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Monday, January 28, 2013

WEHP Releases Top Ten Team Rankings



* Rankings reflect many factors and are not just subject to league or tournament play in determining position.  Strength of opponent is also a factor.

Top 10 Team Rankings for January 28, 2013
1.   North Shore Winter Club (21-2-2 142-26)
2.   SSAC Southgate Lions (26-0-3  219-60) 
3.   Burnaby Winter Club (21-2-2  127-16)
4.   Calgary Bisons (23-2-2  164-65) 
5.   Lloydminster Heat (19-4-6  163-83) 
6.   Notre Dame  Hounds (15-2-6  106-55)
7.   POE (12-1-2  103-27)
8.   Winnipeg Hawks (20-3-1  143-41) 
9.   Calgary Northstar Sabres (21-6-1  148-65) 
10.  MLAC Scott Pump (17-6-4  140-85)

Honorable Mention
Sherwood Park Flyers (14-7-6  140-93), Winnipeg Sharks (18-6-0  117-62), Winnipeg Monarchs (22-2-1 129-49), OHA  (36-7-3 181-88) -Tournament Play/Not part of league, Southeast Hockey Hounds (17-10-2 156-112)

Top 5 Saskatchewan AA Bantam
1.  North East Wolfpack (17-3-2  106-45)
2.  Regina Pat Blues (18-4-1  124-55)
3.  West Central Wheat Kings (18-3-2  115-54)
4.  Swift Current Kabos Raiders (12-7-4  107-83)
5.  Balgonie Prairie Storm (11-10-0  94-67)

59 comments:

Anonymous said...

How are T Birds not at least on the list.

Solid 3rd in PCAHA

Not saying top ten but should be a worthy mention.

Anonymous said...

BWC fails to make Semi-Finals in St Albert, loses in consolation, and loses again when they return to PCAHA action. Is there reason to believe a new Coach is coming next year?

Anonymous said...

January 28, 2013 at 8:26 AM
Because only 7 wins in 17 games for T-Birds. That's two fewer wins than both Semiahmoo and Abbotsford have earned, and neither of them get mentioned. All three teams have very mediocre records.

Anonymous said...

By Teamlink T-Birds have the 5th best record in PCAHA flight 1. They only just managed to tie South Delta recently 2-2 even with their phantom "2 disallowed goals" spin, spin and more spin. They may have taken a loss if Tilsley wasn't playing with a broken toe. T-Birds are a good team and don't need to promote themselves this hard, 5th is a pretty good standing as all but the top two teams in this flight are very close. Worthy of a mention in the Top Ten Rankings is just silly!

Anonymous said...

My Monday morning ritual.....workout first thing, have breakfast, read WEHP blog, see a comment from the T-Birds on one of:
1. Complaining why they aren't ranked
2. Prediction of going to Final 4
3. An inflated game result.
4. A pending post from someone saying IT ISN'T someone on their team posting.

Yawn!!!!! As the saying goes let your actions speak for you.

Anonymous said...

t birds they also tied south delta, we will see how they do against burnaby winter club

Anonymous said...

OMG with the Tbirds, please stop, you are only making yourself and your team look like idiots.

Abby and Semi have records every bit as good as yours. You are only ahead because of that ridiculous sportsmanship point the PCAHA awards. Abby and Semi also attended the Med Hat tourney and have played a few of the teams in the top 10, what have you done. Finished out of the top 8 in Chilliwack, out of the top 4 in Abbotsford, 3rd or 4th in a 4 team tourney in Lethbridge, out of the top 8 in Burnaby. You've never finished in the top half of any tournament.

Gotta do better than that to crack the list.

Abby has had two strong showings against both winter clubs recently, let's see how you guys do this week against them both.

And let's not have someone on here pleading that it isn't anyone associated with the tbirds team making these comments. Do you monitor what every player, parent or coach does 24/7?

Anonymous said...

Crazy that the T-birds dont get mentioned here. One of the better Teams in flight 1.

Anonymous said...

Really?? The T-Birds and all the teams from Alberta and BC are not the only teams worth talking about! It's getting very sickening to see the same teams and the same players being talked about! There is talent in other places too! Maybe you should all let these teams and the players play the game they love for simply that reason! Let the rest take care of itself!

Anonymous said...

With the recent losses by BWC, T-Birds should have climbed over them in the rankings by now. The stands are now full of scouts at every T-Bird game.

Anonymous said...

winnipeg sharks need more scouts at their games, they've got some talent up front and in net

Anonymous said...

Hahahahahaha, stands full of scouts at every Tbirds game, really? I doubt it.

Unless maybe they are there to watch your opposition.

Prove your worth on the ice, not by whining on some blog.

Anonymous said...

t birds would have done better than Abby or Semi, what you finish like bottom 4,

beat abby 5 to 2
tied semi

better goal diff than abby
less goals against than semi
2 points up on both

Anonymous said...

