Victoria Top's CHL List After Opening Weekend Victoria Takes the Early Lead as CHL Contenders Make Their Opening Statements

The first weekend of the 2026-27 Canadian Hockey League season produced plenty of early surprises, and the Week 1 Top-10 Rankings reflect just how quickly the picture can change once the games begin.

The Victoria Royals have jumped to No. 1 after opening the season with a 4-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. London moved up to No. 2 after sweeping Windsor, while Cape Breton holds the third position despite entering the season without several NHL-drafted players.

Guelph, which began the season ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll, fell to fourth after an 0-2 start. Moncton is the newcomer to the rankings, entering at No. 10 following two comeback victories on the road.

Here is a closer look at the Week 1 rankings.

Victoria needed only one regular-season game to take over the top spot.

The Royals defeated Kamloops 4-2, with goaltender Cole Prelusky earning first-star honours after stopping 34 of 36 shots in his WHL regular-season debut. Caleb Matthews also continued his strong September by recording two points.

Marek Peroutka made an immediate impact in his first WHL regular-season game, scoring on the power play and fighting in the same contest. That left him one assist short of a Gordie Howe hat trick.

Hayden Moore and Cruz Waltze also scored, while Savin Virk recorded his first assist as a Royal.

Victoria accomplished all of that without NHL-drafted players Cameron Schmidt, Filip Novák and Vladimir Proskurin in the lineup. Their eventual returns could give the Royals even more depth.

This week: vs. Vancouver, Sept. 26

London climbed two places after winning both games of its opening weekend against Windsor.

Evan Van Gorp led the way with five points over the two games, scoring twice and adding three assists. That performance put him into a tie for the early OHL scoring lead.

Newcomer Jonathan Kapageridis contributed four points, while Thomas Zocco and 2027 NHL Draft prospect Cooper McAslan each recorded three.

London also received offense from its defense. Kapageridis, McAslan and Caleb Mitchell combined for six points from the blue line, with Mitchell recording two assists.

Carson Harmer and Kane Barch each contributed two assists, while Eloan Le Gallic and Jake Ritson each scored their first OHL goals and added an assist.

Maksim Sokolovskii has returned to the lineup, while Marcus Nordmark is also back. London is still waiting on Ryan Brown and Jaxon Cover, with a possible return for Henry Brzustewicz also looming.

This week: vs. Owen Sound, Sept. 25

Cape Breton has yet to record a victory, but the Eagles remain third after earning a point in each of their opening games.

Both contests ended in shootouts, yet Cape Breton outshot its opponents 87-62 over the weekend. The Eagles registered 59 shots alone against Charlottetown.

Reece Peitzsche scored twice and added an assist, while Cole Chandler, Eliot L’Italien and Brayden Reynolds each finished the weekend with three points.

Cape Breton's power play operated at 30 percent.

Sam Berthiaume handled the goaltending duties while Lucas Beckman was attending Ottawa Senators camp. The Eagles are also awaiting the returns of Liam Lefebvre and Maxim Schäfer from NHL camps, while captain Will Murphy remains sidelined with an injury.

Those additions could significantly alter the look of the Cape Breton lineup.

This week: at Charlottetown, Sept. 25; at Saint John, Sept. 26

The preseason No. 1 team slipped to fourth after opening the regular season with two losses.

Guelph's early record does not necessarily tell the complete story, however, as NHL camps have kept several important players out of the lineup.

There were still some encouraging individual performances. Finley Butler, selected 29th overall in the 2026 OHL Priority Selection, scored in his OHL debut. Matthew Miller also recorded his first OHL point.

Tyler Hopkins remains at NHL camp, while Guelph continues to have significant talent available, including Owen Griffin, Ethan Czata, Grant Spada, Ryan Roobroeck, Rylan Singh, Vladimir Dravecky, Rowan Topp, Ben Hrebik and Zach Jovanovski.

The Storm now get an opportunity to change the narrative quickly with two games this weekend.

This week: vs. Oshawa, Sept. 25; at Owen Sound, Sept. 26

Medicine Hat moved up one spot after sweeping Lethbridge by a combined 10-3 score.

Luke Cozens led the way with a hat trick in Saturday's home opener. Josh Evaschesen contributed two goals and an assist, while Gavin Kor and Tyson Moss each finished the weekend with three points.

The Tigers received at least one point from 14 different players.

That production came despite the absence of Pittsburgh Penguins prospects Liam Ruck and Markus Ruck, Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Yaroslav Bryzgalov and injured 2027 NHL Draft prospect Noah Davidson.

Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll, another 2027 NHL Draft prospect, was held off the scoresheet.

Carter Casey provided another important piece of the weekend, stopping 55 of 58 shots for a .948 save percentage.

This week: at Red Deer, Sept. 26; at Edmonton, Sept. 27

Saginaw dropped one spot after losing both games of its opening weekend, although the Spirit did earn one point from a pair of 5-4 losses.

