Scout
09-21-2007, 05:38 PM
More Friday Preview
Posted by Les Lazaruk on Friday, September 21, 2007 at 12:55:00 PM.
The Saskatoon Blades open their 42nd Western Hockey League season tonight in Brandon.
The Bridge City Bunch is 20-19-2 in their previous 41 curtain-raisers. This will be just the fourth time the Blades open a season against Brandon and the first since 1986 when the Blades won 10-2 at the old Saskatoon Arena. Brandon has a 2-1 record against Saskatoon in season openers. The only time the Blades started a season here, the Wheaties won 3-0 in 1976.
The Wheat Kings will unveil a banner, signifying an East Division first place regular season finish last season in a pre-game ceremony. But, the home side is without six of their top seven scorers from that team due to graduation.
Braden Holtby starts in goal while healthy scratches here in Brandon are defenceman Brendon Wall and forward Kevin Philp with D-men Mitch Berg and Colton McPherson, along with forwards Colton Gillies, Cody Wutzke and Garrett Klotz not on the trip for various reasons. Here's how the lines and "D" pairings will start...
Derek Hulak-Justin McCrae-Michael Kaye
Dustin Cameron-Chris Durand-Kirk Belyk
Jordan Braid-Travis Toomey-Robert Brandis
Curtis Hamilton-Gaelan Patterson-Walker Wintoneak
Ryan Funk-Curtis Patterson
Teigan Zahn-Jyri Niemi
Stefan Elliott-Sam Klassen
HOT-93’s broadcast starts at 6 p.m. with “The Kia of Saskatoon Cutting Edge Pre-Game Show” and the play-by-play at 6:30.
---
It's my Parting Shot for the third and final part of my preview of the Western Hockey League season…today to assess the fortunes of the Saskatoon Blades as they get set to open the 2007-2008 campaign tonight.
G.M. and head coach Lorne Molleken is hopeful that his young charges will finish in the top four in the Eastern Conference standings, thus procuring home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. To do that, the Blades, to a man, will need to overachieve and/or have a career year!
That means Justin McCrae must be good for 30 goals and 70 points, Colton Gillies must hit 25 goals and 60 points, Chris Durand must be a 20-60 guy, Michael Kaye must be a 20-50 contributor, Derek Hulak needs to be a 30-60 contributor, Walker Wintoneak needs a 15-40 season. Europeans Jyri Niemi and Robert Brandis must make quick adjustments to North American life and hockey. Stefan Elliott and Curtis Hamilton have to be solid contributors every night, Ryan Funk must play like a third-year veteran leader on defence, despite missing two-thirds of last season. Braden Holtby and Garrett Zemlak have to stop 91 percent of the shots they face.
Only then, will the Blades win the 40 games and accrue the 85 points they need to catch the top four!
Very Early Friday a.m. in Brandon
Posted by Les Lazaruk on Friday, September 21, 2007 at 01:29:00 AM.
The very first thing I will say is that it's 2:30 a.m., Brandon time, and I'm wide awake and going to town on reports, editing audio, blog-writing, etc. Nothing against Brandon, heck I lived and worked here between 1980 and 83 in my first job in radio, but the trip from Saskatoon to here is the worst one that I take with the Blades...at least it is to me. The only thing good about this one is that we are here and staying overnight before Saskatoon meets Brandon later this evening to open the season. Usually, you leave Credit Union Centre at 10:30 a.m. on game day, play the game and return home right afterwards, getting in at about 5 in the morning! Yuck!!
Now for the news, the Blades dealt 19-year-old, veteran defenceman Brett Ward to Moose Jaw for a fourth round Bantam Draft pick in 2008. But, there's an interesting rub to this deal...the Warriors don’t have a fourth-round pick in the 2008 draft right now. And, if the Warriors aren’t able to acquire a fourth-round pick in the 2008 draft, they’ll have to cough up their third-round pick in 2009. In addition to that move, the Blades also re-assigned 19-year-old right winger Craig Cuthbert to an, as yet,
undetermined Junior "A" team (don't be surprised if he joins Chad Mercier and the 4-0 Bonnyville Pontiacs!). Both Ward and Cuthbert are Swift Current products...and both are victims of being 19-year-olds who didn't look to be on the top defensive pairing in Ward's case or on either of the top two lines for Cuthbert. Too bad, both were very nice young men who always had a moment to say, "hi" to an old, veteran broadcaster (or anyone else for that matter...to me that means a lot about them as people!)
Those moves leave the Blades with 27 players (2 goalies, 9 "D" and 16 forwards) with only Justin
McCrae and Garrett Klotz as 1988-born (19s) on the roster. McCrae met the team in Brandon last night after being re-assigned by Carolina. Klotz was left at home after returning from Philly. He is serving a one-game suspension for incurring his third game misconduct of last season in the final game. Colton Gillies is still with Minnesota. No word when he'll return...and, when he does, he has a one-game suspension to serve. Also left at home were defencemen Mitch Berg and Colton McPherson...the latter has the flu...also, left winger Cody Wutzke is back in Saskatoon after suffering a concussion. That means 22 players are here. Braden Holtby starts in goal and I'll hope to post a Blades' opening-day line-up a little later!
