mark.

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.

Sourdif, who is a Florida Panthers draft selection, Guhle, who is a Montreal Canadiens draft selection and defenceman Luke Prokop, who is a Nashville Predators draft selection, were all key players acquired via trades.

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.

Seattle eliminated the Kelowna Rockets in five games in the first round, went the distance taking out the Portland Winterhawks in seven games in the second round and survived another seven game series against the Kamloops Blazers in the Western Conference Championship Series.

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.

If Games 5 to 7 of the series are needed, they will all be hosted in Edmonton with Seattle being designated the home squad for Game 6. The winner of the series advances to the Memorial Cup tournament, which will be held in Saint John, N.B., from June 20 to 29.

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

Kamloops Blazers captain Logan Stankoven was named the WHL’s player of the year for the 2021-22 campaign.

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 21^st 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 15^th 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.

Raiders take big step playing full campaign in 2021-22

The Raiders get pumped up before their playoff game last Wednesday.

The Prince Albert Raiders’ biggest victory in the 2021-22 campaign might have been the fact everything felt normal by season’s end.

When the Raiders began the 2021-22 campaign, they were still traveling down an unknown highway that had some images of familiarity. After playing through a four-game pre-season schedule in September of 2021, the Raiders hosted the Regina Pats on October 1, 2021 at the Art Hauser Centre in the regular opener for both sides.

For the Raiders, they would be hosting their first regular season game since March 6, 2020, when they dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to the Brandon Wheat Kings.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic would proceed to get its grips on North America to go along with the rest of the world. The 2019-20 WHL campaign was officially brought to an end on March 12, 2020.

No WHL playoffs were held in 2020 or 2021, and the Memorial Cup tournament to crown a CHL champion was nixed in both of those years too.

Reece Vitelli led the Raiders with 51 points.

Teams in the WHL had an abbreviated 2020-21 campaign. The Raiders took part in 24 regular season games in 2020-21 playing in a bubble environment in Regina against the league’s other four teams located in Saskatchewan and two clubs from Manitoba.

When the Raiders stepped on the ice to play the Pats on October 1, 2021, no one was certain the 2021-22 campaign would be played to a conclusion. The Raiders raised a banner for finishing first in the WHL’s East Division before falling 3-1 to the Pats in that contest played before 2,578 spectators at the Raiders storied 2,580-seat home rink.

As far as first impressions went, fans in “Hockey Town North” had to note this wasn’t the same Raiders team they last saw in person hit the ice in 2019-20 that topped the East Division with a 36-18-6-4 record. This was definitely not the same Raiders that finished first in the WHL’s regular season standings in 2018-19 with a dominant 54-10-2-2 record and went on to win the Ed Chynoweth Cup as league champions in the post-season.

It was obvious the Raiders roster was in a transition type reload state. With that said, fans were just happy to have the chance to watch Raiders hockey at the Art Hauser Centre that night during the loss to the Pats.

There were no guarantees the Raiders would get in all their regular season games.

Ozzy Wiesblatt was a holdover from the 2018-19 WHL title winner.

Since March 12, 2020, it has been hard to almost impossible in some cases to grade how any team in the WHL has performed due to all the twists and turns and adjustments that had to be made due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For a two-week period at the start of this past January, positive COVID-19 tests caused major disruptions causing rescheduling that saw games go on for two weeks after the original April 3 end date of the regular season. The Winnipeg Ice and Brandon Wheat Kings also postponed a number of home games originally schedule in January and the first half of February due to capacity restrictions that were brought into Manitoba to combat COVID-19.

Still, the Raiders and the WHL were able to navigate all those hurdles to date. The Raiders played a completed 68 game regular season posting a 28-35-4-1 regular season record to finish eighth overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference and capture the conference’s final playoff berth.

Prince Albert proceeded to fall 4-1 in a best-of-seven first round series to the Winnipeg Ice, who finished first overall in the WHL regular season standings with a 53-10-3-2 mark and were rated second in the final CHL Top 10 rankings. The Raiders campaign ended with an 8-2 loss to the Ice in Game 5 of their series on Friday in Winnipeg.

