WHL (World Hockey League) - The 5-Year Rewind [Summer COVID Thread]

[newfcollins]

Every time I am done drafting a team in a keeper league, I think I went too old and should have drafted more young players. And by the time I join my next keeper pool, I forget all about it.

Looking back, I must have had one of the oldest teams in the league. M-A Fleury. Sharp. Craig Anderson. Iginla. Eaves. Moulson. Bozak. Methot. Richardson. Franzen. Dupuis. Hamhuis. Even guys like Letang, Braun and Krejci were in their late 20s at the time of the draft.

[Pengwin7]

There were 845 players add or dropped in season 1.
Here are the most significant in-season ADD/DROPS:

Frank Vatrano BOS C,LW,F Claim Braham Pietasters (glorybe23) Wed Oct 21, 2015, 10:52AM
Gabriel Bourque NSH LW,F Drop Braham Pietasters (glorybe23) Wed Oct 21, 2015, 10:50AM

Ethan Bear EDM D Claim Highland Scotch Hounds (seadawg) Mon Nov 16, 2015, 12:46PM 41

Jared Boll CBJ RW,F Drop Hartford Whalers (Savvy1982) Fri Nov 20, 2015, 4:01PM 45
Bryan Rust PIT RW,F Claim Hartford Whalers (Savvy1982) Fri Nov 20, 2015, 4:00PM 45

Brett Pesce CAR D Claim Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) Sun Nov 22, 2015, 2:28PM 48

Phillip Danault CHI/MON C,F Drop Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) Thu Dec 17, 2015, 7:40AM

Oskar Lindblom PHI LW,F Claim Sierra Sasquatch (Pit Bulls) Sat Dec 19, 2015, 2:05PM
Cole Cassels VAN C,F Drop Sierra Sasquatch (Pit Bulls) Sat Dec 19, 2015, 2:05PM

Phillip Danault CHI/MON C,F Claim Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) Sun Jan 3, 2016, 12:25PM 89

Brady Skjei NYR D Drop Grand Rapids Griffins (brakli) Wed Jan 6, 2016, 5:02PM
Mark Barberio MON D Claim Grand Rapids Griffins (brakli) Tue Jan 5, 2016, 7:29PM

Oskar Lindblom PHI LW,F Drop Sierra Sasquatch (Pit Bulls) Thu Jan 7, 2016, 7:49AM 93
Chris VandeVelde PHI C,F Claim Sierra Sasquatch (Pit Bulls) Thu Jan 7, 2016, 3:00AM 93

Igor Shesterkin NYR G Claim Sierra Sasquatch (Pit Bulls) Sun Jan 17, 2016, 6:32PM 104
Brandon Halverson NYR G Drop Sierra Sasquatch (Pit Bulls) Sun Jan 17, 2016, 6:32PM 104

Max McCormick OTT LW,F Drop Markham Waxers (praba) Wed Jan 27, 2016, 10:33PM 114
Brady Skjei NYR D Claim Markham Waxers (praba) Wed Jan 27, 2016, 10:33PM 114

Frank Corrado TOR D Claim Markham Waxers (praba) Fri Feb 12, 2016, 5:23PM 129
Brady Skjei NYR D Drop Markham Waxers (praba) Fri Feb 12, 2016, 5:22PM 129

Brady Skjei NYR D Claim Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) Mon Feb 15, 2016, 3:00AM 132

Jordan Binnington STL G Drop Braham Pietasters (glorybe23) Mon Feb 22, 2016, 2:11PM 139

Igor Shesterkin NYR G Drop Sierra Sasquatch (Pit Bulls) Thu Mar 10, 2016, 12:14PM 156


Really not much in the way of "value" finds on FA/waivers in s1, especially after a 35round draft.
Brady Skjei was fringe-value, eventually would be flipped by the Spits for a 2nd round pick.
And the Spits almost (!!!) dropped future MON C1, Philip Danault, by being impatient with a stellar s1 team that would win regular season standings.
Vatrano & Lindblom weren't close to popping in s1, nor was Jordan Binnington, who wouldn't really get a solid chance with STL for another 3 full seasons!
And it is VERY, VERY, VERY hard to wait on a young goalie... knowing that it will be 4-5 seasons before their NHL club gives them a fair shot (Shesterkin-NYR).
Pit Bulls had his hands on and off Lindblom & Shesterkin... so close!


Most added & dropped player:
Zach Trotman (12) who was getting spot PP duty with a in-limbo BOS team:
David Legwand (10) on the tail end of his career, added x5, dropped x5:'

Zach Trotman BOS D Claim Amsterdam Red Lights (rataylor22) Tue Mar 8, 2016, 11:34AM 154
Zach Trotman BOS D Drop CSKA Moscow (rainydrinkwater) Thu Mar 3, 2016, 5:55AM 149
Zach Trotman BOS D Claim CSKA Moscow (rainydrinkwater) Tue Mar 1, 2016, 6:57AM 147
Zach Trotman BOS D Drop Vancouver Voodoo (GoNucks) Thu Feb 25, 2016, 10:15PM 142
Zach Trotman BOS D Claim Vancouver Voodoo (GoNucks) Sun Feb 21, 2016, 8:31AM 138
Zach Trotman BOS D Drop Manitoba Moose (GinFizz) Wed Feb 17, 2016, 7:50PM 134
Zach Trotman BOS D Claim Manitoba Moose (GinFizz) Thu Jan 7, 2016, 5:37PM 93
Zach Trotman BOS D Drop Grand Rapids Griffins (brakli) Tue Dec 15, 2015, 11:39AM 70
Zach Trotman BOS D Claim Grand Rapids Griffins (brakli) Mon Nov 30, 2015, 3:28AM 55
Zach Trotman BOS D Drop Fall River's Finest (MCMackerel) Fri Nov 27, 2015, 12:29PM 52
Zach Trotman BOS D Claim Fall River's Finest (MCMackerel) Mon Nov 16, 2015, 1:34PM 41
Zach Trotman BOS D Drop Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) Fri Oct 30, 2015, 8:16AM 24

