Windsor Spitfires

OHL Finals Preview and Prediction

Posted on June 2, 2022 by Dominic Tiano

The stage is set as the Ontario Hockey League’s top two teams during the regular season face off for the J. Ross Robertson Cup and the winner advancing to the Memorial Cup in Saint John New Brunswick from June 20 through June 29.

The finals begin Friday June 3 as the Windsor Spitfires face off against the Hamilton Bulldogs in the steel city at 7:00 pm. Game two will be a matinee addition on Sunday at 2:00 pm, also in Hamilton.

Before we break down how the two teams stack up, here’s a look at how the two teams got to this point along with my predictions:

CONFERENCE QUARTER FINALS

EASTERN CONFERENCE	PREDICTION	OUTCOME
(1) Hamilton vs (8) Peterborough	Hamilton in 4	Hamilton wins 4-0
(2) North Bay vs (7) Ottawa	North Bay in 5	North Bay wins 4-0
(3) Kingston vs (6) Oshawa	Kingston in 6	Kingston wins 4-2
(4) Mississauga vs (5) Barrie	Mississauga in 7	Mississauga wins 4-2
WESTERN CONFERENCE	PREDICTION	OUTCOME
(1) Windsor vs (8) Sarnia	Windsor in 5	Windsor wins 4-2
(2) London vs (7) Kitchener	London in 6	Kitchener wins 4-3
(3) Flint vs (6) Owen Sound	Flint in 6	Flint wins 4-3
(4) Sault Ste Marie vs (5) Guelph	Sault Ste Marie in 7	Sault Ste Marie wins 4-1

CONFERENCE SEMI FINALS

EASTERN CONFERENCE	PREDICTION	OUTCOME
(1) Hamilton vs (4) Mississauga	Hamilton in 5	Hamilton wins 4-0
(2) North Bay vs (3) Kingston	North Bay in 6	North Bay wins 4-1
WESTERN CONFERENCE	PREDICTION	OUTCOME
(1) Windsor vs (7) Kitchener	Windsor in 6	Windsor wins 4-1
(3) Flint vs (4) Sault Ste Marie	Sault Ste Marie in 7	Flint wins 4-1

CONFERENCE FINALS

EASTERN CONFERENCE	PREDICTION	OUTCOME
(1) Hamilton vs (2) North Bay	Hamilton in 5	Hamilton wins 4-0
WESTERN CONFERENCE	PREDICTION	OUTCOME
(1) Windsor vs (3) Flint	Windsor in 7	Windsor wins 4-3

There were no head-to-head matches between the Bulldogs and Spitfires as all games were played within their own conference because of the concerns of the COVID-19 Pandemic. But let’s take a look at how their regular season matched up:

	HAMILTON	WINDSOR
Record	51-12-5	44-17-7
Home Record	24-4-3	25-7-2
Road Record	24-8-2	19-10-5
Goals For	300	305
Goals Against	176	248
Power Play	27.6%	26.1%
Power Play (Home)	25.0%	28.1%
Power Play (Away)	31.3%	24.5%
Penalty Kill	80.9%	82.6%
Penalty Kill (Home)	79.1%%	78.2%
Penalty Kill (Away)	83.1%	86.8%
Leading After First	34-2-4	23-5-0
Leading After Second	43-2-2	32-0-2
Trailing After First	3-6-0	7-7-2
Trailing After Second	3-9-2	6-14-3
Outshooting Opponents	36-5-2	34-12-4
Out Shot By Opponents	15-7-3	10-4-3

The Bulldogs are the favorites and I don’t think the Spitfires mind being the underdog. Statistically speaking, the two teams match up pretty well except in one category: Goals against. The Bulldogs allowed a whopping 72 fewer goals then the Spits in the 68-game regular season.

