OHL Power Rankings Week 9

The East has clearly improved over last year but there is still quite a gap between the 2 conferences. After a hot start in the interconference matches early in the season. However things have slowly started to creep into the wests favour. As a whole the teams in the West are averaging 12.3 points over their last 10 games and this is with Flint dragging them down with only 3 points in that time. Conversely the East over that same period is averaging 9.7 points over their last 10. While 2.6 points may not seem big when it is 10 teams playing that much better than 10 others it creates quite a gap.

Over the last 2 weeks the Western Conference is 7-3 vs the East while the East is 3-6-1 vs the west. All 3 East teams have come from the Mississauga Steelheads who are starting to pick up steam as they race up the standings.

Speaking of the Steelheads there are two big matchups this week on Friday. The Sarnia Sting who are 3rd in the power rankings this week travel to Mississauga to face the 4th ranked team in the Steelheads. Also on tap is a showdown vs 1 and 2 as the Greyhounds host the Kitchener Rangers in watch should be a great matchup.

Be sure to check out the Media/Scout top 10 poll for OHL Prospects ahead of this years NHL draft. A lot of great work was put in by Brock Otten and I was luck enough to be 1 of the 22 contributors. Be sure to check it out here

On to some divisional notes as there are a few news items to hit on

Hamilton has unveiled their 3rd jersey and I must admit it looks quite nice, they did however set the bar low with the jerseys they have now especially the road darks... The Generals have announced that GM Roger Hunt will be joining the team behind the bench till Bob Jones returns, on a leave of absence while he deals with some health issues Jones is slated to be back maybe as soon as January

Mikey McLeod has been returned to the Steelheads and will have a few weeks to get ready for the World Juniors where he should be inline to sport a letter on his jersey. Fridays showdown against Jordan Kyrou and the Sting will be must watch TV... The Colts added some experience in picking up TJ Fergus from the Bulldogs.... The Wolves look to have added some short term stability in net by picking up Mario Culina

A busy week for the Rangers last week was no problem as they won all 4 games and are now 8-1-1 in their last 10. Fridays game against the Hounds will be a big test.... Bowman has left the Attack who have called up Riley Daniels to help out in net Can they convince the Spits to deal DiPietro before the '01 rookie window?.... The Otters are sliding back down the standings after a nice spurt of wins in late October time to start putting in your bids for their stars...

Conor Timmins was player of the game in Sudbury last Monday as team OHL beat team Russia.... Saginaw is starting to pick up some wins and are looking like a team who may not have to sneak into the playoffs... Sarnia has a big test vs Mississauga as they look to prove that the last 2 weeks have been a fluke

(1) Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 17-3-2 Power Rank Percentage (PR%) .8045
The Greyhounds do 2 things very well under Drew Bannister and that is win on the road  (9-2-1 this year and 26-7-1 last year) and score shorthanded goals. Their 10 short handed goals lead the league. Their PK ranks 15th in the OHL but with their 10 short handed goals they are only a -11 which would be the 3rd best mark in the league. Last season they led the OHL with 22 short handed goals and are looking to smash that total already.
Games this week: Nov 22 vs Sby; Nov 24 vs Kit; Nov 25 vs Ptb

(2) Kitchener Rangers 15-6-2 PR% .7465
Last week I mentioned how the Rangers seemed to be consistent in winning a few then losing one and never going on a big run. Well they played 4 games last week and picked up a win in each game. They are 8-1-1 in their last 10 as they embark on their Northern Ontario road trip
Games this week: Nov 23 @ NB; Nov 24 @ SSM; Nov 26 @ Sby

(3) Sarnia Sting 18-4-1 PR% .7263
The Sting have looked human in recent weeks but nobody would have thought they would drop their mid week school day game in Flint. Fridays game in Mississauga will be a big test as the reigning Eastern Conference champs will want to send a message to the west.
Games this week: Nov 22 vs Ldn; Nov 24 @ Miss; Nov 25 @ Eri

