By The OilKnight 12/08/19

Welcome to our weekly update on CHL prospects. Here are the leading scorers among all 3 leagues for the 2020 draft eligibles & 16 yr old CHL rookies.

~ ~ ~

OHL

Marco Rossi continues to clip along at over a 2 pts/game pace. He brings a complete, pro style game and is as consistent as any prospect in recent memory. He rarely has a bad shift, let alone a game where he doesn’t at least show off his smarts & playmaking ability. He is a legit candidate to go Top 5 in June and if he stays healthy, should outscore Byfield this year in the OHL.

Antonio Stranges has had a heckuva couple weeks. After sitting out a game then being relegated to the 4th line, he slowly moved his way up the lineup and ultimately ended up on the Top line for London on friday. This was after he had scored in 5 straight games (7 goals total) and registered 26 shots in those 5 games. What’s most impressive is his commitment to defense which was evident throughout his hot stretch here. He hasn’t been given a ton of opportunity yet but appears to making the most of what he gets now. His stock is rising.

Jacob Perreault leads all OHL‘ers in Powerplay Goals with 9. He still has work to do in his own end but he has good offensive instincts and a terrific shot & release. He is considered an average skater though does have quick feet. He scored 30 goals last season as a 16 yr old and is on pace for 43 goals this year.

Birthdate	Pos	Name	GP	G	A	P	League	Team
2002-08-19	C	Quinton Byfield	30	22	35	57	OHL	Sudbury
2001-09-25	C	Marco Rossi	23	17	36	53	OHL	Ottawa
2002-01-01	C	Cole Perfetti	29	15	30	45	OHL	Saginaw
2002-01-18	C	Tyson Foerster	26	17	20	37	OHL	Barrie
2002-04-15	RW	Jacob Perreault	26	16	20	36	OHL	Sarnia
2002-04-08	RD	Jamie Drysdale	29	6	25	31	OHL	Erie
2001-09-19	RW	Jack Quinn	28	16	15	31	OHL	Ottawa
2001-09-25	C	Jaromir Pytlik	30	13	18	31	OHL	SSM
2002-04-12	C	Rory Kerins	30	14	13	27	OHL	SSM
2002-04-05	C	Ty Tullio	27	12	15	27	OHL	Oshawa
2001-09-24	RW	Hayden Fowler	27	12	14	26	OHL	Erie
2002-07-07	C	Zayde Wisdom	28	25	10	25	OHL	Kingston
2002-02-05	LW	Antonio Stranges	26	14	10	24	OHL	London
2002-02-21	RW	Luke Evangelista	27	10	14	24	OHL	London
2002-07-09	C	Logan Morrison	27	11	12	23	OHL	Hamilton
2002-02-13	RW	Oliver Suni	27	8	15	23	OHL	Oshawa
2002-05-13	C	Jean-Luc Foudy	25	10	13	23	OHL	Windsor
2002-03-19	RD	Jack Thompson	30	9	11	20	OHL	Sudbury
2001-12-01	RW	Brandon Coe	26	8	12	20	OHL	North Bay
2002-05-02	LW	Will Cuylle	25	9	9	18	OHL	Windsor
2001-12-06	LW	Anthony Tabak	29	6	12	18	OHL	Sarnia
2002-01-08	RD	Ruben Rafkin	25	1	16	17	OHL	Windsor
2002-01-18	LW	James Hardie	27	10	6	16	OHL	Mississauga
2002-05-16	LD	Ryan O’Rourke	20	6	10	16	OHL	SSM
2002-06-09	RW	Cameron Butler	30	9	6	15	OHL	Peterborough
2002-03-14	RW	Reid Valade	22	9	4	13	OHL	Kitchener
2002-05-28	RW	Andrei Bakanov	26	6	6	12	OHL	Guelph
2002-08-12	RD	Ville Ottavainen	25	4	8	12	OHL	Kitchener
2002-02-27	LD	Lleyton Moore	27	1	11	12	OHL	Oshawa
2002-06-20	C	Evan Vierling	15	2	8	10	OHL	Flint
2002-01-12	LD	Donovan Sebrango	21	1	9	10	OHL	Kitchener

Antonio Stranges answers again with his 2nd goal of the game. 3-2. pic.twitter.com/AwBYapwbf3

