Almost Two Months in, Lets Look at NHL Power Rankings

As the season is about to be 1/4 over already, I thought it was time once again to take a look at how I think the NHL stands up throughout the league.

1. Montreal Canadians. The Habs are on top of the NHL right now 20 games into their season. Their record stands at 14-5-1 and look to be the team to beat in the East right now.

2. Pittsburgh Penguins. The Pens have just three regulation losses in 17 games played this season and are looking like a cup contender once again this early season.

3. Nashville Predators. The surprise team in the west thus far has cruised into a tie for second in the conference and are all alone on top of the ever so tough Central. Lets see if the trend continues.

4. Tampa Bay Lightning. The Bolts are off to a strikingly good start and are just one win behind the league best 14 that the Habs have put up.

5. St. Louis Blues. Even with losing Oshie for a stint this season, the Blues find themselves near the top of the Central once again. Lets just hope that they don't have another epic collapse like the end of last season.

6.Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks are another team in the top 10 of the league I thought wouldn't be there. Ryan Miller is a big part of this getting back to the Ryan Miller of old.

7. Anaheim Ducks. 11-4-5 the Ducks are this season, but I thought they would be much better than that. Still on top of the Pacific, the Ducks need to be careful because three teams below them are all within three points.

8. LA Kings. The defending champs are just as good as the Ducks and are charging for the top spot in the Pacific.

9. NY Islanders. Who would have thought the boys of Long Island would be the better of the two NY teams? Not me. And who is this Brock Nelson guy playing with Tavares? I hear he went to a good college.

10. Calgary Flames. Probably the biggest surprise in the West thus far. They came out of nowhere and Jonas Hiller in net is a solid addition for the Flames.

11. Boston Bruins. The B's are not doing as well as some of their faithful rubes would like them to be right now, however they still have 24 points, so I think things in Btown are going ok.

12. Chicago Blackhawks. Ok, 10-7-1 isn't where I thought they'd be either, but you can never underestimate one of the deepest teams in the league.

13. San Jose Sharks. Just one game above 500, could their be some trouble brewing in the "Shark Tank?"

14. Minnesota Wild. The streakiest team in the league it seems and they find themselves on yet another mini winning streak of 3 games right now.

15. Detroit Red Wings. The Wings are a team I'm still not sure what to think about. Their record says they are able to compete, but I'd like to see a few less overtime decisions to convince me they are legit and worthy of a 24th straight playoff appearance.

16. Winnipeg Jets. I picked them last in the Central, but they are proving their strength in the leagues toughest division right now.

17. Ottawa Senators. As the Sens look to move on post Alfie and post Speeza, they look to rely on defenseman Erik Karlsson to lead the team to victory the remainder of the season.

18. NY Rangers.  The East champs of last season are struggling early, but can they overcome their win one lose one mentality at just one game over 500 right now?

19. Washington Capitals. Another team with a lot of fire power, but not capitalizing on it. Could, and probably should be much higher in the standings.

20. Toronto Maple Leafs. They are coming off of the biggest, and most shameful loss in the entire NHL thus far, making fans once again throw jerseys on the ice. Kinda funny to think there was rumors for a second team here when their only one has struggled for so many years.

21. Florida Panthers. The youth movement is on in Florida and I see a lot of potential here. Maybe success wont come this or next year, but it will come for Florida. Their dozens and dozens of fans just need to keep calm and weather this storm.

22. New Jersey Devils. Jagr is still Jagr and the Devils are a team who could play spoiler with Corey Schneider as the backbone of this team.

23. Arizona Coyotes. Not much to say about this team. Very average in a place that hockey probably shouldn't be because the only ones who appreciate it there are mostly the ones who are there to get away from the winter.

24. Dallas Stars. Another team that I thought would start much better, but goes to show that you can have all the talent in the world, but you still need to work hard every shift to win.

25. Philadelphia Flyers. Can captain Claude Giroux rally the troops and get the Broad Street Bullies back in their old winning ways? I sure hope so for this team because Philly's fan base doesn't like to lose.

26. Colorado Avalanche. Sophomore slump for coach Patrick Roy. The Avs are showing their youth early on this season, even with the addition of Jerome Iginla.

