In the first game, the Hitmen played the Moose Jaw Warriors.  Although its been a quarter of a century since the franchise left Winnipeg, the Warriors have had a distinct Manitoba flavour to them this year as they are being led in part by a couple draft-eligible Manitobans in Quinton Howden and Dylan McIlrath.

The other game featured the Brandon Wheat Kings in town for a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Final.  The 2010 Memorial Cup hosts have added some high profile players this year to compliment the pieces they already had.

MOOSE JAW WARRIORS

LW Quinton Howden | 1992 | 6’3” | 183LBS | 46GP 20G 30A 50P +14 26PIM

NHL: 2010 Eligible

Quinton Howden may be the most effortless skater in the WHL right now.  His fantastic acceleration often provided his defensemen with a great outlet option.  It also aided his transition game in the neutral zone where he was very effective in back checking and then turning the play back up the ice.  He showed good hands in sending Moose Jaw captain Jason Bast in on a breakaway and was one of the few Warriors to pressure the Calgary defense at all.  Howden could stand to benefit by showing more patience with the puck, allowing time for his teammates to join in and help him.  He finished the game pointless and a -1.

RD DYLAN MCILRATH | 1992 | 6’5” | 215LBS | 46GP 4G 11A 15P +21 127PIM

NHL: 2010 Eligible

McIlrath looked shaky at first, but after he got the first couple shifts out of the way, he looked very comfortable.  He played a very simple game in both ends.  He knows his role is a stay-at-home dman and he didn’t even look interested in going into the offensive end.  There was a few times were McIlrath was being so cautious that he didn’t even cross the blueline in order to support the play and keep the puck in the zone.  For his size, Dylan is a decent skater although like most big men, he has to work on his mobility and transition game.  He could also improve his gap control.  McIlrath was physically very solid and proved to be very hard to knock off his feet.  In one instance was able to clear out two Hitmen in front of his net simultaneously.  He and Kendall McFaull were steady defensively, blocking shots and effectively kept shooters to the outside.  He made good outlet passes and displayed patience with the puck until finding someone to pass to.

LW ANTONIN HONEJSEK | 1991 | 6’0” | 180LBS | 44GP 14G 17A 31P +10 18PIM

NHL: 2010 Eligible

Honejsek looked a bit like a waterbug out there.  He has a distinctive stride and the combination of the stride causing him to lean forward, his height, and having his head down looks to be a recipe for disaster if a defenseman can line him up.  Fortunately for him, he proved to be a slippery player with the puck and able to avoid the big hits.  He looked to others to create scoring chances for him.

LD KENDALL MCFAULL | 1992 | 6’2” | 185LBS | 41GP 4G 5A 9P +8 43PIM

NHL: 2010 Eligible

McFaull was paired with McIlrath for most the night and the two of them were very successful in breaking down the Calgary attack.  He showed good mobility and looked to be bigger than he is listed.   He played smart and displayed poise in the corners.  Although McFaull looks to have potential as an all-around defenseman, he still looks to be quite raw offensively.

CALGARY HITMEN

D MATT MacKENZIE | 1991 | 6’2” | 198LBS | 44GP 4G 23A 27P +4 49PIM

NHL: 2010 Eligible

As the season has progessed, MacKenzie’s game seems to be changing.  MacKenzie looks to have steadily improved his skating and is focusing more on the defensive part of his game.  He hasn’t been as aggressive at pinching in the offensive end, and while his stats may be declining from his early season pace, he is playing a much more complete game.  He is getting more effective at using his reach to his advantage, but he still doesn’t always use his size to his fullest capabilities.

RW CODY BEACH | 1992 | 6’5” | 184LBS | 35GP 2G 7A 9P +4 106PIM

NHL: 2010 Eligible

As usual, Beach used his body well on the forecheck, however, his lack of foot speed prevented him from being more effective in that role.  He needs to improve his skating if he hopes to be drafted in June.

D PETER KOSTERMAN | 1993 | 6’4” | 182LBS | 25GP 0G 1A 1P -3 2PIM

NHL: 2011 Eligible

With Calgary’s 1^st pick in the 2008 WHL draft, they choose a lanky local kid in Peter Kosterman.  He possesses great size at 6’4 and at only 16, is still learning to use his body.  He needs to work on skating in transition, but is improving in that regard.  Although Peter is not as physical, there are a lot of similarities between him and Alex Plante when the latter was the same age.  While he’s a project, Kosterman looks to have lots of potential.  He should merit watching for the 2011 draft.

D JAYNEN RISSLING | 1993 | 6’3” | 211LBS | 25GP 0G 4A 4P -1 13PIM

NHL: 2012 Eligible

Jaynen is a late-born ’93 and therefore isn’t eligible until the 2012 draft.  Like Peter Kosterman, Rissling is a big kid who has been solid in the limited minutes he’s received.  The Calgary coaching staff hasn’t had to rely on the youngsters too much and have been good at giving them safe minutes while continuing to develop them.  Rissling’s skating leaves much to be desired and he needs to work on his mobility.  He will also be interesting to follow over the next couple seasons.

BRANDON WHEAT KINGS

RW MARK STONE | 1992 | 6’3” | 190LBS | 27GP 11G 13A 24P +11 14PIM

NHL: 2010 Eligible

Although Mark didn’t make the scoresheet in the game against Calgary, he played a pretty solid game.  He was able to work the tough areas and was especially good in front of the net distracting Martin Jones and the Calgary defense.

LW MATT CALVERT | 1989 | 5’10” | 182LBS | 50GP 34G 35A 69P +30 54PIM

NHL: 2008 CLB (5/127)

After having a strong showing at Columbus’ training camp, Matt Calvert continues to impress.  He may just be Brandon’s best player and considering all the great players the Wheat Kings have, that’s saying a lot.  His energy is contagious and he seemed to take over the game at will in the 3^rd period leading his team to the come from behind victory.  Calvert displayed great smarts and patience in setting up Brayden Schenn for the fifth goal.  He added the empty netter to finish with two points.

C SCOTT GLENNIE | 1991 | 6’1” | 188LBS | 49GP 22G 38A 60P +25 24PIM

NHL: 2009 DAL (1/8)

It was a real “snake in the grass” performace from Glennie.  Not overly noticeable for the first 2 periods, Glennie found himself a couple scoring chances in the 3^rd and capitalized in a big way.  The first was a nice breakaway goal where he tucked the puck in between Martin Jones’ pads, while the other was a long wrist shot through heavy traffic.  The first goal really breathed life into a Wheat Kings squad that had been down 3-1 midway through the final frame.  He finished with 2 goals and an assist.

D Colby Robak | 1990 | 6’4” | 207LBS | 53GP 11G 39A 50P +38 4PIM

NHL: 2008 FLA (2/46)

Robak is a smooth-skating offensive-minded defenseman.  His typical game was on display again against Calgary where he potted a goal and added an assist.  He is a strong presence on the point and while not very physical, proved himself to be quite competent in his own end defending against the Hitmen’s high-scoring forwards.

C BRAYDEN SCHENN | 1991 | 6’0” | 192LBS | 41GP 20G 42A 62P +26 45PIM

NHL: 2009 LAK (1/5)

Schenn played a complete game.  He showed his physical side early on with a couple huge hits.  He and Calvert have developed great chemistry and combined for several good scoring chances.   Brayden showed good pursuit of the puck and solid two-way play.  Schenn finished with a nice goal on a 2-on-1 chance and also added an assist.