Playoff Picture: Four more teams lock up postseason berths
Sunday action across the CHL saw four more clubs join this year’s playoff picture.
Windsor Spitfires
The Windsor Spitfires punched their ticket to the postseason in style after coming away with a big 10-2 victory over the Kingston Frontenacs on Sunday.
Headlined by 65-point scorer Egor Afanasyev, the Nashville Predators prospect is one of four NHL drafted skaters on the Spitfires, a list that also includes fellow forwards Tyler Angle (Columbus Blue Jackets) and Curtis Douglas (Dallas Stars) as well as defenceman Connor Corcoran (Vegas Golden Knights). Additionally, the Spitfires also deploy a pair of tantalizing up-and-comers in forwards Jean-Luc Foudy and Will Cuylle, both of whom are slated for early selection in the coming NHL Draft.
Sitting third place in the OHL’s West Division with a 34-19-6-0 showing and 74 points, the Spitfires will enter the postseason looking to build on last spring when the club exited in four games in the opening round at the hands of the rival London Knights.
The Spitfires, who have made the postseason each of the past four years, are three-time J. Ross Robertson Cup champions, including back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010.
Barrie Colts
The Barrie Colts will return to the postseason this spring following a one-year hiatus after the club clinched a spot Sunday when the rival Niagara IceDogs fell in regulation to the North Bay Battalion.
Led by 18-year-old forward and 2020 NHL Draft prospect Tyson Foerster, the Colts’ roster counts a trio of players who have already heard their names called on draft day including left-wing Nicholas Porco (Dallas Stars), defenceman Mathew Hill (Anaheim Ducks), plus netminder Arturs Silovs (Vancouver Canucks).
Currently second place in the OHL’s Central Division with a 27-26-4-2 record, good for 60 points, the Colts will return to postseason play for the first time since 2018 when the squad first eliminated the Mississauga Steelheads before falling in a six-game semifinal versus the Kingston Frontenacs.
Blainville-Boisbriand Armada
The Blainville-Boisbriand Armada have made the playoffs each year since setting up shop in their new home in 2011 and this spring will be no different after the club secured its ninth consecutive postseason berth Sunday after coming away with a 4-3 overtime victory over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.
Sitting atop the QMJHL’s West Division at 30-26-2-1 and 63 points, Carolina Hurricanes prospect Luke Henman leads the offensive charge for the Armada, impressing with 23 goals and 47 assists across 59 appearances this season, while the club’s roster also counts other key talents like Yaroslav Likhachev, a Russian-born forward who is earmarked for selection in the 2020 NHL Draft.
The Armada return to the playoffs after last year’s run saw the club fall in a five-game opening-round set versus the Sherbrooke Phoenix.
Saint John Sea Dogs
Following a two-year absence, the Saint John Sea Dogs will return to the postseason this spring after the club clinched its spot Sunday when the Acadie-Bathurst Titan lost in extra time at the hands of the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.
Headlined by 2020 NHL Draft eligibles in blue-liners Jeremie Poirier and William Villeneuve, Saint John’s roster also counts a pair of NHL drafted players in forward Maxim Cajkovic, the first-overall pick from the 2018 CHL Import Draft whose rights belong to the Tampa Bay Lightning, as well as netminder Zachary Bouthillier, a Toronto Maple Leafs draft choice. All four have played major roles in helping the Sea Dogs sit fourth place in the QMJHL’s Maritimes Division with a 30-30-1-0 showing and 61 points.
The Sea Dogs return to the postseason for the first time since 2017, a year in which the club claimed its third President’s Cup in franchise history.
Playoff Picture Clinching Timeline
Feb. 2 – Ottawa 67’s (OHL)
Feb. 3 – Sherbrooke Phoenix (QMJHL)
Feb. 4 – Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
Feb. 11 – Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)
Feb. 12 – Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL)
Feb. 13 – Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL), Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL)
Feb. 14 – Everett Silvertips (WHL)
Feb. 15 – Cape Breton Eagles (QMJHL), Kamloops Blazers (WHL)
Feb. 16 – Peterborough Petes (OHL)
Feb. 17 – Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL)
Feb. 19 – Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
Feb. 20 – London Knights (OHL), Oshawa Generals (OHL)
Feb. 21 – Kitchener Rangers (OHL), Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL), Prince Albert Raiders (WHL
Feb. 22 – Calgary Hitmen (WHL)
Feb. 23 – Saginaw Spirit (OHL), Flint Firebirds (OHL)
Feb. 25 – Victoria Royals (WHL)
Feb. 26 – Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL), Vancouver Giants (WHL), Sudbury Wolves (OHL), Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)
Feb. 28 – Charlottetown Islanders (QMJHL)
Feb. 29 – Winnipeg ICE (WHL)
Mar. 1 – Windsor Spitfires (OHL), Barrie Colts (OHL), Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (QMJHL), Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)