2023-24 CHL Top-10 Rankings: Week 18
The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) announced today the Week 18 edition of its CHL Top-10 Rankings for the 2023-24 season.
For a second week in a row, the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League (WHL) remain in first place in the CHL Top-10 Rankings. Having won all three of their games last week, the Blades have suffered only one regulation loss over their last 27 contests, and they improved their record at home to a CHL-best 21-1-1-0. Coming in at No. 2 are the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), who last week extended their point streak to 20 games (18-0-0-2), the longest streak of its kind in the CHL this season. Meanwhile, rounding out the top three is the Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), who became the first team in the CHL to top 40 wins this season.
Among some of the other noteworthy changes to this week’s Top-10 include the Moose Jaw Warriors of the WHL reentering the rankings for the first time since November. The Warriors have won 13 of their last 15 games since December 16. Meanwhile, the Soo Greyhounds of the OHL are up a spot after rallying from a 3-0 deficit on the road to defeat the No.4-ranked Saginaw Spirit 5-3 last Wednesday.
The next rankings will be released the week of February 12, following the 19th week of regular season action in all three member leagues of the CHL.
CHL Top-10 Rankings – Week 18
1. Saskatoon Blades (WHL): Now holding 21 wins over their last 27 games (21-1-2-3) since November 24, along with only one regulation loss over that stretch, the Blades (36-9-2-3) remain in first place for a second week in a row. Over the last week, Saskatoon won all three of its contests by a combined score of 17-4, all while improving their record on home ice to a CHL-best 21-1-1-0 record this season. Leading the way for the Blades was Anaheim Ducks prospect Egor Sidorov, who was named the Tempo WHL Player of the Week after registering five goals and eight points over Saskatoon’s three victories. Sidorov now has goals in four of his last five games, and he’s up to 41 goals during the 2023-24 campaign, which ranks third in the CHL behind only Prince George’s Zac Funk (46) and North Bay’s Anthony Romani (42). Meanwhile, netminder Evan Gardner was awarded the Kal Tire WHL Rookie of the Week after going a perfect 2-0-0-0, making 30-plus saves in both contests, while recording a 1.00 goals-against average (GAA) and .969 save percentage (SV%). Gardner, who is eligible for the 2024 NHL Draft, now ranks second in the CHL in GAA (2.03) and third in SV% (.927) this season. Looking ahead this week, the Blades will close out a seven-game homestand with games against the Hurricanes and the Raiders, before hitting the road to Swift Current for a contest on Saturday night.
2. London Knights (OHL): Having extended their point streak to a CHL-best 20 games (18-0-0-2) thanks to four victories last week, the Knights (35-11-0-3) have climbed up to second place in the CHL Top-10 Rankings. London’s 20-game point streak is now the longest of any club in the CHL this season, having bested the previous mark set by Saskatoon, having gone on an 18-game point streak from November 24 to January 14. Speaking of point streaks, Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan has now collected a point in 18 straight games (13G-23A over that stretch), which is the longest active streak in the OHL. Additionally, Philadelphia Flyers prospects Oliver Bonk (4G-1A in last 5 GP) and Denver Barkey (2G-5A in last 5 GP) both extended their point streaks to five games. Bonk also has goals in eight of his last 11 contests, having netted a total of 11 goals over that stretch. Meanwhile, goaltender Owen Willmore also had a strong week as he was named OHL Goaltender of the Week on Monday. Specifically, Willmore registered three wins including a shutout, with a 1.96 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage last week. As they look ahead to the next seven days, the Knights will hope to extend their 20-game point streak when they face the Firebirds, Spitfires, and Generals.
3. Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL): With a pair of victories against the Remparts over the week, the Drakkar (40-8-2-0) became the first club in the CHL to reach the 40-win plateau this season. Although they won their two contests against Québec this past weekend, Baie-Comeau was first shut out by the No.5-ranked Voltigeurs 4-0 in Drummondville last Thursday – hence why they slipped a spot to third in this week’s rankings. In their two wins last week, 2024 NHL Draft prospect Justin Poirier recorded three points (2G-1A), including scoring twice to increase his total this season to 37 goals, which ranks as the most by any skater in the QMJHL. Meanwhile, New York Islanders prospect Justin Gill tallied goals in each of his last two games, and he now has goals in six of his last nine contests (8G over that stretch). Meanwhile, Saturday was also an emotional game for both the Drakkar and their defenceman Émile Chouinard, who was playing in his 200th career QMJHL game and his last one before beginning treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. In honour of it being his last contest for the foreseeable future, Chouinard was named the game’s first star on Saturday following Baie-Comeau’s 2-1 victory in overtime. This week, the Drakkar will continue to keep their teammate Chouinard in their mind and hearts as they welcome the Wildcats and the Eagles to Baie-Comeau.
