OHL Power Rankings: Week 10 – Dec. 4, 2023
Welcome to December! Here’s the 10th edition of OHL Power Rankings for the 2023-24 season.
Who’s up:
Soo Greyhounds – up one spot to #2 this week
The Hounds earned a split against top-ranked Saginaw last week before besting Barrie 4-1 at home on Saturday. The Greyhounds lead the West Division with a 17-8-2-0 record, sitting five points back of the conference-leading Kitchener Rangers. Captain Bryce McConnell-Barker led the Greyhounds offensively last week with three goals and an assist in three outings.
Ottawa 67’s – up two spots to #6 this week
The 67’s found themselves in a pair of overtime scenarios, exacting revenge on the Kingston Frontenacs as Brad Gardiner scored the deciding goal in Kingston’s school day game last Tuesday. The Barber Poles came up a bit short against the Flint Firebirds on Saturday, but came back with a big third period push to defeat the North Bay Battalion 6-5 at TD Place on Sunday as Brady Stonehouse scored the deciding goal. Draft eligible blueliner Henry Mews has caught fire offensively of late, riding a five-game point streak that’s yielded 10 points (1-9–10). The Barber Poles saw the return of Collin MacKenzie to the crease in a winning cause on Sunday.
Flint Firebirds – up four spots to #8 this week
A successful East Division road trip has the Firebirds at their highest placement of the season as they collected wins in Peterborough and Ottawa before earning a point in an overtime loss to Kingston. Veterans Gavin Hayes (2-4–6), Braeden Kressler (1-3–4) and Zacharie Giroux (2-2–4) powered the offence last week while sophomore blueliner Marko Stojkov (1-3–4) stepped up as well. The Firebirds sit third in the West Division with a record of 13-11-2-1, but have played some great hockey of late.
Erie Otters – up one spot to #12 this week
There’s been a logjam in the middle of the Power Rankings for the past several weeks, one the Otters sought to break-up with back-to-back games in Owen Sound over the weekend. After losing 5-4 in overtime to the Kitchener Rangers earlier in the week, the Otters dropped a 7-4 decision at the Bayshore on Saturday only to stage a big comeback in Sunday’s follow-up match. Down 5-2 early in the second period, Erie scored six unanswered to defeat the Attack 8-5, with sophomore forward Malcolm Spence leading the way with a goal and two assists while Pano Fimis netted a third period penalty shot. The Otters are still part of a closely-matched group of teams in the middle of the rankings, but manage to move ahead of Owen Sound with their big push to close-out Sunday’s affair.
Oshawa Generals – up one spot to #16 this week
The Oshawa Generals make their return to the sweet 16, splitting last week’s schedule with a 5-2 win over the Brantford Bulldogs before coming up just short in a 3-2 loss to the Guelph Storm on Sunday. The Generals have had their share of ups and downs so far this season, but have also had a hard time consistently icing a healthy lineup. Minnesota Wild prospect Rasmus Kumpulainen has been a steady producer with 25 points (13-12–25) through 24 games. With returns of Matthew Buckley, Beckett Sennecke and Ethan Toms to the lineup this past week, perhaps things are looking up for the Gennies.
Who’s down:
Kitchener Rangers – down one spot to #3 this week
The Rangers won two of three last week, but it’s a game of inches in the upper echelon of the OHL Power Rankings. The Rangers had a bit of a scare in Erie on Wednesday before Matthew Sop saved the day with a late tying and OT-winning goal in a 5-4 triumph. The Blueshirts flew a little too close to the sun back at home on Friday though, losing 4-3 in overtime to the last place Niagara IceDogs as Zakary Lavoie settled things on a breakaway. Kitchener led 4-0 in Sarnia on Sunday before the Sting made things interesting, drawing to within a goal before late goals from Carson Rehkopf and Sop put things out of reach in a 6-3 final. Kitchener is the OHL’s first team to 20 wins as Rehkopf paces all scorers with 50 points (29-21–50) in just 28 games. Sop (19-27–46) and Hunter Brzustewicz (6-40–46) round-out the league’s top three scorers.
North Bay Battalion – down one spot to #7 this week
Anthony Romani, Owen Van Steensel and the Troops flexed their offensive muscle in Kingston and Peterborough on Friday and Saturday, but couldn’t get the job done in the big dance with Ottawa on Sunday afternoon, losing that encounter 6-5 to fall one spot behind the 67’s in the Power Rankings. The Battalion have been filling the net, but perhaps somewhat uncharacteristically of their brand in recent seasons, have had some trouble keeping pucks out. They’ve surrendered the league’s third-highest total of 108 goals. The Battalion wrap up five straight on the road with a respectable 3-2 finish, returning home to face Kingston on Thursday before a visit to the Mississauga Steelheads on Friday.
Peterborough Petes – down two spots to #9 this week
The pendulum continues to swing for the defending champions, who reached #2 on the list a couple of weeks ago. The Petes surrendered seven goals in Saturday’s home loss to North Bay, and couldn’t solve Niagara’s Marcus Vandenberg on Sunday in St. Catharines, losing 2-1 to the IceDogs. The Petes are two points back of East Division-leading Ottawa, owning a 13-8-3-1 record, but inconsistency has made them a tough team to get a pulse on of late.
Sudbury Wolves – down one spot to #10 this week
One thing has been guaranteed with the Sudbury Wolves lately – lots of goals, on both sides of the ledger. The big line of David Goyette, Quentin Musty and Dalibor Dvorsky has formed one of the league’s dynamic offensive trios, but Sudbury has struggled at times on the defensive side, leading to mixed results when the final horn sounds. Sudbury opened the week with a 5-3 loss in Peterborough last Monday before outgunning the Barrie Colts in a 9-6 shooting match at home on Friday. The Wolves lost a showdown of Central Division heavyweights on Sunday in Mississauga, falling 5-4 to the Steelheads in a shootout.
London Knights – down one spot to #11 this week
The Knights, who led the rankings for three weeks to begin the season, find themselves at #11 following losses to Mississauga and Saginaw over the weekend. London sits third in the Midwest Division, two points back of the Guelph Storm. San Jose Sharks prospect Kasper Halttunen carries a 12-game point streak into this week.
Owen Sound Attack – down two spots to #13 this week
The Bears split a weekend pair at home to Erie, one that ended in forgettable fashion as Owen Sound saw a 5-2 lead evaporate on Sunday afternoon, losing 8-5. Cedrick Guindon was a bright spot for the Bears, recording five points (3-2–5) in the set against Erie. The Attack sit fourth in the Midwest Division with a record of 13-11-2-0.
Barrie Colts – down one spot and off the rankings this week
Barrie started off strong, defeating the Windsor Spitfires 4-1 on Thursday before dropping back-to-back outings in Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie.
