[{"id":335475,"date":"2026-04-15T14:11:28","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T18:11:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/?p=335475"},"modified":"2026-04-15T14:11:28","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T18:11:28","slug":"chl-unveils-players-ranked-no-40-through-no-31-on-top-50-players-of-the-last-50-years-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/article\/chl-unveils-players-ranked-no-40-through-no-31-on-top-50-players-of-the-last-50-years-list","title":{"rendered":"CHL unveils players ranked No. 40 through No. 31 on Top 50 Players of the Last 50 Years list"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The Top 50 players were identified through a media vote, with the final rankings determined by a weighted combination of media and fan voting. After unveiling players ranked No. 50 through No. 41 last week, the CHL continues the countdown today, while full player bios remain available at <\/i>chl.ca\/chl50<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) is proud to reveal the players ranked No. 40 through No. 31 on its Top 50 Players of the Last 50 Years list (<\/span>see below<\/i><\/b>), a signature initiative launched as part of the CHL\u2019s 50th anniversary season. The countdown celebrates the greatest players from the Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) since 1975-76, honouring the stars who have shaped major junior hockey over the past five decades.<\/span><\/p>\n

As part of the initiative, a panel of media members first identified the Top 50 Players of the Last 50 Years (since 1975-76)<\/span><\/a>. From there, the final ranking order was determined using a weighted formula that combined media and fan voting to rank the players from No. 1 through No. 50. <\/span>Last week, the CHL unveiled the players ranked No. 50 through No. 41 to begin the countdown<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

KEY FACTS & MEDIA NOTES: CHL TOP 50 PLAYERS<\/b>
\n<\/b><\/a>MEDIA RESOURCES (PHOTOS, LOGOS, VIDEOS & MORE)<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

_<\/p>\n

40. Vincent Lecavalier, Forward | QMJHL | Rimouski Oc\u00e9anic (1996-98) | Tampa Bay Lightning, Philadelphia Flyers & Los Angeles Kings (1998-2016): <\/b>Lecavalier starred in two dominant seasons with Rimouski, recording 217 points in 122 regular-season games and earning both QMJHL and CHL Rookie of the Year honours in 1996-97. He followed with 115 points in 58 games in 1997-98, was named to the QMJHL and CHL First All-Star Teams, and added 41 points in 18 playoff games as the Oc\u00e9anic reached the QMJHL Championship Series. The first overall pick in the 1998 NHL Draft, Lecavalier went on to captain the Lightning, win the Stanley Cup in 2004, capture the Rocket Richard Trophy in 2006-07, and finish with 949 points in 1,212 NHL games.<\/p>\n

39. Drew Doughty, Defenceman | OHL | Guelph Storm (2005-08) | Los Angeles Kings (2008-Present): Doughty emerged as one of the OHL\u2019s top defencemen during three seasons in Guelph, earning CHL and OHL All-Rookie Team honours in 2005-06 before breaking out with 74 points in 67 games the following year. In 2007-08, he won the Max Kaminsky Trophy as the OHL\u2019s Most Outstanding Defenceman and was named to the OHL and CHL First All-Star Teams. Selected second overall in 2008, Doughty became a franchise cornerstone in Los Angeles, winning the Norris Trophy and helping the Kings capture Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014.<\/span><\/p>\n

38. Ron Francis, Forward | OHL | Soo Greyhounds (1980-82) | Hartford Whalers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Carolina Hurricanes & Toronto Maple Leafs (1981-2004): Francis made an immediate impact with his hometown Soo Greyhounds, posting 69 points in 64 games as an OHL rookie in 1980-81, then adding 48 points in just 25 games the next season before jumping to the NHL. His junior career may have been brief, but it was enough to cement his place in Greyhounds history, with the club later retiring his No. 10. Chosen fourth overall in 1981, Francis built a Hall of Fame career in the NHL that included two Stanley Cups with Pittsburgh and 1,798 points in 1,731 games.<\/p>\n

