WHL Power Rankings: Week Four
The WHL Power Rankings seesaw has struck again with Saskatoon soaring to the top for the second time this season.
1. Saskatoon Blades
1st East- 8-1-1-0
The Blades are riding an impressive five-game point streak that saw the Bridge City Bunch take down Spokane before shutting out Moose Jaw and picking up wins over Moose Jaw and Edmonton.
Also, people don’t talk about Tanner Molendyk enough.
The smooth-skating Nashville Predators prospect has been undeniable in his return to the WHL with a staggering two goals and five assists in his first four games back- highlighted by a four-point effort against Edmonton on Thursday night.
Bonus stick staps to Evan Gardner, who posted his fifth career shutout and his fourth win of the season this week.
2. Spokane Chiefs
1st U.S.- 8-3-0-0
For a third straight week, the Chiefs have cracked the top three but just haven’t quite pushed through to claim top billing.
Still, Spokane has been impressive on a difficult East Division road trip.
Dawson Cowan posted a 27-save shutout to kick things off in Prince Albert before turning aside 34 of 36 shots in a narrow 2-1 loss to the league-leading Blades.
Seattle Kraken prospect and Chiefs captain Berkly Catton has piled up two goals and seven assists over the his last three games (he’s tied for the league assists lead with 12), though the team saw mixed results with wins against Regina and Moose Jaw before getting doubled up by Brandon.
The Chiefs will try to close out the road trip on a winning note against the Broncos in Speedy Creek on Friday.
3. Everett Silvertips
2nd U.S.- 7-2-0-0
The Silvertips got Banini’d.
Moose Jaw netminder and WHL Rookie of the Week Josh Banini stonewalled the visiting ‘Tips with a 48-save performance, snapping Everett’s six-game heater, but the U.S. Division powerhouse rebounded with a 6-3 win over Swift Current.
Alternate Captain and 2025 NHL Draft-eligible forward Carter Bear also continued his tear with a career-first four-point (two goals, two assists) night against Swift Current.
4. Prince George Cougars
1st B.C.- 6-3-2-1
Remember when Minnesota Wild General Manager Bill Guerin said prospect Riley Heidt had a little f- you in his game?
The entire Cougars roster brought that rage to Medicine Hat after being shut down in a 5-0 loss to Calgary to start their Central Division road trip.
Eight different Prince George skaters found the back of the net in an 8-1 victory, with Heidt and Washington Capitals prospect Terik Parascak adding an extra two assists each.
Parascak, a 2024 WHL Rookie of the Year nominee, might be even more fired up to play his first WHL game in his hometown of Lethbridge on Friday night…
5. Victoria Royals
2nd B.C.- 5-1-1-1
They may sit second in the B.C. Division standings, but Victoria boasts the best win percentage in the province after picking up three of four points against Wenatchee this week.
Third-period goals from Teydon Trembecky and San Jose Sharks prospect Nate Misskey forced a shootout on Friday, but Misskey made sure regulation time was enough with another two goals and an assist the following night.
6. Lethbridge Hurricanes
1st Central- 5-1-1-0
The Hurricanes are storming up the rankings after earning three of a possible four points this week with an extra-time loss to Vancouver and a definitive win over Brandon.
Lethbridge still only has one regulation loss this season while allowing the league’s fewest goals against while sporting the WHL’s third-most effective powerplay and third-best penalty kill (featuring Logan Wormald’s two shorthand markers).
7. Portland Winterhawks
3rd U.S.- 6-4-0-0
On the bright side, the Winterhawks are rocking the second-best powerplay in the league at 28.6 percent.
On the not-so-bright side, eight powerplay goals weren’t enough for Portland to come away with a win this week, with the team suffering losses to Kelowna, Seattle and Kamloops.
The Winterhawks were able to salvage a single point against the Blazers and will look for better results against Everett on Saturday at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
8. Red Deer Rebels
2nd Central- 5-3-1-0
A 5-1 loss to the Edmonton Oil Kings saw Red Deer struggle to score, despite firing 29 shots on Alex Worthington.
So the Rebels did everything they could to fill the Calgary net in a dramatic 5-4 overtime victory that nearly saw the Hitmen storm back from a 3-0 deficit.
Hunter Mayo played hero with two including the game-winner against Calgary- and Red Deer’s lone tally against Edmonton.
Now, the Rebels have a punishing task ahead as they try to snap Saskatoon’s point streak on Saturday… Just like they did last year when Chase Wutzke shut out the Blades to end Saskatoon’s monster 18-game run.