But how do they matchup in the playoffs? Let’s take a look:

	HAMILTON	WINDSOR
Games Played	12	18
Record	12-0	12-6
Home Record	6-0	6-4
Road Record	6-0	6-2
Goals For	60	68
Goals Against	21	47
Power Play	37.9%	13.9%
Power Play (Home)	37.9%	16.3%
Power Play (Away)	37.9%	10.3%
Penalty Kill	87.0%	80.3%
Penalty Kill (Home)	84.7%	93.9%
Penalty Kill (Away)	88.0%	68.4%
Leading After First	8-0	7-2
Leading After Second	10-0	10-0
Trailing After First	1-0	4-1
Trailing After Second	0-0	1-5

There is a little more separation between the playoff stats and the regular season stats and of course, one must take into consideration their opponents. Some may not agree, but I believe the Bulldogs had the tougher route to the finals. Admittedly, I tried to find a loss for the Bulldogs in the first three rounds and even said that in prior articles, but it just never happened.

But I can’t count out the Spitfires who are well coached and Marc Savard has gotten more out of his younger players then anyone could have imagined.

Coming into the season, the Bulldogs were my choice to win it all. And here we are. Can the Spitfires be the team that finally puts one in the loss column for Hamilton?

Prediction: Hamilton in 6 games

Playoff Preview and Predictions Round Three

Posted on May 18, 2022 by Dominic Tiano

Let’s start by looking back at my first two rounds of predictions:

CONFERENCE QUARTER FINALS

EASTERN CONFERENCE	PREDICTION	OUTCOME
(1) Hamilton vs (8) Peterborough	Hamilton in 4	Hamilton wins 4-0
(2) North Bay vs (7) Ottawa	North Bay in 5	North Bay wins 4-0
(3) Kingston vs (6) Oshawa	Kingston in 6	Kingston wins 4-2
(4) Mississauga vs (5) Barrie	Mississauga in 7	Mississauga wins 4-2
WESTERN CONFERENCE	PREDICTION	OUTCOME
(1) Windsor vs (8) Sarnia	Windsor in 5	Windsor wins 4-2
(2) London vs (7) Kitchener	London in 6	Kitchener wins 4-3
(3) Flint vs (6) Owen Sound	Flint in 6	Flint wins 4-3
(4) Sault Ste Marie vs (5) Guelph	Sault Ste Marie in 7	Sault Ste Marie wins 4-1

CONFERENCE SEMI FINALS

EASTERN CONFERENCE	PREDICTION	OUTCOME
(1) Hamilton vs (4) Mississauga	Hamilton in 5	Hamilton wins 4-0
(2) North Bay vs (3) Kingston	North Bay in 6	North Bay wins 4-1
WESTERN CONFERENCE	PREDICTION	OUTCOME
(1) Windsor vs (7) Kitchener	Windsor in 6	Windsor wins 4-1
(3) Flint vs (4) Sault Ste Marie	Sault Ste Marie in 7	Flint wins 4-1

As you can probably guess, not happy about my results when getting two incorrect winners in 12 series and only two correct in the right number of games. I really did try to find a loss for the Hamilton Bulldogs in the Conference Semi Finals, but it just didn’t materialize. So, I’ll try again for the Conference Finals!

	Hamilton	North Bay
Season series	2-2-0	2-2-0
Last 10 games	10-0-0	8-1-1
Powerplay	27.6%	25.9%
PP vs opponent	0.0%	15.4%
PP Playoffs	37.0%	36.7%
Penalty Kill	80.9%	80.6%
PK vs Opponent	84.6%	100.0%
PK Playoffs	87.9%	87.5%
Goals for RS	300	267
Goals for Playoffs	38	43
Goals against RS	176	198
Goals against Playoffs	15	31
Team PIM / Game RS	11.3/game	9.1/game
Team PIM / Game Playoffs	14.9/game	7.0/game
Leading after 1^st period	34-2-4	22-2-3
Leading after 2nd period	43-2-1	27-0-2
Trailing after 1^st period	5-9-1	3-6-0
Trailing after 2^nd period	3-9-2	7-14-2
Outshooting opponents	36-5-2	26-5-4
Outshot by opponents	15-7-3	17-12-2

Not too much to say here. In many ways, Hamilton and North Bay were close in the regular season. And North Bay dominated specialty teams against Hamilton through the season. They even split the season series versus each other. But this is the Hamilton Bulldogs we’re talking about and they were built just for these playoffs. Somehow, my head is saying to find one loss for them and it likely won’t come until the next round. But….

Prediction: Hamilton in 5 games.

