OHL Power Rankings Week 5

It was a rough weekend for the Eastern Conference as they went 1-7 vs the West. Those 3 days though shouldn't take away from what has been a great improvement over last year for the East. Through 5 weeks of the season the East is 17-19-5 vs the West. The West conversely is 24-13-4 vs the East. While this week prove there is still a bit of a gap between the two conferences it is clearly not as large as in years past as a couple of East teams have improved greatly in the recruiting department as well as asset management.

The rosters for the U17 hockey challenge have been released. 23 players on OHL rosters were selected to participate this year with Saginaw, Oshawa, Flint, Sault Ste. Marie and Mississauga among the teams with 2 players being named.
On team Canada Black you find key names like Tag Bertuzzi, Blake Murray and Phillip Tomasino.
On team Canada Red you will find players like 1st overall pick Ryan Suzuki and scoring sensation Nick Wong.
On team Canada White you will find GTHL player of the year Nicholas Porco as well as Mitchell Brewer and Nathan Staios.

The OHL also announced who would be competing in the OHL-Russia games as part of the CIBC CHL Russia series. This year the games take place in Owen Sound and Sudbury. I'll be at the Sudbury game so I have my fingers crossed it wont be snowing that day. You can find my breakdown of the roster as well as a few players who I feel were snubbed (hint Akil Thomas and Isacc Ratcliffe were the 2 biggest) here so enjoy.


(1) Sarnia Sting 12-1-0 Power Rank Percentage (PR%) .9116
For the third week the Sting are up top of the power rankings. It was a great week for Jordan Kyrou who picked up a Hat-Trick in their first game of the week. His 200th Career point on a goal in game 2 ( you can see the video here) and in his 3rd game of the week he picked up 3 assists to move past Eric Hemelfarb to move into 8th place on the Stings All-time point list. Also stamping their name on the Sting record book was goalie Justin Fazio who with his 64th career win claimed top spot in Sarnia lore.
Games this week: Oct 27th vs SSM; Oct 29 vs Fli

(2) Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 9-2-2 PR% .7614
A busy week for the Greyhounds as they moved Raaymakers to London for a pair of draft picks that will be used to augment their roster at the trade deadline. They also got a commitment from Rasmus Sandin their 2017 import pick and potential high NHL draft pick. He didnt get into any games this weekend as the Hounds were still waiting on some paper work from the IIHF to make him eligible but that should be in on Monday.
Games this week: Oct 27 @ Sar; Oct 28 @ Fli

(3) Barrie Colts 8-3-1 PR% .7224
Start player and top OHL prospect Andrei Svechnikov broke a bone in his wrist and will be out of the lineup for about 6 weeks. Almost as devastating an injury as when Adam Banks got two handed in Mighty Ducks 2. They ended their week however with a shutout win over Oshawa and traded backup goalie Christian Propp for a trio of draft picks that may be used come deadline day.
Games this week: Oct 26 vs Ham; Oct 28 vs Miss

(4) Niagara Icedogs 7-2-2 PR% .7078
The Niagara Burkes continue to play strong as they now have points in 6 straight games. It is imperative they use the next 6 weeks to try and build a cushion over the Colts due to Barrie's injury issues. Every week that goes by Stephan Dhillon is proving that last season was not an outlier and with the team giving up significantly less shots his GAA has dropped by almost a full goal compared to last year. With Niagara's developing offence that is a recipe for sustained success.
Games this week: Oct 26 vs Osh; Oct 28 vs Sby; Oct 29 @ Miss

(5) Peterborough Petes 8-4-1 PR% .7039
After a big win over the Windsor Spitfires on Thursday that saw Michael DiPietro have a real stinker the hockey gods seemed somewhat vengeful as Wells had a poor start on Saturday and the offence dried up on Sunday versus one of the Wests weaker teams in Saginaw. The Pete's have 2 home games and a rivalry road game in Oshawa this week to right the ship.
Games this week: Oct 26 vs Sag; Oct 27 @ Osh; Oct 29 vs Ham

