Western Canadian Hockey League

Chicago and Nashville signing the blues after tough starts
 

 
After the first week of the WCHL season, most teams have charged out of the gate. Not so for the Nashville Predators and Chicago Blackhawks.
 
The two teams, both bottom of the standings last year, look to be maintaining that standard again this year, posting a combined 1-9-1 record so far, being outscored 41-22 in the process.
 
Both teams are the only clubs still left without a regulation win this season. Nashville picked up the only win between the two teams, but needed a five round shootout to knockoff the New York Rangers to do it.
 
Understandably so, both teams rank in the bottom of the standings, joined by the St. Louis Blues who are also 1-5 so far.
 
"This is terrible," said Martin St. louis, who signed a $52.5-million deal with the Blackhawks in the off-season. "We expected to be better than this. It would help if Matt Frattin could get off the bench."
 
Indeed, in a puzzling move by head coach "Iron" Mike Keenan, the young forward has had the best seat in the house, quite literally. Through six games, Frattin has dressed and sat on the bench but not seen one minute of ice time yet.
 

Until Matt Frattin touches the ice, Blackhawks fans will have to see Frattin in a Leafs jersey on the internet if they are seeking an action photo of him.
 
"I don't know man, it's tough. I'd like to play by coach doesn't seem to like me much," said Frattin.
 
"He's a young man that needs to learn the maturity level it takes to both succeed and thrive in the WCHL. In layman's terms, he's a punk," said the colorful Keenan.
 
While Maxim Afinogenov leads the team in scoring with two goals and four points through six games, he also sports a club-worst plus-minus of -3.
 
In Nashville meanwhile, the teams pop-gun offense has held true to form, scoring just 11 times in five games, Defense was expected to be the forte of this club, but after allowing 19 goals in five games, that doesn't seem to be the case.
 
"I don't get it really. We should be winning and lossing games 3-2 and 2-1. not losing 6-2 and 5-2," said Predators GM Trent Allen. "This team is better than this."
 
Netminder Evgeni Nabokov is making a case otherwise though. The biggest free agent pick up by the Predators this season, Nabokov has a 4.47 goals against average and a .849 save percentage and has been pulled three times in just five starts. Drew Doughty meanwhile, the top pick in the 2008 WCHL Entry Draft, is pointless so far with a plus-minus of -2.
 
More troublesome, four of the teams 11 goals come from just one player, Jiri Hudler.
 

 
Jiri Hudler soaks in a tub, one of the few Predators this season who has earned his keep.
 
"We're working and doing all we can, but we just suck I guess. I mean Trent even said we suck before the season began, so i guess we are just living up to expectations. Guess I'll f&*k off to the bench," said veteran defender Henrik Tallinder.
 
 

Avs aim to three-peat while upstarts aim to take big steps
 

Martin St. Louis and Alexander Ovechkin are two of the big names who have moved this summer.
 
After a hectic off-season which included the 2010 WCHL Entry Draft, teams are now off and ready for Season 15 in the WCHL.
 
What this season has in store, not to many people know just yet. Last years cellar dwellers, the Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars, both made moves in the off-season to try and bolster a weak roster. Most notible of that was the Dallas Stars, who added plenty of depth to their blueline with Rob Scuderi, Eric Gudbrandson and Justin Faulk, while igniting their offense as well with the addition of Marian Hossa from the Ottawa Senators.
 
"We had to trade that guy, it was the only options avilable," explained Senators GM Noel Harrison. "I mean, the dude hit on Matt Duchene's woman. You just don't do that. He was making obscene gestures, doing pelvic thrusts, he even tossed Patrick Matthews book '1,003 ways to tickle a G-spot' at her. We worrid Douchie was going to hit Hossa Torres-style in practice so we made the move."
 

 
Matt Duchene's anger towards Marian Hossa led the way for Hossa to end up in Dallas.
 
"I likea tapa da ass," was all Hossa would offer in explanation.
 
Chicago meanwhile went out and landed the biggest free agent on the market, Martin St. Louis, surprising many who thought the long-time punitive point producer would elect to go to a cup contender.
 
