Toronto, Ont. – The Canadian Hockey League announced today the Week 2 edition of the Kia CHL Top-10 Rankings for the 2021-22 season.
A perfect opening week to the season has the London Knights climbing from an honourable mention in Week 1 into the sixth slot this week. The Knights scored consecutive victories over the Owen Sound Attack to open the season before edging the Windsor Spitfires 4-3, requiring an eight-round shootout marathon to get the job done on Thanksgiving Monday. Newly named Knights captain and Nashville Predators prospect Luke Evangelista sits tied for the OHL lead in goals with four through three games. Big winger Stuart Rolofs scored the first two goals of his OHL career while goaltender Brett Brochu stood tall, stopping 92 of 100 shots along with 11 of 12 shootout attempts against him over the weekend.
The Barrie Colts drop three spots down from fifth into eighth on the Top-10 following an 0-1-1-0 start to the campaign. The Colts fell to the Niagara IceDogs by a score of 4-1 on opening night in Barrie before picking up a point in a 5-4 overtime road loss to the Hamilton Bulldogs on Saturday. Colorado Avalanche first round pick Oskar Olausson was joined by Jacob Frasca with a pair of goals on the weekend. The Colts, who have been without star defenceman Brandt Clarke due to a case of mononucleosis, return to action on Thursday at home to the Soo Greyhounds.
The Kingston Frontenacs fall five spots on the list from number four in Week 1 down to nine this week. The Fronts enjoyed a promising start, defeating the Ottawa 67’s 8-1 at home on Friday as overage newcomer Lucas Edmonds led the way with four points. Things got a little rough from there though as the Mississauga Steelheads downed the Fronts 7-2 a night later on Saturday before Kingston fell 3-2 on the road in Ottawa on Sunday afternoon. Edmonds leads the Frontenacs with five points (3-2–5) through three games. Newly-named captain and top 2022 NHL Draft prospect Shane Wright joins Dallas Stars draftee Francesco Arcuri and rookie teammate Paul Ludwinski with four points thus far.
The Windsor Spitfires fell into the honourable mention category following a 1-1-0-1 start, falling 6-3 to the Sarnia Sting on opening night before rebounding to defeat the Sting 3-2 in overtime on a Will Cuylle game winner. The Spits fell to the London Knights on Monday afternoon by a score of 4-3, earning a point as they dropped a decision determined in the eighth round of a shootout.
For further analysis on the Week 2 edition of the Kia CHL Top 10 Rankings, visit CHL.ca.
About the Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League is a proud member of the Canadian Hockey League which is the world’s largest development hockey league with 60 teams in nine Canadian provinces and four American states. In addition to the OHL, the CHL is made up of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the Western Hockey League. The CHL supplies more players to the National Hockey League and U SPORTS than any other league.
Toronto, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League is pleased to announce that a total of 198 graduates are included on Opening Night rosters for the 2021-22 NHL Regular Season.
A number of recent OHL graduates who skated during the 2019-20 season including Peterborough Petes forward Mason McTavish (Anaheim), Oshawa Generals alumnus Philip Tomasino (Nashville), Hamilton Bulldogs career scoring leader Arthur Kaliyev (Los Angeles), former Erie Otters power play quarterback Jamie Drysdale (Anaheim), Saginaw Spirit sniper Cole Perfetti (Winnipeg), Sudbury Wolves star Quinton Byfield (Los Angeles) and former Flint Firebirds captain Ty Dellandrea (Dallas) are included on the list.
All 20 OHL member teams are represented by at least one alumnus, with the London Knights leading the way with a total of 32 graduates on the list. The Soo Greyhounds trail with 19 followed by the Barrie Colts and Erie Otters with 14 graduates respectively.
Among the NHL’s 32 clubs, the Toronto Maple Leafs lead the way with 13 OHL graduates on their Opening Night roster followed by the Edmonton Oilers and defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning each with 11.
The puck dropped on the NHL season on Tuesday with games in Tampa Bay and Las Vegas.
