So there are six NHL players currently taking part in the NHL playoffs that at one time or another donned a Winterhawks sweater. They are listed below, along with the years they playes for the Hawks and their current NHL team:
-Frazer McLaren- 2003-08- Toronto Maple Leafs.
-Andrew Ference- 1994-99- Boston Bruins (was suspended for 2 games for a hit in Game One of the series vs. Toronto).
-Brenden Morrow- 1995-99- Pittsburgh Penguins.
-Jannik Hansen- 2005-06- Vancouver Canucks (Down 0-3 in the Series).
-Marian Hossa- 1997-98- Chicago Blackhawks.
-Luca Sbisa- 2009-10- Anaheim Ducks.
Hossa and Ference both have won Stanley Cups previously, so it would be fun to see Morrow or McLaren get to hoist Hockey's biggest prize.
Random Note:
Stephane Legault was given the WHL player of the week nod, which I only favor because Edmonton played more games. He had 4 assists over 2 games, 2 assists of which were not beautiful feeds by any means, more loose pucks that happened to touch his stick.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Monday, May 6, 2013
Portland's Defense the Story of the Series So Far/ Mondays News and Links
The top 4 Defenseman of the Portland Winterhawks have logged some serious minutes so far in the first two games of the WHL Final series and should expect to log even more, over the next three or more games.
Seth Jones and Tyler Wotherspoon were much better in Game Two at clearing bodies from in front of the net and not allowing Edmonton to get shots that Goalie Mac Carruth could not see. This was the case in Game One where 3 of their Goals had somebody screening him in front. This team has shown again and again that it plays it's best when these two towering D-men use their imposing size and clear out smaller forwards.
Troy Rutkowski and Derrick Pouliot played a much more cerebral game it seemed, adjusting to the relentless fore-check that the Oil Kings throw at you. Pouliot has improved so much over the year at using better positioning to win battles on the boards and also at skating the puck out of danger instead of passing it across the ice. This negates another thing that Edmonton excels at which is getting sticks in passing lanes and turning an odd man rush the other way. Rutkowski had a costly turnover where it seemed he was gassed and passed the puck off the boards right to a waiting Stephane Legault, which lead to a huge goal and probably the turning point in the game. Troy was much better at playing a controlled game and using his speed to make sure the pass would end up on a Portland stick.
Josh Hanson and Shaun MacPherson played limited shifts in Game One and even less in Game Two. I did not see MacPherson skate at all on Saturday, as Travis Green played a shortened defensive bench. When they are out there, they need to play a very conservative game, dumping the puck when there is any question that Edmonton may cause a turnover.
Derek Laxdal, the Edmonton Coach, continues to not give Portland a lot of credit. First, he was quoted as saying that he believed that the series with Calgary was their biggest test. Then, he stated in the press conference Saturday night that "the turning point in the game was the non-call on a trip of Michael St. Croix," in the second period that would have set up a 5 on 3. To hear a Coach complain after his team was out-played for 60 minutes and say that the biggest reason they lost is one missed call in the middle of the game, is astounding. To me it shows a lack of respect for the game that the Winterhawks played. If the Hawks got out-played by Edmonton like that, I would expect Coach Green to be mad as hell at the team's effort, not one call in a 3 Goal loss.
No word yet on whether Travis Cheek, will play on Tuesday night in Game Three, but I would lean towards the negative. Cheek really gives the top line he plays on with St. Croix and T.J. Foster, the sniper that they need. Both Foster and St. Croix like to pass first and are not known for their ability to pick corners. So, Cheek coming back would give them a huge lift emotionally and help them on the score sheet.
Speaking of picking corners, when asked about whether he was picking the spot Brendan Leipsic scored on or whether they were both just excellent shots? Oliver Bjorkstrand went with latter, getting a chuckle from Carruth and Coach Green. Though he may not have said it, I think the Hawks snipers are best when they gt to know a Goalie. This is why they do so well on Goalies they face on a consistent basis (e.g. Eric Comrie, Brandon Glover). Often times the Hawks get shut down by a Goalie they are not used to facing. Though they should know Brossoit's weaknesses a little better now, I still think that he will continue to have an excellent series. Edmonton is going to need it, should they continue to get out-played.
News and Links:
-Great piece from the Edmonton Journal about how the Hawks making the WHL final in 1979 saved the franchise.
-Look to Game Three from Paul Buker mentions that the Oil King's power play has gone 0 for their last 24,
-The Columbian has a mention about Henrik Samuellson leaving the game with a knee injury, only to not miss a shift after he drew a penalty on Adam DeChamplain. This got the ire of the crowd up and they booed every time he touched the puck.
Seth Jones and Tyler Wotherspoon were much better in Game Two at clearing bodies from in front of the net and not allowing Edmonton to get shots that Goalie Mac Carruth could not see. This was the case in Game One where 3 of their Goals had somebody screening him in front. This team has shown again and again that it plays it's best when these two towering D-men use their imposing size and clear out smaller forwards.
