With the return of the Western Hockey League to Victoria, those expecting a constant barrage of blinding flashiness on Blanshard Street from future NHL stars have perhaps been mildly underwhelmed. But that certainly wasn't the case in October when Emerson Etem of the Medicine Hat Tigers, the complete package of strength and speed, roared through Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre to score five goals in a two-game set against the Royals.

That gave Etem 11 goals in five games and he carried that momentum forward to become the first WHL player in 11 years to score 50 goals in 50 or fewer games. Etem, who scored twice in Sunday's 4-2 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings, has 51 goals in 50 games. The last player to achieve the standard was Layne Ulmer of the Swift Current Broncos with 51 goals in 47 games during the 2000-01 season.

The buzz around the Memorial Centre during the week of Etem's visit was whether the native of Long Beach, California, would break the record for the fastest 50 goals in WHL history set in 27 games by Bill Derlago of the Wheat Kings in 1977-78. As it turned out, Etem didn't threaten Derlago's blistering pace nor the secondplace record of 32 games held by Kyle Reeves of the Tri-City Americans from 1990-91 and Ray Ferraro of the Wheat Kings from 1983-84.

Etem also didn't challenge Victoria Grizzlies owner Len Barrie, who remains tied for fifth on that list. After starring with the otherwise dreary Victoria Cougars WHL teams of the late 1980s, Barrie was traded to Kamloops and scored 50 goals in 35 games for the Blazers in 1989-90.

But that doesn't change the fact Etem, a first-round draft pick of the Anaheim Ducks, is a beauty. Of the blue-chip prospects who have skated through the Memorial Centre this season against the Royals - Max Reinhart, Brett Bulmer, Brendan Gallagher, Matthew Dumba, Alex Petrovic, Mark Pysyk and Ryan Murray - Etem has shown the most.

SUNDHER NOT SAILING: Maybe he wishes he still was riding the B.C. Ferries. Surrey native and former face of the Royals, Kevin Sundher, who has previously lived and played hockey only in this province, continues having problems getting on track on the prairies since that blockbuster trade last month that sent the fastskating forward from the Royals to the Wheat Kings.

Brandon thought the addition of Sundher was its assured pass to the postseason. But the eighthplace Wheaties are only four points clear of ninthplace Red Deer with the Rebels holding two games in hand in the race for the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.

Sundher has only four goals and nine points in 16 games with the Wheat Kings, but the most glaring stat during his tenure on the prairies is his minus-10 rating. He became the first genuine star of the Royals era in Victoria with 22 goals, 64 points and a minus-3 rating in 40 games before the trade - and also the career scoring leader in Chilliwack Bruins-Victoria Royals franchise history - prompting the Buffalo Sabres to sign him to a three-season entry-level NHL contract. But this has been a tale of twoseasonsin-one for Sundher.

LIKE UNCLE, LIKE

NEPHEW: Well, not quite, since Bill Ranford was a former Stanley Cup-winning goalie and nephew Brendan Ranford is a forward with the Kamloops Blazers. But maybe watching old video clips of his uncle helped give WHL 10th-leading point-getter Brendan some ideas of where to shoot on goalies.

The younger Ranford - who avoided the Mr. Irrelevant label by just one spot by being the secondto-last player selected in the 2010 NHL draft - has been named WHL player of the week for his three goals, eight points and plus-3 rating as Kamloops went 3-0 .

cdheensaw@timescolonist.com