I'll be very interested to see if Dean Brockman makes any changes before Christmas. Don't forget, Humboldt is hosting the RBC Cup next season and if Brockman decides that this team isn't going to get it done, he'd be well advised to deal away some talented 20-year-olds for younger impact players who will contribute to a potential national championship team next year.
The Klippers didn't have much trouble with Humboldt last year, thumping them 8-1 and 9-5 at home. Of course, that was a much different Bronco team.
Humboldt Broncos
Make no mistake - despite their recent struggles, this is an extremely dangerous team with a lot of depth. With the likes of Justin Buzzeo, Jeremy Boyer, Spencer Braaten and Nick Keller, along with secondary scoring from Troy Gasper, Ward Szucki, Riley Gillies and others, the Broncos have attacking power coming out the ying-yang. They are second in the SJHL in total goals. That said, Humboldt has lost seven of their last 10 games and are coming off a 7-4 loss to Battlefords last night that saw the Stars score four times in the third period.
On the back end, 18-year-old Josh Roach has been a revelation and a huge part of Humboldt's success. In his second SJHL season - he had 14 points last year - the Saskatoon product has six goals and 23 points in 25 games. They also have 17-year-old Tanner Clark, who played 29 games last year and was returned by the Swift Current Broncos early this season. Other than that, the Humboldt blueline has had a lot of turnover from last season, with stay-at-home defender Kenton Valliant the only other returnee. The Broncos are seventh in goals against.
Between the pipes, 2009-10 SJHL MVP Andrew Bodnarchuk is still around, although he's losing quite a few starts to backup Matt Hrynkiw (17 and 11 appearances, respectively). Not sure who we'll see tonight although Bodnarchuk started last night in North Battleford.
Kindersley Klippers
The Klippers are coming off a big win over Weyburn on Friday and have no doubt spent the five days since then hitting the gym. Larry Wintoneak has often talked about using these off-stretches early in the season to work on fitness, and that is especially important this year since the Klippers didn't have access to their facilities until the end of September.
On the attack, the focus will continue to be on Andrew Dommett and how he adjusts to playing again. It will take a few games for him to get back into top form and, as he said the other night, to get his hands back. Calkins and Adamyk had good nights on Friday and their play will no doubt help the captain make the transition. Another guy I'll keep my eye on is D. Jay McGrath (he of Sonny Days Snow Removal). He's played with Sanfred King recently and I thought he looked great on Friday. He really moved his feet and put pressure on the Wings with his forecheck. It's only a matter of time before that line puts up some numbers, I think. Also of note, Justin Gerwing is eligible to play tonight after serving his three-game suspension for a staged fight. My guess is we see him in, but it's hard to say with 14 healthy guys.
On the blueline, there are eight guys in the picture and time may be running out for certain guys to show why they deserve to stick around. Larry Wintoneak said Friday that he's going to trim down the roster soon, and you'd have to think a defenceman will be included in that. As for a player to watch, for me, it's Casey Rogers. He seems to be getting more comfortable in the SJHL and should only improve as that process moves along. He scored on a heck of a shot Friday and is very poised in moving the puck up ice. Defensively, his positioning is very good. When you consider he's only 19, I see Casey as a huge addition to the Klipper blueline in the short and long term.
In goal, your guess is as good as mine. Peck and Nickel have been alternating starts for the most part, but Peck could get in again. We'll find out at game time.
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