OHL Power Rankings: Week 7 – Nov. 13, 2023
While we confessed some uncertainty at the top of the list last week, there’s no questioning who’s the king of the mountain this time around. Here’s your Week 7 OHL Power Rankings!
Who’s up:
Kitchener Rangers – up three spots to #1 this week
Media representatives across the OHL are eating a healthy dose of mid-November crow as the Kitchener Rangers, who were left off the top-16 in the inaugural preseason edition of the OHL Power Rankings, have rocketed up to top spot in a span of just seven weeks. The Rangers own a league-best 14-5-0-0 mark, pacing all teams with 91 goals scored. Kitchener turned in a 3-0 week as Jackson Parsons posted back-to-back shutouts over Owen Sound and Peterborough before the Blueshirts won a Sunday afternoon showdown against the Soo Greyhounds by a score of 5-3. The recent returns of both Filip Mesar (Montreal) and Roman Schmidt (Tampa Bay) are both noteworthy additions to a lineup that was already clicking under head coach Jussi Ahokas.
London Knights – up two spots to #5 this week
The Knights won all three of their outings last week, making things a little more interesting than perhaps they wanted to on Thursday night in Windsor as they came out on top of a 10-7 decision. They proceeded to defeat a pair of Midwest Division foes on home ice as Denver Barkey scored the OT winner in Friday’s 5-4 overtime victory over Owen Sound before Michael Simpson posted a 28-save shutout against Guelph on Sunday. San Jose Sharks prospect Kasper Halttunen is up to 14 goals on the season, scoring four times last week.
Saginaw Spirit – up two spots to #9 this week
The Spirit managed to check-off a rare four-win week, pulling out of a tight spot in Windsor on Sunday thanks to a Michael Misa game-winner with just 9.4 seconds to spare. Overage winger Dean Loukus had a productive week with six points (3-3–6) in four outings while draft eligible blueliner Zayne Parekh scored a hat-trick in Wednesday’s 6-2 win over the Flint Firebirds. The Spirit sit second in the West Division with a 9-7-0-1 record.
Erie Otters – up two spots to #12 this week
It’s been a good little run for the Otters of late as they treated their fans to a 4-3 overtime win over the Sudbury Wolves on Friday, with captain Spencer Sova blasting home the game-winner. Erie picked up a point in Saturday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Flint Firebirds. The Otters have points in five straight, improving to 8-7-3-0. Veteran netminder Ben Gaudreau is 8-4-1-0 since being acquired from the Sarnia Sting last month.
Barrie Colts – up three spots to #14 this week
After falling off the list last week, the Colts yo-yo back up to 14th on the list after locking down three wins in three consecutive days. Barrie leapfrogs Kingston after defeating the Frontenacs 5-3 on Thursday. They proceeded to beat the Central Division-leading Mississauga Steelheads on the road by a score of 3-1 on Friday, before doubling-up the North Bay Battalion 4-2 at home on Saturday. The Colts have North Bay’s number, defeating the Troops three times this season. Draft eligible netminder Sam Hillebrandt continues to be steady in the crease, picking up two more wins to improve to 6-4 with a 2.46 goals-against average and .923 save percentage. Rookie forward Shamar Moses broke out last week, scoring the first three goals of his OHL career.
Kingston Frontenacs – up one spot to #15 this week
After losing in Barrie to start the week, the Fronts returned home for a pair of wins, defeating the Sarnia Sting 5-3 on Friday in JJ Salajko’s first career OHL win. Matthew Soto scored twice on Friday and followed that up with two more goals on Sunday as Kingston edged the Oshawa Generals 5-4 in a shootout, thanks to a decisive marker from Chris Thibodeau. Captain Paul Ludwinski carries a nine-game point streak into next week, leading the Fronts with 18 points (7-11–18) in 15 games.
