CHL Weekend Review: So much to be thankful for
A closer look at league news and social media highlights from across the Canadian Hockey League including NHL Draft celebrations, new contracts, some action from the ice, and more.
Happy Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving weekend in the CHL had a different look and feel to it in 2020 on the heels of the NHL Draft and with far fewer games on the ice than what we’re used to. But that didn’t stop teams from coast-to-coast from pausing to give thanks.
So much to be thankful for.
Happy Thanksgiving to our #CHL family from coast-to-coast 🇨🇦🦃🏒 pic.twitter.com/ayGAxX6y76
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) October 12, 2020
Thankful for friends, who have turned into family 💛 pic.twitter.com/uRz3OYaszK
— Saskatoon Blades (@BladesHockey) October 12, 2020
This year, we are more thankful for #GensNation than ever before.
Happy Thanksgiving, we’ll see you soon ❤️ pic.twitter.com/F6LDRCgp9N
— Oshawa Generals (@Oshawa_Generals) October 12, 2020
Wishing everyone a safe and socially distant Thanksgiving! Joyeuse Action de grâce à tous! 🦃#DefendTheDen pic.twitter.com/cqFmMRruC5
— Moncton Wildcats (@monctonwildcats) October 12, 2020
Happy Thanksgiving from the entire Wheat Kings organization 🍂🦃🍁 pic.twitter.com/IeC32sxS8T
— Brandon Wheat Kings (@bdnwheatkings) October 12, 2020
Nothing quite like the annual Thanksgiving Monday game at the Gardens.
We can't wait to be apart of your tradition once again! pic.twitter.com/MtBG4LrxW4
— North Bay Battalion (@OHLBattalion) October 12, 2020
Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃🍁🍂
We'd like to reflect on everything that we're thankful for this year – the ability to play hockey, the health of our beautiful island, and most of all, you, our dedicated fans.
This year hasn't been easy, but we're hopeful for the future! pic.twitter.com/5w3VmawMs7
— Cape Breton Eagles (@CBEHockey) October 11, 2020
Thankful for family and celebrations
A big part of Thanksgiving is spending time with family which is reason enough to celebrate, however having the holiday just days after one of the most exciting times of the year makes it even more special. Check out the video post below for a compilation of the CHL’s 19 first round NHL Draft picks with their families, plus some other nice moments from the draft like Jake Neighbours of the Edmonton Oil Kings with his big family, the Shawinigan Cataractes cheering for their teammate Mavrik Bourque, and Jacob Perreault of the Sarnia Sting sharing the day with his father Yanic, 29 years after he was a draft pick himself.
19 #HockeyHugs & celebrations 🤗🎉
Thankful for family, friends, and these special #NHLDraft moments for first round #CHL stars picked from across the @QMJHL, @OHLHockey, and @TheWHL.#MeetTheFuture 👉 https://t.co/5OGRbYxuBr pic.twitter.com/frCObIO5hD
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) October 13, 2020
Neighbourhood Watch Party!
Looks like you've got 12 new fans, @StLouisBlues! pic.twitter.com/Xkp4sueJME
— Edmonton Oil Kings (@EdmOilKings) October 8, 2020
Live from the @Cataractes_Shaw #Lodge #Bubble #NHLDraft @DallasStars @QMJHL pic.twitter.com/wTUnjkjiFW
— Martin Mondou (@MartinMondou) October 7, 2020
What a feeling! Excited and honored to be a part of the @anaheimducks organization! Thanks to everyone who’s helped me along the way 🦆 🦆🦆 https://t.co/LngOC8zIVd
— Jacob Perreault (@JPerreault_44) October 7, 2020
Welcome to the Big Apple
The CHL’s biggest star is headed to the NHL’s biggest city! Alexis Lafreniere of the Rimouski Oceanic was the first overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft to the New York Rangers and received a special welcome from afar as many of the city’s landmarks were lit up in his honour.
