Trade deadline drama sets up Week 8 of WHL Power Rankings
In the wake of another wild WHL Trade Deadline, teams now have to assess what they have with playoffs creeping closer.
1. Saskatoon Blades
1st East- 27-8-2-2
A 14-game (12-0-2-2) point streak? It’s hard to look away from the nightly show the Blades put on- and the longest active point streak of any team in the CHL.
Alexander Suzdalev looks like a genius addition early on in his Blades tenure, registering an assist in a 2-1 shootout loss to Prince Albert and scoring a hat trick in his first home game as a Blade in a 7-2 thrashing of Vancouver.
Meanwhile, Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Brandon Lisowsky lit the lamp for his 100th major junior goal.
Victoria rolls into Toon Town on January 13 with aspirations of getting back in the win column, and then Suzdalev will face his former team, the Regina Pats, the following night.
2. Portland Winterhawks
1st U.S.- 25-10-1-1
The Portland Winterhawks are back in the top two of the power rankings for the first time since November 17.
Where do we start? The five-game win streak? Going 9-1-0-0 in its past ten games? Landing former Wheat Kings Captain Nate Danielson at the trade deadline?
Portland bested Everett in a shootout and slipped past Prince George in regulation, with Josh Davies netting three goals- including the game-winner against the Cougars.
The Winterhawks look to keep the good times rolling with an away-and-home set against the Thunderbirds starting on January 12.
3. Prince George Cougars
1st B.C.- 28-12-0-0
Prince George didn’t finish its U.S. road swing the way it wanted, coming back to beat Seattle 2-1 before falling to Portland 4-3 and Everett 4-2.
New addition Borya Valis has fit in nicely, putting up one goal and six assists in four games since being traded from Regina. The Denver, Col. product’s point streak is up to eight goals and 15 assists in 14 games.
Keep in mind, the B.C. powerhouse has still been playing shorthanded with the delayed return of bronze medallist Ondrej Becher and Villiam Kmec from the IIHF World Junior Championship, but the boys are back in town and expected to be in the lineup soon.
4. Medicine Hat Tigers
1st Central- 25-12-2-0
So, how many of us had Medicine Hat putting up 10+ goals back-to-back on our bingo cards?
Medicine Hat basically erased all memory of a loss to Red Deer by beating Tri-City 12-1 and Spokane 10-4.
Tempo WHL Rookie of the Week Gavin McKenna went off for four goals and seven assists this week as the Tigers overtook the Winterhawks for the highest-scoring team in the league with 178 goals.
Rookie goalie Zach Zahara looked great in one start and one relief appearance, earning wins in both, and he’ll likely be looking at more ice time with goalie Evan May on the move to…
5. Moose Jaw Warriors
2nd East- 23-15-0-2
Welp, no shortage of firepower here!
Moose Jaw went 2-1-0-0 this week while scoring 18 goals.
Jagger Firkus was the league point leader for the week with three goals and nine assists in three contests. His 71 points are two shy of Zac Funk for the league lead.
They’re getting the stops, too. Moose Jaw held Victoria to just 15 shots in a 5-0 shutout win- Jackson Unger’s second clean sheet of the season and league-leading 20th win.
Unger, the busiest goaltender in the WHL, is also getting some reinforcements with the addition of goaltender Evan May from the Tigers at the trade deadline.
6. Everett Silvertips
3rd U.S.- 24-14-1-2
Everett didn’t make any moves on deadline day, and why should they? The ‘Tips remain in the mix for the top of the U.S. Division and won handily against Seattle and the B.C. Division-leading Cougars, while being edged by Portland in a 5-4 shootout.
Kal Tire WHL Rookie of the Week Julius Miettinen went off for four goals and two assists while sealing his reputation as a tough net-front presence.
Next up, an away-and-home set against the Kamloops Blazers.
7. Swift Current Broncos
2nd Central- 21-15-2-2
Some splashy moves are paying off for the upstart Broncos.
Swift Current has won three straight in dramatic fashion and has points in seven of its past ten games to leapfrog Red Deer in the divisional standings- and we haven’t even seen former Hitmen Captain Tyson Galloway suit up for his new team yet.
Swift Current has made it clear Saskatoon and Moose Jaw aren’t the only Saskatchewan teams loading up, and next weekend the Broncos will face both the Warriors and the Blades. Mark your calendars.
