Knights and Spirit included in Week 19 edition of CHL Top 10 Rankings

The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) announced today the Week 19 edition of its CHL Top-10 Rankings for the 2023-24 season.

Having clinched their spot in the 2024 WHL Playoffs, thanks in part to a current 11-game point streak (10-0-0-1), the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League (WHL) hold the top spot in the CHL rankings for a third week in a row. The Blades still have just one regulation loss since November 24 having won 24 of their last 30 games (24-1-2-3). Right behind them in second place is the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), who extended their CHL-best point streak to 23 games (21-0-0-2) to maintain their lead in the OHL’s overall standings. Meanwhile, rounding out the top three is the Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), who continue to lead the CHL in wins (42) and clinched their place in the 2024 QMJHL Playoffs last week.

Since nine of ten clubs ranked in last week’s CHL Top-10 Rankings won all of their matchups over the last seven days, there weren’t too many changes to this week’s rankings. The most notable change came from the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL, who are back in the Top 10 for the first time since December. Having won a pair of games last week and collected points in nine of their last 10 contests (7-1-2-0), Halifax also booked its place in the 2024 QMJHL Playoffs alongside Baie-Comeau and the No. 5-ranked Drummondville Voltigeurs.

The next rankings will be released the week of February 19, following the 20th week of regular season action in all three member leagues of the CHL.

CHL Top-10 Rankings – Week 19

1. Saskatoon Blades (WHL): Currently on an eight-game winning streak, having also only suffered one regulation loss over their last 30 games (24-1-2-3) since November 24, the Blades (39-9-2-3) are once again in the No. 1 spot for a third straight week. Thanks to their strong week, which saw Saskatoon beat Lethbridge (3-1), Prince Albert (6-1), and Swift Current (3-2), the Blades became the first WHL club to punch its ticket to the postseason. A big part of their success over the last seven days had to do with the performance of Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Fraser Minten, who registered a pair of multi-point contests and five points (2G-3A) last week. Since joining the Blades, Minten has 27 points (13G-14A) in 21 games, having been held off the scoresheet on just four occasions. Meanwhile, fellow Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Brandon Lisowsky nabbed a point in all three Saskatoon victories. In 18 games (12G-8A over that stretch) since January 1, Lisowsky has been held off the scoresheet just three times. Additionally, Nashville Predators prospect Tanner Molendyk had a goal and a pair of assists last week to increase his total to 44 points in 36 games this season. Specifically, with 16 points (3G-13A) in 12 games since January 13, Molendyk ranks third in scoring among WHL defencemen, trailing only Portland’s Luca Cagnoni (18 points) and Moose Jaw’s Denton Mateychuk (17 points). This week, the Blades will aim to become just the second team in the CHL to reach 40 wins when they hit the road this week for contests in Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, and Brandon.

Games this week: @ Lethbridge (Feb. 16), @ Medicine Hat (Feb. 17), @ Brandon (Feb. 19)

2. London Knights (OHL): Although they seemed poised to lose for the first time in regulation since December 14, the Knights (38-11-0-3) mounted an impressive comeback victory on Sunday in Oshawa to extend their CHL-best point streak to 23 games (21-0-0-2). Trailing 3-0 near the halfway point of the third period, London rattled off four unanswered goals, which included the game-winner in overtime by Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan. With the goal, Cowan extended his point streak to 21 games (16G-26A over that stretch), which ranks as the fourth-longest streak of its kind in the CHL this season. Cowan also tied Mitch Marner for the third-longest point streak in franchise history. Meanwhile, the Knights also scored victories over Flint (9-2) and Windsor (5-1) as they continue to lead the OHL with 38 wins this season. Throughout their three games last week, in addition to Cowan, London’s stars truly shined. First, Ruslan Gazizov matched a season-high by tallying five points, including a hat-trick, against the Firebirds last Wednesday. Philadelphia Flyers prospect Oliver Bonk scored against both Flint and Windsor, giving him goals in 10 of his last 14 games. With 14 goals in 14 games since January 10, no defenceman in the CHL has more goals than Bonk, and his 14 goals place him in a tie with Owen Sound’s Colby Barlow for the CHL lead among all skaters over that stretch. Meanwhile, Philadelphia Flyers prospect Denver Barkey collected a goal and four assists last week as he now has points in 11 of his last 13 contests (8G-13A over that stretch). Additionally, San Jose Sharks prospect Kasper Halttunen recorded two goals and an assist in London’s come-from-behind victory against the Generals to extend his point streak to four games (4G-4A over that stretch). This week, London will look to keep the good times rolling when they face the Greyhounds, Attack, and Spitfires.

