WHL Power Rankings – Week 16: Shakeup on the top

While it would be hard to be disappointed with the week the Winterhawks had, it still could have been better. This team seems to really struggle against Seattle and that scares me since they are on the schedule five more times before the end of the year. Portland was one of the hottest teams in the league before taking a two-week break. They look to be regaining some of that steam now as they have shut out their last two opponents.

Earlier in the season, we all thought the only way for the Winterhawks to win was to outscore their opponents. As of late though, the defense and goaltending has allowed Portland to win low scoring games. Adin Hill, who is a rookie, is tending goal better than anyone in the league right now. He currently leads the WHL in save percentage and is third in goals against.

With five of the next six games away from Portland, the Winterhawks will need to continue to show the defensive prowess they have had as of late. With all six of those games against teams they should beat, these games could solidify the Winterhawks playoff seeding.

Checkout where the Winterhawks fell in Week 16’s WHL Power Rankings:

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RANK,TEAM,REC,TREND,PREV,COMMENTS

1,,27-9-2,[icon name=icon-arrow-up] +1,2,”Medicine Hat Tigers~~The Tigers take the top spot this week after three convincing wins in a row. This team can win high scoring affairs, or grind out one-goal wins. It will be interesting to see the highly anticipated matchup between the Tigers and the Rockets on Saturday in Kelowna.”
2,,29-7-4,[icon name=icon-arrow-up] +1,3,”Brandon Wheat Kings~~Brandon is on fire right now. They have now won five straight games and have gone back to their rampant scoring pace. In the last month they have only scored less than four goals in one game. This team is legit and I expect them to keep winning.”
3,,31-6-3,[icon name=icon-arrow-down] -2,1,”Kelowna Rockets~~The Rockets drop two spots this week but that doesn’t mean I discount their talent. They just suffered a bad loss at home last week to the Cougars so they also must suffer in my rankings. I am still blown away that they have earned at least a point in 34 out of the 40 games they have played. ”
4,,23-11-4,—,4,”Everett Silvertips~~The Silvertips went 2-1 last week including a shutout over the raiders. Everett had been in a goal-scoring slump until the six-goal onslaught against the Blades on Saturday and seemed to be playing pretty well at the moment. ”
5,,24-12-3,[icon name=icon-arrow-up] +2,7,”Regina Pats~~The Pats have now won four out of the last five and have really hit their stride. Now with twice as many wins as losses, Regina has solidified itself as a top team in the WHL. ”
6,,21-14-5,[icon name=icon-arrow-down] -1,5,”Red Deer Rebels~~It wasn’t the week the Rebels had hoped for but they managed to get three out of a possible six points against some worthy opponents. They have a big matchup this Saturday as the Wheat Kings come to town. ”
7,,21-17-3,[icon name=icon-arrow-down] -1,6,”Portland Winterhawks~~Portland still has not gained back its mojo since the holiday break. Though the last two games they have not given up a goal. Who would have thought that at the start of the year?”
8,,21-15-3,—,8,”Calgary Hitmen~~Like I have said in previous rankings, the Hitmen seem to bring it on some nights and let down on others. This was apparent last week as they beat down the Hurricanes by seven goals before giving up seven goals the very next game. While I believe this team is good, they are going to need to get more consistent if they want to compete for a title. ”
9,,20-18-3,[icon name=icon-arrow-up] +3,12,”Victoria Royals~~It was a perfect week for the Royals. Twelve goals, three goals given up, two wins. This team might finally be peaking and playing their best hockey. With three more home games coming up before a lengthy road-trip, they should have three more wins. ”
10,,21-14-3,[icon name=icon-arrow-down] -1,9,”Spokane Chiefs~~It was a bizarre week for the Chiefs. They started it off on New Year’s Eve with a ten-goal ambush against Tri-City. Less than 48 hours later, they conceded eight goals and only scored one. It boggles my mind that a team can win 10-2 and follow it up losing 8-1. This team has the ability if they can figure out how to bring it on a nightly basis.”
11,,19-16-5,[icon name=icon-arrow-up] +2,13,”Edmonton Oil Kings~~The Oil Kings couldn’t have had a much better week. Three games at home led to three wins at home. I am still not sure what to think of the defending champs as they impress me one weekend and let me down the next. I still don’t believe this team can repeat though.”
12,,19-17-4,[icon name=icon-arrow-down] -2,10,”Swift Current Broncos~~Swift Current is in desperate need of this upcoming home stand. They have only lost four times on home ice, compared to 13 times on the road. That is the fourth best winning percentage in the entire WHL. ”
13,,21-18-1,[icon name=icon-arrow-down] -2,11,”Kootenay Ice~~The Ica had been the hottest team in the league as of late but last week seemed to slip back to reality. With two losses they have slipped closer to the .500 mark. Granted, both those losses came on the road so we will see this weekend if they can overcome this small speed bump. ”
14,,19-16-4,—,14,”Seattle Thunderbirds~~I am not sure what it is but Seattle beat the Winterhawks again last week. That is now five times in seven tries this year including the loss on Sunday. The Thunderbirds were on a six game winning streak before dropping a road game in Portland. They are exactly where they have been all year, which is the middle of the standings. ”
15,,18-19-2,[icon name=icon-arrow-up] +3,18,”Vancouver Giants~~I must have a positive jinx on teams. The Giants were the second team I had written off for the season and they continue to climb the rankings ever since. They claimed five out six points this week and have almost gotten back to .500. They play the high powered Rockets Wednesday night. ”
16,,18-18-2,[icon name=icon-arrow-down] -1,15,”Tri-City Americans~~The Americans continue to hover around .500. The last three games did not go so well as they gave up ten goals in one game and got shut out in another. With back-to-back games against the Cougars this week, I expect them to go 1-1. ”
17,,19-21,[icon name=icon-arrow-down] -1,16,”Prince George Cougars~~The cougars cannot string together wins. Look at the bright side though; they did beat the Rockets last week. The Cougars are a mediocre team and will continue to stay that way for the remainder of the season. ”
18,,16-20-4,[icon name=icon-arrow-down] -1,17,”Moose Jaw Warriors~~Before the Warriors beat the Raiders on Saturday, they had lost seven straight games. Though one win does not bring them out of the slump they are on. This team has a tough schedule coming up and should continue to lose more than they win.”
19,,16-23-1,—,19,”Prince Albert Raiders~~The Raiders are currently on a five game losing streak that looks even worse on paper. They have been outscored 25-6 in those five games and have showed little signs of promise. ”
20,,14-23-5,[icon name=icon-arrow-up] +2,22,”Kamloops Blazers~~After a five game skid, the Blazers finally won a game. I think it is safe to say, unlike our beloved basketball team here in Portland, this Blazer team is not very good. ”
21,,9-23-6,[icon name=icon-arrow-down] -1,20,”Lethbridge Hurricanes~~Three more games for the Hurricanes, three more losses. I wish I could put two teams in last place on the rankings, because Lethbridge deserves to be there. ”
22,,9-28-3,[icon name=icon-arrow-down] -1,21,”Saskatoon Blades~~This team has lost 28 games already. The only reason I reiterate that is because that is simply incredible a team can lose three out of every four in hockey. Get used to seeing the Blades in the 22nd spot. ”

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