With January nearing a close, Everett and Portland are continuing to solidify themselves as two of the teams to beat down the stretch in the WHL. The top teams in the U.S. Division are getting hotter and hotter, and with a little under two months left in the regular season, the time to be hot is now.
Everett Silvertips
What a second half it’s been for the Everett Silvertips so far, as they have gained sole possession of first place in the Western Conference, thanks in large part to their current eight-game win streak. It’s been a streak full of high-danger scoring chances and key players emerging at the right time.
One of their more notable performances of late was their match last Friday with Spokane, a night which saw the Silvertips put up 11 goals on Chiefs goalies Cooper Michaluk and Dawson Cowan, shooting a ridiculous 32.3 percent on the night. 13 Silvertips players tallied points, with Ben Hemmerling (VGK), Austin Roest (NSH), Dominik Rymon, Jesse Heslop, and Tarin Smith each notching three or more points that night. Hemmerling has thoroughly impressed over the last seven games, with six goals and nine assists, and him sporting a 17.1 percent shooting percentage.
The Tips have been simply dominant throughout this stretch, as they’ve outscored opponents 45-16, nearly doubling opponents in shots on goal with them averaging 44 shots a game, versus seeing only 23 shots against. They most recently extended their streak on Wednesday night in Kelowna where they took down the Rockets, 4-3 as Carter Bear scored in the final minutes to seal the victory.
This streak has turned some heads nationally, as the Silvertips made an appearance at No. 7 in this week’s CHL Top 10. Everett has a great opportunity to extend their streak even further, with their next five games coming against teams in fringe playoff contention.
Portland Winterhawks
Still racing with the Silvertips, and arguably just as hot as Everett, are the Portland Winterhawks, who are 8-1-1-0 over their last 10 games. Plenty of their success is due in large part to Gabe Klassen and James Stefan, combining for 29 points across their last 10 games.
Portland was aided by their deadline acquisition coming in hot, as Nate Danielson (DET) officially debuted as a Portland Winterhawk on Jan. 17. The ninth overall selection in 2022 immediately made an impact in his first game by tallying a goal and an assist against the Kelowna Rockets, showing off some of the flash that the Winterhawks were hoping to get out of him.
Danielson contributed yet again with an assist in Portland’s 3-2 win over Tri-City on Friday, and he now has points in each of his first four games with the Winterhawks thus far (2-3=5). Portland sits in second place in the U.S. Division, only four points behind division-leading Everett with four games in hand.
Elsewhere
The Wenatchee Wild continue to be steady, even after their deadline overhaul, keeping pace in third place. A few marks behind them are Spokane and Tri-City. The Highway 395 rivals sit in eighth and ninth in the Western Conference, both within a point of each other for that final wild card spot. Then there’s Seattle who continues to be lackluster, going 2-8-0-0 over their last 10 games and sitting six points behind Spokane, good for last place in the U.S.
CHL Top Prospects Game
It’s always an exciting time of year when the CHL invites many of their top prospects, most of them ready to hear their names called at the NHL Draft this summer, to its showcase event at the Kubota CHL Top Prospects Game. This year, the event was held at Avenir Centre in Moncton, New Brunswick. A handful of players from the U.S. Division made the voyage eastward.
A couple goaltenders made appearances with Spokane’s Dawson Cowan (N.A. goaltenders: #5) and Tri-City’s Lukas Matecha getting invites (N.A. goaltenders: #9). Only two skaters from the U.S. attended the event, with Spokane’s Berkly Catton (N.A. skaters: #9) and Everett’s Julius Miettinen (N.A. skaters: #49) skating for each side. Catton served as captain for Team White.
The day before the game, the event featured a few on-ice tests for prospects to show off some of their skills. Catton did well in the agility drills they held, placing third among WHL attendees with weave agility with a puck, first in transition agility, and third in transition agility with a puck. Miettinen tested well with speed drills, most notably placing first in the 30 meter forward test.
Both netminders were solid in their half-game showings on Wednesday, with Cowan on Team White stopping 16 of 17 faced, while Matecha shut the door on all 19 shots he saw for Team Red. Matecha and Miettinen for Team Red wound up winning over Team White, 3-1. Miettinen had just one assist. Kelowna Rockets forward Tij Iginla won the game’s MVP.
Reported by Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek, the CHL plans to remake this event to include NCAA players, with them facing off against the CHL’s best.
Caden Price
The Seattle Kraken went defense heavy in the later parts of the 2023 NHL Draft, as they looked to find more future offensive production from their back end. With 13 points in his last 10 games, including a goal and an assist in Wednesday night’s game against Everett, Kelowna defenseman and Kraken third-round choice Caden Price is starting to become that and more, as he’s making a name for himself as an elite first-pair defender in the WHL.
Header photo courtesy Brian Liesse, Seattle Thunderbirds.
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