Nolan Allan anchored the Raiders back end.

Credit goes to general manager Curtis Hunt and head coach Marc Habscheid and his coaching staff for their efforts ensured the Raiders remained a team that could make the post-season. In the process, Habscheid moved into fifth place on the WHL’s career head coaching regular season wins list current sitting with 582 victories.

Credit goes to business manager Michael Scissons and the office staff for fact the Raiders averaged 2,334 spectators over their 34 home regular season games and 2,605 spectators for the team’s two home playoff dates.

During the ups and downs of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Raiders office staffers took on unforeseen roles at various times to ensure there was a product on the ice and game days did happen.

At lot of good things happened on the ice for the team as well. The Raiders closed the regular season winning two straight must win games in order to qualify for the WHL Playoffs.

After star defenceman Kaiden Guhle was traded to the Edmonton Oil Kings on December 1, 2021, Nolan Allan, who was selected in the first round and 32^nd overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, assumed the role as the main force in the back end for the Raiders.

Landon Kosior, who is a 19-year-old veteran, broke out as an offensive defenceman collecting 45 points on 18 goals and 27 assists appearing in all the Raiders 68 regular season games.

Tikhon Chaika emerged as a legit solid starter.

Overage centre Reece Vitelli, who became the Raiders captain after Guhle was traded, had his most memorable season in the WHL. Vitelli topped the Raiders in scoring with 51 points coming off 25 goals and 26 assists, and all those statistical totals were career highs.

Overage defenceman Remy Aquilon provided a steady presence on the back end and posted career highs in goals (three), assists (24) and points (27).

Left-winger Evan Herman, who was playing through his 19-year-old campaign, showed he had a nose for the net leading the Raiders with 28 goals to go along with 19 assists appearing in all the Raiders 68 regular season games.

Rookie 18-year-old import netminder Tikhon Chaika, who is from Minsk, Belarus, emerged as a solid legit WHL starter. In 51 regular season appearances, Chaika posted a 22-21-4 record, a 2.79 goals against average, a .904 save percentage and three shutouts.

The Raiders do have a number of younger players that have the potential to take big steps in the future.

Do they have the roster that can win a WHL Championship or a Memorial Cup at the moment?

That answer to that is “no” for now. At the moment, those titles were still last awarded in 2019, and since March 12, 2020, no one could realistically determine when they would be awarded again.

The Raiders salute their fans at the Art Hauser Centre.

The immediate goal was to get on the ice and plan a complete campaign like the Raiders did.

Assuming world events don’t throw in any more curveballs, the steps to building a team capable of capturing the WHL and CHL titles can now start in a more honest fashion.

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.

Oil Kings’ Guhle saluted in return to Prince Albert

Edmonton powers past Raiders 5-2

Kaiden Guhle (#4) had a memorable return to Prince Albert.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – While he was no long wearing his #6 Prince Albert Raiders jersey, Kaiden Guhle still soaked in his homecoming to “Hockey Town North.”

On Saturday night, the star defenceman stepped on to the ice at the Art Hauser Centre wearing the colours of the Edmonton Oil Kings. It marked the first time Guhle played in Prince Albert since the Raiders dealt him to Edmonton in a blockbuster deal earlier this season on December 1, 2021.

Way back in what was then known as the WHL Bantam Draft in 2017, the Raiders selected Guhle first overall. The Sherwood Park, Alta., quickly lived up to high expectations.

Kaiden Guhle mans the point for the Oil Kings.

He played eight games for the Raiders on a call up basis during his 15-year-old season in 2017-18. Guhle proceeded to be an important regular as a 16-year-old rookie in the 2018-19 campaign helping the Raiders win their second WHL championship.

The skilled offensive-defenceman broke into star status posting 11 goals, 29 assists and a plus-23 rating in the plus-minus department in 64 games helping the Raiders finish first in the East Division in 2019-20 before the end of the regular season and the post-season was cancelled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

In the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Guhle was selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round with the 16^th overall selection. He proceeded to sign an NHL entry-level contract with the Canadiens.

