By Raiders Rant

Some Good Raider News

Nov 19, 2010 | 1:23 PM

The Raiders are hoping they hit rock bottom with Saturday's 8-2 loss to Portland at the Art Hauser Centre.  They are five points out of a playoff spot while riding a four-game losing streak and have just one win in their last 12 games.
 
However the team's rise out of the ashes began Tuesday with the release of the NHL Central Scouting Bureau's latest rankings.  Raider Centreman Mark McNeill is rated 6th among skaters in the WHL making him the best Raider prospect sine Kyle Chipchura who was selected in the first round by the Montreal Canadiens.   McNeill is one goal and one point clear of last year's entire output with 10 goals and 15 assists.  The 17-year-old sophomore is playing in all situations including the point on the power play.
 
In the same set of numbers came Goaltender Eric Williams in the number two slot among WHL puck stoppers.  You could argue he is the best Raider goaltending prospect since Rejean Beauchemin.  Scouts are most impressed with Williams' save percentage of .904 … solid numbers for any major junior goalie let alone a 17-year-old rookie.
 
The next day 16-year-old Raider rookies Mike Winther and Shane Danyluk were named to Team Pacific for the World Under 17 challenge just after Christmas.  Winther who was the Raider's first round pick sixth overalll in the 2009 Bantam Draft has four goals, while Danyluk, their second round selection has made an impressive return from a high ankle sprain in training camp with two assists in nine games.  Danyluk has taken the spot of the injured Igor Revenko on the team's so-called second line and hasn't looked out of place in addition to some shits on the penalty kill.
 
The early impressions left by Winther and Danyluk in addition to the bona fide NHL prospects McNeill and Williams should give Raider supporters a good feeling about the future.  The present may also be improving with the performance of 19-year-old power forward Brandon Herrod in the Subway Super Series.  The Meadow Lake product scored for team WHL in a 7-6 shootout loss to the Russians.  Herrod hadn't scored in a dozen games with the Raiders but has been a consistent point producer and relentless checker.
 
The Raiders will need Herrod to carry the team on his back like he did through the first nine games until, ironically, he hurt his back with a thunderous crash into the boards in Vancouver.  Although Brandon only missed one game he played through the effects of the bad bruise for several games.
 
A rapid recovery will require stellar goaltending, and improved specialty teams.  The Raiders have been outscored 21-7 though the last four games while going 1-for-20 on the power play and have given up nine power play goals against on 20 chances.  Associate Coach and Assistant G.M. Steve Young says they are adopting a back to the basics … pucks to the net and crash for rebounds approach to the power play and a more aggressive penalty kill.
 
Coach and General Manager Bruno Campese says it's too early to contemplate wholesale changes pointing out there is about two months until the trade deadline while President Dale McFee says the board is fully behind the coaching staff despite impatience expressed on some blogs and message boards.
 
To get into the playoffs in the highly competitive Eastern Conference the Raiders will likely need 55-60 points in the remaining 50 games.  If the gap gets into double digits the Raiders will likely start talking trades with several teams looking to add veterans for a playoff run, but for now they will either sink or swim with their current group, which hopefully returns to full health in the next week to ten days.
 
The Raiders play Friday night in Lethbridge, Saturday in Kootenay and Sunday in Medicine Hat.  All games can be heard on 900 CKBI Radio and 900ckbi.com