It’s a new week and with that comes a new CHL top 10 rankings, Player of the Week, Goaltender of the Week and Rookie of the Week honors among other newsworthy items.
The competition is heating up in the WHL as was seen in a battle between two playoff-bound teams last week. Berkly Catton and the Spokane Chiefs slipped by the Everett Silvertips 3-2 on Wednesday, Jan. 22. Those two could possibly meet in the WHL Western Conference Final.
The Chiefs slotted in this week at the eighth spot in the CHL top 10 while the Everett Silvertips sit in the two spot. Two other WHL teams cracked the top 10 as the WHL led the way with four teams in the top 10. The Calgary Hitmen took the seventh spot while the Gavin McKenna, Tanner Molendyk and the Medicine Hat Tigers found themselves in the ninth spot.
In the OHL, the London Knights held down the top spot once again for the ninth consecutive week. The Kitchener Rangers slid in at the three spot and the Windsor Spitfires at the six spot.
The QMJHL saw the Moncton Wildcats slide to the four spot while the Rimouski Océanic slid in at the five spot and the Drummondville Voltigeurs at the 10 spot.
In the Player of the Week category in the WHL, Brandon Wheat Kings Captain Quinn Mantei took home the honor. The defenseman exploded for a goal and seven assists for eight points in three games as the Wheat Kings closed a daunting road trip on a high note.
The Medicine Hat Tigers saw Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Harrison Meneghin repeat as WHL Goaltender of the Week. He also earned the honor for a week back in October. This time he went 2-0-0-0 on the week with a 1.50 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage to kick off a U.S. Division road trip.
Between his success and the moves the Tigers made prior to the trade deadline, they’ve shown they want to make a run for it this season. They currently sit first in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with 64 points on the season, 10 ahead of the second place Prince Albert Raiders.
But it’s the Silvertips who sit first in the WHL with 75 points on the season. An Everett-Medicine Hat WHL Finals series could very well be a possibility. At this point, it’s Everett’s league to lose as they have an 11-point lead over the Tigers in the overall standings.
On the Rookie of the Week side of things, Seattle Thunderbird forward Matej Pekar earned the honor. The 17-year-old led all first-year players with four goals in three games.
We’re also continuing to see CHL players commit to NCAA universities since the agreement was made between the CHL and NCAA. Most recently, the Silvertips’ Eric Jamison committed to the defending NCAA champion, Denver University. So not only have CHL teams benefited from getting players on their protected lists that were in Junior-A circuits, but NCAA powerhouses such as Denver University are receiving even more talent.
PHOTO Courtesy of Randy Feere/Medicine Hat Tigers