A pair of ‘07 Toronto teams look to climb WHH’s first ever Preseason Rankings
For the first time in World Hockey Hub Rankings history, Canadian teams have made the cut.
Now, we know what you’re thinking, ‘How can that be possible? It’s Canada’s game and some of the best hockey in the world comes from The North!’ When the World Rankings debuted last November, Canada — along with much of the world — was in the midst of a pretty strict nationwide shutdown due to COVID-19, and the entire 2020-21 youth hockey season was lost. This presented an extraordinary challenge, making it impossible to rank Canadian teams in the absence of games last season.
September marks the beginning of a new season for youth hockey players around the world, and the #OurGameIsBack movement is sweeping across the provinces as Hockey Canada sets the stage for a safe return to the ice. The Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) announced that tryouts would begin this month and game action could start as early as Nov. 1st.
The global climate regarding COVID-19 continues to change by the day. However, Canada’s return to the ice, Sweden and Finland set to return, as well as the United States and Russia already off and running, has the hockey community feeling a sense of normalcy for the first time in a long time.
The ‘07 World Rankings put high expectations on the Toronto Jr. Canadiens and Toronto Marlboros, who check in at No. 3 and No. 4 respectively. Both are members of the GTHL, and should see plenty of head-to-head action as they battle for supremacy in ‘The Six’ as well as the top spot in the World Rankings. Three other Canadian teams check in to the Top 25 as well, including the London Jr. Knights and Ottawa Myers. It’s been 18 months since London last took the ice in March, 2020. That ‘07 squad won 60 games as PeeWees two seasons ago, and we expect the Jr. Knights to return to that level of dominance this season.
Russia’s Dynamo Moscow debuts at the top spot of the Preseason Rankings, followed by Kiekko Espoo of Finland, then the pair of Toronto teams and Sweden’s HV 71 round out the Top 5. Dynamo won the 2007-born Moscow Open Championship last season as the top team in the region with an 11-0-0 record. However, it appears their top two leading scorers from a season ago, Yanush Kheybatov and Roman Rizvanov, have found new homes to play for in the 2021-22 season.
WHH will continue to follow the 2007-birth year closely all season long with the latest news, rankings, highlights, prospects and more. Check out your No. 1 resource for everything regarding the 14U (or under-15) age group HERE.