The Raiders play a video tribute for Kaiden Guhle on their scoreboard.

While he had been draft by the Canadiens, Guhle returned to Prince Albert to keep improving for his future career in the professional ranks. All total, he played 156 career regular season games with the Raiders piling up 17 goals, 58 assists and a plus-42 rating in the plus-minus department.

Guhle was the Raiders captain at the time he was traded to the Oil Kings.

In his return game to Prince Albert, Guhle, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 200 pounds, was on the ice to start the contest for the Edmonton side. At the first media break that came at the 9:08 mark of the first period, the Raiders played a video tribute for Guhle on the Art Hauser Centre’s giant video scoreboard.

Kaiden Guhle (#4) waves to the Art Hauser Centre crowd.

Guhle sat on the boards of the Oil Kings bench to watch the tribute. The 2,322 spectators in the 2,580 seat building rose to salute Guhle.

As the cheers grew louder as the video continued to play, Guhle gave a wave to the crowd. He gave a second wave at the end of the video with the spectators still cheering the players from both the Raiders and Oil Kings standing on their respective benching giving a stick tap salute.

“It was pretty special,” said Guhle. “I spent a lot of my career here.

“I wouldn’t be where I am today without that staff and the guys in the room there. It was special to get a little recognition from the Raiders. It shows just how good of a first class organization they are.”

Kaiden Guhle (#4) breaks into the offensive zone on a rush.

The Oil Kings led 1-0 at the time of the video tribute thanks to a power-play goal from 20-year-old right-winger Josh Williams. The visitors would ultimately cruise to a 5-2 victory in the WHL regular season clash holding a big 40-19 edge in shots on goal and going 3-for-7 on the power play.

When the video tribute played, Guhle said his time with the Raiders seemed to flash before his eyes.

“It was just nice to get that video from the Raiders,” said Guhle, who turned 20-years-old just past the middle of this past January. “It was just a lot of memories flashing back from the championship to being in the dressing room with the guys.

Josh Williams scored the Oil Kings first goal on Saturday.

“It was just a lot of memories a lot of good memories that kind of rush through my mind. It was really special.”

Guhle said it felt different to walk into the Art Hauser Centre through the doors used by the visiting team, suit up in the visitors’ dressing room and take a spot on the visitors’ bench. When the game started, he got into the groove of the contest where it felt like he was playing another regular season game.

With odds of him moving to the professional ranks being high next season and the Raiders continuing to slip out of playoff contention, Guhle was likely playing his final game at the Art Hauser Centre on Saturday.

While he may not be playing for the Raiders anymore, it wasn’t lost on Guhle how much the team meant in his life.

Oil Kings centre Justin Sourdif (#42) fights through a check.

“I spent my whole junior career pretty much here with the same coaches and a lot of the same guys throughout my whole career,” said Guhle, who was captain of Canada’s entry at the last world juniors before they were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in late December 2021. “It was really special.

“I wouldn’t be out here without the coaches and the guys in the room. I give a lot of my credit to those guys in the room and the coaching staff.”

Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid said Guhle will always have a special place in the history of the Raiders organization. While the veteran bench boss never likes to lose, he said it was special to have Guhle back inside the Art Hauser Centre again.

Cale Sanders scored twice for the Raiders on Saturday.

“He (Guhle) is a class guy,” said Habscheid. “He is a big part of the organization and part of the 2019 (WHL championship) team.

“He will be a Raider forever. He wears that (Oil Kings) jersey, but he is still a Raider. That is the way it is.”

A short time after the video tribute for Guhle, Oil Kings star centre Justin Sourdif scored on the power play to give the visitors a 2-0 edge.

Sourdif added his second of the night on another power play at the 5:29 mark of the second period to give Edmonton a 3-0 advantage.

Raiders 19-year-old right-winger Cale Sanders tallied for the Raiders with 2:16 remaining in the second period to cut the Oil Kings lead to 3-1.

