After a week with little movement in the SportsCage WHL Eastern Conference Power Rankings, things were much more active this time around, with a handful of teams making huge moves -- both positive and negative.
The Brandon Wheat Kings maintained their lead atop the rankings, but by the slimmest of margins over the Red Deer Rebels, who jumped three spots into second, and the Saskatoon Blades, who moved up a place into third. Swift Current had the biggest gain of the week, moving up four spots, while Prince Albert took the biggest fall, dropping four spots.
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) Brandon Wheat Kings (-)
The Wheat Kings narrowly defeated Edmonton and lost in a shootout to Swift Current, but their showing was just enough to keep them in the Power Rankings lead. Roger McQueen continued his fast start with a goal in both games and is second in WHL scoring with eight goals and 11 points while goaltender Carson Bjarnason has been solid since returning from NHL camp.
This Week: at Medicine Hat (Friday), at Lethbridge (Saturday)
2 Red Deer Rebels (+3)
The Rebels came away with a couple of solid wins over Medicine Hat and Calgary on the weekend, scoring 11 goals in the process, and that was enough to push them into second place. Balanced scoring has been key as Matthew Gard leads the team in scoring with six points and five players are at a point-a-game pace through five games.
This Week: at Medicine Hat (Wednesday), at Edmonton (Saturday)
3) Saskatoon Blades (+1)
The Eastern Conference leaders continued their rise up the rankings after picking up points in two of three games over the past week. Rookie Cooper Williams has been a revelation with nine points in six games to sit eighth in league scoring, and reinforcements are on the way as Tanner Molendyk and Brandon Lisowsky return from NHL camps.
This Week: vs. Spokane(Friday), vs. Moose Jaw (Saturday)
4) Lethbridge Hurricanes (-2)
The Hurricanes played a single game this week and picked up a one-goal win over Moose Jaw, but still found themselves dropping a couple places. Brayden Edwards had two goals in the game and leads the team with seven points and is the only Lethbridge player in the top 48 in league scoring. Brady Smith picked up the win and is fifth in goals against average (2.33) among players with three or more games played.
This Week: vs. Vancouver (Friday), vs. Brandon (Saturday)
5) Medicine Hat Tigers (-2)
The Tigers continued their slow start to the season with losses to Red Deer and Moose Jaw and have fallen into last place in the standings, but their skill and depth kept them in the top five in the Power Rankings. Bryce Pickford (2G, 1A) had three points in against the Rebels and Gavin McKenna three assists against Moose Jaw, but the Tigers have generally struggled to score in the early going.
This Week: vs. Red Deer (Wednesday), vs. Brandon (Friday), vs. Vancouver (Saturday)
6) Regina Pats (+2)
The Pats took a shootout win over Edmonton in their lone game this week, and as a result continued their climb up the Rankings after sitting 11th in the preseason. Four players scored their first of the season against the Oil Kings, including Corban Almen, who had also scored the game winner in the shootout. Zackary Shantz has three goals and seven points to lead Regina in scoring.
This Week: vs. Everett (Wednesday), vs. Swift Current (Friday), vs. Spokane (Sunday)
7) Swift Current Broncos (+4)
The Broncos picked up wins over two of the Conference’s top teams in Saskatoon and Brandon and as a result made the biggest leap in the Rankings this week, moving from last overall to seventh. Swift Current has six players scoring at a point-a-game pace or better, led by Rylan Gould with five goals and eight points in six games to sit tied for 11th in WHL scoring.
This Week: vs. Calgary (Wednesday), at Regina (Friday), vs. Everett (Saturday)
8) Moose Jaw Warriors (-1)
It was an up-and-down week for the defending WHL champions, as they lost in Lethbridge but rebounded with a win in Medicine Hat, holding onto their spot in the top eight in the Conference. Forward Brayden Yager returned from NHL camp and immediately had an impact, putting up five points (3G, 2A) over the two games.
This Week: vs Everett (Friday), at Saskatoon (Saturday)
9) Calgary Hitmen (+1)
After falling to Saskatoon and Red Deer in games earlier in the week, Calgary got back on the winning track Sunday with a victory over Vancouver. Connor Hvidston picked up six points (2G, 4A) over the three games while Oliver Tulk had five points (1G, 4A) in the same span. Things get busier for Calgary from here after playing only two games in the first three weeks of the season.
This Week: at Swift Current (Wednesday), vs. Prince George (Monday)
10. Prince Albert Raiders (-4)
The Raiders played a single game last week, falling in overtime to Everett for their third-straight loss, leading to the largest drop in the Power Rankings. Thomas Mrsic scored twice in the loss and has three goals and four points in three games; Aiden Oiring had two assists and leads Prince Albert in scoring with a goal and seven points over five games.
This Week: vs Spokane (Wednesday), at Kelowna (Monday)
11. Edmonton Oil Kings (-2)
A couple of close losses to Brandon and Regina pushed Edmonton into the final spot in this week’s Power Rankings. Edmonton has scored more than two goals in a game only once this season, with only three players having more than a couple points on their ledger so far. Gavin Hodnet leads the way with two goals and six points in five games.
This Week: vs. Red Deer (Saturday), vs. Vancouver (Monday)