— Sean Patrick Ryan (@TheOilKnight) December 6, 2019

~

2021 Draft eligibles

Birthdate	Pos	Name	GP	G	A	P	League	Team
2003-01-30	C	Mason McTavish	25	15	6	21	OHL	Peterborough
2002-10-10	RW	Avery Hayes	30	10	9	19	OHL	Hamilton
2003-03-29	RW	Chase Stillman	26	9	7	16	OHL	Sudbury
2003-04-11	C/LW	Francesco Pinelli	24	8	7	15	OHL	Kitchener
2003-01-05	LW	Brennan Othmann	21	5	8	13	OHL	Flint
2003-06-19	RW	Ethan Burroughs	21	6	6	12	OHL	Owen Sound
2003-06-07	C	Brett Harrison	23	6	6	12	OHL	Oshawa
2003-02-09	RD	Brandt Clarke	22	0	9	9	OHL	Barrie
2003-01-21	C	Connor Lockhart	24	2	7	9	OHL	Erie
2003-06-13	C	Francesco Arcuri	27	3	6	9	OHL	Kingston
2003-01-05	C	Braeden Kressler	20	2	5	7	OHL	Flint

~ ~ ~

QMJHL

Alexis Lafreniere is starting to blow away this draft class. He leads all draft eligibles in goals with 24 in 32 games. He has 7 goals in the last 4 games. He also already has 29 power play points. He is the most dynamic prospect in this class and looks to be a lock for 1st overall at this point. 

Dawson Mercer continues to look like the 2nd best forward among draft eligibles in this league. He’s a multi-dimensional player with elite skill and work ethic. He’s a late 2001 birthdate but there’s no denying his talent and determination. 

Mavrik Bourque is a sniper who has 17 even strength goals already. While he needs to get stronger & his play away from the puck needs work, he’s a scorer with a terrific shot and release. 

Vasily Ponomarev was really finding a groove for Shawinigan and is now off to the World Junior A Challenge for Russia. He is a quick, hard on the puck, highly skilled playmaker who looks like a sure-fire 1st round pick. 

Jacob Dion has 2 goals & 6 assists in 3 GP last week including a 4 point game. He’s a late 2001 birthday but moves the puck well though is a bit on the small side. 

Birthdate	Pos	Name	GP	G	A	P	League	Team
2001-10-11	LW	Alexis Lafreniere	32	24	46	70	QMJHL	Rimouski
2002-01-08	C	Mavrik Bourque	30	19	25	44	QMJHL	Shawinigan
2001-12-02	RW	Ryan Francis	30	14	29	43	QMJHL	Cape Breton
2001-10-27	RW	Dawson Mercer	26	18	24	42	QMJHL	Drummondville
2002-05-27	LW	Brady Burns	32	19	16	35	QMJHL	Saint John
2002-06-02	LD	Jeremie Poirier	32	10	20	30	QMJHL	Saint John
2002-03-13	C	Vasily Ponomaryev	27	13	16	29	QMJHL	Shawinigan
2002-03-20	RD	William Villeneuve	32	5	22	27	QMJHL	Saint John
2001-11-01	LD	Jacob Dion	32	5	20	25	QMJHL	Drummondville
2002-04-29	C	Patrick Guay	31	12	12	24	QMJHL	Sherbrooke
2002-01-12	C	Alexandre Doucet	31	5	18	23	QMHL	Val D’Or
2002-02-24	RD	Charlie Desroches	32	2	19	21	QMJHL	Saint John
2001-12-04	RD	Thimo Nickl	29	4	16	20	QMJHL	Drummondville
2002-01-21	LW	Elliot Desnoyers	30	6	14	20	QMJHL	Moncton
2002-01-28	RW	Josh Lawrence	32	5	15	20	QMJHL	Saint John
2002-02-09	C	Hendrix Lapierre	19	2	15	17	QMJHL	Chicoutimi
2001-11-15	RD	Justin Barron	27	4	13	17	QMJHL	Halifax
2002-02-20	C	Theo Rochette	19	4	12	16	QMJHL	Chicoutimi
2002-06-14	C	Senna Peeters	27	11	4	15	QMJHL	Halifax
2002-01-25	LW	Dawson Stairs	31	8	7	15	QMJHL	Saint John
2002-03-27	LD	Lukas Cormier	15	4	11	15	QMJHL	Charlottetown
2002-08-20	C	Ivan Ivan	30	7	7	14	QMJHL	Cape Breton
2001-09-25	RW	Adam Raska	20	7	5	12	QMJHL	Rimouski