	Windsor	Flint
Season series	7-0-1	1-5-2
Last 10 games	8-1-1	7-3-0
Powerplay	26.1%	19.7%
PP vs opponent	26.5%	10.0%
PP Playoffs	13.3%	20.0%
Penalty Kill	82.6%	84.3%
PK vs Opponent	90.0%	73.5%
PK Playoffs	78.0%	83.3%
Goals for RS	305	286
Goals for Playoffs	41	44
Goals against RS	248	238
Goals against Playoffs	27	32
Team PIM / Game RS	10.3/game	10.4/game
Team PIM / Game Playoffs	12.6/game	9.5/game
Leading after 1^st period	23-5-0	22-4-1
Leading after 2nd period	32-0-2	31-1-3
Trailing after 1^st period	7-7-2	8-12-3
Trailing after 2^nd period	6-14-3	3-14-2
Outshooting opponents	34-12-4	20-8-1
Outshot by opponents	10-4-3	20-13-4

You know what they say about the playoffs and special teams: Win the special teams battle and you stand a better chance of winning the series. The Spitfires had a far superior powerplay during the regular season. And head-to-head the Spitfires powerplay was two and a half times better than the Firebirds. But to date in the playoffs? The Firebirds have doubled their regular season proficiency while the Spitfires was cut in half.

On the penalty kill, the Firebirds were less than 2 percentage points better than the Spits during the regular season. Through the playoffs, the Firebirds were still above the Spits.

But head-to-head, the Spitfires hold a decisive advantage in both powerplay efficiency and penalty kill. It’s only reasonable to assume that the Spitfires hold a big advantage when it comes to specialty teams in this series.

The Spitfires like to come at you and produce a lot of shots having outshot their opponent’s 70 percent of the time. On the flip side, the Firebirds are outshot more times than not and rely more on their goaltending. And that was slightly better than the Spitfires during the regular season.

Both squads are great at protecting the lead, but the advantage goes to the Spitfires when it comes to coming from behind. I think this series will be tight and the difference will be specialty teams.

Prediction: Windsor in 7 games.

OHL ANNOUNCES WESTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES SCHEDULE

Posted on May 16, 2022 by Dominic Tiano

Toronto, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League today announced the 2022 OHL Western Conference Championship Series for the Wayne Gretzky Trophy between the Windsor Spitfires and Flint Firebirds beginning Saturday, May 21 in Windsor.

The third round series features a pair of highly familiar West Division rivals. The Spitfires won the West Division with a 44-17-4-3 record during the regular season. They proceeded to eliminate the Sarnia Sting in six games and the Kitchener Rangers in five to reach their first Western Conference Final since 2011. The Firebirds played to a franchise record 42-21-1-4 mark, finishing third in the Western Conference. They bested the Owen Sound Attack in seven games before eliminating the Soo Greyhounds in five contests, reaching the Western Conference Championship Series for the first time in their history.

The Spitfires and Firebirds faced each other eight times during the regular season, with Windsor winning seven of those meetings.

The Western Conference Champion receives the Wayne Gretzky Trophy named in honour of the Hockey Hall of Fame member who played for the Soo Greyhounds in 1977-78. The Spitfires made three straight appearances in the Western Conference Championship Series from 2009-11, winning consecutive titles in the first two showings. The Firebirds have won their first two playoff rounds in the six-year history of the franchise this year, and look to keep the momentum going when the puck drops on Saturday.

WESTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES SCHEDULE:

(1) WINDSOR SPITFIRES (44-17-4-3) vs. (3) FLINT FIREBIRDS (42-21-1-4) – #WSRvsFLNT

Game 1, Sat., May 21 at Windsor, 7:05pm
Game 2, Mon., May 23 at Windsor, 7:05pm
Game 3, Wed., May 25 at Flint, 7:00pm
Game 4, Fri., May 27 at Flint, 7:00pm
Game 5, Sun., May 29 at Windsor, 7:05pm*
Game 6, Tues., May 31 at Flint, 7:00pm*
Game 7, Wed., June 1 at Windsor, 7:05pm*
*if necessary

2022 OHL Playoff Brackets

Don’t miss a second of the 2022 OHL Playoffs. CHL TV playoff packages are on sale now, with complete OHL Playoff passes, round-by-round passes and single day passes available. See a full range of options at watch.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.

