For some, transferring from junior to the NHL has been a seemless transition. For others, it hasn’t been as easy to replicate their success at the next level.
Throughout history, there have been some eye-opening seasons in the CHL which have seen players reach unthinkable heights in various statistical categories. Below, we took a look at the top three individual single season point totals from the OHL, QMJHL and WHL.
- The list does not include players from WCHL and OHA such as Bobby Smith (1977-78, 192 points) and Wayne Gretzky (1977-78, 182 points).
OHL
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1) Andrew Brunette, 1992-93 season: 66 GP: 62 G, 100 A, 162 Pts
In his third season with the Owen Sound Platers, Brunette cruised his way to a 162 point season in just 66 games. His point per game total came to 2.45 and he was suprisingly named a first-team All-Star. The Sudbury, Ontario native was drafted 174th overall after that season and went on to enjoy a successful career in which he amassed 733 points in 1110 games.
2) Corey Locke, 2002-03 season: 66 GP, 63 G, 88 A, 151 Pts
Locke is a perfect example of a player who was unable to translate his success at the NHL level. More recently we’ve seen smaller players find a strong role in the NHL, but it was’t as easy once upon a time. At just 5’8, 165 pounds, Locke was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens with the 113th overall pick in 2003 after playing his entire OHL career with the Ottawa 67’s. After participating in just nine total NHL games between the Canadiens, New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators, the Toronto Native took his talents to Europe where he has been able to find success.
3) Eric Lindros, 1990-91 season: 57 GP, 71 G, 78 A, 149 Pts
Seen as a generational talent at the time, it’s no wonder Lindros was able to crack the list. His unheard of combination of size and skill were the root of his success with the Oshawa Generals, and helped him cruise his way to CHL Player of the Years honours. Lindros was recently named to the Hockey Hall of Fame after enjoying an illustrious NHL career which saw him finish with 865 points in 760 games.
QMJHL
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1) Mario Lemieux, 1983-84 season: 70 GP, 133 G, 149 A, 282 Pts
Super Mario posted a season for the ages which still holds its place at the top of CHL history. The playoffs was much of the same, as Lemieux totaled 29 goals and 23 assists in 14 games en route to capturing the league championship. He was dominant in every sense of the word and we’ll simply never see a season like this one again.
2) Pierre Larouche, 1973-74 season: 94 G, 157 A, 251 Pts
Larouche was in a league of his own in his final year with the Sorel Black Hawks, and still holds the record for most assists in a single season. The Tascherau, Quebec native went on to have a strong NHL career, scoring 50 goals in a single season twice and averaging more than a point per game by retirement (822 Pts, 812 GP).
3) Pat Lafontaine, 1982-83 season: 70 GP, 104 G, 130 A, 234 Pts
One of the few Americans on the list, Lafontaine made the most of his one season in the QMJHL. The St. Louis native led the Verdun Juniors to the league championship and was announced the playoff MVP after scoring 11 goals and 24 assists in 15 games. Lafontaine was drafted third overall in the 1983 draft and finished his Hall of Fame career with 1,013 points in 865 games.
WHL
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1) Rob Brown, 1986-87 season: 63 GP, 76 G, 136 A, 212 Pts
Brown was dominant in his four years with Kamloops, totaling 522 points in 242 games. The 1986-87 campaign was specifically one to remember, as the next closer player to him in points was Craig Endean of the Regina Pats, with 146. Brown was surprisingly taken in the fourth round of the 1986 NHL Draft, but was still able to find success at the next level. His best season came in 1988-89 when he reached 115 points as Lemieux’s teammate in Pittsburgh
2) Cliff Ronning, 1984-85 season: 70 GP, 89 G, 108 A, 197 Pts
Before he went on to collect 869 points in 1,137 NHL games, Ronning tore up the WHL in the 1984-85 season with a monstrous 197 point campaign. Ronning led the New Westminister Bruins to the division Finals where they eventually lost to Brown’s Kamloops Blazers. He was named the league’s most valuable player and was also awarded the most sportsmanlike trophy as well.
Talk about an all-around player.
3) Brian Propp, 1978-79 season: 71 GP, 94 G, 100 A, 194 Pts
Propp dominated in three straight seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings, amassing 511 points in just 213 games. He led the league in scoring and helped Brandon defeat the Portland Winterhawks in six games to capture the championship, however, he was not named the league’s MVP (Portland’s Perry Turnball earned the honours). From the NHL, Propp spent the majority of his NHL career with the Philadelphia flyers and finished with 1,003 points in 1,016 games.
