OUTLIERS SET OFF FOR VEGAS SHOWCASE

by Website Admin

The Utah Outliers are at the halfway point in the 2018-19 WSHL hockey season and now are preparing for a very exciting week, the WSHL Las Vegas Shootout. Each year, every team in the league participates in the showcase in front of hundreds of scouts, hoping to increase their odds of advancement in their hockey careers. This season, the Utah Outliers have three new opponents that they normally don’t play during the course of the year, taking the forms of the Bellingham Blazers, San Diego Sabres, and the Seattle Totems. Of these three opponents, Utah has only encountered the Blazers, back in 2017-17, winning three straight. All three teams have seen success this season, and are vastly improved from previous years. Bellingham and Seattle are jousting for the top spot in the Northwest Division, carrying records of 22-5-0-0 (Bellingham) and 15-6-1-2 (Seattle). San Diego is looking to keep moving up, sitting in 3rd place in the Western Division with a record of 9-12-3-1.

In the previous two seasons, the Utah Outliers have experienced a great deal of success at the showcase. Numerous players have received a lot of college interest and also have signed with teams that saw their talent at the event, while overall as a team; Utah has an impressive 6-1-0-0 record (4-0 year one / 2-1 year two). The Outliers also made some magic last season when goaltender Dawson Rodin scored a beautiful goal, making it onto SportCenter’s number 2 play of the week.  This season Utah will be looking to replicate their first season, by using this showcase as a momentum swing to help carry the team to a dominating second half of the year.

This season has been up and down for the Outliers. The team this year have been able to find wins (17), but has had a hard time stringing together consecutive games and putting together a sizeable win streak. The scoring has been inconsistent while still somewhat effective (5th place in the league), and the defense has also done well (5th place in the league). For Utah to make a sizeable run at the Thorne Cup Championship the balanced attack will need to keep rolling and impact players will have to increase their scoring volume. In year’s past, the Outliers have been a team that tends to heat up near the halfway point, and this season the boys are looking to keep that trend going as 2018 ends and 2019 approaches.

Puck drop for game one is scheduled for 6:45 PM at City National Arena B against the Bellingham Blazers. Games can be viewed on blackdog enterprises website. Don’t forget to tune in for some great action, and also be sure to keep an eye out on social media and the league website for live updates and more information.

GO OUTLIERS!