Raiders 2019 WHL title win still feels special

The Raiders raise the Ed Chynoweth Cup in 2019.

    Waking up in Prince Albert on the morning of May 13, 2019, I felt a surreal calm that it was going to be a special day.

    One night earlier, the Prince Albert Raiders had a chance to capture the WHL championship at the Art Hauser Centre but fell 4-2 in Game 6 of the league title series to the Vancouver Giants. With the Giants win, the best-of-seven set was tied 3-3.

    The Raiders led the highly-competitive series 3-1, before the Giants won two straight to even things up.

    If there was any disappointment by the locals that the Raiders weren’t able to capitalize on their first two chances to win the WHL crown, it didn’t show.

    “Game 7” might be the most exciting term you could inject into a hockey series. 

Raiders fans rush into the Art Hauser Centre for a standing room spot.

    On May 13, 2019, Game 7 of the WHL Championship series would be played, and the Ed Chynoweth Cup would be awarded to either the Raiders or the Giants.

    The winner would advance to the CHL championship tournament - the Memorial Cup - that was set to be played in Halifax, N.S.

    For the Raiders, this was going to be their biggest home game since May of 1982, when they downed the Guelph Platers 8-4 to sweep the best-of-seven Centennial Cup Championship series 4-0.      

The standing room spots at the Art Hauser Centre are filled quickly.

    On that night, the Raiders became national champions of junior A hockey for a fourth and final time as they graduated to the major junior ranks joining the WHL the very next season.

    On May 13, 2019, I was enjoying the moment as I got to cover that game. I couldn’t believe how calm I felt. It seemed like everything that day was floating on air for me.

    There have only been a handful of times in my life where I have felt that calm for a big day.

    I reflected back to covering Game 7 of the WHL title series between the Medicine Hat Tigers and Giants on May 14, 2007. The Tigers won that contest in epic fashion when Brennan Bosch scored the winner in double overtime to give the Tabbies a 3-2 victory before a sellout crowd of 4,006 spectators at The Arena in Medicine Hat.

The Raiders enter the ice for the start of Game 7 of the WHL title series.

    When I arrived at the Art Hauser Centre on May 13, 2019, I told people outside and inside the building before the contest that the Raiders were going to win 3-2 in double overtime and Parker Kelly was going to net the winning goal.

    I was actually just having fun saying that scenario would go down. I thought something amazing would happen that night, and it would likely be something I had never thought of.

    I felt ready to cover the game no matter how the final outcome would play out.

Ultimately, I ended up seeing another one of the most epic games in the history of the WHL. It was a contest I will always remember.

Parker Kelly in action in Game 7 of the WHL final.

    I arrived inside the rink part of the Art Hauser Centre nice and early before the main doors opened for the fans. I just soaked in the calm of the scene.

    Before I knew it, the main doors were open, and the fans were racing to get their standing room spots standing on top of milk crates and portable benches. The seats filled and the sellout crowd of 3,289 spectators at the 2,580 seat facility were all set to rock.

    The teams played through a scoreless opening frame. The Giants scored first in the second and the Raiders evened things up at 1-1 going into the second intermission.

    Star centre Noah Gregor scored at the 4:25 mark of the third to put the Raiders up 2-1, and I thought that might end up being the series winner.
    Just over four minutes later, Giants import centre Milos Roman scored on a power play to even the score at 2-2 and force overtime.

    For the second time in the history of the WHL, Game 7 of the league championship series would be decided in overtime. 

The Raiders faithful celebrates one of the team’s goals in Game 7.

    I would find out well after this clash between the Raiders and Giants finished that I would be one of the few that was in the building for both of those games.

    In overtime, the Giants had at least three outstanding chances to win the game, but they were turned away by Raiders star netminder Ian Scott, who would be named the MVP of the WHL playoffs.

    That set the stage for what would become the signature moment in the history of the Art Hauser Centre.

Noah Gregor put the Raiders ahead 2-1 in the third period.

    With 1:35 remaining in overtime, overage centre Dante Hannoun tapped in a backdoor feed from Gregor to give the Raiders a 3-2 victory.
    Hannoun jetted from one side of the rink to the other throwing his helmet in the air and the team piled into the northwest corner of the rink in celebration.

    I was just energized by the moment. I quickly finished some deadline items for The Canadian Press and raced down to the ice surface for the trophy presentation and celebrations.

    I think I was on the ice for at least two hours soaking in the moment, while doing interviews and visiting. I remember standing at centre ice looking around and marvelling at the full building.

    It felt like I knew half of the people in the stands, and it was so heartwarming to see them soak in that moment.

    I had covered the Raiders as a beat writer for the Prince Albert Daily Herald from 2001 to 2004, so I knew how big this moment would be for “Hockey Town North.” 

Dante Hannoun would be the overtime hero.

    I believe the reality of what happened was far better than the dream.
    On the ice, I was happy for so many friends. I really didn’t want that celebration and the great feeling of that moment to end.

    Of course, that moment was a huge topper for team’s core group of eight that has been together since the 2016-17 season in captain Brayden Pachal, Sean Montgomery, Kelly, Cole Fonstad, Spencer Moe, Zack Hayes, Max Martin and Scott.

    I was pumped to see Raiders star right-winger Brett Leason celebrate with his family. Leason’s father, Darryl, has been a long time bud going back to our University of Regina days about a couple of decades ago.

    I enjoyed seeing trainer Duane “Puff” Bartley and skills coach Mark Odnokon lift the Ed Chynoweth Cup, because they had put in a tonne of time with the team over a lengthy stretch.

