VANCOUVER, BC – The Calgary Hitmen sit on top of the WHL standings again this week, and continue to roll over the competition. The Hitmen are riding a five game winning streak into next week’s three-game road trip out west.
Hitmen forward, Brandon Kozun, was a huge contributor to his team’s success. The Los Angeles Kings’ prospect notched nine points in four games, earning him WHL player of the week honors. Kozun is also the league’s top scorer with 27 points in 15 games.
While Calgary sits alone atop the Central Division, the scene is much tighter in the East Division. The Moose Jaw Warriors and the Saskatoon Blades are tied for first, while the Swift Current Broncos are just a point back of the two division leaders.
All three teams have a sniper among the WHL’s top ten scorers – the Blades’ Derek Hulak (22 pts), the Warriors’ Jason Bast (20 pts), and the Broncos’ Cody Eakin (20 pts) who is a Washington Capitals prospect.
Moose Jaw and Saskatoon are also the only teams to have beaten the Hitmen so far this season, leaving ultimate success in the Eastern Conference anybody’s guess.
The Western Conference features a couple of teams continuing a steady pace, and a couple of others headed in opposite directions.
In the B.C. Division, the Vancouver Giants’ consistently strong play has allowed them to take sole possession of first place over the now second-place Kamloops Blazers.
For their part, the Blazers have hit a losing skid, dropping five in a row. Despite a hot start, recent struggles have led to a serious shake-up firing Blazers head coach Barry Smith on October 26. That’s quite a change for a team ranked in the CHL’s top ten the past three weeks.
In the U.S. Division, the Portland Winter Hawks now share first place with the Tri-City Americans, despite the Hawks winning each of their last three games. Portland had a couple of stumbles prior to their recent winning streak, which was all it took for the Americans to jump to the forefront.
Tri-City is the hottest team in the WHL. The Americans have won their last nine games, and have gotten outstanding goaltending from Drew Owsley, who has played all 13 games for the team this season. Owsley leads the Western Conference with a 2.32 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage. Add forward Brendan Shinniman, and his 24 points to the equation, and you get a team poised to take over the U.S. Division.
Contact the author at Happy.Kreter@prohockeynews.com
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