OHL Playoff Preview and Predictions Round Two

Posted on May 5, 2022May 6, 2022 by Dominic Tiano

Before we look at the second round series matchups, lets look back and see how poorly I did in round one:

EASTERN CONFERENCE	PREDICTION	OUTCOME
(1) Hamilton vs (8) Peterborough	Hamilton in 4	Hamilton wins 4-0
(2) North Bay vs (7) Ottawa	North Bay in 5	North Bay wins 4-0
(3) Kingston vs (6) Oshawa	Kingston in 6	Kingston wins 4-2
(4) Mississauga vs (5) Barrie	Mississauga in 7	Mississauga wins 4-2
WESTERN CONFERENCE	PREDICTION	OUTCOME
(1) Windsor vs (8) Sarnia	Windsor in 5	Windsor wins 4-2
(2) London vs (7) Kitchener	London in 6	Kitchener win 4-3
(3) Flint vs (6) Owen Sound	Flint in 6	Flint wins 4-3
(4) Sault Ste Marie vs (5) Guelph	Sault Ste Marie in 7	Sault Ste Marie wins 4-1

So, 7 out of 8 correct winners. The Hockey Gods looked after the Kitchener Rangers after they were robbed of a goal as video review deemed it kicked in when it wasn’t. (The OHL officially came out and said the next day that it was an error). That call quite possibly cost the Rangers game 5. But they bounced back, tied the series and forced a game 7 in London in which they won in overtime to take the series.

But in only two of the series where I picked the correct winner did, I hit on the number of games. The biggest discrepancy was the Soo Greyhounds taking care of business against the Guelph Storm in 5 games where I had predicted it to go the distance. I don’t think anyone predicted the Storm wouldn’t give the Greyhounds a fight.

So, I try again with round two:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Hamilton vs (4) Mississauga

	Hamilton	Mississauga
Head-to-head	5-2-0-1	3-5-0-0
PP Regular Season	27.6%	20.9%
PP Playoffs	39.4%	33.3%
PP vs opponent	16.7%	14.3%
PK Regular Season	80.9%	81.3%
PK Playoffs	91.3%	75.0%
PK vs opponent	85.7%	83.3%
GF Regular season	300	229
GF Playoffs	27	17
GA Regular season	176	189
GA Playoffs	9	13
PIM /game regular season	11.3/game	11.5/game
PIM /game playoffs	21.5/game	9.8/game

I want to say “it’s hard to imagine the Hamilton Bulldogs losing a game in these playoffs” but I can’t because it’s bound to happen at some point. Offensively, the Bulldogs dominated during the regular season and the playoffs. Defensively, the Steelheads were almost as good as Hamilton during the regular season and the playoffs.

Both teams brought their powerplays to new levels during the playoffs. Mississauga’s penalty kill took a hit during the playoffs while Hamilton’s skyrocketed. However, one must take into account their respective opponents. If special teams are going to be a factor in this series, then you have to take into account that Mississauga is taking fewer penalties in the playoffs than the regular season while Hamilton has almost doubled theirs. But I’m not going to overthink this trying to find wins for Mississauga.

Prediction: Hamilton in 5 games.

(2) North Bay vs (3) Kingston

	North Bay	Kingston
Head-to-head	4-0-0-0	0-4-0-0
PP Regular Season	25.9%	25.3%
PP Playoffs	30.0%	26.7%
PP vs opponent	53.8%	13.3%
PK Regular Season	80.6%	79.8%
PK Playoffs	90.0%	60.0%
PK vs opponent	86.7%	46.2%
GF Regular season	267	285
GF Playoffs	17	27
GA Regular season	198	242
GA Playoffs	11	18
PIM /game regular season	9.1/game	11.1/game
PIM /game playoffs	7.8/game	11.5/game

As you can see above, the North Bay Battalion swept the season series against the Kingston Frontenacs. Only 6 points separated the two teams in the regular season. Their powerplays were pretty even as was their penalty kills and their goals for. North Bay had a decisive advantage in the goals against department.

