2024/25 WHL Season thread

[dash_pinched]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

London wins 5-2 over Moncton.

The final is set.

To be the best, you need to beat the best. Let's go Tigers!!

[dash_pinched]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1928873836067295252

[dash_pinched]

Man, the London Knights are a great, great team.

[fotze2]

Bash kinda looking crappy.

[dash_pinched]

Originally Posted by fotze2

Bash kinda looking crappy.

Yeah, still very rusty.

[dash_pinched]

That was a tough way to end the year, but still a heck of a season for the Tigers when it wasn't looking all that great at the midway mark.

[bossy22]

I was cheering for Medicine Hat. When I met my wife, her brother worked for the Tigers. We would go down and watch games and visit him.

[Roof-Daddy]

Hell of a season.

#1 ranked team pre-season ends up finishing 2nd. The boys should be proud of themselves. They battled a lot to get this far. To go 45-5-1 without Lindstrom and Basha, as well as missing Meneghin, Pickford and Woo for lots of games during that stretch is incredible.

They'd be set up for another championship run next year too but the NCAA has probably sewered that for us. Such a shame.

[Roof-Daddy]

Also, that called back goal with 5 minutes left is everything that's wrong with sports now.

Tigers score and have some momentum for a late push, nope....let's stop the game for 10 minutes looking for a hand pass....nope, no hand pass but it looks like the puck might have just grazed Ritchie's high stick in the corner 15 seconds earlier, an event which maybe altered the trajectory of the puck a degree or two and didn't effect the final outcome of the play in any way, shape or form....NO GOAL. Better luck next time Tigers.

Thank goodness it was just a goal to make it 4-2 and not a game tying goal or something. Just terrible.

[Roof-Daddy]

This is what the Tigers could have back next year.

McKenna (18) - Lindstrom (19) - Ritchie (19)
Basha (20) - McCann (18) - St. Martin (20)
L. Ruck (17) - SGC - (17) - M. Ruck (17)
Cunningham (19) -

Woo (19) - Pickford (19)
Vaisanen (19) - Muhonen (19)
Van Mulligan (20) -

Switzer (18)


Likely going to lose Lindstrom (NCAA), Basha (AHL), St. Martin (AHL) and possibly McKenna and Ritchie (NCAA) as well. Finns could easily go back to Finland as well.

Ouch.

This is going to be one messed up off season. Glad I'm not a CHL GM.

[dash_pinched]

Maybe the fact that McKenna didn't win the Memorial Cup last night keeps him in Medicine Hat for one more shot at glory? You know he's going to jump straight to whatever NHL team drafts him in 2026. Not to keep harping on this, but maybe the CHL should have awarded the 2026 Memorial Cup to Medicine Hat in order to keep their best player in the league?

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

This is what the Tigers could have back next year.

McKenna (18) - Lindstrom (19) - Ritchie (19)
Basha (20) - McCann (18) - St. Martin (20)
L. Ruck (17) - SGC - (17) - M. Ruck (17)
Cunningham (19) -

Woo (19) - Pickford (19)
Vaisanen (19) - Muhonen (19)
Van Mulligan (20) -

Switzer (18)


Likely going to lose Lindstrom (NCAA), Basha (AHL), St. Martin (AHL) and possibly McKenna and Ritchie (NCAA) as well. Finns could easily go back to Finland as well.

Ouch.

This is going to be one messed up off season. Glad I'm not a CHL GM.

Originally Posted by dash_pinched

Maybe the fact that McKenna didn't win the Memorial Cup last night keeps him in Medicine Hat for one more shot at glory? You know he's going to jump straight to whatever NHL team drafts him in 2026. Not to keep harping on this, but maybe the CHL should have awarded the 2026 Memorial Cup to Medicine Hat in order to keep their best player in the league?

Will be interesting to see (in general) how high level CHL players are affected by the new NCAA rules. What incentive is there for McKenna to jump to the NCAA when he'll jump straight to the NHL after next year? $$$ perhaps, that's the only thing I could see.

[dash_pinched]

This article by Cam Robinson suggests that a McKenna decision on where he will play next year will likely come in July. Regarding the money aspect...

That ruling came just a few years after the NCAA’s major 2021 policy shift on name, image, and likeness (NIL), which opened the door for student-athletes to earn money off their personal brands.

The combination of these two changes has opened a new lane: CHL players can now head to college hockey and potentially cash in. Some sources peg the potential return for players in the $100,000 to $200,000 per season range. Others believe it could reach as high as half a million dollars for elite talent.

https://www.eliteprospects.com/news/...-ncaa-decision

[Sylvanfan]

Yeah, with NIL money, and the fact that NCAA teams travel and have facilities that are as good as most NHL teams...the CHL is really going to have a tough time competing.

Hockey is the last sport around where Rich ol Mr. White can throw money at making his hobby child into a pro athlete. Plenty of them in the U. S. of A

[Roof-Daddy]

Cole Reschny, projected to go first round this year, and Keaton Verhoff, projected to go 2nd overall next year after McKenna have apparently both committed to the NCAA next season. What a blow to the Royals.

[Flickered Flame]

I've heard Everett is preparing to lose Jameison and maybe Dupont as well to the NCAA.

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[dash_pinched]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

Cole Reschny, projected to go first round this year, and Keaton Verhoff, projected to go 2nd overall next year after McKenna have apparently both committed to the NCAA next season. What a blow to the Royals.

You don't like to read on social media that people are saying "why should I continue to buy tickets when the team is gutted of their two best players?". Not sure how the WHL along with the QMJHL and OHL are going to be to address this, though.

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by Flickered Flame

I've heard Everett is preparing to lose Jameison and maybe Dupont as well to the NCAA.

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Dupont is only 16, he hasn't even graduated high school yet. I can see how Everett may be looking longer term but how would Dupont be a flight risk for next season?

[Flickered Flame]

Yes. Everett is looking a few down the road on possible players leaving for the NCAA.

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[Roof-Daddy]

I'm hoping this NCAA thing will be a "shiny new toy" for a couple seasons and then the exodus of high end players will taper off to being more just 20 year olds making the jump, and not as many players like Reschny and Verhoff.

The money will always be tempting of course, but there will be negatives to making the jump as well, I'm sure.

And the up side for the CHL IMO will be more high school aged US players coming to the CHL at 16/17 because the door won't be closed on them going NCAA anymore like it used to be.