WHL Power Rankings: Week 13
Some untimely losing streaks have opened the door for underdogs to rise through the ranks- both in the Power Rankings and the playoff race.
1. Saskatoon Blades
1st East- 39-9-2-3
The view from the top never gets old.
Saskatoon wrapped up a perfect seven-game homestand with a 6-1 win over Prince Albert before hitting the road to dish Swift Current a 3-2 loss.
The wins extend the Blades’ (new) point streak to 10-0-0-1, while Saskatoon remains the only WHL team that has not hit double-digit regulation losses yet this season.
After missing nearly a month with an injury, defenceman Tanner Molendyk hasn’t missed a beat. The Nashville Predators prospect has put up 16 points in 12 games back, including a goal and two assists this week.
2. Portland Winterhawks
1st U.S.- 36-12-2-1
Portland boasts some of the best special teams units in the league, and they made mincemeat of the opposition this week.
Gabe Klassen put up a pair of powerplay goals in a 4-1 win over Seattle, and the Winterhawks scored a trio of shorthanded goals to decimate Everett 10-2.
20-year-old Jack O’Brien also netted his second hat trick of the season against the Silvertips.
Next up, an intriguing weekend matchup against the upstart Vancouver Giants.
3. Moose Jaw Warriors
With resounding wins over Red Deer (6-4), Calgary (5-2) and Brandon (4-2), Moose Jaw is oozing confidence with wins in nine of its last 10 games.
With a goal and four assists on the week and 49 points in his last 25 games, Jagger Firkus is climbing the ranks with one of the longest point streaks in modern WHL history (1996-present). The Seattle Kraken prospect trails only Lukas Dragicevic (27), Glenn Gawdin (27), Aleksi Heponiemi (28), Brett Leason (30) and, of course, Connor Bedard and Logan Stankoven’s astounding 35-game point streaks from last season.
The Warriors stay at home for a tangle with the Hitmen on February 17.
4. Prince George Cougars
1st B.C.- 35-15-0-2
It took a furious comeback after a second-period meltdown, but the Cougars clinched all four points in a pair of wins over Victoria (3-1, 9-6) this week.
2024 NHL Draft-eligible forward Hunter Laing snagged Kal Tire Rookie of the Week honours with a three-goal, one-assist performance for the week, while Zac Funk netted his seventh hat trick of the season.
Funk remains the WHL goals leader with 49 on the season and is on pace to score more goals this campaign than in his last five combined.
Prince George looks to sweep their four-game homestand when they host Kamloops on February 16.
5. Everett Silvertips
2nd U.S.- 35-18-1-2
The Silvertips’ week started out well enough with a 6-2 win over Wenatchee and holding on for a 7-6 shootout victory against Spokane, but Everett was brought back down to earth in a 10-2 beatdown at the hands of Portland.
Vegas Golden Knights prospect Ben Hemmerling led the Tips with three goals and three assists on the week, extending his point streak to 12 points in six games.
Everett has a chance for redemption against Portland on February 18.
6. Medicine Hat Tigers
1st Central- 32-17-3-1
A physical, fast-paced tilt against Calgary saw the Hitmen shock the Tigers 6-2, but the Central Division leaders bounced back to edge Red Deer (5-4 OT) and Regina (5-4).
With three goals and four apples, perennial Kal Tire Rookie of the Week candidate Gavin McKenna is the third Tiger to hit the 25-goal mark this season, and with 23 goals each, Oasiz Wiesball and Andrew Basha are the next ones knocking on the door.
The top-scoring team in the Eastern Conference takes on Prince Albert on February 16 before searching for their first win of the season against Saskatoon on February 17.
7. Swift Current Broncos
3rd Central- 27-19-4-2
The Con(n)ors came up big for Swift Current with Geekie and Gabriel combining for three goals in a 4-1 win, extending the Broncos’ point streak to six games, but Saskatoon would snap it the following night in a tightly contested battle.
Clarke Caswell would tie the match against the league leaders in the third period, but the Broncos would ultimately fall to the Blades by a score of 3-2.
The 2024 NHL Draft-eligible forward struck again against Lethbridge with his 17th of the campaign, and this time, it would stand as the game-winner as the Broncos got back in the win column (4-1).
Swift Current wraps up a five-game homestand with a 3-1-1-0 record and now looks to a weekend away-and-home set against Regina.
8. Vancouver Giants
3rd B.C.- 25-24-3-0
Back in December as Captain Sam Honzek prepared to return from injury, the Giants were just hoping to push to get into a playoff position, but with wins over Seattle (3-1), Wenatchee (7-2) and Victoria (5-1) this week, Vancouver is now in the hunt for home ice advantage in the postseason.
Kyren Gronick’s five-goal, two-assist week and Brett Mirwald’s third WHL Goaltender of the Week win helped propel the Giants to stretch their streak to 8-0-1-0.
