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Silvertips Earn Honourable Mention as Warriors Hold Firm in CHL Top 10

January 26, 2018 - Western Hockey League (WHL) News Release

Toronto, ON. - The Canadian Hockey League today announced the week 18 edition of the CHL Top-10 Rankings for the 2017-18 season. The weekly rankings of the CHL's Top-10 teams are selected by a panel of National Hockey League scouts.

After the top five remained unchanged last week, the top three teams in the CHL held firm this week, including the Moose Jaw Warriors, who retained the second overall spot while spending their 16^th straight week on the charts. The Warriors scored a pair of 5-3 victories over the Regina Pats and Saskatoon Blades respectively in the past week, keeping them in the drivers seat at the top of the Western Hockey League with a 38-7-1-2 record. Jayden Halbgewachs (San Jose Sharks) and Brayden Burke led the Warriors with four points each over that span as Halbgewachs tallied three goals and Burke added three assists. Burke continues to lead the WHL scoring race with 93 points (22G-71A) in 46 games while Halbgewachs became the first WHL player to reach the 50-goal milestone this season and sits second in the WHL scoring race with 91 points (51G-40A) in 48 contests. The Warriors will wrap up a four-game road trip this weekend, beginning Friday, January 26 (7:00 p.m. MST) against the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

The Swift Current Broncos slid one spot this week to fifth, their 15^th straight week in the CHL Top 10. Completing a grueling road trip through the U.S. Division, the Broncos mustered a 2-2-0-1 record keeping the gap between them and the league-leading Warriors at nine points. Aleksi Heponiemi (Florida Panthers) picked up 10 points (2G-8A) in the five games while captain Glenn Gawdin (Calgary Flames) and Giorgio Estephan both recorded seven points. Estephan's week was a memorable one as the overage forward from Edmonton, Alta. played in his 300^th career WHL game while also picking up his 300^th career WHL point. The Broncos are on the ice Saturday, January 27 (2:30 p.m. CST) when they host the 2018 Mastercard Memorial Cup host Pats in the latest edition of Sportsnet's Saturday Showcase (http://whl.ca/broadcast) .

The Kelowna Rockets also fell a single spot in the rankings, dropping down to the tenth spot in their fifth straight week as a part of the rankings. The Rockets scored an overtime victory at home against the Lethbridge Hurricanes and doubled up the Victoria Royals by an 8-4 score while also dropping a 7-2 contest to the Seattle Thunderbirds to round out their week. Dillon Dube (Calgary Flames) and Kole Lind (Vancouver Canucks) led the team with six points each while Conner Bruggen-Cate contributed five points (3G-2A) in three games as the Rockets remained first in the B.C. Division. Up next for the Rockets is a date Friday, January 26 (7:30 p.m. MST) against the Medicine Hat Tigers to continue a three-game road trip.

Earning an honourable mention this week were the Everett Silvertips, who remained the top team in the U.S. Division, holding a two-point lead. The Silvertips outscored their opponents 8-1 over the past week, downing the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings 4-0 Saturday before beating the visiting Broncos by a 4-1 final Sunday. Carter Hart was in net for both victories, picking up his 25^th career WHL shutout, one behind the all-time leader Tyson Sexsmith, earning WHL Goaltender of the Week (http://whl.ca/article/silvertips-hart-named-whl-goaltender-of-the-week-6) honours. His teammate Matt Fonteyne also had himself a big week, earning WHL On the Run Player of the Week he-week) honours to make it a Silvertips sweep. Hart and the Silvertips will continue their pursuit of history Friday, January 26 (7:35 p.m. PST) when they host the Seattle Thunderbirds.

CHL Top 10 Rankings - Week 18 Rank: Team: Last Week Rank: Number of Weeks Ranked: 1 Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (37-5-2-1) 1 18 2 Moose Jaw Warriors (38-7-1-2) 2 16 3 Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (32-9-2-1) 3 18 4 Sarnia Sting (32-12-2-0) 8 15 5 Swift Current Broncos (33-12-3-1) 4 15 6 Hamilton Bulldogs (29-10-3-3) 5 8 7 Halifax Mooseheads (30-11-5-1) 6 7 8 Drummondville Voltigeurs (30-13-1-1) 7 9 9 Kitchener Rangers (31-14-2-0) - 3 10 Kelowna Rockets (30-14-2-1) 9 5

Honourable Mention: Rimouski Oceanic (29-12-4-1) 10 7 Everett Silvertips (30-16-1-1) - 0 Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (27-12-5-3) - 5 About the Western Hockey League Regarded as the world's finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 22 member Clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and five in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for over 50 years. The WHL is also the leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 350 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada's National Junior Hockey Team.

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