    It was fun to see general manager Curtis Hunt and head coach Marc Habscheid beam with pride over their young men.

Dante Hannoun and the iconic OT goal celebration picture.

    Even when I went back to the pressbox to finish my work, I was still walking on air.

    I didn’t realize how good my picture was of Hannoun’s celebration, until I started finishing my pieces about the game later that night. I noticed that shot, when I was working on a quoter for The Canadian Press and a lengthy story for this blog.

    When I was back at my hotel room after finishing my work, it started to hit me what had happened. I was amazed I got to cover another Game 7 in the WHL Championship series that concluded with an overtime finish.

    For the first few days, I kept thinking, “Did that actually happen again?”

    Even now in the world that is consumed with uncertainty due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the lockdowns that has brought on, the memory of the Raiders Game 7 WHL Championship series overtime win on Hannoun’s goal helps you escape to a much better place for a time.

Sean Montgomery goes for a skate with the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

    The moment of Hannoun’s goal easily brings a smile to the face to this day. That moment will keep creating a happy reaction as time keeps going by.

    It was one of those instances where it truly felt incredible to be alive.

    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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Raiders’ Protas picks up WHL Eastern Conference sportsmanship award

Aliaksei Protas won a WHL Eastern Conference award.

    Aliaksei Protas has continued to rise during his two seasons in the WHL, and it has resulted in a conference award nod.

    On Wednesday, the Belarusian import centre with the Prince Albert Raiders was named the most sportsmanlike player from the WHL’s Eastern Conference. The Western Conference’s most sportsmanlike player honour went to Seth Jarvis, who is a centre for the Portland Winterhawks.

    Protas had a stellar sophomore season with the Raiders leading in the team in scoring with 31 goals and 59 assists for 80 points in 58 regular season games. Out of his 31 goals, seven were game winners.
    He posted a plus-37 rating in the plus-minus department and just eight minutes in penalties.

    A signed NHL Entry Draft selection of the Washington Capitals, Protas is eligible to return to the WHL for a 19-year-old campaign next season.

    Protas joined to the Raiders after being selected in the first round and 26^th overall in the 2018 CHL Import Draft.
    Standing 6-foot-6 and weigh 210 pounds, Protas came to the Raiders with impressive physical tools and soft hands in the offensive zone.

Aliaksei Protas (#21) picked up 59 assists this season.

    As he got used to a new culture in Canada, Protas had a sound rookie regular season in 2018-19 posting 11 goals, 29 assists and a plus-24 rating in 61 regular season games. The Raiders finished first overall in the regular season standings with a 54-10-2-2.

    The product of Vitebsk, Belarus, became a fan favourite as rookie campaign went on, and he picked up the nickname “The Viper of Vitebsk.”

    The 2018-19 regular season was just a small precursor of what was in store for Protas in the post-season.

    In the 2019 WHL playoffs, Protas turned a lot of heads with a number of big performances playing left wing on a line centred by overager Sean Montgomery and Brett Leason staring on right wing.
    Protas appeared in all 23 of the games the Raiders played in the WHL playoffs piling up 12 goals, 10 assists and a plus-12 rating.

Aliaksei Protas topped the Raiders in scoring with 80 points.

    He played a sizable role in helping the Raiders win the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions for the second time in team history and appearing in the CHL championship tournament – the Memorial Cup.

    In the NHL Entry Draft in June of 2019, the Capitals selected Protas in the third round and 91^st overall. The Capitals has selected Leason in the second round and 56^th overall in that same draft.

    Leason was signed by the Capitals and played this past season with their AHL affiliate the Hersey Bears.

    After all those experiences as a rookie, Protas came back to the Raiders with added jump and confidence.

    Having helped the Raiders finish first in the East Division with a 36-18-6-4 record, Protas was named a WHL Eastern Conference first team all-star last week. His season allowed him to have his name inscribed on the Raiders’ Dave Balon Leading Scorer Award, which was officially presented online on Tuesday.

    Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Raiders weren’t able to finish their regular season schedule and the CHL cancelled all its post-season action for all three of its member leagues including the WHL, OHL and QMJHL.

Aliaksei Protas (#21) celebrated lots of goals with his Raiders teammates.

    The Raiders have handed out three more of their team awards so far this week. Sophomore centre Ozzy Wiesblatt took home the Three Stars Award on Tuesday.

    On Wednesday, the Raiders named rookie defencemen Nolan Allan and Landon Kosior as the co-winners of the Belle Merrell and Calla Grasley Award as the team’s scholastic player of the year.

    Also on Wednesday, overage defenceman Jeremy Masella captured the Travis Laycock Award as the team’s humanitarian of the year.

    For Protas, he cemented himself as one of the WHL’s top players in 2019-20. He has the potential to have even better days in the sport of hockey in the years to come.

Hurricanes get two conference front office awards, other notes

Hurricanes GM Peter Anholt, left, was named a top executive.

    As the WHL has continued to roll out its major conference awards online, the Lethbridge Hurricanes took a couple of big honours as far as front office work goes.

    On Tuesday, Hurricanes general manager and alternate governor Peter Anholt was named the executive of the year for the Eastern Conference. Anholt has been with the Hurricanes since the start of the 2014-15 campaign and played a major role in turning the Hurricanes around from being one of the WHL worst franchises into a club that now enjoys elite status.

