1-La Ronge...they've got it all and are extremely fun to watch. Marc-Andre Carre had the goal of the year on Saturday against Battlefords.
2-Yorkton...not as flashy as the Ice Wolves, but every bit as good.
3-Melfort...a ton of moves by Darrell Mann on December 1st; but they've now got the depth to go along with some top heavy talent. Can he keep everyone on the same page?
4-Flin Flon...PJ Musico had a whale of a game on Saturday against Kindersley. If that's par for the course with him, then the Bombers are poised to upset come playoff time regardless of their talent leve at other positions.
5-Estevan...This team is looking more and more like a team built for the playoffs and may be a little bored right now.
6-Kindersley...Just when you think they are going to wilt and go away, they pull through with a gutsy win, such was the case against Flin Flon on Saturday. Sean Cahill may be the answer they were looking for in goal too.
7-Humboldt...Something isn't right. Tough decisions ahead for Dean Brockman. They should be much better. Much, much better.
8-Melville...After unsuccessful SJHL stops in Estevan and Battlefords, Alex Sirard has given the Millionaires quality netminding. If it continues, look out.
9-Weyburn..Some of their key players just aren't experienced enough right now.
10-Battlefords....I can see why Hildebrand and Birch have bad goals against averages. It's not always their fault. Hildebrand played well on Saturday and still, his team was on the hook for five goals against.
11-Notre Dame...They may fall out of the race and you know the phone will be ringing with regards to their veterans, namely Russell Abbott.
12-Nipawin....Like the Hounds, they have a hot commodity in goal with Brody Hoffman. I would think there would be a line forming for Matthew Spafford too.
Note that these rankings are not official and more weight should be given to those issued straight from the SJHL Head Office.
Mike I will agree to disagree with you on your Weyburn ranking but that is okay. These are all one man's opinion.
ReplyDelete- Brad McNeil
Hey Brad .... By the end of the year, they will probably be fine, but young inexperienced guys like Kilgore, Whitell, Coupal, Sanderson, and Bruce are going to be deciding factors in my mind for Weyburn. George could also carry them for awhile. Nice work on the weekend.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mike. I did not know if I would be able to do 12 games but we made it through it. For the most part it was great hockey just wish more of the Weyburn hockey fans would have come out to support the non-Weyburn games.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that a lot of the core players are young - but if the team can get strong goaltending from Hengen and Kilgore, George can get a spark lit under his butt and Shawn Cowie gets healthy I think this team will be fine. Of course I am bias but in my mind TJ Wees is as solid defenseman as any team has but certainly we could use a good puck moving d-man which I think Whitell will be in the future. Tanner McCall has moved back to the blue line and has played better hockey as of late and Jens Johnson in my mind has been a pleasant surprise back there. He is not flashy but gets the job done. Coupal looks better everyday as well.
I guess the one stat I like most about our team in Weyburn this year is that the guys are 4-0 against Estevan. I can hardly wait for the three games in three days coming up after Christmas. I just hope by the third game both teams have enough players left to play the game lol.
Although I don't see either happening - I would like to see if the Wings could acquire Spafford out of Nipawin and somehow pry James Howden out of Notre Dame. Probably a pipe dream lol.
Anyway I have rambled on enough. Have a good one and even though I don't always agree with your rankings I am glad you do them. It makes for an interesting read.
Brad