2023-24 CHL Top-10 Rankings: Week 8
The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) announced today the Week 8 edition of its CHL Top-10 Rankings for the 2023-24 season.
Riding the CHL’s longest winning streak of the season at 10 in a row, the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) are No. 1 for a fourth straight week. Remaining idle at No. 2 are the Prince George Cougars of the Western Hockey League (WHL), who continue to sit atop the WHL standings. While jumping up two spots to No. 3 are the Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the QMJHL who are the only team in the CHL with 20 wins.
The only team to climb up four places in this week’s rankings were the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) who came in at No. 4. The Rangers have won seven straight games and they hold the third-highest point percentage (.762) of any club in the CHL. At the same time, the Peterborough Petes of the OHL are making their Top-10 debut at No. 8 and the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL re-enter the rankings in ninth after a one-week absence from this list.
The next rankings will be released the week of November 27, following the ninth week of regular season action in all three member leagues of the CHL.
CHL Top-10 Rankings – Week 8
1. Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL): It was another impressive week for the Mooseheads (18-4-1-0), who defeated Charlottetown (4-3 SO) and Acadie-Bathurst (3-1) on the road to extend their winning streak to 10 games – making it the longest winning streak in the CHL this season. Halifax is also the only team to rank first in the CHL’s Top-10 rankings for a total of four weeks so far during this 2023-24 campaign. Helping them to achieve the latter continues to be Vegas Golden Knights prospect Mathieu Cataford (1G-2A in last two games), Markus Vidicek (3G-1A in last two games), and Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Jordan Dumais (0G-3A in last two games) – who all rank among the QMJHL’s top-five scorers. Cataford has been held off the scoresheet just twice since October 13 (15 games) and his 34 points this season place him second in the QMJHL. Meanwhile, Vidicek has registered multi-point games in four of his last five contests, while Dumais is averaging a CHL-best 2.38 points per game during the 2023-24 campaign. Dumais is also riding a 13-game point streak and he has yet to be held off the scoresheet so far this season. Having allowed a QMJHL-best 53 goals (2.3 goals per game), Halifax will look to extend its winning streak when they face the No.3-ranked Drakkar at home, before they hit the road for games against Cape Breton and No.9-ranked Moncton.
Games this week: vs. Baie-Comeau (Nov. 23), @ Cape Breton (Nov. 24), @ Moncton (Nov. 26)
2. Prince George Cougars (WHL): With five wins over their last six games, the Cougars (16-6-0-0) continue to hold on to the No. 2 spot and first place in the WHL standings. This past week, Prince George won two of its three games against Vancouver (both victories coming by a 5-0 scoreline), while adding another win thanks to a 5-4 come-from-behind victory over Kelowna on Saturday. The Cougars continue to rely upon Los Angeles Kings prospect Koehn Ziemmer (4G-5A in last four games; named WHL Tempo Player of the Week; has four multi-point contests over his last six), Minnesota Wild prospect Riley Heidt (2G-7A in last four games; riding 14-game point streak since Oct. 11), and 2024 NHL Draft prospect Terik Parascak (3G-1A in last four games; ranked fourth in the CHL with 21 goals this season). At the same time, while he gave up four goals to the Rockets this weekend, rookie goalie Joshua Ravensbergen earned his fourth shutout of the season with a 26-save performance against the Giants. His four shutouts match Kitchener’s Jackson Parsons for the most in the CHL this season. As they look ahead, Ravensbergen and the Cougars will start a three-game homestand with contests against Lethbridge and Everett set for this week.
Games this week: vs. Lethbridge (Nov. 24), vs. Everett (Nov. 27)
3. Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL): Over the last month, no team has arguably been better than the Drakkar (20-3-2-0), who have won 13 of their last 14 games dating back to October 20. This past week, the Drakkar extended their winning streak to four by defeating Saint John (6-2) and Gatineau twice (7-1 on Sat., 4-3 on Sun.). New York Islanders prospect Justin Gill, the Boilard brothers (Raoul and Jules) and 2024 NHL Draft prospect Justin Poirier continue to be major factors for Baie-Comeau. Gill (5G-2A in last three games) continues to lead the QMJHL with 42 points (15G-27A) this season, which ranks second in the CHL. The 20-year-old is also on a 17-game point streak, having scored a goal in each of his last five contests. Meanwhile, 2024 NHL Draft Raoul Boilard (2G-4A in last three games) is on a four-game point streak, while his brother Jules (3G-3A in last three games) has recorded a point in 11 straight contests. At the same time, Poirier (2G-4A in last three games) continues finding twine as he leads the QMJHL with 22 goals, which places him in a tie for second in the CHL. Having scored a CHL-best 116 goals (4.64 per game) this season, the Drakkar will need to be at their best as they head to the Maritimes for games against Charlottetown, No.1-ranked Halifax, and Cape Breton.
