OHL Power Rankings: Jan. 5, 2026

Who’s up:

Windsor Spitfires – up one spot to #2 this week
Despite missing captain Liam Greentree from their lineup, the Spits are rolling with five straight wins. Ethan Garden had himself a big week with an overtime winner on Friday in Niagara before scoring again on Saturday in Erie. Windsor has a new top scorer, with Seattle Kraken prospect Nathan Villeneuve coming over from the Sudbury Wolves.

Barrie Colts – up three spots to #3 this week
The Colts have points in four straight contests, and have benefitted from tremendous goaltending provided by Ben Hrebik. With Cole Beaudoin, Kashawn Aitcheson and Emil Hemming soon to return from the World Juniors, the Colts have their sights set on a second straight Central Division title, holding a 10-point cushion heading into the week.

Peterborough Petes – up one spot to #9 this week
Like Barrie, Peterborough also has points in four straight, with a solid goaltender of their own in Easton Rye, who is this week’s Mary Brown’s Chicken OHL Goaltender of the Week. The Petes will have the highly skilled Adam Novotny back from the World Juniors in the coming days. Rookies Kaden McGregor and Gerry DiCunzolo both chipped-in to the club’s offence this past week, helping in wins over Kingston and Owen Sound.

Kingston Frontenacs – up one spot to #10 this week
The Fronts have been riding a bit of a rollercoaster, losing nine straight between Nov. 19th and Dec. 6th, winning five in a row from Dec. 10th and 20th and have since alternated wins and losses in their four games since. A middle of the pack spot would seem fitting. The Fronts parted ways with captain Jacob Battaglia who is off to Flint, with Kory Cooper acquiring Slovak winger Alex Misiak in a corresponding move.

Guelph Storm – up one spot to #13 this week
The Storm, or is it the Royal City Jockstraps, pulled out of a funk at home this past weekend, snapping an eight-game losing slide with wins over Brantford and Peterborough. Charlie Paquette went out in style, scoring the shootout winner in his final game with the Storm on Sunday. He’s since been dealt to the Brantford Bulldogs. Layne Gallacher made a strong first impression in his Storm debut, scoring twice to help defeat his former Bulldogs teammates on Friday.

Niagara IceDogs – up two spots to #14 this week
The IceDogs are finding their stride with points in six straight. The OHL’s December Player of the Month Riley Patterson and draft eligible teammate Ryan Roobroeck have both been on offensive tears, and goaltender Vladislav Yermolenko has been steady, going 4-0 last week with 134 saves across those starts. They beat division rival Barrie to begin a stretch of four straight on the road that includes visits to Brantford, Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie this week.

Saginaw Spirit – up one spot to #16 this week
The Spirit are back in the mix, returning to the list for the first time since Dec. 1st having won five of their last six contests. Saginaw bested both Sault Ste. Marie and Brampton at the Dow over the weekend, with first-year forwards Egor Barabanov and Nikita Klepov driving the offence. Stepan Shurygin continues to be a workhorse in the crease, going 4-0 last week. He leads OHL goaltenders with 1,907 minutes played this season.

Who’s down:

Brantford Bulldogs – down one spot to #3 this week
The Bulldogs have hovered around .500 since the likes of Jett Luchanko, Ben Danford, Adam Jiricek, Adam Benak and Vladimir Dravecky departed for the World Juniors. Add to that, both Jake O’Brien and Marek Vanacker have been out of the lineup recently. The result has been recent losses to both Erie and Guelph. The Dogs get back at it at home to Niagara on Wednesday, featuring a new addition in veteran forward Charlie Paquette.

Soo Greyhounds – down three spots to #8 this week
Like Brantford, the Hounds have been impacted by World Junior losses, most notably in captain Brady Martin who appears to have sustained an injury on duty with Team Canada. Expect high-flying blueliner Chase Reid, who suited up for the United States, to be back in the lineup this week. The Greyhounds embark on a week at home with matchups against Sudbury, Ottawa and Niagara on the heels of four straight losses.

North Bay Battalion – down two spots to #11 this week
The Troops snapped a three-game losing slide with their 5-2 win over Sudbury on Sunday. Ryder Cali returned to the Battalion lineup coming out of the holiday break. The NHL Draft prospect scored his first goal since Oct. 19th on Sunday. The Troops will feature new additions in Sebastien Gervais and Hayden Barch from the Saginaw Spirit, when they host the Ottawa 67’s on Thursday.

Owen Sound Attack – down two spots to #15 this week
The Bears will look to re-find their footing when Carter George returns from Canada’s National Junior Team. They’ve dropped eight of their last nine, with the one exception coming in Saturday’s 5-3 win over the Sarnia Sting.

Erie Otters – down one spot and off the list this week
It should be noted that the Otters handed the Brantford Bulldogs their first regulation home loss of the season on Dec. 30th, but outside of that triumph it’s been three losses since returning from the break. They’ll be in Windsor, Sarnia and London for a three-in-three starting Thursday.