"This team is bad ass," said St. Louis. "I mean, they are Blackhawks. Those things are wicked helicopters man. They can dish out a lot of (expletative deleted) like a bad ass (expletative deleted)."
 
On the flip side, the President's Trophy winning Pittsburgh Penguins didn't make an huge moves of their own, while the San Jose Sharks elected to let winger Alexander Ovechkin go to Florida for a pair of first round draft choices after the Russian wanted more than the cap-tight Sharks could afford.
 
"Typical potato-booze drinking Commy sonofabitch, I tell you what," said Sharks GM Kurt Fulmore. "I tell you what I told that Ruskie bastard, next time he finds himself in San Jose, he better where some damn good gear because Douglas Murray and his 250 lbs. assmatic ass will combine with Chara's 6'9 size to turn him into a piece of the (expletative deleted) advertising around her. We will (expletative deleted) him up old school. What a punk ass mofo. He's greedier than Doug (van Strephen, Flyers GM).
 
When told of the comments, Van Strephen replied that Fulmore should "get off his knees," and refrain from "being a pussy for more than two minutes." Not surprisingly, the two teams are now embroiled in a rivalry situation.
 

Lubomir Visnovsky is back in Colorado after testing the free agent waters.
 
The shuffle of talent continued elsewhere, with the New York Islanders trying to find a way out of their now annual cap purgatory, while the Colorado Avalanche showed supreme cap amangement skills, resigning Lubomir Visnovsky to help bring back most of the two-time defending cup championship line up.
 
"What can I say, I'm pretty bad ass. I know how to work that (expletative deleted)," said Ryan McClanahan, Avs' GM.
 
What will Season 15 hold in store for some teams? Hard to soay, but it's not hard to make predictions. As such, Commissioner Trent Allen has some strong ideas who is going to do what this year.
 
"We will finish dead last, book it," said Allen, with the entire team watching on, shocked. "We have a very good defense, but our goaltending is like the hull of the Titanic and our forwards score about as often as a nun. We will lose a lot of games 3-2 this year."
 
True to form, the Predators kicked off the season with a 3-2 defeat at the hands of the Minnesota Wild.
 
So who will win it all?
 
"I'm going to say the Rangers," said Allen. "They have a good team that's young and hungry and this is the second time they've reached the finals but not won. They must be as hungry as Patrick Matthews after a weekend of his usual sexcapades."
 

Nashville GM Trent Allen has already proclaimed his team as being out of the playoffs, but figures the Rangers could win it all.

Surprise picks; plummets name of draft
 

 
Patrik who? A few draft fans wonder the same thing about Patrik Nemeth after the New York Islanders took a chance on the young Swede.
 
The 2010 WCHL Entry Draft concluded yesterday, with the final pieces of the seventh round falling into place. While the bigger names were long gone by that point, teams were still eager to round out their prospects pool and recounting a draft gone by where everyone felt like a winner.
 
"We did good, real good," proclaimed Los Angeles Kings General Manager Ryan Tilley. "We were excited to see some of the players still available at our selections and we feel we came away with a better outlook for the future."
 
With Alex Burmistrov falling to the Kings at 17 after having been forecasted as a top 10 selction, the Kings were right to be pleased, but Burmistrov wasn't the only player who seen his stock jump wildly at the draft.
 
Brandon Gromley, once thought of as a darkhorse top three pick, fell to Ottawa at 20, while Mark Stone rode a wave of momentum from a late round pick all the way to a surprising first round selection, ironically also by Ottawa.
 
While Stone's pick did raise a few eyebrows, it was the New York Islanders who once again were swivelling heads with their selections. While top prizes Taylor Hall and Cam Fowler did go early to Long Island, it was the middle first round picks tha generated a lot of buzz.
 
With three straight picks from 12th to 14th, Islanders GM Jimmi Bornstrom, who has always shown a strong penchent for European players, went off the board and selected Calle Jornkrok, Johan Larsson and Patrick Nemeth.
 
"We had Jarnkrok and Larsson in the first round, so we weren't as shocked as some others were apparently, but Nemeth was really out of left field. We had him mid-third round," explained one GM.
 
