With Yorkton officially back in the Western Canada Cup field after their second SJHL title earned them their spot in the second ever tournament to decide the Western CJHL bids for the Royal Bank Cup the focus shifts to determining the contenders in a field of five of the best Junior A hockey teams in Western Canada.
Coquitlam (BCHL), Spruce Grove (AJHL), Winnipeg (MJHL) and hosts Dauphin will be the four teams in the way of the hungry Terriers for the two spots in the RBC Cup in Vernon, BC. With all four teams besides the defending champions from Yorkton being new faces in the WCC here is what you need to know about each team, how they got here, who to watch, and what chances they have at winning the tournament that kicks off this weekend in Dauphin.
Coquitlam Express (BCHL)
Coquitlam's entry into the Western Canada Cup could be received as initial blessing as the Express' 27-26-2-3 record was good enough for just eighth in the BCHL regular season standings, but after a deep playoff run the Express will be looking to carry forward that momentum in order to get a BCHL team to the RBC Cup yet again after the Surrey Eagles won the Western Canada Cup last year in Nanaimo.
How They Got Here
After finishing third in their division, the Express turned it on at exactly the right time in the BCHL Playoffs. Dealing with a seven hour road trip to face Prince George the Express got through Round One before beating the best team in the BCHL in the Langley Rivermen in six games to win the Mainland Division. From there the Express outlasted a three team round robin to advance to the Fred Page Cup to take on the RBC Cup host Vernon Vipers. With Vernon already having an RBC Cup spot as hosts and little to play for it was no surprise that the Express won in four straight games, but their victory in what is regarded as the best Junior A hockey league in the country is something that Western Canada Cup opponents will not be taking lightly.
Who to Watch
Ryan Rosenthal: Coquitlam will arguably go as far as this future Northeastern University talent will take them as the 20 year old Rosenthal already has NCAA aspirations on his mind and will be looking to end his Junior career in style after becoming the star of the 2014 BCHL Playoffs with 14 goals and 21 points. The Express' captain hails from New Jersey and is just one of ten Express players with college commitments already.
Canon/Bo Pieper: Like the Terriers, the Express have themselves a deadly NCAA bound brother duo of their own grabbing headlines. Both Minnesota born and NCAA committed as future Quinnipiac University talents, the Pieper's both broke the 25 goal mark in the regular season and will be key players in the Express' WCC run.
Who's In Goal
Gordie Defiel: Defiel started every playoff game for the Express and should be expected to do so again in the WCC barring injury/rest reasons. Shaky in the regular season with a well below average 20-21 record and a 3.69 GAA things were naturally better for Defiel in the playoffs where he was 14-5 with a 2.69 GAA. If the Express' studded roster wants to continue the BCHL's early dominance under this new RBC Cup qualification format Defiel will have to play like he did in the playoffs, and not like the mediocre goaltender his stats from the regular season indicate.
What are Their Chances?
The Express have to be considered as one of the two favorites to earn a qualification spot in the RBC Cup solely based on the quality of the BCHL, a league that as you can see grabs the best American players who want to ply their trade in Canada without losing their NCAA eligibility. Players like Rosenthal and the Pieper's are what make the BCHL so respected around the country and so dangerous under a one game format like the WCC. If teams don't step up to play the Express' skill could be intimidating for some in Dauphin. Still with their paltry regular season record it is hard to peg Coquitlam as favorites as they will have to prove that they just didn't get hot at the right time in the BCHL Playoffs and that they deserve to be amongst the champions of Western Canada.
Spruce Grove Saints (AJHL)
Just like the Brooks Bandits of the 2013 AJHL Playoffs, Spruce Grove dominated in the regular season before earning their spot in the WCC with a league title. While the Saints may have been more human with 13 losses on the season, a 47-10-3 record as well as a +100 goal differential are eye popping numbers that will help the Saints get a lot of respect from opposing coaches preparing for the quick turnaround from league playoffs to the Cup format.
How They Got Here
Spruce Grove didn't earn the AJHL title without a fight as the Saints nearly were upset in the quarterfinals where after a bye they were nearly upset by Sherwood Park in seven games. From there the Saints were tested yet again in the Conference Finals, nearly getting knocked off in another seven game series with a highly ranked Fort McMurray Oil Barons team that at one point was #1 in the CJHL Top 20. In the AJHL Final things were more easy for the Saints as they swept Drumheller in four straight to lift the Gas Cup.
