Playoff Picture: Four teams added to postseason mix
A quartet of clubs joined the 2020 playoff picture following Wednesday action.
Brandon Wheat Kings
A decisive 9-1 victory over the Swift Current Broncos on Wednesday improved the Brandon Wheat Kings to 32-21-4-2 on the season, good for 70 points as the club clinched its sixth playoff berth in the past seven seasons.
Led by Colorado Avalanche prospect Luka Burzan – the team’s most dangerous offensive weapon with 60 points through 2019-20 – the Wheat Kings’ roster also counts two other players who have heard their names called on draft day in rookie forward Marcus Kallionkieli as well as netminder Jiri Patera, both draft choices of the Vegas Golden Knights. Meanwhile, Brandon also deploys two other skaters in defenceman Braden Schneider and centre Ridly Greig, a pair of top talents who are slated for early selection in the coming NHL Draft.
This spring marks the first time since 2018 that the three-time Ed Chynoweth Cup champion Wheat Kings return to the postseason.
Vancouver Giants
After coming just short in last year’s WHL Playoffs, the Vancouver Giants will look to come away on the winning side in the 2020 postseason after locking up a spot Wednesday that came after the rival Prince George Cougars fell in regulation to the Kelowna Rockets.
Putting on a dominant performance in last year’s postseason before hearing his name called fourth overall by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2019 NHL Draft, blue-liner Bowen Byram is one of six NHL drafted prospects on the Giants, a list that also includes starting netminder David Tendeck, an Arizona Coyotes draft choice who has shined with an 18-13-1-1 showing and .920 save percentage across 35 appearances this season. Up front, the Giants also have another key talent in budding centre Justin Sourdif, a 2020 draft eligible who ranks 23rd among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting’s midterm report.
Sitting third place in the WHL’s B.C. Division with a 30-21-3-2 record and 65 points, the Giants aim to capture their second WHL title after falling in overtime of Game 7 versus the Prince Albert Raiders in last year’s Ed Chynoweth Cup Final.
Sudbury Wolves
Reigning CHL Rookie of the Year and Sudbury Wolves centre Quinton Byfield will soon get another taste of CHL playoff action.
Locking up their second-straight playoff berth following Wednesday’s 4-3 win over the North Bay Battalion, the Wolves improved to 31-26-1-0 on the season, good for 63 points, first place in the OHL’s Central Division, and currently second seed in the Eastern Conference.
Beyond Byfield – the projected second-overall selection in the coming NHL Draft who leads the Wolves with 74 points through 40 appearances – Sudbury’s roster includes three players who have already realized their draft day dream in forwards Blake Murray (Carolina Hurricanes) and Matej Pekar (Buffalo Sabres), plus defenceman Kalle Loponen (Toronto Maple Leafs).
In search of the franchise’s first J. Ross Robertson Cup championship, the Wolves return to the postseason after last year’s run saw the club hand the Mississauga Steelheads a four-game exit before falling to the Ottawa 67’s in the following round.
Drummondville Voltigeurs
The Drummondville Voltigeurs are the sixth team from the QMJHL to punch their ticket to the playoffs after coming away with a 3-2 win over the Quebec Remparts on Wednesday.
Headlined by key veterans like 18-year-old centre Xavier Simoneau and third-year left-wing Isiah Campbell, the Voltigeurs also offer up an intriguing mix of up-and-coming talents and 2020 NHL Draft hopefuls like Austria-born blue-liner Thimo Nickl, a participant in this year’s Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.
Currently second place in the QMJHL’s Central Division with a 32-24-2-0 record and 66 points, the Voltigeurs will return to the postseason looking to build on last spring’s showing that saw the squad advance to third round before falling to the Halifax Mooseheads in a hard-battled six-game series.
Playoff Picture Clinching Timeline
Feb. 2 – Ottawa 67’s (OHL)
Feb. 3 – Sherbrooke Phoenix (QMJHL)
Feb. 4 – Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
Feb. 11 – Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)
Feb. 12 – Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL)
Feb. 13 – Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL), Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL)
Feb. 14 – Everett Silvertips (WHL)
Feb. 15 – Cape Breton Eagles (QMJHL), Kamloops Blazers (WHL)
Feb. 16 – Peterborough Petes (OHL)
Feb. 17 – Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL)
Feb. 19 – Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
Feb. 20 – London Knights (OHL), Oshawa Generals (OHL)
Feb. 21 – Kitchener Rangers (OHL), Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL), Prince Albert Raiders (WHL
Feb. 22 – Calgary Hitmen (WHL)
Feb. 23 – Saginaw Spirit (OHL), Flint Firebirds (OHL)
Feb. 25 – Victoria Royals (WHL)
Feb. 26 – Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL), Vancouver Giants (WHL), Sudbury Wolves (OHL), Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)