Silvertips surge, Winterhawks tumble in Week 3 of the WHL Power Rankings
The underdog Red Deer Rebels just keep on climbing in Week 3 of the WHL Power Rankings, while some powerhouse clubs take a tumble.
1. Prince George Cougars
1st B.C.- 18-7-0-0
Point in four of Prince George’s last five outings helped vault the Cougars to the top of the CHL rankings for the first time this season, but a 3-1 win over the Silvertips came at a massive cost.
Star forward Koehn Ziemmer went down awkwardly during a tussle with Everett Silvertips defenceman Eric Jamieson.
The Los Angeles Kings prospect is out of the lineup indefinitely with a significant ankle injury and the Cougars fell to Everett 3-1 the following night.
There’s still plenty of firepower in the lineup- Riley Heidt was the top scorer of the week with two goals and six assists in three outings, Zac Funk potted a monster 5 goals to challenge for first in the league, and Joshua Ravensbergen stopped 28 of 29 to earn first star in the 3-1 win over Everett.
The rookie goalie is 8-1-0-0, leads the league with a .935 save percentage, and is second with a 1.86 goals-against average.
Prince George will now embark on a three-game swing through Washington, highlighted by a tilt against the Portland Winterhawks on December 3.
2. Saskatoon Blades
1st East- 18-8-1-0
It’s a good week to be a Saskatoon Blade.
It might not count in the win column, but any team would call snagging Fraser Minten in a blockbuster trade a victory.
Saskatoon earned points in all four games this week with a 3-0-1-0 record. Minten wasted no time settling in on the road, netting his first goal in a Blades uniform by scoring in a 5-4 overtime loss to Portland and adding an assist in a 6-3 win over Tri-City.
There were milestones galore in the win over the Americans, where Captain Trevor Wong recorded his 200th career point with two assists, and Anaheim Ducks draft pick Egor Sidorov scored his third hat-trick of the month.
The Belarusian sniper is averaging a goal per game and leads the WHL scoring race with 24 lamp-lighters.
The Blades closed out a U.S. road trip with a 2-0 win over Spokane. Rookie netminder Evan Gardner earned his second career WHL shutout, stopping 30 shots. The Lake Country, B.C. native boasts a 6-4-0-0 record, with a .928 save percentage and 2.04 goals-against-average.
3. Wenatchee Wild
2nd U.S.- 16-8-3-0
A three-goal first period on November 24 lifted Wenatchee to a 4-2 win over Spokane- and their 10th straight home win.
On the road, the Wild tied Kelowna three times but eventually fell 5-4 in overtime. Despite the loss, Wenatchee is on a seven-game point streak and is 6-2-2-0 in its past 10 games.
Matthew Savoie and Conor Geekie added a goal and assist each, but it was rookie Luka Shcherbyna playing hero with the tying goal to force the extra frame against Kelowna.
4. Everett Silvertips
1st U.S.- 17-10-1-0
Everett proved it belongs in the contender conversation with several statement wins last week.
The ‘Tips went 3-1-0-0, scoring six unanswered goals to double up nationally-ranked Portland 6-3, inching past Kamloops 4-3 in overtime, and splitting games against the top team in the nation, the Prince George Cougars (1-3, 4-3).
Teague Patton led his squad with four goals and two assists in four outings, while Austin Roest potted three to sit sixth in the league in goals with 19.
Congratulations are also in order for Ben Hemmerling, who signed his entry-level contract with the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday and added a goal and two assists on the week.
5. Moose Jaw Warriors
2nd East- 15-10-0-1
Moose Jaw stumbled out of the gate with a 6-3 loss at the hands of Swift Current but bounced back with a 6-3 win over Prince Albert and a 4-0 revenge match against the Broncos.
In the NHL, things may be dark for the Columbus Blue Jackets, but a pair of their prospects are shining in Moose Jaw.
With five assists on the week, 2022 first-round pick Denton Mateychuk’s modern franchise record-setting point is up to 19 games. He’s yet to be held off the scoresheet this season.
Meanwhile, 2021 seventh-rounder Martin Rysavy led Moose Jaw with four goals and two assists over three matches, including his first WHL hat trick against Prince Albert.
6. Portland Winterhawks
3rd U.S.- 15-7-0-1
Portland slid this week with two losses against the surging Silvertips (6-3) and Spokane Chiefs (5-2), but a dramatic 5-4 OT win over the Saskatoon Blades reminded fans what this team is capable of.
And keep in mind, Portland does have the third-best win percentage in the league at .674.
16-year-old Ryan Miller scored his first and second WHL goals against Spokane, while James Stefan (3G, 3A) and Gabe Klossen (4G, 2A) led the squad with six points each in three games.
It’s prove-it time for Portland with a home-and-away series against the Wenatchee Wild this weekend, followed up by a date with the Prince George Cougars on December 3.
7. Medicine Hat Tigers
1st Central- 16-7-2-0
Medicine Hat split its games with a 6-1 win over Brandon and a 5-3 loss to Swift Current but still clawed their way back into the national rankings, thanks, in part, to 2024 NHL Draft-eligible forward Andrew Basha.
Basha had four goals and two assists in two games, while his fellow future draftee Cayden Lindstrom chipped in with a double-double.
The Tigers are 7-2-1-0 in its last 10 outings and boast the third-best win percentage in the league (.680).
