2015-16 WHL Season BC Division Preview

With training camp coming soon, today is a look at the BC Division.

The Kamloops Blazers missed out on the playoffs for the second straight season, and worse, they say their first round in this year's Bantam Draft go to Moose Jaw in a trade two seasons ago.  They have decisions to make as far as who to keep as their three overagers, which include Cole Ully, Matt Needham, and Ryan Rehill.  The good news is that besides a year of being drama-free, thanks to Don Hay's return behind the bench, they will also have both Deven Sideroff and Connor Ingram returning.  If the Blazers wish to make the playoffs once again, Jake Kryski will have to take the next step forward.

The Kelowna Rockets came within a goal of being the Memorial Cup Champions, and now, they have to break in another new head coach, as Dan Lambert was lured away to Buffalo as an assistant coach.  Brad Ralph steps in, and unlike the previous season, it is not known what he will bring to the team.  The Rockets will also have holes to fill on the blue line, as both Madison Bowey and Josh Morrisey are turning pro, as will Leon Draisaitl.  Jackson Whistle could return as an overager, which would solidify things in goal.  Besides the losses, the Rockets do maintain a good roster, at least up front, as Nick Merkley, Rourke Chartier, and Justin Kirkland all return, with Tyson Baille potentially being one of three overagers.

Prince George experienced a revival of sorts thanks to ownership that is committed to the team and the city.  The results showed, as the Cougars made the playoffs for the first time in five seasons.  Defensively, the Cougars are still outright bad, which places a huge onus on the offense to produce.  Jansen Harkins and possibly Chase Witala will spearhead the offense from the front.  The Cougars will need all the offense they can get until things get better from the blue line, as Ty Edmonds is good, but he's nowhere near elite.

The Vancouver Giants had a wild season, as they canned Troy G. Ward just months into his first season as Giants coach and didn't retain Claude Noel after he finished the season as interim coach.  Lorne Molleken will step behind the bench, and while he inherits a top talent in Tyler Benson, there's little else that inspires confidence in the Giants.  Their biggest question mark is in goal, as Payton Lee took a big step back and he isn't even assured of a roster spot this season.

The Victoria Royals are as steady as it gets, and it is a near certainty that Coleman Vollrath will be one of the team's overagers this season.  The Royals aren't spectacular in any fashion, but they get the job done, a reflection of the coaching job that Dave Lowry has done since taking over as head coach in 2012.  Joe Hicketts leads the way on the blue line, and scoring is almost by committee every season, something that doesn't figure to change.

Changing Blazers

Over the weekend, the Kamloops Blazers decided to make some changes, with their primary logo undergoing a rather minor change while they will also be gaining a new secondary logo.  To give you an idea what their previous primary logo looked like, here it is:

Compare it to the newer logo, and the only change you see is the "Kamloops" being removed from the logo.  As for the secondary logo, it looks like they took the template from the Calgary Flames' secondary logo on their alternate jersey.  Again, for comparison purposes, here is the Flames' alternate logo:

Where the Blazers make it their own is the fact that the emphasis on the main parts of the logo are on the landscapes that are characteristic of the region that Kamloops is in.  Overall, the logo changes won't have a major effect on the Blazers' uniforms, as only the secondary logo will be featured more on the shoulders of both the home and road uniforms.

WHL Central Division Preview

Today, the 2015-16 WHL season preview takes us to Alberta, and eastern British Columbia, and before I get started, the WHL unveiled their 50th anniversary logo earlier this Summer.

The Calgary Hitmen held off both Medicine Hat and Red Deer en route to winning the Central Division.  They made it to the Conference finals, but were overmatched against Brandon.  Now, there are questions abound, such as who will their starting goaltender be?  Mack Shields struggled last year in his first year as starter, which was why they traded for Brendan Burke at the deadline.  One figures that one of the two will likely return as one of three overage players.  On the blue line, they're in pretty good shape despite likely losing Keegan Kanzig to the pros, as Travis Sanheim will lead the way for the Hitmen.  Offensively, the Hitmen could be in real trouble if Jake Virtanen does stick with Vancouver this season, as there are no proven options that can score.

