WHL Coverage: Memory Lane - Sam Steel, Regina Pats

Perhaps the most surprising cut from Team Canada's current entry for the 2017 World Junior Championship was forward Sam Steel of the Regina Pats.

Steel, who will celebrate his 19th birthday on Feb. 3, leads the WHL in scoring with 23 goals and 31 assists in 25 games. It's a torrid pace by modern-day standards, and the Pats continue to reside atop the weekly CHL national rankings with a 22-3-6 record. (The Pats and Calgary Hitmen have each played only 31 games so far; the least among WHL teams.)

While being released from Canada's national junior team will sting, Steel must surely be reveling to some degree after putting pen to paper on Dec. 20 when he signed an NHL entry level contract.

The details are right here.

Steel was selected in the first round, 30th overall by the Anaheim Ducks at the 2016 NHL Draft.

The terms of these three-years deals are pretty standard for young prospects, but certainly a $90,000 signing bonus is a nice reward to receive shortly before Christmas.

Like many of the players whose names were called on draft day back in June, Steel took part in the 2016 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Vancouver in January. Steel would also go on to appear in all 72 regular season games for the Pats last season.

I had an opportunity to chat with Steel in Vancouver prior to the TPG and we produced a podcast for the Hockey's Future website. That article and interview, posted on Jan. 27, 2016, is available by clicking right here.

There was some pretty competitive hockey played among youngsters in the Edmonton region a few years ago. Steel, from Sherwood Park, played his minor hockey in the Capital region, competing with and against fellow WHLers Carter Hart (Everett), Tyler Benson (Vancouver) and Stuart Skinner (Lethbridge). Both Hart (PHI) and Benson (EDM) were also drafted in June, while Skinner is among the top CHL goaltenders eligible for the 2017 edition.

WHL Coverage: Memory Lane

As I have said on many occasions, covering the Western Hockey League as a freelance writer during the past decade or so has been a tremendous experience.

Certainly, I think it's all about the people.

Primarily, I find the players and their personal stories to be the most captivating.

I feel like I have had pretty well-rounded hockey experience in my life as a mediocre player, a devoted member of the media, a minor hockey referee and a dedicated fan of the sport. Frankly, I think I can separate the wheat from the chaff.

As a player, I possessed skills, but little interest in the work ethic. Oddly perhaps, this drives me to explore the successes of players whose work ethic perhaps exceeds their skill set. 

As a member of the media, I have learned to "sit on my hands" when I attend hockey games. This means I'm not bouncing around the press box and clapping loudly when my favorite team scores. I feel like I watch the game differently than I used to. Admittedly, I find it really hard to sit in the stands now. 

As a referee, it was my responsibility to be impartial. This means being in the right position and making correct decisions, despite players being taught to push the envelope, coaches campaigning for favourable calls, and fans voicing whatever opinions might be in their best interests. Not surprisingly, some of the ridiculous drivel and second guessing directed towards referees makes it really hard for me to sit in the stands now. The overwhelming majority of fans chirping the officials have never had to read, comprehend and enforce the rule book. But, as long as they're buying tickets...

The PLAYERS

Major Junior hockey players are kids.

Period.

What makes it different is the reality that their lives are thrust into the public eye. This is not always a great place to be for anyone, let alone a youngster. But these players persevere through the challenging adventures that so often surface, and they can often enjoy some very productive experiences.

Too many adults choose to ignore this. In fairness though, that probably relates to some degree to plunking down their after tax greenbacks for single game or season tickets. I have always felt that if you buy a ticket, you're entitled to an opinion.

The player interaction that stands out above them all for me is an interview with Cole Ully of the Kamloops Blazers back in 2014. That piece is right here.

It's proof positive that many people simply don't know enough about the back story.

Today, the 21-year-old Ully is playing in the American Hockey League. I think the hockey road map he has traveled is truly a story of triumph.

The COACHES

I find that coaches are an interesting bunch. There are significant demands on these people, some of which I wouldn't wish on anybody because often they are treated unfairly. However, they are the adults in this environment, which I believe makes them more fair game than the youngsters.