The moves really shook up a draft which was anything but ordinary. One team, the Florida Panthers, dealt away their first round pick and ended up not even making a selection at all.
 
"I think for some of our lower teams from last year, it was a good draft, especially if you look at Dallas," said Commissioner Trent Allen. "They made a few moves and picked up some help now in players like Marian Hossa and Rob Scuderi, but they also drafted two really good defensemen in Justin Faulk and Eric Gudbrandson. They took a big step forward today and you'll see the dividends of that starting next year. They will be a better team next year."
 

Justin Faulk (left) and Eric Gudbrandson are the wave of the future for the Dallas Stars.
 
Now the eyes of the scouting world have turned towards 2011, when Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Gabriel Landeskog will battle it out with Adam Larsson, Sean Couturier, Jonathan Huberdeau and a host of other aspiring young hopefuls for top spot and a chance to lead the next wave of talent into the WCHL.
 

 
Expect to hear Jonathan Hubereau's name called early at next years' Entry Draft.

Avalanche once again go the distance for WCHL Cup


Colorado celebrates its second straight (and counting...?) WCHL Cup title, in retro jerseys no less.

For the first time in the modern era (that being under the STHS simulator) the WCHL Cup champions have repeated.

The Colorado Avalanche are needless to say on cloud nine after winning their second straight WCHL crown, four games to two over the New York Rangers.

"This is like drinking a chocolate milkshake without the brain freeze," said Avalanche General Manager Ryan McClanahan. "It's scrum-didily-umtious."

The Avanlanche battled back from deficits in round one and three and won all three road games in the finals to claim victory. There win in game six turned out to be the only victory for a home team in the entire series.

"I'd like to say the Rangers were worthy opponents, but my mom told me not to lie or she'd wash out my mouth with soap," proclaimed defenseman Brayden Coburn. "I hate the taste of soap, especially that Dial stuff my mom likes. So I won't lie. The Rangers were terrible and (Henrik) Lundqvist is a bum."



Even the Conn Smythe-worthy play of Henrik Lundqvist couldn't save the Rangers.

Not all Avalanche players were so cocky in victory.

"It was a great series and a great playoffs," said winger Patrick Sharp who led the Avalanche in playoff scoring. "My hat goes off to the Rangers, they are the best losers of the bunch."

This series could be featured again and again as the years go by, with the Avs and Rangers constant darkhorse threats to win the WCHL Cup. Boasting well stocked, deep and talented rosters with as much youth as veteran leadership, the runs these two teams put together was no fluke.

The idea of a three-peat has not escaped the mind of Avalanche fans, but they know it will be extra hard to do so. Not only has no team won three straight titles, the Avalanche will also have to do it without the services of Niklas Lidstrom. The all-world blueliner hung up his skates after skating away with the WCHL Cup.

"What a way to go," said Lidstrom. "To win two straight cups and to do it in front of these fans, this is increadible. Words can't describe it."

"These fans deserve this and I'm glad to be able to give it to them. I hope they cherish it as much as I do."


Avs fans cheer on their team in Game 6.

The only other team to win two straight WCHL Cups was the San Jose Sharks, who did it prior to the sim change to the STHS model. While San Jose was unsuccessful in their bid to win three straight cups, San Jose would go on to win their third -and last- WCHL Cup the year after.

"I'm not thinking about a three-peat now," said McClanahan. "I just want to go get (expletative deleted)-faced and wind up face down in some hot chicks rack. IT'S MOTORBOATING TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Do the Avalanche repeat, or do the Rangers finally win it all?


It's game on for the Avalanche and Rangers as the WCHL Cup finals start tonight.
 
For the past 10 WCHL seasons, a new team has been crowned as champion. Only the San Jose Sharks have ever claimed more than one WCHL Cup, and the Sharks are also the only team to do it in back-to-back years, winning it all in Season 2 and 3.

With four more wins, the Colorado Avalanche could move into those ranks as well, as the defending WCHL Cup champions have returned to the WCHL finals the year after winning the cup, the first team to do so since the Sharks.