Games this week: @ Charlottetown (Nov. 22), @ Halifax (Nov. 23), @ Cape Breton (Nov. 25)
4. Kitchener Rangers (OHL): Having scored a combined 15 goals in two wins against Windsor last week, the Rangers (16-5-0-0) have jumped into the Top-5 for the first time this season riding an OHL-best seven game winning streak. Kitchener currently owns the best goal differential of any CHL club at +50 and their 5.05 goals per game is the best in the CHL as well. They continue to be led by Seattle Kraken 2023 second-rounder Carson Rehkopf (5G-1A in last two games), Vancouver Canucks prospect Hunter Brzustewicz (1G-3A in last two games) and 20-year-old Matthew Sop (3G-2A in last two games). Rehkopf’s five-goal effort in the last week (including a hat-trick on Friday) increased his total on the season to 24 goals, which are the most of any player in the CHL. At the same time, Brzustewicz’s 36 points pace all CHL defensemen, while Sop’s 35 points place him among the top-10 scorers in the CHL. The Rangers also continue to enjoy great production from Adrian Misaljevic, who scored his 15th goal of the year last week, and Montreal Canadiens prospect Filip Mešár, who is up to 18 points (5G-13A) in 10 games this season. This week, Kitchener will be busy with four games on the schedule. They’ll start things off tonight against the Otters, before facing the Attack, Storm and Firebirds over the weekend.
Games this week: vs. Erie (Nov. 21), vs. Owen Sound (Nov. 24), @ Guelph (Nov. 25), @ Flint (Nov. 26)
5. Portland Winterhawks (WHL): After completing a lengthy nine-game road trip that ran from Oct. 21 to Nov. 10, the Winterhawks (13-5-0-1) finally made their return to Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland last week, where they first lost to Prince Albert (2-1) on Friday before scoring a victory against Everett (6-4) on Sunday. With a total of 94 goals scored this season, the Winterhawks are now averaging 4.95 goals per game – the second-highest average in the CHL behind only Kitchener. Lifting them to their sole victory of the week was Philadelphia Flyers prospect and defenceman Carter Sotheran who recorded a pair of goals, including the game-winner, against Everett for what was the first multi-goal game of his WHL career. The Winterhawks also enjoyed strong performances this past Sunday from Florida Panthers prospect Josh Davies (2G-1A vs. EVT), San Jose Sharks prospect Luca Cagnoni (0G-2A vs. EVT), and 20-year-old Gabe Klassen (0G-3A vs. EVT). This week, Portland will have its hands full when they play a four-game schedule highlighted by a contest on Saturday night against the No.6-ranked Blades.
Games this week: vs. Victoria (Nov. 22), @ Everett (Nov. 24), vs. Saskatoon (Nov. 25), vs. Spokane (Nov. 26)
6. Saskatoon Blades (WHL): Despite their week getting off to a rough start thanks to a 9-6 defeat against No.10-ranked Moose Jaw, the Blades (15-6-0-0) bounced back by first avenging that loss against the Warriors (3-2) on Friday before downing the Broncos (4-1) the following day. Saskatoon has now won seven of its last eight contests, and they are one of just two teams in the WHL with 15 wins this season. Anaheim Ducks prospect Egor Sidorov continues to fill the net, having scored five goals last week, including a hat-trick in the Blades’ losing effort against the Warriors last Tuesday. Sidorov is up to 20 goals on the year, making him just one of five skaters in the CHL to achieve that plateau so far this season. At the same time, captain Trevor Wong continued his strong play, collecting six points (1G-5A in last three games) as he continues to hold a share of the CHL lead with 30 assists. This week, the Blades head to the Pacific Northwest in the United States for a difficult four-game road trip highlighted by a matchup tonight against a surging Wenatchee Wild club and a Top-10 showdown against No.5-ranked Portland on Saturday.
Games this week: @ Wenatchee (Nov. 21), @ Everett (Nov. 22), @ Seattle (Nov. 24), @ Portland (Nov. 25)
7. Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL): Although they fell 3-2 on Sunday to Blainville-Boisbriand, the Huskies (13-5-1-3) still hold on to first place in the QMJHL Western Conference, having earned an important 3-0 win against Drummondville on Friday. During the latter, Rouyn-Noranda goalie William Rousseau made 23 saves for his QMJHL-best third shutout of the season. Rousseau continues to lead the CHL with a 1.82 GAA and .941 SV%. This past week, in addition to Rousseau’s efforts, the Huskies were led by Seattle Kraken prospect Andrei Loshko (2G-1A in last two games) and 2025 NHL Draft prospect Bill Zonnon (2G-0A in last two games). Loshko has been excellent during the month of November with points in six of seven games (6G-2A over that stretch), including goals in five of those contests. Zonnon extended his point streak to four games, and he has points in five of his last six games. As they look ahead to the weekend, the Huskies will need these players and more to be at their best, as they hit the road for a three-game road trip that will start in Moncton on Friday. That game against the No.9-ranked Wildcats on Friday (Nov. 24) at 7 p.m. AT is the CHL Game of the Week, and it can be seen live on CHL TV for free.
