Several top teams are beginning to assert their dominance early in this CHL season.
The headline match of the week features two top-five National Hockey League draft picks against another top-five hopeful in Portland this week. Red Deer's Ryan Nugent-Hopkins heads to Portland to face off against the Winterhawks' Ryan Johansen and Nino Niederreiter. Meanwhile, several top teams are beginning to assert their dominance early this season.
Ontario Hockey League
Hot team: Mississauga St. Michael's Majors
The MasterCard Memorial Cup hosts kept their strong start going with three wins in as many days. The Majors, a team known more for its attention to detail and strong defensive presence, outscored its opposition 17-8 last week. Mississauga is riding a four-game winning streak and has won 11 of 13 games so far this season.
Cold team: Sudbury Wolves
The Wolves began the week with a three-game winning streak but ended it with four consecutive losses. Sudbury was outscored 21-9 in the four losses and is now tied for the second-worst record in the league. The John McFarland watch will be in full force in the coming weeks as rumours have already begun swirling as to whether the Wolves will part with the former first-overall priority selection pick.
Game of the week: Mississauga St. Michael's Majors vs. Oshawa Generals, Tuesday
Greater Toronto Area battles haven't held much meaning over the last few years. Two of the three teams that call the GTA home are looking like contenders and battling for the Eastern Conference crown early this season. The Generals are emerging from their rebuild while the Majors possess championship aspirations. Expect a little more emphasis on a rivalry that could build with a potential playoff meeting down the road.
Canadian NHL teams' OHL prospects:
Jarred Tinordi, Montreal (London) - drafted 22nd overall in 2010
The physical, defensive defenceman was held pointless in three games with the Knights. Tinordi has just two assists on the season, both accumulated over Belleville on Oct. 8.
Greg McKegg, Toronto (Erie) - drafted 62nd overall in 2010
The Maple Leafs' third-rounder might be coming back down to earth after a red-hot start to the season. McKegg had a goal and one assist in three home games last week. As a result, he dropped to sixth in league scoring with 24 points in 16 games.
Alex Friesen, Vancouver (Niagara) - drafted 172nd overall in 2010
Friesen picked up a goal and two assists in three games with a plus-2 rating last week. He was held pointless in the week's final game against Windsor, but remains tied for second in team scoring with Freddie Hamilton, six points behind Ryan Strome.
Western Hockey League
Hot team: Kootenay Ice
The Ice has quietly put together a very strong start to the season as it currently rides a seven-game winning streak. Kootenay took over the top spot in the Eastern Conference with wins over Medicine Hat, Calgary and Brandon last week. Former first-round bantam pick Nathan Lieuwen boasts an impressive 1.78 goals against average and .931 save percentage this season.
Cold team: Edmonton Oil Kings
The results haven't been much different than they were a season ago for the struggling Oil Kings. Edmonton lost both games last week to Chilliwack and Vancouver. The Oil Kings' last win came on Oct. 11 over Prince George, a losing streak that now spans eight games.
Game of the week: Red Deer Rebels vs. Portland Winterhawks, Friday
It's a matchup of two of the league's hot young teams when the Winterhawks host the Rebels. Red Deer is now where Portland was a year ago in terms of development and the Winterhawks are looking even more like the championship contenders many predicted now that Nino Niederreiter is back in the fold. Draft enthusiasts will have the opportunity to see another potential top-five pick in the Rebels' Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
Canadian NHL teams' WHL prospects:
Jared Cowen, Ottawa (Spokane) - drafted ninth overall in 2009
Cowen picked up his second goal of the season in Spokane's 11-1 rout of the Regina Pats on Saturday. The Senators' first-round pick also assisted on Tyler Johnson's goal against Prince George in the Chiefs' 7-3 win on Wednesday. Cowen has eight points in 10 games this season.
Ryan Howse, Calgary (Chilliwack) - drafted 74th overall in 2009
Howse's goal-scoring gave way to his set-up abilities last week. The veteran forward assisted on five of his team's goals in three games on their Albertan road trip. Howse is tied for eighth in league scoring with 23 points in 13 games.
Tyler Pitlick, Edmonton (Medicine Hat) - drafted 31st overall in 2010
Pitlick missed all three of Medicine Hat's games last week after receiving a three-game suspension for a kneeing penalty in Prince Albert on Oct. 22. He is eligible to return Tuesday against Calgary.
Brad Ross, Toronto (Portland) - drafted 43rd overall in 2010
Ross helped lead the Winterhawks to back-to-back wins over the Kelowna Rockets last week. In two games, Ross had a goal and two assists with a plus-2 rating. He scored the game-winning goal in the first win on Friday.
Max Reinhart, Calgary (Kootenay) - drafted 64th overall in 2010
Reinhart snapped through his pointless drought with the game-winning goal over the Calgary Hitmen on Wednesday. It was his only point of the week as Reinhart was a minus-3 in Kootenay's other two wins over Medicine Hat and Brandon. Reinhart has 11 points in 15 games this season.
Québec Major Junior Hockey League
Hot team: Saint John Sea Dogs
The Sea Dogs' offence was on display during their four-game swing in Val-d'Or and Rouyn-Noranda. Saint John outscored the two teams 22-9 with their biggest margin of victory coming in a 7-0 drubbing against the Huskies on Halloween. The Sea Dogs extended their winning streak to five games and took over the top spot in the Maritimes Division.
Cold team: Baie-Comeau Drakkar
The Drakkar continue to search for their second win of the season after another tough week. There are positives though, as the Drakkar took both Québec and Montreal to extra time, but couldn't get in the win column. It won't get much easier with four games next week, all against teams with winning records.
Game of the week: Québec Remparts vs. Montreal Juniors, Friday
This will be a big week for the Remparts with a home-and-home against Montreal and another game in Lewiston on Wednesday. The rivalry between Québec's two biggest cities isn't on par with the former NHL rivalry, but the junior version will increase since both teams should be in contention for the league title. The Remparts boast the league's best record while the Juniors continue to chase Drummondville for top spot in the Telus West Division.
Canadian NHL teams' QMJHL prospects:
Louis Leblanc, Montreal (Montreal) - drafted 18th overall in 2009
Leblanc helped the Juniors escape in Baie-Comeau. The Drakkar surprised the Juniors in their only game last week, a 4-3 shootout win for Montreal. Leblanc scored Montreal's third goal of the game and scored the decisive shootout goal.
Olivier Roy, Edmonton (Acadie-Bathurst) - drafted 133rd overall in 2009
Fresh off winning his 100th career game, Roy added another to his total against P.E.I. on Sunday. Roy lost his first start of the game against Moncton, but looked impressive against the Rocket. He posted a .908 save percentage in two games last week.
Jakub Culek, Ottawa (Rimouski) - drafted 76th overall in 2010
It's not exactly time to hit the panic button, but one of Rimouski's Europeans has seemingly fallen asleep the last month. Culek was held pointless in four games last week and has not had a point since an assist on Oct. 17, a stretch of seven games. He has just nine points in 17 games this season.
Steven Anthony, Vancouver (Saint John) - drafted 187th overall in 2009
Anthony made the most of the team's northern Québec road swing. The Sea Dogs forward had five assists in four games last week with a plus-4 rating. Anthony remains fifth in team scoring with 15 points in 14 games.
