Cancel the season . . .

The WHL’s regular season opens tonight (Thursday) with the Vancouver Giants visiting the defending-champion Kelowna Rockets.
With that in mind, I was sitting around earlier this week with not a whole lot to do — truth be told I was footballed out after watching Notre Dame at Michigan, USC at Ohio State, Oregon State at UNLV, Minnesota at Cleveland, Chicago at Green Bay, Buffalo at New England and some of San Diego at Oakland — so decided to put together some preseason predictions.
I also chose to do this because I have been a bit lonesome the last little while — there hasn’t been any hate-mail show up in my inbox of late.
Anyway . . . here’s how one person thinks the conference races might unfold (emphasis on might):
EASTERN CONFERENCE
1. Saskatoon Blades: GM/head coach Lorne Molleken has himself quite a team. The biggest question mark involves goaltending where Adam Morrison must be himself, rather than attempt to replace the more-than-capable Braden Holtby.
2. Brandon Wheat Kings: As the host team for the Memorial Cup, the Wheat Kings know they’ll be playing in May. Might that play a role in their mental preparation this season? If the Wheat Kings, whose lineup should include two first-round NHL picks in forwards Brayden Schenn and Scott Glennie, can get up for this season, they very well could finish atop the Eastern Conference.
3. Calgary Hitmen: Head coach Mike Williamson returns to the WHL after two seasons away from the game. He is revitalized and re-energized and the Hitmen will be better off for it. Martin Jones — all he does is stop pucks — provides terrific goaltending; F Brandon Kozun will lead the offence.
4. Kootenay Ice: GM Jeff Chynoweth and head coach Mark Holick have quietly gone about their business and put together a squad that is on the verge of breaking back into the upper echelon, especially in a season when there appear to be so many question marks.
5. Medicine Hat Tigers: Willie Desjardins’ bunch will be small and quick — what else is new? — and will win if they can score on the PP.
6. Edmonton Oil Kings: Last season, head coach Steve Pleau guided the franchise to its first playoff spot. This season the Oil Kings, led by G Torrie Jung and D Mark Pysyk, will continue their climb up the standings.
7. Regina Pats: Head coach Curtis Hunt returns from a one-season kick at the professional cat. And rather than open with three goaltenders, as the Pats did last season, he got down to two five days before the season-opener. Now all he needs is to get F Jordan Eberle (Edmonton Oilers), D Colten Teubert (Los Angeles) and D Matt Delahey (New Jersey Devils) back from pro teams.
8. Red Deer Rebels: This team has languished near the bottom for far too long. Forwards Landon Ferraro and Willie Coetzee and G Darcy Kuemper should be able to get it into a playoff spot.
9. Moose Jaw Warriors: Despite replacing GM Chad Lang with former Kelowna head coach Jeff Truitt, the Warriors kept head coach Dave Hunchak and that stability behind the bench should pay off as they challenge for a playoff spot. They’ve got good goaltending, led by veteran Jeff Bosch, and Jason Bast is a quality forward. Look for Jesse Paradis, acquired last season from Kelowna, to have a breakout season.
10. Swift Current Broncos: How well will the Broncos adapt to the style of GM/head coach Mark Lamb, a man who hasn’t been around the WHL since his major junior playing career ended in 1984?
11. Prince Albert Raiders: Bruno Campese is the GM/head coach. He continues restructuring the organization and rebuilding the team.
12. Lethbridge Hurricanes: GM/head coach Rich Preston has a massive job ahead of him. It doesn’t help that arena renovations mean they’ll open with eight games on the road.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
1. Kelowna Rockets: They are the defending champions and, as such, are No. 1 until someone knocks them off the pedestal. They will get capable goaltending from Adam Brown, at least until veteran Mark Guggenberger is healthy. Tyson Barrie and Colin Bowman will lead the defence. And up front they’ll do more grinding than last season, with Mitchell (Dirty Harry) Callahan and Curt Gogol doing a lot of the dirty work. It would really help if C Colin Long, 20, returns from the Phoenix Coyotes.
