Silvertips rise to third in Kia CHL Top 10 Rankings
Toronto, Ont. – The Canadian Hockey League today announced the week 14 edition of the Kia CHL Top-10 Rankings for the 2019-20 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 is represented by four teams as well as one honourable mention this week.
Into the top three this week are the Everett Silvertips, who moved up one spot from the fourth seed last week. Everett started the week against their U.S. Division rivals, the Portland Winterhawks, dropping the match on Friday 3-2 in overtime. The Silvertips however would bounce back from the loss with consecutive wins against the Vancouver Giants and Spokane Chiefs on Saturday and Sunday respectively. One of the largest strengths for the Silvertips has been the scoring support for the team’s top six. Leading the way for Everett has been captain Bryce Kindopp, who tallied four goals in three games, and Montreal Canadians prospect Cole Fonstad, who picked up four assists in the three matches. Also in recent form has been draft eligible 18-year-old, Gage Goncalves who had a three-point game (1G-2A) against the visiting Chiefs. The Silvertips remained tied in points with the Winterhawks, though they’ve played one fewer game to date, giving them a narrow advantage in the standings. The next game for the Silvertips is Wednesday, December 18 (7:05 p.m. PT) against the visiting Tri-City Americans.
Moving up one spot in the rankings to the seventh seed are the Portland Winterhawks following a 2-0-0-1 weekend. The Winterhawks have continued their consistent play, currently tied with the Silvertips with 48 points each in the U.S. Division. Portland started the week with a big 3-2 come-from-behind victory against the Silvertips. The win was led by an all-star performance from New York Islanders prospect Reece Newkirk who had three points (1G-2A) and buried the game-winning goal. The Winterhawks followed the performance with a dominant 8-1 victory over the Americans and a tight 4-3 shootout loss to the Seattle Thunderbirds. Playing a big role for the team has been 17-year-old forward Seth Jarvis, who currently sits tied for second in team scoring with 33 points (14G-19A) in 29 games. Jarvis will feature in the 2020 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game on January 16 in Hamilton, Ont. Following the holiday break, the next game for the Winterhawks is Friday, December 27 (7:05 p.m. PT) against Tri-City.
Moving back up the rankings this week are the Edmonton Oil Kings, who hold down the eight seed in the nation. The Oil Kings had a bounce-back week, stringing together three-straight wins heading into the holiday break. Rookie Sebastian Cossa has continued to impress for the Oil Kings with his 2.09 goals-against average and 0.925 save percentage ranking third among all WHL goaltenders. Cossa was named the WHL Eli Wilson Goaltender of the Week for performance, which included a 7-1 win over the Medicine Hat Tigers. The Oil Kings travel to Red Deer for their next game against the Rebels on Friday, December 27 (7:00 p.m. MT) at Westerner Park Centrium.
The Tigers stayed in the ninth spot in the rankings after a win against the Prince Albert Raiders. Leading the way for the Tabbies on Wednesday was draft eligible forward Ryan Chyzowski and rookie 16-year-old Cole Sillinger in the team’s big 8-4 win Wednesday. Chyzowski finished the game with four points (3G-1A) while Sillinger ended the night with a five-point game (1G-4A). Sillinger’s play was enough to earn the rookie a spot on the Vaughn CHL Team of the Week as he posted 10 points (1G-9A) in four games. The Tigers will continue play on Friday, December 27 (7:00 p.m. CT) against the Swift Current Broncos.
Picking up a spot in the honourable mentions this week are the Kamloops Blazers, who won three consecutive games heading into the holiday break. The Blazers currently lead the B.C. Division with 45 points and a record of 21-9-2-1. Leading the way for Kamloops has been Orrin Centazzo, who has tallied seven points (6G-1A) in his last three games. Also playing a big part for the Blazers has been captain Zane Franklin, who now leads the team with 50 points (18G-32A) in 33 games. The next game for the Blazers is Friday, December 27 (7:05 p.m. PT) against the Kelowna Rockets at the Prospera Place.
Kia CHL Top 10 Rankings – Week 14
Rank: | Team: | Last Week Ranked: | Total Weeks Ranked: |
1 | Sherbrooke Phoenix (27-5-2-0) | 1 | 14 |
2 | Ottawa 67’s (23-6-0-0) | 2 | 12 |
3 | Everett Silvertips (23-6-2-0) | 4 | 8 |
4 | Chicoutimi Sagueneens (24-6-3-0) | 5 | 14 |
5 | Moncton Wildcats (24-9-0-0) | 3 | 8 |
6 | Peterborough Petes (23-7-1-1) | 7 | 6 |
7 | Portland Winterhawks (22-6-1-3) | 8 | 4 |
8 | Edmonton Oil Kings (22-6-5-2) | – | 11 |
9 | Medicine Hat Tigers (22-10-1-0) | 9 | 4 |
10 | Guelph Storm (19-8-1-3) | 10 | 3 |
Honourable Mention: | |||
Windsor Spitfires (17-7-4-0) | – | 5 | |
Rimouski Oceanic (20-8-3-3) | – | 1 | |
Kamloops Blazers (21-9-2-1) | – | 1 |
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.