(4) Mississauga Steelheads 11-10-1 PR% .7057
The Steelheads continue to shoot up the East standings with 17 points in their last 20 games. Their first real big test of the year will come Friday when they hose the Sarnia Sting. McLeod and Tippet are back and Ingham is starting to play like he did last year.
Games this week: Nov 24 vs Sar; Nov 25 @ Nia; Nov 26 @ Osh

(5) Kingston Frontenacs 12-7-3 PR% .6930
A couple of Fronts are having really big years that has really helped this team which had depth questions at the beginning of the year. The first is Ryan Cranford who has already surpassed last years point total. He has been a Bulldogs killer this year as well with 5 goals in 3 games against Hamilton. The 2nd breakout player is Tyler Burnie. The big 6'4" forward from Midhurst had 7 points in 54 career games coming into this season and already has 16 points in 22 games. Nyman, Robertson and Dunkley are still the bread and butter of this team but it is these supplemental pieces that have the Fronts where they are and not just fighting for a playoff spot.
Games this week: Nov 24 @ Wsr; Nov 25 @ Sag; Nov 26 @ Fli

(6) Barrie Colts 13-6-2 PR% .6657
Just after I put out last weeks power rankings the Colts made a move and picked up OA Dman TJ Fergus from the Hamilton Bulldogs. Fergus was moved to Hamilton after expressing a desire to play his last season closer to home in Oakville. This made the move to Barrie surprising but Hamilton has a glut of OA Dmen. Kade Landry is an intriguing option on the back end for the Colts but the championship experience Fergus brings will be a boost to this young team.
Games this week: Nov 24 @ Gue; Nov 25 vs Osh; Nov 26 @ NB

(7) London Knights 10-10-2 PR% .6561
The Knights continue to role as Cliff Pu took home player of the week honours. Pu picked up his 150th career point of his OHL career and should hit the 200 mark by seasons end if he continues his hot play.
Games this week: Nov 22 @ Sar; Nov 24 vs OS; Nov 26 @ Gue

(8) Hamilton Bulldogs 12-6-4 PR% .6427
Kaden Fulcher picked up his 3rd shutout of the season but the player I want to talk about is Arthur Kaliyev. The 2nd round draft pick his the highest scoring '01 in the OHL. What is most impressive and tells me that he hasn't benefited from unsustainable luck is that he has taken 72 shots in 22 games which leads all rookies and is 30 more than the next '01 born player. He is a highly skilled player who puts himself into a position to have great results. Hamilton has had questionable results in developing talent the last few years but Kaliyev is a player who I hope will buck that trend.
Games this week: Nov 23 @ Ptb; Nov 24 @ Osh; Nov 25 vs Ott

(9) Owen Sound Attack 12-7-2 PR% .6287
They won 2 out of 3 this weekend dropping their middle match to the suddenly streaking Spirit. In bigger news Zack Bowman has left the team for personal reasons and they have called up Riley Daniels who has been playing in the GOJHL. Still feel that DiPietro is their best choice between the pipes going forward and see no reason for the team to rush and make a deal.
Games this week: Nov 22 vs Nia; Nov 24 @ Ldn; Nov 25 vs Gue

(10) Saginaw Spirit 9-9-3 PR% .6004
Another great weekend for the Spirit who continue to pick up points. After an OT loss to the Knights they picked up a pair fo big home wins against Owen Sound and Erie. with a home and home against Flint coming up it will be a perfect chance for Saginaw to pad their lead over their Michigan cousins.
Games this week: Nov 22 @ Fli; Nov 24 vs Fli; Nov 25 vs Kgn

(11) Guelph Storm 10-9-3 PR% .5907
The Storm offence packed on 12 goals this weekend but they only skated away with 1 point as it was a rough weekend for their backend. 3 more tough games coming up this weekend so they will be looking for a bounce back from Popovich. Giviani Smith is finally healthy and got into 3 games last weekend. Surprisingly he only took 1 minor penalty but he was held off the scoresheet as he still has some rust. If he can find some offensive consistency while playing more disciplened he could become a very coveted piece at the deadline.
Games this week: Nov 24 vs Bar; Nov 25 @ OS; Nov 26 vs Ldn