Posted by Les Lazaruk on Friday, September 21, 2007 at 12:55:00 PM.
The Saskatoon Blades open their 42nd Western Hockey League season tonight in Brandon.
The Bridge City Bunch is 20-19-2 in their previous 41 curtain-raisers. This will be just the fourth time the Blades open a season against Brandon and the first since 1986 when the Blades won 10-2 at the old Saskatoon Arena. Brandon has a 2-1 record against Saskatoon in season openers. The only time the Blades started a season here, the Wheaties won 3-0 in 1976.
The Wheat Kings will unveil a banner, signifying an East Division first place regular season finish last season in a pre-game ceremony. But, the home side is without six of their top seven scorers from that team due to graduation.
Braden Holtby starts in goal while healthy scratches here in Brandon are defenceman Brendon Wall and forward Kevin Philp with D-men Mitch Berg and Colton McPherson, along with forwards Colton Gillies, Cody Wutzke and Garrett Klotz not on the trip for various reasons. Here's how the lines and "D" pairings will start...
Derek Hulak-Justin McCrae-Michael Kaye
Dustin Cameron-Chris Durand-Kirk Belyk
Jordan Braid-Travis Toomey-Robert Brandis
Curtis Hamilton-Gaelan Patterson-Walker Wintoneak
Ryan Funk-Curtis Patterson
Teigan Zahn-Jyri Niemi
Stefan Elliott-Sam Klassen
HOT-93’s broadcast starts at 6 p.m. with “The Kia of Saskatoon Cutting Edge Pre-Game Show” and the play-by-play at 6:30.
---
It's my Parting Shot for the third and final part of my preview of the Western Hockey League season…today to assess the fortunes of the Saskatoon Blades as they get set to open the 2007-2008 campaign tonight.
G.M. and head coach Lorne Molleken is hopeful that his young charges will finish in the top four in the Eastern Conference standings, thus procuring home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. To do that, the Blades, to a man, will need to overachieve and/or have a career year!
That means Justin McCrae must be good for 30 goals and 70 points, Colton Gillies must hit 25 goals and 60 points, Chris Durand must be a 20-60 guy, Michael Kaye must be a 20-50 contributor, Derek Hulak needs to be a 30-60 contributor, Walker Wintoneak needs a 15-40 season. Europeans Jyri Niemi and Robert Brandis must make quick adjustments to North American life and hockey. Stefan Elliott and Curtis Hamilton have to be solid contributors every night, Ryan Funk must play like a third-year veteran leader on defence, despite missing two-thirds of last season. Braden Holtby and Garrett Zemlak have to stop 91 percent of the shots they face.
Only then, will the Blades win the 40 games and accrue the 85 points they need to catch the top four!
Very Early Friday a.m. in Brandon
Posted by Les Lazaruk on Friday, September 21, 2007 at 01:29:00 AM.
The very first thing I will say is that it's 2:30 a.m., Brandon time, and I'm wide awake and going to town on reports, editing audio, blog-writing, etc. Nothing against Brandon, heck I lived and worked here between 1980 and 83 in my first job in radio, but the trip from Saskatoon to here is the worst one that I take with the Blades...at least it is to me. The only thing good about this one is that we are here and staying overnight before Saskatoon meets Brandon later this evening to open the season. Usually, you leave Credit Union Centre at 10:30 a.m. on game day, play the game and return home right afterwards, getting in at about 5 in the morning! Yuck!!
Now for the news, the Blades dealt 19-year-old, veteran defenceman Brett Ward to Moose Jaw for a fourth round Bantam Draft pick in 2008. But, there's an interesting rub to this deal...the Warriors don’t have a fourth-round pick in the 2008 draft right now. And, if the Warriors aren’t able to acquire a fourth-round pick in the 2008 draft, they’ll have to cough up their third-round pick in 2009. In addition to that move, the Blades also re-assigned 19-year-old right winger Craig Cuthbert to an, as yet,
undetermined Junior "A" team (don't be surprised if he joins Chad Mercier and the 4-0 Bonnyville Pontiacs!). Both Ward and Cuthbert are Swift Current products...and both are victims of being 19-year-olds who didn't look to be on the top defensive pairing in Ward's case or on either of the top two lines for Cuthbert. Too bad, both were very nice young men who always had a moment to say, "hi" to an old, veteran broadcaster (or anyone else for that matter...to me that means a lot about them as people!)
Those moves leave the Blades with 27 players (2 goalies, 9 "D" and 16 forwards) with only Justin
McCrae and Garrett Klotz as 1988-born (19s) on the roster. McCrae met the team in Brandon last night after being re-assigned by Carolina. Klotz was left at home after returning from Philly. He is serving a one-game suspension for incurring his third game misconduct of last season in the final game. Colton Gillies is still with Minnesota. No word when he'll return...and, when he does, he has a one-game suspension to serve. Also left at home were defencemen Mitch Berg and Colton McPherson...the latter has the flu...also, left winger Cody Wutzke is back in Saskatoon after suffering a concussion. That means 22 players are here. Braden Holtby starts in goal and I'll hope to post a Blades' opening-day line-up a little later!