~

Dawson Mercer scores from Jacob Dion. One of Dion’s 4 assists on the night:

Difficile de choisir un meilleur mot que superbe pour décrire cette passe de Jacob Dion. #PropulsionHKY https://t.co/CjibJm9WnF

— Etienne Lafleur (@etlaf14) December 8, 2019

~

2021 Draft eligibles

~

Birthdate	Pos	Name	GP	G	A	P	League	Team
2002-11-26	LD	Isaac Belliveau	32	6	32	38	QMJHL	Rimouski
2002-10-22	C	Xavier Bourgault	31	17	14	31	QMJHL	Shawinigan
2003-05-15	LW	Zachary L’Heureux	23	11	16	27	QMJHL	Moncton
2003-02-24	C	Zachary Bolduc	23	14	8	22	QMJHL	Rimouski
2003-05-01	C	James Malatesta	26	12	9	21	QMJHL	Quebec
2003-05-14	C	Cole Huckins	30	8	9	17	QMJHL	Acadie-Bathurst
2003-03-25	C	Riley Kidney	25	3	13	16	QMJHL	Acadie-Bathurst
2002-09-27	C	Alexander Mirzabalaev	31	5	10	15	QMJHL	Val D’or
2003-03-13	C	Justin Robidas	25	8	7	15	QMJHL	Val D’or
2003-01-04	C	Zachary Dean	23	6	7	13	QMJHL	Gatineau
2003-08-06	C	Joshua Roy	28	6	7	13	QMJHL	Saint John

~ ~ ~

WHL

It is pretty much status quo as the top. No one really separated themselves this week – all the Top rankings stayed the same on the leaderboard.

Braden Schneider did jump Kaiden Guhle in points this week and now has a goal & 6 assists in his last 6 games. Some still consider him a 1st round pick potentially so the boost in offense certainly helps his cause. Of note, over half his points have come on the powerplay (11).

Ronan Seeley only has 13 points on the year but most of that has come recently as he now has 2 goals & 10 points in his last 9 games.

Lukas Svejkovsky was traded from Vancouver to Swift Current last week.

Birthdate	Pos	Name	GP	G	A	P	League	Team
2001-09-25	C	Connor Zary	28	19	22	41	WHL	Kamloops
2002-03-09	RW	Ozzy Wiesblatt	29	13	20	33	WHL	Prince Albert
2002-03-29	LW	Jake Neighbours	32	8	24	32	WHL	Edmonton
2002-02-01	C	Seth Jarvis	26	13	17	30	WHL	Portland
2002-06-25	RW	Connor McClennon	29	10	16	26	WHL	Winnipeg
2002-03-24	C	Justin Sourdif	27	11	14	25	WHL	Vancouver
2002-08-08	C	Ridly Greig	26	8	15	23	WHL	Brandon
2002-09-02	C	Jack Finley	28	5	18	23	WHL	Spokane
2002-04-16	RW	Pavel Novak	19	10	11	21	WHL	Kelowna
2001-11-15	C	Tristen Robins	30	10	10	20	WHL	Saskatoon
2001-09-20	RD	Braden Schneider	29	3	17	20	WHL	Brandon
2002-08-16	C	Michal Gut	24	6	13	19	WHL	Everett
2002-01-18	LD	Kaiden Guhle	29	6	13	19	WHL	Prince Albert
2002-01-27	RW	Simon Knak	25	6	12	18	WHL	Portland
2002-02-10	LW	Kyle Crnkovic	30	7	8	15	WHL	Saskatoon
2002-04-27	LW	Keanu DeRungs	26	7	10	17	WHL	Victoria
2002-01-25	LW	Cross Hanas	26	8	6	13	WHL	Portland
2002-08-02	LD	Ronan Seeley	28	2	11	13	WHL	Everett
2002-05-15	LD	Daemon Hunt	23	0	11	11	WHL	Moose Jaw
2001-11-28	RW	Lukas Svejkovsky	19	5	5	10	WHL	Vancouver
2002-06-03	RD	Kasper Puutio	26	1	9	10	WHL	Swift Current

