2023-24 CHL Top-10 Rankings: Week 14
The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) announced today the Week 14 edition of its CHL Top-10 Rankings for the 2023-24 season.
For a fifth week in a row, the Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) are the No.1 team in the CHL Top-10 Rankings. With a 33-5-2-0 record, the Drakkar remain the only club in the CHL to have topped the 30-win plateau so far this season. Coming in at a season-high No. 2 is the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League (WHL), who have grabbed a share of first place in the WHL thanks to a CHL-best 15-game point streak (11-0-2-2). Rounding out the top-three is the Prince George Cougars of the WHL, whose 28 wins this season are the most of any CHL club outside of Baie-Comeau.
Among some of the other notable risers in this week’s rankings, the London Knights of the OHL, are back in the Top 10 for the first time since November having won nine in a row, which currently stands as the longest active winning streak in the CHL. Similarly, having both tallied five straight victories, the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the QMJHL and the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL were among the clubs who climbed up the rankings this week.
The next rankings will be released the week of January 15, following the 15th week of regular season action in all three member leagues of the CHL.
CHL Top-10 Rankings – Week 14
1. Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL): Although on Sunday they lost in regulation for only a fifth time this season, the Drakkar (33-5-2-0) are No.1 for a fifth week in a row. No club in the CHL has held onto the top spot longer than Baie-Comeau this season (besting Halifax, who were No. 1 for four weeks in a row). Over the last seven days, the Drakkar edged Sherbrooke 7-2 at home, improving their record in Baie-Comeau to 17-0-2-0. From there, they split a pair of games against the Océanic in Rimouski to close out their week. Between those three contests, 2024 NHL Draft prospect Justin Poirier tallied his QMJHL-leading 31st goal of the season, New York Islanders prospect Justin Gill registered five points (2G-3A), all while Julien Paillé led the Drakkar in scoring (1G-5A) and extended his point streak to five games. Baie-Comeau also spent the last weeking adding Los Angeles Kings prospect and former Shawinigan captain Angus Booth to their strong lineup following a trade last Tuesday. This week, the Drakkar will face one of their biggest tests to date, when they welcome the No.6-ranked Rouyn-Noranda Huskies for a pair of contests at Centre Henry-Leonard in Baie-Comeau. It’s worth reminding everyone that the Drakkar have won 15 in a row at home since Oct. 13, and they have yet to lose in regulation on home ice this season, having only lost twice in overtime (Sept. 30 vs. Rimouski & Oct. 12 vs. Halifax).
Games this week: vs. Rouyn-Noranda (Jan. 13), vs. Rouyn-Noranda (Jan. 14)
2. Saskatoon Blades (WHL): Riding a CHL-best 15-game point streak (11-0-2-2), the Blades (26-8-2-2) have grabbed a share of first place in the WHL and risen to a season-high No. 2 in the CHL Top-10 rankings. Thanks to their recent play, Saskatoon now holds a .737 point percentage, which is the second-highest of any club in the CHL this season behind only Baie-Comeau (.850). Over the last week, the Blades first edged the Pats 6-4 before falling in a shootout to the Raiders (2-1). Captain Trevor Wong had a particularly good night in Regina, recording two goals and three assists in the Blades victory. Wong is now up to 54 assists during the 2023-24 campaign, putting him in a tie with Kitchener’s Hunter Brzustewicz for the CHL lead. Meanwhile, although Egor Sidorov saw his 10-game point streak snapped on Saturday, the Anaheim Ducks prospect picked up his 34th goal of the season in style, tallying what was a goal of the year candidate against the Pats on Friday. Additionally, Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Brandon Lisowsky, who has points in 14 of his last 16 games, recorded his 20th goal of the campaign, while new addition and Washington Capitals prospect Alexander Suzdalev made his Blades debut on Saturday, registering an assist in the club’s 2-1 shootout loss to Prince Albert. Holding an impressive 13-1-1-0 record at home this season, the Blades will put that record to the test when they welcome Vancouver, Victoria and Regina to the SaskTel Centre this week.
Games this week: vs. Vancouver (Jan. 10), vs. Victoria (Jan. 13), vs. Regina (Jan. 14)
3. Prince George Cougars (WHL): Having won two of four games during their trip to the U.S. Pacific Northwest, the Cougars (28-12-0-0) fell by a single spot to third in this week’s rankings. Having started off the road trip with wins against Wenatchee (6-2) and Seattle (2-1), Prince George lost in consecutive games for the first time this season, falling 4-3 to No.8-ranked Portland before being doubled up 4-2 by Everett the next night. Among the notable performances for the Cougars, there was once again Zac Funk leading the way. The 20-year-old right winger, who was named to the CHL Team of the Month for the second time this season, collected five goals and three assists last week. Funk is currently the only player in the CHL to top 40 goals (and sits at 42 right now) and he leads the CHL with 73 points this season (ahead of teammate Riley Heidt who has 71). Meanwhile, 2024 NHL Draft prospect Terik Parascak, who will be playing in the 2024 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game on January 24, put together a four-game point streak (0G-6A over that stretch) last week. Netminder Ty Young also had another strong week, posting his third and fourth consecutive 30-plus save performance following games against Seattle and Everett. This week, Prince George will look to bounce back from two straight losses when they welcome Kelowna to town for a pair of games.
Games this week: vs. Kelowna (Jan. 12), vs. Kelowna (Jan. 13)
4. Saginaw Spirit (OHL): With a pair of victories over their last three contests, including a 3-2 win against the No.5-ranked Rangers in Kitchener on Thusday, the Spirit (24-11-0-1) are up a spot to No. 4 this week. Since November 3, Saginaw has won 20 games, which is tied for the most of any club in the CHL over that stretch (alongside No.1-ranked Baie-Comeau). Back at the beginning of November, the Spirit were also 0-5 on the road to start the season, but since then, they have won 10 of 11 games away from home, including that notable victory against the Rangers on Thursday. Saginaw once again got a big game out of Minnesota Wild prospect Hunter Haight, who tallied two points (including the game-wininng goal) against Kitchener and now has seven points (5G-2A) in three games against the Rangers this season. 2024 NHL Draft prospect Zayne Parekh put together an impressive four-point night (2G-2A) in Saginaw’s 6-2 victory over the Petes. Parekh, who’ll be playing in the 2024 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospect Game on January 24, leads all 2024 NHL Draft eligible blueliners with 50 points this season. At the same time, not to be forgotten is 2025 NHL Draft prospect Michael Misa, who had a pair of games with two points last week, giving him four multipoint outings over his last six contests. Looking ahead to this week, the Spirit are set to get a big boost, as the 2024 Memorial Cup Hosts just officially acquired Montreal Canadiens prospect Owen Beck from the Peterborough Petes and Ottawa Senators prospect Jorian Donovan from the Brantford Bulldogs in a pair of trades. Saginaw also signed Vancouver Canucks prospect Josh Bloom this weekend. Now loaded with nine current NHL prospects, let alone future NHL talent in Misa and Parekh, Saginaw will look to integrate all of their new faces into the lineup as they get set to face Windsor, No. 9-ranked London and Guelph this week.
