2023-24 CHL Top-10 Rankings: Week 12
The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) announced today the Week 12 edition of its CHL Top-10 Rankings for the 2023-24 season.
Having matched a franchise-record with 13 wins in a row, along with suffering only one loss over their last 23 contests, the Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) are in first place for the third straight week. In second place, we find the Prince George Cougars of the Western Hockey League (WHL), whose 24 wins this season rank second among clubs in the CHL. Completing the top-three is the Soo Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), who have won eight of their last 10 contests, including a big victory last week against the No.4-ranked Kitchener Rangers of the OHL.
Having strung together three wins in a row over the last seven days, the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL and the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the QMJHL were among the teams who moved up in this week’s rankings, while the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the QMJHL are making their Top-10 debut of the 2023-24 season in tenth.
Given that the holiday break across the CHL runs until December 27, the next CHL Top-10 rankings will be released the week of January 1, following the 13th week of regular season action in all three member leagues of the CHL.
CHL Top-10 Rankings – Week 12
1. Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL): With 22 wins over their last 23 games, the Drakkar (29-3-2-0) come into the holiday break holding the No. 1 spot in the CHL Top-10 Rankings for a third week in a row. Having recorded 60 points through 34 games, the Drakkar are off to the best start in QMJHL history. This past week, thanks to a pair of victories against the Remparts, Baie-Comeau extended its winning streak to 13 games, which not only stands as the longest streak of its kind in the CHL this season, but it also matched a franchise-record for the Drakkar. In order to tie the record, Baie-Comeau had to scored a pair of goals late in the third period to erase a 3-1 deficit, before Justin Poirier tallied his QMJHL-leading 25th goal of the season to give the Drakkar a surprising 4-3 overtime victory over Québec. In their two victories this past weekend, Baie-Comeau enjoyed solid performances from 2024 NHL Draft prospects Raoul Boilard (2G-2A over last two games) and Justin Poirier (2G-1A over last two games) along with New York Islanders prospect Justin Gill (2G-2A over last two games), who ranks tied for second in the QMJHL with 50 points (18G-32A). Having lost only three times in regulation through 34 games, the Drakkar own a CHL-best +63 goal differential going into the break. They’ll aim to make franchise history by winning their 14th in a row when they hit the ice on December 28 for a road game in Shawinigan. It might also be the first time we get to see Charles-Édward Gravel suit up for Baie-Comeau, after the former Armada netminder was acquired by the Drakkar in exchange for goalie Olivier Ciarlo.
Next three games: @ Shawinigan (Dec. 28), vs. Chicoutimi (Dec. 30), @ Chicoutimi (Dec. 31)
2. Prince George Cougars (WHL): Sitting in first place in the WHL as we enter the holiday break, the Cougars (24-9-0-0) jump back up to No. 2 in this week’s CHL Top-10 Rankings. Through 33 games, Prince George owns a +63 goal differential, which is tied with Baie-Comeau for the best mark in the CHL. The Cougars are also averaging 4.61 goals per game this season, which ranks third in the CHL behind only the No.4-ranked Kitchener Rangers (4.85) and the Portland Winterhawks (4.71). This past week, following a 5-2 loss to Everett, Prince George was dominant in victories against Wenatchee (6-3) and Vancouver (9-2). Minnesota Wild prospect Riley Heidt was excellent in those two games against the Wild and the Giants, collecting two goals and six assists. Heidt leads the CHL with 63 points alongside his teammate Zac Funk, who also had a solid week. Funk registered four goals and nine points in the Cougars’ three games, which included recording his fifth hat-trick of the season against the Wild. In addition to sharing the scoring lead with Heidt, the 20-year-old Funk leads the CHL in goals (36) and power-play goals (19) this season. Meanwhile, 2024 NHL Draft prospect Terik Parascak continues to pace all rookies across the CHL in goals (26) and points (52), having added seven points (3G-4A) last week. Looking ahead, after Christmas, the Cougars will hope to keep their place atop the WHL standings when they return to action at home against Edmonton and Calgary.
Next three games: vs. Edmonton (Dec. 27), vs. Calgary (Dec. 28), @ Kamloops (Dec. 30)
3. Soo Greyhounds (OHL): Having collected points in seven straight games (6-0-0-1), along with eight wins over their last 10, the Greyhounds (22-8-2-1) have jumped up into the top-three of these rankings for the first time this season. Although they lost 3-2 in a shootout to Guelph on Saturday, the Soo netted a noteworthy victory when they took down the No.4-ranked Rangers 6-3 and handed them what was only their third regulation loss on home ice this season. The Greyhounds have been particularly good on the road, as their 13 victories away from home are the second-most of any club in the CHL behind only Baie-Comeau (14). Over the last week, in their pair of games, the Soo got key contributions from Brenden Sirizzotti (1G-2A over last two games; riding five-game point streak), Marco Mignosa (1G-3A over last two games; has a point in six of his last seven games) and 20-year-old Jack Beck, who continues to lead the team in scoring with 41 points in 33 games this season. With both forward Owen Allard (Team Canada) and likely Vegas Golden Knights prospect Arttu Karki (Team Finland) away in Sweden for the World Juniors, the Greyhounds will be challenged in their first contest back from holidays, which will be a road game in Saginaw against the No.5-ranked Spirit.
