Blazers Memorial Cup 2023

PLAYOFF PREVIEW

Underdog Giants familiar with spoiler role

Head coach Michael Dyck and the Vancouver Giants need look no further than last year for proof a Round 1 upset is achievable.

The No. 8 seed Giants finished the 2021-2022 WHL regular season 47 points behind the No. 1 Everett Silvertips in regular season standings, but dispatched the injury-plagued Western Conference frontrunner in six games in the opening round of the playoffs.

Dyck, whose Langleybased Giants proved a tough out for the Blazers in Round 2, eventually falling in six games, was asked if the 2022 playoff push is a source of motivation for this year’s club, with No. 7 Vancouver (28-32-5-3, 64 points) set to square off against No. 2 Kamloops (4813-4-3, 103 points) to open

the 2023 post-season.

“It was a different team last year,” Dyck said. “We’ve got some guys back from that team, but for the most part, we’re looking at this series differently. It’s a different opponent. We’ve got a different team. We’re just focused on the guys we’ve got and how we can make them better.”

Kamloops bought — acquiring Anaheim Ducks’ prospect

Olen Zellweger

and Washington Capitals’ prospect Ryan Hofer from Everett — and Vancouver sold — dealing Ottawa Senators’ prospect Zack Ostapchuk to the Winnipeg Ice — in trade deadline blockbusters.

Vancouver dropped 18 of 30 games after the deadline, but is 5-4-0-1 in its last 10 contests.

The Blazers are 26-6 since acquiring their new toys, with a pair of those

losses coming last weekend in a home-and-home set against the Prince George Cougars.

Kamloops was 6-1-0-1 against Vancouver in the regular-season series, outscoring its B.C. Division rival 33-19 and posting a 4-0 record at Sandman Centre.

The Memorial Cup-host Blazers have eyes on the league title and the Giants are trying to play spoiler,

led up front by captain and leading scorer Ty Thorpe, sizeable Jaden Lipinski and standout import Samuel Honzek, with Mazden Leslie anchoring the blue line and overage goaltender Jesper Vikman (19-21-1-2, .903 save percentage) capable of stealing games.

“We have a lot of confidence in our goaltender,” said Dyck, whose backup netminder, Brett Mirwald, posted a 9-9-4-1 record, with a .910 save percentage.

“We know that Kamloops has a lot of confidence in their goaltender. Two very good goaltenders in this league and I think it’s going to be all about how we play in front of our guy.”

Blazers’ No. 1 netminder Dylan Ernst recorded a league-leading 38 wins, with 10 losses, one overtime defeat and one shootout setback, along with a .906 save percentage.

Dyck noted the importance of keeping the

Blazers’ top-ranked power play — which clicked at 30.1 per cent in the regular season — in check.

“They generate not only a lot of offence, but a lot of momentum on their power play,” said Dyck, who iced the league’s ninth-best penalty kill (79.3 per cent) in the regular season. “We’ve got to be very disciplined in this series. We know that’s going to be the key.”

Games 1 and 2 will get underway at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 31, and Saturday, April 1, at Sandman Centre.

The series shifts to the Lower Mainland for Games 3 and 4 on April 5 and April 6, with game time slated for 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., respectively, at Langley Events Centre.

“We know we’re playing one of the best teams in the league and we are going to embrace that challenge,” Dyck said. “We’re looking forward to it.”

MARTY HASTINGS STAFF REPORTER sports@kamloopsthisweek.com

Kamloops Blazers’ goaltender Dylan Ernst prepares to handle a shot from Ty Halaburda of the Vancouver Giants in December at Sandman Centre.

ALLEN DOUGLAS/KTW

Zellweger sizzled after deadline deal

MARTY HASTINGS STAFF REPORTER sports@kamloopsthisweek.com

Olen Zellweger cannot pinpoint its origins.

