The Canadian Hockey League announced today the Week 18 edition of the Kia CHL Top 10 Rankings for the 2022-23 season.
Kia CHL Top 10 Rankings – Week 18
1. Quebec Remparts (40-6-1-2)
2. Winnipeg ICE (37-7-1-0)
3. Halifax Mooseheads (35-7-4-2)
4. Seattle Thunderbirds (36-9-1-1)
5. Ottawa 67’s (35-9-2-2)
6. Sherbrooke Phœnix (33-12-3-2)
7. Portland Winterhawks (35-10-2-1)
8. Gatineau Olympiques (31-12-4-2)
9. Kamloops Blazers (31-10-4-2)
10. North Bay Battalion (34-13-1-1)
HM. Red Deer Rebels (34-11-1-3)
HM. London Knights (33-13-1-0)
HM. Victoriaville Tigres (32-12-1-3)
The Quebec Remparts remain atop the standings after they perfected a 3-in-3 weekend. Patrick Roy’s squad won 5-4 in overtime Friday against Sherbrooke as Vsevolod Komarov (BUF) had the game-winner before Nathan Gaucher (ANA) scored twice in a 5-2 victory over Blainville-Boisbriand. They defeated Moncton 5-1 Sunday to collect their CHL best 40th win of the season that also pushed their unbeaten streak in regulation to 12-0-2.
With two wins out of three this week, the Winnipeg ICE remain in second spot. A 5-3 win over Saskatoon Wednesday was followed by a wild 7-6 overtime road victory over Brandon where Connor McClennon (PHI) scored the winner. However, their week ended with a narrow 3-2 defeat to the Blades Saturday. The ICE’s 37 wins and 75 points tops the WHL in both categories.
As their streak of being unbeaten in regulation hits 24 games (21-0-3), the Halifax Mooseheads continue to trend upwards. The Moose were beaten 5-4 in a shootout Thursday by Charlottetown but rebounded 24 hours later to secure a 4-2 road win as Alexandre Doucet found the back of the net three times. On Sunday, Jordan Dumais’ (CBJ) fourth hat-trick of the season led Halifax to a 6-1 victory over Rimouski and their 35th win of the season.
In four games this week, the Seattle Thunderbirds collected six points. Lucas Ciona (CGY) had two goals Tuesday as the T-Birds doubled up Swift Current 4-2 before Brad Lambert’s overtime heroics Friday secured a WHL Playoffs berth with a 6-5 victory over the Silvertips. Everett shutout Seattle 1-0 a day later before a 3-1 victory over Spokane closed out the weekend. The Thunderbirds’ 36 wins are the most in the WHL’s Western Conference.
The first shift of Week 18 sees the Ottawa 67’s jump back into the top 5 after they collected all six points as part of a 3-in-3. Vinzenz Rohrer (MTL) had the overtime winner Friday in Flint as part of a 6-5 victory while Thomas Sirman scored twice a day later as the 67’s won 5-1 in Saginaw. Their road trip concluded with a 4-3 win in Sarnia as Brady Stonehouse’s penalty shot was the difference. Ottawa’s 35 wins and 74 points are the most in the OHL.
The Sherbrooke Phoenix move up to sixth spot in the rankings, their highest place since Week 8. Their jump comes on the back of a week where they collected five out of a possible six points. A shootout loss to Quebec Friday was followed by a 9-3 win over Acadie-Bathurst where Jakub Brabenec (VGK) had four points (2G, 2A). A 5-1 win against Moncton Sunday maintained their spot atop the QMJHL’s Western Conference.
The Portland Winterhawks secured their spot in the WHL Playoffs Saturday after they beat Tri-City 4-1. Earlier in the week, the Winterhawks suffered a 5-1 loss to Kamloops Wednesday and lost the first leg of a home-and-home with the Americans Friday. Portland is just one of three WHL teams to have won at least 35 games this year.
The Gatineau Olympiques continue to surge as they moved into eighth spot after a 2-0-0 week. Cam MacDonald (TB) had the game-winner Wednesday in a 3-2 win over Moncton before they tied a season high with 11 goals Saturday against Saint John where Samuel Savoie (CHI) had five points (2G, 3A).
After they clinched a spot in the WHL Playoffs, the Kamloops Blazers jump back into the Top 10 as they collected eight points this past week. Dylan Sedor had two goals Wednesday in a 5-1 triumph over Portland before they opened a 3-in-3 with a 6-4 victory over Prince Albert Friday behind Ryan Hofer’s (MIN) hat-trick. Matthew Seminoff’s (DAL) two goals led Kamloops to a 4-2 win in Vancouver Saturday while Olen Zellweger (ANA) scored the game-winner with 23 seconds left Sunday to beat Victoria 4-3.
The North Bay Battalion round out the Top 10 after a 2-1-0 week. Dalyn Wakely had two goals Wednesday in a 5-1 win in Sudbury before they dropped a 4-2 decision to Mississauga a day later. However, Ty Nelson’s (SEA) first OHL hat-trick led the Battalion to a 9-1 romp over Kingston.
Honourable mentions:
With two wins this week the Red Deer Rebels take top spot in the honourable mentions. Jhett Larsson’s overtime winner Tuesday beat Regina 6-5 Ben King (ANA) had the only goal in the shootout in a 1-0 road win against Spokane on Saturday. Their week ended with a 4-2 loss to Everett Sunday but Red Deer’s 72 points remain the second most in the WHL’s Eastern Conference.
With nineteen goals in three games, the London Knights collected three wins this past week. Back-to-back 5-1 weekend wins over Saginaw and Erie were followed by a 9-5 victory against Flint Monday where Ruslan Gazizov had seven points (1G, 6A) and Sean McGurn notched six points (3G, 3A) as the Knights recorded their fifth straight win.
The Victoriaville Tigres’ win streak hit four games as they collected a pair of home wins. William Veillette scored twice in a 6-3 win over Moncton Friday before captain Maxime Pellerin had four points (2G, 2A) Saturday as they beat Val d’Or 5-2.
