Tuesday 10 October 2017

OHL Power Rankings Week 3

With 3 games on Monday the rankings come a day late this week. The league though still named their player of the week Monday before the 3 Thanksgiving games played. Maybe they feel the week ended on Sunday but heading into this week the only player to get a major and not get suspended plays for the London Knights so whose judgement do you really trust here?

The coming week will be quite the busy one for the OHL as 18 of the 20 teams in the league will be playing 3 games. The only 2 teams that will be playing 2 will be Barrie and Niagara. That means 29 games will be played from Wednesday to Sunday which should keep OHL fans busy and happy.


Guelph is one team whose early season jump so far seems to be one that can really be sustainable. They have a great top 9 now that they are healthy and it seems that Merkley and Lalonde are getting better every game. There are still people who bemoan some of the things that Merkley does but there are aspects of his game that you cant teach. In my eyes he is the best Ontario born prospect in the OHL right now and if you are an NHL team that passes on him all I have to do is ask what are you doing to improve your player development system because if you pass on Merkley you must not believe in it.


Barrie have some serious electricity in their offence this year but boy what did they ever do to David Branch to make him come down on them so hard with suspensions year after year. I know every fan base will say Branch hates there team and will say he hits every team hard but the Knights but the Colts must have a special suspension dart board in his office. Already with 4 suspensions this year (including preseason) and I a really curious to see how many man games they can lose this year at the hands of Branch


Kingston, man I really enjoy watching this team. I think their top 6 is vastly underrated. Young no doubt but vastly underrated. Their Defense has plenty of high end talent that can soak up high leveraged minutes and they have a great tandem of goalies. 3 divisional games this week will allow them a chance to really assert themselves with the rest of the conference early on in this season.


Saginaw has had quite the difficult start to the Troy Smith era as special teams issues have really torpedoed this young team early. They are a -5 on special teams but a slightly more respectable -1 at even strength. The offensive struggles were predictable given that their leading returning scorer picked up only 47 points last season. This team will need to find away to get some offence out of their younger players but with their painful lack of depth there wont be many easy situations for these players to get things going.


(1) Sarnia Sting 6-1-0 Power Ranking Percentage (PR%) .814

The Sting are off to a great start and one of the main reasons is the production from converted OA defenceman Jordan Ernst who has 6 goals and 3 assists this year and has taken 30 shots in 7 games. Star forward Jordan Kyrou continues to put up the points and now sits at 190 for his OHL career. If he keeps up his pace he should become the 3rd player from the 2014 priority selection to hit 200 career OHL points. You have to consider him as close to a lock as possible for the World Junior Championships this year but what about the Olympics? If Cory Conacher is considered an intriguing Olympic option than how can you not look at a player like Jordan Kyrou. Will David Branch step in his way?
Games this Week: Oct 13 vs Miss; Oct 14 vs Gue; Oct 15 @ Wsr

(2) Kingston Frontenacs 5-1-0 PR% .783

The Fronts continue to find ways to win as they have a perfect week even if it only consisted of 1 game. One bright spot that shines a light on the Fronts early season success is that in their last 2 games the have had 3 players pick up 2 goal games and not one of them was named Jason Robertson. The young scoring depth is chipping in earlier than expected and the hope is that they continue to grow as a unit.
Games this Week: Oct 12 @ Ptb; Oct 13 vs Ptb; Oct 14 @ Ham

(3) Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 5-1-1 PR% .744

After finishing last season with the best record on the road the Greyhounds continue to assert themselves as the most dominant road warriors since Hawk and Animal as they sport a 4-0-1 record away from the Essar Centre. Boris Katchouk is another player who is staking claim to a world junior spot early in the season. The 4th year forward is finally the focal point of the Hounds offence and after a pair of 2 goal games this weekend has 8 on the season to go along with 3 assists. He is scoring in all situations with a pair of OT winners a short handed marker and one on the power play. What he was missing was a 5 on 5 goal which was the situation all his goals were this weekend.
Games this Week: Oct 11 vs Sag; Oct 13 vs Kit; Oct 15 vs Ott

(4) Niagara Icedogs 5-2-0 PR% .709

There has been some impressive production this season through the first 3 weeks by what seems like a bumbper crop of '01 players. One high pick whose production seems to be flying a bit under the radar is that of Philip Tomasino. Currently sitting tops among '01 forwards with a +5 the electric young skater has 4 points and has taken 10 shots. He is a player who is sticking out every game like Akil Thomas did last year and is one of the many reasons to watch these young Dogs play.
Games this Week: Oct 13 v@Gue; Oct 14 @ Eri

