Handicapping the 2019 Memorial Cup

The 101st Memorial Cup Tournament begins tomorrow in Halifax, NS, and as is tradition, the host team will kick off the tournament in their special Memorial Cup themed uniforms. The tournament will also feature the QMJHL champion, OHL champion, and WHL champion, so who fills those roles? Let's look at the teams vying for the ultimate prize in major junior hockey.

Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)-The Mooseheads are the host team this year, which ensured their berth into this tournament. However, don't think of them as a pushover, as they actually made the QMJHL finals, falling in six games. Their NHL prospects to watch for include Jared McIsaac, Benoit-Oliver Groulx, and Antoine Morand. They are led by overager Samuel Asselin, and are backstopped by Alexis Gravel, who is a Chicago Blackhawks prospect. As with any host team, the Mooseheads are all in this year, and given that they made the league finals this year, have a great shot at skating away with the Memorial Cup.

Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL)-The QMJHL champion, they were the hottest team entering the league's playoffs, and this is their second appearance in four seasons, having fallen short in 2016 to London in the Memorial Cup final. Led by coach Mario Pouliot, who will look to win his second straight Memorial Cup (he accomplished the feat last year with Acadie-Bathurst), the Huskies rely on the overagers, with Peter Abbandonato Jacob Neveu, and Samuel Harvey leading the way. However, it is New York Islanders prospect Noah Dobson who is the team's best player, having also won with Acadie-Bathurst last year.

Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)-The Ed Chynoweth trophy winner, the Raiders actually had the most difficult path of the four teams, being challenged by Saskatoon, Edmonton, and Vancouver before claiming their spot in an overtime game 7 in the finals. Led by Ian Scott in goal and a glut of forwards such as Dante Hannoun, Noah Gregor, Parker Kelly, and Cole Fonstad, the Raiders are well-tested and will look to give the WHL their third Memorial Cup championship in 11 years.

Guelph Storm (OHL)-The most resilient team in the tournament, the Storm had to win three game 7s, needing to come back from a 3-0 series deficit against London and a 3-1 deficit to Saginaw in two of those series before ultimately overcoming a 2-0 series deficit to Ottawa in the finals to win the championship in 6 games. They have counted on a bounty from Owen Sound in Nick Suzuki, Sean Durzi, and Markus Phillips, as well as holdovers in Isaac Ratcliffe and Dmitry Samorukov to carry the team. The player to watch is Alexey Tropochenko, who has had a breakthrough year while impressing St. Louis Blues brass.

Clark Cup Playoffs

With playoff season in full force in hockey, there is another league that is getting their playoffs underway. The USHL started their Clark Cup playoffs this past weekend, and three of the series are even at one, with Bloomington and regular season chapmpion Cedar Rapids exchanging seven goal efforts while Dubuque and Green Bay exchanged 3-2 decisions. Waterloo and Lincoln are also tied at one game apiece while defending champion Sioux Falls is in a 2-0 series hole with Tri-City. Each series in the USHL is a best of five, so Sioux Falls may want to get going if they don't want their hopes of a repeat to be dashed while every other team in the field has a chance to better themselves.

A New Boss in Storm City

It's been a trying season for the Guelph Storm, as they will have failed to crack double digits in the points standings by the time they play their first game after Christmas break, though they did manage to win today and snap a 15-game winless streak.  Today, in addition to the win, the Storm announced that Jarrod Skalde will take over as head coach starting with the December 29 game against Erie.  Skalde takes over for Bill Stewart, who resigned from the post after just three months on the job.

Skalde comes with a resume that includes 88 games in the NHL and many more games in the AHL, and he also comes with a Turner Cup won in 2001 with Orlando as a player and head coaching experience from his time with Norfolk of the AHL and Cincinnati of the ECHL.  He enters the Guelph job with the task of getting Guelph to respectability for the rest of this season and beyond, and given that the Storm are in rebuilding mode, it will be a study in just how patient Skalde will be with a team that will make mistakes this season and most likely, the next.

A Tale of Two Teams

Two seasons ago, the Erie Otters and the Guelph Storm were squaring off in the OHL Western Conference Final in which Guelph would ultimately win in five and go on to win the J.Ross Robertson Trophy before falling a win short of the Memorial Cup that season.  Here we are now, and Erie is at the top of the league while Guelph still hasn't cracked 10 points for the season.  What happened?