    This season, the Hurricanes posted a 37-19-2-5 record to finish third in the WHL’s Central Division and eighth overall in the entire league standings. The Hurricanes had locked up a playoff berth for a fifth straight year before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the final part of the regular season and the entire post-season for all CHL leagues.

    Anholt selected Slovakian left-winger Oliver Okuliar in the first round and 49^th overall in the 2019 CHL Import Draft. The 19-year-old finished second in Hurricanes team scoring with 33 goals and 35 assists for 68 points in 55 regular season games to go with a plus-25 rating in the plus-minus department.

    Anholt acquired overage centre Brett Davis in a trade with the Red Deer Rebels to help boost the Hurricanes scoring. In 57 regular season games played between the Rebels and Hurricanes, Davis had 25 goals and 24 assists.

    Anholt brought in depth right-winger Dino Kambeitz to further solidify the Hurricanes offence. The veteran GM added local Lethbridge products in left-winger Zack Stringer and netminder Erick Roest via separate WHL Bantam Drafts.

Zack Stringer was a big local WHL Bantam Draft pick by the Hurricanes.

    Stringer had a solid campaign as a 16-year-old rookie netting 11 goals, 23 assists and a plus-13 rating in 48 regular season games. Roest will attempt to crack the team’s roster next season as a 16-year-old rookie in goal.

    On Friday, the Hurricanes claimed the Eastern Conference business award. The Hurricanes have tried out new things like having intermission segments with skaters dressed in dinosaur costumes and providing more features on their website.

    They strive to give back to the community contributing over $163,000 to communities and organizations in Lethbridge and surrounding area.

    Matt Bardsley, who is the vice-president and general manager of the Kamloops Blazers, was named the Western Conference executive of the year on Friday. Bardsley helped build the Blazers roster and revamp the coaching staff by bringing in Shaun Clouston as head coach to allow the Kamloops club to top the B.C. Division with a 41-18-3-1 mark.

    The Seattle Thunderbirds claimed the Western Conference business award on Friday.

    On Monday, Edmonton Oil Kings head coach Brad Lauer was named the coach of the year for the Eastern Conference. Lauer guided the Oil Kings to the best record in the Eastern Conference and third best overall mark in the league at 42-12-6-4.

    Everett Silvertips head coach Dennis Williams was named the Western Conference’s coach of the year on Monday. Williams guided the Silvertips to the second best record in the WHL at 46-13-3-1.

• On Monday, the XFL filed for bankruptcy citing in a release the harsh economic impacts and uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The XFL suspended operations on March 12 and laid off most of its employees on Friday. The 2020 campaign was the first of a rebooted XFL and drew a high amount of positive reviews. A rowdy version of the league ran for one season in 2001. The XFL was owned by WWE chairman/president Vince McMahon and Alpha Entertainment. On Wednesday, the WWE laid off a significant number of its performers.
• The 2020 Saskatoon Fringe Festival became a casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic on Tuesday, when it was cancelled. The Fringe Festival was slated to run July 30 to August 8.
• Canada Basketball announced on Tuesday its under-15 and under-17 men’s and women’s national championships set for Aug. 2-9 were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Kingston, Ont., was slated to host the men’s under-15 and under-17 tournaments. Charlottetown, P.E.I., was set to host the women’s under-15 and under-17 tournaments.
• The Canadian Elite Basketball League announced on Wednesday its original regular season start in May had been pushed back to June due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. A league release cited government regulations currently limiting the size of public gatherings and causing the closures of team practice facilities as the reasons for the schedule change. The regular season was originally slated to start on May 7 with the Niagara River Lions hosting the Ottawa Blackjacks. The Saskatchewan Rattlers won last year’s inaugural CEBL championship.
• The Thursday edition of the weekly Quad Town Forum is online, and the Vibank, Sask., publication is well worth the read. Brad Brown, who is the publisher and owner of the Forum, has a great tribute piece on late Edmonton Oilers system forward Colby Cave. As a staffer for the Prairie Post in Swift Current, Brown covered Cave during part of the two-way player’s time with the WHL’s Broncos from 2012 to 2014. Brown typed out a good piece on Prince Albert Raiders 17-year-old rookie defenceman Landon Kosior. I contributed a piece on Saskatchewan Roughriders star left guard Brendon LaBatte. The online version of the Quad Town Forum can be found by clicking right here.
• The feel good tweet of the week so far comes from University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s basketball team head coach Lisa Thomaidis. She shared a short video put together by team video coach Connor Jay of the squad’s U Sports national title win on March 8. The Huskies downed the Brock University Badgers 82-64 in the national final held in Ottawa, Ont.

It's been 5 weeks since our @USPORTSca National Championship. So grateful to @CJ7Ten for capturing our @HuskieWBB "One Shining Moment" in such a beautiful way. @HuskieAthletics ` pic.twitter.com/GmPVRVrCz1

— Lisa Thomaidis (@LisaThomaidis) April 14, 2020

    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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Raiders will still be a team to be reckoned with in WHL

The Raiders captured the Ed Chynoweth Cup last season.

    Don’t expect the Prince Albert Raiders to have a great fall.

    Going into the 2019-20 WHL regular season, the Raiders will be hard pressed to duplicate their exploits from last season, where they finished first overall in the regular season standings and captured the WHL title for second time in team history.

    Of course, the Raiders claimed the WHL title winning what will go down as one of the circuit’s all-time greatest games and arguably the most memorable moment at the Art Hauser Centre.

