With all three getting wins, the Soo, Brantford, & Sudbury each clinched their spots in the 2024 OHL Playoffs.
Teams are rapidly starting to clinch spots in the 2024 OHL Playoffs. The Soo, Brantford, & Sudbury all clinched their spots with wins on Family Day Monday afternoon.
The Soo Greyhounds were down in Sarnia to face the Sting, as they walked away with a dominant 7-3 win to clinch a playoff spot. The Greyhounds have a record of 36-16-2 and have 75 points. They sit 3rd in the Western Conference standings, and have recently been named 1st in this week's OHL Power Rankings.
The Greyhounds were able to go from rebuilders to contenders since last season. They were in the lottery and selected Brady Martin last season at 3rd overall. Now, they will be far from a lottery pick.
If the Soo were to finish where they are currently in the standings, they would face the Owen Sound Attack in round one of the playoffs. This is a very favourable matchup for them.
Brantford was also able to win on Family Day, 3-2 over the Erie Otters at home. The Bulldogs are tied for first in points in the Eastern Conference with Sudbury, with a 31-16-6 record.
The Bulldogs have gone from rebuilders to contenders in the course of this season. At the beginning of the year, they were a very young, inexperienced team. They still have that identity, but they have found a way to get into the win column.
Youngsters Jake O'Brien & Marek Vanacker have been big keys to their success, both establishing themselves as top prospects in their respective classes.
If the Bulldogs were to finish where they are currently in the standings, they would face the Kingston Frontenacs in round one.
The third of the trio; the Sudbury Wolves. The Wolves took a 4-1 win over Guelph yesterday to secure their playoff spot, as they are tied with the Bulldogs in points. Sudbury currently has the edge over the Bulldogs in the standings, as the Wolves have one more regulation win.
Sudbury has finally put pen to paper this season and they have been the team that we have expected them to be. They are very top heavy with Goyette, Musty, & Dvorsky, but they made some key additions on the back end as well.
Sudbury would play the Barrie Colts in round one if the playoffs were to start today, beginning a seemingly "easy" route to the third round for them.