In the junior leagues, every team will see their share of highs and lows, some more on the high side than others. Erie was supposed to fall off a little this season with Connor McDavid moving on to the NHL.  They were still supposed to be good with Dylan Strome being the man now, but somewhere along the way, something better happened.  Alex DeBrincat has emerged as a true goal scoring threat, something that was still in question after last season even though he was the only 50-scorer in the league last season. It is clear that DeBrincat is out to not only prove that his play isn't just a result of playing with McDavid, but also that being 5'7" isn't going to be a hindrance, and given that there is a precedence for players his size succeeding in the NHL, he may do it.  On the other end, Guelph is dead last with just five points to show for the season, and it's now past the first third.  Seeing the likes of Jason Dickinson, Robby Fabbri, and Tyler Bertuzzi leave to turn pro, it wasn't supposed to be this terrible.  However, this is where they are, and now, not only can they not score, they can't stop the puck from going in, either.  Justin Nichols accounts for both of the team's victories, and he sports a decent save percentage at .914.  However, the same cannot be said for Bradley Van Schubert, who is winless in nine starts, and sports a ghastly 5.89 GAA and a .845 save percentage, which was why they brought in Michael Giugovaz, who has been well-traveled in the OHL.  Of course, he hasn't done great in two starts with the Storm, but then again, the Storm are the worst offensive team with just 42 goals, which is 20 behind the next worst team in Owen Sound, who sit in the sixth spot for the playoffs as of this writing.  Given that the Storm share a division with Owen Sound, Kitchener, London, and Erie, with the last three leading the Conference in the standings, things look bleak for the Storm this season, which means they will have the first overall pick in the OHL Priority Draft to look forward to, whoever that ends up being.

The Memorial Cup is Coming Home

Photo by Aaron Bell/CHL Images

The story of the 2013-14 Edmonton Oil Kings will have a far happier ending than either the 2011-12 or the 2012-13 seasons, as the Oil Kings won the Memorial Cup today, beating Guelph 6-3.  If you remember, the 2011-12 season saw the Oil Kings win the WHL championship, but were defeated by host team and eventual winner Shawinigan in the tie-breaker game that year.  2012-13 saw the Oil Kings lose in the WHL Finals to Portland, a team that they would see in all three WHL championship years.  This year, they not only took the Ed Chynoweth Trophy back from Portland, but they overcame a rough start to the Memorial Cup tournament, a 6-2 loss to Guelph and a double-OT loss to Val D'Or sandwiched a win against host team London to beat Val D'Or in triple-OT in what is now the longest game in the tournament before avenging the earlier defeat to Guelph in a 6-3 win.

With the win, the Oil Kings will be bringing back the Memorial Cup to the WHL for the first time since Spokane did it in 2008.

Spits Exchange

It's been a wild week for the Windsor Spitfires, as they made two major trades.  Earlier this week, the Spitfires made a major trade with the Guelph Storm, as both Kerby Rychel and Nick Ebert were sent to Guelph while Windsor got Brody Milne and several draft picks, which include Guelph's 2nd round picks from 2014 until 2018.  For perspective on how this impacts both teams, consider that Guelph is trying to match offense with Midwest Division leader Erie, and certainly, Rychel's addition to go along with Jason Dickinson and Tyler Bertuzzi is a step towards countering Erie's group of Dane Fox, Connor Brown, Andre Burakovsky, and Connor McDavid.  I'll get to how it impacts Windsor after I get to the other trade the team made this week, this time with the Kingston Frontenacs, as Ryan Verbeek was sent out and in exchange, the Spitfires will get Sam Povorozniouk and a fourth round pick in 2016.  The Frontenacs are a youthful group, with Sam Bennett, Henri Ikonen, and Roland McKeown all NHL draft eligible in 2014.  The addition of Verbeek only makes the Frontenacs younger, and given that the Frontenacs are still trying to figure out the bottom portion of their roster, Povorozniouk's departure wasn't much of a surprise, as the Fronts needed character guys, and that is where Verbeek is likely to get his chance.

As for the Spits, on the surface, it can be said that they are packing it in for the season.  However, they are only five points behind Sault Ste. Marie in the Western Division and are on a three game winning streak.  Milne gets an immediate chance to prove his worth, as he is likely lining up with 2014 NHL Draft eligible Josh Ho-Sang.  Povorozniouk will also get considerable ice time with the Spitfires, something that would be less likely with the Frontenacs squad that remains young.  The draft picks are obviously important for the Spits, as they can rebuild through the draft for years to come.  Moving Rychel was difficult, as he is the son of Spits GM Warren Rychel, but the Spits still have Ho-Sang, and with the influx of players coming in from the class, it is clear that the Spitfires are looking to keep a tradition of winning going for a while.

