‘Round the DUB

An interesting week it has been around the WHL, from winning streaks ending, to losing streaks extended. Teams being sold and goals, goals and more goals. This is the week that was in the ‘DUB.

On Oct. 4, the Seattle Thunderbirds were approved by the Board of Governors to be sold to the Leckelt brothers, Dan and Lindsay. Russ Farwell and his ownership group owned the U.S. Division team since 2002. There is more on the story here: Transfer of Ownership.

The Board of Governors also approved another significant item over the last week. The WHL is moving to a reduced schedule for the 2018-19 regular season. The new 68-game regular season schedule is going to reduce the travel for the member clubs, and has the potential to eliminate either three games in three nights or Tuesday and Wednesday night games. Each team will see two home and two away games taken from the schedule.

Yesterday, the Kamloops Blazers traded for Keltie Jeri-Leon from the Tri-City Americans. The Americans picked up a seventh-round draft pick in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft. Also, the Blazers announced that they had picked up recently release Brady Reagan, formerly of the Calgary Hitmen. That move coincided with the departure of Nic Holowko, who decided to pursue his WHL Scholarship at Simon Fraser University.

Speaking of Kamloops, the team is off to it’s worst start in franchise history. The team is 0-8-0-0 through it’s first eight games of the season. Their previous worst start was 0-7-0-0. The Blazers are the WHL’s final team without a win. On the flip side, the Swift Current Broncos remain as one of two undefeated WHL teams, with their 6-0-0-0 start. This is in large part to leading goal scorer, Tyler Steenbergen, who has 13 goals in those six games. He and fellow linemate Aleksi Heponiemi are tied atop the WHL’s scoring leaders with 19 points apiece. The latest win by the Broncos also ended the five-game winning streak to start the Moose Jaw Warriors’ season.

The Portland Winterhawks are clipping along nicely as well, sporting a 5-1-0-0 record through their first six games. What’s more interesting is the fact they have scored the most goals in the WHL at 36. Averaging six goals per game in this day and age is no easy feat but the team was able to secure three victories over the last weekend by winning 6-1 over Spokane on Friday, 10-5 over Seattle on Saturday and then 7-2 over Spokane on Sunday. What makes this feat even more special is the Winterhawks played those three games in three different cities in the U.S. Division.

The WHL has had to hand out some more suspensions this week. On Oct. 6, James Hilsendager received a one-game suspension for a charging major and game misconduct against the Prince George Cougars. Liam Scholier has been suspended TBD, for supplemental discipline Oct. 7 versus the Saskatoon Blades. Brayden Pachal was also hit with a TBD for a slashing major and game misconduct against the Medicine Hat Tigers and Brendan De Jong received a TBD suspension for his cross-checking major and game misconduct against the Spokane Chiefs.

 

On Oct. 6, the Regina Pats announced plans for “Homecoming Weekend”. The details included an outdoor game to be played between 50 former NHL greats including 14 Hall of Fame members at Mosaic Stadium. Also, in what may have been a poorly kept secret, the Regina Pats will square off against the Moose Jaw Warriors on Feb. 18, 2018, at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Sask. You can read the official release from the WHL/Pats/Warriors. Homecoming Weekend.

Here are the hits or plays that drew the ire of the WHL’s head office: