WHL Power Rankings – Week 9: Hawks Still Climbing


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I made a bold claim last week saying I would have the Winterhawks in the top ten if they won both games against the Silvertips. Well they almost accomplished that task. Portland took Everett to extra time on Friday giving every PDX hockey fan a glimmer of hope. Yeah, they didn’t get both points, but getting a point on the road to a team that has only lost three regulation games…WE WILL TAKE IT!

The Winterhawks could have lost the second game and it would have still been a semi respectable weekend as no one was expecting them to get any points. But they did what everyone in Portland has been waiting for, and absolutely throttled the Silvertips at home. It was by far the best overall game they have played all season on both sides of the ice.

So I know what Winterhawk fans are thinking: Could we finally be seeing the potential this team has and get out of this early season hole for good?

Well, I need one more week before I jump on the “five straight conference titles” bandwagon. The only reason I am not on board yet is because of the weekend they have coming up. Three road games in four days is tough for any team, but when two of those games are against the WHL’s top dog, this could be the toughest three game stretch the Winterhawks face all year. I will say this: If they come home with six points next week, I will have them inside the top 6. Until next week Portland.

Checkout where the Winterhawks fell in Week 9’s WHL Power Rankings:

[table colwidth=”8%|18%|8%|8%|8%|50%” colalign=”center|center|center|center|center|left” rowlalign=”center”]
RANK,TEAM,REC,TREND,PREV,COMMENTS

