Trevor Crawley

2018-19 WHL season previews: Kootenay ICE

2017-18: 27-38-5-2

The Kootenay Ice went through monumental change in the 2017 offseason, as Jeff Chynoweth sold the franchise to Winnipeg investors Matt Cockell and Greg Fettes. Cockell brings a hockey resume as a WHL goaltending alumni with the Saskatoon Blades, Seattle Thunderbirds, Regina Pats and the Spokane Chiefs. He also served as a goaltending coach with the Brandon Wheat Kings and with the 2014 Team Canada women’s Ice Hockey team for the Sochi Olympics. Assuming the title of president and general manager, Cockell remade the roster, making a flurry of trades in the off-season leading up to, and into, training camp and the exhibition season. Along with new ownership, James Patrick, an NHL alum of over 1,000 games, was brought on board as head coach. Jon Klemm and Roman Vopat, both NHL alum as well, were also brought on board in hockey operations. Despite massive roster change, the Ice were in a playoff hunt up until February, however, the Red Deer Rebels caught fire, pulled ahead in the Central Division standing, and didn’t relinquish their position.

Off-season departures:

– Colton Veloso – aged out of the WHL, signed a pro contract with the Jacksonville IceMen of the ECHL

– Alec Baer – aged out of the WHL, signed a pro contract with the Rapid City Rush of the ECHL

– Colton Kroeker – aged out of the WHL, playing USports with Mount Royal University

– Sebastian Streu – roster player last season, but was reassigned following 2018/19 training camp

– Matt Berlin – roster player last season acquired via trade, was reassigned following 2018/19 training camp. He landed with the Sherwood Park Crusaders of the AJHL.

– Michael King – traded to Spokane Chiefs for a conditional fifth round draft pick in 2020

– Bobby Russell – traded to Spokane Chiefs for a conditional fifth round draft pick in 2019

– Payton McIsaac – traded to Seattle Thunderbirds

Newcomers: 

– Gunnar Wegleitner, a ’98 overage forward acquired for a conditional draft pick; reassigned after 2018/19 exhibition season.

Connor McClennon (Andy Devlin)

– Jaeger White, a ’98 overage forward acquired for a conditional draft pick; remains on 2018/19 roster.

– Davis Murray, a ’99 forward acquired at the WHL Bantam Draft.

– Connor McClennon, a former second overall pick from the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft, should feature prominently this year, considering he was the highest-scoring player on the roster during the preseason, with three goals and four assists in six games.

– Jesse Makaj, a second-round pick from 2016, has secured a role as a backup to Duncan McGovern, who claimed starter duties last year after coming over from the Medicine Hat Tigers via trade.

– The defensive corps could see some new faces with 10 bodies still in the mix for roster spots on the eve of the regular season.

Overage situation:

As the regular season is set to begin, the Kootenay Ice have settled their overage situation with defencemen Dallas Hines and Martin Bodak, while Jaeger White is the lone 20-year-old up in the forward ranks.

Jaeger White (Andy Devlin)

Hines has spend the last three seasons with the Ice after getting selected in the third round of the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft. Over the his career, he’s appeared in 185 games, tallying 12 goals and earning 40 assists. Hines is a big, rangy defenceman who has a wicked slap shot and isn’t afraid to use his size against the opposition.

Martin Bodak arrived in Cranbrook via the 2017 CHL Import Draft as the 63rd overall selection by the Kootenay Ice. Bodak made a name for himself as an offensive presence who scored seven goals and collected 24 assists. He caught the attention of his countrymen and was named to Team Slovakia in the World Junior Championship and later ranked 71st in the NHL Central Scouting list for the 2018 NHL Draft.

Jaeger White is a more recent addition to the club, acquired from the Medicine Hat Tigers for a conditional pick in the off-season. White posted 10 goals and 24 assists in 68 games for the Tabbies last season and is a former fourth-round draft pick from the Lethbridge Hurricanes in 2013.

Import situation:

As mentioned, Martin Bodak came to the Ice via the CHL Import Draft in 2017. He became a key part of the Kootenay defensive corps and caught the attention of Hockey Slovakia. After his appearance at the World Junior Championship, Bodak returned to the Ice, getting some love from NHL Central Scouting leading up to the draft. Despite being passed over by NHL teams, he received a free-agent invite to the Vegas Golden Knights prospect tournament before being sent back to the WHL.