Start spreading the news ✨ pic.twitter.com/N4sUyG45Dy
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) October 7, 2020
A couple of New York City's biggest landmarks lit up in celebration of the No. 1 pick of the 2020 NHL Draft, Alexis Lafreniere. https://t.co/gtD0EsQfuE
— NHL.com (@NHLdotcom) October 7, 2020
Live. Laf. Love. pic.twitter.com/YMeYXFYNWq
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) October 7, 2020
LA Lifestyle
Second overall pick Quinton Byfield of the Sudbury Wolves got some special welcomes of his own following his selection by the Los Angeles Kings. Rapper Snoop Dogg gave him a special shout out on Twitter, he joked with Lakers legend Magic Johnson, received messages from the Rams, and a nice video from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
Welcome to the LA life @Byfield55. @SnoopDogg pic.twitter.com/lwIJQt094Y
— LA Kings (@LAKings) October 9, 2020
In case you didn't know, @LAKings draft pick @byfield55 also has some point guard skills as he told the best one the NBA has ever seen, @MagicJohnson. Heads up if you need someone @Lakers.https://t.co/I5i50Dgvg6
— NHL.com (@NHLdotcom) October 8, 2020
Welcome to Los Angeles, @byfield55!
Can't wait to see you on the ice for our @LAKings! #RamsHouse x #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/nREUHG2g1h
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) October 8, 2020
Dave Roberts can't wait to watch @byfield55 play in LA.@Dodgers x #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/ppEXFw09yj
— LA Kings (@LAKings) October 9, 2020
Lafreniere and Byfield react to ratings
EA Sports releases NHL 21 on October 16 and top NHL Draft picks Alexis Lafreniere and Quinton Byfield got a sneak peak at their player ratings in the fun video below.
Lafrenière and Byfield react to their first ever chel rating in #NHL21 👀
Think they should be higher or lower? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/BbemuP0rxA
— EA SPORTS NHL (@EASPORTSNHL) October 6, 2020
Tigres on top
On the ice, action continued in the QMJHL with 14 games played over the long weekend. The Victoriaville Tigres picked up a pair of road wins over the Baie-Comeau Drakkar and currently sit in first place with a perfect 4-0-0-0 record.
On quitte la Côte-Nord avec 4 points ! ✌️
🔗https://t.co/z0BnOiPkGk
📊https://t.co/neJAZHqzvX#GoTigresGo pic.twitter.com/XWMHW3cjYx— Tigres de Victoriaville (@TigresVicto) October 10, 2020
Simoneau leads scoring race
Drummondville Voltigeurs captain and reigning CHL Humanitarian of the Year Xavier Simoneau is the first player to reach double digits in scoring this season counting six goals and four assists for 10 points over four games. His last game also landed him a major milestone surpassing 200 career points.
Avec ses 2 points cet après-midi, Xavier Simoneau atteint le cap des 200 points en carrière dans la @LHJMQ
Bravo Capitaine!! pic.twitter.com/JF8bwgfrDi— Voltigeurs de Drummondville (@VoltigeursDRU) October 10, 2020
Olympiques honour Hull Festivals
The Gatineau Olympiques paid homage to their history over the weekend with commemorative sweaters in tribute to the Hull Festivals who played in the QMJHL from 1973-76. The club would then be known as the Hull Olympiques until 2003 shortly after the amalgamation of Hull and Gatineau.
Les photos de notre partie hommage aux Festivals de Hull de 1973, sont maintenant disponibles.
Vous pouvez dès maintenant miser sur l'un des chandails portés par les joueurs des Olympiques.
ENCAN -> https://t.co/Rg6d5aH1Oy
PHOTOS -> https://t.co/coRGvXZK89 pic.twitter.com/098dMUQDo9— Olympiques de Gatineau (@OlympiquesGAT) October 12, 2020
Broncos and Bulldogs bring back ice
While hockey is underway in the QMJHL, we inch closer to the return of the WHL and OHL. Part of that process began in Swift Current and Hamilton where the Broncos and Bulldogs both watched with excitement this past week as their ice was installed.
Time lapse of ice installation. 2020 edition. We sure miss everyone. Be safe. pic.twitter.com/PeK6s2WNYj
— Swift Current Broncos (@SCBroncos) October 13, 2020
Fresh sheet of ice!
👏👏👏To the team @TweetTheCore pic.twitter.com/JP1Hluwr4E
— Brantford Bulldogs (@BulldogsOHL) October 11, 2020
Oil Kings read virtually
Social distancing protocols have changed the way that teams connect with their communities, but the Edmonton Oil Kings show how you can still find ways to make it all work. With help from technology, players Scott Atkinson, Jalen Luypen, Ethan Cap, and Josh Williams were able to read to students in eight classrooms across the city in a virtual setting.