Post-Draft Ramblings.

So, the NHL Draft has come and gone, and there were a few surprises, the least of which was Cory Schneider going to New Jersey in a trade that indicates that Roberto Luongo is going to be the starter in Vancouver once again.  As for the Draft itself, there were some surprises, as you will see below.  Analysis of each pick, as well as who I had going (for comparison purposes) will be mentioned.  So, here goes:

1. Colorado-Nathan MacKinnon, Halifax Mooseheads

So, Joe Sakic wasn't sending any smoke signals when he said he was going to take a forward.  MacKinnon was the best of the bunch, and though the Avs need lots of help on the wing, MacKinnon did play a little on the wing, which will greatly help the Avs this year.

My pick: MacKinnon

2. Florida-Aleksander Barkov, Tappara (Fin.)

The Panthers took who they thought was the best player available in Barkov.  While Seth Jones was available, the Panthers felt comfortable enough with Dmitry Kulikov and Erik Gudbranson being their top defensemen to pick a likely second center behind Jonathan Huberdeau.  A shoulder injury is a concern, but his talent level is high, and will fortify the Panthers down the middle.

My pick: Seth Jones, Portland Winterhawks

3. Tampa Bay-Jonathan Drouin, Halifax Mooseheads

In light of the fact that Seth Jones was still on the board, the Lightning went with Drouin, who was the more dynamic player on the Mooseheads last year.  Some fans were calling for Steve Yzerman's head, but this was the right pick, as the Lightning had almost non-existent secondary scoring.  Drouin is expected to team with Steven Stamkos to provide a formidable one-two offensive punch, but in the immediate future, Drouin will have a chance to learn from Martin St. Louis on what it takes to stay in the NHL.

My pick: Drouin

4. Nashville-Seth Jones, Portland Winterhawks

Nashville needs scoring, but how do you pass up on a potential franchise defenseman here?  The Preds know a thing or two about franchise defensemen, and Jones will be learning from one of the premier players on the blue line in Shea Weber.  An already strong defensive team just got better, and Jones won't have the pressure to succeed right away, with both Weber and goaltender Pekka Rinne at the top of their respective games.

My pick: Aleksander Barkov, Tappara (Fin.)

5. Carolina-Elias Lindholm, Brynas (Swe.)

The Hurricanes were dreadful on defense, but they also didn't have much in the way of secondary scoring.  Lindholm will address the latter, and at the very least, start out as a third line center behind the Staals (that is, if they aren't on the same line).

My pick: Darnell Nurse, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds

6. Calgary-Sean Monahan, Ottawa 67's

The Flames desperately needed a center and a new face of the franchise.  Monahan was very good on a bad 67's team and with his willingness to play through injury, it is possible the Flames have not only gotten their center of the future, but also the newest face of the franchise for years to come.

My pick: Monahan

7. Edmonton-Darnell Nurse, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds

The Oilers desperately needed a top talent defenseman, and Nurse fits the description to a tee.  I had the Oilers taking a defenseman, but thought Nurse would be off the board to Carolina, as they too, have had problems on the blue line.  The Oilers were happy that the top-ranked defenseman not named Seth Jones fell to them here, as Nurse provides physicality and some offense.

My pick: Rasmus Ristolainen, TPS Turku (Fin.)

8. Buffalo-Rasmus Ristolainen, TPS Turku (Fin.)

Ristolainen wouldn't fall very far from where I had him.  Ristolainen provides the Sabres yet another physical defenseman who has the size and is great in his own end.  Obviously, this is a message being sent to Tyler Myers to pick up his game or else move.  But, that's not the only message being sent to Myers...

My pick: Valeri Nichushkin, Traktor Chelyabinsk

9. Vancouver (from New Jersey)-Bo Horvat, London Knights

Vancouver got this pick in a deal that sent Cory Schneider to New Jersey.  For a guy that played pretty well the last two years, the Canucks didn't get more out of the Devils here.  However, the Canucks would turn that pick into Bo Horvat, who played well with the London Knights and was clutch in the OHL playoffs.  Should be able to slide into the third center role with the Canucks this season if needed.