I've experienced overwhelmingly good times in dealing with coaches, the folks that have given their time to me upon request, treating me with respect, even when I have stumbled through an interview on occasion.

There have been a couple of beauties; like the Russian clown that fed me his "selective English" BS in Kelowna, and the head coach that chose grind me hard at the Saddledome a few years ago, when it was really his team's PR department that didn't do its job in advance.

Taking the bad with the good isn't really a hardship when the good far outweighs the alternative.

I'm still enjoying the ride!

Personally, It's Been A Season of Transition...

There is plenty on the go these days as we head toward the 2016 calendar year finish line.

The World Junior Hockey Championship gets rolling soon, a Boxing Day start in Montreal and Toronto. It's a fabulous tournament, an event I have had the pleasure of covering in person on two occasions; 2006 and 2010. The tournament in Saskatoon was especially a highlight.

It was fun to be a part of the Hockey's Future team between 2006 and 2016. In July, the site owners put the site out to pasture. Such is life in the (ahem) high stakes world of Internet marketing and advertising revenue generation.

The HF information package was consistently solid, organized by managing editor Ken McKenna. None of us among the troops got rich, but I can assure that we were all enriched by the experience.

It has been a different hockey season to date for me, as the regular HF coverage articles and associated deadlines are no longer part of my life. I'll watch the tournament with the same interest I've always had, but again, it will have a different feel.

With the cities of Victoria and Vancouver being awarded the 2019 WJC, perhaps there will be an opportunity for me to get back in the saddle.

On the upside, the young guns at DUBNetwork.ca have been kind enough to invite me along for the ride. Paul Figler and Jesse Phillips are the powers that be, creative guys with some terrific ideas.


I suspect there have been some growing pains as the crew navigates the gamut of hurdles media wags can encounter. As a group, the contributing writers have enough knowledge and insight to ask some real hard questions, but it has been my experience that major junior teams and leagues are not always keen to accept what can occasionally come across as an intrusion.

Over time, I think the guys at DUBNetwork.ca will continue to establish it's credibility, which will eventually lead to even more open dialogue with teams and the league office. Part of working together is that "feeling out process" and unfortunately, it doesn't always evolve quickly.

The fellas at the Kelowna Daily Courier swung open the door for me this fall; a totally unexpected opportunity. As a freelance writer, I have generally worked with soft deadlines, producing ranking articles and player features. But when the Daily Courier came calling, they assigned me to cover Kelowna Rockets mid-week home games.

Event coverage is fun, though it comes with a hard deadline. I have to file by 10:15pm on game night, after most contests end around 9:30pm. It has been a terrific experience.

Larry Fisher and Doyle Potenteau have been invaluable resources during the first half of the WHL season.

The hockey world has provided some unique opportunities over the years, some great times and interactions with some very interesting people. From time to time, I'll post some of my archived interviews, both the written and the audio versions.

There is an exciting "newness" to things, but at the same time there is a huge void with the disappearance of the Hockey's Future gig. This hockey season has certainly been one of transition.

On the other hand, the golf business in my world can be summed up in one word for 2016: tumultuous. More on that later...

Copyright Laws?

Having some fun with the New York Islanders these days as a quote I obtained during the past WHL season appeared in the "Meet the Prospects" section of the Isles website without the appropriate permissions.

During the fall of 2008, I interviewed former NHLer Brent Ashton by telephone as I was writing a piece about his son Carter. The youngster plays for the Lethbridge Huricanes and is certain to be drafted later this month.

The quote, used in an article published by Hockey's Future, has been used by the Isles to promote the upcoming NHL Entry Draft. Here's the link to the article.

I have some history with Isles, through a friend in Saskatoon. Gerry "Tex" Ehman was a major contributor as the Director of Player Personnel with the Islanders during their four consecutive Stanley Cup seasons more than a couple of decades ago. Gerry, a knowledgeable hockey guy was kind of gruff at times, but I grew to respect the magnitude of his expertise during his golden years. Mr. Ehman passed away a few years ago, but I still stay in touch with his son Bruce.

Sure would have appreciated the nod from the Isles for the spade work I did during the interview with Ashton. We'll see where it all goes!