Fifteen Years of Super WHL Snipers

Originally published in Prospects Hockey in 2002

By Lucas Aykroyd

1987 was a landmark year for Canadian hockey, as the Edmonton Oilers won their third Stanley Cup and the host nation captured the Canada Cup for the third time. The Western Hockey League mirrored this positive trend. With the emergence of high-scoring talents like Joe Sakic and Theoren Fleury, the league proved it could develop both skillful and gritty forwards for the modern hockey era. That tradition persists, as snipers like Petr Nedved, Ray Whitney, Darcy Tucker, Jarome Iginla and Pavel Brendl have forged their own legends. Let’s look back at what these seven WHL superstars accomplished in their junior days.

JOE SAKIC (Center, Swift Current Broncos, 1986-88: 293 points in 139 games)

“Burnaby Joe” brought a strong work ethic and limitless talent to Swift Current in his rookie season. He survived a tragic bus crash that killed four Broncos in December 1986, persevering to make the WHL East Second All-Star Team. In 1987-88, Sakic passed on joining the Quebec Nordiques because he wanted to improve his game first. The flashy sophomore tallied a league-leading 78 goals and 160 points and was named Canadian Major Junior Player of the Year. Eight years of personal success marred by team disappointments awaited Sakic in Quebec before the franchise moved to Colorado, where he led the Avalanche to the 1996 Stanley Cup as the playoff MVP. “He’s even exceeded what he showed in Swift Current,” said longtime amateur scout Barry Trapp. “He’s one of the elite players in the world.”

THEOREN FLEURY (Right wing, Moose Jaw Warriors, 1984-88: 472 points in 274 games)

“Little” has always been the term attached to this product of Oxbow, Saskatchewan, but there was nothing little about Theoren Fleury’s feats during his four WHL campaigns. Fleury didn’t care that he stood 5-6 and 150 pounds. All he wanted to do was crank up the intensity, climaxing in his final year when he tied Joe Sakic for the scoring title and added 235 PIM. “Everything he did, he played hard,” said Trapp, who coached the diminutive speedster in Moose Jaw. “It didn’t matter if it was golfing or playing hearts on the team bus.” Fleury went over the edge at the 1987 World Junior Championships, where he took part in the infamous “Piestany Punchup.” But at the 1988 tournament in Moscow, he notched eight points and claimed an all-star team berth. That spring, he wept at center ice when Moose Jaw held a special night to mark the end of his junior career. Despite his battles with Crohn’s Disease and substance abuse, Fleury has established himself as a world-class sniper.

PETR NEDVED (Center, Seattle Thunderbirds, 1989-90: 145 points in 71 games)

Nedved only played one WHL season, but it was arguably the highlight of his North American hockey career. After defecting at a midget tournament in Calgary, the rangy Czech with the great wrist shot became the first European ever to crack the top ten in WHL scoring. Nedved still holds the record for rookie points. “This kid had everything going for him,” said Trapp. “He was probably a more high-profile guy at his draft than Joe Sakic was.” Chosen second overall by the Vancouver Canucks in 1990, Nedved was portrayed as a savior, but his lack of strength hampered his early NHL development. Later, his penchant for contract holdouts gave him a bad rap. But Seattle fans still reminisce about how Nedved soared with the Thunderbirds.

RAY WHITNEY (Left wing, Spokane Chiefs, 1988-91: 348 points in 214 games)

This former stickboy for the 1980’s Edmonton Oilers obviously picked up some of Wayne Gretzky’s magic touch. Whitney’s deadly slapshot and playmaking skills earned him 67 goals and 118 assists in 1990-91, tying him with Len Barrie for the league lead. Then Whitney racked up 31 points in 15 playoff games as Spokane won the Memorial Cup. “He played with Pat Falloon, and they really had good chemistry,” recalled former Kamloops coach Don Hay. “Whitney’s hockey sense and vision helped him more than anything.” In the NHL, the gifted forward struggled for respect with the San Jose Sharks, but he has fulfilled his promise recently with Florida and Columbus.

DARCY TUCKER (Center, Kamloops Blazers, 1991-95: 379 points in 223 games)

Today, Darcy Tucker is one of the premier pests in the NHL. But as a record three-time Memorial Cup winner with Kamloops, he was a prolific point-getter. In both 1994 and 1995, Tucker finished second in WHL regular season scoring and led the playoffs. “Darcy was one of the most competitive players I’ve coached at any level,” said Hay. “He made other people around him better.” Should we be surprised the 5-10, 185-pounder hasn’t scored more in the NHL? Hay’s response: “When you can check people and still get over 20 goals, as Darcy did last year, you’re a pretty valuable NHL player.”

JAROME IGINLA (Right wing, Kamloops Blazers, 1993-96: 236 points in 183 games)

Granted, “Iggy” was a big, imposing presence in his junior days. Yet few would have guessed he would become the first Western forward since Bryan Trottier to lead the NHL in scoring, as he did with Calgary in 2001-02. “We saw a lot of good things in Jarome when he was younger: his quickness, his drive off the wing and his physical strength,” said Hay. “And he’s such a character person.” 1996 marked Iginla’s zenith in Kamloops, as he reaped all-star honors with his 63 goals and 73 assists and topped the World Juniors with 12 points. With his Nigerian parentage, Iginla has also heightened the visibility of black hockey players. As an Olympian and NHL superstar, he’s done the WHL proud.

PAVEL BRENDL (Right wing, Calgary Hitmen, 1998-2001: 320 points in 178 games)

If the saying that “you are what you eat” holds true, Pavel Brendl would be a hot dog. In Calgary, the Czech winger’s fondness for frankfurters was almost as legendary as his touch around the net. Paired with center Brad Moran, he dipsy-doodled his way to the league scoring title in 1998-99 with 73 goals and 61 assists. The Hitmen also triumphed in the WHL playoffs that year, paced by Brendl’s 46 points. In 1999-2000, his 59 tallies were tops in the league again. “He’s one of the purest goal-scorers that I’ve seen in all my years,” said Barry Trapp. The jury is out on whether Brendl’s attitude and conditioning will eventually catch up with his skills. Now toiling in the Philadelphia Flyers system, Brendl still has a chance to make it big.