WHL Western Conference Playoff Picture

It is a little more than a month before the WHL playoffs begin, and there are still some things that need to be decided before that begins, especially in the Western Conference.  With that in mind, here is how it stands as of this morning:

1. Kelowna Rockets:  They're the only team to clinch a playoff spot so far, and they hold a nine point lead over Portland for home ice advantage and a 12 point lead over Victoria in the B.C. Division.  Health will be a major concern moving forward, as it was what felled their playoff run last season.

2. Portland Winterhawks: They lead the Seattle Thunderbirds by six points in the U.S. Division, and they are riding a 12-game winning streak.  They are getting hot at the right time, and provided that Brendan Leipsic doesn't get suspended again, the Winterhawks could make it four Conference titles in a row.

3. Victoria Royals: Most likely headed for a third or fourth seed, they are far from flashy, as they don't score as much as the other teams in the Conference, but make up for it by being the best defensive team in the Conference.  Goaltending will be a critical element to how far they go, as Patrik Polivka (2.56 GAA) and Coleman Vollrath (2.17 GAA) have played well despite splitting time.

4. Seattle Thunderbirds: They went all in with trades for Sam McKechnie, Jaimen Yakubowski, Adam Henry, Russell Maxwell, and Taran Kozun.  The result is that they are currently six points behind Portland in the U.S. Division, and are playing some of their best hockey at the right time.  A dark horse to take it all, Kozun's play will determine if the Thunderbirds are for real come March.

5. Spokane Chiefs: They would be a great team right now, but they haven't been able to solve either Portland or Seattle this season.  Consistency is an issue, and that won't cut it against the better teams.

6. Vancouver Giants: Struggled mightily in the early going, but they have righted the ship enough to at least get into the playoffs.  Potentially a deep sleeper team, they still need another year to be serious contenders for the Western Conference crown.

7. Everett Silvertips: In November, they were leading the U.S. Division.  Now, they are a mere seven points ahead of Prince George, who themselves are only two points out of a playoff spot.  Their last 10 games haven't been kind to them, and the games against Portland in that stretch have been particularly brutal, with one of those games making national television...for the wrong reasons.  They still have a good defense, but will they score enough?

8. Tri-City Americans: The only reason they occupy a playoff spot is because of Eric Comrie's heroics in net.  They can't score (fourth worst team on offense in the league), and they gave up 17 goals in their last two games.  Comrie can't stop everything, and the offense will likely be the cause for the team missing the playoffs if it comes to that.

9. Prince George Cougars: Absolutely terrible on defense despite Ty Edmonds' presence in net, yet they're only two points out of a playoff spot thanks to an offense that only Kelowna and Portland top in the Conference.  They are currently on a six game winning streak, and games against Portland today and Wednesday will go a long way in determining if the Cougars will make some noise in the playoffs...if they get there, that is.

10. Kamloops Blazers:  They'd like to forget that this season ever happened.  Fighting with Lethbridge over who gets the first overall pick in the Bantam Draft was not what the Blazers had in mind, and that was even with the idea that they were rebuilding after two straight Conference Finals appearances.