Western Hockey League's 36th season begins Friday

Calgary, AB - The Western Hockey League 2002-03 season will open Friday, September 20th featuring eight Conference match-ups.

In the WHL Western Conference, the Prince George Cougars will open at home against the defending WHL and Memorial Cup Champions Kootenay Ice. The Seattle Thunderbirds will travel to Kamloops to play the Blazers while the Kelowna Rockets will host the Portland Winter Hawks.

"The Western Conference will definitely by wide open this year. We have the nucleus of players returning from last year's Memorial Cup team to possibly get back to the big dance again. But it will take a lot of hard work and we think the team to beat in our division will be the Kamloops Blazers. Kamloops has all the guns returning and they're the team we'll be shooting for. We'll see come the end of March where all the cards may lay, " commented Jeff Chynoweth, General Manager, Kootenay Ice.

In the WHL Eastern Conference, the Brandon Wheat Kings will host the Regina Pats, the Calgary Hitmen will travel to Lethbridge to play the Hurricanes, the Saskatoon Blades will host their divisional rival Prince Albert Raiders, the Moose Jaw Warriors will host their provincial rival Swift Current Broncos and the defending regular season champions Red Deer Rebels will host the Medicine Hat Tigers.

"We're certainly expecting a real tough division. Last year we had a lot of parity in our division, even with Medicine Hat not making the playoffs. We feel their team is going to be very competitive this season," commented Brent Sutter, General Manager and Head Coach of the Red Deer Rebels on the Central Division. "I think we're like every team: we all want to get back to the dance," continued Sutter.

"I see Saskatoon and Prince Albert being much improved. I think ourselves and Moose Jaw will be competitive. Brandon should be the odds on favorite to win the division based on how well they did in the playoffs and who they have returning this year," commented Bob Lowes, Head Coach of the Regina Pats, on the East Division.

The WHL is the world's leading provider of talent for the NHL. This season 142 WHL players attended NHL Camps. Three of the top seven players in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft were from the WHL and overall, 43 WHL players were drafted -- the most from any league in the world. "We're very proud to be the world's leading producer of talent for the National Hockey League--having had the most players drafted in the past thee NHL Entry Drafts." It demonstrates the great work our franchises do in developing young players," commented Western Hockey League Commissioner, Ron Robison.

The WHL is also the leading provider of university and college scholarships in Canada. In the last 10 years more than 1,200 WHL graduates received WHL Scholarships to attend Universities and Colleges throughout Canada representing more than $3.5 million in financial support. This season over 150 graduates will be on full WHL Scholarships and will have a major impact on the performance of university and college hockey teams in Western Canada.

"Our League continues to lead the way in both the caliber of hockey and support for players education. All players not only are eligible for full scholarships but we also attend to all their academic needs while playing in the WHL," continued Robison.

The WHL also launched a new online real time scores and stats system providing WHL media and fans the opportunity to follow WHL games as they happen on the WHL's official website, www.whl.ca.

All WHL club websites are equipped with a display console that will allow fans the ability to follow all the action of their favorite team.

The WHL has also recommended the installation of protective netting as a further measure to shield spectators from pucks leaving the ice surface in all arena facilities in which their clubs are major tenants.

All arenas must have protective netting installed no later than the start of the 2003-04 season.

The WHL season will also feature several rule changes.

The WHL has adopted automatic icing in a further effort to increase the tempo of play and to reduce the potential of injury.

Automatic icing occurs immediately when the puck crosses the goal-line as opposed to when the defenceman touches the puck.

In addition, the WHL has also adopted a rule which will see an automatic game misconduct assessed to any player who receives a major penalty for either charging or elbowing.

The 2001-02 season was one of the most competitive in the history of the WHL, with the playoff positions determined during the final week of the regular season. Kootenay Ice captured the WHL Championship and went on to win the 2002 MasterCard Memorial Cup making it the first time since the 1994 and 1995 the WHL has won back to back Memorial Cups. The Red Deer Rebels won the Cup in 2001.

2002-03 WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE PREVIEW

Eastern Conference

East Division

Brandon Wheat Kings
Head Coach: Dean Clark
2001-02: 43-23-4-2, 92 points, first in division.
Goals For: 261, ninth most in WHL; Goals Against: 210, fourth lowest in WHL.
Playoffs: beat Saskatoon 4-3, beat Swift Current 4-1, lost to Red Deer 4-3.

