2023-24 CHL Top-10 Rankings: Week 16
The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) announced today the Week 16 edition of its CHL Top-10 Rankings for the 2023-24 season.
Having won all three of its games last week, outscoring their opponents by a 22-3 margin, the Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) are back in the top spot for the sixth time in seven weeks. The Drakkar continue to hold the most wins (37) of any CHL club along with the league’s best point percentage (.844). Right behind them in second is the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League (WHL), who have just one regulation loss over their last 21 games (16-1-2-2). While in third, to round out the top-three, is the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), who have won 14 games in a row, which is the longest winning streak in the CHL this season.
Among some of the other notables who rose in the week’s rankings were the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the QMJHL, who climbed up a couple of places to No. 6 after extending their point streak to 13 games (12-0-1-0), while the Everett Silvertips of the WHL moved up to a season-best seventh after stringing together seven wins in a row, which is tied for the longest active streak in the WHL as of January 23.
The next rankings will be released the week of January 29, following the 17th week of regular season action in all three member leagues of the CHL.
CHL Top-10 Rankings – Week 16
1. Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL): Having strung together four straight wins, including three in a row last week, the Drakkar (37-6-2-0) are in the top spot for the sixth time in seven weeks. Baie-Comeau was absolutely dominant over the last seven days, winning all of its three of its games by a combined score of 22-3. The latter included an impressive 6-2 road victory over No. 10-ranked Rouyn-Noranda. The Drakkar ultimately handed the Huskies what was just their second regulation loss of the season at home. From there, Baie-Comeau downed Val-d’Or in consecutive games, first shutting them out 8-0, before registering an 8-1 victory on Saturday. New addition Donovan Arsenault, who was acquired on January 4 from Acadie-Bathurst, scored a hat-trick in consecutive games against the Foreurs. Arseneault now has six goals and eight points over his last three contests. Meanwhile, 2024 NHL Draft prospect Justin Poirier tallied goals in all three of Baie-Comeau’s victories last week as he continues to pace the QMJHL with 34 goals in 45 games this season. New York Islanders prospect Justin Gill also had a strong week, registering eight points (3G-5A) over his last three games, and he’s now got 15 points (7G-8A) through eight contests in the month of January. This week, the Drakkar will look to improve on their 18-1-2-0 record at home when they welcome Chicoutimi and Québec for games in Baie-Comeau.
Games this week: vs. Chicoutimi (Jan. 26), vs. Québec (Jan. 27)
2. Saskatoon Blades (WHL): With only one regulation loss over their last 21 games, the Blades (31-9-2-2) find themselves near the top of the rankings at No. 2 this week. Specifically, Saskatoon saw its 18-game point streak come to a close against a red-hot Red Deer Rebels team, who now has seven straight victories having edged the Blades 5-4 last Wednesday to snap the streak. Saskatoon did manage to bounce back after that defeat, winning its next two road games against Calgary (4-3) and Edmonton (4-1) to close out the week. Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Fraser Minten continued his strong play by extending his point streak over the last seven days to eight games (5G-7A) over that stretch. Meanwhile, fellow Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Brandon Lisowsky has a goal in six straight games now, along with 10 of his last 13 games. Washington Capitals prospect Alexander Suzdalev also continued to show why his addition to this Blades lineup only makes this club more dangerous. Suzdalev is up to 10 points in seven games so far with his new club, and he’s been held off the scoresheet just once during that time. This week, Saskatoon will wrap up their four-game road trip with a game in Prince Albert, before they head back home to start a seven-game homestand with contests against those same Raiders, along with Conor Geekie and the Swift Current Broncos.
Games this week: @ Prince Albert (Jan. 26), vs. Prince Albert (Jan. 27), vs. Swift Current (Jan. 28)
3. London Knights (OHL): Riding a 14-game winning streak, the longest in the CHL this season, the Knights (31-11-0-1) made the biggest jump of any club in the Top-10 this week by moving up four spots to No. 3. In order to achieve the feat, London had to defeat No. 8-ranked Kitchener, not just once, but twice. In their first meeting Kitchener, the Knights doubled the Rangers 4-2, before heading home and winning convincingly the second time 10-3. Over the course of these two games, Philadelphia Flyers prospect Oliver Bonk registered two goals and five points to extend his point streak to 10 games – a stretch that has also seen the Knights defenceman tally eight multipoint outings. Meanwhile, not to be forgotten is Finnish forward Kasper Halttunen, who is on an 18-game point streak (14G-12A), which is the longest active streak of its kind in the OHL. Halttunen also has eight goals in his last nine games. Additionally, although he was held off the scoresheet in consecutive games before registering four points against the Rangers in London, Ruslan Gazizov has 10 multipoint games over his last 12 contests. Now holding 31 seasons on the season, the most of any club in the OHL, London has taken sole possession of first place in the OHL. The Knights will look to maintain their place atop the standings when they face the Petes and Otters this week.