    That great game was of course Game 7 of the WHL final, were Dante Hannoun scored the overtime winner to give the Raiders a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Giants on May 13. It was a moment that could power the Raiders and their fans on adrenaline for some time.
    Both ensured the WHL title trophy the Ed Chynoweth Cup saw lots of different sites this past summer.

Cole Fonstad will be a key returnee for the Raiders.

    Last season, the Raiders rekindled their storied past and lived up to the image of being the team of Mike Modano and Dave Manson – the franchise where honour still matters.
    In the previous 13 campaigns before winning the league crown and appearing in the CHL championship tournament – the Memorial Cup, the Raiders missed the playoffs seven times and were eliminated in the first round six times.

    Still, the Raiders roster will not be the same as a season ago and is filled with a number of significant departures.

    Gone are overage forwards Hannoun, Noah Gregor and Sean Montgomery, who put up big seasons. Netminder Ian Scott, import defenceman Sergei Sapego and forwards Brett Leason and Parker Kelly could potentially return as overagers, but all four are highly expected to play in the professional ranks.

    Scott and Sapego are part the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs system, Leason is with the Washington Capitals system and Kelly with the Ottawa Senators system. Last season, Scott captured individual honours as WHL goaltender of the year and CHL goaltender of the year.

    While the departures are significant, it is wise to expect the Raiders will still hit the ice with a good team that will cause the other 21 clubs in the WHL headaches.
    Unlike the Swift Current Broncos, who won the WHL title in the 2017-18 season, and the Regina Pats, who hosted the Memorial Cup in that campaign, the Raiders won’t be skating through a lame duck season.

Ozzy Wiesblatt looks to build on a solid 16-year-old rookie season.

    The Broncos and Pats sold the farm to ice older and more experienced teams in the 2017-18 campaign giving up young prospects and high WHL Bantam Draft picks in trades. It would have taken a miracle for either club to have clinched a playoff berth last season undergoing major rebuilds.

    The Broncos finished last in the entire league at 11-51-4-2. The Pats were third last in the WHL at 19-45-1-3.

    The Raiders didn’t sell the farm for their special campaign in 2018-19, where they posted an impressive 54-10-2-2 record to capture the Scott Munro Memorial Trophy for topping the WHL standings.

    General manager Curtis Hunt and head coach Marc Habscheid are back with new multi-year contracts. Hunt was named the WHL’s executive of the year and Habscheid was the WHL’s coach of the year last season.

    As long as Hunt and Habscheid are at the helm, the Raiders franchise will be in good hands. Even reloading seasons will feel like the team accomplished a lot and will likely include a playoff berth.

    In the 2016-17 season when the Raiders posted a 21-44-5-2 mark finished third last in the WHL, they built with a young core group of eight players that all played big parts in last season’s league championship including Montgomery, Scott, Kelly, Brayden Pachal, Zack Hayes, Cole Fonstad, Spencer Moe and Max Martin.

The Raiders faithful love to make rivals feel welcome.

    Fonstad, Moe and Martin are back with the team. Pachal is in camp with the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights and Hayes is at the NHL training camp of the Anaheim Ducks as unsigned free agents.
    Both could be back as overagers and would be in the mix for three 20-year-old spots along with Martin and Jeremy Masella. WHL clubs have until Oct. 10 to cut down to three overage players.

    The players from that core group will provide a foundation, and they will be starting to hand over the torch to the upcoming generation that will strive to keep building on the Raiders storied history.

    The youngsters include a trio of players that jumped to the forefront last year season as 16-year-old rookies in forwards Ozzy Wiesblatt and Jakob Brook along with rearguard Kaiden Guhle.

    All three are ready for bigger roles as 17-year-olds and will be ready to pick up some of the offence that was lost from the club’s graduating stars.

    Defenceman Nolan Allen and forward Tyson Laventure are 16-year-old rookies who appear to be destined for great things in their WHL careers.

    The Raiders are expecting import winger Aliaksei Protas to be assigned back to the club from the NHL’s Washington Capitals for a sophomore campaign as an 18-year-old. Russian centre Ivan Kechkin takes the Raiders other import spot, and he comes to the team with a lot of potential.

    Prince Albert’s staff is high that 18-year-old netminder Boston Bilous will recover the star form he had coming up through the minor hockey ranks in his third season in the WHL.

Pals - Parker Kelly (#27) and Brayden Pachal (#8).

    Of course, the Raiders will have the Art Hauser Centre faithful behind them every step of the way as the team has sold over 2,000 season tickets in the 2,580 seat iconic facility. The faithful will do their part to back the Raiders and remind opponents when they are having an off day.

    The Raiders open their season when they host their archrivals the Saskatoon Blades on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre. You can expect that outing to have an atmosphere that is similar to a playoff clash.

    At the moment, it would be hard to expect the Raiders to duplicate what they did a season ago, and they will likely take a step backwards. If you underestimate them and do not believe they will still be a solid team, those opposing clubs will likely be in for a big surprise.

Ridley chases 4,000 games as Tigers play-by-play voice

Bob Ridley is approaching 4,000 games as the Tigers play-by-play voice

    Medicine Hat Tigers play-by-play voice Bob Ridley will always be “The Dean” of WHL broadcasters, and he is chasing a milestone that no hockey broadcaster may ever hit again.

    As the storied Tigers embark on their 50^th anniversary season, Ridley will be chasing down his 4,000^th call as the team’s play-by-play voice. The 75-year-old has been the only play-by-play voice in the club’s history.

