For the third consecutive season, I was lucky enough to head to Las Vegas, Nevada and broadcast nearly 20 games for the Western States Hockey League on Fasthockey.com. WSHL Commissioner Ron White and his staff did a great job of once again putting on a first-class event, where over 60 NCAA and ACHA college hockey scouts made the trip to Sin City for a chance to recruit some of the top talent the WSHL has to offer.
Over the course of the five days of fantastic hockey, I was able to see every team play at least once, including the two teams participating from the Northern Pacific Hockey League, the Seattle Totems and Southern Oregon Spartans. Below is my assessment of each team; I have included the teams in their current order of standing, with both their overall and showcase record included, along with a quick summary of each teams’ showcase, key players I noticed and a standings projection.
All thoughts below are of my own personal opinion and in no way are the sentiments of the Western States Hockey League or the Valencia Flyers Hockey Club.
WESTERN DIVISION
1. Fresno Monsters (28-2-1, 4-0-0)
The Fresno Monsters are currently running away with not only the Western Division but also the regular season title for the entire league. This is a team that rolls four lines on offense and their three defensive pairings could be the #1 for just about any other team in the league. Oh and by the way, they also have the top two goaltenders in the entire league in returner Marcus Harbison and rookie Tom McGuckin. So essentially, it’s nothing new going on up north, where Head Coach Bryce Dale looks poised to lead his squad to a Thorne Cup Championship this season, after a bit of a letdown in the playoffs last year. Fresno started off the showcase with two close wins, beating both the Dallas Ice Jets and Southern Oregon Spartans by a score of 3-2. They then lambasted who many believe to be the top team in the NORPAC, the Seattle Totems, 6-1 in front of a large crowd, before another impressive victory, 6-2 over the El Paso Rhinos, who are the only team this season to take a series from the league-leading Monsters.
Key Players: I could talk about just about anybody on the roster here, including the obvious ones; leading scorer Nick McKee, set-up man Marc Haaf and Captain David Kann but I’m going to touch on a few “under-the-radar” type guys. Defenseman Vinny Ciaglo was fantastic in the four Fresno wins. The Las Vegas native is cool under pressure and has really come into his own in his third season with the team. The entire line of Rob Kolander, Josiah Nikkel and Don Coyle causes massive matchup problems for opposing defenses. Each guy has size, each can skate and they all know how to put the puck in the net. They know one-another well and are the best cycling line in the entire league.
Standings Prediction: Not much of a prediction here, this team will finish the regular season first place in the west, running way.
2. San Diego Gulls (18-8-2, 2-2-0)
With first-year Head Coach Craig Carlyle at the controls, the San Diego Gulls look and play like a completely different team. Long time Head Coach and General Manager Bruce Miller always had his team ready to go but they continually fell flat in big games. That is not the case this season, as Carlyle has his boys playing his system and it has worked wonders. The Gulls kicked-off their showcase with a tough 4-1 loss to the Seattle Totems but they rebounded nicely, with two big wins, 5-4 over the Dallas Ice Jets in a shootout and 3-2 over the Texas Brahmas, before concluding with a 4-2 loss (after an empty net goal) to the always-tough Idaho Jr. Steelheads.
Key Players: Russian forward Arseny Stoyakin currently leads the team with 38 points in 28 games. He centers a line that includes Michael Pantano (out with a shoulder injury during the showcase) and Tomas Busek, a native of the Czech Republic. These three combine to form a line that has it all; size, speed, smarts and skill and are as tough to stop as any trio in the league. Goaltender Brian Walters, a native of Vermont, has come in and solidified the goal crease for San Diego, a problem that has plagued the Gulls for the last few seasons.
Standings Prediction: Fresno may be too far-gone but the Gulls are nestled comfortably into second place in the West and will hold down the spot, good for a home series in the first round of the playoffs.