Games this week: @ Windsor (Jan. 10), @ London (Jan. 12), vs. Guelph (Jan. 13)
5. Kitchener Rangers (OHL): With five wins over their last 10 games, including one lone victory during their three-game schedule last week, the Rangers (27-11-2-0) have slid a few places to find themselves in fifth in the CHL’s latest Top-10 rankings. Kitchener’s lone win of the last week came in North Bay on Sunday against a tough Battalion squad, coming only a day after they suffered a 7-5 loss against Sudbury. It was during the latter that Seattle Kraken prospect Carson Rehkopf, fresh of his World Juniors experience with Team Canada, returned to the Rangers lineup by scoring his third hat-trick of the season in the first 30 minutes of action – all before an injury forced him to leave that game and kept it out of Kitchener’s contest against North Bay. His status this week, let alone in the weeks ahead, will no doubt be critical to this Rangers’ squad. Kitchener should however benefit from the return of Montreal Canadiens prospect Filip Mešár, who had nine points in five games with Team Slovakia at this year’s World Juniors. Mešár is expected to be ready for Friday’s game against Erie. In the absence of Rehkopf and Mešár, the Rangers still have plenty of talent they will continue to lean on when both return. Vancouver Canucks prospect Hunter Brzustewicz continues to rack up the points and impressively as a defenceman he leads the OHL with 62 points. 20-year-old Matthew Sop had a pair of goals last week and his 58 points continue to rank among the OHL’s top-five leading scorers, while Trent Swick collected three points over his last two games as he continues to average a point per game this season. This week, the Rangers will look to bounce back with a pair of home games against Erie and Ottawa.
Games this week: vs. Eric (Jan. 12), vs. Ottawa (Jan. 14)
6. Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL): With points in eight straight games (7-0-0-1), the Huskies (25-8-1-4) remain sixth for a second week in a row. Rouyn-Noranda’s eight-game point streak is the second longest active streak in the QMJHL behind only Drummondville, who are up to nine games in a row with at least a point. Speaking of streaks, Huskies forward Andrei Loshko is on one of his own, having registered points in Rouyn-Noranda’s win over Blainville-Boisbriand and the club’s shootout loss to the Olympiques. Specifically, the Seattle Kraken prospect collected four points (3G-1A) over those two contests, and he’s now on a 12-game point streak (5G-14A over that stretch) – which is the longest in the QMJHL right now. Additionally, forwards Daniil Bourash and Antonin Verreault had big weeks, with Bourash recording seven points (2G-5A) and Verreault tallying six assists. For his efforts, Bourash was named to the QMJHL’s Team of the Week. With points in 11 of his last 12 games, Verreault continues to lead the QMJHL with 62 points (24G-38A) this season. Despite their recent success, it wasn’t all good news for the Huskies last week, as they lost their captain and Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Dyllan Gill, who is out indefinitely due to surgery. The Huskies will aim to do their best in his absence, and will once again be reliant on Verreault, Bourash and Loshko during their four-game schedule this week, which will wrap-up with a pair of contests against the No.1-ranked Drakkar in Baie-Comeau this weekend.
Games this week: vs. Val-d’Or (Jan. 9), @ Chicoutimi (Jan. 12), @ Baie-Comeau (Jan. 13), @ Baie-Comeau (Jan. 14)
7. Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL): Outside of No.2-ranked Saskatoon’s 15-game point streak and No.9-ranked London’s nine-game winning streak, the Voltigeurs (26-9-4-1) are currently on one of the best stretches of hockey in the CHL, having strung together nine contests in a row with a point (8-0-1-0). Along with the Knights, the Voltigeurs were the only team in the Top-10 to win all three of its games last week. Drummondville did so by averaging over five goals per game en route to beating Québec (4-3), Victoriaville (6-2) and Acadie-Bathurst (6-2). A big reason for their success was no doubt the recent addition of Philadelphia Flyers prospect Alexis Gendron, who the Voltigeurs acquired in a trade with the Gatineau Olympiques. Gendron, who had recorded seven points in 17 games with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season, registered points (3G-2A) in the first three games he played with the Voltigeurs. At the same time, Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Ethan Gauthier continued his strong play, scoring four goals in the Voltigeurs’ three contests last week. Gauthier now has goals in seven of his last eight games (11 goals over that stretch) and points in ten straight contests. Tihs week, Gendron and Gauthier will look to continue racking up the points when the Voltigeurs welcome the Armada and Foreurs to Drummondville, before travelling to Sherbrooke to face the Phoenix.
