In a past life, when I was a full-time sportswriter going to games and not just spewing nonsense into a Google Doc from my couch, I once had a moral quandary that I still think about to this day. During my tenure covering the Everett Silvertips and the Western Hockey League (WHL) for the Daily Herald in Everett, there was a time when, due to injuries, a local goalie prospect was asked to fill in for the Silvertips for a game on an emergency basis.
The player’s name wasn’t made public. As a journalist, that immediately caused alarm bells to go off in my head, but when I asked then Silvertips general manager Garry Davidson why that was the case, he said it was because that kid might want to retain his NCAA eligibility. Even suiting up in a WHL game could jeopardize it.
That rationale made perfect sense, and in the interest of not torpedoing a player’s career, I decided not to disclose his name.
But I was conflicted, and I know I wasn’t the only WHL writer in that situation. Rumblings about this topic could one day eliminate awkward conundrums like this one.
On the 32 Thoughts Podcast on Feb. 5, Sportsnet’s Eliotte Friedman said the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) and NCAA are contemplating an agreement to allow CHL players to play in the NCAA.
“I think we are getting there, I really do,” Friedman said.
NCAA players could always pivot to the CHL – Exhibit A: Kiefer Bellows, who left Boston University after one season and joined the Portland Winterhawks for the 2017-18 season. Exhibit B: Kraken prospect Tyson Jugnauth left the Wisconsin Badgers earlier this season and also joined the Winterhawks. It doesn’t happen often, but that’s an option for players.
Due to NCAA amateurism rules, though, CHL players can’t do the reverse (outside of a few random, mysterious exceptions that seemingly slipped through the cracks, like Austin Swankler). Once players sign a contract with a CHL team, their NCAA eligibility is gone because they receive per diems and play against players who have signed professional contracts.
The agreement between the CHL and NCAA is far from a done deal, and it may be an uphill battle to get this over the line. According to a tweet from Jimmy Connelly of USCHO.com, NCAA coaches have little support for letting CHL players play college hockey.
According to a source familiar with the discussions, the potential @NCAA legislation that would allow @CHLHockey players to play @collegehockey after playing Major Juniors does not have strong support among NCAA D1 coaches and athletic directors. Likely a dead issue. @USCHO
However, with name, image, and likeness (NIL) rules offering monetary options, most notably with college football and college basketball, it’s hard to see this issue dying immediately.
Here’s what something like this would mean for the hockey world if an agreement was enacted.
Who benefits more: NCAA or CHL?
There are multiple trains of thought on this subject.
The consensus seems that this wouldn’t be good for NCAA programs because they are already getting the top American players, and the level of play is already high.
In other words, they don’t need the CHL’s player pool, and it might make recruiting more complicated than it is now. Although there are exceptions to this rule, generally, the top Americans play college hockey, and the top Canadians play in the CHL (I wrote a story for the Herald years back about how complex recruiting American players is for WHL teams like the Silvertips, and it’s one I’m really proud of!).
Now, you would think that NCAA programs would love a second chance at landing top American players like former Everett Silvertips goalie and California native Dustin Wolf, because, under the current rules, once he plays in a CHL game, he’s ineligible to play in an NCAA game.
However, the upside of stealing a CHL player once they can enroll in college doesn’t outweigh the risk of top Americans eventually staying in the CHL.
Maybe it’s paranoia, but perhaps there’s some truth to it. Good friend of the Sound Of HockeyPodcast Chris Peters mentioned on his podcast, Talking Hockey Sense, that a benefit to drafting CHL prospects is that NHL teams can sign them and keep them in junior hockey. NCAA athletes can’t sign professional contracts and maintain eligibility. Peters cited Shane Wright as an example, as Seattle signed him and gave him a chance to make the NHL roster before eventually sending him back to junior hockey.
For CHL teams, this is less complicated.
Yes, losing a top player to college hockey as soon as they’re drafted would sting – could you imagine Mathew Barzal leaving the Seattle Thunderbirds for the University of Denver right after being drafted by the Islanders? But getting players like Macklin Celebrini to play their 16- and 17-year-old seasons for the Thunderbirds – Seattle drafted him in the 2021 U.S. WHL prospects draft – before heading to college at 18 would likely outweigh those downsides for CHL teams.
Could this help NCAA hockey expand to the West Coast?
Perhaps. With the player pool expanding, thus creating more pathways to compose competitive rosters, it could create a push for some schools to make the leap and add men’s hockey.
What happens to other junior leagues like the BCHL?
Unfortunately, the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) and other junior leagues like the United States Hockey League (USHL) will be collateral damage if this agreement is ever implemented.
Since the BCHL and USHL don’t allow players with professional contracts, several college-bound players gravitate toward these leagues as stepping stones from youth hockey to college hockey. Currently, players typically have a two-to-three-year window from when they are 16-to-18 years old to play in these leagues.