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| Tyler Wotherspoon and Curtis Lazar Working on Positioning |
Troy Rutkowski and Derrick Pouliot played a much more cerebral game it seemed, adjusting to the relentless fore-check that the Oil Kings throw at you. Pouliot has improved so much over the year at using better positioning to win battles on the boards and also at skating the puck out of danger instead of passing it across the ice. This negates another thing that Edmonton excels at which is getting sticks in passing lanes and turning an odd man rush the other way. Rutkowski had a costly turnover where it seemed he was gassed and passed the puck off the boards right to a waiting Stephane Legault, which lead to a huge goal and probably the turning point in the game. Troy was much better at playing a controlled game and using his speed to make sure the pass would end up on a Portland stick.
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| Derrick Pouliot Working on Dylan Wruck |
Josh Hanson and Shaun MacPherson played limited shifts in Game One and even less in Game Two. I did not see MacPherson skate at all on Saturday, as Travis Green played a shortened defensive bench. When they are out there, they need to play a very conservative game, dumping the puck when there is any question that Edmonton may cause a turnover.
Derek Laxdal, the Edmonton Coach, continues to not give Portland a lot of credit. First, he was quoted as saying that he believed that the series with Calgary was their biggest test. Then, he stated in the press conference Saturday night that "the turning point in the game was the non-call on a trip of Michael St. Croix," in the second period that would have set up a 5 on 3. To hear a Coach complain after his team was out-played for 60 minutes and say that the biggest reason they lost is one missed call in the middle of the game, is astounding. To me it shows a lack of respect for the game that the Winterhawks played. If the Hawks got out-played by Edmonton like that, I would expect Coach Green to be mad as hell at the team's effort, not one call in a 3 Goal loss.
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| Derek Laxdal |
No word yet on whether Travis Cheek, will play on Tuesday night in Game Three, but I would lean towards the negative. Cheek really gives the top line he plays on with St. Croix and T.J. Foster, the sniper that they need. Both Foster and St. Croix like to pass first and are not known for their ability to pick corners. So, Cheek coming back would give them a huge lift emotionally and help them on the score sheet.
Speaking of picking corners, when asked about whether he was picking the spot Brendan Leipsic scored on or whether they were both just excellent shots? Oliver Bjorkstrand went with latter, getting a chuckle from Carruth and Coach Green. Though he may not have said it, I think the Hawks snipers are best when they gt to know a Goalie. This is why they do so well on Goalies they face on a consistent basis (e.g. Eric Comrie, Brandon Glover). Often times the Hawks get shut down by a Goalie they are not used to facing. Though they should know Brossoit's weaknesses a little better now, I still think that he will continue to have an excellent series. Edmonton is going to need it, should they continue to get out-played.
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| Bjorkstrand Skating Past Henrik Samuellson |
News and Links:
-Great piece from the Edmonton Journal about how the Hawks making the WHL final in 1979 saved the franchise.
-Look to Game Three from Paul Buker mentions that the Oil King's power play has gone 0 for their last 24,
-The Columbian has a mention about Henrik Samuellson leaving the game with a knee injury, only to not miss a shift after he drew a penalty on Adam DeChamplain. This got the ire of the crowd up and they booed every time he touched the puck.
Hawks Dominate Defensively: Win 3-0 in Game Two
The solid defensive effort the Edmonton Oil Kings imposed on the Portland Winterhawks in the last two periods of Game One was flipped around on them in Game Two. The Hawks allowed only 16 total shots to come in on Goalie Mac Carruth in this one, including only 2 in the third period.
The Winterhawks pressure was not as frantic and awe inducing as Game One, but it was more constant and restrictive of any counter attack. Edmonton being under attack forced them to take the three first penalties in the period. The third one would be the charm for the Hawks. Travis Ewanyk threw an elbow at Portland role player: Preston Kopeck and was given two minutes for charging. Portland finally took advantage of having the extra man when Nic Petan's second attempt to get the puck back door to Ty Rattie found it's way there. Rattie, of course, made no mistake getting it into the empty net, as Laurent Brossoit was out of position. It was Rattie's 46th in the playoffs for his career. He is now only one away from tying Marc Pederson (1985-88 Medicine Hat) for the most in WHL history. Portland out shot the Oil Kings 11-3 in the period.
The second period would see Edmonton get it's best chances for the game, especially one where Michael St. Croix just missed a deflection on a power play. However, Portland was the team that continued to dictate the tempo and it finally seemed to wear down the WHL's best defensive team. A solid hit at the Edmonton blue line on Ashton Sautner, by Taylor Peters caused Brendan Leipsic to pick up the loose puck in the Oil King's zone. Leipsic made no mistake, sniping the top left corner on Brossoit.The Hawks scored again in the period with 1:15 left, when Oliver Bjorkstrand took the feed from Derrick Pouliot and put it past Brossoit for the 3 goal advantage.
In the third period, Portland just simply would not allow Edmonton to get any clean looks at the net, controlling the puck and winning a majority of the corner battles. They out shot the Oil Kings 14-3 in the last period and tied up the series at a game apiece, heading into Edmonton on Tuesday.
Carruth got his 5th shut out of these playoffs and now extends his franchise record to 8 overall. Brossoit stood tall again for the Oil Kings stopping 33 of 36. It would have looked much worse on the scoreboard if not for the Calgary Flames prospect.