Games this week: vs. Soo (Feb. 16), @ Owen Sound (Feb. 17), vs. Windsor (Feb. 19)

3. Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL): With identical 6-3 victories, one against Moncton and the other over Cape Breton, the Drakkar (42-8-2-0) became the first team in the CHL to secure its place in the playoffs, before being joined by three others (Drummondville, Halifax, and Saskatoon) over the week. Baie-Comeau continues to be the only team in the CHL with 40 wins this season, and they remain the only Canadian Hockey League club with a point percentage (.827) above .800 during the 2023-24 campaign. A big part of their success continues to be 2024 NHL Draft prospect Justin Poirier, who recorded three goals and five points last week. Now holding a QMJHL-leading 40 goals, Poirier is on pace for 52 goals this season, which would make him the first 17-year-old in the QMJHL to top 50 goals since Sidney Crosby achieved the feat by tallying 66 during the 2004-05 season. At the same time, New York Islanders prospect Justin Gill and 2024 NHL Draft prospect Raoul Boilard both collected a pair of goals and assists over the Drakkar’s two wins, giving them both points in four straight games. Gill is up to 74 points on the campaign, which continues to place him among the QMJHL’s top-three scorers this season, while Boilard leads all rookie skaters in the QMJHL in goals (21), assists (31), and points (52). This week, Baie-Comeau will first host the Cataractes before traveling to Victoriaville for a contest against the Tigres.

Games this week: vs. Shawinigan (Feb. 16), @ Victoriaville (Feb. 18)

4. Saginaw Spirit (OHL): With nine wins in their last 10 games, including five in a row, the Spirit (37-13-0-1) find themselves among the top five for the seventh time in eight weeks. Now at a CHL-best 33 wins over their last 39 games (33-6-0-0) since November 3, thanks to victories against Owen Sound (5-4 OT), Erie (5-2), and the Soo (3-0) last week, Saginaw sits in a close second behind London in the OHL’s overall standings. Over the previous week, 2024 NHL Draft prospect Zayne Parekh registered two goals and five points as he continues to lead all CHL defencemen in goals (25) and points (74) this season. Meanwhile, Montreal Canadiens prospect Owen Beck led all Spirit scorers with seven points (4G-3A) in Saginaw’s three victories over the last seven days. Beck’s up to 24 points (9G-15A) in 15 games with the Spirit. Similarly, Anaheim Ducks prospect Rodwin Dionicio has continued his strong play with his new club, recording a pair of assists against the Attack before scoring twice the following day against the Otters. Dionicio now has recorded four multi-point outings over his previous six contests. At the same time, goaltenders Nolan Lalonde and Andrew Oke continue to impress in the net for the Spirit. Dating back to November 2, Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Nolan Lalonde has won a franchise-record 14 starts in a row. While 19-year-old Andrew Oke recorded 22 saves against the Greyhounds to secure his first career OHL shutout in what was his sixth win in seven starts. This week, the Spirit will hit the road as they travel for games in Barrie, Sudbury, and North Bay.

Games this week: @ Barrie (Feb. 15), @ Sudbury (Feb. 16), @ North Bay (Feb. 18)

5. Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL): With a trio of victories against Sherbrooke (11-1), Shawinigan (2-1), and Moncton (8-6), scoring 21 goals in the process, the Voltigeurs (36-10-4-1) find themselves in fifth for a third straight week. As a result of their three wins in the last seven days, Drummondville was one of three QMJHL clubs to punch its ticket to the playoffs last week. After a quiet start to February, having gone pointless over his team’s first three games, Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Ethan Gauthier tallied points in each of the Voltigeurs’ three wins (2G-2A over that stretch). Meanwhile, 19-year-old left winger Sam Oliver, who had 14 points through 27 games to start the season, has since gone on quite the run. Over his last 24 games since the beginning of December, Oliver has averaged 1.67 points per game, having recorded 40 points (21G-19A), which ranks as the second-most amount of any skater in the QMJHL since December 1. Most recently, Oliver scored a career-high four goals and five points against the Moncton Wildcats on Saturday. At the same time, Buffalo Sabres Vsevolod Komarov recorded a pair of three-point outings last week (1G-5A in last 3 GP) as he continues to pace all QMJHL defencemen in assists (40) and points (50) this season. Drummondville, who have recently been forced to play without Philadelphia Flyers prospect Alexis Gendron (lower-body injury), Arizona Coyotes prospect Maveric Lamoureux (illness), and Slovakian forward Peter Repcik (illness), will hope to see a number of these players return as they hope to extend their current four-game winning streak when they face the Foreurs, the Phoenix and the Cataractes this week. Drummondville’s game on Friday (Feb. 16) in Sherbooke at 7:00 p.m. ET is one that fans will be able to catch on RDS.ca as part of the CHL Game of the Week program.

