Blades overtake Cougars for top spot in Week 5 of the WHL Power Rankings
Week 5 was all about the kids with WHL debuts, rookie records and goals galore.
1. Saskatoon Blades
1st East- 23-8-1-0
You really can’t draw up a better week for the Blades. Saskatoon went 4-0 last week to stretch the team’s winning streak to seven games and point streak to eight games (7-0-1-0).
Anaheim Ducks prospect Egor Sidorov’s parents traveled more than 7500 kilometers to watch their son play a WHL game in person for the first time on December 8. Naturally, Sidorov potted his fourth hat trick of the season as the Blades doubled up Red Deer 4-2.
The veteran leads the league with eight game-winning goals and sits two back of Prince George’s Zac Funk to lead the WHL in goals.
Saskatoon is a near-perfect 11-1-0-0 at the SaskTel Centre this season and looks to continue the streak when the Kelowna Rockets roll in on December 16.
2. Prince George Cougars
1st B.C.- 22-9-0-0
The ’06-born Cougars continue to do damage even though the Cougars slipped slightly with a 1-2-0-0 record.
Prince George rookie goaltender Joshua Ravensbergen is playing his way into the record books. With a 16-save shutout against Victoria on December 9, the 17-year-old recorded his sixth clean sheet of the season, tying the WHL record for shutouts by a rookie.
Rookie scoring leader Terik Parascak added two goals and an assist to his impressive stats page (22 goals and 24 assists in 31 games)- including the game-winner in a 1-0 nailbiter against the Royals.
The Cougars look to get back in the win column on December 15 when they visit the Wenatchee Wild.
3. Medicine Hat Tigers
1st Central- 20-8-2-0
The Tigers won all three matchups last week, extending their win streak to four games and outscoring their opponents 17-6.
With four goals in three outings, 2024 NHL Draft-eligible forward Cayden Lindstrom extended his point streak to ten games, putting up 12 goals and five assists.
The Tigers are tied as the third highest-scoring club in the league, thanks in part to the efforts of players like Oasiz Wiesblatt and Shane Smith, who chipped in three goals each in three games.
Medicine Hat will close out its pre-holiday slate with tilts against Calgary on December 15 and Lethbridge on December 16.
4. Portland Winterhawks
3rd U.S.- 19-9-1-1
Listen, if there’s something the Winterhawks know how to do, it’s score.
Portland went 4-0-0-0 last week while outscoring their competitors 28-12. Portland leads the league with 144 goals.
James Stefan added seven goals to the tally and added two assists, while Captain Gabe Klassed put up two goals and eight helpers.
Next up, an away-and-home set against Spokane starting on December 15.
5. Wenatchee Wild
1st U.S.- 20-10-3-0
Will Wild fans cheer for Team U.S.A. at the upcoming IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship? Or for their boys Matthew Savoie and Conor Geekie on Team Canada?
The Wild went 1-2-0-0 this week and split the games played without Savoie, Geekie and Rodzers Bukarts, who is expected to suit up for Team Latvia.
High-scoring losses against Portland (7-2) and Tri-City (9-3) sting, but the Wild can be proud of a hard-earned 4-3 victory over the Spokane Chiefs.
After falling behind 3-2, Kenta Isogai added a pair of assists to tie the game and clinch the win on the powerplay.
Isogai, the first Japanese player drafted to the WHL, sits third in Wild scoring with 15 goals and 26 assists in 30 games.
The Wild will battle to the finish before the break, with the Prince George Cougars rolling into town on December 15 and the Everett Silvertips following two days later.
Speaking of…
6. Everett Silvertips
2nd U.S.- 20-12-1-1
The Silvertips kept pace in the tight U.S. Division by going 3-1-0-0 this week, falling to Portland (6-3) while hammering Vancouver (4-1, 8-7) and Prince George (5-2).
Everett tied a franchise record with five powerplay goals in an 8-7 win over Portland and Captain Ben Hemmerling led all WHL skaters with four goals and eight assists in four outings.
However, the Tips are now without team points leader Dominik Rymon (18 goals, 25 assists) as he heads overseas to represent Czechia at World Juniors.
7. Brandon Wheat Kings
2nd East- 16-11-4-1
This time last week, the Brandon Wheat Kings were sitting fourth in the East… but the Wheaties are on a six-game heater that’s vaulted them to second in the division.
14-year-old Jaxon Jacobson dazzled in his WHL debut with a pair of goals to help Brandon top Moose Jaw 5-4 in a shootout, and the Wheat Kings scored two shorthanded goals to double up the Rockets, 6-3.
Next up, a home rematch against Moose Jaw on December 16 to tie up the pre-holiday slate.
8. Victoria Royals
2nd B.C.- 18-12-0-2
The Royals split a pair of road games against the B.C.-leading Prince George Cougars to maintain their grasp on second place in the division.
