CHL Players of the Week: March 17-23

Each week throughout the regular season, the CHL will recognize the OHL, QMJHL and WHL’s top players as chosen by the member leagues:

OHL

In three games last week, Brampton’s Konnor Smith (ANA) tallied seven points (four goals). On March 19 he scored in a 7-2 road win over Brantford and followed that up with his best offensive performance of the year as he had five points (3G, 2A) in a 6-1 victory against Peterborough on March 21. He ended the regular season with an assist in a 4-1 decision over Kingston on March 23. Acquired from Owen Sound at the OHL trade deadline, Smith had 18 points in 32 games with the Steelheads while his 24 total points in 2024-25 were a career high.

In goal, Mike McIvor won a trio of games to backstop the Battalion into the OHL Playoffs on the final day of the regular season. McIvor stopped 38 shots March 20 in a 5-1 win against Oshawa and backed that performance up with a 28 save effort 24 hours later in a 5-4 victory against Niagara. On March 23 he turned away all 29 shots he faced in a 4-0 win against Sudbury to clinch a playoff spot for the Battalion for the fourth straight year. In all, McIvor went 22-17-3 with a 2.86 GAA and .910 save percentage across 45 games this year.

QMJHL

Moncton’s Etienne Morin (CGY) had a goal and five points in a pair of Wildcats wins. On March 21 he had two assists in a 7-2 win over Halifax while a day later he had three points (1G, 2A) in a 6-5 overtime win against Acadie-Bathurst. Morin finished third among QMJHL d-men in 2024-25 in both goals (14) and points (58).

Victoriaville’s Gabriel D’Aigle recorded a .942 save percentage in his final two appearances of the season. He made 45 saves March 21 in a 4-1 loss to Gatineau but in his final start a day later he made 36 saves in a 4-1 decision over Sherbrooke. D’Aigle made 55 appearances this past season.

WHL 

In a three-in-three to end the season, Tri-City’s Jackson Smith (2025) had two points in each contest. On March 21 he had a goal and assist in a 4-2 road win against Portland while a day later scored twice in a 4-3 loss to Spokane. Smith ended the season with another two-point (1G, 1A) showing in a 3-2 loss to Seattle. The 17-year-old concluded the season with a career high 54 points to finish 10th in scoring among WHL defencemen.

Prince Albert’s Max Hildebrand closed out the 2024-25 season with three straight wins in the final week. He turned away 22 shots on March 18 in a 3-1 victory over Moose Jaw while on March 21 he made 35 saves in a 3-2 overtime win against Saskatoon. A day later he stopped 34 shots in a 4-3 win over the Blades in the second half of a home-and-home. Hildebrand’s 33 wins this season were tied for the second most in the WHL while he also posted a 2.87 GAA and .918 save percentage across