David Legwand BUF C,F Claim Saanichton Cougars (InForAPenny) Wed Feb 3, 2016, 8:27PM 121
David Legwand BUF C,F Drop Saanichton Cougars (InForAPenny) Thu Jan 7, 2016, 7:07PM 93
David Legwand BUF C,F Claim Saanichton Cougars (InForAPenny) Wed Dec 30, 2015, 12:53AM 85
David Legwand BUF C,F Drop Braham Pietasters (glorybe23) Thu Dec 24, 2015, 12:31PM 79
David Legwand BUF C,F Claim Braham Pietasters (glorybe23) Sat Nov 28, 2015, 3:03AM 53
David Legwand BUF C,F Drop District-5 Ducks (evans334) Wed Nov 25, 2015, 8:24AM 50
David Legwand BUF C,F Claim District-5 Ducks (evans334) Fri Nov 13, 2015, 9:08AM 38
David Legwand BUF C,F Drop Sierra Sasquatch (Pit Bulls) Fri Nov 6, 2015, 5:47PM 31
David Legwand BUF C,F Claim Sierra Sasquatch (Pit Bulls) Wed Nov 4, 2015, 6:46AM 29
David Legwand BUF C,F Drop Halifax Krakens (GretzkysMullet) Mon Oct 26, 2015, 3:00AM 20


Also (9):
Magnus Paajarvi STL LW,F Drop Braham Pietasters (glorybe23) Mon Mar 7, 2016, 10:17AM 153
Magnus Paajarvi STL LW,F Claim Braham Pietasters (glorybe23) Tue Feb 23, 2016, 2:43PM 140
Magnus Paajarvi STL LW,F Drop Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) Sat Feb 13, 2016, 7:59AM 130
Magnus Paajarvi STL LW,F Claim Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) Mon Dec 21, 2015, 8:07AM 76
Magnus Paajarvi STL LW,F Drop Saanichton Cougars (InForAPenny) Wed Dec 16, 2015, 10:51PM 72
Magnus Paajarvi STL LW,F Claim Saanichton Cougars (InForAPenny) Sun Nov 8, 2015, 12:35PM 33
Magnus Paajarvi STL LW,F Drop District-5 Ducks (evans334) Thu Nov 5, 2015, 11:24AM 30
Magnus Paajarvi STL LW,F Claim District-5 Ducks (evans334) Wed Nov 4, 2015, 1:42PM 29
Magnus Paajarvi STL LW,F Drop Vancouver Voodoo (GoNucks) Wed Oct 7, 2015, 1:40PM 1

Mason Raymond CGY LW,F Drop Grand Rapids Griffins (brakli) Wed Feb 3, 2016, 9:16AM 120
Mason Raymond CGY LW,F Claim Grand Rapids Griffins (brakli) Fri Jan 22, 2016, 4:43PM 108
Mason Raymond CGY LW,F Drop Markham Waxers (praba) Sun Jan 3, 2016, 10:10PM 90
Mason Raymond CGY LW,F Claim Markham Waxers (praba) Sun Dec 27, 2015, 8:55PM 82
Mason Raymond CGY LW,F Drop Vancouver Voodoo (GoNucks) Mon Dec 7, 2015, 8:32PM 62
Mason Raymond CGY LW,F Claim Vancouver Voodoo (GoNucks) Tue Dec 1, 2015, 5:41PM 56
Mason Raymond CGY LW,F Drop CSKA Moscow (rainydrinkwater) Fri Nov 27, 2015, 7:57PM 52
Mason Raymond CGY LW,F Claim CSKA Moscow (rainydrinkwater) Fri Oct 9, 2015, 3:00AM 3
Mason Raymond CGY LW,F Drop Wheeling Nailers (Brosive) Tue Oct 6, 2015, 11:25AM 1

Mike Weber BUF/WSH D Claim CSKA Moscow (rainydrinkwater) Fri Mar 11, 2016, 3:00AM 157
Mike Weber BUF/WSH D Drop Halifax Krakens (GretzkysMullet) Tue Mar 8, 2016, 10:13AM 154
Mike Weber BUF/WSH D Claim Halifax Krakens (GretzkysMullet) Fri Mar 4, 2016, 12:54PM 150
Mike Weber BUF/WSH D Drop CSKA Moscow (rainydrinkwater) Mon Feb 29, 2016, 5:49PM 146
Mike Weber BUF/WSH D Claim CSKA Moscow (rainydrinkwater) Sun Feb 21, 2016, 2:23AM 138
Mike Weber BUF/WSH D Drop CSKA Moscow (rainydrinkwater) Wed Feb 17, 2016, 6:21PM 134
Mike Weber BUF/WSH D Claim CSKA Moscow (rainydrinkwater) Mon Dec 28, 2015, 6:27PM 83
Mike Weber BUF/WSH D Drop Guelph Storm (havanablast21) Fri Oct 23, 2015, 9:06PM 18
Mike Weber BUF/WSH D Claim Guelph Storm (havanablast21) Wed Oct 7, 2015, 2:35PM 1

Viktor Tikhonov CHI/ARI RW,F Drop Guelph Storm (havanablast21) Thu Feb 25, 2016, 9:51AM 142
Viktor Tikhonov CHI/ARI RW,F Claim Guelph Storm (havanablast21) Thu Feb 18, 2016, 10:14AM 135
Viktor Tikhonov CHI/ARI RW,F Drop Amsterdam Red Lights (rataylor22) Wed Feb 3, 2016, 1:23PM 120
Viktor Tikhonov CHI/ARI RW,F Claim Amsterdam Red Lights (rataylor22) Thu Jan 21, 2016, 1:18AM 107
Viktor Tikhonov CHI/ARI RW,F Drop District-5 Ducks (evans334) Wed Jan 6, 2016, 5:06PM 92
Viktor Tikhonov CHI/ARI RW,F Claim District-5 Ducks (evans334) Sun Dec 6, 2015, 1:11PM 61
Viktor Tikhonov CHI/ARI RW,F Drop Grand Rapids Griffins (brakli) Tue Nov 10, 2015, 1:13PM 35
Viktor Tikhonov CHI/ARI RW,F Claim Grand Rapids Griffins (brakli) Fri Oct 16, 2015, 5:09PM 10
Viktor Tikhonov CHI/ARI RW,F Drop District-5 Ducks (evans334) Tue Oct 13, 2015, 8:35AM 7


^Probably funniest is CSKA Moscow's THREE stints with Mike Weber... "I can't quit you!"

