New coach, style ready for debut

The Spokane Chiefs are hoping that a change in head coach and a changing style of play in the Western Hockey League will help them to turn things around this season.

Whether either will ultimately make a difference remains to be seen, but this is September in major-junior hockey and every team is still unbeaten and optimistic.

The WHL opens play tonight, but Spokane doesn’t open its season until Saturday night against the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook, British Columbia. The Chiefs’ home opener is Oct. 1 against Tri-City.

Spokane, which missed the playoffs last season, brought in former assistant Bill Peters as head coach in the off-season. He replaces the fired Al Conroy.

Also during the off-season, the WHL adopted some key rule changes patterned on those made by the National Hockey League.

Most important, the red (center) line has been eliminated for purposes of calling a two-line pass violation. Along with stricter enforcement of the interference call in front of the net, the WHL is trying to open up the game to more offense.

Hockey has been more defense-oriented over the past few seasons, and the changes are intended to open up the middle zone of the ice. It is anticipated that the trapping style of play favored by teams such as Everett may not be as prominent this season.

The league will also settle games tied after an overtime period with a shootout – a series of penalty shots (a shooter one-on-one against a goalie) which has often been referred to as the most exciting play in hockey.

All of the changes are being made by the WHL in attempt to make the game more inviting to fans. That has also been Spokane’s goal with its moves.

In addition to the coaching change, Spokane anointed veteran Jim Watt as its No. 1 goalie by trading fellow 19-year-old Kevin Opsahl to Swift Current last week. Then, this week, Spokane sent talented left winger Ned Lukacevic to Swift Current in an effort to shore up its defense.

Those are the major changes to a roster which is largely the same as last season.

When asked what the difference might be from last season’s team, the Chiefs point to the fact that there are only four rookies on the roster and last year’s nearly dozen rookies are now veterans.

“There’s a level of maturity, in the sense of the age of everyone else,” said Watt. “We’ve got a great group of 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds this year. We’ve got a great team all-around, but I think the guys that are really going to stand out are those 18- and 19-year-olds, because we’ve been in positions. … I don’t think there’s anything you can’t throw at us that we haven’t seen.”

In front of Watt is a defensive corps that still has one player in an NHL camp – Gustav Engman (Vancouver). Sean Zimmerman returned this week from the New Jersey Devils Returning players such as Joe Logan, Matt McCue, Jason Lynch, and Dan Mercer all appear ready to step up.

The Chiefs are also hoping they can be more explosive on the offensive end, led by returning 20-year-olds Chad Klassen and Jeff Lynch (first and second in scoring last season). Also expect Spokane’s Derek Ryan, Western Conference Rookie of the Year, to continue his progression.

Those three are backed by a pool of talented role players led by Adam Hobson, Kyle Howath, Myles Stoesz and Europeans Michael Grabner and Johannes Salmonsson. The Chiefs are also high on 16-year-old rookie Drayson Bowman.

“We’ve got a lot of guys coming back this year,” Klassen said. “There’s going to be a lot of talent up front, so anyone I play with this year will be awesome. I’m looking forward to it.”

However, things aren’t going to get any easier for the Chiefs this season as they try to improve on a last-place finish in the five-team U.S. Division of the Western Conference. Defending division champion Seattle appears to have reloaded; Everett has a wealth of returning players; and Portland and Tri-City will be competitive again.

Watt sees the Chiefs as an upper-tier team, saying: “It’s our year.”

Klassen, in his final WHL season, didn’t want to make a specific prediction but offered:

“I think we’ll definitely make the playoffs … and we’ll go from there,” he said.

“The Chiefs reassigned rookies Michael Senseman and Chris Langkow, bringing the roster to 24 players.