Weekend Warriors

A look at the top performances of the week featuring draft-eligible players
 
 
 
QMJHL

- Halifax forward Jonathan Drouin recorded 5 goals & 5 assists in 4 games, all wins for the Mooseheads. He has 15 goals & 19 assists in 15 games in 2013.

- Halifax goaltender Zach Fucale picked up 3 more wins during the past week, including his 2nd shutout of the season, while posting a 1.33 GAA & .962 SV%. He leads all CHL goaltenders with 37 wins.

- Gatineau forward Emile Poirier scored 3 goals & 2 assists in 3 games, including his 3rd hat trick of the season. He's averaging a point per game this season.

- PEI forward Matej Beran netted 4 goals in 4 games. He has 9 goals & 7 assists in his last 14 games.

- Baie-Comeau forward Jeremy Gregoire scored 2 goals & 2 assists in 3 games. He has 9 goals & 3 assists in 17 games since being traded to the Drakkar. His teammate, Valentin Zykov, netted 2 goals and added 1 assist in 3 games.

- Stephen Anderson (Saint John) scored 1 goal & 2 assists in 3 games, while Jonathan Diaby (Victoriaville) picked up 3 assists in 2 games.

Weekend Warriors

A look at the top performances of the week featuring draft-eligible players


OHL

- Kerby Rychel (Windsor) recorded 3 goals & 7 assists in 3 games, highlighted by a 6-point game vs. Kingston on Thursday night. As a result, he was named OHL 'Player of the Week'. Rychel has 8 goals & 16 assists in his last 11 games, including 8 multi-point games. He leads the league in first goals (9).

- Sean Monahan (Ottawa) scored 5 goals, including 1 short-handed marker, and 3 assists in 3 games.

- Plymouth forward Ryan Hartman helped the Whalers move into first place in the West Division by scoring 1 goal and assisting on 7 others on the weekend.

- Saginaw Spirit forward Jimmy Lodge extended his point & goal streaks to 6 games after scoring 3 goals & 2 assists in 2 games.

- Jonatan Tanus (Peterborough) & Max Domi (London) each scored 2 goals & 2 assists in 3 games.

- Petes forward Nick Ritchie recorded 1 goal & 3 assists in 3 games.

- Mississauga Steelheads goaltender Spencer Martin stopped 46 of 49 shots in two wins against Kingston & Niagara (1.50 GAA, .939 SV%).

Weekend Warriors

A look at the top performances of the week featuring draft-eligible players


OHL

- Kerby Rychel (Windsor) scored 3 goals & 2 assists in 3 games, including his 4th game-winning goal of the season on Friday night vs. Guelph. He has 12 power play goals this season, tied for 4th in the OHL.

- Saginaw forward Jimmy Lodge continues to get better offensively. He scored 2 goals & 3 assists in 2 games. Lodge has 8 goals & 16 assists in 14 games since the Christmas break.

- Kitchener Rangers forward Justin Bailey recorded 2 goals & 2 assists in 2 games. He has 13 points in his last 12 games. His teammate, Brent Pedersen, scored 2 goals and 1 assist.

- Peterborough teammates Greg Betzold & Nick Ritchie each recorded 4 points in 3 games.

- Jordan Subban (Belleville) & Brody Silk (Sudbury) each scored 1 goal & 2 assists in 3 games. Subban compiled a plus/minus rating of +8 over the weekend.

- Owen Sound forward Zach Nastasiuk assisted on 4 goals in 3 games, while Ottawa 67's defenceman Mike Vlajkov netted 2 goals in a win vs. Sarnia on Friday night.

- Barrie Colts goaltender Alex Fontinos made 38 saves in regulation and stopped all three players in the shootout in a 3-2 win vs. Kingston.

Weekend Warriors

A look at the top performances of the week featuring draft-eligible players


OHL

- Sudbury Wolves forward Dominik Kubalik scored 4 goals & 1 assist in 3 games during the past week, while his teammate, Dominik Kahun recorded 1 goal & 3 assists.

- Jimmy Lodge (Saginaw) scored 2 goals & 2 assists in 2 games. He has 4 goals & 8 assists in his last 9.

