Memorial Cup heads into playoff round with field intact

Eliminations begin tonight with tiebreaking game

Thomas Milic leads the Memorial Cup with a .923 save percentage.

The Memorial Cup tournament’s four-team field has stayed alive going into the playoff round.

For event organizers, it is always optimal when the four clubs competing at the tournament that crowns a CHL champion are still playing going into the playoff round. In most years, at least two teams have traveled a great distance to get to the tournament’s host location.

At this year’s tourney in Kamloops, B.C., the QMJHL champion Quebec Remparts and the OHL champion Peterborough Petes are the squads that have traveled the greatest distance to compete for major junior hockey’s biggest prize at the Sandman Centre. The results from the round robin portion of the tournament leave the door open for anything to happen. With that said, some trends have materialized in the games that have been played so far.

The playoff round starts tonight with a tiebreaking game between the Petes and the host Blazers from the WHL set for a 6 p.m. local time start. Both teams posted 1-2 records in round robin play with the Blazers bombing the Petes 10-2 this past Sunday.

The Petes rebounded from that drubbing with a 4-2 victory over the Remparts on Tuesday holding a 36-28 edge in shots on goal. Peterborough has been the Cinderella team in the CHL post-season having finished 10^th overall in the OHL with a 35-29-2-2 record.

Logan Stankoven

It should come as no surprise they got into the Memorial Cup’s playoff round by having to play a tiebreaker. Now, they will see if they can get to the CHL’s biggest ball in the Memorial Cup championship game on Sunday.

The Petes have scored the fewest goals in the tournament at nine. Petes 20-year-old right-winger Avery Hayes tops the club having scored three goals, while left-winger Brennan Othmann tops the Petes with three assists.

The Blazers have scored the most goals in the tournament with 14. Blazers star centre Logan Stankoven tops the Memorial Cup in scoring with eight points coming off one goal and seven assists.

The toughest obstacle the Blazers might be facing is the fact star netminder Dylan Ernst is the coldest of the four starting goalies at the event. Ernst has stopped 89-of-105 shots fired his way for a .848 save percentage, which is the worst among the starting netminders. His 5.39 goals against average is also the worst among the starting goaltenders.

The WHL champion Seattle Thunderbirds finished second in the round robin standings with a 2-1 mark and will face the winner of the clash between the Petes and Blazers in a tournament semifinal contest set for Friday at 7 p.m. local time. The Thunderbirds loss came on Monday with a 3-1 setback to the Remparts in a contest that saw Seattle hold a 36-22 edge in shots on goal.

The Remparts scored 54 seconds into that contest to go up 1-0, but the Thunderbirds were really composed in playing the rest of that game. They just didn’t get rewarded with the goals for their work.

Had the Thunderbirds won that contest, they would have finished first and had a bye into Sunday’s championship game. The Remparts locked up first place and that path to the championship game with their Monday victory over Seattle.

The Thunderbirds are a deep team, but their biggest ace is star netminder Thomas Milic. Milic backstopped Canada to a gold medal win at world juniors that wrapped up this past January.

The Coquitlam, B.C., product has stopped 72-of-78 shots fired his way for a tournament leading .923 save percentage. Seattle has allowed the event’s fewest goals at seven, which means Milic has the lowest goals against average among starting netminders at 2.02.

A Seattle has a pair of star players who are playing out their final games of their major junior careers and are trying to go out in a blaze of glory. Left-winger Kyle Crnkovic, who is 21-years-old, sits second in tournament scoring with six points coming off four goals and two assists. Jared Davidson, who is a 20-year-old centre and a career member of the Thunderbirds, has four points coming off a goal and three assists.

The Remparts are sitting in the best spot having topped the round robin standings with a 2-1 record to earn a berth in Sunday’s championships game. They will face the winner of Friday’s semifinal match in the winner take all Memorial Cup title game set for 4 p.m. local time on Sunday.

Quebec started the tournament with a bang downing the host Blazers 8-3 in the event’s opening game. Had the Remparts gone undefeated in the round robin portion of the tourney, there could have been a worry about the Quebec side facing complacency when taking the ice for the Memorial Cup championship game.

