The Rundown - First-Half All-Stars

Parity is something that Canada West seems to feature every week of the season. When I was broadcasting games, I would often say, "Any given team can beat any other team on any given day," and the statement is true as the standings show four teams who win more often, four teams in the middle who trade wins, and one team at the bottom that's not out of the running by any means. There is no week off, no game off, no period off, and no shift off for any player in Canada West because the competition is always coming for more. That's why identifying the first-half Canada West All-Stars is always a tough ask - there's a lot of good players doing a lot of good things in all nine Canada West cities!

Every year, I spend some time looking at stats, digging in deeper to player performances, and watching a little film, so all-star teams can be picked. We'll follow the same rules for the all-star squads as before: the four Alberta-based teams will be "Team Rockies" while the five remaining teams from BC, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba will be "Team Surf-and-Turf". Every team will be represented with at least one player, and there must be at least one rookie named to each squad. Six forwards, three defenders, and two netminders will make up the teams so that if this game were to played, there would be three lines of 3-on-3 hockey.

Based on the current standings, UBC should host this game, but I'm going to reward Mount Royal with the All-Star Game after they won the U SPORTS National Championship last season. Winning has its privileges, and this is one of them. UBC head coach Graham Thomas would get his third-straight appointment behind the bench as the coach of the Surf-and-Turf team, though, while Darren Bilawchuk from the Alberta Pandas would get the call to lead Team Rockies thanks to his team being the best of the Alberta teams. Both men have their teams in potential first-round bye positions through the first-half of the season, so let's recognize those efforts by getting them behind the benches.

Without further adieu, let's look at my selections for the Canada West All-Star Teams in 2023-24! Players in yellow are forwards, players in orange are defenders, and players in red are goaltenders. Rookies will be noted with two asterisks.

• Natalie Kieser (ALB) - leads the Pandas in scoring.
• Jadynn Morden (ALB) - leads the conference in goals.
• Sydney Mercier (CAL) - leads the Dinos in scoring.
• Aliya Johma (MRU) - leads the Cougars in scoring.
• Makenna Schuttler (MAC) - good in all three zones.
• Allee Gerrard (MRU) - ten goals already this season.
• Emma Bergesen (MRU) - top scorer for Mount Royal.
• Taylor Anker (ALB) - Pandas' top-scoring defender.
• Brooklyn Fry (CAL) - second in rookie defender scoring.**
• Kaitlyn Ross (MRU) - most wins; top-five in GAA.
• Halle Oswald (ALB) - third-most wins; top GAA and shutouts.

There aren't a lot of surprises here as Mount Royal and Alberta boast four all-star selections while Calgary has two and MacEwan as one. I'll add some honourable mentions at this point as I struggled in not finding spots for Jesse Jack (MAC) and Jori Hansen-Young (MRU) while Courtney Kollman (CAL), Elizabeth Lang (CAL), and Breanne Trotter (MRU) all were in the mix for one of the six forward spots. Brooklyn Fry narrowly edged out both Kyla Mitenko (CAL) and Maria Ayre (MAC) for the rookie spot.

Kieser and Morden were natural selections after the strong first halves of the season they're having while Mercier and Jomha have all been the statistical leaders among the forward ranks for their respective teams all season. Schuttler is getting the nod for MacEwan due to her strong play in all three zones while having the second-most points on the Griffins, and Allee Gerrard gets her first all-star selection thanks to exploding for ten goals in the first half to lead the Cougars and eclipse her rookie total of one goal.

Bergesen is easily the best defender for an Alberta-based team by all measures, so her inclusion was an easy choice. Taylor Anker has shown incredible talent in quarterbacking the Pandas' power-play while playing tough-as-nails defence, and Fry has been a bright spot for the Dinos in her first season at both ends of the ice. Ross and Oswald have put up incredible personal statistics while helping their teams to top-three positions in the conference, and these two goalies are difference-makers for their teams.

• Mackenzie Kordic (UBC) - leads conference in scoring.
• Brooklyn Anderson (TWU) - Spartans' leading scoring.
• Sophie Lalor (SAS) - Huskies' leading scorer.
• Paige Hubbard (REG) - Cougars' leading scorer.
• Kate Gregoire (MAN) - Bisons' leading scorer.
• Cassidy Rhodes (UBC) - second-ranked scorer for UBC.
• Jaylyn Morris (UBC) - top rookie scorer in Canada West.**
• Isabella Pozzi (SAS) - Huskies' second-leading scorer.
• Rylind MacKinnon (UBC) - second in defender scoring.
• Camryn Drever (SAS) - second in wins; top-two statistically.
• Kate Fawcett (TWU) - one of the top goalies statistically.

UBC leads the way with four selections as they're the top team in the conference from wire to wire thus far, but Saskatchewan grabs three spots, Trinity Western takes two spots, and both Regina and Manitoba have one selection each. The honourable mentions that gave me some thought included Kara Kondrat (SAS), Madisyn Wiebe (UBC), Kylie Lesuk (MAN), and Olivia Leier (TWU) up front while Sophia Gaskell (UBC), Hannah Pennell (SAS), and Camille Enns (MAN) were all in consideration on the blue line. Elise Hugens (UBC) missing the cut was based on the importance that Drever and Fawcett have on their teams, but there's no doubt that Hugens has UBC atop the standings once again. Arden Kliewer (REG) got a look as well, but the three goalies already mentioned are just superior in their stats.