Games this week: vs. Moncton (Feb. 7), vs. Cape Breton (Feb. 9)
4. Saginaw Spirit (OHL): Although they started their week with a 5-3 loss to the No.8-ranked Greyhounds, which was a game they led 3-0, the Spirit (34-13-0-1) bounced back by narrowly beating both Barrie (4-3 OT) and Ottawa (5-4 OT) in overtime. Saginaw is now up to 30 wins over their last 36 games, and they’ve scored four or more goals in six of their previous seven contests. Helping them nab their two victories in overtime was none other than Vegas Golden Knights prospect Matyas Sapovaliv, who scored two overtime-winning goals less than 24 hours apart. Sapovaliv now has points in 14 of his previous 15 games, having tallied 28 points (8G-20A) during that stretch of games. Meanwhile, 2024 NHL Draft prospect Zayne Parekh made history by tallying his 23rd goal of the season, which set a new single-season record by a Saginaw defenceman (besting the previous mark of 22 by Patrick McNeill). Anaheim Ducks prospect Rodwin Dionicio also had a big week, registering a pair of multi-point games, including two goals and two assists against the 67’s on Sunday. Dionicio is now up to 25 points (10G-15A) in 24 games with the Spirit this season. This week, Saginaw will look to avenge its loss to the No.8-ranked Greyhounds when they head up the road to Sault Ste. Marie for a Sunday afternoon showdown between two Top-10 clubs in the CHL.
5. Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL): With wins in two of three games last week, including a noteworthy 4-0 victory over No.3-ranked Baie-Comeau, the Voltigeurs (33-10-4-1) continue to hold the No.-5 spot for a second straight week. In addition to an impressive victory over the Drakkar, Drummondville edged a strong Victoriaville Tigres squad (5-3) with their only loss coming at the hands of the Halifax Mooseheads (4-3). Over their last 17 games, the Voltigeurs now have just one regulation loss, having won 15 times over that stretch (15-1-1-0). Although he saw his eight-game point streak snapped on Thursday, Buffalo Sabres prospect Vsevolod Komarov tallied his ninth goal of the season as he now has goals in three of his last five games. Netminder Riley Mercier was also impressive last week, putting together a 27-save shutout against the Drakkar before later making 37 saves in a victory against the Tigres on Sunday. One thing of concern, however, was the absence of Philadelphia Flyers prospect Alexis Gendron, who missed Sunday’s game with a lower-body injury. His status is expected to be evaluated at the beginning of this week. So far through 10 games with the Voltigeurs, Gendron has collected 10 goals and six assists, and there’s no doubt that his presence on the ice will be important should the Voltigeurs hope to continue their rise up these rankings and the QMJHL standings. This week, Drummondville will hope to continue that effort when they face the Phoenix, Cataractes, and Wildcats. The Voltigeurs’ contest against Shawinigan on February 9 at 7:00 p.m. ET is one that fans will be able to catch on RDS.ca as part of the CHL Game of the Week program.
Games this week: @ Sherbrooke (Feb. 7), vs. Shawinigan (Feb. 9), vs. Moncton (Feb. 10)
6. Portland Winterhawks (WHL): Although they started their week with a 4-3 loss against Kelowna, the Winterhawks (34-12-2-1) bounced by winning three contests in a row by a combined score of 23-4. Since coming back from the Holiday Break on December 27, Portland has won 14 of their previous 17 games (14-2-1-0) to jump into first place in the WHL’s Western Conference. Their 34 wins rank tied for fourth in the CHL and are the second-most in the WHL this season. Over their three victories last week, 20-year-old James Stefan was highly productive, tallying nine points (4G-5A) including a hat-trick against Kelowna on Friday. Meanwhile, Seattle Kraken prospect Tyson Jugnauth also recorded a goal and points in three straight games to close out the week, totaling seven points (3G-4A) during that stretch. Since joining Portland from the NCAA’s University of Wisconsin in December, Jugnauth is averaging 1.14 points per game, which ranks fifth among defencemen in the WHL. The Winterhawks will look to continue to aim to continue their winning ways when they welcome the Thunderbirds to Portland for their lone game of the week.
