Spirit sit sixth in Preseason OHL Power Rankings
Presenting the preseason edition of the OHL Power Rankings!
A total of 30 accredited media members from across the OHL provided their insights, with teams receiving a first place vote awarded 20 points, second place being awarded 19, third receiving 18 and so on. An average point score has been included next to each team in brackets.
The OHL Power Rankings come out weekly on Monday mornings, and will continue in 2024-25, with the first edition circulated on Monday, September 30th.
OHL Power Rankings – Preseason Edition
1. London Knights (19.23)
The kings of the OHL mountain are on top out of the gate. Who comes back? The Knights face some real personnel questions to start the season, but they’ve got the organizational depth to be a threat even if they don’t get every single one of their prominent names back in the lineup.
2. Brampton Steelheads (18.70)
The Trout made a big splash over the summer, acquiring 52-goal scorer Carson Rehkopf from Kitchener along with Erie Otters captain Spencer Sova on the blueline. Top draft eligible goaltending target Jack Ivankovic looks to take the fish upstream in his sophomore season, one with high expectations in new surroundings in Brampton.
3. Oshawa Generals (17.90)
Last year’s Eastern Conference champions are back with a full arsenal of tools at their disposal, looking to take care of unfinished business under new head coach Steve O’Rourke. Oshawa’s blueline remains nearly the same group they had last year minus Connor Punnett, and they’ll have some returning stars up front in Beckett Sennecke and potentially Calum Ritchie should he return from the Colorado Avalanche.
4. Brantford Bulldogs (16.70)
It was a memorable first season in Brantford, though the Bulldogs didn’t get as far as they’d have liked in the playoffs. It’s a new year and if the Bulldogs can stay healthy, they’re a dangerous group in the Eastern Conference with the Chicago Blackhawks prospect duo of Nick Lardis and Marek Vanacker up front with newly acquired Buffalo Sabres prospect Ryerson Leenders taking charge in the crease.
5. Barrie Colts (15.30)
Coach/GM Marty Williamson has been busy over the summer, bringing in Dallas Stars prospects Emil Hemming, Tristan Bertucci and Brad Gardiner to bolster a veteran roster. Utah first round pick Cole Beaudoin will be in an elevated role with captain Beau Jelsma out of the lineup with an injury to start the season. Goaltender Sam Hillebrandt turned heads in the playoffs last spring and will see lots of starts in 2024-25.
6. Saginaw Spirit (13.63)
The reigning Memorial Cup champions return more top-end talent than your average national champion. Stars Zayne Parekh and Michael Misa are a threat every shift while overager Andrew Oke is back in the crease. The Spirit have their share of character players back in the lineup including Nic Sima, Sebastien Gervais and Ethan Hay.
7. Erie Otters (13.10)
The Otters got back into the playoffs after a lengthy absence last spring. They’ve set their sights on the postseason again, and are built for a longer run in 2025. This is a group that shouldn’t struggle to score with Pano Fimis, Carey Terrance, Malcolm Spence, Martin Misiak and Ondrej Molnar back in the picture, but keeping pucks out is more of an unknown out of the gate with promising 2025 NHL Draft prospect Matthew Schaefer out of the lineup with mono.
8. Flint Firebirds (10.37)
The Firebirds made a lot of offseason moves, gaining experience with Sudbury acquisitions in Nolan Collins, Evan Konyen and Matthew Mania. Chris Thibodeau brings speed over from the Kingston Frontenacs and they added mobility on the blueline, picking up Urban Podrekar and Artem Frolov from Niagara. After watching Saginaw celebrate all summer, the Firebirds are ready for a shot of their own.
9. Kingston Frontenacs (10.10)
The Fronts re-tooled over the offseason and return with a couple new faces in overage playmaker Cedrick Guindon, Pittsburgh Penguins blueline prospect Emil Pieniniemi and Vegas Golden Knights selection Tuomas Uronen to compliment returning Calgary Flames prospect Jacob Battaglia and a pair of former high OHL Draft picks in 19-year-olds Ethan Miedema and Matthew Soto. Former Memorial Cup champ Nolan Lalonde comes home to share the crease with reigning Humanitarian of the Year Mason Vaccari.
