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Windsor Spitfires’ winning ways clouds the long-term picture: CHL Hot & Cold

While "Where's Warren" becomes OHL's most popular pastime, the Windsor Spitfires are rolling.

Does that create a dilemma for GM and part-owner Warren Rychel? The Spit surge of 10 wins in 11 games has boosted his team up to the fifth-best point percentage in the loaded Western Conference at .667. Between captain/son/leading scorer Kerby Rychel and No. 1 defenceman Slater Koekkoek, the elder Rychel has two very large trade chips during a Memorial Cup year for the league. In the big picture, would that hasten taking one step back to go three ahead down the line? And does that take away from enjoying the run that Windsor is on?

Here's a look at who is ebbing and who is flowing heading into the week.

OHL

Hot: Windsor Spitfires

The Spitfires defence probably deserves the first shout-out, seeing as No. 2 D-man Nick Ebert, the one-time last pick in the 2011 NHL draft, is plus-15 across the last 11 games. There's a number of players who seemed to pushed past a career plateau, such as fellow defenders and ex-Peterborough Petes Koekkoek and Trevor Murphy. Six wins in six starts is too small a sample to determine whether new No. 1 goalie Alex Fotinos is experiencing a similar phenomenon. Back in the summer, some quarter-wit cited Fotinos as an example of a goalie whose development might have stalled due to playing behind an import. Since getting a fresh start, the 18-year-old former high pick in the priority selection draft has a 2.24 average and .924 save percentage.

Windsor goes into Guelph and London back-to-back on Friday and Saturday. Might be tough sustaining their win streak.

Not: Niagara IceDogs

The misgiving about singling out the St. Catharines shinny concern, which has lost nine of 10, is that the IceDogs are starting a rebuild in coach-GM Marty Williamson's fourth season. Their best bet for the NHL draft, left wing Brendan Perlini, is still putting up numbers (seven points in the past six) while being an increasingly focal point of opponents' game plans. Niagara is just callow along the back line, where Central Scouting-listed 17-year-olds Aaron Haydon, Alex Mikulovich and Blake Siebnaler are going through a learning year.

The overtime winner on Sunday at Sudbury made Niagara the second team to reach 100 goals against on the season. Their upcoming docket includes a Thursday tilt vs. Peterborough, the only team that has been more porous.

Fittingly, Canadian NHL team prospects

Matt Finn, Guelph (No. 35 by Toronto Maple Leafs in '13) — Finn spent a week in Erie on Saturday night, so to speak. The Storm captain was on the ice for all three of the short-handed goals the Otters scored during an improbable comeback. The second-rounder is still a good, if not great plus-14 while playing on a team that verges on dominant. Feel free to parallel put him in the same vein with current Leafs rookie farmhand Stuart Percy as a cerebral jack-of-all-trades blueliner.

Connor Crisp, Sudbury (No. 71 by Montreal Canadiens in '13) — Crisp snapped an 11-game goal drought with a skate-off salvo on Sunday against the Niagara IceDogs. Let's see if that puts wind into his sail.

Carter Verhaeghe, Niagara (No. 82 by Toronto Maple Leafs in '13) — The nature of Niagara's rebuilding reality is that the 'Dogs could be feast-or-famine offensively. Verhaeghe has come back to the mean with 10 points in eight November fixtures, including a recent hat trick. Seven of his 11 multi-point outings have come in the cozy confines of Niagara's small home rink, which caters to playmakers who are still developing another gear in their skating.

Jordan Subban, Belleville (No. 115 by Vancouver Canucks in '13) — Subban is pulling down beaucoup minuits for a retooling Belleville team that has been a tough out of late. His goal Tuesday in Ottawa gave him tallies in three consecutive games. The Bulls often get into games where they have to open up the attack, which augurs well for Subban honing the playmaking that he'll need to stick at a higher level.

QMJHL

Hot: Quebec Remparts

It is impossible to ignore the change in Anthony Duclair while playing for Philippe Boucher after two years of having Patrick Roy breathe down his neck. St. Patrick had a hand in Duclair becoming the No. 80 overall pick of the New York Rangers, but the 18-year-old wing now seems to possess a jaunty certitude while leading the Remparts with 22 goals and 33 points over 24 games. This has included augmenting his speed and skill game with some jam; during the Subway Super Series opener on Monday, Duclair steamrolled Russia's Viktor Baldaev, who ultimately missed some of the contest.

