Prince Albert Daily Herald
Photo Courtesy of Andy Devlin/LA Media The Edmonton Oil Kings pose after winning their third straight Central Division title.
The dominant team in the WHL’s Central Division during the 2020-21 season wrapped up their campaign in style on Thursday night.
The Edmonton Oil Kings finished off their campaign with an impressive 20-2-0-1 mark at Co-op Place in Medicine Hat as they came away with a 3-0 shutout over the Medicine Hat Tigers.
While the Oil Kings were able to capture their third straight Central Division title, the COVID-19 pandemic meant that they wouldn’t be able to showcase their squad in the playoffs for the second straight spring after reaching the Eastern Conference in 2019 before falling to the Prince Albert Raiders.
Photo Courtesy of Hockey Canada Prince Albert Raiders blueliner Nolan Allan (top row, second from left) celebrates with his teammates after Canada won the IIHF World Under-18 Hockey Championship on Thursday night in Frisco, Texas.
As he sat in the Calgary International Airport on Friday evening, Prince Albert Raiders defenceman Nolan Allan was just starting to realize what he and his teammates had accomplished 24 hours earlier in Frisco, Texas.
The Davidson product helped Canada snap an eight-year gold medal drought at the IIHF World Under-18 Hockey Championship on Thursday with a 5-3 triumph over Russia in the final.
“We’re all still pretty excited,” said Allan, who joins Josh Morrissey, Rejean Beauchemin and Jeremy Colliton as Raiders players to capture the tournament title with Canada. “I think most of us didn’t go to sleep last night (Thursday) as we had an early morning trip to the airport.
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women strikes a cord with the people in the Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation.
Ashley Morin still remains missing, as she was last seen on July 10, 2018. And many family members and the rest of the community still remember Jean Lachance, whose missing case became high profile in the 1990s.
But the community came together to show their support for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Day with their annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event.
“It’s personal for us in Ahtahkakoop. We currently have a young lady missing from our reserve. It really hits close to home,” Garth Peekeekoot, Ahtahkakoop Health Clinic’s facility supervisor, said. “It’s our reality, as First Nations people, that women go missing. It’s an epidemic that doesn’t get mentioned enough, but I think it’s on the upswing in that area. The awareness is getting up there.”
Prince Albert Daily Herald
Photo Courtesy of Keith Hershmiller/WHL Saskatoon Blades forward Blake Stevenson battles for position with Ozzy Wiesblatt of the Prince Albert Raiders earlier this season in Regina.
After leading the Prince Albert Raiders in scoring during the 24-game East Division hub in Regina, Ozzy Wiesblatt is heading back to the American Hockey League.
The San Jose Sharks announced on Monday that the 19-year-old forward from Calgary will be joining the San Jose Barracuda for the remainder of the season, which includes a tournament that will determine the Pacific Division champion later this month.
Wiesblatt, who was the 31st overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, had 28 points (seven goals and 21 assists) in 23 games for the Raiders this year and is currently tied with Edmonton’s Carter Souch and Medicine Hat’s Cole Clayton for the eighth most assists in the league.
Canada Under-18 team advances to semis following dominating performance against Czech Republic
Photo Courtesy of Hockey Canada Kamloops Blazers forward Logan Stankoven celebrates after scoring a goal in Canada’s 10-3 win over the Czech Republic on Monday.
Canada reached the medal round with a vengeance at the IIHF World Under-18 Hockey Championship on Monday afternoon.
A three-goal outburst in the opening seven minutes set the tone for a quarter-final contest in Frisco, Texas as Canada cruised to a 10-3 triumph over the Czech Republic as they qualified for the final four for the second straight tournament.
Regina Pats forward Connor Bedard turned in his best performance of the tournament to date as he scored two goals and added three assists.