3 Stars:
#3- Mac Carruth- Not often that the Goalie with the playoff shut out gets only the third star, but his team played such a solid defensive game, that he only had to make a handful of solid saves.
#2- Troy Rutkowski- One assist for the Captain, but a simply inspired turn around effort for his Defense give him the second star. The top four just did not make a mistake, like they did in Game One.
#1- Brendan Leipsic- The little ball of hate was all over the ice, setting the tone and really showing his team what they need to do with anything Edmotnon gives them by shelving the big turnover in the second period.
The Winterhawks pressure was not as frantic and awe inducing as Game One, but it was more constant and restrictive of any counter attack. Edmonton being under attack forced them to take the three first penalties in the period. The third one would be the charm for the Hawks. Travis Ewanyk threw an elbow at Portland role player: Preston Kopeck and was given two minutes for charging. Portland finally took advantage of having the extra man when Nic Petan's second attempt to get the puck back door to Ty Rattie found it's way there. Rattie, of course, made no mistake getting it into the empty net, as Laurent Brossoit was out of position. It was Rattie's 46th in the playoffs for his career. He is now only one away from tying Marc Pederson (1985-88 Medicine Hat) for the most in WHL history. Portland out shot the Oil Kings 11-3 in the period.
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| Rattie shooting on Brossoit |
The second period would see Edmonton get it's best chances for the game, especially one where Michael St. Croix just missed a deflection on a power play. However, Portland was the team that continued to dictate the tempo and it finally seemed to wear down the WHL's best defensive team. A solid hit at the Edmonton blue line on Ashton Sautner, by Taylor Peters caused Brendan Leipsic to pick up the loose puck in the Oil King's zone. Leipsic made no mistake, sniping the top left corner on Brossoit.The Hawks scored again in the period with 1:15 left, when Oliver Bjorkstrand took the feed from Derrick Pouliot and put it past Brossoit for the 3 goal advantage.
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| Leipsic's Goal on Brossoit |
In the third period, Portland just simply would not allow Edmonton to get any clean looks at the net, controlling the puck and winning a majority of the corner battles. They out shot the Oil Kings 14-3 in the last period and tied up the series at a game apiece, heading into Edmonton on Tuesday.
Carruth got his 5th shut out of these playoffs and now extends his franchise record to 8 overall. Brossoit stood tall again for the Oil Kings stopping 33 of 36. It would have looked much worse on the scoreboard if not for the Calgary Flames prospect.
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| Carruth stopped all 16 shots he faced |
3 Stars:
#3- Mac Carruth- Not often that the Goalie with the playoff shut out gets only the third star, but his team played such a solid defensive game, that he only had to make a handful of solid saves.
#2- Troy Rutkowski- One assist for the Captain, but a simply inspired turn around effort for his Defense give him the second star. The top four just did not make a mistake, like they did in Game One.
#1- Brendan Leipsic- The little ball of hate was all over the ice, setting the tone and really showing his team what they need to do with anything Edmotnon gives them by shelving the big turnover in the second period.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Hawks Lose Disappointing Game One: 4-1
It was obvious from the start, thatthe Portland Winterhawks were excited to get Game One of the WHL Final with the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings under way. They controlled the flow of play for large portions of play, especially early in the game. They were not rewarded for their amazing effort, as Edmonton Goalie Laurent Brossoit stood on his head, inspiring his team to play a strong defensive game and leading the way in their 4-1 Game One win.
The first period began with some of the best offensive pressure the Hawks have created since Game one of the playoffs with Everett. Just like in Game one of the playoffs, the Hawks had nothing to show for it. Unlike in that game, Edmonton was able to score a goal against the flow of play. This they scored on their first shot of the game, There was a loose puck in the slot that Hawks forward Preston Kopeck could not corral. It deflected off of his skate and ended up on the stick of Dylan Wruck, who flicked it by a screened Mac Carruth for, surprisingly, only his second of the playoffs. Portland looked to tie it up on a beautiful tic-tac-toe play from Rattie, Petan and Leipsic that ended with Leipsic putting it past Brossoit. It was first ruled a goal, before the replay clearly showed that Leipsic kicked in the puck. The goal was disallowed and play continued at 1-0 Edmonton. Portland entered the second period out shooting Edmonton 16-6 and probably out chancing them 7-1, but with no gals to show for it.
The second period would see the flow of play move more towards balanced. Edmonton created a lot of pressure on the Hawks Defense and an unlikely source for a Hawk's turnover: Captain Troy Rutkowski coughed up the puck off of a bad pass of the boards that landed right on Stephane Legault's stick. Legault passed it to a rushing Henrik Samuellson and then provided a screen in front on Carruth. Samuellson's shot found the high blocker side of Carruth's net for Henrik's 10th of the playoffs and a 2-0 lead. The shots were even in the period with the Hawks out shooting Edmonton 27-17 overall.