Without current restrictions in place, the talent of these leagues will dip quite a bit, as the CHL is viewed as a more advanced and prestigious league.
The agreement would also hurt teams in “U Sports,” Canada’s collegiate athletics governing body, whose teams typically receive the CHL players who either aren’t good enough for professional hockey or aren’t interested in it. With any agreement, CHL players have more options post-playing career.
Who would this agreement benefit the most?
Such an agreement would benefit the players, and that’s what makes this nearly a no-brainer in my mind.
Overall, I am intrigued by the potential benefits for players, who would no longer need to decide and commit to a path by the time they are 16. They can keep their options open while putting themselves in the best position possible.
You’ve seen a “player empowerment” movement in college sports, allowing athletes to earn what they’re worth through NIL deals and more freedom on where to play with the “transfer portal.” These new standards have created some consternation, though, particularly for head coaches in college football and basketball having to navigate a new reality.
NCAA coaches won’t like this. BCHL and USHL programs will take a significant hit. Some CHL franchises will hate seeing their players plucked by NCAA teams. “U Sports” won’t have the same CHL pipeline it’s used to seeing.
But ultimately, player development wins from all of this. That’s all that should matter.
Header photo by Brian Liesse. Photo courtesy of the Seattle Thunderbirds.
For veteran WHL players like Spokane Chiefs forward Shea Van Olm, playoff experience he has already garnered needs to rub off on the teammates around him. Harnessing confidence could be the difference between winning and losing in an upcoming playoff series.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to play in two Memorial Cups now,” Van Olm, who played in the previous two Memorial Cups with the Edmonton Oil Kings and the Kamloops Blazers, said. “I’m trying to bring the experience I have and bring my advice and knowledge into our locker room now that shows what it takes to go on a deep playoff run.”
For Van Olm and other 20-year-old players set to graduate out of the WHL, the regular season has flown by too fast. He and others will look to extend their respective seasons for as long as possible.
Deep playoff runs are in the plans for every team qualified in the U.S. Division, especially the top two.
Portland Winterhawks: 46-15-3-1–96pts
Back on top of the standings are the Portland Winterhawks, winning their first U.S. Division championship since the canceled 2019-20 season. They will compete as the top U.S. seed in the playoffs for the first time since 2014-15, back when current Seattle Kraken forward Oliver Bjorkstrand was on the team.
It’s been yet another week in the CHL Top 10 rankings for them too, checking in at No. 4, after statement victories against the Tri-City Americans and Wenatchee Wild. The Winterhawks pummeled the Americans on Friday night, 11-1. Forward Nate Danielson caught fire yet again, with two goals and two assists in that game, but so did the Winterhawks social media team with this laugh-out-loud tweet in response to the Kelowna Rockets.
At 7-0-1-0 in the month of March, they’ve outscored opponents 44 to 20. Their plus-123 goal differential for the season is still among the best across the entire CHL.
The Winterhawks are guaranteed to finish as either the first or second seed in the Western Conference and are sitting a point behind the Prince George Cougars for first place. They face three games in three days to round out the regular season this weekend, with a road trip to Tri-City on Thursday and then a home-and-home series with the Seattle Thunderbirds on Saturday and Sunday.
With these upcoming games against eliminated opponents, as well as having an extra game in hand on Prince George, the weekend presents a good opportunity for the Winterhawks to catch and surpass the Cougars and snatch the top spot in the conference. Portland will face either Kelowna, Victoria, or Spokane in the first round.
Everett Silvertips: 43-18-2-3–91pts
The Silvertips are officially locked into the third seed in the Western Conference playoffs and are on a five-game winning streak. They will look to stretch the ice to continue to create offense in the playoffs.
“The biggest thing is staying strong and making sure we’re playing to our identity,” Silvertips defenseman Kaden Hammell said. “It’s been really good going into [this time of year] so far, and hopefully that means we can go into the playoffs feeling really good, too.”
Everett will stick to its foundations of rolling all four lines and finding the depth contributions from everyone on the ice.
The Silvertips will have home-ice advantage in Round 1 at Angel of the Winds Arena, with possible opponents being Wenatchee, Vancouver, Kelowna, Victoria, and Spokane.
Wenatchee Wild: 33-29-4-0–70pts
The final push for the Wild has felt like more of a nudge. There’s no real leadership presence on the forward side to drive the play themselves, and the defensive side looks bleaker by the game.
Outside of Graham Sward, their defensemen looked lethargic against the Spokane Chiefs on Sunday, leading to a 6-1 defeat.
A lack of physicality and no answers for dynamic players are a few of the causes for concern, especially when the Wild go to the penalty kill. The Wild have killed just 74.1 percent of their penalties on the season, sixth worst in the league.