Where North Bay had the big advantage was on specialty teams head-to-head. North Bay’s powerplay clipped along at 53.8% against Kingston while the Fronts could only score on 13.3% of their chances against the Battalion. And in the four games head-to-head during the regular season North Bay outscored Kingston 19-10. If Kingston gets into penalty trouble, this series could be over quickly.

Prediction: North Bay in 6 games.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Windsor vs (7) Kitchener

	Windsor	Kitchener
Head-to-head	4-3-0-1	4-4-0-0
PP Regular Season	26.1%	18.3%
PP Playoffs	7.4%	22.7%
PP vs opponent	21.9%	16.0%
PK Regular Season	82.6%	77.4%
PK Playoffs	76.0%	80.0%
PK vs opponent	84.0%	78.1%
GF Regular season	305	236
GF Playoffs	18	23
GA Regular season	248	271
GA Playoffs	11	23
PIM /game regular season	10.3/game	11.0/game
PIM /game playoffs	14.3/game	9.3/game

The regular season series between the Kitchener Rangers and Windsor Spitfires was pretty even. The Spits were better team on the powerplay and the penalty kill against each other and the rest of the league. The Spits scored 69 more goals than the Rangers – that’s a goal per game more and also allowed 23 fewer goals against than the Rangers.

But in the playoffs, it was the Rangers who came out on top in the special team’s department while also playing a tougher opponent in the London Knights than Windsor had against the Sarnia Sting. The Spits have some star power for sure but of Rangers goalie Pavel Cajan can play as he did versus the Knights it will be a tight series. Mathias Onuska was no slouch for Windsor in the blue paint either.

Prediction: Windsor in 6 games.

(3) Flint vs (4) Sault Ste Marie

	Flint	Sault Ste Marie
Head-to-head	2-1-0-2	3-1-1-0
PP Regular Season	19.7%	28.4%
PP Playoffs	9.7%	35.3%
PP vs opponent	34.6%	17.6%
PK Regular Season	84.3%	78.7%
PK Playoffs	87.5%	90.9%
PK vs opponent	82.4%	65.4%
GF Regular season	286	295
GF Playoffs	22	21
GA Regular season	238	246
GA Playoffs	20	11
PIM /game regular season	10.4/game	11.5/game
PIM /game playoffs	10.9/game	15.4/game

The Flint Firebirds and Soo Greyhounds were also very close in the regular season. Only 4 points separated them in the standings. Their offence and defence were also close. The Greyhounds win out in the powerplay department while the Firebirds topped them on the penalty kill. However, head-to-head the Firebirds dominated.

Flint couldn’t get the man advantage to work for them in their first round series against the Owen Sound Attack while the Greyhounds exploded against the Guelph Storm. Unless the Greyhounds can limit the number of penalties, they take the powerplay could be the difference in this series. It could also come down to home ice advantage. For me, this is a flip a coin series.

Prediction: Sault Ste Marie in 7

OHL ANNOUNCES WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINAL SCHEDULES AND SCENARIOS

Posted on May 5, 2022 by Dominic Tiano

**Note: The results are in from the two game sevens and this is the schedule for round two:

Series E: (1) Windsor Spitfires (44-17-4-3) vs. (7) Kitchener Rangers (30-31-5-2) – Scenario #3
Game 1, Sat., May 7 at Windsor, 7:05pm
Game 2, Sun., May 8 at Windsor, 7:05pm
Game 3, Tues., May 10 at Kitchener, 7:00pm
Game 4, Thurs., May 12 at Kitchener, 7:00pm
Game 5, Sat., May 14 at Windsor, 7:05pm*
Game 6, Mon., May 16 at Kitchener, 7:00pm*
Game 7, Tues., May 17 at Windsor, 7:05pm*

Series G: (3) Flint Firebirds (42-21-1-4) vs. (4) Soo Greyhounds (39-22-6-1) – Scenario #1
Game 1, Fri., May 6 at Flint, 7:00pm
Game 2, Sun., May 8 at Flint, 4:00pm
Game 3, Tues., May 10 at Sault Ste. Marie, 7:07pm
Game 4, Thurs, May 12 at Sault Ste. Marie, 7:07pm
Game 5, Sat., May 14 at Flint, 7:00pm*
Game 6, Mon., May 16 at Sault Ste. Marie, 7:07pm*
Game 7, Wed., May 18 at Flint, 7:00pm*

BULLDOGS, SPITFIRES AND BATTALION INCLUDED IN WEEK 25 EDITION OF KIA CHL TOP 10 RANKINGS

Posted on April 21, 2022 by Dominic Tiano

Toronto, Ont. – The Canadian Hockey League announced today the Week 25 edition of the Kia CHL Top 10 Rankings for the 2021-22 season.