Portland made it at a whole new hockey game 3 minutes into the third, when Taylor Leier put home the second rebound off of a Chase De Leo shot to make it a 2-1 game. The relieved Rose Garden crowd would only have 47 seconds of breathing a little easier as Henrik Samuellson found another loose puck off of a skate and scored a spinning shot past, you guessed it, a screened Carruth for restored 2 goal lead (3-1). Edmonton put the game away after Keegan Lowe's point shot took a weird hop off the boards behind Carruth, where Curtis Lazar found it and put it past an out of position Carruth. The Hawks would create very few strong scoring chances the rest of the way as Edmonton continued doing what they do best: keep the other team away from the front of the net and most of the pressure off to the sides.
Brossoit stopped 35 of 36 shots and Carruth stopped 24 of 29. Edmonton was 0/1 on the power play and the "potent," Hawks power play went 0/4.
3 Stars:
#3- Caurtis Lazar- One of the Oil King's best defensive forwards did a great job of creating the few offensive chances that he got.
#2- Henrik Samuellson- 2 Goals and he was once again a heavy hitting machine out there. His size made it hard for the Hawk's smaller forwards to create much pressure up the center of the ice.
#1- Laurent Brossoit- No question here as the Oil Kings staggered early and he was the only thing keeping the game from getting out of hand.
The first period began with some of the best offensive pressure the Hawks have created since Game one of the playoffs with Everett. Just like in Game one of the playoffs, the Hawks had nothing to show for it. Unlike in that game, Edmonton was able to score a goal against the flow of play. This they scored on their first shot of the game, There was a loose puck in the slot that Hawks forward Preston Kopeck could not corral. It deflected off of his skate and ended up on the stick of Dylan Wruck, who flicked it by a screened Mac Carruth for, surprisingly, only his second of the playoffs. Portland looked to tie it up on a beautiful tic-tac-toe play from Rattie, Petan and Leipsic that ended with Leipsic putting it past Brossoit. It was first ruled a goal, before the replay clearly showed that Leipsic kicked in the puck. The goal was disallowed and play continued at 1-0 Edmonton. Portland entered the second period out shooting Edmonton 16-6 and probably out chancing them 7-1, but with no gals to show for it.
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| Dylan Wruck |
The second period would see the flow of play move more towards balanced. Edmonton created a lot of pressure on the Hawks Defense and an unlikely source for a Hawk's turnover: Captain Troy Rutkowski coughed up the puck off of a bad pass of the boards that landed right on Stephane Legault's stick. Legault passed it to a rushing Henrik Samuellson and then provided a screen in front on Carruth. Samuellson's shot found the high blocker side of Carruth's net for Henrik's 10th of the playoffs and a 2-0 lead. The shots were even in the period with the Hawks out shooting Edmonton 27-17 overall.
Portland made it at a whole new hockey game 3 minutes into the third, when Taylor Leier put home the second rebound off of a Chase De Leo shot to make it a 2-1 game. The relieved Rose Garden crowd would only have 47 seconds of breathing a little easier as Henrik Samuellson found another loose puck off of a skate and scored a spinning shot past, you guessed it, a screened Carruth for restored 2 goal lead (3-1). Edmonton put the game away after Keegan Lowe's point shot took a weird hop off the boards behind Carruth, where Curtis Lazar found it and put it past an out of position Carruth. The Hawks would create very few strong scoring chances the rest of the way as Edmonton continued doing what they do best: keep the other team away from the front of the net and most of the pressure off to the sides.
Brossoit stopped 35 of 36 shots and Carruth stopped 24 of 29. Edmonton was 0/1 on the power play and the "potent," Hawks power play went 0/4.
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| Laurent Brossoit |
3 Stars:
#3- Caurtis Lazar- One of the Oil King's best defensive forwards did a great job of creating the few offensive chances that he got.
#2- Henrik Samuellson- 2 Goals and he was once again a heavy hitting machine out there. His size made it hard for the Hawk's smaller forwards to create much pressure up the center of the ice.
#1- Laurent Brossoit- No question here as the Oil Kings staggered early and he was the only thing keeping the game from getting out of hand.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Bantam Draft Recap/ Friday News and Links
With the first overall pick in the WHL Bantam draft the Vancouver Giants shocked absolutely no one when they selected Tyler Benson from Edmonton. Benson had an amazing year, in fact breaking Ty Rattie's AMBHL scoring record with 57 goals and 146 overall points in only 33 games.
The Seattle Thunderbirds also made news when they finally signed last years first overall pick: Forward Matthew Barzal.
Portland could not pick until the 6th round, due to benefit violations, so with their first pick: the 121st overall they took Defenseman Carter Czaikowski from Calgary of the AMBHL. They also took Center Kiefer Bellows from Minnesota, Center Adam Touchette from Manitoba and D-man Brendan DeJong out of the Vancouver Island Bantam League in the 7th round. Bellows is the son of former NHLer and long time Minnesota North Star Brian Bellows. In the 8th round Portland took: Forward Garret Wait from Minnesota and Center Skyler McKenzie out of Alberta. In the last two rounds the Hawks took: Goalie Jake Oettinger from Minnesota and D-man Tristen Charles from Saskatchewan
Portland once again went all over the map selecting prospects, including four players out of Minnesota, showing that they are going to keep piping in players from the United States. Not having any picks in the first round stings for the Hawks, but hopefully they found some diamonds in the rough.
