The three CHL leagues are well underway, to the point where we’ve seen some strong starts — some of which have been surprising.
In this week’s CHL Power Rankings, Sam Cosentino points out 10 of the biggest early surprises from the WHL, OHL and QMJHL.
10. Jeremy McKenna (Moncton Wildcats): Like Mika Cyr (see below), McKenna was also held in high regard going into the 2015 ‘Q’ draft, but he slipped for fear of going the NCAA route. The right winger has been everywhere to hone is hockey skills. Born in Alberta, McKenna calls PEI home. He attended Notre Dame in Saskatchewan and ended up in Salzburg playing in the Red Bulls program in Austria, before making his way to Moncton. McKenna is now lighting it up for the Wildcats with 17 points in 12 games.
9. Jared Legien (Victoria Royals): Legien was listed by Victoria after spending all of last season with the Yorkton Terriers in the SJHL. The 19-year-old is a first round pick of Kootenay who put up nine points in 84 games played over three seasons with the Ice. Legien has 12 assists for 17 points in just 11 games this season. His proficiency has the Royals as the highest-scoring team in the league and sitting in first place in the WHL.
8. Logan Flodell (Swift Current Broncos): Playing with his third team in three years, Flodell has never been a true No. 1. That has changed in this, his overage season. The 5-foot-11 netminder has played seven of Swift Current’s games and is a perfect 7-0, 2.00 GAA and .940 save percentage for the high-flying Broncos. By the way, he’s the current CHL Goaltender of the Week in part for his 38-save shutout performance against Vancouver on Friday.
7. Mika Cyr (Moncton Wildcats): Cyr was highly regarded going into the 2015 QMJHL draft, but missed almost half of the 2016-17 season with growth plate issues. To recover the way he has to lead the league in scoring is truly surprising. He had 10 goals and 21 points in 35 games played last year, but has already equalled his goal total and is two shy of his point total, just 12 games into the 2017-18 campaign.
6. Lucas Chiodo (Barrie Colts): Selected 293rd out of 300 players in the 2015 OHL Priority Selection, and standing at 5-foot-6, 172 pounds, no one expected Chiodo to make an OHL roster, let alone excel the way he has this season. Chiodo played in all 68 games in 2016-17 and put up 53 points, but he has continued to use his speed and tenacity to become a legit threat for Dale Hawerchuk. This season he’s put up 14 points in Barrie’s first 10 games.
5. Ty Lewis (Brandon Wheat Kings): A native of Brandon, Lewis came up through the Brandon minor hockey system and was selected in the third round of the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft. Injury issues held him back for a good chunk of the 2015-16 season and as a result he went undrafted in his first two years of NHL eligibility. After a five-point night to kick off the season, Lewis has points in every Wheaties game, including multi-point efforts in nine of 10. A solid camp earned him an entry-level deal with the Avs on October 3.
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4. Colten Ellis (Rimouski Oceanic): Ellis got into just three QMJHL games last season with Cape Breton, but obviously Oceanic head coach and GM Serge Beausoleil knew what he was getting when he dealt a first-round pick to Cape Breton to acquire the left-catching goalie in June. Ellis is 6-1-1 with a 2.22 GAA and .9210 SP playing in nine of 10 Oceanic games. Ellis is a late birthday, eligible for the 2019 NHL draft.
3. Brady Hinz (Sarnia Sting): In general, it’s a surprise the Sting are atop the OHL. Jordan Kyrou and Adam Ruzicka have been brilliant, and Brady Hinz, the current OHL Player of the Week, has been on fire. Hinz had 25 points in 61 contests in his rookie season last year, but already has nine goals in his first 10 games to start this season. Six of those goals have come in four consecutive Sting wins.
2. Kaden Fulcher (Hamilton Bulldogs): In 60 OHL games prior to this season, Fulcher had never posted a GAA better than 3.21 or a save percentage better than .891. The 2017-18 season has been entirely different. Fulcher went into the season as the undisputed No. 1 in Hamilton and has not disappointed with a 4-1-1 record, 2.61 GAA, and .917 save percentage in seven games. Fulcher was drafted by Sarnia in the 13th round of the 2014 OHL priority selection and traded after just three games in a Sting uniform. He recently signed an entry-level deal with Detroit in the NHL.
1. Sean Durzi (Owen Sound Attack): A fine 2017 playoff run couldn’t have foreshadowed even this. The former 12th-round pick and right-shot defenceman is riding an eight-game point streak, five of which have been multi-point efforts. Durzi was invited to Islanders camp after going undrafted in June and sits second in OHL scoring for the best offence currently in the league.