OHL Graduates on NHL Opening Night Rosters:
^- Injured or non-roster player Players listed in accordance with OHL graduating team
Anaheim Ducks (8): Jamie Drysdale (Erie Otters), Cam Fowler (Windsor Spitfires), John Gibson (Kitchener Rangers), Adam Henrique (Windsor Spitfires), Max Jones (Kingston Frontenacs), Mason McTavish (Peterborough Petes), Rickard Rakell (Plymouth Whalers), Anthony Stolarz (London Knights)
Arizona Coyotes (6): Kyle Capobianco (Sudbury Wolves)^, Jakob Chychrun (Sarnia Sting), Lawson Crouse (Kingston Frontenacs), Christian Fischer (Windsor Spitfires), Alex Galchenyuk (Sarnia Sting)^, Conor Timmins (Soo Greyhounds)
Boston Bruins (3): Nick Foligno (Sudbury Wolves), Taylor Hall (Windsor Spitfires), John Moore (Kitchener Rangers)
Buffalo Sabres (3): Craig Anderson (Guelph Storm), Colin Miller (Soo Greyhounds), Jeff Skinner (Kitchener Rangers)
Calgary Flames (10): Rasmus Andersson (Barrie Colts), Erik Gudbranson (Kingston Frontenacs), Trevor Lewis (Owen Sound Attack), Andrew Mangiapane (Barrie Colts), Sean Monahan (Ottawa 67’s), Tyler Parsons (London Knights)^, Brad Richardson (Owen Sound Attack)^, Brett Ritchie (Niagara IceDogs), Matthew Tkachuk (London Knights), Nikita Zadorov (London Knights)
Carolina Hurricanes (6): Tony DeAngelo (Soo Greyhounds), Steven Lorentz (Peterborough Petes), Jamieson Rees (Sarnia Sting)^, Jordan Staal (Peterborough Petes), Andrei Svechnikov (Barrie Colts), Vincent Trocheck (Plymouth Whalers)^
Chicago Blackhawks (9): Calvin de Haan (Oshawa Generals), Alex DeBrincat (Erie Otters), Patrick Kane (London Knights), Dominik Kubalik (Kitchener Rangers), Connor Murphy (Sarnia Sting), Alec Regula (London Knights)^, Andrew Shaw (Owen Sound Attack)^, Riley Stillman (Hamilton Bulldogs), Dylan Strome (Erie Otters)
Colorado Avalanche (4): Andre Burakovsky (Erie Otters), Nazem Kadri (London Knights), Gabriel Landeskog (Kitchener Rangers), Kurtis MacDermid (Erie Otters)
Columbus Blue Jackets (4): Adam Boqvist (London Knights), Max Domi (London Knights), Scott Harrington (London Knights), Boone Jenner (Oshawa Generals)
Dallas Stars (5): Ty Dellandrea (Flint Firebirds), Radek Faksa (Sudbury Wolves), Jason Robertson (Niagara IceDogs), Tyler Seguin (Plymouth Whalers), Andrej Sekera (Owen Sound Attack)
Detroit Red Wings (10): Tyler Bertuzzi (Guelph Storm), Robby Fabbri (Guelph Storm), Sam Gagner (London Knights), Filip Hronek (Saginaw Spirit), Vladislav Namestnikov (London Knights), Alex Nedeljkovic (Niagara IceDogs), Givani Smith (Kitchener Rangers), Marc Staal (Sudbury Wolves), Mitchell Stephens (London Knights), Pius Suter (Guelph Storm)
Florida Panthers (7): Sam Bennett (Kingston Frontenacs), Aaron Ekblad (Barrie Colts), Olli Juolevi (London Knights), Mason Marchment (Mississauga Steelheads), Joe Thornton (Soo Greyhounds), Owen Tippett (Saginaw Spirit), Carter Verhaeghe (Niagara IceDogs)
Los Angeles Kings (9): Andreas Athanasiou (Barrie Colts)^, Dustin Brown (Guelph Storm), Quinton Byfield (Sudbury Wolves)^, Drew Doughty (Guelph Storm), Arthur Kaliyev (Hamilton Bulldogs), Brendan Lemieux (Windsor Spitfires), Olli Maatta (London Knights)^, Akil Thomas (Peterborough Petes)^, Gabriel Vilardi (Kingston Frontenacs)
Minnesota Wild (2): Marcus Foligno (Sudbury Wolves), Ryan Hartman (Plymouth Whalers)
Montreal Canadiens (5): Josh Anderson (London Knights), Ben Chiarot (Saginaw Spirit), Christian Dvorak (London Knights), Nick Suzuki (Guelph Storm), Tyler Toffoli (Ottawa 67’s)
Nashville Predators (4): Nick Cousins (Soo Greyhounds), Matt Duchene (Brampton Battalion), Ben Harpur (Barrie Colts), Philip Tomasino (Oshawa Generals)
New Jersey Devils (9): Mackenzie Blackwood (Barrie Colts), Dougie Hamilton (Niagara IceDogs), Janne Kuokkanen (London Knights), Michael McLeod (Mississauga Steelheads), Marian Studenic (Hamilton Bulldogs), P.K. Subban (Belleville Bulls), Scott Wedgewood (Plymouth Whalers), Colton White (Soo Greyhounds), Pavel Zacha (Sarnia Sting)
