Notable Canadian junior performers this week:
Morgan Frost (C), Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
2017 First Round Pick, 27th overall
Frost may have ended his regular season early on Saturday with a cross-check to the head of an opposing player. He is suspended indefinitely until a hearing can be held to determine the length. Frost has already missed one game and the Greyhounds have three regular season games remaining before the playoffs. Assuming he doesn’t come back before then, Frost ends his last OHL regular season with 108 points (37 goals, 71 assists) in 57 games.
Isaac Ratcliffe (LW), Guelph Storm (OHL)
2017 Second Round Pick, 35th overall
- 3/8 – 1 goal, 7 shots, 2 PIM
- 3/9 – 2 assists, 1 shot, 1 for 1 FOW
- 3/10 – 1 shot, 2 PIM, 0 for 1 FOW/
Ratcliffe is closing in on the 50-goal mark following his 48th of the season on Friday. He’ll have three more regular season games to reach that mark before embarking for the OHL playoffs. The last Flyer prospect to do that in juniors was David Laliberte during the 2006-07 season.
Matthew Strome (LW), Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL)
2017 Fourth Round Pick, 106th overall
- 3/6 – 1 goal, 1 assist, 1 shot, 5 PIM, 11 for 20 FOW
- 3/8 – 1 assist, 2 shots, 1 for 2 FOW
- 3/9 – 3 shots, 2 PIM, 9 for 20 FOW/
Strome is hoping to finish out his last season in juniors strong. He has 79 points (28 goals, 51 assists) in 66 games. Depending on when Hamilton (at the lower end of the OHL’s playoff picture) finishes their season, he may join the Phantoms before the year is up.
Maksim Sushko (RW), Owen Sound Attack (OHL)
2017 Fourth Round Pick, 107th overall
The notoriously streaky Sushko is one of those good streaks as the regular season comes to a close. He has 10 goals and 11 assists in his last 20 games, but just 48 total in 59 games on the season. Owen Sound has three remaining regular season games and will be participating in the OHL playoffs.
Wyatte Wylie (D), Everett Silvertips (WHL)
2018 Fifth Round Pick, 127th overall
Wylie gathers his 11th goal and 35th assist this week in 65 regular season games. All marks are career-highs for the third year WHLer. Everett is very good and will be in the WHL playoffs.
Yegor Zamula (D), Calgary Hitmen (WHL)
Undrafted Free Agent
Zamula continues to pile on the points, putting up 56 (10 G, 46 A) in 59 games. For better perspective, only 10 of those points are primary (goals + primary assist) at five-on-five. That ranks 32nd among WHL defenders. Wylie (the guy above) has 17, which ranks him 10th.
Notable European performers this week
Linus Högberg (D), Växjö Lakers HC (SHL)
2016 Fifth Round Pick, 139th overall
Consistent TOI? Check. The Hog is never going to be huge point producer, but he’s a positive CF player in the SHL. That is enough for me.
David Bernhardt (D), Växjö Lakers HC (SHL)
2016 Seventh Round Pick, 199th overall
Things continue to be turning around for Bernhardt, who netted goal and assist number three this week. He has six points in 18 games since joining Vaxjo.
Adam Ginning (D), Linköping HC (SHL)
2018 Second Round Pick, 50th overall
All he does is Ginn, Ginn, Ginn.
Olle Lycksell (RW/C), Linköping HC (SHL)
2017 Sixth Round Pick, 168th overall
All or nothing for Lycksell. When he’s gotten regular time on ice lately, he’s been able to put up points. His goals on Saturday were his fifth and sixth of the season in 49 SHL games. Lycksell has 12 points overall on the season. Here is one of his goals.
Marcus Westfält (C), Karlskrona HK (Allsvenskan)
2018 Seventh Round Pick, 205th overall
Westfalt has apparently been participating with Sweden’s under-19 team this past week. He’s scored one goal and two assists in four games.
Felix Sandström (G), HV71 (SHL)
2015 Third Round Pick, 70th overall
An excellent week for the not often used Sandstrom, who has only played in 18 games this season. He has a .912 save percentage this season for HV71.