Games this week: @ Moncton (Nov. 24), @ Saint John (Nov. 25), @ Acadie-Bathurst (Nov. 26)
8. Peterborough Petes (OHL): Trailing 5-0 to the Oshawa Generals after one period on Sunday, the Petes (12-3-3-1) looked poised to fall for the first time in four games. However, they impressively scored six unanswered goals to mount a shocking 6-5 come-from-behind victory in overtime against the Generals. The Petes now have won seven of their last 10, including four victories in overtime over that stretch. Additionally, they’ve only dropped three games in regulation this season, which rank as the fewest of any team in the CHL alongside Baie-Comeau. Specifically, over the last month, the Petes have only lost one game in regulation since Oct. 20 (which was a 4-0 defeat to No. 4-ranked Kitchener on Nov. 10). Helping them to achieve these results have included Montreal Canadiens prospect Owen Beck (4G-2A in last three games; scored his second hat-trick of the season on Sunday), defenceman Donovan McCoy (2G-5A in last three games; named OHL Cogeco Player of the Week for his efforts last week), Jonathan Melee (4G-4A in last three games; leads team with 22 points this season) and 20-year-old blueliner Samuel Mayer (1G-5A in last three games; has recorded four-straight multi-point contests). The Petes will look to continue their climb up the OHL standings when they face the Spitfires, Steelheads and Wolves this week.
Games this week: vs. Windsor (Nov. 23), @ Mississauga (Nov. 24), vs. Sudbury (Nov. 27)
9. Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL): After a one week absence from this list, Moncton (15-5-1-1) jumps in at No. 9 thanks to a pair of victories against the Titan (7-4) and the Eagles (2-1) over the last seven days. Powering the Wildcats to those victories was their leading scorer Yoan Loshing (5G-1A in last two games), who scored five goals in Moncton’s two games, including tallying the third hat-trick of his QMJHL career against Acadie-Bathurst. Loshing is now up to 17 goals in 18 games this season, and for his efforts, he was named the QMJHL Videotron Player of the Week. The Wildcats also enjoyed the return of Caleb Desnoyers, who was playing in his first couple of games since winning gold with Canada White at the World U17 Hockey Challenge. Desnoyers had two goals and two assists in Moncton’s victories against the Titan and the Eagles. The 16-year-old rookie from Saint-Hyacinthe, Que., now has points in seven of his last eight contests (5G-9A over that stretch). Calgary Flames prospect and blueliner Étienne Morin also collected three assists last week, giving him points in nine of his last 11 contests. Starting this week, the Wildcats will begin a five-game homestand with games against the Islanders, the No.7-ranked Huskies and the No.1-ranked Mooseheads. Moncton’s game against Rouyn-Noranda on Friday (Nov. 24) at 7 p.m. AT is the CHL Game of the Week, and it can be seen live on CHL TV for free.
Games this week: vs. Charlottetown (Nov. 23), vs. Rouyn-Noranda (Nov. 24), vs. Halifax (Nov. 26)
10. Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL): After losing three of four coming into the week, the Warriors (13-9-0-1) rebounded positively by scoring 18 goals and winning two of three games over the last seven days. Moose Jaw defeated No.6-ranked Saskatoon 9-6 before later earning a 7-3 victory against the Oil Kings. Their only loss of the week came at the hands of the Saskatoon Blades, who avenged their defeat by beating the Warriors 3-2 on Friday. Seattle Kraken prospect Jagger Firkus put together another strong week, tallying four goals and four assists. He continues to lead the CHL in scoring (43 points) and ranks tied for second in the CHL with 22 goals. Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Denton Mateychuk extended his point streak to 16 games. He now has a point in every game this season – giving him the modern record for the longest point streak by a defenceman in Warriors’ franchise history. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Brayden Yager also put together a strong performance – recording five points (1G-4A) in Moose Jaw’s three games last week. This weekend, the Warriors will look to string a pair of victories together when they face the Broncos and the Raiders.
Games this week: vs. Swift Current (Nov. 24), @ Prince Albert (Nov. 25)
