The Montreal Canadiens and Arizona Coyotes are neck-and-neck to finish last overall and have the best lottery odds at winning the No. 1 pick and the Shane Wright Derby, but there are plenty of decent storylines after him.
Here's an update on all things NHL prospects:
Yeah, Wright
There’s been a lot of talk in the scouting community in regards to Shane Wright being the undisputed No. 1 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. Here’s two items that should add to the conversation.
First, Wright's goal heard (and seen) around the hockey world this week...
Shane Wright makes scoring below the goal line look cool! #FrontsHockey | @shane_wright51 pic.twitter.com/oWcnJ1VSbx
— Kingston Frontenacs (@KingstonFronts) January 24, 2022
And, second, how Wright compared to John Tavares, another player granted exceptional player status into the OHL, in their first 50 major junior games:
Cup Runneth Over
It's always interesting to take stock in certain games. When watching the Blues at Canucks game Sunday night, I wanted to take a note of how many players in that game played in a Memorial Cup. I was thinking about Michael DiPietro (Windsor, 2017) getting the start in goal and Joseph Murdaca (Erie, 2017) picking up two wins for the Abbotsford Canucks while the big club was dealing with injury and COVID-19 issues to its normal stable of goaltenders.
Anyhow, here’s what I came up with based on the players who dressed for that game:
St. Louis: Jordan Binnington (Owen Sound, 2011), David Perron (Lewiston, 2007), Robert Bortuzzo (Kitchener, 2008), Logan Brown (Windsor, 2017), Robert Thomas (Hamilton, 2018), Brayden Schenn (Brandon, 2010)
Vancouver: Matthew Highmore (Saint John, 2017), Jason Dickinson (Guelph, 2014), Tyler Myers (Kelowna, 2009), Rylan Toth (Seattle, 2017).
Long Time Coming
Winnipeg Ice netminder Daniel Hauser established a new CHL record Monday night for games started in a career without a regulation loss.
Hauser debuted on March 15, 2021, and went on to post a 20-0-2 record before being bested by the Saskatoon Blades on Saturday. The previous record was held by Brandon’s Scott Olson, who went 15-0-3 across the 1977-78 and 1978-79 seasons.
Detroit Red Wings netminder Alex Nedeljkovic holds the OHL record, going 11 straight games without a regulation loss. He set the record with the Plymouth Whalers to begin the 2012-13 season. Maurice Barrette’s 19-game streak without a regulation loss still stands in the QMJHL. Barrette set the record with the Quebec Remparts in 1973.
Savy Scorer
Matthew Savoie has been overtaken by Saskatoon’s Kyle Crnkovic for the WHL’s scoring lead. Savoie, a member of the top-ranked Winnipeg Ice was rated No. 3 on NHL Central Scouting’s mid-term rankings released Jan. 12, 2022.
Avenue Q
With the QMJHL not scheduled to return to play until Tuesday, here’s a reminder as to what’s happening in the league.
Sherbrooke leads the Western Conference with 41 points. Charlottetown leads the Eastern Conference with 46 points. Felix Lafrance of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan is the league’s leading scorer, with 50 points in 26 games, while Quebec’s William Rosseau is the top goalie at 9-3-0, 2.03 goals-against average and .919 save percentage in 13 games.
Another Robertson in Peterborough
Peterborough’s Tucker Robertson is our focus for the undrafted 2003-born players. Robertson is a 5-foot-10, 190-pound right winger who has put up 21 goals and 25 assists for 46 points through 34 games this season.
Not Freddy
The Hamilton Bulldogs have signed 6-foot-3, 215-pound defenceman Noah Van Vliet. Van Vliet was taken in the fourth round of the 2020 OHL Priority draft and was playing with El Paso in the NAHL. Van Vliet is eligible for the 2022 NHL draft, but does not appear on the mid-term rankings.
Awaiting Tyler
Both the Ottawa Senators and Ottawa 67’s are eagerly awaiting the debut of Tyler Boucher. The son of former NHL goalie Brian, Tyler left Boston University to sign his pro deal with the Senators, thus making him ineligible to play in the NCAA. A perfect fit, Boucher will get to play for a great junior program, but also do so under the watchful eye of the Senators, who selected him with the 10th overall pick in the 2021 NHL draft. It is expected he will debut with the 67’s Saturday night in Sudbury.
