2023 NHL Entry Draft will be memorable for WHL

Connor Bedard went first overall in the NHL Entry Draft.

The 2023 NHL Entry Draft will be remembered as two of the WHL’s best days.

Of course, the 33 players who were selected from the WHL in the NHL Entry Draft on Wednesday and Thursday in Nashville, Tennessee, still have to skate out careers in hockey’s top professional league. With that said, it wouldn’t be a surprise to look back on this year’s NHL Entry Draft a couple of decades from now, and one would reflect on it being a great one for the WHL.

No matter what happens in the future, this NHL Entry Draft will be known as the one where Regina Pats phenom centre Connor Bedard, who will turn 18-years-old on July 17, was selected first overall by the Chicago Blackhawks. The North Vancouver, B.C., product might have been the most watched junior aged player ever over the three campaigns he played with the Pats.

In his three seasons with the Pats, Bedard, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 185 pounds, appeared in 134 career regular season games posting 134 goals and 137 assists for 271 points to go with a plus-48 rating in the plus-minus department. That included recording 71 goals and 72 assists for 143 points to go with a plus-39 rating for this past regular season. His goal and point totals were tops in the WHL and his assist total equaled Prince George Cougars star centre and Saskatoon area product Riley Heidt for the league lead.

Bedard proceeded to have a monster post-season series posting 10 goals, 10 assists and a plus-eight rating in the WHL Playoffs as the Pats fell in seven games in a best-of-seven first round series to the Saskatoon Blades. The Blades claimed a 4-1 victory in a series deciding Game 7 on April 10 at the SaskTel Centre before a sellout crowd of 14,768 spectators.

Connor Bedard had 271 points in 134 WHL career regular season games.

His stock really took off at this past world juniors held in Halifax, N.S., and Moncton, N.B. Bedard set numerous Canadian team records helping Canada take the gold medal final 3-2 in overtime over Czechia this past January 5 in Halifax.

Bedard was named the most valuable player at world juniors along with picking up accolades being named the event’s best forward and a tournament all-star.

His tallies for assists (14) and points (23) were new Canadian records for a single world juniors along with setting a new record for points in a tournament by any player aged 18 or younger. In 16 career games played at world juniors, Bedard set new Canadian career records at the event for goals (16) and points (36).

Upon returning to the Pats, Bedard usually played in front of sold out rinks or record crowds wherever he was during the final four months he played in the WHL. There were public appearances in Regina where he would spend six hours signing autographs. Bedard experienced characteristics of fandom that were unheard of for junior hockey and often things you only saw in the NHL in Canadian cities for players like Oilers phenom centre Connor McDavid in Edmonton.

Bedard handled the fandom that came his way in humble and spectacular fashion, which is something most his age wouldn’t be able to do.

Brayden Yager is a first round selection of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Bedard headed a 17-year-old class in the WHL this past season that might be the deepest the circuit had ever seen with that age group. Two potential big future NHL stars from the Saskatoon area include centres Brayden Yager and Heidt.

Yager, who turned 18-years-old in early January, piled up 28 goals and 50 assists in 67 regular season games for the Moose Jaw Warriors in 2022-23 to go with a plus-six rating. He went in the first round and 14^th overall to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Yager just might be one of those star players that leads the Penguins in an era after Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.

Heidt appeared in all 68 regular season games with the Prince George Cougars in 2022-23, and he had 25 goals to go with his 72 assists for 97 points. He was selected in the second round and 64^th overall by the Minnesota Wild.

Due to the fact it is not easy to travel to Prince George, Heidt, who turned 18-years-old in March, wasn’t seen by scouts as much as the other players taken in the NHL Entry Draft. Had he been seen more playing on a team located on the Trans-Canada Highway, he likely would have been selected earlier in the draft.

Tanner Molendyk is a first round draft pick of the Nashville Predators.

One of the most astute picks in the first round might ultimately belonged to the Nashville Predators, when they took Saskatoon Blades defenceman Tanner Molendyk. Molendyk, who turned 18-years-old in February, appeared in 67 regular season games in 2022-23 with the Blades posting nine goals, 28 assists and a plus-31 rating.

He is one of the smoothest skaters among those in the 17-year-old age group this past season, and he has steadily improved as his WHL career has progressed. In the 18 games the Blades played in the 2023 WHL Playoffs, Molendyk posted three goals, five assists and a plus-two rating.

Where Molendyk really turned heads was in the Blades seven game first round series win over the Pats. Molendyk and defensive partner and Blades captain Aidan De La Gorgendiere, who turned 21-years-old in February, were matched up against Bedard every time the Blades coaching staff could get them out against the Pats captain.

While Bedard put up impressive point totals, Molendyk handed that challenge better than anyone could in junior hockey, and he came out of that series with just a minus-one rating despite the offensive numbers put up by Bedard. For anyone that saw Molendyk play in those games, they had to believe he was someone they needed to draft.

The Anaheim Ducks drafted Egor Sidorov in the third round.

Blades import right-winger Egor Sidorov was one of the players from this past season’s 18-year-old class that heard his name called at the NHL Entry Draft. A year ago, Sidorov was passed over in the NHL Entry Draft. He ensured he wasn’t going to be passed over this year.

During the 2022-23 campaign, Sidorov appeared in 53 regular season games with the Blades recording 40 goals, 36 assists and a plus-25 rating. He posted nine goals, 10 assists and a plus-three rating appearing in 16 games in the 2023 WHL Playoffs for the Blades.