My pick: Max Domi, London Knights

10. Dallas-Valeri Nichushkin, Traktor Chelyabinsk

Dallas needed offense from their blue line, but Nichushkin falling to this spot was too good for them to pass up.  The best winger not named Jonathan Drouin will likely have the same questions that are asked of anyone from the KHL (see: Kuznetsov, Evgeny), but the Stars get another player that can score and take some of the pressure off of Jamie Benn and Loui Eriksson in due time.

My pick: Ryan Pulock, Brandon Wheat Kings

11. Philadelphia-Samuel Morin, Rimouski Oceanic

The Flyers need defensemen.  No one in their pipeline is top of the line, and the ones that are in the NHL are not quite young anymore, and with Chris Pronger likely to retire, and both Kimmo Timonen and newly acquired Mark Streit on the wrong side of 35, the Flyers need young, top-end talent here.  Morin is seen as more ready to contribute now than the player I had here in Nikita Zadorov.  Morin can also fight when needed, and given that the Flyers are more offensively oriented on the blue line, this is a welcome addition.

My pick: Nikita Zadorov, London Knights

12. Phoenix-Max Domi, London Knights

The Coyotes needed scoring, and get it with Domi.  He scores more than his father Tie, but he also has the same work ethic.  He's not big, but his hockey sense will help him out in the long run.

My pick: Anthony Mantha, Val D'Or Foreurs

13. Winnipeg-Josh Morrissey, Prince Albert Raiders

A bit of a surprise here, as Morrissey was expected to be picked at the end of the first round.  Morrisey does provide offense and is unafraid to mix it up, despite being small by NHL standards.  Likely to replace either Ron Hainsey, Mark Stuart, or both in the future.

My pick: Elias Lindholm, Brynas (Swe.)

14. Columbus-Alexander Wennberg, Djurgarden (Swe.)

The Blue Jackets needed forwards, and Wennberg was the first picked by the team.  General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen's European connections helped in the selection of Wennberg, as he saw a lot of him while running a team in Europe, and given his track record (he was responsible for TJ Oshie being picked in the first round in 2005), it's hard to doubt his abilities as a GM here.

My pick: Hunter Shinkaruk, Medicine Hat Tigers

15. NY Islanders-Ryan Pulock, Brandon Wheat Kings

Another defenseman drafted by the Islanders, Pulock does not have the upside that last year's first round pick Griffin Reinhart does, but Pulock does have a hard shot that will work well to jump start an offense that is already pretty good.

My pick: Frederik Gauthier, Rimouski Oceanic

16. Buffalo (from Minnesota)-Nikita Zadorov, London Knights

Part two of the message being sent to Tyler Myers, Zadorov is considered more of a long term project.  He has the size, but is also quite raw, but the potential is high and he may very well surpass fellow first rounder Rasmus Ristolainen.

My pick: Robert Hagg, Modo (Swe.)

17. Ottawa-Curtis Lazar, Edmonton Oil Kings

The Sens needed scoring, and with Lazar, they get that and more, as he is future captain material.  He is unafraid to stand up for teammates and has an upside of second line center, which isn't so bad with a team that has Jason Spezza and Kyle Turris there.

My pick: Alexander Wennberg, Djurgarden (Swe.)

18. San Jose (from Detroit)-Mirco Mueller, Everett Silvertips

The Sharks aren't getting any younger on the blue line, and the dearth of prospects there meant the Sharks needed someone new.  They traded up to pick up Mueller, who shined on a Silvertips team that didn't have Ryan Murray for much of the season due to injury.

My pick: Mueller

19. Columbus (from NY Rangers)-Kerby Rychel, Windsor Spitfires

The Blue Jackets needed someone that can bring toughness and scoring, and Rychel fills both needs.  While he won't likely score 40 goals like he has in the last two years at Windsor, he will at worst, be a tough player that opposing teams hate to face and 30 goals a year is realistic for his NHL prospects.

My pick: Rychel

20. Detroit (from San Jose)-Anthony Mantha, Val D'Or Foreurs

The Red Wings have been pushed around a lot lately, and with their best offensive stars on the wrong side of 30, the need for a power forward was inevitable.  Enter Mantha, who was one of only three players in the Canadian Hockey League to score 50 goals this season.  He will need to get to the rough areas more often to succeed as a scorer in the NHL, and given his size, it should be no problem if he wants it.

My pick: Shea Theodore, Seattle Thunderbirds

21. Toronto-Frederik Gauthier, Rimouski Oceanic

Center has been a sore spot for the Maple Leafs, and while Nazem Kadri has been good, the pipeline there is still woefully thin.  Gauthier doesn't figure to help right away, as the Leafs would later acquire Dave Bolland from Chicago, but when Gauthier does arrive, he will bring size and some offense.

