Triton
12-27-2007, 11:27 AM
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/juniors/2007/12/27/chl_first_half_review/
As the Canadian Hockey League returns from their holiday break, Sportsnet.ca takes a look at which teams and players have been pleasant surprises and which teams and players have disappointed so far.
Western Hockey League
Surprise team: Brandon Wheat Kings
The Brandon Wheat Kings were hit hard by junior graduation last season, losing stars such as Codey Burki, Mark Derlago, Rob Klinkhammer, Juraj Simek, Dustin Kohn and Tyler Plante. The Wheat Kings have not only been able to survive their personnel losses but thrive with the players they have in place.
A big part of the success in Brandon comes from returning forwards Tyler Dittmer and Andrew Clark. However, a few of the catalysts have been 16-year-old rookies in Brayden Schenn, the younger brother of Kelowna's Luke Schenn, and Scott Glennie. Schenn is a candidate for rookie of the year while Glennie could garner some interest for the award after his strong season.
Brandon leads the East Division standings returning from the holiday break and should contend for the division and conference this season. While it's unlikely they will contend for the league title, it's definitely not out of the question either.
Surprise player: Colin Long, Kelowna Rockets
The 18-year-old Californian has stepped up big time for the suddenly-dangerous Kelowna Rockets. After missing the playoffs for the first time in their Kelowna history, the franchise appears to have turned it back around this season and Long is one of the reasons why.
Long is the second-leading scorer in the league with 53 points in 37 games at the holiday break. Long and rookie Jamie Benn have provided offence while Luke Schenn is one of the best defencemen in the league. With Long playing the way he has this season, the Rockets are a team that can surprise.
Disappointing team: Saskatoon Blades
In many instances, a young, rebuilding team can turn their program around in a matter of one season. Unfortunately for fans of the Saskatoon Blades, the turn-around season didn't occur like many thought it would.
After finishing with the fourth-worse record in the league last season, the young Blades looked like a team, given their youth, which should be strong this season. With players such as Colton Gillies, Justin McCrae, Chris Durand, Ondrej Fiala and Braden Holtby, the Blades' shortcomings aren't for a lack of talent.
Granted the East Division is strong this season, it isn't an excuse for the sub-par year the inconsistent franchise has assembled. If this team can pull it together, they could surprise like the Prince George Cougars did last season but at this point, they might have a hard time just making the playoffs.
Disappointing player: Linden Rowat, Regina Pats
The second-year starting goaltender hasn't enjoyed the type of success expected of him this season. Rowat, who was inconsistent last season, was looked upon as a goaltender who could dominate this season. Unfortunately for the Pats, that hasn't been the case as Rowat is still having bouts with consistency.
Rowat has posted a 2.77 goals against average and a 0.903 save percentage this season, far below what his stats could look like given the team he plays for. The Pats are a contender this season and have the talent to make a run for the title. Rowat has proven when he's hot, he's near unbeatable. But it has to be hard for the team playing in front of him when they're not sure which Rowat will show up.
As the Canadian Hockey League returns from their holiday break, Sportsnet.ca takes a look at which teams and players have been pleasant surprises and which teams and players have disappointed so far.
Western Hockey League
Surprise team: Brandon Wheat Kings
The Brandon Wheat Kings were hit hard by junior graduation last season, losing stars such as Codey Burki, Mark Derlago, Rob Klinkhammer, Juraj Simek, Dustin Kohn and Tyler Plante. The Wheat Kings have not only been able to survive their personnel losses but thrive with the players they have in place.
A big part of the success in Brandon comes from returning forwards Tyler Dittmer and Andrew Clark. However, a few of the catalysts have been 16-year-old rookies in Brayden Schenn, the younger brother of Kelowna's Luke Schenn, and Scott Glennie. Schenn is a candidate for rookie of the year while Glennie could garner some interest for the award after his strong season.
Brandon leads the East Division standings returning from the holiday break and should contend for the division and conference this season. While it's unlikely they will contend for the league title, it's definitely not out of the question either.
Surprise player: Colin Long, Kelowna Rockets
The 18-year-old Californian has stepped up big time for the suddenly-dangerous Kelowna Rockets. After missing the playoffs for the first time in their Kelowna history, the franchise appears to have turned it back around this season and Long is one of the reasons why.
Long is the second-leading scorer in the league with 53 points in 37 games at the holiday break. Long and rookie Jamie Benn have provided offence while Luke Schenn is one of the best defencemen in the league. With Long playing the way he has this season, the Rockets are a team that can surprise.
Disappointing team: Saskatoon Blades
In many instances, a young, rebuilding team can turn their program around in a matter of one season. Unfortunately for fans of the Saskatoon Blades, the turn-around season didn't occur like many thought it would.
After finishing with the fourth-worse record in the league last season, the young Blades looked like a team, given their youth, which should be strong this season. With players such as Colton Gillies, Justin McCrae, Chris Durand, Ondrej Fiala and Braden Holtby, the Blades' shortcomings aren't for a lack of talent.
Granted the East Division is strong this season, it isn't an excuse for the sub-par year the inconsistent franchise has assembled. If this team can pull it together, they could surprise like the Prince George Cougars did last season but at this point, they might have a hard time just making the playoffs.
Disappointing player: Linden Rowat, Regina Pats
The second-year starting goaltender hasn't enjoyed the type of success expected of him this season. Rowat, who was inconsistent last season, was looked upon as a goaltender who could dominate this season. Unfortunately for the Pats, that hasn't been the case as Rowat is still having bouts with consistency.
Rowat has posted a 2.77 goals against average and a 0.903 save percentage this season, far below what his stats could look like given the team he plays for. The Pats are a contender this season and have the talent to make a run for the title. Rowat has proven when he's hot, he's near unbeatable. But it has to be hard for the team playing in front of him when they're not sure which Rowat will show up.