The Wild wrap up their inaugural WHL regular season with road games on Friday in Victoria and Saturday in Everett. They are currently occupying the fourth seed in the Western Conference, but only three points separate them from the current sixth-seeded Kelowna Rockets, making them eligible for seeds four through six. With their likely playoff opponent being either Vancouver or Kelowna, just one point on the weekend clinches them home-ice advantage in the first round.
Spokane Chiefs: 29-31-5-1–64pts
What an awesome way to clinch a playoff spot. With the game looking destined for overtime, thanks to a tying goal from Chiefs phenom Berkly Catton with 2:10 left, Will McIsaac finished off found a winner with 13.6 seconds remaining in regulation. McIsaac claimed to have “blacked out” after from the high emotions.
🍀 | Where there’s a Will there’s a way (to the playoffs)!
With 13 seconds left in regulation, Will McIsaac punched our ticket to the post-season with his 6th goal of the year! Berkly Catton and Conner Roulette earned assists on the play.#GoChiefsGo | @walotterypic.twitter.com/bckzPD1eBd
Spokane coach Ryan Smith wants the focus to remain one game at a time, not worrying about playoffs until the official end of the season.
“We’ve got to worry about next weekend first,” Smith said. “We don’t know who we’re going to play, but it’ll be a tough matchup whoever it is. But we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. We’re focused on getting ourselves healthy and going the right way.”
The Chiefs finish up the year with road games in Seattle and Tri-City and have the possibility of finishing as high as the sixth seed. Spokane will likely face either Prince George or Portland in the first round, and due to strenuous travel to and from both cities, the series would be formatted in a two home, three road, two home format instead of a more traditional two-two-one-one-one.
The WHL playoffs are set to begin Friday, March 29. Series previews to come next week.
Header photo taken by Brian Liesse, courtesy Seattle Thunderbirds.
The final leg of the WHL regular season is on. Clinching scenarios, positioning battles, and many different teams making last-ditch efforts to make the dance have been just some of the storylines to come out of the league during the second half. With just two weeks until the season concludes, the time to push is now.
Portland Winterhawks: 43-15-2-1 — 89 points
A favorite throughout the year to win the Ed Chynoweth Cup has been the Portland Winterhawks, and for good reason. The Winterhawks have been one of the most well-rounded teams in not just the WHL, but the CHL as a whole. They rank second among all CHL teams in goals scored at 300 and eighth in goals allowed at 184.
The CHL itself agrees with the sentiment of Portland being among the best nationally, as the Winterhawks have been included in 19 out of the 22 CHL Top 10 lists put out bi-weekly throughout the season. With two weeks to go before the regular season concludes, Portland is exactly where it expected to be.
Winterhawks defenseman and Seattle Kraken prospect Tyson Jugnauth was on the CHL TopX Show this week, stating the importance of clinching home-ice advantage in the playoffs and being only a point behind Prince George for the Western Conference lead. “To secure that top spot is gonna be huge,” Jugnauth said. “It’s talked about in the room… it’s more important to us to win each game every night. [We] hope to be in first by the end of the season and hope to be in the Memorial Cup.”
Jugnauth has seven goals and 25 assists in 31 games since joining the Winterhawks in November. He made it a point to mention his team’s balanced attack being about as good as it gets in the league, which is spot on for what this group has accomplished. Nine total players on the roster have 15 or more goals on the season, and there are 12 players with over 30 total points, both of which rank among the best in the league.
“We’re a really consistent team,” Jugnauth said. “We play with skill and [have] poise with the puck every single night. I think the biggest thing is it’s hard for teams to handle the depth… We have four good lines, six good defensemen, and two good goalies… Over the course of 60 minutes, that just wears different teams down.”
Highlighted by Gabe Klassen who recently hit the 100-point mark on the season, James Stefan with 46 goals, top five in the WHL, and San Jose Sharks prospect Lucas Cagnoni leading all defensemen in assists (63) and tied for points with Wenatchee’s Graham Sward (76), this roster already had plenty of depth before the trade deadline.
Even with all the firepower the Winterhawks already had, general manager and head coach Mike Johnston felt they needed another forward piece to push them over the top. And that’s what he did when Portland acquired Detroit Red Wings first-round pick Nate Danielson from the Brandon Wheat Kings at the WHL trade deadline. Danielson has nine goals and 21 assists in 23 games played with the Winterhawks, and the team has benefited from the added production, going 19-4-0-0 since Danielson entered the lineup on Jan. 17.
So, what could do Portland in? Despite having a gargantuan 35-13-1-1 record against teams currently in playoff positioning, the thorn in the Winterhawks’ side throughout the year has been a team they might face in the first round of the playoffs. Portland has one more meeting with the Spokane Chiefs before the end of the season, having gone 4-2-0-0 against the Chiefs through their first six meetings, with Spokane winning two out of three of the games played in the Rose City this season. An upset could be in the works if the Winterhawks don’t get off to a fast start in the first few games in a potential series between the two.
