Game On Magazine 2017 May 2017 | Page 107

When asked about his chances going up against Toews and Co. in the first round, McLeod grinned from ear to ear before offering his thoughts on the series.“ Yeah, Toews is a heck of a player, and seems like a great person,” McLeod said.“ I don’ t really know them too well, but that’ s just what everybody kind of says. Toews has won at every level, so I looked forward to playing against him.” During the 2016-17 season a number of other Manitobans found themselves playing on new teams. Jordin Tootoo earned a spot in Chicago and played 50 games for the Blackhawks. Defenseman Justin Falk of Snowflake, Man., played 52 games for the Buffalo Sabres and produced eight assists. Ryan White began the year with Arizona before being dealt to the Minnesota Wild at the trade deadline. White matched his 2015- 16 output for the best statistical season of his NHL career. Dale Weise made the slow transition over to the Philadelphia Flyers. Although struggling to produce points at the level he had in the previous two seasons, Weise made his presence felt in Philly, racking up 135 hits and 39 penalty minutes. Goaltenders James Reimer and Calvin Pickard were deemed backups as the season began, but were thrust into starting roles as injuries forced Roberto Luongo and Semyon Varlamov from their respective creases. Although playing on a team struggling to find offence, Pickard managed a 2.98 GAA and two shutouts, while Reimer collected three shutouts and maintained a. 920 save percentage. Finishing off the season, the St. Louis Blues led the way with three Manitobans on their squad. Steen and Ryan Reaves of Winnipeg on forward while playoff hero and Brandon native, Joel Edmundson collected point-after-point on the blueline in the post-season for the Blues. With an exciting off-season ahead, the number of Manitobans in the NHL is expected to grow once again for the start of training camp next season. And who knows, the Stanley Cup could even find its way back to Manitoba before the summer comes to a conclusion. n
THE STATS
DARREN HELM, DETROIT RED WINGS
Games
G
A
Pts
RYAN GARBUTT, Anaheim( Winnipeg)
27
2
1
3
JUSTIN FALK, Buffalo( Snowflake)
52
0
8
8
MICHAEL FERLAND, Calgary( Swan River)
76
15
10
25
JONATHAN TOEWS, Chicago( Winnipeg)
72
21
37
58
JORDIN TOOTOO, Chicago( Churchill)
50
2
1
3
MATT CALVERT, Columbus( Brandon)
65
10
5
15
CODY EAKIN, Dallas( Winnipeg)
60
3
9
12
DYLAN MCILRATH, Fla / Det( Winnipeg)
6
1
0
1
DARREN HELM, Detroit( St. Andrews)
50
8
9
17
RYAN WHITE, Ariz / Minn( Brandon)
65
9
7
16
BRETT LERNOUT, Montreal( Winnipeg)
2
0
0
0
COLIN WILSON, Nashville( Winnipeg)
70
12
23
35
CODY MCLEOD, Col / Nash( Binscarth)
59
5
1
6
TRAVIS ZAJAC, New Jersey( Winnipeg)
80
14
31
45
TRAVIS HAMONIC, NY Islanders( St. Malo)
49
3
11
14
RYAN PULOCK, NY Islanders( Grandview)
1
0
0
0
MARK STONE, Ottawa( Winnipeg)
71
22
32
54
DALE WEISE, Philadelphia( Winnipeg)
64
8
7
15
MICHAEL STONE, Ariz / Calgary( Winnipeg)
64
3
12
15
ALEXANDER STEEN, St. Louis( Winnipeg)
76
22
32
54
RYAN REAVES, St. Louis( Winnipeg)
80
7
6
13
JOEL EDMUNDSON, St. Louis( Brandon)
69
3
12
15
BYRON FROESE, Tor / Tampa( Winkler)
6
0
0
0
ERIC FEHR, Pgh / Toronto( Winkler)
53
6
5
11
QUINTON HOWDEN, Winnipeg( Oakbank)
5
0
0
0
BINSCARTH’ S CODY MCLEOD HELPED THE NASHVILLE
PREDATORS REACH THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL.
GOALIE STATS Games GAA Save Pct.
CALVIN PICKARD, Colorado( Winnipeg)
50
2.98
. 904
JAMES REIMER, Florida( Morweena)
42
2.53
. 920
CHRIS DRIEDGER, Ottawa( Winnipeg)
1
6.00
. 733
2017 CHAMPIONS EDITION GAME ON 107