    Ridley also drove the Tigers team bus for most of that stretch too.

    Going into the 2019-20 campaign, Ridley has called 3,935 of the club’s 3,936 games. That tally includes action in the regular season, standings tiebreaker games, WHL playoffs and the Memorial Cup tournament.

    Ridley has called 3,503 of the Tigers 3,504 regular season games, the one standings tiebreaker game the club has appeared in, all of their 411 games in the WHL playoffs and all 20 of their contests in the Memorial Cup.

The Tigers are embarking on their 50th anniversary season.

    The Tigers open their 50^th anniversary season on Friday, when they travel to Lethbridge to take on the Hurricanes. That will be 3,936^th game Ridley calls as the Tigers play-by-play voice.

    If Ridley doesn’t miss any contests, he will call his 4,000th game on Saturday, March 14, 2020, when the Tigers host the Swift Current Broncos at the Canalta Centre at 7:30 p.m. local time.

    Over the summer, I have double checked Ridley’s numbers a couple of times, and the totals I have come up with are correct. I had been following Ridley’s game called total for a number of years, and I admit I always have a fear I will get the timing of the 4,000^th game wrong.

    I am pretty certain a number of Tigers alums are going to want to make his 4,000th game, and I did not want to mess up the alums travel plans.

    With all that said, no one has called more games as the play-by-play voice of one hockey team than Ridley has. If you called 80 games a season between the regular season and playoffs and did that for 49 campaigns, you would still fall short of Ridley’s current games called total.

    In my books, he should be in the Hockey Hall of Fame, and a 4,000^th call I think would make it hard to keep him out.

    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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Capitals good landing spot for Raiders’ Leason

Brett Leason celebrates scoring for the Raiders in the WHL playoffs.

    The NHL Entry Draft might have worked about better than first envisioned for Brett Leason.

    The 20-year-old right-winger from the Prince Albert Raiders was tabbed as a potential first round selection after being listed 25^th among North American skaters in the final rankings released by NHL Central Scouting in April.

    On the final day of this year’s NHL Entry Draft being held on Saturday in Vancouver, B.C., Leason was selected in the second round and 56^th overall by the Washington Capitals.

    Before the draft day festivities began, Leason received the E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence. The award is given to candidate who best exemplifies the commitment to excellence through strength of character, competitiveness and athleticism.

    Leason was presented the award after persevering through going undrafted in 2017 and 2018 and having a breakout season with the Raiders posting 36 goals, 53 assists for 89 points and a plus-55 rating in 55 regular season games.

Brett Leason had a breakout season with the Raiders in 2018-19.

    He helped the Raiders finish first overall in the WHL regular season with a 54-10-2-2 record and win their second WHL title and appear in the Memorial Cup tournament. In the WHL playoffs, Leason posted 10 goals and 15 assists for 25 points and a plus-six rating in 22 games.

    The Calgary, Alta., product also earned a spot on Canada’s team at the last world junior tournament played in Vancouver and Victoria, B.C.

    While you can bet Leason, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 210 pounds, would have loved to have been selected in the first round, he ended up in a good NHL landing spot.

    The Capitals have qualified for the NHL playoffs in 11 of the last 12 seasons. They’ve won 45 or more games in each of the past five campaigns.

    Washington captured the Stanley Cup in 2018. Last season, the Capitals topped the Metropolitan Division with a 48-26-8 record before being upset in the first round of the post-season by the Carolina Hurricanes in a series that went the maximum seven games.

    The Capitals likely won’t fall off the map any time soon being loaded with veteran talent like the great Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson, Brooks Orpik and netminder Braden Holtby.

Brett Leason (#20) and Aliaksei Protas (#21) were drafted by the Capitals.

    Leason will have a chance to develop and be molded to a spot on the team. He won’t be expected to come in and light things up offensively right away.

    He will be looked upon to be a potential piece to keep the good times going for the Capitals.

    Falling to the second round, it can also be argued there might be some doubts as to whether Leason can duplicate his stellar 2018-19 campaign with the Raiders. The doubt card could provide another motivating factor.

    On the other end of the spectrum, the fact Leason slipped in the draft takes some pressure off to come in and make an impact right away.

    Leason gained another bonus in the draft when one of his Raiders linemates in Belarusian left-winger Aliaksei Protas was also selected by the Capitals. The Capitals picked Protas in the third round and 91^st overall.
    Protas, who stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 205 pounds, was a WHL rookie in the 2018-19 campaign, and he steadily improved posting 11 goals, 29 assists and a plus-24 rating in 61 regular season games.

The Raiders celebrate a post-season goal from Brett Leason (#20).

    The 18-year-old had a head turning WHL playoffs posting 12 goals, 10 assists and a plus-12 rating in 23 games.

    Leason and Protas will be able to continue to help each other in the Capitals system.

    You are almost watching to see if the Capitals will sign their centre with the Raiders in Sean Montgomery as a free agent. Montgomery has exhausted his major junior eligibility after playing five seasons with the Raiders.

    Things couldn’t have fallen in place any better for Leason. When the draft came to a close, he was likely thankful things played out as they did.

Blades’ Maier get draft snub

Nolan Maier was passed over in the NHL Entry Draft.

    Nolan Maier has to be wondering why he was the odd man out when it comes to the NHL Entry Draft.

    The 18-year-old product of Yorkton, Sask., couldn’t have done anything more at this point in his hockey career to earn an NHL Entry Draft Selection. The Saskatoon Blades star netminder was passed over at this year’s draft that was held on Friday and Saturday in Vancouver, B.C.

