Western Hockey League teams have pretty much all arrived at the 18-game mark, the “Quarter Pole” if you will.
The current five-day break in the schedule for the annual CIBC Canada/Russia Series comes as a very welcome respite for all. Regular season play starts up again this weekend with at total of 22 games.
In the B.C. Division this season, the Victoria Royals (13-5-1) sped away from the field with an enormous start, winning its first seven games.
If that wasn’t enough for the entire WHL to take notice, the Royals waltzed into Kelowna and hammered the Rockets 8-3 on October 4, the same day word broke that 20-year-old forward Tyler Soy was being returned to Victoria from the Anaheim Ducks organization. The next day, the Los Angeles Kings returned hulking defenceman Chaz Reddekopp to the Royals.
New head coach Dan Price has the Royals rowing in the same direction, with a solid core of 19-year-olds throughout the lineup. Behind the skaters, goaltender Griffen Outhouse is rock solid.
Our panel was split evenly when choosing the surprise team in the B.C. Division so far, although the choices were made for significantly different reasons.
The panel felt the Royals dominating start was somewhat unpredictable, though certainly the most impressive team story in the division to date. Victoria leads the division with 27 points – that’s good for an eight-point lead over the second place Kelowna Rockets. The Royals are also 9-1 against division rivals.
Victoria leads the entire WHL with 93 goals. Granted, they have played 19 games, but the next highest total is 73 by the Moose Jaw Warriors in 17 games. The Regina Pats are the only other team to have played 19 games. They have scored 68 times.
And given its struggles so far, the Kamloops Blazers bear mention as a B.C. Division surprise. While the Blazers are 5-5 in their last 10 games, the 0-7 start to the current campaign has certainly put them into a chasers role through 17 games.
The Blazers have scheduled a press conference for Thursday, Nov. 9 to address an organizational announcement. No word at this point whether or not the announcement relates to the tough start.
Here’s a list of players we note here at DUBNetwork for their efforts leading up to the Quarter Pole:
Top Forwards (tie)
Matt Phillips – Victoria Royals
Draft history:
2013 WHL Bantam Draft – Victoria Royals, Round 2 (#33)
2016 NHL Draft – Calgary Flames, Round 6 (#166)
Phillips was an integral contributor for the Royals during the team’s hot start to the season. The diminutive forward oozes offensive skill and creativity, scoring in all situations for the division leaders.
The 5’7, 155-pounder is targeted by opponents, yet he continues to find ways to produce. With 15 goals and 20 assists in 19 games, Phillips is third in WHL scoring. He has scored in 18 of 19 games, including a 17-games point scoring streak to start the season. He has plus-13 rating, leads the WHL with four shorthanded goals and has tallied three game winning goals.
Kole Lind – Kelowna Rockets
Draft history:
2013 WHL Bantam Draft – Kelowna Rockets, Round 4 (#87)
2017 NHL Draft – Vancouver Canucks, Round 2 (#33)
Lind was Kelowna’s leading scorer last season and is on pace to do the same this season. Lind appears stronger on the puck this season and is shooting with more velocity and confidence.
At 6’1 and 173 pounds, the right-handed shooting winger has hit the scoresheet in 14 of 17 games, collecting nine goals and 19 assists with a plus-9 rating. Lind has scored three game winners for the Rockets.
Top Defenceman: Cal Foote – Kelowna Rockets
Draft history:
2013 WHL Bantam Draft – Kelowna Rockets, Round 2 (#43)
2017 NHL Draft – Tampa Bay Lightning, Round 1 (#14)
Our panelist’s only unanimous choice at the Quarter Pole, Cal Foote is a focal point on the Rockets blueline this season. In his third full season in Kelowna, the 18-year-old Foote anchors a blueline brigade that is breaking in a host of youngsters this season. At 6’4 and 210 pounds, he is a load in the defensive zone, with poise and reach that cause opponents fits. Coming off a 57-point campaign last year, Foote has scored five goals and added 10 assists in 17 games this season. He continues to excel at getting pucks to the net, leading B.C. Division rearguards with 50 shots on goal.
Top Goaltender: Griffen Outhouse – Victoria Royals
Perhaps the undrafted product from northern British Columbia is playing with a chip on his shoulder this season. In any event, the 19-year-old netminder gives the Royals a chance to win every night out.
An absolute workhorse who appeared in 63 games last season, Outhouse has already stolen some games for his charges this season.
In 15 appearances so far, Outhouse has compiled an 11-3-1 record, with a 2.93 goals against average and a .922 save percentage.
(Honourable mention: James Porter, Kelowna Rockets; Tavin Grant, Prince George Cougars)
Top Rookie (16-year-old): Bowen Byram – Vancouver Giants
Draft history:
2016 WHL Bantam Draft – Vancouver Giants, Round 1 (#3)
Byram, from Cranbrook, was the third overall pick at the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft. As advertised, Byram brings the full skills package to the Giants roster and has looked sharp so far in Vancouver. He appeared in 11 games last season, a good opportunity to whet his whistle among WHLers. This season, Byram has scored once and added eight assists in 15 games for an improving Giants squad.
(Honourable mention: Connor Zary, Kamloops Blazers)
Top Import: Milos Roman – Vancouver Giants
Draft history:
2016 CHL Import Draft – Vancouver Giants, Round 1 (#6)
Roman, who is from Slovakia, has a host of international experience, at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament and the 2017 World Junior Championship. Roman, who celebrated his 18th birthday earlier this week, has been a pleasant surprise offensively this season with five goals and added nine assists in 17 games. Primarily playing at centre for the Giants, Roman is finding his way in the faceoff circle, winning 49.1% of his draws.
(Honourable mention: Ondrej Vala, Kamloops Blazers; Libor Zabransky, Kelowna Rockets; Igor Martynov, Victoria Royals)
Top 20-Year-Old: Tyler Soy, Victoria Royals
Draft history:
2012 WHL Bantam Draft – Victoria Royals, Round 1 (#8)
2016 NHL Draft – Anaheim Ducks, Round 7, (#205)
Soy began the season in the Anaheim Ducks system, but was returned to the Royals in mid-October. Since his arrival back in the WHL, he has been on a tear offensively, scoring seven goals and adding 16 assists in 14 games. A veteran of 315 WHL games, Soy brings valuable experience to the mix as part of Victoria’s core group.
(Honourable mention: Carsen Twarynski, Kelowna Rockets; Ty Ronning, Vancouver Giants)
Draft Eligible players to watch
Jackson Leppard (LW), Prince George Cougars
6’1, 200 pounds
5 – 3; 8 points. Plus-9 in 15 games
Draft history: 2015 WHL Bantam Draft – Prince George Cougar, Round 1 (#8)
NHL Central Scouting: “C” rated
Tyler Popowich (C), Vancouver Giants
6’4, 197 pounds
2 – 1; 3 points. Minus-4 in 15 games.
Draft history: 2015 WHL Bantam Draft – Vancouver Giants, Round 1 (#3)
NHL Central Scouting: “C” Rated
(Ryan Sinclair, Mike Trafford and Jesse Phillips contributed to this article.)
