It was not a flashy week in the U.S. Division of the Western Hockey League, as numerous teams struggled to find a winning consistency throughout the week. That is unless you’re the Wenatchee Wild, who continue to be one of the best stories in the league.
Wenatchee is not where you would expect to find high-end NHL potential. Many people had no idea where Wenatchee even was when the league announced it would set up shop there back in June. While yes, it is a city of a little under 40,000 residents, making it one of the smallest in the league, it does not lack in passion for its team. Strong attendance was always a hallmark for the previous version of the franchise, which played in the lower British Columbia Hockey League. Now that it is elevated to the WHL, that trend has continued.
The Wild didn’t have to wait long for high-octane prospects either, as two first-round NHL Draft selections in Conor Geekie (Arizona) and Matt Savoie (Buffalo) have found their way in Wenatchee. Geekie leads the Wild with 49 points in 25 games (20-29–49) so far this season, while Savoie since his return to the WHL in November has put up 22 points in 10 games (11-11–22).
Geekie took things to another level during this past weekend. Highlighted by a four-unanswered-goal, overtime-winning performance in Portland on Saturday, a feather in his cap for a weekend with 12 points in three games against Portland and Tri-City. This performance was enough to be named WHL Player of the Week.
Geekie and Savoie, along with Kenta Isogai and assist leader Graham Sward (Nashville), are large reasons why Wenatchee currently sits atop of the U.S. Division standings.
Silvertips and Thunderbirds
It was not a week to write home about for the Everett Silvertips and Seattle Thunderbirds. The Silvertips finished up their road trip through the province of Alberta by dropping back-to-back games in Edmonton and Red Deer. As for the T-Birds, they did pick up a solid 3-2 victory over the Kelowna Rockets on Teddy Bear Toss Night Saturday, and while they did show a solid outing on Tuesday against the Victoria Royals, a comeback effort was foiled, as they fell 5-4.
World Junior Championship
Team Canada’s selection camp roster came out this week for the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship. Kraken prospects Ty Nelson, Jagger Firkus, and Carson Rehkopf received invites, as well as Thunderbirds goaltender Scott Ratzlaff and Wild forwards Geekie and Savoie. Players will travel to Oakville, Ontario for selection camp Dec. 10-13. After that, the roster will be finalized for the tournament beginning on Dec. 26 in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Around the U.S. division
The Portland Winterhawks acquired the CHL rights to Kraken prospect Tyson Jugnauth from Kamloops on Wednesday. Jugnauth was playing at the University of Wisconsin to start the year but is planning to make a rare in-season transition from NCAA to CHL. Jugnauth is expected to make his Winterhawks debut against the Thunderbirds on Saturday.
The week ahead
The Everett Silvertips host Vancouver for their Teddy Bear Toss on Friday, beginning a home-and-home series with the Giants before coming home on Sunday to take on Portland. They will then follow with Prince George coming to town on Wednesday. For the Thunderbirds, they take on Tri-City at home on Friday before heading down to Portland on Saturday and then to Spokane for a Wednesday night battle.
Header photo taken by Brian Liesse. Photo courtesy of Seattle Thunderbirds.