East Division Recap

Big deal

It was a quiet week on the ice in the Western Hockey League, but there was plenty of action off the ice.

The Moose Jaw Warriors and Lethbridge Hurricanes swung a big deal as the Warriors acquired 19-year-old forward Brayden Burke from the Canes for 1998-born RW Ryan Bowen, a second round pick in 2017 and a conditional draft pick in 2019.

Burke led the WHL last season with 82 assists and finished third in scoring with 109 points. He had 23 points in 15 games this season.

It’s a trade that sees two players who could maybe use a change of scenery. Bowen spent a long stretch of Moose Jaw’s 5-1 loss to Seattle benched last Saturday.

Lethbridge general manager Peter Anholt called Burke “a distraction” on Thursday. Anholt coached the Canes while head coach Brent Kisio took charge of one of the Canadian teams at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

“We want players to understand, we will give you every opportunity you can have to be a player here, within reason. In his case he took it for granted and abused it. So it’s time to move on,” Anholt told Matt Battochio from Global News in Lethbridge.

The Warriors now have five 1997-born players: Burke and fellow forwards Jayden Halbgewachs and Tanner Jeannot, plus goalie Zach Sawchenko and defenceman Ryan Gardiner. None of them are drafted which could lead to some interesting decisions before next season for the Warriors.

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In other deals this week, the Swift Current Broncos acquired 18-year-old forward Kole Gable from the Edmonton for a conditional seventh round pick in 2018 on Wednesday.

Thursday, the Brandon Wheat Kings acquired 17-year-old forward Zach Russell from the Victoria in exchange for a sixth round pick in 2017. Russell was playing with the AJHL’s Calgary Canucks, but was going to join the Wheat Kings immediately.

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WHL and Russia split openers

Russia and Team WHL split the first two games of the six-game CIBC Canada-Russia Series Monday and Tuesday.

Denis Alexeev scored 55 seconds into overtime to give Russia a 3-2 Game 1 victory in Prince George.

Regina’s Sam Steel and Prince George’s Jansen Harkins scored for the WHL. Moose Jaw’s Nikita Popugaev picked up an assist for Russia.

The following night Tyler Benson from the Vancouver Giants had a goal and two assists as the WHL scored three third-period goals to break a 1-1 tie. Everett’s Noah Juulsen scored the game-winning goal and Regina’s Austin Wagner and Brandon’s Kale Clague also scored.

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Pats still rolling

Thursday night the Regina Pats (13-0-3-0) kept their point streak to start the season intact, but they had to earn it. The No. 1 ranked team in the CHL overcame a first period deficit and skated away with a 5-4 overtime win in Moose Jaw.

Sam Steel scored the OT winner on the power play and Filip Ahl scored the first three Pats goals. Regina was 4-for-7 on the power play.

“(When I got sent back by the Toronto Maple Leafs) I knew we were going to have a good team with a chance to go far and win a lot of hockey games,” said Pats captain Adam Brooks after assisting on a pair of Pats goals. “It’s early, but we know we have a good team. It’s going to be up to us to continue to play well.

“We know that every night we’re going to see the other team’s best game, so we have to play well if we’re going to hang on to that top spot.”

Regina opened the week with a wild 9-6 win over the Saskatoon Blades. Steel had a four-point night against the Blades and Ahl has seven goals in the last three games.

Weakened Warriors take point

Moose Jaw Warriors (11-4-3-0) have lost two straight games, but felt pretty good about taking a point against the Pats Thursday.

The Warriors were missing some key players up front against the Pats and were heartened by twice tying the game in the third period and taking a point against the WHL leaders.

Zach Sawchenko
Zach Sawchenko

“We were missing a lot of high-end guys and (Regina) is a really good team. I think it was a statement for us to show we could play with them even short-staffed,” said Warriors goalie Zach Sawchenko, the reigning CHL goalie of the week, who made 46 saves in the loss. “To score those goals in the third period and salvage a point was huge. Whether it’s in a few days, a few weeks or a few months, we’re set on closing the gap on these guys. We are focused on an East Division title this year.

“It’s going to be a dog fight. It’s going to be really interesting when we have our full lineup and they have their full lineup. It’s going to be a fun season series with these guys and every time their name comes up on the schedule we’re going to be excited for it.”

The Warriors were without Burke (who was attending to some personal matters at home in Edmonton) and Jayden Halbgewachs who served a one-game suspension for a checking-from-behind major that he took against Seattle.

The Warriors are still without captain Brett Howden as well. The Tampa Bay Lightning flew Howden to Florida to see a specialist after his hip/lower abdominal injury continued to show little signs of improvement.

The Warriors opened the week with a 3-1 win over Edmonton before losing 5-1 to Seattle.

Moose Jaw called up Tate Popple who made his WHL debut against Edmonton and Tyler Smithies did the same against the Pats. The pair helped fill the void up front and Jett Woo played as a forward Thursday night as well.

Broncos split with Calgary

While the Warriors have now seen eight of their 18 games go to overtime, the Swift Current Broncos (10-6-2-1) also continued to play extra hockey.

The Broncos beat Calgary at home 3-2 in overtime — their fourth overtime game in five outings — followed by a 3-2 loss in Calgary the following night.

Swift Current have played six straight one-goal games and have had six OT games so far this season.

Tyler Steenbergen extended his goal-scoring streak to four games for the Broncos. Lane Pederson and Aleksi Heponiemi also are riding four-game point streaks.

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Wheat Kings beat Seattle — again

The Brandon Wheat Kings (7-7-3-0) continued to have the Seattle Thunderbirds’ number. Seattle won four of their six games on their East Division road trip, but once again lost 3-2 to Brandon.

The Wheat Kings beat Seattle 3-2 in the first three games of last season’s WHL final — all in overtime — as Brandon won the series in five games.

Reid Duke scored a pair of goals, but the Wheat Kings came up short in a 6-3 loss to Edmonton.

The Wheat Kings will play three games in three nights starting on Remembrance Day and

will look to be more disciplined. Only three teams have been short-handed more often than they have so far this season.

Short-staffed Blades continue to battle

The Saskatoon Blades (8–10-1-0) lost 4-2 in Edmonton Thursday and remain tied with Brandon with 17 points for the two wild card playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.

The Blades trailed Regina 6-2 after a period, but battle back to cut the lead to 7-5 and make things interesting.

Rookie Michael Farren scored a pair of goals for the Blades against Regina and Caleb Fantillo scored his first goal for the Blades in a two-point night.

Saskatoon followed that 9-6 loss with a 3-2 win over Kootenay in overtime.

Braylon Shmyr scored twice, including the OT winner. Mason McCarty potted his 11th goal of the season to go with an assist and Wyatt Sloboshan assisted on all three Blades goals.

Raiders blank Ice

The Prince Albert Raiders (5-11-1-0) won their only game of the week and moved out of the WHL’s cellar by doing so.

The Raiders offence broke out in a 6-0 win over the Kootenay Ice.

Sean Montgomery scored twice to snap an 11-game goalless drought. Ian Scott posted a 22-save shutout.

They will begin their B.C. Division road trip Friday in Kamloops.