Cougars climb to the top in Week 2 of the WHL Power Rankings
Week 2 of the WHL Power Rankings saw a new team climb to first place, while others fell out of the Top 16.
1. Prince George Cougars
1st B.C.- 16-6-0-0
What a week for Prince George. The Cougars won both their matchups against Vancouver (5-0) and Kelowna (5-4) and became the first WHL team to score 100 goals this season, 21 of which have come from sensational rookie Terik Parascak.
Koehn Ziemmer was also named WHL Player of the Week after signing his entry-level contract with the Los Angeles Kings on Friday.
7-3-0-0 in their past 10 games, Prince George maintains second place in the CHL Power Rankings. Next up, a three-game homestand against the rising Lethbridge Hurricanes (November 24) and Everett Silvertips (November 27).
2. Wenatchee Wild
1st U.S.- 15-8-2-0
Wenatchee went 3-0-1-0 with points in all four matches this week.
The Wild stumbled in a 3-2 overtime loss to Tri-City, then found its footing in wins against Spokane (8-6), Prince Albert (4-3 S/O) and Saskatoon (4-2) in a massive Power Rankings matchup.
Wenatchee boasts the top WHL scorer on the week thanks to Buffalo Sabres prospect Matthew Savoie’s four goals and four assists in four games.
Brendan Gee also turned in back-to-back first-star performances, stopping 30 of 33 shots against Prince Albert- including all three opponents in the shootouts- and 30 of 32 against Saskatoon.
3. Portland Winterhawks
2nd U.S.- 14-5-0-1
Portland dropped its first home game of the season in a tight 2-1 loss to Prince Albert, but bounced back with a 6-1 win against Everett and a 4-3 shootout win against Victora.
With four goals and an assist on the week, Florida Panthers draft pick Josh Davies earned his 100th WHL point, plus change. He leads the well-balanced Portland attack with 15 lamp-lighters.
Philadelphia Flyers prospect Carter tallies a pair of goals- including the game-winner- against Everett for the first multi-goal game of the blueliner’s WHL career.
Portland fell to fifth in this week’s CHL Power Rankings. Circle Saturday, November 25 on your calendar as the Winterhawks and sixth-ranked Saskatoon Blades go to battle at 6:00 p.m. PST in Portland.
4. Medicine Hat Tigers
1st Central- 15-6-2-0
The Tigers outlasted the Brandon Wheat Kings 3-2 before feasting on the Regina Pats with an 8-0 victory on Wednesday.
Latvian import Bogdan Hodass tallied his 50th WHL assist in the drubbing of the Pats.
2024 NHL Draft prospect Cayden Lindstrom’s three goals and two assists contributed to his team lead of 18 goals and 31 points.
Evan May also posted his second shutout of the season with 23 saves against Regina.
5. Saskatoon Blades
1st East- 15-8-0-0
Saskatoon dished Moose Jaw a plate of revenge with a 3-2 win after losing 9-6 last week.
The Blades also trounced Swift Current 4-1 before taking off on a difficult Washington road trip that saw losses to Wenatchee (4-2) and Everett (6-2).
Anaheim Ducks prospect Egor Sidorov scores twice and Trevor Wong added a goal and three assists to continue to lead the league with 30 helpers.
The hard road swing continues with matches against Seattle (November 24), Portland (November 25), Tri-City (November 28), Spokane (November 29) and Lethbridge (December 1) still ahead.
6. Everett Silvertips
3rd U.S.- 14-9-1-0
Everett is on a roll, winning three of four matchups.
The ‘Tips downed the East Division-leading Saskatoon Blades, beating Seattle with a pair of 4-1 wins, before falling to the powerhouse Winterhawks 6-4.
Nashville Predators draft pick Austin Roest led his team with four goals and three assists for seven points in four games.
Everett has one of the best home records in the league at 10-2-1-0, and they’ll try to keep the home cooking stewing with an American Thanksgiving weekend rematch against Portland on November 24th at 7:05 p.m. PST.
7. Tri-City Americans
4th U.S.- 12-7-1-1
Tri-City was a perfect 2-0-0-0 at home against division rivals Wenatchee (3-2 OT) and Seattle (5-0).
2025 draft-eligible forward Jordan Gavin ripped it up with three goals and two assists, while rookie goaltender Lukas Matecha recorded his first WHL shutout with a 34-save performance against the Thunderbirds.
Visits from Saskatoon (November 28) and Prince George (December 1) highlight the Americans’ upcoming schedule.
8. Moose Jaw Warriors
3rd East- 13-9-0-1
After hammering Saskatoon 9-6 last week, the Blades got the better of the Warriors in a 3-2 rematch.
However, Moose Jaw bounced back in a big way with a 7-3 victory over Edmonton on Saturday.
Ethen Semeniuk had a goal and three assists in two outings, while Jagger Firkus passed the 20-goal and assist plateau for 22 goals and 21 assists in 21 games.