Who to Watch
Cameron Hughes: Hughes was a top scorer for the Saints in the regular season, but since the playoffs the center has shown more of a flair for playmaking than anything. With just one goal, Hughes still remains a scoring leader for Spruce Grove with a staggering 16 assists. It will be interesting to see if that playmaking can continue in Dauphin.
Parker Mackay: MacKay was the leading scorer for Spruce Grove with 58 points in the regular season before cooling off a bit in the AJHL Playoffs with just 11. If Spruce Grove want to move onto the RBC Cup getting more scoring would be a huge boost.
Who's in Goal
Kenny Cameron: Cameron is the veteran goalie for the Saints and played in all but four of Spruce Grove's playoff games, winning 10 with a GAA of 2.18. The former Medicine Hat Tiger should be expected to start the bulk of the games in Dauphin for the Saints, but they do have a promising youngster in Tanner McCorriston who went 13-3 in the regular season.
What are Their Chances?
Like Coquitlam, the Saints will be hoping that the stereotype of the AJHL and BCHL being a notch above the Prairie leagues holds true and with regular season as well as postseason success Spruce Grove should be considered as favorites. With several NCAA committed players just like the Express there will be pressure on the Saints to show why their system of bringing in college hungry talent breeds success. In enemy territory it may be easier said than done, but based on the regular season records few teams can claim the favorite role as easy as the Saints in this tournament.
Winnipeg Blues (MJHL)
Winnipeg will enter the WCC as one of two host province teams as the reigning MJHL champions, defeating the host Dauphin Kings to complete a wild run to the league title after finishing fourth in the Addison Division during the regular season. Like the Steinbach Pistons last year the Blues will once again be the massive underdogs in the Western Canada Cup, but will be relying on the magic continuing in the WCC while staying in their home province.
How They Got Here
Winnipeg got to the WCC on a wild run to the MJHL Final. After finishing fourth the Blues defeated Winkler before upsetting highly ranked Selkirk and defending champion Steinbach on their way to the final where their appearance in the Western Canada Cup was already assured taking on hosts Dauphin. In the end Winnipeg would lift the MJHL title in a five game series win over the Kings to earn bragging rights and carry momentum forward into the Western Canada Cup.
Who to Watch
Liam Bilton: Bilton was the top scorer in the MJHL Playoffs with 17 points.
Clay Tait: Tait is a hot scoring rookie who was second on the Blues in playoff scoring with 14 points, solid contributions from the 1996 born forward.
Channing Bresciani: Few defenseman have had as successful offensive numbers during the playoffs than Bresciani who posted 13 points and two goals during the MJHL Playoffs, including one game winner.
Who's in Goal
Byron Sprrigs: Sprrigs will be one of the hottest goalies coming into the Western Canada Cup as save for Yorkton's Kale Thomson there is no netminder in better form than Sprrigs. In fact Sprrigs 1.67 GAA over the course of 17 MJHL Playoffs games is better than any goalie in the tournament and the Blues will need that type of effort from Sprrigs as they step up in competition to take on the champions from the rest of Western Canada. With lights out performances against top seeded Selkirk and Steinbach, Sprrigs confidence may just be high enough to make things interesting for opponents trying to outscore the Blues.
What are Their Chances?
Not good, while the Blues may be MJHL champions they will have the hardest path to the Royal Bank Cup. With no home ice advantage or strong regular season to fall back on and one of the weakest rosters in the tournament it would come as no surprise to see the Blues become the first team eliminated from RBC Cup hopes in Dauphin. Still with Sprrigs playing out of his head recently there is hope that the Blues can find enough goaltending to bother teams en route to a Cinderella run, even if the chances of that are slim.
Dauphin Kings (MJHL/Host)
Dauphin are the hosts of the Western Canada Cup and earned an automatic bid to the tournament, but they are no slouches as Sherwood Division champions in both the regular season and playoff champions in reaching the league final. Retooling their roster after a slow start to make a run at a memorable host run in the Western Canada Cup, the Kings will be hoping to showcase their city and Manitoba hockey with a run to the Royal Bank Cup.
How They Got Here
Dauphin finished third in the league in regular season points, beating up on a weak Addison Division where the second place team was 15 points back of the Kings at regular season's end. Starting the playoffs with four straight shutouts against the OCN Blizzard, Dauphin showed just how much better they were than the rest of the Sherwood Division by going 8-0 on their way to the MJHL Finals. In the Final the Kings would fall short to the Winnipeg Blues, losing in five games to the Addison Division champs.