People this is one opinion. WEHP nice read but this is one man's OPINION. Take it for what it is and stop acting like squealing babies.

Anonymous said...

For sure I've heard the T-Birds are actually being granted an NHL expansion team. I would support such a move as if you've never won a tournament this year and NEVER beaten a top ten rated team, then it's obvious you need to be elevated. Thanks for comedy.

Anonymous said...

BWC 5 - Thunberbirds 2
It was 4-0 11 minutes in, and then Vcr scored two softies on bwc's back-up. 2 goals on 10 shots, so he got the hook.
Ultimately the game revealed that BWC is in a swoon right now. Team structure/system is lost. Undisciplined, sloppy play.
The game also revealed that even when BWC plays badly the T-Birds can't compete. That's not a knock either. Just an observation.
There are two elite teams in Flight 1. And then there's everybody else.

Anonymous said...

Not worth reading these comments.

Anonymous said...

Why are so many people jealous of the T-Birds success?

Anonymous said...

Vancouver T-Birds are definetly not a good team. Very glad that they are not on the list or mentioned. Goaltending on the team is innefective.
One solid player on the entire team.... and he's a defense man...

Anonymous said...

The T-Birds SHOULD be proud that they can actually compete with most of the teams in Flight 1; would not have been able to do this in years past. Shows great improvement and development for the T-Birds Association and this group of players...can't be said for some of the other Associations (ie. Semiahmoo, Langley or Abbotsford) that used to dominate against teams like the T-Birds, Coquitlam etc. There are only two teams that have separated themselves...NSWC and BWC..end of story.

Anonymous said...

Speaking of Semiahmoo ...
it would have been fascinating to see what kind of team the "natural" catchment of Semiahmoo would have produced this Bantam season.
Davis Koch, likely to be a late-first round or second-round draft pick, left for OHA.
Trevor Ayre, another probable second-rounder, left for POE.
And Matt Barberis, who could go in the Top 10 overall, is playing at BWC.
Add those three to an already solid Semi team and they could compete with the elite squads. Oh well.

Anonymous said...

When looking at rankings remember that different rankers weigh 3 variables differently (past, present, and projected future)... the different weight attached to those three variables alone will give vastly different results...
This explains why some rankings do not reflect currect play in St. Albert (or even the T-birds rise)....By studing different rankings you can see how forward looking (or past looking) any givin system is...also look for patterns to see what influences are in play...

Anonymous said...

January 29, 2013 at 10:57 AM

This can be said for many teams not just Semi, as lots of kids move around. North Delta comes to mind. They play in flight 2 but would definitely have been flight 1 if they had not lost 3 very strong kids who will most likely be drafted.
Dante Hannoun went to NSWC
Cavin Tilsley to South Delta
Nick Tallarico to Surrey
You just have to play with who you have.

Anonymous said...

January 29, 2013 at 12:12 PM

As for North Delta, you forgot two 99's. James Malm and David Laurin both went to Langley. North Delta could of had a great year!

Anonymous said...

January 29, 2013 at 12:12 PM
You missed the point, or I explained it badly.
Families "move" all the time. Like Tallarico's family, who actually, truly, genuinely moved to Surrey. That is NOT what I'm talking about.
The families I mentioned didn't move, they just registered their kids to play somewhere else. Didn't think I needed to spell this out, but it's easy enough to verify that the Barberis family still lives in South Surrey. In fact, they live about two minutes away from the Ayre family home which is also in South Surrey. Of course, Trevor lives thru the school year in Kelowna to attend POE. Just as Davis lives in Penticton to attend school with OHA.
Sorry I didn't explain it better to begin with.

Anonymous said...

January 29, 2013 at 1:27 PM
Yes, we all get the point. If all the kids who went to winter clubs and academies all had stayed at home lots of teams would be different . We all know this. Not just Semi!

Anonymous said...

January 29, 2013 at 10:57 AM

Great excuse for a failing year!

Anonymous said...

Semiahmoo parent pumping their kids? Seen to know the geography quite well. The kids you mention are not first round draft picks or even second round; maybe Barbaris but he's fully grown. Decent players for sure but mid round selections at best. Easy on the self promoting please.

Anonymous said...

Congrats to WEHP for trying to keep it real with their rankings. Compared to the other ranking sites (and yes I've seen them all) this site seems honest. The new BC site is just crazy and even the Hockey now rankings contain players who just make you throw your arms up . It seems that some of these other sites are quite self serving when you find out who,s doing the rankings.

Anonymous said...

T birds scored as many goals against BWC as NSWC did in 2 games if you dont count the empty netter.

Outshot BWC over the last 2 periods and carried the play.

agree the 2 clubs are ahead, but T birds are 3rd and will finish 3rd ahead of semi and abby, and will be in final four

Anonymous said...