7. Prince George Cougars (WHL): With three contests on the schedule last week, the Cougars (33-15-0-2) won a pair of them to maintain their spot in seventh this week. Still holding five wins over their last 10 contests (5-3-0-2), Prince George now ranks fourth in the WHL’s overall standings behind Saskatoon, Portland, and Everett. 2024 NHL Draft prospect Terik Parascak extended his point streak to seven games, which included potting his 30th goal of the season on Friday. Parascak now has points in 13 of his last 14 games. Meanwhile, 20-year-old Zac Funk scored three goals over the last week as he continues to lead the CHL with 46 goals in 50 games this season. Minnesota Wild prospect Riley Heidt collected four points (1G-3A) in those three games, increasing his season total to 84 points, which trails only Moose Jaw’s Jagger Firkus (86 points) in the CHL scoring race. Additionally, 19-year-old Carlin Dezainde has been excellent of late, scoring goals in four of his last five games (6G-1A over that stretch). This week, Prince George will be home for a pair of contests against the Victoria Royals.
8. Soo Greyhounds (OHL): With only two games on the schedule last week, the Greyhounds (32-13-2-1) started things off by netting an impressive victory on the road against the No.4-ranked Spirit (5-3) before they fell at home to the Steelheads (6-3). In a loaded OHL Western Conference, the Greyhounds continue to keep pace with both London and Saginaw. The Soo’s .698 point percentage this season ranks as the third-highest mark in the OHL behind those two other clubs. In their lone victory last week, the Soo managed to rally from a 3-0 deficit on the road against Saginaw to win that contest 5-3. Chicago Blackhawks prospect Gavin Hayes continues his strong play with his new club as he registered a pair of games last week with one goal and one assist, which included scoring a highlight-reel goal against the Spirit. Hayes now has points in nine of his 10 contests with the Greyhounds, having accrued 17 points (9G-8A) over that stretch of games. Meanwhile, New York Rangers prospect Bryce McConnell-Barker extended his point streak to eight games, which has seen the 19-year-old register six multi-point outings during that time (6G-9A in last 8 GP). This week, the Soo will need to be at their best when they travel to face the Wolves, before returning home for games against Niagara and No.4-ranked Saginaw.
9. Everett Silvertips (WHL): Faced with a challenging five-game schedule over six days, the Silvertips (33-17-1-2) managed to come away with three wins, defeating Spokane (7-4), Tri-City (8-2) and Wenatchee (6-1). Although they only won three of five last week, Everett has earned victories in 11 of their last 14 games (11-3-0-0). The latter helps explain why the Silvertips remain in third place behind only Saskatoon and Portland in the WHL’s overall standings. Vegas Golden Knights prospect Ben Hemmerling continued his scorching-hot play, recording four multi-point games (2G-6A) over his last five games. Since December 8, Hemmerling has 42 points (13G-29A) over his last 23 games, which ranks tied for second among skaters in the CHL over that stretch. At the same time, both Czech forward Dominik Rymon (5G-2A in last 5 GP) and Nashville Predators prospect Austin Roest (4G-2A in last 5 GP) tallied points in four of Everett’s five games last week. Specifically, Rymon has had a knack for finding twine since December 8, as he has scored goals in 10 of his last 13 games (14G over that stretch). This week, the Silvertips will hope to score a pair of victories when they travel to Wenatchee before returning home to face the Chiefs.
10. Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL): With 13 victories over their previous 15 contests, the Warriors (30-16-0-2) have catapulted themselves back into the Top-10 Rankings for the first time since November. Last week, Moose Jaw downed Prince Albert (3-1) and doubled up Red Deer (6-3) to become the fifth WHL club to top 30 wins this season. They’ve also scored four goals or more in 10 of their last 12 contests since New Year’s Day. A big part of their recent success has no doubt been Seattle Kraken prospect Jagger Firkus, who is currently on a 21-game point streak (17G-26A over that stretch), the third-longest streak of its kind in the CHL this season. Additionally, Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Brayden Yager extended his point streak to 10 games (5G-11A over that stretch), while Buffalo Sabres prospect Matthew Savoie continued his strong play since being acquired by the Warriors from the Wild. Savoie has points in seven of eight games with Moose Jaw, having accrued 14 points (5G-9A) during that time with his new club. This week, the Warriors will aim to climb up the Top-10 Rankings when they first welcome the Oil Kings, before traveling to Red Deer and Calgary for a pair of road games.