Duclair has nine points during Quebec's current five-game point streak, which also coincided with Nick Sorensen's return from an injury. The Remparts have also tightened up their play in front of 19-year-old goalie François Brassard, who has been very proficient over his past seven starts.

Not: Drummondville Voltigeurs

The five-day break stemming from the Subway Super Series is welcome for Drummondville. Having only two days in between its last homestand and the first fixture on a three-game Maritime roadie did not leave a slew of time for coach Martin Raymond to reaffirm the importance of good habits. That has contributed to some come-from-ahead losses and some undisciplined penalties during a five-game skid. Keep an eye on whether Volts scoring leader Christophe Lalancette has a big week, since he should be smarting after taking a penalty in overtime that presaged Cape Breton's winning goal on Sunday.

Canadian NHL team prospects

Frédérik Gauthier, Rimouski Océanic (No. 21 by Toronto Maple Leafs in '13) — Gauthier's goal outage has extended to seven games after a pair of nothing-to-show-for-it outings last weekend. Gauthier was Team QMJHL's No. 2 centre in the Subway Super Series opener on Monday but didn't generate a ton of offence.

Martin Reway, Gatineau (No. 116 by Montreal Canadiens in '13) — He has pretty much built a house in this space. Reway's five-point game in Saint John last weekend helped the 18-year-old Slovak move up to 12th in league scoring.

Ryan Culkin, Quebec (No. 124 by Calgary Flames in '13) — The overage defenceman has three goals and five points over the Remparts' past four games and has reversed a trend of being in minus on several nights.

François Brassard, Quebec (No. 166 by Ottawa Senators in '13) — The 6-foot-2 'tender is riding a 155-minute, 26-second scoreless skein heading into what amounts to a week of R & R. The Team QMJHL selectors left the veteran netminder off the squad, choosing instead to go with only Halifax's Zach Fucale and Saint John's Sébastien Auger. Brassard has responded with a great past three weeks with a 2.05 average and .937 save percentage across seven games this month.

WHL

Hot: Kelowna Rockets

Perhaps this should be "hot is always fleeting." Ryan Huska said the Rockets had the "deer in the headlights look ... and I thought we were fortunate to get the win" when they shaded Hunter Shinkaruk-led Medicine Hat for their eighth win in a row. In spite of the coach's chiding, Kelowna is playing .842 hockey and has games in hand over the entire Dub.

How many teams can boast a point-a-game contributor in every age cohort? Overage Myles Bell got three points last Saturday to join 19-year-old defenceman Damon Severson, 18-year-old wing Tyson Baillie, 17-year-old D-man Riley Stadel and 16-year-old Nick Merkley in that club.

Led Not: Moose Jaw Warriors

The Warriors (.333 point pct. through 27 games, 11th in the 12-team Eastern Conference) come off as being at the before-the-dawn stage. From the sound of it, they deserved some result out a 3-2 Sunday evening loss at Calgary where Hitmen goalie Chris Driedger was on his game; Warriors coach Mike Stothers called the effort "unreal." Still, one win in 10 games and spotting games in hand to the teams in playoff position augurs poorly.

Moose Jaw's roster includes 13 underage players and only a half-dozen in their 19-year-old or overage seasons, including Chicago Blackhawks-drafted puck-moving D-man Travis Brown and complementary overage scorer Sam Fioretti. From three provinces away, you can see the flashing "SELL!" sign.

Canadian NHL team prospects

Nicolas Petan, Portland (No. 43 by Winnipeg Jets '13) — Care to set a date for when Petan takes over the Dub scoring lead? His 11-point binge across the past two weeks has brought him with seven of Spokane overage Mitch Holmberg (55 to 48). Of course, Petan's a potential national junior team member, so there's seven or so games he might miss.

Chris Driedger, Calgary (No. 76 by Ottawa Senators in '12) — The 19-year-old 'tender will not be found high up in among the leading goalies statistically in the Dub. Make no mistake, though, Driedger was locked in while stopping 67-of-71 shots during successive 3-2 Hitmen wins.

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet. Please address any questions, comments or concerns to btnblog@yahoo.ca.