Around the Horn with Steve Ewen: April 4

0:00You're listening to the Sport Market on SportsNest 650. Under the puck, Jacob Paznika, out to his right on the forehand, slowly and on goal. Paznika, looking for lane, fakes, takes the score! Jacob Paznika, on the penalty shot, makes it 5-1 with 15-54 to go in the third. And what a move by Paznika, going in slow, going to the back and quick cut to the forehand, and he deposits it right to the empty net, and he's walking up as a crowd. Loving what he's seeing with this cut and bandage waving the blue towels, and they can smell round two now. The Penticton Vs continue to be the story in the Western Hockey League in their inaugural season

1:04graduating, essentially from the ranks of the BCHL, and doing it in style against the Seattle Thunderbirds. And I got to tell you, Steve, you're one of the province in the province.com. When you've got a story like the Penticton Vs, you can't help but get more of it. And it looks like we're getting another full series of it, at least. And it wouldn't surprise me if we got more than that. There a team that plays with a lot of structure, a team that's very good on the road, and those teams tend to do on the playoffs. When you look at all the talk in the WHO about NCAA, and now a competition from the NCAA, I think the Penticton Vs are one of those very clear case studies of if you're going to do WHO hockey, if you're going to do junior hockey, do it this way. I think so. I think they obviously coming out of the BCHL, they understand the college game.

2:14They would have connections in the college game. This kind of dovetails nicely for them. I know that wasn't the plan, but they've got a chance to be very good for several years in a row, just in terms of the connections they've got in terms of getting American players who wouldn't normally come up here or wouldn't have come up in the past because of the NCAA rules. So they're going to head start on this new look junior hockey. How different will that new look look, let's say five years out? I think anybody that tells you that they know, I think, is lying. I think the interesting one for me now is with the NHL teams being allowed to put a 19-year-old first-round pick into the WHO. Do you sign a kid at 18 and send them back to junior with the idea that he's going to go in the WHO

3:14or do you let them go play college for a year? Will there be a case? These are obviously all these college kids are kind of one and done guys. Will there be a case where the college teams aren't keen on that? I think it's a work in progress. Do you go play 80 games with playoffs in the WHO? Is that better for you or is it better to play 40 in college and spend that extra time lifting weights and working on your body and getting bigger and stronger? The early returns seem to be that the NHL teams like guys spending that extra time to work on their body. We'll see if that's there. We're talking to Steve Ewan of the province and province sports here on the sport market. Steve, Vancouver connects on Thursday, made it official. They will finish last among the 32 teams of the NHL means the 25.5% chance of picking overall.

4:16Picking number one overall and also assures them of not falling lower than the third pick. What should Adam foot and the Vancouver can be focused on in these last 10 days or so of the regular season? I'd like to see them play the young guys. I'd like to see them give guys a chance. I'd like to see them give the time mullers per set, you know, an opportunity to, you know, get some NHL experience and some NHL calluses, let's say. Yeah, I think they got to look forward. They got to move the story forward. I'd like to see them really lean into some of these young guys and, and, you know, promote them and give them a chance. And, and just, you know, show the fan base, potentially where they could be in two or three or four years. Given the fact that both the BC Lions and the Vancouver White Caps FC will be away for quite a bit of the back end of May into June and July.

5:23Because of the conflict with the FIFA 2026 World Cup, anything that they accomplish before that blackout will set the stage for, let's say, better times after the blackout is lifted and the World Cup comes to an end. Yeah, I think it's important for both those teams to leave, leave on a high note, you know, to leave people wanting more. I think it's important for them to be very good with their social media, which they both are in terms of telling their stories and connecting with, with that. They're, let's call them their usual season ticket holders or their usual fans. And, and just, you know, keeping that story kind of front and front and center. White Caps have a bit of an advantage over the Lions in terms of the fact that they're in regular table play as we speak, including a game night tonight. Portland Timbers and a Cascadia Cup style match against the Vancouver White Caps.

