Raiders not throwing in towel
The changes in Prince Albert continued when the Raiders made the biggest trade of the Western Hockey League season immediately following their 4-2 loss to the Prince George Cougars.
The Raiders dealt Brendan Guhle to the Cougars for 17-year-old defenceman Max Martin, 18-year-old left winger Kolby Johnson, a first round pick in 2018 and a third round selection in 2019.
Guhle, 19, was the last defenceman cut by the National Hockey League’s Buffalo Sabres.
That move by the Raiders comes on the heels of a trade that saw them send overage goalie Rylan Parenteau to Tri-City in exchange for 18-year-old goalie Nicholas Sanders and a third round pick.
While the Raiders have struggled to the worst record in the WHL (5-17-1-0) so far this season after finishing second in the East Division a year ago, Prince Albert general manager Curtis Hunt is not throwing in the towel on the season.
“I expect us to get in the playoffs,” Hunt told Jeff D’Andrea of PA Now. “I think our coaching staff has that expectation. I sure believe, and want to hope, that our leadership group as players do and they sell that message throughout our team.”
The Raiders lost all five games on their B.C. Division road trip and returned home and lost 3-1 to Swift Current.
Sanders has been a bright spot and was rewarded with two straight starts in goal.
Graham pays immediate dividends
It was a trade with a significantly lower profile, but so far it has paid big dividends. The Swift Current Broncos acquired 20-year-old forward Ryan Graham from the Saskatoon Blades in exchange for a second round pick in 2017 and a fourth-rounder in 2018. Graham had played 248 regular season games for the Blades.
He made a quick adjustment to his new home, scoring three goals and adding three assists in his first two games. Graham also scored the game-winning goals in the Broncos’ 5-1 win over the Blades and again in a 3-1 win in Prince Albert the following night.
Those wins ended the Broncos (13-7-2-4) 11-game streak of one-goal games and moved them into second place in the East Division.
Swift Current began their week week losing 3-2 to Moose Jaw and then losing 5-4 to Medicine Hat in a shootout.
Pats suffer rare losses
It took seven weeks, but the Regina Pats (16-2-3-0) finally lost a game in regulation time. Then three days later they lost another one.
The Pats saw their 18-game point streak snapped with a 5-3 loss in Victoria. They quickly rebounded with an 8-3 win over Vancouver the following night, but lost to 5-2 to Prince George as they continue their B.C. Division road trip.
The Pats were also knocked from the top spot in the weekly CHL rankings by the Cougars (18-4-2-0) jumped from fifth to first. The Pats are now ranked No. 2.
Warriors split pair to sit third
The Moose Jaw Warriors (13-5-4-0) saw their four-game point streak end Tuesday when they lost 6-3 to Medicine Hat at home. The Warriors opened the week by beating Swift Current 3-2 on the road.
Nikita Popugaev remains red hot. He has six goals and 10 points over his five-game point streak. Warriors captain Brett Howden remains out with an injury, but has returned to practice and traveled with the team during their weekend road trip.
Surging Brandon sees streak end at five
The Brandon Wheat Kings (12-8-3-0) won five straight games before seeing their streak snapped Wednesday at home against the Medicine Hat Tigers.
The Wheat Kings streak solidified their place as the top wild card team in the Eastern Conference and moved them close to Moose Jaw who sits in third place in the division. Brandon will play eight games in a row on the road while the Canada Cup of Curling takes over their arena.
Brandon beat Saskatoon 8-1 and 6-3 to extend their streak.
Blades drop fourth in a row
In addition to the Graham trade, the Blades (9-15-1-0) signed Dryden Michaud from the Abbotsford Pilots of the PIJHL in B.C. and subsequently released fellow 1998-born forward Luke Gingras.
The Blades lost a pair of games in Brandon, first by an 8-1 count and then by a 6-3 score. Saskatoon then lost 5-1 in Swift Current as they dropped their fourth straight game and continued to lose ground. The Blades have slipped out of a playoff position for the first time this season.