Mackenzie Kordic has been en fuego since the season started, so she was an easy pick. It was thought that the loss of Potomak may affect Trinity Western, but we saw Brooklyn Anderson elevate her play to another level this season. Sophie Lalor is having a fantastic senior season in Saskatoon, Hubbard has been all over the ice for the Cougars, and Kate Gregoire has shown incredible vision as one of the better passers in the game after breaking in as a goal-scoring machine. Cassidy Rhodses follows up her incredible rookie season with another big year as well, and these six make scoring in Canada West look easy.

Isabella Pozzi is anchoring the Huskies' blue line after an impressive showing at the FISU Games last season, and Rylind MacKinnon is almost like a fourth foward for the Thunderbirds when she rushes the puck. Jaylyn Morris gets the nod as the Surf-n-Turf rookie thanks to an impressive 13 points as the leading rookie scorer as well. Camryn Drever, as expected, has been stonewalling the opposition as the Huskies rely on her for solid goaltending, and Kate Fawcett is fourth in GAA and third in save percentage for an up-and-down Trinity Western team. Goaltending makes a huge difference for the Huskies and Spartans, and that's why Drever and Fawcett are selections.

Agree? Disagree? Comments are open for your thoughts on these first-half All-Star selections for the 2023-24 season. We can discuss there!

The Awards

I get a total of zero votes for any and all awards in Canada West, so this part is just me predicting the final winners of what are NHL trophies. If I'm wrong, good on any player who proves me wrong because that means she stepped her game up!

• "Rocket" Richard Trophy: Jadynn Morden (ALB). Absolutely lethal on the power-play. 20 goals?
• Vezina Trophy: Halle Oswald (ALB). She's third in wins, second in save percentage, and leads in GAA and shutouts by starters.
• Calder Trophy: Jaylyn Morris (UBC). She plays in all situations, and leads all other rookies by 7 points.
• Norris Trophy: Emma Bergesen (MRU). She leads CanWest defenders in scoring and is so good in all three zones.
• Adams Trophy: Darren Bilawchuk (ALB). I don't know if anyone thought Alberta would be a force after Howie Draper left, but Alberta is still dangerous.
• Hart Trophy: Mackenzie Kordic (UBC). Kordic has gone from nuisance to elite playmaker. She was always a solid player, but her game has exploded as she's far more dangerous with the puck. She's impressed me from Game One this season.

I Just Watch Games

If you're reading these selections and you feel like I haven't recognized you or someone you know, you can discuss it with me, but I'm not here to motivate anyone to play harder or score more. If things haven't gone as well as you may have hoped or if you're not getting the chances you feel you deserve, I can't change that. Don't get angry at me for the observations.

Admittedly, no one ever has been upset with the all-selections and I'm grateful for that, but if there are any coaches, parents, or players who feel that my observations at any point during the season are off, there are many ways to get a hold of me for a discussion. We may not agree, but I'll hear you out because I'm just watching most games from afar. I don't have any inner knowledge of how teams are run internally, so maybe I'm way off on something. That's why I'll listen.

Let me make one thing clear, though: most of my observations are based on statistics, trends, and observations combined with historical knowledge of Canada West hockey. If you see your name on here, smile about how well you played in the first half of the season, knowing that there may be more eyes on you now. If you don't see your name in this article, it means nothing aside from you have a chance to make a serious impact with your play in the second-half of the season. That's what makes hockey great: it's not how you start, but how you finish.

Canada Waste TV

Maybe I'm in the very small minority here, but does it seem like Canada West has zero broadcast standards for its hockey broadcasts? I can't comment on other sports, but there are significant differences between each teams' broadcasts in terms of professionalism, preparedness, and delivery. I'm not sure about you, but it feels like I'm wasting my money by "donating" it to Canada West TV.

There should be zero names mispronounced. There should be intermission features. There should be pregame and post-game shows. There should be a general knowledge about teams and their histories. There should be knowledge about players and their histories. Some broadcasts have pieces of these, and some broadcasts are far more cringe-worthy.

I complain weekly about having no highlights, but the least that Canada West could do is lay down some ground rules for their broadcasts so they sound coherent about the game of women's hockey. I understand that most of the broadcasts are done by students, but that doesn't make it any less valuable than what you see on Sportsnet or ESPN. The women on the ice are busting their tails to put on a show, so the very least that the schools can do is give them a stage worthy of that effort.

Of course, me complaining about Canada West TV is a constant when the OUA and AUS allow anyone to watch. Those broadcasts aren't much better, mind you, but at least I'm not paying cable TV prices to watch the equivalent of public access television. Do better, Canada West. A lot better.

The Last Word

I already know that this week is going to be a busy one for my day job, but the good news is that I'm done Christmas shopping and all the scheduled parties and required cameos at events are done. That means more time that I can dedicate to some advanced stats for Canada West through the opening half of the season!

The calculator will come out, stats will be scoured, and I'll dig into stuff like scoring first and team success, primary scoring, Christmas wishes for teams, and more. While trends won't predict who will join the host Saskatchewan Huskies at the U SPORTS National Championship in Saskatoon this season, it may give us a good idea who the winner of Canada West may be. If nothing else, they might be good thought pieces that will get the discussions going.

If there's anything else you want to see, reach out. If you think I'm a madman, reach out. If you just want to talk hockey, reach out. As you're likely aware, I do enjoy chatting about the game, and there's lots of stuff within the Canada West women's hockey world that we can discuss, disseminate, and dissect. And if you're good just reading this and not chatting, thanks for reading, keep cheering for your favorite team, and we'll see you next week!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!