One of the top dmen in Western Canada - Fabbro |
Here are some of the questions we hope to find answers to as the season is set to begin very soon. Again, there are many story lines and definitely more story lines to explore in the future months. Are you all ready for another season of bantam hockey? We are!!!
British Columbia
1. Can BWC Bruins re-load and once again make it to the Western Canada Bantam Championships?
2. Will Jaeger White be able to mirror the success of previous #1 overall picks Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Matt Barzal? Like Barzal and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, White will wear his birth year - #98.
3. What kind of depth will the PCAHA have this season? Last year they had four of the top 7 teams in westerns Canada. Cloverdale, Semiahmoo, NSWC and BWC were the four ultra talented teams.
4. Can Dante Fabbro keep pace with top Alberta defenseman Dave Quenneville and Kale Clague and have a chance at 1st overall?
5. Will Dante Hannoun be able to carry NSWC offensively and challenge BWC this year for PCAHA supremacy?
6. What type of damage can the reloaded POE and OHA programs do in major tournaments? They have loaded up once again and look to have teams worthy of top 10 currently in western Canada.
7. Which player will rise up the rankings the most as the season progresses, who has the most upside?
8. Is NSWC Forward Jordy Bellerive the next big time player in western Canada or has he peaked early as his brother Matt did?
9. Are the Langley Eagles the dark horse team to challenge and come out of the PCAHA? They are getting a huge influx from a very good peewee program and have made a couple additions.
10. Which goalies can emerge and join Shugrue in the conversation as a top goalie from BC?
Alberta
1. Does SSAC have enough depth to return to westerns this year after Benson, Quenneville, Skinner?
2. Is Sam Steel of Sherwood Park the player who will pass Benson, Clague and others and go first overall?
3. Has Lloydminster Heat defenseman Kale Clague gotten bored with bantam hockey or has he peaked?2. Is Sam Steel of Sherwood Park the player who will pass Benson, Clague and others and go first overall?
4. When David Quenneville hits his growth spurt, will he be the top ranked Alberta prospect for the draft?
5. Does anyone have a better defensive core than the Calgary Bisons? McKinstry, Tanaka, Drohan and Pierce all possible high picks.
6. Will Tyler Steenbergen keep his first round bantam status despite playing on a sub-par team this year?
7. Which goalie will rise above the others this year between Dumba, Skinner, Chapman and Hart?
8. After the Bisons, who will be the next best team in the south this year?
9. Can the Airdrie Xtreme still challenge down south after the losses of Dube to Notre Dame and Tanaka to the Bisons?
10. Can Carter Cziakowski challenge Ryely Mckinstry as the top defenseman in the south?
Saskatchewan
1. Just how good will the Notre Dame Hounds be in western Canada this year after picking up the likes of Dube, Elder, Ramsay, Reid, Ross, Faith - just to name a few?
2. Which teams will emerge this year as Balgonie and North East did last year, if any?
3. How much hurt has the GSHL or Greater Saskatoon Hockey League suffered by losing its top three forwards to other programs?
4. Is adding Garrett Pilon from Saskatoon enough for West Central to field a serious contender in Saskatchewan and be a threat at westerns?
5. Will Saskatchewan have a prospect to rise in to the overall top 10? Currently, there isn't a single prospect in the top 15.
6. Who will emerge as the top forward in the province? Will it be Kaden Elder?
7. Can Nolan Reid cement himself as a legit top defenseman in the province and go in the first round or are others catching up?
8. Which 1999 born will open up eyes this year? Can Sawchuk, Foster or Dawson Holt become that player?
9. Do you think the GSHL should join the SBAAHL league?
10. Who will be the eventual champion and be the second rep at westerns?
Manitoba
1. Will the Winnipeg Hawks run away with the league and provincial title this year?
2. Can Nolan Patrick challenge for 1st overall?
3. Will Brett Howden playing Midget AAA hurt him or help him in regards to his game and draft status as a potential top 5 pick?
4. Can defenseman Garrett Kuklica keep his highly ranked status for the draft or are others beginning to gain on him?
5. Which rural team can be this years Pembina Valley Hawks and dominate that area of Manitoba?
6. Can Stelio Mattheos continue to dominate and be the next top player to watch in the '99 age group from Winnipeg?
7. How will challenge the Winnipeg Hawks for the league and/or provincial title this year?
8. Will Connor Bowey have a similar impact than that of his brother Madison?
9. Will this be the best year in a decade in regards to first round picks from the province of Manitoba?
10. Which player that we don't have in the top few rounds has the best chance of rising the fastest up our rankings?
Western States
1. Will any of the talented Shattuck St. Mary's players consider joining the WHL in future? Kieffer Bellows, Ben Lown, D - Ryan Lindgren and G - Ryan Edquist are all at or near the top of the rankings.
2. Can Patrick Khodorenko cement himself as one of the top talents in western North American playing with Detroit Honeybaked?
3. Will Cullun Foote or Logan McColgan choose the major junior route?
4. Is Joey Anderson the top player in western North America? Some think so! He is from Minnesota.
5. Can Blake Bargar keep his first round WHL bantam draft rating playing with the Arizona Bobcats?
16 comments:
Can't see any sask kids going 1st. I like the howden kid from manitoba. Steel & white from Alberta and fabbro & krysko from BC.
Bigger question around how good Notre Dame will be: will anyone in SK even care?
will be difficult for Patrick to take the scoring race in Manitoba this year.
Manitoba question #2 - might be hard for Nolan Patrick to be on the top of the scoring race, not only are there 11 teams in Manitoba in the City league, but Patrick is hurt - he's gonna lose games again.
11:31 - are there 11 teams in Winnipeg AAA bantam league? There were 7 last year. Who are the new teams?
Quetion 10 manitoba, Coner Barley, will be the one player in manitoba to look out for, gritty to way play. was third in scoring in the winnipeg AAA league last year ahead of Patrick and 1 behind Loschiavo. One of the hardest hitting players and top PK player with the most short handed goals. Keep and eye on this kd!!
Hey 9:08am ... You spelled your kids name wrong. It is Connor. According to the Wpg AAA website, he was tied for 8th in the league in scoring and was 4th on his own team. Big, strong kid benefitting from playing on a very strong team. He does have the best hair in the league.
Hey 908 on the 6th and 738 am - rather unfortunate that you are both wrong. He was tied for 6th in the league in scoring and tied for second in the league in Goals.First in the league in SHG. both may want to anonymously check that again. He does play on a very strong team and really does have some great hair.
N.D. has done a good job recruiting. They will be a lot deeper than last year.
Hey 908am and 738am your both wrong he was actually tied for 6th in scoring and 2nd in goals was also first in SHG. check your facts when you both anonomously blog.
Why don't my comments show up?
Not from your provice, but i get the impression some of the people there are nervous of this Barley kid. Checked some on line stats and he seems to be a player that could move up the rankings. There are players ranked higher then him and don't have the stats this player does.
What about Scott Mickoski? Had a hat trick against the Monarchs yesterday. He's the show.
YES, BWC Bruins will likely make it to the Western Canada Bantam Championships, but I think Langley will pose a BIG challenge. Depending on Jaeger White's health, BWC may have limited offensive production.
Steenbergen will be just fine, it would be larceny if he doesn't go in the first round. Amazing skill, even better kid....nice little 5 goal game on the weekend.
Re: Question 6. I suspect OHA will actually be stronger than POE this season. There have been many upgrades at Dixon Ward's Academy, with several VS Blues players making the move there. POE's Defence will be weaker than last season, but Jost, Ayre, and McDonald will definitely be productive up front.
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