Jan. 29 2:29 PM
Agree with you that WEHP is keeping it real. They have a blog, tons of free updated information and twitter. The BC site is a joke and - FYI - the new BC site buys advertising in the Hockey Now to publish their rankings (look at the header over the rankings) - that is why the Hockey Now rankings are skewed - paid for by the BC site.

Anonymous said...

Jan 29 1:27PM

Instead of trying to rake families over the coals for making decisions that they think are in their kids best interest, look at the reson for these families moving. When you have assoc/clubs/ academies that aren't giving they child the development and coaching that they desire, why shouldn't they be allowed to move as long as it done within the rules?

Anonymous said...

2:07

If hockey programs allowed qualified hockey people to run the programs, then maybe they wouldn't want to leave. Too many self serving parents making hockey decisions that wouldn't know a good program if it hit them in the face!!!!


Anonymous said...

Is it true the new president of Semi has cleaned things up?

Anonymous said...

Jan. 29 - 6:01
Were you at the game? Batchelor played his 2nd and 3rd line and even double shifted them during most of the 2nd and 3rd period. T-Birds hardly saw the BWC end of the ice. BWC totally carried the game while giving most of their first line a break. Be happy for the 5-2 loss - it could have been much worse!

Anonymous said...

January 30, 2013 at 8:13 AM

Thank you!!! This is 100% of the problem self-serving parents…but further to that are the ones who go one step beyond and sabotage the development and exposure of certain players because they consider them competition. It's a DAMN SHAME and I hope KARMA pays them a visit!

Anonymous said...

January 29, 2013 at 2:07 PM
Anonymous said...
Yes, we all get the point. If all the kids who went to winter clubs and academies all had stayed at home lots of teams would be different . We all know this. Not just Semi!

Yes, lots of teams would be "different". My point was/is that Semi would be exceptional, among the elite ... like a BWC, SSAC, Lloydminster, etc. The implication being that maybe these families made a big, fat, expensive mistake in "moving" their kids to elite programs. I mean, due to the random coincidence of '98 talent in Semiahmoo they fluked into a ready-made elite squad without having to fake residences and divorces, or having to farm out their 13-year old kids to billet families AND pay 25-grand a year for the privilege.

Now, are there other associations who have lost good or great players to Winter Clubs and Academies? Of course. That goes without saying.
But is there another association that could have had as strong a 2nd year bantam contingent? I don't think so. But even if there are others, the point remains. Presumably a key factor in the decision these families made was the idea of positioning their sons for maximum visibility in their bantam draft year. Well, on that basis these folks would have been better off staying right where they were.

Anonymous said...

January 29, 2013 at 10:16 PM
Yes, its apparent that the BC site and Hockey Now are connected. You would think as an established paper they would distance themselves from clearly a self serving site. Although I do believe and hear that people are realizing this and will judge their rankings accordingly. If you are from BC and have any insight into Bantam hockey, red flags will jump out at you as you are reading the player rankings. They can say we have a professional panel of judges all they like but these judges are also parents and have family connections just like everyone else. Hopefully WEHP stays away from these rankings and does their own.
I'm sure these opinions may not be popular with some people and associations in BC who have their foot in the door of these sites. But that is the way it is beginning to be seen.

Anonymous said...

My point was/is that Semi would be exceptional, among the elite

Oh my! The new T-Birds have emerged!
Give us all a break and let this one die. Still promoting underachievers. Your kids have to go out and perform just the same as everyone else's.

Anonymous said...

BC parents new website.

www.wedontcare.ca

Anonymous said...

t-birds vs bwc... he says...she says... why don't you have an exhibition rematch, at a neutral rink, with a neutral ref...

Anonymous said...

January 30, 2013 at 9:09 AM
Wow, yes, how true.
Sabotaging competition is not only done by parent involvement but also by paid coaches. Some may have agent connections and yes money does change hands. The nastiest behaviour is from parents who can slowly assassinate the character of a player for no other reason than jealousy. You can see stats that miraculously change. Line configurations doomed to fail and of course the big one, the captains being family friends, coaches kids or the cop out "I let the kids pick". We have all seen it and it is very common. How do these people who conduct themselves like this act away from hockey. Do they lie and cheat at work and with their families. Very scary people.

Anonymous said...

January 30, 2013 at 7:55 AM
Instead of trying to rake families over the coals for making decisions that they think are in their kids best interest, look at the reson for these families moving. When you have assoc/clubs/ academies that aren't giving they child the development and coaching that they desire, why shouldn't they be allowed to move as long as it done within the rules?
- - - - - - - - - -

Who said they shouldn't be allowed?????
Also, I wasn't trying to rake anybody over the coals for farming their kids out to be raised by strangers in another town.
Oh, wait a minute ...
Never mind.

Anonymous said...

