Bedard no deal means WHL trade rules work

Connor Bedard star status grew at world juniors.

The WHL trade deadline came and went on Tuesday, and Connor Bedard remained a member of the Regina Pats.

That development proved the WHL’s trade rules work.

Following the 2017-18 season, the WHL put in rules that teams aren’t allowed to trade 15-or-16-year-old players who have signed WHL contracts. The only time a 17-year-old player will be allowed to be traded is if that player requests a trade.

The 17-year-old player will have to approach the team’s general manager to ask for a trade, and a team won’t be able to make the first move asking a 17-year-old player to waive his no trade clause.

The rule changes were made in response to the large number of trades that were made involving younger players leading to the WHL’s trade deadline of January 10, 2018. There were cases where 15-year-old players were being dealt before they had a chance to play a regular season game with the club that originally drafted them.

The spirit of the rules were to allow those players the chance to play with the team that drafted them and not have to worry about changing schools, while they were still in high school. The request for trade provision was put in to allow players who felt they were slipping through the cracks with regards to a lack of playing time to get a fresh start with a new club. A reality of junior hockey is that happens.

What goes against those roles is trying to convince a 17-year-old phenom to be traded to get a huge return of assets.

Bedard’s presence in the WHL created the biggest challenge to those rules. Coming into the WHL for the 2020-21 season, Bedard was the first player to be granted exceptional player status to play in the WHL at age 15.

Connor Bedard leads the WHL in scoring

Now at age 17, Bedard, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 185 pounds, has lived up to every bit of the tag of being a generational talent. His star status grew that much larger at this past world juniors, which concluded on January 5 with Bedard’s Team Canada side downing Czechia 3-2 in overtime in the gold medal final at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, N.S.

For that event co-hosted in Halifax and Moncton, N.B., Bedard topped the tourney in goals (nine), assists (14), points (23) and had the best plus-minus (+13). The North Vancouver, B.C., product 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 and points 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).

On WHL trade deadline day, Bedard was leading the league in scoring, and the Pats sat seventh overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference holding the conference’s second last playoff position, if the regular season ended that day.

Before leaving to join Canada’s world junior team, Bedard spoke to the media in Regina on December 7, 2022, and he said he wanted to remain with the Pats and play the entirety of his junior hockey career in Regina. Right there, that should have been the end of the story on the trade front.

Still, that didn’t seem to be enough for way too many WHL fans, WHL followers and media types who cover hockey at both the junior and professional levels. Chatter on social media and sports talk shows was that Bedard should be traded to a team near the top of the WHL’s overall standings that was in better position to contend for a league title and the CHL championship trophy - the Memorial Cup - for a king’s ransom of assets.

Often, those comments came with complete silence over the rules regarding trading high school aged players in the WHL.

Connor Bedard was the MVP of world juniors.

There were people that didn’t take Bedard or Pats head coach and general manager John Paddock, who said repeatedly he wasn’t going to trade Bedard, at their word. There were people out there who thought both Bedard and Paddock were lying and would believe what they saw if Bedard was indeed trade or not traded.

There were people who thought Pats management should be unscrupulous and convince Bedard he needed to be traded to a club at or near the top of the WHL overall standings to get a massive haul in assets and that the WHL office should look the other way when this all goes down. Due to the fact numerous unscrupulous things go down in all walks of life these days, there were people who believed that Bedard would be traded hook or crook.

Those types of talks or thoughts speak more about the people who envisioned things going down in an unscrupulous manner as opposed to Bedard and Paddock.

In Bedard’s short career in hockey and the seemly the six decades long career in the game of the 68-year-old Paddock, both have been straight shooters. It could be argued that Paddock is as straight of a shooter as you will ever find in the game of hockey.

Bedard wanted to remain with the Pats and the spirit of the rules in the WHL with regards to trading 17-year-old players was respected. This was a big win for the league, because it shows the rules that were put in place work.

Following Friday’s action in the WHL, the Pats sport a 20-19-1-1 and still sit seventh overall in the Eastern Conference. Bedard still leads the WHL in scoring totally 75 points coming off 34 goals and 41 assists to go with a plus-21 rating in 30 appearances with the Pats.

On Friday, NHL Central Scouting’s Mid-Term Rankings were released, and Bedard was listed as the top prospect among North American skaters for the upcoming NHL Entry Draft, which will be held at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, from June 28 to 29. Barring something unforeseen, Bedard will be the first player selected in that draft.

Connor Bedard is likely skating in his final months as a WHLer.

Until then, Bedard makes the Pats a dangerous team. Even if the Pats make the WHL Playoffs with one of the bottom two seeds in the Eastern Conference, they can be a bracket buster. Bedard has the potential to will the Pats past superior opposition.