The New York Rangers meanwhile are seeking to finally claim their first elusive WCHL Cup. Three years ago, the Rangers and Calgary Flames met up in the finals, pitting two teams that had begun extensive rebuilds at the same time against one another. In that series the Rangers dropped four straight games, but to many, they expected the Rangers to return next year.
 

The Rangers would love to capture a bit of the Moose's magic to try and bring the cup back to New York for the first time in 18 years.
Three years later, the Rangers have returned, albeit after a very narrow escape in round one from the Philadelphia Flyers, who pushed the Rangers to overtime in game seven before falling. Both teams have been tested and bent these playoffs, but neither broke and is now four hard-fought wins away from a WCHL crown.

(4 in West) Colorado Avalanche vs. (3 in East) New York Rangers- The Avalanche have shown great resiliency in these playoffs, much more than would be expected from a team which is fresh off a Cup title. The Avalanche fell behind 1-0 in their first round series and 2-0 in the third round against the high-powered Calgary Flames. In both cases, they replied with four straight wins to move on. In round two they didn't even let the Anaheim Ducks get started, sweeping the youthful and talented Ducks in four straight games. After posting 111 points in the regular season, Colorado is a very impressive 12-3 so far this post season, 12-2 in their last 14 games.
 

Probably it will come down to Henrik Lundqvist on whether or not the Rangers win the cup.

For the Rangers, they are also on a great roll lately. After watching the Flyers battle back from a 3-1 deficit to tie the series at 3-3, the Rangers have gone 9-2 since then, losing just a pair of games to the upstart Buffalo Sabres in the third round. This follows an underrated regular season in which the Rangers coasted behind the high-powered Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference much of the season and still managed to pick up 116 points. The Rangers have shown some stutters in the playoffs, and have lost back-to-back games twice in the post-season. Needless to say a similar mistake in the finals could cost them everything.

While the matchup pits two of the game's best netminders against one another in Colorado's Ilya Bryzgalov versus the Rangers Henrik Lundqvist, the Rangers offense has been outstanding this post-season, led by the duo of Tomas Fleischmann and Johan Franzen, who have scored 24 goals so far between them, 15 of which are on the powerplay. For the Avalanche meanwhile, this cup finals just took on an entirely new demeanor, as all-world defenseman Niklas Lidstrom just announced yesterday he will be retiring after the finals, ending a sure-fire Hall of Fame career. The blueliner is going out with a bang, as he is currently leading all playoff defensemen in scoring with 16 points in 15 games, including one of only four shorthanded goals scored in the playoffs, while sitting second in shot blocks with 31.
 

Arguably the greatest defenseman in WCHL history, Niklas Lidstrom is hoping to go out with a bang in leading the Colorado Avalanche to back-to-back WCHL Cup titles.

This series could come down to Lidtsrom himself. The blueliner will most likely be matched up against his former teammate Franzen and if he can limit Franzen's offense, it could be what swings this series in favor of the Avalanche. If not, and the Rangers can get a few past Bryzgalov, it could be tough for the Avalanche to comeback considering they have a line up filled with good, solid, but not star level forwards who would need to trump Lundqvist. Prediction: New York Rangers in seven games.

ACHL Finals

(1 in West) Abbotsford Heat vs. (6 in East) Norfolk Admirals- Abbotsford in six games.

It was a shocking defeat for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who fell in Round Two to the Buffalo Sabres.
 
While the fall of the San Jose Sharks in the first round and the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round were headline grabbing news, the third round will be likely more prominent for the Western Conference title bout.
 
The Calgary Flames will take on the Colorado Avalanche in what is sure to be one of the best series of the past few years. Colorado is attempting to repeat as champions while the Flames are trying to overcome two straight poor playoff showings after winning the WCHL Cup in Season 11.
 
The Eastern Conference showdown isn't as sexy, with the New York Rangers battling the upstart Buffalo Sabres, but it will still be interesting to see if an underdog once again finds a way to the WCHL finals.
 
Here are my predictions for the WCHL and ACHL conference finals.
 
Western Conference
 
(2) Calgary Flames vs. (4) Colorado Avalanche- Someone is going to have their eight game winning streak snapped in this series opener, and it will be interesting to see how each team responds in what is sure to be their first serious test of the post-season.
 
