OHL Power Rankings: Oct. 15, 2024

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. The London Knights are back on top of the pile in Week 3, but in truth, nobody really has a firm grip on bragging rights at this early point in the season. Anything can happen from week-to-week!

Who’s up:

London Knights – up three spots to #1 this week
The Knights skated to wins over Owen Sound, Barrie and Guelph last week, finding their rhythm with the return of Denver Barkey, Oliver Bonk and Easton Cowan to the lineup. Edmonton Oilers prospect Sam O’Reilly was the OT hero on Wednesday in Owen Sound as the Knights beat the Bears 5-4. The Barrie Colts had the Knights on the ropes Friday at the newly minted Canada Life Place, but Sam Dickinson completed a hat-trick from the back end before Evan Van Gorp scored the winner in a comeback victory. The Knights took care of business on Saturday at home, beating Guelph 5-1 with William Nicholl scoring twice and adding an assist.

Barrie Colts – up one spot to #2 this week
The Colts gave the London Knights a good challenge on Friday in the Forest City, coming up just short as the Knights surged to victory in the third. Barrie beat last week’s #1 team, the Brampton Steelheads, by a score of 4-2 at home on Saturday. New addition Dalyn Wakely made his presence felt, putting up five points (2-3–5) in his first weekend as a Colt. Blueliners Beau Akey and Gabriel Eliasson both scored their first goals of the season on Saturday.

Brantford Bulldogs – up one spot to #4 this week
Big week for the Bulldogs, who put back-to-back home losses last weekend in the rear view mirror. Brantford has found big-time chemistry with the unit of Patrick Thomas centering Nick Lardis and Calvin Crombie as the trio buzzed in wins over Sarnia, Ottawa and Kingston. The Dogs had some great goaltending from Ryerson Leenders on Saturday in Kingston, winning despite being firmly outshot on a last-minute game-winner from Cole Brown. Brantford looks to carry the momentum back home for a weekend at the Civic Centre, taking on North Bay and Kingston on Friday and Saturday.

Erie Otters – up one spot to #6 this week
The Otters picked up three of a possible four points on home ice, falling 3-2 in a shootout to North Bay on Friday before giving their fans a good show Saturday night, exploding for five unanswered third period goals to hand the first place Windsor Spitfires their first regulation loss of the season. Big winger Wesley Royston put together his first multi-goal OHL showing, scoring a pair in the win while Noah Erliden made 40 saves in the crease.

Windsor Spitfires – up four spots to #7 this week
The Spits keep climbing, knocking-off last week’s #1 team in the Brampton Steelheads by a score of 7-5 on the road Friday night. The Spits had a setback on Saturday in Erie, seeing a 3-1 lead crumble against the Otters in a forgettable third period. Windsor was back buzzing on Monday afternoon though, with Liam Greentree recording a goal and three assists in a 5-2 victory over the Oshawa Generals. The Spitfires lead the OHL in goals by a wide margin, netting 46 over just eight games. Greentree is tied for the OHL scoring lead with 16 points (3-13–16).

Who’s down:

Brampton Steelheads – down two spots to #3 this week
The Trout ran into a wall over the weekend, being outgunned in a 7-5 loss to the Windsor Spitfires on Friday before dropping a 4-2 decision in Barrie on Saturday. The Steelheads were missing suspended goaltender Jack Ivankovic, and they’ll have to brave next weekend without him as well as Ottawa and Saginaw visit the CAA Centre. Porter Martone sits tied for the OHL scoring lead with 16 points (7-9–16).

Saginaw Spirit – down three spots to #5 this week
Michael Misa’s point streak has reached seven games, but the Saginaw Spirit had an otherwise forgettable weekend at the Dow Event Center, losing to bottom-half opponents in Kitchener and Sault Ste. Marie. The Hounds won Saturday’s contest 3-2, scoring the deciding goal with under two minutes to go. Misa leads the way with 14 points (11-3–14) over seven games while Zayne Parekh has six points (1-5–6) over five games since returning from the Calgary Flames.

Oshawa Generals – down four spots to #10 this week
It’s a considerable drop, but the reality is that the Generals just aren’t playing great hockey right now. If you’ll recall, they didn’t inspire a ton of confidence in the opening weeks of last season either, and eventually emerged as Eastern Conference champions. The Gens inched past the Sarnia Sting 4-3 in a shootout on Friday before losing to both Flint and Windsor the rest of the way. Colby Barlow has been held pointless in five consecutive games to begin his Generals tenure, marking the first time that’s happened in his OHL career since February 2022. Calum Ritchie scored his first NHL goal with the Colorado Avalanche on Monday. Make of that what you will Generals fans!

Ottawa 67’s – down one spot to #11 this week
The 67’s were on the wrong end of back-to-back decisions, falling to both Brantford and Sudbury. The next few weeks will be telling for Dave Cameron’s club as the 67’s are on the road for five of their next six, with stops in Niagara and Brampton next weekend.