OHL Power Rankings: Dec. 16, 2024

Get ready for a bit of a shuffle in Week 12 as a few Eastern Conference teams make big climbs on the OHL Power Rankings.

Who’s up:

Windsor Spitfires – up one spot to #2 this week
The jockeying between Windsor and Kitchener continues in spots #2 and #3, with the Knights barely hanging-on to their top spot following Sunday’s win over the Rangers. The Spits beat the Erie Otters 5-1 at home on Thursday before splitting a home-and-home with top-ranked London. Jack Nesbitt scored the late winner in Saturday’s victory over the Knights. Rookie standout Ethan Belchetz was sidelined with an injury in Friday’s game against the Knights and didn’t play Saturday.

Erie Otters – up one spot to #4 this week
It was a heavy week for the Otters organization after the sudden passing of owner Jim Waters on Friday. The Otters rebounded from a 5-1 loss to Windsor on Thursday to soundly defeat the Saginaw Spirit 8-2 at home on Saturday, getting a hat-trick from overage winger Sam Alfano, who scored on the first shot of the game.

Niagara IceDogs – up six spots to #6 this week
The Dogs went 3-0 on the road last week, defeating North Bay, Sault Ste, Marie and Sudbury while scoring 21 goals over three games. Sophomore forwards Ryan Roobroeck (4-5–9) and Ethan Czata (5-4–9) both racked up nine points on the trip while Kevin He (3-5–8) had eight. The IceDogs sit tied with Barrie atop the Central Division standings.

Brantford Bulldogs – up three spots to #8 this week
The Brantford Bulldogs were perfect last week, rattling off wins over Brampton, Barrie and Kingston. The first two contests were decided in overtime, with overage captain Patrick Thomas emerging as the hero on both occasions. Sunday’s win saw Brantford rack up 10 goals on the visiting Kingston Frontenacs, with blueliners Daniel Chen (1-2–3) and Adam Jiricek (2-0–2) having productive afternoons along with rookie forward Aiden O’Donnell (1-2–3). Nick Lardis and Jake O’Brien joined Jiricek with two goals in the lopsided victory.

Ottawa 67’s – up three spots to #12 this week
The 67’s went 3-0 as well, scoring victories over Peterborough, Barrie and North Bay. Friday’s win over the Petes featured a game-winner from Will Gerrior before the Barber Poles bested the Eastern Conference-leading Barrie Colts 5-4 in a shootout on Saturday, with former Jr. Colt Nathan Amidovski netting the shootout winner. The 67’s jumped out to a 4-1 lead in North Bay on Sunday, holding on to defeat the Troops 4-3 behind 36 saves from Jaeden Nelson. Ottawa’s latest success came without head coach Dave Cameron, who is leading Canada’s National Junior Team.

Peterborough Petes – up one spot to #15 this week
The Petes beat their age-old rival the Oshawa Generals 4-3 n overtime on Thursday, with Gavin Bryant stepping up for the OT winner. Peterborough then secured a point in Friday’s 3-2 OT loss in Ottawa as Easton Rye was steady once again, making 44 saves. The Petes have points in seven of their last 10 games.

Who’s down:

Kitchener Rangers – down one spot to #3 this week
The Rangers fall one spot following Sunday’s 3-2 loss in London combined with Windsor’s success over the weekend. The Rangers were winners at home on Friday courtesy a thrilling overtime winner from captain Matthew Andonovski in a 3-2 outcome over Kingston. Head coach Jussi Ahokas returned to the Rangers bench after a week back in Finland tending to some family health matters.

Barrie Colts – down one spot to #5 this week
The Colts dropped a pair of one-goal games beyond regulation, losing 2-1 in overtime to the Brantford Bulldogs on Friday before a 5-4 home shootout loss to Ottawa on Saturday that saw a comeback attempt fall short. The Colts will be without prominent names in Cole Beaudoin and Beau Akey until the new year as they made Canada’s National Junior Team roster. Circle your calendars for Thursday as the Niagara IceDogs are at Sadlon Arena for a battle of solid Central Division squads.

Oshawa Generals – down one spot to #7 this week
The Generals took back-to-back losses to begin the week, falling to Peterborough and North Bay on the heels of a coaching change that saw Brad Malone appointed interim bench boss. Malone picked up his first win on Sunday as the Gennies defeated the Brampton Steelheads 3-2. Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Ben Danford scored the third period winner on Sunday.

Saginaw Spirit – down one spot to #9 this week
The Spirit eked out a 7-6 win in Guelph on Friday night thanks to two goals and two assists from Michael Misa. They weren’t so fortunate on Saturday in Erie, dropping an 8-2 decision though Misa managed to become the league’s first 30-goal scorer of the season in the loss. He leads the OHL with 61 points, seven more than Brampton’s Porter Martone. The Spirit have a home-and-home with the Flint Firebirds heading into the holiday break.

Kingston Frontenacs – down three spots to #10 this week
The Fronts were right there on Friday and Saturday, losing a pair of one-goal contests in Kitchener and Guelph. Sunday was a write-off as they were bludgeoned 10-1 in Brantford. The Fronts trail the Oshawa Generals by two points in the East Division standings, carrying a 16-9-5-2 mark in Friday’s home date with Peterborough.

Sudbury Wolves – down two spots to #11 this week
The Wolves dropped two-of-three last week, falling to Sault Ste. Marie and Niagara while defeating the Brampton Steelheads 5-4 in overtime at home on Friday. Winnipeg Jets prospect Kieron Walton stayed hot in the win, burying the game-winner as he leads Sudbury in scoring with 51 points (18-33–51) over 30 games. The Wolves were leap-frogged in the Power Rankings as a result of Sunday’s home loss to Niagara.

Brampton Steelheads – down one spot to #13 this week
The Brampton Steelheads are down to 13th following a winless week of action. The Trout haven been close, losing one-goal outcomes to Brantford, Sudbury and Oshawa as their record sits at 14-12-4-0. Starting goaltender Jack Ivankovic and captain Porter Martone both made Canada’s National Junior Team, meaning the Trout will have to find alternative solutions moving into the new year.

North Bay Battalion – down one spot to #14 this week
The Battalion lost games against Niagara and Ottawa on home ice last week while finding their lone bit of success on Friday night in Oshawa, defeating the Generals 3-1. The Troops have two games heading into the break, hosting the Soo Greyhounds Wednesday before a visit to Sudbury on Friday night.

Soo Greyhounds – down three spots and off the list this week
The Hounds have won just two of their last 10, ending the week on a sour note with back-to-back home losses against Niagara and Sarnia where they were outscored 14-7. They’ll have to get by without minute-eater Andrew Gibson on the back-end as he’s off to represent Canada at the World Juniors.