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Monday, December 3, 2012

WEHP Releases Top 10 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 December 3, 2012
1.   Burnaby Winter Club (8-1-1  63-8) 
2.   SSAC Southgate Lions (16-0-1  121-37) 
3.   North Shore Winter Club (12-2-1 81-19) 
4.   Calgary Bisons (13-2-1  99-37) 
5.   Lloydminster Heat (13-2-3  105-56) 
6.   Notre Dame  Hounds (7-1-3  60-35) Midget AA League
7.   OHA  (25-3-1 113-54) -Tournament Play/Not part of league
8.   Calgary Northstar Sabres (13-3-1  85-40)
9.   Winnipeg Monarchs (15-1-1 91-31)
10.  Calgary Royals (12-4-1 71-47)

Honorable Mention
MLAC Scott Pump (11-4-2  88-53), Sherwood Park Flyers (9-4-4  98-54), POE (7-1-0  62-12), Winnipeg Hawks (10-3-0  71-25) 

Top 5 Saskatchewan AA Bantam
1.  West Central Wheat Kings (13-1-1  72-33)
2.  North East Wolfpack (9-2-0  59-26)
3.  Regina Pat Blues (9-2-0  59-31)
4.  Prince Albert Venice House Raiders (10-4-0  92-55)
5.  Saskatoon Bandits (7-2-1  44-25)

50 comments:

Anonymous said...

Looks like there is a Top 4 that has separated itself from the rest, and probably a Top 2 in BWC / SSAC. We'll see what happens in St Albert.

Anonymous said...

Look Royal parents, i mean fans. You made the top 10 list! You guys must be the real deal now that you made the list! Congrats :)

Anonymous said...

Wow Poe fall out of top 10 , sure they lost on weekend to kelowna , but where with out Jost , McDonald , bishop , has they where with u16 team on minn . WHEP new anything they would take this in to consideration , , they did beat south side in the hat , don't see them falling , lmao

Anonymous said...

POE were also minus Ayres, Mitchell, Murga and Jarrett...that's 7 of their top players out of the line up.

Replaced by 5 from the tier 2 team, so not a big deal.

Anonymous said...

12-32 , did not now that , not so bad then only 3-1 , Poe will be fine at st. Albert

Anonymous said...

Royals fans (I mean parents) please take this moment to congratulate each other and enjoy this momentous occasion on having your players inducted into the most important list on the WEHP website.

Who cares. Next, issue the Langley parents complaints and tireless commitment to inundating this site will lead to another top 10 listing.

Who really cares...

Anonymous said...

What difference does being ranked on WEHP list mean anyway. As long as you know that they are a good team , that is all that matters. This is not an official list. This means about as much as having a top ten u11 football team. It is one guys opinion as to who the top 10 are. This is the same list that talks about how good guys are in Tier 3 in BC.

Anonymous said...

Better to be not ranked, lay in the weeds and just win.

Anonymous said...

1:10 "This is the same list that talks about how good guys are in Tier 3 in BC."

Are you saying that only kids that play in Tier 1 or 2 should be mentioned on this site or acknowledged at all?

Just because a parent doesn't make the choice to move their player to a winterclub or tier 1 team does not mean that the kid should be ignored and not mentioned.

The reality is a player is found based on their own playing merits, not those of the players around them. A good player that can play with lower skilled players will often turn out to be a stronger asset to a Jr team than one that has never had to work hard because they have been placed amount other superstars!

Anonymous said...

1:05 Inundating this site? Looks like you are doing the same. Not really too sure what the Royals or Langley parents have done to you. Maybe it's time you let go.

Anonymous said...

How does ND stay in the top 10? Just cuz they play in an awful midget AA league in SK? They lost to SSAC and barely beat Med Hat. POE killed Med Hat and had a convincing win vs SSAC....go figure?

Anonymous said...

I think there is a group of the top 4 who have separated. After that, maybe a group of teams from 5-7 and then teams 8-15 could go in any order really.

I also keep reading people critizing the site and content posted and that it is a money grab? The blog is free to read. If you don't like it, don't read it. Also, nobody is forcing you to pay the measley 10 bucks to read the content in the newsletter and all the rankings and interviews. My personal opinion is the package is more than they charge and they haven't raised the price in 3 years. Quit the complaining already.

Anonymous said...

SSAC has Benson, but he didn't do anything against POE or BWC. Early indication is ... maybe against top flight competition he gets shut down.
BWC Brunis are just too strong, too well coached. Goaltending can be spotty but the Defence is rock-solid, the strongest in Western Canada. Offence is at least adequate. When they are on their game they look to be unbeatable.

Anonymous said...

Can Someone please explain to me why the Vancouver T-birds are in Flight 1?

Anonymous said...

