2023-24 CHL Top-10 Rankings: Week 11
The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) announced today the Week 11 edition of its CHL Top-10 Rankings for the 2023-24 season.
Riding an 11-game winning streak, the longest in the CHL this season, the Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) remain in the top spot for a second straight week. The Drakkar have now won 20 of their last 21 games since October 20 and hold a CHL-best .875 point percentage this season. Right behind them is the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), whose 23 wins during the 2023-24 campaign rank only behind the Drakkar in the CHL. Sitting third is the Prince George Cougars of the Western Hockey League (WHL), who hold the best point percentage (.733) of any club in the WHL.
With three straight wins over the last week, along with seven victories over their last ten contests, both the Soo Greyhounds of the OHL and the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL round out the top-five for this week.
The next rankings will be released the week of December 18, following the 12th week of regular season action in all three member leagues of the CHL. Next week’s rankings will also be the last ones prior to the holiday break, which runs from December 18 to December 27.
CHL Top-10 Rankings – Week 11
1. Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL): Thanks to a pair of victories that extended their winning streak to a CHL-best 11 straight wins, the Drakkar (27-3-2-0) continue to hold the top spot in the CHL’s Top-10 rankings. Over the course of the last week, Baie-Comeau edged Acadie-Bathurst (3-1) before defeating Chicoutimi (3-1) by the same scoreline. Prior to Friday’s game against the Titan, Baie-Comeau had registered three straight shutouts and although they eventually gave up a goal to Acadie-Bathurst, they set a new QMJHL record by going a total of 246:01 without giving up a goal. Similarly, the club’s goalies also made a little history for themselves last week. First, netminder Philippe Bourdages notched his eighth straight victory to start the season, which set a new franchise record. Bourdages continues to hold a perfect 8-0-0-0 during the 2023-24 campaign. Then, Olivier Ciarlo extended his shutout streak to 239:56 before he gave up a goal against Chicoutimi. Ciarlo’s 239:56 shutout streak was ultimately the third-longest in QMJHL history. This week, Baie-Comeau will look to continue its strong play when they face Québec for a pair of home games before the holiday break. The Drakkar have yet to lose in regulation at home this season, holding at 13-0-2-0 at Centre Henry-Leonard during the 2023-24 campaign.
Games this week: vs. Québec (Dec. 15), vs. Québec (Dec. 16)
2. Kitchener Rangers (OHL): With three victories in four games last week, having tallied seven out of a possible eight points, the Rangers (23-7-2-0) have moved up to a season-best second place in the rankings this week. Their only loss of the week was a 5-4 overtime loss to the Bulldogs. Before he made his way to Hockey Canada’s World Junior Team Selection Camp, Seattle Kraken prospect Carson Rehkopf continued his excellent play. Rehkopf tallied a pair of goals along with three assists in three games last week. Notably, on Wednesday, Rehkopf reached the 30-goal plateau in just 29 games, becoming the first OHL player to score 30 goals in less than 30 games since Alex DeBrincat achieved the feat with the Erie Otters during the 2016-17 season. Rehkopf is now up to 31 goals (2nd in the CHL) and owns a share of the CHL scoring lead with 44 points. This week, the Rangers will face a tough challenge when they welcome the No.4-ranked Greyhounds before they hit the road for a date with the Colts in Barrie.
Games this week: vs. Soo (Dec. 15), @ Barrie (Dec. 16)
3. Prince George Cougars (WHL): With a pair of home games against the Royals on the schedule this past weekend, the Cougars (22-8-0-0) managed to only score two points out of a possible four. They dropped the first game against Victoria 5-3 on Friday, before coming back and shutting the door on the Royals in a 1-0 shutout victory on Saturday. During their Friday night loss, 20-year-old Zac Funk continued to showcase his scoring ability, nabbing a point on all three (2G-1A) of Prince George’s goals. With 32 goals on the season, no one has more goals in the CHL so far than Zac Funk. On Saturday, rookie netminder Joshua Ravensbergen registered a couple of impressive records with his CHL-leading sixth shutout of the season. By stopping all 16 shots he faced for shutout No. 6 in his 13th start, Ravensbergen not only tied the Cougars’ franchise record for shutouts in a single season, but he also matched the WHL’s all-time rookie record. The 2025 NHL Draft prospect now has a 1.69 GAA and a .940 SV%, which both rank first in the CHL. This week, Ravensbergen and Prince George will aim to keep their place among the CHL’s top-three clubs when they travel to face the Silvertips, the No.9-ranked Wild and the Giants.