1,Kelowna Rockets,20-1-1,—,1,”Kelowna Rockets~~How do I say the same thing about a team every week but make it sound different? This team is on an absolute tear, and coming up on their radar is the Winterhawks. One regulation loss in 22 games is amazing, but I think the Winterhawks put an end to that streak next week.”
2,Brandon Wheat Kings,17-4-1,—,2,”Brandon Wheat Kings~~I wouldn’t put this weekend up there with the best weekend the Wheat Kings have had, but they still have only lost four times in 22 games which is remarkable. They have back-to-back home games against the defending champs coming up, could they hold the top spot next week? ”
3,Everett Silvertips,14-3-3,[icon name=icon-arrow-up] +1,4,”Everett Silvertips~~Even though they lost a game to Portland 7-1 last week, we should all take it with a grain of salt. It was the third game in three nights against a hungry and desperate Winterhawks. They look to get back on track this week with only to games on the slate. ”
4,Medicine Hat Tigers,14-4-2,[icon name=icon-arrow-down] -1,3,”Medicine Hat Tigers~~We will count this weekend as one of those fluke weekends that happens to all good hockey teams. The Tigers only claimed one out of four points, but the one point was against the Wheat Kings. This team is very good and one bad weekend will not change that. They have four games next week against teams they should beat, so I expect them to get back on track. ”
5,Tri-City Americans,14-9,—,5,”Tri-City Americans~~The Americans started off the week extremely poorly getting blown out by one of the worst teams in the league. With the same bounce back we have seen from this team earlier in the year though, they managed to win their next two games and make it a successful week. With a four game home stand on the horizon, I expect this team to keep winning. ”
6,Swift Current Broncos,12-8-4,[icon name=icon-arrow-up] +1,7,”Swift Current Broncos~~It was a good week for the Broncos having claimed three out of four points. It is never a good thing to lose at home to the Raiders but every team has rough nights. The Broncos are a good team and should remain in the top ten for the foreseeable future. ”
7,Victoria Royals,11-10-2,[icon name=icon-arrow-up] +1,8,”Victoria Royals~~A mediocre 1-1 week for the Royals to end their five game road trip. It will be interesting to see if they can hang with the big boys this week with two home games against the Rockets. When they win, they score a lot but when they lose they seem to struggle with that. ”
8,Calgary Hitmen,11-8-3,[icon name=icon-arrow-up] +1,9,”Calgary Hitmen~~While claiming three out of four points on the week looks like a good thing, one thing strikes me. They scored six goals against one of the worst teams in the league and lost. Granted it was on the road, but six goals should be a guaranteed win for anyone. If this team can sew up its defense, I expect them to compete at the end. ”
9,Red Deer Rebels,11-8-3,[icon name=icon-arrow-up] +4,13,”Red Deer Rebels~~It was a great week for the Rebels. They went 2-0 winning both games very easily. They face a much tougher two games this week though in Medicine Hat. Having only scored over 5 goals three times this year, they will rely on their defense to keep them winning. ”
10,Edmonton Oil Kings,11-8-2,[icon name=icon-arrow-up] +1,11,”Edmonton Oil Kings~~It has been an up and down year for the defending champs, but with only one game last week, it appears they have righted the ship. A 7-1 blowout over the Blades is bound to cure any problems the Oil Kings might have had. It came just in time too, as they hit the road for four straight. ”
11,Prince George Cougars,11-11,[icon name=icon-arrow-down] -5,6,”Prince George Cougars~~It was a weekend we all expected for the Cougars. I said last week that the last two games would judge whether they deserved their high ranking. Well they clearly didn’t as the Rockets crushed them at home on back-to-back nights. They have given up six goals in each of their last three games, which obviously does not bode well for the win category. ”
12,Regina Pats,11-9-1,[icon name=icon-arrow-up] +2,14,”Regina Pats~~It was a fantastic week for the Pats, and I wanted to move them higher but just didn’t have room for them. They won all three games the played in last week and two of them by serious conviction. The Pats have been struggling to stay above .500 this season, but I think they will from here on out. ”
13,Moose Jaw Warriors,9-10-3,[icon name=icon-arrow-up] +3,16,”Moose Jaw Warriors~~A very successful weekend for the Warriors as they won both games they played in. They still haven’t been able to click on all cylinders this year, and I think that will keep them as a “middle of the pack” team. ”
14,Portland Winter Hawks,9-11-3,[icon name=icon-arrow-up] +3,17,”Portland Winterhawks~~This team has turned it around, and is two wins away from getting back to .500. That horrendous start seems to be completely forgotten about and climbing the standings is all that matters. It is a HUGE week for the Winterhawks next week as they take on the Rockets twice.”
15,Kamloops Blazers,9-10-4,[icon name=icon-arrow-down] -5,10,”Kamloops Blazers~~I am losing faith quickly in the Blazers. They got off to a hot start but have now lost seven straight. The Blazers look very bad right now, which is a good thing for Winterhawk fans as they play each other next game. ”
16,Spokane Chiefs,9-7-3,[icon name=icon-arrow-down] -4,12,”Spokane Chiefs~~It was an average week for the Chiefs. They started off the week with a loss to the Rockets, which isn’t surprising, but then lost at home to the Americans. This team seems to play better on the road as of late, which can’t be a good thing. They still have a winning record as of now, but don’t expect it to last long. ”
17,Seattle Thunderbirds,9-10-3,[icon name=icon-arrow-down] -2,15,”Seattle Thunderbirds~~The Thunderbirds continue to shock me in different ways. With four games on the road last week, I expected them to win two of them and get blown out in two. Well they went 1-3 and ended up beating the Wheat Kings. With six of the next seven at home, I no longer know what this team will end up doing. If I had to guess, they will beat the good teams and lose to the bad teams. ”
18,Kootenay Ice,8-13,[icon name=icon-arrow-up] +3,21,”Kootenay Ice~~Two weeks ago I said this team would never climb out of the bottom spot on these rankings. Since then, they have won five straight games and are looking like a WHL power. I won’t get ahead of myself though; this team is still close to the bottom of the standings and needs to keep winning if they want to win a way into the top 15. ”
19,Prince Albert Raiders,9-13,[icon name=icon-arrow-down] -1,18,”Prince Albert Raiders~~A 1-2 week for the Raiders drops them in the standings. One of those losses includes giving up eight goals to the Pats. This team is extremely inconsistent and seems to get in its own way some times. The Raiders are similar to the NFL version of the Raiders, not very good. ”
20,Vancouver Giants,8-12,[icon name=icon-arrow-down] -1,19,”Vancouver Giants~~The Giants went 1-1 last week but still have not impressed me. Giving up seven goals to the Royals is icing on the cake for me. This team is not going to compete for any titles this year and should continue to lose on a regular basis. ”
21,Lethbridge Hurricanes,5-12-4,[icon name=icon-arrow-down] -1,20,”Lethbridge Hurricanes~~Two weeks ago, I thought “worst team in the WHL” was up for grabs between two teams. Well now add the Hurricanes into that mix. This team looks helpless, they have lost six straight and don’t seem to be in any hurry to end that streak. ”
22,Saskatoon Blades,6-16,—,22,”Saskatoon Blades~~No shocker here, this team lost all three games they played this week. They cannot score goals and give up way too many. In hockey terms, that is a recipe for last place. At this moment in time, they are the “worst team in the WHL.” It just is a bummer Portland only plays them once all season. ”

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Ryan Boshoven
Ryan is a former Division 1 athlete now working in the world of sport marketing. He earned his Master's Degree in Sports Business. He likes to spend his free time playing golf and going to sporting events. Ryan also has two brothers that are the same age as him. "Being a triplet is pretty awesome!" he says.
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