Tuesday Notes

[Scout]

Courtesy Alan Caldwell:

Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Tuesday notes


As promised, a look at the average age of each team, compared to their winning percentage. Usually you would expect older teams to be higher in the standings, and younger teams lower. Obviously this isn't a hard-and-fast rule since quality of the players is more important than their age, but typically the best players in the league are older ones and so older rosters should be expected to do better, on average.

The numbers: (number in brackets after age and win% is league rank in that category)

Spokane: Avg age: 18.087 (T-6); Win%: 0.806 (1)
Vancouver: Avg age: 17.875 (T-18); Win%: 0.725 (2)
Tri-City: Avg age: 17.875 (T-18); Win%: 0.722 (3)
Medicine Hat: Avg age: 18.077 (11); Win%: 0.684 (4)
Swift Current: Avg age: 18.091 (5); Win%: 0.658 (5)
Regina: Avg age: 18.083 (8); Win%: 0.650 (6)
Moose Jaw: Avg age: 18.042 (14); Win%: 0.647 (7)
Calgary: Avg age: 18.08 (T-9); Win%: 0.625 (8)
Chilliwack: Avg age: 18.125 (T-3); Win%: 0.611 (9)
Brandon: Avg age: 18 (15); Win%: 0.605 (10)
Everett: Avg age: 18.217 (1); Win%: 0.588 (11)
Lethbridge: Avg age: 18.043 (T-12); Win%: 0.579 (12)
Seattle: Avg age: 17.826 (T-20); Win%: 0.567 (13)
Kelowna: Avg age: 17.783 (22); Win%: 0.529 (14)
Edmonton: Avg age: 18.19 (2); Win%: 0.528 (15)
Prince George: Avg age: 18.125 (T-3); Win%: 0.5 (16)
Kootenay: Avg age: 17.958 (16); Win%: 0.476 (17)
Kamloops: Avg age: 18.087 (T-6); Win%: 0.406 (18)
Prince Albert: Avg age: 18.043 (T-12); Win%: 0.368 (19)
Saskatoon: Avg age: 17.913 (17); Win%: 0.324 (20)
Red Deer: Avg age: 17.826 (T-20); Win%: 0.286 (21)
Portland: Avg age: 18.08 (T-9); Win%: 0.167 (22)

You have to be impressed by the performance of teams like Vancouver and Tri-City, who are 2nd and 3rd in the league in the standings despite being in the top-five youngest rosters as well. Conversely, teams like Kamloops and Prince George are amongst the older rosters in the league but find themselves at the bottom of the standings. And despite being an expansion team, Edmonton is actually the 2nd-oldest team in the league....which explains their modest success so far this year.

[scrunt]

Interesting. Actually, I'm surprised how little difference there is in average age between the teams, at just over 0.4 years, or about 5 months.

No doubt a half a season added to every player on a team makes a big difference, but age and league experience, while related, are not an exact relationship. It would be interesting to compare average games played in the Dub, and see if there how close the correlation is with age.

Is there a statistician in the house tha can calculate the r-square?

[sbtatter]

Didn't someone post each teams total game experience before the season? I can't remember who did that. Now squads are settled it would be interesting to see average age and average games in the dub per player for each squad....

[Scout]

with Gregg Drinnan

Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Tuesday's highlights . . .
Hockey Canada has announced that 68 per cent of tickets for the 2009 world junior championship have been sold. The tournament will be held in Ottawa, Dec. 26, 2008, through Jan. 6, 2009. . . . According to the host committee, almost 270,000 of the 397,000 available tickets have been sold through presale to season-ticket holders and sponsors. . . . Ticket packages will go on sale to the general public later this month. . . . The host committee also has set a record for sponsorship sales. Its current total is $4.37 million. The previous record of $3.0 million was set at the 2006 tournament in Vancouver, Kamloops and Kelowna. . . .

TUESDAY’s HIGHLIGHTS

In Chilliwack, RW Oscar Moller scored twice to lead the Bruins to a 4-2 victory over the Prince George Cougars. Moller, who leads the WHL with 20 goals, has scored 17 times in his last nine games. . . . Moller has nine goals in four games with the Cougars this season. . . . The Bruins (11-6-2-0) had lost three in a row. . . . The Cougars (9-10-0-0) had a three-game winning streak halted. . . . G Tommy Tartaglione made his fourth straight start for the Cougars. He stopped 25 shots. . . . F Evan Pighin, who left the BCHL’s Salmon Arm SilverBacks on Monday, had two assists for the Bruins. He was leading the BCHL in goals and points. . . . Prince George didn’t get a power-play opportunity until the game’s last five minutes. “I really don’t want to comment on that,” Cougars head coach Drew Schoneck told the Prince George Citizen. “It wasn’t for lack of trying. I’ve never seen a game where it’s taken 55-plus minutes before a team gets its first power play, but they did a good job of making sure they weren’t taking penalties.” . . . The Cougars had acquired Pighin in a trade with the Red Deer Rebels over the summer but he refused to report to Prince George. The Cougars dropped him from their protected list. . . . Pighin played on a line with Moller and C Mark Santorelli in this one. . . . Chilliwack D Dylan Chapman, 20, returned to the lineup after being out with a broken hand since Oct. 5. . . .

In Kamloops, RW Landon Ferraro’s shootout goal gave the Red Deer Rebels a 2-1 victory over the Blazers. . . . Ferraro was the only one of five shooters to score in the circus. . . . Red Deer (5-13-4-0) halted a 10-game losing streak that included eight one-goal losses. . . . Kamloops (6-9-1-1) has lost four straight and five of six as it heads to Spokane for a Friday night tilt with the Chiefs. . . . The Blazers were without D Victor Bartley (knee) and D Keaton Ellerby (healthy scratch) and lost D Jordan Rowley to a shoulder injury eight minutes into the first period. Bartley and Ellerby should play Friday, but Rowley isn’t likely to play on the weekend. . . .

In Medicine Hat, the Everett Silvertips dumped the Tigers 4-1. . . . Medicine Hat (12-6-2-0) has lost three straight at home. . . . The Silvertips (11-7-0-0) have won three straight on their Central Division tour. . . . F Kyle Beach, who went into the game with 19 points on an 11-game point streak, scored one goal and had the Tigers talking to themselves for a lot of the night. . . . Everett was 3-for-8 on the PP, while Medicine Hat was 0-for-9. . . . Medicine Hat C Daine Todd lost two teeth in a neutral zone collision. . . . Everett D Taylor Ellington didn’t return after being hit from behind by Scott Wasden. . . . Medicine Hat has assigned F Josh Koper to the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints. . . .

In Saskatoon, the Blades won for the third time in four games, beating the
Edmonton Oil Kings, 3-1. . . . Saskatoon scored twice on six power-play
opportunities in improving to 6-11-1-0. . . . Saskatoon C Colton Gillies
scored at 15:21 of the first period and that was the game’s only goal until
teammate Derek Hulak found the range at 4:13 of the third period on the PP. . . . The Oil Kings got close just over two minutes later when LW Brett
Breitkreuz got his seventh of the season. . . . Gillies wrapped it up with a
PP goal at 13:29. He has four goals in his last five games. . . . The Oil Kings (8-8-1-2) had won four in a row. They now are 4-4-1-2 on the road.