The Winterhawks were semifinalists in last year’s playoffs, taking out the Everett Silvertips in five games in Round 1 before being swept by the Memorial Cup hosts Kamloops Blazers in round two.
With Memorial Cups in 1982-83 and 1997-98, as well as a WHL championship under Johnston in 2012-13, the current version of this Portland team is about as good as it gets in the league this season, and it is poised to make a run at a fourth Memorial Cup appearance.
Everett Silvertips: 41-18-2-3 — 87 points
Another team that’s been electrifying on home ice this season has been the Everett Silvertips. The environment in Everett is about as good as you can find in the Western Hockey League, and there’s no exception come playoff time. The cowbells will be in full effect when they ring in the first round at Angel of the Winds Arena at the end of March.
The Silvertips hold the third-best winning percentage in the WHL on home ice, having lost just twice since the calendar flipped to 2024, and they haven’t lost back-to-back games at home all season. Defenseman and Kraken prospect Kaden Hammell knows how the benefits of home ice will aid his team.
“Holding home-ice advantage is very big,”Hammell said. “Having your own fans behind you for the first two games is huge. I think every win matters at this point of the year for that exact reason.”
— x – Everett Silvertips (@WHLsilvertips) March 2, 2024
Top goal scorers in Austin Roest and Dominik Rymon continue the charge for the Silvertips going into the playoffs, and Everett is getting contributions from all four of its forward lines. The roster may not be as deep with talent like the aforementioned Winterhawks, but the Tips can still come at teams in waves and stay in games even when it seems like they’re out of it.
Just last week hosting the Moose Jaw Warriors, the Silvertips clawed back from two separate two-goal deficits to force overtime, gathering the point that would clinch them home-ice advantage in the first round. While they wound up losing in a shootout, they showed they’re a group that gets invigorated by the home crowd.
“Getting to play the extra home game in a series in front of your fans is as important as ever,” Roest said following the game. “In front of these fans, it’s the best place to play regardless. But especially come playoff time.”
The troubling part for this team might just be leaving the friendly confines of Angel of the Winds Arena, as the Silvertips are more mediocre on the road at 18-13-0-0. Also recalling the fact they haven’t won a game against top-seeded Portland at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in over two calendar years, it could mark some trouble if they wind up meeting in the later rounds.
The Silvertips have made the playoffs in every season since their franchise began play in 2003, but they’ve only made the finals twice throughout their 21-year history, losing in the inaugural 2003-04 season to the Medicine Hat Tigers in four games, and again in 2017-18 to the Swift Current Broncos in six games. They had trouble in the first round of last year’s playoffs, struggling to find success down in Portland yet again, and losing in five games.
As of now, Everett would play host to the Victoria Royals in the first round. The Silvertips went 4-0-0-0 against the Royals in the regular season, including taking both games from the Royals in a home-and-home this weekend, winning 4-1 on Friday in Everett, and 6-2 on Saturday in Victoria.
Wenatchee Wild: 32-26-4-0 –68 points
It’s been a tale of two halves for the Wenatchee Wild in their inaugural season in the WHL. Despite trading away Conor Geekie and Matthew Savoie in January, the Wild maintained a steady pace in the Western Conference playoff picture, clinching their first ever appearance in the WHL playoffs.
There’s no true gamebreakers on this roster right now, though, and it could be a fatal flaw when they begin the first round. They have capable scoring pieces, like the team’s lone 30-goal scorer Kenta Isogai, and a pair of near-25-goal scorers in Briley Wood and Evan Friesen. But they now lack the elite talent that Geekie and Savoie brought in the first half of the season.
This is a team with some serious playoff experience, however. The Wild, when they were known as the Winnipeg Ice, made the WHL Finals last season, falling in five games to the Seattle Thunderbirds. The franchise has one Memorial Cup win in 2001-02, as well as three WHL championships in 1999-00, 2001-02, and 2010-11 from their days in Cranbrook, B.C., as the Kootenay Ice.
Seeing them be more careful with the puck in their own zone would help their goaltending, but it’s difficult to see how they will generate enough offense, especially against a clamp-down defensive opponent like the Kelowna Rockets.
Spokane Chiefs: 27-29-5-1 — 60 points
While they haven’t officially clinched a playoff spot as of now, being 10 points ahead of the Tri-City Americans with fewer than eight games left in the regular season makes it safe to assume the Chiefs will be the last team to make the playoffs in the Western Conference.
While they will likely be the eight seed, Spokane is not a team to fool around with. It’s hard to ask for much else from a top-line combination of leading scorer Berkly Catton (106 points), Conner Roulette (97), and Shea Van Olm leading the way, but they will need those guys to have huge performances, as well as timely goaltending performances from Dawson Cowan to survive past Round 1.