If Bedard is able to do that, it might go down as a bigger accomplishment than Lionel Messi willing Argentina to a World Cup title in soccer, which is known as football outside of Canada and the United States, this past December.

Over the long term, the Pats will reap benefits as being the only junior team Bedard played for before joining the NHL.

Overall, the right thing happened, when Bedard remained a member of the Pats at the WHL trade deadline. Again, fans of all type should get out to the rink and enjoy the Bedard phenom while it is still in the WHL.

Bedard bashes Blades in Pats 7-4 win

Connor Bedard, right, had five points for the Pats on Friday.

Not even any Friday the 13^th hexes could stop Connor Bedard.

The Regina Pats 17-year-old phenom centre had another spectacular night as the Pats posted a 7-4 victory over the visiting Saskatoon Blades on Friday night. Bedard recorded a hat trick that including the winning goal, two assists and a plus-four rating in the plus-minus department in the Pats victory, which saw a season high crowd of 5,651 spectators turn out at the Brandt Centre.

With the five-point outburst, Bedard was able to surpass 200 career regular season points during his time in the WHL. In 107 career regular season games, Bedard has 97 goals and 106 assists for 203 points to go with a plus-30 rating.

Zack Stringer, Steel Quiring, Braxton Whitehead and Borya Valis all netted singles for the Pats. Czech import defenceman Stanislav Svozil collected four assists for Regina.

Trevor Wong, Egor Sidorov, Brandon Lisowsky and Tanner Molendyk replied with singles for the Blades. Wong has a pair of assists to go with his goal.

Drew Sim stopped 21 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Pats (20-19-1-1). Ethan Chadwick turned away 18-of-25 shots taking the setback in net for the Blades (26-8-2-1).

The two sides were tied 1-1 after 20 minutes, and the Pats held a 3-2 advantage after two periods.

The Pats return to action when they host the Portland Winterhawks (28-7-2-1) at 7 p.m. at the Brandt Centre.

The Blades are back at it on Saturday when they host the WHL leading Seattle Thunderbirds (30-6-1-1) at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

Thunderbirds slip past spirited Raiders 3-2

Ryder Ritchie had a pair of assists for the Raiders on Friday.

The Seattle Thunderbirds allowed star defenceman Nolan Allan to come out a winner on his return to Prince Albert.

On Friday night playing in front of a standing room crowd of 2,602 spectators at the 2,580 Art Hauser Centre, the Thunderbirds gutted out a 3-2 victory against a host Raiders squad that put in a spirited effort. Allan, who is a 19-year-old alternate captain with the Thunderbirds, started the current season as the Raiders captain before being dealt to Seattle in a blockbuster trade on November 16, 2022.

Allan appeared in seven regular season games for the Raiders in their 2018-19 WHL championship season as an associate player call up before joining the club full time in 2019-20. In 162 career regular season games with the Raiders, Allan recorded 14 goals, 49 assists and a plus-four rating in the plus-minus department.

The Davidson product, who helped Canada win gold at this past world juniors, was held without a point on Friday but was still named the game’s third star.

Overage star left-winger Kyle Crnkovic netted his 20^th goal of the season and recorded an assist to pace the Thunderbirds. Brad Lambert and Jordan Gustafson recorded singles for Seattle.

Lambert, who is a centre from Finland, was playing in his first career WHL game after being assigned to the Thunderbirds by the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets. He had been playing with the Jets AHL affiliate in the Manitoba Moose.

Niall Crocker and Sloan Stanick replied for the Raiders. Ryder Ritchie, who is a 16-year-old rookie left-winger, picked up assists on both Prince Albert goals. In 33 appearances with the Raiders, Ritchie has 11 goals and 14 assists.

Thomas Milic stopped 26 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Thunderbirds (30-6-1-1). Max Hildebrand turned away 31 shots to take the setback in net for the Raiders (14-23-3).

After a scoreless opening 20 minutes, the two sided were tied 1-1 after the second before the Thunderbirds squeaked out the victory.

The Raiders hit the road to take on the Oil Kings (6-34-1) on Saturday in Edmonton (7 p.m. local time, Rogers Place).

The Thunderbirds are also back in action on Saturday as they take on the Blades (26-8-2-1) in Saskatoon (7 p.m., SaskTel Centre).

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

-------

If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.

Quirky WHL deadline passes with ho, hum action

Carson Latimer in action for the Prince Albert Raiders.

When it comes to trades in the WHL, it is always advisable for teams to make deals well before the WHL trade deadline.

