Things That Make Me Go Hmm....

• While teams like Tri City, Portland and Kamloops will be licking their chops when they face the Rockets in the early stages of the season, fringe players trying to crack the lineup should take full advantage of the nine players attending NHL training camps. Luke Schenn, Tyler Myers and Jamie Benn will likely be the last players returned to Kelowna this season. If Brandon McMillan has his way, he too will get an invite to main camp. If that indeed happens, he would surely get in some exhibition games as well.
• I take exception to so called 'hockey fans' that suggest Rockets defensman Tyson Barrie is going to get a free ride into the NHL because of his dad. Sure Len Barrie is a co-owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning, but the fact remains Tyson Barrie is a talented player who many scouts believe could be a first or second round pick this summer on his play alone. When it comes to the draft, I could see Tyson telling his dad not to draft him with the knowledge that fans would be saying the only reason he was selected was because of his father. Tyson's dad has been a huge influence in his hockey career, and good on him, but don't penalize the guy for the quality player he truly is even if his dad has NHL clout.
• The Western Hockey League has again requested that all radio broadcasters submit their predictions for the upcoming season. Again I find it a waste of time to make a prediction when I am uncertain which players will return from NHL training camps. If Luke Schenn doesn't return, the Rockets will be effected greatly on the back end. It won't make or break their seasons, but it will create a huge hole. Could I have predicted last season that Colin Long would go from 28 points to 100, or that Jamie Benn would explode onto the scene by joining the Rockets in October and then would score 33 goals in his rookie season? The answer is no. For me predicting how teams will finish in the WHL this season is like picking the winning numbers in the Lotto-649.
• Rob Vanstone stuck his neck out for the Hockey News and made his predictions. The Regina Leader Post writer thinks Spokane is the top team followed by Kelowna and Brandon.
• If you've surfed around other blogs across the WHL during the pre-season, have you noticed how optimistic everyone is? Life is good in Portland, Edmonton, Prince Albert, Saskatoon, Red Deer and Prince George despite missing the playoffs a year ago. Only Jeff Bromley - a sports writer for the Kootenay Ice - has the gonads in questioning if the Ice will make the playoffs this season. As the saying goes, everyone is undefeated right now until the puck drops in two weeks.
• For the sake of the franchise, I hope the Kootenay Ice don't struggle this season. If they do, the fans will surely stay away, again sounding the alarms that the team is on the move. I have a hard time predicting that the Ice will miss the playoffs this season because of their track record. They have been incredible over the last four seasons - with 40+ wins. The last time they didn't hit the 40 win plateau was 2003-2004 when they had 32 victories.
• I have to give a shout-out to the Prince George Cougars for a much improved website. David Michaud has taken over the duties there, and the improvement is noticeable. A website is a great tool to preach the virtues of the team, yet many still fail to use it to their advantage..