CHL Coast-to-Coast: Season gets underway
(Photo: Bowman – Rena Laverty/Flint Firebirds)
Wednesday September 30, 2015
By Josh Sweetland/CHL
The 2015-16 season is well underway and several teams are off to hot starts across the country.
Though it’s very early and several impact players throughout the CHL have yet to return from NHL training camps, observers gained some early insights as to what teams might have big things in store for the months to come.
Four WHL teams got out to 2-0 starts last week, with the Calgary Hitmen and the 2016 MasterCard Memorial Cup host Red Deer Rebels recording spotless records in the Eastern Conference. A pair of British Columbia clubs in the Vancouver Giants and the Victoria Royals, who received strong contributions from CHL Player of the Week Alex Forsberg, played to 2-0 in the Western Conference.
The OHL saw five teams play to 2-0, with at least one representative from each division.
The Peterborough Petes got off to their first 2-0 start since 2009, joining the Barrie Colts as one of two Eastern Conference clubs to stay perfect throughout Opening Week. The Midwest Division Erie Otters and Owen Sound Attack were also spotless with a pair of wins each.
The Flint Firebirds gave their fans a weekend to remember, going 2-0 to start their inaugural OHL season with a pair of victories over the state rival Saginaw Spirit. Vaughn CHL Goaltender of the Week Zack Bowman recorded his first career OHL shutout and compiled a 0.96 goals-against average and a .966 save percentage in the absence of injured goaltending partner Alex Nedeljkovic.
The QMJHL season is further along, having started back on September 10th. The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (5-1-1), Shawinigan Cataractes (5-1-0), Moncton Wildcats (5-1-0) and Drummondville Voltigeurs (5-1-0) are a few teams leading the pack out of the gate.
The Gatineau Olympiques (5-1-0) have been one of the league’s most exciting teams, featuring three of the QMJHL’s top four scorers in Alex Dostie (6, 5-8–13), Vitalii Abramov (6, 4-9–13) and Yan Pavel Laplante (6, 6-5–11)
While nobody likes to get hung up on small sample sizes, any team will take the positive vibes of a strong start to the season.
With high-end talent returning from NHL training camps in the coming weeks, we’ll begin to see a clearer picture of which teams will be worth keeping an eye on across the country this season.