Ready for grading 1205 words




The first Whaler to introduce is home grown talent and our current captain Angelo Odjick (<a href='index.php?showuser=2583' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-17'>QuantumCowboy</a>). Odjick was chosen by Vancouver in the S34 SMJHL draft 16th overall and he's been proving his worth to the team ever since, moving up 14 spots by the time the SHL draft being chosen 2nd overall by the Hamilton Steelhawks. Odjick is a hard hitting power forward who has really upped his offensive game in his sophomore season. He scored 10 times and added 8 assists in this 50 game rookie season but has already amassed 14 goals along with 16 assists, good for 30 points in only the first 35 games. Odjick has a very underrated two way game and currently leads his Whalers in plus minus, hits, and powerplay goals. He is also tied for first in Vancouver for points, a very impressive feat for the lumbering forward.

We contacted the Vancouver Whalers head coach and questioned him on his thoughts about having a player little Odjick on the team and he had this to say: "Angelo Odjick is your classic good old Canadian boy, he is motivated and works harder than anyone else on the ice, during a game and during practise. His work ethic is so strong that it wears off on his team mates and without saying a word encourages them to work harder. He is still young but his leadership skills are developed way beyond his years and this combined with his hockey IQ and skill makes him one of, if not the most important person on the team and is a huge reason why we sit second in the league right now, pressuring the St. Louis Scarecrows for top of the league. If I had to choose a weakness at this point for him it would probably be his skating. He may be a little slower on the ice than league average but at over 6 feet tall and 220lbs who can really blame him? He makes up for his lack of speed by back checking hard and his hockey smarts usually finds him in a good position to release his absolute laser beam of a shot. If Don Cherry could design his perfect hockey player, Angelo Odjick would be his creation."

If the Vancouver Whalers plan to make a deep playoff run this season (after missing the playoffs the previous two seasons) then they are going to need Odjick to keep playing at this high level as more than half his team mates (and himself) have zero playoff experience. It is going to be an interesting post season in Vancouver, that's for sure.

Next up on our list is alternate captain Sophia Bennett (<a href='index.php?showuser=2582' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-30'>goilers</a>). Bennett was chosen second overall by the Vancouver Whalers in the S34 SMJHL entry draft, she started scoring early and has not looked back since. Bennett has a knack for finding the back of the net like no other and her rookie season was beyond impressive. She amassed 17 goals and 20 assists in her rookie campaign on a fairly week Vancouver squad (who placed 7th in the league out of the 8 teams). Bennett's sophomore year has been just as successful and her scoring is even more pronounced this year as Bennett has tallied 16 goals already in her 35 games played so far this season. No one on the strong Vancouver squad has put the puck in the back of the net more times than Bennett has this season and her shooting percentage is second to only sharp shooting Cam Ouellette. While Bennett is a shoot first type of girl, it seems like she is more of a power play playmaker as 5 of her 8 assists this season have come with a man advantage.

Once again we contacted the Whalers head coach to see what he had to say about Bennett and he immediately got back to us with this: "Sophia Bennett is a pioneer for all women in the SMJHL, I have never seen anyone with as accurate a shot as what she has. People oftentimes give the SHL and SMJHL a hard time about having a co-ed league but Sophia Bennett is a prime example of how ladies can dominate at this level, even when competing against men. Bennett came to this team with a great attitude and it wears off on her team mates daily. She's the first one to boost everyone's mood after a big lose and that's a great trait to have in a junior locker room. Very proud to have her as one of the captains for a second season in a row."

The luxury of having a player such as Bennett was not lost on the Whalers as in the SHL draft Bennett went in the first round to the Los Angeles Panthers who went out of their way to trade up and ensure that they got the player they wanted. Bennett will play a huge role on the Whalers this season and also with the Panthers in the near future.


Last but not least in our "Meet the Whalers: Captain Edition" is the high flying offensive prodigy Spitfire (<a href='index.php?showuser=1174' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-9'>Storm</a>). An odd name for a guy who grew up in the icy tundra of Antarctica! How does one become as offensively gifted as Spitfire? Growing up somewhere that it is winter 24/7 365 probably helps. Spitfire identifies as a sniper but his stats show that he's just as talented a passer as he is a scorer. So far this season he has potted 10 goals and 18 assists in his 35 games played and has been a huge asset to the Vancouver Whalers who chose him in the second round of the S34 draft at 13th overall. His draft stock fell before the SHL entry draft but that had nothing to do with his amazing rookie season, he requested that no other team than the New England Wolfpack draft him. The Wolfpack let him fall well below his perceived value and the Edmonton Blizzard saw an opportunity and drafted him, and flipping him back for picks later that evening.

We went a different route with Spitfire and asked current Vancouver Whaler general manager Adam Kaiser about his thoughts on drafting and having Spitfire on his team. "Spitfire has been a great addition to this team, no offence to Ms. Bennett but I had him ranked as number 2 on my draft list. My draft team and I all compare lists before the draft and we felt like Sophia was the right pick at number 2, so you can imagine how excited I was when Spitfire was still available when we went up to make our pick at 13th overall. Spitfire has strong family connections within the league and he has lived up to the hype and then some."

Spitfire's raw offensive talent is hard to match and he is an invaluable asset going forward, especially for a team such as Vancouver who have their sights locked in on a Four Star Cup this season. If they do manage to take it all home it will be there first in over ten seasons. If any on ice leadership group can get it done, it's this trio!