As the WHL's regular season winds its way to an end, so too does the Lethbridge Hurricanes Hockey Club list of Top 30 players over the last 30 years.
It has been one heck of a list (in descending order):
#30. Cam Braes
#29. Travis Brigley
#28. Jamie Pushor
#27. Colton Yellowhorn
#26. Mark Smith
#25. Kelly Ens
#24. Dwight King
#23. Brantt Myhres
#22. Carter Bancks
#21. Tyler Wong
#20. Juha Metsola
#19. Corey Lyons
#18. Brad Rubachuk
#17. Mark Szoke
#16. Colton Scevior
#15. Shane Willis
#14. Luca Sbisa
#13. Jamie McLennan
#12. Zach Boychuk
#11. Bryce Salvador
#10. Domenic Pittis
#9. Bryan Bosch
#8. Nathan Barrett
#7. Mark Greig
#6. Byron Ritchie
#5. Shane Peacock
#4. Kevin St. Jacques
So now we're down to our final three. And I think we can safely begin the arguments over who will be in that top three, and in what particular order. Here are my bold predictions on who gets in:
#3. Logan Koopmans
He spent a ton of time in the Windy City, and holds the team career records for games played and shutouts. Koopmans has been kind of overshadowed based on the fact the Hurricanes just didn't have any playoff success when he was in net. That said, the only other goalies on this list are Juha Metsola and Jamie McLennan, which makes me think Koopmans is a shoe-in, albeit not in the top two.
#2. Brent Seabrook
This felt like a bit of a toss-up. If we're factoring what these players did in the NHL, then Brent Seabrook makes it to #1. But I think this list has been based solely on the resume during Hurricane playing days. Seabrook spent four years with the Canes, was a captain for three seasons and sits #2 in points by a defenseman (only behind Shane Peacock). He was pretty darn good. But not quite good enough.
#1. Jason Ruff
Say hello to the team's all-time goals and points leader. He had 62 goals in one season. Ruff also wasn't afraid of sitting in the sin-bin. And while he didn't have himself the same kind of pro career that Seabrook had, but he still had a lengthy life in hockey and is considered one of the greatest Hurricanes to ever play for the team. I reckon he's sitting in top spot when all is said and done.
If my combination does hold true, one guy who might have mysteriously missed the list is Wes Walz. The one knock against him is he wasn't in Lethbridge for very long. But he put up a shwack of points in those two seasons, leading the team in all-time points-per-game. I just don't know if he had the longevity to break through.
So what do you think? Am I on the mark or did I miss someone? Let me know!
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