[rataylor22]

I honestly don't even remember who Viktor Tikhonov is lol

[Pit Bulls]

It seems I'm good at identifying young talent....just not very good at keeping them. Sigh......

[Pengwin7]

1. Drafting
2. Trading
You can't drop the ball with these.
The very best GMs can create teams exclusively from trading (and I've seen some "bad drafters" that still have awesome teams).

Unsurprisingly, the best WHL teams... "win.their.trades".
It's one thing I focus hard on these days... "don't.lose.your.trade".

A total of 200 players/picks were moved in s1 of the WHL:
Here's the key 2015 trades from s1 of the WHL:

Josh Morrissey WPG D Braham Pietasters (glorybe23) Manitoba Moose (GinFizz) 0 Thu Oct 29, 2015, 3:00AM
2016 Draft Pick, Round 2 (Braham Pietasters (glorybe23)) Braham Pietasters (glorybe23) Manitoba Moose (GinFizz) 0 Thu Oct 29, 2015, 3:00AM
Ryan Ellis NSH D Manitoba Moose (GinFizz) Braham Pietasters (glorybe23) 0 Thu Oct 29, 2015, 3:00AM
2016 Draft Pick, Round 3 (Manitoba Moose (GinFizz)) Manitoba Moose (GinFizz) Braham Pietasters (glorybe23) 0 Thu Oct 29, 2015, 3:00AM

P7-Dubbed Winner: Pies. Score 7/10. glorybe23 has been really tactful about bringing in rising youth on good long contracts. He's been the top team in the WHL past 2-3 seasons.
Ellis was great acquisition here. Morrissey really only gained some points last year. The round 2pick is OK, but not significant.


Steven Stamkos TB C,F Markham Waxers (praba) Sierra Sasquatch (Pit Bulls) 0 Fri Oct 30, 2015, 3:00AM 24
Michael Stone ARI D Markham Waxers (praba) Sierra Sasquatch (Pit Bulls) 0 Fri Oct 30, 2015, 3:00AM 24
P.A. Parenteau TOR RW,F Markham Waxers (praba) Sierra Sasquatch (Pit Bulls) 0 Fri Oct 30, 2015, 3:00AM 24
Kyle Okposo NYI RW,F Sierra Sasquatch (Pit Bulls) Markham Waxers (praba) 0 Fri Oct 30, 2015, 3:00AM 24
Mattias Ekholm NSH D Sierra Sasquatch (Pit Bulls) Markham Waxers (praba) 0 Fri Oct 30, 2015, 3:00AM 24
Ryan Johansen CBJ/NSH C,F Sierra Sasquatch (Pit Bulls) Markham Waxers (praba) 0 Fri Oct 30, 2015, 3:00AM 24

P7-Dubbed Winner: Tie. Score 5/10. In retrospect, Stamkos is the big prize. But at the time, Okposo & Ekholm were very serviceable - and the Waxers won a championship in s2... so there's not a lot of doubting that can be made here. Smart trade, both teams - Sierra for the future, Waxers for the then-present.


Derrick Pouliot PIT D Saanichton Cougars (InForAPenny) Vancouver Voodoo (GoNucks) 0 Sun Nov 8, 2015, 3:00AM 33
Brett Connolly BOS RW,F Saanichton Cougars (InForAPenny) Vancouver Voodoo (GoNucks) 0 Sun Nov 8, 2015, 3:00AM 33
2016 Draft Pick, Round 3 (Saanichton Cougars (InForAPenny)) Saanichton Cougars (InForAPenny) Vancouver Voodoo (GoNucks) 0 Sun Nov 8, 2015, 3:00AM 33
Brandon Dubinsky CBJ C,F Saanichton Cougars (InForAPenny) Vancouver Voodoo (GoNucks) 0 Sun Nov 8, 2015, 3:00AM 33
Jonathan Huberdeau FLA LW,F Vancouver Voodoo (GoNucks) Saanichton Cougars (InForAPenny) 0 Sun Nov 8, 2015, 3:00AM 33
2016 Draft Pick, Round 5 (Vancouver Voodoo (GoNucks)) Vancouver Voodoo (GoNucks) Saanichton Cougars (InForAPenny) 0 Sun Nov 8, 2015, 3:00AM 33

P7-Dubbed Winner: Cougars. Score 8/10. Trades will show that Voodoo RARELY loses trades involving youth... but Huberdeau emerged rapidly soon after, whereas Pouliot and Connolly both failed to come anywhere close to their expectations. Dubinsky was a multi-cat stud back in 2015... and Voodoo did flip him later in season to bring some good youth in. See later trades.


Seth Jones NSH/CBJ D Manitoba Moose (GinFizz) Markham Waxers (praba) 0 Mon Nov 9, 2015, 3:00AM 34
Sean Monahan CGY C,F Manitoba Moose (GinFizz) Markham Waxers (praba) 0 Mon Nov 9, 2015, 3:00AM 34
Jacob Trouba WPG D Manitoba Moose (GinFizz) Markham Waxers (praba) 0 Mon Nov 9, 2015, 3:00AM 34
Eric Gelinas NJ/COL D Markham Waxers (praba) Manitoba Moose (GinFizz) 0 Mon Nov 9, 2015, 3:00AM 34
Daniel Sprong PIT RW,F Markham Waxers (praba) Manitoba Moose (GinFizz) 0 Mon Nov 9, 2015, 3:00AM 34
Ryan Johansen CBJ/NSH C,F Markham Waxers (praba) Manitoba Moose (GinFizz) 0 Mon Nov 9, 2015, 3:00AM 34

P7-Dubbed Winner:Waxers. Score 9/10. RyJo was showing ELITE potential back in 2015... and people were gaga over Sprong. But Trouba/Monahan/S.Jones was a huge rake for the emerging Waxers.