Captain Denton Mateychuk now owns the longest point streak for a defenceman in modern Warriors history with six goals and 17 assists over a 16-game stretch.
9. Lethbridge Hurricanes
2nd Central- 13-9-2-0
Lethbridge went 3-1-0-0 this week while outscoring its opponents 20-13 on a B.C. road trip.
Two Hurricanes are in the top five in league scoring this week.
Logan Wormold was hot out of the gate after missing a month of play after undergoing an appendectomy in October. The 18-year-old led the ‘Canes with three goals- including a penalty shot- and five assists over the four-game set.
Miguel Marques was right behind him with two goals and five assists.
Lethbridge now faces its biggest road trip test as the team rolls into Prince George for a tilt at the CN Centre at 7:00 p.m. PST on November 24th.
10. Prince Albert Raiders
2nd East- 13-10-0-2
Prince Albert picked up points in a tight 2-1 win over Portland and a 3-4 shootout loss against Wenatchee.
The Raiders went 2-2-0-1 on a trying Washington road trip, where every game was decided by a single goal.
Rookie Krzysztof Macias scored the game-winner against Portland and added two more tallies in the shootout loss to the Wild.
11. Victoria Royals
2nd B.C.- 12-10-0-1
Victoria was battered 8-3 by the Lethbridge Hurricanes and fell to Portland in the shootout 4-3, but rookie Cole Reschny continues to be a bright spot.
The 2025 NHL draft-eligible forward extended his point streak to 13 games. He has five goals and 14 assists over that stretch, including a goal against Lethbridge and a goal and assist versus Portland.
Victoria plays back-to-back in Tri-City (November 24) and Spokane (November 25) before returning to the Save-On-Foods Memorial Arena on November 28 to take on Kamloops.
12. Swift Current Broncos
3rd East- 11-10-1-0
Swift Current split its games this week, dusting Regina 5-2 before falling 4-1 at the hands of Saskatoon on a back-to-back.
Six different Broncos found the back of the net in the two tilts.
Next up, Swift Current travels east to face the Moose Jaw Warriors for the first time this season. The first of two matches goes on November 24 at 7:00 p.m. CST.
13. Seattle Thunderbirds
5th U.S.- 10-8-1-0
An up-and-down week for Seattle was highlighted by a 4-1 win over Everett and 2-0 victory over Kelowna. However, a 4-1 loss to Everett and a 5-0 shutout at the hands of Tri-City dragged the T-Birds down to 3-6-1-0 in its last ten outings.
Scott Ratzlaff made a 19-save shutout against the Rockets and faced a league-high 106 shots in three starts last week, posting a stellar 1.34 goals-against average and .962 save percentage.
The Thunderbirds look to lower the boom on the Blades when they face Saskatoon on November 24 at 2:05 p.m. PST.
14. Brandon Wheat Kings
4th East, 10-9-4-1
The Wheaties won two matchups against Edmonton (5-2, 5-3) and dropped a close 3-2 decision to the Central Division-leading Tigers.
Captain Nate Danielson led his team with four goals and an assist this week, while former Saskatoon Blades forward Jayden Wiens potted a pair of goals and a single helper.
Brandon will stay on the road for three more games, with stops in Red Deer (November 24), Medicine Hat (November 25) and Prince Albert (November 26) on tap.
15. Red Deer Rebels
5th Central- 8-9-0-3
Welcome to the Top 16, Red Deer! Rhett Stoesser was named WHL Goaltender of the Week after earning his second shutout of the season, riding a 1.00 goals-against average and .971 save percentage to snatch back-to-back wins over the Calgary Hitmen (3-0, 3-2) this week.
The Carstairs, A.B. product stopped all 40 shots he was peppered with in a 3-0 win at the Scotiabank Saddledome on November 17, locking up first-star honours. He continued the dominant performance the next night in Red Deer, where he was named second star after saving 26 of 28.
16-year-old rookie Matthew Gard scored his first and second WHL goal in the same game en route to a 3-2 win over the Hitmen to kick off a six-game homestand.
16. Calgary Hitmen
4th Central- 9-10-2-0
Calgary dropped both its matches against Red Deer (3-0, 3-2) in a home-and-away series this week, but remains 7-3-0-0 in its last ten matches.
2024 NHL Draft-eligible players Carter Yakemchuk and Carson Wetsch were standouts for the Hitmen. Yakemchuk led his team with six shots in the shutout loss, while Wetsch had two assists as Calgary mounted a furious comeback effort in the 3-2 loss on November 18.
Goaltender Ethan Buenaventura earned third-star honours in the 3-2 loss after stopping 43 of 46 shots.
Calgary will play three more games on the road in Red Deer (November 28), Lethbridge (November 29) and Medicine Hat (December 1) before returning to the ‘Dome for the team’s massive Teddy Bear Toss Game against Prince Albert on December 3.
