Got their man

Time to go to work. Mike Babcock just signed on for the hardest job in hockey.

Well then. That was a waste of energy and speculation. Mike Babcock is the new head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. And already, the honeymoon is over.

Make no mistake, this is the most pressure-filled coaching job in hockey. The pressure to pick up the pieces in Detroit after Dave Lewis couldn’t replicate Scotty Bowman’s success? The pressure to win Olympic gold as Team Canada’s head coach? Those are nothing compared to the pressure to end the Maple Leafs’ Stanley Cup drought.

In Leafland, it’s Stanley Cup or bust. Toronto fans (and this is one of their most admirable qualities–even Habs fans have grown accustomed to settling) aren’t happy with a bunch of second-round exits, and even if they were, the Toronto media will always be there to remind Babcock of every little failure on or off the ice.

Babcock’s won everything there is to win–Worlds, Olympic gold twice, a Stanley Cup. He has nothing left in this game to prove, as a head coach. He’s widely considered one of the best current coaches, and he’s right in line with a bunch of other guys behind Scotty Bowman on the list of all-time greats. That said, in Detroit and at the Olympics, he had lineups dotted with Hall of Famers. In Toronto, for the first time, Babcock’s playing from behind. And again, anything other than a Cup will be failure. He’s got a lot more to lose in Toronto than the Leafs have to lose in hiring him.

As for the Leafs, it’s a perfectly Leafs move–they’ve skipped to the end. They spent the last year rebuilding their front office, coaching, and scouting staffs. They brought in smart, progressive hockey operations guys. The new guys spent the last year questioning and changing the way they want to build their hockey team. And then the Leafs decided to give this rebuild a boost, and went out and got the biggest, splashiest free agent they could find*. By giving Babcock some amount of control in personnel decisions, the Leafs may have just undone all the work they spent the last year doing.

[*They completely warped the value of head coaches in the league in doing so as well. While rich teams like Toronto have always had the advantage of being able to afford having three former head coaches on the books, how many teams can really afford to sign a coach for more than $3 or $4 million? What’s the market value for a guy like Dan Bylsma (fastest coach ever to 200 wins, one Stanley Cup, one Olympic silver) now?]

Could it work? It could. The Leafs have a handful of very talented players. Arguably as many as any other team in the league. The biggest difference: the Leafs often rush their guys through development, which Babcock will likely steer them away from.

The trouble comes when a personnel decision has to get approval from as many as four levels of management (Babcock, Kyle Dubas, Mark Hunter, Brendan Shanahan, and maybe another GM still to be named). And while the Leafs have some talent, they also have a lot of changes that need to be made.

I hope this goes well for the Leafs. I like Babcock. Lord knows he said all the right things at today’s introduction (especially the part about it being his job to help his leaders, when asked about Dion Phaneuf). I like some of their young players. I want the progressive guys in the front office to succeed. I genuinely believe the league is better off when the Leafs are a strong presence instead of a doormat. But once again, by trying to skip the journey, the Leafs may have put themselves in a position to fall short of their destination.

If this doesn’t work, nothing will

Hey Oilers fans, it might not be very long before you see an image like this

If this doesn’t turn the Edmonton Oilers around, I’m not sure anything can. New head coach Todd McLellan comes with a track record of getting very good performances out of his young players. He’ll have plenty of them to work with in Edmonton, with a stable of youngsters that includes four first-overall picks, plus recent top-10 picks Darnell Nurse and Leon Draisaitl.

So why do I think McLelland will succeed where half a dozen other coaches have failed?

First, he comes to the team with (presumably) immediate buy-in from Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle, both of whom just played for McLellan at Worlds–and earned rave reviews for their performances. He and the team should already have a little trust built in.

Second, Connor McDavid. When the Oilers had the first overall pick three years in a row from 2010 to 2012, they had the misfortune of holding those picks in years with heavy debates at the top. At the time, each of the Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Nail Yakupov picks were defensible, though hardly consensus. If we re-drafted those drafts today, none would go first overall, but as Tyler Johnson’s reminded us all season, that kind of hindsight is easy but ultimately doesn’t tell us much. McDavid is unlikely to come with such second-guessing.

