By Lorne Starko /
It was not the way the Red Deer Rebels wanted to finish the 2007-2008 Western Hockey League regular season.
The team, which had been out of the playoff hunt for most of the year, lost 6-3 to the Edmonton Oil Kings. It was the sixth loss in a row for the Rebels. Not a great way to end things.
The Rebels finished with a record of 18-47-4-3. The setback was the 28th on home ice at the Centrium, including two overtime losses.
While many fans would point to the negative aspects of the team, head coach Brian Sutter preferred to concentrate on the positive and what could be in store for next season.
“In the last eight games of the year, we did a hell of a job, even in the 8-2 loss at Kootenay,” said Sutter. “Alex Petrovic is only 15-years-old and he does things with the puck on the ice that none of our other defencemen do. He does that all the time. He sees things. You can’t teach that.
“Alex always makes a good outlet pass. There are a lot of positives.”
Sutter said the Rebels had the youngest team in the WHL and he was aware of that when he came on board last summer to take over from owner and brother Brent Sutter, who moved on to be the head coach of the New Jersey Devils in the NHL.
“The best line on the ice for us in our final game was Landon Ferraro, Cass Mappin and Mike Krgovich,” Sutter said. “Ferraro is just 16-years-old. Mappin and Krgovich just turned 17. And a 15-year-old kid was darn good for us on defence.
“That’s how I analyze the season. They’re not rookies anymore (when it comes to playing in all kinds of situations). They’re veterans to a certain extent.”
Brandon Sutter, the team’s captain, says he likes what he sees in the dressing room for next season. He says the Rebels will miss their two graduating 20-year-olds in forward Troy Ofukany and defenceman Mark Louis.
“It’s tough to determine who else might be gone,” says the younger Sutter. “But for the most part, everyone will be back and we’re kind of looking forward to that. We owe the fans something as they’ve been there for us all year.
“Hopefully we can give them a better outcome next season. I want to thank them. It was a tough year for us. We battled hard and unfortunately, we were done a little earlier than we wanted to be.”
The younger Sutter was named the Rebels most valuable player and was also voted by the fans as the top player of the year.
Landon Ferraro was the best rookie, Cullen Morin was the top defenceman, Tyler Penny was the most under-rated player and Juraj Valach had the best plus-minus rating.
Goalie James Reimer, who missed the last part of the regular season with an injury, signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs, so he may not return to the Rebels next season.
The Rebels did get some good news after the season ended as they won the lottery for the WHL Bantam Draft on May 1.
It will be the first time since 1992 the Rebels will have the first pick. |
