The 2007–08 WHL season was the 42nd season of the
Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...
(WHL). The regular season began on September 20, 2007, and ended on March 16, 2008. The WHL Playoffs began on March 21, 2008, and ended on May 7, 2008.
A new expansion team, the
Edmonton Oil Kings
The Edmonton Oil Kings are a major junior ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, that play in the Western Hockey League. As of July 2008, they are owned by Daryl Katz's Oilers Entertainment Group, which also owns the Edmonton Oilers ...
, joined the league bringing the WHL to 22 teams that played a 72-game season. The
Spokane Chiefs
The Spokane Chiefs are a major junior ice hockey team that plays in the Western Hockey League based out of Spokane, Washington. The team plays its home games at the Spokane Arena. Their uniforms are similar to those of the NHL's Montreal Canadi ...
won the
Ed Chynoweth Cup
The Ed Chynoweth Cup is an ice hockey club championship trophy awarded to the playoff champion of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Originally called the President's Cup when the league was founded in 1966, the trophy was renamed in 2007 to honou ...
, defeating the
Lethbridge Hurricanes
The Lethbridge Hurricanes are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team currently members of the Eastern Conference (Central Division) of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The team is based in Lethbridge, Alberta, and play their home games at the ...
in four games. Spokane would go on to capture the
Memorial Cup
The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League, a consortium of three major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tournament played between t ...
.
League notes
* The Oil Kings joined the Central Division of the Eastern Conference, bringing the Eastern Conference to twelve teams, while the Western Conference remained at ten. The new team in
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
's capital is the fourth WHL team to represent the city of Edmonton, preceded by the original
Oil Kings franchises that played in the 1960s and 1970s, and later the
Edmonton Ice
The Edmonton Ice were a junior ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, that played two seasons in the Western Hockey League from 1996 to 1998.
History
The WHL expanded to Edmonton in 1996, and the Ice began play at the Northlands Agri ...
, who played two seasons from 1996 to 1998 before relocating to the
Kootenays
The Kootenays or Kootenay ( ) is a region of southeastern British Columbia. It takes its name from the Kootenay River, which in turn was named for the Kutenai First Nations people.
Boundaries
The Kootenays are more or less defined by the Kootenay ...
.
* The playoff format was revised so that the top eight teams in the conference qualify for the playoffs, as opposed to the top four in each division. Division winners are guaranteed a top two seed in each conference.
Final standings
''Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OTL = Overtime losses; SOL = Shootout losses; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points; x = Clinched playoff berth; y = Clinched conference title''
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
Scoring leaders
''Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes''
Leading goaltenders
''Note: GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; SOL = Shootout losses ; GA = Goals against; SO = Total shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average''
2008 WHL Playoffs
Overview
Conference quarter-finals
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
Conference semi-finals
Conference finals
WHL Championship
Memorial Cup
The
90th MasterCard Memorial Cup
The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League, a consortium of three major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tournament played between t ...
was held in
Kitchener,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
.
It began on May 16, and concluded on May 25, 2008.
WHL awards
All-Star Teams
*source: Western Hockey League press release
2008 Bantam Draft
First round
Notes
See also
*
2008 Memorial Cup
*
2007–08 OHL season
*
2007–08 QMJHL season
*
2008 NHL Entry Draft
The 2008 NHL Entry Draft was the 46th NHL Entry Draft. It was hosted by the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Place in the city of Ottawa, Ontario, on June 20–21, 2008. The Senators were originally awarded the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, but because of ...
*
2007 in ice hockey The following is a chronicle of events during the year 2007 in ice hockey.
National Hockey League
* 2007 Stanley Cup: The Anaheim Ducks defeated the Ottawa Senators in five games to capture their first Stanley Cup. The Ducks became the first Cal ...
*
2008 in ice hockey
References
* ''2006–07 WHL Guide'' (2007).
Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...
. Retrieved on 2007-06-04.
External links
Official website of the Western Hockey LeagueOfficial website of the Canadian Hockey LeagueOfficial website of the MasterCard Memorial CupOfficial website of the Home Hardware Top Prospects GameOfficial website of the ADT Canada Russia Challenge
{{DEFAULTSORT:2007-08 Whl Season
Western Hockey League seasons
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