WHL Eastern Conference Playoff Preview: Brandon aims to dethrone Oil Kings

Like any coin, there are two sides to the WHL’s Eastern Conference playoff picture. The Brandon Wheat Kings are heavily favoured to come out of the East Division following capturing the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy. The Central Division, on the other hand, appears to be an all-out dogfight.

Nonetheless, as every junior hockey fan knows, the post-season is very rarely as it seems. There is bound to be at least one upset every year. The third-seeded Calgary Hitmen were toppled by the Kootenay Ice last season, albeit it’s not exactly accurate to consider any team led by Buffalo Sabres prospect Sam Reinhart as an underdog. In 2012-13, the Medicine Hat Tigers swept the Saskatoon Blades, the Memorial Cup hosts, in the first round.

East Division

(1) Brandon Wheat Kings (53-11-4-4, 114 pts) vs. (4) Edmonton Oil Kings (34-31-4-3, 75 pts)

Season series: Wheat Kings 3-1-0-0. Prediction: Wheat Kings in 6.

Series in a sentence: Clash of the Eastern Conference Kings.

It is fitting that the Wheat Kings are facing the Oil Kings this year. Not only did Edmonton knock them out of the playoffs last season, but Brandon also appears to be headed down the same path that its playoff foes were on from 2011-2014. Just as the Oil Kings made three straight trips to the league finals and won two championships, Manitoba's lone WHL club is built to contend for a title the next three years.

Look no further than the Wheat Kings' depth for why the club finished first in the league. They have five NHL draft picks up front plus leading scorer Tim McGauley, top rookie Nolan Patrick and import Richard Bukarts. In addition, a pair of high-end NHL draft prospects – Ivan Provorov and Ryan Pilon – anchors their blueline.

Goaltender Jordan Papirny may be the one hole to exploit in Brandon's roster. The 18-year-old, who posted a 2.74 average and .910 save percentage in 59 matches, has looked average at times this season. He does, however, have a good track record in the post-season as he was excellent in 2013-14.

Edmonton isn’t the same team as last year. They lost New York Islanders first-rounder Griffin Reinhart, Arizona Coyotes prized pick Henrik Samuelsson and Ottawa Senators wing Curtis Lazar to the pros in the offseason. They are counting heavily on Dallas Stars pick Brett Pollock to lead the offense and Pittsburgh Penguins second-rounder Tristan Jarry to shut the door in the blue paint. It seems a dethroning is inevitable unless that happens.

(2) Regina Pats (37-24-5-6, 85 pts) vs. (3) Swift Current Broncos (34-33-1-4, 73 pts)

Season series: Broncos 5-2-0-1. Prediction: Pats in 7.

Series in a sentence: Overachieving Pats look to buck the Broncos.

The Pats aren’t supposed to be sitting in second place. They not only appeared to be a step behind the Broncos on paper heading into this year, but they also were sellers at the trade deadline, moving four of their top 19-year-old veterans.

The biggest reason why Regina has a good shot at winning this series is John Paddock. He wasn’t nominated as the Eastern Conference’s Coach of the Year for nothing. He runs a well-oiled machine that plays a smooth game.

With Sam Steel out of the lineup with an ankle injury, the Queen City Kids are depending on a handful of players to step up to fill the offensive void left by the rookie superstar. It goes without saying that the squad’s leading scorers like 18-year-old centre Adam Brooks and overage Taylor Cooper will be counted on to produce, but the Pats will also rely on valiant efforts from some of their younger players such as Austin Wagner and Jesse Gabrielle.

Appearing as an underachiever, the Broncos went the opposite way of the Pats this year. They didn’t live up to expectations on the ice with a room full of high-end talent like Columbus Blue Jackets second-rounder Dillon Heatherington and 2015 NHL draft prospect Jake DeBrusk.

Swift Current’s best bet to win the series is in between its pipes. If Landon Bow bests Daniel Wapple and steals a game or two, there’s a good chance the Broncos will advance to the second round. Bow, who posted a 3.14 average and .911 save percentage in 66 games, appeared to be one of the Dub’s top goalies at times this year, but on other occasions looked quite average.