3. Valencia Flyers (12-12-5, 3-0-1)
The Valencia Flyers are as tough to read as any team in the league. Some days they look like one of the leagues’ elite and at other times, they struggle to win games against lesser opponents. First-year Head Coach Jocelyn Langlois has done a terrific job in Valencia of changing the culture and getting his boys to play within his system, much like Carlyle has done in San Diego. The Flyers started the showcase with a 4-1 victory over the Cheyenne Stampede before losing in a shootout to the New Mexico Renegades, a game in which they led 2-0 not even three minutes into the contest. Valencia could easily be nipping at the Gulls’ heels, if not for a 0-4 record in shootouts this season. The Flyers bounced back however and finished with a 6-2 win over the Dallas Snipers and a huge 5-2 victory over Southern Oregon.
Key Players: Third-year forward Eddie Keshishian currently leads the entire league in scoring, with 52 points in 28 games. He has fit nicely in to Langlois’ system and is a threat to score every time he touches the ice. Swedish forward Sam Khongmuk and rookie Austin Ehrlich play on the top line with Keshishian and each are enjoying huge seasons in their first year of junior hockey. Khongmuk is currently second on the team with 34 points and Ehrlich is third with 29.
Standings Prediction: The Flyers’ play will steady in the second half but not enough to surpass San Diego. Valencia will head south for a matchup with the Gulls to begin the playoffs, two teams that always play each other tough.
4. Arizona Redhawks (12-9-4, 2-0-2)
There has been a changing of the guard in the desert, as for the first time in a long time, the Phoenix Polar Bears (now Phoenix Knights) have been supplanted as the top dog in the greater-Phoenix area, as the Redhawks have risen to prominence under Head Coach Rob Powell. They still have a long way to go and if they don’t move up in the standings, a playoff sweep at the hands of the Monsters may be in their future but make no mistake, the Redhawks are the team to beat in Arizona. They did not lose a single game in regulation during the showcase, losing in extra time to both the Texas Brahmas and Boulder Bison and bettering the Ogden Mustangs and Cheyenne Stampede, for their best performance in Vegas to date.
Key Players: Captain Theo Campe leads the team with 36 points in 25 games and has a knack for scoring clutch goals. Andrew Barletta, who got lost in the goaltending shuffle with the Polar Bears last season, hooked on with the Redhawks and has been sensational since coming over, sporting a record of 5-2-2 with a sparkling 1.70 goals-against average. Defenseman Cam Maceau has recently returned to the team, strengthening a suspect back-end.
Standings Prediction: Arizona has blossomed into a very good hockey club and they could easily get hot and catch Valencia for third place but I don’t think they have enough firepower to do so. The Redhawks will make the playoffs however for the first time in franchise history and visit Fresno in round one.
5. Phoenix Knights (10-23-1, 1-3-0)
The New York Yankees of the WSHL are no longer, as the Phoenix Polar Bears called it quits after seven Thorne Cup Championships after the 2010-2011 season. The franchise was subsuquently renamed the Knights and put under new ownership. Head Coach Tom Helton and crew have done a great job with what they have, but what they have is 11 healthy skaters, after injuries decimated nearly their entire roster. The Knights put up a fight in every one of their games but with only two lines able to skate, they flared out late in games. Their only win came in an exciting 6-5 overtime victory over the New Mexico Renegades but they went on to lose 9-7 to the Dallas Snipers, 5-2 to Boulder and 7-2 to Ogden.
Key Players: Leading scorer Jarrod Levos has as lethal of a scoring touch as anyone in the league, he just needs healthy bodies to play with. Forward Chace Jackson is a big body that can find the net and if he can figure out the defensive zone he’ll be a real threat in this league. Two-way forward Jon Eades has picked up his offensive game as the year has gone along. He currently has 22 points, while playing in every situation for the Knights.
Standings Prediction: The Knights just aren’t healthy enough to make a run and have already played 34 games, the most of any team in the league. They will miss the playoffs for the first time EVER.
6. Long Beach Bombers (9-15-1, 1-3-0)
The Long Beach Bombers are always right in the thick of things in the Western Division race and if first-year Head Coach Chris White can keep implementing his strategies, this season will be no exception. The Bombers have seen some ups and downs but have picked up a handful of players, including the Linehan brothers, who finished 1-2 in scoring for them last season. The Bomb-squad started off the showcase with an impressive 4-1 win over the up-start New Mexico Renegades but took a step back in losses to Ogden, the Dallas Ice Jets and Cheyenne, a game in which they led 3-0 before giving up five unanswered goals.