    As a 16-year-old rookie in the 2017-18 campaign, Maier joined the Blades and racked up a string of impressive performances including a run of winning 10 straight games. He became a WHL starting netminder as a 16-year-old rookie, which is not very common in the current era of major junior hockey.

    Maier finished out his rookie campaign posting a 23-17-2 record, a 3.31 goals against average, a .895 save percentage and two shutouts.

    There were times that season you could argue he was one of the top five netminders in the WHL.

Maier followed things up with a stellar sophomore campaign where he posted a 36-10-6 record, a 2.64 goals against average, a .910 save percentage and four shutouts.
    Thanks to Maier’s efforts, the Blades finished fourth overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 45-17-8 record and made the post-season for the first time since 2013.

Nolan Maier has been stellar for the Blades in his two WHL campaigns.

    Maier kept up his impressive play in the playoffs helping the Blades advance to the second round. In Saskatoon’s 10 post-season contests, Maier posted a 6-4 record, a 2.86 goals against average, a .903 save percentage and one shutout.

    The Blades fell in a six-game series in the second round to the eventual WHL champion Prince Albert Raiders.

    Maier posted shutout wins over the Raiders, who topped the WHL regular season standings with a 54-10-2-2 record, twice in the 2018-19 campaign. He blanked them once in the regular season and once in the post-season.

    On top of playing for the Blades, Maier has found himself firmly planted on Hockey Canada’s radar. In November of 2017, he was a member of Team Canada Black at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge held jointly in Dawson Creek and Fort St. John, B.C.

    Last August, Maier was on Canada’s under-18 team that won gold at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup held jointly in Edmonton and Red Deer.
    After the Blades were eliminated from the WHL playoffs in April, Maier suited up for Canada at the under-18 world championships held in Ornskoldsvik and Umea, Sweden.

    Earlier this month, Maier took part in Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence Goaltending Camp in Calgary, Alta.

Nolan Maier has been locked on Hockey Canada’s radar.

    On top of all of that, Maier is a well-mannered person that everyone he has met says good things about. He has been one of those perfect representatives for the Blades in the community.

    The only thing more he could have done is maybe found a way to stretch himself to gain three inches in height.

    Maier stands 6-feet and weighs 173 pounds. It seems like those making decisions in NHL personnel departments are weighted towards finding puck stoppers who stand 6-foot-3 three or taller.

    It is safe to say that Maier would have been drafted had he stood 6-foot-3 with the numbers he put up with the Blades.

    Even with that said, three goaltenders were selected in the seventh round who were similar in size to Maier.

    With the 197^th overall pick, Finland’s Filip Lindberg, who stands 6-feet and weighs 180 pounds, went to the Minnesota Wild.

    The Colorado Avalanche took Vancouver Giants netminder Trent Miner with the 202^nd overall selection. Miner stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 187 pounds.

    Everett Silvertips star Dustin Wolf, who stands 6-feet and weighs 156 pounds, was selected 214^th overall by the Calgary Flames.

    At that point, it becomes a head shaker when you reflect on the fact Maier wasn’t drafted.

    A total of 22 netminders were selected in the NHL Entry Draft. At this point in time, it can be argued Maier is better than most of those.

Netminder Nolan Maier celebrates a win with his Blades teammates.

    Still, he was only listed 22^nd among North American goalies in the final NHL Central Scouting rankings in April, so for some reason, he isn’t cracking on the NHL’s radar.

    In Maier’s case, the NHL Entry Draft is a lesson on how life can be unfair.

    All Maier can do is keep building on the tremendous work he has already done and let the chips fall where they may.

    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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Montgomery soaked in farewell lap with WHL champion Raiders

Sean Montgomery skates with the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

    PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – For Sean Montgomery, his first days and season with the Prince Albert Raiders seem like they are from another lifetime.

    “I think most of all I was just kind of just shocked to be playing here,” said Montgomery. “I was just happy to be here.”

    Way back in the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft, the Raiders selected Montgomery in the sixth round and 114^th overall. The Calgary, Alta., product was going to have his chance to crack into the WHL, but there were no guarantees he would have a career in the major junior ranks.

    Montgomery made the Raiders in his 16-year-old season in 2014-15 collecting six goals and six assists for 12 points while posting a minus-four rating in the plus-minus department in 65 regular season games.

    The hard working centre would ultimately play a career record 345 regular season games for the Raiders netting 72 goals and 72 assists for 144 points and a plus-three rating.

    He skated in 35 career games in the WHL post-season posting 12 goals, nine assists and a plus-11 rating.

    Montgomery played in his final three games at this year’s Memorial Cup tournament in Halifax, N.S., for the Raiders picking up one goal in those outings.

    He had by far his most productive campaign as an overager this past season. In 67 regular season games, Montgomery posted 29 goals, 30 assists and a plus-41 rating.

Sean Montgomery leads the Raiders in career regular season games played.

    Over his five seasons with the Raiders, Montgomery became a solid two-way player. Looking back, Montgomery said he can’t remember too much about his first campaign, but he enjoyed being the elder statesman as a career member of the team in his final season.

    “It has been pretty cool,” said Montgomery. “I never thought I would get to that point, but I am here now.

    “I am just honoured to have that record.”

    With Montgomery having a big year, the Raiders had one of their best seasons ever since joining the WHL in the 1982-83 campaign.

