As promised, here are my playoff predictions, written a day before the playoffs were to get under way.
Winnipeg South Blues vs. Winnipeg Saints – Before the trade deadline, I would have called this a toss up. After the deadline, I have to go with the Saints. When they acquired Justin Leclerc, it was a game changer in the Addison Division. He’s 11-2 since joining the Saints. The Blues are well coached, but the Saints have depth they can’t compete with.
Prediction – Saints in five.
Winkler Flyers vs. Selkirk Steelers – Neither of these teams played particularly well heading into the playoffs, but something’s got to give here. Selkirk has the league’s MVP in Taylor Dickin, and both teams have netminders who were up for goalie of the year (Peter Alexander for the Winkler Flyers and Joey Rewucki of Selkirk Steelers). Selkirk’s not the overwhelming power they are accustomed to being, and some say they are a little soft. If this series goes deep, it could be Winkler’s year.
Prediction – Flyers in seven.
Neepawa Natives vs. Dauphin Kings – One team is highly talented, built to win a national championship. The other doesn’t care, and judging by their penalty total this year, are ready to make Dauphin pay for every goal in this series. Dauphin should win based on their netminding and scoring prowess, but the Natives could make this a series if they get Dauphin off their game. The downside to playing tough, aggressive hockey is that Neepawa could give Dauphin more power-play chances.
Prediction – Dauphin in five.
Swan Valley Stampeders vs. Portage Terriers – The Stampeders blew their chance for home ice advantage in this series, but perhaps that works in their favour a bit, as the pressure to win switches to Portage. Swan Valley has always played Portage tough in the playoffs, especially as the underdog. Though Portage finished on a tear, they’re not the overwhelming favourite in this series. There’s such a thing a peaking too early, and the long layoff probably didn’t help Portage. Is this Swan Valley’s year? If not this year, when will they win another playoff round?
Prediction – Stampeders in seven.
Take those pics for what they’re worth – just one man’s opinion.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
The Manitoba Junior Hockey League is going to be handing out some hardware during the final week of the regular season and possible into the start of the playoffs.
There are some outstanding nominees for the various awards the MJHL hands out at the end of each season.
They did away with a year end banquet, and instead now present the awards to the players (and coaches) in front of their fans.
First up, who is this year’s MVP? They will take home the Steve “Boomer” Hawrysh award. Nominees include David Aime from the OCN Blizzard, Steven Shamanski from the Dauphin Kings and Taylor Dickin from the Selkirk Steelers.
Aime might seem like an odd choice given the Blizzard are not likely to make the playoffs this year, but anyone who watched the Blizzard this year know he basically carried them on his back with his stellar netminding.
The top defenceman in the MJHL will capture the Brian Kozak trophy. Shamanski is also nominated for this award. Joining him are Dale Warkentin from the OCN Blizzard and Zach Tully from the Portage Terriers.
The Vince Leah trophy is handed out to the top rookie in the MJHL each year. This year the race is between Cole Brunet of the Portage Terriers, Brendan O’Donnell of the Winnipeg South Blues and Eric Coulombe of the Steinbach Pistons. While it’s great to see the Pistons franchise represented here, O’Donnell is the likely winner in this category.
The player deemed to show the most hockey ability and sportsmanship is presented the Lorne “Windy” Lyndon trophy. Players up for this award include Shane Luke from the Dauphin Kings, Chris Reimer from the Swan Valley Stampeders, and Blake Chartier from the Winnipeg Saints.
If Aime doesn’t win the MVP title, maybe he’ll win the top goaltender trophy. He’s up against Peter Alexander from the Winkler Flyers and Joey Rewucki from the Selkirk Steelers.
The final trophy to be handed out in the next couple of weeks is the coach of the year honour.
Either Ryan Smith from the Selkirk Steelers, Dwayne Kirkup from the Swan Valley Stampeders or Rich Gosselin from the Steinbach Pistons will win the “Muzz McPherson” award.
Then again, maybe none of them want it. Last year’s winner – Doug Hedley – was not brought back as head coach of the OCN Blizzard.
• Dauphin Kings forward Shane Luke is the Potters Distillers Player of the Week.
The 19 year old had eight points in two games, including six against the Swan Valley Stampeders in a 9-3 victory.
Also considered for this award was Shael Hechter of Winkler Flyers and Jason Kasdorf of Portage Terriers.
