NAHL Power Rankings for Feb. 22

The Rink Live is happy to release the latest edition of its NAHL Power Rankings. Jordan McAlpine will provide rankings on a bi-weekly basis throughout the rest of the season.

Without further ado, let’s get to it.

29.) Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks, 2-38-4-2
Last Ranking: 29

Danbury’s winless streak has reached 32 games (0-26-4-2). The Jr. Hat Tricks are 0-9-1-0 in their last 10 and their last win came on Oct. 21.

28.) El Paso Rhinos, 12-28-3-0
Last Ranking: 28

The Rhinos are 1-8-1-0 in their last 10 and still sit seventh in the South Division.

27.) Corpus Christi IceRays, 10-29-5-0
Last Ranking: 27

The IceRays have dropped three straight but have three wins in their last 10.

26.) Philadelphia Rebels, 18-21-1-1
Last Ranking: 25

The Rebels are .500 in their last 10 but haven’t been able to gain much traction in the standings. Philadelphia is still seventh in the East Division, only ahead of Danbury.

25.) Springfield Jr. Blues, 20-22-1-0
Last Ranking: 23

The Jr. Blues have points in six of their last 10 (5-4-1-0) but have dropped three of their last four games.

Despite the results, Marcus Broberg recorded a four-point (1-3-4) weekend and was named the Midwest Division Star of the Week.

24.) North Iowa Bulls, 20-20-2-1
Last Ranking: 26

The Bulls hit the 20-win mark and have points in four (3-6-0-1) of their last 10. North Iowa has won two of its last three games, including a big win over Austin.

Even though North Iowa is last in the Central Division, the Bulls are only seven points back of second place.

23.) Kenai River Brown Bears, 22-20-2-1
Last Ranking: 22

Kenai River has points in back-to-back games after splitting a pair of overtime contests with Fairbanks. Forward Garett Drotts has points in three straight games and is the first Brown Bear to hit the 20-goal mark.

22.) Chippewa Steel, 22-19-1-1
Last Ranking: 24

The Steel are starting to trend in the right direction and have won three of their last four games, all against Springfield.

UMD commit Adam Gajan has won six of his last eight starts between the pipes.

21.) Minot Minotauros, 22-20-1-1
Last Ranking: 15

The Minotauros split with St. Cloud last weekend but have slid as of late with just two wins over their last seven games. Forward Chase Lapinta leads Minot with 23 goals and is currently tied for seventh in the NAHL.

20.) Amarillo Wranglers, 21-19-2-1
Last Ranking: 14

Another team that is 4-6-0-0 in its last 10, the Wranglers have dropped two straight - both to red-hot New Mexico. The Wranglers knocked off Lone Star in the game before but Amarillo has dropped four of its last five.

19.) Bismarck Bobcats, 19-19-4-2
Last Ranking: 20

The Bobcats have found the back of the net 147 times this season and have a plus-12 goal differential. Bismarck’s 147 goals rank ninth in the league but the Bobcats don’t have a single 20-goal scorer. However, the balanced attack is working as Bismarck is 5-3-2-0 in its last 10.

18.) Aberdeen Wings, 23-17-2-2
Last Ranking: 19

Aberdeen is coming off a 6-3 win over North Iowa and a road sweep of Minot the week before. The Wings have points in six of their last 10 (5-4-1-0) and their offense has started to return after a brief slump.

17.) Janesville Jets, 20-16-4-4
Last Ranking: 11

The Jets had a three-game win streak a few weeks back and were within arm’s reach of the Midwest Division lead. However, Janesville was swept in Anchorage last weekend and gave up eight goals in the second game. The Jets still have points in six (5-4-1-0) of their last 10.

16.) Anchorage Wolverines, 21-17-5-1
Last Ranking: 21

Speaking of Anchorage, the Wolverines made one of the biggest jumps this week and move up five spots. Anchorage has won three straight, which started with a big road win at Wisconsin.

Forward Jackson Reineke had two goals and an assist last time out and the Faribault product is currently third in the NAHL with 51 points.

15.) Fairbanks Ice Dogs, 24-16-5-0
Last Ranking: 13

Staying in Alaska, the Ice Dogs have points in their last two but aren’t far removed from a brief funk. Fairbanks is 3-5-2-0 in its last 10 and the Ice Dogs are now tied with Minnesota for second in the Midwest Division.

14.) Odessa Jackalopes, 22-19-1-1
Last Ranking: 18

The Jackalopes jump four spots thanks to three straight wins and points in seven of their last 10. Odessa knocked off Lone Star Monday night and swept Corpus Christi over the weekend.

If you take away a series against league-leading Oklahoma earlier this month, the Jackalopes have points in eight of their last nine games, which includes seven wins.

