2023-24 CHL Top-10 Rankings – Week 2
The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) announced today the Week 2 edition of its CHL Top-10 Rankings for the 2023-24 season.
Following a pair of victories this week, the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League (WHL) jumped up into the top spot. They are followed by the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), who moved up four spots into second, while the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) fell to third.
The Prince George Cougars of the WHL, who have scored a CHL-best 49 goals in eight games, enter the Top-10 for the first time in seventh. Not too far behind them, the Soo Greyhounds of the OHL, who have won an OHL-best five games, also make their debut at No. 9 along with the North Bay Battalion of the OHL who round out the Top-10 in tenth.
The next rankings will be released the week of October 16, following the third week of regular season action in all three member leagues of the CHL.
CHL Top-10 Rankings – Week 2
1. Portland Winterhawks (WHL): Since losing their season-opening contest to the Wenatchee Wild, the Winterhawks (4-1-0-0) have taken care of business. This past week, thanks in large part to the efforts of netminder Jan Špunar and 2024 NHL Draft prospect Diego Buttazzoni, Portland came away with a pair of victories in both of its contests. Over the weekend, Špunar turned aside 65-of-68 shots, which included a 42-save effort against the Everett Silvertips. Špunar now has a 1.33 GAA and .953 SV% through three games. Meanwhile, Buttazzoni was a force against Vancouver on Saturday, when he tallied his first career WHL hat-trick along with an assist for good measure. With the strong play of these two, along with the continued contributions of key players like Luca Cagnoni (SJS), Carter Sotheran (PHI), Marek Alscher (FLA), Gabe Klassen, and James Stefan, the Winterhawks appear poised to remain among the top clubs in the CHL.
Games this week: vs. Kamloops (Oct. 13), vs. Tri-City (Oct. 15)
2. Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL): The Mooseheads (5-2-0-0) are unbeaten since dropping the first two games of the season, having won five games in a row – the longest active winning streak in the CHL. A big part of Halifax’s continued success has been the play of goaltender Mathis Rousseau, who leads the QMJHL with a 1.20 GAA and .956 SV% in five starts this season. The latter included Rousseau securing his first shutout of the year earlier this week thanks to a 26-save performance against the Cape Breton Eagles. The Mooseheads also continue to get some much-needed scoring from their talented rookie forward Lou Lévesque, who extended his point streak to five games, giving Lévesque a point in all five of the Mooseheads victories this season. Lévesque’s eight points (4G-4A) also place him in second behind only Vegas Golden Knights prospect Mathieu Cataford (VGK) for the team lead. This week, Halifax’s status as a top-three club will be tested when they face the Drakkar on Thursday night, a game fans will be able to watch live on RDS.ca.
Games this week: @ Baie-Comeau (Oct. 12), @ Chicoutimi (Oct. 13), @ Rimouski (Oct. 15)
3. London Knights (OHL): After opening the season with a pair of victories, the Knights (3-1-0-1) dropped a pair of games this week, which is the reason why they have slid to No. 3 in our rankings. After falling in a shootout to the Soo Greyhounds, the Knights struggled to find the net in a 4-1 loss to North Bay as Battalion goaltender Dom DiVincentiis (WPG) turned aside 31 of the 32 shots he faced. However, the Knights were able to bounce back in a big way on Saturday. Led by Denver Barkey (PHI), who had a three-point outing (2G-1A), London topped the Guelph Storm 4-1 to get back into the win column. With another trio of games on the cards for the Knights this week, London will continue to rely on Barkey and other great players like 2024 NHL Draft prospect Sam Dickinson to help maintain their place among the top teams in the CHL.
Games this week: @ Peterborough (Oct. 12), vs. Kingston (Oct. 13), @ Sarnia (Oct. 14)
4. Saginaw Spirit (OHL): There was only one game on the calendar for the Spirit (2-1-0-0) this week, but boy did they ever make a statement with it. Having lost to Kitchener on the road to start the 2023-24 campaign, Saginaw proceeded to avenge that loss by defeating the Rangers convincingly at home 8-2 in front of their home crowd. Leading the charge was Wild prospect Hunter Haight (MIN) who had a hat-trick, while 2024 NHL Draft prospect Zayne Parekh pitched in four assists. This Wednesday, the Spirit will look to bring that same energy when they face their in-state rivals, the Flint Firebirds, in this season’s first CHL Game of the Week. Fans can tune in to watch the latter for free on CHL TV, or they can also tune in to watch it on TSN+. Then, on Saturday, Saginaw will travel to Mississauga to face a tough Steelheads team that has gotten impressive goaltending from 2024 NHL Draft prospect Ryan Leenders, who leads the OHL with a 1.00 GAA, .967 SV% and two shutouts.
