For the second week in a row, three teams in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League have cracked the Top 20 rankings released by the Canadian Junior Hockey League on Monday.
Topping the list overall is the Battlefords North Stars of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. At 15-0-1-1, Battlefords is first overall in the SJHL standings but they only have a narrow six-point lead over Humboldt for that positioning. The Flin Flon Bombers are only eight points back.
In the MJHL this week, the Portage Terriers continue to climb the rankings. They were ranked 10th last week and they are now sixth in the weekly rankings. As Centennial Cup hosts, the Terriers continue to roll as they're 13-2 and are tied with Steinbach for first place overall. They've won three of their last four games and have 15 points in their last three wins. Led by Daniel Siso's 19 points (7g, 12a), Portage boasts a lethal lineup and they have great depth as nine players have at least 10 points which includes Hayden Lacquette who has three goals and 12 assists.
They also acquired Bryden Kiesman from the SJHL and he is off to a red-hot start with Portage, scoring six times and adding four assists in just six games. If there is one downfall to Portage's game, they have struggled heavily to be disciplined as they lead the league with 407 penalty minutes. They have been very efficient on the penalty kill; however, at 86.6% on the penalty kill and 23.8% on the power play. Portage plays three games this week starting on Tuesday in Winnipeg against the Blues before they host the Blues on Friday and the Pistons on Sunday.
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There are teams on the Top 20 list that shouldn't be on the list. The Steinbach Pistons should be and they're ranked seventh this week, down two from last week. At 13-2, the Pistons are tied with Portage for first place overall in the league and they have a line that has been masterful this season. Ty Paisley leads the line with 26 points, Travis Hensrud has 25 and Davis Fry has 24. Paisley has also been named to NHL Central Scouting's Preliminary 'Players to Watch' list ahead of the 2023 NHL Draft. Steinbach isn't as well-rounded as Portage as only six players have at least 10 points but that hasn't mattered to this point with how dominant their first line has been.
The question for some people is the success that they're having sustainable? Time will tell but it's safe to expect that the trio will continue to dominate. At 27.0% on the power play, Steinbach tops the league in that category and they're also 86.3%. This is a very hockey club but will they be able to get scoring outside of their first line when it comes down to it, time will tell.
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A young man from Grandview is making his presence felt with the Winkler Flyers. Jayce Legaarden is having a great rookie season with six goals and seven assists. One week after being honourable mentioned, the Flyers are now ranked 13th in the country. At 11-3-1-1, Winkler is just two points back of first place in the East Division. Winkler has points in eight straight games and their only defeat in that time was a 3-4 overtime setback against the OCN Blizzard.
A busy start to November will see the team play four games in the first eight days of the month and three of them come on the road. After starting this month on home ice against Steinbach, Winkler heads to OCN for a game with the Blizzard on Friday before the team is in Swan Valley on Saturday. That's followed up with a game in Virden next week before playing the Winnipeg Freeze next weekend. If Winkler can find a way to improve its special teams, they could take things to the next level. They have just 10 power play goals and are 13.7% and their penalty kill is just 78.8%
All in all, it's been smooth sailing for the most part in Winkler this season and they will look to keep it going this week. They have a chance to join Steinbach in first with two regulation points on Wednesday.