Key Players: Timmy and Johnny Linehan are back for their third season with the team and once they knock a little bit of rust off of their skates, they will be all over the score sheet once again. Defenseman Brian White, another recent addition, has been one of their best players since being acquired; he is a rare physical defenseman who can also skate.
Standings Prediction: Long Beach has the talent to move up into fifth place but I don’t think they have enough to climb into a playoff spot.
MOUNTAIN
1. Idaho Jr. Steelheads (25-2-2, 4-0-0)
Head Coach and General Manager John Olver is at it again and doing what he has done for years; win hockey games wherever he goes. The Jr. Steelheads are firmly atop the standings in the new Mountain Division and benefit from only having to play the Fresno Monsters three times, a road trip in which they went 1-2-0. Since that series, played October 28-30 in Fresno, the Jr. Steelheads have only gotten stronger, picking up numerous players from the Tier II North American Hockey League. Once again, they flexed their muscles in the showcase, with impressive wins over Southern Oregon, Seattle, El Paso and San Diego. They are the best defensive team in the league and would give Fresno a real run for their money if the two teams played another series this year, which would only come true if both squads win their conferences (a very feasible situation) and meet in the Thorne Cup in El Paso.
Key Players: Captain Justin Videen has been excellent in all situations for Olver and is currently second on the team with 37 points. Defenseman Conner Tedstrom is a big boy who moves well for his size and gained a lot of attention from scouts under Las Vegas’ lights.
Standings Prediction: Idaho will win the Mountain Division and have home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. Playing their home games in McCall, a two-hour drive from Boise up into the mountains, does not hurt their chances either.
2. Boulder Bison (19-5-2, 4-0-0)
The Boulder Bison were one of the most surprising teams in the showcase, matching the pristine records of both Fresno and Idaho. Head Coach Brent Cullaton has brought NHL veteran Derek Armstrong on board to assist him this season and his team has reaped the benefits. Both coaches are class acts and could probably still lace them up in the pros right now. They have the most disciplined squad in the league, as shown by their lack of “chirpiness” on the ice, as they seldom get into verbal disputes with opposing teams and officials, a sign of a good hockey club. Boulder beat El Paso, Phoenix and Southern Oregon each by three goals before winning in a shootout over Arizona.
Key Players: Leading scorer Chris Guidotti is not very big but he knows where to be at all times and possesses that seemingly un-teachable “slipperiness” about him. Captain Anthony Cullen won’t show up on the score sheet as much but plays a lot like Armstrong, with grit and class, never backing down from anyone. Lastly, defenseman Preston James is a smooth skater who can score, as well as play physical.
Standings Prediction: This is a good hockey club that could easily challenge Idaho for 1st place but having already lost all three contests against the Steelies, it will be tough. Boulder will finish second and be home in the first round of the playoffs.
3. Cheyenne Stampede (13-13-3, 1-1-2)
The Stampede are in their first year of existence after new owners took over the program and moved it from Tulsa, Oklahoma to Cheyenne, Wyoming. Jeff Heimel came over from the Phoenix Polar Bears to assume the Head Coaching job and got his club off to a hot start, going 9-2-0 in their first 11 games of the season but have won only four games since. They are a hot-and-cold type squad, looking great in some games and below average in others. In game one they were ousted by Valencia 4-1, before losing two consecutive overtime games to El Paso and Arizona. In their final game of the showcase, they trailed 3-0 to Long Beach early but notched five unanswered goals to get their lone win of the weekend.
Key Players: General Manager Mark Lantz has been very active in the trade market this season and made two moves during the showcase alone, bringing in Phoenix forward Danny Kulikov, who was second on the Knights in scoring, and El Paso forward Carl Graf, who was second on the Rhinos in scoring. Both players were key contributors in the Stampede’s victory over Long Beach.
Standings Prediction: Cheyenne is cemented into third place, as they are a better team than both Ogden and Park City but a lesser team than Idaho and Boulder.
