Kia CHL Top-10 Rankings: ICE on top entering winter break
Kia CHL Top-10 Rankings – Week 12
1. Winnipeg ICE
2. Edmonton Oil Kings
3. Kingston Frontenacs
4. Charlottetown Islanders
5. Everett Silvertips
6. Quebec Remparts
7. Kamloops Blazers
8. Sherbrooke Phoenix
9. Mississauga Steelheads
10. Guelph Storm
HM. Seattle Thunderbirds
HM. Gatineau Olympiques
HM. Barrie Colts
The Winnipeg ICE remain a favourite to achieve national supremacy. Leading the circuit for the eighth week running, the Manitoba capital club closed out the past week with four of six points highlighted by a 6-0 road triumph over Saskatoon in which four Winnipeg skaters finished with multi-point efforts including rookie centre Matthew Savoie. A projected early round selection in the upcoming NHL Draft, the winter break sees Savoie atop the WHL scoring race with 50 points counting 17 goals and 33 goals through 31 appearances.
With a CHL-leading five players away from the club as they prepare for the upcoming World Juniors – a group which includes leading scorer Jakub Demek (Vegas Golden Knights) and starting goaltender Sebastian Cossa (Detroit Red Wings) – the Edmonton Oil Kings more than held down the fort in their absence in coming away with three straight victories highlighted by a 3-2 overtime thriller versus Swift Current that saw Chicago Blackhawks draftee Jalen Luypen play the hero and help his squad climb within four points of Winnipeg for top spot in the WHL.
Coming in at No. 5, the Everett Silvertips are on the rebound after coming away with four of six points, culminating the week with a big 7-2 victory versus Spokane in which rookie right-wing and Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Niko Huuhtanen impressed with a four-point effort. Meanwhile, the week also saw netminder Braden Holt shine Saturday against Seattle as he turned aside a season high of 49 shots to secure the victory. Entering the break, the Silvertips hold down top spot in the WHL’s Western Conference with a 21-6-2-1 showing and 45 points.
Rounding out recognition from the WHL, the seventh-place Kamloops Blazers came away with a lone victory on the week, topping Victoria 3-0, where three different skaters provided the offense including NHL prospects Viktor Persson (Vancouver Canucks) and Josh Pillar (Minnesota Wild). Entering the break, the Blazers stand atop the WHL’s B.C. Division with a 19-8-0-0 record and 38 points, while the coming week will see fans turn their attention to the national stage where netminder Dylan Garand (New York Rangers) is set to star for Canada at the World Juniors.
In the honourable mention category, the Seattle Thunderbirds continue to surge, finding points in nine of their past 10 outings including a 5-2 win over fifth-ranked Everett that saw five different skaters find the back of the net including Dallas Stars draftee Connor Roulette who now sits just one back of fellow forward and 2022 NHL Draft hopeful Jordan Gustafson for top spot in team scoring.
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Parked for the past week, the Kingston Frontenacs hold steady at No. 3 entering the break and look forward to a promising second half backed by overage scorers Lucas Edmonds and Jordan Frasca who have provided an invaluable presence both on the scoresheet and in the locker room, while the second half will also undoubtedly see greater focus on 2022 NHL Draft favourite and exceptional centre Shane Wright who collected 30 points through 22 appearances entering January. In the interim, the product of Burlington, Ont., is set to make his much anticipated return to the national stage as part of Team Canada at the upcoming World Juniors.
Picking up a pair of victories on the week, the ninth-seeded Mississauga Steelheads enter the break having come away with the victory in seven of their past 10 outings, a stretch which now sees the squad tied for top spot in the OHL’s Central Division with 36 points. Key to success this season for the Steelheads begins between the pipes where overage netminder Roman Basran has found the win column in 10 of 18 appearances while ranking tops in the OHL with a 2.40 goals-against average.
Coming in at No. 10, the Guelph Storm earn national recognition for the first time this season. Coming away with a 4-1 victory over London on Saturday, the Storm picked up their 17th win of the season to surpass the Knights for top spot in the OHL’s Midwest Division with 36 points. Leading the way for the Storm this season is Anaheim Ducks draftee Sasha Pastujov, one of just five OHL skaters to have already reached the 20-goal plateau entering the break. Pastujov will now look to flash his offensive magic as part of Team USA at the World Juniors.
Lastly, the honourable mention Barrie Colts enter the break in full gallop having won six straight, with their most recent victory coming in a 5-2 final over Ottawa on Saturday where captain and Los Angeles Kings first-round pick Brandt Clarke shined with a two-point showing, while overage netminder Mack Guzda picked up his sixth win in seven appearances since joining the club in mid-November.
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The QMJHL’s top ranked club for the fifth consecutive week, the Charlottetown Islanders pieced together four-straight wins to hold down top spot in the Eastern Conference with a 22-7-2-0 record and 46 points. Offering no shortage of offense over the past week, the Islanders combined for 20 goals in a win over Halifax and two versus Cape Breton. Among the club’s top performers was blue-liner William Trudeau, a 2021 fourth-round selection of the Montreal Canadiens who has taken the offensive reigns on the back end with Lukas Cormier set to compete for Team Canada. In all, the three appearances saw Trudeau score twice and add five assists, helping him to earn representation on the CHL Team of the Week.
Coming in at No. 6, the Quebec Remparts continue to find the win column, coming away with the victory in their past six outings to move within four points of Charlottetown for first place in the QMJHL’s Eastern Conference. Picking up two road victories over the past week, that stretch included a 9-3 thriller against Drummondville in which veteran forward Zachary Gravel, Zachary Bolduc (St. Louis Blues), and 2022 NHL Draft eligible Nathan Gaucher all tallied twice. The Remparts will look to push their win streak to seven when they return to the ice January 7 versus Blainville-Boisbriand, with puck drop set for 7 p.m. Eastern on CHL TV.
Leading the QMJHL’s Western Conference with a 19-7-2-1 showing and 41 points, the Sherbrooke Phoenix picked up two points on the week coming in a 5-3 takedown of Chicoutimi in which 2003-born right-wing Israel Mianscum led the way with a three-point performance counting two goals and one assist. For the Phoenix, the club enters the break with top performers that includes Joshua Roy (Montreal Canadiens) whose 47 points are outpaced by just one player league-wide, while rookie rearguard David Spacek leads all first-year defencemen with 25 points in 27 games.
In the honourable mention category, the Gatineau Olympiques have won four straight and appear well poised to continue to climb the ranks in the new year. Closing out the past week with road wins over Val-d’Or and Rouyn-Noranda, among the top performers for the Olympiques was Vegas Golden Knights prospect Zachary Dean who put up back-to-back multi-point showings over the pair of victories.
