MOOSEJAWTODAY.COM -- The Saskatoon Blades have shown little signs of slowing up during their fast start to the Western Hockey League campaign, and that sees the defending Scotty Munro Trophy champions continue to hold top spot in the SportsCage WHL Eastern Conference Power Rankings.
The Swift Current Broncos might be knocking on their doorstep soon, though, as they made the biggest moving the rankings for the second straight week, jumping three spots to third overall. No other team had a move of more than two places as the early-season volatility begins to settle down.
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) Saskatoon Blades (-)
The Blades (10-2-1-0) just keep rolling along at the top of the Eastern Conference, taking a win over Seattle and downing Brandon in OT last week. Ben Riche was the OT hero against the Wheat Kings and had five points in the two games to remain tied for the Conference scoring lead with nine goals and 21 points. Brandon Lisowsky also had five points in the two contests
This week: at Vancouver (Friday), at Victoria (Sunday), at Prince George (Tuesday)
2) Lethbridge Hurricanes (-)
A split of their games this past weekend wasn’t enough to knock the Hurricanes (7-3-1-0) from second thanks to the level of competition: a loss to rising Swift Current and a win over Red Deer. Miquel Marques scored twice against the Rebels and had four points in two games to lead their offence on the week.
This week: vs Swift Current (Wednesday), vs. Calgary (Friday), at Red Deer (Saturday)
3) Swift Current Broncos (+3)
The Broncos (8-5-0-0) are the hottest team in the Conference with four straight wins, including victories over Lethbridge and Seattle last week. Luke Mistelbacher picked up five points to sit tied for the Conference scoring lead with nine goals and 21 points. Brady Birnie had a hat trick and four points against Seattle and six points in the two games.
This week: at Lethbridge (Wednesday), at Prince Albert (Friday), vs. Regina (Saturday)
4) Brandon Wheat KIngs (+1)
The Wheat Kings (7-4-1-1) have points in their last four games and split a pair of OT contests last week, losing to Saskatoon and defeating Calgary. Rookie Jaxon Jacobson scored twice against Saskatoon, while Ethan Eskit stopped 39 shots to earn the win over the Hitmen and is second in the WHL with a 2.30 GAA.
This week: vs. Medicine Hat (Saturday)
5) Red Deer Rebels (-2)
The Rebels (7-5-1-0) split their two games this week, taking a win over Medicine Hat and falling to Lethbridge. Carson Birnie had three points in the two games and leads the Rebels with 11 points. Goaltender Chase Wutzke turned in a 40-save performance to earn the win over the Tigers.
This week: vs. Lethbridge (Saturday), vs, Calgary (Monday)
6) Medicine Hat (-2)
The Tigers (7-6-0-0) won two of three games to get back over .500 -- defeating Calgary, falling to Red Deer and downing Regina -- but still lost ground thanks to other teams’ rise. Exceptional player Gavin McKenna, who turns 17 in December, had six points in that span and is tied for the Conference scoring lead with 21 points.
This week: at Calgary (Wednesday), at Regina (Friday) at Brandon (Saturday)
7) Edmonton Oil Kings (+1)
It was an up-and-down run for the Oil Kings (5-5-1-1), who are in the midst of their U.S. Division road swing. They lost to Everett, defeated Portland and lost in overtime to Tri-City, gaining a rankings spot. Roan Woodward had a hat trick against Portland, Gavin Hodnett had four points in three games and leads Edmonton with 15 points.
This week: at Spokane (Wednesday), at Seattle (Friday), at Wenatchee (Saturday)
8) Calgary Hitmen (-1)
The Hitmen (5-5-2-0) lost to Medicine Hat but rebounded with a win over Regina and OT loss to Brandon. Calgary didn’t score more than three goals in any of their games, but Ben Kindel racked up five points nonetheless to lead the team in scoring with 18 points. Rookie Eric Tu allowed a single goal in the win over Regina and has a 2.48 GAA, six best in the Conference.
This week: vs. Medicine Hat (Wednesday), at Lethbridge (Friday), vs. Red Deer (Monday)
9. Regina Pats (-2)
It was a tough weekend offensively for the Pats (5-6-1), as the only managed a pair of goals in losses to Calgary and Medicine Hat. Rookies Zachary Lansard and Connor Bear each scored once in the games, while Kelton Pyne stopped 30 shots against Calgary and is currently third in the WHL with a 2.35 GAA and .921 save percentage.
This week: vs. Prince Albert (Wednesday), vs. Medicine Hat (Friday), at Swift Current (Saturday)
10. Prince Albert Raiders (+1)
The Raiders (3-7-2-0) had a single game last week, and their win over Seattle was enough to move them out of the Power Rankings basement. Niall Crocker had a goal and four points and leads Prince Albert with 15 points. Ethan Bibeau picked up an assist and is the Raiders’ highest-scoring rookie with seven points
This week: at Regina (Wednesday), vs Swift Current (Friday), at Regina (Tuesday)
11. Moose Jaw Warriors (-1)
The defending WHL champions have run into hard times on their B.C. Division swing, losing in Seattle, Kelowna, Kamloops and Prince George over the last week to see their losing skid hit eight games. Brayden Yager and Lynden Lakovic each had a goal and two points against Kamloops, Lakovic continues to lead the team in scoring with 19 points
This week: at Victoria (Friday), at Vancouver (Saturday).
