Offense stands to gain
The much-promised, new-style Western Hockey League play will make its debut this season.
The league – which opened play with one game Thursday – will fully implement recent National Hockey League rules changes which began last season in an attempt to open up the game on offense.
The interference penalty – impeding the movement of an offensive player away from the puck – will be the focus of new enforcement. In particular, stick work by defending players will be closely watched.
The sum and substance of that change is simple, said Chiefs general manager Tim Speltz.
“The most basic way to put it is that your stick is to play the puck (not the player),” he said.
That single change will alter some fundamental tenets of coaching of the past decade or so. As offensive players got bigger, stronger and quicker, opposing players were more often using their sticks as an equalizer, discreetly slowing down an opponent as they raced up ice. No more.
“If there’s any kind of obstruction, now those calls are supposed to be automatic,” said Speltz. “There’s no gray area for referees – it’s black and white.”
To make sure, the league will renew an experiment by putting two referees on the ice for a majority of its games this season. Overall, the effect should be noticeable.
“I think the game is not going to be as determined as much by defense,” said Speltz. “There’s going to be more excitement, more speed, more skill – not as much clutch, not as much grab. … I think all those things are good for not only the fans, but good for the players.”
The Chiefs and other teams have employed referees at their practices to educate the players and break bad habits. Players can no longer “cheat” if they get caught out of solid defensive position.
“We’ve sure seen, at least in preseason, that the game has changed …” Speltz said. “The teams that get it quicker are going to be the teams that have more success.”
The league has also followed an NHL rule mandating smaller goalie equipment, but it was less of an issue at the WHL level.
“There’s definitely more room (to shoot), but I don’t know that a shooter’s going to notice things being a whole bunch different,” said Speltz. “I don’t think a guy like (goalie) Leland Irving (Everett) or Kevin Armstrong (Spokane) is going to look a whole lot different this year than they did last year.”
Predictions, projections
The consensus top picks to be the best in the WHL this season are Everett and Vancouver, based on returning talent.
The teams met in the Western Conference finals last season, with Vancouver sweeping Everett in the series. The Giants went on to represent the WHL in the Memorial Cup, advancing to the semifinals.
This year, more of the same is predicted.
The Canadian Hockey League announced its preseason picks for all of major junior hockey and Everett is ranked first. Vancouver is fourth.
In all, four WHL teams are in the CHL’s initial top ten. Eastern Conference teams Calgary (eighth) and Medicine Hat (10th) were also picked.
In a league-wide poll, the WHL writers’ group split its 14 first-place votes by participating writers three ways in a preseason poll (first-place votes in parentheses): 1, Vancouver (9); 2, Everett (5); and 3, Medicine Hat (2).