    The Raiders topped the WHL’s regular season standings with a 54-10-2-2 record. The only time the club posted more regular season wins in the WHL came the only other time the squad finished first overall in the 1984-85 campaign, when the Raiders recorded a record of 58 wins, 11 losses and three ties.
    Prince Albert went on to win the WHL title and the Memorial Cup that season.

Sean Montgomery record 59 points in the regular season in 2018-19.

    During the 2018-19 campaign, the Raiders topped the CHL’s Top 10 rankings for a number of weeks and were rated second in the final installment of those rankings.

    In the playoffs, the Raiders advanced on to win the WHL title for the second time in team history.
    Prince Albert captured the Ed Chynoweth Cup as league champions in dramatic fashion on May 13.

    Overage centre Dante Hannoun scored the overtime winner in Game 7 of the league final in a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Giants before a sellout crowd of 3,289 spectators at the 2,580 seat Art Hauser Centre.

    During the club’s journey to reach the WHL’s peak, Raiders captain Brayden Pachal said Montgomery’s importance to the Raiders can’t be understated.

    “He (Montgomery) is a huge leader on our team,” said Pachal. “He has tonnes of games in this league.
    “He has the experience. He comes to play every single night. He battles, and that is the definition of a playoff guy.”

    Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid said Montgomery has earned tonnes of respect for years of work he put in with the team and deserved to graduate from the major junior ranks as a league champion.

Sean Montgomery (#25) battles for a draw for the Raiders.

    “Look at Sean Montgomery and what he went through with the losing and the taunting,” said Habscheid. “If he would have lost (the WHL final), it wouldn’t have been right.

    “I’m really happy for him.”

    The Raiders missed the playoffs in Montgomery’s first and third seasons with the team, and he said persevering through those times helped his special final season materialize.

    “Whenever we did have 15 or 20 wins, it looked like a long shot, but those kind of helped us in the long run,” said Montgomery. “We just kept building off it, and now we are here.”

    Remembering those struggles, Montgomery said he soaked in and enjoyed every moment of his magical final season with the team.

    “It was a blast the whole time,” said Montgomery. “It was incredible.”

    After the Raiders bowed out of the Memorial Cup falling 5-2 to the OHL champion Guelph Storm in their final round robin game last Tuesday, Montgomery enjoyed the reception the team received from the fans upon returning to Prince Albert.

Sean Montgomery celebrates a hat trick goal against the Blades.

    Montgomery had fun seeing everyone that met the team bus at the Art Hauser Centre last Wednesday and taking part in a final rally for the team last Thursday at the club’s home rink.
    “It is pretty special,” said Montgomery. “We’ve come a long way, and we’re pretty proud of everyone.

    “We’ve had some tough years. To end it off on the most incredible year of my life, I can’t put it into words.”

    Now that his Raiders playing days have come to a completion, Montgomery said he wasn’t sure what waits ahead for him in the future as far as hockey goes. He planned to spend some down time in “Hockey Town North” before returning to Calgary.

    “I’m just going to enjoy the next few days, and then I am going to start to focus on what I am going to do next year,” said Montgomery. “I haven’t decided yet.”

Kelly sets sights on future with NHL’s Senators

Parker Kelly will likely find a home in the professional ranks next season.

    With the Prince Albert Raiders WHL championship winning season having come to a close, it has crossed Parker Kelly’s mind that he might have played his final game with the team.

    The 20-year-old power forward is eligible to return to the WHL for an overage season. With that noted, Kelly signed an NHL entry-level contract with the Ottawa Senators back in September of 2017.

    The Camrose, Alta., product earned the contract as a free agent after having a good showing at the Senators development camp held in July of that year.

    It is highly likely Kelly will play in Ottawa’s system next season either with the NHL club, their AHL affiliate the Belleville Senators or their ECHL affiliate the Brampton Beast.

    Kelly will have to get used to a new head coach in Ottawa. On Thursday, the NHL Senators hired D.J. Smith to be the team’s new head coach. Smith has been an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

    “Obviously, that is the next chapter in my career,” said Kelly. “Hopefully, I can make it to part of their organization whether that is in Ottawa next year or in Belleville.

    “That is going to be the next chapter, and I am really looking forward to it. They just hired a new coach today. I’ll be looking forward to meeting him and getting back and seeing all my friends down there and hopefully kicking off a great career with the Senators organization.”

    Kelly has played four complete seasons with the Raiders appearing in 273 regular season games posting 93 goals and 95 assists for 188 points and a plus-50 rating in the plus-minus department.

    This past regular season, Kelly appeared in 64 games with the Raiders picking up career highs in goals (35), assists (32) and points (69) to go with a plus-42 rating. In the WHL playoffs, Kelly had eight goals and nine assists for 17 points to go with a plus-19 rating in 23 games.

Leason notes mom is the boss of the family household

Brett Leason said his mom, Rhonda, makes the family household run.

    Brett Leason might be a star right-winger for the Prince Albert Raiders, but he is quick to note his mom, Rhonda Leason, is the boss at home.

    Brett had a breakout season with the Raiders leading the team in regular season scoring in the 2018-19 campaign with 36 goals and 53 assists for 89 points to go with a plus-55 rating in the plus-minus department. He topped the Raiders in scoring in the WHL playoffs with 10 goals and 15 assists for 25 points to go with a plus-six rating in 22 games.

    Father, Darryl Leason, was a star quarterback with the Regina Rams from 1992 to 1995 when the team was in the Canadian Junior Football League and with the University of Regina Rams in 2000 and 2001 when the squad joined the U Sports ranks. In between those stints with the Rams, Darryl was a star with the University of Calgary Dinos.