8. Swift Current Broncos
3rd Central- 13-11-1-0
The boys from Speedy Creek snagged wins from divisional rivals Moose Jaw (6-3) and Medicine Hat (5-3) but were blanked by the Warriors 4-0.
The Broncos dispatched Medicine Hat 5-3 for Swift Current’s first win in the second half of a back-to-back set of games this season.
Matthew Kieper also earned his first win as a Bronco, stopping 28 of 31 shots from the top-scoring team in the Eastern Conference.
Josh Filmon added two goals and an assist to tie Sam Ward for the team scoring lead with 25 points.
9. Red Deer Rebels
4th Central- 11-9-0-3
The stealthy Rebels have won five straight games and have points in eight of their past 10 games. They’re so hot, Assistant Coach Clayton Beddoes needed to buzz his hair to cool off (looks great, coach!).
Rhett Stoesser posted his third shutout of the season with a 25-save clean sheet against Brandon (2-0) and captain Kai Uchacz tallied two goals (including the overtime game-winner against Calgary) and three assists in three games.
Red Deer will look to stay perfect on this six-game homestand as Moose Jaw and Everett roll into town over the weekend.
10. Lethbridge Hurricanes
2nd Central- 14-10-2-0
Lethbridge fell on the road to the high-flying Prince George Cougars (6-4) but came home after a two-and-a-half week road trip to dish the Calgary Hitmen a 4-1 loss.
The Canes record at the Enmax Centre improves to 7-3-2-0.
Miguel Marques had three goals and two assists to snag the team scoring lead with 11 goals and 18 assists in 26 games, while Logan Wormold has not been held off the scoresheet since returning from an appendectomy on October 18th.
The Langley, B.C. product has four goals and nine assists over his seven-game point streak.
11. Spokane Chiefs
5th U.S.- 10-11-2-0
Spokane mustered big wins over Victoria (8-1) and Portland (5-2) but sputtered against high-flying Wenatchee (4-2) and Saskatoon (2-0).
Dawson Cowan earned goalie of the week honours by going 2-1-0-0 with a 2.00 goals-against average and .942 save percentage, but it’s his offensive output that has the league talking.
Cowan capped off his week by registering a goal and assist to go along with 34 saves in a 5-2 win over the nationally ranked Portland Winterhawks on November 26.
12. Kelowna Rockets
3rd B.C.- 10-13-2-0
Kelowna won both of its final home games ahead of the holiday break in style.
Andrew Cristall had a goal and two assists as the Rockets doubled up the Seattle Thunderbirds 4-2 and added another goal and assist as Kelowna edged the Wenatchee Wild 5-4 in overtime.
Defenceman Marek Rocak tallied the OT winner.
The Rockets lead the season series against Wenatchee 2-1.
The two will face each other again on January 6 for their final matchup of the season in Washington.
Next up, Kelowna hits the road for seven games before the holiday break.
13. Victoria Royals
2nd B.C.- 14-11-0-2
Victoria split the week at 2-2, with dominant wins against Tri-City (5-1) and Kamloops (6-1) but dropping a stinker against Spokane (8-1) and Kamloops (3-2).
Cole Reschny scored his first WHL hat trick in the win against Kamloops (and added another two goals and an assist on the week).
The Macklin, Sask. Product is third in rookie scoring with 11 goals and 15 assists in 22 games.
Victoria is looking to trim up heading into the holiday season, as the Royals have allowed the second-most goals in the league at 108
14. Tri-City Americans
4th U.S.- 13-9-1-1
Tri City had one win on the road (5-2 against Vancouver) while dropping home tilts to Victoria (5-1) and Saskatoon (6-3).
Lukas Gragicevic led his team with four assists in four outings while rookie Max Curran had a goal and two assists.
The Americans have a touch schedule on tap with matches against the league-leading Prince George Cougars (December 1) and Wenatchee (December 3) on tap.
15. Kamloops Blazers
5th B.C.- 7-14-3-2
Kamloops went 2-1-1-0 and has points in 6 of its past 10 games- not bad for a team that just dealt its star forward.
The Blazers scored five unanswered goals to surge past the Vancouver Giants 6-3 on November 24th and picked up a point the following night when Emmett Finnie scored with 3:37 left to force OT against Everett.
After falling 6-1 to Victoria in their lone regulation loss, Kamloops bounced back with a gutsy 3-2 win over the royals to close out the week.
Ryan Michael had his first of the year to secure revenge against Victoria and Jesse Sanche stopped 29 shots to secure his 1st WHL victory.
16. Brandon Wheat Kings
4th East- 11-11-4-1
The Wheat Kings saw mixed results on an Alberta road trip this week. Brandon was shut out by the streaking Red Deer Rebels on November 24 (2-0) and were pummeled by the red-hot Medicine Hat Tiger (6-1) the following night. Brandon would bounce back with a 3-1 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders on the road home.
Ethan Eskit was named Rookie of the Week after posting a sparkling 1.22 goals-against average and .953 save percentage in two starts and one relief appearance in three straight nights on the road.
Eskit shined in a 2-0 loss at the hands of the Red Deer Rebels on November 24, saving 29 of 30 shots on net, earning first-star.
Next up, a monster eight-game homestand, starting with a tilt against Regina at 7:00 p.m. CST on December 1.
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