Games this week: vs. Peterborough (Jan. 26), @ Erie (Jan. 27)
4. Prince George Cougars (WHL): With four losses over their last six games, the Cougars (30-13-0-1) find themselves outside the top-three for the first time since the Week 4 rankings were released on October 24. It hasn’t been all that bad, however, for the Cougars. They remain winners in six of their last 10 games, and three of their most recent losses have come against clubs ranked in the CHL Top-10 (No.9-ranked Portland twice; No. 7-ranked Everett once). In their only two contests of the week, Prince George split a pair of games against Portland, winning the first one 3-2, before dropping the second contest 2-1. Powering them to victory last Friday was none other than Minnesota Wild prospect Riley Heidt, who scored a pair of goals including the game-winner against the Winterhawks that night. Heidt is now up to 74 points in 42 games this season, which places him third among WHL scorers. Meanwhile, 2024 NHL Draft prospect Terik Parascak tallied his 63rd point of the season on Saturday, as he continues to pace all CHL rookies in scoring so far during the 2023-24 campaign. This week, Prince George will hope to find its way back into the rankings’ top-three and catch Saskatoon the WHL standings when to the Pacific Northwest for games against Spokane, Tri-City, and Wenatchee this weekend.
Games this week: @ Spokane (Jan. 26), @ Tri-City (Jan. 27), @ Wenatchee (Jan. 28)
5. Saginaw Spirit (OHL): Having strung together four straight victories, including three in a row, the Spirit (29-12-0-1) are up a spot in this week’s rankings and back into the Top-5. Saginaw managed the feat by winning on the road against the 67’s (4-2), the Petes (3-1), and the Frontenacs (7-2). The Spirit have now won 14 of their last 16 games on the road, having started the season 0-5 away from the Dow Event Center. Once again, 2024 NHL Draft prospect Zayne Parekh was excellent for Saginaw, as he scored five points (2G-3A) over the last week to extend his point streak to eight games. Over that stretch of time, Parekh has scored nine goals and 19 points. Additionally, 2025 NHL Draft Michael Misa picked up goals in all three of Saginaw victories to reach 21 goals on the season, while Montreal Canadiens prospect Owen Beck collected four points last week and he now has 14 points (5–9A) in seven games for the Spirit. This week, the Spirit will travel to Windsor before beginning a seven-game homestand with contests against the No.8-ranked Rangers and the Spitfires.
Games this week: @ Windsor (Jan. 25), vs. Kitchener (Jan. 27), vs. Windsor (Jan. 28)
6. Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL): With points in 13 straight games (12-0-1-0), the longest active point streak in the QMJHL, the Voltigeurs (30-9-4-1) are up a couple of spots to No. 6 this week. Thanks to their recent success, Drummondville is just the second club in the QMJHL to crack 30 wins this season. To help them get there, the Voltigeurs took care of business last week, defeating the Océanic 6-4 before they scored a big 8-5 win in Quebec City over the Remparts. Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Ethan Gauthier continued his excellent play, notching points in both contests to extend his point streak to 14 games, the longest active streak in the QMJHL. Over that stretch of 14 games dating back to December 7, Gauthier has amassed an impressive 14 goals and 21 points. At the same time, Philadelphia Flyers prospect Alexis Gendron collected his fifth multipoint outing in seven games with the Voltigeurs, while Buffalo Sabres prospect Vsevolod Komarov extended his point streak to eight games (2G-9A over that stretch). This week, Drummondville will look to win its lone game on the schedule when they travel to Gatineau to face the Olympiques.
