2023-24 CHL Top-10 Rankings: Week 24
The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) announced today the Week 24 edition of its CHL Top-10 Rankings for the 2023-24 season.
Riding a 17-game point streak (15-0-1-1), the third longest streak of its kind in the CHL this season, the Prince George Cougars of the Western Hockey League (WHL) are in first place for a second straight week. With 47 wins and counting, the Cougars have set a new franchise record for victories in a single season, besting their previous mark of 45 established during the 2016-17 season. Right behind them in second is the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), who became the first OHL team to reach 100 points this season, which also marked the first time they achieved the feat in eight years. Meanwhile, the Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) round out the top three. The Drakkar are the only CHL club with 50-plus wins this season, and they clinched their third Jean-Rougeau Trophy in team history last week by becoming this year’s regular season champions in the QMJHL.
Among some of the other notable changes to this week’s rankings, the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL are up to fourth having earned a point in eight straight contests (7-0-1-0), while the Oshawa Generals of the OHL are making their Top-10 debut this season having won 10 games in a row, which currently stands as the longest active winning streak in the CHL.
With the regular season set to close across all three member leagues of the CHL this weekend, next week’s rankings will be the 25th and final ones of the 2023-24 regular season.
CHL Top-10 Rankings – Week 24
1. Prince George Cougars (WHL): With a point in 17 straight games (15-0-1-1), the Cougars (47-15-1-3) have maintained their place atop the rankings for a second week in a row. Following this latest Top-10, Prince George has now found itself in first place on three occasions this season. Last week, the Cougars strung together four victories in a row by beating Kelowna (6-5), Vancouver (6-3) and Victoria twice (6-1 & 10-4). With their wins last week, Prince George how set a new franchise record for victories (47) in a single season and is in a good position to try and secure first place in the WHL’s Eastern Conference. 2024 NHL Draft Terik Parascak was named the Tempo WHL Player of the Week for his performance, having tallied seven goals and 11 points (7G-4A) in four games last week. With four multi-point outings over the last seven days, Parascak topped the 100-point plateau this season and he seems poised to win the CHL rookie scoring race thanks to his 103 points (43G-60A). Meanwhile, Washington Capitals prospect Zac Funk will likely finish the season as the CHL goal-scoring leader. The 20-year-old Cougars forward is now up to 67 goals on the season, and he’s just the 10th CHL skater since 2000 to top 65 goals in a single season. Funk also now has 119 points during the 2023-24 campaign, which stands as a single-season record for the Cougars. This week, Prince George will close out its regular season with a pair of contests against the Blazers on Friday and Saturday.
Games this week: @ Kamloops (Mar. 22), vs. Kamloops (Mar. 23)
2. London Knights (OHL): Having strung together three wins in a row thanks to triumphs against the Otters (5-1), Greyhounds (6-3), and Spitfires (7-4), the Knights (48-14-1-2) are up a spot in this week’s rankings to second. London’s success over the last week allowed them to become just the second CHL (and first OHL) club this season to top the 100-point plateau. The Knights have also achieved the latter for the first time since the 2015-16 campaign. Once again, Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan shined for the Knights as he extended his point streak to 34 games on Sunday, which now stands as a franchise record in London, having bested Dave Gilmore’s mark of 33 set in 1993-94. Cowan’s 34-game point streak also now stands as the fifth longest in the CHL since 2000. Meanwhile, Knights forward Ruslan Gazizov was named the Cogeco OHL Player of the Week after he registered six goals and nine points during the Knights’ three victories last week. The latter included a career-high four-goal performance by Gazizov against the Soo Greyhounds last Friday. This week, London will aim to secure the No.1 seed in the OHL’s Western Conference when they host both the Spitfires and Storm this weekend.
Games this week: vs. Windsor (Mar. 22), vs. Guelph (Mar. 24)
3. Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL): Thanks to a pair of victories over the Remparts and another against the Phoenix, the Drakkar (52-11-2-1) became the first CHL club to achieve 50 wins this season and they earned the Jean-Rougeau Trophy as this year’s regular season champions in the QMJHL. Their 52 victories during the 2023-24 campaign are now a franchise record for the club, along with their 25 wins on the road this season. If that wasn’t enough, 2024 NHL Draft prospect Justin Poirier made sure to add to what was already a special week for Baie-Comeau. The 17-year-old from Valleyfield, Que., tallied his QMJHL-leading 50th goal of the season on Sunday against the Phoenix, making him the first 17-year-old in the QMJHL to hit the 50-goal plateau since Sidney Crosby achieved the feat in 2004-05. Going back to 1992, Poirier is actually one of only five QMJHL skaters over the last 32 years to score 50-plus goals as a 17-year-old. This week, the Drakkar will look to improve on their impressive 27-3-2-0 record at home as they prepare to welcome Sherbrooke and the No.8-ranked Drummondville Voltigeurs to Centre Henry-Leonard to close out the season before they get set to face the No.8-seeded Charlottetown Islanders in the first round of the 2024 QMJHL Playoffs.
