WHL Power Rankings: Week 13
Christmas didn’t come early, but Week 13 of the WHL Power Rankings did!
The Power Rankings will take a break until 2025, but fans can stay tuned for the results of our Midseason Player Survey.
More than 300 WHLers anonymously cast their votes for top players, most difficult road buildings and shared their predictions for who will win the 2025 WHL Championship.
The first results will drop on Friday, December 20 at WHL.ca and across league social media channels.
1. Everett Silvertips
1st U.S.- 25-5-2-1
The league-leading Silvertips split their games against Wenatchee and Tri-City this week but still haven’t been knocked off the pedestal.
Seattle Kraken prospect Julius Miettinen scored his 10th goal of the season in his final game before heading east to prepare to represent Finland at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ottawa.
Exceptional status defenceman Landon DuPont also added a trio of helpers to sit fourth among all WHL defencemen with 26 assists.
2. Prince George Cougars
1st B.C.- 18-9-3-2
Prince George cruised into the break with a 3-1-0-0 road trip.
After falling to Portland in a chippy affair, the Cougars rebounded with big wins over Spokane and Kelowna.
Vegas Golden Knights prospect Viliam Kmec impressed with a two-goal, two-assist effort against the Rockets, while Washington Capitals first-round pick Terik Parascak picked up a goal and two assists on the week- including a goal and an assist in his 100th career WHL game.
3. Calgary Hitmen
2nd Central- 17-9-3-1
The Hitmen have jumped the Hurricanes for second in the Central with four straight wins.
Ottawa Senators prospect Carter Yakemchuk is adding to his already impressive resume by making history for Calgary… again.
With an overtime goal against Kamloops, Yakemchuk now holds the all-time record for goals by a Hitmen defenceman. He set the single-season record with 30 lamp-lighters in 2023-24, and he’s on pace to break his own record as a 19-year-old.
Oliver Tulk has also put up an astounding goal and seven assists in his last three games, while 2025 NHL Draft-eligible Ben Kindel has the hottest active point streak in the league with 27 points in his last 14 games.
4. Spokane Chiefs
2nd U.S.- 22-11-0-0
A three-goal second period against Seattle powered Spokane to a 10th straight win, but Prince George and Portland swiftly dealt the Chiefs back-to-back losses.
Asanali Sarkenov scored twice against the Thunderbirds-including the game-winner- to build some momentum as he prepares to suit up for his native Kazakhstan at World Juniors.
Alternate captain Shea Van Olm also picked up another four points on the week to give himself a two-goal cushion as he sits atop the WHL goals leaderboard.
🎥HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT🎥
The SVO Show's Christmas Special just dropped!🤯🎄@spokanechiefs | #WHLHoN pic.twitter.com/QW1eJYB5yk
— The WHL (@TheWHL) December 18, 2024
5. Lethbridge Hurricanes
3rd Central- 17-11-1-1
The Hurricanes went 2-1-0-0 this week, splitting an important set against their Highway 3 rivals in Medicine Hat.
Jackson Unger picked up WHL Goaltender of the Week honours with a sparking 3-0-0-0 record, a 1.00 goals-against average and a .950 save percentage.
The former WHL Champion is undefeated in his Hurricanes tenure- and added an assist, to boot.
Captain and Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Noah Chadwick also led the offence this week with a pair of goals and an assist.
6. Tri-City Americans
3rd U.S.- 19-8-2-1
Tri-City doubled up Kelowna before sliding in losses to Everett and Vancouver.
The big story for the Ams this week is 2025 NHL Draft-eligible Jordan Gavin, whose four-point effort against the Rockets marked 150 points in his WHL career.
Gavin, who was nominated for the Brad Hornung Memorial Trophy for Most Sportsmanlike Player last season, also picked up a shorthanded goal in the victory.
Rookie winger Savin Virk also tallied three goals, including his first multi-goal game.
7. Medicine Hat Tigers
1st Central- 19-14-1-0
The Tigers took down Moose Jaw before heading into the aforementioned split against the Hurricanes.
Calgary Flames prospect Andrew Basha popped off for a goal and four assists while suiting up for his 200th game, while Minnesota Wild pick Ryder Ritchie was close behind with four points of his own.
The milestones just kept coming for the Tabbies, with Captain Oasiz Wiesblatt potting the game-winner against Lethbridge in his 250th career game on December 14.
Medicine Hat’s recent success has also seen them jump the Saskatoon Blades to lead the Eastern Conference with 39 points at the break.
8. Prince Albert Raiders
4th East- 15-11-3-0
Calgary snapped Prince Albert’s three-game win streak in a tightly contested Wednesday Night in the Dub showdown, but the Raiders are still 7-3-0-0 in their last 10 games.
Seattle Kraken prospect Lukas Dragicevic surpassed 40 career goals with two tallies this week and sits second in points among all WHL blueliners with 35 in 27 games.
Captain Justice Christensen, St. Louis Blues prospect Tomas Mrsic and rookie Riley Boychuk all registered a goal and an assist against the Hitmen.