Braden Schneider skates at Wheat Kings practice after earning an invitation to Team Canada’s camp earlier today. #bdnmb #bwk pic.twitter.com/Cwbf6qdz08

— Perry Bergson (@PerryBergson) December 2, 2019

~

2021 Draft eligibles

~

Birthdate	Pos	Name	GP	G	A	P	League	Team
2002-09-23	C	Ryder Korczak	26	8	24	32	WHL	Moose Jaw
2003-05-16	C	Cole Sillinger	24	11	14	25	WHL	Medicine Hat
2003-04-10	RW	Dylan Guenther	26	8	12	20	WHL	Edmonton
2003-04-10	LW	Zack Stringer	20	3	11	14	WHL	Lethbridge
2003-02-06	C	Logan Stankoven	25	9	4	13	WHL	Kamloops
2003-01-14	LD	Carson Lambos	23	5	8	13	WHL	Winnipeg
2003-01-27	LW	Eric Alarie	26	3	7	10	WHL	Moose Jaw

~

We will be providing you updates every week so be sure to check back every Monday or Tuesday for updated stats and highlights!

By the OilKnight 12/05/19

~

Antonio Stranges fell to the 2nd round of the 2018 OHL draft mainly because he was committed to Michigan, but London took a chance on him anyways and it worked out. In terms of talent, he was highly considered as one of the absolute best in his draft class. As a 16 yr old OHL rookie, he had a very promising 13 goals & 34 points and looks to build off that success this season – his draft year. 

 

STAT LINE:

23 GP – 12 Goals, 9 assists, 21 points

Stranges got off to a hot start this season registering 9 points in the first 6 games, but has cooled somewhat offensively since then as he continues to work on other facets of his game. He started on the top line & the top powerplay unit with Connor McMichael, but was bumped down the lineup once Liam Foudy returned from injury. Since then, he has struggled to get going offensively and has been a bit of a liability defensively, which has subsequently landed him on the 4th line recently. However, in his last 4 games he has scored in all of them (5 goals, 6 points), played a much better 200 foot game, and has been one of the best players on the ice in each of those games. He’s also shooting the puck much more (19 SOG in 4 games) after going the previous 8 games with no goals and only 13 shots. 

Stranges is as skilled as almost anyone in this class and his ceiling is enormous. But, under Dale Hunter prospects typically are groomed to be better 200 foot players first before they get all the prime offensive looks. This is evident when you see 1 PPG in his stat line. Like many NHL prospects in London before him, Stranges is learning that the hard way. Buried behind a few high end NHL prospects and a bunch of seasoned veterans, patience is still required for the talented Stranges. But, by season’s end don’t be surprised if he’s much higher up the list as his confidence grows and he rounds out his game.

pic.twitter.com/ajqDXornIy

— Sean Patrick Ryan (@TheOilKnight) September 28, 2019

Speaking of his backhand, Stranges probably has the best in the draft. He can get such power on his release and has scored from the slot before – with his backhand. He’s scored plenty of times backhand top shelf too in tight which speaks to his quick hands & puck skills. He also is able to make precision passes with both sides of the stick that it really makes him a dual threat. Elite backhand is a rare skill nowadays.

Another look as he roofs it off the backhand. pic.twitter.com/bsYfykQ7Id

— Sean Patrick Ryan (@TheOilKnight) December 1, 2019

 

One of the most underrated parts of Stranges game is his vision and passing ability. He is capable of putting amazing touch on passes while also threading the needle between several defenders. He sees lane develop extremely well & anticipates plays before they happen to find the open area in the ice. He has great offensive instincts & puck control which allow him to do pretty much whatever he wants with the puck. But that vision and passing ability really are special. 

