nivek_wahs
09-21-2007, 09:56 AM
http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/news/sports/story.html?id=e36a3a6e-062f-473e-8d1d-6691308f22f9
Forty wins, top-four finish realistic goals
Doug McConachie, The StarPhoenix
Published: Friday, September 21, 2007
Head coach Lorne Molleken knows exactly where he wants his hockey team to be 180 days from now. He wants the Saskatoon Blades to be in the top four in the 12-team WHL Eastern Conference, which would mean home-ice advantage in the opening round of the playoffs.
Starting his fourth season at the helm of the Blades, Molleken has his sights set on producing an eventual Memorial Cup contender. And while the team isn't expected to get there this season, he wants it to get closer to the championship than it has in the last 15 years. At a minimum, he wants the Blades to reach the second round of the playoffs. Better yet, he wants them battling to try and make it to the conference final.
Molleken began the rebuilding last season, the squad finishing one win away from making the playoffs, even with the monumental collapse of the Prince Albert Raiders in the final two months. This is another year in the makeover process.
Saskatoon's 27 wins was respectable, considering the team was one of the youngest in the league. To finish in the top four in the Eastern Conference, however, calls for considerable improvement -- likely 40 wins.
NEW LEADERS
With the return of Justin McCrae, Colton Gillies and Garrett Klotz from NHL camps, the Blades have the pieces of the puzzle in place. The addition from other WHL teams of three 20-year-olds -- D Curtis Patterson, F Chris Durand and F Michael Kaye -- gives the team leadership and strength on the top two lines.
No one in that group, though, has been a 20-goal scorer.
McCrae, who battles hard every night, has had seasons of 17 and 16 goals. Gillies, who had an impressive showing with Team Canada in the Super Series against the Russians, had 13 goals last season, up from six goals the year before as a rookie. Kaye had 10 goals last season, Durand nine.
Both McCrae and Gillies will have 'equals' as linemates and that could mean big things for all of them. Gillies, in particular, had more linemates than leopards have spots through his rookie and sophomore years. This season he doesn't have the pressure of having to do everything himself.
Defence is where question marks abound.
In Teigan Zahn, 17, and Stefan Elliott, 16, the Blades have youthful talent. They're going to be outstanding, just not yet.
Sam Klassen, 18, has to be rock solid. Ryan Funk, also 18, is an unknown after missing two-thirds of the schedule last season with shoulder and groin injuries. Can he come back to the level of promise the Blades saw in him as a 16-year-old?
By trading 19-year-old defenceman Brett Ward on Thursday, Molleken gave his young blue-liners a vote of confidence. Overager Curtis Patterson is the team's most experienced defenceman. Patterson, traded twice, is a stay-at-home rearguard.
Not one of the blue-liners is a rock 'em, sock 'em player. While you might get pretty wins in the regular season, you don't go far in the playoffs without toughness.
SOLID IN NET
Goaltending is solid with veterans Braden Holtby and Garrett Zemlak, both 18. One of them has to stand up and be the No. 1 guy night in and night out. Holtby as been touted as that guy, but Zemlak sported better numbers last season. Holtby's problem was consistency. At 17, that wasn't surprising. If the Blades are going to steal some games this season, they need a dependable stopper.
Then come the intangibles.
Can 18-year-old Derek Hulak, the purest scorer on the team, fill the net with pucks? With two strong linemates, chances are he will.
Can 17-year-old Gaelan Patterson, who had three goals last season, make the transition from rookie to sophomore?
Can 18-year-old Walker Wintoneak improve on his 10-goal season?
The two Europeans -- defenceman Jyri Niemi and forward Robert Brandis -- are unproven.
As a whole, the Blades' work ethic wasn't strong during pre-season; not a good sign. If somebody in the dressing room doesn't stand up and get mad and start challenging his teammates to prove themselves, 40 wins is a pipe dream.
dmcconachie@sp.canwest.com
© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2007
Forty wins, top-four finish realistic goals
Doug McConachie, The StarPhoenix
Published: Friday, September 21, 2007
Head coach Lorne Molleken knows exactly where he wants his hockey team to be 180 days from now. He wants the Saskatoon Blades to be in the top four in the 12-team WHL Eastern Conference, which would mean home-ice advantage in the opening round of the playoffs.
Starting his fourth season at the helm of the Blades, Molleken has his sights set on producing an eventual Memorial Cup contender. And while the team isn't expected to get there this season, he wants it to get closer to the championship than it has in the last 15 years. At a minimum, he wants the Blades to reach the second round of the playoffs. Better yet, he wants them battling to try and make it to the conference final.
Molleken began the rebuilding last season, the squad finishing one win away from making the playoffs, even with the monumental collapse of the Prince Albert Raiders in the final two months. This is another year in the makeover process.
Saskatoon's 27 wins was respectable, considering the team was one of the youngest in the league. To finish in the top four in the Eastern Conference, however, calls for considerable improvement -- likely 40 wins.
NEW LEADERS
With the return of Justin McCrae, Colton Gillies and Garrett Klotz from NHL camps, the Blades have the pieces of the puzzle in place. The addition from other WHL teams of three 20-year-olds -- D Curtis Patterson, F Chris Durand and F Michael Kaye -- gives the team leadership and strength on the top two lines.
No one in that group, though, has been a 20-goal scorer.
McCrae, who battles hard every night, has had seasons of 17 and 16 goals. Gillies, who had an impressive showing with Team Canada in the Super Series against the Russians, had 13 goals last season, up from six goals the year before as a rookie. Kaye had 10 goals last season, Durand nine.
Both McCrae and Gillies will have 'equals' as linemates and that could mean big things for all of them. Gillies, in particular, had more linemates than leopards have spots through his rookie and sophomore years. This season he doesn't have the pressure of having to do everything himself.
Defence is where question marks abound.
In Teigan Zahn, 17, and Stefan Elliott, 16, the Blades have youthful talent. They're going to be outstanding, just not yet.
Sam Klassen, 18, has to be rock solid. Ryan Funk, also 18, is an unknown after missing two-thirds of the schedule last season with shoulder and groin injuries. Can he come back to the level of promise the Blades saw in him as a 16-year-old?
By trading 19-year-old defenceman Brett Ward on Thursday, Molleken gave his young blue-liners a vote of confidence. Overager Curtis Patterson is the team's most experienced defenceman. Patterson, traded twice, is a stay-at-home rearguard.
Not one of the blue-liners is a rock 'em, sock 'em player. While you might get pretty wins in the regular season, you don't go far in the playoffs without toughness.
SOLID IN NET
Goaltending is solid with veterans Braden Holtby and Garrett Zemlak, both 18. One of them has to stand up and be the No. 1 guy night in and night out. Holtby as been touted as that guy, but Zemlak sported better numbers last season. Holtby's problem was consistency. At 17, that wasn't surprising. If the Blades are going to steal some games this season, they need a dependable stopper.
Then come the intangibles.
Can 18-year-old Derek Hulak, the purest scorer on the team, fill the net with pucks? With two strong linemates, chances are he will.
Can 17-year-old Gaelan Patterson, who had three goals last season, make the transition from rookie to sophomore?
Can 18-year-old Walker Wintoneak improve on his 10-goal season?
The two Europeans -- defenceman Jyri Niemi and forward Robert Brandis -- are unproven.
As a whole, the Blades' work ethic wasn't strong during pre-season; not a good sign. If somebody in the dressing room doesn't stand up and get mad and start challenging his teammates to prove themselves, 40 wins is a pipe dream.
dmcconachie@sp.canwest.com
© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2007