All eyes are on the Hamilton Bulldogs. Tabbed as a favourite to hoist the Memorial Cup, the OHL regular season champions enter the postseason following a dominant 2021-22 showing in which the squad set a franchise record of 107 points. Bulldogs’ forward Logan Morrison became the League’s sixth 100-point scorer, overage blueliner Nathan Staios led OHL defencemen in scoring with 66 points (15-51–66), and Marco Costantini set new Bulldogs records with a league-best 2.32 goals-against average and .917 save percentage along with six shutouts. Closing out the campaign on an incredible 15-game span in which the Bulldogs collected 29 of 30 points, the club enters the postseason on a high note in its opening-round set to begin Thursday versus Peterborough.

Coming in at No. 6, the Windsor Spitfires will look to return to their winning ways in the postseason where, following a recent 13-game win streak, the club collected a lone point in its final two outings to close out the 2021-22 regular season. Backed by Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy recipient Wyatt Johnston who headlined the OHL with 124 points in 68 games, the Spitfires are an offensive juggernaut who will put their scoring prowess to the test versus their first round opponent in the Sarnia Sting.

Rounding out recognition from the OHL, the North Bay Battalion picked up five of six points in the final week of the regular season, making it nine-straight games in which the club has gone undefeated in regulation. Finishing tops in the OHL’s Central Division and third league-wide with a 43-18-3-4 showing and 93 points, the Battalion bring a well-rounded offensive attack led by San Jose Sharks up-and-comer Brandon Coe who surpassed the 100-point milestone, becoming the third player in franchise history to do so. On the heels of their best season since relocating to North Bay in 2013-14, the Troops should prove to be a handful for their opening round opponent in Ottawa.

For further analysis on the Week 25 edition of the Kia CHL Top 10 Rankings, visit CHL.ca.

BULLDOGS, SPITFIRES AND BATTALION INCLUDED IN WEEK 24 EDITION OF KIA CHL TOP 10 RANKINGS

Posted on April 14, 2022 by Dominic Tiano

Toronto, Ont. – The Canadian Hockey League announced today the Week 24 edition of the Kia CHL Top 10 Rankings for the 2021-22 season.

The Hamilton Bulldogs continue to bring the bite. Picking up a pair of victories on the week highlighted by a 6-0 road win in Ottawa, netminder Marco Costantini recorded 24 saves for his sixth career shutout, the most in a career by a Bulldogs goaltender. The Bulldogs made it 12-straight games without a regulation loss, improving to 48-12-3-2 on the season, good for 101 points. With the achievement, the Bulldogs claimed the Hamilton Spectator Trophy, presented annually to the OHL club with the best regular season record. The Bulldogs have topped the CHL Top 10 Rankings for two straight weeks.

Soaring to No. 4, the Windsor Spitfires continue to rise after piecing together 13-straight victories, with the past week underscored by three wins in three days highlighted by Friday’s 7-1 road triumph in Guelph that saw the Spitfires clinch top spot in the OHL’s West Division. Leading the way for Windsor is Dallas Stars 2021 first-round selection Wyatt Johnston whose current 12-game point streak has helped him climb to first in league scoring with 123 points in 66 games. The Spits look to continue their winning streak as they close out the regular season with a two-game weekend.

Moving up to eighth nationally, the North Bay Battalion continue to impress after adding two more victories on the week to extend their win streak to six. Among the highlights was Thursday’s overtime decision versus Mississauga that saw the Battalion secure two points and top spot in the OHL’s Central Division for the first time since 2014. Backed by a burgeoning offensive attack, among the leaders is San Jose Sharks draftee Brandon Coe who needs one point in the team’s final three games to become the OHL’s fifth triple-digit producer this season. Mitchell Russell also scored his 40th goal of the season on Saturday as the Troops currently have five different players with at least 30 goals in their lineup.