9. Portland Winterhawks
4th U.S.- 18-12-2-0
Portland’s four-game win streak includes wins against the league-leading Silvertips, the B.C. Division-leading Cougars, and another pair against divisional opponents Seattle and Spokane.
Josh Zakreski’s hat trick downed the Cougars, Seattle Kraken prospect Tyson Jugnauth tallied up five assists to lead the defenceman scoring race (he’s got 42 points in 30 outings), and Diego Buttazzoni has hit 50 career goals.
Newcomer Alex Weiermair has been sensational since leaving the NCAA’s University of Denver to join Portland.
The 19-year-old forward made a big impact this week with two goals and three assists for five points and a +4 rating in three games.
Oh yeah, Kyle Chyzowski also did this:
Celly of the year nominee for Kyle Chyzowski ⚾️@PDXWinterhawks pic.twitter.com/jQgx6rwn6A
— The WHL (@TheWHL) December 18, 2024
10. Victoria Royals
2nd B.C.- 17-10-3-2
Victoria rebounded after a tough week by sweeping a home-and-away set against the Vancouver Giants.
Rookie rearguard Keaton Verhoeff paced the team with two goals and two assists, taking home WHL Rookie of the Week honours for the second time this season.
Jayden Kraus also picked up his first WHL shutout with a 16-save effort in a 4-0 win on December 13.
11. Brandon Wheat Kings
3rd East- 15-9-3-2
Brandon split its last two pre-holiday games with a win over the East Division-leading Blades before getting edged by Moose Jaw in a shootout.
Still, you can’t complain about much when both of your goaltenders boast a goal-against average of less than 3.00 and a save percentage above .900.
Plus, the 4-2 victory against Saskatoon marks the Blades’ first home-ice loss in regulation this season.
The Wheat Kings have quietly allowed the second-fewest goals of any team in the league (91).
Marcus Nguyen and Nicholas Johnson each added five points on the week.
12. Swift Current Broncos
2nd East- 17-13-0-1
Swift Current was stymied by powerful performances from Edmonton and Calgary before mustering a comeback win on the road against the Red Deer Rebels.
The Broncos scored five straight goals in Red Deer- one of the league’s best home teams- in a narrow 5-4 win after trailing 2-0 to start the match.
Seattle Kraken prospect and Captain Clarke Caswell hit 150 career points, while veteran Carlin Dezainde paced the team with two goals and four assists in three games.
13. Saskatoon Blades
1st East- 17-10-2-2
Regulation losses to Regina and Brandon have extended Saskatoon’s slide to 0-4-1-1.
Still, the Blades had built up enough of a cushion that they still lead the East Division.
Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Brandon Lisowsky had two goals and two assists on the week to continue to climb Saskatoon’s all-time scoring ladder.
The Blades alternate captain’s 139 goals have him sitting sixth in goals in franchise history.
14. Edmonton Oil Kings
4th Central- 16-13-1-1
The Oil Kings are 7-3-0-0 in their last 10 games after falling to Prince Albert on Tuesday, snapping a four-game winning streak.
Florida Panthers prospect Gracyn Sawchyn snagged Tempo WHL Player of the Week honours after netting four goals and four assists in two games- and he’s added another assist since then.
The 5-foot-11, 155-pound centreman also sits third in the league in game-winning goals with five, two of which came in the last week.
Sensational. Spectacular. Stellar. Sublime. 𝐒𝐚𝐰𝐜𝐡𝐲𝐧!@FlaPanthers prospect and @EdmOilKings forward Gracyn Sawchyn has been named the Tempo WHL Player of the Week!
📝 | https://t.co/4wtko71E64 pic.twitter.com/aJ0ktkSjPD
— The WHL (@TheWHL) December 16, 2024
15. Vancouver Giants
3rd B.C.- 14-13-4-0
Despite the back-to-back losses to Victoria, Vancouver bounced back with a dominant 5-1 win against Tri-City.
Winnipeg Jets prospect Connor Levis stunned with a four-goal effort against the Ams, in addition to a pair of assists against the Royals.
Montreal Canadiens 2024 pick Tyler Thorpe also had two goals against Victoria.
Vancouver will look for a reset over the break and try to return to their winning ways post-Christmas.
16. Wenatchee Wild
5th U.S.- 11-16-3-1
The Wenatchee Wild are back in the Top 16 after pulling off two major upsets on the road.
Dawson Seitz had a goal and an assist as the Wild took down the powerhouse Silvertips before Wenatchee devoured the Kelowna Rockets 9-1.
Shaun Rios scored his first career hat trick and had an apple for good measure, while alternate captain Kenta Isogai and Captain Evan Friesen added five points each.
This marks the first time this season two players have piled up five points in the same game.
Stick taps are also in order for veteran netminder Daniel Hauser, who recently surpassed 100 career wins and made a combined 78 saves through two games this week.
Wenatchee is just three points out of a playoff spot heading into the holiday break.
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