Stranges strong game continues. His passing is definitely underrated. Look at the touch he puts on this pass. Also, gets a shot off right after and was stopped in all alone seconds later. pic.twitter.com/yEb2ywJ0On

— Sean Patrick Ryan (@TheOilKnight) November 30, 2019

As much as people are enamoured with Stranges‘ 10-2 skating style, sometimes I feel it works against him. For example, since he is a left handed shot and opens up his hips when he skates like that, it does make him more vulnerable to turnovers on the left side of ice with the puck exposed. Acceleration is an issue with that style in short spaces, so he does have a tendency to turn over the puck at times if attempts the 10-2 & doesn’t have time to wind it up first. Whereas, if he lowered his shoulder instead to shield opponents he would have better puck protection. Not a huge issue but does happen from time to time.

You also naturally worry about defenders lighting him up with a big hit with him being exposed like that. He is very agile and elusive but in the NHL not sure exactly how well that will translate if he continues to do it consistently. 

Shot accuracy is another area that could use some work and may be a result of the unbalanced skating. It is difficult to follow thru on your shot when your off-balanced. Stranges does have a pretty good shot and release but accuracy has been an issue at times when his momentum is taking him away from the net. More of a mechanics thing than anything that needs some refining. 

Lastly, to be considered a true Top 15 prospect, Stranges need to continue to work on his 200 foot game. Not to say the commitment isn’t there because he does show good effort in coming back and competes hard in board battles quite often, but more consistency and dedication would serve him well and round out his game. Fortunately, that is what Coach Hunter in London is known for. Once Stranges becomes more of a puck hound at both ends of the ice, and commits to taking care of his own zone – scouts will really start singing his praises. Here’s an example early in the year where more commitment was required (#40):

 

DRAFT OUTLOOK

One thing to consider when evaluating prospects coming out of London is usage. London is typically one of the deepest organizations when it comes to NHL talent. Last season for example, Connor McMichael started on a tear the first half of the year. However, Alex Formenton was returned from his NHL club and the team traded for OHL veteran Kevin Hancock and McMichael then took a bit of a backseat to those players. His PP time was limited and he wasn’t used in nearly as many prime offensive situations as a player like Arthur Kaliyev for example. Which made his numbers even that more impressive. Yet he still went late 1^st round – 25^th overall.

In 2018, Liam Foudy didn’t really get hot till the 2^nd half of the season when a lot of vets were traded. Before that, his offensive usage was limited. He ended up going 18^th overall. Robert Thomas in 2017 was the 3^rd line checking center till trades were made and he got a bump to the top line after the new year. He ended up being drafted 20^th overall. 

Stranges should be considered a late 1st round pick right now, but has the potential to explode offensively at any given point in the season much like Foudy, Thomas & McMichael all did at various points in their draft years. There’s no doubting his natural ability but progression will be the key. With several key veterans likely headed to the World Juniors later this month, Stranges should get his opportunity to shine in a more offensive role. 

 

DRAFT YEAR COMPARISON

 

In terms of NHL translatable skills, his skating, passing and backhand are all elite which makes him a very enticing prospect. In fact, Stranges is probably the most naturally gifted player to come out of London since Mitch Marner. He is a dynamic player with just about as much upside as any other prospect in this draft. 

So the Marner comparison is an obvious one based on the natural skill-sets. However, it is hard to ignore the Jeremy Bracco comparisons as they both have similar strengths too (10-2 skating, excellent vision, terrific backhand) though at this point Stranges is a bit more dynamic I would say. Bracco is a very talented prospect who has excelled at the AHL level but is still looking to crack the big club full-time. Because of the system he is coming out of in London, I anticipate Stranges being a bit more refined in terms of playing a pro style game but like Bracco it might take him some time to get to the NHL as he continues to get stronger. 

Bottom line, there are areas of his game Stranges needs to work on to take his game to the next level no doubt. Given the amount of ice-time he is receiving right now it will take some time. But like many Knights before him – don’t sleep on the player based on the offensive stat sheet alone…..it’s all about usage and progression. 

 

Prediction: Mid-late 1st round pick

~

To comment, please do so via Twitter @TheOilKnight

By the OilKnight 12/02/19

Welcome to our weekly update on CHL prospects. Here are the leading scorers among all 3 leagues for the 2020 draft eligibles & 16 yr old CHL rookies.