“I think it just comes from … I don’t know … it’s always just been how I am,” said Zellweger, a 5-foot-10, 182-pound defenceman from Fort Saskatchewan, Alta. “The want to win is just so big for me. I want to win so badly.”

The signed Anaheim Ducks’ prospect — picked 34th overall in Round 2 of the 2021 NHL Draft — was the marquee name in the monumental WHL trade deadline deal that took place on Jan. 8, with the Memorial Cup-host Blazers sending a king’s ransom to the Everett Silvertips in exchange for Zellweger and industrious forward Ryan Hofer.

Returns in Kamloops have been monstrous.

Hofer, a 6-foot-3, 192pound left shot from Winnipeg who recently signed with the Washington Capitals, has 17 goals

and 32 points in 30 games with the Blazers.

Left-shot Zellweger, the reigning WHL defenceman of the year and two-time world juniors champion, has 52 points, including 22 goals (four game-winners), in 32 games since the mega-deal.

“It took a few games to feel out my game and learn how the team plays, but we’re really start-

ing to click,” said Zellweger, who has found chemistry with defence partner Logan Bairos.

“A lot of the players on this team can play really fast and play really well with the puck, so that helps me a lot when I can trust them to get pucks out, to make good plays to me.”

Don Hay has seen a few things in his day.

Associate coach Hay, a Blazers’ legend and three-time Memorial Cup champion, noted Zellweger is a joy for fans to watch and a treat to coach.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he could play the whole game if you wanted him to play the whole game,” Hay said with a laugh.

“He just really loves being on the ice. He wants the puck. He wants to make plays. He wants to make a difference in the game. He comes to the rink early and he stays late. He’s such a competitive player.”

Zellweger had 32 goals (most among WHL defenceman) and 80 points (second among league D-men) in 55 games this season,

along with six game-winning goals (most among league D-men) and a plus-32 rating.

He averaged 1.45 points per game, tops among WHL defencemen, and is the first Blazers’ defenceman to register 30 goals since Ray Macias accomplished the feat in 2006-2007.

Hay said Zellweger is comparable to Greg Hawgood, who recorded video-game numbers — 473 points in 310 games — while toiling for the Blazers from 1983 to 1988.

“It was a different era then, but a guy who could really see the ice well and could run a power play,” said Hay, who runs the defence corps. “Olen is the same type of way. He sees the ice. He makes plays. He gets shots (345 this season, most among WHL defencemen). He’s not worried about making a mistake because he knows he’ll make up for it in a different way.”

Zellweger punished his old team after making the move to Kamloops, racking up six points, including four goals, in three vic-

tories — 6-3, 7-1 and 6-3 — over Everett.

“He’s a competitor,” said Silvertips’ head coach and general manager Dennis Williams, whose club drafted and developed the blue-chip prospect. “Loves to win. I’ve seen it for four years and coached him on the international stage, too. That’s what really separates him.”

Zellweger — whose Blazers posted a 26-6 record after the trade deadline — had to put a governor on his drive.

“I honestly think I’ve dialled back my emotions compared to years in the past,” he said. “I wanted to win so badly it almost goes against what you’re trying to do out there. I’m trying to stay calm and compete really hard.”

Blazers’ fans have a few more months to watch a potential NHL superstar compete for a league title and major junior hockey’s greatest prize.

“We all want to win so badly,” Zellweger said. “We’ve all been preparing so hard for these opportunities.”

OLEN ZELLWEGER

PLAYOFF PREVIEW

Masters found home

Kyle Masters and the Kamloops Blazers have proven to be a snug fit.

The Red Deer Rebels shipped 19-year-old defenceman Masters to the Blazers in exchange for 18-yearold rearguard Mats Lindgren last August, the deal featuring NHLdrafted players interested in finding new major junior homes.

“Sometimes, players are looking for a different opportunity. Sometimes, things aren’t a perfect fit,” Blazers’ general manager Shaun Clouston told KTW last summer. “This is a scenario where both teams are able to give their players an opportunity with another team.”

