Alan Caldwell really is an indispensable resource for any WHL fan, and he does real yeoman’s work on some specific topics every year.
One of the things he does is chart each team’s average measurements. That means the average height, weight and age of each team’s players. He posted his first edition of this chart Wednesday, so let’s look at how Everett stacks up.
The thing I always look at first is the average age. Everett’s current average age is exactly 18 years old. That ranks the Tips tied for the eighth-oldest team in the league as the rosters currently stand.
Of course, this number is going to change for everyone, as all teams still have cuts to make. Everett is still carrying four overagers, so eliminating an overager will bring the average number down. However, the Tips are also going to be paring away two goaltenders who are 17 or younger, so that will bring the number back up. If defenseman Mirco Mueller is returned to the team, that will also increae the average age a tick.
Last year when Caldwell did his final update of the chart, I think Everett had the second-youngest team in the league, owing in large part to its four 16-year-olds. The Tips brought back the big majority of their team, and they’ll have at most two 16-year-olds to start the season, so it’s no surprise Everett has an older team this season.
The tendency in the WHL is that older teams fare better, so could that mean positive things for the Tips? Maybe. But age isn’t the only factor in team performance. I’m not sure it’s even the main one. Are there any math/econo majors out there who want to run a regression analysis of Caldwell’s data over the past several years to find out?
As for average heights and weights, the Tips come in at 72.81 inches, which ranks sixth, and 186.30 pounds, which ranks 16th. The discrepancy between ranks for height and weight suggest Everett has something of a skinny team. But I’m a little more suspicious of height and weight measurements provided by teams, so take those numbers with a grain of salt.
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