WHL Power Rankings: Week 19
The Everett Silvertips can become the first team to clinch a berth in the 2025 WHL Playoffs on Friday night, but it’s not quite enough to knock Medicine Hat out of first place in Week 19 of the WHL Power Rankings.
1. Medicine Hat Tigers
1st Central- 33-15-2-1
The Eastern Conference leaders have extended their point streak to 12-0-0-1 after a near-perfect U.S. Division road trip (more on that later).
With his point streak up to 26 games, Gavin McKenna has been named WHL Player of the Month for the second time this season. The 2026 NHL Draft-eligible star has also become the third-fastest player in modern WHL history to hit 200 career points.
Between the pipes, Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Harrison Meneghin snapped up WHL Goaltender of the Month after going undefeated in January.
Minnesota Wild pick Ryder Ritchie is also picking up steam with 10 goals in his last 14 games. He’ll face off against his former team, the Prince Albert Raiders, in next week’s Wednesday Night in the Dub matchup.
2. Spokane Chiefs
2nd U.S.- 33-16-0-0
Spokane kept it casual with a 3-0-0-0 week that featured wins over Victoria, Everett and Vancouver.
Andrew Cristall picked up Tempo WHL Player of the Week honours with 11 points- the Washington Capitals prospect is just one point ahead of McKenna in the WHL scoring race heading into this weekend’s games.
Seattle Kraken pick and Chiefs Captain Berkly Catton also registered a seven-point week (3G-4A) to surpass 100 career goals and 2024 St. Louis defensive selection Will McIsaac picked up four points in a 10-3 win over the Silvertips and the game-winning goal against the Giants.
Rookie Carter Esler also dominated with a 39-save effort in a 5-2 win over Vancouver.
3. Everett Silvertips
1st U.S.- 36-8-4-3
Despite the lopsided loss to Spokane, Everett is still rolling with a dominant win over Kelowna and an overtime victory against Kamloops.
The Blazers match saw reigning Rookie of the Week Landon DuPont notch his 50th career point, becoming the first defenceman aged 16 or younger to put up 50 points since Blazers great and Hockey Hall of Famer Scott Niedermayer in 1989-90.
2025 NHL Draft-eligible Carter Bear led the Tips again with three goals and four assists and is now sitting at 149 career points.
Everett can punch its ticket to the postseason Friday night by earning a single point against Kamloops, or if the Seattle Thunderbirds lose to Spokane in any fashion.
4. Calgary Hitmen
2nd Central- 31-13-3-2
The Hitmen picked up wins against Swift Current and Prince Albert while being edged by Lethbridge to sit 7-2-0-1 in their last 10.
With 19 games to play, Calgary is on pace for one of its best statistical seasons in a decade.
2025 NHL Draft-eligible Ben Kindel and Oliver Tulk remain neck-and-neck for third place in the WHL scoring race with 82 and 81 points, respectively, while veteran Connor Hvidston reached 200 career points with a two-goal, two-assist week. Both of his tallies also stood as game-winners.
5. Lethbridge Hurricanes
3rd Central- 30-16-1-1
Want to talk about clutch? After feeling the sting of being shut out by Edmonton, Lethbridge erupted for a four-goal first period to eke out a win against the Hitmen in front of more than 10,000 fans at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Winnipeg Jets prospect Brayden Yager completed a natural hat trick to secure the win and his 300th career point. His fellow 2024 WHL Champion Jackson Unger was also named third star of the game with 27 saves.
The Hurricanes boast one of the best home records in the league (17-5-1-0) and will put that on the line as they host the East Division-leading Prince Albert Raiders on Friday.
6. Victoria Royals
1st B.C.- 29-14-3-5
Victoria fell to Spokane to open up the week before rebounding with a road win against Portland and a pair of victories on home ice against the Kelowna Rockets.
Top 2025 NHL Draft prospect Cole Goal Reschny went off for three goals and five assists. Four of those points came in a single match against the 2026 Memorial Cup hosts to keep Victoria on top of the B.C. Division standings.
Veteran Teydon Trembecky also hit 100 career points with a goal and two assists against the Rockets in their Wednesday Night in the Dub showdown.
7. Prince Albert Raiders
1st East- 27-16-3-1
The Raiders scored five unanswered goals to down the Wild in Wenatchee’s first-ever visit to Prince Albert before falling on the road against Calgary.
Six different raiders found the back of the net this week, while reigning WHL Goaltender of the Week Max Hildebrand has made at least 31 saves in his last eight appearances and leads all WHL netminders in save percentage (.915).
Defenceman Daxon Rudolph also picked up his first WHL Rookie of the Month win after putting up 15 points (2G-13A) in 13 games in January.
Blues prospect Tomas Mrsic is one goal away from his first 30-goal season and will try to hit the milestone against Lethbridge on Friday.
8. Prince George Cougars
2nd B.C.- 28-15-4-2
The Cougars stepped up in a big way to take five of a possible six points off the Tri-City Americans this week.
Minnesota Wild pick and Cats Captain Riley Heidt led his squad with two goals and four assists in three games and veteran Borya Valis drove the net for another five points to hit 200 in his WHL career.
Joshua Ravensbergen, the projected top goaltender for the 2025 NHL Draft, has hit 50 career regular season wins and sits second in the league this season with 24 victories.
