Flames prospect roundup: Matvei Gridin had a great week

As for the Spirit, they have a 26-21-2 record with 54 points, two ahead of the Erie Otters for fourth in the Ontario Hockey League’s Western Conference. The top eight teams make the post-season in each conference.

Matvei Gridin

Matvei Gridin’s Shawinigan Cataractes also had quite a busy week, defeating the Victoriaville Tigres 6-4, falling to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 6-5 in a shootout, before dominating the Val-d’Or Foreurs 6-1.

Gridin picked up two assists against the Tigres, was held pointless in their 6-5 shootout loss, and picked up the first star in the 6-1 victory thanks to two goals and an assist. With a two-goal, six-point week, the 28th overall pick in the 2024 draft now has 27 goals and 61 points in 46 games.

The Cataractes are third in the Québec Maritimes Junior Hockey League’s Western Conference with a 28-17-4 record. They are just two points behind the Huskies who sit second, and the top seven teams make the post-season in the conference.

Andrew Basha

Andrew Basha is still out with an injury, but his Medicine Hat Tigers lost 4-3 in a shootout to the Seattle Thunderbirds and 5-3 to the Swift Current Broncos.

Despite the rough week, the Tigers still sit at the top of the Western Hockey League’s Eastern Conference thanks to a 33-16-3 record. However, the Calgary Hitmen are tied in points with two fewer games played. The top eight teams in each conference make the post-season.

Jacob Battaglia

The Kingston Frontenacs and Jacob Battaglia had a busy week, playing four games. They defeated the Flint Firebirds 7-4 last Saturday followed by a 4-2 victory over the Sarnia Sting on Sunday. They fell 3-2 to the Barrie Colts on Tuesday before earning a second victory against the Firebirds, defeating them 3-1.

Although they scored seven goals against the Firebird, Battaglia was held off the scoresheet in that game. The Flames’ prospect had a nice bounce-back game, scoring a goal and two assists to earn the first star of the game against the Sting. Battaglia scored a goal and an assist over the next two games. For the season, the 18-year-old has 31 goals and 72 points, matching his career-high in goals in 19 fewer games.

The Ontario Hockey League’s Eastern Conference is a dogfight, with the top four teams having a realistic opportunity to finish first in the conference. As it stands, the Frontenacs are fourth in the conference with a 29-13-7 record, tied for third with the Oshawa Generals, and just two points behind the conference-leading Colts. The top eight teams in the conference make the post-season.

Henry Mews

Sticking in the Ontario Hockey League’s Eastern Conference, the Sudbury Wolves and Henry Mews didn’t have a great week. They fell 9-3 and 2-1 to the Brantford Bulldogs, before defeating the Niagara IceDogs 7-3.

Mews has been nothing short of spectacular since being acquired by the Wolves. He’s on an eight-game point streak now thanks to an assist in each game against the Bulldogs, capped off by a goal and an assist in the game against the IceDogs. Since the trade, he has two goals and 15 points in 11 games, giving him 13 goals and 65 points in 49 games this season. He’s second in points for defencemen, only behind Parekh.

The Wolves have a 24-19-5 record with 53 points, good enough for sixth in the OHL’s Eastern Conference. They’re seven points behind the fifth-placed team and have a three-point lead over the Brampton Steelheads.

Kirill Zarubin

Kirill Zaurbin’s Tula Mikhailov Academy played one game this past week, falling 3-2 in overtime to Yaroslavl Loko. Zarubin backed up that game but didn’t play. This season, he has a .928 save percentage and a 2.53 goals against average in 14 games.

This season, Mikhailov Academy has a 27-10-3 record,. Fourth in the Western Conference’s Gold Division. The top five teams in the division make the post-season, while teams six through eight play an opening round against the top three teams in the Silver Division.

Trevor Hoskin

Trevor Hoskin and Niagara University played just one game this week, falling 3-2 to Sacred Heart in overtime.

It wasn’t for a lack of trying on Hoskin’s end though, as he picked up a secondary assist on the first goal before scoring a goal of his own midway through the second period. This season, the right-shot forward has 10 goals and 31 points in 28 games.

With a 12-7-2 in-conference record, Niagara University has 39 points, good enough for fourth in the 11-team conference. All teams make the post-season, with the bottom six teams playing in the opening round against one another.

Luke Misa

The Brampton Steelheads and Luke Misa played just two games this week, falling 5-3 to the Owen Sound Attack before blasting the Erie Otters 10-3.

Misa was held pointless in the first game but scored twice in the blowout win. For the season, the 19-year-old has 29 goals and 63 points in 48 games.

As for the Steelheads, they have a 21-19-8 record with 50 points, good enough for seventh in the Ontario Hockey League’s Eastern Conference. They have a 10-point lead over the ninth-placed team and are just three points back of Henry Mews’ Sudbury Wolves.

Hunter Laing

Like Luke Misa, Hunter Laing had a light schedule this week as his Saskatoon Blades defeated the Moose Jaw Warriors and Brandon Wheat Kings 3-2.

Laing scored again in their 3-2 victory over the Warriors but was held pointless with five shots in their 3-2 overtime win over the Wheat Kings. Since the trade, Laing has scored four goals and seven points in 10 games, giving him 14 goals and 29 points in 46 Western Hockey League games this season.

The Blades currently sit fifth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with a 26-16-6 record with 58 points. However, they are tied in points with the Prince Albert Raiders, who are second in the conference due to the fact the two division leaders sit at the top of the conference.

Eric Jamieson

The Everett Silvertips’ week didn’t start off great, falling 10-3 to the Spokane Chiefs. However, they followed that up with a 5-4 overtime victory and a 4-1 victory over the Kamloops Blazers.

Eric Jamieson had a week, to say the least. In the blowout, he was a -4, followed by a +1 in their overtime victory.  The defenceman was given a game misconduct and a five-minute major in the third period of the Blazers’ 4-1 victory. This season, he has eight goals and 27 points in 51 games.

The Silvertips are one of the first teams in the Canadian Hockey League to clinch a post-season berth. They are 37-8-7 with 82 points, top of the Western Hockey League. They are also 13 points clear of the second-placed team in the league.

Étienne Morin

Switching to 2023 draft picks, Étienne Morin’s Moncton Wildcats played three games this week, defeating the Cape Breton Eagles 3-0 and 3-2, the latter in a shootout, before shutting out the Saint John Sea Dogs.

In terms of picking up points, Morin didn’t have a great week as his lone assist came in the 3-2 shootout win. However, he was a +1 in all three games and now has 10 goals and 42 points in 46 games. In terms of points, he has the fourth-most among defencemen in the Québec Maritimes Junior Hockey League while his 10 goals are tied for third.

The Wildcats lead the Québec Maritimes Junior Hockey League in points with 78 thanks to a 38-8-2 record. The top nine teams in the Eastern Conference make the post-season.

Aydar Suniev

Aydar Suniev is still out with an injury, but UMass played two games in-conference this week, falling 3-2 to Maine but defeating UConn 5-4.

With an in-conference record of 6-8-2, Umass has 21 points. The good news is that all 11 teams make the post-season, with the bottom six teams playing in the opening round.

Jaden Lipinski

Jaden Lipinski’s Vancouver Giants played three games this week, smashing the Kamloops Blazers 9-2, and falling 5-2 to the Spokane Chiefs and Portland Winterhawks.

It wasn’t a bad week for the Flames’ fourth-round pick in 2023, as he picked up two assists in the blowout and a goal against the Winterhawks. For the season, the Scottsdale, Arizona native has nine goals and 40 points in 41 games.

The Giants have a 24-20-6 record with 54 points, just one ahead of the Tri-City Americans, but 14 clear of the eighth-seeded Blazers. They’ll more than likely make the post-season, albeit without home-ice advantage in the playoffs.

Yegor Yegorov

Moscow Krylya Sovetov played one game this past week, falling 4-2 to Moscow JHC Dynamo.

Starting in net for Krylya Sovetov was Yegor Yegorov, saving 22 of the 25 shots he faced for an .880 save percentage and a 3.02 goals against average. For the season, he has a .909 save percentage and a 3.05 goals against average in 13 games in the Junior Hockey League.

Krylya Sovetov has a 19-17-4 record with 42 points. They are five points back of Russkie Vityazi for third in the Silver Division. The top three teams in the Silver Division play the sixth, the seventh, and the eighth-seeded teams in the Gold Division in a playoff round.

Axel Hurtig

Axel Hurtig and the Calgary Hitmen played three games this past week, defeating the Prince Albert Raiders 3-1, falling 4-3 to the Lethbridge Hurricanes, and defeating the Edmonton Oil Kings 4-3 in overtime.

Hurtig was held pointless in the first two game but had a +1 in each game. However, he scored a goal and an assist in the victory over the Oil Kings to earn the game’s first star. This season, Hurtig has four goals and 13 points in 42 games.

With a 32-13-5 record, the Hitmen are tied for the division and conference lead alongside the Medicine Hat Tigers with 69 points. However, they sit third, despite more points than the Raiders and two fewer games played than the Tigers.

Cade Littler

This week, Cade Littler and the North Dakota Fighting Hawks defeated St. Cloud 6-2 before falling 6-4 to Colorado College.

Littler scored a rare goal in the win, his third of the season, to bring him to three goals and five points in 23 games this season.

The Fighting Hawks have an in-conference record of 8-6-1 this season with 25 points, fifth in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. All eight teams in the conference make the post-season in the traditional 1-8 post-season format.

Arsenii Sergeev

Penn State and Arsenii Sergeev played two games this week, falling 7-3 to Michigan before shutting out Wisconsin 2-0.

The Russian netminder played both games, allowing six goals on 34 shots in the first game. However, he saved all 25 shots he faced against the Wisconsin Badgers for the shutout. This season, Sergeev has a .913 save percentage and a 2.59 goals against average in 20 games with three shutouts.

Penn State currently has a 4-10-3 record in 17 games in the conference this season. Thankfully, all seven teams play in the post-season.