Third, new GM Peter Chiarelli is very good at constructing rosters. He used a bit of a cheat code in Boston when he was able to sign Zdeno Chara away from Ottawa, but he built the roster around Chara, and transformed a cellar-dwelling team into a Cup winner. He hit a home run with the Phil Kessel trade, and made more shrewd deals like picking up Chris Kelly. It hasn’t been all hits though, trading away Tyler Seguin’s proved to have been a tough trade, signing Jarome Iginla was an OK decision (signing Iginla to just a one-year deal was the best part of the signing), and Chiarelli’s leaving the Bruins with a bit of a salary cap mess. But it’s a mess he helped to create by constantly acquiring very good players.

The secret ingredient though, may just be Hall and Eberle’s exposure to Sidney Crosby at Worlds. Veteran presence simply for the sake of veteran presence often fails (see: Ference, Andrew). But for players like Hall and Eberle, who’ve had more coaches as Oilers than The Doctor’s had faces, who were expected to lead this team as rookies, and who’ve never really seen the kind of off-ice preparation needed to win consistently, the experience of playing and preparing with Sidney Crosby can only help. Not only will it help them individually, they’ll be able to set a new example with the rest of the current squad as well as with incoming players.

Young, incredibly talented leaders, a new coach who often gets the best out of young players, and a GM with a knack for buying low and winning big. If it doesn’t work this time in Edmonton, we’ll know for sure some universal force is punishing them for selling Wayne Gretzky.

Pucks going in from everywhere

With 15 goals in January, Adam Tambellini’s been one of the WHL’s hottest scorers.

You may have heard there’s an analytics movement in hockey. One of the things advanced stats tries to convey is the idea that shot quality has a smaller effect on actual goal scoring than we’d intuitively assume it does.

If the analytics guys are looking for any more evidence, they should grab the tapes from Calgary’s games last weekend-the Hitmen were scoring from everywhere on their way to a pair of wins by a combined score of 15-1.

Friday night, the Hitmen hosted Prince Albert and jumped out to a 4-0 first period lead, chasing Raiders’ starter Nick McBride just 14 minutes and nine shots into the game. Unsigned New York Rangers prospect Adam Tambellini lead the way for Calgary with two goals and two assists, while nine other Hitmen chipped in multiple points en route to a 10-1 win.

Normally, I start to feel bad for an away team that falls behind by a touchdown or more. Midway thru the third period, just as I was beginning to feel bad for them, PA’s Mackenzie Stewart levelled Connor Rankin with a cross-check to the throat. It was–surprisingly–the only real ugliness in a game that was over before the first radio break, but left me wanting Calgary to score a dozen or more and really run it up. Instead, Calgary kept is classy–barely shooting at all during the five-minute power play and giving their fourth line some work. They did score twice during the power play, but after getting the 10th goal, I think Calgary only had one more shot of goal in the final eight minutes.

The Hitmen were right back to work Saturday afternoon in the first half of a Battle of Alberta doubleheader. And they got right back on the scoresheet. Rankin, showing no ill-effects from the cross-check the night before, got the Hitmen on the board with their first shot of the game, a wrister at Tristan Jarry’s head that he mis-played and swatted into his own net. Jake Virtanen put the Hitmen up 2-0 on their second shot of the game, and it looked like Calgary was off to the races again. The Oil Kings proved stiffer competition than the Raiders, and ended up out-chancing and out-shooting Calgary. The Hitmen continued to have great puck luck, piling on three more goals in the 5-0 win. Mack Shields stood his ground, and occasionally stood on his head, turning away a few great Oil Kings chances, to pick up his second shutout in eight days.

Calgary’s 15 goals on 60 shots was good for an outlandish 25 per cent shooting for the weekend. They weren’t picking corners. They had dribblers, bang-ins at the side of the net, and wristers headed for the glass find their way into the net. It was a lot of fun to watch.

Up next, the Hitmen head to Saskatchewan for a pair, including a rematch with the Raiders. They’re back at home next Wednesday (so no post here next week).

End of the first half

Fist-bump to Travis Sanheim

It’s beginning to seem like I curse the Hitmen every time I write about how well they’ve been playing. Wednesday night the Hitmen came out flat, didn’t capitalize on early power plays, took early penalties that Edmonton did capitalize on, and by the time they really got going in the third period, it was too little too late and the winning streak ended.

It was a tough loss to send the team into the Christmas break, but with some luck will serve as a reminder that they have to work hard every shift, every game once the second half of the season gets started.

