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.

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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.

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2021 Draft eligibles

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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. 

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

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2021 Draft eligibles

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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.

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2021 Draft eligibles

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