Quote:
Originally Posted by Red John
5 WHL teams are mentioned ahead of them in the CHL top 10 rankings. 3 of them in the East.
Perhaps people in Calgary have high hopes for them but they aren't considered the favourite in the East, at least not yet.
Time will tell. It's feasible to think Kootenay, PA, Edmonton and Red Deer could all finish in front of Calgary taking away their home ice advantage in round 1.
However thats the beauty of the WHL, they are just kids so its tough to make any projections in advance. Results tend to vary wildly.
Can't be an encouraging first game though. Expected goaltending to be the one strong suit of the Hitmen this year, didn't get off to a good start there.
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The first couple of rankings usually mean nothing. The Hitmen are returning 10 forwards, one less if Brassart sticks in the AHL, unlikely, they are also returning 5 defensemen and both goalies. As for last night, they took a lot of selfish penalties and admitted afterwards that they were more concerned about sending a physical statement to the team that knocked them out last year.
Kootenay and Red Deer have major holes in their lineup, PA is going to be a top 2 team because of the weak division they play in so I will give you that one, Edmonton is the only other team that could finish ahead of the Hitmen. Again, I'd be extremely surprised if they were not 1-2 in the East at the end of the year.