CANMORE – After an intense race to the finish line of the AJHL’s regular season, the Canmore Eagles are finally ready to make a run at the Inter Pipeline Cup.
But to get the gold, the Eagles have to get past some Dragons first.
The hometown junior A hockey club, the second seed in the south division, face off against the third seed Drumheller Dragons in the first round of the 2025 AJHL playoffs starting this week.
The Eagles playoff schedule is Friday and Saturday (March 21-22) at home. Puck drop for both games is 7 p.m. Then, the Eagles are in Drumheller Tuesday and Wednesday (March 25-26).
If necessary, Game 5 is in Canmore on March 28 at 7 p.m., Game 6 is in Drumheller on March 30 at 2 p.m., and Game 7 is back in Canmore April 1 at 7 p.m.
“It’s gonna be a good series,” said Eagles goalie Alex Scheiwiller. “I think it’s gonna come down to who capitalizes on the power play more.”
The Eagles No. 1 goalie said every game this season against Drum’ has been a “battle.”
He added he is eagerly anticipating the roaring Canmore crowds in Games 1 and 2.
In an ultra-competitive finish to the regular season, the Eagles (77 points) were barely edged out of the league’s top spot, finishing one point behind the Calgary Canucks and Whitecourt Wolverines (78). The Canucks were the top team for having more regulation time victories than Whitecourt.
“Everyone kind of knew it’d be pretty tight,” said Scheiwiller. “It’s unfortunate and we wanted that [top spot] for sure, but I don’t think it's a huge deal. But yeah, we definitely thought it was going to be close.”
By the numbers
At the end of the season, the Eagles record was 35-12-7 and 77 points and the Dragons was 32-18-4 and 68 points.
In six head-to-head games this season, Canmore won four, including a 6-2 victory during Canmore’s Hockey Day in Canada on January 18. The Eagles outscored the Dragons 22-16 in the season-long battle.
Overall, the Eagles and Dragons had identical power play success percentages at 22.3. On the penalty kill, the Eagles were slightly better at 83.5 per cent compared to Drumheller’s 80.8. The Eagles weren’t in the sin bin as often and were shorthanded 206 times (861 total penalty minutes) compared to Drumheller being shorthanded 261 times (1,107 total penalty minutes)
Head-to-head, the Eagles were 12-for-44 on the power play (27.5 per cent) and the Dragons went three-for-25 (12 per cent).
In the goalie department, odds are that Scheiwiller (23-6-6) and Dragons netminder Sean Cootes (18-13-0) will be the No. 1 options for both teams.
During the regular season, MVP candidate Scheiwiller, 20, had a .921 save percentage, a 2.32 goals against average and one shutout. Cootes, 19, had a .920 save percentage, 2.43 goals against average and four shutouts.
The edge leaned in Canmore’s favour in the head-to-head, with Scheiwiller going 4-0 against Drum’. He had a .925 save percentage in those games, a slight increase to his overall average. Cootes, on the other hand, is 1-4 against the Eagles with a .879 save percentage.
The Eagles’ top offensive player this season was forward Owen Jones, with 22 goals and 61 points (22 power play points), while the Dragons big gun was forward Bradley Gallo, with 33 goals and 68 points (24 power play points).
The Eagles have six players with six or more points against Drumheller including forwards Rhett Dekowny and Kayden Rawji with nine points each.
Drumheller forward Ellis Mieyette had the most success against Canmore, scoring two goals and eight points. Although Dragons rookie defenceman Will McLaughlin, from Canmore, had five assists against the Eagles this season.
McLaughlin eagerly awaits playing on other side vs. hometown club
The excitement in Will McLaughlin’s voice was obvious.
Being on the opposite side of the Eagles in the first round is a dream come true for the 17-year-old Dragons defenceman.
Growing up in the Bow Valley, McLaughlin is anticipating the crowd noise when he steps into the Eagles barn Friday and Saturday nights. And he said that he’s “fired up.”
“Since the start of the season, I really just wanted the first round of the playoffs to be in Canmore. That was my dream the whole season and I’m really happy it’s coming true,” said McLaughlin. “I’ve been to a bunch of the playoff games there before and I know the environment Canmore brings to the playoffs and I know it’s going to be really loud.”
During his AJHL rookie campaign, McLaughlin scored three goals and 29 points – second in points among rookie defencemen and fifth among all blueliners.
Five of those points came against the Eagles.
“I always feel like I get an extra kick when I play against them because it’s the hometown,” said McLaughlin.
“I think our team takes pride in how we play, like being physical, finishing our checks and being really hard to play against. That’s become our identity and that’s become our greatest strength against all of these other teams.”
In the 2023 Western Hockey League Prospects Draft, McLaughlin was selected to the 105th overall by the Portland Winterhawks.
Eagles players, coach finalists for AJHL awards
The Eagles are finalists in four categories, including MVP and coach of the year, in the Alberta Junior A Hockey League’s 2024-25 season-end awards.
The league announced Wednesday (March 12) that Eagles goalie Scheiwiller is a finalist in the Most Valuable Player and Top Goaltender categories; captain Rhett Dekowny was nominated for Most Dedicated Player, and Andrew Milne as a finalist for Coach of the Year.
The finalists, two each from the north and south divisions, were selected by the league’s general managers and coaches.
Scheiwiller said he found out he was a finalist for the two awards from his little brother who saw it on social media.
In his first season with the club, Scheiwiller has a 22-6-6 record with a .921 save percentage, a 2.32 goals against average and one shutout. In January, the 20-year-old was called up to the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League, playing two games for the major junior club.
“I’m so grateful to be in Canmore ... it’s been the best that I’ve ever played and it’s been the best decision for me to come here,” said Scheiwiller. “I’m just so thankful to be an Eagle.”
Dekowny has 27 goals and 59 points this season. In his first season wearing the C on his sweater, the 20-year-old won the league’s player of the month in January. Dekowny was also awarded one of the CJHL’s stars of the month. A fight-for-every-puck kind of player, Dekowny’s on-ice leadership has shown despite turbulence inside the locker room, with players defecting to different leagues, and outside factors such as the NCAA allowing major junior players in their ranks starting this year.
Bench boss Milne has led the Eagles to one of its best seasons ever, compiling a 34-12-5-2 record this season and currently sitting second overall in the standings.
The winners will be announced at the end of the regular season and throughout the 2025 Inter Pipeline Cup AJHL Playoffs.
