…A tie? Chaos reigns in Week 10 of the WHL Power Rankings
Many current WHL players weren’t even born yet when the NHL last allowed games to end in a tie in the 2003-04 season, but we’re bringing the draw back for the tenth edition of this season’s WHL Power Rankings.
Oh yeah, there’s a new team on top, too…
1. Everett Silvertips
1st U.S.- 30-14-1-2
How’s the view from the top, Everett?
The Silvertips added victories over Spokane (11-1), Tri-City (3-2) and Kelowna (4-3) to extend their winning streak to eight games and their point streak to nine.
Captain Ben Hemmerling and Jesse Heslop both two goals and four assists for a pair of the most dominant performances in the WHL this week. Plus, Heslop has 13 points in his last eight games.
Everett’s incredible run has also vaulted them into the CHL Top 10 for the second time this season. After breaking in at 10th last week, the Tips are now ranked seventh nationwide.
2. Saskatoon Blades
1st East- 31-9-2-2
Saskatoon got right back on track after Red Deer snapped its astounding 18-game point streak with wins over Calgary and Edmonton.
Vaughn Watterodt struck mesh just 12 seconds into last Friday’s match against the Hitmen, but the Blades had to be sharp to stave off a furious push from the home side.
Rookie goaltender Evan Gardner turned aside 28 of 31 shots to preserve the 4-3 win and earned second star in a 4-1 win over Edmonton by stopping 18 of 19.
The Fort St. John, B.C. product is now second in the WHL with a sparkling 2.04 goals-against average and .925 save percentage.
The Blades know they’re getting every team’s best game right now, but they feel up to the task as they wrap up a four-game road trip in Prince Albert on January 26.
3. Portland Winterhawks / Prince George Cougars
2nd U.S.- 28-11-2-1 / 1st B.C.- 30-13-0-1
Portland and Prince George split their best-of-the-west weekend smackdown in the Northern Capital, so these powerhouses are gridlocked for now.
Both goaltenders shined in their respective victories, with rookie standout Joshua Ravensbergen stopping 25 of 27 in a 3-2 Cougars triumph, while Nick Avakyan denied 34 of 35 attempts in a 2-1 Winterhawks win on January 21.
With more than 6,000 fans in attendance for the second of the back-to-back, the Cougars and Winterhawks drew the biggest crowd to the CN Centre since Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats visited last season.
Prince George and Portland went 2-2-0-0 against each other to wrap up the regular season series, so this matchup seems destined to be decided in the playoffs, no?
5. Moose Jaw Warriors
2nd East- 27-15-0-2
In the first meeting between Matthew Savoie and Conor Geekie’s new teams, it was Savoie’s Moose Jaw Warriors coming out on top in both contests.
Jagger Firkus netted his fourth hat trick of the season as the Warriors scored four unanswered in the third period to claim round one 5-3.
The following night, Savoie snagged a shorthanded goal to go along with a pair of assists as Moose Jaw won a fifth straight game by a score of 4-3.
Firkus now has the longest active point streak in the league (38 points in 17 games) and has just as many hat tricks as games where he’s been held pointless.
The Warriors are on a roll with a 9-1-0-0 record in their past 10 outings.
6. Red Deer Rebels
2nd Central- 25-13-1-4
The Red Deer Rebels are undeniable right now.
With seven wins in a row and back-to-back WHL Goaltender of the Week performances from Chase Wutzke, the Rebels have clawed within striking distance of the Medicine Hat Tigers for the top of the Central Division.
2024 NHL Draft-eligible Ollie Josephson tallied two goals (including a game-winner) and an assist while Nashville Predators prospect Kalan Lind had a goal and two assists in a massive 3-1 win against Medicine Hat and 2-1 win against Prince Albert.
Red Deer has points in 10 straight games and look to continue the streak against Edmonton and Brandon in a weekend homestand.
7. Medicine Hat Tigers
1st Central- 28-14-3-0
Medicine Hat is the first WHL team to reach 200 goals this season after going 1-1-1 on the week.
After falling to the Rebels (3-1) and the Pats (5-4 OT), the Tigers rode a four-goal third period to a 7-3 win over the Brandon Wheat Kings- despite only having nine forwards in the lineup.
Tempo WHL Rookie of the Week Gavin McKenna tallied a goal and three assists, as did Andrew Basha, who missed the match against Brandon as he traveled to Moncton, N.B. for the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.
