Wildcats #1 in CHL Top-10 Rankings: Week 21

Today, the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) announced the Week 21 edition of its CHL Top-10 Rankings for the 2024-25 season.

Having won seven games in a row, the longest active winning streak across the CHL, the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) have climbed up to No. 1 – attaining the top spot for the first time since November 12. The Wildcats, who continue to lead the QMJHL with 45 wins and 92 points, hold the best goal differential of any club across the CHL (+122). Right behind them, having slipped a spot after sitting first for 13 straight weeks, are the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). London continues to lead the CHL with 47 wins and a .828 points percentage. Finally, rounding out the top three is the Rimouski Océanic of the QMJHL, who are ranked third for the fifth week in a row. The 2025 Memorial Cup hosts extended their point streak to eight games (7-0-1-0) thanks to a pair of road victories last week.

Among the biggest changes to this week’s rankings were the rise of both the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League (WHL) and the Brantford Bulldogs of the OHL, along with the entry of the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the QMJHL into the CHL Top-10 Rankings for the first time this season. Having improved their record at home to 23-5-1-2 with a pair of wins in Everett last week, the Silvertips are up to No. 4. With 20 wins over their last 23 games (20-2-1-0), the Bulldogs sit alone atop the OHL’s Eastern Conference and now rank ninth among the CHL’s Top 10. Finally, amid the CHL’s longest active point streak at 13 straight games (8-0-3-2), the Armada are making their Top-10 debut of the 2024-25 campaign in tenth.

The next rankings will be released the week of March 10, following the 22nd week of regular season action in all three member leagues of the CHL.

CHL Top-10 Rankings – Week 21

1. Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL): With a pair of wins at home against the Drummondville Voltigeurs (4-1) and the No.10-ranked Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (4-3 OT), the Moncton Wildcats (45-9-2-0) have jumped to No. 1 for the first time in almost four months. The Wildcats have now won seven in a row – making it the longest active streak in the CHL. Moncton also continues to hold the best goal differential (+122) in the CHL. They’ve also allowed the fewest amount of goals (130 total / 2.32 goals allowed per game) of any CHL club during the 2024-25 season. During their two wins against the Voltigeurs and Armada, 20-year-old Markus Vidicek (34G-20A in 56 GP), Calgary Flames prospect Étienne Morin (12G-38A in 54 GP), Boston Bruins prospect Loke Johansson (3G-16A in 54 GP), and Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Dyllan Gill (5G-15A in 20 GP) all tallied points in both games and led the team in scoring with three points each. For Vidicek, by lighting the lamp and grabbing a point in each contest, he extended his point streak to nine games and his goal-scoring streak to eight contests – both of which are the longest active streaks in the QMJHL. Meanwhile, Detroit Red Wings prospect Rudy Guimond (12-0-0-0 record, 1.56 GAA, .948 SV% & 2 SO in 12 GP) made a career-high 42 saves in Moncton’s 4-1 win over Drummondville. The 19-year-old from Montréal, Que., has now won 12 straight starts to kick off his QMJHL career and he was recently recognized as the QMJHL Goaltender of the Month for February, while Gill was named the QMJHL Defenceman of the Month. With the strong play of Guimond alongside veteran goalie Mathis Rousseau (16-20-5-0 record, 3.05 GAA, .902 SV% & 1 SO in 41 GP), the Wildcats arguably have one of the best goalie tandems in both the QMJHL and CHL. This week, Guimond and Rousseau will hope to help Moncton extend their winning streak as they hit the road to face No.3-ranked Rimouski, Sherbrooke, and No.10-ranked Blainville-Boisbriand.

