WHL Power Rankings – November 10-16, 2023
Welcome to the first edition of the 2023-2024 WHL Power Rankings.
1. Portland Winterhawks
1st U.S., 12-4-0-1
The Hawks won both their matchups this week, thanks in large part to WHL Player of the Week Gabe Klassen. The captain recorded four goals and five assists as his team outscored Vancouver (5-1) and Kamloops (7-3) 12-4.
San Jose Sharks prospect Luca Cagnoni is also riding a five-game point streak to sit second in scoring among defencemen with 26 points.
Portland is currently undefeated on home ice and looks to continue the streak against Prince Albert and Everett this weekend.
2. Prince George Cougars
1st B.C., 14-6-0-0
Wins against Red Deer (4-3 SO) and Vancouver (5-0) vaulted Prince George to the top of the league standings, but the Giants got some revenge by dishing the Cougars their third home loss of the season (6-1) at the CN Centre on Wednesday.
Reily Heidt’s two goal, four assist week launched him into a tie for top five in league points and Prince George’s powerplay and penalty kill still lead the league.
Prince George is sitting second in the CHL power rankings and shows few signs of slowing down.
3. Medicine Hat Tigers
1st Central, 13-6-2-0
The Tigers mustered an impressive five-game point streak that included wins against Moose Jaw (2-1 SO) and Wenatchee (4-1) before dropping a road tilt to Swift Current (3-6).
15-year-old rookie Gavin McKenna scored in the loss as he returned to the lineup after a six-game absence that saw him put up five goals and three assists for Team Canada Red at the World U17 Hockey Challenge.
Meanwhile, 2024 NHL Draft prospect Andrew Basha extended his point streak to six games to sit second in team scoring. The Calgary, AB. product has three goals and four assists over that stretch.
On the back end, Evan May earned WHL Goalie of the Week honours with a sensational .92 goals-against average and .971 save percentage.
4. Wenatchee Wild
3rd U.S., 12-8-1-0
The Wenatchee Wild hit a speed bump as they dropped games against Lethbridge (5-1) and Medicine Hat (4-1) on their Alberta road trip, but that’s overshadowed by a massive 5-2 win over their division rivals from Tri-City on Wednesday night.
Connor Geekie’s 11th goal of the season was one for the highlight reel and Matthew Savoie notched a goal and an assist in his first game back after a stint with the Buffalo Sabres.
Wenatchee is 8-2-0-0 in its last ten games and just reminded the league why it remains one of the top scoring threats.
5. Saskatoon Blades
1st East, 13-6-0-0
Saskatoon didn’t get the win in a 9-6 barnburner against the Moose Jaw Warriors, but the high-flying Blades sure managed to pad their stats.
Egor Sidorov is rocking a six-game point streak that’s seen him put up 10 goals and three assists- including a hat trick against Moose Jaw and the game-winner against Swift Current (5-4) last Friday.
Trevor Wong added five helpers throughout the week to lead the league with 28 apples in 19 games.
6. Moose Jaw Warriors
2nd East, 12-8-0-1
The Warriors earned five of a possible six points this week, but the high-scoring affair against Saskatoon takes top prize. Best part? These teams meet again on November. 17.
Captain Denton Mateychuk extended his point streak to 14 games in the win and Seattle Kraken prospect Jagger Firkus went wild with a four goal, three assist week and continues to lead the WHL in points and goals with 40 and 21, respectively.
Plus, keep an eye out for new face Dakota MacIntosh. He was the top scorer in the AJHL prior to joining Moose Jaw and earned his first points in his new jersey with two goals and an assist against Saskatoon.
7. Everett Silvertips
2nd U.S., 12-7-1-0
Sure, wins are cool. But the power kill is sure turning heads, too.
The Silvertips set a franchise record with three shorthanded goals against Vancouver in a 6-2 win on Saturday- including the game-winning shorty from defender Eric Jamieson.
Don’t look now, but Everett is 7-2-1-0 in its last ten games.
8. Victoria Royals
2nd B.C., 12-8-0-1
The Victoria Royals have been serving up some home cooking at the Save-On Food Memorial Arena, where they have points in nine straight games- including a pair of wins against Kelowna (3-2 OT and 5-3) this week.
Arizona Coyotes prospect Justin Kipke scored a hat trick and added a pair of assists in the homestand against the Rockets, while Cole Reschny added three assists through the contests in his return from the World U17 Hockey Challenge.
9. Prince Albert Raiders
3rd East, 12-8-0-1
The Raiders picked up victories in Spokane (3-2) and Seattle (3-2) to kick off a U.S. road trip and keep pace in the tight East Division.
Alternate captain Sloan Stanick recorded a goal and five assists through the week and now sits fourth in the WHL with a tidy 22 helpers in 22 matches.
10. Calgary Hitmen
4th Central, 9-8-2-0
Calgary only played two games in the past week but won both, outscoring Edmonton by a whopping 16-3 (6-1 and 10-2).
Ben Kindel earned WHL Rookie of the Week honours with two goals, four assists and a plus-4 rating.
Special teams played a massive role as the Hitmen went 7-for-10 on the powerplay and scored a shorty to boot.
11. Lethbridge Hurricanes
2nd Central, 10-8-2-0
The Hurricanes snapped Wenatchee’s eight-game winning streak (5-1) while ending a four-game home slump of their own.
Harrison Meneghin stopped 41 of 42 shots in the 5-1 win against the Wild and earned the rare goalie assist.
The South Surrey, B.C. puckstopper leads the WHL with a .928 save percentage, sits fourth with a 2.25 goals-against average and is tied second in wins with 10.
12. Tri-City Americans
4th U.S., 10-7-1-1
Tri City closed out a five-game homestand with a 5-4 win over Prince Albert and a four-one record. Not too shabby!
Drew Freer scored a goal and rookie Max Curran added two helpers in the win over the Raiders.
13. Swift Current Broncos
3rd Central, 10-9-1-0
Swift Current doubled up Medicine Hat 6-3 on Tuesday, with Tyson Laventure adding two goals and an assist in the effort. Caleb Wyrostok earned a plus-three rating and scored the shorthanded game winner.
Next up, the Broncos will host the Regina Pats for the WHL’s first Teddy Bear Toss Game of the season.
14. Seattle Thunderbirds
5th U.S., 8-6-1-0
Seattle split a home-and-away against Victoria (2-3 and 5-4) before falling at home to Prince Albert (2-3).
Jeremy Hanzel’s two-goal performance helped snap a five-game winless stretch in a 5-4 win against the Royals.
Antonio Martorana led the team with two goals and two assists in three games.
15. Brandon Wheat Kings
5th East, 8-8-4-1
Brandon kept things even this week, going 1-1-1 against division rivals Moose Jaw (3-4 OT) and Regina (7-5 and 2-4).
The trio of high-scoring games saw the Wheaties score 12 and allow 12.
Roger McQueen filled the net with three goals and four assists, bringing his season total to a team-leading 13 goals and 13 assists in 21 games.
16. Vancouver Giants
3rd B.C., 8-11-1-0
It was tough sledding for Vancouver, which fell at the hands of the top two teams in the U.S. Division and the WHL-leading Prince George (5-0), but the Giants bounced back by toppling the Cougars 6-1 on the road.
Calgary Flames draft pick Jaden Lipinski scored a hat trick in the effort.
Cameron Schmidt is also back with the Giants with some fresh hardware in tow. The rookie is fresh off scoring the golden goal in overtime for Team Canada White at the World U17 Hockey Challenge. The Prince George, B.C. product picked up an assist in the win over his hometown team.
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