2. Vancouver Giants: How far will head coach Don Hay ride three 16-year-old defencemen? How will the Giants cope with a schedule that has them out of their arena (Pacific Coliseum) from early January until mid-March because of the Winter Olympcis? G Jamie Tucker was 18-1-0-1 last season but only made one start against a real contender.
3. Tri-City Americans: Three straight 100-point seasons is worthy of some love, isn’t it? G Chet Pickard is gone, meaning someone is going to have to step up and stop pucks, but the story is the same in Spokane (Dustin Tokarski) and Vancouver (Tyson Sexsmith) where veterans have moved on. Still, Tri-City has three fine 20-year-olds in D Brett Plouffe, D Jarrett Toll and F Johnny Lazo to lead the way.
4. Portland Winterhawks: I’m not on the Winterhawks’ bandwagon; I’m driving it. This organization reeks of professionalism after a few seasons when it was so lacking in just that. The Winterhawks will be the story of the season as the Winterhawks climb back into daylight after three seasons in the basement.
5. Spokane Chiefs: D Jared Cowen begins the season by continuing to rehab a knee injury in Ottawa with the Senators. Injuries also kept D Jared Spurgeon and F Ryan Letts out of exhibition games. Tyler Johnson and Mitch Wahl lead a competent group of forwards.
6. Kamloops Blazers: The Blazers, led by the likes of Tyler Shattock, C.J. Stretch and Shayne Wiebe, will score. But will they cut down on the shots against that lead to too many goals against?
7. Everett Silvertips: Craig Hartsburg is into his first season as a WHL head coach after stops in the NHL and OHL. There are some good, young forwards — Kellan Tochkin, Byron Froese et al — but how quickly will they adapt to the new coach?
8. Prince George Cougars: Dean Clark, the 13th-winningest regular-season coach in WHL history, is back in the game after a two-year absence. He knows he’s up against it as he tries to rebuild the franchise, but he has F Brett Connolly, the reigning CHL rookie of the year, to lead the way.
9. Chilliwack Bruins: Marc Habscheid, who hasn’t coached in the WHL since winning the 2004 Memorial Cup with Kelowna, is back, this time as GM and head coach. His modus operandi hasn’t changed, so you know the Bruins will be sound systematically, which means they will be sound defensively. F Kevin Sundher and D Brandon Manning are the Bruins’ best players.
10. Seattle Thunderbirds: Goaltender Calvin Pickard won’t be enough to lead the Seattle Thunderbirds of Kent into the playoffs.
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Now here’s the way Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post sees the division races unfolding (his picks, in their entirety, should appear right here sometime Thursday):
EAST DIVISION
1. Brandon Wheat Kings; 2. Saskatoon Blades; 3. Regina Pats; 4. Swift Current Broncos; 5. Moose Jaw Warriors; 6. Prince Albert Raiders
CENTRAL DIVISION: 1. Calgary Hitmen; 2. Medicine Hat Tigers; 3. Kootenay Ice; 4. Lethbridge Hurricanes; 5. Edmonton Oil Kings; 6. Red Deer Rebels
B.C. DIVISION: 1. Vancouver Giants; 2. Kamloops Blazers; 3. Kelowna Rockets; 4. Chilliwack Bruins; 5. Prince George Cougars
U.S. DIVISION: 1. Everett Silvertips; 2. Seattle Thunderbirds; 3. Tri-City Americans; 4. Spokane Chiefs; 5. Portland Winter Hawks
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And, finally, here is how the WHL’s broadcasters, all 22 of them, see things finishing:
EASTERN CONFERENCE: 1. Brandon; 2. Calgary; 3. Saskatoon; 4. Kootenay; 5. Medicine Hat; 6. Swift Current; 7. Edmonton; 8. Regina; 9. Red Deer; 10. Moose Jaw; 11. Lethbridge; 12. Prince Albert
WESTERN CONFERENCE: 1. Vancouver; 2. Everett; 3. Kelowna; 4. Spokane; 5. Kamloops; 6. Portland; 7. Tri-City; 8. Chilliwack; 9. Seattle; 10. Prince George.