Legionnaires have yet to play at home… Why is Moose Jaw rolling… Change of plans for Regina’s dynamic duo… Nine teams represented at the WHL Cup… and more.
BY Jonathan Huntington
SASKATOON – The Moose Jaw Winmar Warriors own the best record in the league (six wins and one OT loss in seven games), but the most encouraging start to the year might belong to the Swift Current Legionnaires.
On purpose, Swift Current has played six straight road games to open the season with three wins in their last four games and points in four of those six games.
“We intentionally start on the road every year – typically six to eight games,” said Head Coach/GM Todd Hornung before playing in Tisdale on Sunday. “One (reason) is to get a couple of longer trips done in good weather and two, it helps the team bond, which we have already seen with our group.”
“All six games were against (teams) that we thought would be top teams this year. Playing highly competitive games to start forces our guys to pay more attention to the details we are implementing and gives us a gauge on where we need to improve.”
Moose Jaw and Regina are the only teams to defeat the Legionnaires in regulation time. Swift Current has rattled-off points in four straight games against Estevan and Tisdale, including a 3-0 shutout of the Trojans on Sunday.
The Legionnaires will now play four straight at home, starting Friday night.
Rolling in Moose Jaw: The Warriors erased a two-goal deficit in the third-period to defeat the Battlefords Stars on Sunday for their sixth win in seven games. Moose Jaw’s only loss came in OT to Regina, when phenom Maddox Schultz scored four goals.
“We feel our returning group from last year has taken a big step and our new guys have followed right along,” said Head Coach Trevor Weisgerber. “We have a great group and push each other every day. We are pretty happy with our start.”
Change of Plans: Schultz and Liam Pue – the Regina Pat Canadians stellar forwards – missed Sunday’s road game against the Saskatoon Blazers. It marked the Pat Cs first defeat of the year.
Schultz and Pue were originally scheduled to play Sunday, but that plan changed based on recovery/load management. With both 15-year-olds scheduled to play on Thanksgiving Day for the Pats in the WHL, the decision was made to avoid playing three games in three days. (Schultz and Pue also played Saturday night in the WHL.)
According to a source, the current plan is for both players to dress for the next five games for the Pat Cs.
WHL Cup: Nine teams in the SMAAAHL have at least one player named to Team Saskatchewan for the upcoming WHL Cup in Red Deer from Oct. 22-26.
The four Western Canadian provinces each send a team – consisting of the top 2010-born players – to compete in a round robin before playoffs. It’s the first step in Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence.
Some of the previous players to come through this showcase include Mathew Barzal, Morgan Rielly, and Brayden Point.
In a feel-good story from Tisdale, Camryn Aebig has been named to the team. He is undrafted to the WHL, but is turning heads with six goals in seven games to start the campaign.
“Cam never takes a shift off,” said Tisdale Head Coach Wes Rudy. “He’s a great teammate and makes people around him better. Cam never cheats the game for self-gain.”
At five-feet and six-inches, size may have been an issue in WHL teams passing on the Rosthern native in the draft. But Rudy is definitely in his corner.
“I can’t read the mind (of scouts) but WHL teams generally like to draft size,” continued Rudy. “I also know he played with some good players last year and sometimes the hard work and playing the right way gets over-looked by the flash-and-dash around you.”
SMAAHL players named to Team Saskatchewan:
Camryn Aebig – Tisdale
Nixxon Arcand-Vandale – Warman
Dawson Baht – Warman
Bronx Becker – Contacts
Riley Brown – Moose Jaw
Dilin Coulter-Suttie – Contacts
Kash Elke – Tisdale
Finn Gustafson – Swift Current
Weston Kostiuk – Warman
Mahlon Wiley – Regina
Dax McDougall – Blazers
Braden Nowoselski – Moose Jaw
Jett Prpich – Tisdale
Anderson Reschny – Blazers
Kohen Ruedig – Swift Current
Jakob Schmidt – Prince Albert
Josh Benjamin – Swift Current
Ben Meyer – Regina
