For the first time in a very long time, the Dauphin Kings aren't in the Top 20 or honourable mentions.
The Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) announced its Top 20 rankings on Monday and the Kings aren't on the list. Dauphin earned three of a possible six points over the weekend but after spending last week as an honourable mention, the three points weren't enough to stay on the list.
Jayce Legaarden of Grandview and the league-leading Winkler Flyers are ranked seventh this week, the same spot as last week. The Flyers have a three-point cushion over Steinbach for first place overall, with a game in hand. They allowed just one shot in a dominating 4-1 win over Niverville on Sunday night. The defending champions have allowed just 96 goals this season, the fewest by 27. They'll be in Selkirk on Tuesday looking to win their 40th game.
The Steinbach Pistons inched up one spot to ninth. With 38 wins, the Pistons are the league's most efficient offence with 228 goals and have won eight games in a row. Their last loss was on February 2. The Pistons, who are expected to play their first game at their new arena, the Southeast Event Centre on March 14, have scored at least four goals in seven of the last eight. Led by Connor Paronuzzi, who leads the league with 84 points, Steinbach is primed for a deep playoff run.
Kyan Grouette and the Portage Terriers stayed pat at 15. This is somewhat of a shock after they lost to the Swan Valley Stampeders on Sunday night, 5-1, and the Stampeders have just 15 wins this season. Despite that loss, the Terriers have 37 wins and are just four points behind Steinbach for second in the East. Led by 18-year-old rookie Mitchell Kathler between the pipes, who has 25 wins, the Terriers are deep and will be a lot to handle come the playoffs. If the season were to end today, Portage would play Steinbach in the first round. Talk about a series that could go the distance.
Will Munro and Bo Eisner of Swan River and the Melfort Mustangs are ranked fifth, up one spot from last week. Leading the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) with 81 points, nine more than the Flin Flon Bombers, the Mustangs will look to defend their championship won last season. With 40 wins on the season, the Mustangs have allowed a league-low 105 goals and have won eight of their last nine games. Melfort has two scorers in the top 10 league-wide and eight players with at least 25 points.
The Flin Flon Bombers are ranked 13th this week, down two spots, despite winning seven of their last 10. With a nine-point cushion over the third-place Yorkton Terriers, the Bombers are primed to finish the regular season in second, which if the season were to end today, would put them up against the Humboldt Broncos in the first round of the playoffs. Flin Flon lost their star earlier this season with Carter Anderson departing the team to join the Chilliwack Chiefs of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) but they haven't missed a beat. Their 26-game point streak was broken not long ago and since earned points in seven of 10. Flin Flon's 186 goals are second in the league while their 111 against are the second-fewest.
The push to the playoffs is here so junior hockey fans, buckle in for an exciting ride.
