SchoolYourPool.com Fantasy Hockey

By GREGG DRINNAN
(gdrinnan.blogspot.com)

A few notes now that one weekend of the WHL regular season is behind us:
1. The Vancouver Giants played three games in four nights and went 2-1-0-0 despite missing F Evander Kane (Atlanta Thrashers) and F James Wright (Tampa Bay Lightning), and having the flu bug in their dressing room.
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2. It’s early, but there were attendance figures worth wondering about as the season opened. . . . In Kamloops, the Blazers drew 4,583 fans, the smallest opening-night crowd in the 17-year history of the 5,464-seat Interior Savings Centre. . . . The Kootenay Ice drew 2,695 to their home-opener and that was
the smallest opening-night crowd in its history in Cranbrook. The RecPlex seats 4,264. . . . The Chilliwack Bruins, coming off a non-playoff season that cost a general manager and a head coach their jobs, drew an announced crowd of 3,516 to
their opener. They play in the Prospera Centre, which has a capacity of 4,817. . . . The Seattle Thunderbirds, in their first season-opener in the ShoWare Centre in Kent, Wash., opened in front of 4,010 fans – they beat the arch-rival Everett Silvertips, 4-3 – but drew just 3,077 for a game against the Portland Winterhawks the next night. . . . The Prince George Cougars opened at home with a doubleheader against the Spokane Chiefs. They drew 4,985 to the opener, but just 2,552 the next night. . . . The Red Deer Rebels opened in front of 5,119 fans – the opposition was provided by the Calgary Hitmen – but attendance was only 4,117 the next night when the Kootenay Ice came to town. . . . Yes, it’s too early to even look for the panic button, but it isn’t too early to wonder if the economy has anything to do with any of this.
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3. The Portland Winterhawks showed more signs of being ready to vacate the U.S. Division cellar. They played once on opening weekend, beating the host Seattle Thunderbirds of Kent, 5-0, with G Ian Curtis posting his first career shutout. G Kurtis Mucha, a mainstay in Portland for four seasons, was among five goaltenders still in camp with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers.
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4. Might the Kelowna Rockets have some issues? The defending champions opened by losing 6-5 in overtime to the visiting Vancouver Giants and then were shelled 6-1 by the host Tri-City Americans. If you’re wondering when is the last time the Rockets were torched for so many goals in back-to-back games, you have to go back to October of 2001. . . . The Rockets, who lost D Luke Schenn to the Toronto Maple Leafs as an 18-year-old a year ago, are waiting to find out whether D Tyler Myers, 19, will stick with the Buffalo Sabres. They also wouldn’t mind getting F Colin Long, 20, back from the Phoenix Coyotes, although he may open with the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage.
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5. It is almost decision-time with the Saskatoon Blades. GM/head coach Lorne Molleken’s bunch has to be considered a championship contender. And after the long weekend, the Blades’ roster was still at 29. That included D Jyri Niemi, just returned after a stint in the New York Islanders’ camp, and F Milan Kytnar, who had been with the Edmonton Oilers. Kytnar’s presence makes things rather interesting as he is a two-spotter – a 20-year-old import.
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6. The scoring stars of the opening weekend? How about F Tyler Fiddler, a sophomore with the Calgary Hitmen, and F J.T. Barnett, a sophomore with the Vancouver Giants? . . . Fiddler, a 19-year-old from Prince Albert, had three goals in 64 games last season. He started this season with four goals in two games, including three in a row in less than nine minutes in a 6-2 victory over the Rebels in Red Deer on opening night. . . . Barnett, the 17-year-old son of former player agent and former Phoenix Coyotes GM Mike Barnett, had one goal in 38 games last season. He opened this season with three in as many games. . . . By the way, Mike now is with the New York Rangers, as senior advisor to the president and GM, and director of U.S.scouting.
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7. And, yes, boys will continue to be boys. Opening weekend was highlighted (?) by two line brawls. In Red Deer, the Kootenay Ice and the Rebels went at it at 16:43 of the second period in a game the home team would win 7-1. Seventeen seconds after that, Red Deer F Landon Ferraro had to be helped from the ice after being cross-checked by Ice F Dustin Sylvester. Ferraro suffered a knee injury and likely will miss at least a week. Meanwhile, in Saskatoon on opening night, the Blades and Regina Pats staged a line brawl late in the third period of a game won by the hosts, 5-1. That, of course, is nothing new when the Blades and Pats meet up. . . . That sound you here – CH-CH-CHING! – is the cash drawer opening on the WHL office’s cash register.
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8. Ahh, yes, the Pats. They scored one goal in two games – after losing in Saskatoon, they were beaten at home, 3-0, by the Brandon Wheat Kings. After playing those two games, they got D Colten Teubert (Los Angeles Kings) and DMatt Delahey (New Jersey Devils) back from NHL camps. But they are eagerly awaiting the return of F Jordan Eberle from the Edmonton Oilers’ camp. Eberle may be the best pure sniper in the WHL; the Pats know he will be back, it’s just a matter of when.
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9. Speaking of NHL camps, the Brandon Wheat Kings went 1-1-0-0 with five players still in the pros. They are expecting to get F Scott Glennie back from the Dallas Stars, but he hasn’t been on the ice with the big boys; rather, he has been rehabbing a groin problem with the Stars’ medical staff. F Brayden Schenn (Los Angeles), F Matt Calvert (Columbus Blue Jackets) and F Alexander Urbom (New Jersey Devils) are said to be having solid camps. F Toni Rajala (Edmonton Oilers) hasn’t been on the ice because of a knee injury, but will be assigned to Brandon once he gets medical clearance. . . . In Brandon, then, the waiting game continues.
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10. In Kennewick, Wash., the Tri-City Americans, no doubt stung by some of the preseason prognosticators, buried the defending-champion Kelowna Rockets, 6-1, winning their ninth straight home-opener in the process. The Americans, with GM Bob Tory in charge, have put up three straight 100-point seasons. Still, a poll of the WHL’s 22 radio play-by-play men suggested they will finish seventh in the 10-team Western Conference. Meanwhile, Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post, who also writes for The Hockey News, has the Americans finishing third in the U.S. Division, behind the Everett Silvertips and Seattle Thunderbirds.

(Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of the Kamloops Daily News. He has been covering the WHL for more than 30 years.)

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