Who to Watch
Dylan Butler: On a balanced team there is not much that sticks out on the Kings roster, but Butler managed to lead the team in playoff scoring with 14 points with seven goals to his credit. Butler also nearly averaged a point per game in the regular season as well, notching 33 points in 34 appearances for the Kings.
Who's in Goal
Michael Stiladis: With a well documented four straight shutouts to start the MJHL Playoffs and 8 straight wins before losing to Winnipeg, Stiladis was red hot in the playoffs before crashing down to earth in the series with the Blues. Stiladis will need to find that form should Dauphin wish to contend as hosts and his stats show that he can do just that, the Kings starter was 21-5 in the regular season with a 2.50 GAA
What are Their Chances?
As hosts the Kings have the best chance to grab the role of underdogs, but like the Blues there are concerns surrounding the MJHL teams in this tournament. Namely the weak schedule the Kings played in a Sherwood Division that's second place team had nearly 20 full points less than the second placed team in the Addison Division in Steinbach. Dauphin will have home ice advantage, but they will have to be aware that their competition will be a lot stiffer than it was most of the season when they were beating up on a division that saw three of its five teams post losing records.
Yorkton Terriers (SJHL)
As you already may know, the Yorkton Terriers are the only WCC team in the field of five that played in the inaugural 2013 tournament in Nanaimo, BC last spring. Returning the majority of their 2012/13 SJHL championship team, Yorkton added last year's SJHL rookie of the year in Brett Boehm and never looked back finishing first in the regular season before running away with the Canalta Cup.
How They Got Here
Yorkton got the Western Canada Cup for two straight seasons based on great roster building, returning well over half their team that one last year's title with many of those players entering their final Junior seasons. With those players improving in terms of skill and experience along with rookies filling into the roles that needed to be filled, Yorkton's excellent home ice play was rewarded with a playoff run that featured just two losses and a sweet sweep of rivals Melville in the final to earn back to back championships.
Who to Watch
Brady/Chase Norrish: It can sometimes be a broken record in Saskatchewan to praise the play of twin brothers Brady and Chase Norrish, but with the brother pair each having SJHL Playoffs MVP trophies to their names in successive years it is hard to not talk about the dynamic defensive duo that has a flair for the offensive highlight. Brady won the 2012 MVP, but this year it was Chase who became a star scoring 15 points in the SJHL Playoffs including a handful of OT winners to lead Yorkton to the title. Both are NCAA bound next season with the RIT Tigers and will be hard for new admirers to turn their eyes off of as they bring their entertaining brand of hockey on the blueline to Dauphin.
Tayler Thompson: One of the more underrated SJHL talents over the past two seasons, Thompson ended his WHL career to return back home to Yorkton and has thrived in a veteran's role on the way to back to back titles. With amazing stickhandling and shooting ability, Thompson's best work can come on the penalty kill as an excellent two way player. After finally breaking out this year with a finish amongst the best scorers in the league, Thompson will likely be looking to end his career on a high note on the Terriers quest for redemption.
Who's in Goal
Kale Thomson: Barring a catastrophic injury there is little doubt that head coach Trent Cassan will be opting to start veteran workhorse Kale Thomson for all of the Terriers Western Canada Cup games as Thomson has thrived under the sole starting role after splitting time with Dawson MacAuley last year. During the playoffs last year Thomson took a seat back to the eventual co-SJHL Finals MVP in MacAuley, but when MacAuley left for the Regina Pats the Yorkton product Thomson took it upon himself to make sure that the Terriers didn't slip between the pipes. Already proving that he can be a starter in the league Thomson played nearly every game this season and set the SJHL record for career shutouts on the way to Goalie of the Year honors. Allowing under a goal per game in the SJHL Finals, Thomson is playing the best hockey of his life and will be looking to take his boyhood team to the Royal Bank Cup with more consistent play in Dauphin.
What are Their Chances?
Yorkton should be considered the tournament favorites regardless of the presence of Spruce Grove or Coquitlam in the field. After all, Yorkton is the only team that has been here before and with so much experience along with the added factor of University of Minnesota-Duluth bound Brett Boehm into the fold the Terriers will also have more firepower than they brought to Nanaimo last spring. Factor in the added year of experience for star defense trio Devon McMullen as well as the Norrish twins and all signs point to the Terriers having an excellent shot at grabbing one of the two spots in the Royal Bank Cup when they leave Dauphin.
