Canes’ roller-coaster playoff run memorable
Canes’ GM made several moves to prepare for playoff run
In the Lethbridge Hurricanes fan circles, the spring of 2017 will be remembered as the spring the team took its faithful on a heck of a ride. The Canes made the Western Hockey League postseason for the second time in as many seasons thanks to a 44-21-4-3 regular season record that earned them second place in the Central Division.
It was then that the white-knuckle ride truly began.
First, there was the Hurricanes rally from a 3-1 deficit to the Red Deer Rebels in the first round to win the series in seven games, making them the first team in franchise history to rally from such a hole.
What followed in the second round was another seven-game roller-coaster against the Hurricanes rival Medicine Hat Tigers that featured an ending worthy of Hollywood script.
Lethbridge clinched the series in overtime in Game 7 in Medicine Hat when a barely-turned 16-year-old callup, Dylan Cozens, tied the game in the dying minutes of the game before the face of the Canes franchise Tyler Wong ended it with a shorthanded goal early in the extra session.
The ride ultimately came to a stop two days shy of the calender turning into May when the Hurricanes were eliminated by the Regina Pats in the Eastern Conference final in six games.
“I think the big thing is playoffs are so hard and you have to have so much depth,” said Hurricanes general manager Peter Anholt. “You saw two teams in the East final that were both scuffed up pretty good and that’s where, for me, (Matt) Alfaro could have been specifically a difference-maker for us to go head-to-head against (Adam) Brooks, who did come back and play in the series, which was a real boost for those guys.”
The load up for the playoff run began at the trade deadline Jan. 10 when the Canes acquired overage forwards Alfaro, Zak Zborosky and a sixth-round draft pick in the 2018 WHL bantam draft from the Kootenay Ice in exchange for forwards Colton Kroeker, Brett Davis and a second- and a fourth-round pick in 2018.
To make room for the two overage forwards, the Hurricanes sent 20-yearold forward Ryley Lindgren and a sixthround pick in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft to the Swift Current Broncos in exchange for prospect — and Lethbridge product — Carson Dyck and a thirdround pick in the 2018 WHL bantam draft.
“In a lot of cases I remember the players leaving as much as the players coming in at that point,” said Anholt. “It probably affects you more emotionally. Both Brett and Kroeker had done a good job for us. But they were two pieces that Kootenay wanted. We thought Alfaro was going to be a really good add for us to play against Regina. We knew we had a couple of steps to get to that point.
“But probably the most impactful player going out was Lindgren, for me. That was a hard one and to this day and all the years I’ve been around, that was the hardest trade I’ve ever been involved with.”
Prior to the deadline, the Hurricanes also acquired 1997-born forward Alec Baer from the Vancouver Giants.
“(Of ) the addition of the new guys, Baer was a pleasant surprise,” said Anholt. “He showed up with only three goals to start with and ended up with a really good run of goals for us and played a good support role for us in the playoffs.
“Unfortunately, both Alfaro and Zborosky were scuffed up for most of their time with us. So we never really saw our team with those guys for any real length of time and that’s the disappointing part for me.”
Still, the path to the Eastern Conference final was an entertaining one, starting with the Hurricanes rallying from a 3-1 series hole to the Red Deer Rebels to win in seven games.
“I think their playoff experience really showed through early,” said Anholt of the opening round. “But then we were the better team, so the cream came to the top eventually in that series, which was obviously very important in turning it around from being down 3-1. We were just doing a lot of things early in the series that weren’t going to win us anything in playoffs and once we got some things kind of straightened out, then we were OK.”
What followed was another sevengame marathon against the Tigers as Anholt gave the nod to goaltender Stuart Skinner’s performance in the secondround series.
“Stu was so good through the Medicine Hat series, he gave us chance,” he said. “Probably, Medicine Hat’s goaltending wasn’t up to the normal level that you would see in a normal situation and that certainly worked in our favour. But guys like (Tyler) Wong and (Giorgio) Estephan, we saw some really good performances from so many. And then the addition of (Dylan) Cozens through that series was really a bright spot.”
Game 7 in Medicine Hat proved to be a game for the memory banks.
With time winding down in the third and the Hurricanes trailing 4-3, Cozens — barely two months past his 16th birthday — scored the equalizer with 2:43 left to force overtime.
With the Hurricanes shorthanded to start overtime, Skinner made a dazzling save off a rebound to keep the score tied. Seconds later, Wong took off on a shorthanded rush, gaining the blue-line and sending a wrist shot past Tigers goaltender Michael Bullion for the gameand series-winner.
“It was pretty incredible to come back,” said Anholt. “It was a good start and getting back the way we did to score late and to score shorthanded (in overtime for the game-winner) is pretty unbelievable. But Wonger always seems to have the flair for the dramatic and he took it to another level that night.”
Having played his entire junior career in Lethbridge, Wong was a presence on and off the ice.
That didn’t go unnoticed as the City of Lethbridge gave the product of Cochrane the key to the city shortly after the season.
“It wasn’t just his on-ice, it was his office,” said Anholt. “He embraced the city first and then the city embraced him. He was proud to be a Hurricane from Day 1. He went through some hard times, but was a big part of the turnaround and the resurgence and all the things he did off the ice and around town, (he was) welldeserving of it and he left a really good legacy for other guys to follow as far as being a leader on our hockey club.”
Over the course of the summer, two more members of the Canes became NHL property, one through the draft and another through free agency.
At the NHL draft in Chicago, Skinner was picked up by his hometown Oilers, selected in the third round and 78th overall.
Forward Jordy Bellerive was also available in the 2017 draft, but wasn’t selected.
That lit a fire under the forward from North Vancouver, who was invited to attend the Pittsburgh Penguins prospect development camp in July as well as the team's rookie camp.
After a stellar show at that camp, the Hurricanes second overall pick in the 2014 draft was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract and had a stint in the Penguins main camp before returning to Lethbridge.
“Once he wasn’t drafted in the fifth round, to me, he was better off not being drafted and by going to Pittsburgh as a free agent,” said Anholt.
Heading into the Christmas break, the Hurricanes are 15-16-2-0.
“It’s a long season and as I said at the start of the year there’s going to be some ups and downs,” said Anholt. “Hopefully we’re going to have a lot more ups than downs. But every team is going to go through adversity and we’ve gone through some already and we’ve come through it and hopefully it makes us better in the long run. I like our group of kids and I like that they care and want to get better and the coaching staff is working hard to make sure they are getting better. I think we’re in a good spot as long we keep working to improve.”
In early December the Hurricanes announced 19-year-old assistant captain Ryan Vandervlis was out for the year to undergo shoulder surgery.
“We knew he would be hurting his shoulder off and on throughout the year and if we could have got through the rest of the year with it, great,” said Anholt. “But it’s not to be, so he’s going to get it fixed. That’ll finish him for this year, but he’ll get ready for next year.”
The Canes addressed the void left by their assistant captain by acquiring Lane Zablocki from the Red Deer Rebels in exchange for 17-year-old forward Josh Tarzwell, a second-round draft pick in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft and a conditional third-round pick in 2020.
Even with the addition of Zablocki, Anholt said the loss of Vandervlis gives his existing roster a chance to step up.
“I look at a guy like Taylor Ross, who we picked up as guy who’s going to give us some depth. Well, all of a sudden he’s going to get an opportunity he’s always craved and wanted. When guys go down, there are opportunities for others.”