The 20-year-old Hechter had three goals and seven points last week, while Kasdorf, 17, went 2-0 while posting a 1.50 GAA and .944 save percentage. He also shut out the Swan Valley Stampeders.
• Speaking of that shutout, that win pretty much sealed second place for the Terriers in the Sher-Wood Division. Regardless of where it starts, the two teams will clash in the opening round of the playoffs this year. Portage has never lost to Swan Valley in a seven-game series before. Each team picked up four wins against each other this season – three of which went to a shootout. Portage is ending the season on a real hot streak, but the Stampeders know a little bit about that as well. In the 2005-06 season the Stampeders won 11 straight games down the stretch. It didn’t matter when the playoffs started – they lost in five games.
The other Sher-Wood series pits the Dauphin Kings against the Neepawa Natives. Neepawa finally earned a win against the Kings last week, but they will be hard-pressed to win four times in the playoffs against the RBC hosts. Dauphin might be more interested in escaping the opening round with as few bumps and bruises as possible.
In the other division the Winnipeg Saints came alive in February, blew past the Selkirk Steelers and claimed top spot in the division. As I write this column with a week to play, it looks as though the Saints will likely face the Winnipeg South Blues, who have all but clinched the final spot away from the OCN Blizzard, and are a bit too far away from Winkler for a realistic charge at third. An all-Winnipeg matchup probably suits the Saints just fine, as they (and their pocket book) were not likely too enthralled with the prospects of travelling to OCN for an opening-round playoff series.
The other series will see the Steelers host the Winkler Flyers. The strongest rural teams in the Addison will battle for a right to take on Winnipeg’s best team in the Addison Division final.
I’ll have my playoff predictions in next week’s column.
There are some outstanding nominees for the various awards the MJHL hands out at the end of each season.
They did away with a year end banquet, and instead now present the awards to the players (and coaches) in front of their fans.
First up, who is this year’s MVP? They will take home the Steve “Boomer” Hawrysh award. Nominees include David Aime from the OCN Blizzard, Steven Shamanski from the Dauphin Kings and Taylor Dickin from the Selkirk Steelers.
Aime might seem like an odd choice given the Blizzard are not likely to make the playoffs this year, but anyone who watched the Blizzard this year know he basically carried them on his back with his stellar netminding.
The top defenceman in the MJHL will capture the Brian Kozak trophy. Shamanski is also nominated for this award. Joining him are Dale Warkentin from the OCN Blizzard and Zach Tully from the Portage Terriers.
The Vince Leah trophy is handed out to the top rookie in the MJHL each year. This year the race is between Cole Brunet of the Portage Terriers, Brendan O’Donnell of the Winnipeg South Blues and Eric Coulombe of the Steinbach Pistons. While it’s great to see the Pistons franchise represented here, O’Donnell is the likely winner in this category.
The player deemed to show the most hockey ability and sportsmanship is presented the Lorne “Windy” Lyndon trophy. Players up for this award include Shane Luke from the Dauphin Kings, Chris Reimer from the Swan Valley Stampeders, and Blake Chartier from the Winnipeg Saints.
If Aime doesn’t win the MVP title, maybe he’ll win the top goaltender trophy. He’s up against Peter Alexander from the Winkler Flyers and Joey Rewucki from the Selkirk Steelers.
The final trophy to be handed out in the next couple of weeks is the coach of the year honour.
Either Ryan Smith from the Selkirk Steelers, Dwayne Kirkup from the Swan Valley Stampeders or Rich Gosselin from the Steinbach Pistons will win the “Muzz McPherson” award.
Then again, maybe none of them want it. Last year’s winner – Doug Hedley – was not brought back as head coach of the OCN Blizzard.
• Dauphin Kings forward Shane Luke is the Potters Distillers Player of the Week.
The 19 year old had eight points in two games, including six against the Swan Valley Stampeders in a 9-3 victory.
Also considered for this award was Shael Hechter of Winkler Flyers and Jason Kasdorf of Portage Terriers.
The 20-year-old Hechter had three goals and seven points last week, while Kasdorf, 17, went 2-0 while posting a 1.50 GAA and .944 save percentage. He also shut out the Swan Valley Stampeders.
