OHL Power Rankings: Feb. 23, 2026
Who’s up:
Flint Firebirds – up three spots to #3 this week
It was by no means a perfect week for the Firebirds, but a big 2-1 win over Windsor paired with Brantford and Ottawa both slipping a little was enough to boost them to third on this week’s list. The ‘Birds salvaged a 4-0 first period deficit on Saturday at home against Sudbury, grabbing a point in a 6-5 overtime loss. They won the big one on Sunday in Windsor, defeating the Spitfires 2-1 to take a three-point lead atop the West Division standings. Flint is chasing its first-ever West Division title.
North Bay Battalion – up two spots to #8 this week
Defeating the Peterborough Petes 5-4 on Thursday night at the PMC went a long way towards boosting the Troops up to eighth on this week’s rankings, their highest placement since September. The thrill of Thursday’s win subsided on Friday in Kingston as the Battalion fell 5-1 to the Frontenacs. They rebounded in the nation’s capital on Sunday, taking a hard-fought 4-2 win over the Ottawa 67’s behind a 41-save showing by Jack Lisson. After a slow start to the season offensively, Anaheim Ducks prospect Ethan Procyszyn has found his form of late, putting up 14 points (7-7–14) over his last 11 games.
Kingston Frontenacs – up one spot to #11 this week
The Fronts grabbed five of a possible six points last week, defeating North Bay and Oshawa sandwiching a 4-3 overtime loss at home to Niagara. OHL Goaltender of the Week Gavin Betts and fellow NHL Draft prospect Matt Minchak have each given Kingston reliable goaltending of late as the Fronts trail Niagara by two points for sixth in the Eastern Conference standings. Landon Wright had a big week, with seven points (4-3–7) over three games.
Guelph Storm – up one spot to #13 this week
Don’t look now, the Storm have won four straight, including their last three on the road. It’s been a rollercoaster season in Guelph, to say the least, but the 2027 Memorial Cup champions are working out the kinks and riding a high into the final week of February. Zach Jovanovski had been lights-out, backstopping the Storm to wins over Erie, Sarnia and Sault Ste. Marie before an abbreviated start on Sunday in Saginaw that saw the Storm still manage to come out on top, defeating the Spirit 8-5. Tyler Hopkins had a memorable four-goal effort stateside and Quinn Beauchesne capped-off a productive week to be named Cogeco OHL Player of the Week from the blueline.
Sarnia Sting – up one spot to #15 this week
The Sting continue to push for a playoff spot, earning a point in an overtime loss to Guelph on Wednesday, falling 6-3 in Sault Ste. Marie on Friday before a 7-4 road win over the Saginaw Spirit on Saturday night that included five points (3-2–5) from Matthew Manza. Buckle up for a big challenge in Sarnia this weekend as two beasts from the East, Barrie and Ottawa, visit the hive. Sarnia sits six points back of Owen Sound for the eighth spot in the Western Conference.
Owen Sound Attack – up one spot to #16 this week
Speaking of the Attack, they climb back onto the list this week following a hard-fought 4-3 shootout loss against the first-ranked Barrie Colts and a 5-0 home win over the Brampton Steelheads. Trenten Bennett and Matthew Koprowski both stole the show in the crease, with the former turning in a 57-save effort and the latter earning his first career OHL shutout. The Attack look to take advantage of a ‘lighter’ schedule in the coming weeks, facing teams with a .500 winning percentage or less in each of their next six games.
Who’s down:
Brantford Bulldogs – down one spot to #4 this week
The Bulldogs started their week with a 4-2 win over unranked Oshawa before meeting their match in road losses against Barrie (7-4) and Peterborough (4-3 OT). Brantford features the league’s first 40-goal scorer of the season in Marek Vanacker, but clearly has some challengers in the Eastern Conference as the playoffs draw closer. The Bulldogs look to get back clicking with home dates against unranked Brampton and Oshawa this week.
Ottawa 67’s – down one spot to #5 this week
The top-ranked team on the power rankings when the calendar flipped from 2025 to 2026, the 67’s have lost four of their last five and find themselves in fifth this week. They flexed their muscle at home on Friday, defeating Niagara 7-1 courtesy a Cooper Foster hat-trick, but were rebuffed on Sunday as the North Bay Battalion took a 4-2 win at TD Place. Having played 12 of their last 13 at home, the 67’s hit the road for Saginaw, Flint and Sarnia this week.
Windsor Spitfires – down one spot to #6 this week
The Spits join Brantford and Ottawa in hitting some recent turbulence, losing to Western Conference foes Kitchener (3-0) and Flint (2-1) over the weekend. It’s been feast or famine for the Spitfires of late as they embark on a new week trailing first place Flint by three points in the West Division. A three-in-three is on deck with Peterborough in town on Thursday, a visit to London on Friday and the top-ranked Barrie Colts paying a visit on Saturday.
Soo Greyhounds – down two spots to #10 this week
Bear in mind the Greyhounds have been fighting the injury bug with 2026 NHL Draft riser Chase Reid, Nashville Predators prospect Brady Martin and the red hot Jeremy Martin all sidelined, but the results of late have been mixed. Marco Mignosa powered the Hounds to a 6-3 win over Sarnia on Friday, setting a new club record with his 14th career shorthanded tally as part of a hat-trick. They were iced-out at GFL Memorial Gardens on Saturday as Zachary Jovanovski turned in a 38-save shutout, helping the Guelph Storm slam the door in a 1-0 final. The Greyhounds play six of their next seven on the road, hoping for good health and reinforcements on their travels.
Sudbury Wolves – down one spot to #12 this week
The Wolves struggled to hold a lead on the road last week. They had a 1-0 edge for a good portion of the game on Thursday in Saginaw, seeing it all fall apart in the final 2:42 of regulation in a 2-1 loss to the Spirit. They climbed out to a 4-0 advantage on the Flint Firebirds on Saturday but saw it evaporate, eventually taking a 6-5 win on a Jan Chovan OT winner. The Wolves rounded-out the weekend falling 4-2 in London. It’s four-straight at home now holding a nine-point cushion on the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Niagara IceDogs – down one spot to #14 this week
A rough stretch continued on Friday in Ottawa as the Dogs were on the wrong end of a 7-1 decision. Riley Patterson and Hayden Reid worked together to snap a three-game slide on Saturday in Kingston as the IceDogs won 4-3 in overtime, pulling two points ahead of the Fronts for possession of sixth place in the Eastern Conference. The Erie Otters are at the Meridian Centre on Thursday night.
Saginaw Spirit – down one spot and off the list this week
There’s no such thing as a boring Saginaw Spirit game. They don’t always win, but it more often than not is high-scoring and eventful. The Spirit charged back to beat the Sudbury Wolves 2-1 on Thursday courtesy Blake Barnes’ first OHL goal. They were outgunned at home against Sarnia (7-4) and Guelph (8-5). The Spirit prepare for another home weekend with Ottawa and Peterborough in town. They enter the week tied with Owen Sound for seventh place in the Western Conference. 2026 NHL Draft prospect Nikita Klepov (33-48–81) is the OHL’s leading scorer.
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