Games this week: @ Rimouski (Mar. 5), @ Sherbrooke (Mar. 7), @ Blainville-Boisbriand (Mar. 8)

2. London Knights (OHL): With two wins in three games over the last week, their lone loss being a 6-4 defeat at the hands of the Niagara IceDogs, the London Knights (47-9-2-0) have slipped one spot to second. It marks the first time in nearly four months (or since November 12) that the Knights are not ranked first in the CHL’s Top-10 Rankings. That said, the latter is more about the recent surge by the Moncton Wildcats than the play of the Knights, who continue to be a force. London has eight wins over the last 10 games (8-1-1-0), and they have just five regulation losses over their previous 50 contests (43-5-2-0) dating back to October 20. Over the last week, outside of the 6-4 loss to the IceDogs, the Knights took down the Owen Sound Attack (9-1) and the Oshawa Generals (4-3 OT). Edmonton Oilers prospect Sam O’Reilly (22G-38A in 56 GP) and San Jose Sharks prospect Sam Dickinson (24G-52A in 47 GP) registered a team-high seven points, while Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan (24G-27A in 39n GP) pitched in six points including a hat-trick against Oshawa. With their play last week, O’Reilly now has a career-best 22 goals and 60 points this season, while Dickinson extended his point streak to eight games and he’s up to a career-high 76 points in 2024-25. Additionally, with a pair of victories over the last seven days, London Knights head coach Dale Hunter is up to 998 victories over his career – placing him just two shy of becoming the second coach to ever reach 1,000 wins in the CHL and OHL after the legendary Brian Kilrea, who won 1,194 career games as the head coach of the Ottawa 67’s. This week, the Knights will aim to help their coach achieve the milestone while they endeavour to reach 50 wins as they face the No.9-ranked Bulldogs, Frontenacs, and Sting over the next seven days.

Games this week: @ Brantford (Mar. 5), vs. Kingston (Mar. 7), @ Sarnia (Mar. 9)

3. Rimouski Océanic (QMJHL): Having earned a pair of victories in Baie-Comeau (5-2 & 3-1) last week, the Rimouski Océanic (41-12-2-2) are once again sitting No. 3 for a fifth straight week. The 2025 Memorial Cup hosts extended their point streak to eight games (7-0-1-0) as they became just the second team in the QMJHL to top 40 wins this season. The Océanic remain one of the hottest teams in the QMJHL, having won a league-best 19 times over their last 24 games (19-2-2-1) since December 31. In the first of their two wins against the Drakkar in Baie-Comeau over the weekend, Rimouski was led by 21-year-old forward Jonathan Fauchon (42G-49A in 57 GP) who tallied a game-high four points (1G-3A). Fauchon is now up to 91 points on the season, which stands as the most in the QMJHL. He also has scored 42 goals in 58 games in 2024-25, placing him third among QMJHL skaters. Fauchon is the lone QMJHL player so far this season to have tallied 40-plus goals and 40-plus assists. He is also one of just seven skaters in the CHL to have achieved that feat. Meanwhile, during their 3-1 victory over the Drakkar on Saturday, 20-year-old forward Maël Lavigne (17G-30A in 56 GP) stole the show by scoring a pair of goals as he has now lit the lamp 17 times this season. With seven games to go, Lavigne will hope to become the seventh Océanic player to break the 20-goal plateau in 2024-25. This week, the Océanic will look to improve on their impressive 23-2-2-1 record at the Colisée Financière Sun Life when they welcome the No.1-ranked Wildcats and Islanders to Rimouski.

Games this week: vs. Moncton (Mar. 5), vs. Charlottetown (Mar. 8)