(5) Barrie Colts 5-2-0-1 PR% .703

With 32 goals this year the Colts sit 2nd in the OHL in goals through 3 weeks. Star import Andrei Svechnikov has been as advertised and is almost unstoppable at this level it seems. The suspensions however keep adding up as the Colts will without Ben Hawerchuk and Justin Murray for an extended period of time. Depth is an issue with this team so you have to wonder how much longer they can keep this up with such important depth pieces being forced out of the lineup.
Games this Week: Oct 12 vs Eri; Oct 14 vs NB

(6) Owen Sound Attack 3-1-2 PR% .677

The Attack were all set to claim top spot in the power rankings till they dropped their Monday game to the Rangers. I blame all the tryptophan in the turkey. They will have to settle for 6th but Nick Suzuki did claim player of the week honours and they absolutely blitzed a tired Spits team on Saturday who were playing a goalie making his league debut. There 4.6 goals a game are among the leaders in the OHL
Games this Week: Oct 11 vs Eri; Oct 14 vs Osh; Oct 15 @ Ldn

(7) Kitchener Rangers 5-2-1 PR% .668

How about the play of OA goalie Anthony Dumont-Bouchard. picked up for a 14th round pick from the Barrie Colts he has raced out to a 5-0 record with a 1.80 GAA and a .940 save percentage. Almost enough to make you forget about the fact that Assistant coach Matthew Barnaby and the team parted ways this week. That news of course puts be in a bit of a pickle. How am I supposed to get my Matthew Barnaby jersey signed now?
Games this Week: Oct 13 @SSM; Oct 14@ Sag; Oct 15 @ Fli

(8) Peterborough Petes 4-2-1 PR% .662

The Petes continue to pick up points as they are 3-0-1 in their last 4. They however continue to give an obscene amount of shots. Dylan Wells has faced 231 shots so far through 6 games which averages out to 38.5. He will be a tired man come March if this keeps up. On the brightside is Nikita Korostolev has not missed a beat with 5 points in his first 3 games back. Hunter Jones also picked up his first win on Monday and picked up a power play assist in the process. He now has more power play assists than all but 5 members of the 2017-18 London Knights
Games this Week: Oct 12 vs Kgn; Oct 13 @ Kgn; Oct 14 vs Sby

(9) Windsor Spitfires 4-2-1 PR% .659

DiPietro stood on his head and helped the Spits earn 1 point vs the Greyhounds on Thursday. Absolutly stole a point vs Guelph on Friday before resting for 40 minutes on Saturday while the Owen Sound Attack welcomed Brock Baier to the OHL. Still only 1 goal has been scored on him this season while the Spits have been shorthanded. Which makes me wonder is there a goalie in the OHL who far and a way makes a teams penalty kill go from mediocre to world class just by being in the net? What are some of the biggest gaps in recent memory between a starter and a back up. If I ever won lotto max this is the type of useless information I would investigate.
Games this Week: Oct 12 vs Ldn; Oct 13 @ Ldn ; Oct 15 vs Sar

(10) Guelph Storm 3-2-1 PR% .617

Much to the chagrin of Steve McLean the Storm dropped game 2 of the OHL Fan Boys cup vs the Spits on Friday. They did however look great vs the Rangers the next night. With the return of Nate Schnarr (inj) and McEwan (Pro Camp) to their lineup this team has gotten a lot more dangerous. This teams Top 9 is among the best in the OHL.
Games this Week: Oct 11 @ Fli; Oct 13 vs Nia; Oct 14 @ Sar

(11) North Bay Battalion 3-2-1 PR% .59187

The fact that 50% of the goals have been scored by only 2 players is starting to catch up with the Battalion. They will need more players to step up but you really have to wonder if the talent is there on this roster. One player who has had some great production this year is the pride of New Liskard Ontario Justin Brazeau. The hulking forward has 7 points in 6 games this year and will need to keep up the pace while the rest of the scoring depth figures things out. The addition of OA Brett McKenzie who was returned from pro camp will certainly help however.
Games This Week: Oct 12 vs Ott; Oct 14 @ Bar; Oct 15 vs Ham

(12) Oshawa Generals 3-2-1 PR% .59183
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The Generals seem to have weathered the storm that was Kyle Keysers injury. The need for a improvement at the backup position is something that is on the mind of Generals fans. The pickings are slim out there but with their depth you have to wonder if trading one of their OAs is an option and bringing in a guy like Mario Culina makes sense.
Games This Week: Oct 13 vs Ham; Oct 14 @ OS; Oct 15 vs Sby

