Long before they became Western Hockey League scoring stars, Brett Connolly and Ryan Howse were minor hockey teammates in Prince George.
Teammates, yes. Linemates, no.
As good as they are now at putting pucks into the net, they were head and shoulders above their peers back in peewee and bantam hockey, so the coaches, to create a more balanced attack, decided it would be better to keep them apart.
On Nov. 18 at CN Centre, there's a chance Connolly and Howse will be jumping the boards together to face the Russians. Connolly, an 18-year-old Prince George Cougars right winger, and Howse, 19, who plays left wing for the Chilliwack Bruins, were named Thursday to the WHL roster for the Subway Super Series game against the Russian all-stars in Prince George.
"They played on separate lines because it was a situation where you had two high-skilled guys who need the puck and playing them together was tough at times because there was not enough puck to go around for both of them," said Jason Howse, Ryan's dad, who coached Connolly and Howse on their peewee and bantam teams.
Jason and his wife Roxanne, Ryan's mom, were on hand for Thursday's roster announcement along with Connolly's parents, Pat and Dawn. Roxanne is relieved she doesn't have to wait until Dec. 27 when the Bruins make their first trip north to see her son play again in Prince George.
"I wasn't sure if he was going to make it or not and it's great he's coming home," said Roxanne. "It's a treat having him home, we miss him."
Howse, a Calgary Flames third-round draft pick in 2009, currently leads the WHL with 14 goals in nine games,
Connolly played against the Russians last year when the Subway series came to Kelowna after a long layoff in what was an injury-plagued season. This year, he's healthy and it shows. With 11 goals and 18 points in 11 games, the Tampa Bay Lightning's first-rounder in 2010 leads the Cats in scoring.
"It's been a goal of mine to get in that game again," said Connolly. "Last year I didn't play a lot and just jumped into the game, but this year I've got some games under my belt and I'm looking forward to performing. It's a good first step to the world junior team."
Off the ice, Connolly and Howse are good friends with each other and Connolly would like to see that chemistry in motion again on Nov. 18.
"I remember playing with Ryan when we were younger but not on the same line and hopefully that will happen," he said. "It would be cool to play with him and it would be good for the local fans. He was the best player on the team and he was the same way he is now -- a pure goalscorer and a great player."
Ryan Huska of the Kelowna Rockets will be head coach of the WHL team, with Dean Clark, head coach of the Prince George Cougars, working the Nov. 18 game as an assistant along with Mike Williamson (Calgary Hitmen).
Should he decide to pair Connolly on the same line with Howse, Huska will have his choice of four centres -- Scott Glennie (Brandon Wheat Kings), Jimmy Bubnick (Calgary Hitmen), Ryan Johansen (Portland Winterhawks) or Cody Eakin (Swift Current Broncos).
Also named to the WHL team for Nov. 18 were wingers Linden Vey (Medicine Hat Tigers), Quinton Howden (Moose Jaw Warriors), Brad Ross (Portland Winterhawks), and Brendan Gallagher (Vancouver Giants).
On defence will be Matt MacKenzie (Calgary), Mark Pysyk (Edmonton Oil Kings), Tyson Barrie (Kelowna), Brayden McNabb (Kootenay Ice), Brett Ponich (Portland), and Neil Manning (Vancouver). Kent Simpson (Everett Silvertips) and Calvin Pickard (Seattle Thunderbirds) will share the goaltending load.
Jared Cowen (Spokane Chiefs), who played for the silver-medalist Canadian team at the World Junior Championship; Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Red Deer Rebels), a projected first-round NHL pick for 2011; and former Cougars bantam draft pick Stefan Elliot (Saskatoon Blades) were among the players named to Team WHL for the Nov. 17 Super Series game in Kelowna.
The teams were chosen by a committee of WHL general managers and Kevin Prendergast, Hockey Canada's head scout for the national junior team, as part of the selection process for Canada's 2011 world junior team.
Close to half of the 6,000 tickets for the Nov. 18 game are already sold. Tickets are on sale at the CN Centre box office (250-564-5585) or through www.ticketmaster.ca.
