2023-24 CHL Top-10 Rankings: Week 5
The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) announced today the Week 5 edition of its CHL Top-10 Rankings for the 2023-24 season.
As just one of six clubs in the CHL to have attained 10 wins this season, the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) moved into top spot for the first time this season. Right behind them is the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League (WHL), who jumped up five spots to No. 2 following a week that saw them net two wins against teams ranked in the CHL Top-10. Rounding out the top three was the Prince George Cougars of the WHL, who sit tied atop the WHL standings and continue to lead the CHL with 74 goals this season.
Having won all three of their games this past week, the QMJHL-leading Baie-Comeau Drakkar advanced to No.8, while the Moncton Wildcats, who trail only Baie-Comeau in the QMJHL standings, are making their Top-10 debut in tenth.
The next rankings will be released the week of November 6, following the sixth week of regular season action in all three member leagues of the CHL.
CHL Top-10 Rankings – Week 5
1. Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL): Winners of seven of their last 10, the Mooseheads (10-4-1-0) jump up to the top spot for the first time this season. Over the past week, they continued to impress as they edged Charlottetown (6-2) and Acadie-Bathurst (5-4) over the weekend. Their only defeat of the week came against the No.10-ranked Moncton Wildcats who narrowly beat them 5-4 on a night they played without their starting goaltender Mathis Rousseau. No doubt, the return of Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Jordan Dumais has been a major driving forward for Halifax. Over his three games this week, Dumais registered eight points (3G-5A) – putting him at 14 points (6G-8A) in five games with the Mooseheads this season. At the same time, Halifax’s other stars also continue to play a huge part in their success. After missing the Moncton game due to an illness, Rousseau put together a 38-save performance against the Islanders on Friday, and he now leads the CHL in SV% (.942) this season. Markus Vidicek had nine points (4G-5A) while Vegas Golden Knights prospect Mathieu Cataford tallied five points (2G-3A) this past week. Cataford and Vidicek now have points in six of their last seven games and they both lead the team with 21 points (Cataford) and 19 points (Vidicek) on the season. The Mooseheads will aim to hold the No.1 position as they begin a three-game homestand against the Titan, Océanic and Phoenix this week.
Games this week: vs. Acadie-Bathurst (Nov. 1), vs. Rimouski (Nov. 3), vs. Sherbrooke (Nov. 4)
2. Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL): The biggest climbers of the past week were the Warriors (10-6-0-0), who won three of four games last week, including contests against the No.7-ranked Blades (3-1) and the No. 3-ranked Cougars (5-1). In their 5-1 victory against the Cougars, Moose Jaw became the first team to hold Prince George (who averages a CHL-best 5.3 goals per game) to one goal this season. Having won seven of their last 10, Moose Jaw now sits tied atop the WHL standings alongside the Cougars. Leading the way for the Warriors this past week was once against Seattle Kraken prospect Jagger Firkus, who put up nine points (6G-3A) in four games, highlighted by a hat-trick (3G-0A) against the Raiders on Sunday. Firkus now has 16 goals and 29 points in 14 games this season – placing him in second for both of those categories in the WHL. Meanwhile, Columbus Blue Jackets 2022 first-rounder Denton Mateychuk also had a solid week with three goals and six points in the Warriors’ four games. Mateychuk has registered points in all nine games (3G-12A) he’s played this season. Following a busy four-game schedule last week, the Warriors will hit the road for a pair of games in Edmonton and Calgary this weekend.
3. Prince George Cougars (WHL): Although it may have been a week of mixed results, highlighted by a 4-0 win against the Regina Pats on Sunday, the Cougars (10-4-0-0) are just one of two 10-win teams in the WHL and they currently rank tied for first alongside the Warriors in the WHL standings. Their one loss of the week came at the hands of the No.2-ranked Warriors. It was the first time in 14 games this season that Prince George was held to one goal or less. Of the CHL-best 74 goals that the Cougars have scored this season, 26 of them have come on the power play as they have converted on 36.1% (26 of 72) of their man advantages – another mark that stands as the best in the CHL. 20-year-old Zac Funk, who netted his ninth power-play goal of the season this past week, now leads the CHL in that category. Meanwhile, 2024 NHL Draft prospect Terik Parascak added two goals and four points to his season totals over the last seven days. Parascak now leads all CHL skaters with 17 goals and he also sits atop the CHL’s rookie scoring race with 29 points. This week, the Cougars place among the top three, let alone their spot atop the WHL standings, will be challenged as they travel east to face Brandon, Saskatoon and Prince Albert.
