BC Division Recap

Western Hockey League teams will shut things down later this week after play on Dec. 18. It will be a well-earned break over Christmas, with the teams returning to action on Dec. 27.

The 2017 World Junior Championship (WJC) will impact the rosters of many WHL teams, including those in the B.C. Division. And once the WJC concludes on Jan. 6, the WHL trade deadline will loom large.

Here’s a look back, and a look forward at the B.C. Division.

Prince George Cougars

princeGeorgePrince George will enter the Christmas break after finishing up on the road with a pair of games in Washington State, against Seattle and Spokane. After the break, the Cougars travel to Vancouver Island for a doubleheader in Victoria.

However, the Cats did spend the majority of December playing at home; seven times in fact. While the Cougars have gone 6-4 in their last ten games, they continue to lead the division comfortably with a 23-8-2 record. The Cats are 11-3-1 in 15 games on the road, the best road record in the Western Conference so far this season.

Defenceman Brendan Guhle (BUF) has returned after a cup of coffee with the Buffalo Sabres (NHL). Guhle played three games with the Sabres in December, averaging over 16 minutes of ice time per game. He served as an emergency roster replacement player after Buffalo lost a host of defencemen to injury.

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Ty Edmonds – Prince George Starting Goaltender

Forward Jesse Gabrielle, selected in the fourth round at the 2015 NHL Draft by the Boston Bruins, signed his entry level contract last week.

Also of note is the play of 20-year-old goaltender Ty Edmonds, who is giving the Cats everything and more while occupying an overage spot. In 24 appearances, Edmonds has gone 17-5-1, posting a 2.13 goals against average and a .925 save percentage. He trails only Carter Hart (PHI) of the Everett Silvertips and Connor Ingram (TB) of the Kamloops Blazers in each of these categories.

The Cougars will not lose any roster players to the WJC.

Kelowna Rockets

kelownaFor a short while, the Rockets stood to be big losers, so to speak, with the WJC in mind.

Import forwards Calvin Thurkauf (Switzerland) and Tomas Soustal (Czech Republic) are virtual locks to represent their countries. Each is a productive power forward in Kelowna, among the team’s top scorers. And Team Canada invited both Nick Merkley and Dillon Dube to its selection camp. The Rockets forward depth was in some jeopardy with four of its top players away. However, Merkley was among the first players released by the Canadian contingent. He will rejoin the Rockets for the upcoming weekend.

Kelowna annually winds up its pre-Christmas schedule with an eastern road trip. This season, the Rockets will be play seven games in 10 nights before taking some time off. Merkley and Dube are unlikely to appear in any of these games, while Thurkauf and Soustal will play the first three before shuffling off to prepare for the WJC.

Soustal has been very good of late, with 10 goals and 16 assists in his last 18 games. Thurkauf has also been on a tear, scoring 13 goals and adding 13 assists in his last 19 games. Thurkauf was named the WHL Player of the Week before heading east for the WJC.

The Rockets (19-12-2) won two of three games to start their current road trip, but will play the final five games without these top four forwards. When the Rockets return to action later this month, they’ll play three tough games in four nights against B.C. Divisions rivals.

 

Kamloops Blazers

The Blazers won the final three games of a five-game home stand, keeping pace with the Rockets. At 19-12-1-1, Kamloops is now one point ahead. The Blazers have gone 7-2-1 in its past ten games. Kamloops has won two of three on its Central Division road trip.

The Blazers play their next four games on the road, and will do so without the services of star goaltender Connor Ingram. Ingram, from Imperial, Saskatchewan, is attending Team Canada’s selection camp for the WJC. Dylan Ferguson, who will handle the workload in goal while Ingram is away, was just named the WHL Goaltender of the Week. He leads the WHL in save percentage at .935.

Connor Ingram - Blazers Starting Goaltender
Connor Ingram – Blazers Starting Goaltender

Import forward Rudolfs Balcers (SJ), who leads the team in scoring with 34 points in 32 games, will play for Latvia at the WJC. Defenceman Ondrej Vala will also get a look from Team Czech Republic.

On the injury front, Matt Revel will not complete the road trip after getting banged up against the Edmonton Oil Kings. To add some depth, the Blazers acquired Nic Holowko from the Prince Albert Raiders, in exchange for a sixth round draft pick in 2018.

After the break, Kamloops will play four games against division rivals in five nights, two at the Sandman Centre and two on the road.

Import forward Rudolfs Balcers (SJ), who leads the team in scoring with 34 points in 32 games, will play for Latvia at the WJC. Defenceman Ondrej Vala will also get a look from Team Czech Republic.

On the injury front, Matt Revel will not complete the road trip after getting banged up against the Edmonton Oil Kings. To add some depth, the Blazers acquired Nic Holowko from the Prince Albert Raiders, in exchange for a sixth round draft pick in 2018.

After the break, Kamloops will play four games against division rivals in five nights, two at the Sandman Centre and two on the road.

 

Victoria Royals

The first half of the season has been an inconsistent adventure for the Royals, which finds itself in fourth place in the division at 17-14-3.

The Royals have fallen off the pace slightly in the B.C Division of late, thanks in part to a 4-5-1-0 record in its past ten games. Victoria will not lose any roster players to the WJC and it will enjoy some home cooking prior to the break for the holidays, hosting the Portland Winterhawks for a double header.

After Christmas, the Royals will play a challenging schedule to wind up the month, with four games against division rivals in five nights.

While the Royals have struggled to hit their stride, a new arrival has potential to elevate the team’s fortunes. Import victoriaforward Vladimir Bobylev, 19, will be rejoining the team. Bobylev, who was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the fifth round at the 2016 NHL Draft, had chosen to play in Russia this season.

However, a series of events has led to his return to North America. Last season, Bobylev was a consistent offensive contributor, collecting 67 points in 72 games. The Royals will welcome him back with open arms.

 

Vancouver Giants

The Giants will limp into the Christmas break as western conference cellar dwellers. Currently, Vancouver has vancouvercompiled a less than stellar 11-18-1-2 record, placing them ahead of only the Kootenay Ice and Prince Albert Raiders in the league-wide standings. Injuries have also plagued the Giants of late.

While the current campaign began as an exciting season of change, what with  the move from the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver to the Langley Events Centre, the Giants have struggled on the ice. Vancouver has scored only 93 goals through 33 games, the only B.C. Division team yet to reach the century mark. The Giants have surrendered 125 goals so far. On special teams, the Giants power play efficiency ranks 21st in the WHL.

Slovakian forward Radovan Bondra (CHI) has been scoring at a point per game pace through 29 contests, but he will be away at the WJC for the remainder of the month. After the break, the Giants will play a home-and-home set against the Everett Silvertips before hosting division rival Kamloops to wind up its December schedule.

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Radovan Bondra Vancouver Giants

What remains to be seen prior to the January 10 trade deadline is whether or not the likes of Bondra, Tyler Benson (EDM) or Ty Ronning (NYR) remain property of the Giants for the rest of the campaign. With an eye on the future in Vancouver, parting with a key asset or two could very well be one of the organization’s most difficult decisions.

Have yourselves a Happy Holidays, catch you after the break!