CHL league semifinal pre-series thoughts

In what was arguably one of the most exciting playoff rounds in recent memory for all three CHL leagues (7 game 7s), the hype around the remaining teams is sky high.  Here are some thoughts on those that remain:

Starting out west - WHL

Edmonton Oil Kings vs. Moose Jaw Warriors
Both teams have deep deep rosters with high end talent.  Both teams have young stars that have been electrifying so far in the playoffs as well.  Both teams have goaltenders that have proved very reliable thus far in the playoffs.  We are likely to see the return of Morgan Rielly which could prove to be a great boost for Moose Jaw.

Key Players
Edmonton - Curtis Lazar, Michael St. Croix, Mark Pysyk
Moose Jaw - Quinton Howden, Cam Braes, Dylan McIlrath

Prospects who Could Make an Impact
Edmonton - Curtis Lazar, Griffin Reinhart
Moose Jaw - Morgan Rielly, Brayden Point

Wildcard
Edmonton - Travis Ewanyk - Very good two way player is the kind of player who steps up well in playoffs.
Moose Jaw - Eric Arnold - Unheralded Swiss import has come to life in the playoffs, did the same in Swiss league playoffs last year.  He loves playing this time of year.

Prediction: Oil Kings win in 6

Tri-City Americans vs. Portland Winterhawks
Both teams have aging core rosters (hilarious to say when talking about junior hockey) and the time to win is now.  These two teams are both capable of playing high-octane offensive styles and this series should be an offensive showcase.

Key Players
Portland - Ty Rattie, Sven Bartschi, Joe Morrow
Tri-City - Adam Hughesman, Brendan Shinnimin, Patrick Holland

Prospects who Could Make an Impact
Portland - Derrick Pouliot, Brendan Leipsic
Tri-City - Brian Williams, Connor Rankin

Wildcard
Portland - Brad Ross - Can absolutely drive other teams insane with rage with aggressive and antogonistic play but can also put up big numbers.
Tri-City - Ty Rimmer - Has been very strong in the playoffs so far and will need to be on his game to try and frustrate Winterhawk attack.

Prediction: Portland in 6

OHL

London Knights vs. Kitchener Rangers
Kitchener showed some great depth and character in knocking off the Plymouth Whalers in round 2 and are rewarded with trying to do the same to the top seeded London Knights.  London has a relentless attack and a strong backend.  Kitchener can launch attacks from anywhere on the ice.  This should be a very fun series to watch.

Key Players
London: Jarred Tinordi, Seth Griffith, Vlad Namestnikov
Kitchener: Ryan Murphy, Tobias Rieder, Michael Catenacci

Prospects who Could Make an Impact
London: Olli Maatta, Max Domi
Kitchener: Radek Faksa, Max Iafrate

Wildcard
London: Scott Harrington - Needs to showcase his two-way ability but also be strong at holding off Kitchener's big forwards and any rushes from Ryan Murphy.
Kitchener: John Gibson - Has the ability to steal games, he will need to show that a couple times in this series.

Prediction: London in 7

Ottawa 67s vs. Niagara IceDogs
The top 2 seeds in the OHL East collide in what could be a runaway win in either direction or a very tight and highly contested series.  Both teams have the potential and firepower to run up the score on each other.  Both teams have very good puck moving defenders that can turn transitional rushes up ice very quickly and both teams have high impact, reliable goal scorers.

Key Players
Ottawa - Tyler Toffoli, Shane Prince, Petr Mrazek
Niagara - Ryan Strome, Freddie Hamilton, Dougie Hamilton

Prospects who Could Make an Impact
Ottawa - Sean Monahan, Cody Ceci
Niagara - Jesse Graham, Joel Wigle

Wildcard
Ottawa - Tyler Graovac - Will need to be strong in both directions to keep pace with deep Niagara forward group.
Niagara - Tom Kuhnhackl - The German import and draft pick of the Penguins is a very good goal scorer who is really starting to find his stride, which could spell trouble for Ottawa.

Prediction: Niagara in 6


QMJHL

Saint John Sea Dogs vs. Chicoutimi Sagueneens
The defending Memorial Cup Champions are maybe even a better team than the one that won last year and have had no challenge so far in the playoffs.  That changes with Chicoutimi, who are one of the only teams to hold a winning record vs. Saint John in a year over the past two seasons.

Key Players:
Saint John - Jonathan Huberdeau, Zack Phillips, Charlie Coyle, the list goes on...
Chicoutimi - Guillaume Asselin, Christian Ouellet, Christopher Gibson

Prospects who Could Make an Impact
Saint John - Stephen MacAuley, Oliver Cooper
Chicoutimi - Charles Hudon, Jeramie Gregoire

Wildcard
Saint John - Nathan Beaulieu - The offensive blueliner could see an increased reliance on him if Chris Gibson is able to stall the Sea Dog attack.  Powerplay could be a major factor in this series and Beaulieu will need to launch those attacks.
Chicoutimi - Lukas Sedlak - He has been a tremendously reliable and consistent offensive contributor in the second half of the season and will need to raise him game even more to push Saint John.

Prediction:
Saint John in 5

Halifax Mooseheads vs. Rimouski Oceanic
After an epic comeback from being down 3 games to zip and winning a thrilling game 7 overtime against Quebec, the Mooseheads find a familiar playoff foe in the Rimouski Oceanic.  Rimouski has had a very succesful playoff past against Halifax, including a 2004 QMJHL championship victory when they were led by a Halifax kid named Sidney Crosby.  Halifax has the highly touted Cole Harbour prodigy this time and should put up a much better fight this time around.

Key Players
Halifax: Martin Frk, Nathan MacKinnon, Jonathan Drouin,
Rimouski: Alexandre Mallet, Jerome Gauthier-Leduc, Alex Belzile

Prospects who Could Make an Impact
Halifax: Read Key Players again and add Zachary Fucale and Andrew Ryan
Rimouski: Alexis Loiseau, Ryan MacKinnon

Wildcard
Halifax: Cameron Critchlow - After a 4 goal game 7 performance vs. Quebec, the Moosehead captain is the steady beat that keeps Halifax's potent young attack rocking.  Crithlow is a heart and soul character player who can turn around Halifax's fortunes if they start to go the wrong way.
Rimouski: Scott Oke - He has the playoff experience, winning with Saint John last year, and could be relied on to match up against Halifax's top guns.  The bigger impact he makes on this series, the better chance Rimouski has of winning.

Prediction: Halifax in 6


It should be another very interesting round of games around the CHL.  If you live anywhere near these cities, get out and support team or take in some of the best and most competitive hockey going.  Unless you are in Halifax where 10,500 tickets have sold for games one and two and are being resold at 100$ by scalpers.  That's an 83$ mark up in some cases!  That's what a crazy comeback can do!

Best of luck to all the teams still battling it out for their Memorial Cup dreams!