Next three games: @ Saginaw (Dec. 28), vs. Sudbury (Dec. 30), vs. Saginaw (Dec. 31)
4. Kitchener Rangers (OHL): Although they dropped their matchup against the Greyhounds last week, the Rangers (24-8-2-0) managed to rebound the following night by edging the Colts 4-3 in overtime. Kitchener has still won seven of its last 10 games. They continue to lead the CHL in scoring average (4.85 goals per game) and their +59 goal differential ranks third in the CHL behind only Baie-Comeau (+63) and Prince George (+63). In the absence of the OHL’s leading scorer, Carson Rehkopf, who is in Sweden with Team Canada for the 2024 World Juniors, Kitchener continues to get great offensive production from Vancouver Canucks prospect Hunter Brzustewicz, who collected four assists in two games last week. Brzustewicz now holds a share of the OHL scoring lead with Rehkopf at 55 points this season, which also stands as the most of any defenceman in the CHL so far during the 2023-24 campaign. Meanwhile, 19-year-old Trent Swick continued his strong play last week, tallying two goals and two assists. Swick is now on a five-game point streak, and has points in 14 of his last 16 contests. Set to return to action on December 29, the Rangers will aim to maintain their spot at the top of the OHL standings when they face Flint at home, before they will travel for games in Owen Sound and Oshawa.
Next three games: vs. Flint (Dec. 29), @ Owen Sound (Dec. 30), @ Oshawa (Jan. 1)
5. Saginaw Spirit (OHL): One of only two teams ranked in the CHL Top-10 to have won all three of their games last week, the Spirit (20-9-0-1) closed out the break on a four-game winning streak, having won eight of their last 10. Going back to November 3, the 2024 Memorial Cup hosts have been one of the hottest teams in the CHL, having won 16 of its last 18 games. One of the biggest strengths of this team has been their efforts on the power play. Saginaw’s 32.7% success rate (33-of-101) on the PP is the best mark of any club in the CHL so far this season. That power play was especially important this week in a key 2-1 overtime victory against Sarnia, which saw 20-year-old Alex Christopoulos tally the overtime winner with the man advantage to lift Saginaw past the Sting. Christopoulos now has goals in four of his last five games, having collected a pair on the power play markers over that stretch. Meanwhile, Nashville Predators prospect Joey Willis registered five assists in three games last week and 2024 NHL Draft prospect Zayne Parekh potted his 12th goal of the campaign, which places him in a tie for third among defencemen in the CHL. Notably, over the last week, head coach Chris Lazary also picked up his 155th career victory on Saturday, making him the winningest coach in Spirit franchise history. Lazary will no doubt be looking for No. 156 when Saginaw will return from their break to faceoff against the No.3-ranked Greyhounds at home on December 28.
Next three games: vs. Soo (Dec. 28), vs. Windsor (Dec. 30), @ Soo (Dec. 31)
6. Saskatoon Blades (WHL): Unbeaten in regulation over their last 10 contests (8-0-2-0), having won eight games over that stretch, the Blades (23-8-2-0) come in at No. 6 in the CHL Top-10 Rankings. Saskatoon enters the break second overall in the WHL standings, trailing only the Cougars (who have the same number of points but one more win than the Blades). Saskatoon has given up the fewest amount of goals (85) in the CHL so far this season, and their 2.58 goals allowed per game is the lowest average of any club in the CHL. Last week, the Blades started things off strong by winning in convincing fashion against the Blazers (5-1) before falling just short against the Rockets (5-4 OT). Anaheim Ducks prospect Egor Sidorov continued his strong play by scoring three goals and adding an assist in Saskatoon’s pair of contests last week. Sidorov now has 32 goals on the year, which trails only Prince George’s Zac Funk for both the WHL and CHL lead. Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Brandon Lisowsky extended his point streak to six games (3G-6A over that stretch), and he now has points in ten of his last 11. Meanwhile, captain Trevor Wong collected four assists in two games to extend his point streak to six games as well. Wong’s 47 assists this season rank second in the CHL, trailing only Kitchener’s Hunter Brzustewicz (48 assists). With an 11-1-1-0 at home this season, the Blades will look to improve on that mark when they play Prince Albert on December 27 to start the second half of their season. They’ll also have to do so without Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Fraser Minten and Nashville Predators prospect Tanner Molendyk who will both be competing with Team Canada at the 2024 World Juniors in Sweden.
