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

Hitmen offering fans a hot streak for Christmas

Layne Bensmiller, seen in action against Moose Jaw above, scored his first WHL goal in Sunday’s win over Kelowna.

A successful weekend for the Hitmen saw them take a pair of games from Kamloops and Kelowna, despite key absences.

Saturday night, with top defenceman Travis Sanheim away at World Junior tryouts, and the rest of their top four (Keegan Kanzig, Ben Thomas and Colby Harmsworth) out with injuries, it was the Jake Bean and Loch Morrison show from the back end.

That show wasn’t without some nervous moments, but ultimately the Hitmen were able to put together a 5-3 win. Bean, eligible for the 2016 draft, took the reigns on Calgary’s top power play unit and had it (mostly) humming all night long. For his part, Morrison played his best game of the season, which was nice to see from a guy I thought would be climbing the Central Scouting list by this point of the season.

From the Kamloops side, I was surprised by how fast the Blazers are. They’re below .500 and have fallen almost completely off the map after their very impressive 2012-13 season, so I figured this one would be a bit of an easy one for Calgary. Nope–no such thing as an easy win against a Don Hay-coached team.

A pair of Blazers are on the CSS list, goaltender Connor Ingram and forward Deven Sideroff. Ingram played well enough despite allowing four goals. Sideroff looked good. He had a couple of impressive zone entries, carrying the puck through Calgary’s stacked line. He picked up some second-unit power play time, and was one of the wingers for a key defensive zone draw with about two minutes left in what was at the time a one-goal game.

Sunday’s game was one I’ve had circled on my calendar since the schedule was released. Those no-good, dirty-rotten, cheating scoundrels from Kelowna.

Before I get into the game action, a quick note about haves and have-nots in the CHL. Kelowna’s in the midst of a five-game Alberta road trip during which they’ll play four games with a full day off in between each game, playing on back-to-back nights for only the fourth and fifth games. That’s practically unheardof. Kelowna plays road games on back-to-back nights in different cities just five times (10 games) this season. Calgary plays 24 such games (two-thirds of their road scheduled). Anyway, take from that what you will.

Back to Kelowna. I thoroughly dislike the Rockets. It probably stems from them beating Calgary in the 2009 WHL Final, but it also has to do with the fact they’re full of players like Tyson Baillie who run around recklessly and rarely face consequences (for example, after crashing into Hitmen goaltender Mack Shields Sunday evening, Baillie punched Shields in the head before getting up and skating away–no call). Even more infuriating, he’s a really good hockey player. Which also was on display Sunday evening while Kelowna’s top players Rourke Chartier and Madison Bowey were away at Canada’s WJC camp, and others were missing after being traded to Prince Albert. Baillie was Kelowna’s best player by a mile on a night the WHL’s top team was short-handed, and not at their best.

Also not at his best: the WHL’s leading scorer, draft-eligible Nick Merkley. It was my first live look this season and although Merkley didn’t register any points (or even any shots), he didn’t disappoint. There’s a lot about his game to love. He’s small, but he has exceptionally powerful skating ability. If you saw Brandon Kozun skate in junior, Merkley has a similar style and similar stride–low, compact, almost impossible to move off the puck because of incredible balance. Merkley seems to prefer to go through a third defender after dangling around a couple, as smaller guys with unbelievable balance tend to. He has hands that can leave spectators and defenders alike wondering how he makes some of the dangles and passes he does, though you’d probably guess that from his 42 assists this season. If there’s a knock against Merkley, it’s that he’s a pass-first player. Whether he’s sort of developed that mentality playing next to Chartier and his 32 goals, or it’s his natural preference, I’m not sure. I doubt it would be enough of a hindrance to keep him out of most NHL teams’ top 10’s.

Excuses for poor play and gushing over Kelowna’s top scorer aside, the Hitmen absolutely dominated Kelowna Sunday. Calgary held the Rockets to a season-low 18 shots and came within five minutes of handing them their first shutout since dinosaurs walked the earth.

Leading the way for the Hitmen were the unlikely contributors Beck Malenstyn and Layne Bensmiller, along with superb efforts from Calgary’s penalty killers and a couple of Herculean saves by Mack Shields.

The game highlighted Calgary’s ability to play with just about any team in the league, and was the kind of win that can give a fanbase hope for a lot of springtime hockey.

The Hitmen wrap up the first half tonight with a home game against Edmonton. Check back tomorrow for a rare Thursday update featuring a little something extra, and some thoughts on Calgary’s trade from Tuesday.