Games this week: @ Everett (Dec. 13), @ Wenatchee (Dec. 15), @ Vancouver (Dec. 16)
4. Soo Greyhounds (OHL): As one of two teams in the CHL Top-10 to win all three of their contests over the last seven days, the Greyhounds (20-8-2-0) find themselves up a spot at No.4 this week. Specifically, the Soo managed to score victories over Sudbury (3-2 OT), Kingston (7-5), and London (5-4) in the last week. Leading the way was New York Rangers prospect Bryce McConnell-Barker (2G-3A in last three games) and Jack Beck (3G-4A in last three games) who both extended their point streaks to four games. Meanwhile, before heading off to Hockey Canada’s World Junior Team Selection Camp, Owen Allard put on a show against Kingston, tallying a career-high five points (2G-3A). With an OHL-best 11 road wins this season, the Greyhounds will hope to add to that number when they travel to face the No.2-ranked Rangers on Friday. In addition to this top-five matchup, the Soo will also travel to North Bay and Guelph as part of a three-game road trip before they head on their holiday break.
Games this week: @ North Bay (Dec. 13), @ Kitchener (Dec. 15), @ Guelph (Dec. 16)
5. Saskatoon Blades (WHL): Having extended their winning streak to six games, the Blades (22-8-1-0) have found their way back into the top-five of these rankings for the first time since October. Saskatoon has been excellent of late having tallied points in each of their last eight contests (7-0-1-0). It was also a pretty special week for Anaheim Ducks prospect Egor Sidorov. With his parents in attendance for the first time in his WHL career, having traveled over 7,500km from Belarus, Sidorov put on quite the show for his parents by recording a hat-trick along with an assist against Red Deer to help lift the Blades past the Rebels 4-2 on Friday. With points in all three of Saskatoon’s wins over the last seven days, Sidorov is currently riding a four-game point streak and he has eight goals over his last six games. Impressively, he’s also up to four hat-tricks so far through the 2023-24 campaign, and his 29 goals on the year rank third in the CHL behind only Funk (32) and Rehkopf (31). With only one loss at home this season (10-1-0-0), the Blades will look to improve on that impressive record in Saskatoon when they welcome both Kamloops and Kelowna this week.
Games this week: vs. Kamloops (Dec. 13), vs. Kelowna (Dec. 16)
6. Saginaw Spirit (OHL): Having followed up a 7-3 loss to the Knights with a convincing 7-1 victory over the Firebirds, the Spirit (17-9-0-1) slipped a couple of places to No.6 in our rankings this week. Despite the mixed results, the 2024 Memorial Cup hosts continue to enjoy the offensive production of Vegas Golden Knights prospect Matyas Sapovaliv. Having tallied four assists in Saginaw’s two games last week, Sapovaliv extended his point streak to eight games (5G-14 over that stretch). In their win against Flint on Saturday, 2024 NHL Draft prospect Zayne Parekh showcased his offensive prowess by recording a goal and three assists. He’s now got points in eight of his last nine games, including six multi-point contests over that stretch. This week, the Spirit will look to improve their 10-3-1-0 record at the Dow Event Center when they welcome both the Firebirds and the Wolves in Saginaw. They’ll also travel to Sarnia for a game against the Sting on Friday night.