Catton became the fourth player in the WHL to surpass the 100-point mark, as well as the third to surpass 50 goals. His week was highlighted by a gorgeous move to get around two Victoria Royals defenders on the way to putting it in the back of the net.
BERKLY CATTON CANNOT BE STOPPED 🚨🚨
His 47th goal of the season and 4th point of the night gives the Chiefs a two-goal cushion at 1:40 of the third. Assist to Parrsy.#GoChiefsGopic.twitter.com/h8n4IuNt25
Assuming they clinch their spot, the Chiefs will return to the playoffs after a one-year hiatus from postseason play, last making it in 2021-22 when they were swept by the Kamloops Blazers in Round 1. The Chiefs have two WHL championships and two Memorial Cup championships in franchise history, winning in both 1990-91 and 2007-08.
On the outside looking in: Seattle Thunderbirds (50 points) and Tri-City Americans (47)
There’s not much to write home about for either of these squads this season. The Thunderbirds have felt like a shell of their former championship-level selves all season, with many of their players graduating out of hte WHL and many of their returning players suffering long-term injuries at various stages of the season. And for the Americans, what looked like it was about to be a strong season from their quick start in October quickly got away from them. Both teams have solid foundational pieces that they will look to nurture for better results next season.
Neither team is officially eliminated, but the playoffs are becoming less likely by the day for these clubs.
Entry-level contracts signed
Austin Roest has been one of the more consistent players on the Silvertips this season, as he’s above a point-per-game pace at 32 goals and 31 assists in 56 games. The Nashville Predators drafted Roest in the sixth round of the 2023 NHL Draft, and last Friday, he signed his entry-level contract with the organization. Roest was focused on getting a deal done as soon as possible.
Austin Roest has signed an entry-level contract with the #Preds!
“It’s been talked about for the last month or so, so to finally sign it and make it official is an unbelievable feeling,” Roest said. “Ever since I was little, it’s been the goal and the dream [to make the NHL]. To get one step [closer] is an amazing feeling and tough to describe how it feels.”
Nashville did quite the business within the U.S. division this week. On Thursday, the Colorado Avalanche signed Seattle Thunderbirds defenseman Jeremy Hanzel to an entry-level contract, then promptly dealt him to Nashville as part of the Yakov Trenin trade. In return, the Avalanche received Wenatchee Wild defenseman Graham Sward, along with a 2025 third-round pick.
The first round of the WHL playoffs are set to begin on March 29. Header photo by Brian Liesse, courtesy Seattle Thunderbirds.
This is Part II of a two-part series looking at the best players at each position group for every team in the WHL’s U.S. Division. Part I looked at the goalies. In Part II, we are coupling forwards and defensemen, as teams gear up for playoff pushes.
This is not a ranking of players, nor how they project as NHLers, rather which players are helping to lead their respective teams this season. We’ve listed them in order of their team’s place in the standings simply to point out which individuals you should keep an eye on down the stretch.
Forwards
Portland Winterhawks: Gabe Klassen
55 GP: 31 G – 61 A — 91 PTS, 1.67 PTS/G
Portland is stacked at almost every position, especially in the forward corps, which is lush with players who have the knack to score almost at will. But this season, Gabe Klassen has shown that he is the most seasoned of the bunch. Klassen, at 61 assists, is second among all overagers, but he can also shoot from almost anywhere in the attacking zone. And frequently, his shots find twine, as he sports an above-average 14.0 shooting percentage.
Honorable mention: James Stefan
Everett Silvertips: Ben Hemmerling
57 GP: 26 G – 52 A — 78 PTS, 1.37 PTS/G
The Everett Silvertips are no strangers to finding goals this year themselves, being are tied for second for total goals scored at 254 on the year. Contributing to over 30 percent of their goals this season has been center Ben Hemmerling.
Vegas was lucky to grab Hemmerling in the third round of the 2022 NHL Draft, a player with as much skill in open ice as any player in the Western Hockey League. Despite only having 26 goals on the year, he shoots like crazy, leading the entire WHL in shots on goal with 283. Hemmerling signed an entry-level contract with Vegas early this season.
HM: Dominik Rymon
Wenatchee Wild: Kenta Isogai
52 GP: 25 G – 49 A — 74 PTS, 1.42 PTS/G
With Conor Geekie and Matthew Savoie gone (traded at the WHL trade deadline), Kenta Isogai is left to help pick up the pieces and carry the Wild towards the playoffs. He groups together speed, quick hands, and shot accuracy to make up for his size (5-foot-10, 158 pounds). He has taken games into his own hands with his offensive prowess and currently leads Wenatchee forwards in goals, assists, and points.
A larger feature on Berkly Catton was done last week, but to sum it up, he’s been sensational for the Chiefs this season. Catton will be eligible for selection at the 2024 NHL Draft.
