MJHL Power Rankings – Week 2
4 games of the regular season are in the books, let’s see who’s cookin’ with gas and who’s still lookin’ for some fire.
1st – Winnipeg Blues (-)
This Week: 2-0
Overall: 4-0
Impressive Player: Forward Josiah Vanderhooft – 1 goal, 4 assists for 5 points
Notes: Two more impressive wins for the Winnipeg Blues. They continue to get a lot of offence from their entire lineup. Will be interesting to see how they deal with a Portage team coming off a win. There’s a chance to really put some points in the bank over the next 8 games if the Blues can keep hot.
Up Next: Oct. 1st @ Portage, Oct. 2nd vs Portage
2nd – Steinbach Pistons (+1)
This Week: 2-0
Overall: 4-0
Impressive Player: Defenseman Eduard Wruck – 1 goal, 2 assists for 3 points
Notes: The Pistons remained undefeated and showed off they can play a high offensive game, a strong defensive game and they are tough. It will be a thrilling set of games vs the Winkler Flyers and the Pistons will need to be up for a veteran challenge.
Up Next: Oct. 1st vs Winkler, Oct. 2nd @ Winkler
3rd – Winkler Flyers (-1)
This Week: 1-0-1
Overall: 3-0-1
Impressive Player: Jayden McCarthy – 1 goal, 2 assists for 3 points
Notes: The Flyers had their hands full with a scrappy Portage team that ended up taking a point away from the orange and black with a shootout win. The Flyers are deep, big and fast and backed by a strong tandem in the crease. Flyers vs Pistons will show Winkler and their fans what kind of team they have going forward. It’s early, yes, but it’s a statement opportunity.
Up Next: Oct. 1st @ Steinbach, Oct. 2nd vs Steinbach
4th – Dauphin Kings (+3)
This Week: 2-0
Overall: 3-1
Impressive Player: Forward Kaden Bryant – 4 goals, 2 assists for 6 points
Notes: The opening night loss to the Titans may have been the wake-up call the Kings needed and since they’ve been very strong. Dauphin is the biggest mover this week and with a strong top six and plenty offense from the defense, they have silenced anyone who doubted them as a top team in the division, at least for now.
Up Next: Oct. 1st @ OCN, Oct. 3rd vs OCN
5 – Waywayseecappo Wolverines (-1)
This Week: 1-1
Overall: 3-1
Impressive Player: Forward Adam Paplawski – 3 assists
Notes: If there were more than 20 minutes in the third period, the Wolverines may very well be undefeated still. They were dealt their first loss but again showed a ‘never say die’ attitude. The way their offence has been going, they have to feel like they are never out of any game and any line can get the job done. Good place to be.
Up Next: Sept. 30th vs Swan Valley, Oct. 2nd @ Swan Valley
6 – Swan Valley Stampeders (+2)
This Week: 2-0
Impressive Player: Goalie Dylan Black – 55 saves over two games including a shutout
Notes: Talk about a response. Swan Valley was on the ropes but on the back of their goaltender, the Stamps have righted the ship in the short term. Scoring is still an issue but a good goalie keeps you in a lot of games. Adam Rajsigl deserves recognition for what he’s done lately, putting up 2 goals and an assist from the blueline.
Up Next: Sept. 30th @ Waywayseecappo, Oct. 2nd vs Waywayseecappo
7 – Portage Terriers (+2)
This Week: 0-1-1
Overall: 0-3-1
Impressive Player: Goalie tandem of Jayden Catellier and Chris Fines
Notes: A young, hungry team coming close but finally getting over the hump and winning in a shootout. No, it’s not the Mighty Ducks and don’t expect the Terriers do to the ‘Flying-V’ any time soon, but it is a team that can do some damage going forward. They are young and scrappy but with talent to make teams pay. Should be fun to watch this team grow and go against the Blues for a set.
Up Next: Oct. 1st vs Blues, Oct. 2nd @ Blues
8th – Virden Oil Capitals (+2)
This Week: 1-1
Overall: 1-3
Impressive Player: Forward Braden Fischer – 3 goals, 2 assists for 5 points
Notes: A sigh of relief for the Oil Caps as they managed to get into the win column. While it wasn’t without it’s challenges, the Oil Caps stood tall and held on. The big boys on offense came to play at home with Fischer, Branden Humink, Carson Buydens and Dylan Halliday all posting three-point nights.
Up Next: Oct. 1st vs Neepawa, Oct. 2nd @ Neepawa
9th – OCN Blizzard (-2)
This Week: 0-1-1
Overall: 2-1-1
Impressive Player: Forward Max Mazur – 2 goals
Notes: The Blizzard probably deserve to be higher but the offence just couldn’t find the back of the net and they allowed a combined 86 shots against over the two games with the Stampeders. While they did take a bit of a step back after staring 2-0, the Blizzard do have some strong goaltending to put a positive checkmark beside.
Up Next: Oct. 1st vs Dauphin, Oct. 3rd @ Dauphin
10th – Neepawa Titans (-4)
This Week: 0-2
Impressive Player: Defenseman Austin Clyne – 1 goal, 2 assists for 3 points
Notes: The Titans were brought back down to earth a little bit after being dealt back-to-back losses by a Dauphin team with something to prove. Neepawa battles but will need to tap into some guy’s offensive sides if they want to compete in the North division.
Up Next: Oct. 1st @ Virden, Oct. 2nd vs Virden
11th – Winnipeg Freeze (+1)
This Week: 0-2
Overall: 0-4
Impressive Player: Forward Darik Feasey – 2 goals
Notes: Good news is, the Freeze found some scoring. The bad news is, they gave up more goals than they scored which leaves them still looking for that first win. Special teams have killed the Freeze to start the year. They need to find a way to kill penalties on a consistent basis or stay out of the box.
Up Next: Oct. 1st vs Selkirk, Oct. 2nd @ Selkirk
12th – Selkirk Steelers (-1)
This Week: 0-2
Overall: 0-4
Impressive Player: Forward Ryan Ostermann – 1 goal
Notes: Despite being shutout on Saturday, the Steelers were right in that game vs the Pistons. They just cant score. With no Gerke in the lineup, Thompson and Ostermann have less room and it’s hard for Selkirk to generate anything offensively. Their team defense is improving and so is their goaltending but if they can’t score, they’ll struggle to find W’s.
Up Next: Oct. 1st @ Freeze, Oct. 2nd vs Freeze