Samuel Ersson (G), Västerås IK (Allsvenskan)
2018 Fifth Round Pick, 143rd overall
A nice way to close out the regular season for Ersson, who finishes with a .933 save percentage in 36 games. That is the second-best save percentage in the league, behind Adam Ahman who put up .938, but only played in 22 games.
Ivan Fedotov (G), HC Toros (VHL)
2015 Seventh Round Pick, 188th overall
Fedotov finished the regular season with a save percentage of .929 in 26 games this season.
Kirill Ustimenko (G), MHK Dynamo St. Petersburg (MHL)
2017 Third Round Pick, 80th overall
- 2/25 – 0 GA, 26 saves/
Ustimenko finished the regular season with a .927 save percentage in 46 games this season.
Notable collegiate performers this week
Wade Allison (RW), Western Michigan University
2016 Second Round Pick, 52nd overall
I think we all missed this Wade Allison a lot this season? It’s great to know the talent is still all there after his numerous injuries. He finished his junior year regular season with eight goals and six assists in 20 games. WMU will square off against Colorado College in a best of three series in the NCHC Quarter Finals. Goals and more goals.
Joel Farabee (LW), Boston University
2018 First Round Pick, 14th overall
- 3/9 – 2 shots/
Farabee and Boston University were shut out 6-0 by Maine to end their regular season. Farabee had an outstanding freshman year with 31 points (13 G, 18 A) in 34 games. BU will face off against UMass Lowell in a three game series in the Hockey East Quarter Finals.
Tanner Laczynski (C/W), Ohio State University
2016 Sixth Round Pick, 169th overall
No games this week for OSU, who won’t play again until next week in the Big Ten Tournament. Laczynski finishes out his injury-riddled junior year with 30 points (10 G, 20 A) in 25 games.
Gavin Hain (C/W), University of North Dakota
2018 Sixth Round Pick, 174th overall
Hain closed out his freshman season with his sixth goal of the season and his ninth point overall in 29 games. North Dakota faces Denver in the NCHC Quarter Finals for a three-game set.
Jay O’Brien (C), Providence College
2018 First Round Pick, 19th overall
- 3/7 – 1 shot/
Jay O’Brien closed out his freshman regular season with just one assist in his last 13 games and with just 5 points (2 G, 3 A) in 25 games overall. Providence plays Boston College this week in the Hockey East Quarter Finals.
Brendan Warren (LW), University of Michigan
2015 Third Round Pick, 81st overall
Warren closed out his collegiate career as Michigan loses both games to Minnesota in the Big Ten first round series. This is hopefully the last time you will ever see him mentioned again.
Noah Cates (LW), University of Minnesota-Duluth
2017 Fifth Round Pick, 137th overall
A weird weekend for Cates, who scored his ninth goal, but also got hit with a five-minute elbowing penalty, followed by a game misconduct. He finishes his freshman regular season with 21 points in 32 games. Assuming there isn’t any kind of supplement discipline, Minn-Duluth faces Omaha this week in the NCHC Playoffs.
Wyatt Kalynuk (D), University of Wisconsin
2017 Seventh Round Pick, 196th overall
Kalynuk and Wisconsin lost a best of three series to Penn State this weekend, losing 4-3 in OT on Sunday. Kalynuk finishes his sophomore season with 25 points (9 G, 16 A) in 37 games. The point total and games played were identical to his freshman season. It will be interesting to see if he decides to go pro this offseason and how much the Flyers are interesting in him doing so.
Jack St. Ivany (D), Yale University
2018 Fourth Round Pick, 112th overall
St. Ivany breaks out of a massive nine-game pointless slump (just one point in his last 15 games) with his first three-point game. He has 12 points (4 G, 8 A) in 28 games. With two wins this weekend against Rensselaer in the first round of the ECAC Tournament, they now visit Clarkson for a three-game set this upcoming weekend.
Matej Tomek (G), University of Nebraska-Omaha
2015 Third Round Pick, 90th overall
No games for Tomek stateside, but is apparently participating in the 2019 Winter Universiade for Team Slovakia. Will post those results when Twitter tells me.
