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Written by Dale Woodard
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Wednesday, 08 October 2008 |
This is as much an introduction as it is the first column of the year.
With the Lethbridge Hurricanes seven games into their 2008-2009 Western Hockey League regular season combined with my having been in Lethbridge for almost a month now, it’s time to throw out the first edition of Around The Dub.
This is as much an introduction as it is the first column of the year.
With the Lethbridge Hurricanes seven games into their 2008-2009 Western Hockey League regular season combined with my having been in Lethbridge for almost a month now, it’s time to throw out the first edition of Around The Dub.
But first a quick introduction.
My name is Dale Woodard, and I’m the lucky guy who has been handed the Hurricanes beat this winter.
This is my first chance to cover the ‘Dub, having moved to Lethbridge from Grande Prairie, where I spent the past seven seasons covering the Grande Prairie Storm of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.
While I’m happy to be here in the deep south (at least, the deep south to me considering I grew up on an acreage outside of Slave Lake, three hours due north of Edmonton), I still consider myself to be the newbie in town as I venture into my first season of WHL coverage.
So while I plan to have my weekly installment of Around The Dub to include other teams league-wide, let’s start locally with the ‘Canes and then phase it out to the other squads as we roll into the winter.
It’s been a good past week as far as career advancement goes in the Hurricanes camp.
In a matter of days both Lucas Sbisa and Zach Boychuk signed entry level deals with the Philadephia Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes, respectively.
Sbisa, an 18-year-old blueliner inked his deal with the Flyers on Thursday. Boychuk followed suit with his own deal, signing with the Hurricanes on Saturday, the same day the forward turned 19 years-of-age.
Now the burning question on the minds of Hurricanes fans is whether or not we’ve seen the last of the duo in Lethbridge silks.
Time will tell, of course, but it does seem like both the Flyers and Hurricanes are taking a long look at the ‘Canes duo.
Sbisa has already gotten in some exhibition play with the Flyers, while Boychuk will remain on the shelf for about another week after having a pin removed from his injured wrist.
One might suggest Sbisa would be in tough to crack an NHL roster as an 18-year-old and expect the blueliner to make a return to Lethbridge for another year of seasoning.
But as the NHL regular season kicks off tonight it’s a safe bet that the Hurricanes and Hurricanes fans alike will be keeping an eye on the City Of Brotherly Love to see if Sbisa does indeed fit into the Flyers plans this season.
As for Boychuk? I may be the new guy here, but I can see the sniper sticking around in Carolina once he gets a clean bill of health and the wrist injury behind him. I guess we’ll see how my bold prediction pans out.
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It may be early in the season, but it would be hard not to get psyched up for Friday night’s tilt at the Enmax Centre when the Calgary Hitmen come calling.
Forget the history between the two teams from the playoffs last spring when the Hurricanes eliminated the Hitmen in the Eastern Conference final to earn a trip to the WHL final, it’s the more recent clash between the two teams that will be worth noting.
Some streaky play proved costly for the Hurricanes last Thursday when they headed up to Calgary for their first regular season tilt against the Hitmen as Lethbridge fell behind 3-0 en route to a 4-2 loss.
That setback put the Hurricanes on a two-game skid following a 6-3 loss to the Medicine Hat Tigers Sept. 27. It also prompted Hurricanes head coach Mike Dyck to call out his veterans to step up and take the leadership reins.
Following a 7-3 win over the Kelowna Rockets Saturday and a 5-2 win over the previously-unbeaten Swift Current Broncos Sunday - which improved the Hurricanes to 5-2 - it’s a safe bet the veterans did indeed respond to their coach’s challenge.
For proof look no further than Colton Sceviour’s eight-point outing - which included a natural hat trick against the Broncos - over the course of those two home wins.
Pumped-up and back-on-track veterans aside, the Hitmen are never a squad to be overlooked.
The Cow Town crew was touted to be a contender again this year and with a 6-2 start to the season that has them sitting atop the Eastern Conference Central Division they’ve lived up to that billing in the early-going.
Hitmen centre Brett Sonne sits tied for first overall in league scoring with 13 points in eight games.
Teammates Brandon Kozun and Kyle Bortis are right behind him with 10 points each.
Following Friday’s game, the Hurricanes get their first look at the Regina Pats when the team pays a Thanksgiving Day visit to the Enmax Centre on Monday.
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The Canadian Hockey League released its top-10 list of Junior A teams across the country on Wednesday.
Sitting atop the list is the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League. The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Cape Breton Screaming Eagles sit in second spot, while the Moncton Wildcats - also of the QMJHL - round out the top-three.
However, there is a WHL presence in the top-10.
The Broncos are currently ranked fourth, while the Vancouver Giants (fifth) and Spokane Chiefs (10th), round out the top-10.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 08 October 2008 )
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