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WHL Portland Winterhawks

Winterhawks Remain #1 in CHL Rankings

October 25, 2023 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) announced today the Week 4 edition of its CHL Top-10 Rankings for the 2023-24 season.

Still unbeaten since September 23, having won a CHL-best eight games in a row, the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League (WHL) are in first place for a third straight week. Right behind them is the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), who jumped back into second, while the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL round out the top three.

Matching a CHL-best nine wins on the season, both the Prince George Cougars of the WHL and the Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the QMJHL were among the biggest movers of the week. Averaging just over five goals per game this season, the Cougars jumped up four spots to No. 4, while the highest-scoring team in the QMJHL - the Drakkar - made their Top-10 debut in tenth this week.

The next rankings will be released the week of October 30, following the fifth week of regular season action in all three member leagues of the CHL.

CHL Top-10 Rankings - Week 4

1. Portland Winterhawks (WHL): It was just another week for the Winterhawks (8-1-0-0), who were once again dominant in big wins against the Brandon Wheat Kings and the Everett Silvertips. First, Portland got a pair of hat tricks from Kyle Chyzowski and Gabe Klassen as the Winterhawks downed the Wheat Kings 11-1 on Wednesday night. Then, on Saturday, Portland defeated the Silvertips 5-1 on the road. Between the two games, John Zakreski led the way for the Winterhawks with seven points (1G-6A), followed by Chyzowski (4G-1A) and San Jose Sharks prospect Luca Cagnoni (0G-5A) who each had five points. Now unbeaten since September 23, Portland has allowed just two goals or less in seven straight games (averaging 1.0 goal allowed per game). This week, riding their eight-game winning streak, Portland will face one of its most challenging road trips to date when they travel to Red Deer, Edmonton, and Calgary over consecutive nights.

Games this week: @ Red Deer (Oct. 27), @ Edmonton (Oct. 28), @ Calgary (Oct. 29)

2. Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL): It was a pretty special weekend for the Mooseheads (8-3-1-0). They welcomed back Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Jordan Dumais to their lineup on Friday, as the QMJHL's leading scorer from a season ago recorded a hat-trick and a pair of assists to help Halifax edge No. 6-ranked Rouyn-Noranda 6-4. Dumais' efforts over the weekend were ultimately recognized by the QMJHL as he was named to their Team of the Week. Additionally, in that same game against the Huskies, Halifax netminder Mathis Rousseau became the 10th goalie in QMJHL history (and the first in Mooseheads' franchise history) to score a goal. Following their big win against Rouyn-Noranda, Halifax comfortably beat Val-d'Or 5-1 for its eighth win in ten games. The Mooseheads will look to keep the good times rolling when they host an eight-win Moncton team on Wednesday, before traveling to Charlottetown and Acadie-Bathurst this weekend.

Games this week: vs. Moncton (Oct. 25), @ Charlottetown (Oct. 27), @ Acadie-Bathurst (Oct. 28)

3. Saskatoon Blades (WHL): With only one game on the schedule this past week, the Blades (8-2-0-0) took care of business by narrowly defeating the Rebels 2-1 in Red Deer. Helping them win by that narrow margin was once again captain Trevor Wong (nine-game point streak; 0G-2A vs. Red Deer), Anaheim Ducks prospect Egor Sidorov (has a point in all eight of his games this season; scored GWG vs. Red Deer), and Nashville Predators 2023 first-round pick Tanner Molendyk (six-game point streak; 0G-2A vs. Red Deer). Saskatoon also continues to get great goaltending from Austin Elliott, who made 26 saves on Saturday to improve his record on the season to a perfect 6-0-0-0. Elliott currently ranks second in the CHL with a 1.46 GAA and fourth in the WHL with a 0.935 SV%. Starting tonight, the Blades' place among the top three will be tested when they face No.7-ranked Moose Jaw before they hit the road for a pair of games later in the week.

Games this week: vs. Moose Jaw (Oct. 24), @ Regina (Oct. 27), @ Brandon (Oct. 28)

4. Prince George Cougars (WHL): The Cougars (9-3-0-0) became the first WHL club to reach nine wins on the season. They attained the feat in dramatic fashion on Sunday by scoring three late goals to secure a 7-5 come-from-behind victory over a strong Medicine Hat Tigers team. With 69 goals through 12 games, the Cougars continue to pace the CHL in scoring - having recorded 13 more goals than the next closest CHL club, the Baie-Comeau Drakkar (56 goals), who have also played one more game so far this season. The Cougars' potent attack continues to be led by Ondrej Becher (27 points; 2G-5A over last two games), Zac Funk (26 points; 3G-2A over last two games), and 2024 NHL Draft prospect Terik Parascak (25 points; 3G-3A over last two games), who rank first, second and third respectively in the CHL for points. If that wasn't enough, Prince George also continues to get great production from Los Angeles Kings prospect Koehn Ziemmer (2G-6A over a four-game point streak) and Minnesota Wild prospect Riley Heidt (2G-7A over a four-game point streak). This week, Prince George's high-scoring attack will no doubt be tested when they hit the road to face Moose Jaw on Saturday and Regina on Sunday.

Games this week: @ Moose Jaw (Oct. 28), @ Regina (Oct. 29)

5. London Knights (OHL): Having lost two of three games over the last seven days, the Knights (6-4-0-1) slipped out of the top-three for the first time this season. Their week appeared to get off on the right foot. Led by Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan (2G-2A) and San Jose Sharks prospect Kasper Halttunen (2G-0A), the Knights were dominant in a 5-1 win against Brantford. From there, however, the Knights struggled to keep the puck out of the net. They gave up 11 goals in contests against Erie and No. 9-ranked Saginaw to close out the weekend. Halttunen remained one of the club's lone bright spots in those losses, as he scored a pair against the Spirit to give him nine goals on the season. With only one game on the schedule, London will need to do a better job defensively against a 67's club known for keeping the puck out of its net. Should the Knights win that game, London's head coach Dale Hunter would secure his 908th career win, which would move him ahead of the late Bert Templeton (907) for second all-time on the CHL's coaching wins list.