After getting past the Thunderbirds, the Remparts closed their round robin schedule with their loss to the Petes. You can bet Remparts head coach and general manager Patrick Roy in reinforcing to his players how much better they need to be in the title contest during the club’s four days off leading up to the Memorial Cup final. It would be wise to expect the Remparts will be ready for the event’s championship game.

The Remparts starting star netminder William Rousseau has been solid during the tournament stopping 87-of-95 shots for a .916 save percentage and a 2.93 goals against average.

Quebec’s scoring has been more spread out through its roster with four players tied for the team lead with four points. Right-winger James Malatesta has four goals, centre Theo Rochette has three goals and one assist, left-winger Zachary Bolduc had one goal and three assists and centre Justin Robidas has four assists.

The Memorial Cup title game could be the last ride with the Remparts for “Saint Patrick.” The 57-year-old Roy is involved in speculation with regards to NHL head coaching vacancies.

Kyle Crnkovic has six points at the Memorial Cup tourney.

For any hockey fan, the playoff round of the Memorial Cup tournament should be fun to follow with all the potential storylines that could play out. It is time to sit back, watch the games play out and enjoy.

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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Thunderbirds in command of Western Conference final

Blazers fall in OT heartbreaker in Game 2

Jeremy Hanzel had the OT winner for Seattle on Sunday.

When it comes to the WHL Playoffs, Seattle Thunderbirds fans can rightfully break into chants of “undefeated,” if they wanted to.

The Thunderbirds opened the WHL’s Western Conference Championships series against the Kamloops Blazers winning the first two contests at home to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven set. The Thunderbirds claimed a 5-1 victory in Game 1 on Saturday and rallied from being down 3-1 to pull out a 4-3 overtime victory in Game 2 on Sunday.

With those wins, the Thunderbirds have a perfect 10-0 record in the WHL post-season outscoring their opposition 48-13. The Blazers, who will host the Memorial Cup tournament to determine a CHL champion, were 8-0 in the post-season before facing the Thunderbirds in the first two games of the Western Conference final held at the Accesso ShoWare Center in Kent, Washington.

In Game 1 played before 6,023 spectators on Saturday, Thunderbirds star centre Jared Davidson opened the contest’s scoring with three minutes remaining in the first period, and standout Thunderbirds right-winger Nico Myatovic tallied at the 13:44 mark of the second to give the hosts a 2-0 advantage. With 3:49 remaining in the second, Blazers star offensive-defenceman Olen Zellweger netted his eighth of the post-season to cut the Thunderbirds lead to 2-1.

The 2-1 score held up until the Thunderbirds rolled off a three-goal surge starting at the 10:19 mark of the third to round out the game’s scoring. Star centre Dylan Guenther started the surge scoring at the 10:19 mark of the third, Davidson added his second of the contest just over four minutes later and standout rookie centre Gracyn Sawchyn, who turned 18-years-old in January, closed the surge with a single on the power play with 3:47 remaining in the third.

Davidson had an assist to go with his goal for a three-point night, while Guenther had an assist to go with his goal for a two-point night.

Logan Stankoven

Star netminder Thomas Milic made 24 saves to earn the win in goal for the Thunderbirds. Star netminder Dylan Ernst turned away 30 shots to take the setback in net for the Blazers.

In Game 2 played before 4,677 spectators, the Blazers got a good jump out on the Thunderbirds. With 39.2 seconds remaining in the first, Blazers star left-winger Caedan Bankier gave the visitors a 1-0 lead.

Just 59 seconds into the second, Zellweger potted his ninth of the post-season scoring on the power play to push the Blazers lead out to 2-0. He potted home a loose puck sitting in front of the Seattle net after a rebound from a long shot taken by star centre Logan Stankoven.

At the 7:33 mark of the second, Thunderbirds star left-winger and captain Lucas Ciona tallied on the power play to cut the Blazers lead to 2-1.

Momentum proceeded to swing back in favour of the Blazers at the 12:30 mark of the second, when Thunderbirds star 21-year-old left-winger Kyle Crnkovic was given a double minor for high-sticking. The infraction will automatically be reviewed by the WHL office for a possible suspension.