Games this week: @ Gatineau (Jan. 26)
7. Everett Silvertips (WHL): With wins in seven straight contests, matching the longest active streak of its kind in the WHL, the Silvertips (29-14-1-2) find themselves in seventh this week. Everett extended its streak by winning in commanding fashion against Spokane (11-2) before squeaking out a victory over the Tri-City Americans 3-2 on Sunday. The Silvertips have now won 29 games this season, trailing only Saskatoon (31) and Prince George (30) in the WHL. Vegas Golden Knights prospect Ben Hemmerling (2G-3A) and Dominic Rymon (1G-4A) led all scorers for Everett last week. Rymon has now scored two points or more in five of his last seven contests, having also scored a goal in six of those games (9G-10A over his last seven games). Meanwhile, Hemmerling is riding a seven-game point streak (6G-9A) as he leads the Silvertips in scoring with 59 points, just five ahead of Rymon who ranks second on the team with 54. This week, the Silvertips will hope to continue to climb up the rankings when they travel for games in Kelowna and Seattle.
Games this week: @ Kelowna (Jan. 24), @ Seattle (Jan. 27)
8. Kitchener Rangers (OHL): It was a tough weekend for the Rangers (30-13-2-0), who not only lost a pair of games to their rivals, the No. 3-ranked London Knights, but they also fell out of first place in the OHL for the first time in a month. Making matters worse, Kitchener lost by a seven-goal margin (10-3) in the second of those two games while on the road in London. Despite the losses, Kitchener did manage to find the column earlier in the week, when they took down the Storm 5-1 on Wednesday. 19-year-old forward Trent Swick potted a pair of goals in that contest, making him the fourth Rangers skater to top 20 goals so far this season. One of those four players is Seattle Kraken prospect Carson Rehkopf, who despite being without a goal through his last four games, has points in nine of his last 11 contests dating back to the beginning of December. Meanwhile, Seattle Kraken prospect Eduard Šalé potted his first goal and point as a member of the Rangers, coming in his third contest with his new club. This week, Šalé will hope to find the scoresheet once more when Kitchener travels to Sault Ste. Marie and Saginaw, where they’ll face the 2024 Memorial Cup hosts and No. 5-ranked Spirit.
Games this week: @ Sault Ste. Marie (Jan. 26), @ Saginaw (Jan. 27)
9. Portland Winterhawks (WHL): Having split a pair of games in Prince George this past weekend against the No. 4-ranked Cougars, along with securing a victory in Kelowna last Wednesday, the Winterhawks (28-11-2-1) find themselves once again in the No. 9 spot for the second week in a row. Portland have won eight of their last 10, with only one regulation loss over that stretch. They are averaging 4.69 goals a game, which stands as the best mark in the WHL. Last week, during their two games against the Cougars, San Jose Sharks prospect Luca Cagnoni extended his point streak to seven games (2G-10A), which has included four multipoint outings during that stretch of games. New addition and Detroit Red Wings prospect Nate Danielson, who was acquired from the Brandon Wheat Kings, registered a goal and an assist in his Winterhawks debut in Kelowna. Danielson has points in all three games he’s played for Portland thus far. Meanwhile, Nick Avakyan was excellent in his back-to-back starts against the Cougars and a big reason why the Winterhawks came away with at least one victory. Avakyan stopped 57 of the 61 shots he faced against Prince George, including 34-of-35 to secure the win on Saturday. This week, Portland will wrap up a five-game road trip with dates in Tri-City and Spokane, before they return home to face the Thunderbirds.
Games this week: @ Tri-City (Jan. 26), @ Spokane (Jan. 27), vs. Seattle (Jan. 28)
10. Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL): It was a tough week for the Huskies (29-11-1-4), who after falling twice in three games, have slipped down the rankings to tenth this week. One of those losses was a 6-2 defeat at the hands of the Drakkar, who handed them what was just their second regulation at home this season. Rouyn-Noranda has now given up four or more goals in six of their last eight games, which might help explain why they’ve lost three of their last eight. Over the last week, Antonin Verreault collected four points (0G-4A) to bring his season total to 71, which continues to be the best mark in the QMJHL this season. Verreault also now has points in 16 of his last 19 games. Additionally, Arizona Coyotes defenceman Jérémy Langlois registered a goal and an assist last week, as now leads all QMJHL defencement in goals (12) and points (40) this season. This week, still holding an impressive 15-2-0-4 record at home, Rouyn-Noranda will hope to bounce back at home against the Océanic on Saturday.
Games this week: vs. Rimouski (Jan. 27)