Games this week: vs. Flint (Oct. 11), @ Oshawa (Oct. 13), @ Mississauga (Oct. 14)
5. Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL): The Warriors (4-3-0-0) certainly didn’t make it easy for themselves in the last week. First, they allowed themselves to be outshot 42-26 by the Lethbridge Hurricanes, ultimately dropping that game 4-0. Then, one night later, although they were outshot 34-22 by the Tigers, a pair of timely shorthanded goals by 2023 NHL first-round pick Brayden Yager (PIT) allowed them to earn an impressive 4-3 victory against Medicine Hat. With his effort on Saturday, Yager is among the WHL leaders in both short-handed goals (2) and game-winning goals (3) early on this season, while fellow NHL prospect and teammate Jagger Firkus (SEA) has also gotten off to a great start with 10 points in five games. Despite their one loss to Lethbridge, Moose Jaw has still won four of its last five, and this week as they welcome back captain Denton Mateychuk (CBJ), they will aim to avenge their loss to the Hurricanes when they face them at home on Friday night.
Games this week: vs. Calgary (Oct. 10), vs. Lethbridge (Oct. 13), vs. Prince Albert (Oct. 14)
6. Saskatoon Blades (WHL): Brandon Lisowsky (TOR) and the Saskatoon Blades (4-2-0-0) had themselves a week by winning their two games by a combined score of 11-4. Of the 11 goals the Blades tallied in those two contests, Lisowsky had five of them, including a hat-trick against the Edmonton Oil Kings. At the same time, Saskatoon defenceman Tanner Molendyk (NSH) and forward Egor Sidorov (ANA) continued their strong play since returning to the lineup following their lengthy stints at NHL training camps. Sidorov had five points (2G-3A) while Moldendyk registered a goal and three assists in the Blades’ pair of games. Saskatoon’s trio of NHL prospects will aim to continue their scoring output over the course of their three-game schedule this week.
Games this week: @ Edmonton (Oct. 11), vs. Calgary (Oct. 14), @ Prince Albert (Oct. 15)
7. Prince George Cougars (WHL): With 49 goals on the season, no team across the CHL has scored more goals than Prince George (6-2-0-0). The next closest team is the Soo Greyhounds of the OHL who have 12 fewer goals than the Cougars. Leading the charge for Prince George is Ondrej Becher who leads the CHL with 19 points (7G-12A in eight games). He is then directly followed by his teammates, 2024 NHL Draft prospect Terik Parascak (12G-6A), and 20-year-old Zac Funk (7G-11A), who both sit tied for second in the CHL with 18 points. Despite the Cougars dropping their most recent game against the Wild on Saturday, Prince George has won four of its last five and will look to expand on that on Wednesday night when they welcome the Broncos to the CN Centre.
Games this week: vs. Swift Current (Oct. 11), @ Kelowna (Oct. 13)
8. Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL): Having started the season as the top-ranked team in the CHL, the Huskies (3-2-1-2) have slipped another few spots after another up-and-down week. A four-game road trip over the last seven days saw them win games against the Olympiques and Cataractes, all while suffering defeats to the Foreurs and Voltigeurs. Through those four games, they have continued to get consistent production from their new acquisition, Antonin Verreault, who has tallied nine points (4G-5A) in eight games this season. Verreault’s nine points place him in a tie with Anthony Turcotte (4G-5A), Louis-Philippe Fontaine (5G-4A), and Daniil Bourash (2G-7A) for the team lead. With the Huskies set to play their next two games at home this weekend, they’ll hope a pair of games at Glencore Arena will be just what the team needs to shake off their sluggish start.
Games this week: vs. Cape Breton (Oct. 14), vs. Saint John (Oct. 15)
9. Soo Greyhounds (OHL): It has been a remarkable start to the season for the Greyhounds (5-1-0-0), who have won an OHL-best five games all while scoring 37 goals in six contests this season. They’ve averaged 6.16 goals per game so far, the best of any club in the CHL, just slightly above that of Prince George (6.12). A big part of that comes from a host of players for the Soo, including 20-year-old Jordan D’Intino, who was named the OHL’s Cogeco Player of the Week having led the OHL with seven points (4G-3A) in three games heading into Monday. In addition to D’Intino’s contributions, the Greyhounds have been able to get great production from Calgary Flames prospect Jack Beck (3G-9A), Owen Allard (3G-7A), and Vegas Golden Knights prospect Arttu Karki (5G-4A), who each sit among the scoring leaders in the OHL so far this season. With a notable win against London, the Greyhounds will look to grab a couple of more this week when they host the 67’s and the Attack.
Games this week: vs. Ottawa (Oct. 13), vs. Owen Sound (Oct. 14)
10. North Bay Battalion (OHL): Despite a sluggish start to the season that saw them drop their first two games to the Barrie Colts, the Battalion (3-1-1-1) seem to have found their groove of late, having won three of their last four against some noteworthy clubs. There’s no doubt that in all three of their wins, North Bay goaltender Dom DiVincentiis (WPG) has been a major factor. Despite the Battalion being outshot in contests against the Sudbury Wolves, London Knights, and Owen Sound Attack, DiVincentiis has been masterful – turning aside 84-of-87 shots in those games, giving up a single goal to each of those teams, all while being named the first star in all three of those contests. This week, DiVincentiis and the Battalion will aim to continue their winning ways when they face the 67’s and the Generals.
Games this week: vs. Ottawa (Oct. 12), @ Oshawa (Oct. 15)