4. Portland Winterhawks (WHL): Having been the No.1-ranked team for three weeks in a row, the Winterhawks (8-4-0-0) fell out of the top three for the first time this season after they dropped three games in a row last week to opponents with records below .500. Their three losses came over three straight nights as they fell on the road to Red Deer (2-1), Edmonton (5-4) and Calgary (7-4). One of the more concerning trends during this three-game stretch was Portland’s power play, which converted on just three of 18 attempts (16.7%). This pales in comparison to the 32.5% their power play was operating at prior to the weekend. It is something no doubt they’ll hope to improve on in the coming week. Meanwhile, 2024 NHL Draft Diego Buttazzoni has continued to be a bright spot for the club. The 17-year-old from Langley, B.C., has points in all 12 of his games this season, which included assists in all three of Portland’s road games in Alberta this weekend. Additionally, while he gave up more than two goals for the first time this season in the Winterhawks’ 5-4 defeat against the Oil Kings, Jan Špunar was excellent the night before – turning aside 22 of the 24 shots the Rebels threw in his direction. Buttazzoni, Špunar, and Portland will look to get themselves back in the win column as they continue their eight-game road trip in Medicine Hat, Swift Current and Lethbridge this week.
5. Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL): After their up-and-down start to start the season, the Huskies (8-3-1-3) seem to be finding their groove, having won two of three this past week, their only defeat was a 2-1 shootout loss to the Drummondville Voltigeurs on Saturday. Over their last seven games, Rouyn-Noranda has lost just once in regulation (5-1-0-1) and it was to the No.1-ranked Halifax Mooseheads. Despite holding a QMJHL-low 12.8% on the power play, the Huskies have managed to score four goals or more in six of their last seven games, having also allowed two goals or fewer on five occasions over that stretch. In addition to the continued strong play of Antonin Verreault, 2025 NHL Draft prospect Bill Zonnon continues to be an important contributor on offence, as he collected four points (2G-2A) over the past seven days to give him 12 on the season. At the same time, Arizona Coyotes prospect Jérémy Langlois tallied four assists in the Huskies’ win over the Olympiques, while William Rousseau made 33 saves against the Voltigeurs. Although it was his first loss in six starts, Rousseau has yet to lose in regulation since October 5. This week, Rouyn-Noranda will need to be at their best as they welcome the No.10-ranked Wildcats on Thursday for a game that will be featured on RDS.ca.
Games this week: vs. Moncton (Nov. 2), vs. Charlottetown (Nov. 3)
6. London Knights (OHL): It was a fairly straight forward week for the Knights (7-4-0-1), who won their only game on the calendar, besting the Ottawa 67’s 3-2 in overtime at Budweiser Gardens. The victory gave head coach Dale Hunter his 908th career win as a head coach in the OHL and CHL, moving him into second place in OHL and CHL history behind only (and maybe fittingly) former 67’s head coach Brian Kilrea who has 1194 career victories. The 3-2 result at home was also a promising one to see. London came into this game having given up 11 goals over its previous two games (both losses). So, to give up just two goals to the 67’s was certainly a step in the right direction. Additionally, the Knights continue to enjoy the return of Toronto Maple Leafs 2023 first-rounder Easton Cowan who registered points (1G-2A) on all three goals, including tallying the overtime winner in what was his seventh game of the season. Cowan and London will look to build on this win when they face Brantford, Owen Sound and Kitchener this week.