• Speaking of that shutout, that win pretty much sealed second place for the Terriers in the Sher-Wood Division. Regardless of where it starts, the two teams will clash in the opening round of the playoffs this year. Portage has never lost to Swan Valley in a seven-game series before. Each team picked up four wins against each other this season – three of which went to a shootout. Portage is ending the season on a real hot streak, but the Stampeders know a little bit about that as well. In the 2005-06 season the Stampeders won 11 straight games down the stretch. It didn’t matter when the playoffs started – they lost in five games.
The other Sher-Wood series pits the Dauphin Kings against the Neepawa Natives. Neepawa finally earned a win against the Kings last week, but they will be hard-pressed to win four times in the playoffs against the RBC hosts. Dauphin might be more interested in escaping the opening round with as few bumps and bruises as possible.
In the other division the Winnipeg Saints came alive in February, blew past the Selkirk Steelers and claimed top spot in the division. As I write this column with a week to play, it looks as though the Saints will likely face the Winnipeg South Blues, who have all but clinched the final spot away from the OCN Blizzard, and are a bit too far away from Winkler for a realistic charge at third. An all-Winnipeg matchup probably suits the Saints just fine, as they (and their pocket book) were not likely too enthralled with the prospects of travelling to OCN for an opening-round playoff series.
The other series will see the Steelers host the Winkler Flyers. The strongest rural teams in the Addison will battle for a right to take on Winnipeg’s best team in the Addison Division final.
I’ll have my playoff predictions in next week’s column.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
No more fighting?
I don’t think I’m speaking out of turn here when I state that the average Manitoba Junior Hockey League fan enjoys a good fight.
MJHL Commissioner Kim Davis is a leader in this league, but he answers to those above him in the hockey hierarchy in Canada. And last November, Hockey Canada passed a motion to limit the number of fights a player can have in a game to one. This would be much like preseason rules – one fight and you’re tossed.
The motion which was passed reads as such – A Major Penalty should be imposed on any player who engages in fisticuffs for the first time in a game. A second offense would result in a Major Penalty and a Game Misconduct penalty. A player identified as the instigator in a fight shall be assessed, in addition to the Major for fighting, a Minor and a Misconduct penalty. Note: All players who engage in a fight will receive a Major penalty and a Game Misconduct. Rationale: This would discourage fighting and provide consistency within our playing rules.
“Essentially, it’s no fighting, since if you fight once, you’re out,” said Davis. “That’s been approved by the Hockey Canada board, but having said that, I and my counterparts from the other junior A leagues in the West, are doing what we can to see if we can clarify that, and see if we can have it changed or amended.”
The motion will be voted on at Hockey Canada’s annual general meeting in May.
There are other motions as well. Any player who gets in their third fight of the season would be suspended a game. Four fights? Two games. Five fights? Three games. Six? Indefinite suspension.
Apparently Hockey Canada wants to implement this as soon as next season. Davis acknowledges this is an extremely import discussion.
“This is about the future of not just our league, but other leagues like ours,” he said. “I’ve been working behind the scenes over the last few months.”
Davis said the MJHL is looking for some alternative arrangements for his and other junior A leagues.
“We’re in the business to operate (franchises) and attract fans,” he said. “And there’s other issues as well. When you make a big rule change, there’s reactions in other parts of the game as well.”
What do you, the fan, think? Is a no-fighting MJHL something you’re looking forward to? Or do you disagree with Hockey Canada’s plans? Send me a note at editor@starandtimes.ca and let me – and the policy makers at Hockey Canada – know.
• The battles in the MJHL are so tight this month (a refreshing change from other years) that several teams could feasibly end up tied when they’re done playing their 62 games.
If that’s the case, the MJHL has a set policy for tiebreakers.
The first tiebreaker is head-to-head record. As explained by the MJHL, “In the event that two or more clubs are tied with the same number of points, then the higher position shall be awarded to the club having won the greater number of games against each other”.
If that doesn’t break the tie, they then resort to the number of wins, and other categories.
“If the tie is still not broken, then the team with the greater number of wins shall be awarded the higher position. Should the clubs be tied in all the foregoing departments, then the higher position shall be awarded to the club using the following process: The greatest positive differential between goals scored for and against by the clubs having equal standing in games played between the clubs. If still tied, the method used will be the goal differential in the total league games played by the clubs with equal standing.”
The bottom line is, win the season series against the team you are battling, and you’ll win the tiebreaker.
