Mack Shields looks through a screen during Saturday night’s season opener. Photo from hitmenhockey.com
Following a too-long off-season, the Calgary Hitmen returned to Saddledome ice Saturday night. And frankly, not a moment too soon.
With the would-be contenders loaded up for the 2013-14 season’s stretch run, all signs pointed to Calgary and Edmonton squaring off in a conference finals rematch. The Kootenay Ice had other plans though, and unceremoniously bounced the Hitmen from the playoffs in the first round.
And just like that, instead of a short summer filled with accolades, a summer of change was upon the Hitmen. Graduating overagers Jaynen Rissling and Alex Roach left huge holes in Calgary’s blue line corps. Along with the disappointing playoff result came a predictable coaching change. New head coach Mark French also has to figure out his club piece-by-piece, as nine players attended NHL rookie and training camps during the majority of Hitmen camp, with only one returning in time for Saturday’s season opener.
Despite the upheaval, the Hitmen are favoured to win the Central division this season. Just don’t mention that to Red Deer. Saturday night, Red Deer came into the Dome and took an ugly one from the favoured Hitmen thanks to a pair of fortunate bounces for the Rebs, and Calgary’s inability to capitalize on their own bounces. The 4-1 loss spoiled the debut of Calgary’s 20th “anniversary” jerseys, which may have been the highlight of my night even with a better result.
Of course the WHL season is the main event, but let’s be real. We’re all looking ahead to the World Junior Championship and the 2015 NHL Draft. So let’s take a look at that.
Both Red Deer and Calgary were without their top drafted talent, and in this game full of youngsters (I think five Hitmen skaters were making their WHL debut), older players usually stand out. Saturday was no exception. But that’s not to say none of the young guys made their mark.
Red Deer’s Adam Musil made Central Scouting’s pre-season Futures list and quietly played a strong game. He’s a big body who does a lot of the hard work along the walls. He didn’t create a lot, but he didn’t hurt his team either. Meyer Nell may be a name to watch for the upcoming draft. He has good speed and showed some good possession instincts. A couple of times, he carried the puck into the zone to initiate long and extended (15+ and 30+ seconds) possessions, and was in my eyes Red Deer’s most dynamic forward during the game. From the blue line, ’98-born Josh Mahura showed some offensive upside and is a name to remember this time next season.
On Calgary’s side, their top pick in this summer’s import draft Pavel Karnaukhov showed a little of the stuff that had people saying Calgary got the steal of the draft. He’s big–listed at 6’2″ 197, he used that size. He’s a very good skater and has a nose for the net. If the production comes, and if he can fit into Calgary’s system (he looked a little lost at times), he’ll draw a lot of interest at draft time. Michael Zipp is a late ’96 who happens to be one of Calgary’s most experienced defencemen. So far, I’d be surprised if he’s on anyone’s draft lists, but he could rise quickly the way Ben Thomas and Travis Sanheim did last season if he grows into a top-four role. I’ll have more on him as the season moves along. The Hitmen defenceman to really watch this season is Lochlan Morrison. He played a handful of games with Calgary last season and showed great promise. He has high hockey IQ, highlighted by high-end transition instincts and the speed and skill to use them. If he’s under the radar now, he won’t be by Thanksgiving.
That’s all for today. Next weekend Medicine Hat and Lethbridge visit, and the Hitmen should have at least a couple of their vets back.
sayssteve 