Who's hot & who's not

Emerson Etem led the Medicine Hat Tigers to a perfect home-stand last week while also reaching a personal milestone.

Etem scored the game-winner for the Tigers in their 4-2 win over Brandon on Sunday to pick up his 50th goal in 50 games. He later added an empty-netter for good measure. The last Western Hockey League player to achieve the feat was Swift Current Broncos forward Layne Ulmer, who did so in the 2000-01 season.

Ontario Hockey League

Hot team:Hot team: Niagara IceDogs

The rich just got richer with the return of Ryan Strome from injury and Dougie Hamilton from suspension last week. Not that the IceDogs seemed to miss either. Niagara won all three games last week to bring the winning-streak to six games and a hold of the top spot in the Eastern Conference standings. The IceDogs are finally living up to expectations and could be a dominant force to close out the season.

Cold team:Cold team: Erie Otters

Points won't be easy to come for the Otters, who aren't afraid to work for them, even if they aren't being rewarded with the results. The Otters began the week with a shootout loss at home to Owen Sound then lost the next two in Saginaw and Windsor by a combined 10-2 score. Erie last won on Feb. 3, a 7-4 thrashing over an Eastern Conference power from Brampton.

Game of the week: Kitchener Rangers vs. London Knights, Sunday

These two rivals will meet for the second consecutive Sunday after the Knights prevailed in a shootout at home. Prior to that loss, the Rangers had won all three games against the first-place Knights this season. With two games remaining in their series, the Rangers could claw closer to the Knights for top spot. London currently leads the Western Conference with 83 points, nine more than Kitchener and eight more than Plymouth. It will be a four-point swing for whichever team can win.

Canadian NHL team's OHL prospects:

Julian Melchiori, Oshawa (Jets) -- drafted 87th overall in 2010

Melchiori is fitting in nicely with the Generals after being dealt from Kitchener at the deadline. In four games last week, Melchiori had five assists. He's nearly averaging one assist per game in Oshawa with 11 in 14 games.

Ivan Telegin, Barrie (Jets) -- drafted 101st overall in 2010

Telegin seems to be finding his touch once again with an impressive week for the Colts. In three games, he had a goal and two assists and a plus-2 rating. He's averaging more than a point per game this season, which would be his best of three in the OHL.

Sam Carrick, Brampton (Maple Leafs) -- drafted 144th overall in 2010

Carrick continues to enjoy his most productive season of major junior. He scored three goals and one assist in three games last week, capping it with the game-winner over Peterborough on Sunday.

Alex Friesen, Niagara (Canucks) -- drafted 172nd overall in 2010

Friesen is now just seven points shy of tying his best output in his fifth season. He followed up his three-point effort against Brampton a week earlier with a five-point game against Mississauga on Thursday. He had seven points in three games.

Shane Prince, Ottawa (Senators) -- drafted 61st overall in 2011

Prince is riding a 14-game point streak after another offensive explosion. He started the week with one assist then a goal in his first two games before scoring a hat trick and adding one assist in Ottawa's 9-0 win over Belleville on Sunday.

Tobias Rieder, Kitchener (Oilers) -- drafted 114th overall in 2011

Rieder continues to get better as the season progresses with a 13-game point-scoring streak. In four games last week, Rieder tallied four goals and six assists for 10 points and a plus-6 rating. He scored his eighth game-winner of the season on Tuesday over Guelph.

Western Hockey League

Hot team:Hot team: Medicine Hat Tigers

The Tigers are feasting on competition with five consecutive victories and eight in their last 10. They responded well after losing back-to-back games on home ice in late January, winning their next five, all three of which were at home last week. Medicine Hat is now just seven points back of Edmonton for the Central Division and Eastern Conference crowns with more than a month remaining in their schedule.

Cold team:Cold team: Prince Albert Raiders

Any faint hope the Raiders had of making the playoffs are now gone with a losing streak now spanning five games. Prince Albert's last victory came on Feb. 1, a 4-2 decision over Regina, which is just one of three wins in its last 10 games. The Raiders are in last place in the Eastern Conference standings, 20 points back of eighth-place Brandon.

