Sights on the Second Half: Part Two
As the Wild open the second half of our inaugural Western Hockey League season, we are turning the clock ahead and examining some of the decisions awaiting the team in the coming weeks…we’re breaking the conversation down into six key questions, continuing with question 2:
Q: What is the “life cycle” of a WHL team?
A: The ”life cycle” of a WHL team sometimes features down years that lead to high draft picks – this is the genesis of the ICE organization, which struggled in its first two seasons as the Edmonton ICE from 1996 to 1998 before moving to Cranbrook, British Columbia. However, those difficult early seasons allowed the team to draft talented players who later reached the NHL, such as Jarrett Stoll (the #1 overall WHL draft pick in 1997, 872 career NHL games) and Dan Blackburn (the 3rd overall WHL pick in 1998, 63 career NHL games). Those players became a key part of the organization’s initial seasons in Cranbrook, where it won a WHL championship in 2000 and even captured the Memorial Cup two years later.
As mentioned previously, it is not uncommon for teams to sacrifice some of their future to make a run at a championship. However, in other junior hockey leagues, it is possible to reload a championship team or go from “worst to first” in only a year or two – the NAHL and USHL both include entry drafts for players who are likely to become immediate contributors to the team, while the BCHL does not conduct a draft. This is much more difficult in the Western Hockey League, which functions much more like the National Hockey League in terms of player development of its draft class.
The most recent draft was for 2008-born players – those players are limited to five games in their 15-year-old WHL season until their current team’s seasons – CSSHL, AAA and so on – are finished. The very best players from this past spring’s draft class will become first-year WHL players next season, but are still more likely to make their first major contributions to the team in two years. As teams draft players, they track those players with hopes of seeing strong development in their abilities and the ability to build the team around them in the future, but with the knowledge that these players may struggle their first year in the WHL as they develop physically and adapt to the speed and style of the league.