    While Brett and Darryl have fame from athletic pursuits, Brett said Rhonda is the one who is always right at home and makes sure everything runs well in the household.

    “I think she rules it pretty good,” said Brett.

    Both Brett and Darryl know that life is happy when Rhonda is happy. Brett, who turned 20 in late April, is expected to be an early selection in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.

Habscheid said Simpson still “the man” with Raiders

Marc Habscheid gave props to Raiders coaching legend Terry Simpson.

    Marc Habscheid would never put himself ahead of the legendary former Prince Albert Raiders head coach and general manager, who has a street beside the club’s home rink named after him.

    Terry Simpson, who achieved legendary status as the Raiders head coach and general manager, said in an online CBC story on May 10 that the current team, “is probably a lot better coached than the team in 1985.”

    When the Raiders played in the junior A ranks, Simpson guided the club to Centennial Cup victories as national champions in 1977, 1979, 1981 and 1982. After the Raiders moved up to the major junior ranks and joined the WHL for the start of the 1982-83 season, Simpson guided the Raiders to WHL and Memorial Cup titles in the 1984-85 campaign.

    Simpson has a vast coaching resume that includes being a head coach in the NHL with the New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers and Winnipeg Jets. One of the streets that runs beside the Art Hauser Centre is name Terry Simpson Lane.

    Habscheid has his own lengthy and impressive resume, but doesn’t put himself on Simpson’s level.

    “I don’t think so,” said Habscheid. “He (Simpson) has had a way better coaching career than me.”

    With that noted, Habscheid was proud his Raiders could win the club’s second WHL title this past season.

    “I’m just so happy for these kids,” said Habscheid. “I really am.

    “They are proud Raiders. They hung in there and faced a lot of adversity. Nobody picked us to do this at the beginning of the year.

    “We have four guys that have NHL allegiance, and they just kept believing. We have great players. A lot of these guys are going to get opportunities because of this and deservedly so.”

Huskies rally to win first Memorial Cup title 4-2

    The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies weren’t going to be denied.

    On Sunday at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, N.S., the QMJHL champion Huskies fell behind the host Halifax Mooseheads 2-0 before rallying for a 4-2 victory in the title game at the Memorial Cup tournament played before a sellout crowd of 10,595 spectators. The win gave the Huskies their first CHL championship in team history.

    The Huskies topped the QMJHL regular season standings with a 59-8-0-1 record and were rated first in the final CHL Top 10 rankings. They won the best-of-seven QMJHL final 4-2 taking out the Mooseheads.

    The Mooseheads finished first in the QMJHL’s Eastern Conference in the regular season with a 49-15-2-2 mark and were rated eighth in the final CHL Top 10 rankings.

    In Sunday’s clash in the Memorial Cup championship game, Samuel Asselin scored with 44 seconds remaining in the opening frame to give the Mooseheads a 1-0 lead. At the 5:26 mark of the second, Raphael Lavoie tallied to increase the Mooseheads edge to 2-0.

    From that point, the Huskies took over. Before the second period ended, Felix Bibeau and Joel Teasdale each netted singles for the Huskies to even the score at 2-2.

    At the 3:02 mark of the third, overage centre Peter Abbandonato scored the winning goal for the Huskies to put Rouyn-Noranda up 3-2. Just 2:01 later, the Huskies received an insurance goal from Vincent Marleau to round out the 4-2 final.

    Samuel Harvey made 23 stops to pick up the win in goal for the Huskies, who posted a 4-1 record at the tournament. Alexis Gravel turned away 31 shots to take the setback in goal for the Mooseheads, who finished the tournament with a 2-2 mark.

    Teasdale was named the MVP of the Memorial Cup recording four goals, one assist and a plus-four rating in the plus-minus department in the Huskies five games.

    Huskies head coach Mario Pouliot became the first head coach to win back-to-back Memorial Cup titles with two different teams having guided the Acadie-Bathurst Titan to the CHL title last season.

    Huskies star offensive defenceman Noah Dobson was a member of the Acadie-Bathurst squad that won the Memorial Cup a year ago.

    Huskies import left-winger Jakub Lauko led the tournament in scoring with two goals and six assists for eight points to go along with a plus-three rating.
    Between action in the regular season, QMJHL playoffs and the Memorial Cup tournament, the Huskies won eight of 10 head-to-head meetings with the Mooseheads.

    The tournament’s title game has been plagued off the ice by people trying to make a quick buck. Gregg Drinnan, who is the dean when it comes to covering the WHL, reported from a source on his Taking Note blog that a pair of tickets for today’s championship game was offered for sale at $1,500.

    On Thursday, CBC ran a story online stating it has found tickets for the title game of the Memorial Cup tournament being sold on resale sites for $1,000 each.

    Individual tickets for the Memorial Cup’s title game were running from $50 to $75 each at face value.

    Over the last 11 Memorial Cup tournaments, teams from the QMJHL and the OHL have won five titles each, while the WHL has claimed one championship.

    The next Memorial Cup will be hosted by the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets running from May 22 to 31, 2020 in Kelowna, B.C.

THE ROUYN-NORANDA HUSKIES ARE YOUR MEMORIAL CUP CHAMPS! pic.twitter.com/X4Rhm0Dr0X

— Memorial Cup presented by Kia (@CHLMemorialCup) May 27, 2019

    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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