The Rundown - All-Stars And More

If you're a fan of Canadian university hockey, you're likely aware that there isn't an actual All-Star Game played. While All-Stars are named at the end of the season, the women's side of U SPORTS doesn't get to actually play a game where the best of the season meet for bragging rights. I understand why this can't take place with students studying for exams and the whole holiday season, but it still seems like a miss when there's a chance to show off the incredibly talented women who skate in the Canada West Conference.

If you've been a reader of The Rundown, you likely already know that I'm going to select all-stars on this article. The title gives that away, but 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.

UBC would host this game if it happened as they are the top team in the conference, and UBC head coach Graham Thomas would get his second-straight nod as the coach of the Surf-and-Turf team. On the other side, Scott Rivett of Mount Royal would also get his second-straight coaching 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 they deserve to be rewarded with an all-star nod for their work this season.

Let's look at my nominations for the Canada West All-Star Teams in 2022-23! Players in yellow are forwards, players in orange are defenders, and players in red are goaltenders. Rookies will be noted with two asterisks.

• Tatum Amy (MRU) - leads the conference in scoring.
• Aliya Jomha (MRU) - second in conference scoring.
• Elizabeth Lang (CAL) - leads the Dinos in scoring.
• Madison Willan (ALB) - leads the Pandas in scoring.
• Makenna Schuttler (MAC) - leads the Griffins in scoring.
• Sydney Mercier (CAL) - top non-UBC rookie scorer.**
• Emma Bergesen (MRU) - top scorer on MRU's blue line.
• Taylor Kezama (ALB) - Pandas' top-scoring defender.
• Taylor Anker (ALB) - Alberta's top PP scorer not named Willan.
• Kaitlyn Ross (MRU) - most wins; top-three in most stats.
• Halle Oswald (ALB) - second-most wins; top-five in stats.

There shouldn't really be any 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 here as I went back and forth in looking at both Sydney Hughson (MAC) and Mackenzie Butz (MRU) for the final defensive spot while Courtney Kollman (MRU), Alli Borrow (CAL), and Payton Laumbach (ALB) all were in the mix for one of the five forwards spots. Sydney Mercier narrowly edged out Sara Kazeil (ALB) for the rookie spot.

Amy and Jomha were natural selections after they've jumped out to lead the conference in scoring while Lang, Willan, and Schuttler have all been the statistical leaders for their respective teams all season. Mercier has been a nice addition to the Dinos as a first-year player, and her contributions haven't gone unnoticed by this writer.

Bergesen's development over the years has her second in defender scoring which made her an easy choice. Veteran defender Taylor Kezama is anchoring the Pandas' blue line while Taylor Anker has shown incredible talent in quarterbacking the Pandas' power-play. Ross and Oswald are tied for second-most appearances in their creases this season, but both have put up incredible personal statistics while helping their teams to top-three positions in the conference.

• Chanreet Bassi (UBC) - third in conference in scoring.
• Amy Potomak (TWU) - leads the conference in goals.
• Brooklyn Anderson (TWU) - second in Spartans scoring.
• Sophie Lalor (SAS) - highest pts-per-game for the Huskies.
• Kate Gregoire (MAN) - Fluffy Cows' leading scorer.
• Cassidy Rhodes (UBC) - top rookie scorer in CanWest.**
• Hannah Koroll (UBC) - top defender scorer in Canada West.
• Hannah Pennell (REG) - Cougars' top goal-scorer.
• Kendra Zuchotzki (SAS) - Huskies' top blue-liner.
• Elise Hugens (UBC) - one of CanWest's top goalies statistically.
• Camryn Drever (SAS) - a top goalie, but needs goal support.

UBC leads the way with four selections as they're the top team in the conference, 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 Taylor Wilkinson (SAS), Kennedy Brown (SAS), Sarah Dennehy (MAN), and Olivia Leier (TWU) up front while Sophia Gaskell (UBC), Brooklyn Stevely (SAS), and Chelsea Debusschere (TWU) were all in consideration on the blue line. Arden Kliewer (REG) almost made the cut based on her personal statistics in light of Regina's record, but the two netminders chosen were statistically superior to Kliewer. Colby Wilson (SAS) got a look as well, but her lack of playing time behind Drever needs to be increased to see if she can consistently hold the numbers she's posted thus far.