Jalen Luypen scored the Oil Kings fifth goal on Saturday.

If there were thoughts of a comeback, it wasn’t to be.

The Oil Kings sealed the deal when captain Jake Neighbours potted his 12^th of the season scoring from the front the Prince Albert goal to increase Edmonton’s lead to 4-1 at the 4:06 mark of the third.

On that play, import centre Jakub Demek caused a turnover by the right boards of the Raiders zone and centred the puck to Neighbours, who promptly put the visitors up three.

Jalen Luypen potted the Oil Kings final goal to give them a 5-1 edge.

Sanders concluded the game’s scoring with his second tally of the night with 5:18 remaining in the third to round out the 5-2 final in Edmonton’s favour.

Jakub Demek had three assists for the Oil Kings on Saturday.

Tikhon Chaika turned away 35 shots to take the setback in goal for the Raiders, who fell to 15-24-1-1 having lost six straight. Kolby Hay stopped 17 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Oil Kings, who lead the WHL’s Central Division with a 31-11-2-1.

Demek had three assists for the Oil Kings in the win.

The Raiders were playing without star 19-year-old centre Ozzy Wiesblatt on Saturday. He was out with an undisclosed injury suffered late in the Raiders 2-1 loss at home on Friday to the Red Deer Rebels. Wiesblatt is the only player left on the Raiders roster from their 2018-19 WHL championship team.

Sanders said his side is getting sick of the losing in what has become a reloading season for his team.

Tikhon Chaika made 35 saves for the Raiders on Saturday.

“We lost a bunch recently, so we have to battle back somehow,” said Sanders. “We’re in a slump.

“All of us are kind of angry. We’re just looking for a little of the bright side.”

The Raiders return to action on Tuesday when they host the Calgary Hitmen (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre).

The Oil Kings get back into action on Tuesday when they host the Regina Pats at Rogers Place. That contest is the team’s annual game where they host a number of local area schools so it starts at 11 a.m. local time.

As Sherwood Park sits just outside Edmonton’s eastern border, Guhle is playing for his birth family home area WHL team. He knows the potential his Oil Kings team has and wants to help them accomplish big goals like he did with the Raiders in 2019.

Kaiden Guhle (#4) and the Oil Kings enjoy their win on Saturday.

“Obviously, we want to go all the way,” said Guhle, who has five goals, 23 assists and a plus-eight rating in 29 games this season split between the Raiders and Oil Kings. “I think we kind of got a lot of good piece throughout the year.

“I think it is kind of win or bust for us. There are still a lot of new guys in the room still. We are still getting comfortable with everything.

“I think it is just win or bust for us.”

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.

Emergence of Kosior important for Raiders in reload

Landon Kosior is logging big minutes for the Raiders.

When a team is going through a reload, you need someone to be an example of the good that comes when you do things right every day.

Landon Kosior has become that example for the Prince Albert Raiders. The 19-year-old Regina product stepped in the role of offensive-defenceman especially after the Raiders traded star rearguard Kaiden Guhle to the Edmonton Oil Kings in a blockbuster deal on Dec. 1, 2021.

In 39 regular season games, Kosior has collected nine goals and 16 assists for 25 points. His goal and point totals are career highs.

Playing in his third season in the WHL, Kosior is finding the offensive touch he had when he played in younger age groups coming up through minor hockey. Before joining the Raiders, Kosior had his most memorable campaign playing for the Tisdale Trojans under-18 AAA team in 2018-19.

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

Trades in WHL a bigger gamble in pandemic times

The Oil Kings could be a buyer as the trade deadline nears.

The WHL’s standings leaders might be in a no win situation when it comes to this year’s WHL trade deadline.

At this point in time, the division leaders in the Winnipeg Ice (East Division), Edmonton Oil Kings (Central Division), Kamloops Blazers (B.C. Division) and Everett Silvertips (U.S. Division) are contemplating how many of their chips they are going to push to the centre of the table to try and win the WHL championship and Memorial Cup as CHL champions this year.

