Kicking off the WHL's 2014-15 season with 10 bold predictions

Just as in any other year, there is no shortage of uncertainties surrounding the WHL’s 2014-15 season. It seems to all start with the immediate futures of the league’s elite NHL prospects, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg.

BTN has took a stab at 10 bold predictions surrounding the upcoming season just in time for the opening night's puck drop.

Top quartet of 19-year-old talent sticks in The Show – The writing is on the wall that the NHL is going to steal the WHL’s top 1995-born talent. Prince Albert Raiders superstars Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers) and Josh Morrissey (Winnipeg Jets), Edmonton Oil Kings centre Curtis Lazar (Ottawa Senators) and Kootenay Ice sniper Sam Reinhart (Buffalo Sabres) appear to be ready to make an early NHL entrance. They have nothing left to prove at the major junior level and their respective teams seem to have holes for them to fill.

Past the big four, it seems only Everett Silvertips blueliner Mirco Mueller has what it takes to skip out on his 19-year-old season. The Sharks could make room for the 6-foot-4, 200-pound Switzerland native if he earns his keep in training camp and pre-season.

Blades deal Nikita Scherbak – Regarding whether they might trade the Montreal Canadiens first-round pick, Saskatoon GM-head coach Bob Woods has already stated: “If something came on our plate that was too good to pass up, we'd have to really seriously look at it.” It seems to be a good indication that the Blades would like to cash in on some future assets for the 1995-born talent as long as they aren’t low-balled.

Saskatoon’s other alternative to trading Scherbak is to lose one of their other two imports – Russian winger Nikita Soshnin and Swedish defender Amil Krupic – for nothing because the CHL doesn't allow teams to trade import rookies for just reasons. It wouldn’t make too much sense in their second year of a major retool; however, trading Scherbak practically guarantees they won’t see any playoff money this year.

Oliver Bjorkstrand leads the league in scoring – The Portland Winterhawks import, whom the Columbus Blue Jackets selected in the third round of the 2013 NHL draft, broke out last year with 50 goals and 109 points in 69 contests. He seems to have everything going for him to take one-step further his year by winning the Bobby Clarke trophy in his 19-year-old season. In addition, Bjorkstrand's biggest rival for the award, teammate Nicolas Petan, will likely miss more WHL action than him at the world junior championship as a memember of Team Canada. Hence, possibly giving the Denmark native a slight advantage in games played.

Sam Steel, Tyler Benson go head-to-head for the rookie award – The two Edmonton boys seem poised to battle it out for the top rookie honour. Vancouver Giants GM Scott Bonner said Benson was far and away his team’s best player through some exhibition action while Steel netted six goals and 10 points for the Regina Pats in four pre-season games.

That’s not to say the rookie award will be a two-horse race, though. Brandon Wheat Kings freshmen Nolan Patrick and Kale Clague seem ready to hit the ground running this year.

Cougars, Warriors get back into the playoffs – Both fan bases should see some post-season action after multiple years without it. Prince George has the tools to finish as high as sixth in the Western Conference with a quality 17-year-old trio of Jansen Harkins, Brad Morrison and Tate Olson as its foundation. Moose Jaw, meanwhile, should be able to sneak into the second season because of a Brayden Point-led offense.

Wheat Kings dominate the East Division – Even though they are built for next year, Brandon will do some serious damage this season. They have a strong offense built around New Jersey Devils first-rounder John Quenneville, Florida Panthers second-rounder Jayce Hawryluk and Patrick. They will also be in good shape on the defensive side of the puck despite losing New York Islanders first-rounder Ryan Pulock because of a blueline trio of Ryan Pilon, Ivan Provorov and Clague and a quality puck-stopper in Jordan Papirny.

Ultimately, only the Swift Current Broncos will challenge Brandon in the East Division. The Pats and Warriors are clearly a step behind while the Blades and Raiders aren’t even close to being on their level. The Wheat Kings should rack up at least 90 points on the year when considering their circumstances.

Matt Barzal solidifies himself as a top 10 NHL draft pick – As of right now, the Seattle Thunderbirds centre is as good as it gets in the WHL regarding 2015 NHL draft prospects. But the thing is that he only seemed to scratch the surface of what he is capable of last year in his rookie season where he scored 14 goals and 54 points in 59 games. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound Barzal should take off this year with a strong supporting cast around him.

Rebels win the bid to host the 2016 MasterCard Memorial Cup – It's time to bring the Memorial Cup back to Red Deer. They haven't hosted the tourney since 1974 and appear to have enough young talent to have a powerhouse club next year. These two points should give them the slight edge over the Vancouver Giants at the league vote on Oct. 8.

Jaedon Descheneau becomes a hot option at the trade deadline – It’s hard to pick the Kootenay Ice to miss the playoffs because they always seem to find a way to sneak in. But with it being almost a sure thing that Reinhart makes the Sabres, it’s tough to fathom how they’ll be able to crack the Eastern Conference’s top eight with sparse talent in all three positions.

In saying that, Descheneau, who scored 44 goals and 98 points in 70 games last year, will be an enticing player to pick up at the trade deadline. The St. Louis Blues prospect would immediately bolster most of the playoff team’s offenses with his slick speed and skill. The trade would hurt Kootenay’s ticket sales, though, which they might not be able to afford because of some recent red balance sheets.

Big change follows the Raiders’ season – With Draisaitl and Morrissey appearing to be NHL bound, it doesn’t look like Prince Albert will do much damage this year. They ultimately will need top-notch goaltending from 17-year-old Nick McBride to even have a shot at making the playoffs.

With that said, big change should follow another mediocre year in Prince Albert because GM Bruno Campese and head coach Cory Clouston are in the last year of their deals. It would be quite hard for the Raiders to justify keeping Campese as they haven’t won a playoff round in his seven years with the team. It seems safe to assume Clouston won’t be given a new contract if his boss is shown the door.

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