~ ~ ~

OHL

Quinton Byfield is a having a terrific season for Sudbury but Marco Rossi just won’t slow down in Ottawa. Rossi, is now only 1 point behind Byfield and has played 7 less games. However, it is important to note that Rossi is 11 months older than Byfield and plays on a much more talented team. Byfield is still considered the top OHL forward but Rossi is certainly closing the gap quickly.

Jacob Perreault of Sarnia, has steadily climbed the leaderboard and is now 5th on this list. He was snubbed by Team Canada at the Hlinka-Gretzky, but the son of former NHL’er Yanic Perreault can score. He had 30 goals as a 16 yr old last year & is on pace to beat that this year.

Birthdate	Pos	Name	GP	G	A	P	League	Team
2002-08-19	C	Quinton Byfield	28	20	30	50	OHL	Sudbury
2001-09-25	C	Marco Rossi	21	16	33	49	OHL	Ottawa
2002-01-01	C	Cole Perfetti	26	13	29	42	OHL	Saginaw
2002-01-18	C	Tyson Foerster	23	16	19	35	OHL	Barrie
2002-04-15	RW	Jacob Perreault	23	14	16	30	OHL	Sarnia
2002-04-08	RD	Jamie Drysdale	27	5	25	30	OHL	Erie
2001-09-19	RW	Jack Quinn	26	14	15	29	OHL	Ottawa
2001-09-25	C	Jaromir Pytlik	27	11	16	27	OHL	SSM
2001-09-24	RW	Hayden Fowler	25	12	13	25	OHL	Erie
2002-04-12	C	Rory Kerins	27	12	12	24	OHL	SSM
2002-04-05	C	Ty Tullio	25	10	13	23	OHL	Oshawa
2002-07-09	C	Logan Morrison	25	11	12	23	OHL	Hamilton
2002-02-21	RW	Luke Evangelista	24	9	14	23	OHL	London
2002-02-13	RW	Oliver Suni	25	8	15	23	OHL	Oshawa
2002-05-13	C	Jean-Luc Foudy	23	9	13	22	OHL	Windsor
2002-02-05	LW	Antonio Stranges	23	12	9	21	OHL	London
2002-03-19	RD	Jack Thompson	28	9	11	20	OHL	Sudbury
2001-12-01	RW	Brandon Coe	25	6	12	18	OHL	North Bay
2002-05-02	LW	Will Cuylle	23	7	9	16	OHL	Windsor
2002-01-08	RD	Ruben Rafkin	23	1	15	16	OHL	Windsor
2002-01-18	LW	James Hardie	26	9	6	15	OHL	Mississauga
2002-06-09	RW	Cameron Butler	27	8	6	14	OHL	Peterborough
2002-05-16	LD	Ryan O’Rourke	17	5	8	13	OHL	SSM
2002-03-14	RW	Reid Valade	19	8	4	12	OHL	Kitchener
2002-05-28	RW	Andrei Bakanov	23	6	6	12	OHL	Guelph
2002-02-27	LD	Lleyton Moore	25	1	11	12	OHL	Oshawa
2002-08-12	RD	Ville Ottavainen	23	4	6	10	OHL	Kitchener
2002-06-20	C	Evan Vierling	15	2	8	10	OHL	Flint
2002-01-12	LD	Donovan Sebrango	20	1	8	9	OHL	Kitchener

#MarcoRossi scouting report done 👌

He's my favotire player from the draft this year.

Hope you guys enjoy. Please share if you enjoyed. This one took a lot time to make.https://t.co/elH4YERxKF

— Yannick St-Pierre (@DraftDynasty1) November 30, 2019

~

2021 Draft eligibles

A lot of 16 yr olds seemingly have struggled since returning from the recent U17 tournament, but not Mason McTavish. McTavish, is already up to 15 goals in 22 games.