9. Vancouver Giants
3rd B.C.- 5-4-0-0
Cameron Schmidt is no joke.
The 2025 NHL Draft-eligible forward dazzled with an overtime backhander to give the visiting Giants the win against Lethbridge and lit the lamp twice more in a loss to Edmonton.
He leads the league with 11 goals and is tied for the WHL lead in game-winners with three.
While the Giants won’t be pumped that they finished their Central Division road trip with a 2-3-0-0 record, they can take solace in the fact that they were all tight games- plus, captain Mazden Leslie was named Tempo WHL Player of the Week thanks to his strong play with 11 points in seven games.
Vancouver looks to cook up a win at home when they host Prince Albert on Saturday.
10. Brandon Wheat Kings
2nd East- 5-4-0-1
The Wheat Kings were overwhelmed by offensive outbursts by Medicine Hat and Lethbridge but rebounded in style to double up Spokane 6-3.
You can take your pick for top scorer, too.
Marcus Nguyen and Nolan Flamand both came through with three goals and an assist this week, while Jaxon Jacobson- who will represent Canada Red at the World U-17 Challenge next month- and Luke Shipley tacked on four assists each.
The Wheaties will look to stay perfect on their second match of a four-game homestand on Friday when they host Seattle.
11. Kelowna Rockets
4th B.C.- 3-5-0-0
After losing their first five games, Kelowna has its full roster back and they’re making up for lost time in the goal-scoring department.
The Rockets defeated the Winterhawks 9-7 over the weekend before putting another seven goals past Prince Albert on Monday.
To put that in perspective, Kelowna has scored more goals in its last two games than it did in its first six.
Washington Capitals prospect Andrew Cristall is averaging three-and-a-half points per game and Utah’s Tij Iginla isn’t far behind him.
12. Medicine Hat Tigers
3rd Central- 4-5-0-0
It really looked like Medicine Hat had turned a corner with dominant wins over Brandon (6-1) and Vancouver (5-2) that saw Calgary Flames prospect Andrew Basha pick up five assists and Gavin McKenna score two goals and three assists.
Then Wednesday- and the Cougars- hit.
Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll scored his second of the season to spoil Joshua Ravensbergen’s shutout bid, but the Tabbies will go back to the drawing board as they look for a win in Moose Jaw on Friday.
13. Edmonton Oil Kings
4th Central- 3-4-0-1
Edmonton is back on the board!
Up the QEII, the Sawchyn brothers are coming up big for the hardworking Oil Kings.
Florida Panthers prospect Gracyn led the team with two goals and three assists in major wins over Red Deer and Vancouver and a loss to Saskatoon, while younger brother Lukas is right behind him with a trio of assists.
They’ll head south on Sunday to take on Red Deer before going even further south for a U.S. Division road trip.
14. Seattle Thunderbirds
4th U.S.- 4-4-1-0
Seattle is also making its 2024-25 Power Rankings debut after extending its win streak to three games with victories over Kamloops and Portland in the books.
Vancouver Canucks prospect Sawyer Mynio scored twice and added an assist while veteran Nathan Pilling lit the lamp three times to sit third in goals among all WHLers with eight on the season.
Plus, Buffalo Sabres prospect and World Juniors hopeful Scott Ratzlaff is undefeated in his three games this campaign with a sparkling .933 save percentage.
15. Regina Pats
3rd East- 4-4-1-0
With a slew of formidable opponents on the docket, Regina came up big.
The upstart club collected a win over Swift Current, outshot Spokane in a narrow 4-3 loss and nearly outlasted the top-ranked Blades for a 4-3 overtime loss.
Centreman Zach Moore had goals in all three games, while Cole Temple scored twice and Tye Spencer chipped in three assists.
Next up, the Pats host the streaking Thunderbirds on Saturday.
16. Calgary Hitmen
5th Central- 3-4-1-0
Eric Tu, welcome to the WHL!
The rookie netminder deflected all 31 shots he faced to earn his first WHL win and shutout in a 5-0 decision against the Cougars on Thanksgiving Monday.
Calgary followed it up with a gutsy comeback attempt against Red Deer that saw San Jose Sharks prospect Carson Wetsch score midway through the third period to force overtime and pick up a single point.
Ottawa Senators top-10 pick Carter Yakemchuk also hasn’t missed a beat in his return with two goals and two assists- all of which have come on the powerplay- this week.