In other Hitmen news, for the second season in a row, the Hitmen completed a trade Tuesday to acquire the rights to a NCAA player. Last season it was Adam Tambellini and this season, they’ve acquired the rights to Boston College goaltender Thatcher Demko. By all accounts, Demko’s been excellent for BC this season, and he’s one of three goaltenders USA Hockey is bringing to the WJC (he was with the team last year as well, but didn’t see any game action). Following the news of the trade, Twitter was awash with insistence Demko plans to stay at BC, but around this time of year, anything can happen. Will be interesting to see how it plays out.

A quick note about programming: Last night was my last live game of the year. I’m going to take a couple of weeks away from the blog and will come back some time after January 11.

Before I go, let’s dive into a couple of fun things. First up, some first half awards for the Hitmen.

Best rookie: Pavel Karnaukhov It’s easy to make a case for a couple of the other guys (notably Jake Bean) or to overthink this choice, but for overall production, and growth from September through now, Karnaukhov’s my choice. Some of his early production was a result of being in the right place at the right time, and though his point totals haven’t kept up that early pace his overall game has improved. He’s one of the few forwards on this team that often comes back deep enough to help his defencemen with sub-optimal passes. He’s been using his size consistently for the last few weeks and has given Calgary several options up front during Jake Virtanen’s absences. Karnaukhov looks poised for a monstrous second half, and he’ll have more good news below.

Best defenceman: Travis Sanheim I just can’t honestly pick any of the other guys. He’s been so good this season, I picked him to make Canada’s WJC team, despite being one of the younger defencemen in camp. He’s shown the ability this season to pull the Hitmen out of a lackluster performance, and can take over games all on his own. I can’t wait to see what the next level looks like for him in Calgary.

Most Underrated Player: Mack Shields After an up-and-down start to the season in which I wondered if Shields would lose the starting job to Evan Johnson, Shields has been very consistent through November and December. He’s had some big leads to play with, but he’s also bailed the team out in some nailbiters and he’s shown a propensity for making huge, acrobatic saves. Chris Driedger’s pads are practically impossible to fill, but Shields has shown he can keep this team in games, and give the high-octane offense in front of him opportunities to win them.

MVP: Travis Sanheim I’m choosing Sanny over some other very worthy guys (Kenton Helgeson, Chase Lang, Jake Virtanen, Adam Tambellin, Connor Rankin have all been deserving at different points in the season) with the caveat that Sanny may not be my pick at the end of the season. Through the first half though, he’s been Calgary’s most consistent player. The team won a couple of tough games without him last weekend, but I’m not sure they’d win consistently if he were gone for a long stretch.

Overall: The Hitmen needed a few weeks to really get a handle on new coach Mark French’s system (and if I’m being completely honest, they’re still not all the way there) and now that things are coming together for them, they’re starting to look like a team that could be dangerous in the WHL playoffs. Younger players like Loch Morrison, Jake Bean, Beck Malenstyn and Layne Bensmiller look like they’re starting to develop into dependable players, Kenton Helgeson looks better and better at forward every game (though Anaheim’s decision to move him up front will always baffle me). And the team is getting strong contributions from role players like Marshall Donald and Elliott Peterson, which leads to them rolling four lines far more often now than ever during the Mike Williamson era. Obviously, division leaders Medicine Hat think they’re dangerous, as do Red Deer and Kootenay, and Edmonton is maybe one player away from also feeling that way. So the going won’t be easy for Calgary, and they have a couple of tough trips east coming up, but Hitmen fans might want to start getting excited about this team.

The second piece of fun today is my first ever draft ranking! Couple of notes, qualifiers, etc. This is just a quick top 10 of WHL players I’ve seen live this season. Mathew Barzal and Paul Bittner aren’t making visits to Calgary this season, so they’re not on the list yet. Most of these rankings are based on one viewing, so guys may be in very different orders than you’ve seen them elsewhere (looking at you, Jansen Harkins). For now, it’s just the ranking and a guess at where in the draft I could see the player being selected (which won’t necessarily reflect what I’ve thought of the player), though I’ll throw more info at you later in the season as the list expands and as we get nearer to the draft.