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.

Rounding into shape

Looking for a draft sleeper? Moose Jaw’s Ryan Gardiner just might be a guy worth keeping an eye on.

It was a busy weekend for the Hitmen, and the upcoming schedule doesn’t get any lighter.

The Hitmen took both home games in a three-in-three weekend, and dropped a road decision in Red Deer.

Friday night’s game marked the home-debut of newly acquired Keegan Kanzig. The new big man hit the score sheet with an assist and a curious penalty, and showed off a little of the upside that made him a third-round draft pick in 2013. Kanzig showed high-end hockey IQ, and better puck-moving ability than I ever imagined he’d have. He was maybe even better during Sunday evening’s game, as he seemed to have more confidence in his teammates and took a few offensive chances–and a few more hit chances.

All of which is to say, I think I’m going to like having him around.

Some draft notes from the weekend:

Terrell Draude didn’t play in either home game for the Hitmen. Last weekend, Draude played very sheltered minutes in Calgary’s game against Saskatoon two Sundays ago, starting almost every shift in the offensive zone. Despite that, Draude’s line produced zero points and spent a whole lot of time skating back to their own end. The Hitmen went with other options against stiffer competition.

From Friday night’s game, if you’re looking for a sleeper who could shoot up draft boards the way Ben Thomas and Travis Sanheim did last season, you might want to check out Moose Jaw’s Ryan Gardiner. The speedy blueliner has just two points (both against Calgary) in 23 games, hardly a jaw-dropping number. But he was named the third star after scoring his first WHL goal (in a rink that loves to give home-team star sweeps) and played a very good game. He was strong with the puck, showed very good speed, had a couple of nice passes, and on his goal, made a great read to jump into the play and tap home a fast break cross-ice pass. If he can get a few bounces and start piling up points, he’ll be on a lot of radar screens before the spring.

Sunday, the Red Deer Rebels visited, looking to sweep a home-and-home after beating the Hitmen 4-0 Saturday night. The Rebels roster is loaded with Central Scouting listed players, most prominently Adam Musil. His biggest impact on the game came late in the third period when he hit Calgary’s Jake Bean pretty hard from behind. The hit was one of several questionable hits that went un-called, and instead of answering to any referees, Musil scrapped with Hitmen defenseman Michael Zipp. Musil did have a couple of other good rushes, but for the most part, the Rebels as a group–and especially Grayson Pawlenchuk–seemed a whole lot more interested in Rock ’em Sock ’em action than trying to win the hockey game, and none of their other listed players really stood out.

Surely, if you’re reading this, you follow @DubFromAbove on twitter. You likely saw this little nugget Tuesday afternoon.

18% of the #WHL players drafted into the NHL in the past 3 seasons were in either their 2nd or 3rd year of eligibility for the NHL Draft.

— Cody Nickolet (@DubFromAbove) November 25, 2014

A later tweet indicated the real numbers were four, seven, and eight players in each of the last three drafts, respectively. It’s an interesting trend, and I’ll be curious to see if it continues in the next draft. One Hitmen player who could fit the bill as a second-timer is forward Taylor Sanheim. He’ll earn a longer look from most scouts by virtue of being Travis’s brother, and the 1996-born rookie looks like he might fit the bill to join the above club. The tenacious forward has a nose for the net, and although his skills aren’t elite, he creates chaotic situations with his forecheck and has a knack for ensuring his team gets an offensive zone start after one of his shifts.

Looking ahead, Prince Albert, Swift Current and Vancouver are visiting over the next four days, though I’ll miss the Swift Current game. Should be another good test for the Hitmen as they look as though they’re just about rounding into something closer to the shape we’ve grown to expect them to be in. Check back next week for another update.

Welcome to the Kanzig era

The newest Calgary Hitmen, Keegan Kanzig, on the far left, towers over his former teammates. In need of a big body on the blue line, the Hitmen got one of the WHL’s biggest

Thanks to an extended road trip, it’s been a while since I offered a Hitmen and WHL update. Before this past Sunday, it was still baseball season the last time the Hitmen played a home game.

And Greg Chase was still with the team.

Since that’s the biggest news, let’s start there. The Greg Chase Saga ended late last night. Just as early speculation suggested, he’s now a member of the Victoria Royals.

When news of Chase’s trade demand first came out, I wrote it’d be hard for him to find a better place to play than Calgary, and I’m not convinced he’ll find it in Victoria. Chase clearly was at odds with Calgary’s coaching staff, and last I checked, Royals head coach Dave Lowry is about as demanding as they come.