37. Roberto Luongo, Goaltender | QMJHL | Val-d\u2019Or Foreurs & Acadie-Bathurst Titan (1995-99) | New York Islanders, Florida Panthers & Vancouver Canucks (1999-2019): <\/b>Luongo developed into one of the QMJHL\u2019s elite goaltenders over four seasons with Val-d\u2019Or and Acadie-Bathurst. He won the QMJHL\u2019s Michael-Bossy Trophy (Top Professional Prospect) in 1996-97, helped Val-d\u2019Or capture its first QMJHL title in 1998, then added a second league championship with Acadie-Bathurst in 1999. Luongo finished his QMJHL playoff career holding league records for games, minutes, wins, and shots faced. The fourth overall pick in 1997, he went on to a Hall of Fame career in the NHL, ranking among the all-time leaders in games and wins while starring for both the Panthers and Canucks.<\/span><\/p>\n

36. Shea Weber, Defenceman | WHL | Kelowna Rockets (2001-05) | Nashville Predators & Montreal Canadiens (2005-21): Weber played a key role in one of the WHL\u2019s top clubs of the early 2000s, helping Kelowna win two WHL championships and the 2004 Memorial Cup. He earned WHL and CHL all-star recognition in his final two seasons and capped his junior career by winning WHL Playoffs MVP in 2005 after scoring nine goals from the blue line in the postseason. Drafted by Nashville in 2003, Weber became one of the NHL\u2019s premier defencemen, captaining both the Predators and Canadiens and finishing with 589 points in 1,038 NHL games.<\/p>\n

35. Bobby Smith, Forward | OHL | Ottawa 67\u2019s (1975-78) | Minnesota North Stars & Montreal Canadiens (1978-93): Smith authored one of the greatest careers in Ottawa 67\u2019s history, highlighted by a remarkable 1977-78 season in which he produced 192 points in 61 games to win the Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy (OHL Top Scorer), Red Tilson Trophy (OHL MVP), and CHL Player of the Year honours. A year earlier, he led the OHL with 65 goals, and he also starred at the 1977 Memorial Cup, where he shared the scoring lead and won the George Parsons Trophy. Selected first overall in 1978, Smith went on to win the Calder Trophy, capture a Stanley Cup with Montreal in 1986, and record 1,036 points in 1,077 NHL games.<\/span><\/p>\n

34. Brendan Shanahan, Forward | OHL | London Knights (1985-87) | New Jersey Devils, St. Louis Blues, Hartford Whalers, Detroit Red Wings & New York Rangers (1987-2009): Shanahan established himself as a premier power forward with the London Knights, totaling 154 points in 115 games over two OHL seasons. He scored 92 points in 1986-87, earned OHL Third All-Star Team honours, and solidified himself as one of the top prospects in junior hockey. Selected second overall in 1987, Shanahan went on to a Hall of Fame career in the NHL that featured 656 goals, 1,354 points, three Stanley Cups with Detroit, and membership in the Triple Gold Club.<\/span><\/p>\n

33. Ray Ferraro, Forward | WHL | Portland Winterhawks & Brandon Wheat Kings (1982-84) | Hartford Whalers, New York Islanders, Los Angeles Kings, Atlanta Thrashers & St. Louis Blues (1984-2002): Ferraro was one of the WHL\u2019s most prolific scorers, totaling 282 points in just 122 regular-season games. After a standout rookie year in Portland, he delivered a historic 1983-84 season in Brandon with 108 goals and 192 points, winning both WHL Player of the Year and Top Scorer honours. He remains the only player in WHL history to score 100 goals in a season. Despite being a fifth-round NHL pick, Ferraro went on to enjoy an 18-year NHL career, finishing with 408 goals and 898 points.<\/span><\/p>\n