Prince George has some more work to do as they try to reclaim the B.C. Division lead. The Cougars hit the road this weekend to face Division rivals Kamloops and Kelowna.
9. Brandon Wheat Kings
2nd East- 25-16-3-3
The Wheat Kings have gotten over the hump and back into the Top 10 with points in four straight games.
Even more importantly, their recent run has seen Brandon jump into second in the East Division and within striking distance of Prince Albert for first.
The Wheaties are coming off a shootout loss to Moose Jaw and back-to-back 5-2 wins over Regina and Wenatchee.
Matteo Michels tallied a goal and three assists to lead his team, while Philadelphia Flyers prospect Carson Bjarnason has recorded his 65 career victory- and even snagged an assist on the game-winning goal against the Pats.
Veteran Marcus Nguyen is also on milestone watch as he enters the weekend with 95 career goals and 95 assists.
10. Portland Winterhawks
3rd U.S.- 27-18-2-1
It was a down week for the Hawks as they dropped tilts against Medicine Hat and Victoria at home.
Josh Zakreski scored all three of Portland’s goals this week.
The bright side? Only 11 players in the WHL have hit 30 goals on the season right now, and Portland has two of them in Zakreski (30) and Captain Kyle Chyzowski (31).
11. Edmonton Oil Kings
4th Central- 26-19-1-2
St. Louis Blues prospect Adam Jecho and Toronto Maple Leafs pick Miroslav Holinka Czeched off Edmonton’s only goals in a 5-2 loss to Calgary before mustering an impressive shutout in Lethbridge.
Rookie netminder Ethan Simcoe stood tall with 35 saves to record his second clean sheet in five games .
The Oil Kings have a chance to climb the Eastern Conference standings in a rematch against Calgary this weekend.
12. Saskatoon Blades
2nd East- 25-16-3-3
Saskatoon is still in the race for first in the division with home wins over Wenatchee and Moose Jaw this week.
Calgary Flames prospect Hunter Laing scored the game-opener against the Wild and the late game-winner against the Warriors and has been just shy of a point-per-game with his new squad.
The Blades have a quick trip to Brandon on tap before returning to the friendly confines of SaskTel Centre for a three-game homestand.
13. Vancouver Giants
3rd B.C.- 24-19-6-0
Vancouver teeter-tottered between losses to Seattle and Spokane but gained confidence in a 9-2 steamrolling of Kamloops.
2025 NHL Draft prospect Cameron Schmidt was top dog with two goals and four assists in three outings. The speedy winger is in a three-way tie for third in the WHL goals race with 34.
San Jose Sharks prospect Colton Roberts also had a career-best three-assist performance against the Blazers.
The G-men have a tough task ahead as they host Portland and Everett this weekend.
14. Swift Current Broncos
4th East- 25-20-1-1
Swift Current split the week with a loss to the Blazers and a win against the Rockets, improving to 4-2-0-0 on their current road run.
Alternate captain Rylan Gould led the team with a trio of goals and an assist, while former Kelowna Rocket Marek Rocak recorded two assists against his old squad.
Veteran Carlin Dezainde is two points away from 150 in his career and four points away from his 50th in a Broncos uniform.
The Broncos wrap up their road stretch against Medicine Hat on Friday before returning to the iPlex to host Wenatchee.
15. Tri-City Americans
4th U.S.- 24-20-4-1
Tri-City managed to salvage two points in a three-game set against the Prince George Cougars this week.
Rookie Savin Virk netted his first WHL hat trick- including the overtime winner- to take out the Cougars in Kennewick on February 4, while Lukas Matecha made 39 saves in the win.
Captain Jake Sloan is quietly running up an 11-game point streak that’s seen him put up six goals and eight assists.
2024 Colorado Avalanche pick Max Curran is also gaining traction with two goals and two assists in his last three games to tie for the team points lead with 50.
16. Seattle Thunderbirds
6th U.S.- 18-27-2-1
The Thunderbirds have won four of their last five games against some pretty serious competition to stay in the mix for playoffs.
Seattle played spoiler by denying Medicine Hat a perfect U.S. road trip in a dramatic comeback win in an 11-round shootout.
2025 NHL Draft prospect Radim Mrtka gave Seattle the go-ahead goal in the shootout and Buffalo Sabres prospect Scott Ratzlaff capped off a 31-save performance with some on-ice pushups in celebration.
Seventeen-year-old Antonio Martorana also dazzled with his first WHL hat trick in a 5-2 win against Vancouver.
Seattle will try to sweep their three-game homestand as they host Spokane on Friday.
Honourable Mention:
Red Deer Rebels
5th Central- 18-25-4-2
The Rebels missed out on 16th place by a single point in the Power Rankings voting process, but we’re making the executive decision to include them here.
Red Deer has become the second team to record back-to-back shutouts this season with consecutive 3-0 wins over Regina and Moose Jaw. Vancouver is the only other team to achieve the feat with Burke Hood blanking Wenatchee and Kelowna in early January.
Rookie Peyton Shore put up 18 stops for his first WHL shutout against the Pats and Minnesota Wild prospect Chase Wutzke made 16 saves to put up a goose egg against the Warriors.
Defenceman Derek Thurston had two goals, while 2025 NHL Draft-eligible Matthew Gard had three assists on the week.
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