4. Everett Silvertips (WHL): By winning both of their games on the calendar last week, which included victories over the Seattle Thunderbirds (2-1) and the Vancouver Giants (4-2), the Everett Silvertips moved up a spot to fourth in this week’s rankings. By stringing together those two wins, the Silvertips continue to sit atop the WHL’s overall standings with 42 wins and 91 points in 2024-25. Over the last couple of weeks, Everett seems to have regained the form that helped carry them to the top of the standings, as the Silvertips have won four of their last five contests following a stretch where the club went 4-4-0-0. Over their two wins over the Thunderbirds and Giants last week, 20-year-old Tyler MacKenzie (30G-43A in 60 GP) and Calgary Flames prospect Eric Jamieson (14G-20A in 59 GP) were the only two Silvertips skaters to register a goal and/or a point in both games. Following his performance over the last seven days, MacKenzie now has registered a point in four of his previous five outings, or more specifically in each of the Silvertips’ last four wins. Meanwhile, having potted goals against the Thunderbirds and Giants, defenceman Eric Jamieson has found twine in four of his last seven games – totaling six goals over that stretch. This week, as the Silvertips look to tighten their grip on the top seed in the WHL’s Western Conference, they’ll hope to string together three more victories when they face the Americans, Cougars, and Winterhawks this weekend.

Games this week: @ Tri-City (Mar. 7), vs. Prince George (Mar. 8), @ Portland (Mar. 9)

5. Spokane Chiefs (WHL): Having scored a pair of wins over the last seven days against the Vancouver Giants (4-3) and the Wenatchee Wild (5-1), while suffering one loss at the hands of the Seattle Thunderbirds (6-3), the Spokane Chiefs (41-18-1-1) have fallen by one place to sit fifth. Despite slipping by one spot, the Chiefs have now been ranked among the Top 5 for three weeks in a row. With their two wins, Spokane is one of just three WHL clubs to have broken the 40-win plateau this season. Since January 31, the Chiefs have been one of the WHL’s best teams thanks to their 11 wins in 15 contests (11-2-1-1) over that stretch. Washington Capitals prospect Andrew Cristall (42G-74A in 50 GP) and 2026 NHL Draft prospect Chase Harrington (18G-30A in 61 GP) led the Chiefs in scoring by each registering four points over Spokane’s three games last week. With his performance last week, Cristall leads the WHL with 116 points, which is 10 more points than the next closest skater (Medicine Hat Tigers forward Gavin McKenna – 106 points). Meanwhile, although he missed Saturday’s game against Seattle given that he was serving the first of a two-game suspension, 2026 NHL Draft prospect Mathis Preston (21G-22A in 48 GP) continued to impress during his rookie campaign in the WHL. In his only two appearances last week, the 16-year-old from Penticton, B.C., scored in both games, giving him points in six of his last seven contests (7G-2A during that stretch). Preston now has 21 goals in 48 games this season, which stands as the second-most of any rookie skater in the WHL in 2024-25. This week, the Chiefs will head north to Victoria to face the Royals for a pair of games as they continue their effort to catch the first-place Everett Silvertips in the WHL’s U.S. Division standings.

Games this week: @ Victoria (Mar. 7), @ Victoria (Mar. 8)

6. Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL): Having extended their winning streak to four games thanks to a pair of shutout victories over the Regina Pats (2-0) and the Brandon Wheat Kings (5-0) last week, the Medicine Hat Tigers (41-17-3-1) are sitting sixth for the second week in a row. Since January 4, the Tigers have now won 20 times over their last 24 games (20-2-1-1) as they aim to secure a WHL Central Division title ahead of both the No.8-ranked Hitmen and the Lethbridge Hurricanes. In the absence of 2026 NHL Draft prospect Gavin McKenna (32G-74A in 51 GP), who missed both Tigers’ contests last week while serving a three-game suspension, Oasiz Wiesblatt (31G-57A in 60 GP) stepped up a big way – leading the team in scoring with three points as the Medicine Hat captain scored three times to break the 30-goal plateau for the first time in his WHL career. The Tigers also got a big boost in net thanks to the tandem of rookie Jordan Switzer (22-6-2-0 record, 2.67 GAA, .901 SV% & 4 SO in 31 GP) and Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Harrison Menneghin (18-10-1-1 record, 2.61 GAA, .896 SV% & 3 SO in 31 GP), which is shaping into one of the stronger goaltender duos in both the WHL and CHL. Switzer got things started last week by matching a career-high with 36 saves against the Pats as he picked up his third straight shutout. Switzer hasn’t given up a goal in 209:43 or since he gave up a goal in the second period to the Prince Albert Raiders on February 12. Then, on Saturday, Menneghin posted a 26-save shutout against the Wheat Kings as he has now won four of his last five starts. This week, as McKenna gets set to serve the final game of his suspension (before returning to the lineup while actively on a historic 35-game point streak), the Tigers will hope to score a win tonight against Kelowna before traveling to Red Deer on Friday to face the Rebels.

