As one might expect with early-season hockey, the SportsCage Western Hockey League Eastern Conference Power Rankings saw some volatility compared to our pre-season rankings, with a handful of teams making big moves.
Saskatoon had the biggest jump, moving up five spots into fourth place, while Swift Current took the biggest hit, dropping seven spots to 11th.
Each week, a group of contributors from both the East and West Divisions will rank the Conference’s 11 teams based on their performance throughout the season, with most recent results taking priority.
1) Medicine Hat Tigers (-)
The Tigers played a single game, defeating Edmonton 4-2 in their home opener, and that was enough to hold their lead atop the Power Rankings. Shaeffer Gordon-Carrell got off to a solid start with a goal and an assist, and yes, Gavin McKenna hit the scoresheet, assisting on Medicine Hat’s first goal.
This week: at Red Deer (Friday), vs. Red Deer (Saturday)
2) Brandon Wheat Kings (-)
First Roger McQueen scored four goals in their 5-2 home-opener win over Moose Jaw, then Nicholas Johnson had a hat trick in a 5-1 victory in Regina. Safe to say things are off to a good start for the Wheat Kings, and that brought them some first-place considerations after opening weekend.
This week: at Prince Albert (Friday), at Saskatoon (Saturday)
3) Lethbridge Hurricanes (+4)
The Hurricanes make a big move thanks to a pair of close wins on opening weekend, defeating Edmonton 3-1 and Red Deer 2-1 in overtime. Brady Smith and rookie Koen Cleaver both had good starts in goal, with Logan McCutcheon and Hayden Pakkala each picking up a goal and three points to lead the team in scoring.
This week: vs. Swift Current (Friday), at Calgary (Sunday)
4) Saskatoon Blades (+5)
The Blades make a huge jump this week thanks to a couple of commanding wins over Swift Current to open the season, including a 9-3 win Saturday night. Ben Riche picked up where he left off in the pre-season and has three goals and five points to sit second in WHL scoring, tied with teammate Tyler Parr (1-4-5).
This week: vs. Brandon (Saturday)
5) Prince Albert Raiders (-2)
Prince Albert lost their home opener in overtime to Regina but rebounded with a win in Moose Jaw, creating a small drop from their top-three ranking to start the season. Oli Chenier scored two key goals in the win over Moose Jaw and is tied for the team scoring lead with Niall Crocker with three points.
This week: vs. Brandon (Friday), at Swift Current (Saturday)
6. Red Deer Rebels (-1)
The Rebels’ loss to Red Deer was their lone game of the weekend, and one they could have won seeing as they outshot the Hurricanes 31-14. As a result, they weren’t penalized too much and drop a single spot. Matteo Fabrizi scores the Rebels’ first goal at home.
This week: vs Medicine Hat (Friday), at Medicine Hat (Saturday)
7. Moose Jaw Warriors (-1)
The reigning WHL champions raised their banner on Saturday, but coudn’t raise a win with losses to Brandon and Prince Albert to open the season. Both games were close, though, leading to a small rankings fall. Lynden Lakovic had a goal and four points and is tied for fourth in WHL scoring.
This week: vs. Regina (Friday), at Regina (Saturday)
8. Regina Pats (+3)
The Pats move from last place in the rankings thanks to thor big overtime win in Prince Albert to open the season, even if things didn’t go as well against Brandon in their home opener. Zachary Schantz and Cole Temple each have two points to lead Regina in scoring.
This week: at Moose Jaw (Friday), vs. Regina (Saturday)
9. Edmonton Oil Kings (+1)
One of the league’s biggest early-season enigmas, the Oi Kings lost a couple of close games to Lethbridge and Medicine Hat, drawing enough interest from voters to move up a spot. Offence was hard to come by, with Gavin Hodnett leading with three assists, one of five players with points.
This week: vs. Calgary (Saturday)
10. Calgary Hitmen (-2)
A scheduling quirk saw the Hitmen on the sidelines for the WHL’s opening weekend, and as a result they dropped a couple of spots in the rankings.
This week: at Edmonton (Saturday), vs. Lethbridge (Sunday)
11. Swift Current Broncos (-7)
A couple of tough losses to the Blades saw the Broncos take the biggest fall in week two, falling from the middle of the pack to 11th. As scores from those contests indicate, goals were hard to come by, with Grayson Burynski leading the team in scoring with three assists.
This week: at Lethbridge (Friday), vs. Prince Albert (Saturday)