Unless we’re talking about the crossover. The OCN Blizzard will have to do better than the Winnipeg South Blues if they want to earn that crossover spot.
“(The tiebreakers) do not apply for the crossover mechanism that the (MJHL) uses. In that case, the cross over team must have more points than the team it is trying to replace in the division. Having the same number of points in the standings is not good enough to qualify for eligibility to cross over.”
Most teams would rather settle things definitely and not have to worry about a tiebreaker. But if it’s needed, the MJHL has the policies in place to determine who gets to finish higher in the standings.
• Speaking of the playoffs, Davis said he’s excited about the league playoffs which are set to start at the end of February.
“Unlike some recent years, I think it’s wide open in terms of who could win the league championship,” he said. “Once we get the (playoff) matchups finalized, it’s going to be really exciting.”
Davis is also keeping tabs on Dauphin’s preparations for the RBC Cup.
“They have regular meetings with Hockey Canada reps and Hockey Manitoba, and they’re right on schedule in terms of what they need for infrastructure needed to host this event,” he said. “They’re doing a great job.”
And MJHL fans are excited about the potential prospect of having two MJHL teams take part in the RBC Cup. The MJHL initially hoped if Dauphin won the ANAVET Cup that the MJHL runner up would get in, but that isn’t the case. Still, if a MJHL team is able to knock off the Dauphin Kings (no easy task since they’ve set a franchise benchmark for wins this year) and beat the SJHL in the ANAVET Cup, the MJHL could have two teams in the year-end tournament.
• Dauphin Kings forward Devin Mitzner is the latest Potters Distillers Player of the Week.
The Strathmore, Alta., product scored four goals and added five assists in three games for the Kings.
Also considered for this award was Mitzner’s teammate Mitch Czibere and Portage Terriers’ goaltender Jordan Washburn.
Czibere also had four goals and nine points in three games, while Washburn went 2-0 with a 1.00 GAA and .962 save percentage.
MJHL Commissioner Kim Davis is a leader in this league, but he answers to those above him in the hockey hierarchy in Canada. And last November, Hockey Canada passed a motion to limit the number of fights a player can have in a game to one. This would be much like preseason rules – one fight and you’re tossed.
The motion which was passed reads as such – A Major Penalty should be imposed on any player who engages in fisticuffs for the first time in a game. A second offense would result in a Major Penalty and a Game Misconduct penalty. A player identified as the instigator in a fight shall be assessed, in addition to the Major for fighting, a Minor and a Misconduct penalty. Note: All players who engage in a fight will receive a Major penalty and a Game Misconduct. Rationale: This would discourage fighting and provide consistency within our playing rules.
“Essentially, it’s no fighting, since if you fight once, you’re out,” said Davis. “That’s been approved by the Hockey Canada board, but having said that, I and my counterparts from the other junior A leagues in the West, are doing what we can to see if we can clarify that, and see if we can have it changed or amended.”
The motion will be voted on at Hockey Canada’s annual general meeting in May.
There are other motions as well. Any player who gets in their third fight of the season would be suspended a game. Four fights? Two games. Five fights? Three games. Six? Indefinite suspension.
Apparently Hockey Canada wants to implement this as soon as next season. Davis acknowledges this is an extremely import discussion.
“This is about the future of not just our league, but other leagues like ours,” he said. “I’ve been working behind the scenes over the last few months.”
Davis said the MJHL is looking for some alternative arrangements for his and other junior A leagues.
“We’re in the business to operate (franchises) and attract fans,” he said. “And there’s other issues as well. When you make a big rule change, there’s reactions in other parts of the game as well.”
What do you, the fan, think? Is a no-fighting MJHL something you’re looking forward to? Or do you disagree with Hockey Canada’s plans? Send me a note at editor@starandtimes.ca and let me – and the policy makers at Hockey Canada – know.
• The battles in the MJHL are so tight this month (a refreshing change from other years) that several teams could feasibly end up tied when they’re done playing their 62 games.
If that’s the case, the MJHL has a set policy for tiebreakers.
The first tiebreaker is head-to-head record. As explained by the MJHL, “In the event that two or more clubs are tied with the same number of points, then the higher position shall be awarded to the club having won the greater number of games against each other”.
If that doesn’t break the tie, they then resort to the number of wins, and other categories.