(6) Hamilton Bulldogs 6-2-3 PR% .6915
The Bulldogs absolutely dominated the Guelph Storm on Friday but ran into an impossibly hot Anthony Popovich and walked away without any points. On Sunday however Kaden Fulcher became the first goalie this year to get 2 shutouts as he turned away all Ottawa shots. The Power Play is slowly starting to pick up steam which will only help the Bulldogs as they have one of the best penalty killing units in the league.
Games this week: Oct 26 @ Bar; Oct 28 vs Ldn; Oct 29 @ Pbo

(7) Owen Sound Attack 6-3-2 PR% .6737
A surprisingly rough visit to the state Pennsylvania as the Attack dropped both games to the talented yet up to this point disappointing Erie Otters. As expected the Attack are a nearly flawless team except for their glaring question mark in goal. That said the chicken littles of the OHL need to calm down. The sky isn't falling it is only October and the team has the highest point percentage in their division. Bowman is more than capable of holding the fort down for the next 2 months till the trade deadline where they can move in on an upgrade. They already gave their defense a boost by picking up Lyle from North Bay for what essentially works out for a 2nd a 5th and a 10th. Erie proved last year you can go all the way with a question mark in goal so whats another 2 months in Owen Sound?
Games this week: Oct 27 @ Kit; Oct 28 vs NB; Oct 29 vs Wsr

(8) Windsor Spitfires 7-4-1 PR% .6157
A tough loss vs Peterborough where they thoroughly outplayed the Petes. They had a strong reply to that poor result by pouring it on vs the Flint Firebirds. One player who has really benefited from a change of scenery and move to Windsor is Luke Kutkevicius. After having to sit through 1.5 years of him as a Hamilton Bulldogs season ticket holder I am quite pleasantly surprised by his early season production.
Games this week: Oct 26 @ NB; Oct 27 @ Sby; Oct 29 @ OS

(9) Ottawa 67s 8-5-1 PR% .6033
How about Kody Clark. Becoming the first player in OHL history to pick up an OT winning goal in 3 consecutive games. Starting last week in Sault Ste. Marie before adding the OT winner in the first 2 games this week. An interesting trend continues for the 67s however as they are fantastic on OT and close 1 goal games but when they lose it tends to be by a healthy margin. Hopefully they can maintain their stellar record in 1 goal games.
Games this week: Oct 28 vs Sag; Oct 29 @ Osh

(10) Flint Firebirds 6-4-1 PR% .5884
A week after being returned to Flint by the Columbus Blue Jackets the Firebirds moved Kole Sherwood to Kitchener for 4 draft picks including 2 2nds. The Firebirds are averaging a healthy 4 goals per game right now so the Firebirds were dealing from a position of strength. The Firebirds have a strong roster of '00 and '01 born players so this should help them add around this young core for a team that should be very dangerous in the coming years.
Games this week: Oct 27 @ Ldn; Oct 28 vs SSM; Oct 29 @ Sar

(11) Kitchener Rangers 7-5-1 PR% .5831
The Kitchener Rangers will likely be without the services of defenceman Giovanni Vallati as he received a head checking major against Oshawa for an elbow to the head of a Gens player. Kole Sherwood was added to the Rangers lineup after a trade with Flint but the teams offence limped to only 2 goals on the weekend. Another tough test this week vs Owen Sound before a very winnable game against North Bay.
Games this week: Oct 27 vs OS; Oct 29 vs NB

(12) Guelph Storm 5-6-1 PR% .5220
The Storm picked up 4 out of a possible 6 points and held the lead going into the 3rd vs the Greyhounds (which lasted only 33 seconds into the final period). Anthony Popvich was huge all weekend for the team starting off with a 45 save 2-1 win vs Hamilton then a 31 save 2-1 win vs Saginaw before turning in another 40 save performance against the Greyhounds in which a tired Storm team could not keep up.
Games this week: Oct 27 vs Eri; Oct 28 @ Eri; Oct 29 vs Ldn

