CALGARY, Alta.– The latest Canadian Junior Hockey League Top 20 rankings released Monday sees no change this week among the upper four clubs in the 132-team CJHL while the surging Battlefords North Stars (SJHL) have joined the top five.
Here’s a run-down of the leading squads and how they are standing in their respective leagues as the March towards the upcoming playoffs across the country and pockets of the U.S. continues.
MHL: Pictou County stills paces the MHL by the narrowest of margins, with the Crushers sitting one point up on the Yarmouth Jr. ‘A’ Mariners and three on the Truro Bearcats.
LHJAAAQ: Les Cobras de Terrebonne and Collège Français de Longueuil remain tied in the overall standings with the Cobras having a game in hand.
CCHL: The Carleton Place Canadians are closing in on their fourth straight first place finish needing only eight points gained or lost by the Ottawa Jr. ‘A’ Senators and the Cornwall Colts to accomplish that feat.
OJHL: With a week to go in their regular season, the No. 2 CJHL ranked Georgetown Raiders require just one point to claim top spot and the No. 1 seed in the OJHL postseason over the Trenton Golden Hawks.
NOJHL: The Powassan Voodoos and Soo Thunderbirds have both clinched their respective division titles. Powassan is 8-2-0-0 in their past 10 outings while surging Sault Ste. Marie is unbeaten in 10 at 9-0-0-1.
SIJHL: The Dryden GM Ice Dogs continue to roll as they wrapped up their league regular season title and matched a franchise-best win total of 38.
MJHL: The Steinbach Pistons are 10 points clear of the Winkler Flyers and Selkirk Steelers as they close in on the regular season crown in Manitoba.
SJHL: The Battlefords North Stars have also secured the regular season crown in the SJHL with the Flin Flon Bombers and Nipawin Hawks still highly competitive in the 12-team loop.
AJHL: CJHL No. 1 Brooks and fellow division-leading Fort McMurray Oil Barons have both won six straight with the Bandits about to secure first overall in the 16-team AJHL. Brooks is also six points shy of the century mark for the campaign.
BCHL: The Wenatchee Wild pace the pack in the BCHL and have finished first overall in the league with the Chilliwack Chiefs, Penticton Vees and Victoria Grizzlies also playing over .700 hockey on the year as the regular season there concludes Sunday.
CJHL TOP 20 (As of Feb. 20, 2017)
RANK TEAM (LEAGUE) (LAST WEEK)
1. Brooks Bandits (AJHL) (1)
2. Georgetown Raiders (OJHL) (2)
3. Les Cobras de Terrebonne (LHJQ) (3)
4. Steinbach Pistons (MJHL) (4)
5. Battlefords North Stars (SJHL) (7)
6. Collège Français de Longueuil (LHJQ) (5)
7. Trenton Golden Hawks (OJHL) (8)
8. Powassan Voodoos (NOJHL) (6)
9. Wenatchee Wild (BCHL) (10)
10. Dryden GM Ice Dogs (SIJHL) (9)
11. Fort McMurray Oil Barons (AJHL) (13)
12. Carleton Place Canadians (CCHL) (11)
13. Chilliwack Chiefs (BCHL) (12)
14. Soo Thunderbirds (NOJHL) (16)
15. Cobourg Cougars (OJHL) (15)
16. Winkler Flyers (MJHL) (18)
17. Penticton Vees (BCHL) (19)
18. Whitecourt Wolverines (AJHL) (17)
19. Pictou County Weeks Crushers (MHL) (14)
20. Flin Flon Bombers (SJHL) (20)
Honourable Mention: Victoria Grizzlies (BCHL); Cochrane Crunch (NOJHL); Burlington Cougars (OJHL); Ottawa Jr. ‘A’ Senators (CCHL); Cornwall Colts (CCHL)
ABOUT THE TOP 20 RANKINGS: The CJHL Top 20 weekly rankings are based upon a variety of factors, including the league in which the team plays, winning percentage, win-loss record, total points accumulated, goals-for versus goals-against ratio, etc.
ABOUT THE CJHL: The Canadian Junior Hockey League is a national organization comprised of all 10 Junior ‘A’ hockey leagues in Canada. The CJHL represents 132 teams and over 3,000 players. They also boast over 2,800 former players furthering their hockey careers at the professional, major junior and college level across North America.