(13) Flint Firebirds 3-2-1 PR% .589

A winless 3 game Eastern Ontario roadtrip drop the Firebirds from 1st down to 13th. They did a good job of earning a point against the 67s after falling behind early and likely would have picked up 2 points had Olivier Trembley not played so fantastically. Still lots to like about this Firebirds team and a 3 game homestand this weekend is the perfect time to stem the bleeding
Games This Week: Oct 11 vs Gue; Oct 14 vs Miss; Oct 15 vs Kit

(14) Hamilton Bulldogs 2-1-3 PR% .580

The good news is the Bulldogs found a way to score more than 3 goals in a game on Thanksgiving. The bad news is the spotted the Sting a 4 goal lead in the 1st period. The Bulldogs have now dropped 3 straight games in extra time and outside of their 5 goal explosion in the final 2 periods vs Sarnia they still have some rather large question marks on offence. From a fan perspective the development of this team the last 2 years has not been all that inspiring.
Games this Week: Oct 13 @ Osh; Oct 14 vs Kgn; Oct 15 @ NB

(15) Ottawa 67s 4-3-1 PR% .562

With 40 goals allowed the 67s proudly lead the OHL in that category. In spite of the -14 goal differentual the 67s are miraculasly sporting a winning record (thank you OT loser point). The big bright spot this weekend however was the play of Olivier Trembley who junior hockey fans in the NCR can thank for their 4 point weekend after wins over Peterborough and Flint.
Games This Week: Oct 12 @ NB; Oct 13 @ Sby; Oct 15 @ SSM

(16) Erie Otters 2-4-1 PR% .444

The Otters claimed the Western Conference's Turd cup on Saturday night as the spanked the London Knights at the EIA. Still plenty of pieces on this team to like but for a team that is looking to restock the cupboard in terms of future assets the play of Ivan Lodnia has to be a little concerning.
Games This Week: Oct 11 @ OS; Oct 12 @ Bar; Oct 14 vs Nia

(17) Sudbury Wolves 1-4-2 PR% .380

The Wolves picked up thier first win of the season on the road with a big win over the Niagara Icedogs. They followed that up by dropping the Eastern Conferences Turd cup with a loss in Mississauga the following night. The future though continues to look bright as Blake Murray continues to be among the leaders in points among '01 born rookies.
Games this Week: Oct 13 vs Ott; Oct 14 @ PTB; Oct 15 @ Osh

(18) Saginaw Spirit 1-3-1 PR% .373

The law of averages tells us that the power play and penalty kill of Saginaw can not be this bad for that much longer. They are due for a break out in that aspect of their game. One player who has really stood out so far is OA Marcus Crawford. Moving in on his 200th career game the blueliner is averaging 5 shots a game and has a focal point for the spirit when they have been trying to generate offence. An intriguing trade chip if they ever go that route but in the meantime his has exceptional value in terms of insulating their young D-core and allowing them to develop
Games this Week: Oct 11 @ SSM; Oct 14 vs Kit; Oct 15 vs Miss

(19) Mississauga Steelheads 1-4-0 PR% .348

The Steelheads picked up their 1st win of the season! Their reward is a trip to Sarnia to face the powerful Sting. After that they finish a 3 in 3 with a pair of games in Michigan. Import Albert Michnac exploded with a 4 point game. On Sunday they Steelheads moved surplus D Austin Omanski to the Petes for a pair of 4th round picks. With Hague, Moverare, Rippon and Gibson firmly entrenched in their top 4 it made sense to move the 19 year old and open up some development time for their younger players on their 3rd pair.
Games this Week: Oct 13 @ Sar; Oct 14 @ Fli; Oct 15 @ Sag

(20) London Knights 1-6-0 PR% .256

The good news for 95% of the OHL fanbases is that the London Knights are in last place in these rankings. The bad news is that it likely wont last for long. Well I wouldnt bet on it anyways but hey if they do finish last at least they would get a generational player like Quinton Byfield without him holding the league hostage and demanding where he plays. The brightside for Knights fans is that Sam Militic returned from the AHL and they picked up underrated OA Tyler Rollo who could be a point per game player for the Knights.
Games this Week: Oct 12 @ Wsr; Oct 13 vs Wsr; Oct 15 vs OS

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