You could place the surprising Red Deer Rebels amongst that group too. Having finished second last in the entire WHL with a 4-15-4 record in an abbreviated season in 2020-21, the Rebels sit fourth overall in the league standings with a 22-9-2-1 record this season.

Normally as the trade deadline looms, teams at the top of the standings will trade younger players or WHL Prospects Draft selections to get a standout older player hoping to make a current roster stronger.

With the world still stuck in the grips of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, realistic doubt still exists about whether a post-season will be pulled off.

From this past Friday to Sunday, the WHL had 23 games scheduled and only one contest was played. That game was a Saturday night clash that saw the Portland Winterhawks down the Rockets in Kelowna 3-1.

Most of those games were postponed due to teams dealing with issues related to COVID-19 as the world grapples with the rise of the Omicron variant, which is supposed to be milder but is way more transmissible than other strains of the coronavirus.

Carson Latimer was a trade pick up by the Raiders.

All four WHL games slated for Tuesday were postponed. At the moment, five out of the eight games originally scheduled for Wednesday are slated to go ahead.

In Canada’s other two major junior leagues that play under the CHL umbrella, they are dealing with COVID-19 bumps too. The OHL has dealt with multiple postponements since its Christmas break on December 28, 2021.

The QMJHL hasn’t resumed play since last hitting the ice on December 18, 2021 before going on Christmas break. At the moment, the QMJHL is slated to return to the ice with two games on January 19.

The last time the WHL crowned a league champion was 2019, when the Prince Albert Raiders captured the Ed Chynoweth Cup. The last time a CHL champion was crowned was also in 2019, when the QMJHL champion Rouyn-Noranda Huskies took home the Memorial Cup.

The QMJHL was the only CHL circuit to crown a champion last season with the Victoriaville Tigres taking the league title.

At the moment, this year’s Memorial Cup is scheduled to be held June 4-13 in Saint John, New Brunswick with the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs playing as the host team.

There have to be some doubts about the Memorial Cup tournament happening this year.

The WHL has set its trade deadline for this coming Monday on January 17, which is a week after the traditional January 10 date. The trade deadline day was pushed back a week due to the fact the WHL got a late start on its regular season, and the schedule is spread out to allow for hiccups.

The Ice might try to further stack a strong roster.

If top teams trade picks and younger players for standout older players and the post-season or Memorial Cup doesn’t happen, there will be ultra-passionate fans who will criticize clubs for mortgaging the future on a gamble.

If top teams don’t make trades and the post-season and Memorial Cup goes ahead, there will be ultra-passionate fans who will criticize clubs for not loading up with older standout players unless championships are won.

It feels like the real winners heading into this year’s trade deadline will be the clubs that are able to trade a standout veteran for younger players and multiple draft selections.

The Raiders got the biggest jump in this department with a trade on December 1, 2021. In that deal, the Raiders dealt captain and star 19-year-old defenceman Kaiden Guhle to the Oil Kings for right-winger Carson Latimer, who is in his 18-year-old season, 17-year-old defenceman Eric Johnston, a first round selection in the 2021 Prospects Draft, a sixth round selection in the 2022 Prospects Draft, a first round selection in the 2023 Prospects Draft and a conditional third round pick in the 2025 Prospects Draft.

In the Prospects Draft held on December 9, 2021, the Raiders used the 2021 first round selection they got from the Oil Kings to select 15-year-old forward Cole Peardon from the Saskatoon Blazers under-18 AAA team.

With all that noted, the WHL produced some hope with a release that went out at 6:14 p.m. Saskatchewan time on Monday.

The WHL announced the Oil Kings, Silvertips, Medicine Hat Tigers, Raiders, Rebels, Saskatoon Blades, Spokane Chiefs and Ice have all been cleared to resume team activities.

The Rebels may make a deal to continue a surprise strong season.