Birthdate	Pos	Name	GP	G	A	P	League	Team
2003-01-30	C	Mason McTavish	22	15	6	21	OHL	Peterborough
2002-10-10	RW	Avery Hayes	28	8	9	17	OHL	Hamilton
2003-03-29	RW	Chase Stillman	24	8	6	14	OHL	Sudbury
2003-04-11	C/LW	Francesco Pinelli	21	7	6	13	OHL	Kitchener
2003-01-05	LW	Brennan Othmann	18	5	8	13	OHL	Flint
2003-06-19	RW	Ethan Burroughs	18	4	6	10	OHL	Owen Sound
2003-06-07	C	Brett Harrison	19	5	5	10	OHL	Oshawa
2003-02-09	RD	Brandt Clarke	19	0	9	9	OHL	Barrie
2003-01-21	C	Connor Lockhart	22	2	7	9	OHL	Erie
2003-06-13	C	Francesco Arcuri	24	2	6	8	OHL	Kingston
2003-01-05	C	Braeden Kressler	20	2	5	7	OHL	Flint

~ ~ ~

QMJHL

Vasily Ponomarev is officially on a roll now. After starting his QMJHL career off slow, he now has goals in 3 straight games and is up to 29 points in 27 games. He leads all rookies with 13 goals and 10 of those are at even strength. He is strong skater with terrific puck skills, soft hands and protects the puck extremely well. Ponomarev will be representing Team Russia at the World Junior A Challenge (U18’s) in Dawson Creek starting on December 5th.

With all the hype around Jeremie Poirier in Saint John, William Villeneuve has flown under the radar a bit. But, Villeneuve (who was the 2nd overall pick in the 2018 QMJHL draft behind Hendrix Lapierre) might have a more complete skill-set. He is a excellent skater with great agility, moves the puck extremely well, has a big shot, and does a very good job defensively. I wouldn’t say he’s as smooth or dynamic as Poirier, but he appears more consistent in all 3 zones and is definitely the better defender of the two. He’s 6’1″ and a right shot defender. Should be highly coveted come draft day.

Birthdate	Pos	Name	GP	G	A	P	League	Team
2001-10-11	LW	Alexis Lafreniere	28	17	42	59	QMJHL	Rimouski
2002-01-08	C	Mavrik Bourque	27	18	23	41	QMJHL	Shawinigan
2001-12-02	RW	Ryan Francis	28	14	26	40	QMJHL	Cape Breton
2001-10-27	RW	Dawson Mercer	23	17	19	36	QMJHL	Drummondville
2002-05-27	LW	Brady Burns	29	15	14	29	QMJHL	Saint John
2002-03-13	C	Vasily Ponomaryev	27	13	16	29	QMJHL	Shawinigan
2002-06-02	LD	Jeremie Poirier	29	9	18	27	QMJHL	Saint John
2002-03-20	RD	William Villeneuve	29	5	20	25	QMJHL	Saint John
2002-01-12	C	Alexandre Doucet	29	5	16	21	QMHL	Val D’Or
2001-12-04	RD	Thimo Nickl	29	4	16	20	QMJHL	Drummondville
2002-02-24	RD	Charlie Desroches	29	2	17	19	QMJHL	Saint John
2002-04-29	C	Patrick Guay	28	10	9	19	QMJHL	Sherbrooke
2002-01-21	LW	Elliot Desnoyers	27	6	12	18	QMJHL	Moncton
2002-01-28	RW	Josh Lawrence	29	4	14	18	QMJHL	Saint John
2002-02-09	C	Hendrix Lapierre	19	2	15	17	QMJHL	Chicoutimi
2001-11-15	RD	Justin Barron	27	4	13	17	QMJHL	Halifax
2001-11-01	LD	Jacob Dion	29	3	14	17	QMJHL	Drummondville
2002-02-20	C	Theo Rochette	16	4	12	16	QMJHL	Chicoutimi
2002-06-14	C	Senna Peeters	27	11	4	15	QMJHL	Halifax
2002-03-27	LD	Lukas Cormier	13	4	11	15	QMJHL	Charlottetown
2002-08-20	C	Ivan Ivan	28	7	7	14	QMJHL	Cape Breton
2002-01-25	LW	Dawson Stairs	28	7	6	13	QMJHL	Saint John
2001-09-25	RW	Adam Raska	16	7	4	11	QMJHL	Rimouski

Vasily Ponomarev continues to impress. Here’s his beauty goal vs. Saint John over the weekend. pic.twitter.com/ZinejeA4fe