Calgary is on absolute fire, blowing through the seventh seeded St. Louis Blues and eighth seed Columbus Blue Jackets in a pair of four game sweeps, outscoring them by a 46-16 margin. Outside of a 3-2 overtime win in game three against Columbus, the Flames have barely been challenged, winning every other game by at least three goals.
 

Expect there to be plenty of activity around the Colorado Avalanche net this series. 
 
Colorado is coming in a bit more battle tested having faced the fifth seeded Vancouver Canucks and third seeded Anaheim Ducks. Despite losing their first game against Vancouver 6-3, Colorado has still outscored the opposition by a 39-33 margin. Remarkably, Colorado is 7-0 in one-goal games, including an overtime win to finish off the Canucks.
 
If Colorado can keep the games close, they will take this series, as they have shown the ability to bend but not break most nights. Calgary on the other hand has far more firepower than any team the Avalanche has faced and in all likelihood; this could be a showdown for the WCHL Cup right here. If Calgary can get their offense clicking, they could prove to be too much for the Avalanche. Prediction: Calgary Flames in six games.
 
Eastern Conference
 
(3) New York Rangers vs. (7) Buffalo Sabres- Oddly enough; it's the Sabres who have had the better success to this point of the two teams in the Eastern Conference finals.
 
The Sabres knocked off the second seeded Carolina Hurricanes and the top ranked Pittsburgh Penguins, doing so with surprising ease in the process. Goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff made himself a Conn Smythe candidate in the Pittsburgh series, stopping 201 of 215 shots in the series for a .935 save percentage, despite being out shot 215-151, or an average of 11 shots per game. If the Rangers don't get to the 'Kipper,' they could easily face the same fate as the high-flying Penguins.
 

This series is likely to be all about defense and goaltending, something both teams are strong in.
 
For the Rangers, while they surprisingly breezed through the defending Eastern Conference champion, and cross-city rival, New York Islanders in four games, they nearly didn't get out of the first round after having to work a game seven overtime win to get past the Philadelphia Flyers. Seemingly learning their lesson, the Rangers picked it up in round two and will need to carry that moment against the Sabres.
 
Odds are for this series that the winner of game one will take it all, as it seems like whoever gets ahead early stays ahead for the long haul. If the Rangers have settled in, they should be the better team, but never count out an underdog who has reached this far in the WCHL playoffs. Prediction: New York Rangers in seven games. 
 
ACHL Playoff Predictions
 
Western Conference
 
(1) Abbotsford Heat vs. (4) Milwaukee Admirals- Milwaukee in seven games.
 
Eastern Conference
 
(4) Albany Devils vs. (6) Norfolk Admirals- Norfolk in seven games.

The Blue Jackets celebrate their game seven victory over the heavily-favored San Jose Sharks.
 
Even though the first round seen the number of teams cut from 16 to eight still in the hunt for the Stanley Cup, there are three more grueling rounds left for the remaining teams to fight through.
 
One massive upset was recorded in the first round, as the Columbus Blue Jackets, the eighth seed in the West, knocked off the top-seeded San Jose Sharks in seven games. The defeat was so stunning to the Sharks; General Manager Kurt Fulmore said changes could be on the way for a team that has faced huge playoff disappointments in recent years.
 
Unless the Blue Jackets continue their high level play, the Western Conference will see a team try and win their second WCHL Cup. Of the four remaining teams from the West, only the Blue Jackets have not won the Cup.
 
In the east, only the Pittsburgh Penguins stand as former cup champions of the remaining four teams, though both the New York Islanders and the New York Rangers have reached the finals. The Buffalo Sabres remain as the lone team with no WCHL Cup finals experience from the east.
 
Who will advance to the semi-finals? Read on to find out who I predict will move on.
 
Western Conference
 
(2) Calgary Flames vs. (8) Columbus Blue Jackets
 
Talk about unexpected. The Blue Jackets were supposed to just be happy to make the playoffs, but not so fast. Rather, they hit the playoffs running, rolling out to a 2-0 lead and then bounced back from back-to-back home losses to record a 4-3 series win over the San Jose Sharks in a series that seen the road team win every game.
 