“If the tie is still not broken, then the team with the greater number of wins shall be awarded the higher position. Should the clubs be tied in all the foregoing departments, then the higher position shall be awarded to the club using the following process: The greatest positive differential between goals scored for and against by the clubs having equal standing in games played between the clubs. If still tied, the method used will be the goal differential in the total league games played by the clubs with equal standing.”
The bottom line is, win the season series against the team you are battling, and you’ll win the tiebreaker.
Unless we’re talking about the crossover. The OCN Blizzard will have to do better than the Winnipeg South Blues if they want to earn that crossover spot.
“(The tiebreakers) do not apply for the crossover mechanism that the (MJHL) uses. In that case, the cross over team must have more points than the team it is trying to replace in the division. Having the same number of points in the standings is not good enough to qualify for eligibility to cross over.”
Most teams would rather settle things definitely and not have to worry about a tiebreaker. But if it’s needed, the MJHL has the policies in place to determine who gets to finish higher in the standings.
• Speaking of the playoffs, Davis said he’s excited about the league playoffs which are set to start at the end of February.
“Unlike some recent years, I think it’s wide open in terms of who could win the league championship,” he said. “Once we get the (playoff) matchups finalized, it’s going to be really exciting.”
Davis is also keeping tabs on Dauphin’s preparations for the RBC Cup.
“They have regular meetings with Hockey Canada reps and Hockey Manitoba, and they’re right on schedule in terms of what they need for infrastructure needed to host this event,” he said. “They’re doing a great job.”
And MJHL fans are excited about the potential prospect of having two MJHL teams take part in the RBC Cup. The MJHL initially hoped if Dauphin won the ANAVET Cup that the MJHL runner up would get in, but that isn’t the case. Still, if a MJHL team is able to knock off the Dauphin Kings (no easy task since they’ve set a franchise benchmark for wins this year) and beat the SJHL in the ANAVET Cup, the MJHL could have two teams in the year-end tournament.
• Dauphin Kings forward Devin Mitzner is the latest Potters Distillers Player of the Week.
The Strathmore, Alta., product scored four goals and added five assists in three games for the Kings.
Also considered for this award was Mitzner’s teammate Mitch Czibere and Portage Terriers’ goaltender Jordan Washburn.
Czibere also had four goals and nine points in three games, while Washburn went 2-0 with a 1.00 GAA and .962 save percentage.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Stretch run
Swan Valley Stampeders head coach Dwayne Kirkup said early in the season that he saw a lot of parity in the MJHL this year.
He wasn’t kidding.
Recent results have shown there are no easy games in this league anymore.
Take a look at the Sher-Wood Division. The sixth-place Waywayseecappo Wolverines recently won eight of 12 games. They’re too far back to realistically catch teams for a playoff spot, but they’re playing the role of spoiler perfectly. Those wins have come against teams such as Dauphin, Selkirk, Portage and most recently, the OCN Blizzard.
The Sher-Wood has proven to be extremely tight down the stretch. In the span of a little more than a week, the Wolverines defeated the OCN Blizzard, the Blizzard defeated the Neepawa Natives, the Natives beat the Portage Terriers, the Terriers beat the Stampeders, and the Stampeders beat the Wolverines. And the top team in the division, the Dauphin Kings, well they set a team record for wins after being shutout by the top team in the Addison Division.
Speaking of the Addison Division, after the Steelers spanked the Saints in a battle for first place, they trailed off a bit while the Saints started winning again, leaving top spot in the division up for grabs.
The Saints and Steelers entered February two points apart, and this battle might come down to the final game of the regular season when they face each other.
Of course, first place might mean facing the OCN Blizzard in the opening round. The Blizzard have a slight lead on the Winnipeg South Blues for a potential crossover. Both teams schedules’ are similar to one another, so this could be a real photo finish.
If I had to guess, I would predict the following first-round matchups.
In the Sher-Wood, Neepawa vs. Dauphin, and Portage vs. Swan Valley.
In the Addison, OCN versus Selkirk and Winkler vs. the Winnipeg Saints.
• There are other races to follow this month as well.
Dauphin’s Ryan Dreger entered the month with 85 points, tops in the MJHL. Linemate Shane Luke and Selkirk’s Taylor Dickin were close behind at 80 points, with Dauphin’s Bryce Lamb is fourth with 79 points. One of these four will win the league’s scoring race.