4. Ogden Mustangs (6-19-3, 3-1-0)
To the surprise of many, the Ogden Mustangs had a breakout showcase, winning three of their four games and solidifying their fourth place standing. The franchise is also in their first year in a new city after a move from Bakersfield, California and Head Coach Joe Pfleegor has done a fantastic job since taking over for Devin Firl, just a few weeks ago. The Mustangs beat the Dallas Snipers, Long Beach Bombers and Phoenix Knights, with their only loss coming to Arizona.
Key Players: The Mustangs have two players from the Czech Republic that they will need more out of in the second half of the season. Lukas Moudry was solid in the showcase, picking up three goals and three assists, while fellow countryman Jan Vcislak is a big, strong winger who must learn to use his size more if Ogden hopes to make a run.
Standings Prediction: Ogden is a bit of a wildcard. They have not shown the ability to hang with Idaho and Boulder but can contend with Cheyenne for third place. They will beat out in-state rival Park City and take fourth place, good for a playoff berth in their inaugural season.
5. Park City Moose (4-23-1, 1-3-0)
The Park City Moose are another first-year franchise experiencing their fair share of problems. They have had the most roster turnover in the entire league but continue to play tight, thanks in part to the tutelage of Head Coach and General Manager Aaron Kinslow. Park City lost three of their four games at the showcase, slipping further behind their rival Ogden Mustangs for the final playoff spot in the Mountain Division. They lost to the Dallas Ice Jets, Texas Brahmas and New Mexico Renegades but managed to pick up a win over the Dallas Snipers, possibly providing a little momentum boost into the second-half of the season.
Key Players: Forward Devin Holmes leads the team with 27 points and has done a lot of the work on his own. If forward Skyler Metcalfe can keep his cool, he can also be a force to be reckoned with come January, as Park City tries to string a few games together and sneak into the playoffs.
Standings Prediction: The Moose have shown the ability to compete with Ogden but that’s about it in their division. They play hard every game but don’t have enough skill to sustain against some of the better teams. Under Kinslow, they will only get better however and can make some noise in 2012-2013.
MID-WEST
1. Dallas Ice Jets (20-4-3, 2-1-1)
The Dallas Ice Jets are the polar opposite of the other first-year teams in the league that have struggled, as they are currently atop the tight Mid-West Division, ahead of perennial powers like El Paso and Texas. This is a team coached by a great hockey mind in Paul Taylor, who has done a terrific job of parlaying the talent the Ice Jets Academy has been pumping out of Grapevine, Texas for the last few years into a junior franchise. A large number of his players have suited up in Ice Jets red and blue for years and know how to play Taylor’s style of game. They have benefited from a ton of home games in the first half of the season and did not venture outside of the state of Texas until the first week of December. The road the rest of the way will not be easy, especially with both El Paso and Texas heating up but this may be the only team in the league that can rival the depth of Fresno. In Vegas, the Ice Jets beat-up on Park City 6-1, before losing a close one to the Monsters by a score of 3-2. They then lost in a nine-round shootout to the San Diego Gulls and took care of Long Beach 3-0 in their finale.
Key Players: Captain Richard Bohan may be the most unheralded player on their roster. He is a tall, lanky forward with average foot speed and a decent shot but the kid continually finds ways to put the puck in the back of the net. He has some of the best hands I’ve seen at this level and an uncanny nose for the net. Forward Johnny Henson started off the year hot but has cooled down recently, he’s as slick as they come and can takeover a game when he wants to. New additions Austin Rehwenkel and Christian Elsborg can help put this team over the top with some added offense.
Standings Prediction: I like the Ice Jets and if they can find a way to help their fantastic goaltenders out a bit more, they will take the division. I’m going to say it, the Ice Jets will finish first in the Mid-West by a hair over El Paso.
2. El Paso Rhinos (18-7-0, 1-3-0)
The El Paso Rhinos are coached by Cory Herman, one of the best guys in all of junior hockey. He is as calm as they come and his confidence exudes through his team. The Rhinos have been one of the top teams in the league for years, so their true colors will be shown this season, where they have hit a bit of a rough patch. Coming into the showcase, El Paso was coming off of a series victory over Fresno, making them the first team to do so all season long. They struggled in Sin City however, beating just the Cheyenne Stampede in overtime, with regulation losses to Boulder, Idaho and Fresno. They did not have the easiest schedule but 2-2-0 would have looked much better.