10. Ottawa 67’s (10.07)
The Barber Poles beefed up their overagers at the trade deadline last year, reaching the second round of the playoffs for a second straight spring. Captain Luca Pinelli was two goals shy of the 50-goal plateau last season, and tries to get over that hump, being counted upon to lead the offence in 2024-25. Former first round OHL Draft picks Henry Mews and Frankie Marrelli will be important pieces for the 67’s on the back end.
11. Guelph Storm (9.37)
After losing Matthew Poitras to the Boston Bruins, the Storm struggled to create offence at various points last season. They’re back with one of the league’s exciting young centremen Jett Luchanko, who was a first round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers over the summer, along with a healthy Cam Allen and returning Vancouver Canucks prospect Vilmer Alriksson down the wing. It’ll be interesting to see how impactful sophomores Quinn Beauchesne, Rylan Singh, Parker Snelgrove and Wil McFadden can be after a summer of hard work.
12. North Bay Battalion (8.80)
The defending three-time Central Division champions still have some weapons despite the graduation of names like Ty Nelson, Dom DiVincentiis and Justin Ertel. OHL goal-scoring champion Anthony Romani is back in the fold along with well-rounded centreman Dalyn Wakely and overage speedster Owen Van Steensel. It’ll be interesting to see what the Troops have for depth when tasked with facing teams like Barrie and Oshawa in the early going.
13. Kitchener Rangers (8.60)
The Rangers are young and hungry. Carson Rehkopf is off to Brampton but the Rangers will seek to fill that void with returning NHL Draft picks in Luke Ellinas (Ottawa) and Trent Swick (Vegas) along with up-and-comers like Luca Romano, Tanner Lam and blueliner Cameron Reid. The Rangers have some runway here, with a solid group of ’07 contributors.
14. Sudbury Wolves (7.83)
The Wolves face some turnover moving into the new season, but last year’s leader in OHL points-per-game, Quentin Musty, should be a cornerstone if he comes back from the San Jose Sharks. Blueline veterans Donovan McCoy and Nick DeAngelis will lead from the rear as the Wolves work to establish an identity in the opening weeks of the schedule. The goaltending scenario is fairly wide open, but expect Nate Krawchuk to be given an opportunity to run with the starting role.
15. Soo Greyhounds (7.63)
The Hounds are losing some vets after their push that took them to Game 7 of the second round last spring. Brady Martin and Travis Hayes both come off great rookie seasons up front while Nashville Predators prospect Andrew Gibson gives head coach John Dean a reliable number one option on the blueline, supported by overage returnee Caeden Carlisle.
16. Windsor Spitfires (7.13)
Nowhere to go but up for the Spits, who selected Ethan Belchetz first overall back in April. The 6-foot-5, 230Ib. winger turned heads with an excellent preseason. The Spitfires have some names who can help them in their quest for the postseason including overager Ryan Abraham and Washington Capitals prospect Ilya Protas, who they took with the third overall pick of the 2024 CHL Import Draft.
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17. Sarnia Sting (4.03)
The Sting were among the league’s youngest teams last season, and that progression will continue in 2024-25. They’ll need reliable goaltending, but sophomores like Ryan Brown and James Barr will see bigger roles while the Sting hope for rookie breakthroughs from promising additions like Alessandro DiIorio, Beckham Edwards and Russian flank Ruslan Karimov.
18. Niagara IceDogs (3.93)
The IceDogs are positioned to take a step forward and should be a relevant team offensively with Ryan Roobroeck, Ethan Czata and rookie addition Braidy Wassilyn all being names to watch alongside some established OHL forwards in Alex Assadourian, Gavin Bryant and Mike Levin. The Dogs have a new look defensively with Jack Brauti, Blair Scott and Noah Van Vliet giving them some grit on the blueline.
19. Peterborough Petes (3.80)
The Petes are still in the rebuilding phase following their OHL Championship in 2023. That process will move forward this season though, with more expected from former first round OHL selections in Carson Cameron, Caden Taylor, Nico Addy and Aiden Young with veterans Jonathan Melee and Chase Lefebvre leading the way.
20. Owen Sound Attack (3.77)
The Bears have been a competitive group for a long time. Captain Colby Barlow wasn’t at training camp and is doing his best to make the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets. Regardless of preseason projections, the Attack boast one of the CHL’s top young goalies in LA Kings prospect Carter George and will lean on an offence-by-committee approach with names like Sam McCue, Declan Waddick and Ben Cormier back as veterans.
