Monday afternoon the Canadian Junior Hockey League released their weekly national rankings. The Oakville Blades ranked first in the country for the first time in franchise history!
The Blades entered this past weekend ranked third nationally. With a huge weekend, the Blades won 4 games in 5 nights. They jumped past the Thunder Bay North Stars of the SIJHL, and the RBC Cup host Brooks Bandits from the AJHL to earn the number one spot.
So far, the Blades played 29 games achieving an impressive record of 25-2-1-1 for 52 Points. They are first in the West Division and first in the entire Ontario Junior Hockey League. The Blades sport the second best power play in the league. Most impressively, the Blades scored the most goals (144) and only allowed in 59 goals, the least in the OJHL.
A source of pride for the Oakville Blades is their close relationship with the Oakville minor hockey team, the Oakville Rangers. The Rangers constantly produce highly talented players, who end playing for the hometown Blades.
This year’s Blades roster is no different. Eight Blades’ players grew and developed in the Oakville Rangers minor hockey system. The following Oakville Blades team who first played for the Oakville Rangers Hockey Club include:
- Will Barber - Goalie
- Chris Elliot - Goalie
- Nathan Ribau - Defence
- Cameron Hatziioannou - Defence
- Jack Ricketts - Forward
- Alton McDermott - Forward
- Holden Doggett - Forward
- Kyle Potts - Forward
The Blades will hit the ice in Burlington against the Cougars on Friday, December 7th night for only one game this weekend as they try to stay dominant and on top in the Country! The puck drops at 7:30 PM at the Appleby Arena (1201 Appleby Road, Burlington).