27. Carolina Hurricanes. Still hard to believe this franchise has a Stanley Cup, but I can tell you one thing, it won't earn number two this season.

28. Columbus Blue Jackets. Todd Richards is showing the Blue Jackets exactly what he gave Minnesotans in his two years behind the bench there. Inconsistency. I want to say last season wasn't a fluke, but it's becoming harder and harder to say that.

29. Edmonton Oilers. The team who dominated the 80's, is having trouble finding success since their Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2006. I wonder if any moves will be made to try and fix this. Funny to think that if you have three straight first overall draft picks you'd be better right?

30. Buffalo Sabres. They probably should stay snowed in for the rest of the season. 20 games in and they finally have five victories. Sorry Buffalo, I'd start playing for that draft pick.

Preseason Power Rankings

Well it's almost time for NHL training camps to open up again so I went through each of the 30 rosters and put together my complete power rankings based on what I thought the depth of the roster was going into the upcoming season. So, here it goes.
1. LA Kings
2. St. Louis Blues
3. Boston Bruins
4. Minnesota Wild
5. Chicago Blackhawks
6. San Jose Sharks
7. Detroit Red Wings
8. Anaheim Ducks
9. New York Rangers
10. Pittsburgh Penguins
11. Colorado Avalanche
12. Dallas Stars
13. Montreal Canadiens
14. Philadelphia Flyers
15. Tampa Bay Lightning
16. Vancouver Canucks
17. Toronto Maple Leafs
18. Washington Capitals
19. Nashville Predators
20. Columbus Blue Jackets
21. Carolina Hurricanes
22. Arizona Coyotes
23. Edmonton Oilers
24. New Jersey Devils
25. Calgary Flames
26. Ottawa Senators
27. New York Islanders (might be a little low)
28. Winnipeg Jets (again maybe a little low)
29. Buffalo Sabres
30. Florida Panthers

Now I know that everyone will think that there should be some tweaking somewhere in this power ranking, but remember, it is the preseason and it is only the opinion of me based on the current rosters. However, do remember that I predicted that the Blue Jackets would make the playoffs in September last year and almost everyone laughed at me. Just saying. I'd love to hear your opinions on the subject. Tweet me your top 5 @siouxhockey33, comment on this post, or even email me your complete 30 team power rankings at siouxhockey33@gmail.com to see where we are similar or differ in our opinions.

WCHA Power Rankings: Week 18

Western Collegiate Hockey Association logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Here is the week 18 WCHA Power Rankings. This season, I have been doing the WCHA Power Rankings with Taylor Seibel, who is a contributor for College Hockey Weekly.

1. Minnesota  – (19-5-4, WCHA 11-5-4) – This past week, the Minnesota Gophers split (4-2 W – 3-4 L) their weekend series with the Saint Cloud Huskies at the National Hockey Center. This weekend, the Gophers travel to Wisconsin to play the Wisconsin Badgers at the Kohl Center on Friday night, before making the trek south to Chicago, Illinois to play in the Hockey City Classic at Soldier Field on Sunday. The game will air on the Big Ten Network at 3:30 p.m. CT.

2. Saint Cloud State – (18-11-1, WCHA 15-6-1) – This past weekend, the Huskies split (2-4 L – 4-3 W) their series with the Minnesota Gophers at the National Hockey Center. This weekend, the Huskies are off.

3. University of North Dakota – (16-8-6, WCHA 11-5-6) – This past weekend, UND swept (2-1 W – 5-2 W) their weekend series with the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks in series that included a game at the CenturyLink Center on Friday night. Saturday’s game moved outdoors to the TD Ameritrade Park. This week, UND is off.

4. Minnesota State Mankato – (18-9-3, WCHA 12-9-1) – This past weekend, the Mavericks swept (4-2 W – 5-1 W) the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs at Amsoil Arena. This weekend, the Mavericks entertain the Michigan Tech Huskies at the Verizon Wireless Center in Mankato.

5.   Denver University – (15-9-5, WCHA 10-7-5) – This past weekend, the Denver Pioneers took (1-1 T – 5-6 O.T. L) one point in a home and home series with the Colorado College Tigers. This weekend, the Pioneers are off.