Games this week: vs. Kelowna (Mar. 4), @ Red Deer (Mar. 7)

7. Kitchener Rangers (OHL): With a point in five consecutive games (4-0-0-1), the Kitchener Rangers (42-13-4-2) continue to rank seventh in the CHL Top-10 Rankings. Over the last week, the Rangers took down the Guelph Storm (6-1) and Sarnia Sting (4-3 OT) on home ice, before they fell short to the Attack (3-2 SO) in Owen Sound on Saturday. As they continue to win games and score points, the Rangers hold a .738 points percentage this season, which ranks as the fourth-best mark in the CHL. Kitchener has been particularly good on home ice in 2024-25, holding a 22-4-3-0 record at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium. The Rangers’ four regulation losses on home ice are among the fewest of any club in the OHL. Over their three games last week, Kitchener continued to get great production from Colorado Avalanche prospect Christian Humphreys (8G-20A in 23 GP), who extended his point streak to four games by tallying six points (3G-3A). Since joining the Rangers on January 10 after coming over from the University of Michigan, Humphreys leads all Kitchener scorers with 28 points in 23 games. Right behind him is Chicago Blackhawks prospect Jack Pridham (23G-23A in 42 GP), who has a team-high 12 goals along with 24 points over that stretch. Pridham put on quite a performance over the last seven days, tallying four points including what was the CHL’s No.1 Play of the Week with this lacrosse-style goal against the Guelph Storm. This week, the Rangers will look to build on their impressive home record when they welcome the Spitfires and the Storm to the Aud over the weekend.

Games this week: vs. Windsor (Mar. 7), vs. Guelph (Mar. 9)

8. Calgary Hitmen (WHL): With points in seven straight games (6-0-0-1), the Calgary Hitmen (39-15-3-3) are back at No. 8 for the second week in a row. Over the last week, the Hitmen secured shutout victories over the Kelowna Rockets (7-0) and the Swift Current Broncos (3-0), while only falling short to the Red Deer Rebels in a shootout (2-1 SO). In an effort to catch the No.6-ranked Tigers in the WHL’s Central Division, Calgary has won 15 of its last 19 games (15-3-0-1) since January 19 – as they stand just two points back of Medicine Hat for first place in the division. Over the last week, helping the Hitmen achieve their positive results were none other than 2025 NHL Draft prospect Ben Kindel (33G-61A in 57 GP), Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Tanner Howe (16G-21A in 39 GP), and goaltender Daniel Hauser (23-12-2-1 record, 2.62 GAA, .911 SV% & 5 SO in 40 GP). Kindel led the team in scoring with six points (1G-5A) as the 2025 NHL Draft prospect sits tied for fifth in scoring in the WHL with 95 points. Kindle’s 95 points only trail Saginaw Spirit forward Michael Misa (120 points) among first-year draft-eligible skaters in the CHL. Meanwhile, Howe amassed five points (2G-3A) in three games as he now has three multi-point outings over his last five outings. Finally, Hauser arguably shined the brightest as he secured a pair of shutouts in his two starts of the week. The veteran netminder now has recorded four straight shutouts – setting a new Hitmen franchise record for consecutive clean sheets. Hauser hasn’t allowed a goal in 243:27 of game action, surpassing Justin Pogge’s franchise record of 228:47 which was set in 2006. Impressively as well, in just 18 games with his new club in Calgary, Hauser has registered all five of his shutouts this season with the Hitmen. This week, Hauser and the Hitmen will look to improve on their strong 23-4-1-1 record at the Scotiabank Saddledome when they welcome both the Broncos and the Wheat Kings to Calgary this weekend.