Who’s down:
Ottawa 67’s – down one spot to #2 this week
The Barber Poles won two of three last week, but when the Kitchener Rangers are as hot as they are, maintaining top spot requires near-perfection. Ottawa stumbled in Oshawa on Saturday, falling 6-3 while surrendering 50 shots on goal.
Sudbury Wolves – down two spots to #4 this week
The Wolves wrap-up a golden horseshoe three-in-three with three of a possible six points, soundly defeating the Niagara IceDogs 7-2 before coming up against some resistance in a 4-3 overtime loss in Erie and a 4-0 blanking at the hands of the Brantford Bulldogs. It seems the Wolves picked-up a bit of a bug on the road as both Quentin Musty and Nathan Villenueve missed time due to illness while Landon McCallum missed the last two games of the trip due to suspension. Ottawa Senators prospect Djibril Toure played in all three games last week, returning from an injury he suffered in mid-October.
North Bay Battalion – down one spot to #6 this week
The Troops earned a split, defeating the Soo Greyhounds 5-3 before falling the Barrie Colts by a score of 4-2 on the road Saturday night. The Battalion continue to ride the duo of Charlie Robertson and Mike McIvor in goal as Dom DiVincentiis remains sidelined with an injury. Seattle Kraken prospect Ty Nelson has points in six straight and goals in five of his last six outings.
Soo Greyhounds – down one spot to #7 this week
The Hounds hit the road for stops in North Bay, Niagara and Kitchener, returning home with two points as they narrowly defeated Niagara 5-4 on Saturday thanks to a last shift game-winner by Connor Clattenburg. The Greyhounds came up short in Kitchener on Sunday, dropping a 5-3 decision to the Rangers.
Peterborough Petes – down one spot to #10 this week
The Petes continue to find themselves in situations beyond regulation, climbing to a league-leading seven on the season as they lost 2-1 in a shootout to Sarnia on Thursday, came up empty in a 4-0 loss to Kitchener on Friday and got a big Sunday performance from Sam Mayer, defeating the Brantford Bulldogs 5-4 in OT. The Petes lead the East Division with a 9-3-3-1 record and 22 points. They’re in for a good test next weekend, with road stops in North Bay, Sudbury and Oshawa.
Flint Firebirds – down one spot to #11 this week
The ‘Birds lost a showdown in Saginaw by a score of 6-2 last Wednesday before coming up just short in Guelph, losing 3-2 to the Storm on Friday. The Firebirds salvaged the week in Erie on Saturday night as Anaheim Ducks prospect Coulson Pitre netted the OT winner as part of a two-goal effort in a 4-3 triumph.
Owen Sound Attack – down one spot to #13 this week
The Bears braved the back half of the weekend without star forward Colby Barlow who was out with an injury. Owen Sound picked up one point across their three outings, falling 5-0 Kitchener, 5-4 in overtime to London and 5-2 to Mississauga. It’s been an up-and-down start to the season for the Attack, who sit at the bottom of the Midwest Division with a 7-9-2-0 record.
Sarnia Sting – down three spots to #16 this week
Sarnia picked-up a 2-1 shootout win in Peterborough on Thursday before losses in Kingston and Ottawa. After an impressive start, the Sting have cooled off a little, dropping seven of their last 10.
Oshawa Generals – down two spots and out of the rankings this week
With the Barrie Colts going 3-0 in a three-in-three, someone had to go. The Gennies lost 4-1 to Ottawa on Friday, showed very well in a 6-3 win over the Barber Poles on Saturday and dropped a very close 5-4 shootout decision to Kingston at home on Sunday. The good news for Generals fans is Calum Ritchie is back in the lineup, posting a goal and an assist on Sunday night. Head coach Derek Laxdal gets a quiet week to get his newly-returned centre back into the rhythm as Oshawa has just one game next weekend, hosting the Peterborough Petes on Sunday afternoon. There’s some fierce competition to get back into the rankings for Oshawa as the Brantford Bulldogs, who also sit on the outside looking in, had a solid week collecting five of a possible six points.
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