Games this week: vs. Ottawa (Oct. 27)

6. Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL): Although they ultimately fell 6-4 to No.2-ranked Halifax in a tightly contested game, the Huskies (7-3-1-2) did still manage to score important road wins in Charlottetown (4-2) and Cape Breton (4-1) this past week. Rouyn-Noranda has now won four of its last five, having scored four goals in five straight contests. They are getting consistent play in net from goaltender William Rousseau. The 2023 Memorial Cup champion has won his last five starts, which include a 33-save performance against the Islanders. The Huskies have also enjoyed great offensive production from Antonin Verreault who extended his point streak to five games (3G-6A) this weekend. Having been held off the scoresheet just twice in 13 games, Verreault now ranks second in the QMJHL in scoring with 18 points this season. This week, the Huskies will aim to make it six wins in seven games when they face the Olympiques on Friday and the Voltigeurs on Saturday.

Games this week: vs. Gatineau (Oct. 27), vs. Drummondville (Oct. 28)

7. Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL): It was another week of mixed results for the Warriors (7-5-0-0), who were able to down Prince Albert 4-1 on the weekend, only days after they fell on the road to the Regina Pats 4-2 on Tuesday. Still, Moose Jaw has won seven of its last 10 games, thanks in part to the play of their trio of NHL prospects in Jagger Firkus (SEA), Brayden Yager (PIT), and Denton Mateychuk (CBJ). Over the last week, Firkus registered a hat-trick against the Raiders - he now has points in nine of ten games this season. Similarly, Yager comes into the week riding a six-game point streak, and he has also been held off the scoresheet just once this season. At the same time, Mateychuk has points in all five of his games with the Warriors this season, which included three assists in Moose Jaw's win against Prince Albert this past weekend. The Warriors will need these three to be at the top of their game as they start a stretch of four games tonight, highlighted by matchups against No.3-ranked Saskatoon and No. 4-ranked Prince George.

Games this week: @ Saskatoon (Oct. 24), @ Brandon (Oct. 26), vs. Prince George (Oct. 28), vs. Prince Albert (Oct. 29)

8. Mississauga Steelheads (OHL): Despite starting their week off with a 5-2 loss in Sudbury, the Steelheads (9-2-0-0) bested the Battalion 7-6 before netting an impressive 4-1 victory against a seven-win Kitchener Rangers squad. Helping the Steelheads through this latest stretch of games was once again 2024 NHL Draft prospect Luke Misa, who extended his point streak to five games (3G-9A). Misa's 18 points this season trail only Kitcherner's Hunter Brzustewicz (20 points) and Carson Rehkopf (19 points) in the OHL scoring race. 2025 NHL Draft prospect and Mississauga forward Porter Martone also came alive this past week, as he scored a hat-trick against North Bay before potting another goal against Kitchener on Saturday. Martone now has points in four straight games (4G-4A). This week, the Steelheads hope a two-game homestand against the Colts and the Frontenacs will help them maintain their place atop the OHL standings.

Games this week: vs. Barrie (Oct. 27), vs. Kingston (Oct. 28)

9. Saginaw Spirit (OHL): Although they secured an important win against No. 5-ranked London on Sunday, the Spirit (4-4-0-0) fell 5-2 on the previous night to Windsor, ultimately handing the Spitfires what was just their second win of the season and their first since October 5. Despite that disappointing loss, the Spirit managed to rebound nicely against the Knights thanks in large part to a hat-trick from Nic Sima and a 26-save performance from Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Nolan Lalonde. Although their up-and-down play to start the season is of concern, the Spirit have been excellent on the power play (37.0%) and penalty kill (93.8%) - two categories that they lead in the OHL. With three losses in their last four games, having given up 19 goals over that stretch, the Spirit will need to tighten up defensively should they hope to come out on the winning side of their three-game schedule against Sault-Ste-Marie, Sarnia, and Flint this week.

Games this week: vs. Soo (Oct. 27), vs. Sarnia (Oct. 28), @ Flint (Oct. 29)

10. Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL): Having strung together a pair of wins for the first time since October 8, the Drakkar (9-2-2-0) are making their long-awaited debut in the CHL Top-10 this week. As one of only three teams in the CHL with nine wins (along with Prince George and Mississauga), Baie-Comeau attained the feat by first doubling up Shawinigan 8-4 last Friday, before squeaking out a 6-5 victory against Chicoutimi on Sunday. New York Islanders prospect Justin Gill has been a force for the Drakkar of late, having recorded 12 points (4G-8A) over his last five games. With 18 points on the season, Gill is one of five QMJHL skaters who trail only Moncton's Yoan Loshing (19 points) by one point for the league lead. Meanwhile, Drakkar forward Matyas Melovsky also put together a great two-game stretch last week by first registering three assists against the Cataractes, before notching a hat-trick against the Saguenéens. The Drakkar's place among the Top 10 will be tested this week when they welcome Victoriaville on Wednesday, before traveling for a pair of games in Rimouski.

Games this week: vs. Victoriaville (Oct. 25), @ Rimouski (Oct. 27), @ Rimouski (Oct. 28)

Check out the Portland Winterhawks Statistics



Western Hockey League Stories from October 25, 2023


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