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WHL Hockey: Third edition of WHL power rankings

The bi-weekly power rankings are out and the Victoria Royals take the top spot in the Western Conference. These rankings are voted on by members of the WHL media, as well as, bloggers. The points listed are based on votes and standings. So, since there are more voters for the Eastern Conference, more points are available there. As always, thanks to Paul Figler of figlerfiles.blogspot.com for putting this together.

By Brandon Rivers
Marissa Baecker/Getty Images

Let's start with the Eastern Conference where Prince Albert went above .500 for the past two weeks and still dropped three spots. Also, Red Deer was powered by a a shut out road win over P.A. to take the top spot in the East.

Eastern Conference Power Rankings

1. Red Deer Rebels (3-2) 105 pts. Have won 8 of last 10, hottest team in the East. Beat Previous number 1 (PA) 4-0 on the road. Still looking to upgrade goaltending? UP 2

2. Brandon Wheat Kings (3-3) 97 pts. Home losses to VIC, EDM and CGY raise an eyebrow. Went 3-2 on recent US road trip. DOWN 1

3. Lethbridge Hurricanes (4-3) 90 pts. Hanging up with the conference heavyweights despite playing fewer games. Ended longest road trip of the year at .500. UP 1

4. Prince Albert Raiders (2-3-1) 75 pts. Poor showing this weekend with 2 home losses, outscored 10-4. They are still 6-3-1-0 in their last 10, tops in the East Division. DOWN 3

5. Moose Jaw Warriors (3-2-1) 73 pts. A bit up and down of late, still in the better half within the conference. Riding points leader Brayden Point (16g, 23a). EVEN

6. Calgary Hitmen (2-4) 54 pts. Losers of 3 straight, and some trades made in the last few weeks has this team in a bit of disarray. Virtanen staying in NHL hurts. EVEN

7. Saskatoon Blades (2-4) 48 pts. Playing .500 hockey but have cooled WAY off since a very hot pre-season. Did beat Red Deer at home. EVEN

8T. Edmonton Oil Kings (4-2-1) 43 pts. Winners of 4 of their last 5 games, includes 2 vs. Hitmen. Slow start to the year and penalties hurting them here. UP 3

8T. Swift Current Broncos (3-2) 43 pts. Missing DeBrusk but still able to post wins in 3 of last 4 games. Beat Brandon over the last weekend. EVEN

10. Regina Pats (1-3) 28 pts. Traded their starting goaltender, have yet to replace him. DOWN 1

11. Medicine Hat Tigers (1-1-2) 23 pts. A lot of turnover and injuries means their continued struggles surprise no one. Suffered back to back Overtime losses vs Red Deer and Kootenay. DOWN 1

12. Kootenay Ice (2-2-1) 10 pts. A couple of recent wins keep them to within shouting distance of the rest of the Eastern Conference.

Now let's look at the Western Conference where a three game slide has Portland all the way down to seventh. Also, Victoria was rewarded for a perfect trip through the East Division, by getting the top spot back.

Western Conference Power Rankings

1. Victoria Royals (6-0-1) 66 pts. Going into the WHL's East Division and winning all 6 games is not easy. Is it time to take the surprising Royals seriously as a title contender? UP 2

2. Kelowna Rockets (4-1) 65 pts. Nick Merkley appears to have rounded into form with 6 points in two games versus Portland. DOWN 1

3. Seattle ThunderBirds (3-4) 56 pts. Defense and goaltending appear to be weaknesses in an othereise great team. Blowing 2 straight 3rd period 3-1 leads is not a great sign. DOWN 1

4. Everett Silvertips (3-2) 48 pts. Five straight 1 goal games. It's clear the defense and goaltending will always keep them in a gave, but their lack of offense will always keep you in it too. UP 1

5. Spokane Chiefs (4-2) 38 pts. Kailer Yamamoto had 9 points over 4 games and appears primed for a break out season. UP 2

6. Prince George Cougars (2-3) 35 pts. Cougars need more from Jansen Harkins, who somehow only has 1 goal this season. The Winnipeg Jets' 2nd rounder has the talent but where are the points? EVEN

7. Portland Winterhawks (2-3) 31 pts. Lower in the rankings than deserved? The team's strengths of defense, goaltending and penalty killing were put to the test last weekend vs. Kelowna. EVEN

8. Kamloops Blazers (5-0) Deven Sideroff and Collin Shirley capped off a great week by being named to the WHL select team that takes on Russia. UP 2

9. Tri-City Americans (2-3) Injury bug is going again in Kennewick this season. They are down to 5 healthy defensemen including Brandon Carlo, who was hurt during a fight vs Portland DOWN 1

10. Vancouver Giants (0-5) Trades galore as GM Scott Bonner tries to fix what's wrong with his team. More players have left the team and trades have been made to no avail. DOWN 1

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