Sidorov, who turned 19-years-old on June 18, was selected in the third round and 85^th overall by the Anaheim Ducks.

On the more gritty front, Prince Albert Raiders defenceman Terrell Goldsmith was taken in the fourth round and 102^nd overall by the Arizona Coyotes. Goldsmith, who turned 18-years-old in May, appeared in 58 regular season games with the Raiders in 2022-23 recording three goals, six assists, a minus-six rating and 102 penalty minutes.

Goldsmith is a defensive-defenceman that brings an imposing physical game that is aided by the fact he stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 220 pounds. NHL teams are looking for players to make life miserable in front of their net for opposing players, and Goldsmith can certainly do that.

Terrell Goldsmith was drafted by the Arizona Coyotes.

A number of other players from the WHL taken in this year’s NHL Entry Draft have the potential to be outstanding picks. They include centre Zach Benson of the Winnipeg Ice who are now the Wenatchee Wild going to the Buffalo Sabres in the first round and 13^th overall.

Other astute selections included the Predators selecting centre Kalan Lind of the Red Deer Rebels in the second round and 46^th overall, the Seattle Kraken picking defenceman Caden Price of the Kelowna Rockets in the fourth round and 84^th overall, the San Jose Sharks nabbing defenceman Luca Cagnoni of the Portland Winterhawks in the fourth round and 123^rd overall, the Wild getting defenceman Kalem Parker of the Victoria Royals in the sixth round and 181^st overall and the Washington Capitals selecting left-winger Brett Hyland of the Brandon Wheat Kings in the seventh round and 200^th overall.

One of the coolest moments was seeing the Winnipeg Jets take netminder Thomas Milic of the Seattle Thunderbirds in the fifth round and 151^st overall. Milic, who turned 20-years-old in April, was overlooked due to his lack of size as he stands 6-feet and weighs 179 pounds. NHL clubs often look for a goaltender who stands usually about 6-foot-3 minimum and will pass up smaller goalies including ones that can stop the puck.

Milic backstopped the Thunderbirds to the WHL Championship Series in each of the past two seasons. The Thunderbirds captured the WHL title this past season downing the Ice in five games in a best-of-seven championship series. 

Zach Benson was a first round pick of the Buffalo Sabres.

In the Memorial Cup tournament that determines a CHL champion that was held in Kamloops B.C., Milic backstopped the Thunderbirds to the event’s championship game this past June 4, where they fell 5-0 to the QMJHL champion Quebec Remparts.

On top of his post-season success with the Thunderbirds, Milic backstopped Canada to its gold medal win at this past world juniors.

During the 2022-23 regular season, Milic, who is from Coquitlam, B.C., appeared in 33 games for the Thunderbirds posting a 27-3-2 record, a 2.08 goals against average, a .928 save percentage and four shutouts. He appeared in all of the Thunderbirds 19 games in the WHL Playoffs posting a 16-3 record, a 1.95 goals against average, a .933 save percentage and one shutout.

At the Memorial Cup tournament, Milic played in all the Thunderbirds five games at that event posting a 3-2 record, a 2.41 goals against average and a .915 save percentage.

In Canada’s run to winning gold at this past world juniors, Milic appeared in six games posting a 5-0 record, a 1.76 goals against average and a .932 save percentage. Voted the WHL’s Top Goaltender and a first team CHL all-star, Milic has pretty much done almost all you can do at the junior level and more than most will ever do.

Thomas Milic was selected by the Jets in the NHL Entry Draft.

It would have been a crime had he not gotten an NHL shot. It is heartwarming to see he will get his chance to make his NHL dream come true.

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Fly Thunderbirds fly

Seattle storms past Ice 6-3 in Game 3 of WHL final

The Thunderbirds celebrated scoring six goals on Tuesday.

It was a great night to cheer for the Seattle Thunderbirds.

On Tuesday night, the Thunderbirds created numerous reasons for the 5,505 spectators in attendance at their home rink in the Accesso ShoWare Center in Kent, Wash., to cheer. Just 25 seconds into Game 3 of the WHL Championship Series, star left-winger Kyle Crnkovic scored to give the Thunderbirds a 1-0 lead.

After the Ice evened the score 1-1 a short time later, the Thunderbirds surged ahead 4-1 scoring three times in a span of 45 seconds starting at the 13:24 mark of the opening frame. The Thunderbirds rode the momentum of that surge to a 6-3 victory.

With their second straight win in the series, the Thunderbirds take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven set against the Ice. Game 4 is set for Wednesday at 7 p.m. local time at the Access ShoWare Center.

The definite final score in favour of the Thunderbirds came as a bit of a surprise as the first two games of the series played at the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg were tight battles. The Ice took Game 1 this past Friday 3-2, while the Thunderbirds claimed Game 2 this past Saturday 4-2.

On Tuesday, the Thunderbirds came out looking to play a track meet rush up and down the ice type of contest that usually favours the Ice. Shortly after the opening faceoff, Thunderbirds offensive-defenceman Jeremy Hanzel passed the puck from deep in his own zone to Crnkovic at centre ice to start a rush into the Winnipeg zone.

Crnkovic passed the puck over to linemate and Seattle captain Lucas Ciona, and the two forwards found themselves on a two-one-one break into the offensive zone. Ciona made a backhand pass to Crnkovic, who was rushing down the left side of the Winnipeg net, and Crnkovic fired home the puck to the top left corner of the Winnipeg goal to give the hosts a 1-0 edge 25 seconds into the contest.