- London Knights forward Bo Horvat also scored 2 goals & 2 assists on the weekend. He is tied for the league lead in power play goals (14).

- Brent Pederson (Kitchener), Sergey Tolchinsky (S.S. Marie) & Kerby Rychel (Windsor) each recorded 1 goal and 3 assists in 3 games.

- Guelph Storm forward Hunter Garlent assisted on 4 goals in 3 games.

2013 USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game

The 2nd annual USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game takes place on Wednesday in Muskegon, Michigan.

The USHL made history in 2012 as a record six players were chosen in the 1st round of the NHL Draft, including defenceman Jacob Trouba (9th, Winnipeg) & Zemgus Girgensons (14th, Buffalo). In total, 28 USHL players were drafted in 2012.

The showcase can be seen online via the USHL Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ushlhockey) or on the USHL FASTHockey channel at http://ushl.fasthockey.com starting at 7:00pm.

Here's a look at some of the players to watch out for during the game.

Weekend Warriors

A look at the top performances of the week featuring draft-eligible players


OHL

- Plymouth Whalers forward Ryan Hartman extended his goal streak to 5 games. He scored 3 goals & 2 assists in 3 games. Hartman has 7 goals & 4 assists during the streak.

- Kerby Rychel (Windsor) recorded 1 goal, 4 assists & a +3 rating in 3 games on the weekend. The Spitfires won all 3 games and now sit only 2 points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

- Sudbury Wolves forward Nick Baptiste scored 2 goals & 1 assist in 2 games. He's averaging a point per game over his last 22 games.

- Jonatan Tanus (Peterborough) & Cole Cassels (Oshawa) each scored 2 goals and 1 assist in 3 games.

- Jimmy Lodge (Saginaw) recorded 3 assists in 2 games.

- Oshawa goaltender Ken Appleby won his first 2 games of the season with 6-1 and 4-1 victories over Kingston & Mississauga, respectively.

The puck slides up from the corner to the blueline. In a split second those who were defenders just a moment ago become attackers, and there's only one person back to neutralize the impending 2-on-1. Welcome to Steven Santini's comfort zone.

"Being a defenseman, I think, you kind of have to enjoy stopping other people as weird as that sounds," Santini said. "I enjoy breaking up 2-on-1's, stopping people on 1-on-1's, I enjoy being that guy that shuts down the other team's rush."
The 6'1, 208 pound defenseman's style of play is well balanced. Though his favorite aspect of the game may be shutting down opposing forwards, he does have an offensive element to his play. "I'm just a big defenseman," Santini stated. "I skate pretty well, I move pucks up to my forwards, and I support the rush pretty well." Santini also noted that he has patterned his play after two high caliber defensive defensemen; current Pittsburgh Penguin and Boston College alum Brooks Orpik and current Winnipeg Jet and USNTDP alum Mark Stuart.
Santini, a Mahopac, NY native, currently plays for the US National Team Development Program's U-18 squad. When asked his goals for this season, Santini's response was strictly team oriented. "My goals are to win the U-18 World Championships. It's really been the focus of our team since the beginning of last year and that's what we've been working for all year."

Weekend Warriors

A look at the top performances of the week featuring draft-eligible players


OHL

- Plymouth Whalers forward Ryan Hartman recorded his first career hat trick on Saturday night. The third goal was scored in overtime. He finished the weekend with 4 goals and 2 assists in 3 games.

- Max Domi (London) scored 2 goals & 4 assists in 2 games, moving him into 6th place in OHL scoring.

- Three Kitchener Rangers players had big offensive weeks. Centre Joshua Sterk recorded 1 goal, 5 assists & a +7 rating in 4 games. Brent Pederson netted 4 goals & 1 assist, while Justin Bailey scored 3 goals & 2 assists.

- Saginaw forward Nick Moutrey recorded 5 points (1 G, 4 A) in 3 games.

- Zack Nastasiuk (Owen Sound) & Jason Dickinson (Guelph) each scored 3 goals and 1 assist in 3 games.

- Jordan Subban (Belleville) & Dan Fox (Erie) each recorded 1 goal & 3 assists.