East Division clubs will be chasing the Brandon Wheat Kings, who lost in seven games to Red Deer in last year's Eastern Conference Finals. The Wheat Kings will be led by veteran forward Jordin Tootoo, who had 32 goals and 71 points last season. Brandon has also added Norwegian defenceman Ole Tollefsen to the mix. Second-year players Ryan Stone and Eric Fehr, who both scored 11 goals last year, should secure more prominent roles with the club. Robert McVicar (33 wins, 2.77 GAA last season) returns to backstop the Wheat Kings.

Moose Jaw Warriors
Head Coach: Curtis Hunt
2001-02: 30-34-6-2, 68 points, third in division.
Goals For: 226, 16th in WHL; Goals Against: 239, 10th in WHL.
Playoffs: beat Regina 4-2, lost to Red Deer 4-2.

Moose Jaw will count on younger players for key contributions this year. Kyle Brodziak and Derek Krestanovich along with 16-year-old Dustin Boyd, who led Manitoba's triple-A league in scoring, will have every opportunity to add to the Warriors' offensive output. Veteran Nathan Paetsch, a member of Canada's world junior team last season, is the team's catalyst on defence. Moose Jaw acquired 20-year-old goaltender Nick Pannoni (13 wins, 4.13 GAA) from Seattle in the off-season. David Bararuk, who led the team in goals (33) and points (62) last season, is back for a fourth year with the Warriors.

Prince Albert Raiders
Head Coach: Wade Klippenstein
2001-02: 26-41-2-3, 57 points, fifth in division.
Goals For: 234, 15th in WHL; Goals Against: 324, 18th in WHL.
Playoffs: failed to qualify.

Prince Albert will be looking to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in three years. Veterans Greg Watson (22 G, 52 PTS) and Igor Pohanka (25 G, 68 PTS) will lead the team's push for the post season. Blue liner Kevin Harris, who the Raiders acquired in the off season from Brandon, has played 216 consecutive games. The Raiders will be strong between the pipes with returning goalie Aaron Sorochan and 17-year-old Rejean Beauchiman, who played triple-A midget in Winnipeg last season.

Regina Pats
Head Coach: Bob Lowes
2001-02: 40-20-4-8, 92 points, second in division.
Goals For: 252, 12th in WHL; Goals Against: 192, second lowest in WHL.
Playoffs: lost to Moose Jaw 4-2 in first round.

The Regina Pats will be strongest from the goal out. Last year's runner-up in the Rookie of the Year honours, Josh Harding (27 wins, 2.39 GAA) returns in goal. Youngsters Darryl Yacboski (4 PTS, 26 PIM) and Brennan Chapman (2 G, 13 PTS) will play big minutes on the blue line. Czech right-winger Peter Dvorak, who the Pats selected in the CHL Import Draft, will be counted to add some scoring punch along with centre Matt Hubbauer. Fourth-year veteran Curtis Austring is the team's new captain.

Saskatoon Blades
Head Coach: Kevin Dickie
2001-02: 27-37-5-3, 62 points, fourth in division.
Goals For: 216, 18th in WHL; Goals Against: 257, 13th in WHL.
Playoffs: lost to Brandon 4-3.

The Saskatoon Blades, who pushed the Wheat Kings to seven games in the first round of the playoffs last year, will count on some new faces this season. Swedish forward Marcus Paulson along with 16-year-olds Wacey Rabbit and Joe Barnes will feature into the team's offensive plans. The Blades recently traded for goaltender Brett Jaeger, who played 47 games with the Vancouver Giants last year. Warren Peters (34 G, 60 PTS), 20, returns to captain the team.

Central Division

Calgary Hitmen
Head Coach: Richard Kromm
2001-02: 33-33-5-1, 72 points, third in division.
Goals For: 271, fourth most in WHL; Goals Against: 281, 15th in WHL.
Playoffs: lost to Swift Current 4-3.

The dynamic duo of Brandon Segal and Owen Fussey will carry much of the offence load for the Calgary Hitmen. Segal led all scorers at Canada's world junior summer camp in Halifax with 10 goals; both players had 43 goals last season. Swedish import Fredrik Sjostrom (50 PTS, 58 GP) is back for a second season. Johnny Boychuk (8 G, 40 PTS) will lead a sturdy defensive unit.

Lethbridge Hurricanes
Head Coach: Bryan Maxwell
2001-02: 33-33-6-0, 72 points, fourth in division.
Goals For: 266, sixth most in WHL; Goals Against: 247, 12th in WHL.
Playoffs: lost to Red Deer 4-0.

WHL rookie scoring leader Jeremy Jackson (38 G, 91 PTS) returns to lead the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Brent Seabrook, the captain of Canada's under-18 team this summer, will look to expand his role on the blue line. In the off-season the Hurricanes also added D-man Andy Thompson to round out the blue line corps. Logan Koopmans (20 wins, 2.83 GAA) will handle the bulk of the goaltending duties.