The Thunderbirds faithful at the Accesso ShoWare Center were raucous after Crnkovic’s goal. Just 62 seconds later, the Ice took all of the air out of the building.

Jeremy Hanzel had a two goals and an assist on Tuesday.

Thunderbirds defenceman Bryce Pickford was controlling the puck just inside his own blue-line, but he had it stolen off him by Ice star centre Conor Geekie. Geekie broke in on the left side of the Seattle goal along with linemate Carson Latimer on a two against the goalie break.

Geekie put a pass across the front of the Seattle net to Latimer at the right side of the goal. Latimer tapped the puck into an open cage to even the score at 1-1.

Following Latimer’s goal, the Ice applied all sorts of pressure in the Seattle zone looking to go ahead on the scoreboard. That pressure included a breakaway chance by Ice star centre Matthew Savoie, but he was turned away by Thunderbirds star netminder Thomas Milic.

At the 13:24 mark of the opening frame, momentum proceeded to swing in the Thunderbirds favour in a big way. With Seattle working on the power play, Hanzel skated the puck to the top of the left faceoff circle and blew a shot home to the top left corner of the Winnipeg net through a screen to give the Thunderbirds a 2-1 lead.

Just 23 seconds later, the Thunderbirds pushed their lead out to 3-1. Thunderbirds left-winger Reid Schaefer had the puck at the left side boards in his one zone and he hit linemate in star centre Brad Lambert skating down the right wing with a long stretch pass just before the Winnipeg blue-line.

Lambert blew past Ice star defenceman Ben Zloty, cut across the front of the Winnipeg net and put home a backhand shot to give the host side a two-goal edge.

The Thunderbirds capped the surge scoring on a beauty transition rush 22 seconds later that was finished by a goal from star 20-year-old centre Jared Davidson. 

Davidson received a backhand pass at the left side of the Winnipeg net from linemate Nico Myatovic and snapped a shot past the glove hand of Ice star netminder Daniel Hauser to give the host side a 4-1 edge. The tally was the 11^th goal of the post-season for Davidson.

Zach Benson had a goal and an assist for the Ice on Tuesday.

The noise at the Accesso ShoWare Center was deafening after Davidson’s tally. The Ice called a timeout after Davidson’s goal in order to regroup. When the first period came to an end, Winnipeg held a 14-10 edge in shots on goal but trailed 4-1 on the scoreboard.

The Thunderbirds were intent on not allowing the Ice to get back into the contest over the final 40 minutes. At the 8:09 mark of the second, Seattle scored for the second time on the power play to go up 5-1.

Thunderbirds star right-winger Dylan Guenther collected the rebound of a Lambert shot at the left side of the Winnipeg net and popped home his 15^th tally of the post-season to give Seattle a four-goal advantage.

At the 13:42 mark of the second, Ice star right-winger Zach Benson scored with the two sides playing four-versus-four due to off-setting penalties to cut the Thunderbirds lead to 5-2. Benson tapped home a puck at the left side of the Seattle goal converting a beauty set up pass from Savoie.

With 1:35 remaining in the second, Hanzel blasted home a midrange shot to push the Thunderbirds advantage out to 6-2 completing a personal three-point night with two goals and one assist.

The Ice pulled Hauser for the start of the third period. He turned away 16-of-22 shots to take the setback in net for the Ice. Mason Beaupit walled off all 11 shots he faced playing the entire third frame.

Winnipeg rounded out the game’s scoring with a power-play goal coming with 7:48 remaining in the third. Ice centre Zack Ostapchuk tapped home a sweet backdoor setup from Benson at the left side of the Seattle net to close out the 6-3 final outcome.

Milic stopped 35 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Thunderbirds.

Colton Dach had a pair of assists for the Thunderbirds on Tuesday.

Crnkovic, Lambert and Guenther each had an assist to go with their respective goals. Thunderbirds power forward Colton Dach had a pair of assists on Tuesday. Benson had a two-point night for the Ice with one goal and one assist.

The WHL final between the Ice and Thunderbirds is expected to be a heavyweight tilt.

Winnipeg topped the WHL regular season standings with a 57-10-1 mark and was rated third in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. The 57 wins and 115 standings points are new franchise records for the Ice.

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.

Seattle’s roster contains 10 players who have been drafted by NHL teams and seven players who participated in the last world juniors. Winnipeg’s roster contained eight players who have been drafted by NHL teams and one player who participated in the last world juniors.

Each side has played the first three games of the WHL final with one notable absence each due to injury.

The Thunderbirds were without standout centre Jordan Gustafson, who turned 19-years-old in January. During the Thunderbirds six-game Western Conference Championship Series win over the Kamloops Blazers, it is suspected Gustafson was injured as part of the celebration for Hanzel’s overtime winner in Game 2 of that set claimed by the Thunderbirds 4-3.

The Ice were without 19-year-old defenceman Wyatt Wilson, who was injured in Game 5 of the team’s Eastern Conference semifinal series win over the Moose Jaw Warriors.

Dylan Guenther had a goal and an assist for Seattle on Tuesday.

Tuesday night ended up being a great one for the Thunderbirds and their fans. You can expect the Ice won’t dwell on that contest and make a big push back in Game 4. This WHL final should have a few more twists and turns before the Ed Chynoweth Cup is ultimately presented to the series winner.