Masters, who scored 11 goals and added 54 assists in 66 games this season, was plus-25 and led the team in power-play assists (33).

“I was just hopeful for new opportunities,” Masters said. “With Kamloops, there was a big opportunity with being the host team [for the Memorial Cup]. That was a big part of it, as well. Just my identity as a player, I’m real competitive on and off the ice. This team and how successful it’s been, a big part of it is how much we compete in practice and in games.”

Masters, who was chosen 16th overall by the Rebels in the 2018 WHL Prospects Draft, signed in March with the Minnesota Wild, which nabbed the six-foot, 176pound right shot from Edmonton in Round 4 of the 2021 NHL Draft.

“I don’t think too much,” Masters said when asked how his game has changed since coming to Kamloops. “Just having the players we have here, high skill, I think it helps when you’re passing to those guys.”

Masters, whose shifty, elusive

skating is among his strengths, undergoes off-season training with his father, Kevin Masters, a former Moose Jaw Warriors’ D-man who earlier this year was inducted to the Warriors and Legends Hall of Fame.

“He’s a big fitness guy,” Masters said of his father. “He’s in a few triathlons here in B.C. and he’s got the Boston Marathon in a few weeks. He’s been a big impact on my life on the hockey side. Away from the rink, he’s a role model for me.”

The Blazers made one of the most notable splashes in WHL history at the trade deadline when they acquired defenceman Olen Zellweger and forward Ryan Hofer from the Everett Silvertips, with a

Assistant coach Murray talks league-best power play unit

per cent — boasted the circuit’s ninth-best penalty kill, which clicked at 79.3 per cent.

monster batch of draft picks and players going the other way.

Masters, who has settled in with D-partner Ethan Brandwood, was thrilled to hear news of the blockbuster, despite its potential impact on his place in the blue line pecking order.

“I think it’s been great,” said Masters, who has maintained his position on the team’s first powerplay unit. “I’ve played with Zelly most of my life. It was great when he got traded. It’s been a great addition. Everyone here has seen what he’s done in the past and now what he’s doing here. We’re looking forward to what we, as a team, can do in the future.”

Good luck BLAZERS!

Chris Murray stepped into a full-time assistant coaching role this season and was handed the keys to the Kamloops Blazers’ power play, which clicked at 30.1 per cent to lead the league in 2022-2023.

“Having really good players really helps,” Murray said with a laugh. “The boys have really bought into the structure, so we’re predictable to each other, for the most part, and we get our shot volume up, but really good players is the key.”

Murray said another reason for improved man-advantage success — Kamloops was eighth in the WHL in 20212022, connecting at 23.5 per cent — is video study of penalty-kill units across the league.

The Vancouver Giants — whose power play was 21st in the league, converting at 16.7

“They know how we run our power play. We know how they kill,” said Murray, whose Blazers did not excel on the penalty kill (77.2 per cent, 14th in the league).

“It’s going to be a real battle of getting your shot volume up and getting numbers around the puck so you can get rebounds. You need to score ugly goals on the power play, too. Staying confident, too. They’ll kill a couple off. It shouldn’t change your mindset.”

The Kamloops power play finished nearly three percentage points clear of Prince George, with the Cougars clicking at 27.7 per cent to place second in WHL in the category.

“We’re pretty proud of it right now, but it’s got to be good in the playoffs, where it really matters,” Murray said.

MARTY HASTINGS STAFF REPORTER sports@kamloopsthisweek.com

Fraser Minten led the Kamloops Blazers with 17 goals on the power play. ALLEN DOUGLAS/KTW

MARTY HASTINGS STAFF REPORTER sports@kamloopsthisweek.com

Kyle Masters tallied 54 assists in 66 games this season, with 33 helpers coming on the power play. He signed with the Minnesota Wild earlier this month. ALLEN DOUGLAS/KTW

PLAYOFF PREVIEW

President Daley tickled with Blazers’ business

to 5,146 for the final 17 contests on Mark Recchi Way.