1. Ivan Provorov D Brandon First half of first round
2. Nick Merkley F Kelowna Second half of first round
3. Reid Gardiner F Prince Albert 50-70th overall
4. Ryan Pilon D Brandon Mid second round
5. Pavel Karnaukhov F Calgary Fourth round unless some team is really in love with him
6. Connor Hobbs D Medicine Hat Unlikely to be drafted
7. Adam Musil F Red Deer Mid second round
8. Jansen Harkins F Prince George 20-40th overall
9. Cameron Hebig F Very late, may not be drafted
10. Tyler Soy F Very late, may not be drafted

Teddy bear send-off for Hitmen WJC hopefuls

The teddy bears flew early Sunday afternoon, and the Hitmen rolled to an 8-3 win over Moose Jaw

Tomorrow marks the beginning of Canada’s 2015 WJC camp, which I guess means it’s starting to get real.

For the Calgary Hitmen, it’ll be really real, as their top forward and top defenseman will both be attending camp. The Hitmen are coming off a week in which they scored 23 goals in just three games, and a two-week stretch in which they’ve scored at least six goals in five of their last seven games. Jake Virtanen has five goals and five assists in those seven games, bested by Travis Sanheim’s three goals and 12 assists.

While the Hitmen and other teams will miss their big guns, WJC time is an excellent opportunity for other players to step up and make names for themselves. One Hitmen player in particular who’ll see a drastic role change is defenseman Michael Zipp. I’ve written before about Zipp as a sleeper for the 2015 draft. He’s a quick but undersized defender, whose game is all about generating offense.

With recent injuries to Ben Thomas and Colby Harmsworth, and Sanheim presumably gone until January, Zipp (or 2016 eligible Jake Bean) figures to assume a top-pair role with Keegan Kanzig. If he’s going to get himself noticed, it’ll be over the next month.

Among draft eligible players to visit the Dome last week, only Edmonton’s Tyler Roberston is listed by Central Scouting. In the big Hitmen win, Robertson took three penalties, had two shots, and didn’t play much in the third period. Although I missed Moose Jaw’s visit Sunday, unlisted Ryan Gardiner appears to have played well, continues to get power play time for the Warriors, and remains on my radar as a guy who could rise quickly with a strong second half.

Let’s wrap this up today where we started–the WJC team. Here’s the squad I’d bring, which has an extreme WHL bias but I can’t really help that half the players invited to camp hail from the Dub.

Nick Baptiste
Rourke Chartier
Max Domi
Anthony Duclair
Robby Fabbri
Frederik Gauthier
Morgan Klimchuk
Connor McDavid
Nic Petan
Brayden Point
Nick Ritchie
Sam Reinhart
Jake Virtanen

Josh Morrisey
Madison Bowey
Shea Theodore
Travis Sanheim
Haydn Fleury
Dillon Heatherington
Darnell Nurse/Chris Bigras

A week to love the away players

Prince Albert’s Reid Gardiner was the best draft-eligible player I saw in Calgary last week.

In last week’s post, I mentioned the recent rise of WHL players getting drafted in their second or third year of eligibility, and later that very night, we got a peek at one such player who’s really made a strong case in his second year of eligibility–Prince Albert’s Reid Gardiner.

Gardiner posted a respectable 44 points last season, but couldn’t stand out despite having scouts in the building to watch former teammate Leon Draisaitl every night. He’s standing out now. In just a third of the season, he’s already scored 14 goals, easily projecting to eclipse the 22 he scored last season, with 40 in the realm of possibility.

He scored against Calgary, totalled 4 shots, and was easily the best player on either side last Wednesday night, leading the Raiders to a 2-1 win. It’ll be interesting to see where he’s taken next June, as he’s producing like a first or second round pick.

I missed out on Calgary’s win over Swift Current Friday night, instead being treated to an ugly loss at the hands of the Vancouver Giants. The Giants fired head coach Troy Ward last week, and were helmed by a pair of assistant coached when they visited. Watching the game, one would never have guessed it. Vancouver’s forecheck was tighter than Calgary’s, and indeed kept Calgary from making many good breakouts at all. Vancouver’s neutral zone and defensive play were also better than Calgary’s. They were structured, poised, protected the puck, all while playing without a head coach and icing a lineup chock-full of 1997’s and ’98’s.

Vancouver has three players listed by Central Scouting: Alexander Baer, Vladimir Bobylev and Dmitry Osipov. Bobylev didn’t dress, and the others didn’t stand out much.

