Louis Leblanc is one player showing he can carry his junior team down the stretch drive in the CHL.
Montreal Canadiens prospect Louis Leblanc awoke from his slumber in a big way with the Juniors recently. The 2009 first-round pick is beginning to show he can carry his team down the stretch drive.
Meanwhile, Rogers Sportsnet's game of the week features a game between Patrick Roy's Québec Remparts against Sean Couturier and the Drummondville Voltigeurs.
Ontario Hockey League
Hot team: Oshawa Generals
Although their six-game winning-streak was snapped Sunday by Owen Sound in a shootout, the Generals remain the league's hottest team with points in seven straight games. Oshawa won seven of its past 10 games and is now just two points back of Ottawa for first in the East Division. The division-winner will finish second in Eastern Conference standings.
Cold team: Barrie Colts
There hasn't been as much for fans in Barrie to get excited about this season. The Colts are riding a six-game losing-streak after losses to Sarnia, Guelph and Kingston last week. Although the results aren't there, the team should be commended for not saying uncle as three of their six-straight losses were by two goals or less.
Game of the week: Mississauga St. Michael's Majors vs. Oshawa Generals, Saturday
Few teams have had Mississauga's number this season like the Oshawa Generals. After dropping their first game by a 4-1 final, the Generals won the next two against the Majors, culminating with a convincing 8-2 win on Feb. 16. The Majors are beginning to climb out of their funk, but still have room for improvement. The red-hot Generals should give the Majors all the motivation needed to once again prove they are the top team in their conference.
Canadian NHL teams' OHL prospects
Jerry D'Amigo, Toronto (Kitchener) - drafted 158th overall in 2009
It didn't take long for D'Amigo to eclipse his 14 points from the American Hockey League. D'Amigo scored once and assisted on another in Kitchener's 4-3 win over Saginaw on Friday. He has 17 points in 12 games with the Rangers this season.
Jarred Tinordi, Montreal (London) - drafted 22nd overall in 2010
The defensive defenceman reverted back to previous weeks where he did not record a point. Tinordi scored his first career goal on Feb. 18, but was held off the score-sheet in three games last week. He has 11 points this season and is a minus-6.
Greg McKegg, Toronto (Erie) - drafted 62nd overall in 2010
McKegg is well within reach of his most productive season offensively after scoring three goals in three games last week. His goal over Kitchener on Saturday stood up as the game-winner. He has 79 points this season, six fewer than he had a year ago.
Alex Friesen, Vancouver (Niagara) - drafted 172nd overall in 2010
Friesen remains out of the Niagara lineup after suffering an injury on Feb. 13 in a game against the Brampton Battalion. He is four points shy of his career-best season of 60 points, registered last season.
Western Hockey League
Hot team: Kamloops Blazers
The Blazers are making a late-season push for the B.C. Division crown. Kamloops rattled off three-straight victories through their Central Division road swing. The Blazers are unbeaten in regulation in their last six games and winners of seven of their past 10. They trail the Kelowna Rockets by 11 points for first in the division.
Cold team: Swift Current Broncos
Life after Cody Eakin hasn't been pretty for the Swift Current Broncos. Eakin's former team is slumping to the tune of a seven-game losing-streak and has won just once in the last 10. As a result, the Broncos slid out of a playoff spot and will be forced to play catch-up. Swift Current is six points back of eighth-place Prince Albert heading into the week.
Game of the week: Kootenay Ice vs. Saskatoon Blades, Friday
The Eakin and Brayden Schenn rematch will take place when the two teams meet for the fourth and final time this season. Saskatoon walked out of Cranbrook, B.C. with a 5-3 win the last time these two teams met on Feb. 19. The two biggest trade deadline acquisitions, Eakin and Schenn, have made a big impact with their new clubs. Schenn scored twice and had three points in the win over Kootenay two weeks ago, while Eakin was held pointless and a minus-2. Although the Ice won't likely catch the Blades in the standings, a win for Kootenay could provide the team with a morale boost heading into a potential playoff series.
Canadian NHL teams' WHL prospects:
Jared Cowen, Ottawa (Spokane) - drafted ninth overall in 2009
Cowen continues striving towards the 20-goal plateau. He scored once and assisted on another in three games last week, giving him 16 goals this season. Cowen never once reached double-digits in the goal column in any of his three previous seasons.
Ryan Howse, Calgary (Chilliwack) - drafted 74th overall in 2009
Howse began the week on the right foot, scoring twice and picking up an assist in Chilliwack's 6-4 win over Vancouver on Friday. He then saw his 10-game scoring streak snapped the following night and was held without a point in the final two games of the week.
Curtis Hamilton, Edmonton (Saskatoon) - drafted 48th overall in 2010
Hamilton is now tied with Toronto prospect Josh Nicholls for first in team scoring this season. The Canadian world junior forward had a goal and four assists in three games with a plus-8 rating. His 73 points this season are by far a career high.
Max Reinhart, Calgary (Kootenay) - drafted 64th overall in 2010
Reinhart continued his impressive season with another strong week offensively. He scored once and picked up three assists for four points in as many games. Reinhart will more than likely finish with a point-per-game pace, as he now sits with 70 points in 63 games.
Québec Major Junior Hockey League
Hot team: Drummondville Voltigeurs
The Voltigeurs kept pace with the Montreal Juniors in the race for top spot in the Telus West Division standings. Drummondville reeled off its seventh-consecutive win Sunday. The 2009 league champions are proving their cycle did not end when head coach Guy Boucher moved on to the professional ranks. They trail Montreal by seven points.
Cold team: Rouyn-Noranda Huskies
The Huskies are well-positioned in the Nathan MacKinnon sweepstakes. Rouyn-Noranda has not won since beating Gatineau in overtime on Jan. 29, a winless streak spanning 10 games. Andre Tourigny's team was known to be in a full rebuild mode this season, as evidenced by their nine wins. Their 23 points is a league low, six less than next-worst, Baie-Comeau.
Game of the week: Québec Remparts vs. Drummondville Voltigeurs, Sunday
Two of the league's elite teams will meet for the fourth and final time this season in a game that will be broadcast nationally on Rogers Sportsnet. Drummondville leads the season series with two wins. The first two meetings required extra time, both of which the Voltigeurs played without their star, Sean Couturier, who was at the world juniors. The Remparts have a healthy lead on Lewiston for first in the Telus East Division standings while the Voltigeurs are playing catch-up in their division. If previous games televised on Sportsnet are any indication, this game should be another instant classic.
Canadian NHL teams' QMJHL prospects
Louis Leblanc, Montreal (Montreal) - drafted 18th overall in 2009
Leblanc has been simply on fire after going eight games without recording a point. Since then, the Habs' first-rounder scored eight times -- including a hat-trick in a game on Rogers Sportsnet on Sunday. He had five goals and three assists in three games last week.
Olivier Roy, Edmonton (Acadie-Bathurst) - drafted 133rd overall in 2009
Roy was all over the map last week for the Titan. He was pulled after allowing five goals on 17 shots in a loss to Montreal, but bounced back with two wins over Rouyn-Noranda and Val-d'Or. His weekly save percentage was .859.
Jakub Culek, Ottawa (Rimouski) - drafted 76th overall in 2010
The Czech forward keeps inching towards a disappointing finish in his second season in Rimouski. Culek picked up an assist in his team's 3-2 win over Montreal on Friday. He has 19 points in 48 games this season.
Steven Anthony, Vancouver (Saint John) - drafted 187th overall in 2009
It was a slow week for the relatively productive Anthony. He picked up a pair of assists with a plus-1 rating in four games last week. He already set a career-best for points in a season with 54 in 53 games.
