Every team in the Central Division is within a game or two of the official halfway mark of another WHL season. Coming off the holiday break, some teams are settling into their grooves, while others could be looking at roster moves in the not-so-near future.
The Central is considered the worst division among all Canadian Hockey Leagues this season, with only the Medicine Hat Tigers sitting above the .500-point threshold. If it weren’t for the playoff format sending three teams from each division automatically, just the Tigers and the Kootenay Ice would be in a position to make the playoffs.Red Deer, Calgary and Edmonton not only bottom out the division, but represent the bottom three teams in the Western Hockey League.
Below we will take a look at the teams in the Central in order of the standings. Further down we will discuss some players that have excelled as well as some to watch for the upcoming NHL draft.
Medicine Hat Tigers (19-14-2-0) 40 points
Despite being the best team in the Central Division, this turtle derby has tightened up over the last few weeks. The Tigers division lead has shrunk to six points as the team went 3-5-2-0 in their last 10 games heading into the Christmas break, which included a loss to the Red Deer Rebels, who had won once in their previous 18 games.
Mark Rassell is in the top 20 in WHL points, which includes his 28 goals (fifth in WHL). The goaltending duo of Michael Bullion (3.70 GAA .874 sv% 7-7-1-0) and Jordan Hollett (3.22/.903/12-7-1-0) will look to improve on their unspectacular numbers and results in the second half. Both import players for the Tigers remained with the club during the World Junior Championships.
Kootenay Ice (16-17-2-0) 34 points
The Kootenay Ice are the surprise team in the Central Division and probably the WHL, having positioned themselves well this season to see their young players make the playoffs, possibly even winning a round. They have struggled a bit with inconsistency, but a recent run against the Calgary Hitmen has propelled them into second in the division and eight points up from the Hitmen, who sit outside of the playoffs in fourth.
Rookie netminder Bailey Brkin is not among the league leaders in goals against average or save percentage (4.41, .878) but he is playing well for the team. Duncan McGovern has played well in his limited action posting a 6-3-1-0 record with a 2.68 GAA and .904 save percentage. The 20-year-old Alec Baer leads the team with 13 goals in 35 games while rookie Peyton Krebs leads the team in points with 30 on nine goals and 21 assists. They continue to roll, winning three-straight despite defenseman Martin Bodak leaving the team to play for Slovakia in the World Junior Championships.
Lethbridge Hurricanes (15-18-2-0) 32 points
The Hurricanes were dealt a blow in the weeks leading up to the Christmas break when it was learned that centre Ryan Vandervlis’ injury would prevent him from playing for the remainder of the season. This may have forced Peter Anholt to make a move in trading Josh Tarzwell to the Red Deer Rebels in exchange for Detroit Red Wings prospect Lane Zablocki.
Unsigned Buffalo Sabres draft pick Giorgio Estephan has been motivated this season and has filled in nicely for Tyler Wong, as he leads the Hurricanes in assists (34) and points (49). Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Jordy Bellerive is also having a strong campaign with 18 goals.
Some surprise would come in the mediocre record of starting netminder Stuart Skinner. He is currently 13-13-2-0 with a 3.36 goals against average and .900 save percentage.
Red Deer Rebels (10-19-4-2) 26 points
A surprise team for all the wrong reasons, the Rebels got off to a decent start before dropping 18-of-20 games before the break. The team finished the last 10 games going 1-4-3-2 to stay six points out of a playoff spot. The Rebels traded Zablocki to division rival Lethbridge for local product Tarzwell and draft picks. They are without Brandon Hagel for a few more weeks while he deals with an upper body injury. It is possible that the Rebels will look to get younger before the looming trade deadline on Jan. 10.
Rookie netminder Ethan Anders had to bear the brunt of the misfortune during the Rebels losing skid with the injury to Riley Lamb. He owns a 5-13-1-1 record while allowing 3.14 goals per game and sporting a save percentage of .901. The 20-year-old Mason McCarty leads the team in points with 33, scoring 16 goals and adding 17 assists. The Rebels also have an open overage spot on their roster. Look for a team to potentially dump a player to Red Deer to free up space for possibly another move. Kristian Reichel has made the Czech Republic roster as an alternate captain and will miss time at the World Junior Hockey Championships.
Calgary Hitmen (10-19-4-1) 25 points
Jake Bean and Vladislav Yeryomenko are the bright spots on a roster that has seen some turnover this season. It is quite possible that the Hitmen will look to build for the future and move Jake Bean to a team that is a contender, following one of the bigger trades this season, when the Hitmen sent captain and 20-year-old centre Matteo Gennaro and Washington Capitals prospect Beck Malentsyn to the Swift Current Broncos for a package of assets that will help them down the line. Bean is considered the most coveted piece for teams that are buyers heading into the trade deadline. Both Bean and Yeryomenko are currently playing in the World Junior Hockey Championships in Buffalo, N.Y.
The Hitmen are six points out of a playoff spot as of today. They moved into a tie for fourth with the Rebels by going 4-4-2-0 in their last 10, but have lost ground to the Ice, dropping three-straight to Kootenay.
Edmonton Oil Kings (8-22-3-1) 20 points
The Oil Kings are going nowhere fast and don’t really have a lot of parts that can be dealt for future prospects. The fans are calling for the team to do something — whether that means replacing coaches, the GM or making a move for the sake of making a move. The team has endured a few poor seasons since their three straight 50-plus win seasons and the fans are growing restless.