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Thunderbirds cash in on Ice gifts in Game 2 of WHL final

Seattle claims 4-2 victory to even series at 1-1

Brad Lambert, centre, reacts to scoring his second goal in Game 2.

WINNIPEG, Man. – The Seattle Thunderbirds are always willing to receive gifts, and the Winnipeg Ice – to their detriment – were in a giving mood.

On Saturday in Game 2 of the WHL Championship Series, the Thunderbirds gained control of the contest cashing in on a pair of Ice giveaways that turned a 1-1 tie in the third quickly into a 3-1 score in favour of Seattle. That swing of events allowed the Thunderbirds to pull out a 4-2 victory to the disappointment of most of the 5,691 spectators at the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg.

“It was a much better game for us,” said Thunderbirds head coach Matt O’Dette, whose squad dropped a 3-2 decision in Game 1 of the series one night earlier. “I thought we played more to our identity and executed the game plan the way we need to.

Brad Lambert scored twice for Seattle on Saturday.

“It was night and day compared to last night. There were some spurts we could have been better, but overall, we were much happier with the effort in the game tonight.”

The win allowed the Thunderbirds to even the best-of-seven series 1-1. The Thunderbirds will host the next three games of the series at the Accesso ShoWare Centre in Kent, Wash.

Games 3 and 4 are slated for Tuesday and Wednesday respectively at 7 p.m. local time. After a day off on Thursday, Game 5 will go Friday for another 7 p.m. local time start.

Ice head coach James Patrick said the loss in Game 2 on Saturday was tough to take due to the fact that errors by his squad led directly to the Thunderbirds being able to pull out victory.

Brad Lambert does the fly by after scoring his first goal in Game 2.

“I thought tonight our puck management hurt us,” said Patrick. “It wasn’t our defending.

“It wasn’t our D-zone coverage. It was strictly our puck management that gave them some opportunities that they capitalized on.”

The Thunderbirds and Ice entered the third period of Saturday’s clash locked in a 1-1 draw. After what seemed like a cautious start to the frame, the complexion of the contest changed quickly.

At the 5:02 mark of the third, the Ice got careless with the puck in their own zone, and it proved costly. First, Ice veteran 19-year-old defenceman Karter Prosofsky made a bad clearing pass out of his own zone and turned the puck over to Thunderbirds star centre Brad Lambert just inside the Winnipeg blue-line.

Zach Benson scored twice for the Ice on Saturday.

Lambert powered toward the Winnipeg net and drove home a shot to the top left corner of the goal to give the Thunderbirds a 2-1 lead. The 19-year-old’s goal marked the first time the Thunderbirds held a lead in any game of the series with the Ice.

Just eight seconds later, the Ice veteran 19-year-old defenceman Graham Sward made a bad pass behind their own net that was gathered up by Thunderbirds star right-winger Dylan Guenther. Guenther set up behind the Winnipeg net and centred a pass out to standout left-winger Reid Schaefer.

Reid Schaefer had a goal and an assist for Seattle in Game 2.

Schaefer wired a shot past Hauser to give the Thunderbirds a 3-1 advantage.

“It is hard times, but you definitely don’t want to hand these guys anything,” said Ice captain Carson Lambos. “We’re going to go over the video and be better next game.”

The Ice tried to battle back. Just over three minutes after the Thunderbirds two quick tallies, there was a scramble in front of the Seattle goal, and the Ice’s top line connected on a tick-tack-toe passing play that resulted in a goal that cut the Thunderbirds lead to 3-2.

Ice star left-winger Connor McClennon and Ice star centre Matthew Savoie combined to set up Ice star right-winger Zach Benson for his second tally of the contest to trim Seattle’s lead to one goal.

Dylan Guenther had two assists for Seattle in Game 2.

Inside of the final three minutes of the third before the Ice could pull their netminder for an extra attacker, Lambert struck again for the Thunderbirds. Guenther made a high looping pass from deep in his zone to centre ice that took a positive bounce for the visitors past Ice import left-winger Vladislav Shilo.

Lambert got past Shilo, corralled the puck and jetted into the Winnipeg zone on a breakaway. Lambert snapped a shot to the top right corner of the Winnipeg net for his second tally of the night that put a capper on the Thunderbirds 4-2 victory. Guenther picked up his second assist of the contest on Lambert’s second goal and finished with a plus-three rating in the plus-minus department.

Daniel Hauser makes one of his 35 saves in goal for the Ice.

The two-goal night was a special one for Lambert, who also picked up an assist on Seattle’s first goal. Born in Lahti, Finland, Lambert has a signed NHL entry-level contract with the Winnipeg Jets after being selected by them in the first round and 30^th overall in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.

Lambert started the 2022-23 campaign in Winnipeg playing for the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. He played for Finland at world juniors and was assigned to the WHL’s Thunderbirds shortly after his return from that tournament. The skilled centre was pleased to return to Winnipeg and have a big night.

“It is obviously special just to be playing for the WHL championship,” said Lambert. “It is unbelievable.

Carson Lambos starts a rush up ice for the Ice.

“Not many guys get the opportunity, so we’re just trying to make the most of it. For it to be in Winnipeg, obviously, it adds a little more to it.”

