NHL Prospects’ Playoffs Continue in Canadian Hockey League
(Photo: Melissa Kania)
While the NHL wraps up its regular season this weekend and begins the 2015 NHL Playoffs next week, NHL prospects and future draft picks are in the midst of their playoff runs around the Canadian Hockey League. Here’s an update on how the playoffs in the Ontario Hockey League, Western Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League are going.
All three leagues are entering, or are in the midst of, their second round series as the playoffs continue in each respective league. Many of the top NHL draft prospects for this June are still in action, whether it be Connor McDavid and Dylan Strome with the Erie Otters of the OHL, Ivan Provorov and Nicolas Merkley in the WHL or Timo Meier and Filip Chlapik in the QMJHL.
In addition, some NHL prospects remain with their junior clubs as they continue their fight for league championships and the eventual Memorial Cup. Guys like Nick Baptiste and Vaclav Karabacek continue their play in the OHL and QMJHL, respectively.
Want a look at how some of these prospects and draft-eligible players are doing? Well, look no further than right here — and don’t forget to keep tabs on each of these series on the league websites. You can also purchase playoff video packages for specific teams, series or leagues as a whole.
(Photo: Melissa Kania)
ONTARIO HOCKEY LEAGUE
Some teams in the OHL have already begun their second rounds, while others kick off their series Friday night.
The Erie Otters defeated the London Knights 5-2 in game one on Thursday. Connor McDavid had four points, leading all skaters from both teams. Dylan Strome and Mitch Marner, other top-10 draft picks, each had a goal.
Buffalo Sabres prospect Nick Baptiste had a goal and assist in Thursday’s win, while Arizona Coyotes prospect Max Domi had a goal. In the first round, the Otters beat out Sarnia in five games, while the Knights knocked out Kitchener in six.
More from Sabres Prospects
- 3 biggest standouts at Buffalo Sabres 2023 Prospects Challenge
- 3 takeaways from the Buffalo Sabres final Prospects Challenge game
- Buffalo Sabres experiment with lesser-known talent in loss to Pens
- Buffalo Sabres 75 Bold Predictions for 2023-24: Prediction 51
- Buffalo Sabres vs. Pittsburgh: A quick look at the Penguins prospects
Elsewhere, the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds took a 2-0 series lead over the Guelph Storm with a decisive 9-3 victory on Thursday. Pius Suter, ranked 74th by CSS, was a minus-3 for Guelph. Zachary Senyshyn (38) had a goal for Soo, while Blake Speers (49) added an assist and a plus-2. Gustav Bouramman and Colton White, other 2015 NHL draft prospects, each had a point as well. The Greyhounds swept Saginaw in the first round, while Guelph knocked out Owen Sound in five games.
Two series that begin tonight see the Oshawa Generals and Niagara IceDogs face off, and the Barrie Colts and North Bay Battalion square off.
Oshawa defeated Peterborough in five games in the first round, while Niagara knocked out Ottawa in six games after coming back from a 2-0 series deficit. 2015 eligible defenseman Mitchell Vande Sompel had four points in five games in the first round for Oshawa, while fellow blueliner Stephen Desrocher had two assists.
The IceDogs were led by NY Islanders prospect Josh Ho-Sang, who had 10 points (1-9) in the first round. Prospect Vince Dunn was second in scoring on the team and led IceDogs defensemen with eight points (6-2), while Graham Knott registered three points in the series.
Barrie swept Belleville in the Colts’ first round, while North Bay swept Kingston. Andrew Mangiapane had five points in four games for Barrie, while winger Roy Radke (104) had a goal. Defenseman Rasmus Andersson registered one assist. Devils prospect Joseph Blandisi led the team with nine points (4-5) in the first round. For North Bay, impending draft pick Brett McKenzie registered one assist, while Riley Bruce had a goal in the first round. Kings prospect Mike Amadio led the team with seven points (4-3).
(Photo: s.yume/Flickr)
WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE
The WHL’s second round begins Friday, as Brandon/Regina, Calgary/Medicine Hat, Kelowna/Victoria and Everett/Portland all face off.
Brandon defenseman Ivan Provorov (7th, CSS) registered three assists, while Ryan Pilon had a pair of assists, as Brandon knocked out Edmonton in five games in the first round.
Regina, coming off their sweep of Swift Current, had five players in the top 176 from NHL Central Scouting, including Austin Wagner (3 pts/4gp), Connor Hobbs (1 goal), Jesse Gabrielle (2 pts) and defenseman Sergey Zborovskiy, who was a plus-7 in four games.
Calgary, coming off a seven-game series win over the Kootenay Ice, are led by Rangers prospect Adam Tambellini, who had 15 points (7-8) in the first round. Pavel Karnaukhov, a 2015 NHL draft prospect, registered six points (3-3), while defenseman Michael Zipp (ranked #189) did not register a point.
For Medicine Hat, Dryden Hunt had two points in the first round as the Tigers ousted Red Deer in five games.
