WHL Update

Thought this would be a good time to check up on some WHL'ers with ties to our local Junior 'A' teams. I won't speculate as to who might or might not return to Junior 'A' this season, it's more of an update on how everyone's doing. Every team will have Western League guys listed, who've never played Jr A before, just incase they get sent down, but I'll try to stick to the guys who've played for our teams before, and/or are from around here.
Sean Aschim - 1992 F - Moose Jaw Warriors
Junior 'A' Rights - Melville Millionaires
Stats: GP (12 of 13) 4g-5a-9p, 4 PIM, +3
Aschim was off to a hot start with the Warriors, and still remains near the top of their scoring chart, but his production has declined in recent games, as he finds himself a little further down on the depth chart, with the return of Quinton Howden, and a recent trade with Calgary that brought in two forwards, and shipped one out.

Austin Bourhis - 1992 F - Prince Albert Raiders
Junior A Rights - Yorkton Terriers
Stats: GP (16 of 16) 0g-1a-1p, 40 PIM, +1
Bourhis is being used at forward in the Western League, but of course he was a defenseman when he shared the Yorkton Terriers rookie of the year award with Brent Struble as a 17-year-old two seasons ago.




Calder Brooks - 1994 F - Calgary Hitmen
Junior A Rights - Melville Millionaires
Stats: GP (6 of 11) 0g-1a-1p, 0 PIM, +-Even
Brooks played on a line with Allen Kilback with the Regina Pat Canadians last season, and you know Jamie Fiesel is salivating at the possibility of putting Brooks on left wing with Kilback and T.J. Reeve, but the Hitmen are still re-building their program after a few dominant seasons, and will likely be patient with their young guys. Brooks may get into a few more games after that deal that saw the Hitmen send two forwards to Moose Jaw.

Levi Cable - 1994 F - Kootenay Ice
Junior A Rights - Melville Millionaires
Stats: GP (10 of 15) 0g-0a-0p, 0 PIM, -4
After leading the Yorkton Harvest in scoring last season, Cable is looking for his first WHL goal and point, on what appears to be yet another competitive defending champion Kootenay team. He has played in two thirds of their games. The Harvest could also be an option for the 17-year-old if the Western League doesn`t pan out this season, but he`s getting his fair share of minutes with the Ice.

Devan Fafard - 1994 D - Saskatoon Blades
Junior A Rights - Melville Millionaires
Stats: GP (6 of 13) 0g-0a-0p 7 PIM, -5
The Millionaires saw so much promise in Fafard that they called him up, at age 16, for part of their playoff series with Estevan. The Blades are easing the 17-year-old into his rookie WHL season.




Jeff Hubic - 1994 D - Kootenay Ice
Junior A Rights - Melville Millionaires
Stats: GP (8 of 15) 0g-0a-0p, 19 PIM, -2
Hubic is not an offensive defenseman, as he didn`t have huge AAA numbers in Tisdale last year, but he`s a big body, and hasn`t been afraid to drop the gloves with older guys in the Western League.


Jens Meilleur - 1993 F - Brandon Wheat Kings
Junior A Rights - Wayway Wolverines
Stats: GP (6 of 13) 0g-2a-2p, 2 PIM, +1
After spending his 16-year-old season in Wayway, Meilleur had his rookie WHL season cut short due to injury last year. Now 18, he really hasn`t been handed a big offensive role, something that looked like might come his way eventually, after scoring 11 goals as a 16-year-old in Wayway.

Evan Morden - 1993 D - Everett Silvertips
Junior A Rights - Swan Valley Stampeders
Stats: GP (14 of 14) 1g-0a-1p, 10 PIM, +- Even
Morden played for his hometown Stampeders as a 16-year-old, and spent all of last season in Everett. The Silvertips are re-building, and Morden`s appeared in every game so far, getting plenty of ice. He also attended Dallas Stars prospects camp in June.


John Neibrandt - 1992 D - Kootenay Ice
Junior A Rights - Yorkton Terriers
Stats: GP (15 of 15) 0g-4a-4p, 10 PIM, +5
Neibrandt spent the 2009-2010 season with the Terriers as a 17-year-old, and went to the SJHL final with them. He played in another league final last year, and won it, picking up a WHL ring with the Ice, and played in the Memorial Cup. In his last game on Wednesday night, Neibrandt was a +3.

Landon Peel - 1994 D - Regina Pats
Junior A Rights - Swan Valley Stampeders
Stats: GP (5 of 14) 0g-0a-0p, 5 PIM, -2
Peel was re-assigned to Swan by the Pats early last season, and wound up being one of their most impressive offensive defensemen. This season, the Pats have 6 veteran defenseman seeing a lot more time than Peel and Nathan Zimbaluk, but they know they need those guys to develop too, whether that means seeing limited time in the Dub, or getting a regular shift in Junior A. Zimbaluk is protected by the Battlefords North Stars.

Damon Severson - 1994 D - Kelowna Rockets
Junior A Rights - Melville Millionaires
Stats: GP (13 of 13) 2g-11a-13p, 16 PIM, -1
I said I wouldn`t speculate, but Damon Severson will never wear Blue & White for his hometown Millionaires. He was an AP for one game as a 15-year-old, but that was his first and last game with the Mils. He had a 5-assist night this month, and is tied for second on the Rockets roster. He can bet on being drafted next June, and I wouldn`t doubt it`s in the first three rounds.

Tayler Thompson - 1993 F - Prince George Cougars
Stats: GP (14 of 14) 2g-2a-4p, 13 PIM, -14
Junior A Rights - Yorkton Terriers
Thompson led the Yorkton Harvest in scoring two seasons ago, and made the jump to the Western League last season. The minus number does jump out a little for the second year forward, who ranks tied for last in the league in that stat, but the Cougars have struggled offensively out of the gate and played the bulk of their games on the road.

Spencer Tremblay - 1994 G - Moose Jaw Warriors
Junior A Rights - Wayway Wolverines
Stats: GP (1 of 14) 1-0, 4.00 GAA, .889%
The Warriors had a surplus of goalies at the start of the season, and it looked like Tremblay may end up in Wayway. But, since the start of the season, Moose Jaw acquired Deven Dubyk, re-assigned him to Humboldt, acquired Luke Siemens from Everett, and re-assigned Brandon Stone to Estevan, which means the backup job behind Siemens is Tremblay`s, at least for the time being.

Davis Vandane - 1992 D - Spokane Chiefs
Junior A Rights - Yorkton Terriers
Stats: GP (11 of 11) 0g-4a-4p, 6 PIM, -1
At the start of last season, the Saskatoon Blades re-assigned Vandane to the Terriers, and he simply played too good to stay. He put up a point-per-game in his time as a Terrier, controlled the powerplay, and was quickly scooped up by Spokane, where he had 17 assists the rest of the way, and saw his name on the NHL Central Scouting Rankings at one point.