WHL season gets underway: the coast-to-coast

Combing all corners of the country and the blogosphere for your junior hockey headlines ...

WHL

Nick Patterson ponders whether post-Mike Johnston Portland will still be best in the U.S. Division. (Everett Herald, The Columbian)

Our own Scott Sepich has previews for the U.S. and B.C. divisions.

The Vancouver Giants are starting the season with three goalies, notes Steve Ewen. One, and possibly two, will play in the opener vs. Victoria. (Vancouver Province, Vancouver Sun)

Daniel Nugent-Bowman highlights the intractable problem of starting the season while stars and stalwarts are at NHL camps: "It simply doesn't make sense. (Saskatoon StarPhoenix)

There's your Calgary Hitmen season storyline: from first-round ouster to the WHL penthouse? (Calgary Sun)

How will a stint with the Dallas Stars (thank you, Derek Laxdal) propel Edmonton's Mads Eller into the new season? (Edmonton Sun)

Everett will have to score a lot more than 3.0 goals per game. (Everett Herald)

Torrin White is one of the few Moose Jaw Warriors who was around for the club's last playoff run in 2012: "I think we should be able to attain it ... We're a skilled team and we're moving the puck quickly." (Moose Jaw Times-Herald)

Sophomores Matteo Gennaro and Brendan Guhle will find themselves in much bigger roles in Prince Albert if a certain pair of 19-year-olds find spots elsewhere with Western Canada NHL franchises. (Prince Albert Daily Herald)

John Blanchette has a big picture take on the complaint in Washington against the WHL's labour practices: "Some of us would feel better served if [the Washington state Department of Labor & Industries] came down on the shame of companies exploiting unpaid 'interns' first — and a few other things before a teen hockey league where a player can actually earn himself a college education."

Be prepared to use the block function on Twitter, John. (Spokane Spokesman-Review)

OHL

Vancouver Canucks first-rounder Jared McCann's bout of mononucleosis could keep him out of Sault Ste. Marie's regular-season opener next week. (Sault Star)

Peterborough's Anthony Stefano is bent on fulfilling that Brad Marchand archetype; that chip on his shoulder only got bigger after he went undrafted. (QMI Agency)

The Saginaw Spirit are holding a mental health night in February in the memory of the late Terry Trafford. (Saginaw News)

Plymouth Whalers overage Mathew Campagna has made it to the Nashville Predators main training camp. (The Tennessean)

Remember when people wondered about the Peterborough Petes hiring internally when Mike Oke became general manager? It makes perfect sense after the priority selection haul the maroon-clad club had in April, writes Jesse Thomas. (Peterborough This Week)

Seventeen-year-old speedster Zach Senyshyn will get a chance at making an early impact in Sault Ste. Marie. Did you know his dad Paul was TSN football analyst Jock Climie's quarterback in university? Now you do. (Sault Star)

Keenan Suthers, a dual citizen who's with the U.S. under-17 team and was drafted by Kingston, has committed to the Western Michigan Broncos. Georgraphy joke: why is there no Southern Michigan University? Because there is already the University of Toledo. (Windsor Star)

QMJHL

Writing ahead of Halifax's home opener, Chris Cochrane foresees the Mooseheads as sellers. Nikolaj Ehlers will surely return from the Winnipeg Jets in good time; and what about Jonathan Drouin? It's unlikely but not out of realm. (Halifax Chronicle-Herald)

Will Mooseheads captain Ryan Falkenham have a breakout in his 19-year-old season? (Metro Halifax)

Val-d'Or's Nicolas Aube-Kubel cannot claim to be the best skater in his family. (Gloucester County Times)

Charlottetown's Mason McDonald shone in goal for the Calgary Flames rookies in an exhibition vs. Canada West's Calgary Dinos. (Calgary Sun)

Memorial Cup host Quebec will have projected power-play quarterback Nikolas Brouillard in the lineup for its home opener vs. Baie-Comeau. (Le Soleil)

Forward Ilva Zinoview is headed home to Russia after Shawinigan was unable to find a home for the forward. Cataractes GM Martin Mondou: "With [import goalie Marvin] Cüpper and [Dennis] Yan, it was inevitable." (Le Nouvelliste)

A strong season could bump Cape Breton's average attendance back toward the 3,000 range. (Cape Breton Post)

Feel-good story alert: Gatineau's 18-year-old backup goalie Gabriel Parent, who previously passed through Victoriaville and Sherbrooke, is getting some run while incumbent Anthony Brodeur attends camp with the New Jersey Devils (Le Droit)

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.