Next three games: vs. Prince Albert (Dec. 27), @ Brandon (Dec. 29), vs. Brandon (Jan. 1)
7. Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL): Behind Baie-Comeau, no team in the QMJHL has been stronger at home than the Huskies (21-8-1-3), who swept a three-game home stand last week by defeating the Foreurs (5-2), the Phoenix (6-0) and the Armada (4-3 OT). Rouyn-Noranda now owns a 12-1-0-3 record at Glencore Arena, having lost only once in regulation at home this season. Seattle Kraken prospect Andrei Loshko extended his point streak to seven games (2G-7A over that stretch), picking up four assists in the Huskies’ three wins last week. Antonin Verreault collected a goal and two assists in those games, and he now has points in nine of his last 11 contests. Verreault heads into the break with 47 points, which ranks tied alongside Halifax’s Jordan Dumais for fourth in the QMJHL. 2025 NHL Draft prospect Bill Zonnon also had a strong week, collecting a pair of goals and assists to increase his season total to 27 points in 33 games. Coming out of the break, the Huskies will first hit the road to Gatineau and Val-d’Or before returning to Rouyn-Noranda for a four-game home stand.
Next three games: @ Gatineau (Dec. 28), @ Val-d’Or (Dec. 30), vs. Val-d’Or (Dec. 31)
8. Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL): Having collected points in six straight games (4-0-1-1), the Wildcats (21-7-2-2) go into the break ranked No. 8 in the CHL Top-10 Rankings. Through 32 games this season, the Wildcats own a .719 point percentage and a 4.28 goals per game average, both of which rank second in the QMJHL (behind Baie-Comeau in both categories). This past week, Moncton started things off by shutting out the Acadie-Bathurst 4-0, before falling 4-3 the next day to Cape Breton in a shootout. For his efforts, goaltender Jacob Steinmann was named to the QMJHL Team of the Week. Steinmann posted a 33-save shutout against the Titan, before making an impressive 43 saves in the loss to the Eagles. With a pair of assists on Friday night, Yoan Loshing continues to pace the team in scoring with 40 points (22G-18A). Still holding arguably the best road record of any team in the CHL at 12-1-2-0 this season, the Wildcats will put that to the test when they travel to Acadie-Bathurst on December 28 to kick start the second half of their season.
Next three games: @ Acadie-Bathurst (Dec. 28), vs. Saint John (Dec. 30), vs. Charlottetown (Dec. 31)
9. Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL): In the absence of Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Jordan Dumais, San Jose Sharks prospect Jake Furlong, and goaltender Mathis Rousseau, the Mooseheads (22-9-4-0) struggled – losing two of three games last week to Acadie-Bathurst (8-4) and Saint John (3-2 OT). Vegas Golden Knights prospect Mathieu Cataford continued to shine over the last week. Cataford registered seven points (4G-3A) over the course of those three contests to extend his point streak to five games (8G-5A during that stretch). The 18-year-old from Saint-Constant, Que., now leads the QMJHL with 51 points. Additionally, Cataford and Markus Vidicek head into the break having scored 23 and 22 goals respectively, which places them both among the top-three goal scorers in the QMJHL. When they hit the ice again on December 28, the Mooseheads will no doubt be reliant on both Vidicek and Cataford to help make up for the absence of Dumais, Furlong and Rousseau, who will still be in Sweden playing for Team Canada at the 2024 World Junior Hockey Championship.
Next three games: vs. Charlottetown (Dec. 28), @ Cape Breton (Dec. 30), vs. Cape Breton (Dec. 31)
10. Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL): Despite the absence of star defenceman Maveric Lamoureux, who is in Sweden with Team Canada’s World Juniors squad, the Voltigeurs (21-9-3-1) have entered the CHL Top-10 rankings for the first time this season after another strong week. With eight wins over their last 10 contests, Drummondville earned a pair of convincing wins by doubling up Rimouski 6-3, before defeating Chicoutimi 7-3. The Voltigeurs have now scored five or more goals in seven of their last eight games. The latter has helped boost their goal differential to +51 on the season, the fourth highest mark in the CHL. Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Ethan Gauthier picked up three goals in Drummondville’s two wins last week, giving him points in five of six games in December (6G-4A over that stretch). Meanwhile, Buffalo Sabres prospect Vsevolod Komarov is currently on a six-game point streak (3G-9A over that stretch) and has been a big addition to the Voltigeurs in the five games he’s played for his new club. Justin Côté has also put together an impressive month of December so far, tallying six goals and six assists in seven games. Drummondville will aim to maintain its place among the Top-10 clubs in the CHL, when they travel to Chicoutimi and Blainville-Boisbriand to start the second half of their season.
Next three games: @ Chicoutimi (Dec. 28), @ Blainville-Boisbriand (Dec. 30), vs. Shawinigan (Dec. 31)