7. Saskatoon Blades (WHL): Along with the Winterhawks, the Blades (8-5-0-0) were the other Top-10 team to lose three straight games over the last seven days, hence why they slipped four spots in the rankings. Although all three losses came within small margins (3-1 vs. Moose Jaw; 5-3 vs. Regina; 2-1 vs. Brandon), the Blades never led in each of these contests and they found themselves playing behind for a good chunk of these games. However, with that said, Anaheim Ducks prospect Egor Sidorov continued his excellent start to the season. Although Sidorov saw both his 10-game point streak and five-game goal streak snapped within the last two games, he now has a team-high eight goals along with 14 points this season. Nashville Predators prospect Tanner Molendyk continued his great production, tallying four assists this week, putting him at 13 points in nine games this season. This week, Saskatoon will look to get back on track when they head to Prince Albert before coming back home for a pair of games against the No.3-ranked Cougars and the Pats.
8. Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL): Of all the CHL Top-10 teams from Week 4, the Drakkar (12-2-2-0) were the only club to go a perfect 3-0 last week. They now stand alone as the only 12-win team in the CHL and they are currently on a five-game winning streak – the second longest active streak in the CHL. There’s no doubt that part of their excellent play can be attributed to the performance of New York Islanders prospect Justin Gill, who is arguably one of the hottest players in the QMJHL. Having recorded seven points (2G-5A) in three games last week, Gill is currently riding an eight-game point streak with 19 points (6G-13A) over that stretch. With that recent production, Gill now leads the QMJHL with 25 points. Baie-Comeau also continues to get plenty of goals from 2024 NHL Draft prospect Justin Poirier, who tallied three this week to give him 12 goals on the season, which puts him in a tie for second in the QMJHL. Having scored six or more goals in four of their last five contests, the Drakkar will look to keep finding twine as they hit the road to Shawinigan and then Blainville-Boisbriand for a pair of games this week.
Games this week: @ Shawinigan (Nov. 1), @ Blainville-Boisbriand (Nov. 3), @ Blainville-Boisbriand (Nov. 4)
9. Mississauga Steelheads (OHL): Standing as the only 10-win team in the OHL, the Steelheads (10-3-0-0) split their games last week. They began by giving up half a dozen goals to Barrie in a 6-1 loss on Friday, before bouncing back in a 4-2 victory against the Frontenacs on the following day. 2025 NHL Draft prospect Porter Martone was no doubt a star for Mississauga over the weekend. In addition to scoring the club’s lone goal against the Colts, Martone recorded a natural hat-trick against Kingston on Saturday – scoring all three of his goals in the third period to help the Steelheads erase a 2-1 deficit. Martone is currently riding a four-game goal streak that has seen the 17-year-old collect two hat-tricks over that stretch. Additionally, Martone has points in six straight games (8G-5A) and he now sits third in the OHL with 11 goals on the season. This week, Martone and the Steelheads will look to hold their place atop the OHL standings when they travel to the State of Michigan for games against the 2024 Memorial Cup hosts Saginaw Spirit and the Flint Firebirds.
10. Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL): Now riding a CHL-best six game winning streak, the Moncton Wildcats (11-3-1-0) are flying high after another impressive week, highlighted by a big 5-4 victory over the No.1-ranked Halifax Mooseheads. Outside of Baie-Comeau’s 12 wins this season, Moncton is the only other club in the CHL to have reached 11 on the campaign. Helping them to achieve the feat has been the play of forward Yoan Loshing, who has goals in four of his last five games, having collected six of them over that stretch. Loshing now has 12 goals (T-2nd in the QMJHL) and 22 points (T-2nd in the QMJHL). Meanwhile, QMJHL 2023 first-overall pick Caleb Desnoyers has been growing into his own. Having notched points in five of his last six (3G-7A over that stretch), Desnoyers now stands tied for first with 15 points among rookie skaters in the QMJHL. Over the next seven days, the Wildcats will face a tough road trip as they prepare to travel to Val-d’Or, Rouyn-Noranda and Gatineau. Their game against the No.5-ranked Huskies on Thursday will be one that fans can catch on RDS.ca.
Games this week: @ Val-d’Or (Nov. 1), @ Rouyn-Noranda (Nov. 2), @ Gatineau (Nov. 4)
