FIVE MINUTE MAJOR It’s a brand new week in major junior hockey and with that come fresh CHL top 10 power rankings.

The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) led the way with four teams at the three, six, eight and nine spots. Those teams in that order are the Brampton Steelheads, Windsor Spitfires, London Knights and Niagara IceDogs. 

The Western Hockey League (WHL) and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) both had three teams each crack the top 10. 

In the QMJHL, the Moncton Wildcats checked in at one, Rimouski Oceanic at two and Drummondville Voltigeurs at five.

The WHL saw the Prince George Cougars check in at four, Medicine Hat Tigers at seven and the Everett Silvertips at 10.

In other WHL news, it was announced this year’s Battle of the Sound at Climate Pledge Arena will feature the Seattle Thunderbirds hosting the Everett Silvertips. The game will be held on Friday, Dec. 27.

The WHL also made news with the CHL USA prospects challenge as they’ll be sending 10 players. Brandon’s Roger McQueen would be participating if it weren’t for a long-term injury. There will be six players from the Western Conference and four from the East.

The 10 WHL players named to Team CHL include six forwards, three defensemen and a goaltender. The Calgary Hitmen lead all WHL Clubs with two players set to attend the CHL’s new showcase. Those two players are Benjamin Kindel and Reese Hamilton. Kindel is tied for second in scoring among all Hitmen players.

Vancouver Giants right winger Cameron Schmidt will participate in the inaugural event. The 5-foot-7, 156-pound Prince George native is tied for the WHL scoring lead with 19 points in 11 games. He has 12 goals, which ranks first in the WHL and is three goals ahead of the two players tied for second in goal scoring in the WHL.

Blake Fiddler of the Edmonton Oil Kings is the lone American player on Team CHL. Hailing from Frisco, Texas, the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Fiddler captained the U.S. squad that competed at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton this past summer.

Of the 10 WHL players named to Team CHL, six represented Canada and won gold at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton, including Braeden Cootes, Reese Hamilton, Kindel, Cole Reschny, Schmidt, and Jackson Smith.

Cootes currently plays for the Seattle Thunderbirds while Reschny plays for the Victoria Royals and Smith for the Tri-City Americans.

Kindel also made headlines this week as he was named the WHL Player of the Week. He led all WHL skaters with three goals, five assists and a +2 rating as the Hitmen picked up five of a possible six points on a three-game homestand.

In the OHL, the London Knights saw forward Sam O’Reilly has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Edmonton Oilers. He was a crucial player for London in their OHL title run last season. He scored 20 goals and 56 points in the regular season while finishing with a +32 rating while he appeared in all 68 games. In the playoffs, he had 12 points including five goals in 16 appearances while playing at a point-per-game pace during the 2024 Memorial Cup.