Jayce Legaarden of Grandview and the Winkler Flyers continue to jump up the Top 20 rankings, released by the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL).
This week, they're ranked sixth, up one spot from last week. The Flyers are 26-2-2-1 in their last 31 games, those two regulation losses came against the Dauphin Kings. At 42-7-3-2, Winkler is six points ahead of Steinbach for first place overall, with five games left for both clubs. Winkler owns the season series with Steinbach which means if Winkler wins two of their remaining five games, they will earn home-ice advantage for the entirety of their playoff run.
Two games are against the six-win Winnipeg Freeze and one against the nine-win Winnipeg Blues. Winkler also plays the Portage Terriers and Selkirk Steelers, who could be eliminated from playoff contention by the end of this week. Winkler has given up just 100 goals this season, giving up an average of just 1.8 goals against per game.
The team's offence is also elite with 227 goals. Liam Ernst leads the league with eight shutouts, a 1.65 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage with 29 wins. Legaarden leads the team with 65 points while Nicholas McKee and Brody Beauchemin have 57.
They're the defending champions and a well-oiled machine. The 2024-25 Winkler Flyers are poised for another long run and are likely to open up their playoffs on March 22 against the Niverville Nighthawks.
The Steinbach Pistons, who are set to move to their new arena, are ranked 10th this week, down one spot from last week. Holding a firm grip on second place (five points ahead of Portage), the Pistons will look to claim home-ice advantage for the first round, at the minimum. They can still catch Winkler, however, that is extremely unlikely given Winkler's incredible play and weak schedule to end the regular season.
No team has scored more than Steinbach this year (242 goals) while they've only given up 128 (second-fewest). Connor Paronuzzi is on the way to winning the league's scoring title and it isn't even close. He has 27 goals and 88 points, 23 more than Miguel Bouvier of the Northern Manitoba Blizzard.
Paronuzzi’s season isn’t just impressive—it’s historic. No one has put up more points in a single regular season since Mikol Sartor lit up the scoreboard for the Winnipeg Blues with 93 back in 2019-20. But with five games still to play, Paronuzzi is on track to shatter that mark. Cracking the century mark would be a tall order, but make no mistake—he’s electrifying the league, dismantling defences, and putting on a scoring clinic every time he hits the ice.
Christian Green is dazzling between the pipes with a league-leading 31 wins and just like every year, the Pistons are contenders. Their likely first-round matchup is the Portage Terriers and while on paper the Pistons will enter that series as favourites, don't expect it to be a quick series. The Terriers are legit. It could be a slugfest.
Portage is ranked 13th this week, up two slots from last week. Led by star 18-year-old Mitchell Kathler, Portage could still catch Steinbach and earn home-ice advantage in the first round, but it isn't likely. Trailing by five points, Portage's series against Steinbach will likely open at the Southeast Events Centre in Steinbach. With that said, it isn't a guarantee that those teams will play in the first round, but again, it is very likely.
Portage has won five of their last seven games, their two losses are somewhat shocking. They lost to the eliminated from playoff contention Swan Valley Stampeders on February 23 and lost to Waywayseecappo on Saturday night. The Wolverines are battling for their playoff lives and came out hot.
This team will go as far as Kathler takes them. He has 25 wins, a .920 save percentage and 2.31 goals-against average. They're in Dauphin to play the Kings on Friday night. To note, Kathler also has five shutouts, the second-most in the league.
Portage believes they can make a run and there's no reason they can't.
Making Waves in the SJHL:
Bo Eisner of Swan River is back with the defending Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) champion Melfort Mustangs and they've clinched first overall. That means they'll have home-ice advantage at the storied Northern Lights Palace for the entirety of their playoff run.
With just seven regulation losses to their name, the Mustangs are a well-oiled machine and have all the makings of defending their title. They score a bundle (191) and with back stopper Kristian Coombs playing tremendously, the Mustangs will be a hard machine to beat. Coombs has 23 wins, a 2.03 goals-against average, and a .927 save percentage.
Also featured on the Mustangs roster is Will Munro of Swan River. He has 14 points in 27 games.
They shocked many last year when they downed the Flin Flon Bombers in the final. This year, they won't surprise anyone, they'll be playing with the biggest targets on their back.
The Flin Flon Bombers skyrocketed up the standings when they had a point in 26 straight games. They're locked into the second spot and will start their playoff run at "The Zoo". The Whitney Forum is iconic and the Bombers are 19-4-1-1 on home ice this year.
Flin Flon is one of the top organizations in the country, is this the year they get over the hump? They were dealt a blow earlier this year when all-star Carter Anderson left the team and joined the Chilliwack Chiefs of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) but they haven't missed a beat.
Matthew Kieper joined the team after being released by the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League (WHL) and he hasn't disappointed. He's 21-1-1-1 with a .939 save percentage and a 1.73 goals-against average. Statistically, he is the best goalie in the league and it's not very close.
Led up front by Ryder Ringor, the Bombers have seven players with 33+ points and they're a hard-checking team that makes you work for anything you get. If you have the chance to head to the Whitney Forum for a playoff game, you're in for a treat, it is one of the best atmospheres in junior hockey.