Games this week: vs. Blainville-Boisbriand (Jan. 12), vs. Val-d’Or (Jan. 13), @ Sherbrooke (Jan. 14)
8. Portland Winterhawks (WHL): With five straight wins, including a big 4-3 victory against the No.3-ranked Cougars on Saturday, the Winterhawks (25-10-1-1) continue their climb up the WHL standings and the CHL Top-10 Rankings. Portland is one of only two teams in the CHL to have won nine of its last 10 contests (along with the No. 9-ranked Knights). The Winterhawks are averaging 4.78 goals per game, the highest mark of any club in the CHL. Doing his best to help fill in for injured netminder Jan Špunar, goaltender Nick Avakyan has won five straight starts since December 27, which included turning aside 37-of-40 shots against Prince George on Saturday night. Offensively, Portland continues to rely upon 20-year-old Gabe Klassen, who extended his point streak to 11 games (4G-17A over that stretch) last week. Florida Panthers prospect Josh Davies is also on an 11-game point streak (8G-9A over that stretch) of his own, having scored a goal in six of his last eight contests. This week, Portland will travel to Seattle, before returning home for games against the Thunderbirds and Blazers.
Games this week: @ Seattle (Jan. 12), vs. Seattle (Jan. 13), vs. Kamloops (Jan. 15)
9. London Knights (OHL): Riding a nine-game winning streak, the longest in the CHL right now, the Knights (26-11-0-1) are back in the Top-10 rankings for the first time since mid-November. London has found its way back up the rankings and the OHL standings by doing it at both ends of the ice. Over their current winning streak, the Knights have scored five or more goals on eight occasions, and they are averaging 5.56 goals per game over that stretch. At the same time, London has allowed two goals or fewer in six of their last nine contests. Contributing to the latter has undoubtedly been the play of goalie Michael Simpson, who’s won nine of his last 10 starts, including seven in a row. Simpson now leads the OHL with a 2.73 GAA and he is the first OHL goalie to reach the 20-win plateau this season. Offensively, the Knights have had many contributors. Most notably, 2024 NHL Draft prospect and defenceman Sam Dickinson has goals in four of his last five games, Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan is on a seven-game point streak with five multipoint outings over that stretch, all while 2024 NHL Draft prospect Sam O’Reilly has points in 10 of his last 11 games (5G-11A). Both Dickinson and O’Reilly will be among the 40 players featured at the 2024 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game on January 24. However, before that, Dickinson, O’Reilly and the Knights will look to extend the CHL’s longest active winning streak when they travel to Sarnia, before returning to London for contests against No. 4-ranked Saginaw and Owen Sound.
Games this week: @ Sarnia (Jan. 10), vs. Saginaw (Jan. 12), vs. Owen Sound (Jan. 14)
10. Soo Greyhounds (OHL): With just two wins over their last five contests, the Greyhounds (25-11-2-1) slipped a couple places to No. 10. As of January 9, the Soo now hold a .679 point percentage, which ranks fourth in the OHL behind Kitchener (.700), London (.697) and Saginaw (.681). Their 25 wins this season also place them third behind the Rangers (27) and Knights (26) in the OHL. To help provide the team with a much-needed spark and to bolster their lineup, the Greyhounds made a couple of moves to bring in Chicago Blackhawks prospect and 2024 World Juniors gold medallist Gavin Hayes from the Flint Firebirds, along with acquiring 20-year-old centreman Jacob Frasca from the Barrie Colts. The Soo should also soon get a boost when Vegas Golden Knights prospect Arttu Karki and forward Owen Allard return to their lineup. The pair were absent as they competed for Team Finland (Karki) and Canada (Allard) at the 2024 World Juniors. In their absence, Brenden Sirizzotti continued to be a bright spot for the squad, as he now has points in 10 of his last 11 games. This week, still without New York Rangers prospect Bryce McConnell-Barker who remains injured, the Greyhounds will hope a pair of home games, along with the addition of its new players and the return of some old faces like Karki and Allard, against the Storm and the Battalion will be just what the team needs to bounce back from its recent struggles.
Games this week: vs. Guelph (Jan. 12), vs. North Bay (Jan. 13)