The attention of the WHL world is centered on Portland at 6pm this evening, after it was determined that the Portland media will get their chance to ask questions of WHL Commissioner Ron Robison. Do not be surprised if he refuses to answer questions regarding the sanctions imposed on the Winterhawks.
News and Links:
-Brandon traded Goalie Corbin Boes,who will be a 20 year old next year, to Lethbridge for their first round pick.
-Spokane traded leading scorer Todd Fiddler, who was benched for Game 4 against the Hawks to Moose Jaw for a 3rd round pick in the 2014 draft. Fiddler will be 20 next year.
-Kamloops D-man Tyler Hansen made it official when he announced he will be forgoing his 20 year old season to go on his Mormon Mission next year.
-And, oh yeah there's kind of a big game tonight. Paul Buker had a couple great pieces here and here.
-The Columbian will continue to be the place to go to get the details on the career of Camas' Trevor Cheek. He did not skate on Thursday so it looks like he will miss at least game 1.
-Game One Starts at 7pm in the raucous Rose Garden.
The Seattle Thunderbirds also made news when they finally signed last years first overall pick: Forward Matthew Barzal.
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| 2012 1st Overall Pick Matthew Barzal |
Portland could not pick until the 6th round, due to benefit violations, so with their first pick: the 121st overall they took Defenseman Carter Czaikowski from Calgary of the AMBHL. They also took Center Kiefer Bellows from Minnesota, Center Adam Touchette from Manitoba and D-man Brendan DeJong out of the Vancouver Island Bantam League in the 7th round. Bellows is the son of former NHLer and long time Minnesota North Star Brian Bellows. In the 8th round Portland took: Forward Garret Wait from Minnesota and Center Skyler McKenzie out of Alberta. In the last two rounds the Hawks took: Goalie Jake Oettinger from Minnesota and D-man Tristen Charles from Saskatchewan
Portland once again went all over the map selecting prospects, including four players out of Minnesota, showing that they are going to keep piping in players from the United States. Not having any picks in the first round stings for the Hawks, but hopefully they found some diamonds in the rough.
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| 16 year old Keegan Iverson was also selected out of MN |
The attention of the WHL world is centered on Portland at 6pm this evening, after it was determined that the Portland media will get their chance to ask questions of WHL Commissioner Ron Robison. Do not be surprised if he refuses to answer questions regarding the sanctions imposed on the Winterhawks.
News and Links:
-Brandon traded Goalie Corbin Boes,who will be a 20 year old next year, to Lethbridge for their first round pick.
-Spokane traded leading scorer Todd Fiddler, who was benched for Game 4 against the Hawks to Moose Jaw for a 3rd round pick in the 2014 draft. Fiddler will be 20 next year.
-Kamloops D-man Tyler Hansen made it official when he announced he will be forgoing his 20 year old season to go on his Mormon Mission next year.
-And, oh yeah there's kind of a big game tonight. Paul Buker had a couple great pieces here and here.
-The Columbian will continue to be the place to go to get the details on the career of Camas' Trevor Cheek. He did not skate on Thursday so it looks like he will miss at least game 1.
-Game One Starts at 7pm in the raucous Rose Garden.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
1) Portland vs. 1) Edmonton WHL Final Preview
Portland (57-12-1-2, 117 Points in the Regular Season) vs. Edmonton (51-15-2-4, 108 Points in the Regular Season). The series begins Friday night at 7 pm at the Rose Garden in Portland.
How They Got Here:
-Portland beat 8th seeded Everett 4 games to 2 in the first round. Then they swept 4th seeded Spokane 4 games to 0 in the Conference Semi-Finals. Then they beat 3rd seeded Kamloops 4 games to 1 in the Western Conference Final.
-Edmonton beat 8th seeded Kootenay 4 games to 2 in the first. Then they swept 7th seeded Medicine Hat 4 games to 0. Then, in the Eastern Conference Final, they beat 3rd seeded Calgary 4 games to 3.
Season Series at a Glance:
-This does not play as big as a role in this series as they only played each other one time, while Edmonton was on their West coast swing.
2/27/13- Edmonton 4 @ Portland 3- Portland jumped out to a 3-1 lead, behind goals from Nic Petan, Taylor Leier and Troy Rutkowski. The Oil Kings stormed back scoring 3 unanswered goals, the last coming on a power play with 1:03 left, for the win.
Dylan Wruck and Michael St. Croix both had 1 goal and 1 assist to lead the way for the Oil Kings, Rattie had 2 assists for the Hawks. Laurent Brossoit stopped 26 of 29, while Mac Carruth stopped 38 of 42.
Edmonton at a Glance:
-The Oil Kings are the defending WHL champions, downing the Hawks in 7 games, in what was a truly epic series last May. But, this team is different from the one you saw your beloved Hawks lose to in Edmonton that fateful Sunday afternoon/evening.
Gone from Edmonton are:
- Captain and Defenseman Mark Pysyk (played 19 games for the Buffalo Sabres this year).
-Tyler Maxwell (formerly of the Everett Silvertips).