(13) Kingston Frontenacs 5-5-2 PR% .5116
After starting the year 5-1 the Fronts went 0-3-2 during Dunkley's 5 game suspension. He picked up an assist to give the Fronts a 1-0 lead in his first game back before North Bay took control and won the game 8-2. To add salt to the wound the Fronts took an instigator penalty on Daniel Walker after he received a boarding penalty in the 3rd. Walker would go out and score goal 7 and 8 for the Battalion.
Games this week: Oct 27 vs Miss; Oct 29 vs Sag

(14) Oshawa Generals 5-5-2 PR% .4877
The Gens finished with 3 out of a possible 6 points on the weekend. Scoring only 3 goals in the process. They had plenty of chances in their 4-0 loss against Barrie but just couldnt finish it off. Keyser was great all weekend Giving the F-U to anyone who said the Gens had goalie issues last week. The Penalty Kill is slowly coming around but the lack of offence is somewhat worrisome. They showed they could score early in the season but the young players now must develop some consistency because the talent is there on this roster.
Games this week: Oct 26 @ Nia; Oct 27 vs PBO; Oct 29 vs Ott

(15) Sudbury Wolves 4-7-2 PR% .4847
The Wolves added Doug Blaisdell earlier in the week then went out and beat the Soo Greyhounds. They played the Sarnia Sting tight on Friday before ultimately losing but did get their 2nd win of the week vs Kingston on Saturday
Games this week: Oct 27 vs Wsr; Oct 28 @ Nia; Oct 28 @ Eri

(16) Erie Otters 5-6-1 PR% .4830
Two big wins this week as the Attack visited the EIA for 2 games this weekend. A pair of the Otters more intriguing trade assets Ivan Lodnia and Owen Headrick had great weekends and should be coveted commodities in the coming months.
Games this week: Oct 27 @ Gue; Oct 28 vs Gue; Oct 29 vs Sby

(17) North Bay Battalion 4-6-2 PR% .4256
The Battalion seem to believe they have solved their long term goalie issues by signing 2016 draft pick and Telus Cup Bronze medalist Christian Purboo. In the short term they moved disgruntled former 1st round draft pick Brady Lyle to Owen Sound for goaltender Christian Propp who they had picked up from Barrie earlier in the day
Games this week: Oct 26 vs Wsr; Oct 28 @ OS; Oct 29 @ Kit

(18) Saginaw Spirit 3-6-1 PR% .4167
For the 2nd week in a row the Spirit pick up a Sunday road win versus and Eastern Conference opponent. This time it was against the Peterborough Petes who themselves are legitimate contenders. Offence is still a worry for this team as they continue to struggle to score goals. Blade Jenkins however finally picked up his 1st career OHL goal. I cant see him waiting another 10 games to pick up his 2nd.
Games this week: Oct 26 @ Ptb; Oct 28 @ Ott; Oct 29 @ Kgn

(19) London Knights 3-8-1 PR% .3675
The Knights went and made their move for a goalie sending picks and Tyler Johnson to Sault Ste. Marie for Joseph Raaymakers. Raaymakers went out and won both games this weekend allowing only 3 goals and finishing with a .953 save percentage. Max Jones also added 4 goals on the weekend as the offence is starting to show signs of life. It was good while it lasted for the other 19 fan bases in the league but it looks like London has gotten their season back on the right track.
Games this week: Oct 27 vs Fli; Oct 28 @ Ham; Oct 29 @ Gue

(20) Mississauga Steelheads 2-9-0 PR% .3412
A strong showing by the Steelheads on Friday as they thumped the North Bay Battalion. They followed it up with a loss Sunday in an OHL basement battle with the London Knights. Import selection and former Storm forwards Albert Michnac has been stellar this year with 14 points in 11 games. His 1.27 PPG average is more than double what he had last year. Not sure if he can maintain it but he should get enough ice time to atleast stay around a point per game.
Games this week: Oct 27 @ Kgn; Oct 28 @ Bar; Oct 29 vs Nia