6. Nebraska Omaha – (16-12-2, WCHA 12-8-2) – This past weekend, the Mavericks were swept (1-2 – 2-5) by North Dakota. Friday’s game was at the CenturyLink Center and Saturday’s game was outdoors at TD Ameritrade Park. This weekend, The Maverick travel north to Alaska to take on the last place Seawolves at Sullivan Arena.

7.  Wisconsin – (12-9-7, WCHA 9-6-7) – This past weekend, the Wisconsin Badgers took (2-2 T – 3-2 W) three points in their series with the Bemidji State Beavers at the Kohl Center. This weekend, the Badgers entertain the Minnesota Gophers at the Kohl Center on Friday night, before making the trek south to Chicago, Illinois to play in the Hockey City Classic at Soldier Field on Sunday. The game will air on the Big Ten Network at 3:30 p.m. CT.

8.  Colorado College – (11-14-5, WCHA 8-10-4) – This past weekend, the Colorado College Tigers took (1-1 T – 6-5 O.T. W) three points in a home and home series with the Denver Pioneers. This weekend, the Tigers are off.

9. Minnesota Duluth – (10-15-3, WCHA 8-11-3) – This past weekend, the Bulldogs were swept (2-4 L – 1-5 L) by the Minnesota State Mavericks at Amsoil Arena. This weekend, the Bulldogs travel to Bemidji to play the Beavers at the Sanford Center. The Bulldogs have won one game in their last six games and have been swept two series in a row.

10. Michigan Tech – (9-14-4, WCHA 6-12-4) – This past weekend, the Huskies split (3-4 L – 2-1 W) their weekend series with the last place Alaska Anchorage Seawovles during the Winter Carnival. This week, the Huskies play the Northern Michigan Wildcats in Houghton, Michigan on Tuesday night and then the Huskies travel to Mankato, Minnesota to play the Minnesota State Mavericks at the Verizon Wireless Center in Mankato.

11. Bemidji State – (5-17-6, WCHA 4-13-5) – This past weekend, the Beavers took (2-2 T 2-3 L) one point from the Wisconsin Badgers at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. This weekend, the Beavers entertain the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs at the Sanford Center. The Beavers are winless in 12 games (0-9-3), and they have not won since December, 15, 2012. The Beavers are also, 0-7-1 all-time against the Badgers.

12. Alaska Anchorage – (4-17-7, WCHA 2-16-6) – This past weekend, Seawolves split (5-4 W – 1-6 L) their weekend series with the Huskies during the Winter Carnival in Houghton, Michigan. The Seawolves broke their horrid streak, wining for the first time since December 1, 2012. This weekend, the Seawolves entertain the Omaha Mavericks at the Sullivan arena.

Taylor WCHA Power Rankings

1. St. Cloud State – (18-11-1, 15-6-1 WCHA) – The Huskies managed a split against Minnesota at home.  St. Cloud is in the driver’s seat heading down the stretch run, but will have to continue their great play to skate the MacNaughton around at the end of the season.

2. Minnesota – (19-5-4, 11-5-4 WCHA) – The Gophers continue to play very solid, but lost a tight game on Saturday in St. Cloud.  Nobody in the country is more consistent than Minnesota, and when the Gophers get good or better goaltending, they are nearly unbeatable.  That being said, when Wilcox plays average, Minnesota is highly susceptible.

3. North Dakota – (16-8-6, 11-5-6 WCHA) – This may have been North Dakota’s most complete weekend of hockey all season, earning their first weekend sweep in WCHA play since December.  UND is still in the hunt for the MacNaughton, but would likely need to win out.  Fortunately, North Dakota plays their best hockey in February and March under Hakstol.

4. Nebraska Omaha – (16-12-2, 12-8-2 WCHA) – A disappointing weekend for the Mavs, but UNO is still a talented squad that can beat anyone in the league.  Omaha should get home ice, and the Mavs will be a team to keep an eye to see how they rebound from this past weekend.

5. Denver – (15-9-5, 10-7-5 WCHA) – The Pioneers captured the Gold Pan this weekend but little else.  Perhaps the most inconsistent team in the league, Denver has the ability to put up a half dozen goals on any night, shut you out on any night, or completely lay an egg on any night.  The Pios will need to be on top of their game in the next couple of weeks as they host UND and travel to Minnesota.