-Latvian Kistians Pells, who used an exemption to play in the AHL as a 19 year old this year.
-Game 4 OT hero Rhett Rachinski.
-Jordan Peddle- Did a little bit of everything for the Oil Kings, including get under Joe Morrow's skin.
-17 year old D-man Mason Geertsen- Was traded for David Musil from Vancouver.
Though the makeup of the team in it's entirety is different the core pieces that made this team a juggernaut are still there:
#28 D-man Martin Gernat- Plagued the Hawks(and the rest of the WHL for that matter) last year and this one with his remarkable ability to jump into the play and create scoring chances for others or himself.
#4 D-man Keegan Lowe- Reliable and steady, this guy has an NHL pedigree and likes to muck it up in the scrum just like his old man. He also can create offensively.
#2 D-man Cody Corbett- Was a bit of a goat for Edmonton in last year's final, but has improved dramatically this year.
#18 Michael St. Croix- The future New York Ranger again has lead his team in regular season and post-season scoring. He trails only Rattie and Kamloop's J.C. Lipon with 22 playoff points. Part of what makes Edmonton good is that they do not rely upon him to do all of their scoring, as 7 other players have at least 10 playoff points.
#27 Curtis Lazar- A big bodied forward that takes a lot of punishment in front of the net but keeps holding his own. He is the real x-factor on this Edmonton team. If he plays up to his potential, they will be tough to beat.
#7 Stephane Legault- Another speedy Edmonton forward that creates well off of the rush.
#10 Henrik Samuellson- Another Oil King with an NHL pedigree. Much like his old man, he likes to hit, often times not legally, as he has been suspended many times over the last 2 years (see last years final).
#16 T.J. Foster- Plays the Jordan Peddle role for them this year, getting into the corners and coming out with the puck.
#11 Dylan Wruck- Short player, with a low center of gravity, played the hero in the regular season game vs. Portland.
#31 Goalie Laurent Brossoit- He has not been nearly as impeccable as he was last year, but he may have kicked himself into high gear with that Game Seven 2-0 shut out against Calgary.
Added to the team from last year's squad are two players the Winterhawks know well:
#6 David Musil- The former Vancouver Giant was traded for to bring size and some play making ability to the back end (in essence to try to fill in for Mark Pysyk).
#34 Trevor Cheek- Born and raised in nearby Vancouver, WA, Cheek will be sure to draw a healthy contingent of family to the games in Portland. He was traded for as a 20 year old to provide some scoring punch and has done his job, scoring 8 times and adding 8 assists.
The biggest questions, when it comes to Edmonton are injury related. Will Trevor Cheek play? He was hurt in Game 5 of the Calgary series and skated only a couple shifts in Game 6. He sat out Game 7and could miss some time in this series with an "undisclosed injury."
Even bigger for the Oil Kings is the fact that they will be without Captain and Defensive stalwart Griffin Reinhart for the entirety of this series. His foot was stepped on early in the Calgary series and he left a gaping wound on the blue line for Edmonton. He was sure to get the match-up with Portland's top line and now that will fall on Musil and Lowe. Though they are serviceable defensively, they are a significant step down from a guy who was taken 4th overall by the New York Islanders in the 2012 NHL draft. How well they do against Rettie, Petan and Brendan Leipsic could go very far in determining who wins this series.
Random Notes:
-I know it is a bit of a cop out to say that whoever wins the Goaltending match-up wins the series, but I have never felt it so strongly as I do with these two teams. Portland has shown that they can win despite a strong showing from the opposing Goalies (see Everett's Austin Lotz and Kamloop's Cole Cheveldave), but they over matched those teams at the forward position and more notably at the blue line. This is not the case in this series. Though with the loss of Reinhart, Portland does hold the edge defensively, Edmonton is much deeper on the front end and comes close to matching the Hawks for top end talent.
-Leipsic pulled a bit of a disappearing act in last year's final and this years game vs. Edmonton. This cannot be the case this year for the Hawks to advance. He is going to need to push through the physical Oil Kings and play the game he loves to play (speedy and flashy).
-Portland's second line of Leier-De Leo-Bjorkstrand, struggled for a lot of the Kamloops series before putting together a strong finish. They will need to take advantage of the match up with Edmonton's less experienced D-men and put up some points.
-Taylor Peters will once again be relied upon to take a majority of Portland's draws in the defensive end as he has the last two series.
-Paul Bittner and Keegan Iverson should expect to play a role in trying to swing the physical play in Portland's favor.
-Expect Seth Jones, Tyler Wotherspoon, Troy Rutkowski and Derrick Pouliot to play even more minutes, as the drop off in talent to the Hawk's last two d-men is significant.
All in all, expect a great series, with the two best teams in the WHL by far. For any motivation, Portland has just to watch the following video:
How They Got Here:
-Portland beat 8th seeded Everett 4 games to 2 in the first round. Then they swept 4th seeded Spokane 4 games to 0 in the Conference Semi-Finals. Then they beat 3rd seeded Kamloops 4 games to 1 in the Western Conference Final.
