2022-23 Kia CHL Top-10 Rankings: Week 10

 

The Canadian Hockey League announced today the Week 10 edition of the Kia CHL Top-10 Rankings for the 2022-23 season.

Kia CHL Top-10 Rankings – Week 10

1. Quebec Remparts (24-3-0-1)
2. Seattle Thunderbirds (17-4-1-0)
3. Winnipeg ICE (23-4-0-0)
4. Ottawa 67’s (21-4-0-0)
5. Saskatoon Blades (19-5-0-0)
6. Portland Winterhawks (18-4-2-1)
7. Victoriaville Tigres (20-6-1-2)
8. Sherbrooke Phoenix (19-6-1-2)
9. London Knights (17-7-1-0)
10. Saginaw Spirit (17-7-2-0)
HM. Kamloops Blazers (13-5-3-2)
HM. North Bay Battalion (18-8-0-0)
HM. Halifax Mooseheads (17-7-2-1)

Atop the national rankings for the second week running, the Quebec Remparts capped the week with a trio of victories to push their win streak to five straight, punctuated by a 5-3 comeback over Val-d’Or that saw the club rally for three goals in the final frame en route to the victory. Leading the way was St. Louis Blues 2021 first-round pick Zachary Bolduc who through three appearances scored three times and added two assists to shift into third in QMJHL scoring with 43 points in 24 outings.

Climbing to their highest showing this season, the second-ranked Seattle Thunderbirds made the most of their week, coming away with two victories including a 3-1 road win against nationally ranked Portland, a busy night that saw veteran goaltender Thomas Milic turn aside 35 shots en route to the win. On the season, Milic has found the win column in all but two of his 13 appearances while also ranking amongst WHL leaders with a .919 save percentage and 2.35 goals-against average.

Falling short to Swift Current on Friday, the Winnipeg ICE returned to the win column one night later, coming up with a 6-4 home ice win over Prince Albert. The win saw a pair of 2022 NHL Draft first rounders in Conor Geekie (Arizona Coyotes) and Matthew Savoie (Buffalo Sabres) both find the back of the net twice, while veteran right-wing Ty Nash closed out the contest with a trio of assists. The ICE remain atop the WHL with 46 points in 27 outings.

Holding steady at fourth nationally, the Ottawa 67’s put together a tidy week that counted back-to-back 6-2 victories coming against Flint and Peterborough. Against the Firebirds, the 67’s trailed by a pair before rallying for six unanswered included four goals coming in the final frame, while between the pipes netminder Max Donoso turned aside 27 shots to notch his 14th victory of the season to lead all OHL goaltenders. The 67’s stand atop the OHL with 42 points in 25 games.

Pushing their win streak to four following a trio of road victories on the week, the Saskatoon Blades began the week on the right note, coming away with a 5-1 decision in Edmonton in which 2004-born forward Vaughn Watterodt tallied twice while defenceman Tanner Molendyk knotted his first goal of the season that marked the eventual game winner. A projected early-round selection in the upcoming NHL Draft, it was a productive week for Molendyk as he finished with four points in three games.

Picking up three points in as many games, the Portland Winterhawks shined Friday with a 3-1 win over Victoria in which leading goal scorer Gabe Klassen netted his 16th marker of the season, while between the pipes rookie netminder Jan Spunar impressed in turning aside 29 shots. Surrendering a lone regulation loss through 10 outings this season, the Czech-born goaltender has impressed in posting a 2.90 goals-against average as the understudy in Portland.

Riding a nine-game point streak – with the past week counting four consecutive road wins – the Victoriaville Tigres have climbed to top spot in the QMJHL’s Western Conference with a showing of 20-6-1-2 and 43 points. Among the highlights from the past week was a 3-2 overtime win in Acadie-Bathurst that saw Tigres leading goal scorer Tommy Cormier net his 19th of the season to even the score before fellow forward Nikita Prishchepov played the hero in the extra session.

Coming away with three points in as many appearances, for the Sherbrooke Phoenix the week was highlighted by a 4-3 overtime win on home ice against Shawinigan in which Phoenix leading goal scorer Justin Gill netted the game winner with only 46 seconds remaining in the bonus frame. On the season, Gill has collected 40 points in 28 games, trailing only Montreal Canadiens draftee Joshua Roy for tops in team scoring.

Winners of eight straight, the London Knights are beginning to make noise as they earn national recognition for the first time this season. Coming away with four more wins over the past week, the Knights began on the right foot with a 6-2 home ice win over Guelph that saw the squad tally six unanswered after trailing early by two. On the week, among the leading producers in London was Russian import Ruslan Gazizov who in three outings put up five points.

Picking up a lone point on the week, the Saginaw Spirit came up short in a hard-battled 4-3 final versus the Soo. Despite the result, the Spirit saw positive early returns from new addition and Minnesota Wild prospect Hunter Haight who found the back of the net and added an assist before adding two more helpers the next night versus Sarnia. On the season, Haight stands at 13 points counting four goals and nine assists through 22 appearances.

Honourable mention:

Continuing to earn national consideration, the 2023 Memorial Cup presented by Kia host Kamloops Blazers went undefeated through three showings in which they picked up five points. Highlighting the week was a 9-3 takedown of Regina in which Dallas Stars draftee Logan Stankoven notched his second four-point night of the season.

Piecing together a modest-three game win streak, the North Bay Battalion have climbed to second best in the OHL, sporting a record of 18-8-0-0. Closing out the week with a 3-0 win in Peterborough, the contest was highlighted by a 38-save effort by Dom DiVincentiis that saw the Winnipeg Jets draftee register his first career shutout.

Winners of three straight, the Halifax Mooseheads closed out a perfect week with a 4-0 road win in Baie-Comeau that saw new addition Josh Lawrence net his first with the team, bringing him to three points in four games with Halifax, while netminder Mathis Rousseau turned aside all 33 shots to record his second shutout of the season.