Kamloops Blazers’ president Norm Daley has a new appreciation for the month of March.

“It’s a lot better than being an accountant at this time of year,” said Daley, formerly managing partner of accounting firm Daley & Company LLP. “I’m blown away with where we’re at, really.”

The 2023 Memorial Cup-host Blazers (48-13-4-3, 103 points) iced a 100-point team for the first time since 1998-1999 and finished fourth in the WHL in attendance, averaging 4,902 fans per game (166,670 spectators across 34 home dates).

“People said for a long time, ‘What do we need to do to get more people in the building?’” Daley said. “I said, ‘If we win, it’s going to happen.’ They’ve done a fantastic job of assembling a great team. We had an increase in season ticket sales this year. I think it was more than 900 that signed up. We also got that continuous walk-up — a lot of new faces.”

The Edmonton Oil Kings (6,412), Spokane Chiefs (5,842) and Everett Silvertips (5,840) led the way in league attendance in 2022-2023.

Kamloops averaged 3,471 fans per game in 2021-2022, good for seventh-most in the league.

“Last year, part of it was we were still at 50 per cent capacity at the start of the season,” Daley said. “The extra season ticket holders that came on board, they got the opportunity to buy Memorial Cup tickets. That was a big part of it.”

The average announced crowd was 4,658 for the Blazers’ first 17 home games in 2022-2023, with the number jumping

“It just seems to be the way Kamloops goes,” Daley said. “The first half of the season, people are still golfing in the fall and doing some activities. You get into the Christmas season and people have parties and a lot of activities with their families and getting ready for Christmas. Subsequent to that, they start watching hockey. This year, we had a great team and trade deadline, bringing in those players who performed so well.”

Daley said 5,950 constitutes a sellout at Sandman Centre. The closest the Blazers came to a packed barn was on March 22, when the announced crowd of 5,659 watched Kamloops edge the Seattle Thunderbirds 6-5.

The Everett Silvertips clipped the Blazers 3-2 in overtime on Jan. 4, when a seasonlow 4,011 fans entered Sandman.

Maximum capacity at Sandman Centre during the Memorial Cup might dip due to activity on the concourse, with scaffolding and sponsorship displays expected to take up space.

“We’ll meet with the building and fire departments,” Daley said. “We want to be safe and do what’s right for the building. We’ll let the professionals advise.”

Daley is thrilled with progress made in ticket sales for the national championship tournament, which will run from May 26 to June 4 in the Tournament Capital.

“I thought we’d be grinding to sell every last ticket,” Daley said. “Obviously, it’s still going to be a challenge to get there, but in our community and nationally people have stepped up and it’s very exciting where we’re at with tickets.”

Daley said there are no more full-event ticket packages available, but noted about 450 two-game packages were expected to go on sale on Monday, March 27.

“Games one and two, three and four, etcetera, up until the semifinal and final will include a Blazer game,” Daley said. “Fans, if they’ve been waiting, I think it’s maybe time to step up to the plate, make a decision and pick up some tickets.”

Daley tipped his hat to Stacy Keen and Jim Choppen in the sales department, ticketing and promotions co-ordinator Missy Cederholm and Angie Mercuri, executive director of business operations.

“It’s been so much fun to be at a game,” Daley said, noting there is a waiting list for loge seating and all suites are spoken for on multi-year deals. ‘The business community and the average fan in Kamloops has been phenomenal.”

MARTY HASTINGS STAFF REPORTER sports@kamloopsthisweek.com

Norm Daley (left) succeeded the late Don Moores as president of the Kamloops Blazers. Club majority owner Tom Gaglardi introduced Daley as president in July of 2022.

ALLEN DOUGLAS/KTW

PLAYOFF PREVIEW

SYDOR ON ‘KID KAMLOOPS,’ ROLE

coach can count on.”