The Blue Jackets have been taking evryone by surprise, including this Flames fan.
 
Calgary meanwhile went the polar opposite of San Jose. While the Sharks struggled in a series in which they were heavily favored, the Flames absolutely destroyed the St. Louis Blues in four straight games, many of which weren't even close. If Calgary's top line of Daniel Briere, Mike Richards and Steven Stamkos combined for 12 goals and 30 points as they destroyed the Blues.
 
Columbus, as inexperienced as they are, proved they shouldn't be taken lightly. Calgary proved they aren't about to take anyone lightly this year, which means they should escape with a series win. Prediction: Calgary in five games.
 
(3) Anaheim Ducks vs. (4) Colorado Avalanche
 
The Anaheim Ducks had an early hiccup against the Los Angeles Kings in the first round, losing games one and two at home. Unlike the Sharks however, the Ducks rebounded to roll through the Kings in four straight after that, allowing them to hold bragging rights over their archrival Kings as well as the entire state of California.
 

The Avalanche have been on cloud nine since last years' playoffs and look to keep that run going against the Ducks.
 
The Avalanche meanwhile also won four straight after dropping the first game and appear to be in great shape to repeat as Cup champion this year with the Sharks out of the way. No cup champion has repeated since the Sharks won two straight WCHL Cup's in Seasons 2 and 3 and Colorado would love to buck that trend this year.
 
As odd as it sounds, the Avalanche enter this series will no pressure to win. After the huge deal that sent Sidney Crosby packing to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Ducks immediately sent the message that this season was win or bust, so a loss in round two would be considered an underachievement. Never let the defending Cup champions go through a series pressure free. Prediction: Colorado in six games.
 
Eastern Conference
 
(1) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (7) Buffalo Sabres
 
The Penguins faced a David and Goliath situation in round one and came through with flying colors, destroying the Ottawa Senators in four games. Now they face a slightly better team in the Sabres in round two. While Buffalo is a bit better, Pittsburgh should have a major edge in most areas again.
 

The Buffalo Sabres will need to play the Pittsburgh Penguins very hard if they hope to have a chance of victory.
 
Buffalo is making sure this season is better than last year, where they failed to even make the playoffs. Now, they are into the second round and eyeing up a conference finals appearance. Expect them to try and slow down the high-flying Penguins who certainly have much more firepower than the Sabres.
 
While Buffalo will fair better than the Senators, its likely Pittsburgh will continue to roll forward. Expect some closer games, but also expect Pittsburgh to be on the better end of most nights. Prediction: Pittsburgh in five games.
 
(3) New York Rangers vs. (4) New York Islanders
 
The Rangers looked like they would get through their first round series against the Philadelphia Flyers easily, taking a 3-1 lead. After the Flyers roared back, the Rangers finally put them away in overtime in game seven, narrowly escaping with a series win.
 

Hate may be to nice of a word to describe the feelings between the Rangers and Islanders.
 
That close victory could be costly in this series as the Rangers may have wanted the extra time to rest up for the Islanders. This year is looking to familiar for the Islanders, who parlayed a seven game series win in the opening round last year, a series which pitted the fourth and fifth seeds against each other as well, into a dramatic run through the playoffs, losing in the WCHL Cup finals in seven games to the Avalanche.
 
This is the second time the Islanders and Rangers have met up in as many years. Last year, the Islanders ran out to a 3-0 series lead before winning the series and defeating the Penguins in the third round. Things are shaping up that way again for the Islanders, defeating the Canadiens in seven games in round one. The Rangers are going to try to buck history but it will be tough. Prediction: New York Islanders in six games.
 
ACHL Cup predictions:
 
Western Conference
 
(1) Abbotsford Heat vs. (7) Worchester Sharks: Abbotsford in six games
(3) Oklahoma City Barons vs. (4) Milwaukee Admirals: Milwaukee in seven games
 
Eastern Conference
 
(1) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins vs. Norfolk Admirals: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in five games
(2) St. John's Icecaps vs. (4) Albany Devils: St. John's in seven games