The big news this week, of course, was the release of Canada’s WJC selection camp roster. This thing has grown so wildly out of control, the selection camp even has a title sponsor. Two Hitmen will head to camp, Jake Virtanen and Travis Sanheim. Virtanen has the better shot to make the team, as he’s a big-time scorer with a big body and great speed. He’s almost a lock for a first or second line role. Sanheim does a lot of those things as well, especially well for a defenseman, but the competition on the blue line will be fierce and he’ll have to be better than three guys to make this team.

Up next for the Hitmen: a battle with Edmonton Friday night and the Teddy Bear game against Moose Jaw Sunday. Check back next week for the updates.

That escalated quickly

Greg Chase, a soon-to-be former Calgary Hitmen? That’s the look of it, following a team announcement he’s requested a trade and is no longer with the club.

I barely know where to begin with this. This sort of thing doesn’t usually happen in Calgary.

Today, the Calgary Hitmen announced Greg Chase is no longer with the team and has requested a trade.

I’ve been a season ticket holder since 2009 and can’t remember another public split like this, because again, this sort of thing doesn’t happen in Calgary.

The relationship between Chase and the team has never appeared to be an easy one. Just watching from the stands, it’s been easy to see times when Chase and coaches weren’t on the same page. Under new head coach Mark French, those times seemed more frequent, which is probably a byproduct of coach and Chase not getting to know each other during camp (Chase was at Oilers camp).

From coach benching Chase in one of his first games back from pro camp to Chase being a healthy scratch earlier this week, today’s conclusion seemed inevitable.

Chase, at his best, is one of the best players in the WHL. He earned a spot on the WHL Super Series team, and is a bubble guy for this year’s World Junior Championship. He creates scoring chances other players simply can’t. And his work from the half wall is reminiscent of Alex Kovalev–complete control.

At his worst, he’s petulant, hot-headed–in short, a teenager.

It’s hard to imagine he’ll find a better deal than he had in Calgary. He played in one of the Dub’s two rinks shared with an NHL club. His presence helped the Hitmen land friend Adam Tambellini when he left the NCAA last season to join the WHL. Calgary is just a few hours from his hometown outside Edmonton. Although it’s been tough for any forwards to get consistent ice time this season (too many scorers, plus the Kenton Helgeson situation, and just not enough ice time), Chase is often on the first power play unit and gets plenty of offensive zone starts.

It’s a shame it’s come to this. While most folks will rush to blame the player, since he asked for the trade, it was the team that made the request public (and according to Yahoo’s Kelly Friesen, the team sent Chase home, he didn’t leave). Chase has been a very good player, and a good ambassador for the club off the ice. He’s at times seemed like a guy who should wear a letter, and a guy who could have gone down as one of this franchise’s all-time greats.

Instead, he’ll be the next name on the move in a wild WHL season. Good luck, wherever you land, Greg.

Turkey and a win over the Wheaties is great recipe

Keep an eye on all of these guys between now and June. From left, Brandon defencemen Ivan Provorov and Ryan Pilon, Hitmen forward Terrell Draude, and Wheaties netminder Jordan Papirny in the background (photo from Hitmenhockey.com)

I’m a little late to this weekend’s Hitmen/2015 draft wrap, and I’m sorry for that. Canadian Thanksgiving, and all its delicious turkey and stuffing and gravy are very much to blame for the delay. The delay ends now though–much like Brandon’s unbeaten season ended Sunday.

Let’s start there, since it was the most intriguing matchup for a lot of reasons. As mentioned, Brandon were unbeaten (in regulation) before Sunday’s trip to the Dome, making them a strong test for the still-kinda-scuffling Hitmen. They also brought some exciting prospects with them, which pro and amateur draftniks alike were thankful for. Central Scouting’s watch list includes three Wheaties skaters and a goalie. Although the Hitmen won 6-2, the game was nowhere near that lopsided and each of the listed Wheaties left strong impressions.

We’ll start with forward Jesse Gabrielle. Listed as a third liner, Gabrielle is currently tied for second in scoring for the high-octane Wheaties, outpacing highly-touted 2014 picks John Quenneville and Reid Duke (who doubles as a big-time in-season acquisition). Gabrielle used his size effectively, hounding Calgary’s smallish defenders all afternoon, and playing pest perfectly against a team known for taking too many penalties (more on this in a moment).