HM: Connor Roulette
Tri-City Americans: Jordan Gavin
56 GP: 21 G – 35 A — 56 PTS, 1.00 PTS/G
Jordan Gavin has solid awareness of his surroundings and creates space by using his quick feet, and more often than not makes the correct decision on whether to pass or shoot. At just 17 years old, Gavin leads all Tri-City forwards with 36 assists on the year. He will be NHL Draft eligible in the summer of 2025.
HM: Jake Sloan (24-32–56)
Seattle Thunderbirds: Eric Alarie
51 GP: 16 G – 21 A — 37 PTS, 0.73 PTS/G
There aren’t too many currently outstanding forwards to choose from, given the status of the rebuilding Thunderbirds. So we’ll go with 20-year-old Eric Alarie here, who despite the slowed offensive production from his team all around, has put together a solid season to cap off his time in the WHL. Alarie, acquired from Moose Jaw in a trade on Oct. 4, 2023, leads T-Birds forwards in goals, assists, and points.
Defensemen
Portland: Lucas Cagnoni (SJS)
58 GP: 13 G – 58 A — 71 PTS, 1.34 PTS/G
Lucas Cagnoni is an excellent defender that can be an assist machine on the blue line for the Winterhawks, and he leads all WHL defensemen in helpers with 58. He leads all D-men in points, as well, with 71. Cagnoni makes the right reads at the right times and finds guys open in high-danger areas of the ice. Cagnoni was selected in the fourth round by the San Jose Sharks in the 2023 NHL Draft.
Everett: Parker Berge
58 GP: 12 G – 43 A — 55 PTS, 0.95 PTS/G
Acquired before the trade deadline from the Regina Pats, Parker Berge helped to beef up the Silvertips on the back end. As much as the Silvertips were getting scoring from their forwards, they needed more scoring from their defensemen, and adding a veteran leader like Berge was too good of a fit to pass up. Playing a disciplined game at only 18 penalty minutes on the season, the overager already leads the Silvertips in points by a defenseman at 56.
Wenatchee: Graham Sward (NSH)
54 GP: 13 G – 53 A — 66 PTS, 1.22 PTS/G
Graham Sward has been a consistent force within the Wild organization for the past few seasons. Captaining the Wild in their inaugural campaign, Sward serves as a role model for some of the younger guys on Wenatchee currently. He uses his size to his advantage, as Sward, over his 239-game WHL career, has collected 168 points. He was selected by the Nashville Predators in the fifth round of the 2022 NHL Draft.
Spokane: Saige Weinstein (COL)
51 GP: 8 G – 14 A — 22 PTS, 0.43 PTS/G
This might be more of a projection pick as opposed to current production, but Saige Weinstein could be ready to take the next step into becoming a really solid No. 1 D-man next season. Despite being smaller in size for defensemen at 6-foot-0, 190lbs, 18-year-old Weinstein makes up for it with his defensive positioning and isn’t afraid of the dirtier areas of the ice. It would not surprise me if Spokane eventually names him captain.
Weinstein shared with me what he does to make up for his smaller stature at a defenseman. “I don’t really let my size bring me down,” Weinstein, who has 231 penalty minutes across 173 career WHL games, said. “I play like I’m 6-foot-4. I’m pretty physical, and that’s just my game that I look to bring to the table every night for this team.”
Weinstein signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Colorado Avalanche in October, 2023.
Tri-City: Lukas Dragicevic (SEA)
53 GP: 12 G – 29 A — 41 PTS, 0.77 PTS/G
We’ve already said quite a bit about Lukas Dragicevic and what he could mean for the Seattle Kraken one day, selected in the third round of the 2023 NHL Draft. But right now, he means a lot to the blue line of the Americans, as they vie for one of the final wild card spots in the Western Conference.
Dragicevic has elite offensive awareness that he uses to his advantage when the Americans go on the man advantage. He is in the top 10 in power-play assists by league defensemen with 16. We will have more on him in the weeks ahead.
Seattle: Jeremy Hanzel (COL)
52 GP: 11 G – 36 A — 47 PTS, 0.90 PTS/G
Jeremy Hanzel has arguably been the Thunderbirds’ best skater during this campaign, a returning member of the team that won the WHL championship in 2022-23 and made it all the way to the Memorial Cup Finals. Hanzel learned from graduated T-Birds on what it takes to succeed at this level. With 47 points currently, he will soon pass his 48-point total from last season. This is quite impressive considering the Thunderbirds offense ranks last in the entire WHL in goals for at 144 on the year. Hanzel was selected in the sixth round of the 2023 NHL Draft by the Colorado Avalanche.
Header photo: Kenta Isogai battles for a puck with Jordan Gustafson. (Photo/Brian Liesse, Seattle Thunderbirds).