As the trade deadline nears, normally the prices to make a deal tend to go up, especially if you are trying to pry a good veteran player away from another team.

With the world still in the grips of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, this season’s WHL trade deadline was expected to have its quirks. The first quirk was the fact the deadline came Monday at 4 p.m. Saskatchewan time on the date of January 17.

In most seasons, the trade deadline falls on January 10. This year’s deadline was pushed back a week due to the fact the WHL regular season started about 10 days later than usual.

Despite the quirks in a season where the COVID-19 specter is present, it is best to try and get deals done way before the deadline.

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

Trades in WHL a bigger gamble in pandemic times

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Carson Latimer was a trade pick up by the Raiders.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Ice might try to further stack a strong roster.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Blades move ahead with theme nights, other notes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-------

If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.

Blades come out winners in a bonkers WHL trade deadline day

Max Gerlach (#9) battles for the puck for the Blades.

    A former standout veteran WHL executive once told me anybody in the league can be traded depending on what you want to give up.

    That played out to be true on Wednesday’s WHL trade deadline day, where 17 deals were made on that day alone before the deadline of 4 p.m. Saskatchewan time. That doesn’t include all the massive amount of moves that were made in the 10 days leading up to trade deadline day.

    When you step back and look at what was given up to get standouts that might be rentals for a maximum of five months, some of the WHL general managers and executives were out of their minds. Way too many deals were made in the fashion of an armchair general manager running a fantasy sports NHL team.

Netminder Tyler Brown (#31) helps out on the Blades bench.

    On the Saskatoon Blades front, credit has to be given to them for taking advantage of some good opportunities when they came about. Some of their good fortune was used to get a couple of good players they might not have originally thought they could pick up.

    Blades general manager Colin Priestner, his scouts and executive staff on the hockey side of things made the right hockey moves when it came to popular veterans Libor Hajek and Cameron Hebig when the Regina Pats camp calling. The Pats were stocking up their roster to be a solid host side when they host the Memorial Cup tournament from May 17 to 27. The Blades took advantage of a team in need.

    On Monday, Saskatoon sent Hajek, who is a 19-year-old import Czech defenceman and has a signed NHL entry-level contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning, to Regina in exchange for 19-year-old defenceman Dawson Davidson, 16-year-old forward prospect Tristen Robins and a first round selection in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft.

Dawson Davidson jets up ice for the Blades.

    On Wednesday morning, the Blades and the Pats combined for another blockbuster. The Blades sent overage star centre and local product Hebig and 19-year-old goaltender Ryan Kubic to the Pats in exchange for overage star netminder Tyler Brown, 17-year-old right-winger Bryan Lockner, a first and a second round selection in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft, a third round selection in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft and a third round selection in the 2021 WHL Bantam Draft.

    The Blades proceeded to deal Lockner, a first round selection in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft and a second round selection in the 2021 WHL Bantam Draft to the Medicine Hat Tigers in exchange for 19-year-old star centre Max Gerlach.

    Before deadline passed on Wednesday afternoon, the Blades made one more deal acquiring centre Eric Florchuk, who turned 18 on Wednesday, from the Victoria Royals for a first round selection in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft, a first round selection in the 2021 WHL Bantam Draft and a fourth round selection in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft that was originally obtained from the Brandon Wheat Kings in an earlier deal. 

Bryan Lockner (#28) was dealt to the Tigers by the Blades.

    Florchuk was originally selected by the Royals in the first round and 13^th overall in the 2015 WHL Bantam Draft.

    After the dust settled, the Blades managed to help themselves in the present as the arrivals of Brown, Gerlach and Davidson make up for the departures of Kubic, Hebig and Hajek. As a bonus, Brown is a big upgrade over Kubic, and Gerlach has the potential to return next season as an overager, while Hebig, who has an NHL entry-level contract signed with the Edmonton Oilers, will exhaust his major junior eligibility.

    Saskatoon now has one of the best goaltending tandems in the league with Brown being pair up with rookie sensation Nolan Maier, who turned 17 on Wednesday.

Max Gerlach zips into the offensive zone for the Blades.

    The Blades also helped themselves in the near future with the additions of Florchuk, who could potentially play the next three seasons in the WHL, and Robins, who appeared in one game with the Pats this season and could potentially play the next four campaigns in the WHL. Florchuk was in transit to join the Blades for the rest of the current campaign on Wednesday, while Robins currently plays for the Rink Hockey Academy prep team in Winnipeg, Man.

    On the WHL Bantam Draft front, the Blades came away with one less first round pick, one less fourth round selection, and they added two third round selections. The movement on the draft picks front won’t cause the Blades any pain, when it comes to building in the future.