The real draw for this club are a pair of defencemen whose names you should start getting to know: Ryan Pilon and Ivan Provorov. With nine and eight points respectively, this dynamic duo are making their mark in the offensive zone as well as at home along the blue line. Pilon’s own-zone coverage appeared more polished than Provorov’s, and Pilon looked a little more comfortable with the physical game (not that Provorov was any shrinking violet–he mixed it up plenty). Central Scouting lists both as B players. Their rankings should improve if Brandon continues to have success. Neither looks ready to jump directly into the NHL, leaving the Wheaties blue line in good shape this season and next (it’s obviously folly to try to handicap the 2015-16 season while we’re still figuring out this season, but a lot of smart folks are already penciling Brandon in as favourites to head to Red Deer in 2016).

Last among Brandon’s listed players is goaltender Jordan Papirny, a second-time eligible goaltender. Papirny was better Sunday than the scoreline would indicate (an empty netter and a 59th-minute goal padded Calgary’s totals), and while it’s unlikely he’ll play his way into the first round, he’ll make a nice prospect that some team can bring up slowly through the ranks.

That was a lot of words about the team I dislike the most in the Dub. So here’s a little about the good guys. It’s time for a shout-out to Chase Lang. When Lang came to the Hitmen, he looked like a little kid in his dad’s clothes, and while he’s still not quite filled out his uniform, he’s grown in leaps and bounds on the ice. Langer hit the post roughly 75 times last season, but did so many unheralded things (almost always making the right pass, winning lots of key faceoffs in both ends, working his tail off, and killing penalties) the Minnesota Wild took a chance on him in the sixth round of June’s draft. Already, he’s beginning to look like a steal. His puck-luck has come around, and he’s tied for second in the league with seven goals, leads the Hitmen in points, and has effectively taken over the job as number one centre.

On the prospect front, Terrell Draude was left off CSS’s preliminary list, which must have been disappointing for the former second-round WHL pick and Canadian U-17 representative. In the last three or four Hitmen home games, he’s been making a strong case to land on someone’s draft list. In eight games this season, he’s already eclipsed his meagre seven point output in 47 games last season, albeit playing significantly more minutes and with better linemates than he had last season. His skating is a work-in-progress, but appears to have improved from even three weeks ago, and his decision making has improved to the point he’s occasionally been rewarded with second-line (and first powerplay) time.

Earlier in the weekend, Calgary hosted Victoria and dropped a 3-2 heartbreaker. Victoria’s Tyler Soy was named the game’s first star after scoring a goal and an assist in the Royals’ comeback victory. Soy showed an impressive first step both with and without the puck, often needing just a stride of two to get to top speed–or evading defenders with one very good first step.

After seeing Austin Carroll’s hit on Alex Schoenborn (stick tap to @hawkeyblog for the vid)…

…and seeing him level Connor Rankin with a similar hit Friday night, it’s beginning to seem obvious this is a player who plays beyond the line. I disagree with hawkeyblog’s assessment that having more goons around will help to eliminate this garbage, but I wholeheartedly agree that it needs to go. I’ll never fully understand how Carroll escaped suspension. The league needs to get serious about penalizing these incidents as they happen, and then handing out supplementary discipline.

And speaking of discipline, let’s get around to that point about the Hitmen and penalties. Calgary allowed two powerplay goals in the third period against Victoria, en route to blowing a 2-0 lead after two. They’ve been shorthanded 36 times already, through eight games, including five different 5-on-3 situations. It’s the same old song in Calgary, as the team just can’t stay out of the penalty box. They were shorthanded just three times Sunday against Brandon, and in a close game, they were able to score an insurance goal in the third instead of spending time killing penalties.

Get ready Alberta

With the Rebels winning the 2016 Memorial Cup, there’s even more to cheer about in Alberta than just junior hockey’s biggest prize.

Wednesday afternoon, the WHL awarded the 2016 Memorial Cup to the Red Deer Rebels, over the Vancouver Giants. While Vancouver is a lovely city, would make an OK host for the Mem Cup, and is a pretty ideal travel destination, I’m glad Red Deer won the bid.

I’ve been to the Rebels’ rink–the Enmax Centrium–a couple times. It’s a beauty. It’s got big, wide, open concourses. The sight lines seem pretty good from just about any seat. Getting in and out of the building itself is a breeze, and the on-site parking lot is top notch.

If there’s a complaint to be made about the rink, it’s about the location. It’s sort of outskirtsy, and not particularly close to hotels travelers and the teams will be using. Otherwise, it’s the platonic ideal of a big junior hockey arena.