While the Kansas City Chiefs were electrifying the world with their Super Bowl win on Sunday night, we were thinking about a different kind of “Chiefs” team, specifically a key player on the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League. Berkly Catton, a player who has the speed and agility of Patrick Mahomes and the ability to always find open space like Travis Kelce, is making a case to hear his name called early at the 2024 NHL Draft.
A native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Catton spends most of his summers just like any other Canadian kid with NHL aspirations: shooting pucks. The 18-year-old said he takes pride in the amount that goes into working on his shot and how he’s been able to translate that to the WHL.
“I spend a lot of my summers just shooting pucks, learning that it’s not easy to score goals in this league,” Catton said. “I think by doing that I’ve taken my shot to the next level.”
The forward leads the Chiefs with 38 goals on the season, good for fourth in the league. “I’m getting to scoring areas a lot better with the maturity and confidence I have in myself. It’s about growing my game, and it’s been growing quite a lot lately.”
Catton appears on the highlight reel almost every night for the Chiefs and got them on the board twice last Friday against the Tri-City Americans. His first goal was a display of his spatial recognition and passing instincts. It was a goal he said he had “blind confidence” on in his celebration, as no one knew initially the puck was in the net. The goal was confirmed minutes later.
Catton tries to emulate some of the most skilled NHLers to separate himself from other prospects and create open ice. “[I watched] players growing up that had a similar style game I strive to play.” Catton used Jack Hughes as an example of a player he looks up to. “Seeing how they do it, and then implementing that into my game. I think I’m a player that can see those opportunities unfold on the ice, then execute very quickly and quite well.”
While he is on the shorter end for a forward at 5-foot-11, Catton more than makes up for it with his hands and his hockey sense and his explosiveness that allows him to create odd-man opportunities for himself.
He showed off this explosiveness with another highlight on Friday evening with his second goal of the contest. Bolting to support linemate Connor Roulette on a 2-on-1 rush, Roulette found Catton open once he caught up. Catton made a dazzling move down low on Americans goalie Lukas Matecha, a shorthanded goal that extended the Chiefs lead to 4-1.
“I pride myself on my ability to accelerate,” Catton said about how his speed would translate professionally. “Lots goes into having elite-caliber speed, but ultimately it’s about that want and drive to score that a lot of the top-level players have, and I think I have that.”
Catton’s knack to find the open ice, then make smart adjustments on the fly will entice teams with a need for more dynamic offensive players.
Chiefs head coach Ryan Smith had high praise for Catton as well. “He’s simply electric,” Smith said. “One of the best there is in this league, if not the best. His edge work is great, he gets around guys and really controls the puck well.”
For a younger, 2006-born player, it was surprising to hear the list of players Catton rattled off when reminiscing about some of his childhood favorites.
Berkly Catton takes the ice. (Photo/Larry Brunt, Spokane Chiefs)
“There’s so many options, but I probably liked watching Pavel Datsyuk and Sergei Federov the best growing up,” Catton recalled. “Those two were some of the best at creating space and making the most insane plays. Sidney Crosby too, with me being a smaller guy like him, and seeing how well he protects the puck. I have been trying to emulate them as best I can for a long time.”
A budding leader
Another asset of Catton’s game would be his leadership abilities. Of course, he leads the Chiefs statistically in goals, assists, and points (38-44=84), but he is also one of Spokane’s alternate captains and was a captain at this year’s Kubota CHL Top Prospects game in Moncton, New Brunswick.
He has the qualities of making his linemates better while making himself better along the way. “He wants to be the guy to make the plays when he has the puck,” Smith said. “He’s got that confidence about him where he knows that the sky’s the limit, and he’s just going to continue getting better and better.”
Now the main question. Where could Catton end up landing? Most draft rankings have him getting selected in or around the top 10, with the biggest knock on his game being his size. Columbus, Buffalo, Montreal or Minnesota are a few teams bound for a top-10 pick that could use the help to diversify their offensive attack in the ways that Catton can provide.
We do also wonder if the Seattle Kraken might grab Catton, should he be available when they select. The super-skilled forward does fit an organizational need for Seattle, which has shown a penchant for drafting locally, with three prospects playing in the U.S. Division this season. Having that high-end prospect developing in your backyard could be beneficial for both the organization and the player.
While size and physicality features on Catton don’t strike many as appealing, his strong work ethic, offense generation, and elite, game-wrecking instincts may be too good to pass up. Whichever team has the opportunity of drafting him will be getting a developed hockey mind.
Header photo by Larry Brunt, courtesy of the Spokane Chiefs.
This is Part I of a two-part series where we will look at the best player at each position group from each U.S. Division team. This week is a glance at the goaltenders, an area that has seen strong performances of late.
