WHL: Unexpected offensive surge gives Broncos hope

When assessing the Swift Current Broncos' roster prior to the start of this season, it seemed they were in for yet another long and grueling season with fewer wins than losses.

The major telling points for the less than optimistic chatter about the Broncos was their expected lack of high-end talent up front. Plus there was uncertainty in between the pipes after expected No. 1 goaltender Steffen Soberg left the Broncos during training camp and returned to his native Norway.

This combination of expected struggles with scoring goals and stopping them rightfully made one think the Broncos would need a miracle in order to have any hope of making the playoffs. Fortunately for the Broncos, they've seem to have received that miracle with a handful of players unexpectedly breaking out as elite scorers. That being said, with a 6-9-2-0 record in the WHL's Eastern Conference, it still will be an uphill battle.

The Broncos' biggest surprise thus far has to be left wing Coda Gordon taking the league by storm as a rookie. The 6-foot-1, 179-pounder was cut by the Broncos in 2010 and was all but guaranteed a roster spot for this season. But after earning his way onto the team, Gordon has scored a remarkable 11 goals and 22 points in 17 regular-season games.

"A lot of people are surprised about how well Gordon has played, but maybe he shouldn't have been that big of surprise though," says Shawn Mullin, who's the voice of the Broncos. "Gordon scored 52 goals and 110 points in 65 games with Edge School Mountaineers last season. I know it's hard to translate midget stats to the WHL, but he's clearly showed strong offensive instincts by being able to produce at that rate."

Captain overcoming diabetes

With the Broncos' previous top centre Justin Dowling moving on to the pros, Taylor Vause has blossomed this season with a heavier workload. The overager, who was named Swift Current's captain on Friday, is fifth in WHL scoring with 11 goals and 26 points in 17 games.

"Vause has been getting a ton of minutes and every opportunity to succeed," says Mullin. "I think Vause is trying things this season that he wasn't trying before because the results weren't there. I wouldn't say he isn't a surprise so much as he is now reaching his potential."

Another reason for Vause's recent success has been his ability to fight through his diabetes by learning how to cope with the highs and lows over the years. Although being a diabetic will always be a struggle for Vause, it seems he's slowly but surely been learning how to overcome it mentally.

"Vause told me at the start of training camp he's in the best shape of his life," says Mullin. "A big part of that was learning how to handle his diabetes. After living with it for two and a half years, he seems to be figuring out what works and what doesn't work. As a result he is in better shape and is more consistent."

When talking about the Broncos' offensive surge, one has to mention the impressive play of Winnipeg Jets prospect Adam Lowry, New Jersey Devils prospect Reece Scarlett and Detroit Red Wings prospect Richard Nedomlel. All three have blossomed after being selected in last year's NHL entry draft. Although their outstanding play isn't as surprising as Gordon or Vause, few and far between expected these three to separate themselves as elite players in the Dub this soon into the season.

"Lowry played a point per game pace the second half of last season and he is just above that now," says Mullin. "I see no reason why he can't hang around that number all season long and be a 70-80 point guy if healthy. While Scarlett and Nedomlel have been great as well. They're always matched up against other teams best players. Both have been great offensively and a major part of the Broncos' power-play. All three are a huge part of this team on the ice."

All that being said, the Broncos will still have to claw their way into the post-season, but their unexpected offensive surge has turned their odds of playing hockey in April from dismal to a realistic possibility.

Kelly Friesen is a Western Hockey League writer for Yahoo! Sports. Follow him on twitter @KellyFriesen (photo: Western Hockey League).