Jacob Trouba WPG D Markham Waxers (praba) Sierra Sasquatch (Pit Bulls) 0 Sat Dec 26, 2015, 3:00AM 81
Joe Pavelski SJ RW,F Markham Waxers (praba) Sierra Sasquatch (Pit Bulls) 0 Sat Dec 26, 2015, 3:00AM 81
Tomas Fleischmann MON/CHI LW,F Markham Waxers (praba) Sierra Sasquatch (Pit Bulls) 0 Sat Dec 26, 2015, 3:00AM 81
Garret Sparks TOR G Markham Waxers (praba) Sierra Sasquatch (Pit Bulls) 0 Sat Dec 26, 2015, 3:00AM 81
Roman Josi NSH D Sierra Sasquatch (Pit Bulls) Markham Waxers (praba) 0 Sat Dec 26, 2015, 3:00AM 81
Bryan Little WPG C,F Sierra Sasquatch (Pit Bulls) Markham Waxers (praba) 0 Sat Dec 26, 2015, 3:00AM 81
Connor Hellebuyck WPG G Sierra Sasquatch (Pit Bulls) Markham Waxers (praba) 0 Sat Dec 26, 2015, 3:00AM 81
Alexander Semin MON RW,F District-5 Ducks (evans334) Markham Waxers (praba) 0 Fri Dec 11, 2015, 3:00AM 66

P7-Dubbed Winner: Waxers. Score 7/10. Pavelski, a 2nd round WHL draft pick a few months prior, was the best player in this trade at the time. And Trouba has emerged as great value. But Josi and Hellebuyck were bought just before they popped - a great acquisition.


2016 Draft Pick, Round 1 (Fall River's Finest (MCMackerel)) Fall River's Finest (MCMackerel) Guelph Storm (havanablast21) 0 Tue Jan 5, 2016, 3:00AM 91
Joonas Donskoi SJ RW,F Fall River's Finest (MCMackerel) Guelph Storm (havanablast21) 0 Tue Jan 5, 2016, 3:00AM 91
Andrej Nestrasil CAR C,F Fall River's Finest (MCMackerel) Guelph Storm (havanablast21) 0 Tue Jan 5, 2016, 3:00AM 91
Ryan Kesler ANA C,F Guelph Storm (havanablast21) Fall River's Finest (MCMackerel) 0 Tue Jan 5, 2016, 3:00AM 91
Valtteri Filppula TB C,F Guelph Storm (havanablast21) Fall River's Finest (MCMackerel) 0 Tue Jan 5, 2016, 3:00AM 91
2016 Draft Pick, Round 4 (Guelph Storm (havanablast21)) Guelph Storm (havanablast21) Fall River's Finest (MCMackerel) 0 Tue Jan 5, 2016, 3:00AM 91

P7-Dubbed Winner: FRF. Score 6/10. Kesler was a great add at the time, especially with the "Finest" being in contention for best s1 team. It was a team that was "all in" on the early two seasons... but trading 1st round picks has to return a good player for several years to come. Kesler was for 1-2 seasons... and then hit a wall after that. The Finest pick was late, 20s, so it wasn't really great value and the Kesler add helped him finish top3 regular season.


Pekka Rinne NSH G London Nationals (VintageVibe) Markham Waxers (praba) 0 Sun Jan 10, 2016, 3:00AM 96
2016 Draft Pick, Round 7 (London Nationals (VintageVibe)) London Nationals (VintageVibe) Markham Waxers (praba) 0 Sun Jan 10, 2016, 3:00AM 96
2016 Draft Pick, Round 8 (London Nationals (VintageVibe)) London Nationals (VintageVibe) Markham Waxers (praba) 0 Sun Jan 10, 2016, 3:00AM 96
2016 Draft Pick, Round 4 (Markham Waxers (praba)) Markham Waxers (praba) London Nationals (VintageVibe) 0 Sun Jan 10, 2016, 3:00AM 96
2016 Draft Pick, Round 3 (Markham Waxers (praba)) Markham Waxers (praba) London Nationals (VintageVibe) 0 Sun Jan 10, 2016, 3:00AM 96
Semyon Varlamov COL G Markham Waxers (praba) London Nationals (VintageVibe) 0 Sun Jan 10, 2016, 3:00AM 96
2016 Draft Pick, Round 2 (Markham Waxers (praba)) Markham Waxers (praba) London Nationals (VintageVibe) 0 Sun Jan 10, 2016, 3:00AM 96

P7-Dubbed Winner: Waxers. Score 9/10. The NATS are another strong WHL team that rarely loses a trade... and there were some hints in s1 that Rinne may be "getting old". He was not. He bounced back very strong for the Waxers - whereas Varly had a few decent seasons for the Avs... but nothing anywhere near Rinne's numbers.

[Pengwin7]

2016 Draft Pick, Round 7 (Amsterdam Red Lights (rataylor22)) Amsterdam Red Lights (rataylor22) London Nationals (VintageVibe) 0 Sat Jan 16, 2016, 3:00AM 102
2016 Draft Pick, Round 3 (Amsterdam Red Lights (rataylor22)) Amsterdam Red Lights (rataylor22) London Nationals (VintageVibe) 0 Sat Jan 16, 2016, 3:00AM 102
2016 Draft Pick, Round 8 (Amsterdam Red Lights (rataylor22)) Amsterdam Red Lights (rataylor22) London Nationals (VintageVibe) 0 Sat Jan 16, 2016, 3:00AM 102
2016 Draft Pick, Round 2 (Amsterdam Red Lights (rataylor22)) Amsterdam Red Lights (rataylor22) London Nationals (VintageVibe) 0 Sat Jan 16, 2016, 3:00AM 102
Travis Konecny PHI C,F Amsterdam Red Lights (rataylor22) London Nationals (VintageVibe) 0 Sat Jan 16, 2016, 3:00AM 102
Teuvo Teravainen CHI LW,F Amsterdam Red Lights (rataylor22) London Nationals (VintageVibe) 0 Sat Jan 16, 2016, 3:00AM 102
2016 Draft Pick, Round 5 (London Nationals (VintageVibe)) London Nationals (VintageVibe) Amsterdam Red Lights (rataylor22) 0 Sat Jan 16, 2016, 3:00AM 102
Sam Bennett CGY LW,F London Nationals (VintageVibe) Amsterdam Red Lights (rataylor22) 0 Sat Jan 16, 2016, 3:00AM 102
2016 Draft Pick, Round 4 (London Nationals (VintageVibe)) London Nationals (VintageVibe) Amsterdam Red Lights (rataylor22) 0 Sat Jan 16, 2016, 3:00AM 102
2016 Draft Pick, Round 3 (Markham Waxers (praba)) London Nationals (VintageVibe) Amsterdam Red Lights (rataylor22) 0 Sat Jan 16, 2016, 3:00AM 102
2016 Draft Pick, Round 4 (Markham Waxers (praba)) London Nationals (VintageVibe) Amsterdam Red Lights (rataylor22) 0 Sat Jan 16, 2016, 3:00AM 102