Games this week: vs. Val-d’Or (Feb. 15), @ Sherbrooke (Feb. 16), @ Shawinigan (Feb. 18)

6. Portland Winterhawks (WHL): Having strung together four straight wins, along with eight victories of their last 10 contests, the Winterhawks (35-12-2-1) continue to sit sixth in the CHL Top-10 Rankings. In their lone game last week, the Winterhawks made sure to take care of business by edging the Seattle Thunderbirds 4-1 in Portland for what was their 20th win on home ice this season. Holding a 4.78 goals-per-game average during the 2023-24 campaign, Portland is currently the highest-scoring team in the WHL, and they rank third in the CHL behind only Sudbury (4.82) and London (4.79) in that category. Last week, in their lone contest against the Thunderbirds, 20-year-old Gabe Klassen was named the game’s first star after tallying a game-high three points (2G-1A), including the game-winning goal. Klassen now has registered four straight outings with multiple points as he continues to rank among the top-five scorers in the WHL this season. Meanwhile, fellow overager James Stefan potted the game’s other two goals on Saturday to increase his total to 36 on the season, which places him among the top-five goal scorers in the WHL. Similarly, San Jose Sharks prospect Luca Cagnoni tallied two assists as his 64 points (11G-53A) in 48 games this season rank third among defencemen in the CHL behind only Saginaw’s Zayne Parekh (74 points) and Kitchener’s Hunter Brzustewicz (71 points). This week, Portland will hope to come out victorious during a four-game schedule highlighted by a pair of games against both the No.8-ranked Silvertips and the Giants.

Games this week: vs. Everett (Feb. 13), @ Vancouver (Feb. 16), vs. Vancouver (Feb. 17), @ Everett (Feb. 18)

7. Prince George Cougars (WHL): Having won three straight last week, the Cougars (35-15-0-2) have managed to bounce back following a stretch of games that had seen them lose four of six. Sitting seventh in the CHL Top-10 rankings for a third week in a row, Prince George tallied wins against Kamloops (5-3) and Victoria (4-1 & 9-6) on two separate occasions. The last seven days were also a historic one for a couple of Prince George’s players. First, by registering his seventh hat-trick of the season on Saturday against Victoria, 20-year-old Zac Funk has the most hat-tricks in a single season in Cougars franchise history. Additionally, by recording his CHL-best 22nd power-play goal of the campaign, Funk also matched Texas Stars forward Chase Wheatcroft for the most power-play markers in a single season by a Cougar. If that wasn’t enough, Funk also continues to lead the CHL in power-play goals (22) and goals (49) this season. Meanwhile, having scored in that same game on Saturday against the Royals, 2024 NHL Draft prospect Terik Parascak became the franchise’s all-time rookie leader in goals by tallying his 31st of the campaign. Parascak is also in the midst of a nine-game point streak (4G-7A over that stretch), and he continues to pace all CHL rookies in goals (31) and points (73) this season. This week, the Cougars will prepare for another three-game schedule which will begin with a pair of contests against the Blazers.

Games this week: vs. Kamloops (Feb. 16), @ Kamloops (Feb. 17), vs. Seattle (Feb. 19)

