Around the CHL
By Aaron Bell
It’s the final week of play in the Canadian Hockey League before the Christmas break and one of the most interesting stories of the first half of the season is the dramatic turn-around of the Erie Otters.
The Otters have been the class of the Ontario Hockey League through the first half of the season, racking up 29 wins and 59 points in 35 games.
The Otters had 29 wins in the past two seasons combined.
Overage forward Dane Fox has been lights out up front for the Otters all season and leads the OHL with 41 goals. He already has 14 multi-goal games and is on pace to join the very rare 80-goal club. Ernie Godden set the OHL record when he scored 87 goals for the Windsor Spitfires during the 1980-81 season. The last time someone reached the 80-goal mark in the OHL was before Fox was even born.
Fox recently enjoyed a franchise-record 10-games goal scoring streak during which he scored 18 times while teammate Connor Brown is the OHL’s top point producer with 68 points – one ahead of Fox – in 35 games this season. Sensational 16-year-old forward Connor McDavid – who is looking to help Canada win gold at the World Juniors – is one of nine OHL stars that have already cracked the 50-point plateau this season.
The Otters recently added Vancouver Canucks blue-chipper Brendan Gaunce to add some firepower but the London Knights (53 points in 34 games), Guelph Storm (51 points in 34 games) and Oshawa Generals (50 points in 35 games) are all right behind Erie for first place overall and are ready to close that gap if the Otters slip at all.
In the Western Hockey League, the Kelowna Rockets have shot back up to the top of the standings and lead all WHL teams with 28 wins and 58 points through 33 games. They have an eight point lead on the Portland Winterhawks for first place.
Mitch Holmberg of the Spokane Chiefs is leading the WHL scoring race at the mid-way point with 37 goals and 74 points in 35 games. He has an eight point lead on Nicolas Petan of the Winterhawks.
In the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada have a three point lead over the Baie-Comeau Drakkar for first place overall. Seven teams already have at least 20 wins this season, including the Val-d’Or Foreurs, who have won 24 of their first 36 games.
Three Foreurs are at the top of the QMJHL scoring race, including leader Anthony Mantha, who has 35 goals and 73 points in 32 games. He leads teammates Louick Marcotte (54 points in 36 games) and Guillaume Gelinas (53 points in 36 games).