OHL Power Rankings: Jan. 20, 2025
We’ve got some power moves in the 17th edition of the OHL Power Rankings, with some Eastern Conference teams on the rise!
Who’s up:
Brantford Bulldogs – up five spots to #2 this week
The Dogs are rolling as winners of six in a row, including back-to-back victories over the Oshawa Generals over the weekend. They completed a three-in-three with a 2-1 win over the North Bay Battalion on Sunday. Nick Lardis’ 37th of the season was the deciding goal on Sunday. He sits tied with Saginaw’s Michael Misa for the most goals in the OHL. The 24-15-4-0 Bulldogs face a good midweek test at home to the Niagara IceDogs on Wednesday before hitting the road for five straight.
Oshawa Generals – up one spot to #3 this week
The Gennies lost back-to-back against Brantford, but proceeded to knock-off second-ranked Windsor 4-1 at home on Sunday night to salvage their week on the power rankings. Oshawa holds a three-point cushion on first place in the East Division, though the second place Kingston Frontenacs have three games in hand.
Kingston Frontenacs – up two spots to #7 this week
The Fronts took a pair of wins at Slush Puppie Place, defeating Sault Ste. Marie 3-1 on Friday before besting the Erie Otters 6-2 on Sunday. New goaltending addition Charlie Schenkel earned both of those wins while the Fronts saw the return of hard-hitting defenceman Maleek McGowan to the lineup. The Fronts are at home to Ottawa on Wednesday and Saginaw on Friday before hitting the road for five in a row.
Barrie Colts – up two spots to #9 this week
The Colts needed a bounce-back week after plummeting on last week’s list, and they got one, rebounding from a 2-0 loss to North Bay with wins over Windsor and Niagara. New addition Anthony Romani scored in both wins while Dallas Stars first round pick Emil Hemming potted a pair on Sunday. The Colts sit one point out of first place in the Central Division heading into a Wednesday night trip to Owen Sound.
Owen Sound Attack – up one spot to #13 this week
The Bears continue to make things interesting, with two more one-goal outcomes last week. The Attack put together a valiant comeback effort on Friday in Brampton, overcoming a 4-1 deficit with five unanswered goals capped by captain Landen Hookey’s second of the night in overtime. They came out on the short end of a 5-4 decision back at home on Saturday, keeping the Flint Firebirds on their toes until the final buzzer. Draft eligible forward Jake Crawford had a nice game on Saturday, getting the monkey off his back with a pair of goals.
Sarnia Sting – up one spot to #14 this week
The Sting are having a great month of January, continuing to find success on a quiet one-game week in a 6-2 home win over the Sudbury Wolves. St. Louis Blues prospect Lukas Fischer netted a hat-trick in Friday’s win while veteran winger Zach Filak had a goal and three assists. Sarnia sits seventh in the Western Conference as they prepare to host Windsor on Friday.
Soo Greyhounds – up two spots to #15 this week
The Hounds had a solid road trip, soundly defeating the Peterborough Petes 7-0 on Thursday before splitting decisions in Kingston and Ottawa. The Greyhounds climb back into rankings while pushing the Petes out, settling in at 15th as they return back north for a four-game home stand. Rookie blueliner Chase Reid continues to impress, with six assists on the three-game trip while seeing big minutes on the back end.
Flint Firebirds – up one spot to #16 this week
The Birds have been on and off the list through much of the past couple months, and get back onto the radar after scooping three out of four points on the road last week. Flint came up short in a 4-3 shootout loss against the Kitchener Rangers on Friday before coming back to defeat the Owen Sound Attack 5-4 at the Bayshore on Saturday. The Firebirds trailed 4-2 before unanswered goals from Matthew Mania, Chris Thibodeau and Nathan Aspinall helped them pick-up two points.
Who’s down:
Windsor Spitfires – down two spots to #4 this week
Word around the rink is that the Spits were dealing with a flu bug last week, but the power rankings deal in wins and losses and Windsor had a rare week where the latter outweighed the former. The Spits took it to the Sudbury Wolves 6-2 at home in Thursday before 4-1 road losses in Barrie and Oshawa. Windsor falls out of the top-three for the first time since mid-October but has a chance to re-establish themselves starting Friday night in Sarnia.
Kitchener Rangers – down two spots to #5 this week
Like Windsor, the Kitchener Rangers are out of the top-three for the first time in quite awhile. The Blueshirts snuck past the Flint Firebirds 4-3 in a shootout on Friday before dropping a 4-1 decision in Brampton on Saturday. The Rangers received a blow last week, learning they’ll miss Ottawa Senators prospect Luke Ellinas who is out week-to-week with an upper body injury. Kitchener hosts London on Tuesday night as the only game on the OHL schedule.
Niagara IceDogs – down one spot to #6 this week
The Dogs beat North Bay 3-1 on Saturday but weren’t up to the task at the Meridian Centre on Sunday, losing 5-1 to the Barrie Colts. Sophomore standout Ryan Roobroeck scored his 30th goal of the season in Sunday’s loss. Niagara visits red hot Brantford on Wednesday before a home-and-home set against Erie over the weekend.
Erie Otters – down two spots to #8 this week
The Otters won two of three on their Eastern swing, but didn’t pass their biggest test in a 6-2 loss to Kingston on Sunday, being leap-frogged by the Fronts on this week’s list. Overage forwards Sam Alfano and Pano Fimis, who have been big pieces of Erie’s success all season, each had six points (3-3–6) over the three games.
Sudbury Wolves – down three spots to #11 this week
After coming on of late, the Wolves took a step back on the road, going 0-3 against Windsor, Sarnia and London while being outscored 20-5. It doesn’t get easier as they’ll host the London Knights back in Sudbury on Friday night.
Peterborough Petes – down four spots and off the list this week
After six straight weeks on the power rankings, the Petes are back on the outside following home losses to Sault Ste. Marie and Erie that saw them outscored 12-1. The Saginaw Spirit visit the PMC on Thursday.
Guelph Storm – down one spot and off the list this week
The Storm’s stay on the power rankings was brief following road losses to London and Saginaw.