Frontenacs, Steelheads and Storm Included in Week 12 Edition of Kia CHL Top 10 Rankings

Toronto, Ont. – The Canadian Hockey League announced today the Week 12 edition of the Kia CHL Top 10 Rankings for the 2021-22 season.

Though idle last week, the third-ranked Kingston Frontenacs carry an eight-game winning streak into the holiday break, sitting atop the OHL standings with a record of 17-5-3-0. Overage forward Lucas Edmonds sits second in OHL scoring with 52 points (17-35–52) in 25 games along with a league-leading 121 shots on goal. The Fronts feature three players in Shane Wright (Canada), Leevi Merilainen (Finland) and Martin Chromiak (Slovakia) representing their respective countries at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship.

The ninth-ranked Mississauga Steelheads are back inside the Top 10 following a three-week absence. The Trout rebounded from a loss to Kingston last Sunday to defeat the Hamilton Bulldogs 4-1 on the road Wednesday night before pulling into a first place tie atop the Central Division on Friday, defeating visiting North Bay 2-1. The Steelheads have surrendered a league-low 58 goals this season as overage netminder Roman Basran leads the OHL with a 2.40 goals-against average. James Hardie has paced Mississauga offensively with 18 goals and 32 points.

The Guelph Storm round out the Top 10, making their first appearance of the season. The Storm defeated the London Knights in a second consecutive meeting on Saturday, leapfrogging the Knights for top spot in the Western Conference standings. The 17-8-1-1 Storm are now 4-0 against London this season and have won eight of their last 10 games. Top scorer Sasha Pastujov, an Anaheim Ducks prospect, is representing the United States at the World Juniors. Guelph features three rookies with at least 15 points in forwards Matthew Poitras (9-12–21), Jake Karabela (3-16–19) and defenceman Michael Buchinger (0-15–15).

Entering the break on a six-game winning streak, the Barrie Colts received an honourable mention in Week 12. The Colts defeated the Ottawa 67’s 5-2 on the road Saturday afternoon to improve to 14-7-2-0.

For further analysis on the Week 12 edition of the Kia CHL Top 10 Rankings, visit CHL.ca.