Central Division

(1) Calgary Hitmen (45-22-1-4, 95 pts) vs. (4) Kootenay Ice (37-31-1-3, 78 pts)

Season series: Hitmen 4-2-1-0. Prediction: Hitmen in 7.

Series in a sentence: Red-hot Hitmen eager for redemption against Reinhart’s Ice.

The Hitmen are out for revenge against the Ice. Losing to them in the first round last year essentially cost

Mike Williamson his job behind the bench.

Calgary went through some ups and downs under rookie head coach Mark French, but clearly had more ups than downs as they won their division. They managed to win nine games in a row and capture four out of five victories on the tough U.S. road trip in the latter half of the season.

Goals shouldn’t be an issue for the Hitmen. Their offense is jam-packed with high-end skill such as New York Rangers prospect Adam Tambellini, Vancouver Canucks first-rounder Jake Virtanen, Minnesota Wild draft choice Chase Lang and overage Connor Rankin. In addition, Philadelphia Flyers top pick Travis Sanheim led all WHL defenders on the stats sheet with 15 goals and 65 points in 67 matches.

If Calgary has an Achilles heel, it’s in the crease. It would appear French is going with Brendan Burke because he started the last two regular-season games. He has been quite good at times but not so hot on other occasions. If he falters, Mack Schields will take over the blue paint. The biggest problem with that is Calgary might not have the luxury of being able to afford a couple of sub par performances in net against Kootenay.

The Ice’s 37-31-1-3 record isn’t an accurate assessment of the team facing the Hitmen. A 27-17-1-2 record would be more on the ball – that’s the record they had with Reinhart in the lineup.

Kootenay’s elite offense not only gives them a shot to win this series, but also a chance to win the entire conference. Reinhart, St. Louis Blues selection Jaedon Descheneau, Montreal Canadiens pick Tim Bozon and veteran playmaker Luke Philip is one of the best scoring quartets in the league.

(2) Medicine Hat Tigers (45-23-2-2, 94 pts) vs. (3) Red Deer Rebels (38-23-5-6, 87 pts)

Season series: Tigers 4-2-0-0. Prediction: Tigers in 6.

Series in a sentence: Streaky Tigers aim to claw through a strong rebellion.

There have been two different Tigers squads this year in Medicine Hat. They’ve been ferocious at times like when they started the year 8-1-1-0 and ended it 7-2-1-0. But during a slump at the start of February, the Tigers looked as though they forgot how to win when they lost 10 of 12 contests.

That said, it seems unwise to believe Medicine Hat GM-head coach Shaun Clouston won’t have his team firing on all cylinders against Red Deer. He manages to squeeze all he can out of his club every playoff. They made it to the Eastern Conference final last season and swept Saskatoon in the first round the previous two years.

The Tigers ultimately look better on paper this year than the previous two seasons, possibly three. Veteran forwards Trevor Cox, Cole Sanford and Dryden Hunt give the club a solid trio to lead the offense. On the back end, meanwhile, St. Louis Blues second-rounder Tommy Vannelli, New York Islanders pick Kyle Burroughs and team captain Tyler Lewington, who will miss the first game because of a suspension, offer a nice blend of offensive skill, composure and experience.

With Carolina Hurricanes prized pick Haydn Fleury and Colorado Avalanche first-rounder Conner Bleackley leading the charge, the Rebels without question have the talent to win the series. But the pair of high NHL picks won’t be able to win the series on their own. Red Deer will need younger players such as 17-year-old Adam Musil, 16-year-old defender Josh Mahura and 18-year-old blueliner Austin Strand to step up in order to defeat their rival foes. A strong effort from rookie netminder Rylan Toth wouldn’t hurt, either.

Kelly Friesen is a Buzzing the Net columnist for Yahoo! Sports. Follow him on Twitter @KellyFriesen