St. Paul Canadiens Jr. B Provincials Preview

Tournament goes March 30 – April 2

The St. Paul Canadiens are coming off one of their most successful NEAJBHL seasons in a long time. Their great year was kicked off with the knowledge that they would be the host for Alberta Jr. B Provincials. That means even before training camp began, they were guaranteed a spot in Provincials.

Now that the NEAJBHL championship is over, the St. Paul Canadiens have been focusing on prep work for Provincials. All teams have been confirmed as of now. Below is a breakdown of stats and players to watch for during the 2017 Alberta Jr. B Provincials.

Beaumont Chiefs

The Chiefs finished the season with a 30-7-1 record in the Capital Junior Hockey League (CJHL). They were led by the high scoring trio of Douglas Morris (#8), Luc Goudreau (#10), and Liam Gregor (#11). Morris powered the Beaumont offence all season averaging 2.18 points per game.

CBHA (B) Rangers

The Rangers, who are representing the Calgary Buffalo Hockey Association, had a 24-5-1 record during the regular season. They finished first in their league. Landon Welykholowa  (#13) is the player to watch for on the Rangers. The forward put up 72 points , including 43 goals, during the season.

Cochrane Generals

It was a solid season for the Generals. Their record for the regular season was 33-4-1.  If you thought the previous two stat lines mentioned were insane, you might have to buckle your seat-belts. Slater Ransom (#21) put 92 points during the season. Ransom fed the stick of sniper Connor Rendell (#18) numerous times, as Rendell netted 54 goals.

Fariview Flyers

The North West Junior Hockey League representative had a total team effort. Ben Moffatt (#27) was the points leader for the Flyers. He totalled 45 points during the season. The team had four other players average a point per game pace.

St. Paul Canadiens

The hometown Canadiens delivered results night in night out. As a team that never said die, they fought their way to an NEAJBHL Championship berth. They lost four straight to the Wainwright Bisons. Coach Joe Young has kept the team on their heels by rotating the goalies all season. Perhaps the biggest thing to watch for with the Canadiens is who gets the start in net to open the tournament.

Red Deer Vipers

The Vipers come to provincials in a good spot. They won the Heritage Junior Hockey League over the Cochrane Generals 3-1.  They also finished third in the north Division. Kale Lapointe (#11) had 57 points for the Vipers. Branden Bilodeau (#31) had a strong season between the pipes, with a 2.88 goals against average.

Wainwirght Bisons

After repeating as NEAJBHL champions, the Bisons have had a week to prepare for Provincials in St. Paul. They won the league at the Clancy Richard Arena, and look to win Provincials in the same building. Chandler Klein (#91), Bryce Woodward (#19), and Taylor Schubada (#79) had an electrifying playoff run for the Bisons.  Cade Spencer (#1) shut the door for the Bisons throughout the playoffs.

Wetaskiwin Icemen

The Icemen come to St. Paul with goalies who stole the show during the regular season. Both Joey Desrosiers (#30) and Devin Reagan (#35)put up 13 wins for the Icemen. Ben Fonteyne (#3) scored 47 points for Wetaskiwin.

All teams are must watch teams this week. Stay tuned to Lakeland Connect all weekend. We will have you covered with live coverage of the St. Paul Canadiens and the other teams.