January 30, 2013 at 10:50
This is just oozing with jealousy. This poster should read post 10:33, a good post.

Anonymous said...

Hey Jan 30 9:15 AM

People move because they want a better program then what they were getting. Better development, better coaching and better exposure. If they want to do it, it none of anyone business but theirs. It's pretty obvious by the exodus you need changes in your association.
Stick your thumb in your mouth and go whine to someone who cares about your would have, could have, should have comments. Do something productive and make your program better and maybe they won't leave.

Anonymous said...

These comments are unbelievable! I guess that explains why the BC kids get drafted but the SK kids always are the ones that play. It's called CHARACTER which apparently looks like alot of families in BC lack!

Anonymous said...

Who said they shouldn't be allowed?????
Also, I wasn't trying to rake anybody over the coals for farming their kids out to be raised by strangers in another town.
Oh, wait a minute ...
Never mind.

January 30, 2013 at 10:50 AM

Sounds like a very bitter parent. I would guess their kid is not doing as well without the support of the players who have moved. Time to stand on your own!

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know the date of the 2013 Bantam draft yet? Has it been announced?

Western Elite said...

Bantam Draft is on May 2, 2013.

Anonymous said...

Everyone should just relax and enjoy their kids playing hockey while they can. Remember, no one is making a living playing in the WHL so not sure why it is such a big deal? Pick up a WHL Guide from a few years back. Look at every teams roster and see if you recognize any of those names in the NHL. I think you'll be surprised out of all the players in the league how few actually play and thrive in the NHL.

Anonymous said...

January 30, 2013 at 9:15 AM

You failed to mention your goalie, came over from South Delta.

Missed that part.

Anonymous said...



SSAC LLOY NSWC BWC BISONS

on any given night any is capbale of beating the other

Likely playoffs will be SSAC vs LLOY with the winner playing Bisons to go to Westerns.

NSWC and probably BWC in BC Final

Winnipeg Hawks or Monarchs from Manitona.

teams on the rise

Sherwood Park



Anonymous said...

This board gets silly at times. BWC and NSWC are the cream of the crop and then there is a bunch of teams that on any given night can beat each other. Yes, maybe somebody can give NSWC or BWC a game here and there, but that's it. Tbirds not sure what the deal is with them. Really their only 98 born draft prospect is a shut down dman (Georgeopoulos). Who should have left this sorry group when he had the chance. Their best forward is a 99 born player (Lin). In my opinion Tbirds and Abby are very similar as Abby's forwards are not that great either. Semiahmoo is a decent group with above average forwards (Regush and Westgard are the best of that group) and strong goaltending (Kelleway) that makes up for their weaker defensemen. Langley strong goaltending and two very skilled forwards (Gingras and Malm)and a good small offensive dman (Cholowski). NOW compare that to BWC or NSWC where they have two solid forward lines on each team, solid goaltending and in BWC case 2 first rounders on the blueline. To me it comes down to whether BWC can find a way to limit the NSWC offense. Really the last game between these two came down to 1 lucky bounce. Rematch coming up in the final 4, but more importantly in the provincials. My money is on Batchelor to win the provincials. Now for the other 2 teams that will be in the final 4 Semiahmoo and either Tbirds/Langley as those two face each other. The only reason I don't pick Langley outright is because they have been struggling of late. But it doesn't really matter as BWC/NSWC will move on.

Anonymous said...

There will be some Flight 1 Teams in a state of shock after the first round I think. T-birds and Langley in the final four?. Don't make me laugh. When people name drop on this site, and self promote their own kids, it kind of gets embarassing. At least the T-bird parents have a sense of humour about the whole thing (they were kidding, right?).

Anonymous said...

The T-Birds have kidded themselves right into a 3rd place finish. So I'm not sure it was all a joke.

Anonymous said...

T birds will be in final 4 and have a shot at provincials.

Only way clubs beat them is with power play.

Anonymous said...

8:08
The post you are commenting on seems logical to me.As it would appear now Langley will
play S. delta and T birds play Ridge in single game knock outs.
Anything can happen but they have to be considered favorites. The 2
teams would then play a 4 pt series
with the winner going to the final four. Which tier 2 team do you see
beating NSWC, BWC Semi or Abby?

Anonymous said...

My fearless prediction for PCAHA Final Four:
BWC + NSWC (no-brainers) + Semi + Abby

Of course, this assumes none of them have to eliminate another in order to get there. I'm not sure how the whole playoff system unfolds.

Anonymous said...

The powerful T birds with there full health lineup. first time since x mas lay an egg and go down to Abbotsford in there drive to clinch 3rd.

However they get another chance when they play NSWC and all they will need is tne sportsmanship point.

They will have eggs in their pants that game and avoid any contact so they can claim they are 3rd best.

No offense to t birds but that's what's wrong in PCAHA when playing soft gets you a point and higher rank in standings.