WHL Power Rankings: Week 14
New Year… New Power Rankings… Same leader.
As we reach the halfway point of the regular season, who will step up to challenge Everett?
1. Everett Silvertips
1st U.S., 28-5-2-1
The league leaders are rolling into 2025 on a four-game winning streak and some fresh (metaphorical) hardware.
It’s a double DuPont as the 15-year-old defenceman has picked up WHL Rookie of the Week and WHL Rookie of the Month.
The exceptional blueliner has eight points in his last three games and is rolling on a six-game point streak.
Plus, first-year netminder Raiden LeGall is fresh off of snagging WHL Goaltender of the Month after going 4-1-0-0 in December.
A combined 17,121 fans came out to watch Everett pick up back-to-back wins over Seattle and the ‘Tips followed it up by snapping Portland’s six-game winning streak.
2. Prince George Cougars
1st B.C., 21-9-3-2
Prince George is hot on Everett’s tail with five straight wins- and even got a first-place vote this week.
The B.C. Division leaders snatched back-to-back 2-1 wins over Victoria (with one coming in a shootout) before downing the Thunderbirds.
Minnesota Wild prospect Riley Heidt hit 100 career goals and promptly tacked on two more, while 2025 NHL Draft-eligible Joshua Ravensbergen was named WHL Goaltender of the Week with 65 saves, a .96 goals-against average and a .970 save percentage on the road trip.
The Cats kick off a four-game homestand against Seattle and Vancouver on Friday.
3. Spokane Chiefs
2nd U.S.- 24-13-0-0
Spokane took some mixed results by splitting a set against Wenatchee before shutting out Tri-City and losing to Portland.
That’s life in the U.S. Division these days.
Rookie Mathis Preston was one of the points leaders on the week with a goal and three assists.
The 16-year-old forward sits fifth in the rookie scoring race.
The Chiefs will now look for some home cooking as they welcome Kamloops to Spokane for a weekend set.
4. Medicine Hat Tigers
1st Central, 21-14-2-0
The Central Division is a grind right now.
But as teams like Calgary and Lethbridge load up, Medicine Hat isn’t backing down.
The Tigers are the first team in the Eastern Conference to hit 21 wins thanks to a big week that saw the Tabbies shut out the Hurricanes before taking three of four points off of the Hitmen to lead the conference.
Another Wild pick, Ryder Ritchie, potted two goals and four assists to bring himself up to a point-per-game pace after missing some time with an injury and rookie Jordan Switzer impressed with his first WHL shutout in a 17-save performance against Lethbridge.
5. Calgary Hitmen
2nd Central, 19-11-3-1
Despite an up-and-down week, Calgary is 7-3-0-0 in its last 10 games to get within striking distance of the top of the division and conference.
The Hitmen fell short against Lethbridge before splitting against Medicine Hat and steamrolling the Oil Kings.
Veteran Oliver Tulk is the WHL Player of the Month after tallying 22 points (five goals, 17 assists) in his last 10 games, while 2025 NHL Draft-eligible Ben Kindel has been right there with his, adding 20 points of his own over that stretch.
And no shade to Eric Tu, who has done a marvelous job as a 16-year-old starter, but Calgary has added some serious playoff experience with the acquisition of veteran Daniel Hauser, who leads all active WHL goaltenders in wins and was a key part of the then-Winnipeg ICE’s run to the 2023 WHL Championship Series.
The Chestermere, Alta. product could make his Hitmen debut as soon as Friday as Calgary takes on Red Deer.
6. Lethbridge Hurricanes
3rd Central, 19-12-1-1
Our previous entries in this list can pretty much clue you into Lethbridge’s week.
Despite getting shutout by the Tigers, the Canes breezed by Calgary and edged Red Deer and also sits at 7-3-0-0 in their last 10.
Jackson Unger remains undefeated at 7-0-0-0 as a Hurricanes and was named a star of the game in both of his appearances this week with 31 saves against the Hitmen and 27 against the Rebels.
The Canes are also getting some firepower back (sooner than they’d like) with Brayden Yager and Leo Braillard on their way back from the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, though defenceman Vojtech Port is still gunning for a medal with Czechia.
7. Portland Winterhawks
3rd U.S., 21-13-2-0
Did anyone see this comeback coming?
Portland has well and truly rebounded from an ugly October to get back into the top three in the U.S.
Going back to December 14, the Winterhawks are 5-1-0-0 against divisional opponents, with the lone loss coming against the Silvertips.
Captain Kyle Chyzowski has gone off for 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in his last four games and is on a six-game point streak- and he has multiple points in all of those games. He’s just two points behind Gavin McKenna for the lead in the WHL scoring race.
