Filewich among 24 WHL Grads stil

24 WHL Graduates still competing in NHL, AHL and ECHL Playoffs
rBy Jesse Watts – whl.ca
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rThe Western Hockey League is well represented among eight teams still competing for various professional hockey championships this spring with 24 WHL graduates currently helping their respective teams as they battle for the NHL’s Stanley Cup, the AHL’s Calder Cup and the ECHL’s Kelly Cup.
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rThe 2008 Stanley Cup Final between the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins featured four WHL grads who have seen a regular shift through the post-season.
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rThe Penguins have one WHL grad who is a regular in the line-up with former Portland Winter Hawk Marian Hossa playing a major role for the Eastern Conference Champions.
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rHossa, who won a Memorial Cup with the Winter Hawks in 1998, came over to Pittsburgh from the Atlanta Thrashers in what was the biggest trade at the NHL’s trade deadline and has been a key cog in the vaunted Penguins’ offense. The 29-year-old Slovakian has tallied nine goals and 19 points in 14 post-season contests to put him second on the Pens in playoff scoring and helping them to a 12-2 record through three playoff rounds.
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rThe veteran Red Wings boast three WHL graduates who have played significant time in the post-season with goaltender Chris Osgood, defenseman Brad Stuart and rookie forward Darren Helm all seeing regular duty for the Western Conference Champs.
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rOsgood, who won the Stanley Cup with the Wings in 1997 and 1998, played three seasons in the WHL with the Medicine Hat Tigers, Brandon Wheat Kings and Seattle Thunderbirds, and appeared in the 1992 Memorial Cup tournament with the T-Birds.
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rStuart was acquired by the Wings at the NHL trade deadline from Los Angeles, and has managed two assists with a +6 rating in 15 post-season contests for Detroit. The 28-year-old Rocky Mountain House product played three full seasons in the WHL with the Regina Pats and Calgary Hitmen, and helped lead the Hitmen to the 1999 WHL Championship.
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rHelm has appeared in 12 post-season contests for the Red Wings, notching a goal and an assist, after playing just seven regular-season games in 2007-08. The 21-year-old Winnipeg product, drafted in the fifth round by the Wings in 2005, spent the previous three seasons with the Medicine Hat Tigers and was a key member of last season’s WHL Championship team.
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rBoth the Pens and Wings also have a few WHL grads on the active roster who have not seen post-season action.
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rDefenseman Darryl Sydor (Kamloops Blazers) and forward Kris Beech (Calgary Hitmen) are both on the Penguins’ post-season roster. For the Wings, forward Tomas Kopecky (Lethbridge Hurricanes) and defenseman Derek Meech (Red Deer Rebels) are both on the team’s active roster.
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rIn the East Coast Hockey League, six WHL graduates are on the rosters of the two teams who will battle for the Kelly Cup in the ECHL Championship series.
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rThe Cincinnati Cyclones have two WHL grads on their roster who helped the team win the American Conference Championship.
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rFormer Kamloops Blazers defenseman Chad Starling has posted two assists and a team-best +8 in 15 post-season contests for the Cyclones, while former Kootenay Ice sniper Ryan Russell has notched a pair of goals and four points in nine contests.
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rThe National Conference Champion Las Vegas Wranglers boast four WHL graduates on their roster. Forward Adam Cracknell, who played with Ryan Russell in Kootenay, has led the way for the Wranglers, notching eight goals and 21 points in 15 post-season contests. Tyler Mosienko, a Memorial Cup Champion with the Kelowna Rockets, ranks third on the Wranglers in scoring with six goals and 17 points, while former Moose Jaw Warrior Shawn Limpright ranks fourth in scoring with six goals and 14 points. Also on the Wranlgers is former Prince Albert Raider Aki Seitsonen, who has chipped in six goals and nine points in Las Vegas’ post-season run.
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rA total of 14 WHL graduates are among the players on the four teams still battling for the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup Championship.
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rThe AHL’s Easter Conference Championship series between the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Portland Pirates featured nine WHL grads.
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rThe Pirates feature a pair of rookie defensemen – Brendan Mikkelson and Brett Festerling – who captured the 2007 MasterCard Memorial Cup championship with the Vancouver Giants last year. Also on the Pirates’ roster is forward Simon Ferguson, who won a WHL Championship with Kelowna in 2003, and former Prince George Cougars star Tyler Bouck.
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rThe Penguins boast five former WHL players, led by former Brandon Wheat Kings star Ryan Stone who ranks third on the Pens in scoring with three goals and 13 points in 13 contests. The Pens’ defense features offensive rearguard Mark Ardelan (BRN, P.A., VAN) and defensive stalwart Deryk Engelland (M.J.). Forwards Nathan Smith (S.C.) and Jonathan Filewich (P.G., LET) have also played a part in the Penguins’ playoff run.
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rThe AHL’s Western Conference championship series between the Chicago Wolves and Toronto Marlies features five WHL grads.
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rFormer Swift Current Bronco Ben Ondrus has notched a goal and six points for the Marlies in the post-season while former Portland Winter Hawks and Calgary Hitmen defenseman Patrick Wellar has chipped in one goal in seven playoff games. Back-up goaltender Justin Pogge (P.G., CGY), the 2006 WHL Goaltender and Player of the Year, has appeared in two playoff contests for the Marlies.
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rThe Chicago Wolves have gotten solid contributions from two WHL grads on their playoff run. Former Tacoma Rocket and Prince George Cougar Joel Kwiatkowski leads the Wolves’ defense and ranks third on the team in post-season scoring with four goals and 12 points in 15 games. Forward Jesse Schultz, who won the Memorial Cup with Kelowna in 2004, has netted five goals and eight points in 15 contests for the Wolves this spring.