Medicine Hat Tigers
Head Coach: Willie Desjardins
2001-02: 30-36-4-2, 66 points, fifth in division.
Goals For: 277, most goals scored in WHL; Goals Against: 316, 17th in WHL.
Playoffs: failed to qualify

First-round NHL draft pick Joffery Lupul (56 G, 106 PTS) will return to help the Medicine Hat Tigers attempt to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in six years. Forwards Chris St. Jacques (30 G, 68 PTS) and Ryan Hollweg (30 G, 70 PTS) join Lupul on one of the League's top offensive lines. Second-year goaltender Kevin Nastiuk was the top puckstopper at the Eight Nations under-18 tournament in Slovakia this summer.

Red Deer Rebels
Head Coach: Brent Sutter
2001-02: 46-18-7-1, 100 points, first in division, first overall.
Goals For: 264, seventh most in WHL; Goals Against: 184, lowest (first) in WHL.
Playoffs: beat Lethbridge 4-0, beat Moose Jaw 4-2, beat Brandon 4-3, lost to Kootenay 4-2.

Central Division teams will be trying to end Red Deer's two-year reign at the top. The Rebels will fight off the challengers with an experienced group of returning players. The Rebels return their starting goalie, Cam Ward (2001-02 WHL Goaltender of the Year), as well as the team's leading scorer from the blue line, Doug Lynch (21 G, 48 PTS). Up front Carsen Germyn, Joel Stepp and Boyd Gordon will pilot the Rebels goal-scoring attack.

Swift Current Broncos
Head Coach: Brad McEwen
2001-02: 42-17-6-7, 97 points, second in division
Goals For: 274, third most in WHL; Goals Against: 218, sixth lowest in WHL.
Playoffs: beat Calgary 4-3, lost to Brandon 4-1.

Swift Current's three dependable blue liners will head the teams' efforts to improve. Ian White (32 G, 79 PTS) led all WHL defencemen in scoring last year. Aaron Rome and Steven Spencer complete the blue line threesome of stars. Todd Ford returns in goal and 20-year-olds Ben Ondrus (30 G, 71 PTS) and James Hiebert (29 G, 71 PTS) will be expected to provide firepower up front.

Western Conference

B.C. Division

Kamloops Blazers
Head Coach: Troy Mick
2001-02: 38-25-5-4, 85 points, first in division, first in Western
Conference.
Goals For: 263, eighth most in WHL; Goals Against: 230, eighth lowest in WHL.
Playoffs: lost 4-0 to Kelowna.

Scottie Upshall, a member of last year's Canadian world junior team, will lead the Blazers' offensive attack. Forwards Erik Christensen and Mark Rooneem will also be counted to contribute up front. Returning blueliners Nikita Korovkin (4 G, 27 PTS) and Tyler Boldt (5 G, 19 PTS) will look to step up their roles. Davis Parley and Steve Belanger will share the goaltending duties.

Kelowna Rockets
Head Coach: Marc Habscheid
2001-02: 31-26-10-5, 77 points, fourth in division.
Goals For: 257, 11th in WHL; Goals Against: 232, ninth fewest in WHL.
Playoffs: beat Kamloops 4-0, beat Spokane 4-2, lost 4-1 to Kootenay.

Forwards Tyler Mosienko and Cam Paddock will get plenty of ice time for the Kelowna Rockets. Paddock, who had 38 goals and 73 points last year, will also be looking to join head coach Marc Habscheid in December at the world juniors in Halifax. Mosienko (18 G, 42 PTS) will be looking to surpass his offensive numbers from last season. The Rockets will be strong in goal with sophomore standout Josh Lepp (4.11 GAA).

Kootenay Ice
Head Coach: Cory Clouston
2001-02: 38-27-7-0, 83 points, second in division.
Goals For: 276, second most in WHL; Goals Against: 223, seventh fewest in WHL.
Playoffs: beat Prince George 4-3, beat Seattle 4-0, beat Kelowna 4-1, beat Red Deer 4-2 to win WHL championship. Won Memorial Cup, beat Victoriaville (QMJHL) 6-3 in final.

Dynamic forwards Duncan Milroy and Nigel Dawes will direct Kootenay's hopes of defending their League title. Milroy was the playoff MVP last year, while Dawes was named the top forward at the under-18 Eight Nations tournament in Slovakia this summer. Overager Gerard Dicaire heads Kootenay's blue line units. Second-year goaltender Bryan Bridges will have the opportunity to follow B.J. Boxma and Dan Blackburn as successful major junior goalies.