Jaegar White, left, and Max Gerlach were teammates at Wednesday’s start.

    Overall, the Blades have to come away from this season’s action at the trade deadline feeling good about themselves. Their grade is an ‘A’ for what they accomplished.
    It should be noted they were able to do what they did on the trade front, because they didn’t want to trade Hajek or Hebig. Being in that position in a genuine state allowed the outrageous offers to materialize. 

    At the other end of the spectrum, the Pats might regret the fact they let Brown get away. They weren’t able to make a deal with another netminder, so they have to go through the rest of the season with Kubic, Max Paddock and Jacob Wasserman as their goals. Paddock and Wasserman are both in their 17-year-old rookie seasons.

    Only six players remain on the Pats roster who were full-time members of their squad that advanced to the WHL championship last season. They include forwards Sam Steel, Jake Leschyshyn, Nick Henry, Robbie Holmes and defencemen Josh Mahura and Liam Schioler. Regina is in for a challenging future in regards to playing the rest of the current campaign and a majorly challenging future when next season rolls around.

Rookie sensation Nolan Maier is now part of stellar goalie tandem. 

    The Blades will be a major contender to earn their first playoff berth since 2013 this season. Their prospects are also bright for future seasons.

    On Wednesday night with Gerlach and Davidson on the ice and Brown dressed as the backup goalie, the Blades dropped a 3-2 decision to the Tigers before 2,709 spectators at the SaskTel Centre.

Chase Wouters had a goal and an assist for the Blades, while Braylon Shmyr had a single. Gerlach picked up an assist in the setback.

    Gary Haden, Lockner and David Quenneville replied with singles for the Tigers.

    Maier made 43 stops to take the setback in goal for the Blades (21-19-2-1). Jordan Hollett turned away 31 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Tigers (23-16-3). Hollett was with the Pats last season and was dealt to the Tigers shortly after Regina lost out in the WHL championship series last May.

The Blades hope to celebrate a number of goals with their new additions.

    The Blades hold the second wildcard berth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference, and they have a seven point cushion in the standings over the Prince Albert Raiders (15-18-6-2). The Raiders have two game in hand on the Blades.

    Saskatoon is a point behind Regina in the standings for the first Eastern Conference wildcard berth after the Pats record moved to 21-19-4 after a 4-3 loss in overtime at home to the Edmonton Oil Kings on Wednesday night. The Blades have a game in hand on the Pats.

    The Blades return to action on Saturday, when they travel to Red Deer to face the Rebels.

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

-------

    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.

WHL trade deadline not all fun and games

Adam Helewka is a recent Rebels addition.

    Fans might find the WHL’s trade deadline fun, but it far from that for a lot of people associated with the league.

    This year’s deadline passes at 12 p.m. Mountain Time on Sunday, and its conclusion is often greeted with relief. As soon as the Christmas break ends, anxiety heightens on the part of the players from that point until the deadline passes. It is recognized that this short time span becomes the last chance for some clubs to bolster their rosters for a long playoff run, while other teams might be looking towards the future.

    Players that might think they are safe might get thrown into a multi-person blockbuster deal, because you often have to give up a good asset to acquire a good asset. Most of the brain trusts in the league are pretty sharp, so it is pretty hard for one club to fleece another club in a trade.

    During this lead up, players often wonder if they will have to leave friends they have made and the billet families they have gotten to know in short order to venture into a new world. That will often leave their parents and agents scrambling to help them relocate to a new centre.

    The lead up to the deadline is also hard for general managers. They often work mobile phones day and night mostly in an effort to tire kick to see what is out there. The deals result from only a small amount of the tire kicking.

    While working the phones, general managers often give up whatever short family and personal time they already have. When the deadline passes, that sacrifice no longer has to be made.

    Believe it or not, the trade deadline is often not fun for a number of the media outlets that cover the league. Most of the media outlets in WHL centres have a minimum of resources to work with. Reporters are often trying to squeeze in a trade story along with covering other local sporting events in their respective communities and satisfying the technical aspects that come with producing stories in print or broadcast.

Jake DeBrusk's addition adds to the Rebels offence.

    Trades often break at the strangest times, and reporters are often left scrambling to rework their schedules.

    The only person that seems to have any control on what goes on is Richard Doerksen, who is the WHL’s vice-president of hockey. All of the league’s trades go through Doerksen, who gives deals the final stamp of approval.

    When I interviewed for a trade deadline feature about a couple of years back, Doerksen said the only time trades can’t be made are from 11 p.m. at night to 7 a.m. in the morning, because he shuts his mobile phone off during those hours in order to sleep. He still has somewhat of a set schedule.