Portland Winterhawks: Jan Spunar
18 GP: 13-3-0-1, 1.73 GAA, 0.933 SV%
One of the most well-rounded teams in the WHL might just have one of the best goaltending situations with the tandem of Jan Spunar and Nick Avakyan finally being at full health. When it comes to identifying who most likely gets the nod going into the playoffs, it’s hard to look away from the abilities of Spunar.
Spunar won WHL Goaltender of the Month in September/October but went down with a lower-body injury in mid-November, sidelining him for over two months. Portland has had it rough on the injury end with goalies, at one point being down to their fourth-string netminder. Fortunately, this tough stretch didn’t phase the Winterhawks, who still sit in first place in the Western Conference.
With a WHL-leading 1.63 GAA and .936 SV% through the months of September and October, @pdxwinterhawks netminder Jan Špunar is the WHL Goaltender of the Month!
Spunar, still leading the league for goals against average at 1.73, returned to the lineup this past Friday against the Kelowna Rockets. He didn’t skip a beat, only allowing one goal while stopping 28 Rockets shots, then stopping 25 of 26 shots the following night against Seattle.
Spunar is ranked No. 21 by NHL Central Scouting for North American Goaltenders.
Honorable Mention: Nick Avakyan (13-7-1-0, 3.81 GAA, 0.876 SV%)
Everett Silvertips: Tyler Palmer
34 GP: 21-8-1-2, 2.57 GAA, 0.909 SV%
It’s hard to pick just one goalie from a true tandem that the Silvertips have going, especially with the amount of success their goalies have brought this season. Everett currently holds the second seed in the Western Conference, but if our rankings are based off statistics and eye test alone, Tyler Palmer has been the rock in net for the Silvertips. Palmer, like the rest of the Silvertips, shines brightest at Angel of the Winds Arena, where he has gone 13-3-1 on the year.
Palmer displayed his impressive athleticism on Sunday with a 28-save performance against the Wenatchee Wild. He took home the first star that night as the Silvertips cruised to a 6-1 win.
A veteran by Western Hockey League standards at this point, Daniel Hauser has a ridiculous .785 win percentage since entering the league in 2020-21. While the winning has slowed considerably this season for Hauser, who has seen more losses in 2023-24 than the entirety of his time with the now-defunct Winnipeg Ice, he’s still producing and helping lead the Wild down the stretch into the playoffs.
Playing in a total of 31 playoff games with a career save percentage of 0.907 over the past two seasons, it might be the experience Hauser has in those high-pressure moments that can help carry the Wild farther than anticipated.
While it hasn’t been the most consistent of seasons for the Spokane Chiefs, one thing they haven’t lacked is consistency from their 18-year-old starting goalie.
Draft eligible this coming summer, Dawson Cowan has been a stable force for the Chiefs. Despite sporting a losing record this season, Spokane is also privy to seeing 35-plus shots per game, with Cowan having to do much of the heavy lifting.
When I observed Spokane in December, one of the main draws from the amount Cowan played was how much confidence he had in his game. Even with his hefty workload, Cowan has shown the poise and alertness that goaltenders are expected to have at the next level.
Cowan represented the Chiefs at the Kubota CHL Top Prospects Game in Moncton, New Brunswick. He is ranked fifth by NHL Central Scouting for North American Goaltenders.
Tri-City Americans: Lukas Matecha
27 GP, 10-13-1-1, 3.16 GAA, 0.909 SV%
Much like Cowan, Lukas Matecha’s team allows plenty of shots through to him, which can be overwhelming for a young goalie. Also NHL Draft eligible this summer, Matecha has kept the Tri-City Americans afloat during the middle portion of the season and nearing the playoffs.
The 18-year-old from Chrudim, Czech Republic has a large frame at 6-foot-3, 187 pounds, but still makes the proper reads with his responses being adequately quick.
Matecha represented the Americans at the CHL Top Prospects game as well. He is ranked No. 9 by NHL Central Scouting for North American Goaltenders.
Seattle: Scott Ratzlaff (BUF)
32 GP, 13-16-1-0, 3.38 GAA. 0.904 SV%
We might be saving the best for last here. When talking about Scott Ratzlaff and the potential he has to succeed at the NHL level, it’s best not to look at the stat sheet, at least from this season. And even then, he has numbers that are still respectable, even with how low Seattle has sunk in the standings this season. Stats from 2022-23 are way more of a reflection of the type of player and leader Ratzlaff is.
But looking beyond the stats, he’s about the sharpest he’s been all season right now. The way Ratzlaff has been trending with some of the athletic stops he’s made over the past month, including an incredible sprawling save in a game recently against Prince George, it wouldn’t surprise me if he starts to get similar levels of hype and attention that fellow Sabres goaltender Devon Levi has received.
Ratzlaff’s best outing of the season thus far came this past week in Everett, against a Silvertips team with one of the best home records in the league. This was a game he basically won single-handedly for Seattle, as he stopped a whopping 62 of 63 shots faced in the 3-1 victory.