The Blazers pushed their advantage out to 3-1 when star right-winger Matthew Seminoff scored on the ensuing power play goal at the 12:53 mark of the second. Seattle managed to kill of the second part of Crnkovic’s double minor.

With 4:04 remaining in the second, the Thunderbirds got a key traction goal from power-forward Colton Dach to trim the Kamloops lead to 3-2.

Brad Lambert had the equalizer for Seattle on Sunday.

The Blazers would proceed to take an undisciplined penalty with 4.1 seconds remaining in the second that would prove to be costly. After the play was whistled down for an offside call, Bankier used his shoulder to deck an unsuspecting Dach dropping the Thunderbirds centre behind the ice away from the play. Bankier was given a minor penalty for roughing, and Dach stayed in the contest.

Just nine seconds after Bankier’s penalty expired in the third, the Thunderbirds were still buzzing with the puck in the Blazers zone. Thunderbirds offensive-defenceman Jeremy Hanzel cycled down the left side boards in the Kamloops zone and fed a pass across the face of the net to Thunderbirds star centre Brad Lambert. Lambert tapped home the puck backdoor at the right post of the Kamloops net to even the score at 3-3.

Milic and Ernst slammed the door on their respective goals for the rest of the way in the third to force overtime.

At the 6:21 mark of overtime, Lambert won a two-on-two battle for the puck in the left corner boards of the Kamloops zone. Lambert passed the puck to the left point to defenceman Sawyer Mynio. Mynio fed the puck to the right point to Hanzel who one-timed home the winner to give the Thunderbirds a 4-3 victory.

The only down part for Seattle on the winning goal was it appeared Thunderbirds standout centre Jordan Gustafson, who turned 19-years-old in January, injured himself during the winning goal celebration. He was the first Thunderbirds player to leave the ice seeking out the team’s trainer.

Olen Zellweger

Milic made 39 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Thunderbirds. Ernst turned away 35 shots to take the setback in net for the Blazers.

Hanzel, Lambert and Dach each finished the contest recording one goal and one assist. Crnkovic had a pair of assists for the host side. Stankoven had helpers on all three Blazers goals, while Zellweger finished with one goal and one assist.

The series between the Thunderbirds and Blazers was expected to be a heavyweight battle.

The Thunderbirds topped the Western Conference and finished second overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 54-11-1-2 record. The U.S. Division champions were rated fourth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. Seattle’s 54 wins and standings points total of 111 points are new regular season club records.

The Blazers finished second overall in the Western Conference and third overall in the WHL regular season with a 48-13-4-3 mark. The B.C. Division champions were rated ninth in the final CHL Top 10 rankings.

Seattle’s roster contains 10 players who have been drafted by NHL teams, while Kamloops has nine NHL drafted players on their roster. The Thunderbirds have seven players who participated in the last world juniors, and the Blazers have three players who took part in this past world juniors.

The series now shifts to the Sandman Centre in Kamloops for Games 3 and 4. Game 3 is set for Tuesday at 7 p.m. local time, and Game 4 is slated for Thursday at 7 p.m. local time.

Kyle Crnkovic had a pair of assists for Seattle on Sunday.

If Seattle can get to 11-0 in the post-season, the Thunderbirds might be bound for the WHL Championship Series. If the Blazers can get Game 3 at home on Tuesday, a marathon series may yet materialize.

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, Rebels face off in unique Game 7 encounter

Saskatoon aims for series win after trailing set 3-0

Trevor Wong leads the Blades with 19 points in the playoffs.

The Saskatoon Blades are one win away from being remembered forever.

The Red Deer Rebels will do whatever they can to derail a potential history making moment.

On Tuesday, the two sides will collide in a winner take all Game 7 of their WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. The winner moves on to face the Winnipeg Ice in a best-of-seven WHL Eastern Conference Championship series.

The Ice topped the WHL regular season standings with a 57-10-1 mark and were rated third in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. They advanced to the Eastern Conference title series having downed the Warriors in Moose Jaw 8-2 on Monday to claim Game 6 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series taking the set 4-2.