6:23They certainly need to make the most of these opportunities, especially playing at home. I think so. I think, I think we're all so budget conscious and we also, you know, we all have such a limited amount of entertainment cash that I think people are going to be really specific about where they want to spend it. I think you need to create that return business and, you know, there's other things cropping up too. So I think there's a lot of competition. Vancouver Canadians and the parent club Toronto Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners as well. So good for baseball in British Columbia when you've got two parent clubs or two major league baseball clubs who have his high expectations as are out there for the Jays and the Mariners. A lot of people expecting the Mariners to win the American League West Jays, of course, in the very tough American League East.

7:23But certainly looking like they've got plenty of pitching depth. And then you've got the Vancouver Canadians now getting underway. They're on the road, but not too long before the rat Rogers failed at that Bayley Stadium Tuesday. I think it's going to be really fun to see what the ballpark looks like. I know the hope was to get that rooftop terrace going for opening day. It's not going to be there. I think it's I think it's June when they look like they're going to get that going, but it's still going to be nice to see after a couple years of, you know, a lot of construction to see something that looks more like a, you know, the actual ballpark. And last word on the men's side of things goes to the Vancouver Warriors and national class league before we get a final check in on the Vancouver Golden Eyes on the on the Warriors. Interesting to see some of the opportunities now ahead of them both in terms of home playoffs and playoffs period.

8:29Oh, I think there's kind of people that will be looking. We'll have some some money that they had set aside for kind of things that they're going to be willing to spend on a Warrior playoff game. And this was a team that's built to win this year built, you know, built to win right now. They've got all the pieces. They've got a coach this one before they've got one of the best goalies in a league where they're, you know, it's much like the CFL where where if you have one of the two or three best quarterbacks, you got a chance on the, you know, if you've got one of the two or three best goals, you got a chance to win the whole thing. So it'll be it'll be fascinating to see what the crowds are to see how to see what they can do for playoffs and to see if they can they can attract people to downtown. Vancouver Golden Eyes finishing up their inaugural season in the professional women's hockey league any doubt near mind as, you know, given the fact they've come in with the geographic rivals, the Seattle torrent playing just a couple of hours south of them on the I five any

9:33doubt near mind that Calgary in particular and potentially Calgary and Edmonton will figure prominently in the next round of PWH all expansion. I can't imagine them expanding and not putting teams in the West. Just from a financial standpoint, I know people have talked about Halifax and people have talked about Detroit and some of these other, some of these other places and I'm sure they're going to be great. You know, great for if we're at some point financially, I it just makes so much sense and things have gone well, Calgary, I especially so I think I would be stunned if there was at least one team of Canada Western Canada. Before we let you go and thanks for all of that before we let you go, Justin Moore said and it produces chair has one final question for you. Steve to circle back to a little bit of junior hockey here. I know you wrote in the province the other day about to Vancouver Giants captain Ryan Lynn deciding to take his talents down to the University of Denver in the NCAA next season.

10:40That's a bit of a of a different situation from what I'm about to ask you because Lynn obviously is expected to be drafted in the first round in June in a couple months and will be in his draft plus one year heading down to college. Do you think that the seasons that Gavin McKenna and Keaton Verhoff had in their draft years as NCAA players and seeing their stock kind of dip a little bit or questions about their play playing at a higher level might have an impact on 17 year old draft eligible players deciding to make that jump down to the college ranks before they're selected. I think a little bit. I think it's still people are figuring things out. I think teams are figuring out the levels of the guys can play. It's still the shining you joy though and I think that's going to be the challenge. I think on some level I think Verhoff may have actually helped this because I thought we were going to see guys come back. I thought you know the younger guys were really going to struggle in the fact that he made world juniors.

11:44I think you stock is still pretty good. I think he's going to be a top five guy. So I don't think it's going to sting that badly. I think it's still a work of progress. I think people are figuring out I think major junior would get a boost if the NHL would would promote what they're doing and say that that's the route that they want people to go. So I think that's going to be the challenge. Interesting times ahead not just for the WHO on the CHL but for hockey Canada for the various school sport jurisdictions. I think you said it a few minutes ago. Anybody who says they know exactly where things will be in five to ten years. They're not being forward. Hey, have a terrific Easter weekend. I hope the Easter Bunny is real good to you. Thanks for watching. Hey, take take care. He is Steve you and of the province and the province dot com with some bonus feedback there courtesy of the question from Justin Morris set in the producer's chair.

12:56We'll finish the hour strong with our closing bell commentaries next right here on the sport market.