Dreger should be a lock for the goal-scoring title, though, as he has 42 this year, best in the MJHL. Dickin is second with 36, followed by Swan Valley’s Ryan Marshall with 35. If anyone can catch him, it might be Dickin, but he would need to get hot and have Dreger cool off.
Luke leads the MJHL with 55 helpers, six better than Swan Valley’s Myles Stevens and seven better than Blake Chartier from the Winnipeg Saints.
The top MJHL players are posting strong numbers, but we’re not seeing players with over 100 points already or multiple 50-goal scorers, which is a good indicator the MJHL is of a better quality this year. The last-place teams are not rolling over and allowing 10 goals against a game, something which was all too frequent in past years.
Tim Hayduk from the Winnipeg Saints is the top penalty man with one month to play. He had 192 compared to 187 for Swan Valley’s Cody Straker. Portage’s Luke MacInnis is third with 176.
The top scoring defenceman is Dauphin’s Steven Shamanski with 54. Swan Valley’s Brent Wilson remained in second place despite missing all of January with an injury. He has 40, while Swan Valley’s Paul Bonar is third with 37.
The rookie scoring title is between Brendan O’Donnell from the Winnipeg South Blues (50 points), Eric Coulombe from the Steinbach Pistons (47) and Seth Ronsberg (46) from the Winkler Flyers.
Justin Leclerc from the Winnipeg Saints had the best GAA at 2.25, slightly better than Swan Valley’s Caden Unger who has a 2.35 GAA.
A more telling statistic for some goalie observers is save percentage. Both of those netminders lead this category as well .931 for Leclerc and .920 for Unger.
Of course, the best goaltender statistic is wins, and Selkirk’s Joey Rewucki had 27 wins entering February, three better than Dauphin’s Joe Caligiuri.
• Speaking of Leclerc, his 4-0 shutout victory over the Dauphin Kings helped him earn the MJHL Potters Distillers Player of the Week award.
Leclerc, 20, had a 0.50 GAA and a .983 save percentage in two games to earn the award.
Also considered for this award was Waywayseecappo Wolverines’ goaltender Brett Gagnon, 19, and Swan Valley Stampeders forward Shelby Gray, 19.
He wasn’t kidding.
Recent results have shown there are no easy games in this league anymore.
Take a look at the Sher-Wood Division. The sixth-place Waywayseecappo Wolverines recently won eight of 12 games. They’re too far back to realistically catch teams for a playoff spot, but they’re playing the role of spoiler perfectly. Those wins have come against teams such as Dauphin, Selkirk, Portage and most recently, the OCN Blizzard.
The Sher-Wood has proven to be extremely tight down the stretch. In the span of a little more than a week, the Wolverines defeated the OCN Blizzard, the Blizzard defeated the Neepawa Natives, the Natives beat the Portage Terriers, the Terriers beat the Stampeders, and the Stampeders beat the Wolverines. And the top team in the division, the Dauphin Kings, well they set a team record for wins after being shutout by the top team in the Addison Division.
Speaking of the Addison Division, after the Steelers spanked the Saints in a battle for first place, they trailed off a bit while the Saints started winning again, leaving top spot in the division up for grabs.
The Saints and Steelers entered February two points apart, and this battle might come down to the final game of the regular season when they face each other.
Of course, first place might mean facing the OCN Blizzard in the opening round. The Blizzard have a slight lead on the Winnipeg South Blues for a potential crossover. Both teams schedules’ are similar to one another, so this could be a real photo finish.
If I had to guess, I would predict the following first-round matchups.
In the Sher-Wood, Neepawa vs. Dauphin, and Portage vs. Swan Valley.
In the Addison, OCN versus Selkirk and Winkler vs. the Winnipeg Saints.
• There are other races to follow this month as well.
Dauphin’s Ryan Dreger entered the month with 85 points, tops in the MJHL. Linemate Shane Luke and Selkirk’s Taylor Dickin were close behind at 80 points, with Dauphin’s Bryce Lamb is fourth with 79 points. One of these four will win the league’s scoring race.
Dreger should be a lock for the goal-scoring title, though, as he has 42 this year, best in the MJHL. Dickin is second with 36, followed by Swan Valley’s Ryan Marshall with 35. If anyone can catch him, it might be Dickin, but he would need to get hot and have Dreger cool off.