13.) Northeast Generals, 24-17-4-1
Last Ranking: 12

Northeast continues to be well-represented amongst the NAHL’s goal and points leaders. The Generals have scored 153 goals, including 10 over its last three games. However, Northeast fell to Maine last time out and is 4-6-0-0 in its last 10.

12.) St. Cloud Norsemen, 22-17-2-3
Last Ranking: 16

Another team on the rise, the Norsemen have points in nine of their last 10 (8-1-0-1) and they’ve done it against Central Division rivals in Bismarck, Minot and North Iowa. The Norsemen continue to build up points and are now third in the division.

11.) Johnstown Tomahawks, 22-18-2-0
Last Ranking: 17

The biggest jump in this week’s rankings belongs to Johnstown. The Tomahawks are 9-1-0-0 in their last 10 and the only blemish is a 4-0 loss to Maryland, who owns the NAHL’s second-best record. The Tomahawks responded with a 4-2 win over Maryland on Saturday.

10.) Minnesota Wilderness, 23-14-3-4
Last Ranking: 8

The Wilderness are now tied with Fairbanks for second in the Midwest Division. Minnesota has dropped four straight and is 4-3-2-1 in its last 10.

Four of their last six games have required overtime or a shootout and the Wilderness have only walked away with two points in one of them.

9.) Maine Nordiques, 23-16-2-1
Last Ranking: 9

Staying put, the Nordiques are 7-2-1-0 in their last 10 and have been one of the NAHL’s most consistent teams.

Aidan Coupe, the reigning East Division Star of the Week, had goals in three straight games and forward Brendan Gibbons is 10th in the NAHL with 46 points (15-31-46).

8.) Shreveport Mudbugs, 24-14-2-4
Last Ranking: 10

Speaking of consistency, the Mudbugs have been exactly that and they continue to win. Shreveport is 6-2-0-2 in its last 10 and before a loss to Lone Star last time out, the Mudbugs had won four straight - including a sweep at New Mexico.

Simon Bucheler, the NAHL’s January Goalie of the Month, has won five of his last six starts and his 2.10 GAA ranks fifth in the NAHL.

7.) Lone Star Brahmas, 28-11-1-4
Last Ranking: 5

Lone Star still comfortably sits second in the South Division. However, the Brahmas are 3-6-0-1 in their last 10 and the losses have come against teams chasing them in the standings.

Lone Star will play a pair of games at Shreveport this weekend, a team that swept them last month.

6.) New Mexico Ice Wolves, 26-16-2-1
Last Ranking: 6

The Ice Wolves are 7-3-0-0 in their last 10 and now trail Lone Star by just six points in the South Division. New Mexico swept Amarillo last weekend and the road trip continues with the daunting task of playing at Oklahoma.

New Mexico forward William Howard leads the NAHL with 30 goals and had a hat trick last Friday.

5.) Austin Bruins, 27-11-3-4
Last Ranking: 4

The Bruins have also hit a bump in the road of late - 4-6-0-0 in their last 10 - but Austin still holds an 11-point lead atop the Central Division. Steve Howard’s club split a series with Bismarck last weekend and will now face St. Cloud in a home-and-home.

Dylan Cook was named the Central Division Star of the Week after a five-point (2-3-5) weekend.

4.) Wisconsin Windigo, 26-15-1-2
Last Ranking: 7

The Windigo own a six-game point streak (5-0-0-1) and have points in eight of their last 10 (7-2-0-1). Wisconsin now leads the Midwest Division with 55 points and Wisconsin’s plus-35 goal differential ranks fourth in the league.

The Windigo are coming off a home sweep of Minnesota and will aim for another against Chippewa.

3.) New Jersey Titans, 27-13-1-2
Last Ranking: 3

The Titans are currently riding a five-game point streak with four wins in that stretch. New Jersey is 7-2-0-1 in its last 10 and Craig Doremus’ club has trimmed Maryland's lead to five points in the East Division.

New Jersey has scored 156 goals this season, including 13 over its past two games. Forward Michael Young registered five goals and an assist last weekend and leads New Jersey with 22 goals and 49 points.

2.) Maryland Black Bears, 29-11-4-0
Last Ranking: 2

The Black Bears own the league’s second-best win percentage at .705 and although they lost to Johnstown last time out, Maryland has points in six (5-4-1-0) of its last 10.

Maryland has now scored 159 goals, which still ranks second in the NAHL, and the Black Bears are just one of five teams with a power play above 25%.

1.) Oklahoma Warriors, 35-6-0-1
Last Ranking: 1

It seems as if it’s Oklahoma’s world and the rest of the NAHL is living in it right now. The Warriors have won 15 straight and their goal differential has climbed to plus-106. Oklahoma’s win percentage is a dominant .845 and the Warriors hold a 10-point lead over Lone Star in the South Division.