-Edmonton beat 8th seeded Kootenay 4 games to 2 in the first. Then they swept 7th seeded Medicine Hat 4 games to 0. Then, in the Eastern Conference Final, they beat 3rd seeded Calgary 4 games to 3.
Season Series at a Glance:
-This does not play as big as a role in this series as they only played each other one time, while Edmonton was on their West coast swing.
2/27/13- Edmonton 4 @ Portland 3- Portland jumped out to a 3-1 lead, behind goals from Nic Petan, Taylor Leier and Troy Rutkowski. The Oil Kings stormed back scoring 3 unanswered goals, the last coming on a power play with 1:03 left, for the win.
Dylan Wruck and Michael St. Croix both had 1 goal and 1 assist to lead the way for the Oil Kings, Rattie had 2 assists for the Hawks. Laurent Brossoit stopped 26 of 29, while Mac Carruth stopped 38 of 42.
Edmonton at a Glance:
-The Oil Kings are the defending WHL champions, downing the Hawks in 7 games, in what was a truly epic series last May. But, this team is different from the one you saw your beloved Hawks lose to in Edmonton that fateful Sunday afternoon/evening.
Gone from Edmonton are:
- Captain and Defenseman Mark Pysyk (played 19 games for the Buffalo Sabres this year).
-Tyler Maxwell (formerly of the Everett Silvertips).
-Latvian Kistians Pells, who used an exemption to play in the AHL as a 19 year old this year.
-Game 4 OT hero Rhett Rachinski.
-Jordan Peddle- Did a little bit of everything for the Oil Kings, including get under Joe Morrow's skin.
-17 year old D-man Mason Geertsen- Was traded for David Musil from Vancouver.
Though the makeup of the team in it's entirety is different the core pieces that made this team a juggernaut are still there:
#28 D-man Martin Gernat- Plagued the Hawks(and the rest of the WHL for that matter) last year and this one with his remarkable ability to jump into the play and create scoring chances for others or himself.
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| Martin Gernat |
#4 D-man Keegan Lowe- Reliable and steady, this guy has an NHL pedigree and likes to muck it up in the scrum just like his old man. He also can create offensively.
#2 D-man Cody Corbett- Was a bit of a goat for Edmonton in last year's final, but has improved dramatically this year.
#18 Michael St. Croix- The future New York Ranger again has lead his team in regular season and post-season scoring. He trails only Rattie and Kamloop's J.C. Lipon with 22 playoff points. Part of what makes Edmonton good is that they do not rely upon him to do all of their scoring, as 7 other players have at least 10 playoff points.
#27 Curtis Lazar- A big bodied forward that takes a lot of punishment in front of the net but keeps holding his own. He is the real x-factor on this Edmonton team. If he plays up to his potential, they will be tough to beat.
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| Curtis Lazar |
#7 Stephane Legault- Another speedy Edmonton forward that creates well off of the rush.
#10 Henrik Samuellson- Another Oil King with an NHL pedigree. Much like his old man, he likes to hit, often times not legally, as he has been suspended many times over the last 2 years (see last years final).
#16 T.J. Foster- Plays the Jordan Peddle role for them this year, getting into the corners and coming out with the puck.
#11 Dylan Wruck- Short player, with a low center of gravity, played the hero in the regular season game vs. Portland.
#31 Goalie Laurent Brossoit- He has not been nearly as impeccable as he was last year, but he may have kicked himself into high gear with that Game Seven 2-0 shut out against Calgary.
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| Laurent Brossoit |
#6 David Musil- The former Vancouver Giant was traded for to bring size and some play making ability to the back end (in essence to try to fill in for Mark Pysyk).
#34 Trevor Cheek- Born and raised in nearby Vancouver, WA, Cheek will be sure to draw a healthy contingent of family to the games in Portland. He was traded for as a 20 year old to provide some scoring punch and has done his job, scoring 8 times and adding 8 assists.
The biggest questions, when it comes to Edmonton are injury related. Will Trevor Cheek play? He was hurt in Game 5 of the Calgary series and skated only a couple shifts in Game 6. He sat out Game 7and could miss some time in this series with an "undisclosed injury."
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| Vancouver's Trevor Cheek |
Even bigger for the Oil Kings is the fact that they will be without Captain and Defensive stalwart Griffin Reinhart for the entirety of this series. His foot was stepped on early in the Calgary series and he left a gaping wound on the blue line for Edmonton. He was sure to get the match-up with Portland's top line and now that will fall on Musil and Lowe. Though they are serviceable defensively, they are a significant step down from a guy who was taken 4th overall by the New York Islanders in the 2012 NHL draft. How well they do against Rettie, Petan and Brendan Leipsic could go very far in determining who wins this series.
Random Notes:
-I know it is a bit of a cop out to say that whoever wins the Goaltending match-up wins the series, but I have never felt it so strongly as I do with these two teams. Portland has shown that they can win despite a strong showing from the opposing Goalies (see Everett's Austin Lotz and Kamloop's Cole Cheveldave), but they over matched those teams at the forward position and more notably at the blue line. This is not the case in this series. Though with the loss of Reinhart, Portland does hold the edge defensively, Edmonton is much deeper on the front end and comes close to matching the Hawks for top end talent.