In the honourable mention category, the Kingston Frontenacs found the win column three times in a three-game weekend that saw the squad combine for 26 goals. Continuing to turn heads in Kingston is 2022 NHL Draft favourite Shane Wright who, since returning from the 2022 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, has notched 17 points in nine contests and now sits six shy of the 100-point plateau. Kingston faces Ottawa in back-to-back games before they finish off the regular season in Peterborough on Sunday.

For further analysis on the Week 24 edition of the Kia CHL Top 10 Rankings, visit CHL.ca.

BULLDOGS, SPITFIRES AND BATTALION INCLUDED IN WEEK 23 EDITION OF KIA CHL TOP 10 RANKINGS

Posted on April 6, 2022 by Dominic Tiano

Toronto, Ont. – The Canadian Hockey League announced today the Week 23 edition of the Kia CHL Top 10 Rankings for the 2021-22 season.

The Hamilton Bulldogs are into the driver’s seat for the first time all season, topping the Kia CHL Top 10 after a pair of wins over Peterborough and others against Oshawa and Erie last week. The Dogs have won five in a row and 22 of their last 24, leading the OHL standings with a record of 46-12-3-2. The defence has been stingy and the goaltending efficient as Hamilton hasn’t allowed more than three goals in a game since February 13th. On the offensive side, Anaheim Ducks prospect Mason McTavish is the OHL Player of the Week with seven points (4-3–7) while Logan Morrison is seven points shy of 100 on the campaign, leading the team with 93 (32-61–93) in 57 games. This marks the first time the Bulldogs have ever topped the CHL Top 10.

The Windsor Spitfires continue to rattle off the wins and come in at sixth on the list after extending their winning streak to 10 games with defeats of Sarnia, Kitchener and Owen Sound last week. The highest-scoring team in the OHL, Windsor features top scorer Wyatt Johnston, a Dallas Stars first round pick with 119 points (43-76–119) and counting. New York Rangers prospect and 41-goal scorer Will Cuylle has joined veteran wingers Matthew Maggio and Daniel D’Amico to give the Spitfires an abundance of options offensively. Blueliners Louka Henault and Andrew Perrott have consistently found the scoresheet, fuelling Windsor’s fourth-ranked power play.

The North Bay Battalion are in the Top 10 for a third straight week, coming in at ninth riding a four-game winning streak. The Battalion sit five points up on the Mississauga Steelheads with a pair of games in hand and are closing in on a Central Division title. The Troops skated to home wins over Niagara and Barrie last week and prepare for a home date with the Steelheads on Thursday. San Jose Sharks prospect Brandon Coe is three points shy of 100 on the season, hoping to join past teammate Justin Brazeau (113 points, 2018-19) as the second North Bay Battalion player to hit triple digits.

For further analysis on the Week 23 edition of the Kia CHL Top 10 Rankings, visit CHL.ca.

BULLDOGS, SPITFIRES AND BATTALION INCLUDED IN WEEK 22 EDITION OF KIA CHL TOP 10 RANKINGS

Posted on March 30, 2022 by Dominic Tiano

Toronto, Ont. – The Canadian Hockey League announced today the Week 22 edition of the Kia CHL Top 10 Rankings for the 2021-22 season.

The Hamilton Bulldogs are back up to number two this week winning three of their last four with one blip in overtime against the Sudbury Wolves on Friday. The Dogs finished a run of eight straight on the road Tuesday in Peterborough, winning six of those contests as Mason McTavish had a goal and an assist in his return to the Electric City. Tuesday’s win was Hamilton’s 43rd of the season, matching a club record set in 2017-18. Marco Costantini sits atop the OHL in both goals-against average (2.42) and shutouts (5) with 13 straight wins dating back to Feb. 16th.