My pick: Bo Horvat, London Knights

22. Calgary (from St. Louis)-Emile Poirier, Gatineau Olympiques

While Poirier put up great numbers on a decent Gatineau team, most did not project him to be a first round pick.  Given that the Flames needed defensemen and goaltenders, Poirier's selection makes even less sense, but like Mark Jankowski last year, Poirier is a gamble that could pay off in the long run.

My pick: Zachary Fucale, Halifax Mooseheads

23. Washington-Andre Burakovsky, Malmo (Swe.)

Surprise pick, as Burakovsky didn't put up good numbers, but he also didn't play much, either.  His upside is undeniable, and the Caps are willing to gamble on what may ultimately be a top end talent, something the Caps desperately need in their pipeline.

My pick: Valentin Zykov, Baie-Comeau Drakkar

24. Vancouver-Hunter Shinkaruk, Medicine Hat Tigers

The free-faller of the prospects this year, Shinkaruk can play both center and wing, and is a prolific goal scorer.  Injuries this past season cost him a little bit of time, but still, he managed to score 37 goals this season.  The Canucks needed top-end talent, and Shinkaruk is exactly what they asked for here.

My pick: Adam Erne, Quebec Remparts

25. Montreal-Michael McCarron, US U-18 Team

The Canadiens needed size, and that's what they get with McCarron.  They won't rush him to the big show, as he is likely headed to college (Western Michigan) or the OHL (London).  An obvious project, the Canadiens will welcome his size up front when he's ready to join.

My pick: Samuel Morin, Rimouski Oceanic

26. Anaheim-Shea Theodore, Seattle Thunderbirds

The Ducks needed secondary scoring up front, but believe that the likes of Peter Holland and Emerson Etem will fulfill expectations in time.  For this pick, the Ducks add youth to the blue line and Theodore was a pretty good player on a Thunderbirds team that was simply horrible on defense.  His own play does bear watching, but the upside is similar to Cam Fowler, who the Ducks took in 2010.

My pick: Curtis Lazar, Edmonton Oil Kings

27. Columbus (from Los Angeles)-Marko Dano, Bratislava (Slovakia)

The Blue Jackets had three first round picks to play with, and the third pick was made on a project with huge potential in Dano.  He isn't expected to come to the NHL in a few years, and with picks such as Rychel and possibly Wennberg having a chance to conrtibute sooner, the Blue Jackets can afford to wait on Dano's scoring talents to arrive.

My pick: Ian McCoshen, Waterloo Black Hawks

28. Calgary (from Pittsburgh)-Morgan Klimchuk, Regina Pats

Good player on an bad Pats team, Klimchuk got to show the world what he could do in international competition.  Similar in size to Sven Baertschi, Klimchuk is also tough, and that will work well for a Flames team that needs it.

My pick: Klimchuk

29. Dallas (from Boston)-Jason Dickinson, Guelph Storm

Dickinson had an up and down year offensively, yet the Stars saw enough of him in the post-OHL playoffs to draft him here.  Consistency is a must for Dickinson to make it with the Stars.

My pick: Ryan Hartman, Plymouth Whalers

30. Chicago-Ryan Hartman, Plymouth Whalers

With Dave Bolland and Michael Frolik both being sent out soon after this pick, Hartman will fill a void left by both players in due time.  The Blackhawks pick well when it comes to depth players (see: Saad, Brandon), and Hartman will be a fan favorite once he joins the Blackhawks.

My pick: Josh Morrissey, Prince Albert Raiders

Hockey Day in America: Kearney, NE

Yesterday was Hockey Day in America, and given that there has been a few articles on this blog about the United States Hockey League, I figure this would be the time to start delving more into the top junior hockey league in America.  Today's spotlight (by the magic of the random selector) is on the Tri-City Storm.  This Tri-City is not to be confused with the Tri-City Americans of the WHL, who play in Kennewick, WA.  The Storm play in Kearney, NE, located in the central part of the state.  The Storm were founded in 2000, and prior to their current incarnation, had played as the Bloomington Jr. Stars (1979-84), Minneapolis Stars (1985-86), St. Paul Vulcans (1986-95), and the Twin Cities Vulcans (1995-2000).  Among the more notable players to have donned the Storm uniform include Jaden Schwartz and Tim Jackman, the latter doing so while the team played as the Twin Cities Vulcans.