(12) Windsor Spitfires 12-10-1 PR% .5605
The Spits had Gabe Villardi returned to them by the LA Kings. He is still about 2 to 4 weeks away from being healthy enough to play. Will he be ready in time to head to the World Junior Camp? Will he even play in Windsor or get traded? What kind of value will he have on the trade market coming off of an injury and questions around if he will be in the NHL next year?
Games this week: Nov 24 vs Kgn

(13) Ottawa 67s 13-9-1 PR% 13-9-1 PR% .5554
I still feel that that Owen Sound is the lead contender for DiPietro but @Generalsupdates brought up Ottawa as a logical landing spot. They have goalie issues and fixing that would help the ease the pressure on their young blueline. Also they are primed to be contenders next season and having a 19 year old DiPietro next year would be a boon. The question is to they pay a premium to get him this year or wait till the offseason?
Games this week: Nov 23 @ Eri; Nov 24 @ Nia; Nov 25 @ Ham

(14) Erie Otters 9-11-3 PR% .5104
Taylor Raddysh is 3 goals away from 100 in his OHL career, Kyle Maksimovich is 11 points away from 200 in his OHL career. He would be the 5th Otter in the last 4 years to hit that mark which has been quite the impressive run for the franchise.
Games this week: Nov 23 vs Ott; Nov 25 vs Sar

(15) Niagara Icedogs 9-8-4 PR% .4735
Looking to add some veteran sandpaper to the lineup the Icedogs gave up a 4th round pick for Adrian Carbonara from the London Knights. He promptly went out and got him self suspended for 8 games as first reported by @icedogsthisweek. This is a young team and this stretch may be good for them in the long run after their hot start. A reminder that success wont come easy. How they break out of this slump with be the first real test for the Niagara Burkes.
Games this week: Nov 22 @ OS; Nov 24 vs Ott; Nov 25 vs Miss

(16)Peterborough Petes 12-11-1 PR% .4721
What the hell has happened to the Petes? This team reminds me of the Greyhounds under Mike Stapleton. Underachieving and needing a change of direction and voice but is there a Sheldon Keefe out there to right the ship? Could Jason Fortier save their season?
Games this week: Nov 23 vs Ham; Nov 24 @ Sby; Nov 25 @ SSM

(17) Oshawa Generals 9-12-2 PR% .4229
Struggling without Keyser who is still out with an injury the Generals picked up Mario Peccia from Kingston for 2 mid round picks. Peccia did not look that great in the 1 game I saw him play this year in Sault Ste. Marie but the Hounds tend to have that affect on goalies. In all other games Peccia has been very good and should be an immediate boost to the Generals between the pipes.
Games this week: Nov 24 vs Ham; Nov 25 @ Bar; Nov 26 vs Miss

(18) Sudbury Wolves 7-14-4 PR% .4193
The wolves picked up the rights to Mario Culina who won a dudley hewitt cup with the Soo Thunderbirds of the NOJHL with Wolves assist Jordan Smith as his head coach. Plucked from the Thunderbirds as a free agent Culina was a very good backup for the Spits the last 2 seasons and started this year with the Ryerson Rams in whatever they call Canadian university sports now.
Games this week: Nov 22 @ SSM; Nov 24 vs Pbo; Nov 26 vs Kit

(19) North Bay Battalion 7-13-3 PR% .4054
The Battalion should have beaten the Greyhounds last week. Another tough loss that has become all too often the end result for North Bay. They were however able to rebound and beat the Sudbury Wolves. Back to back years with these struggles isnt something we are used to seeing with a Stan Butler team. Could it be time to give up one of his duties in his dual role?
Games this week: Nov 23 vs Kit; Nov 26 vs Bar

(20) Flint Firebirds 7-13-2 PR% .3344
Good news for the Firebirds. Jalen Smereck has been returned to the team by the Arizona Coyotes. Played in 2 AHL games and 2 ECHL games. Will get top line minutes for the Firebirds but will also be one of the most coveted OA's at the deadline. I would put him just behind Aaron Luchuck in that regard.
Games this week: Nov 22 vs Sag; Nov 24 @ Sag; Nov 26 vs Kgn