It’s the Source Embroidery Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League Power Rankings for Feb. 2, 2022.
1. Humboldt Broncos (34-12-0-0) – 1st last week – A hard-fought loss to the well-rested Battlefords North Stars this past week should just be a blip, but their hold on No. 1 in the league is getting a bit tenuous. Still, this club is slowly getting back to full health, and that is a scary opposition for anyone.
2. Estevan Bruins (31-7-1-3) – 2nd last week – The white-hot Bruins have not lost in regulation in 10 games, nor in 2022, and are truly nipping at the heels of the Humboldt Broncos. Cam Hrdlicka has been extremely consistent in relief of the absent Boston Bilous in net, and the vast weaponry Coach Jason Tatarnic has at his disposal speaks for itself.
3. Flin Flon Bombers (28-11-1-1) – 3rd last week – The Bombers had their seven-game win streak snapped this past week by La Ronge, but a good bounce-back win in Yorkton showed again what this well-built machine is capable of. Coach Mike Reagan has been pretty happy with his D-Corps all year, and lately, they have been suffocating.
4. Battlefords North Stars (24-10-4-1) – 5th last week – A huge win in Humboldt to come off their Covid pause has to have the Stars flying high, especially since Brayden Klimosko’s men have won five of their last six, albeit those six have been over a very extended time. Former Bronco Michael Harroch had to feel good shutting out Humboldt at the EPA this past week.
5. Melfort Mustangs (25-13-2-4) – 4th last week – Curtis Hammond’s five-goal game at home vs. ND, and a much-more defensive showing in a win vs. Nipawin the next night has this team back on track. They cannot wait to get captain Ben Tkachuk back, though excellent Top 4 defenceman Hayden Tuba is reportedly lost for the season. There are not too many finer late-season coaches in this league than Trevor Blevins.
6. La Ronge Ice Wolves (20-19-1-2) – 7th last week – Wins over Flin Flon and Melfort in their last three continue to prove that Coach Kevin Kaminski’s men feel confident they can take on anyone. Will be interesting to see if they can keep this incredible run going with a ton of games on the road in the next couple of weeks. The acquisition of veteran defenceman Mkyllan Couture from Nipawin has proven to be the move of the trade deadline thus far.
7. Yorkton Terriers (20-18-1-4) – 6th last week – A dramatic come-from-behind shootout win at Notre Dame this past week was followed up by a sobering defeat at home to the Flin Flon Bombers, but Kael DePape still looks superhuman in the Yorkton net, so no need to panic at Westland Arena.
8. Kindersley Klippers (18-23-1-1) – 8th last week – A Covid pause has interrupted Kindersley’s strong start to 2022, but with Matt Pesenti as hot as anyone in the net, this team cannot be overlooked by anyone. Time to practice and refresh might not be the worst thing for this young team that came out of the gates in the new year with a million games on the schedule.
9. Notre Dame Hounds (16-18-3-2) – 10th last week – Brett Pilkington’s men pulled off a dramatic shootout win at home this past vs. Melville, after two heart-breaking overtime defeats in Melfort and at home to Yorkton. There are plenty of goals in this team, so when young Austin Elliott is good in the net, they feel comfortable going up against anyone.
10. Melville Millionaires (14-22-7-1) – 9th last week – Losses this past to Estevan and Notre Dame has coach Mike Rooney searching for answers after a very good start to 2022, but they may not be struggling much longer as they did not play poorly at all in Wilcox last Tuesday. This very, very young squad is getting some incredible production from magicians Nicholas Samson and Noah Wills upfront.
11. Nipawin Hawks (14-23-0-6) – 11th last week – A big win over Weyburn this past week keeps this young team still well within the playoff race with time remaining. Even more promising is the fact that a ton of the rest of their schedule is at the always-tough confines of Centennial Arena in Nipawin. Carson Dobson is an emerging star in this league.
12. Weyburn Red Wings (10-29-3-0) – 12th last week – Played the Broncos very tough this past week in the Elgar Peterson Arena, but Cody Mapes’ rebuild is all about the future. There are some upsets in this team’s future the rest of the way.