Luke leads the MJHL with 55 helpers, six better than Swan Valley’s Myles Stevens and seven better than Blake Chartier from the Winnipeg Saints.
The top MJHL players are posting strong numbers, but we’re not seeing players with over 100 points already or multiple 50-goal scorers, which is a good indicator the MJHL is of a better quality this year. The last-place teams are not rolling over and allowing 10 goals against a game, something which was all too frequent in past years.
Tim Hayduk from the Winnipeg Saints is the top penalty man with one month to play. He had 192 compared to 187 for Swan Valley’s Cody Straker. Portage’s Luke MacInnis is third with 176.
The top scoring defenceman is Dauphin’s Steven Shamanski with 54. Swan Valley’s Brent Wilson remained in second place despite missing all of January with an injury. He has 40, while Swan Valley’s Paul Bonar is third with 37.
The rookie scoring title is between Brendan O’Donnell from the Winnipeg South Blues (50 points), Eric Coulombe from the Steinbach Pistons (47) and Seth Ronsberg (46) from the Winkler Flyers.
Justin Leclerc from the Winnipeg Saints had the best GAA at 2.25, slightly better than Swan Valley’s Caden Unger who has a 2.35 GAA.
A more telling statistic for some goalie observers is save percentage. Both of those netminders lead this category as well .931 for Leclerc and .920 for Unger.
Of course, the best goaltender statistic is wins, and Selkirk’s Joey Rewucki had 27 wins entering February, three better than Dauphin’s Joe Caligiuri.
• Speaking of Leclerc, his 4-0 shutout victory over the Dauphin Kings helped him earn the MJHL Potters Distillers Player of the Week award.
Leclerc, 20, had a 0.50 GAA and a .983 save percentage in two games to earn the award.
Also considered for this award was Waywayseecappo Wolverines’ goaltender Brett Gagnon, 19, and Swan Valley Stampeders forward Shelby Gray, 19.
January players of the month
No room for the MJHL players of the month in the hockey column this week, so we’ll kick off this column by recognizing the best in the MJHL from the month of January.
Winnipeg South Blues’ forward Brendan O’Donnell has been named January’s RBC Player of the Month. The 17-year-old rookie had 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) in 11 games last month.
Not shockingly, he was also named the Husky Energy Rookie of the Month.
Also considered for this award was Niko Grose, 20, of the Waywayseecappo Wolverines and Wes Pawluk, 20, of the Neepawa Natives.
Stephane Robidoux of the Waywayseecappo Wolverines was named the Sher-wood Hockey Defenceman of the Month. The Haywood product scored 15 points (two goals, 13 assists) to lead the Wolverines to an incredible month of January.
Other players considered for this award was Peter Stoykewych of the Winnipeg South Blues and Dale Warkentin of the OCN Blizzard.
The GDI Prairies Goaltender of the Month is Winnipeg Saints netminder Justin Leclerc. Arriving at the trade deadline, the former WHL netminder posted a 6-1 record, along with a 2.25 GAA and .931 save percentage. He also shutout the top team in the MJHL, the Dauphin Kings.
Also considered for this honour was Jason Kasdorf of the Portage Terriers and Matt Krahn of the Neepawa Natives.
Winnipeg South Blues’ forward Brendan O’Donnell has been named January’s RBC Player of the Month. The 17-year-old rookie had 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) in 11 games last month.
Not shockingly, he was also named the Husky Energy Rookie of the Month.
Also considered for this award was Niko Grose, 20, of the Waywayseecappo Wolverines and Wes Pawluk, 20, of the Neepawa Natives.
Stephane Robidoux of the Waywayseecappo Wolverines was named the Sher-wood Hockey Defenceman of the Month. The Haywood product scored 15 points (two goals, 13 assists) to lead the Wolverines to an incredible month of January.
Other players considered for this award was Peter Stoykewych of the Winnipeg South Blues and Dale Warkentin of the OCN Blizzard.
The GDI Prairies Goaltender of the Month is Winnipeg Saints netminder Justin Leclerc. Arriving at the trade deadline, the former WHL netminder posted a 6-1 record, along with a 2.25 GAA and .931 save percentage. He also shutout the top team in the MJHL, the Dauphin Kings.
Also considered for this honour was Jason Kasdorf of the Portage Terriers and Matt Krahn of the Neepawa Natives.
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