Welcome to the inaugural edition of the Red, White and Blue Report. This will be your go-to home for the latest happenings in the U.S. Division.
The U.S. Division doesn’t get the attention that the Canadian divisions do and that’s fine. It’s not like seven of the last nine WHL finals have featured U.S. Division teams — with two of them winning the whole thing. Or that in those same nine years, 14 U.S. Division players were taken in the first round of the NHL Draft.
Actually, all those things are true so maybe you should be paying more attention to the U.S. Division.
There’s a lot going on in the WHL’s hidden gem — which should be the U.S. Division’s new nickname. The Hidden Gem has some of the most intense rivalries in the sport. Name a rivalry as steeped in hatred as the Seattle-Portland rivalry? Moose Jaw and Prince Albert? Not even close.
Those of you in the States know how fun the division is. For those of you new to the U.S. Division and its loud barns, come in and make yourself at home. We don’t have Timbits for you but we have donuts — big, artery-clogging donuts with holes in the middle. The American way.
With the new WHL Season upon us, here is a quick preview of what to expect from the Red, White and Blue teams this year:
Seattle Thunderbirds
The Thunderbirds are the on-paper favorites to win the U.S. Division again, especially if they get Mathew Barzal back from the New York Islanders. There’s a decent chance he cracks the lineup which means Seattle would be without its top two scorers from last year as Ryan Gropp has already moved on. There’s still some meat on the bone however, so even if Barzal doesn’t return Seattle still may be at the top of the division, but it won’t come easy and everyone else would be a lot closer. Goaltending was a question coming into this season, but the late addition of Rylan Toth from Red Deer would seem to have answered that. They are younger on defense than last year but Ethan Bear and Turner Ottenbreit make a strong top pairing. Up front, how can you not love watching Scott Eansor play? Fast and tenacious, he makes life hell for his opponents.
Everett Silvertips
Fans at the Xfinity Arena this year will be delighted with wide open, end-to-end hockey all season long. OK, that’s not true at all. The Silvertips are still short on goal scoring so you can expect more stiff defensive play from head coach Kevin Constantine’s charges. There may not be a better lunch pail team in the WHL, and despite their lack of skill players, the Silvertips are no easy out. Goals will be hard to come by, but they are hoping that new Finnish import Eetu Tuulola will provide some spark. The Calgary Flames sixth-rounder is big (real big) and has a heavy shot to boot. Everett’s strength is on the back end, where they are led by Montreal prospect Noah Juulsen and all-everything Carter Hart in net. Playing against Everett is a race to three: score three and you’re probably going to skate away with a pair of points; give up three and you’re looking at a loss.
Portland Winterhawks
In case you hadn’t heard — and you’d have to be living under a rock not to have hearrd — Mike Johnston is back behind the Portland bench. There is an excitement in the Rose City over his return and you can understand why. After all, Johnston is the guy who pulled the Winterhawks out of the cellar in 2009 and into an unprecedented streak of success. With that track record, surely Portland will walk away with division title right? Well, not so fast. The Winterhawks roster is not quite what it was when Johnston last left. Portland is young and led by Cody Glass, who is the lone first-round bantam pick on the team. He had an impressive rookie season last year and could flourish with Johnston. Goalie Adin Hill is a top-end guy but he’s in Tucson at the moment so the Winterhawks will have to look to some inexperienced netminders to fill his shoes. Johnston’s charges will be young and go through some growing pains, but won’t be pushovers.
Spokane Chiefs
The Chiefs have a lot to be excited about. They’re loaded with young talent and the only question is: Are they ready for prime time now? Kailer Yamamoto is in his draft year and has his sights set on the first round of the NHL draft. Former first-overall bantam pick Ty Smith looks ready to go on the blue line as well. Coach Don Nachbaur always seems to get his guys ready to play and may have one of his most talented teams in years. They brought in goalie Jayden Sittler from Lethbridge this summer in hopes of shoring up their goaltending situation. If the young guns can gel early, this team will make some noise in the division and Western Conference. U.S. Division teams better get their points against the Chiefs now, because with the young core they have, they’re going to tough to beat next year.
Tri-City Americans
Americans general manager Bob Tory lost his bid to get an arena upgrade over the summer but he’s hopeful that the team can pick up some victories on the ice. This is a team that feels like it’s flying under the radar. They just missed out on the playoffs last season and could surprise folks in the U.S. Division. Last year, goalie Evan Sarthou struggled with his consistency and it was hard for Tri-City to overcome. If he can bounce back to his 2014–15 form the Americans have weapons up front to support him. Winger Michael Rasmussen is a 6-foot-5 monster who potted 18 goals as a rookie last season. He’s being talked about as a potential first-round NHL pick this year and he’ll be a force for the Americans. This team scored more goals than any other in the division last season and if they can keep a few more out of their net, they’re going to be in the mix.