In the first period of Saturday’s clash, the Ice broke through on the scoreboard at the 4:11 mark when Benson blew home a shot from the top of the left faceoff circle to top right corner of the Seattle goal to give the hosts a 1-0 edge.

At the 5:57 mark of the opening frame, Thunderbirds star left-winger Kyle Crnkovic was given a double minor for high sticking, and that infraction will trigger an automatic review by the WHL office for a possible suspension.

The Ice had pressure and chances on the four minute power play, but they couldn’t get the puck past Thunderbirds star netminder Thomas Milic.

Jeremy Hanzel had Seattle’s first goal on Saturday.

Inside the final seconds of the first, the Ice turned the puck over to Thunderbirds star 20-year-old centre Jared Davidson deep in the Winnipeg zone. Davidson was turned away on a point blank chance by Ice star netminder Daniel Hauser.

Just 1:24 into the second, the Thunderbirds pulled even on the scoreboard at 1-1, when offensive-defenceman Jeremy Hanzel one-timed home a shot from the right point. Hanzel converted a beauty setup pass from Schaefer.

That set the stage for the dramatics in the third.

Milic stopped 29 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Thunderbirds. Hauser turned away 35 shots to take the setback in net for the Ice, who had won their previous eight straight post-season games.

The Thunderbirds celebrate a goal from Jeremy Hanzel (#4).

Benson said Hauser gives his club a chance to win every time he takes up position between the pipes of the Winnipeg net.

“He (Hauser) is unreal,” said Benson. “He has been a rock back there all season for us.

“He is one of the best goalies in the league for a reason. He has been outstanding this series and whole playoffs.”

The WHL final between the Ice and Thunderbirds is expected to be a heavyweight tilt.

Winnipeg topped the WHL regular season standings with a 57-10-1 mark and was rated third in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. The 57 wins and 115 standings points are new franchise records for the Ice.

Thomas Milic makes one of his 29 saves in goal for Seattle.

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.

Seattle’s roster contains 10 players who have been drafted by NHL teams and seven players who participated in the last world juniors. Winnipeg’s roster contained eight players who have been drafted by NHL teams and one player who participated in the last world juniors.

Each side has played the first two contests of the WHL final with one notable absence due to injury.

The fans at the Canada Life Centre cheer on the Ice.

The Thunderbirds were without standout centre Jordan Gustafson. 

During the Thunderbirds six-game Western Conference Championship Series win over the Kamloops Blazers, it is suspected Gustafson was injured as part of the celebration for Hanzel’s overtime winner in Game 2 of that set claimed by the Thunderbirds 4-3.

The Ice were without 19-year-old defenceman Wyatt Wilson, who was injured in Game 5 of the team’s Eastern Conference semifinal series win over the Moose Jaw Warriors.

Last season, the Thunderbirds made it to the WHL final and fell in six games to the Edmonton Oil Kings. 

Owen Pedersen sets up in the offensive zone for the Ice.

The Ice made it to the Eastern Conference Championship Series and fell in five games to the Oil Kings.

With that noted, the Thunderbirds have the benefit of being in the WHL final a year ago. On top of returning players from that squad, they added Guenther and defenceman Luke Prokop via the trade route from the Oil Kings, and Guenther and Prokop were important in helping Edmonton win the WHL title in 2022.

“We pretty fortunate to have that experience,” said Milic, who backstopped the Thunderbirds to the WHL final for two straight seasons. “At the end of the day, it is still the same game.

Seattle D Nolan Allan, left, battles Winnipeg RW Zach Benson.

“A lot of guys we’re played with and against also have the same experience. I think it definitely helps mostly just knowing how to handle different situations that come up in playoffs. You’re going to be tired.

“You’re body is going to start breaking down. You just know how to manage things like that, and also how to manage highs and lows during games and during series as well. Just having a short memory is really important.”

Now the focus shifts to Game 3 on Tuesday in Kent, Wash., for a 7 p.m. local time start at the Accesso ShoWare Center. Patrick said his Ice squad won’t dwell on the Game 2 loss.

“We knew it was going to be a long series,” said Patrick. “You’re going to have to put in a lot of work.

Kevin Korchinski brings the puck up ice for the Thunderbirds.

“It is not going to be easy. We’ll learn from this. We’ll move on.

“We’ll be ready for Game 3.”

O’Dette said his Thunderbirds are looking forward to playing at home, but they know they have to be at their best to keep pulling out wins.

“We’re just looking towards the next game,” said O’Dette. “We’re going to be excited to be in front of our home fans.

“Having last change, yes, it is nice to have that. They have some dangerous guys, and you want to make sure you have the right guys on the ice. Playoffs at home or on the road, I think it is a little bit less of a factor.

The Thunderbirds enjoy departing Winnipeg with a win.

“We’ll need to be ready bottom line.”

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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Ice big line bashes Blades again

Saskatoon faces playoff elimination for sixth time

The Ice celebrate a goal from Zach Benson, centre.

The big line of the Winnipeg Ice floats like butterflies and stings like bees.

They have the Saskatoon Blades on the ropes in the WHL’s Eastern Conference Championship Series. Now the question is can the Ice put the Blades down for the count?

The two teams that played the Blades in the WHL Playoffs before the Ice weren’t so lucky.

On Tuesday playing before 6,058 spectators at the SaskTel Centre, the Ice froze the Blades out of their home rink 5-1 holding a 34-18 edge in shots on goal. With the win, the Ice lead the best-of-seven Eastern Conference final 3-0. They can close things out in Game 4 on Wednesday set for 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

Ice C Matthew Savoie (#93) shields the puck from Blades C Trevor Wong.