6. Minnesota State – (18-9-3, 12-9-1 WCHA) – An impressive weekend for Mankato, as the Mavs swept Duluth in Duluth.  Minnesota State has surprised many this season, and they are in position for home ice.  With one win in their final 6 conference games, the Mavs will have won more league games than any other Mankato squad in a decade.

7. Wisconsin – (12-9-7, 9-6-7 WCHA) – The Badgers took 3 points at home against Bemidji, and are in the midst of a 8-1-5 run in WCHA play.  The test won’t get any more difficult than this weekend, as the Badgers square off against arch-rival Minnesota in what should be a dandy of a series.

8. Colorado College – (11-14-5, 8-10-4 WCHA) – The Tigers played very well, and with a hunger that has not been seen most weekends of late in the Springs.  CC has top-half talent, but with the talent in the WCHA this season, will unlikely get home ice without a tremendous run in the final 6 games of the season.  Regardless, they’ll be a squad that nobody will want to see in the First Round of the WCHA Tournament.

9. Minnesota Duluth – (10-15-3, 8-11-3 WCHA) – The Bulldogs had a disappointing weekend, getting swept at home.  After starting 0-4-2 in WCHA play, the Bulldogs went on a run going 8-3-1 over their next 12 to get in the home ice picture.  Unfortunately for Duluth, they are 0-4-0 in their last two weekends, and are likely going to be on the road for the First Round of the WCHA Tourney.

10. Michigan Tech – (10-14-4, 6-12-4 WCHA) – The Huskies lost a heartbreaker to UAA on Friday, but did manage to salvage a split with a win on Saturday.  To make up for the disappointing loss on Friday, the Huskies also destroyed rival Northern Michigan 8-2 last night.  Tech is almost certainly going to be on the road for the First Round of the WCHA Tournament.

11. Bemidji State – (5-17-6, 4-13-5 WCHA) – The Beavers are a solid team, but that hasn’t shown on the scoreboard of late.  Bemidji has not won since December 15^th against Denver, going 0-9-3 since Christmas Break.  Finishing against Duluth, North Dakota, and Minnesota could very well mean not winning a game in the 2^nd half of the season.

12. Alaska Anchorage – (4-17-7, 2-16-6 WCHA) – The Seawolves made an impressive comeback on Friday to secure their first victory since December 1^st, and only their 2^nd WCHA victory of the season.  UAA will be on the road in the First Round of the WCHA Tournament, but they have played their best against the top teams in the league.

(Updated) How some of us voted..

Here is some of us voted for the TECH Hockey Guide WCHA Web Media Poll.

Matthew Semisch, Radio Free Omaha

1.  Nebraska Omaha

2. Minnesota

3. North Dakota

4. Denver

5. St. Cloud

6. Minnesota State

7. Wisconsin

8. Minnesota Duluth

9. Michigan Tech

10. Colorado College

11. Bemidji State

12. Alaska Anchorage

Andy Johnson, Bucky’s Fifth Quarter

1. UMTC

2. UND

3. UNO

4. Mankato

5. Denver

6. SCSU

7. UW

8. UMD

9. C.C.

10. TECH

11. Bemidji

12. UAA

Troy Mills, Beaver Pond

1. UNO

2. Minnesota

3. North Dakota

4. Minnesota State

5. Denver

6. St. Cloud

7. Minnesota-Duluth

8. Wisconsin

9. Colorado College

10. Bemidji State

11. Michigan Tech

12. Alaska-Anchorage

Eric J. Burton, Goon’s World.

1. UMN

2. UND

3. DU

4. Minnesota State

5. UNO

6. SCSU

7. Saint Cloud

8. Wisconsin

9. Minnesota Duluth

10. Colorado College

11. Bemidji State

12. Alaska Anchorage

I have had a few people ask me why UNO isn’t higher… UNO is 4-5 in their last 9 games and are 4-7 against teams that are under consideration (TUC).  The reason that I have Minnesota State above UNO is that the Mavericks has lost one game in 12 games  (11-1-0) and split with UNO as well.


Tim Braun, Tech Hockey Guide

1. Minnesota

2. UND

3. UNO

4. SCSU

5. MSU-M

6. DU

7. MTU

8. UMD

9. CC

10. UW

11. BSU

12. UAA