Key Players: The Rhinos always seem to have players like Dallas Szustak. Not the fanciest of guys but the kid can skate, is a physical presence and can find twine with ease. He is a carbon copy of former forward Tyler Ridgedell, who is now playing NCAA Division III hockey. Alex Koopmeiners is a guy they will need a little more from, as the pick-up out of the NAHL has not been as prolific as one would expect.
Standings Prediction: El Paso while on top of their game are the best team in the Mid-West but the Ice Jets have been more consistent thus far. They play each other six times in the second half of the season and it will be close but the Rhinos will finish just a few points back.
3. Texas Brahmas (15-10-1, 2-1-1)
The Texas Brahmas have the skill to be the top team in the Mid-West but will need to put it all together if they want to ascend the standings. Forwards Connor Tamai and Kevin Filthaut are both in the top seven in league scoring but for the Brahmas to be successful, they will need to get more out of their second and third lines. They started off the showcase with a shaky win over Park City, before playing very well in a win over Arizona, a shootout loss to Seattle and a late regulation loss to San Diego.
Key Players: Other than the obvious two (Tamai and Filthaut) the Brahmas will need to get more out of Latvian Albert Bolush. The second-year forward led the team last year with 65 points but is only on pace for 50 this season, not a bad year by any stretch but usually points trend up, not down. Another guy to look for is forward Quade Hamlin who is undersized but can stickhandle with the best of them.
Standings Prediction: Texas is good and if they weren’t in the Mid-West they might be even better but they are not deep enough to overtake the Ice Jets or Rhinos.
4. New Mexico Renegades (12-12-1, 2-1-1)
The New Mexico Renegades are very similar to the Arizona Redhawks. Both teams are in their third year in the league and both are starting to come into their own and make a name for themselves. At the halfway point of the season, the Renegades have their best record at the break to date, as they are currently playing .500 hockey. A lot of that is thanks to new Head Coach and General Manager Michael Gershon, who took over when Peter Ambroziak left for Ottawa. The Renegades play in the shadow of the New Mexico Mustangs but do not get a ton of support from their NAHL brethren. They had their second-consecutive winning showcase, with a great come-from-behind victory over Valencia in a shootout and a strong performance against Park City. They lost in overtime to Phoenix and were beaten 4-1 in an early morning contest against Long Beach.
Key Players: Second-year forward Matt Uvodich was excellent in the showcase for the Renegades. He looks as though he’s gotten a little stronger since last year and is a solid skater who will look to build off of a great showcase. Defensively the Renegades are as strong as ever, as Captain Vince DiTirro has turned into a shutdown guy that is always on the ice against the oppositions top players, while Joe Echelmeir is a smooth skating offensive D-man who quarterbacks the power play.
Standings Prediction: They will make the playoffs for the first time ever and can give El Paso a run for their money, as they have already beaten the Rhinos once this season.
5. Dallas Snipers (3-26-0, 1-3-0)
The Dallas Snipers are the Park City Moose of the Mid-West. A team in their first year of existence, with a great hockey guy at the helm but between roster turnover and a tough schedule, they have not been able to get anything going. They came into the league with the Ice Jets and play just 10 miles away in Euless, so a lot of the top-end talent has gone elsewhere. They have a solid top line but outside of that, they have failed to find secondary scoring. They could have easily gone 2-2-0, which would have been a huge success but lost to the Moose in a battle of the bottom two teams in the league, by a score of 4-3. They got a huge win, 9-7 over a depleted Phoenix lineup, before losing to both Valencia and Ogden.
Key Players: Arnie Osuna and Shane Bonds have combined for 65 points, which is as much as the next six leading scorers combined; it’s simple to see, they are the offense. Defenseman Craig Brubaker was very good in the showcase and showed a little offensive flair, he could be a bargaining chip come trade deadline time.
Standings Prediction: They are almost mathematically eliminated from playoff contention already but if this team can pick up a couple of wins the rest of the way and return some of their top talent for 2012-2013 season, a breakout year could be in store.
Boulder is 22-7-0-2 despite not having any scorers among the top nine in the league. Instead, the Bison have seven players averaging at least a point per game and two more just shy of that number. Only one comes close to approaching 1.5 points per game.