Games this week: vs. Sherbrooke (Mar. 22), vs. Drummondville (Mar. 23)
4. Portland Winterhawks (WHL): Although they fell in overtime to Seattle 5-4 on Sunday, the Winterhawks (46-15-3-1) remain in the midst of an eight-game point streak (7-0-1-0) and they stand just two points back of the Cougars for the No.1 seed in the WHL’s Western Conference. Faced with a four-game schedule over the last seven days, Portland won three contests, including ones against Spokane (3-2), Tri-City (11-1) and Wenatchee (5-3). Importantly, the Winterhawks’ victory on Saturday over the Wild provided the club with its first U.S. Division title since 2020. San Jose Sharks prospect Luca Cagnoni had a particularly strong week, registering four straight multi-point games (3G-7A over that stretch). Cagnoni’s 71 assists and 87 points rank second and third respectively in the CHL among defencemen. This week, the Winterhawks will hope to catch Prince Goerge in the Western Conference standings as they wrap up their season with contests against Tri-City and Seattle.
Games this week: @ Tri-City (Mar. 22), vs. Seattle (Mar. 23), @ Seattle (Mar. 24)
5. Saginaw Spirit (OHL): With a come-from-behind overtime victory over the Storm (5-4), along with a loss in Erie (5-4) on Friday, the Spirit (46-16-1-1) have slipped a couple of places in this week’s rankings and find themselves in fifth. Their victory in Guelph was particularly impressive, as Saginaw scored a pair of goals late in the game’s final three minutes, including a marker from Vegas Golden Knights prospect Matyas Sapovaliv with five seconds to spare to force an extra frame. Vancouver Canucks prospect Josh Bloom took things from there, securing the Spirit victory with the overtime winner. That game also saw 2025 NHL Draft prospect Michael Misa register a third straight three-point outing, as the 17-year-old has nine points (2G-7A) over his last four contests. Heading into the week, 2024 NHL Draft prospect Zayne Parekh continues to lead the CHL with 90 points (31G-59A), having registered points in four straight games (1G-4A over that stretch). Meanwhile, sitting just four points shy of London, Saginaw will look to win all three games on their schedule this week to give themselves a chance at nabbing first place in the OHL’s Western Conference.
Games this week: @ Sarnia (Mar. 22), vs. Windsor (Mar. 23), @ Soo (Mar. 24)
6. Saskatoon Blades (WHL): Heading into the week, the Blades (47-13-2-3) had struggled a little bit, having dropped three of their previous six games. However, last week, Saskatoon won two of three games, including a key 6-3 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. Their success over these last seven days allowed the Blades to secure the No.1 seed in the WHL’s Eastern Conference for the first time since 2010-11. Meanwhile, Anaheim Ducks prospect Egor Sidorov continues to leave his mark on the franchise with his play this season. By tallying the game-winner against Brandon on Tuesday, Sidorov is now in sole possession of the Blades’ franchise record for career game-winning goals with 25. The Ducks’ 2023 third-round pick is also the highest European scorer in Saskatoon history with 195 career points (112G-83A). Sitting at 49 goals heading into this week, Sidorov could become the first Blade since 1995-96 to hit 50 goals in a season. He’ll look to achieve that feat when the Blades play the final three games of their 2023-24 campaign against the Hitmen and Raiders.
Games this week: vs. Calgary (Mar. 20), @ Prince Albert (Mar. 22), vs. Prince Albert (Mar. 23)
7. Everett Silvertips (WHL): With a pair of victories against the Kelowna Rockets last week (6-2 & 4-2), the Silvertips (43-18-2-3) have earned a point in ten straight games (8-0-1-1). Everett is firmly locked into the No.3 seed of the WHL’s Western Conference where they could find themselves facing the Rockets in the first round. In their two games against Kelowna this past weekend, the Silvertips enjoyed superb performances by Nashville Predators prospect Austin Roest (3G-1A in last two GPs) and 2024 NHL Draft prospect Julius Miettinen (1G-4A in last two GPs). Roest has now scored in three straight games and collected six points over that stretch. While, Miettinen has been on an absolute tear, having now registered eight straight games with two points or more. The 18-year-old from Helsinki, Finland has scored a goal in seven of his last eight contests, all while collecting 18 points (8G-10A) during that time. This week, the Silvertips will look to finish strong when they host the Wild and Americans this weekend.
