Notable Canadian junior performers this week:
Morgan Frost (C), Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
2017 1st Round Pick, 27th overall
Morgan Frost is second in OHL scoring with 93 points (34 G, 59 A) in 48 games. Tye Felhaber has 98, but has played in 10 more games. Frost is riding a seven-game point streak and leads the OHL in primary points per-game with 1.54. Get this kid to the pros.
Isaac Ratcliffe (LW), Guelph Storm (OHL)
2017 2nd Round Pick, 35th overall
Ratcliffe celebrated his 20th birthday by doing some stupid things on the ice on Friday. He took a cross-checking penalty in the 1st period and then took a checking to the head penalty at the end of the game (coupled with game misconduct). Ratcliffe rebounded with his 37th goal and 24th assist in his 53rd game of the season.
Matthew Strome (LW), Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL)
2017 4th Round Pick, 106th overall
- 2/13 – 1 assist, 1 for 4 FOW
- 2/15 – 2 shots, 2 for 6 FOW
- 2/16 – 1 goal, 5 shots, 2 PIM, 1 for 8 FOW
- 2/18 – 1 assist, 1 shot, 0 for 2 FOW/
The Hamilton captain broke his career-high in points this week. Strome has 72 points (27 G, 45 A) in 58 games. While his goal totals are down in what appears to be his last OHL season, he obliterated his career-high in assists with 14 more this season than in 2017-18.
Maksim Sushko (RW), Owen Sound Attack (OHL)
2017 4th Round Pick, 107th overall
The notoriously streaky Sushko had his point-streak snapped at five games (a stretch where he had four goals and five assists). It’s hard to say without having watched much of Owen Sound if its Sushko’s development floundering (41 points in 53 games) or if its just a middling Attack squad this season bringing him down after an outstanding 2017-18 season (60 points in 60 games).
Wyatte Wylie (D), Everett Silvertips (WHL)
2018 5th Round Pick, 127th overall
After a great September – December, things have just been sorta “ok” for Wylie the last two and a half months. Since the start of the new year, the third year WHLer has two goals and seven assists in 19 games. Far from his blistering six goals and twenty-four assists in 38 games to start the season.
Egor Zamula (D), Calgary Hitmen (WHL)
Undrafted Free Agent
Zamula returns from injury since being knocked out of a game on February 1st. With a four-point weekend he now has 45 points (10 G, 35 A) in 50 games.
Notable European performers this week
Linus Högberg (D), Växjö Lakers HC (SHL)
2016 5th Round Pick, 139th overall
The 20 year old continues to get second pairing ice-time and picked up assists number four and five of the season (in 42 GP).
David Bernhardt (D), Växjö Lakers HC (SHL)
2016 7th Round Pick, 199th overall
Bernhardt seems to be coming along nicely since being traded and staying healthy. He has two assists in 10 games since joining Växjö.
Adam Ginning (D), Linköping HC (SHL)
2018 2nd Round Pick, 50th overall
Ginning impressively keeps getting close to top-pairing minutes for Linköping. The stay-at-home defenseman has five points (1 G, 4 A) in 38 games this season.
Olle Lycksell (RW/C), Linköping HC (SHL)
2017 6th Round Pick, 168th overall
Lycksell was all over the place in his usage this week, from 13th forward to third line winger.
Marcus Westfält (C), Karlskrona HK (Allsvenskan)
2018 7th Round Pick, 205th overall
Nothing exciting to report for Westfält this week as he played two more games for Karlskrona and failed to pick up any points. Between SHL, Allsvenskan, SuperElit, and International competitions this season, he has 15 points (5 G, 10 A) in 48 games.
Felix Sandström (G), HV71 (SHL)
2015 3rd Round Pick, 70th overall
- 2/17 – 3 GA, 24 saves/
Not a banner week for Sandström who finally makes it back into a game. He has a .909 SV% through 15 games for HV71.
Samuel Ersson (G), Västerås IK (Allsvenskan)
2018 5th Round Pick, 143rd overall
- 2/13 – 4 GA, 24 saves/
You can’t always be the best goalie in the league every night? Even with the sub-par performance, Ersson has a .933 SV% in 29 games. That is second in the league by only .001.
Ivan Fedotov (G), HC Toros (VHL)
2015 7th Round Pick, 188th overall
I will never understand the Toros website’s new design and how to find information. HOWEVER, it appears Fedotov may have gotten a shutout on Monday. He has a .928 SV% in 25 games this season.
Kirill Ustimenko (G), MHK Dynamo St. Petersburg (MHL)
2017 3rd Round Pick, 80th overall
Another league website that is nearly unintelligible to decipher. Ustimenko played four games this week and his season save-percentage stands at .926 in 44 games.
Notable collegiate performers this week
Wade Allison (RW), Western Michigan University
2016 2nd Round Pick, 52nd overall
Wade Allison playing hockey is in fact good and wish it happened more often this season. Plagued by rehabs and injuries, Allison has been limited to just 14 games this season and has collected three goals and four assists in that time.
Joel Farabee (LW), Boston University
2018 1st Round Pick, 14th overall
This Farabee kid is alright. His goal on Saturday was of the short-handed variety. He has 27 points (11 G, 16 A) in 29 games for his freshman season.
Tanner Laczynski (C/W), Ohio State University
2016 6th Round Pick, 169th overall
No good news to report on Laczynski, who remains sidelined from after-effects of a hit he sustained on 1/19. The junior has 25 points (8 G, 17 A) in 21 games this season when he’s been healthy.
Gavin Hain (C/W), University of North Dakota
2018 6th Round Pick, 174th overall
A big weekend for the freshman Hain. He notched goal number four and assist number two. Hain has four of his six points this season in his last five games.
Jay O’Brien (C), Providence College
2018 1st Round Pick, 19th overall
A point for the young freshman! It was O’Brien’s first point since January 12th, after a drought of seven games.
Brendan Warren (LW), University of Michigan
2015 3rd Round Pick, 81st overall
- 2/12 – 0 shots/
I’m at the point where I need you all to tell me if you really want Warren updates anymore. Save me?
Noah Cates (LW), University of Minnesota-Duluth
2017 5th Round Pick, 137th overall
Cates picked up his 14th point of the season. The freshman has done well to adjust to the collegiate level, putting up that 14 in 24 games.
Wyatt Kalynuk (D), University of Wisconsin
2017 7th Round Pick, 196th overall
I think it’s fair to say Kalynuk has had a good season, but not an overly impressive one. With potentially only five more games left in the season, he might not eclipse his 2017-18 totals (25 points in 37 games). Kalynuk has 20 (7 G, 13 A) in 30 this season.
Jack St. Ivany (D), Yale University
2018 4th Round Pick, 112th overall
Tough goings continue for St. Ivany since returning from the World Junior Championship. He has one goal and no assists in his last 10 games.
Matej Tomek (G), University of Nebraska-Omaha
2015 3rd Round Pick, 90th overall
No games for Nebraska-Omaha this week, but that likely didn’t matter for Tomek anyway. He has a .845 SV% in five games this season.