Now, Vancouver has a chance to prove it’s for real with a massive pair of games against Portland on tap this weekend.
9. Red Deer Rebels
2nd Central- 28-17-2-6
Red Deer is slowly finding its way out of a slump brought on by a disappointing Eastern road trip, collecting three of a possible six points this week.
After losing to Moose Jaw 6-4, the Rebels jumped out to a 4-1 lead against Medicine Hat the following night… But the Tigers scored three unanswered in the final frame before Bogdans Hodass sealed the overtime winner.
Red Deer would bounce back with a 6-1 drubbing of Calgary thanks to a goal and assist from Jhett Larson and 31 saves from Chase Wutzke, marking the Rebels’ first regulation win in seven games.
10. Brandon Wheat Kings
3rd East- 26-21-5-1
Brandon started strong with a dominant 4-1 win over Lethbridge that saw Rylen Roersma score twice, but the Wheat Kings were served back-to-back road losses by Prince Albert (7-3) and Moose Jaw (4-2).
Seven different Brandon played found the back of the net on the week, while Carson Bjarnson put up a 2.51 goals-against average and .915 save percentage to go 1-1-0-0.
Despite the tough results on the road, there’s no time to dwell on missed opportunities as the Black and Gold return to Westoba Place to host Calgary on February 16.
11. Wenatchee Wild
3rd U.S.- 28-21-4-0
It was almost a disaster week for Wenatchee after being outgunned by Everett 6-2 and dropping a 2-0 lead in an eventual 7-2 loss to Vancouver, but the Wild ended on a bright spot with a 7-4 win over Seattle.
Captain Graham Sward erupted for two goals and three helpers, marking the first five-point game of the veteran blueliner’s WHL career.
Sward remains second in points among defencemen with 13 goals and 51 assists for 64 points in 51 games, trailing only Portland’s Luca Cagnoni, who has 67.
The Wild host the Silvertips in a crucial rematch on February 16.
12. Victoria Royals
2nd B.C.- 25-21-4-4
Victoria had the type of week Wenatchee was narrowly able to avoid.
The battered Royals went 0-3 after being swept 4-1 and 9-6 in a set against B.C. Division-leading Prince George (though they led the second game 5-4 after a four-goal second period) and getting clobbered 5-1 by Vancouver.
Seven different players found the back of the net for Victoria this week, with rookie Casper Evensen-Haugen leading the way with two goals and two assists.
The Royals look to turn the tide when they host Kelowna in back-to-back games this weekend.
13. Prince Albert Raiders
4th East- 24-25-1-3
The Raiders need all the points they can get to gain some breathing room in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
After a tight first period that ended 1-1, Saskatoon’s special teams powered them to a 6-1 win over Prince Albert, but the Raiders would turn around and lay down a 7-3 comeback win against Brandon to jump Calgary and Lethbridge in the standings.
Krzysztof Macias and Sloan Stanick both netted two goals and an assist in the victory.
Prince Albert will now gear up to face two teams they beat last week in Medicine Hat and Lethbridge.
14. Lethbridge Hurricanes
4th Central- 24-24-3-0
Lethbridge is in a precarious position after a week that saw them drop identical 4-1 games against Brandon and Swift Current.
Harrison Meneghin has played well, putting up a .912 save percentage despite facing more than 33 shots on both nights. More concerning is the lack of offence in recent games.
The Hurricanes have scored just three goals in their last four games and have been shut out three times in their last nine games.
The road ahead doesn’t get easier with a home tilt against Saskatoon on tap for February 16.
15. Spokane Chiefs
4th U.S.- 21-24-4-1
The Spokane Chiefs are back in the mix for the first time in more than a month after earning points in all three games this week to hang onto the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Top 2024 NHL Draft prospect Berkly Catton and Connor Roulette combined for three goals and two assists in a 5-1 victory against Tri-City- they’d link up for another goal and assist each in the following pair of matches.
After trailing Everett 4-6, Owen Martin and Ty Cheveldayoff scored in the final minute of the game to earn a single point, though the Chiefs would fall in a shootout.
Spokane closed out the week by doubling up Kelowna, courtesy of two sensational goals by Colorado Avalanche prospect Sage Weinstein.
16. Calgary Hitmen
5th Central- 22-22-6-1
The future looks bright with several Hitmen rookies stepping up, but the team also needs to focus and gather more points if it wants to snag a postseason berth.
In a rough-and-tumble match against Medicine Hat, Calgary simply overpowered the Tigers to earn a 6-2 win. With a goal and an assist, 2024 NHL Draft-eligible defenceman Carter Yakemchuk tied Jake Bean’s franchise record for most goals in a season by a defenceman (24).
The Hitmen stumbled afterward, though, dropping a 5-2 match to Moose Jaw and a 6-1 decision against Red Deer.
Calgary kicks off a four-game road swing on February 16 in Brandon.
