The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League regular season is well underway, with all twelve teams having now suffered a defeat of some sort through half-dozen games.
So will there be a new number one at the top?
The SportsCage SJHL Power Rankings are created by having contributors independently rank each team from No. 1 to No. 12, then averaging out the scores.
1. Melville Millionaires (5-0-1)
The Millionaires remain the only undefeated team in regulation in the league after splitting their intense home-and-home series with Melfort, which included an overtime loss on Saturday night. Their special teams are going strong, and they proudly boast two of the top three point scorers in the league.
This Week: Oct 8th vs. Weyburn, Oct 11 & 12 @ La Ronge
Top Scorer: Caden Dury - 14 points in 6 games
2. Yorkton Terriers (5-1-0)
It’s a tale of two different games this past week for the Terriers as they earned a big win over the Bombers, but then suffered their first regular-season defeat on Sunday afternoon to the Humboldt Broncos, where they allowed seven goals. (They had allowed nine total coming into the game.)
This Week: Oct 11th vs. Nipawin/ Oct 12th @ Weyburn
Top Scorer: Jaron Desnoyers - 14 points in 6 games
3. Melfort Mustangs (5-1-0)
On Friday night, the defending champs avenged their first loss of the season at home with a tenacious comeback, clinching an overtime victory on Saturday night in Rail City. Having allowed just 13 goals in six games, Melfort boasts a league-best defensive record.
This Week: Oct 11th @ Flin Flon / Oct 12th vs. Flin Flon
Top Scorer: Logan Belton - 11 points in 6 games
4. Humboldt Broncos (4-1-1)
The Broncos had an action-packed weekend, securing five out of a possible six points. They rebounded from an overtime loss in Kindersley on Friday with a home victory against the same team on Saturday. On Sunday, they delivered an impressive performance on the road, giving Yorkton its first loss of the season.
This Week: Oct 9th vs. Estevan / Oct 11th @ Battlefords / Oct 12th vs. Battlefords
Top Scorer: Jacob Strizzi - 8 points in 6 games
5. Kindersley Klippers (4-2-0)
Kindersley stood consistent in their weekend split with the Broncos. Still without veteran Cody Jaman, rookie tenders Brett O’Halloran and Nathan Clayden are holding the fort pretty well.
This Week: Oct. 9th vs. Notre Dame/ Oct 11th & 12th vs. Estevan
Top Scorer: Jaxon Herchak - 8 points in 5 games
6. Flin Flon Bombers (4-3-1)
Flin Flon was the busiest team of the week, completing their four games in five nights road trip where they went 2-2. A team that still has plenty of firepower up front but is looking to find consistency on the back-end, especially between the pipes.
This Week: Oct 11 vs. Melfort / Oct. 12th @ Melfort
Top Scorer: Keefe Gruener - 11 points in 8 games.
7. Battlefords North Stars (3-2-0)
A team still without a full-time Head Coach and GM has been playing well under acting Head Coach Owen Lamb, producing results with a weekend sweep of La Ronge. Their 94% penalty kill is currently tops through week two.
This Week: Oct 8th vs. Notre Dame / Oct 11th vs. Humboldt / Oct. 12th @ Humboldt
Top Scorer: Rylan Williams / Colton Getlzaf- 6 points each in 5 games.
8. La Ronge Ice Wolves (2-3-1)
The Ice Wolves came up empty in their pair of games in the Battlefords over the weekend, extending their losing streak to three games. However, La Ronge will play eight of their next ten games at the Mel Heglund Uniplex, they hope that some home-cooking will help them gain ground early in the standings.
This Week: Oct 8th @ Nipawin / Oct 11th and Oct 12th vs. Melville
Top Scorer: Mason Bueckert - 6 points in 6 games
9. Weyburn Red Wings (1-4-0)
Plenty of roster changes and moves were completed over the week for the Red Wings, who welcomed back a couple of very good additions in Jerome Maharaj and Jaxson Ruthven, who've already paid dividends. The team is still looking to find their stride and gel early on, especially with a busy road stretch.
This Week: Jerome Maharaj (in 2 games) / Liam Fitzergerald (5 games) - 5 points each
Top Weekly Scorer: Oct. 8th @ Melville / Oct. 11th @ Notre Dame (in Assiniboia) / Oct 12th vs. Weyburn
10. Estevan Bruins (1-3-1)
The Bruins were one of the four teams in the SJHL to earn their first wins of the season this past week with an impressive home ice win over the Flin Flon Bombers. Still, finding ways to score for the young Bruins team has been a struggle early on, averaging just over two goals a game.
This Week: Oct 9th @ Humboldt / Oct 11th & 12th @ Estevan
Top Scorers: Odin George, Kent Moors, Kaelan Whittingham, Owen Simmons - 3 points each in 5 games
11. Nipawin Hawks (1-6-0)
Typically, with a younger team, there are going to be some growing pains, and that's evident with the Hawks. Especially defensively, as they have allowed four or more goals in six of their first seven games. However, youngsters Will Whitter and Carter Anderson have provided a spark offensively.
This Week: Oct 8th vs. La Ronge / Oct 11th @ Yorkton
Top Scorer: Will Whitter - 5 points in 7 games
12. Notre Dame Hounds (1-5-0)
Hounds' netminder Spencer Borsos has been a consistent force, playing every minute of the first six games this season. His unwavering performance keeps the team competitive nightly and led to their first victory—a shutout against Nipawin.
This Week: Oct 8th @ Battlefords / Oct 9th @ Kindersley / Oct 11th vs. Weyburn (in Assiniboia)
Top Weekly Scorer: Neka Jean - 7 points in 6 games