Winnipeg benefited once again from a strong performance from its top line consisting of centre Matthew Savoie, left-winger Zach Benson and right-winger Connor McClennon. They combined for three goals and four assists in the win. The line of Savoie, Benson and McClennon accounted for three of the first four goals scored by Winnipeg.

“I played with them a little bit last year and quite a bit this year,” said Savoie, who had a goal and two assists on Tuesday. “We’ve built a tonne of chemistry off the ice, and I think it just translates to on the ice.

Zach Benson had a goal and an assist for the Ice on Tuesday.

“We’re all so close. I think we just feed off the energy we bring. It is a lot of fun playing with those two for sure.”

Benson and McClennon each had a goal and an assist in Tuesday’s win.

The trio followed up on an impressive performance in Game 2 of the series this past Saturday in Winnipeg at the Wayne Fleming Arena, which the Ice claimed 6-2. In that contest, Savoie, Benson and McClennon combined for five goals and five assists in that victory.

With the loss, Saskatoon will face elimination from the WHL Playoffs for a sixth time. The current roster of the Blades has shown that it can be gutsy winning their five previous elimination games.

Connor McClennon had a goal and an assist for the Ice on Tuesday.

“We’ve had a lot of biggest games of the year this year,” said Blades gritty right-winger Justin Lies. “The mindset is just go out and work hard and fight to keep this together, just fight for another day and another road trip with the boys.

“No one is quitting in there, so we’re just going to go work our hardest. We’ll be ready to go tomorrow.”

The Blades went to a series deciding Game 7 against Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats in the first round of the WHL Playoffs. Saskatoon took that contest by a 4-1 score at the SaskTel Centre before a sellout crowd of 14,768.

Justin Lies scored the Blades lone goal on Tuesday.

The Blades found themselves in a tougher spot in their Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Red Deer Rebels. The Blades trailed that series 3-0, and in Game 4 in Red Deer, they trailed 2-0 after the first period and 2-1 after the second frame. Saskatoon was 20 minutes away from having its season come to an end.

The Blades rallied to take Game 4 by a 4-2 score and ultimately came back to claim a series deciding Game 7 by a 5-2 score again at the SaskTel Centre this time before 9,489 spectators. Saskatoon joined the 1996 Spokane Chiefs and the 2013 Kelowna Rockets as the only teams to lose the first three games in a best-of-seven series and rally to take the set.

Ben Zloty had three assists for the Ice on Tuesday.

“For us, we still get to come to the rink tomorrow,” said Blades head coach Brennan Sonne. “We’re still together.

“The strength of our team is heart and no quit and how close they are. When you get in these situations, that becomes tested immensely. We’ve passed that test a few times.

“I don’t think it is any different tomorrow, because as long as you’re breathing, you are fighting. We’re still breathing, so we are going to keep fighting.”

As for Tuesday’s clash between Saskatoon and Winnipeg, the Ice got rocking early scoring on the power play at the 2:46 mark of the opening frame to account for the first goal of the contest. McClennon had the puck at the left side boards in the Saskatoon zone and took a shot that deflected off Blades offensive-defenceman Tanner Molendyk right to Savoie in front of the goal. Savoie fired the puck home for his 11^th tally of the post-season to give the visitors a 1-0 edge.

Owen Pederson had a goal and an assist for the Ice on Tuesday.

Just over seven minutes later, the Ice’s top line struck again thanks to a positive bounce. Savoie was trying to pass the puck to the front of the Saskatoon net from the right corner of the Saskatoon zone.

Savoie’s pass deflected off Molendyk’s stick high in the air and landed perfectly for Benson to attempt a midrange shot from the front of the Saskatoon net. Benson drove home a shot between the legs of Blades netminder Ethan Chadwick to give the visitors a 2-0 advantage.

Just 45 seconds later, the Ice pushed their edge out to 3-0 with a goal from one of their other standout lines. Ice centre Zack Ostapchuk had the puck at the left side of the Saskatoon net and made a spinning backhand pass to centre the puck to linemate Evan Friesen.

Vladislav Shilo (#15) weaves his way past two Blades players.

Friesen wired home a midrange shot through a maze of bodies to give the visitors their three-goal edge. Winnipeg exited the opening frame with that 3-0 advantage holding a 12-5 edge in shots on goal.

“It was a bit of a different game,” said Ice head coach James Patrick. “I thought we had an outstanding first period and we just rode that to the win.

“Obviously, our power play is really clicking. I just thought we had a couple of really good shifts down low. The Ostapchuk line has been pretty effective.

“They’ve been our most effective line in the offensive zone.”

Just 73 seconds into the second period, the Ice’s top line scored for the second time on the power play. Savoie had the puck for a potential midrange shot from the front of the Saskatoon net.

Evan Friesen had a goal for the Ice on Tuesday.

He passed the puck to Benson on the right wing. Benson fed a pass across the face of the Saskatoon net to McClennon at the left side of the goal, and McClennon promptly buried his 11^th of the playoffs. Patrick was pleased with what his top line was able to do with the man advantage.

“Obviously on the power play, I thought they were outstanding,” said Patrick. “Zach Benson missed some time for us, and I think it has taken him awhile to get up to speed.

“He is our best player this year, and he creates more scoring chances than any other player on our team. He is getting back to that form. The three of them, they all bring something different.