8. Everett Silvertips (WHL): Having won both of their games last week, the Silvertips (35-17-1-2) are up a spot in eighth in these rankings as they continue to keep pace with the Winterhawks in the WHL’s Western Conference. Specifically, Everett notched their victories last week against Wenatchee (6-2) and Spokane (7-6 SO). The Silvertips have now scored six goals or more in three straight contests, along with achieving the feat in five of their last seven. Vegas Golden Knights prospect Ben Hemmerling continued his strong play, as he recorded three goals and five points in the Silvertips’ pair of victories. Hemmerling now has registered five straight multi-point contests and tallied two points or more in six of his last seven games. Czech forward Dominik Rymon also collected points in both games (1G-2A) to extend his point streak to five games. Rymon is up to 15 goals over his last 15 games, and he leads all Everett skaters with 30 goals this season. Nashville Predators prospect Austin Roest was also among the Silvertips’ leading scorers with four points (1G-3A) last week. Roest’s 27 goals during the 2023-24 campaign trail only Rymon for the team lead. This week, Everett will need to be at its best as they get set to play four divisional games against Wenatchee, Seattle, and No. 6-ranked Portland, who they’ll face twice to both start and end the week.

Games this week: @ Portland (Feb. 13), @ Wenatchee (Feb. 16), vs. Seattle (Feb. 17), vs. Portland (Feb. 18) 

9. Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL): With five straight wins, and now up to 16 victories over their last 18 games (16-2-0-0), the Warriors (33-16-0-2) are up a spot in this week’s rankings in ninth. With their strong play of late, including wins against Edmonton (5-2), Red Deer (6-4), and Calgary (5-2) last week, Moose Jaw has climbed into third place in the WHL’s Eastern Conference. With a point in all three of the Warriors’ wins last week, Seattle Kraken prospect Jagger Firkus extended his point streak to 24 games (18G-30A over that stretch), which now stands as the longest point streak of any skater in the CHL this season (ahead of both Kelowna’s Andrew Cristall and Moose Jaw teammate Denton Mateychuk who both went on 23-game point streaks this season). Firkus’ 24-game point streak also now stands as a modern-day record in Moose Jaw franchise history and Firkus also continues to pace all CHL skaters with 91 points this season. Meanwhile, speaking of Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Denton Mateychuk, the Warriors defenceman registered a pair of multi-point games last week, which included a four-point effort (1G-3A) in Red Deer last Friday. Buffalo Sabres prospect Matthew Savoie and 20-year-old Atley Calvert also figured among the Warriors’ leading scorers last week. Savoie accrued three points (1G-2A) in two games last week, and he now has points in 18 of his last 19 games, having been held off the scoresheet just twice this season. Meanwhile, Calvert extended his point streak to 10 games thanks to three multi-point outings in a row, one of which included scoring a hat-trick against Edmonton last Tuesday. This week, Moose Jaw will begin with a pair of home games against the Wheat Kings and the Hitmen, before they will travel to Swift Current to face the Broncos. The Warriors’ contest against Brandon on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. CT is one that fans can watch for free on CHL TV as part of the CHL Game of the Week.

Games this week: vs. Brandon (Feb. 15), vs. Calgary (Feb. 17), @ Swift Current (Feb. 19)

10. Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL): With points in nine of their last 10 games (7-1-2-0), including seven victories highlighted by notable wins against No. 5-ranked Drummondville and Victoriaville recently, the Mooseheads (33-12-7-1) are back in the CHL Top-10 for the first time in seven weeks. Halifax, who continue to play without last year’s QMJHL-leading scorer and Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Jordan Dumais, became the third QMJHL team to secure their place in this spring’s postseason. The Mooseheads punched their ticket thanks to their wins against Saint John (3-2) and Charlottetown (7-0) last week. In both games, 19-year-old forward Markus Vidicek picked up an assist to give him points in six of his last seven games (4G-5A over that stretch). Vidicek continues to figure among the leaders in the QMJHL, as his 66 points rank fifth in the league while his 35 goals trail only Baie-Comeau’s Justin Poirier this season. Right behind Vidicek in terms of goal scoring is his teammate and Vegas Golden Knights prospect Mathieu Cataford, who tallied his 33rd goal of the season on Saturday against Charlottetown. Forward Peter Reynolds has also made himself at home with his new club. Since being acquired by Halifax, Reynolds has tallied points in nine of 12 games, which included registering a goal in the Mooseheads’ victories against both the Sea Dogs and Islanders last week. As they look ahead to this week, Halifax will look to maintain its place among the CHL’s Top 10 when traveling to Cape Breton before playing Moncton twice. Halifax’s game on Monday (Feb. 19) in Moncton at 2:00 p.m. AT is one that fans will be able to catch on TSN+ as part of the CHL Game of the Week program.

Games this week: @ Cape Breton (Feb. 16), vs. Moncton (Feb. 18), @ Moncton (Feb. 19)