CHL Coast to Coast: Rebels charge out of the gate
Wednesday October 7, 2015
By Josh Sweetland/CHL
The 2016 MasterCard Memorial Cup host Red Deer Rebels have come out of the gate strong in one of the most important seasons in the franchise’s 24-year history.
The Canadian Hockey League’s national championship returns to the province of Alberta for the first time since 1974 and the Rebels are in the hunt for their first MasterCard Memorial Cup crown since 2001 when a team featuring Colby Armstrong, Boyd Gordon and Martin Erat came out on top.
Though they suffered their first loss on Tuesday, the Rebels entered action as one of the WHL’s two remaining undefeated teams on Tuesday before falling to the Lethbridge Hurricanes by a score of 5-2.
The Rebels looked sharp in wins over the Edmonton Oil Kings, Swift Current Broncos and a 7-4 triumph over the reigning WHL Champion Kelowna Rockets as Czech newcomer Michael Spacek, a fourth round pick of the Winnipeg Jets, has fueled the team offensively with five goals and five assists through his first five contests. Fellow European Ivan Nikolishin, who came over in an offseason deal with the Everett Silvertips, has also been a steady source of offence with three goals, five assists and eight points in five games.
In goal, 19 year-old Rylan Toth has played to a 4-0-0-0 record with a 2.03 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage. He stands as the last line of defence behind a Rebels club that features NHL prospects in Haydn Fleury (Carolina), Conner Bleackley (Colorado) and Adam Musil (St. Louis) along with established WHL veterans in Presten Kopeck, Wyatt Johnson and Kayle Doetzel.
The Rebels have some big dates circled on the calendar as they’ll square off with the Calgary Hitmen in a home-and-home set on Friday and Saturday. The 4-1-0-0 Hitmen could very well prove to be Red Deer’s biggest challenge in the Central Division this season being led by a solid blueline that consists of Philadelphia Flyers first round pick Travis Sanheim and draft eligible 17 year-old Jake Bean.
With both teams on the radar of the BMO CHL Top-10 Rankings, the much anticipated matchup this coming weekend will allow the two clubs to feel each other out in their first encounter of the season.
The Rebels and Hitmen join the Prince Albert Raiders and Victoria Royals as the only WHL teams to have won four games on the season thus far.
Elsewhere across the country, the Erie Otters remain the CHL’s only undefeated team with a record of 4-0-0-0 entering the weekend. Draft eligible winger Alex DeBrincat, who scored a franchise record five goals in a 6-1 win last Thursday, earned Pioneer Energy OHL Player of the Week honours as a result of his strong performance. What’s more, the Otters will have 2015 third overall NHL Draft selection Dylan Strome back in the lineup after he was returned from the Arizona Coyotes earlier this week.
In the QMJHL, the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies continue to lead the way with a 7-1-1-0 record. Colorado Avalanche prospects Jean-Cristophe Beaudin (5-4–9) and Julien Nantel (3-6–9) have led a deep scoring corps while Boston Bruins prospect Jeremy Lauzon has recorded eight points (1-7–8) in four games from the blueline.
The reigning President Cup Champion Rimouski Oceanic have won six straight, with CHL Goaltender of the Week Louis-Philip Guindon recording a 2.73 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage through seven starts. Offensively, 19 year-old winger Antoine Dufort-Plante has led the team in scoring with three goals, seven assists and 10 points in seven games.
October is well underway and the turkey is on the table! An extended weekend of CHL hockey lies ahead with the Thanksgiving holiday coming up on Monday.