8. Wenatchee Wild
3rd U.S.- 26-15-4-0
After falling to Spokane 2-1, Wenatchee rebounded with a season-high nine goals in a 9-3 win against Seattle and a 7-4 victory against Tri-City.
Karter Prosofsky led all WHLers in points on the week with seven assists, while Kenta Isogai stretched his scoring streak to seven goals and 12 assists in eight games.
9. Brandon Wheat Kings
3rd East- 22-16-4-1
Brandon was on opposite ends of two lopsided games as they closed out a six-game homestand.
Ethan Eskit pitched his first WHL shutout with a 38-save effort and Brett Hyland tallied two goals and an assist in a 6-0 win against the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
The Wheat Kings kept it close against Medicine Hat with a 3-3 score after two periods in their next outing, but a disastrous final frame saw the Tigers put another four goals on the board.
Brandon will now hit the road for a three-game Alberta road trip.
10. Victoria Royals
2nd B.C.- 24-15-3-3
Talk about a perfect day.
With Victoria hosting Hockey Day in Canada, Hockey Hall-of-Famer and 1989 Stanley Cup Champion Lanny McDonald was on hand to read the starting lineup for the Royals in a home tilt against Kamloops.
On the ice, It only took Dawson Pasternak 11 minutes to net his first WHL hat trick- and Victoria’s scoring lead- in a 7-2 Royals victory.
The Blazers would enact its revenge the following night as Blake Swetlikoff ripped two goals and two assists in a 6-2 Kamloops win.
Victoria is looking to settle back into its winning ways after going 3-3-3-1 in its past 10 games.
11. Swift Current Broncos
3rd Central- 22-18-2-2
This week had to sting a bit for the upstart Broncos.
After seizing a 3-1 lead against Moose Jaw in the third period on January 19, the Broncos allowed four goals in quick succession en route to a 5-3 loss.
The following night, Ryan Gould scored twice in three minutes to even the score at 3 late in the game, but the Warriors would eke out the game-winning goal in the final 30 seconds to leave Swift Current pointless on the week.
Swift Current has another big test ahead with a trip to Saskatoon on the docket for Sunday.
12. Lethbridge Hurricanes
4th Central- 21-19-3-0
Sometimes you score six, sometimes you allow six.
Lethbridge continued to see-saw between wins and losses with a 6-2 victory over Regina before Brandon slammed the door shut with a 6-0 shutout.
Six different Hurricanes players found the back of the net against Regina, including 2024 NHL Draft-eligible forward Miguel Marques, who continues to lead Lethbridge with 51 points.
13. Kelowna Rockets
Kelowna Rockets
3rd B.C.- 21-21-2-0
Tij Iginla netted his second hat trick of the season in a 5-2 win over the Giants, but Vancouver got its revenge by dishing the Rockets a 4-2 loss and snapping Andrew Cristall’s astounding 23-game, 45-point streak.
With Iginla off to Moncton for the Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, the Rockets dropped a second-straight match after a late goal by Everett Silvertips rookie Carter Bear.
Kelowna looks to get back in the win column on January 26 in Kamloops.
14. Calgary Hitmen
5th Central- 18-18-5-1
Calgary kept it close against a Saskatoon team that was coming off its first loss in 18 games. The Blades were able to hold off a furious Hitmen comeback attempt in a 4-3 win.
Calgary’s efforts would pay off next game in a 5-4 overtime win against Prince Albert.
Rookie Keets Fawcett had two goals and two assists on the week, while Ethan Moore is now rocking the third-longest point streak in the league with nine goals and nine assists in 13 games.
15. Vancouver Giants
So continues the trend of split series this week.
Vancouver fell to Kelowna 5-2 on the road before returning home to seize a 4-2 victory against the Rockets.
Cameron Schmidt turned in one of the best rookie performances of the week with three goals and an assist in two games.
Brett Mirwald was excellent in his lone start of the week, stopping 30 of 32 in the win. His .938 save percentage was only second to WHL Goaltender of the Week Chase Wutzke.
Vancouver will play its next three games against rival Victoria starting on Friday night.
16. Regina Pats
The Regina Pats have cracked the WHL Power Rankings for the first time, thanks to a 5-4 overtime win against the Medicine Hat Tigers.
Tye Spencer had a goal and an assist and Zane Rowan sealed the win with his fourth of the year in the extra frame.
Best part? They did in these most savoury threads.
📺 Don't miss the breathtaking moment as Rowan scores the game-winning goal in the overtime!🎉 pic.twitter.com/sGzfJOZvAz
— Regina Pats (@WHLPats) January 21, 2024
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