CHL season preview: Banners, prospects and the road to Guelph
Photo by Canadian Hockey League (CHL)
CALGARY — The puck dropped Thursday in the OHL. Friday, the rest of junior hockey's biggest stage gets going.
Start with Friday night. In Kitchener, the defending champs raise their Memorial Cup and OHL title banners before hosting Owen Sound. Chicoutimi unveils its first QMJHL banner since 1994 ahead of its game against Shawinigan. And the preseason No. 1 Guelph Storm open at home against Erie, kicking off a season that ends with a Memorial Cup in their own barn.
Saturday belongs to Everett, which raises the first WHL championship banner in franchise history. The celebration streams free on YouTube, same as every WHL regular-season game this year.
The favourites
The smart money starts with the hosts. Guelph tops the CHL preseason Top-10, compiled with input from NHL Central Scouting, and the Storm get to chase a national title on home ice in the city's bicentennial year.
Cape Breton and Victoria round out the top three. London and Saginaw give the OHL three of the top five. The WHL counters with Victoria at No. 3, Medicine Hat at No. 6 and Brandon at No. 10. Saint John and Québec carry the QMJHL flag with the Eagles. Ottawa sits at No. 9.
New rankings drop the week of September 21. Friday and Saturday already matter.
The number that matters: 106
That's how many of the 224 players selected in the 2026 NHL Draft were developed in the CHL, the league's highest total since 2010. Sixteen went in the first round. This season, more than 125 NHL-drafted prospects will play across the WHL, OHL and QMJHL, with the next draft class already making its case.
"The start of a new CHL season brings renewed optimism and excitement to all 61 of our communities," said CHL president Dan MacKenzie.
Circle these dates
The Seaway Shootout brings OHL regular-season hockey back to Cornwall for the first time since 1992 (Oct. 16–17). OHL Rivalry Week throws all 20 clubs into 10 home-and-home series (Oct. 21–25). An expanded eight-game OHL–QMJHL interleague schedule starts Nov. 1.
And the milestone watch: Victoriaville, Lethbridge and Swift Current each celebrate 40 seasons. Red Deer marks its 35th.
How to watch:
OHL and QMJHL games stream on FloHockey all season. WHL games are free on YouTube.
The bottom line:
More than 2,000 regular-season games over the next eight months, all pointing to Guelph from May 20–30, 2027. The last Memorial Cup there was 2002. The road is open.