Oct. 20—It was another banner week for the Spokane Chiefs as their historic start to the 2026-27 season continued to roll on, picking up two more wins at home.
The Chiefs improved to 8-1-0-0, their best pace since an 8-1-0-1 start to the 2003-04 campaign — the best 10-game start in franchise history.
They've shown to be capable of winning games in different styles as well. Tuesday they blew out defending WHL champion Everett 7-1, then on Saturday they battled Seattle through a close game to win after a six-round shootout.
In Tuesday's win, captain Chase Harrington continued his stellar start to the season with a career night, scoring his first WHL hat trick and registering a total of five points — both career highs. He added a pair of assists in Saturday's nailbiter, leading him to he chosen as WHL player of the week ending Oct. 18.
Harrington's five-point night is just the third in the league this season and the first hat trick by a Chiefs player since Sam Oremba recorded three goals in an 8-3 home victory over the Portland Winterhawks on Dec. 12, 2025.
The Prince George, British Columbia native doesn't turn 19 until Oct. 30, but he's on pace to eclipse every season-high statistic he's achieved in his first three WHL seasons.
Through eight games, Harrington has six goals with nine assists — good for third in the league for points with 15 — and 16 penalty minutes, showing the skill and grit that led the Calgary Flames to draft him with the fourth pick in the second round (36th overall) in 2026 NHL draft and carry him on their NHL training camp roster, reassigning him to Spokane just before the Chiefs opener.
For Chiefs coach Brad Lauer, Harrington's attributes are obvious. He knows the team will have to depend on its captain each night. Despite his early success and clear leadership role, what Lauer wants to see from Harrington is the consistent effort and intensity that separates good players from potential great ones.
"He's got to be 'that guy' for us. That's what he's got to do this year," Lauer said after Tuesday's win. "He's got to be that leader on and off the ice that we know he is. The game that he's got to play — it has to be more consistent. When he came back (from training camp) he was good. And then I think his last couple weren't as direct as he was (Tuesday).
"I thought he got back to playing the way he needs to play to play at the next level and he's got to find that consistency. I think the maturity part of his game you're starting to see that now."
Harrington said his uptick in scoring isn't really a conscious thing, that "it's just coming." But the confidence he's brought from a strong NHL training camp and preseason experience with the Flames is carrying over into his play.
"A team needs their best players to be their best players," Harrington said Tuesday. "That's what I'm trying to do."
He doesn't think there's any "secret sauce" to why the Chiefs are playing so well at the onset of the season.
"To be honest, I think we're just a good team. Like, just that plain and simple," he said. "We've got four great lines. We've got three great 'D' pairs. Best goalie in the league. So, I think we're just a good team."
Powering through
Harrington and Owen Martin (six goals, four assists) are proving a dynamic duo on the Chiefs top line and power play unit. Martin had two even strength goals on Tuesday and two more on Saturday, including a power play marker in the second period that tied it up at 2-2.
One of the biggest improvements to the team from last year is the sustained early success on the power play. So far this season, the Chiefs rank tied for seventh in the league with the advantage at 25% (9-for-36), even though they have received the second-fewest power play opportunities among the top 10 teams.
The Chiefs were last in the WHL last season in power play success at 16.7%.
On the other side of the coin, the Chiefs are fourth in the league on the kill at 86.8% (five goals allowed in 38 attempts).
More accolades
With two more wins last week, the Chiefs ascended to the top of the WHL power rankings, besting No. 2 Victoria (6-3-0-0) and No. 3 Red Deer (7-3-0-1).
Spokane was ranked No. 4 in the Canadian Hockey League overall major juniors power rankings, combining the WHL with the Ontario Hockey League and the Québec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.
The OHL's Guelph Storm (9-2-0-0) and London Knights (7-1-0-1) were first and second respectively, while the Québec Remparts (8-2-0-0) dropped a spot to third.
Coming up
The Chiefs will host Portland in back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday — their second time playing the Winterhawks twice in two days this season — after sweeping this season's first edition in early October.