Year one of the Edmonton Oil Kings post-Derek Laxdal era did not quite get off to the start they wanted, as they had to hold on to the last wild card spot until the end of the regular season.  From there, they were thoroughly outclassed by Brandon in the opening round despite stealing a win in the opening game.  They never did find suitable replacements on offense to replace the likes of Curtis Lazar, Mitch Moroz, and Henrik Samuelsson.  Now, they have to find a replacement for Tristan Jarry, who is going pro, and Patrick Dea figures to be in line to start.

The Kootenay Ice also needed to hold on to a wild card spot to qualify, and though they gave Calgary a run for their money in the opening round, they could not quite duplicate the previous year's feat of knocking Calgary out of the opening round, and were thus eliminated in six games.  Both leading scorers Sam Reinhart and Jaedon Descheneau are likely turning pro, and many more questions remain as to who the three overage players will be.  Wyatt Hoflin proved capable in net, but will he be back, as he is one of many players vying for the overage spots.

The nightmare that was the Brad Robson/Drake Berehowsky era was mercifully put to an end in the middle of last season, and now, it is Peter Anholt who will be handling both the General Manager and head coaching duties, something that he started immediately after the previous regime was let go.  Though the Hurricanes will have both Tyler Wong and Giorgio Estephan returning, many other question marks remain.  Who starts in goal?  Currently, there are five players that ended the year on the roster, yet no one established themselves.  Also, where will the veteran leadeship come from?  Early indications appear that newcomers Cory Millette and Arwin Atwal will provide that, but of the players that ended the season on the Hurricanes, that question looms.

The Medicine Hat TIgers put together a respectable run, but were beaten by Calgary in the conference semi-finals.  Questions from the blue line on back loom large, as Marek Langhammer moves on due to graduation, as does Tyler Lewington.  Tommy Vannelli and Kyle Burroughs are also both likely gone, as they could seek the test in the pros.  If any success on the blue line is to be had, it now has to start with David Quennville.  Up front, the questions are just as large, though it is possible that the Tigers could keep either or both Cole Sanford and Trevor Cox, who were the team's leading scorers.

The Red Deer Rebels will be hosting the Memorial Cup this season, and though they just traded away Taz Burman, it likely opens the door to Rylan Toth to become the starter in goal.  Defensively, they will likely be led by Haydn Fleury and Nelson Nogier while Connor Bleackley and Adam Musil are likely leading the team up front.

WHL East Division Preview

Hockey season begins next month, but training camps for the junior leagues begin soon, if not now.  So, with that in mind, the 2015-16 WHL season preview begins this week with the East Division.

The Brandon Wheat Kings are the reigning Eastern Conference champions, yet are wanting to take that next step after getting trounced in the WHL Finals by Kelowna.  The Wheat Kings lose Peter Quennville and Eric Roy to graduation and are most likely going to be without Morgan Klimchuk and Rihards Bukarts.  Ivan Provorov could be gone if he sticks with the Philadelphia Flyers this season, but the Wheat Kings do return a fair amount of players, as well, as Nolan Patrick and Kale Clague will have larger roles with the team while the likes of Ryan Pilon, Jayce Hawryluk, and Jordan Papirny will be the leaders on the team.  Also, Stelio Mattheos will be in his first full season with the team.

The Moose Jaw Warriors missed the playoffs by four points, and though the team does return some good talent, they do have to replace their leading scorer in Jack Rodewald, as he graduated.  The wild card here is whether Brayden Point will be remaining with the team for the full season or if he gets traded at some point in the season.  Brett Howden figures to have a bigger role, but Zach Sawchenko needs to be better when it counts the most.


The Prince Albert Raiders are looking to this season, particularly after a rather disastrous time where the Raiders had to trade both Josh Morrisey and Leon Draisaitl and ended the Cory Clouston experiment after a season and a half.  Having Marc Habscheid for a full season should benefit the team, as will a season of relative peace within the team.  However, there isn't a heck of a lot to work from, as the Raiders will have a hard time scoring, but having someone like Brendan Guhle on the blue line will at least give the team some peace of mind on the blue line.  Nick McBride returns in goal, which is a good thing.

Despite finishing second in the East Division, the Regina Pats' rebuilding phase began in earnest last year.  Getting rid of Morgan Klimchuk, Connor Gay, and Kyle Burroughs mid-season, set the team up to build around Sam Steel, who will look to rebound after having his season cut short due to injury.  The Pats' fortunes could rest on whether Daniel Wapple returns for his overage year, as he proved to be very good in goal when given the chance to start.