P7-Dubbed Winner: NATS. Score 10/10. For those that don't remember... Sam Bennett was lighting the league on fire at this time... I think he had just had his 4-goal game and his hype was off the rails. It is VERY difficult to trade a young (#4 overall?) player peaking, but the Nats did just that and timed it PERFECT. This was a big of a league-defining trade for both teams as TT & Konecny were huge asset-value for the Nats, while Bennett's stock dropped faster than Nortel in the seasons to come.


Zach Werenski CBJ D Halifax Krakens (GretzkysMullet) Manitoba Moose (GinFizz) 0 Sun Jan 31, 2016, 3:00AM 117
Tyler Ennis BUF RW,F Halifax Krakens (GretzkysMullet) Manitoba Moose (GinFizz) 0 Sun Jan 31, 2016, 3:00AM 117
Mark Scheifele WPG C,F Manitoba Moose (GinFizz) Halifax Krakens (GretzkysMullet)0 Sun Jan 31, 2016, 3:00AM 117

P7-Dubbed Winner: Krakens. Score 8/10. Yes... the WHL had a pluralized Kraken team first!!! LOL. Bit of a strange trade here as the Moose had just acquired Scheifele inthe off-season. Werenski is a good player, but Scheifele has been an absolute stud, especially in a league with bonus FOW points for centers.


Mark Scheifele WPG C,F Halifax Krakens (GretzkysMullet) Vancouver Voodoo (GoNucks) 0 Sat Feb 13, 2016, 3:00AM 130
2016 Draft Pick, Round 8 (Halifax Krakens (GretzkysMullet)) Halifax Krakens (GretzkysMullet) Vancouver Voodoo (GoNucks) 0 Sat Feb 13, 2016, 3:00AM 130
Thatcher Demko VAN G Halifax Krakens (GretzkysMullet) Vancouver Voodoo (GoNucks) 0 Sat Feb 13, 2016, 3:00AM 130
Henrik Samuelsson ARI C,RW,F Vancouver Voodoo (GoNucks) Halifax Krakens (GretzkysMullet) 0 Sat Feb 13, 2016, 3:00AM 130
2016 Draft Pick, Round 6 (Vancouver Voodoo (GoNucks)) Vancouver Voodoo (GoNucks) Halifax Krakens (GretzkysMullet) 0 Sat Feb 13, 2016, 3:00AM 130
Jason Demers DAL D Vancouver Voodoo (GoNucks) Halifax Krakens (GretzkysMullet) 0 Sat Feb 13, 2016, 3:00AM 130
Brandon Dubinsky CBJ C,F Vancouver Voodoo (GoNucks) Halifax Krakens (GretzkysMullet) 0 Sat Feb 13, 2016, 3:00AM 130

P7-Dubbed Winner: Voodoo. Score 10/10. Highway robbery here. Dubinsky had solid value in 2015... but getting Scheifele (& Demko) was a great return. If anybody in the WHL has "take advantage of these GMs" sticky notes... it's the Voodoo. Krakens would depart the league after 1 or 2 seasons.


2016 Draft Pick, Round 5 (Manitoba Moose (GinFizz)) Manitoba Moose (GinFizz) Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) 0 Sun Feb 14, 2016, 3:00AM 131
Elias Lindholm CAR RW,F Manitoba Moose (GinFizz) Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) 0 Sun Feb 14, 2016, 3:00AM 131
Ben Scrivens EDM/MON G Manitoba Moose (GinFizz) Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) 0 Sun Feb 14, 2016, 3:00AM 131
2016 Draft Pick, Round 2 (Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7)) Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) Manitoba Moose (GinFizz) 0 Sun Feb 14, 2016, 3:00AM 131
Darnell Nurse EDM D Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) Manitoba Moose (GinFizz) 0 Sun Feb 14, 2016, 3:00AM 131

P7-Dubbed Winner: Spitfires. Score 7/10. Moose had considerable interest in Nurse, especially having drafted McDavid, from the time of that pick in the July/August draft. Lindholm popped in s3/s4/s5 once he was traded from CAR to CGY.

- - - Updated - - -

2016 Draft Pick, Round 3 (Markham Waxers (praba)) Amsterdam Red Lights (rataylor22) Sierra Sasquatch (Pit Bulls) 0 Mon Feb 29, 2016, 3:00AM 146
Ryan White PHI RW,F Amsterdam Red Lights (rataylor22) Sierra Sasquatch (Pit Bulls) 0 Mon Feb 29, 2016, 3:00AM 146
Mikael Backlund CGY C,F Amsterdam Red Lights (rataylor22) Sierra Sasquatch (Pit Bulls) 0 Mon Feb 29, 2016, 3:00AM 146
Mathew Barzal NYI C,F Sierra Sasquatch (Pit Bulls) Amsterdam Red Lights (rataylor22) 0 Mon Feb 29, 2016, 3:00AM 146
Melker Karlsson SJ LW,F Sierra Sasquatch (Pit Bulls) Amsterdam Red Lights (rataylor22) 0 Mon Feb 29, 2016, 3:00AM 146

P7-Dubbed Winner: Red Lights. Score 9/10. Backlund, who plays for rataylor22s Flames, has put up solid numbers annually... but Mathew Barzal is a special player and would show it in a year or two following this trade.


