Story Coming In:
Fort McMurray holds a 2-1-1 record heading into the AJHL Showcase. Coming off a pair of losses at home to the Camrose Kodiaks, the Oil Barons look to hit the reset button and rely on their strengths that got them in the win column. Early season indicators show that the MOB will lean heavily on their veterans, with Danny Akkouche and Carter Schmidt near the top of the league in points and Vincent Filion sitting fourth in save percentage. Jason Huang, Charles-Olivier Villeneuve and Reis Nyland are also at a point per game for the blue and gold. Special teams are also a strength for the Oil Barons, with the power-play sitting at second in the AJHL, while the penalty kill is ranked third.
View From Grande Prairie & Calgary:
The Storm are off to an excellent start to the 2024/25 season. Sitting in first place in the North Division, Grande Prairie has scored more goals than any other team in the AJHL, while also giving up the fewest goals against. Through four games, the top line of Zachary Wilson, Tomis Marinkovic and Chayse Laurie combined for 17 points, while ten players have found the back of the net, the most of any team in the league. The defending league champion, Calgary Canucks had their struggles at the start of the season. After an 0-1-1 start, the Canucks rallied off two straight wins, 3-2 and 5-4 over Lloydminster and Bonnyville respectively. Captain Bowden Singleton has been red hot to start the season with six points in three games. Calgary is also leaning heavily on newcomers Hayden Fechner, Luc Trevors and Rhett Melnyk, while Alexey Trischuk and Nathan Maloney provided offence from the blue-line early on this season. Wins at the Showcase will be important for the Centennial Cup hosts, as they play their next five games away from the Ken Bracko Arena.
Stats Leaders For Fort McMurray:
Goals: Schmidt (5)
Assists: Akkouche (4)
Points: Akkouche (7)
PIM: Nordstrom (19)
Goalies: Filion: 2-0-1-0, 1.99 GAA, 0.948%