They’ll try to get another win streak going as they take on Tri-City on Friday.
8. Victoria Royals
2nd B.C., 18-11-3-4
The Royals are on the rise.
Partly because of a dominant win over Vancouver in the latest installment of Wednesday Night in the Dub… and partially because of their off-ice moves.
Victoria is swinging big by trading for former Wenatchee Wild leading scorer Kenta Isogai and Toronto Maple Leafs prospect/former Saskatoon Blades alternate captain Brandon Lisowsky.
Both of those guys have never scored fewer than 30 goals in a WHL season and are both on track for a career year.
Isogai and Lisowsky are expected to make their Royals debut in a heavyweight tilt against Everett on Friday on Vancouver Island.
9. Prince Albert Raiders
2nd East, 18-12-3-0
Raiders gonna raid.
Prince Albert snagged six of a possible eight points this week with a sweep of Swift Current and a split against Saskatoon.
Veteran netminder Max Hildebrand made a league-high 97 saves on this week, was named second star twice and earned his 50th and 51st career victories.
Brayden Dube and St. Louis Blues prospect Tomas Mrsic have also continued to rip up the scoresheet, with the duo each getting eight points apiece.
10. Saskatoon Blades
1st East, 20-11-2-2
Saskatoon is very much still in the mix with wins against Moose Jaw and Regina to go along with the aforementioned split against rival Prince Albert.
That said, their top goal-scorer Brandon Lisowsky, who had eight points in those games, is now gone- and Nashville Predators prospect Tanner Molendyk will be another coveted player on the trade market.
Still, people were ready to count Saskatoon out at the start of the season and they defied expectations then, too.
11. Brandon Wheat Kings
3rd East, 17-11-3-2
A big loss at the hands of the Pats stung the Wheat Kings, but they bounced back with a defeat of the Warriors while splitting against the Broncos.
Defenceman Luke Shipley has been going wild on a six-game point streak and seven points on the week, and newcomer Alex Garrett has been stellar with a 2-1-0-0 record, a 2.33 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage with his new club.
The Wheaties will hit the road for a difficult divisional back-to-back against Saskatoon and Prince Albert starting on Friday.
12. Tri-City Americans
4th U.S., 19-11-2-1
Tri-City is crawling into 2025 on a five-game slide, most recently being shut out by the Spokane Chiefs.
The Ams will try to get their offence back on track against Portland- who were responsible for a pair of Tri-City’s recent losses.
But hey, we’ve already seen how quickly the Ams can go on a roll, especially with players like Jake Sloan, Jordan Gavin and Brandon Whynott at the helm
13. Edmonton Oil Kings
4th Central, 18-14-1-1
Another member of the 7-3-0-0 club!
The Oil Kings are trending up after demolishing Red Deer in back-to-back games before coming up short against Calgary.
Young gun Joe Iginla is the WHL Rookie of the Week after netting his first WHL hat trick, though first-year Kayden Stroeder was also a strong contender for the award with three goals and two assists in his last three outings.
Also, is it too early to talk about Adam Jecho’s clutch goal in the World Juniors quarterfinals…?
14. Vancouver Giants
3rd B.C., 17-14-4-0
Call it a comeback!
The G-men scored four unanswered goals in under 15 minutes to force a shootout, and eventual win, against the Royals to extend their win streak to four games.
But the Royals got the last laugh the following day with a decisive win in a Wednesday Night in the Dub showdown.
Flames prospect Jaden Lipinski and Captain Mazden Leslie each had five points on the week, while projected top 2025 NHL Draft pick Cameron Schmidt added two more goals to his tally to sit one goal off the WHL lead.
15. Swift Current Broncos
4th East- 18-16-0-1
Swift Current only got two points out of four games against the Raiders and Wheat Kings this weekend, though it wasn’t for a lack of trying.
Luke Mistelbacher had a hat trick in a 7-5 loss to the Raiders to bring his season total to 23 (49 in his career).
The Broncos will try to shake of the recent losses with a home-and-away set against the Medicine Hat Tigers this weekend.
16. Wenatchee Wild
5th U.S., 13-17-3-1
The Wild kept it close in a 2-1 loss to Spokane before picking up a win against the Chiefs and the Rockets.
Captain Evan Friesen led the way with a goal and four assists, though Wenatchee is saying goodbye to its top scorer, Kenta Isogai.
The two straight wins have the Wild sitting in the final playoff spot in the West, and they’ll look to climb more when they visit Vancouver on Friday.
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