Games this week: vs. Flint (Dec. 14), @ Sarnia (Dec. 15), vs. Sudbury (Dec. 16)
7. Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL): Last week, the Mooseheads (21-8-3-0) got off to the start they wanted. First, forward Markus Vidicek tallied a hat-trick as Halifax beat Drummondville 4-3 at home in the CHL Game of the Week last Thursday. Then, on the following night, Vegas Golden Knights prospect Mathieu Cataford recorded five points (including a hat-trick) while Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Jordan Dumais had a four-point night (1G-3A) as the Mooseheads edged the Olympiques 5-4 in overtime. With their efforts on Friday, Cataford (44 points) and Dumais (47 points) continue to rank among the top-five scorers in the QMJHL this season. From there, however, Halifax saw four of its players (Vidicek, Dumais, San Jose Sharks prospect Jake Furlong and goaltender Mathis Rousseau) leave ahead of their game on Saturday against Saint John for Hockey Canada’s World Junior Team Selection Camp in Oakville, Ont. In the absence of these key players, the Mooseheads lost a tightly-contested game to the Sea Dogs 3-2. This week, with three home games on the schedule including a pair against those same Sea Dogs, Halifax will hope to find the win column despite the continued absence of some of their players, who will likely factor into Canada’s final roster at this year’s World Juniors.
Games this week: vs. Acadie-Bathurst (Dec. 13), vs. Saint John (Dec. 15), vs. Saint John (Dec. 16)
8. Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL): Having earned a point in all three of their contests last week, including a pair of victories on the road, the Wildcats (20-7-2-1) climbed up a spot to No. 8 in this week’s rankings. Moncton defeated Sherbrooke (6-3) and Québec (4-0) on the road, before falling 4-3 in overtime in Shawinigan on Saturday. Impressively, away from the Avenir Centre, Moncto has only lost once in regulation this season, and they continue to hold the best road record (12-1-2-0) of any club in the CHL during the 2023-24 campaign. The club’s scoring leader Yoan Loshing also continues to be a force for the Wildcats, as he tallied three goals and an assist during Moncton’s three games last week. He now sits tied for third in the QMJHL with 22 goals. This week, the Wildcats will host both the Titan and the Eagles at home before they’ll begin their holiday break.
Games this week: vs. Acadie-Bathurst (Dec. 15), vs. Cape Breton (Dec. 16)
9. Wenatchee Wild (WHL): Although they scored an impressive come-from-behind victory against Spokane on Sunday, the Wild (20-9-3-0) have slipped a spot in the rankings after also suffering a 7-3 defeat at the hands of the Americans on Saturday. Despite the loss, the Wild have still won eight of their last 10 games and they hold a 8-1-1-0 record over that stretch – the best of any club in the WHL. Prior to departing for Hockey Canada’s World Junior Team Selection Camp, Buffalo Sabres prospect Matthew Savoie recorded a pair of assists against Tri-City on Saturday for his eighth multi-point game of the season. Savoie has only played in 11 games so far through the 2023-24 campaign, and he’s been held off the scoresheet just once so far. Meanwhile, Japanese import Kenta Isogai had a pair of goals and assists in Wenatchee’s pair of games last week. Isogai, who was the first Japanese player ever drafted into the WHL (the third in CHL history), has points in eight straight contests. With 41 points in 29 games this season, Isogai has been held without a point in only four contests this season. This week, with Savoie and Conor Geekie away at Team Canada’s World Junior camp, the Wild will have a tough stretch of games against the Winterhawks, the No.3-ranked Cougars and the Silvertips ahead of their holiday break.
Games this week: @ Portland (Dec. 13), vs. Prince George (Dec. 15), vs. Everett (Dec. 17)
10. Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL): Having started the week with a 7-6-1-0 record on the road this season, the Huskies (18-8-1-3) did well to score two road victories against Blainville-Boisbriand (3-2) and Victoriaville (7-2) last week. It wasn’t all roses and sunshine though for Rouyn-Noranda, who did fall 5-3 in Shawinigan on Sunday. Helping lead them to wins in two of their three contests over the last seven days was Antonin Verreault. The 19-year-old scored a pair of goals and added six assists during the Huskies’ three-game road trip. Specifically, on Friday night against the Armada, Verreault tallied the game-tying goal before nabbing an assist on the winning goal. He now has 44 points on the season which place him in a tie for fourth in the QMJHL. This week, the Huskies will wrap things up before the holiday break with games against the Foreurs, the Phoenix and the Armada at home where Rouyn-Noranda has a 9-1-3-0 record.
Games this week: vs. Val-d’Or (Dec. 13), vs. Sherbrooke (Dec. 15), vs. Blainville-Boisbriand (Dec. 16)