The offense provided plenty of reason for optimism.

Dima Zhilkin recorded three goals and two assists over the weekend and was subsequently named Cogeco OHL Player of the Week. Fellow 2027 NHL Draft prospect Levi Harper recorded four assists.

Braidy Wassilyn added two goals and two assists, while Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Brody Pepoy recorded a goal and two assists.

Jacob Cloutier is returning from Winnipeg Jets camp, while Stepan Shurygin and Brady Knowling are expected to strengthen the goaltending position when they return from NHL camps.

Saginaw could also get another major offensive weapon when Anaheim Ducks first-rounder Nikita Klepov returns.

This week: vs. Niagara, Sept. 25; vs. Windsor, Sept. 26

Saint John split its opening weekend against the Newfoundland Regiment, winning one game and losing the other by identical 4-2 scores.

Dylan Rozzi supplied three goals, scoring the Sea Dogs' opening goal in both contests.

Alexander Donovan recorded a goal and an assist, while Jamie Glance and Alexis Joseph each registered two assists. Thomas Charbonneau scored his first goal as a Sea Dog.

Samuel Meloche, a Buffalo Sabres prospect, stopped 25 of 27 shots in his Saint John debut.

The Sea Dogs now face one of their first significant tests of the season with consecutive home games against ranked opponents. No. 10 Moncton visits Saint John Friday before No. 3 Cape Breton arrives Saturday.

This week: vs. Moncton, Sept. 25; vs. Cape Breton, Sept. 26

Québec responded to an opening-night loss in Sherbrooke by defeating defending QMJHL champion Chicoutimi 5-2.

Special teams played a major role in the victory. The Remparts went 3-for-6 on the power play and killed all of their penalties Sunday after surrendering two power-play goals in their opening game.

Carter Meyer, one of the top prospects for the 2027 NHL Draft, led Québec with four points over the weekend, recording one goal and three assists.

James Scantlebury scored twice in his second QMJHL game, while Nathan Quinn and Alexandre Taillefer made their season debuts Sunday and recorded three and two points respectively.

Patrick Déniger stopped 50 of 55 shots across the two games.

Maddox Dagenais, a first-round pick of the St. Louis Blues, is expected to add another offensive option when he returns.

This week: vs. Shawinigan, Sept. 25; vs. Rimouski, Sept. 27

Brandon opened the season with a 5-4 victory over Saskatoon and enters Week 1 at No. 9.

Ilari Kapanen made an immediate impact in his first game with the Wheat Kings, scoring twice, including the eventual game-winning goal, while adding two assists. Kapanen was selected by Brandon in the second round of the 2026 CHL Import Draft.

The Wheat Kings built a 4-1 lead through two periods before holding off a late Saskatoon push.

Newly named captain Jaxon Jacobson and Joby Baumuller were held off the scoresheet, but 2027 NHL Draft prospects Prabh Bhathal, Colin Grubb and Chase Surkan each scored.

Nigel Boehm and Josh McGregor contributed assists from the blue line, while Ryley Budd stopped 42 of 46 shots.

Filip Ruzicka, a fifth-round selection of the Minnesota Wild, could provide another boost when he returns from NHL camp.

This week: vs. Regina, Sept. 25; vs. Moose Jaw, Sept. 26

Moncton is the only new team in the Week 1 rankings, and its arrival came after a pair of dramatic road victories.

The Wildcats erased an early deficit with four unanswered goals in 12:03 before defeating Charlottetown 4-3.

The following night was even more dramatic.

Niko Tournas scored a hat trick against Halifax, including the tying goal with 1:52 remaining in regulation. Rian Chudzinski then scored the overtime winner as Moncton completed a 6-5 comeback victory.

Liam Kilfoil led the Wildcats with five points over the two games, recording two goals and three assists. Chudzinski finished with four points, including two goals and two assists.

Los Angeles Kings prospect Yegor Rybkin stopped 34 of 37 shots in his QMJHL debut.

Moncton will now travel to Saint John before returning home to face Charlottetown.

This week: at Saint John, Sept. 25; vs. Charlottetown, Sept. 26

One weekend is hardly enough to establish where the 2026-27 CHL season is headed, but the opening results have already created some intriguing storylines.

Victoria has gone straight to the top after one game. London has immediately shown why it entered the season among the contenders. Cape Breton remains highly ranked despite playing without several NHL-drafted players, while Guelph's early record is heavily influenced by NHL camp absences.

Meanwhile, Medicine Hat and Brandon opened with victories, Saginaw and Saint John showed offensive potential despite split results, Québec bounced back after an opening-night loss, and Moncton earned its place in the rankings with two impressive comeback wins.

The rankings will undoubtedly change as NHL camps conclude and more of the CHL's top players return to their junior clubs. For now, however, Victoria sits at the top of the mountain after the first weekend of the new season.