IGINLA TALKS TIJ, T-BIRDS

Dylan Sydor is not clamouring for the spotlight that often shines on fellow Kamloopsian teammate Logan Stankoven, the captain of the Blazers and reigning Canadian Hockey League player of the year.

“No, no,” said Sydor, the 5-foot-10, 170-pound forward whose father, Darryl, is a part-owner of the WHL club and two-time Stanley Cup champion. “That’s well deserved. Stankoven’s a great player. I look up to him, for sure.”

Sydor has carved a role with the 2023 Memorial Cup host Blazers, bouncing

around the lineup throughout the campaign while contributing offensively and occupying a checking role.

“I’m a fast player,” said Sydor, who racked up 12 goals and 28 points in 68 games in the regular season. “I want to get on guys, use my speed to get on D-men, make them turn over pucks and help the team out any way I can. With guys out of the lineup, you want to step up and be the next guy the

Sydor talked of the Vancouver Giants’ physicality when asked for his take on the Round 1 post-season matchup against the Langley-based club.

“If they’re going to get on guys, we’re not going to let that slide,” Sydor said. “We’re going to stick up for each other in the room and on the ice in between whistles. We’re going to play smart and, hopefully, get some power plays out of it.”

The prospect of playing in front of a hometown crowd during the Memorial Cup tournament began to set in near the end of the regular season, when Kamloops played host to the Seattle Thunderbirds

in front of nearly 6,000 fans on March 22 at Sandman Centre.

“It’s crazy,” Sydor told KTW on March 23. “You get a little glimpse of it last night, with all those fans. Being in your hometown, you get lots of friends and family, so it’s just awesome, a great feeling.”

Other business precedes the national championship tournament and Sydor is willing to conduct his end of it in Stankoven’s shadow.

“Him being Kid Kamloops is awesome,” Sydor said. “I love to hear it. It’s great for him. Winning the league would be huge, a great honour, and that’s what all the boys want to do, so we’ll see how it goes.”

Jarome Iginla is part-owner of the Kamloops Blazers and father to 16-year-old Tij Iginla, whose Seattle Thunderbirds were in Kamloops on March 22 for a WHL contest featuring the top two teams in the Western Conference.

“Back and forth and back-to-back nights, with that travel, what, seven hours, and to get home in the middle of the night, or at 5 a.m. or whatever, you would never know it,” said Iginla, who was among the crowd of 5,659 at Sandman Centre. “It was a fun game to watch. As a fan, it was fun. It was definitely a little strange, but it’s fun. I’m obviously pulling for my son.”

The Blazers — who fell 6-3 to the T-Birds on March 21 in Kent, Wash. — prevailed 6-5 in the March 22 barnburner to even the season series at 2-2 and strengthen appetite for a rematch in the Western Conference final.

“It would be great hockey,” said Iginla, who won the Memorial Cup with the Blazers in 1994 and 1995, the latter title coming on home ice when Sandman Centre was known as Riverside Coliseum.

“High-level skill,

good speed, talent and passion in the game. It was nice to be back in here, great atmosphere, and it brings back a lot of memories. I can’t believe how fast it went, now coming to watch and sitting in the stands.”

Seattle brought a hush over Mark Recchi Way on May 31, 2022, posting a 3-2 win over Kamloops in Game 7 of the Western Conference final at Sandman Centre.

This year, a Western Conference final Game 7 would take place in Kent, Wash., by virtue of Seattle finishing first in the Western Conference in the regular season and securing home ice advantage through the conference final.

“It might be one team wins one night and the other wins the next night,” Iginla said.

garden, backyard, or patio! The birds will love the food and you’ll love the cleanliness.

MARTY HASTINGS STAFF REPORTER sports@kamloopsthisweek.com

DYLAN SYDOR

MARTY HASTINGS STAFF REPORTER sports@kamloopsthisweek.com

JAROME IGINLA