December 4, 2012 12:03 PM- aka-BWC Def parent

A little fyi
SSAC has a few more players besides Benson, He is not the whole team.They have many great players. When BWC played SSAC at Medicine Hat BWC was out-shot 37-24 and outplayed. Benson did skate circles around the def,literally. They scored twice on tip ins to which the def did nothing but watch. Before selling out your forwards and goalies. So before you give all the praise to your son and his def all stars, it is a team game. They are beatable and were very lucky in the SSAC game. No team is unbeatable, try to remember that.

Anonymous said...

Discipline is an issue with the so called top def players on the BWC team. From what I saw, 2 of them have very bad tempers , which gets them in the box at the wrong time.

Anonymous said...

12:03

I can't speak for what happened to Benson in the BWC game, but word has it that the tandem of Bishop and Jarrett on Def were on the ice every shift he was and he came up pointless in the POE game.

Certainly they didn't shut him out by themselves, but they are your go to guys in the defensive zone for this team, especially in the down low areas in which Benson thrives.

this isn't to take anything away from Benson, he's a great player, rather to let folks know there are other good players out there who are rarely mentioned, not only on this team, but on most teams.

Anonymous said...

December 4, 2012 12:03 PM

um ok sure what ever you say. .....

Anonymous said...

Poe dominated SSAC. It was 5-1 until 2 late pp goals. If it wasn't for Poe goaltending they would challenge to win every tourney.

Anonymous said...

Dec 4 3:04

Your right SSAC does have a few more good players but not in Bensons league. If you were at the game Benson scored 2 from just inside the blueline not taps as suggested. He couldn't penetrate down low at all. Your shots on goal stat may be right but the bottom line was a 3-2 loss. Good teams find ways to win. You other comment about no team is unbeatable is correct as well. They are 2 very good hockey clubs and any team could win on any given night. I wish they had an opportunity to play against each other more often.
3:01
Your guess is as good as mine. They shouldn't be but parents egos couldn't take being in Teir 2
3:13
I watch alot of their games and they are at the top of least penalized teams. So your undiciplined penalties comment makes absolutely no sense.Check your facts. Question for you: Did one of them hit your little boy and you want to make a negative comment about them? Your playing top level hockey and physical play is part of it. You can't whine everytime your kid gets hit.
4:35
One game doesn't define a player. He's a threat everytime he's on the ice. Good for your D in that game. I would bet next game he won't be pointless!!! POE did have a good game but what about the other games in the tournament. Don't toot your horn until your hoisting the holy grail.

Anonymous said...

December 4, 2012 7:21 PM

I thought only BWC blamed their goalies for everything. We can add POE to the list. You BC parents never cease to amaze the rest of us. No matter how many people here say it, I guess on BC its not a team game.

Anonymous said...



December 5, 2012 8:28 AM

Sure they were tipped- Look at the score sheet. Both were. One was tipped over the goalies head when he was in a butterfly. The first goal was awesome, tipped in the air and redirected as the goalie was siding. It was a great goal. Both teams are very good and have alot of talent front to back.

Anonymous said...

Agree with the post by 3.04

They are both outstanding teams and when they play it's hockey at it's best .


And too 7.01 give your head a shake if you really think anyone would be blaming goaltending.

Anonymous said...

Funny how if Benson or White gets no points it's cause they're no good or not as good as people think and people are criticizing them yet if the goalies don't stop the puck it's a team game? As you say 8:36am it is a team game and if the goalies don't do their job they deserve the criticism as much as the "top" players do when they don't score. Fair is fair

Anonymous said...

Can Someone please explain to me why the Vancouver T-birds are in Flight 1?
December 4, 2012 3:01 PM

Most of us in the Lower Mainland could answer that. Their coach pushed hard to move from flight 3 to flight 1, as simple as that. The spot should have gone to South Delta but their coach didn't want it. Too busy padding the stats for the tiny kids in a lower flight. Shame for their top prospect he would do well there.
T-Birds are being marketed strongly but it doesn't change the fact that they don't have any stars. They are marketing themselves everywhere even the kids are on this blog. A word to the kids and parents. We know who the strong players are. We know who the strong players aren't. Strong players aren't just on flight 1 teams or championship teams. As much as you would like to believe that all the best kids are at the clubs and academy's its just not so. Thats why you see scouts at AA tournaments. They are everywhere. So relax a little and enjoy your season it will all pass you by so quickly.

Anonymous said...

December 3, 2012 1:10 PM

In general WEHP does a fine job ranking the teams. They get it right most of the time. They take into consideration all aspects of competition and should be commended on their efforts.