Game of the week: Moose Jaw Warriors vs. Medicine Hat Tigers, Saturday

Two of the league's hottest teams will meet in the back-end of a home-and-home series that begins in Moose Jaw on Friday. Each team won one of the first two meetings and this game will determine which team wins the season series, which may only matter if they can both catch Edmonton in the standings. Both teams won eight of their last 10 games while the Tigers' winning-streak is a game longer with five-consecutive wins. If either team can win both games it would go a long way in determining the final placing.

Canadian NHL team's WHL prospects:

Brad Ross, Portland (Maple Leafs) -- drafted 43rd overall in 2010

Ross picked up a point in all three games last week to extend his point streak to six games. He had a goal and three assists with a plus-4 rating. His goal over Tri-City on Friday set a personal best for goals in a season with 32.

Tyler Bunz, Medicine Hat (Oilers) -- drafted 121st overall in 2010

Bunz was sensational in leading the Tigers to three-straight wins at home last week. He stopped 91-of-97 shots for a .938 save percentage, increasing his season total to .922 which is third behind Nathan Lieuwen and Ty Rimmer's .923 percentage.

Michael Ferland, Brandon (Flames) -- drafted 133rd overall in 2010

Ferland is enjoying a solid season that only got better last week. In three games, he scored three goals and two assists with a plus-3 rating. Ferland brought his game-winning goal mark to six after scoring the decisive goals in wins over Regina and Swift Current.

Sven Baertschi, Portland (Flames) -- drafted 13th overall in 2011

Baertschi appears to be fully recovered from the concussion he sustained at the world juniors. He had his most dominant performance since returning, with five goals and three assists for eight points in just three games. He has 70 points in 36 games this season.

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League

Hot team:Hot team: Saint John Sea Dogs

Team success is leading to personal success for a few members of the Sea Dogs. Goalie Mathieu Corbeil set the mark for shutouts with six in a Saint John uniform after the team's 5-0 win in P.E.I. on Saturday. The Sea Dogs won again on Sunday over Acadie-Bathurst, extending their winning-streak to nine games. Their last loss came more than a month ago, a 4-1 defeat to Shawinigan on Jan. 12.

Cold team:Cold team: Cape Breton Screaming Eagles

The Screaming Eagles maintain a soft lead over P.E.I. and Rouyn-Noranda for one of the final two playoff spots. They will, however, need better performances to maintain that gap after dropping their last four games and accumulating just one point in the process. They return home after the longest road trip of the season to northern Québec, where they lost both games in Val-d'Or and Rouyn-Noranda.

Game of the week: Saint John Sea Dogs vs. Québec Remparts, Friday

The Sea Dogs will host the Remparts in a game that will be broadcast on Friday Night Hockey. Saint John is the hottest team in the league with nine-straight victories while Québec will try to escape its recent funk. The Remparts slipped to third in the Telus East Division standings after winning just four of their last 10 games. The season series is tied at two wins apiece with a 6-0 win by Saint John in October and a 4-1 win by Québec in November. Playoff seeding will be on the line in addition to pre-scouting for a potential playoff series between these two teams.

Canadian NHL team's QMJHL prospects:

Michael Bournival, Shawinigan (Canadiens) -- drafted 71st overall in 2010 (acquired in trade with Avalanche)

Bournival kept finding the back of the net with regularity last week, scoring twice and adding three assists in three games for the Cataractes. Shawinigan's captain is on pace to set a new career mark for goals in a season. He has 24, four fewer than the amount he reached last season.

Nathan Beaulieu, Saint John (Canadiens) -- drafted 17th overall in 2011

Beaulieu became the franchise leader in points from a defenceman last week after a two-assist effort against P.E.I. on Saturday. He contributed two more assists for good measure against Acadie-Bathurst on Sunday. He has 138 career points, all with the Sea Dogs.

Alexandre Grenier, Halifax (Canucks) -- drafted 90th overall in 2011

Grenier more than doubled his point totals from last season with a goal and three assists in four games last week. He now has 20 goals and 32 assists in 49 games and continues looking like good value as a prospect of the Canucks.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Chicoutimi (Senators) -- drafted 96th overall in 2011

It was far from his best week since joining the Saguenéens after a trade from Gatineau at the deadline. In three games, Pageau found the score sheet just once, an assist against Baie-Comeau. He was a minus-2 through his final two games.