The #OilKings went virtual for #ReadInWeek this year as Scott Atkinson, Jalen Luypen, Ethan Cap & Josh Williams spent time reading with students in eight classrooms throughout Edmonton! pic.twitter.com/56QCg0XApo
— Edmonton Oil Kings (@EdmOilKings) October 13, 2020
Rangers fill the bus
The Kitchener Rangers made sure it was a Happy Thanksgiving across Waterloo Region. The team partnered with local grocers and used their bus to collect donations for the Food Bank with enough supplies to provide 6,646 meals to those in need.
We are proud to announce that our Fill the Rangers Bus event held at @ZehrsLaurentian this past Saturday, has provided an amazing 6,646 meals to our community through @FoodBankWatReg!🤯
Thank you #RTown, for helping #FeedWR during these times of need.
👉https://t.co/bhFh0aY6mA pic.twitter.com/RQ8rG7D82N
— Kitchener Rangers (@OHLRangers) October 14, 2020
USA Hockey Evaluation Camp
Preparations for the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship took place over the weekend in Plymouth as the U.S. National Junior Team held their Evaluation Camp. Among the 39 players invited were five from the CHL including goaltender Dustin Wolf (Everett Silvertips), defenceman Hunter Skinner (London Knights), plus forwards Cross Hanas (Portland Winterhawks), Arthur Kaliyev (Hamilton Bulldogs) and Lukas Svejkovsky (Medicine Hat Tigers). The event is scheduled to proceed in the Edmonton bubble over the holiday season.
USA Hockey concludes the 2020 National Junior Evaluation Camp at @USAHockeyArena. 🇺🇸
Full event recap → https://t.co/hEdjAMIV2x pic.twitter.com/I0TooKqdCV
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) October 13, 2020
Coe pens letter to Dad
North Bay Battalion forward Brandon Coe was a recent author on the popular website The Players’ Tribune where he wrote a beautiful letter to his Dad who has been fighting cancer since 2016. Coe was a fourth round pick of the San Jose Sharks in the 2020 NHL Draft.
Before the @NHL Draft, the @SanJoseSharks' fourth-round pick @coe_44 wrote a letter to his dad, who has been fighting cancer since 2016.
San Jose, you got a good one.https://t.co/l2sFRIvXzC
— The Players' Tribune (@PlayersTribune) October 8, 2020
Wisdom joins Soul On Ice
The Soul On Ice podcast, first started by CHL grads Elijah Roberts and Akil Thomas, continues to connect fans with stories about players of colour who are changing the face of the game. Episode 13 features an interview with Zayde Wisdom of the Kingston Frontenacs who was a fourth round pick by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2020 NHL Draft and recipient of the E.J McGuire Award of Excellence by NHL Central Scouting.
Humble beginnings, unmatched heart: @NHLFlyers' fourth round pick, Zayde Wisdom, is taking nothing for granted. Find out why we believe he is the future of hockey ✊🏾 : https://t.co/CpKzwP2mxA pic.twitter.com/Qv6dWy5iSR
— Soul On Ice: The Podcast (@SOIThePodcast) October 14, 2020
Four are first to sign NHL contracts
Just days after the dust settled on the 2020 NHL Draft, NHL teams began signing their future stars to entry-level contracts. A total of four CHL players fall into this category beginning with first overall pick Alexis Lafreniere of the Rimouski Oceanic who made things official with the New York Rangers. The Philadelphia Flyers also signed a pair of prospects including first round pick Tyson Foerster of the Barrie Colts and fourth round pick Zayde Wisdom of the Kingston Frontenacs. The Carolina Hurricanes also signed second rounder Vasiliy Ponomarev of the Shawinigan Cataractes.
Got drafted first overall ☑️
Turned 19 ☑️
Signed his first pro contract ☑️Pretty decent week for @Alexlaff13. pic.twitter.com/ojWj4TvpXs
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) October 12, 2020
Done deal!
We've signed 4th round 2020 #NHLDraft pick Zayde Wisdom to an entry-level contact. https://t.co/Gbzl5CGcXU
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) October 12, 2020
Signed!
53rd overall selection Vasiliy Ponomarev has inked a 3-year, entry-level contract with the #Canes
Details » https://t.co/KiKLyr4b2z pic.twitter.com/9C2XP5yR5Q
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) October 13, 2020
.@tfoerster8 put ✍️ to 📃!
We've signed our 2020 first round #NHLDraft pick to an entry-level contract. https://t.co/1QKvUvsPuU
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) October 14, 2020