The Red Deer Rebels picked up a pair of close wins against Central Division opposition this past week, and that was enough to see them make the biggest jump in the SportsCage WHL Eastern Conference Power Rankings.
The Rebels moved up two spots into the top three, while Swift Current also continued their ascent up the ranking and are now second overall. The Eastern Conference-leading Saskatoon Blades hold down top spot for the third straight week.
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 (11-3-1-1) kicked off their B.C. Division road swing this past weekend and picked up three of six points with a one-goal loss to Vancouver, shootout lost to Victoria and overtime win over Prince George. Brandon Lisowsky led the offence with four goals and seven points in the three games, while Ben Riche had four points and like LIsowskiy is on a nine-game point streak
This week: at Kelowna (Friday), at Kamloops (Saturday)
2) Swift Current Broncos (+1)
The Broncos (10-6-0-0) became the second team to hit 10 wins in the Conference after falling to Lethbridge but rebounding with victories over Prince Albert and Regina. Brady Birnie racked up four goals and seven points to take over second in the Eastern Conference scoring lead. Luke Mistelbacher had five points and is on an 11-game streak.
This week: vs. Edmonton (Saturday), at Moose Jaw (Tuesday)
3) Red Deer Rebels (+2)
With one-goal wins over Lethbridge and Calgary, the Rebels (9-5-1-0) are tied for second in the Central Division and a point out of first. Chase Wutzke had a solid game with 38 saves against Calgary. Matthew Gard had a goal and three points in the two games and has moved into a tie for the team scoring lead with Carson Birnie, with each sitting at 12 points.
This week: at Wenatchee (Friday), at Tri-City (Saturday), at Everett (Monday), at Seattle (Tuesday).
4) Brandon Wheat Kings (-)
The Wheat Kings (8-4-1-1) had a single game this week but made it count with a shutout win over Medicine Hat. NHL prospect Carson Bjarnason earned his first shutout of the season with 33 saves and has moved up to sixth in the WHL with a 2.77 goals against average. Domink Petr scored a goal after missing the previous two weeks with an injury.
This week: at Regina (Friday), vs. Prince Albert (Saturday), vs. Lethbridge (Saturday)
5) Medicine Hat Tigers (+1)
The Tigers (9-8-0-0) picked up a single win this week, with a commanding victory over Regina and close losses to Brandon and Lethbridge. Gavin McKenna and Hunter Martin each had six points in the win over the Pats, with St. Martin scoring five goals. McKenna racked up nine over the three games to take over the WHL scoring lead with 32 points in 17 games.
This week: vs. Edmonton (Friday), vs Moose Jaw (Saturday)
6) Lethbridge Hurricanes (-4)
The Hurricanes (9-5-1-0) took the biggest fall this week after edging Swift Current but losing to Calgary and Red Deer. It was a solid week for their top line, as Brayden Edwards had a goal and seven points, Miquel Marques picked up three goals and six points and Logan Wormald had two goals and five points. Marques leads the team with 23 points.
This week: at Moose Jaw (Friday), at Regina (Sunday), at Brandon (Monday)
7) Edmonton Oil Kings (-)
The Oil Kings (7-6-1-1) finished off their U.S. Division road swing with wins in two of three, defeating Spokane and Seattle before falling to Wenatchee. Gracyn Sawchyn had two goals and six points in that span, with Roan Woodward playing set-up man with five assists. Sawchyn leads Edmonton in scoring with 20 points.
This week: at Medicine Hat (Friday), at Swift Current (Saturday)
8) Calgary Hitmen (-)
The Hitmen (6-6-2-1) split their two games this week, defeating Lethbridge and falling to Red Deer. Forward Rylan Ng had the best two games of his young WHL career with a goal and three points, Maxim Muranov had three assists against the Hurricanes and four points over the two games. Ben Kindel is the team scoring leader with 19 points.
This week: at Seattle (Friday), at Everett (Saturday), at Tri-City (Monday)
9. Prince Albert Raiders (+1)
A loss to Swift Current and win over Regina was enough to move the Raiders (5-8-2-0) up a spot in the rankings. Aiden Oiring had one of his best games of the season against the Broncos with a goal and three points, Nail Crocker had two points in that game leads Prince Albert with 19 points. Lukas Dragicevic notched two assists against Regina and is second in team scoring.
This week: at Brandon (Saturday).
9. Regina Pats (-1)
It was a tough week for the Pats (5-9-1-1) with losses to Medicine Hat, Swift Current and Prince Albert seeing them drop in the standings. NHL prospect Tanner Howe returned from injury and got right to work with a goal and three points, while Anthony Wilson scored a pair against the Tigers. Zackary Shantz had two points against P.A. and leads the team with 10.
This week: vs. Brandon (Friday), vs. Lethbridge (Sunday).
11. Moose Jaw Warriors (-)
The Warriors wrapped up their B.C. Division road swing by snapping an eight-game losing streak with a win in Victoria before falling to Vancouver the next night. Rilen Kovacevic and Ethan Semeniuk each had a goal and two points over the two games. NHL Draft prospect Lynden Lakovic leads the team with 20 points.
This week: vs. Lethbridge (Friday), at Medicine Hat (Saturday), vs. Swift Current (Tuesday).