Kelowna heads into their second round coming off a sweep of Tri-City, while Victoria defeated Prince George in five games. The Rockets are led by Sharks prospect Rourke Chartier, who had six points in the first round. Prospect Nick Merkley also had six points, including a team-high five assists.
Oilers prospect Leon Draisaitl had four points in as many games, tied with Capitals prospect Madison Bowey. Victoria’s Tyler Soy had six points in five games, while defenseman Chaz Reddekopp had one point and a plus-6.
Everett and Portland each won their first round series in six games over Spokane and Seattle, respectively. Everett’s Noah Juulsen (22nd by CSS) had one assist and a plus-5. The Silvertips were led by Carson Stadnyk, who had eight points.
Meanwhile, Portland was led by Blue Jackets prospect Oliver Bjorkstrand, who had 12 points in the first round. Jets prospect Nic Petan had nine points, while fellow Jets draft pick Chase De Leo had six points in as many games. Paul Bittner, a 2015 NHL draft prospect, had four points (2-2).
(Photo: 5of7/Flickr)
QUEBEC MAJOR JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
The QMJHL also begins its second round on Friday, with the faceoffs as follows: Val-D’Or vs. Baie-Comeau; Quebec vs. Charlottetown; Moncton vs. Halifax and Rimouski vs. Gatineau.
Val-D’Or took six games to beat out Rouyn-Noranda, while Baie-Comeau beat Saint John in five. The Foreurs are led by Flyers prospect Nicolas Aubé-Kubel, who had 10 points in six games. 2015 NHL draft eligible Anthony Richard (77th) had nine points, while Oliver Galipeau had three points and a team-best plus-12.
Sabres prospect Vaclav Karabacek was tied with Jérémy Grégoire on Baie-Comeau for scoring, with eight points (2-6). 2015 NHL Draft prospect Nicolas Meloche had six points (3-3) in five games
Quebec needed seven to finish out their series against Cape Breton, while Charlottetown beat out Sherbrooke in six games. The Remparts were led by 2015 NHL draft prospect Dmytro Timashov, who registered 10 points in seven games. Vladimir Tkachev had six points, while Lightning prospect Adam Erne had eight points in the first round. Charlottetown had five players ranked by CSS, including Filip Chlapik, who had two points in the first round. Daniel Sprong had six points, while Kameron Kielly had three points and a plus-7.
Moncton beat Chicoutimi in five, while Halifax needed seven to knock out Sherbrooke. Wildcats winger Conor Garland (86th) led the team with six points, while Cameron Askew had one point. Both are draft eligible this year. The Mooseheads are led by Jets prospect Nikolaj Ehlers, who registered 15 points – including 13 assists – in the first round. Draft eligibles include Timo Meier, who had eight points and Connor Moynihan, who did not register a point.
Rimouski swept Victoriaville, while Gatineau beat Blainville-Boisbriand in six. Panthers prospect Christopher Clapperton leads the Oceanic with seven points, tied with Alexis Loiseau and Leafs prospect Frédérik Gauthier. Draft eligible Simon Bourque had two points in the first round.
Gatineau was led by Yakov Trenin, a 2015 NHL draft prospect, who had eight points (2-6) in the first round. Alexandre Carrier had four points, while Alexandre Alan had a pair of points. Kings prospect Valentin Zykov had five points in six games.
(Photo: doodlin/Flickr)
FOR FURTHER READING….
As the NHL regular season winds down, this is a great time to remember that playoff hockey is heating up around the Canadian Hockey League. There are a lot of exciting players to watch in the OHL, WHL and QMJHL, particularly as we head toward the NHL draft in June.
That being said, here’s some further reading and viewing for the folks at home:
- Four OHL players named to roster for Canada U-18 (more may be added at later dates)
- 2015 OHL playoff tracker, WHL playoff tracker and QMJHL playoff bracket with full series schedules
- OHL playoff scoring leaders, WHL playoff scoring stats and QMJHL playoff stats
- Watch OHL playoff games live online (fee applies) — or WHL games — or QMJHL games.
Plus don’t forget the final NHL Central Scouting draft rankings, released on April 9.
Whether your NHL team has prospects suiting up in their junior team’s playoffs, or you’re just interested in some future NHL draft picks, it’s a great time to focus on the playoffs continuing around Canada and the United States in each of these respective leagues.
It’s all heading toward the 2015 MasterCard Memorial Cup, hosted by the QMJHL’s Remparts from May 21 until 31st. There will be a new Memorial Cup champion this year, as the Edmonton Oil Kings have already been ousted from the WHL playoffs. Who’s it going to be?
More from Sabre Noise
- 3 biggest standouts at Buffalo Sabres 2023 Prospects Challenge
- 3 takeaways from the Buffalo Sabres final Prospects Challenge game
- Buffalo Sabres experiment with lesser-known talent in loss to Pens
- Buffalo Sabres 75 Bold Predictions for 2023-24: Prediction 51
- Buffalo Sabres vs. Pittsburgh: A quick look at the Penguins prospects