(Photo: s.yume/Flickr)
WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE
The WHL’s second round begins Friday, as Brandon/Regina, Calgary/Medicine Hat, Kelowna/Victoria and Everett/Portland all face off.
Brandon defenseman Ivan Provorov (7th, CSS) registered three assists, while Ryan Pilon had a pair of assists, as Brandon knocked out Edmonton in five games in the first round.
Regina, coming off their sweep of Swift Current, had five players in the top 176 from NHL Central Scouting, including Austin Wagner (3 pts/4gp), Connor Hobbs (1 goal), Jesse Gabrielle (2 pts) and defenseman Sergey Zborovskiy, who was a plus-7 in four games.
Calgary, coming off a seven-game series win over the Kootenay Ice, are led by Rangers prospect Adam Tambellini, who had 15 points (7-8) in the first round. Pavel Karnaukhov, a 2015 NHL draft prospect, registered six points (3-3), while defenseman Michael Zipp (ranked #189) did not register a point.
For Medicine Hat, Dryden Hunt had two points in the first round as the Tigers ousted Red Deer in five games.
Kelowna heads into their second round coming off a sweep of Tri-City, while Victoria defeated Prince George in five games. The Rockets are led by Sharks prospect Rourke Chartier, who had six points in the first round. Prospect Nick Merkley also had six points, including a team-high five assists.
Oilers prospect Leon Draisaitl had four points in as many games, tied with Capitals prospect Madison Bowey. Victoria’s Tyler Soy had six points in five games, while defenseman Chaz Reddekopp had one point and a plus-6.
Everett and Portland each won their first round series in six games over Spokane and Seattle, respectively. Everett’s Noah Juulsen (22nd by CSS) had one assist and a plus-5. The Silvertips were led by Carson Stadnyk, who had eight points.
Meanwhile, Portland was led by Blue Jackets prospect Oliver Bjorkstrand, who had 12 points in the first round. Jets prospect Nic Petan had nine points, while fellow Jets draft pick Chase De Leo had six points in as many games. Paul Bittner, a 2015 NHL draft prospect, had four points (2-2).