Games this week: vs. Swift Current (Mar. 7), vs. Brandon (Mar. 9)

9. Brantford Bulldogs (OHL): Up to 20 victories over their last 22 games (20-2-1-0), thanks to wins over the Oshawa Generals (5-3) and the Peterborough Petes (4-3 OT) last week, the Brantford Bulldogs (38-17-5-0) have moved up to ninth. The Bulldogs are arguably the hottest team in the OHL, having won a league-best 20 times since January 5. Over their two-game stretch last week, Washington Capitals prospect Patrick Thomas (26G-72A in 60 GP) amassed a team-high six points (2G-4A). Thomas is currently on a 10-game point streak, having registered nine multi-point outings and a total of 25 points (4G-21A) over that stretch. Meanwhile, 2025 NHL Draft prospect Jake O’Brien (29G-59A in 60 GP) is on a 17-game point streak, having recorded four assists during the Bulldogs’ two wins. With 88 points on the season, O’Brien ranks eighth among OHL scorers in 2024-25. Meanwhile, Chicago Blackhawks prospect Nick Lardis (66G-42A in 58 GP) continued to do his thing last week, potting goals in each victory including the overtime winner against the Petes. With goals in 20 of his last 21 games (34G during that stretch), Lardis leads the CHL with 66 goals – nine more than the next closest skater (Saginaw Spirit forward Michael Misa: 57G). Having broken the 65-goal plateau, Lardis became just the 9th player over the last 20 years to have achieved the feat. If he were to reach 70 goals, the Blackhawks prospect would be only the second OHL skater to have reached the mark since 1992 and the first since Oshawa Generals alumnus John Tavares scored 72 during the 2006-07 campaign. This week, Lardis will hope to pot a few more as the Bulldogs will welcome the No.2-ranked Knights to Brantford before traveling to Flint and Saginaw this weekend.

Games this week: vs. London (Mar. 5), @ Flint (Mar. 7), @ Saginaw (Mar. 8)

10. Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (QMJHL): Having earned a point in 13 straight games (8-0-3-2), the longest active point streak in the CHL, the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (32-17-5-2) have cracked the CHL Top-10 Rankings for the first time this season – coming in at No. 10. Having not suffered a regulation loss over the last month, the Armada has gone from being a middle-of-the-pack club to sitting near the top of the QMJHL’s Western Conference. Specifically, on January 29, Blainville-Boisbriand sat fifth in the Western Conference and was 21 points back of first place. Fast forward to today, the Armada are now in second in the Western Conference and a mere seven points back of the first-place Drummondville Voltigeurs with two games in hand. 2025 NHL Draft prospects Justin Carbonneau (39G-39A in 55 GP) and Mateo Nobert (27G-37A in 55 GP) have no doubt played a big role in helping Blainville-Boisbriand during its meteoric rise over the last month. Since February 1, Carbonneau has registered points in 10 of his last 12 games, including six multi-point outings. His recent success offensively has catapulted Carbonneau to third among QMJHL scorers in 2024-25 with 78 points. Meanwhile, Nobert has caught fire of late as the 17-year-old from Beaconsfield, Que., has found the scoresheet in 17 of his last 21 games. This week, Carbonneau, Nobert, and the Armada will have a great opportunity to inch closer to the Voltigeurs when the two teams face off on Sunday in Drummondville. The latter is one of three games on the calendar for the Blainville-Boisbriand, who will also be tested when they welcome No. 1-ranked Moncton to their home rink on Saturday.

Games this week: vs. Charlottetown (Mar. 6), vs. Moncton (Mar. 8), @ Drummondville (Mar. 9)