As for the series between the Blades and Rebels, it was expected to be a tight one. The Blades finished fourth in the overall WHL regular season standings with a 48-15-4-1 record and were rated 10^th in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. The Rebels finished fifth in the overall WHL standings and topped the Central Division with a 43-19-3-3 mark.

Many thought the series would go to six or seven games, but no one could have predicted it going to a Game 7 in the way it did. The Rebels took the first three games of the series to lead the set 3-0, but the Blades rebounded with three straight win to tie the set at 3-3.

The Blades are trying to become just the third team in WHL history to come back and win a best-of-seven series 4-3 after losing the first three games of the set.

Dating back to the WHL’s start in 1966-67, only two teams have rallied back to win a best-of-seven series having trailed the set 3-0. The Spokane Chiefs, who were guided by Mike Babcock as head coach, trailed the Portland Winterhawks 3-0 before rallying to take a first round series 4-3 in 1996. The Kelowna Rockets fell behind the Seattle Thunderbirds 3-0 in 2013 before rallying back to claim that first round series 4-3.

Jayden Grubbe leads the Rebels with 15 points in the playoffs.

Gregg Drinnan, who is the dean when it comes to covering the WHL, added on his Taking Note blog that Game 7 of those two series both ended in overtime. In the 1996 Game 7 between the Chiefs and Winterhawks, forward Darren Sinclair scored 58 seconds in overtime to deliver the Chiefs to a 4-3 victory. In the 2013 Game 7 between the Rockets and Thunderbirds, forward Tyson Baillie scored at the 5:10 mark of overtime to give the Rockets a 3-2 victory.

Current Rebels head coach Steve Konowalchuk was the head coach of the Thunderbirds in 2013 when they lost their 3-0 series lead to the Rockets. Konowalchuk would guide the Thunderbirds to a WHL championship in 2016-17 before departing to the NHL to become an assistant coach for the Anaheim Ducks.

The Blades have actually rallied back from being down 3-0 in a best-of-seven series to tie it up at 3-3 for the second time in team history.

Back in 1990, Saskatoon trailed the Lethbridge Hurricanes 3-0 in a second round series in that year’s WHL Playoffs before rallying back to tie the set at 3-3. In a series deciding Game 7 in Lethbridge, the Blades fell 4-3 in overtime with defenceman Neil Hawryluk netting the winning goal for the Hurricanes. Of course, the current edition of the Blades will try to one up their club from the 1990 post-season by getting a Game 7 win.

Going back to their first round seven game series win over Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats, the Blades have won four straight contests in this WHL post-season where they have faced elimination.

Star centre Trevor Wong leads the Blades in post-season scoring with 19 points coming off five goals and 19 assists. He has points in his last five consecutive games posting two goals and seven assists over that stretch of time.

Egor Sidorov has 18 points in the playoffs.

Star import right-winger Egor Sidorov sits second in Blades post-season scoring with 18 points coming off nine goals and nine assists. Captain Aidan De La Gorgendiere leads the Blades in defencemen scoring in the playoffs with 13 points coming off two goals and 11 assists.

Captain Jayden Grubbe tops the Rebels in post-season scoring with 15 points coming off two goals and 13 assists. Star centre Kai Uchacz is second in Rebels scoring in the playoffs with 13 points coming off nine goals and four assists. Mats Lindgren leads all Rebels defencemen in post-season scoring with nine points coming off two goals and seven assists.

The starting goaltenders for each side might not be known until game time. In their three straight wins to tie the series, the Blades have used both Ethan Chadwick and Austin Elliott. Chadwick picked up the wins in Games 4 and 5, while Elliott was in net for the series tying victory in Game 6.

Kyle Kelsey has been the Rebels starter for the entire post-season until he was pulled during his club’s 6-3 loss in Game 5 on Friday at the SaskTel Centre. Chase Coward started Game 6 on Sunday for the Rebels, where they dropped 5-3 decision on home ice.