Brayden Point TB C,F District-5 Ducks (evans334) Edmonton Road Runners (Lemmy) 0 Thu Mar 3, 2016, 3:00AM 149
2016 Draft Pick, Round 1 (District-5 Ducks (evans334)) District-5 Ducks (evans334) Edmonton Road Runners (Lemmy) 0 Thu Mar 3, 2016, 3:00AM 149
Carl Soderberg COL LW,F Edmonton Road Runners (Lemmy) District-5 Ducks (evans334) 0 Thu Mar 3, 2016, 3:00AM 149

P7-Dubbed Winner: Runners. Score 10/10. Most in the WHL know that the Ducks love to "go for it"... and Soderberg was showing high-potential. But giving a 1st AND Brayden Point away was a defining direction trade for both teams. The Runners have been a top half team since this trade... whereas the ducks have been a quack!


Mats Zuccarello NYR RW,F Braham Pietasters (glorybe23) Markham Waxers (praba) 0 Sat Mar 5, 2016, 3:00AM 151
Seth Jones NSH/CBJ D Markham Waxers (praba) Braham Pietasters (glorybe23) 0 Sat Mar 5, 2016, 3:00AM 151
2016 Draft Pick, Round 1 (Markham Waxers (praba)) Markham Waxers (praba) Braham Pietasters (glorybe23) 0 Sat Mar 5, 2016, 3:00AM 151

P7-Dubbed Winner: Pies. Score 6/10. The Waxers addition of Zucc made them a top 5 WHL team for s1 & s2. The 1st round pick was in the 20s. But Seth Jones was a salary discount D-cornerstone for the Pies in their recent run to fame. A great long-term move.


2016 Draft Pick, Round 2 (Saanichton Cougars (InForAPenny)) Saanichton Cougars (InForAPenny) Victoria Dead Hookers (Loch) 0 Sat Mar 5, 2016, 3:00AM 151
Roberto Luongo FLA G Saanichton Cougars (InForAPenny) Victoria Dead Hookers (Loch) 0 Sat Mar 5, 2016, 3:00AM 151
2016 Draft Pick, Round 1 (Victoria Dead Hookers (Loch)) Victoria Dead Hookers (Loch) Saanichton Cougars (InForAPenny) 0 Sat Mar 5, 2016, 3:00AM 151
Kerby Rychel CBJ LW,F Victoria Dead Hookers (Loch) Saanichton Cougars (InForAPenny) 0 Sat Mar 5, 2016, 3:00AM 151
Keith Kinkaid NJ G Victoria Dead Hookers (Loch) Saanichton Cougars (InForAPenny) 0 Sat Mar 5, 2016, 3:00AM 151


P7-Dubbed Winner: Tie. Score 5/10. The brothers rarely make trades... but Lu for a 1st was a solid "go for it" vs. "rebuilder" move.


Season 1 Trade of the Year:
Teuvo/Konecny/Rd2 to the Nats,
Bennett to the RedLights.

[metaldude26]

By the time I showed up and moved Fall's River to Dryden, Kesler was cooked. I figured I could at least get one 1st rounder for him, but was angling for two. No dice. I gambled that he might have one more hyper-productive season that I could cash in on but to no avail.

There are a handful of teams facing similar dilemmas with their aging vets, and it's fun to see how they navigate it.

[evans334]

These posts are on "point"

Great work, Peng!

[rataylor22]

Yea. I was absolutely convinced Bennett was going to be a star. Sigh.

[Magicstew]

Yea. I was absolutely convinced Bennett was going to be a star. Sigh.

Maybe he stars in Seattle. I also thought he was going to develop into a stud.

[Pengwin7]

Here is the final regular season standings from Season 1 (2015-2016):

1 Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) 20 3 0 40 .870 5-0-0 1262.09 984.4 2 (W)
2 Fall River's Finest (MCMackerel) 18 5 0 36 .783 5-0-0 1199.98 940.71 2 (W)
3 Markham Waxers (praba) 17 6 0 34 .739 4-1-0 1247.05 968.78 3 (W)
4 Halifax Krakens (GretzkysMullet) 16 7 0 32 .696 4-1-0 1296.06 1046.65 2 (W)
5 CSKA Moscow (rainydrinkwater) 14 9 0 28 .609 3-2-0 1069.7 1039.53 1 (W)
6 Oshawa Generals (Bobby4Ever) 14 9 0 28 .609 1-4-0 1145.92 1081.87 7 (W)
7 District-5 Ducks (evans334) 13 10 0 26 .565 2-3-0 1058 1028.73 1 (W)
8 Grand Rapids Griffins (brakli) 12 11 0 24 .522 4-1-0 1058.3 1055.61 2 (L)
...
9 Braham Pietasters (glorybe23) 12 11 0 24 .522 3-2-0 1183.16 1160.42 2 (W)
10 Fort Frances Muskies (Burgundy) 12 11 0 24 .522 2-3-0 1034.96 981.22 1 (L)
11 Sierra Sasquatch (Pit Bulls) 12 11 0 24 .522 2-3-0 976.07 957.58 1 (W)
12 Amsterdam Red Lights (rataylor22) 11 12 0 22 .478 1-4-0 1050.19 1062.99 1 (L)
13 Cleveland Barons (gopack26) 11 12 0 22 .478 2-3-0 990.18 1011.58 3 (L)
14 Edmonton Road Runners (Lemmy) 11 12 0 22 .478 3-2-0 926.81 1026.92 1 (L)
15 Wheeling Nailers (Brosive) 11 12 0 22 .478 3-2-0 1071.33 1019.76 2 (L)
16 Victoria Dead Hookers (Loch) 10 13 0 20 .435 2-3-0 1010.78 1070.29 1 (L)
...
17 Highland Scotch Hounds (seadawg) 10 13 0 20 .435 3-2-0 1005.77 1016.21 2 (L)
18 Vancouver Voodoo (GoNucks) 10 13 0 20 .435 4-1-0 960.46 996.35 3 (W)
19 Saanichton Cougars (InForAPenny) 9 14 0 18 .391 1-4-0 940.73 1008.21 1 (W)
20 Montreal Canadiens (newfcollins) 8 15 0 16 .348 2-3-0 972.74 1029.42 7 (L)
21 London Nationals (VintageVibe) 8 15 0 16 .348 3-2-0 873.63 1002.16 2 (W)
22 Hartford Whalers (Savvy1982) 7 16 0 14 .304 1-4-0 838.06 1105.32 5 (L)
23 Guelph Storm (havanablast21) 6 17 0 12 .261 0-5-0 792.36 1030.6 4 (L)
24 Manitoba Moose (GinFizz) 4 19 0 8 .174 0-5-0 612.89 951.91 2 (L)
***Departed GMs***

*Great season for the Spits - who came out of the box firing on all cylinders.
*Top scoring team was the Halifax Krakens
*And the team that would emerge the following season (s2), which had several amazing trades, was the Markham Waxers
*Notably, the Braham Pietasters narrowly missed out on playoffs as a pack of four teams ending at 12-11 (incl Fort Frances Muskies and Sierra Sasquatch). Those four teams would go in four very different directions.



