WHL division leaders take spots on Kia CHL Top 10 Rankings
Toronto, Ont. – The Canadian Hockey League today announced the week ten 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.
For a sixth-straight week, the Western Hockey League’s Prince Albert Raiders remained the top team in the entire CHL. The Raiders pushed their winning streak to 14 games with four more victories over the past seven days, featuring a pair of shutouts and the first-career goal from Vaughn CHL Goaltender of the Week Ian Scott (Toronto Maple Leafs). The WHL Vaughn Goaltender of the Month for September/October has raised his game to another level in November, sporting a 5-0-0-0 record and a 0.80 goals-against-average, while also stopping 138 of 142 shots for a 0.972 save percentage. The Raiders will begin a seven-game road trip with a visit to the Canalta Centre to battle the Medicine Hat Tigers on Friday, November 23 (7:30 p.m. MT).
Sitting at the top of the Central Division, the Red Deer Rebels moved up to seventh in this week’s rankings. Winners of four-straight games, the Rebels have gone 8-2-0-0 in their past 10 games and enjoy a two-point lead over the second place Edmonton Oil Kings, who have also played three more games than the Rebels. Captain Reese Johnson and teammate Jeff de Wit led the team with five goals each through the month of November. The Rebels are back in action Friday November 23 (7:00 p.m. MT), taking on the Kootenay ICE at Western Financial Place.
The division leaders from south of the border continued to be present in the Kia CHL Top 10 Rankings as the Everett Silvertips took spot nine this week. Sporting a 7-2-1-0 record in their past 10 games, the Silvertips have taken a U.S. Division that had all five teams clamouring for first place and opened up a seven-point lead on the second place Portland Winterhawks. They’ve also opened up a five-point lead for first place in the WHL’s Western Conference. The teams will play a pivotal home-and-home series later this week, but first the Silvertips will play host to the Kelowna Rockets on Saturday, November 24 (7:05 p.m. PT) at Angel of the Winds Arena.
Rounding out the Kia CHL Top 10 this week were the Vancouver Giants, who lead the B.C. Division by a six-point margin. After a 10-4 win against the Regina Pats Friday, the Giants took a pair of tough losses against the Silvertips and Victoria Royals. Despite the setback, the Giants are still 8-2-1-0 against the B.C. Division this season. Up next for the Giants is a trip south of the border Wednesday, November 21 (7:05 p.m. PT), taking on the Seattle Thunderbirds.
Kia CHL Top 10 Rankings – Week 10:
Rank: | Team: | Last Week Rank: | Number of Weeks Ranked: |
1 | Prince Albert Raiders (21-1-0-0) | 1 | 8 |
2 | Ottawa 67’s (19-3-3-0) | 2 | 7 |
3 | Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (19-4-0-0) | 3 | 7 |
4 | Halifax Mooseheads (17-4-1-0) | 4 | 10 |
5 | Moncton Wildcats (19-4-2-0) | 5 | 5 |
6 | London Knights (15-4-2-0) | 8 | 6 |
7 | Red Deer Rebels (15-5-1-0) | 9 | 4 |
8 | Baie-Comeau Drakkar (17-6-0-1) | 7 | 8 |
9 | Everett Silvertips (17-7-1-0) | – | 1 |
10 | Vancouver Giants (14-6-2-0) | 6 | 8 |
Honourable Mention: | |||
Drummondville Voltigeurs (15-6-1-0) | 10 | 5 | |
Mississauga Steelheads (14-6-2-0) | – | 1 | |
Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (13-6-3-1) | – | 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.