Raiders make it fifteen-straight weeks at top of Kia CHL Top 10 Rankings
Toronto, Ont. – The Canadian Hockey League today announced the week nineteen edition of the Kia CHL Top-10 Rankings for the 2018-19 season. The weekly rankings of the CHL’s Top-10 teams are selected by a panel of National Hockey League scouts.
Making it 15 weeks in a row, the Prince Albert Raiders took the top spot in the Kia CHL Top 10 Rankings, splitting their pair of games with a 3-1 loss to the Vancouver Giants and a 7-3 win against the Kootenay ICE. Entering the final third of the 2018-19 Western Hockey League Regular Season, the Raiders enjoy a 19-point lead in the East Division and Eastern Conference standings. Overage forward Noah Gregor (San Jose Sharks) broke through against the ICE for the first hat trick of his WHL career after 25 previous multi-goal games, reaching the 30-goal plateau for the first time in his WHL career as well. With a 20-3-0-0 record on home ice, the Raiders will return to action at the Art Hauser Centre Friday, February 1 (7:00 p.m. CT), playing host to the Edmonton Oil Kings.
Holding steady in the seventh spot this week were the Everett Silvertips, who returned to form with a 2-0 win against the Tri-City Americans before dismantling the Lethbridge Hurricanes by a 9-1 score. Stopping 61 of 62 shots, 2019 NHL Draft prospect Dustin Wolf garnered WHL Eli Wilson Goaltending Goaltender of the Week and Vaughn CHL Goaltender of the Week honours. The pair of wins helped maintain their seven-point lead for the U.S. Division and Western Conference. Owning the league’s third-best road record (17-6-0-1), the Silvertips will begin a home-and-home series against the Seattle Thunderbirds at the accesso ShoWare Centre Friday, February 1 (7:35 p.m. PT).
Earning an honourable mention for the second-straight week, the Vancouver Giants took five of six points from their three games, downing the Raiders 3-1, defeating the Kelowna Rockets 2-1, then losing a rematch to the Rockets in the shootout by a 4-3 score. 2019 NHL Draft prospect Trent Miner has stepped up his game in January, posting a 5-1-0-0 record, 1.66 goals-against-average, 0.932 save percentage, and one shutout. That puts him among leading goaltenders during the first calendar month of 2019 and has helped the Giants maintain a 15-point lead in the B.C. Division, also staying in contention for the top record in the Western Conference. The Giants are in action Wednesday, January 30 (7:00 p.m. PT) against the Kamloops Blazers at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops, B.C.
Kia CHL Top 10 Rankings – Week 19:
Rank: | Team: | Last Week Rank: | Number of Weeks Ranked: |
1 | Prince Albert Raiders (41-6-0-2) | 1 | 17 |
2 | Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (41-7-0-1) | 2 | 16 |
3 | London Knights (33-7-5-1) | 4 | 15 |
4 | Ottawa 67’s (35-9-3-1) | 5 | 16 |
5 | Baie-Comeau Drakkar (36-9-2-1) | 6 | 17 |
6 | Drummondville Voltigeurs (36-10-2-0) | 3 | 14 |
7 | Everett Silvertips (35-12-1-1) | 7 | 10 |
8 | Halifax Mooseheads (33-11-2-1) | 8 | 19 |
9 | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (31-10-5-1) | 9 | 6 |
10 | Niagara IceDogs (30-10-7-0) | 10 | 9 |
Honourable Mention: | |||
Vancouver Giants (31-12-2-1) | – | 13 | |
Rimouski Oceanic (32-14-3-0) | – | 3 | |
Saginaw Spirit (30-13-2-2) | – | 3 |
About the Western Hockey League
Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 22 member Clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and five in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for over 50 years. The WHL is also the leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 350 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada’s National Junior Hockey Team.