With 30 games left in the WHL season, teams make their push to either make the playoffs, make a run at the division title or even a conference or WHL points champion.
Banners are what teams strive for, you can come back to the hockey rink and have a look at the accomplishments of you and your brethren. Division titles, conference championships, Ed Cheynoweth Cups and Memorial Cups. Memories.
While hockey tends to be a team sport, there are some times individual accomplishments along the way that sweeten the pot. There are individual awards given out yearly at the WHL Awards ceremony, the WHL hands out weekly and monthly player and goaltender of the month awards.
And then there are further accomplishments, like putting your name in the record books. You could score the fastest three goals, the fastest 50 goals, the most assists ever in one season or in one career.
You could also enter your team’s record books.
Much like Brandon Hagel of the 2018-19 Red Deer Rebels has an opportunity to do. The recent Chicago Blackhawks free agent signee has carved out a nice career for himself in the Western Hockey League. In 230 career games, Hagel has amassed 236 points. He is on pace for a career season, he currently sits seventh in league scoring with 59 points in 37 games.
With 30 games left, Hagel will need to be at his best to obtain the required 56 points to tie Arron Asham as the all-time leading point scorer in Red Deer Rebels history. He will need 40 points along the way to pass Justin Mapletoft for second all time.
He is already only 10 assists from becoming the all-time leader in that category. He is tied for seventh most goals in franchise history with Craig Reichert at 84. Reichert played for the Rebels from 1992-1994.
For Hagel to become the all-time leading scorer in Rebels history, he will need 57 points in 30 games. That is equal to 1.9 points per game the rest of the way. Not insurmountable, but certainly difficult as the games begin to tighten up heading down the stretch. Red Deer also has a five game road trip through the US division.
Arron Asham went on to a career in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers. He also spent time in the AHL. His best season statistically came in 2003-04 when he had 34 points in 79 games with the Islanders.