New York Islanders (5): Josh Bailey (Windsor Spitfires), Casey Cizikas (Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors), Cal Clutterbuck (Oshawa Generals), Matt Martin (Sarnia Sting)^, Adam Pelech (Erie Otters)
New York Rangers (3): Barclay Goodrow (North Bay Battalion), Ryan Strome (Niagara IceDogs), Jarred Tinordi (London Knights)
Ottawa Senators (10): Connor Brown (Erie Otters), Josh Brown (Oshawa Generals), Michael Del Zotto (London Knights), Alex Formenton (London Knights), Victor Mete (London Knights), Matt Murray (Soo Greyhounds), Nick Paul (North Bay Battalion), Scott Sabourin (Oshawa Generals), Chris Tierney (London Knights), Austin Watson (London Knights)^
Philadelphia Flyers (4): Ryan Ellis (Windsor Spitfires), Travis Konecny (Sarnia Sting), Scott Laughton (Oshawa Generals), Zayde Wisdom (Kingston Frontenacs)^
Pittsburgh Penguins (2): Jeff Carter (Soo Greyhounds), Brock McGinn (Guelph Storm)
San Jose Sharks (5): Brent Burns (Brampton Battalion), Logan Couture (Ottawa 67’s), Jonah Gadjovich (Owen Sound Attack)^, Kevin Labanc (Barrie Colts), Jacob Middleton (Ottawa 67’s)
Seattle Kraken (6): Nathan Bastian (Mississauga Steelheads), Vince Dunn (Niagara IceDogs), Mark Giordano (Owen Sound Attack), Philipp Grubauer (Kingston Frontenacs), Jared McCann (Soo Greyhounds)^, Jamie Oleksiak (Niagara IceDogs)^
St. Louis Blues (8): Jordan Binnington (Owen Sound Attack), Robert Bortuzzo (Kitchener Rangers), Kyle Clifford (Barrie Colts), Jordan Kyrou (Sarnia Sting), James Neal (Plymouth Whalers), Ryan O’Reilly (Erie Otters), Brandon Saad (Saginaw Spirit), Robert Thomas (Hamilton Bulldogs)
Tampa Bay Lightning (11): Zach Bogosian (Peterborough Petes), Erik Cernak (Erie Otters), Anthony Cirelli (Erie Otters), Remi Elie (Erie Otters)^, Boris Katchouk (Soo Greyhounds), Pat Maroon (London Knights), Corey Perry (London Knights), Taylor Raddysh (Soo Greyhounds), Mikhail Sergachev (Windsor Spitfires), Gemel Smith (London Knights)^, Steven Stamkos (Sarnia Sting)
Toronto Maple Leafs (13): Mike Amadio (North Bay Battalion), TJ Brodie (Barrie Colts), Michael Bunting (Soo Greyhounds), Jack Campbell (Soo Greyhounds), Travis Dermott (Erie Otters), Mitch Marner (London Knights), Petr Mrazek (Ottawa 67’s), Jake Muzzin (Soo Greyhounds), Nick Ritchie (Soo Greyhounds), Rasmus Sandin (Soo Greyhounds), Wayne Simmonds (Soo Greyhounds), Jason Spezza (Belleville Bulls), John Tavares (London Knights)
Vancouver Canucks (5): Jason Dickinson (Guelph Storm), Bo Horvat (London Knights), Juho Lammikko (Kingston Frontenacs), J.T. Miller (Plymouth Whalers), Tanner Pearson (Barrie Colts)
Vegas Golden Knights (4): Connor Corcoran (Windsor Spitfires)^, Nicolas Hague (Mississauga Steelheads), Robin Lehner (Soo Greyhounds), Alex Pietrangelo (Barrie Colts)
Washington Capitals (2): John Carlson (London Knights), Tom Wilson (Plymouth Whalers)
Winnipeg Jets (5): Dylan DeMelo (Mississauga Steelheads), Bryan Little (Barrie Colts)^, Cole Perfetti (Saginaw Spirit), Mark Scheifele (Barrie Colts), Logan Stanley (Kitchener Rangers)
About the Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League is a proud member of the Canadian Hockey League which is the world’s largest development hockey league with 60 teams in nine Canadian provinces and four American states. In addition to the OHL, the CHL is made up of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the Western Hockey League. The CHL supplies more players to the National Hockey League and U SPORTS than any other league.
Toronto, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League today announced announced Top Performers of the Week for the week of regular season games ending Sunday, October 10, 2021.
Wolves’ Jack Thompson named OHL Player of the Week Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Jack Thompson of the Sudbury Wolves is the OHL Player of the Week with a league-leading seven points including two goals and five assists over two games.