With three players scoring 30 or more points to this point of the season, you would think that Edmonton was icing a playoff contender. Second-year forward Trey Fix-Wolansky is the best player on the roster with 13 goals and 24 assists through Edmonton’s 34 games. Neither of Edmonton’s top two goaltenders are lighting the world on fire, but they have found a little bit of magic with affiliated player Josh Dechaine. He has 2-1-0-1 record in his four appearances and sports a 2.45 goals against average while also having a .915 save percentage. Travis Child, who was brought in over the off season from Brandon, has taken the starters position. He is currently 6-13-2-0 with a 4.21 goals against average and .868 save percentage.
Top Forward: Giorgio Estephan (Lethbridge Hurricanes)
Draft History
2012 WHL Bantam Draft – Lethbridge Hurricanes, Round 1 (#4)
2015 NHL Draft – Buffalo Sabres, Round 6 (#152)
Currently 13th in the Western Hockey League scoring, Estephan looks like he has something to prove after being drafted but unsigned by the Buffalo Sabres. Estephan is a force in the faceoff circle, winning 58.2 per cent of his draws. His 34 assists put him sixth in the league in that category. Estephan looks to get his team into a playoff spot by continuing to drive the play to the net and being a force on the power play where he has 10 goals and 13 assists.
Honorable Mention: Mark Rassell (Medicine Hat Tigers)
Top Defenseman: David Quenneville (Medicine Hat Tigers)
2013 WHL Bantam Draft – Medicine Hat Tigers, Round 1 (#10)
2016 NHL Draft – New York Islanders, Round 7 (#200)
Quenneville is currently tied for second in overall points by defensemen in the WHL. He trails the Brandon Wheat King standout Kale Clague by eight points. He has 14 goals on the season which is good for top spot, two more than Austin Strand of the Seattle Thunderbirds. Quenneville is the quarterback of the Medicine Hat Tigers power play and has eight power play goals. He is not afraid to get into the dirty areas or in front of the net to take on the opposition’s top forwards despite his 5-foot-9 and 195-pound frame.
Honorable Mention: Jake Bean (Calgary Hitmen)
Top Import: Kristian Reichel (Red Deer Rebels)
2017 WHL Import Draft – Red Deer Rebels, Round 1 (#27)
Normally this would have been the tightest battle for a top player, as the players who come over in the import draft come highly touted and show really quickly as a player in the WHL. This battle was close but Reichel edged out Yeryomenko. Reichel came to Red Deer and has been a force on the power play, the penalty kill and five-on-five. Reichel was selected to play for the Czech Republic at the World Junior Championships and his offence was instantly missed on the Rebels top-six. He has 13 points on the power play, slightly more than half his 25 total points. He also wins faceoffs at a 54.6 per cent clip.
Honorable Mention: Vladislav Yeryomenko (Calgary Hitmen)
Top Goalie: Duncan McGovern (Kootenay Ice)
2015 WHL Bantam Draft – Medicine Hat Tigers, Round 5 (#90)
The Ice finally appeared to find an answer in net when they acquired 2000-born Duncan McGovern in October from the Tigers for a fifth-round pick in 2019. Since arriving in Cranbrook, McGovern has played the best hockey of his career, posting a 6-3-1-0 record in 13 games for the sub-500 Ice, including a 2.68 goals against average and a .904 save percentage.
Most importantly, McGovern was between the pipes when the Ice took on the Hitmen for four-straight games in-and-around the holiday break. The Ice entered the four-game set only four points up on the Hitmen for the final divisional playoff spot, but the Winnipeg native’s performance featured 62 saves through the first three games of the set for a .899 save percentage. Most importantly, he helped the Ice jump up to the second seed in the division and separated themselves from the Hitmen by four more points in the standings.
Honorable Mention: Nick Schneider (Calgary Hitmen)
Top rookie: Peyton Krebs (Kootenay Ice)
2016 WHL Bantam Draft – Kootenay Ice, Round 1 (#1)
Dylan Cozens hasn’t slowed down at all during his rookie campaign, but still comes up short in which should be a career-long comparison between the two forwards. Krebs leads the Whitehorse product 30-24 in total points, but where he really takes over in this comparison is in plus-minus rating. The Ice have allowed 10 more goals against (133) but Krebs only carries a minus-4 rating, compared to Cozens with a minus-17 on the Hurricanes who have allowed 123 goals against. Krebs is certainly among the players likely to earn a nod at seasons end for Rookie of the Year honors.
Honorable Mention: Dylan Cozens (Lethbridge Hurricanes)
Draft Eligibles to watch:
Alexander Alexeyev (Red Deer Rebels)
What started out as testing his previously injured knee, turned into a pretty decent draft eligible season for the second year Rebel. Alexeyev started the season a B ranking on the NHL central scouting list but his play has moved him into an A selection in the November edition of the draft rankings. His team is off to a rough start and the entire defense took time to get on the score sheet, Alexeyev has contributed four goals and 15 assists in 26 games. He was one of the final cuts made to the Russian team that was iced this week for the World Junior Hockey Championships.
Calen Addison (Lethbridge Hurricanes)
Addison has been coming on strong all season for the Lethbridge Hurricanes. He is third in team scoring with 38 points, including a five assist effort on Dec. 3. NHL central scouting likes what they see in the second year forward as he has earned a B rating in both the preliminary and November draft rankings. Addison will look to continue to pile up the points for a Hurricanes team that is trying to stave off the teams behind them and land a playoff match up.
(Thank you to Tyler Lowey, Doug Wyrostok, Glen Erickson and Brayden Sullivan for their input on this article.)