Standard WHL scoring:
1.5+ FP/G: Exceptional Player
1-1.5 FP/G: Very Good Player
0.8-1 FP/G: Very Solid Player
0.6-0.8 FP/G: Serviceable Player
0.6-: WaiverWire Player

It also shows the players age as of TODAY (in 2020):
*Thus, the team only had 3 players under the age of 25 then, under the age of 30 now:


Here was the Spitfire Roster:

C Patrice Bergeron BOS C 35 6,875,000 121 1.51
C Claude Giroux PHI C 32 8,275,000 107.96 1.38
C Frans Nielsen NYI C 36 2,750,000 84.36 1.04

LW Boone Jenner CBJ LW 27 778,333 77.8 0.95
LW Jussi Jokinen FLA LW 37 4,000,000 92.9 1.15
LW Chris Kunitz PIT LW 40 3,850,000 81.9 1.02

RW Troy Brouwer STL RW 34 3,666,667 67.8 0.83
RW Dustin Brown LA RW 35 5,875,000 52.1 0.64
RW Elias Lindholm CAR RW 25 925,000 53.35 0.65

F Josh Bailey NYI LW 30 3,300,000 40.85 0.5
F Torrey Mitchell MON C 35 1,200,000 34.95 0.49
F Brad Richards DET C 40 3,000,000 48.24 0.71

D Francois Beauchemin COL D 40 4,500,000 60.95 0.74
D Dustin Byfuglien WPG D 35 5,200,000 98.15 1.21
D Thomas Hickey NYI D 31 2,200,000 34.5 0.56
D Ben Lovejoy PIT D 36 1,100,000 33.4 0.51
D Kevan Miller BOS D 32 800,000 46.2 0.65
D Mark Streit PHI D 42 5,250,000 38.8 0.63
D Josh Manson ANA D 28 925,000 39.85 0.56

IR:
C David Backes STL C 36 4,500,000 87.35 1.11
F Brandon Sutter VAN C 31 3,300,000 15.91 0.8
RW Marian Hossa CHI RW 41 5,275,000 56.75 0.89

G Matt Murray PIT G 26 620,000 29 2.23
G Michael Hutchinson WPG G 30 575,000 16 0.53
G Kari Lehtonen DAL G 36 5,900,000 55.6 1.29
G Henrik Lundqvist NYR G 38 8,500,000 108.8 1.67
G Ondrej Pavelec WPG G 32 3,900,000 24 0.73

G Daniel Altshuller CAR G 26 728,333 0 0
G Jon Gillies CGY G 26 925,000 0 0
G Magnus Hellberg NYR G 29 625,000 -1.6 -1.6
G Joonas Korpisalo CBJ G 26 742,500 43.1 1.39
G Andrey Makarov BUF G 27 578,333 0 0
C Phillip Danault CHI/MON C 27 863,333 17.92 0.35
F Marko Dano CHI/WPG RW 25 925,000 14.05 0.41
D Brett Pesce CAR D 25 809,166 25.7 0.37
D Brady Skjei NYR D 26 925,000 2.1 0.3
D Trevor van Riemsdyk CHI D 29 925,000 28.25 0.34


*Five years later, the only player still on this team... is Philip Danault, our captain!


Scoring Period 1
(Wed Oct 7, 2015 - Sun Oct 11, 2015)
Markham Waxers (praba) 31.37 Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) 49.89

Scoring Period 2
(Mon Oct 12, 2015 - Sun Oct 18, 2015)
Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) 63.57 Braham Pietasters (glorybe23) 56.03

Scoring Period 3
(Mon Oct 19, 2015 - Sun Oct 25, 2015)
Sierra Sasquatch (Pit Bulls) 43.83 Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) 45.33

Scoring Period 4
(Mon Oct 26, 2015 - Sun Nov 1, 2015)
Oshawa Generals (Bobby4Ever) 58.61 Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) 59.48

Scoring Period 5
(Mon Nov 2, 2015 - Sun Nov 8, 2015)
Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) 64.22 Saanichton Cougars (InForAPenny) 42.83

Scoring Period 6
(Mon Nov 9, 2015 - Sun Nov 15, 2015)
Guelph Storm (havanablast21) 45.26 Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) 61.76

Scoring Period 7
(Mon Nov 16, 2015 - Sun Nov 22, 2015)
Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) 52.64 Manitoba Moose (GinFizz) 33.5

Scoring Period 8
(Mon Nov 23, 2015 - Sun Nov 29, 2015)
Vancouver Voodoo (GoNucks) 44.78 Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) 62.44

Scoring Period 9
(Mon Nov 30, 2015 - Sun Dec 6, 2015)
Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) 59.23 Halifax Krakens (GretzkysMullet) 54.63

Scoring Period 10
(Mon Dec 7, 2015 - Sun Dec 13, 2015)
Hartford Whalers (Savvy1982) 31.4 Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) 73.7

Scoring Period 11
(Mon Dec 14, 2015 - Sun Dec 20, 2015)
Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) 39.42 Edmonton Road Runners (Lemmy) 31.3

Scoring Period 12
(Mon Dec 21, 2015 - Sun Dec 27, 2015)
Cleveland Barons (gopack26) 25.14 Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) 38.87

Scoring Period 13
(Mon Dec 28, 2015 - Sun Jan 3, 2016)
Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) 41.49 Highland Scotch Hounds (seadawg) 43.08

Scoring Period 14
(Mon Jan 4, 2016 - Sun Jan 10, 2016)
Fort Frances Muskies (Burgundy) 35.13 Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) 39.96

Scoring Period 15
(Mon Jan 11, 2016 - Sun Jan 17, 2016)
Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) 62.83 London Nationals (VintageVibe) 22.39

