Ron Valentine is profiling the 10 teams competing in the 2024 Centennial Cup, the national Jr. A championship tournament, in Oakville May 9-19.
BY RON VALENTINE
Ranked fourth in the country by the Canadian Junior Hockey League, the Winkler Flyers of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League advanced to the Centennial Cup by beating the nation’s third-ranked Steinbach Pistons in four straight games in the Turnbull Cup final.
In earlier playoff rounds they eliminated the Portage Terriers in five games and the Verdin Oil Capitals in six games, five of which were won by the visiting club.
The Flyers finished the regular season with 89 points in the East Division, eight behind the Pistons. Overall in the 13-team league they finished second highest. They had 42 wins from 58 games, scored 234 times and allowed 122 goals, good for second overall in both categories. Their power play efficiency percentage was number one at 25.9%, scoring 63 times by that route.
The club plays out of the Winkler Centennial arena which opened in 1980. The Flyers have been league champions three other times (1991, 1992 and 1998). In addition they were runners-up in 1994, 1995, 2001 and 2002. One of their more famous alumni is Hall-of-Fame goalkeeper Eddie Balfour. Winkler, with a population of around 15,000 people, is the fourth largest city in Manitoba.
In the regular season, DALTON ANDREW was the club’s top point getter with 82, including 43 goals. The CJHL announced Tuesday that Andrew is one of five finalists for its Top Forward Award for 2023-24. He will be attending Acadia University in the fall. CaptainTRENT PENNER, one of three native sons on the roster, who is committed toNCAA Division I University of Alaska-Fairbanks, followed with 78. BRODY BEAUCHEMIN had 66. Goalies MALACHI KLASSEN, a hometown hero, and LIAM ERNST, from White City, SK, combined for a 2.03 goals against average. Each ‘keeper had four shutouts.
In the playoffs, Andrew led the way again with 14 points, Penner and AVERY ANDERSON, from Orono, MN, who had 14 in the regular season came through with 13. ZACH NICOLAS, a Stonehill College commit, a dozen and JAYCE LEGAARDEN 11, including a team high of 8 goals. Beauchemin and defenceman CONNOR JENSEN, who had a 0-goal 32-assist regular season but had a playoff goal, rounded out the double-digit point producers with 10 each. In net Klassen was stingy again with a GAA of 2.07 and was voted MHL playoff MVP.
JUSTIN FALK is in his third season as the club’s head coach and general manager. He patrolled the blueline for 10 years in the NHL with the Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators and was on the Spokane Chiefs Memorial Cup winning team in 2008 and hoisted the Calder Cup in 2016 with the Lake Erie Monsters.
It’s not been an easy road for the club so far Falk notes: “We had a tough series with Portage in Round 1 where Blake Spiller (behind the bench for over 20 years) has been doing a great job for a long time, then in round two against the Oil Capitals we had two double- and one quadruple-overtime game and, in the final against the Pistons, Games 3 and 4 went to OT. We have been playing mature and responsible hockey with good puck management and we have taken advantage of our opportunities in the playoffs. We have good size and I like to say we play ‘lunch pail’ hockey typical of the smaller communities here. It will be tough to play on the larger ice surface but we have the players with the skills to get the best out of it. This is the time of their lives for those players who may not necessarily get the chance to play collegiate hockey. We have had great support from our home fans in our last year before renovations start at the arena. Our opponents in the final, Steinbach, had to play away from their home rink all season for the same reason. To win we have to play our best every game, make adjustments and learn quickly.”
RYAN WHITE is the assistant coach. He joined the Flyers in 2021. Ryan played for the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen and in the NHL for the Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, Arizona Coyotes and Minnesota Wild. COLTYN BATES, who played three seasons for the Flyers, accumulating 166 points, is the assistant general manager and assistant coach.
Winkler will meet the SIJHL’s Sioux Lookout Bombers in the first game of the Centennial Cup on Thursday, May 9, at noon.
For more information on the 2024 Centennial Cup, click here: https://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/national-championships/men/national-junior-a/2024
Follow Ron Valentine on X @ronandlynda