-Leipsic pulled a bit of a disappearing act in last year's final and this years game vs. Edmonton. This cannot be the case this year for the Hawks to advance. He is going to need to push through the physical Oil Kings and play the game he loves to play (speedy and flashy).
-Portland's second line of Leier-De Leo-Bjorkstrand, struggled for a lot of the Kamloops series before putting together a strong finish. They will need to take advantage of the match up with Edmonton's less experienced D-men and put up some points.
-Taylor Peters will once again be relied upon to take a majority of Portland's draws in the defensive end as he has the last two series.
-Paul Bittner and Keegan Iverson should expect to play a role in trying to swing the physical play in Portland's favor.
-Expect Seth Jones, Tyler Wotherspoon, Troy Rutkowski and Derrick Pouliot to play even more minutes, as the drop off in talent to the Hawk's last two d-men is significant.
All in all, expect a great series, with the two best teams in the WHL by far. For any motivation, Portland has just to watch the following video:
Hawks Hoping for 7th Round Magic
So the WHL Bantam Draft is currently being held and Portland does not have any picks until the 7th round. Here is a break down of where the Hawks first 6 rounds worth of picks went:
1st Round: #22- Traded to Seattle for Marcel Noebels
2nd Round #26- Forfeited for rules violations. They had obtained this pick from Everett for the signing of GM Gerry Davidson.
2nd Round #44- Traded to Edmonton for right to Cam Reid, who then traded it to Vancouver for Trevor Cheek.
3rd Round #66- Forfeited for rules violations.
4th Round #88- Traded to Prince Albert for Charles Wells.
5th Round #110- Forfeited for rules violations.
6th Round #132- Traded to Vancouver for Brendan Jensen, who then traded it to Lethbridge for Liam Liston.
So, due to the WHL's ruling that Portland provided illegal player benefits, Portland was not going to be allowed to pick anyone in the first 5 rounds of the 2013 draft. This is going to effect them in a couple of years when all of the incoming 16 year olds are going to either be listed players or late bantam picks.
However, Portland had already traded away 3 of those possible 6 picks, in order to get players that have helped them make these long playoff runs, so it's not as bad as it could have been.
What really hurts, is that Portland is limited in what they can offer other teams for players that they want to add. This could play a role next year when Portland only has 3 players in their 20 year old season (Ty Rattie, Tyler Wotherspoon and Joey Baker). Rattie and Wotherspoon are highly likely to make the jump professionally as they are both signed by the St. Louis Blues and Calgary Flames respectively. That leaves, at least, two 20 year spots to fill, with not as many future Bantam picks to offer (no first round picks through 2017).
So, back to this year's draft: Portland has the following late round picks available to them:
7th Round- #142- Acquired from Medicine Hat for Cam Lanigan.
7th Round- #154
8th Round- #155- Acquired from Victoria for Troy Stecher.
8th Round- #165- Acquired from Victoria for Troy Stecher.
8th Round- #176
9th Round- #198
10th Round- #220
So, Portland has a total of seven selections available to them, but they are all within the last 78 selections overall. Here's to the Hawks finding some diamonds in the rough, courtesy of their excellent scouting staff.
1st Round: #22- Traded to Seattle for Marcel Noebels
2nd Round #26- Forfeited for rules violations. They had obtained this pick from Everett for the signing of GM Gerry Davidson.
2nd Round #44- Traded to Edmonton for right to Cam Reid, who then traded it to Vancouver for Trevor Cheek.
3rd Round #66- Forfeited for rules violations.
4th Round #88- Traded to Prince Albert for Charles Wells.
5th Round #110- Forfeited for rules violations.
6th Round #132- Traded to Vancouver for Brendan Jensen, who then traded it to Lethbridge for Liam Liston.
So, due to the WHL's ruling that Portland provided illegal player benefits, Portland was not going to be allowed to pick anyone in the first 5 rounds of the 2013 draft. This is going to effect them in a couple of years when all of the incoming 16 year olds are going to either be listed players or late bantam picks.
However, Portland had already traded away 3 of those possible 6 picks, in order to get players that have helped them make these long playoff runs, so it's not as bad as it could have been.
What really hurts, is that Portland is limited in what they can offer other teams for players that they want to add. This could play a role next year when Portland only has 3 players in their 20 year old season (Ty Rattie, Tyler Wotherspoon and Joey Baker). Rattie and Wotherspoon are highly likely to make the jump professionally as they are both signed by the St. Louis Blues and Calgary Flames respectively. That leaves, at least, two 20 year spots to fill, with not as many future Bantam picks to offer (no first round picks through 2017).
So, back to this year's draft: Portland has the following late round picks available to them:
7th Round- #142- Acquired from Medicine Hat for Cam Lanigan.
7th Round- #154
8th Round- #155- Acquired from Victoria for Troy Stecher.
8th Round- #165- Acquired from Victoria for Troy Stecher.
8th Round- #176
9th Round- #198
10th Round- #220
So, Portland has a total of seven selections available to them, but they are all within the last 78 selections overall. Here's to the Hawks finding some diamonds in the rough, courtesy of their excellent scouting staff.
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