The Saskatoon Blades have shown little sign of slowing down during their fast start to the Western Hockey League campaign, and it allows the reigning Scotty Munro Trophy champions to continue to hold first place in the Western Hockey League standings. SportsCage WHL Eastern Conference powerhouse.

The Swift Current Broncos may soon be knocking on their door, as they made the biggest move in the rankings for the second week in a row, moving up three spots to third overall. No other team moved up more than two places as the early season volatility began to ease.

Each week, a group of contributors from the East and West divisions will rank the Conference’s 11 teams based on their performance throughout the season, with the most recent results taking precedence.

1) Saskatoon Blades (-)

The Blades (10-2-1-0) continue to advance at the top of the Eastern Conference, picking up a win over Seattle and beating Brandon in overtime last week. Ben Riche was the overtime hero against the Wheat Kings and had five points in the two games to remain tied for the conference lead in scoring with nine goals and 21 points. Brandon Lisowsky also had five points in both competitions

This week: Vancouver (Friday), Victoria (Sunday), Prince George (Tuesday)

2) Lethbridge Hurricanes (-)

A split in their games last weekend wasn’t enough to knock the Hurricanes (7-3-1-0) out of second place thanks to the level of competition: a loss against Swift Current and a victory against Red Deer . Miquel Marques scored twice against the Rebels and had four points in two games to lead their offense this week.

This week: vs. Swift Current (Wednesday), vs. Calgary (Friday), at Red Deer (Saturday)

3) Swift Current Broncos (+3)

The Broncos (8-5-0-0) are the hottest team in the conference with four straight wins, including victories over Lethbridge and Seattle last week. Luke Mistelbacher had five points to tie for the conference lead in scoring with nine goals and 21 points. Brady Birnie had a hat trick and four points against Seattle and six points in the two games.

This week: at Lethbridge (Wednesday), at Prince Albert (Friday), against Regina (Saturday)

4) Brandon Wheat Kings (+1)

The Wheat Kings (7-4-1-1) have points in their last four games and split two games in overtime last week, losing to Saskatoon and beating Calgary. Rookie Jaxon Jacobson scored twice against Saskatoon, while Ethan Eskit stopped 39 shots to earn the win against the Hitmen and is second in the WHL with a 2.30 GAA.

This week: vs. Medicine Hat (Saturday)

5) Red Deer Rebels (-2)

The Rebels (7-5-1-0) split their two games this week, winning against Medicine Hat and losing to Lethbridge. Carson Birnie had three points in both games and leads the Rebels with 11 points. Goaltender Chase Wutzke made 40 saves to earn the win against the Tigers.

This week: vs. Lethbridge (Saturday), vs. Calgary (Monday)

6) Medicine Hat (-2)

The Tigers (7-6-0-0) won two of three games to get back above .500 – beating Calgary, falling to Red Deer and beating Regina – but still lost ground thanks to rise in power of other teams. Standout player Gavin McKenna, who turns 17 in December, has six points during that span and is tied for the conference lead in scoring with 21 points.

This week: in Calgary (Wednesday), in Regina (Friday) in Brandon (Saturday)

7) Edmonton Oil Kings (+1)

It’s been a series of ups and downs for the Oil Kings (5-5-1-1), who are in the middle of their U.S. Division road tour. They lost to Everett, beat Portland and lost in overtime to Tri-City, moving up a spot in the standings. Roan Woodward had a hat trick against Portland, Gavin Hodnett had four points in three games and leads Edmonton with 15 points.

This week: Spokane (Wednesday), Seattle (Friday), Wenatchee (Saturday)

8) Calgary Hitmen (-1)

The Hitmen (5-5-2-0) lost to Medicine Hat, but bounced back with a win against Regina and an overtime loss to Brandon. Calgary didn’t score more than three goals in any of its games, but Ben Kindel still had five points to lead the team with 18 points. Rookie Eric Tu allowed just one goal in the win over Regina and has a 2.48 GAA, six of the best in the conference.

This week: vs. Medicine Hat (Wednesday), at Lethbridge (Friday), vs. Red Deer (Monday)

9. Regina Pats (-2)

It was a tough weekend offensively for the Pats (5-6-1), as they only managed two goals in losses to Calgary and Medicine Hat. Rookies Zachary Lansard and Connor Bear each scored a goal in the games, while Kelton Pyne stopped 30 shots against Calgary and is currently third in the WHL with a 2.35 GAA and .921 save percentage.

This week: vs. Prince Albert (Wednesday), vs. Medicine Hat (Friday), at Swift Current (Saturday)

10. Prince Albert Raiders (+1)

The Raiders (3-7-2-0) played just one game last week, and their win over Seattle was enough to knock them out of the Power Rankings basement. Niall Crocker had a goal and four points to lead Prince Albert with 15 points. Ethan Bibeau had an assist and was the Raiders’ highest-scoring rookie with seven points

This week: at Regina (Wednesday), vs Swift Current (Friday), at Regina (Tuesday)

11. Moose Jaw Warriors (-1)

The defending WHL champions have had a tough time transitioning through the BC Division, losing to Seattle, Kelowna, Kamloops and Prince George over the past week only to see their eight-game losing skid. Brayden Yager and Lynden Lakovic each scored a goal and two points against Kamloops, Lakovic continues to lead the team with 19 points.

This week: in Victoria (Friday), in Vancouver (Saturday).