WHL Eastern Conference Championship Preview

CALGARY, AB – The 2016 WHL Eastern Conference Championship is set to begin tonight as the Brandon Wheat Kings take on the Red Deer Rebels. Both Clubs continue their journey to become the 50^th WHL Champions while Brandon looks to move closer to a berth at the 2016 MasterCard Memorial Cup in Red Deer, AB.

The Wheat Kings will look to repeat as WHL Eastern Conference Champions while the MasterCard Memorial Cup host Rebels continue their quest to enter the event through the front door. The two clubs meet in the WHL Playoffs for the first time since 2003, another WHL Eastern Conference Championship tile, when Red Deer took the series in five games to advance. The WHL Eastern Confernce Championship will be broadcasted in its entirety on WHL on Shaw TV (Shaw HD channel 304).

Here’s a preview of the 2016 WHL Eastern Conference Championship.

BRANDON WHEAT KINGS vs. RED DEER REBELS

2015-16 regular season record
Brandon:                            48-18-4-2, 102pts (L10: 9-0-1-0) 
Red Deer:                           45-24-1-2, 93pts (L10: 8-2-0-0) 

2015-16 head-to-head record
Brandon:                            2-2-0-0, 4pts
Red Deer:                            2-2-0-0, 4pts

2015-16 head-to-head top scorers
Brandon:
Nolan Patrick                     4gp-2g-1a-3pts
Jayce Hawryluk                 3gp-0g-3a-3pts

Red Deer:
Jake DeBrusk                     6gp-5g-3a-8pts
Brandon Hagel                  4gp-2g-3a-5pts

The Brandon Wheat Kings look to be in cruise control after ousting the Moose Jaw Warriors in five games in the second round. Wheat Kings’ forward John Quenneville has had a terrific post-season as the native of Edmonton, AB has notched 16 points (7g-9a) to go along with a plus-12 rating in 11 games so far. Quenneville’s 16 points have him tied for second in playoff scoring along with teammate Reid Duke (6g-10a) as the Wheat Kings’ offence leads all remaining post-season teams in goals with 50. Nolan Patrick, the 2014-15 WHL Rookie of the Year and a projected top pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, punctuates Brandon’s powerful forward group. The Wheat Kings’ blue line has been effective as WHL Defenceman of the Year finalist Ivan Provorov and team captain Macoy Erkamps each have recorded eight points and have a combined plus-23 rating. Brandon has netted 11 power play goals and are clicking at a 23.4% rate while their penalty kill owns a success rate of 79.0% in post-season play. Wheat Kings’ netminder Jordan Papirny has been steady appearing in all 11 games for Brandon with a 2.65 goals against average and a .898 save percentage with one shutout. The Wheat Kings are 4-1 on the road in the post-season and look to return to the WHL Championship Series after last season’s appearance.

The MasterCard Memorial Cup host Red Deer Rebels eliminated a relentless Regina Pats squad in a hard-fought seven games series in Round 2. With the score tied 1-1 midway through the third period of Game 7, Adam Musil buried his third goal of the post-season to give the Rebels a 2-1 lead and ultimately clinch the series. Rebels’ forwards Adam Helewka and Jake DeBrusk have been consistent throughout the post-season as they each have recorded 12 points in 12 games. Helewka has netted eight goals, including a League-best six goals on the power play. Brandon Hagel (1g-7a) and Michael Spacek (2g-8a) are also key parts of a forward group that should prove a formidable foe for Brandon. Red Deer’s power play has been strong with a 26.2% success rate on 11 goals. Hurricanes prospect Haydn Fleury, Kale Doetzel, Colton Bobyk and draft-eligible Josh Mahura lead a defensive unit that will look to contain the Wheat Kings potent offence. Rebels’ netminder Rylan Toth returned from injury midway through Round 2 against Regina and made four consecutive starts that resulted in a pair of wins, a 2.31 goals against average and a .929 save percentage. Expect Toth to continue to carry the load for Red Deer.

WHL Eastern Conference Championship Schedule

(Available on WHL on Shaw, Shaw HD channel 304)

*If necessary

**SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE**