Another busy week for Vancouver Canucks prospects. Some are in the middle of their playoffs, while the CHL regular season has concluded. Here are the top three performances of the week.
The most wonderful time of the year. Regular seasons are coming to a close and the real storylines are conceived in anticipation for the playoffs. Vancouver Canucks fans may have forgotten what the feeling is like since they have been bad for so long, but prospects are the silver lining.
Coaches from the Ontario Hockey League were recently polled for their opinions on players. Jonah Gadjovich won the vote for the hardest worker in the OHL. The big guy has finished in the top three for this honour in the last two seasons as well, but this is the first year he comes out the winner. Gadjovich was also voted the third most dangerous player in the goal area for the second year in a row.
Matthew Brassard was named the second best offensive defencemen in the Eastern Conference. He finished his regular season with 51 points in 67 games. Michael DiPietro was voted best puck-handling goaltender in the Western Conference. He also finished third in the voting for best Western Conference shootout goalie.
CHL regular season is over
On Sunday, the Canucks CHL prospects finished up their regular season. Cole Candella is the only OHL prospect whose team failed to make the playoffs. Jakob Stukel‘s Calgary Hitmen also failed to make the playoffs in the WHL, so his season is over as well.
We’ll get to the boys from the Owen Sound Attack later on. Brassard’s Oshawa Generals begin their playoff series against the Niagara Ice Dogs on March 23rd. DiPietro and the Windsor Spifires face off against the Sarnia Sting, with game 1 taking place on the same date.
Kole Lind finished his season on St. Patrick’s Day, gathering a goal and an assist. At the end of the regular season, Lind had 95 points in 58 games. Not too shabby, considering Lind had a couple injuries, including that bout with mono. His Kelowna Rockets take on the Tri-City Americans in the first round of the Western Conference WHL playoffs. They begin on March 22nd.
More from The Canuck Way
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- 2nd period penalty trouble sinks Canucks in 4-2 loss against Winnipeg
Playoffs in Europe
Shifting gears, let’s head to Finland. The Round of 16, which doesn’t really feature 16 teams has come to an end. Olli Juolevi and Petrus Palmu no longer have to wait, as their playoff opponents are now set. TPS Turku will take on SaiPa in the Liiga quarterfinals.
Elias Pettersson and the Växjö Lakers are done waiting for their quarterfinal opponents. The 10th seed Brynäs IF upset the seventh seed Luleå HF. Pettersson played in one playoff game this week, but had no points in a commanding 4-1 win. Växjö will play three more times this week and play on March 26th if necessary.
Adam Gaudette Update
Last weekend was disappointing for Adam Gaudette and the Northeastern Huskies. They fell 3-2 in overtime to Providence, getting knocked out of the Hockey East Tournament. Gaudette had a lone assist in the loss. To rub a little salt in the wounds, Boston University won the Hockey East Tournament, booking their spot in the NCAA playoff tournament.
Don’t get excited yet. Northeastern’s season is not over. The Huskies were named to the tournament by the selection committee and will take on Michigan in the Northeast Regional game. It’s too bad Will Lockwood is out for the season. However, Gaudette will get an up close look at Quinn Hughes. This could be some game to watch.
The two schools clash on March 24th, where the winner will play whoever comes out on top between Cornell and Boston University. That Beanpot reunion match is still on the table. Northeastern better come more prepared next week. Michigan is not a pushover school.
However, if you are itching to see Gaudette, a Northeastern loss next Saturday opens the door to him joining the Canucks. After that date, the next Canucks game would be in Dallas on March 25th. I still think Travis Green would want to get Gaudette up to speed before starting him, as he’s never shown a priority for development.