Player rankings are somewhat harder. WEHP's rankings are very good when it comes to who will get drafted the highest. But this doesn't tell us who the best players are. The players who get drafted the highest are generally the players who have been playing on the most successful teams, therefore more exposure. Many lower ranked players who get drafted later, go on to be better players. You can see this in the latest rankings. A few lower ranked players are there and are known to be extremely strong prospects but unfortunately never get the exposure to be on the ice at the same time as higher team players therefore continue to be ranked lower. The same is true for higher ranked players that are ranked high purely on team success. A little more care could be taken to switch these rankings around and sometimes take a chance on the player that is on the lower ranked team that can outperform these higher ranked kids at summer camps etc. We see this at training camps, the lower drafted prospect blows away the higher pick in effort, skating and desire and we wonder why the higher kid was even drafted. All in all WEHP is a great blog for info and rankings. My only suggestion would be to maybe seek out some of those "not seen as often" players who are very strong draft prospects and place them in their warranted rank spots.

Anonymous said...

It is well known that POE made lots of mistakes with recruitment this year. A few choices are just mind boggling. Hopefully they will be back on track next year.

Anonymous said...

Oh my! Bang on 10:11am
Thought I was the only one who noticed that.

Anonymous said...

Why are T birds in PCAHA?

Good question, and the answr is simple. hockey is backwarsds in the PCAHA.

The individuals on the PCAHA bowed to the pressure from the T birds past president who's son is also on the T birds.

Tiering waste of time. Teams being allowed to schedule BANTAM AAA games in 1.15 hour game slots.

A point for sportsmanship. When you get less than 16 minute games.

T Tbirds are what PCAHA is all about, nothing good, plain and simple and to the point.



Anonymous said...

Dec 5 - 10:11

Agree that T-birds moved up 2 flights because of the begging of their coach and parents. However I've watched the S.Delta team this year and they are very small and I don't think they could compete at the flight 1 level. Maybe the top prospect could compete but he would not have anyone to play with as the others would be left in the wind.

Mind you Burnaby Minor is still in Flight 1 which is mind boggling as well.

PCAHA rarely gets it right 100% of the time.

Anonymous said...

While have not been a fan of TBirds moving up late, mostly due to the scheduling issues that caused, I have to admit, they are holding their own. We have to remember that there are 2 levels in PCAHA's flight one. TBirds fit in with the likes of Coquitlam, Richmond, Burnaby, Surrey. I don't like the process, but can't blame the kids for playing up and playing hard.

That said, they are really making it hard on themselves in here.

Anonymous said...

As a retired goalie who played the position for many years, I would like to respond to those of you who think it's wrong to blame or criticize the keeper for a loss.

First and formost one must understand that the nature of the position is such that you are either a hero or a bum and that's the way it is, so live with it.

In saying that, we all understand that a bad/weak goal once in awhile will happen and we move on from it.

Hopefully this doesn't cost your team a game, but sometimes it does and unfortunately the only thing one can say as a goalie is "I was responsible."

On the other hand, if a goalie consistently allows poor/weak goals on routine shots it's quite another matter...in fact it's a serious problem.

If you have two evenly matched teams, both playing at a high level, the difference in the game will most always come down to the guy between the pipes. And if on one of the teams the goalie doesn't perform because he allows weak goals it costs you and can cost you severely.

Suppose for example, you have two of the top ranked games facing off against each other, both play a great game, shots and scoring opportunities are equal, both defensive teams play great as do the forwards but one team loses, in fact gets blown out by 5,6 or 7 goals, many of the weak variety on routine shots, which has happened in recent tournaments...who do you think is responsible?

Some of you will think it's overly harsh or unfair to criticize the goalie and sometimes I would agree with you. But, if the situation is such that bad goals occur as a regular occurence, I totally disagree.

This a key position, perhaps THE key position and where others might be able to get by with a less than stellar performance, your goalie cannot do so.

Harry Truman was quoted as saying "the buck stops here" and unfortunately for goalies it applies to them also.

If you are a parent of a goalie, who gets offended by this criticism, wake up and smell the coffee, because it will often rest on his shoulders, like it or not.

And if you can't handle the criticism, either have your son change positions, drop down to a lower level where he an compete or stop attending the games.

harsh, perhaps, but I've been there and know whereof I speak.

Anonymous said...

To the ex goalie @ 7:12....well said and EXACTLY!

Anonymous said...

T-Birds are way better than South Delta. They only have 1 really good player and we beat them good.

Anonymous said...

Have to agree with 10:11 and 1:47 about SD.

Agree that South Delta may struggle in flight 1 but so are other teams. Their coaching is weak, not sure whats going on there.

Anonymous said...

Great post by (December 5, 2012 11:49 AM).

While the talk is about SD and Tilsley, he is a great example of one of those players that you talk about. He is know as a top prospect but is severely under ranked on WEHP. Probably due to the team he plays on. He is know to be able to compete with the best but is never seen during the season at the big tournaments. Therefore the statement you make is very true. Very thoughtful post.
Yes, generally WEHP does a good job and is a good source for info.

Anonymous said...

