The Canadian Hockey League’s Christmas break is upon us now and I feel as though this is a good time to discuss some of the most fascinating stories across the OHL, WHL, and QMJHL. It is hard to cover everything that captures my fancy regarding 60 teams across three constituent leagues, but I will cover what I have found to be most surprising or entertaining to this point in quick hit form.

OHL

• The ascendancy of Zayne Parekh in his D0 year

At this point, the second-year Saginaw Spirit blueliner looks like quite possibly one of the best CHL defensive prospects in recent memory. This upcoming class is deep in the D-Man category and he may just be the best of the crop. With 42 points in 30 games at the season’s intermission, his 68 game pace is at 95, which would make his 2023-24 campaign one of the most productive that a blueliner has ever had in the OHL. I have seen him as the superior prospect to London’s Sam Dickinson for quite some time this year, but I thought there might be a chance that Dickinson gets selected higher due to the name recognition of the franchise he comes from. Now, however, it doesn’t look like there’s even a chance.

• Denver Barkey, just in general

On the topic of the London Knights, however, this undersized forward has been nothing but phenomenal. His selection at 95th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in the third round of this past NHL Entry Draft was probably well beneath his actual value and I felt as though he would answer the bell. He appears to be doing so given his productivity, with 44 points in 30 games to his name. His numbers as a rookie were impressive (59 points in 61 games followed by 24 points in 20 postseason games) but he is going to take a big step up in his D0 year (his pace being set for 96 points in 66 games at present). He has had to answer to a lot of personal struggle this year, such as being cut from the Team Canada World Junior Championships squad and dealing with the loss of his grandfather, former New York Ranger Randy Legge (with Barkey still playing immediately thereafter). I cannot say for sure that this is acting as more motivation, but it certainly does not seem to be inhibiting him.

• The structure of the league standings

The two powerhouses being the Kitchener Rangers and the Soo Greyhounds by itself was not something I really anticipated. Both teams are pretty well constructed, but unlike London (as is the norm for that team), you don’t look at either roster and think “Wow, incredibly star-studded.” That said, those two teams being as far ahead as they are in the race and the differences in points being as tight as they are under Kitchener and Soo means the race for the rest of the playoff spots and best seedings will be exciting in the back half because those are all effectively up for grabs.

WHL

• Prince George running things

The Prince George Cougars have effectively followed the model of Kitchener and Soo by leading the pack in their respective league (level on points with the Saskatoon Blades) with a sound roster, if not one that looks like the type to really knock down doors. Certainly there is a bit of star power there, as C/LW Riley Heidt (Minnesota, 64th overall, 2023) is building upon his D0 year (wherein he posted 97 points in 68 games) with an even more dominant season. He is averaging over 2 PPG with 63 points in 31 games, which puts him on pace for 134 points in the full 68 game campaign. However, we are also seeing winger Zac Funk put on a show in his final season of CHL eligibility, with as many points as Heidt albeit in 2 more games. Funk has already exceeded his max scoring output in the WHL by five points and is on pace for 130. He is really making his mark on the league in his last season and contributing greatly to his team’s success. The biggest surprise, though, is definitely RW Terik Parascak, whose exploits have been documented on this site already (click on the category link underneath this article to find his profile), but bear repeating with updates to the current numbers: In his first season in the CHL, which is also his draft eligible season for the NHL, he is on pace for 108 points. This is after entering the season as a somewhat under-the-radar prospect who never played Junior A or an equivalent thereof. We will see if his draft stock rises when all is said and done. If he keeps this up, he is bound to turn some heads.

• Gavin McKenna is who we thought he was

We have long known that this young Yukon Territory native and relative of Connor Bedard has been projected as the next Crosby/McDavid/Bedard himself-level prospect. He made an immediate statement in his WHL debut as a 14-year-old by tallying four primary assists. However, he is continuing to flourish and show impressive developmental strides. Performing at an over a PPG pace in the league some now consider to be the most difficult of the CHL’s three hydra heads as a player who is not draft eligible until 2026 and is just turning 16 in two days is an incredible achievement. With Willie Desjardins’ Medicine Hat Tigers being what they are already, McKenna is going to help them be a force for his remaining days in the WHL.

• Despite Spokane’s less than satisfactory year, Berkly Catton continues to be himself

The one-time Saskatoon MHA player is still generally regarded as the best CHL prospect for the coming NHL Entry Draft (or top two, at minimum). It is easy to see why – Catton is on pace for 104 points in 68 games despite playing for a Spokane Chiefs team that is only six points clear of the WHL’s basement. As it stands, his NHLe according to Byron Bader is 36, with top end draft year comparables of Nicklas Backstrom and Brayden Point. We shall see where the rest of the season takes him. Let it also be noted that his faceoff skills are not to be overlooked, either – He may be a very, very productive player with some two-way capabilities, as well, when he plays in the show.

