🏒 Week 5 Power Rankings
Momentum is starting to matter. At the halfway point of the regular season, some teams are separating themselves as true contenders, while others are slipping into must-win territory.
Tier 1: Championship Pace
1. Rochester Americans Rochester is the league’s hottest team right now. They continue to pile up points, win high-scoring games, and respond every time pressure rises. No team has been more consistent over the last three weeks.
2. California Seals The Seals finally stumbled in overtime this week, but they remain one of the league’s most complete teams. Elite scoring depth keeps them dangerous even on off nights.
3. New Haven Beast New Haven remains steady and reliable. They may not dominate every matchup, but they win the games they’re supposed to and rarely beat themselves.
Tier 2: Legit Contenders
4. Belfast Giants The Giants jump after an overtime win over California. They’re proving they can go toe-to-toe with the league’s best and now sit firmly in the contender conversation.
5. Chicago Wolves Chicago continues to grind out wins and stay near the top of the Central. They don’t blow teams away, but they’re tough to put away and always in control late.
6. Charlotte Rush Charlotte’s consistency keeps them climbing. They’re winning close games, finishing strong in third periods, and quietly becoming one of the East’s toughest outs.
Tier 3: Playoff-Caliber, But Volatile
7. Roanoke Express When Roanoke is on, they’re explosive — as Savannah learned this week. The question remains whether they can deliver that level week after week.
8. South Carolina Stingrays Still solid, but slipping slightly after a narrow loss. They remain dangerous, but the margin for error is shrinking in the Southeast.
9. Hershey Bears Hershey continues to climb after another strong offensive showing. Defense remains the swing factor between contender and fringe playoff team.
10. Toledo Walleye Toledo stays competitive every week. They don’t always dominate, but they rarely collapse, which keeps them firmly in the playoff mix.
Tier 4: On the Bubble
11. Cincinnati Cyclones Cincinnati is capable of beating anyone, but inconsistency keeps holding them back. They need a clean, complete week to move up.
12. Ontario Reign The Reign showed life this week but remain streaky. They’ve got the tools — now they need consistency before time runs out.
13. St. Charles Chill A solid team that struggles to close games. The Chill remain competitive but need statement wins to stay relevant.
14. Deseronto Storm The Storm flashes offense but continues to leak points. They’re running out of room to recover in a tight division.
Tier 5: Must-Win Territory
15. Providence Bruins Providence continues to slide. Defensive breakdowns are piling up, and urgency is now unavoidable.
16. Laredo Bucks Laredo showed signs of life this week, but they need wins — not moral victories — to escape the bottom tier.
17. Savannah Ghost Pirates Savannah’s collapse against Roanoke was damaging. They need immediate course correction.
18. Bakersfield Condors Competitive effort, but the results just aren’t there. Every game now feels like a playoff elimination test.
19. Danville Dashers Danville finally grabbed a win, but the hill remains steep. They must string results together fast.
20. Rockford Ice Hogs Rockford continues to struggle on both ends of the ice. Without a major turnaround, the season is slipping away.