Prince George Cougars
Head Coach: Ed Dempsey
2001-02: 34-27-9-2, 79 points, third in division.
Goals For: 244, 13th in WHL; Goals Against: 215, fifth fewest in WHL.
Playoffs: lost 4-3 to Kootenay.

The Prince George Cougars will have to rely on many players to step up their play this season. Dan Baum (32 G, 67 points) should add to his offensive load. The departure of WHL Player of the Year Dan Hamhuis means Scott Lynch (2 G, 10 PTS) and Dan Ehrman, who the Cougars traded for this summer, will have to handle a lot of ice time on the blue line. Forwards Blake Robson and Mike Wirll (32 G, 82 PTS) along with goaltender Billy Thompson (20 wins, 2.73 GAA) will be called on for leadership.

Vancouver Giants
Head Coach: Dean Evason
2001-02: 13-49-6-4, 36 points, fifth in division.
Goals For: 198, 19th in WHL; Goals Against: 365, 19th in WHL.
Playoffs: failed to qualify.

Entering their second season in the WHL, Vancouver will look to add improve on last year's point total and make a run at a playoff spot. Joel Martin, who the Giants traded for in the off-season will be the team's No. 1 goalie. Czech forwards Robin Kovar (5 G, 15 PTS) and Marian Havel (17 G, 33 PTS) will look to improve their offensive numbers this season. Darren Lynch, the team's leading scorer last year with 30 goals and 61 points, should also improve on last season's output. Mark Fistric, the team's first overall selection in the 2001 Bantam Draft, will strengthen the defence as a 16-yar-old.

U.S. Division

Portland Winter Hawks
Head Coach: Mike Williamson
2001-02: 36-25-5-6, 83 points, first in division.
Goals For: 269, fifth most in WHL; Goals Against: 243, 11th in WHL.
Playoffs: lost to Seattle 4-3.

Last year's division champs, the Portland Winter Hawks, will be looking for revenge after they lost in the first round of the playoffs to Seattle. The team's defence will be reliable including Braydon Coburn, the 2001-02 WHL Rookie of the Year. Lanny Ramage (24 wins and 3.37 GAA) will be back between the pipes. Shawn Roed (20 G and 62 PTS) will lead the Winter Hawks' offensive charge. Forwards Craig Valette and Brad Priestlay will look to increase their roles this season.

Seattle Thunderbirds
Head Coach: Dean Chynoweth
2001-02: 21-40-6-5, 53 points, fourth in division.
Goals For: 235, 14th in WHL; Goals Against: 313, 16th in WHL.
Playoffs: beat Portland 4-3, lost 4-0 to Kootenay

The Seattle Thunderbirds offence will be led by Dustin Johner (33 G, 81 PTS) and Brooks Laich (28 G, 78 PTS). Second-year forwards Aaron Bader and Nate Thompson will also have every opportunity to develop their roles with the team. Defenceman Matthew Spiller, who attended Canada's junior evaluation camp this summer, and goaltender Ryan Cyr (30 GP and 4.42 GAA), will be key to Seattle's defensive system.

Spokane Chiefs
Head Coach: Al Conroy
2001-02: 33-25-11-3, 80 points, second in division.
Goals For: 223, 17th in WHL; Goals Against: 206, third fewest in WHL.
Playoffs: beat Tri-Cities 4-1, lost 4-2 to Kelowna.

Goaltender Barry Brust will provide the Spokane Chiefs with a solid presence between the pipes. Brust's 28 wins, 2.58 GAA and .912 SV% all ranked in top five of WHL categories last season. Forward Matt Keith had 34 goals and 67 points last year. Forwards Jevon Desautels (6 G, 17 PTS) and Jeff Lynch (3 G, 15 PTS) will have greater roles for the Chiefs this year. Chris Heid, entering his fifth year with the club, will be the team's No. 1 defenceman.

Tri-City Americans
Head Coach: Shaun Clouston
2001-02: 31-31-10-0, 72 points, third in division
Goals For: 260, 10th most in WHL; Goals Against: 271, 14th in WHL.
Playoffs: lost to Spokane 4-1.

The Tri-City Americans have a nucleus of players that could help the team climb in the standings. Defenceman Shawn Belle, who was named the best blue liner at this summer's under-18 Eight Nations tournament, should continue to expand his influence on the ice. Goaltender Tyler Weiman (18 wins and 3.59 GAA) will be the team's No. 1 goalie for the third straight season. Up front the Americans will count on contributions from 20-year-old Ben Kilgour (36 G, 82 PTS) and Tyler Dyck (13 G, 35 PTS).