Potomak has been a difference maker in Langley and has helped Anderson elevate her play. Bassi is quietly having another fantastic season in Vancouver while Rhodes has been far-and-away the best freshman on the ice this season. Gregoire's scoring exploits have always been celebrated by this writer, and Sophie Lalor is having another quality season in Saskatoon as one of Saskatchewan's go-to players. These six make scoring goals look easy.

Koroll reallty started showing her collection of skills last season, and that solid play has carried over into this season as she leads all Canada West defenders in points. Kendra Zuchotzki is going to anchor the Huskies' blue line for seasons to come as she gets better and better, and Hannah Pennell's scoring has been a result of her finding shooting lanes on the Regina power-play. It's hard to argue that Elise Hugens isn't replicating her amazing season from one year ago as there's been no sign of a sophomore slump, and Camryn Drever is doing precisely what she does best in stonewalling the opposition and giving the Huskies a chance to win every night.

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

The Awards

I'm not going to make this part long-winded. I get a total of zero votes for any and all awards in Canada West, so this is strictly me going off what I've seen so far this season.

• "Rocket" Richard Trophy: Amy Potomak (TWU). She plays in all situations, and her shot is lethal. Can she hit 20 goals?
• Vezina Trophy: Kaitlyn Ross (MRU). She leads in wins, GAA, and save percentage by starting netminders.
• Calder Trophy: Cassidy Rhodes (UBC). She plays in all situations, and leads all other rookies by 7 goals.
• Norris Trophy: Hannah Koroll (UBC). She leads CanWest defenders in scoring and all 3 goals are GWGs.
• Adams Trophy: Graham Thomas (UBC). Top-ranked team in U SPORTS, and #1 in Canada West with #2 PP and PK.
• Hart Trophy: Tatum Amy (MRU). It doesn't matter what role she's given, Amy has succeeded this season. The Cougars' captain leads CanWest with 18 assists, 24 points, 8 PPA, and is tied at +15. She stands out at both ends of the ice.

No Arguing, Please

Let's be honest: this is one person's opinion based on what was seen through the first 16-18 games for the nine Canada West teams. Should these selections be taken as gospel? Absolutely not. You can likely make a case for most any player skating in Canada West, but these are who I saw as making the biggest differences in the first-half of the season.

Let me be clear about this: 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.

To everyone named, congratulations. To everyone not named, I'll be watching to see if your play bumps anyone from these lists!

The "What About" Game

On The Hockey Show this week, I had Sydney Hughson as my MacEwan pick, and I won't deny that she deserves some consideration. However, I also won't deny that the discussion that Jason and I had following the show about some of our picks led me in a different direction with today's picks.

The picks made on The Hockey Show were also traditional five-player lines, so there were a few differences in how I considered those choices. With just three defender spots on Team Rockies, different elements were weighed which led to a couple of changes. Does it mean that I think Hughson shouldn't have been there? Heck no - she quite easily could be there. What it does mean is that the constitution of the team led to different choices being made with different weights given to skills and statistics.

Full disclosure: any Canada West player and all of the Canada West women would skate circles around me in their sleep. Not being named to one of these two imaginary teams means diddly squat when it comes to what happens on the ice in the second half of the season. Win games, play at Nationals - that's the important stuff now!

The Last Word

I'm going to pull out the old calculator this week and start my breakdown of statistics and looking at trends from within Canada West. Having posted some of this in years past gives me an easy template to follow, but I'll take a look at the usual statistical stuff again: scoring first and team success, primary scoring, defender scoring and team success, and more. While trends won't predict who will represent Canada West at the U SPORTS National Championship in Montreal this season, it may give us a good idea who is a favorite to do so.

Beyond that, if there's anything else you want to see in December, let me know! Let your voice be heard in the comments, and I'll do my best to accommodate. No request will go unread, but I can't guarantee that I can make all requests a reality. I'll try, but I'll evaluate each request with respect to time and research needs!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!