Previously, the Lethbridge Hurricanes, Moose Jaw Warriors, Winterhawks, Regina Pats, Swift Current Broncos and Tri-City Americans had returned from being paused due to multiple players and staff being on WHL COVID-19 Protocol List.

At the moment, the Calgary Hitmen, Kamloops Blazers, Prince George Cougars, Vancouver Giants and Victoria Royals are still paused.

The WHL also announced the changes to the schedules of 18 regular season games to cut into dealing with the postponements that happened.

While teams are returning to action, it doesn’t lessen the gamble for the clubs that sit at the top or near the top of the WHL standings when it comes to making trades.

A reprieve comes to the one team that ultimately wins the WHL title and or the Memorial Cup, if the post-season is played to completion.

Blades move ahead with theme nights, other notes

The ceremonial faceoff from the Blades’ Girls Rock Night in Dec. 2019.

The Saskatoon Blades are going to try and get back in to hosting theme nights.

Before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic got its grips on the world, the Blades consistently hit home runs having theme nights to go around a large number of their home games. In their last home game before North America really came into the grips of the pandemic back on March 6, 2020, the Blades hosted their WHL Suits Up to Promote Organ Donation game.

They brought in famous NHL emergency backup goalie David Ayres to meet the fans. Ayres had a kidney transplant in 2004, which allowed him to live life to the fullest.

The Blades wore special Hockey Night in Canada themed jerseys for that game, while the coaches and play-by-play voice Les Lazaruk wore old school baby blue Hockey Night in Canada blazers. The jerseys and blazers were auctioned off in a blind auction.

All proceeds raised from that contest were donated to Saskatoon’s Kidney Foundation Branch.

The Blades topped things off pulling out a 2-1 overtime victory that night at the SaskTel Centre over the Regina Pats before 4,478 spectators.

If things go well on the pandemic front for the rest of January, the Blades are hoping to get four theme nights in for the rest of this month.

Blades captain Chase Wouters wears a themed jersey on March 6, 2020.

On Saturday, the Blades are slated to hold a Western Night, when they host the Swift Current Broncos at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. Fans are encouraged to wear their best western gear to potentially win some cool prizes.

DJ Kush will create a special country playlist that will play all night long. The Blades mascot, Pokecheck, is slated to be part of a few special features too.

If things go well enough, the Blades plan to give a salute to local minor hockey goaltender during a pre-game show. Traditionally, they have had goalies dress in their gear and lineup on the goal-line.

The clash with the Broncos is a rain-check night, so fans can bring unused tickets and exchange them for a ticket to the Saturday contest.

On Friday, January 21, the Blades are bringing back their traditional Girls Rock Night, when they take on the Medicine Hat Tigers at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

Brigette Lacquette, who played defence for Canada’s senior national women’s hockey team and is currently a scout for the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, and Keely Shaw, who won a bronze medal in cycling at the 2020 Paralympics that were actually held in 2021, will be part of a pregame speaking engagement designed for all ages.

On Tuesday, the Blades announced recently graduated Saskatoon Hilltops linebacker Emmarae Dale will be joining Lacquette and Shaw as speakers. Dale is the first female to play games in the CJFL.

They will share their stories of success and overcoming adversity during their respective journeys through athletics.

On Saturday, January 22, the Blades have collaborated with local inclusion groups and organizations to introduce Pride Night, when they face the Winnipeg Ice at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. In honour of the LGBTQ+ community, the Blades will be wearing special themed jerseys for that contest.

Emmarae Dale will be at the Blades’ upcoming Girls Rock Night.

On Sunday, January 30, the Blades are scheduled to hold their Family Skate and Under-Seven Minor Hockey Night, when they host the Brandon Wheat Kings at the SaskTel Centre.

The Blades are trying to bring all under-seven minor hockey teams in Saskatoon to that night’s game via free admission for those teams. Following the contest, there will be a post-game skate on the ice.

Of course with the pandemic, these theme nights are subject to chance, so it is wise to keep tabs on the Blades website and social media lines to stay in the loop about the status of these nights.

