Star Power
The veterans of the Vancouver Whalers showed up to play tonight, scoring half of the games goals. The two d-men, Captain Sven Yxskaft and alternate Ryosuke Sato, set the Whalers up for success in the first game of the S54 SMJHL season, Sato especially so as he scored the eventual game winning goal. The sophomore Sato and soon to be graduate Yxskaft didn't just let their presence be felt on the scoreboard, they boasted the second and third best skaters game rating for the game, behind William Hartmann. The captain had a 71 rating while Sato has 69 (nice) on the night. In a season where the Whalers are hoping to compete, a lot of their success rides on the captain's shoudlers, and this is a great way to start a hopeful season for the Whalers.


Young Guns
The S54 draft held immediate dividends for the Whalers squad as their most recent draftees had a big impact on the scoreboard. First up is the third overal pick Johnny Shuffleboard, who picked up two assists on the night, tying him for the lead in points coming out of game 1. Noice. Next up on the draft board for the Whalers was Devin Basher. The former DFA of the Whalers made his return to the club via the 12th overall pick, and used the familiarity of the team to his advantage as he collected a point in his first game. Just 5 picks later we have Dominc Alessandrini. Alessandrini and Shuffleboard were quite the pair together as the chain of a shuffleboard pass to Alessandrini to other play to back of net happened twice in the second frame. We skip past Nikiforov to Wile Coyote in the 32nd overall pick. You guessed it because I'm mentioning him, but he also picked up an assists on Yxskaft's final tally of the night, cementing a night of 6 points earned for the rookie class in game 1. The future is bright in Vancouver, that's for sure. Just don't ask about the present.



A New Season???
A big storyline coming into todays game is the competition between the two worst teams in the East last year. Last season we saw teams finish 6 points apart, as they competed for the "honor" of facing the second best team in the league, Kelowna. For missing out on the playoffs to the Raptors, Vancouver was knocked down a spot by Newfoundland to draft 3rd overall. They picked the already impactful Johnny Shuffleboard with the pick, while Colorado took Guomundur Kristjansson, who was not as impactful. In a matchup between these two teams it was Vancouver who left with the upper hand, getting revenge on the team who beat them out for the playoffs. A big part of this was Name Redacted and his strong play tonight. Last season Vancouver boasted the 3rd worse GA in the league at 151, but after tonight they've allowed 0. That is a difference of 151 goals. Is this a sign that Vancouver is now built to contend this season? With a strong performance by their veterans and rookies alike? Only time well tell.