The Journey to the Ed Chynoweth Cup

The journey to the Ed Chynoweth Cup begins in earnest on Friday, as most of the Western Hockey League teams will being play on that day.  I already covered the Thursday game, which will feature the last two Ed Chynoweth winners in Edmonton and Kootenay.  Today, I will take a look at one game from the Friday schedule, and if you've been reading this blog for a while or know me very well, you know which game I have my eye on.

The Portland Winterhawks will attempt to go for a third straight appearance in the WHL Finals this year, and their season begins at home against the hated Seattle Thunderbirds.  The Winterhawks will have leading scorer Ty Rattie and Penguins' first round pick from 2012 Derrick Pouliot.  The blue line provides some promise, as rookie Keoni Texiera and Seth Jones are the players to watch.  How the Winterhawks replace Sven Baertschi's offensive numbers will go a long way in determining if the Winterhawks will challenge for the Cup again.  On the other end of the spectrum, the Thunderbirds were dreadful in just about every way possible.  Their defense has no where to go but up after giving up the second most goals in the Conference and their offense sure could use a boost, as well.  Calvin Pickard is gone, so the goaltending competition will be one to watch.

If the Pacific Northwest rivalry isn't your game, there's always Kelowna vs. Kamloops, Medicine Hat vs. Lethbridge, Swift Current vs. Moose Jaw, Saskatoon vs. Prince Albert, Regina vs. Brandon, Calgary vs. Red Deer, and Victoria vs. Vancouver on that day.