• Cole Reschny… that is all.

There isn’t much I can say about the Victoria Royals youngster that I have not already. While he is just below a PPG at the moment (with 28 points in 29 games), his D-1 year has been terrific. He had a 14-game point streak, responded to having it snapped in an 8-1 defeat to Spokane by scoring a natural hat trick in a game wherein he also played exceptional defense, and just has been putting the hockey world on notice as a potential sleeper pick for 2025. The one-time CSSHL MVP from Macklin, Saskatchewan was selected as November’s WHL Rookie of the Month on the merit of his 7 goals and 5 assists in 8 games. On the international stage, despite not medaling, Reschny had an exceptional WHC-17 campaign with Canada Red, putting up 8 points in 7 games. I imagine that the 16-year-old is only going to climb up from here. I cannot stress it enough – Whoever drafts him a year and a half from now is getting a great forward.

QMJHL

• Mathieu Cataford takes a step up

The 77th overall pick of the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023, the Halifax Mooseheads RW from Châteauguay has been explosive this year and currently leads the Q in points. The 18-year-old is on pace for 102 points, which would be 27 points above his performance in his D0 year. Given the alternate captaincy for this season, he is continuing his development in an entertaining fashion, while answering the call of additional responsibility for one of the league’s best teams. He and Matyas Sapovaliv of Saginaw are two fantastic sleeper CHL prospects right now. Vegas is very fortunate to have them both. With Sapovaliv already signed to an ELC, we shall see if Cataford joins him in this respect in the immediate future. It would be great to see him be an impact player in the system of the defending Stanley Cup champions as they try to establish a foundation for themselves going forward into the future and sustain their relevance.

• The continued development of Quentin Miller

Junior hockey is as volatile as any other developmental league due to the inevitable turnover that comes from blue chips moving on to the next level and productive elder statesmen running out of eligibility. While this is therefore not unusual, it is a bit saddening seeing the defending Memorial Cup champions be just barely hovering over the cellar this season. Their current roster features just one player whose draft rights are retained by a NHL team in the form of starting netminder Quentin Miller, who was drafted by Montreal in the fourth round in 2023 (128th overall). That said, he is a fascinating player when you consider the road ahead for him and how he got to where he is. The Habs’ pipeline at this position is extensive as they seek a long-term replacement for Carey Price and they have been working hard at it the last few years, having drafted three in this past class alone. Among those three, 69th overall pick Jacob Fowler is likely the strongest candidate as he has been arguably the most consistent goaltender in NCAA D1 with Boston College this season. However, Miller has been making a case for himself to at least enter the conversation as he continues to put up respectable numbers, with his main statline being a .901 SV% against a 3.05 GAA. Both of these are slight steps down from last season (wherein he posted a .911 against a 2.11, albeit in six fewer games as he served as the backup to William Rousseau as the now-Rouyn-Noranda Huskie netminder served as a key piece to their Memorial Cup victory), but these are respectable in the context of 1.) the standards of the league and 2.) the stronger burden of being the starter on a team that is not an exceptional group, particularly in contrast to being second string on a wagon. Miller is worth keeping an eye on in the coming years, especially in the context of the most storied NHL franchise who is attempting to recapture its former glory and whose prospect pool is looking competitive at the goaltending and defensive positions.

• Saint John are not their former selves… but could they play spoiler in the back half of the year?

This is more something to keep an eye on, but there is one possible indicator of it already. As mentioned in this informal series’ first entry, the Saint John Sea Dogs are definitely not the club they became known as after taking their licks in their first couple of seasons as a new expansion team, establishing a fantastic winning culture. While they are not quite as poor as their earliest incarnations, they definitely appear closer to those teams than they are to the franchise that won three QMJHL titles and two Memorial Cups. However, one has to wonder if their recent stretch of success against fellow Maritime club/one of the league’s current juggernauts Halifax could be representative of them getting their game together enough to at least disrupt the order in the second half of the season. On December 9th, they defeated Halifax 3-2 in regulation at home, then took to the road and played back-to-back OT thrillers against the Mooseheads on the 15th/16th, falling in the first game 5-4 and taking the second matchup 3-2. While this could be an apparition, as there are matchups that can be difficult for strong teams that should not be, perhaps this will instill confidence in them to play up to big teams and influence the race in a chaotic manner if not necessarily put themselves in the driver’s seat. That would be a fun sequence of events to watch.

We shall see how all of these stories – and more – develop when competition resumes on the 27th/28th. The WHL returns first on the former day with a pretty busy schedule that features 18 of the 22 teams in action. The O and Q come back on the 28th, with nine games each of their own. This season has been pretty entertaining with regards to watching teams’ arcs and individual players’ development. I am sure the second half of the year will continue to satisfy all fans and prospect trackers.