    During the final stretch leading up to this season’s trade deadline, the Red Deer Rebels, who will host this year’s Memorial Cup tournament, have to be viewed as the big winners so far. When action resumed after the WHL’s Christmas break on Dec. 27, 2015, the Rebels sat third overall in the 22-team league with a 23-12 mark.

    Since that time, the Rebels have swung three big deals that have bolstered their chances to enter the Memorial Cup tournament as possible WHL champions. On Dec. 27, 2015, they acquired 19-year-old winger Jake DeBrusk from the Swift Current Broncos in exchange for 18-year-old forward Lane Pederson, a first round pick in the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft and a third round selection in the 2016 Bantam Draft.

Taden Rattie is caught in a scrum against the Blades.

    DeBrusk had been the face of the Broncos franchise and will likely add some strut to the Rebels lineup. He has 14 goals and 22 assists in 30 games this season.

    On Jan. 1, the Rebels acquired high-scoring overage winger Adam Helewka from the Spokane Chiefs. The Chiefs picked up overage winger Wyatt Johnson, 15-year-old prospect Eli Zummack, a second round selection in the 2016 Bantam Draft and a fifth round pick in the 2017 Bantam Draft. Helewka has 19 goals and 18 assists in 22 total games this season, while Johnson had been the Rebels captain.

    Red Deer’s third major move came on Sunday, when they picked up overage centre Luke Philp from the Kootenay Ice in exchange for overage winger Presten Kopeck, 17-year-old defencaman Ryan Pouliot, the rights to 16-year-old forward Tanner Sidaway, and a second round and a third round selection in the 2016 Bantam Draft. Kopeck was dealt a day later to the Chiefs in exchange for overage winger Riley Whittingham and a fourth round selection in the 2017 Bantam Draft.

    Philp has 13 goals and 16 assists in 22 games with the Ice, but he is still out with an ankle injury he suffered back on Nov. 21, 2015.

    In a minor move on Dec. 28, 2015, the Rebels picked up 18-year-old winger Taden Rattie from the Portland Winterhawks for a fourth round selection in the 2016 Bantam Draft. Rattie, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 190 pounds, recorded seven goals, five assists and 155 penalty minutes in 53 games at the junior A level last season with the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Whitecourt Wolverines, and he should add a physical presence.

Landon Bow was traded by the Broncos.

    The additions of DeBrusk, Helewka and a healthy Philp make the Rebels that much more of an extremely dangerous offensive team. Red Deer (28-13) hosts the Lethbridge Hurricanes (28-12) on Friday in a battle for first overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference.

    The Rebels would benefit from having a little more depth on defence, but a running theme among scouts that watch the WHL is that this is a thin campaign when it comes to the number of good rearguards and goaltenders that are in the league. The asking price for those spots will be at a premium.

    With that in mind, the Seattle Thunderbirds were able to acquire standout overage goaltender Landon Bow from the Swift Current Broncos in exchange for 18-year-old netminder Taz Burman and overage winger Jamal Watson on Tuesday.

    A hockey family reunion was created in a Monday deal involving the Saskatoon Blades and the Brandon Wheat Kings. The Blades sent 17-year-old defenceman Schael Higson, overage rearguard Mitch Wheaton and second round selection in the 2017 Bantam Draft to the Wheat Kings for 18-year-old winger Braylon Shmyr and overage defenceman Colton Waltz.

    Waltz’s younger sister, Jerrica, is a sophomore goalie for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team.

Kennedy to get WHL Alumni Achievement Award

    On Thursday, the WHL announced that Sheldon Kennedy will be presented with the WHL Alumni Achievement Award.

    Kennedy will receive the honour in a pre-game ceremony in Swift Current before the host Broncos take on the Moose Jaw Warriors at 2 p.m. at the Credit Union i-plex. The Brandon, Man., product was a star winger for the Broncos from 1986 to 1989 and was the captain of the 1989 Memorial Cup championship Broncos squad.

    Kennedy is best remember for coming forward about how he was sexually abused by his former coach in Swift Current, Graham James. James was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in a federal prison after pleading guilty to sexual offenses against Kennedy and another player.

    Since that revelation in the 1990s, Kennedy has been an unprecedented leader in the cause of awareness and prevention of child abuse, and was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2014.

    On Friday, Kennedy will be in Swift Current as that centre launches a new initiative called “Youth Certification and Safe Places,” which is a certification and registration strategy that requires background checks for anyone that works directly with children.

    It has been good to see Kennedy and the community of Swift Current move forward in a number of positive ways in recent years.

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