Raiders, Silvertips hold steady in Kia CHL Top 10 Rankings
Toronto, Ont. – The Canadian Hockey League today announced the week twenty-four 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.
The Western Hockey League’s Prince Albert Raiders remained in the second spot for another week. With their 6-0 win against the Swift Current Broncos Tuesday, the Raiders clinched the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s Regular Season Champions. This year’s victory by the Raiders marks the third-straight season the trophy has come to the province of Saskatchewan and the fourth-straight season it’s called the East Division home following victories by the Moose Jaw Warriors, Regina Pats, and Brandon Wheat Kings. Captain Brayden Pachal is having a career-best season with 47 points (14G-33A) in 62 games. Pachal is on track to becoming the first Raider defenceman since Jesse Lees in 2015-16 to record 50 points or more in a single season. The Raiders next matchup will see them play host to the Broncos again Friday, March 8 (7:00 p.m. CT) at the Art Hauser Centre.
Holding strong in the seventh spot once again this week were the Everett Silvertips. Their week featured a 2-1 win against the Tri-City Americans Friday, a 1-0 overtime win against the Seattle Thunderbirds Saturday, and a 3-1 win against the Spokane Chiefs Tuesday. The Silvertips’ last 1-0 overtime win came on December 27, 2014 against the Vancouver Giants with a shutout by Austin Lotz and goal via Nikita Scherbak. 2019 NHL Draft prospect Dustin Wolf picked up the shutout in Saturday’s game, helping him earn WHL Eli Wilson Goaltending Goaltender of the Week and Vaughn CHL Goaltender of the Week honours. The Silvertips are on the road against the Americans Friday, March 8 (7:05 p.m. PT).
Moving up a single spot to ninth in this week’s Kia CHL Top 10 Rankings were the Vancouver Giants. Having already claimed the B.C. Division title, the Giants have their sights set on clinching top spot in the Western Conference. With a 5-0-0-1 record in their past six games, the Giants are two points behind the Silvertips for first place with six games remaining in their regular season schedule. Sunday’s overtime goal for 2019 NHL Draft prospect Bowen Byram tied him with Eric Fehr and Deven Sideroff for the most overtime goals in a single season. Byram’s 24 goals continue to lead all CHL defencemen. The Giants are in action next Wednesday, March 6 (7:00 p.m. PT) against the Blazers at the Sandman Centre.
Earning an honourable mention this week were the Saskatoon Blades. Tuesday’s 4-2 win against the Warriors marked the fifth-straight win for the Blades, who are just one of four teams to surpass 40 wins this season. It also marks the 18th time in team history they’ve surpassed 40 wins. Dawson Davidson continues to lead the WHL in defensive scoring, ranking second across the entire CHL. The Blades are in action Saturday, March 9 (7:00 p.m. CT) against the Broncos.
Kia CHL Top 10 Rankings – Week 24:
Rank: | Team: | Last Week Rank: | Number of Weeks Ranked: |
1 | Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (54-7-0-1) | 1 | 21 |
2 | Prince Albert Raiders (51-9-2-2) | 2 | 22 |
3 | Drummondville Voltigeurs (48-11-2-1) | 3 | 19 |
4 | Ottawa 67’s (46-11-3-2) | 4 | 21 |
5 | London Knights (44-12-6-1) | 6 | 20 |
6 | Halifax Mooseheads (46-14-2-1) | 5 | 24 |
7 | Everett Silvertips (45-14-2-2) | 7 | 15 |
8 | Baie-Comeau Drakkar (44-14-2-2) | 8 | 22 |
9 | Vancouver Giants (44-14-2-2) | 10 | 16 |
10 | Saginaw Spirit (42-15-2-3) | – | 4 |
Honourable Mention: | |||
Saskatoon Blades (42-14-8-0) | – | 2 | |
Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (40-15-6-1) | 9 | 8 | |
Guelph Storm (36-16-6-4) | – | 2 |
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.