During the series, the Blades and Rebels have developed a legitimate rivalry. The players on the two teams have shown a real dislike for each other resulting in the series having a snarl to it.

The Blades will be without gritty right-winger Justin Lies for Game 7 as he will be sitting out the third game of a three-game WHL imposed suspension for a head shot he threw on Rebels star left-winger Kalan Lind in the Blades 4-2 win in Game 4 on Wednesday. Lind has been out with a head injury since that hit.

The Rebels faced league discipline on Monday for shenanigans that occurred in the final minute of the Blades 5-3 victory in Game 6 in Red Deer on Sunday. Rebels right-winger Jhett Larson was suspended for one game for receiving a fight instigator penalty in the final five minutes of that contest. The Rebels as a team were fined $500 due to one of their players receiving an instigator penalty inside the final five minutes of that Game 6 setback.

Kai Uchacz has nine goals and 13 points in the playoffs.

The Blades are attempting to reach the Eastern Conference Championships series for the first time since 1994. The Rebels are trying to get back to the Eastern Conference Championship series for the first time since 2016, when they hosted the CHL championship tournament – the Memorial Cup.

Over the past three games, the Blades are 5-for-14 on the power play, and they’ve allowed the Rebels to score on 1-of-10 chances with the man advantage. The Blades have successfully killed off their last nine consecutive penalty killing situations.

As of Monday night, the Blades had sold over 8,000 tickets for the Game 7 clash with the Rebels. Those in attendance might ultimately see one of the Blades most memorable days in franchise history, but don’t expect the Rebels to go away quietly.

T-Birds, Blazers battle for Western Conference title, other notes

The Thunderbirds have had a stellar 2022-23 campaign.

The Seattle Thunderbirds and Kamloops Blazers were the class of the WHL’s Western Conference, and it came as no surprise that both clubs advanced to the Western Conference Championship series.

The Thunderbirds topped the Western Conference and finished second overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 54-11-1-2 record. The U.S. Division champions were rated fourth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. Seattle’s 54 wins and standings points total of 111 points are new regular season club records.

The Blazers, who are hosting this year’s Memorial Cup tournament, finished second overall in the Western Conference and third overall in the WHL regular season with a 48-13-4-3 mark. The B.C. Division champions were rated ninth in the final CHL Top 10 rankings.

Seattle swept away the Kelowna Rockets 4-0 in a best-of-seven first round series and the Prince George Cougars 4-0 in a best-of-seven WHL Western Conference semifinal series. Kamloops swept the Vancouver Giants 4-0 in the first round and the Portland Winterhawks 4-0 in the other Western Conference semifinal series.

The two clubs open their best-of-seven Western Conference title series on Saturday at 7 p.m. local time at the Accesso ShoWare Center in Kent, Washington.

The Thunderbirds and Blazers met in last year’s Western Conference Championship series. That series went to a deciding Game 7, and it was claimed 3-2 by the Thunderbirds at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops. The Blazers led the series 3-2, before the Thunderbirds closed the set out with two straight wins.

Seattle went on to fall in the WHL Championship Series in six games to the Edmonton Oil Kings.

• For those who purchased a $99 playoff pass to guarantee their seat for all Saskatoon Blades home games for the WHL Playoffs, they are feeling really good about their purchase. When the Blades host the Red Deer Rebels in Game 7 of their WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the SaskTel Centre, it will be the Blades eighth home post-season game. If you attended all eight of those post-season home games on a playoff pass, you have spent about $12.50 getting into each contest.
• So far in the WHL Playoffs, the Seattle Thunderbirds have the top power play going 11-for-25 for a 44 per cent success rate. The Moose Jaw Warriors have the second best power play going 10-for 23 for a 43.5 per cent success rate. The Kamloops Blazers sit third going 16-of-39 on the power play for a 41 per cent success rate.
• Star centre Logan Stankoven and star defenceman Olen Zellweger have been on fire for the Kamloops Blazers recording 21 points each in their team’s eight post-season games. Stankoven has recorded his 21 points on 10 goals and 11 assists. Zellweger has his 21 points coming off seven goals and 14 assists.

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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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.

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