The kids are only 14. 99% of them will never play past midget. So to say wake up and smell the coffee as the rational to abuse 14 year olds verbally, then something is wrong. Not everyone is going to the show. Some kids just like being on a team, stopping picks, learning about life etc. But saying a kid should change positions if he doesnt like getting verbally abused by adults is an insult to hockey. This ex goalie is one great role model. I hope he is a coach as well. NOT.

Anonymous said...

11:49

Very true, well said.

Anonymous said...

December 5, 2012 7:12 PM

True. This applies to other players also. Be prepared for all aspects of your kids game being critiqued.

Anonymous said...

December 5, 2012 11:49 AM

Your point is proven by the amount of T-Birds players appearing on the rankings recently. Not deserved at all. I guess the thinking is "team moves up, must have some good players". Maybe, but not draft material.

Anonymous said...

Been away from these sites for some time. It is really amusing to me that nothing ever changes. Virtually all the same comments with different names attached to them.... hilarious!! If I may offer some sound advice to all parents viewing and commenting on this and other hockey related sites...RELAX AND ENJOY YOUR CHILDREN. I say this because we as a family have gone through and continue to go through the hockey experience with our son long after his name and others were the hot topics of these sites. We all seem to be in such a big rush to move our kids onto the next level of hockey without really taking the time to realize that these kids will possibly be gone from home at the age of 16. Don't rush it because once it happens you will be left with an empty spot in you heart and soul and you will spend countless nights thinking about what you son is doing, who is he with, is the billet family treating him okay, is he eating properly, when he's sick, who is looking after him, is he getting along with his new and older team mates,how is he doing in school, is he really telling me what's going on..etc etc etc..Remember that once their gone, there gone for a minimum of 7-8 months every year. Also getting to this point is really really tough but the real test still lies in whether or not you remain. Getting drafted higher than someone else is no guarantee that you will get the nod over someone else. Hug em and love em because your not going to be raising them up after they leave.

Merry Christmas

Anonymous said...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the T-birds are winless in Flight 1...

Anonymous said...

Okay, I'll chime in too ... as another "old goalie".
It's all about the BAD goals. In other words, it is NOT the goalies job to "stop-em-all", as is often said. It IS the goalies job to stop the shots he "should" stop.
Good goals do get scored, and no-one blames the Keeper. Nor should they. But a bad goal ... well, at the higher levels of play a bad goal -- just one -- can be THE difference in a game. As age and skill levels rise, so does the parity of competition. It becomes increasingly difficult to score and the difference between winning and losing is often just a single goal. That's why there really cannot much tolerance for "bad" ones.
So, the spectacular save is not what defines good or great goalies (or goalie prospects). Any goalie can make a spectacular looking save. In fact, the spectacular save is usually made from out-of-position, when a goalie has mis-read the play or over-reacted to something.
Good goalies are defined by their ability to consistently make all the saves they should make, only allowing the "good" goals.
Coaches, and teammates, LOVE the guy who is rock-solid steady, if completely unspectacular. That's why it is often observed of the excellent goalie that he "makes it look easy". It does look easy easy when the goalie is in the right spot, executing the right save ... the puck seems to just come to him. THAT is a thing of beauty! It gives confidence to every player on that goalie's team AND builds pressure on the opposing players because they know that only a very good play or perfect shot is gonna beat that kind of goalie.

Man! I even love writing about good goaltending.

Anonymous said...

Agreed, 10:11am & 1:47pm

Saw SD in North Van last week and Tilsley was very good, not much else though.

Anonymous said...

Langley have played 7 games in the league and have only won 2. Richmond and Surrey. Time for them to maybe try some teams in flight 2.
So much for all those high ranked players. Time for a shake up?

Anonymous said...

Leave Langley alone. They are 4 points ahead of where they were last year at this time. That's headway!

Anonymous said...

3:47 So much for all those high ranked players? Leave those children alone. Have a look at how they are being coached and some of the decisions made by their coaching staff. Those boys go out there and work hard each and every game.

Anonymous said...

Bwc, nswc will run away with flight 1 this year

Anonymous said...

so much has changed since last year

Anonymous said...

to December 6, 2012 11:46 AM - great post, I couldn't agree more. Wish all us parents would relax, sit back and enjoy how our kids can play the game and exalt in the joy they get from playing the game. They are still only 14, a lot changes over the next 2 years - being drafted guarentees nothing and not being drafted does not mean their dreams are done. The Bantam draft is just a snapshot in time and is based on scouts' best estimates of how good these kida can be. Please everyone - appreciate that our kids can play this great game at such a high level and let them find their own path. Applaud great play, immense effort and sportmanship coupled with competitiveness by all these young players not just our own. They are great athletes and fine young man - let them continue to grow and learn at their own pace.
If they are good enough and dedicated enough, they will be found, now or later,