Scoring Period 16
(Mon Jan 18, 2016 - Sun Jan 24, 2016)
Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) 52.99 CSKA Moscow (rainydrinkwater) 32.88

Scoring Period 17
(Mon Jan 25, 2016 - Sun Jan 31, 2016)
District-5 Ducks (evans334) 13.2 Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) 30.18

Scoring Period 18
(Mon Feb 1, 2016 - Sun Feb 7, 2016)
Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) 67.73 Grand Rapids Griffins (brakli) 51.77

Scoring Period 19
(Mon Feb 8, 2016 - Sun Feb 14, 2016)
Amsterdam Red Lights (rataylor22) 54.22 Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) 66.41

Scoring Period 20
(Mon Feb 15, 2016 - Sun Feb 21, 2016)
Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) 53.04 Fall River's Finest (MCMackerel) 63.31

Scoring Period 21
(Mon Feb 22, 2016 - Sun Feb 28, 2016)
Victoria Dead Hookers (Loch) 57.73 Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) 56.3

Scoring Period 22
(Mon Feb 29, 2016 - Sun Mar 6, 2016)
Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) 70.94 Wheeling Nailers (Brosive) 66.19

Scoring Period 23
(Mon Mar 7, 2016 - Sun Mar 13, 2016)
Montreal Canadiens (newfcollins) 45.82 Windsor Spitfires (Pengwin7) 49.67

[Magicstew]

Nice season for the Spits - veteran team

[havanablast21]

Storms lack of any real impactful moves and 2nd worst finish in year 1 allowed us to be the silent Ninja (cough cough) we’d eventually become. Sadly that was the closest I’ve come to actually drafting a top two players (as I believe I traded that pick) but I had my eye on a target that likely wouldn’t get me my player. ... so I’ll buckle up and grab my popcorn for the sequel to the year 1 rewind. I think that’s where the Storm started to cause some ripples, maybe even controversial waves in the WHL waters. One of my fav seasons!

[Pengwin7]

The top tier playoffs went as follows in year #1:

WHLs1playoffs.PNG

Quarters:
#8 Griffins upset the #1 Spitfires. 65-52
#3 CSKA nipped the #6 Krakens. 49-46
#2 FRF beat the #7 Ducks. 65-40
#4 Waxers nipped the #5 Generals. 61-59

Semis.
#8 Griffins beat #3 CSKA. 67-50
#2 Finest best #4 Waxers. 74-55

Final.
#8 Griffins capped off the greatest (of yet) upset playoff run by nipping the Finest in the 2-week final: 114-108.

Here is a look at the championship roster!

WHL Season #1 Champions: Grand Rapids Griffins (GM: brakli)

C Mikael Granlund MIN 28 3,000,000 64.93 0.79
C Evgeny Kuznetsov WSH 28 3,000,000 121.28 1.48
C Nazem Kadri TOR 29 4,100,000 77.11 1.01
...
LW Andrew Cogliano ANA 33 3,000,000 48.5 0.59
LW Brandon Saad CBJ 27 6,000,000 73.25 0.94
LW Jason Zucker MIN 28 900,250 36.7 0.52
...
RW Phil Kessel PIT 32 6,800,000 87.7 1.07
RW James Neal NSH 32 5,000,000 102.35 1.25
RW Corey Perry ANA 35 8,625,000 96.15 1.17
...
F Jesper Fast NYR 28 950,000 47.35 0.6
F Tyler Kennedy NJ 34 2,350,000 18.5 0.37
F Johan Larsson BUF 28 800,000 30.4 0.41
...
D Hampus Lindholm ANA 26 894,167 57.6 0.72
D Casey Nelson BUF 28 575,000 6.6 0.94
D Greg Pateryn MON 30 575,000 14.65 0.39
D Rasmus Ristolainen BUF 25 925,000 66.55 0.81
D Damon Severson NJ 25 605,833 31.15 0.43
D Jaccob Slavin CAR 26 925,000 35.1 0.56
...
C Radek Faksa DAL 26 863,333 27.17 0.6
C Chris Wagner ANA/COL 29 600,000 16.73 0.39
LW Charles Hudon MON 26 625,000 3.55 1.18
LW Dwight King LA 31 1,950,000 17.55 0.37
F Josh Leivo TOR 27 792,500 8.3 0.69

G Cam Ward CAR 36 6,300,000 49.1 0.94
G Petr Mrazek DET 28 737,500 86.3 1.6

F Scott Wilson PIT 28 655,000 10.75 0.45 24 5 1 0 12 39 0 38 6 0
D Alexander Edler VAN 34 5,000,000 37.85 0.73 52 6 14 -8 46 111 9 84 106 0
D Dion Phaneuf TOR/OTT 35 7,000,000 57.55 0.81 71 4 28 -7 90 144 9 168 89 0

LW Ivan Barbashev STL 24 772,500
F Yakov Trenin NSH 23 792,500
F Pavel Buchnevich NYR 25 575,000
F Vladislav Kamenev NSH 23 864,166
LW Valentin Zykov LA/CAR 25 705,000
F Brock Boeser VAN 23 575,000
LW Denis Gurianov DAL 23 575,000
G Eric Comrie WPG 25 636,666
G Zane McIntyre BOS 27 925,000
G Alex Nedeljkovic CAR 24 842,500

Interestingly, the "GRG" - following this season - became the most "average good" team in the WHL, finishing 8th, 9th, 9th, 11th in the following seasons.
But it was definitely a magical ride for them in s1.

[Burgundy]

Amazing work Peng, fun read. I remember being very annoyed to end up with the last pick of the inaugural draft - and I was even more annoyed that Mack got taken at #23, just before I could get him! Ending up with Voracek wasn't exactly an exciting way to kick off a fantasy franchise.

Overall a pretty bad draft for the ol' Muskellunges here, unfortunately. Older, decently productive players were being avoided like the plague in that first draft so I thought I could try to pull off a win in that first season with good seasons from the Sedins, Joe, Datsyuk, etc. and then rebuild if that didn't work out (it absolutely didn't!) Unfortunately both Dats and Nich were out of the NHL a year or two later and I didn't do too well in selling off my assets before heading into a rebuild so it was a rough few years there. Lots learned in the WHL.