Another benefit to having the Mem Cup in Red Deer is that it’s a stone’s throw for most of the Central Division teams to get to, which is great news for those of us that want to see more great hockey

The WHL’s Central Division has long been home to some of the best hockey around, and has been one of the most competitive divisions in hockey. You have to go back to the 2005-06 WHL season to find one without a Central Division team in the final. And a Central team’s been in all but two finals since 1998-99.

The rich teams in Calgary and Edmonton have already been locked in a pretty epic battle for the last two seasons, and they’re not going to let an opportunity to play in a Mem Cup so close to their backyards go to waste. Medicine Hat and Kootenay don’t have the resources Calgary and Edmonton do, but that’s never stopped them from being on-ice equals with the big boys. Obviously as hosts, Red Deer is going to start ramping up for a couple of big seasons. And even lowly Lethbridge will try to get things turned around in time to join the party.

So buckle up, Alberta (and Cranbrook). Red Deer’s Memorial Cup is going to be a great party, but it’s also going to be a great way to cap off two very exciting seasons of hockey.

A big Hitmen comeback, and other notes

Kenton Helgeson (centre) battles with Troy Murray in front of the Kootenay net during Calgary’s 6-4 come-from-behind win Saturday. Photo from Hitmenhockey.com

Last week was another busy one in the junior hockey world. On top of a pair of road games for the Calgary Hitmen, Hockey Canada released their rosters for the upcoming U-17 Challenge, the Hitmen made a minor trade, and then the Hitmen came home to face off against the Kootenay Ice in a wild one.

Let’s start with the U-17 rosters. Gone are the five Canadian teams of the old days. Canada will now send three squads, each filled with players from all over the country. This seems to be a wise move, as it’ll get players out of their comfort zones a little more, and provide stronger Canadian squads at the tourney.

Two Hitmen players, defenceman Jake Bean and forward Beck Malenstyn, were named to the squads, which for now can act as a very early watch list for the 2016 NHL Draft.

But let’s bring 2015 back into focus. The Hitmen have had a rocky start to the season, which is to be expected with such a disrupted camp, a new coach, and key graduations. And after their loss in Lethbridge last week, the back-to-back games in Edmonton and against the Ice were a bit of a worry for some fans.

The boys acquitted themselves well though, with a pair of wins–a 2-1 nailbiter in Edmonton and 6-4 comeback at home. Although he has held off the scoresheet, Terrell Draude turned in one of the most impressive performances of his young career. During the home opener, Draude looked lost most of the game. But he was better in Calgary’s second home game, piled up four points in their third, and started looking like the player everyone hopes a kid with Draude’s size can be in the win over Kootenay.

In just two weeks, his skating is better, and his decision making is a complete 180 from where it was in the opener. He finally looks comfortable out there. He may still be a little under the radar, but if he plays for the rest of the season the way he did Saturday night, he could climb into the top 100 picks.

From the Kootenay side, get to know the name Cale Fleury. He’s not eligible until the 2017 Draft, which is crazy to be thinking about already. But he’s already getting first-unit power play work from the blue line, finished the night with two assists, and was out there late in the game when Kootenay was pressing to tie.

Among drafted players, Hitmen forward Greg Chase is in the mix for a spot on this year’s World Junior team. He’s a vastly-improved player from the player we saw last season. His puck control really stands out now. He’s listed at 6′ (which is believable), but has shown the reach of a player two or three inches taller. His shot’s improved, he still passes too much, and his defensive game is still very strong. There’s a lot for the Hockey Canada brass to love.

There’s also the part where he was benched for most of the third period after a sequence in which he took a too-long shift, nearly scored on his own goal because of a careless turn in his own end, then took his frustration out of a Kootenay player after the whistle, leading to a penalty against Pavel Karnaukhov who came to his aid. He had the best seat in the house to see Calgary’s four third-period goals. This stuff is part of his game, but he’ll need to show he can tone it down if he wants to make the WJC squad. Hockey Canada won’t want to bring a guy who may find himself stapled to the bench like this.

Up next for the good guys: familiar foes. Former head coach Dave Lowry and his Victoria Royals are in town Friday night. Sunday afternoon, the Hitmen host pre-season East Division favourites (and my favourite rival) Brandon. In non-Hitmen news, we’ll learn whether Red Deer or Vancouver will host the 2016 Memorial Cup. Either city is fine by me. Red Deer is home to Canada’s best donuts at the Donut Mill, and Vancouver is Vancouver.