The ninth-ranked Windsor Spitfires are into the Kia CHL Top 10 Rankings for the first time this season, surging up the Western Conference standings to first place with a 38-16-3-3 record including wins in seven straight. The League’s highest-scoring team, the Spitfires are led by OHL scoring leader Wyatt Johnston, a first round pick of the Dallas Stars who has 112 points (41-71–112) through 60 games. Other veteran forwards in New York Rangers prospect Will Cuylle (38 goals) and veteran flank Matthew Maggio (35 goals) have also been steady producers while Daniel D’Amico has a goal in each of his last seven games. Windsor scored back-to-back victories in Sault Ste. Marie last weekend and leads the Western Conference by a four-point margin.

The North Bay Battalion hang around in 10th this week, rebounding from a loss against Hamilton on Thursday with road victories over Niagara and Mississauga. The 37-18-3-3 Troops lead the Central Division by three points as San Jose Sharks prospect Brandon Coe continues to lead the way with 91 points (32-59–91) on the campaign while Mitchell Russell (38 goals), Matvey Petrov (34 goals) and Kyle McDonald (34 goals) continue firing on all cylinders.

For further analysis on the Week 22 edition of the Kia CHL Top 10 Rankings, visit CHL.ca.

FRONTENACS, COLTS AND SPITFIRES IN PRE-SEASON EDITION OF KIA CHL TOP 10 RANKINGS

Posted on September 30, 2021 by Dominic Tiano

Toronto, Ont. – The Canadian Hockey League announced today the preseason edition of the Kia CHL Top-10 Rankings for the 2021-22 season.

The rankings were selected with input from NHL Central Scouting and come prior to the 2021-22 season opening Thursday as the defending President Cup champion Victoriaville Tigres host the Shawinigan Cataractes. The WHL opens its season Friday while the OHL begins play October 7. Rankings of the CHL’s Top-10 teams will resume on a weekly basis.

The Kingston Frontenacs lead OHL clubs at number four on the first instalment of 2021-22, boasting top 2022 NHL Draft prospect and former CHL Rookie of the Year Shane Wright down the middle. Kingston features added offensive firepower in overage veteran Jordan Frasca, 20-year-old newcomer Lucas Edmonds, Dallas Stars prospect Francesco Arcuri and Philadelphia Flyers draftee Zayde Wisdom who is currently sidelined following offseason surgery. In the crease, the Fronts boast one of the League’s most intriguing netminders in Ottawa Senators third round pick Leevi Merilainen coming out of Finland. Kingston played to a perfect 4-0 pre-season record under first-year head coach Luca Caputi.

The Barrie Colts follow close behind at number five, headlined by Los Angeles Kings first round pick Brandt Clarke, a creative puck-moving defenceman who will be heavily utilized by Colts head coach Marty Williamson. Barrie brings a range of weapons up front in Colorado Avalanche first round selection Oskar Olausson, San Jose Sharks prospect Ethan Cardwell, New York Rangers draftee Evan Vierling and the potential return of Philadelphia Flyers hopeful Tyson Foerster who enjoyed a strong showing in the American Hockey League last season.

The Windsor Spitfires lead OHL Western Conference clubs at eighth on the list as newly named head coach Marc Savard will have plenty to work with in his first OHL assignment. Big 6-foot-4, 210Ib. power winger Will Cuylle leads an offensive cast that also includes newly-signed Dallas Stars first round pick Wyatt Johnston alongside overage shooter Daniel D’Amico and 6-foot-5 winger Kyle McDonald. Colorado Avalanche prospect Jean-Luc Foudy made a good impression with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles last season and would give the Spits one of the League’s fastest skaters should he return.

The ever-competitive London Knights earned an honourable mention on the pre-season edition. The traditionally high-scoring Knights will look to Nashville Predators prospect Luke Evangelista and Dallas Stars selection Antonio Stranges to carry-on that legacy while San Jose Sharks picks Max McCue, Liam Gilmartin and 6-foot-2, 204Ib. Stuart Rolofs provide some muscle up front. The Knights are anchored by Brett Brochu in the crease, who enjoyed an outstanding rookie season with London in 2019-20. Expect Ottawa Senators second round choice Ben Roger to see lots of ice on a defence corps that currently features five bodies at 6-foot-2 or taller.

For further analysis on the pre-season edition of the Kia CHL Top 10 Rankings, visit CHL.ca.

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