OHL Power Rankings: Week 15 – Jan. 15, 2024

We’re 15 weeks into the OHL Power Rankings as the 2023-24 OHL season enters its stretch run in mid-January. Here’s a look at the latest edition, with last week’s action resulting in some movement.

Who’s up:

Kitchener Rangers – up two spots to #3 this week
The Rangers were back in the saddle, skating to home wins over Erie and Ottawa over the weekend. Carson Rehkopf netted his second of back-to-back hat-tricks on Friday, giving him a league-leading 37 goals. Blueliner Hunter Brzustewicz piled up three assists on Sunday against Ottawa, entering the week tied for the OHL scoring lead with North Bay’s Anthony Romani. Newly acquired winger Eduard Sale looks to make his Rangers debut this week as the Rangers enter a tough stretch in their schedule, taking on some very capable opponents.

North Bay Battalion – up three spots to #4 this week
The Troops got the better of both Mississauga and Sault Ste. Marie, climbing ahead of the Greyhounds on this week’s list. Anthony Romani continues to produce at an incredible pace, stretching his run of consecutive multi-point games to five with two more three-point efforts including a hat-trick on Thursday. Romani brings a point streak of 17 games into this week as the Battalion sits one point back of first place Sudbury in the Central Division.

Oshawa Generals – up two spots to #6 this week
The Generals are playing some good hockey of late, collecting six points against East Division opponents over the weekend. Oshawa defeated Kingston twice, and also downed the rival Peterborough Petes 6-3 on Saturday. Jacob Oster has been among the league’s best goaltenders of late as the Gennies are up to fourth in the Eastern Conference, having won five games in a row. New blueline addition Connor Punnett scored his first as a General in Sunday’s win.

Ottawa 67’s – up four spots to #9 this week
The new-look Ottawa 67’s collected four of a possible six points on their three-in-three southern Ontario road trip, defeating the Brantford Bulldogs in a shootout, the Owen Sound Attack in regulation and coming up short against the Kitchener Rangers. All three of the club’s new overage additions factored into the team’s success as Braeden Kressler, Jacob Maillet and Samuel Mayer each registered a least a point-per-game through their first three outings.

Sarnia Sting – up one spot to #14 this week
You could argue the Sting probably shouldn’t be climbing this week, but the OHL Power Rankings result in some interesting outcomes. The Sting were outgunned against London and Sudbury on home ice, being outscored 16-5 to start the week, but credit to them for pulling things together on Sunday in Mississauga, skating to a 3-1 victory over the Steelheads behind a first star performance from goaltender Nick Surzycia.

Flint Firebirds – up two spots to #15 this week
The Birds are back with some new faces in the lineup, defeating Owen Sound at home and Niagara on the road before a forgettable stop in Erie on Saturday night. New overage additions Oliver Peer and Roberto Mancini brought immediate benefits to Flint while Connor Clattenburg and Alex Kostov got familiarized with their new club last week. Veteran winger Nolan Dann continues an 11-game point streak into this week. The Firebirds, who return to the Power Rankings after a rough patch in recent weeks, hold down the Western Conference’s final playoff spot. They’ll be in Guelph on Friday before a big game against Sarnia at home on Saturday.

Niagara IceDogs – up one spot to #16 this week
Welcome to the OHL Power Rankings, Niagara IceDogs! The Dogs have come around in recent weeks, defeating the Barrie Colts at home on Thursday before dropping a 5-2 decision against the Flint Firebirds on Friday. Niagara is three points back of ninth-place Barrie and sit seven points back of eighth-place Peterborough, who hold down the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The IceDogs finish a six-game home stand on Thursday against Mississauga, one in which they’ve earned seven of a possible 10 points so far.

Who’s down:

Soo Greyhounds – down two spots to #5 this week
The Hounds beat the Guelph Storm 4-2 on Friday, but were no match for the North Bay Battalion in Saturday’s 6-3 loss at GFL Memorial Gardens. The Troops climb ahead of the Greyhounds on this week’s list as Sault Ste. Marie continues to lead the West Division with a record of 26-12-2-1. New addition Gavin Hayes had a strong week with his new club, recording four points over his first two games.

Sudbury Wolves – down three spots to #7 this week
Big climbers on last week’s list, the Wolves saw their four-game winning streak halted by the Mississauga Steelheads on Wednesday night. They hit the road on Friday, defeating the Sarnia Sting 7-3, but surrendered 11 goals in Windsor on Saturday, falling to the Spitfires in a high-scoring 11-7 affair. The struggle for Sudbury has been keeping pucks out of their own net, something the goaltending of trio of Jakub Vondras, Marcus Vandenberg and Nate Krawchuk looks to get a handle on as the Wolves embark on a three-game week with games against Barrie (twice) and Erie.

Guelph Storm – down two spots to #8 this week
The Storm had a pair of tough road matchups, and lost both, falling 4-2 in Sault Ste. Marie and 5-2 in Saginaw. Draft eligible forward Jett Luchanko stretched his current point streak to eight games despite the outcomes.

Brantford Bulldogs – down one spot to #10 this week
The Bulldogs lost 6-5 in a shootout against the Ottawa 67’s in a highly entertaining matchup on Friday night. The Barber Poles climb ahead of the Bulldogs in the Week 15 rankings. Brantford travelled up to Barrie on Saturday, holding off the Colts in a 4-3 victory despite missing both Nick Lardis and Patrick Thomas from their lineup. Draft eligible forward Marek Vanacker has stepped up in their absence with points in nine of his last 10 games. New Bulldog Zak Lavoie picked up four points over two games last week.

Mississauga Steelheads – down one spot to #11 this week
The Steelheads had great goaltending from Ryerson Leenders last week, but dropped two of their three outings. Mississauga defeated Sudbury 2-1 on the road Wednesday night before losing consecutive decisions against North Bay and Sarnia.

Kingston Frontenacs – down two spots to #13 this week
The Fronts opened the week with a 6-5 overtime win in Peterborough on Thursday, but couldn’t match the Oshawa Generals, losing two straight against their division rivals. Kingston sits seventh in the Eastern Conference with a record of 20-19-1-0.

Owen Sound Attack – down three spots and off the list this week
The Bears have had their share of ups and downs this season, and this past week was definitely one of those valleys. The Attack dropped a 5-3 decision in Flint, a 6-4 loss at home to the Ottawa 67’s, and are working to erase a 10-0 Sunday outcome at the hands of the London Knights from their memory. Things aren’t as bad in the actual OHL standings, where the Attack sit seventh in the Western Conference with a record of 18-19-2-1. They try and buck a four-game losing slide on the road this week in Peterborough, Kingston and Ottawa.

Barrie Colts – down one spot and off the list this week
The Colts were bested by the Niagara IceDogs in St. Catharines on Thursday before losing 4-3 to the Brantford Bulldogs at home on Saturday. The Colts have back-to-back home dates this week, with Sudbury and Niagara coming to town. Barrie sits four points back of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.