Dawson Pasternak had a goal and an assist in a 5-3 win over the Cougars to claim victory on the road, but Victoria was shut out the following night as Josh Ravensbergen added to his growing pile of shutouts.
Goaltender Jayden Kraus earned third star in the 1-0 loss after saving 32 of 33 shots.
9. Moose Jaw Warriors
3rd East- 17-13-0-2
Moose Jaw slipped slightly with its only point in three games coming in a shootout loss against Brandon- but the biggest bummer was seeing Captain Denton Mateychuk’s monstrous 23-game points streak finally snapped in a 4-3 loss at the hands of the Blades.
Atley Calvert led the week with two goals and an assist and marked his 200th WHL contest this week.
Now, focus is the name of the game as the Warriors look to turn things around before the holiday break.
10. Red Deer Rebels
2nd Central- 16-12-0-3
A three-game win streak and wins in seven of their last 10 games saw Red Deer jump Swift Current for second in the Central division.
After getting doubled up 4-2 by Saskatoon, the Rebels cranked out a tight 2-1 win over Prince Albert and outlasted Calgary 3-2 in the shootout.
Chase Wutzke earned Goalie of the Week honours after going 2-0-0-0 in two starts and denying all eight shots he faced in one relief appearance.
The 17-year-old put up a .88 goals-against average and .970 save percentage.
Red Deer concludes its pre-Christmas schedule against Regina on December 16.
11. Tri-City Americans
4th U.S.- 15-12-1-1
The Tri-City Americans are climbing the ranks thanks to a pair of statement wins over the Seattle Thunderbirds (4-1) and Wenatchee Wild (9-3).
2024 NHL Draft-eligible forward Max Curran was named Kal Tire Rookie of the Week with a goal and four assists to lead his squad- and all rookies- in scoring this week.
Calgary Flames prospect Parker Bell and Jordan Gavin each had two goals and an assist in the Wenatchee beatdown.
The Americans will now make tracks for Victoria for back-to-back games against the Royals.
12. Swift Current Broncos
3rd Central- 15-13-1-2
The Broncos split a home-and-away set against the Lethbridge Hurricanes before heading north for an eventual loss in Red Deer.
Luke Mistelbacher lifted the Broncos to a 3-1 victory over Lethbridge with the first two-goal game of his WHL career.
The Broncos are set to debut some new threads against Edmonton on December 15 before their final pre-holiday game against Calgary on December 17.
13. Prince Albert Raiders
4th East- 17-4-0-2
The Raiders have been ping-ponging between wins and losses, but all told, had a pretty successful week, edging the Hitmen (4-3), losing to the Rebels (2-1) and closing out a three-game homestand with a 3-1 win over Kamloops.
Sloan Stanick led the squad with three goals and an assist- including the Teddy Bear Toss goal with just over a minute left in the game against Red Deer.
Max Hildebrand was a workhorse for the Raiders, earning second star against Calgary with a 36-save performance and stopping exactly 100 shots in three games for a .943 save percentage.
14. Lethbridge Hurricanes
4th Central- 15-13-2-0
Lethbridge started the week strong by defeating Swift Current 5-3 but dropped the rematch against the Broncos (3-1) and allowed the Medicine Hat to score five unanswered in a 6-2 Tigers victory.
Prince George, B.C. product Miguel Marques continued his remarkably consistent play with a goal and three assists on the week, extending his point streak to seven games.
The Hurricanes are now without Swiss forward Leo Braillard as he attends Switzerland’s National Junior Team Selection Camp.
The 2005-born import player has tallied seven goals and 13 assists in 18 games since joining Lethbridge via CHL waivers from the QMJHL’s Shawinigan Cataractes.
15. Kelowna Rockets
3rd B.C.- 13-15-2-0
Kelowna hit the road for a pair of tight, one-goal wins over Regina (5-4) and Moose Jaw (2-1) before falling 6-3 to the streaking Brandon Wheat Kings.
Andrew Cristall had three goals and three assists to stretch his point streak to 11 games, while Tij Iginla put up a triple-triple of his own.
Kelowna still has matches ahead in Prince Albert and Saskatoon before wrapping up its prairie road trip.
16. Seattle Thunderbirds
5th U.S.- 12-13-1-0
The Thunderbirds fell to Tri-City (4-1) and Portland (7-2) before mustering a 5-3 win over Spokane.
Vancouver Canucks prospect Sawyer Mynio assisted the opening goal and scored twice, including the game-winner, against the Chiefs.
Seattle went 4/6 on the powerplay and denied all six Spokane powerplay opportunities.
The Thunderbirds will be without starting goaltender Scott Ratzlaff (8-10-1-0) and top-scorer Luca Hauf (10 goals) as they depart to play for Canada and Germany at World Juniors.
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