Games this week: vs. Wenatchee (Mar. 23), vs. Tri-City (Mar. 24)
8. Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL): After losing three of five, the Voltigeurs (45-14-5-1) have since rebounded by winning four games in a row, including contests against the Foreurs (6-3), the Armada (5-4) and the Océanic (3-1) last week. With 96 points through 65 games, the Voltigeurs hold a narrow lead for first place in the QMJHL’s Western Conference over the No.9-ranked Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. Drummondville will have to be at its best this week if they are to maintain their place ahead of the Huskies. Their recent success can no doubt in part be attributed to the play of 19-year-old forward Justin Côté and 2023 Memorial Cup champion Mikael Huchette. Côté has collected a point in five straight games (4G-7A over that stretch), including three contests with three points. While Huchette has recorded two goals and seven points over his last five games. It’s worth noting that the Voltigeurs continue to play without one of their key players, Philadelphia Flyers prospect Alexis Gendron, who has been absent from the lineup since March 6. Drummondville will hope to see Gendron back in the fold soon, as they get to close out the season against the Phoenix, Saguenéens, and No.1-ranked Drakkar this week.
Games this week: vs. Sherbrooke (Mar. 19), @ Chicoutimi (Mar. 22), @ Baie-Comeau (Mar. 23)
9. Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL): Narrowly trailing the No.8-ranked Voltigeurs in both the QMJHL’s Western Conference standings and the CHL Top-10 Rankings, the Huskies (44-15-1-5) will do what they can to try and catch them during the QMJHL’s final week of the regular season. The Huskies, who have earned a point in four straight games (3-0-0-1) and won a pair of contests last week, are only just two points back of Drummondville with three games left to play. Speaking of chasing down the Voltigeurs, Arizona Coyotes prospect and Huskies blueliner Jérémy Langlois will be looking to catch Buffalo Sabres prospect and Drummondville defenceman Vsevolod Komarov in the QMJHL’s scoring race among defencemen. Langlois, who is in the midst of a four-game point streak (2G-4A), has 62 points (17G-45A) this season, which is just two shy of Komarov. Langlois’ 17 goals during the 2023-24 campaign, however, lead all QMJHL rearguards. This week, fresh off playing in his 250th career QMJHL contest, Langlois will look to add to those totals all while helping his Huskies in their attempt to close out the season with wins against the Foreurs, Tigres and Olympiques.
Games this week: @ Val-d’Or (Mar. 20), vs. Victoriaville (Mar. 22), vs. Gatineau (Mar. 23)
10. Oshawa Generals (OHL): Having won 10 games in a row, which is the CHL’s longest active winning streak, the Generals (38-19-7-2) not only find themselves in the CHL Top-10 Rankings for the first time this season, but they also sit atop the OHL’s Eastern Conference standings as we head into the final week of the season. Last week, Oshawa extended its winning streak and achieved the latter by scoring wins against Mississauga (2-1 OT), Sudbury (8-5) and Sarnia (7-2). Over their last 10 games and victories, 2024 NHL Draft prospect Beckett Sennecke has been particularly good, as the 18-year-old has collected points in nine of those contests (7G-13A over that stretch) including six multi-point games. Meanwhile, Minnesota Wild prospect Rasmus Kumpulainen, who officially signed his entry-level contract with the Wild on Monday, also has points in nine of his last 10 games and he’s riding an eight-game point streak (4G-8A over that stretch). Similarly, Colorado Avalanche prospect Calum Ritchie has a point in 10 straight contests (7G-9A over that stretch)., while New York Rangers prospect Dylan Roobroeck is on a nine-game point streak (8G-11A over that stretch) with goals in seven of his last eight. This week, in what remains a tightly-contested Eastern Conference in the OHL, Oshawa will endeavour to win out its games and maintain the No.1 seed when they face Kitchener and Sudbury.
Games this week: @ Kitchener (Mar. 22), vs. Sudbury (Mar. 24)