The newest Calgary Hitmen is hulking defenseman Keegan Kanzig. We saw Kanzig earlier this season, and a few things were noteworthy about his play. One: he’s one of the biggest, meanest, toughest players in the WHL. That’s an immediate upgrade for Calgary’s blue line, which offers a lot of skill but not a lot of nastiness. Kanzig is also a vastly improved (though still limited) player from the one we saw during Victoria’s visit last season. His skating is much better, and he’s showing some puck handling ability. Those aren’t the things the Hitmen are going to ask from Kanzig though. He’s here for his mean streak.

It’s a pretty even trade for both sides, and one could imagine these teams getting together on this deal even without the Chase trade demand.

Shifting gears, Thursday morning’s headlines also include the release of Central Scouting’s latest watch list. A few thoughts:

• The November list is sorted alphabetically by team, then by player. Way better way to present the info.
• Unsurprisingly, Brandon’s Ivan Provorov has been upgraded to an A ranking. He’s got first-rounder written all over him.
• Calgary’s Pavel Karnaukhov remains the only listed Hitmen as blue liner Loch Morrison and centre Terrell Draude haven’t progressed as hoped, while Michael Zipp continues to fly under the radar, and Calgary’s best youngsters are 2016-eligibles.
• Saskatoon was here Sunday, with their lone listed player plainly on display. Cameron Hebig is a small centre who was all over the ice. He was disruptive on forechecks, OK on faceoffs and was Saskatoon’s best skater on the day. He’s a C player who doesn’t score a lot, but does a lot of good on the ice.
• Before the long break, Prince George came to town, with A-listed Jansen Harkins leading the way. The Cougars took the 3-2 decision, but Harkins didn’t leave much of an impression.

The Hitmen are getting back into a more regular schedule now, so WHL updates will also get into a regular groove again. Check back next Wednesday for the next installment.

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.

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.

And the scouts rested

This sums up Sunday’s action. Games like this are fun on the PS4, but not so much as a paying customer.

Although the Calgary Hitmen are just three games into the shiny new WHL season, this past weekend felt like a reminder that the 72-game schedule can be a grind. Largely, that’s because this observer was operating in Full DayQuil Mode.

Compounding the feeling of the grind was almost complete lack of solid draft-watcher material on display during the pair of games. Med Hat’s veterans led the way in their win over Calgary Friday night, with Trevor Cox doing all the Trevor Cox things Hitmen fans have grown to expect/hate. Marek Langhammer was great in his return from NHL camp. Defenceman Connor Hobbs made last week’s Central Scouting list as a C prospect, though did little to stand out in the game.

Meanwhile, one of Calgary’s most notorious trends was once again on full display–lack of discipline. It was early Halloween and power plays were the treats. The Tigers converted one of six chances in the win. The Hitmen also showed a lack of discipline when defencemen were pinching.

For as long as I can remember, the Hitmen have always been very good at activating their defence. It’s been so long since I saw a bad pinch by a Hitmen defender, I was a little alarmed to see so many in the first two games. Some of that comes from the very young defence corps they dressed in their opener, and a lack of familiarity with each other in the second game. But even the forwards seemed unaware of the pinching plan.

Under former head coach Mike Williamson, I often lamented the team was too reliant on their systems, and could be beaten easily by teams that were able to disrupt the system. Early in new head coach Mark French’s tenure, this team has been very loose. I’m keen to see the way it plays out this season.

Against an opponent like Sunday’s visitors from Lethbridge, a loose system is rarely going to hurt. The Hitmen piled up nine goals, including a pair from Pavel Karnaukhov–a C-level CSS player. Lethbridge isn’t a lot of fun to watch lately, and this 9-2 romp by the Hitmen wasn’t much of an exception. Although the Hurricanes’ Zachary Goberis and Brandon Kennedy didn’t make Central Scouting’s preliminary watch list, both had a couple of flashes for this putrid team. Goberis has a little skill and could become an important part of whatever offence Lethbridge hopes to mount this season, while Kennedy threw his weight around quite a bit and was a real banger. If nothing else, they stood out. Time will tell if they catch anyone else’s eye, but without a true A-level player drawing draftniks to Hurricanes games, it seems unlikely.

Next weekend the horrible Kootenay (sucks) Ice are here for a visit. See you next week, with hopefully a little more to say about the action.

Welcome back, WHL!

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.