Thompson, who was named captain of the Wolves ahead of Friday’s home opener, logged consecutive first star performances as Sudbury got off to a perfect start with a pair of victories. The 6-foot-1, 185Ib. defenceman recorded a goal and two assists in a 6-3 win over the visiting Peterborough Petes on Friday, scoring his first of the season on a third period power play. He followed that up with a career-high four point performance on Saturday in Sault Ste. Marie, scoring while adding three assists as the Wolves defeated the Greyhounds 6-3.
A 19-year-old native of Courtice, Ont., Thompson is entering his third season with the Wolves having put up 55 points (21-34–55) over 117 career regular season contests with the franchise. He was a third round (93rd overall) pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2020 NHL Draft before spending part of the 2020-21 season with Surahammars IF of Sweden’s HockeyEttan circuit. Thompson made his pro debut with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch last season, recording an assist in his lone contest. He signed an entry-level NHL contract with the Lightning on May 19, 2021. The right-shot rearguard was originally Sudbury’s second round (30th overall) pick in the 2018 OHL Priority Selection from the Clarington Toros U16 program.
Thompson is the first Wolves representative to earn the distinction since goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen did so for the week of October 1-7, 2018.
Also given consideration for the award were Edmonton Oilers prospect Matvey Petrov of the North Bay Battalion who started the season with a hat-trick on Thursday, posting a total of four goals and an assist over two games. Montreal Canadiens draftee Jan Mysak of the Hamilton Bulldogs also started strong, recording two goals and three assists over two games.
IceDogs’ Tucker Tynan named OHL Goaltender of the Week Tucker Tynan of the Niagara IceDogs is the OHL Goaltender of the Week with two victories, a 1.44 goals-against average and a .950 save percentage in a pair of contests.
Tynan was victorious in his return to the crease on Thursday in Barrie, stopping 25 of the 26 shots he faced as the IceDogs defeated the Colts 4-1. The game was Tynan’s first regular season matchup since the tragic events of December 12, 2019 that saw the goaltender suffer a deep laceration to his thigh. The long road of rest and rehabilitation continued to pay off for Tynan on Saturday in Niagara as he earned first star honours, stopping 32 shots before turning aside four of the six Oshawa Generals shootout attempts he faced in a 3-2 home opening victory.
A 19-year-old native of Chicago, Ill., Tynan is embarking on his second season in Niagara after impressing as a rookie in 2019-20 when he went 11-8-3-1 with a 3.80 goals-against average and .910 save percentage over 23 games. The 6-foot, 159Ib. goaltender was originally Niagara’s 10th round (192nd overall) pick in the 2018 OHL Priority Selection from the Detroit Little Caesars 16U program.
A pair of other candidates were given consideration for the award as Flint Firebirds netminder Luke Cavallin was perfect in his lone appearance last week, posting a 35-save shutout as the Firebirds defeated visiting Erie 3-0 on Saturday. London Knights goaltender Brett Brochu joined Tynan in going 2-0 while posting a 2.40 goals-against average and .919 save percentage as London defeated the Owen Sound Attack on back-to-back nights.
About the Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League is a proud member of the Canadian Hockey League which is the world’s largest development hockey league with 60 teams in nine Canadian provinces and four American states. In addition to the OHL, the CHL is made up of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the Western Hockey League. The CHL supplies more players to the National Hockey League and U SPORTS than any other league.
Toronto, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that following the Government of Ontario’s expansion of spectator capacity limits at indoor sporting venues, the League’s 17 Ontario-based facilities will be welcoming 100 percent capacity, fully vaccinated crowds beginning Saturday, October 9.
“We are grateful for the continued work and leadership of our Government and public health officials led by Premier Doug Ford, Minister of Sport Lisa MacLeod and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kieran Moore,” said OHL Commissioner David Branch. “Yesterday’s launch to our 2021-22 Regular Season was an incredible night for everyone, and more fans being safely permitted to enter OHL facilities across the province only adds to that excitement we’re all feeling.”
Tonight’s schedule features seven contests after the season got underway in North Bay, Barrie and Windsor on Thursday. Saturday’s OHL schedule includes an additional seven games.
“The health and safety of our players, staff, officials, fans, billets and communities is paramount,” Branch added. “We’re very excited to welcome OHL fans back for what’s sure to be a great season.”
About the Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League is a proud member of the Canadian Hockey League which is the world’s largest development hockey league with 60 teams in nine Canadian provinces and four American states. In addition to the OHL, the CHL is made up of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the Western Hockey League. The CHL supplies more players to the National Hockey League and U SPORTS than any other league.
OHL Writers 