The Blades did a have a Superhero Night slated for last Friday’s home game originally scheduled against the Regina Pats, which was postponed due to COVID-19 issues.

Overall, the Blades deserve props for attempting to go ahead with these theme nights. They add a special extra element to the home game schedule.

There is still value in at least trying to pull them off.

• When the Saskatoon Blades return to action, they will be without 18-year-old centre Jayden Wiens, who was suspended two games for receiving a boarding major in a 4-1 loss to the Edmonton Oil Kings on January 1. The Blades are set to resume action on Friday when they travel to Swift Current to take on the Broncos (7 p.m., Innovation Credit Union i-Plex).
• Last Friday, the WHL’s Tri-City Americans announced they will wear special decals on their helmets to honour late alumnus Matt Swaby for the rest of the season. The decals read “Swaby 4.” Swaby passed away in a farming accident on November 26, 2021. He played defence for the Prince Albert Mintos under-18 AAA team from 2002 to 2004, the Americans from 2004 to 2007, the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings from 2007 to 2008 and the U Sports’ University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team from 2008 to 2011.
• The Prince Albert Raiders are slated to resume game action on Friday, when they travel to Lethbridge to take on the Hurricanes. That will be the Raiders first game since returning from a pause due to issues with COVID-19. Their next home game is set for Friday, January 21 at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre when they take on the Winnipeg Ice.
• On Tuesday, the Calgary Hitmen traded 20-year-old captain Jackson van de Leest to the Red Deer Rebels in exchange for 20-year-old right-winger Blake Stevenson, 18-year-old defenceman Trey Patterson and a conditional second round selection in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft.
• It has been a tough start to 2022 for the storied University of Western Ontario Mustangs football and athletics program that played in the U Sports ranks. On January 4, Darwin Semotiuk, a legendary Mustangs football coach, university professor and athletic director, passed away at age 76 due to natural causes. Semotiuk was the head coach of the Mustangs football team from 1975 to 1983 and guided them to Vanier Cup titles as U Sports champions in 1976 and 1977. Last Thursday, Prince Albert, Sask., product Larry Haylor, who was also a legendary Mustangs football head coach and member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame as a builder, passed away at age 76 due to a heart attack. He was the Mustangs head coach from 1984 to 2006 and guided them to Vanier Cup wins in 1989 and 1994. Condolences go to the family and friends of Semotiuk and Haylor.
• On Friday, the Saskatchewan Games Council announced the Saskatchewan Winter Games slated to take place February 20 to 26 in Regina will not proceed due to COVID-19 and cited concern about the unpredictability of the Omicron variant. The Saskatchewan Games Council left the door open to potentially hold those games at a later date.
• On Monday, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies announced their home games this coming Friday and Saturday will be played without spectators in attendance. On Friday, the Huskies women’s and men’s volleyball teams host the Brandon University Bobcats at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. respectively at the Physical Activity Complex. The Huskies host the Bobcats again on Saturday at the Physical Activity Complex with the women’s game slated for 3 p.m. and the men’s contest following at 5 p.m. The Huskies women’s hockey team hosts the University of Regina Cougars at 7 p.m. Friday at Merlis Belsher Place. The Huskies men’s hockey team hosts the U of Regina Cougars at 7 p.m. Saturday at Merlis Belsher Place. The Huskies cited the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 for the decision to hold games without fans. Last Thursday, the Huskies cancelled the Sanderson Classic indoor track and field meet outright due to COVID-19. The Sanderson Classic was slated to be held this coming Friday and Saturday at the Saskatoon Field House.
• On Monday, the organizers of the Knights of Columbus Indoor Games cancelled that indoor track and field event for a second straight year. This year’s games were slated to be held January 28 and 29.
• On Sunday, I created new content that went live on the Howe Happenings blog. The feature piece has been a popular one on right-handed pitcher Garrett Hawkins, who was drafted by the MLB’s San Diego Padres and played with their rookie team this past summer. The story on Hawkins can be found by clicking right here. The new content also contained a photo round of pictures I shot at the Complex. It 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.