To expect anything other than more growing pains for the Saskatoon Blades would be something of a folly.  Coach/GM Bob Woods is still trying to reestablish the team's sources after a rather handling by the previous regime, and certainly, that began last season, as Niktita Scherbak and Nelson Nogier were both sent out during the season.  However, all not bare, as Mitchell Wheaton and Connor Gay will join Brycen Martin as possible leaders on the team that will eventually be welcoming their first round picks in this year's Bantam Draft, something the Blades couldn't have done the previous five seasons.

If there's a team that is destined for a fall, it is the Swift Current Broncos.  Despite the best efforts of Landon Bow in goal, the Broncos too often didn't have enough scoring to help him out.  Now, the question of whether or not Bow will be one of the overage players to be on the team lurks, as he is one of nine 1995 birthdays on the roster from last season.  The team is also likely to lose both Dillon Heatherington and Brett Lernout, both of whom could turn pro.  The only sure things to be on the roster this season that are proven players will be Jake DeBrusk and Glenn Gawdin.

Your New Canuck

The Vancouver Canucks made an attempt to upgrade their center depth today, acquiring Brandon Sutter and a conditional third round pick in 2016 from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Nick Bonino, Adam Clendenig, and a second round pick in 2016.

What does Sutter bring to the Canucks?  Despite having fewer points than Bonino, Sutter did much of his work behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin as a third-line center, meaning that he wouldn't necessarily get the better wingers to play with, plus he's a more responsible player in his own end.  Consistency is also a strength of his, something that wasn't evident with Bonino, who started out hot, but tailed off badly as the season went on.  The Canucks also lose defensive depth with Clendening, who was acquired last season in exchange for another prospect in Gustav Forsling.  This is where the worries for Canucks fans should begin, as ultimately, the Canucks gave away a potential top offensive defenseman for nothing.  As for draft picks, it appears to be the pick they acquired in the Kevin Bieksa deal earlier this month.

Get On Board for the New Admirals

Photo courtesy of the Milwaukee Admirals' Facebook page

With all of the talk about AHL teams relocating and changing affiliations with their NHL parents, here is some rather "rare" uniform news.  The Milwaukee Admirals will be going from black as a primary color to return to their navy roots while going from the cartoonish "Deadmiral" to a more menacing version of the "Deadmiral."  As you can see, though, the cartoonish version will remain on some level, as their third jerseys from last year will still be intact, thus giving the team their usual white, new navy, and light blue jerseys to choose from this season.  Black is all but gone from the color scheme, which is a great thing for a team that is one of the few AHL teams to maintain their own identity as opposed to looking more like their NHL parent.  Also, as you can see, the shoulder yokes on the new jerseys are done to subtly make an "M," which is one of the more clever things a team can do.  As for the negatives, the lack of a waist stripe does knock the look down a notch, as does the new shoulder patch:

Here, it seems that the Admirals were trying to do a little too much here, as the previous shoulder patch, an anchor, worked just fine.  Beyond those nitpicks, the Admirals did a great job with their re-brand.  While they maintained a piece of their previous look in their third jersey, it works well in that role.  As for the primary looks, it does manage to tie in all of the looks the Admirals have had over the years on some level.

A New Howl

The Coyotes franchise has undergone some major changes in recent years, first changing their name from the Phoenix Coyotes to the Arizona Coyotes.  Ownership finally stabilized, but now, there is an ongoing battle with the city of Glendale.  That last part overshadowed the team's change in uniforms, which were unveiled on Draft Day.

One of the most obvious changes to the uniforms is the addition of black, which at the very least, adds to what was a fairly ordinary look.  The waist stripes aren't obvious, as they only appear at the very bottom of the jerseys.  The arms of the jerseys are where the biggest changes occur, as the striping is noticeable while the number and letter fonts are changed.  Shoulder patches differ on both the home and away jerseys, as the home will feature a paw print with the letter A embedded within it while the away jerseys will still feature the Arizona state outline with the state flag on top and the AZ on the bottom, meaning it will remain the same as it has been on their previous jerseys.  The southwestern style design is featured inside the collar, something that has been a trend for a while for teams to feature something on the inside of the collar.

While the Coyotes didn't hit it out of the park with the new designs, it is at least a new look that will identify the team better while giving them something that may last a while.