Gilian Kohler, an 18-year-old Swiss winger, also came over from the same CHL Import Draft as Bodak. Kohler was taken with the third overall pick, sticking with the team after missing training camp with an injury. Kohler went on to collect eight goals and 11 assists over 55 games, while playing up and down the lineup.

Finnish defenceman Valtteri Kakkonen was picked up by the Ice in the 2018 CHL Import Draft. Kakkonen, 18, was taken out of a youth U20 Jr. A league where he had five goals and seven assists.

The Ice will need to make a decision on their imports as three is one over the limit. Both Kohler and Bodak can be released or traded, while Kakkonen can only be released.

Returning scorers:

Pts rank Player GP G A Pts
78 Brett Davis 72 25 33 58
86 Peyton Krebs 67 17 37 54
119 Cameron Hausinger 70 21 22 43
169 Jonathan Smart 70 6 28 34

Returning goalies

Player GP GAA Sv % Record
Duncan McGovern 35 3.11 .892 13-13-3-0
Jesse Makaj 1 1.85 .935 0-0-1-0

Forwards

Without question, Peyton Krebs will be the face of the Kootenay offence. Krebs, who broke into the WHL last year as a 16-year-old, was in the conversation for Rookie of the Year with 17 goals and 37 assists for 54 points. This is his NHL Draft season, so expect him to be motivated for another productive WHL campaign.

Brett Davis will also be counted on for goals, as the sixth round pick of the Dallas Stars tallied 25 goals and 33 assists for Kootenay last season. Davis was three points behind Alec Baer and Colton Kroeker for the team lead in points last year. As Baer and Kroeker have graduated out of the league, expect Davis to pick up some the scoring slack.

Brett Davis (Andy Devlin)

If the preseason is any indication, Connor McClennon, 16, will be one to watch. With his three goals and four assists, McClennon led the team in points by the end of exhibition season.

Cameron Hausinger, 19, will also be one to keep an eye on after coming to the Ice in mid-season trade with the Red Deer Rebels. Whether it was opportunity or just a matter of the stars aligning, Hausinger annihilated his career totals, scoring 21 goals and collecting 22 assists for 43 points while playing in all situations.

A supporting cast of characters such as Holden Kodak, Brad Ginnell, Jakin Smallwood, Cole Muir and Blake Allen will be interesting to watch as they develop and progress with additional WHL experience and responsibilities.

Defence

Jonathan Smart (Andy Devlin)

Dallas Hines and Martin Bodak are probably the defensive heartbeat of the club, however, don’t ignore the rest of the blue line corps. Jonathan Smart is offensively-minded and likes to join the rush, while also quarterbacking one of the power play units. Sam Huston, 19, is back for his third season with the club, while rookies Zac Patrick and Loeden Schaufler will look to build on their inaugural WHL resumes from last season. However, the defence remains a bit in flux as there are a number of bodies fighting it out for final roster spots. Jordan Chudley and CHL Import Valtteri Kakkonen are looking to earn their place, while Nolan Orzeck, who got a few games with the club last year, is looking to book his full time spot with the team.

Duncan McGovern (photo Trevor Crawley)

Goalies 

Duncan McGovern comes in as the undisputed starter after some uncertainty early in the season last year with goaltenders who are no longer with the club after Bailey Brkin and Kurtis Chapman were dealt away. McGovern, who suited up for 34 games, earned a 0.893 save percentage and a goals against average of 3.10. He was a free agent invite to the Winnipeg Jets rookie prospects tournament in Penticton, and appeared as a backup role to Mikhail Berdin against the Vancouver Canucks. However, after Berdin got pumped for six goals, McGovern got the chance to get between the pipes and acquitted himself well against a high-powered Canuck prospect squad.

Backing up McGovern this year is Jesse Makaj, a former second round WHL Bantam Draft pick from 2016. Makaj, 17, spent last season with the Greater Vancouver Canadians of the BC Major Midget League, appearing in 18 games with a 3.15 goals against average.

Outlook

Despite some organizational upheaval that comes with new ownership, new coaching staff, new roster players amid a flurry of trades, the Kootenay Ice had a very real shot at playoffs last year until the bottom fell out at the end of the season. However, with a year of experience under their belts, expect this young roster to take another step this year. There were a lot of young players who were put in spots out of necessity last year rather than by design, however, that experience will be a boon for the team going forward. The loss of offensive production from last year’s overagers of Alec Baer, Colton Kroeker and Colton Veloso will be tough, meaning that this year’s group will have to find a way to score by committee. However, if McGovern can handle the responsibility as a starter for the full season, there is enough talent and hunger in the lineup to challenge for a playoff spot.