Blades RW Mikhail Volotovskii (#17) looks to get by an Ice defender.

“McClennon is a top end goal scorer. Savoie is as explosive a player there is. They have good chemistry.”

At the 5:40 mark of the second, the Blades showed some push back. Lies got a pass in the centre ice zone from star left-winger Brandon Lisowsky, drove into the Winnipeg zone and fired home a midrange shot to the top left corner of the Winnipeg net using star Ice defenceman Carson Lambos as a partial screen for star Ice netminder Daniel Hauser. Lies tally cut the Ice advantage to 4-1.

Blades G Ethan Chadwick (#33) reached to cover a loose puck.

“There were shifts in the second where we spent offensive zone time, got heavy, drew some penalties and got some momentum just going back to the no quit of our team,” said Sonne. “I’m encouraged that there is no quit.”

With 7:51 remaining in the second, Ice import left-winger Vladislav Shilo thought he put home a shot for the visitors, but the officials ruled no goal on the play. The officials went to a video review and ruled the puck did not cross the goal-line when it was under Chadwick.

During the second, it appeared Chadwick might have injured his right wrist at some point in the frame. He was pulled after the second period concluded having stopped 20-of-24 shots sent his way to take the setback in goal. Austin Elliott turned away 9-of-10 sent his way playing the third period in relief.

With 2:31 remaining in the third, the Blades pulled Elliott for an extra attacker. Unfortunately for the host side, hardworking centre Jayden Wiens took a roughing minor with 2:06 remaining in the frame, which meant the Blades had to put Elliott back in goal for the rest of the period.

Blades C Jayden Wiens (#9) skates the puck out of traffic.

The Ice rounded out the game’s 5-1 final as standout left-winger Owen Pederson, who turned 21-years-old in late March, scored on the power play with 33.5 seconds remaining in the frame. Pederson fired a shot on goal from the front of the Saskatoon net that Elliott got a piece of before the puck flipped through the air into the goal. Pederson had an assist earlier in the contest to finish with a two-point night.

Hauser turned stopped 17 shots to pick of the win in goal for the Ice, who have won six straight post-season games. Star offensive-defenceman Ben Zloty had three assists for the Ice.

Ice RW Connor McClennon (#94) puts a shot through the crease.

The Blades were without solid defensive-defencemen Blake Gustafson and Ben Saunderson once again as they were both injured in the team’s Eastern Conference semifinal series win over the Rebels. Saskatoon was also without star import right-winger Egor Sidorov with an undisclosed injury suffered in the club’s Game 2 loss to the Ice.

Due to the injury absences and the fact the Blades have played 17 post-season games in 33 days, fatigue is showing on the Saskatoon side. If everyone was healthy, this was expected to a competitive series on paper.

Zach Ostapchuk had a beauty assist for the Ice on Tuesday.

Winnipeg topped the WHL regular season standings with a 57-10-1 mark and was rated third in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. The 57 wins and 115 standings points are new franchise records for the Ice.

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. Saskatoon is appearing in the Eastern Conference final for the first time since 1994.

At the moment, the Blades have been outscored 14-3 in their three losses to open their series with the Ice.

The Ice were without 19-year-old defenceman Wyatt Wilson, who was injured in Game 5 of the team’s Eastern Conference semifinal series win over the Moose Jaw Warriors.

With all that noted, Patrick said his Ice are taking the approach that the Blades are down but not out. The Ice bench boss said you have to respect the battle that comes from the Saskatoon side.

Daniel Hauser, left, and Easton Armstrong celebrate the Ice win.

“What they’ve done the last two series I think the whole league has taken notice,” said Patrick. “We certainly have.

“We respect the hell out of them for what they accomplished being down 3-0 and the way they played coming back. They were a real resilient bunch, so I give them credit for that. I continually remind my team of that.”

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Ice top guns freeze out Blades

Winnipeg takes 2-0 lead in Eastern Conference final

Connor McClennon had a hat trick and an assist on Saturday.

The Winnipeg Ice top line felt the need for speed and the need for goals.

The forward unit of right-winger Connor McClennon, centre Matthew Savoie and left-winger Zach Benson delivered an abundance of both in Game 2 of the WHL Eastern Conference Championship Series on Saturday afternoon against visiting the Saskatoon Blades. The Ice trio combined for five goals and five assists to power their host squad to a 6-2 victory before an appreciative gathering of 1,720 spectators at the Wayne Fleming Arena.

McClennon had a hat trick and an assist, while both Savoie and Benson each had a goal and two assists.

With the win, the Ice take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven set. Games 3 and 4 are set for Tuesday and Wednesday respectively at 7 p.m. both nights at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon.

Before the Ice stars took flight, the Blades came with a good initial push at the start of the first period. The visitor’s early momentum was assisted by the face Ice standout centre Conor Geekie was given a minor penalty for tripping at the 4:07 mark of the opening frame.

On the ensuing power play, Ice star netminder Daniel Hauser turned away two dangerous chances coming from a midrange shot from the left slot by Blades star left-winger Brandon Lisowsky and a point blank shot from the front of the Winnipeg net by centre Jayden Wiens.

Matthew Savoie had a goal and two assists on Saturday.

Right as the power play expired, the Ice turned the game’s momentum around. First, Ice defenceman Karter Prosofsky dumped Blades star import right-winger Egor Sidorov with a big hit.