— Sean Patrick Ryan (@TheOilKnight) December 3, 2019

~

2021 Draft eligibles

~

Birthdate	Pos	Name	GP	G	A	P	League	Team
2002-11-26	LD	Isaac Belliveau	28	5	26	31	QMJHL	Rimouski
2003-05-15	LW	Zachary L’Heureux	23	11	16	27	QMJHL	Moncton
2002-10-22	C	Xavier Bourgault	28	13	13	26	QMJHL	Shawinigan
2003-05-01	C	James Malatesta	24	9	9	18	QMJHL	Quebec
2003-02-24	C	Zachary Bolduc	19	12	4	16	QMJHL	Rimouski
2003-03-25	C	Riley Kidney	22	3	13	16	QMJHL	Acadie-Bathurst
2002-09-27	C	Alexander Mirzabalaev	29	5	9	14	QMJHL	Val D’or
2003-05-14	C	Cole Huckins	27	6	6	12	QMJHL	Acadie-Bathurst
2003-01-04	C	Zachary Dean	20	5	6	11	QMJHL	Gatineau
2003-03-13	C	Justin Robidas	23	6	4	10	QMJHL	Val D’or
2003-08-06	C	Joshua Roy	25	5	4	9	QMJHL	Saint John

~ ~ ~

WHL

Connor McClennon and Ridly Greig are two of the hottest players in the WHL lately. Both got off to relatively slow starts this season but both are now hovering around a point per game.

Ronan Seeley scored his first two goals of the season last week finally for Everett.

Pavel Novak is still suspended 8 games for checking from behind.

Birthdate	Pos	Name	GP	G	A	P	League	Team
2001-09-25	C	Connor Zary	26	19	20	39	WHL	Kamloops
2002-03-09	RW	Ozzy Wiesblatt	27	12	19	31	WHL	Prince Albert
2002-03-29	LW	Jake Neighbours	29	6	23	29	WHL	Edmonton
2002-02-01	C	Seth Jarvis	22	10	14	24	WHL	Portland
2002-06-25	RW	Connor McClennon	26	9	15	24	WHL	Winnipeg
2002-03-24	C	Justin Sourdif	24	11	11	22	WHL	Vancouver
2002-08-08	C	Ridly Greig	24	7	15	22	WHL	Brandon
2002-04-16	RW	Pavel Novak	19	10	11	21	WHL	Kelowna
2002-09-02	C	Jack Finley	25	5	16	21	WHL	Spokane
2001-11-15	C	Tristen Robins	29	9	10	19	WHL	Saskatoon
2002-08-16	C	Michal Gut	22	6	13	19	WHL	Everett
2002-01-18	LD	Kaiden Guhle	27	6	12	18	WHL	Prince Albert
2002-01-27	RW	Simon Knak	21	5	12	17	WHL	Portland
2001-09-20	RD	Braden Schneider	27	3	13	16	WHL	Brandon
2002-02-10	LW	Kyle Crnkovic	29	7	8	15	WHL	Saskatoon
2002-04-27	LW	Keanu DeRungs	23	6	9	15	WHL	Victoria
2002-01-25	LW	Cross Hanas	25	8	6	13	WHL	Portland
2002-08-02	LD	Ronan Seeley	24	2	9	11	WHL	Everett
2002-05-15	LD	Daemon Hunt	22	0	11	11	WHL	Moose Jaw
2001-11-28	RW	Lukas Svejkovsky	18	5	5	10	WHL	Vancouver
2002-06-03	RD	Kasper Puutio	22	1	8	9	WHL	Swift Current

~

2021 Draft eligibles

~

Birthdate	Pos	Name	GP	G	A	P	League	Team
2002-09-23	C	Ryder Korczak	22	8	21	29	WHL	Moose Jaw
2003-05-16	C	Cole Sillinger	21	10	10	20	WHL	Medicine Hat
2003-04-10	RW	Dylan Guenther	23	7	12	19	WHL	Edmonton
2003-04-10	LW	Zack Stringer	17	2	11	13	WHL	Lethbridge
2003-02-06	C	Logan Stankoven	23	8	4	12	WHL	Kamloops
2003-01-14	LD	Carson Lambos	20	4	7	11	WHL	Winnipeg
2003-01-27	LW	Eric Alarie	22	3	7	10	WHL	Moose Jaw

~

We will be providing you updates every week so be sure to check back every Monday or Tuesday for updated stats and highlights!