The Lethbridge Hurricanes are back home after a long, but happy 13 hour bus ride back from Vancouver Saturday night.The Canes took a four game winning streak into B.C. and came back home with one win and two losses. They lost 5-2 in Kelowna, followed that up with an 8-5 defeat to the hands of the Royals in Victoria, and then on Saturday played their best game of the week beating Vancouver Giants 4-2, ending a 12 game losing skid versus the Giants that went on for 7 seasons. The Hurricanes currently sit with a record of 11-22-0-1 on the season in 34 games as the team gets set this week to mark the official half-way point in the 2011-2012 WHL season, which has most certainly seen it's ups and downs for the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
The Canes will play three games upcoming this week before the players head home for the WHL's Christmas break. On Wednesday (Dec. 14) the Calgary Hitmen are in town, on Friday (Dec. 16) the Victoria Royals will stop by, and on Saturday (Dec. 17) the Swift Current Broncos are back at the ENMAX Centre. Saturday is the Hurricanes annual Teddy Bear Toss game, which always draws a good crowd. Following the game on Saturday, the Canes have a 10 day break for Christmas and won't play again until December 27th.
Lethbridge will make one more road trip back to B.C. in a couple of weeks. In mid-January they'll play back-to-back games in Prince George, travel back to Vancouver, and then play in Kamloops and Kelowna. The Hurricanes will also have a couple short trips out east to Brandon and Regina as well as Prince Albert and Saskatoon, but the major travel will be in the books after mid-January.
The WHL's trade deadline in less than a month away as well. January 10th is the big day, so it'll be interesting to see what the Hurricanes do. Assistant G.M. Brad Robson told me last month that the hockey team wouldn't be parting with any of it's young, up and coming players, but we will see what all shakes down in the next couple of weeks.
HURRICANES THIS WEEK
Our weekly radio show in back on the air tonight on CJOC. Joining Fred Jack and I LIVE from Average Joe's Sports Bar is Hurricanes Vice-President Brian Wichers for our mid-season Board report. We'll also be joined on the phone by Assistant G.M. and Director of Player Personnel Brad Robson, and in the last segment of the show an interview with Marlon Martens, the radio voice of the Victoria Royals. It all starts at 6:00 pm (MST) on CJOC.
Thanks,
Pat
Trade deadline should be interesting Pat...There may be a real opportunity to pick up some talent for next year or the coming years by giving up some talented veterans to teams making a playoff run like Braes, Sutter or Johnston. It would be tough to see them go but with the playoffs a longshot they may welcome the opportunity for a move...TD
ReplyDeleteI think this team has a chance to make a run next year so hopefully they don't trade all the 19 year olds. Johnston and Buonasisi are the 2 that should not be on the trade table this year. Lets go boys keep up the hard work
ReplyDeleteIts always fun to play GM so I guess that is why they get the big bucks...I would argue next year is not the run year but rather the year after with Merkely as an 18 year old as well as Watson and Erkamps with Pilon, Duke, etc as 17year olds and they should be building around that...any scenario the team is going to fun to watch the next 2 or three years! TD
ReplyDeleteLet's make a deal soon and not get Sbisa'd on this one by waiting. The assets are not increasing in value. We have spent the enitre Preston tenure waiting and not dealing our overagers when it is time to. You promised nothng to us prior to the season so the playoffs can be written off not. Get a good 18 year old or 2 and move on. Let the young guys be the leaders.
ReplyDeleteSku
@ Sku
ReplyDeleteI agree, let’s get what we can and let the youth lead us. I think we clearly won the Sbisa trade? Sbisa was injured and was only going to play for a few regular season games and a playoff run. Dan Johnston has given us really good play on the back end and if we wanted could probably get a 1 or 2 rd pick for him in the bantam draft (or a good 17/18 year old). Personally, I would like him to stay for his 20 year old season.
The point of the Sbisa comment was Preston waited too long and he got injured. Look at the trades in the past couple years for elite players. We clearly got less than what he was worth pre injury. The assets are not gaining in value at this point. There is only downside risk now.
ReplyDelete@ 12:15
ReplyDeleteFair enough. Do we sit the Cam, Sutter, Johnston, Hood ect. for the possibility of a trade? As to not risk injury. We need offers and bidding for our players as well.
I am not sure about the rest of you I am sick of trading players we have for future draft picks. The 20 olds are all tradeable because our chance of making the playoffs aren't very good. As for The 19 year olds at least 2 of them will not be here next. My hope is that Johnston, Hood and Buonasisi are the ones here. With the kids stepping up this year, to me next year looks very promising. As long as we don't trade our best players for the future that may never come
ReplyDeleteRe Anon - not sure who you are refering to about trading players for future draft picks? I think the deals Preston have made this year have been very solid. He has brought in Liston, Ketlo, Galbraith and Buonasisi, for Ryckman, Anderson and Jackson and I think that has proven to be an upgrade in talent. It all depends on the deal and what you can get. Nobody should be untouchable and for sure Braes and Sutter won't be back next year so they have less value and Johnston is probably our most valuable 19 year old so it is all about what some contender may want to give up that will help us in the next couple of years. You get few shots to really contend in this league so you better ensure you do all you can possibly do to win when the opportunity comes up as it will over the next 2-3 years. TD
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