32. Joe Thornton, Forward | OHL | Soo Greyhounds (1995-97) | Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs & Florida Panthers (1997-2022): Thornton dominated in just two OHL seasons with the Soo Greyhounds, recording 198 points in 125 games. He won both OHL and CHL Rookie of the Year in 1995-96, then followed with 122 points in 59 games in 1996-97 while earning OHL and CHL Second All-Star Team honours and the CHL Top Prospect Award. Chosen first overall in 1997, Thornton built a Hall of Fame career in the NHL, winning the Hart and Art Ross trophies in 2005-06 and retiring with 1,539 points in 1,714 games<\/span><\/p>\n

31. Brad Richards, Forward | QMJHL | Rimouski Oc\u00e9anic (1997-2000) | Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas Stars, New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks & Detroit Red Wings (2000-16): <\/b>Richards put together one of the most impressive offensive runs in modern QMJHL history, topping 100 points in each of his three seasons with Rimouski. His crowning campaign came in 1999-2000, when he piled up 186 points in 63 games and led the Oc\u00e9anic to both the QMJHL championship and Memorial Cup title, while sweeping league, playoff, and Memorial Cup MVP honours. Drafted by Tampa Bay in 1998, Richards went on to play 1,126 NHL games, win two Stanley Cups, and claim the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2004.<\/span><\/p>\n

Further rankings from the Top 50 Players of the Last 50 Years list will be revealed in the coming weeks.<\/span><\/p>\n

_<\/p>\n

CHL Top 50 Evaluation Criteria and Eligibility<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

The CHL\u2019s Top 50 Players were selected by a panel of more than 40 media members who submitted ranked 1\u201350 ballots guided by a weighted evaluation framework designed to ensure consistency across eras. Panelists considered a player\u2019s impact beyond the CHL \u2014 including NHL and international success, major awards and championships, and Hall of Fame recognition \u2014 alongside on-ice achievement in the Member Leagues, reflecting what players accomplished during their time in the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL through production, individual honours, team success, and sustained dominance. Selections also accounted for historical significance, recognizing milestones, era-defining influence, generational impact, and lasting contributions to CHL history.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

To be eligible, players must have competed in at least one full season in the WHL, OHL, or QMJHL during the CHL\u2019s 50-year history beginning in 1975\u201376; for players who competed in 1975\u201376 and also played prior to that season, their entire CHL career was considered when evaluating on-ice accomplishments.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The CHL is proud to reveal the players ranked No. 40 through No. 31 on its Top 50 Players of the Last 50 Years list.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":335476,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1786],"tags":[{"term_id":9522,"name":"brad richards","slug":"brad-richards","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":9523,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2"},{"term_id":9523,"name":"Vincent Lecavalier","slug":"vincent-lecavalier","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":9524,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"3"},{"term_id":8638,"name":"CHL 50","slug":"chl-50","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":8639,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":5,"filter":"raw","term_order":"282"},{"term_id":65,"name":"QMJHL Alumni","slug":"qmjhl-alumni","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1059,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":194,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2139"},{"term_id":1193,"name":"Roberto Luongo","slug":"roberto-luongo","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1216,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":3,"filter":"raw","term_order":"2216"}],"class_list":["post-335475","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article-en","tag-brad-richards","tag-vincent-lecavalier","tag-chl-50","tag-qmjhl-alumni","tag-roberto-luongo","category-1786","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/15112325\/CHL50-TOP-50-16X9-40-31.jpg",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335475","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=335475"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335475\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/335476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=335475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=335475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=335475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":335473,"date":"2026-04-15T11:04:33","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T15:04:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/?p=335473"},"modified":"2026-04-15T12:34:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T16:34:19","slug":"qmjhl-announces-finalists-for-eight-trophies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/lhjmq\/en\/article\/qmjhl-announces-finalists-for-eight-trophies","title":{"rendered":"QMJHL announces Finalists for eight trophies"},"content":{"rendered":"

The QMJHL is proud to announce today the finalists for eight individual trophies for the 2025-26 regular season. The winners of these Golden Pucks will be announced tomorrow.<\/p>\n

(In alphabetical order)<\/em><\/p>\n

_<\/p>\n

David-Desharnais Trophy |\u00a0<\/strong>Most sportsmanlike player combined with effectiveness<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n