Your Western Hockey League Social Media Guide

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With training camps set to open across the Western Hockey League next week, it’s time to make sure you are plugged into the league. Whether you are a junior hockey fan, want to keep up with NHL Draft prospects, or have a favorite team, there are plenty of folks for you to follow on social media.

Here are 10 people you should be following.

1. @TheWhl

Adding the league’s official twitter account is worth your time. While you won’t see too many wildly entertaining posts from the league directly, they will keep you up to date on any big news, nightly scores and other league updates.

#WHL Announces 2014-15 Regular Season Schedule http://t.co/xY7nvnbu9E

2. @WhlFacts

We’re not sure exactly who runs this Twitter account but it is chock full of interesting, useful and trivial facts about the WHL. Everything from players birthdays, player milestones and obscure facts. How do they find this stuff? It’s probably magic, but we aren’t complaining.

3. Guy Flaming and Dean Millard

The two hosts of The Pipeline Show will give you more than just WHL news. They’ll keep you updated on all junior and NCAA news and prospects updates. They also recently completed their first ever awards, which fans can vote for the best team, coaches and even the best agitator.

4. The Buzzing The Net Crew

Yahoo’s junior hockey blog has a roster of writers that you should be following to get updates on the WHL, as well as the rest of junior hockey and NCAA hockey. Neate Sager is the captain but you should also be following Kelly Friesen and Scott Sepich for more WHL related tweets.

5. Regan Bartel

Bartel is the radio play-by-play guy for the Kelowna Rockets. One of the best in the business he also have an informative season long blog and will keep you up to date on not only the Rockets, but the league as well. You might also get to live vicariously through him during his summer travels.

6. @SeattleTbirds

While every WHL team has an official Twitter account, the official account for the Seattle Thunderbirds may give you the most entertainment value. Seattle won the league’s award for marketing this past season and their presence on social media is part of it. They will give you scores  but they will also interact with their fans and other teams.

 7. @AndyNeal_Vic

Neal is the host of WHL Central for Shaw TV and should be a familiar face to fans of the league. He’s connected, will share any news that comes his way and keeps an eye on the league as a whole.

8. Alan Caldwell

Caldwell is the man behind the invaluable Small At Large blog. He will give you well-informed insight to the league and he puts together the best list of prospects and listed players for each team. If you’re a WHL fan and not following him, you are missing out on the story.

9. Chris Mast

Mast is the Everett Silvertips team photographer and simply the best in the league. He has a passion for the game and loves to capture it in photographs. Whether you’re a fan of the Silvertips or not, give him a follow and enjoy his work.

Follow Everett Silvertips photographer Chris Mast for great shots all year (Christopher Mast)
Follow Everett Silvertips photographer Chris Mast for great shots all year (Christopher Mast)

10. Fake Mike Johnston

There are a lot of parody accounts in the hockey Twitter world and the WHL is starting to pick up its fair share. The best of them? Fake Mike Johnston. A parody of now former Portland Winterhawks coach Mike Johnston is the best and won’t hesitate to tell you he’s the best. Hopefully he will stay WHL focused even though his namesake has headed to the NHL.

11. Zenon Herasymiuk

Herasymuik is the WHL scout for Future Considerations and finds himself in a lot of hockey rinks during the season. He has the scoop on WHL players who are draft eligible as well as prospects just entering the WHL. Give him a follow and learn about the next wave of players to come through the pipeline.

4 thoughts on “Your Western Hockey League Social Media Guide”

  1. This is a great list! It’s too bad it had to end at 10, I can only assume I was going to be No. 11…I mean No. 12…I mean….nevermind, but I do cover the WHL as beat writer for the Kelowna Rockets if anybody wants to give me a follow as well: @LarryFisher_KDC.

    In all seriousness, as great and resourceful as everybody on this list is, there are a few omissions I would like to add.

    1. Gregg Drinnan (@gdrinnan) = He’s a must for WHL fans, and if you don’t read his Taking Note blog (http://gdrinnan.blogspot.ca) on a daily basis (even during summer), you are missing out. Former beat writer for the Kamloops Blazers and the biggest omission from this list, IMO.

    2. Jon Keen (@JonKeenNLSports) = Play-by-play man for Kamloops Blazers, also hosts a WHL radio show and is likely extremely jealous/pissed that Bartel made this list over him. They are in the same league behind the mic and on Twitter.

    3. Sunaya Sapurji (@sunayas) = He’s the junior hockey editor for Yahoo, seems to get the odd scoop and offers some interesting tidbits.

    4. Patrick King (@SNPatrickKing) = CHL reporter/columnist for Sportsnet, has a good handle on all three leagues.

    Then there’s the beat writers:

    1. Daniel Nugent-Bowman Verified account (@DNBsports) = Beat writer for Saskatoon Blades, another up-and-comer in the journalism world.

    2. Annie Fowler (@TCHIceQueen) = Beat writer for Tri-City Americans and owner of a verified account, which obviously makes her legit.

    3. Nick Patterson (@NickHPatterson) = Beat writer for Everett Silvertips.

    4. Steve Ewen (@SteveEwen) = Beat writer for Vancouver Giants.

    5. Greg Meachem (@GregMeachem) = Beat writer for Red Deer Rebels.

    6. Robert Henderson (@HendoRob) = Beat writer for the Brandon Wheat Kings.

    7. Matthew Gourlie (@MattGourlie) = Beat writer for Moose Jaw Warriors.

    And a couple more broadcasters:

    1. Les Lazaruk (@Bladesvoice) = Play-by-play man for Saskatoon Blades, legend in those parts.

    2. Corey Graham (@CoreyGraham) = Play-by-play man for Edmonton Oil Kings.

    Two more accounts with useful insight:

    1. Andy Levang (@AndyLevang) = Kelowna-based scout, media type, good with the Twitter.

    2. Ben&StephenTH (@BenStephenTH) = They talk hockey, mostly Canucks and WHL.

    And we lost one of the best WHL tweeters this spring in Cody Nickolet (@WHLFromAbove), who I believe changed positions/careers and is no longer using that account.

    Further, a lot of WHL players and coaches have Twitter accounts, some more active and better than others. I have a public List (https://twitter.com/LarryFisher_KDC/lists/kelowna-rockets) that you can subscribe to for a feed of Rockets only tweets, including those from Bartel who is one of the best in the business at any level and his colour guy Gord McGarva (@GordMcGarva) who ain’t half bad either.

    I’m sure I have forgotten a bunch of others and I apologize if I left you off this extended list, feel free to add yourself or keep growing this list!

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