8. Red Deer Rebels
3rd Central- 20-13-1-4
The Red Deer Rebels held down the fort with a pair of wins against the Medicine Hat Tigers and Spokane Chiefs.
Alternate Captain Jhett Larson led his squad with three goals and an assist on the week, while 2024 NHL Draft-eligible forward Ollie Josephson chipped in with a trio of helpers.
Red Deer continues a five-game homestand on Friday against the Tri-City Americans.
9. Victoria Royals
2nd B.C.- 23-14-2-2
The Royals trip east hasn’t gone as planned, with the team’s only points coming from a pair of overtime losses.
Braedon Holt was sensational was 26 saves against Regina in a 2-1 OT loss and earned first star in Brandon with 38 saves in a 3-2 OT loss.
There was no salvaging a 4-0 loss at the hands of the Moose Jaw Warriors, however.
Victoria looks to wipe the slate clean and get back to its winning ways against Prince Albert on January 12.
10. Wenatchee Wild
2nd U.S.- 24-13-3-0
It was a quiet week for the Wild with only one match on the docket, but boy howdy did they deliver.
Kenta Isogai snagged his first WHL hat trick (and added a pair of assists) in a 6-3 home win against the Kelowna Rockets.
Wenatchee is off until Sunday when the Everett Silvertips roll into town.
11. Lethbridge Hurricanes
4th Central- 19-16-3-0
Lethbridge split the week with a 3-0 shutout loss at the hands of Tri-City before bouncing back to defeat Spokane in overtime.
Brayden Edwards played hero against the Chiefs, registering a goal and two assists, while Logan Wormold netted a goal and assist in his 150th career WHL game.
Lethbridge still has a case to climb up the central standings, and it hopes new additions like Sean Tschigerl, Hayden Pakkala and Braeden Wynne will help.
12. Brandon Wheat Kings
3rd East- 20-14-4-1
Farewell, Captain. Nate Danielson is Portland-bound.
Brandon was shut out by Vancouver- though not for lack of trying. The Wheaties peppered Brett Mirwald with a whopping 48 shots.
The Manitobans came back with a hard-fought overtime victory against the visiting Royals.
Danielson scored the game-tying goal with less than two minutes to go in regulation and Caleb Hadland notched the overtime winner.
13. Kelowna Rockets
3rd B.C.- 19-17-2-0
Kelowna scored four straight to slip past the Edmonton Oil Kings but got doubled up by Wenatchee Wild 6-3 before beating the Seattle Thunderbirds.
Andrew Cristall led his team once again with three goals and five assists in three games.
The Washington Capitals prospect is one of only four WHL players currently averaging more than two points a game and has the longest active point streak in the league with 14 goals and 26 assists in 19 games.
In fact, he’s only been held off the scoresheet twice this season.
Kelowna will now head up the highway for a pair against the Prince George. A tough matchup for sure, but even though the Rockets are 1-3-0-0 against the Cougars, every game but one has been decided by a single goal.
14. Prince Albert Raiders
4th East- 18-18-0-3
Prince Albert earned points in two of three games this week, going 1-1-0-1 against some pretty tough opponents.
Oli Chenier scored his fourth of the season in a 6-4 loss to Moose Jaw and netted the shootout winner in the seventh round against the league-leading Blades the following night.
The Winnipeg, Man. rookie also netted his first WHL hat trick and an assist against the Vancouver Giants in a 6-5 shootout loss.
Too early to nominate him for Rookie of the Week?
15. Vancouver Giants
4th B.C.- 16-22-2-0
The Giants opened their Eastern road trip by shutting out the Wheat Kings 4-0- with a monster performance from WHL Goaltender of the Week Brett Mirwald, who made 48 stops to preserve the win and his second shutout of the season.
Vancouver would eke out a 6-5 shootout victory over Prince Albert, with new addition Tyson Zimmer netting the shootout winner in his Giants debut.
Saskatoon spoiled the party with a 7-2 victory, but Vancouver is off to a solid start on the road.
Jaden Lipinkski also took over the team points lead with a goal and five assists in three games.
16. Spokane Chiefs
Spokane dropped solid leads against Swift Current and Medicine Hat and has yet to find a win on its Central Division Road Trip.
The Chiefs did manage the earn a point in a 3-2 overtime loss to Lethbridge and there’s no denying the always-dangerous combination of Conner Roulette, top prospect Berkly Catton and Chase Bertholet.
The trio has combined for 15 points in four games and will try to get back in the win column with a matinee against Calgary on January 12.
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