A short time after that hit, Ice star offensive-defenceman Carson Lambos had the puck in his own zone and hit McClennon with a stretch pass at centre ice. McClennon jetted into the Saskatoon zone down the right wing and snapped home a shot just above the right faceoff dot to give the hosts a 1-0 edge. The goal came on Winnipeg’s first shot of the contest.

After the Ice went ahead on the scoreboard, the Blades had a chance to pull even off a good rush by Lisowsky. On a rush down the left wing into the Winnipeg zone, Lisowsky made a toe drag move around an Ice defenceman and snipped a shot on goal that was turned away by Hauser.

With 2:29 remaining in the first, McClennon scored his second of the contest to put the Ice up 2-0 with the Winnipeg side working on the power play. Ice star offensive-defenceman Ben Zloty had the puck above the right faceoff circle and fed a pass down to McClennon, who was left all alone by the left post of the Saskatoon net. McClennon made no mistake potting his second of the contest into an open cage to give his squad a two-goal edge.

The Ice power-play goal ended a run for the Blades where they had killed 12 straight power-play chances by their opposition.

Zach Benson (#9) had a goal and two assists for the Ice.

When the opening 20 minutes came to a close, the Blades held a 10-9 edge in shots on goal, but the Ice held a 2-0 advantage on the scoreboard.

At the 3:25 mark of the second, the Ice’s topped line lived out the cliché that you have to be good to be lucky and lucky to be good. McClennon put the puck into the right corner of the Saskatoon zone on what seemed like a harmless dump in.

Blades netminder Austin Elliott started to skate behind his net in anticipation of playing the puck. The puck took a wicked curl off the boards and shot out across the face of the Saskatoon goal straight to a forechecking Benson. Benson dumped the puck into an empty Blades net to push the hosts lead out to 3-0.

With 7:31 remaining in the second, the Ice received a goal from outside their top forward line. Geekie had the puck just inside his own blue-line and hit standout centre Owen Pederson, who turned 21-years-old in late March, with a stretch pass just before the Saskatoon blue-line.

The Blades were caught on a line change, which allowed Pederson to streak into the Saskatoon zone on a breakaway. Pederson snuck a nifty backhand shot between the legs of Elliott for his third goal of the post-season to give the Ice a 4-0 lead.

Justin Lies scored for the Blades.

Just 68 seconds into the third, McClennon completed his hat trick to put the Ice ahead 5-0 on a play that almost resembled his power-play goal earlier in the contest. Ice defenceman Graham Sward had the puck at the right point and he fed a smart pass down to McClennon, who was again alone at the left post of the Saskatoon goal.

McClennon calmly potted his hat trick goal into an empty cage to give the hosts a five-goal edge. The tally was also the 10^th of the post-season for McClennon.

The Blades broke through for the first time in the series on the scoreboard shortly after the midway point of the third period where gritty left-winger Justin Lies seemingly turned into Blades all-time great Bernie Federko for a rush. Lies got the puck in the centre ice zone, jetting down the right wing, deked out and zipped around Lambos to get in alone on the Winnipeg net and slipped home a shot between the legs of Hauser to cut the Ice lead to 5-1.

With 5:21 remaining in the third, the Blades struck on the power play to trim the Ice advantage to 5-2. Wiens knocked home a puck about a foot in the air off the ice surface at the right side of the Winnipeg net to pull the Blades to within three. The opportunity Wiens cashed in on came from a rebound off a shot taken by Blades star centre Trevor Wong.

The officials checked out the tally on a video review and confirmed the goal was a good one.

The Blades were hoping to build on the two-goal surge and pulled Elliott for an extra attacker with 4:38 remaining in the third.

Jayden Wiens scored for the Blades on Saturday.

The Ice sealed the final outcome with 3:33 remaining in the third with an empty-net goal from Savoie that rounded out the 6-2 final.

Hauser made 27 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Ice, who have won five straight post-season games. Elliott turned away 27-of-32 shots to take the setback in net for the Blades.

The Blades were without 20-year-old defenceman Blake Gustafson and 18-year-old rearguard Ben Saunderson on Saturday as they were both injured in the team’s second game Eastern Conference semifinal series win over the Red Deer Rebels. They have yet to suit up for the Blades in their series with the Ice.

Black ace Morgan Tastad, who turned 17-years-old in January, dressed for his second career WHL post-season contest on Saturday and second straight game to allow the Blades to have six defencemen.

Tastad played most of the 2022-23 campaign with the Saskatoon Contacts under-18 AAA team. In 41 regular season appearances with the Contacts, Tastad had three goals and 24 assists.

Saskatoon elected to dress left-winger Mikhail Volotovskii in place of centre Jordan Keller with the hopes of getting a spark offensively.

Trevor Wong had an assist for the Blades on Saturday.

The Ice’s biggest scratch was 19-year-old defenceman Wyatt Wilson. Winnipeg elected to dress 17-year-old rookie rearguard Ashton Cumby for his third career post-season contest.

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. The 57 wins and 115 standings points are new franchise records for the Ice. 

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 Blades overcame a 2-0 deficit in a first round series against Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats and a 3-0 deficit in an Eastern Conference semifinal against the Rebels to win those sets in respective Game 7s.

The Ice are pleased to have a 2-0 series lead.

Looking ahead, the Blades can’t be counted out, but the Ice’s skill and depth in skill will be tough to overcome.

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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