Welcome back to the tenth weekly installment of the Flyers Junior Hockey Prospect Recap.
I know that it is later this week, but Happy Thanksgiving to all of our American readers and followers of www.brotherlypuck.com. As a Canadian who gets Thanksgiving Monday off in October, I must say that I envy the fact that Canada’s American cousins do Thanksgiving right by celebrating on a Thursday every year and extending the holiday to make a four day weekend. Interesting as well is the fact that the holiday basically kickstarts the Christmas festivities up here in the Great White North and that Black Friday has also been transplanted north of the border (only not nearly as eventful sales wise). Is Boxing Day a thing in the U.S.? Maybe that is a shopping statutory holiday that we can give you in return for the whole Black Friday thing.
Ah well. There I go of on a tangent again.
Some of the Flyers related storylines from the Junior Hockey universe that are that we will be following up on in this week’s edition include:
Which team was recognized for its play and is listed on the Kia Top 10 CHL Rankings?
Will Egor Serdyuk get back into the lineup for Victoriaville this week after missing the last 2 games with a lower body injury?
Will Jay O’Brien’s Penticton Vees defeat the Coquitlam Express and leapfrog them in the standings when they meet midweek?
Can Egor Zamula return back to his point per game pace for the Calgary Hitmen as he returns from playing for Russia in the Canada-Russia Series?
This weeks edition covers the week that was in the CHL and the BCHL from Tuesday November 19th – Sunday November 24th.
WHL (Western Hockey League)
Wyatte Wylie #29 (D) – Everett Silvertips (WHL)
| SEASON | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | S | PIM |
| 2019-2020 | 22 | 7 | 16 | 23 | +7 | 81 | 17 |
- On Friday night the Everett Silvertips hosted the visiting Saskatoon Blades. Earlier this week, the Silvertips jumped to #3 in the KIA CHL Rankings and looked to validate their ranking against a Blades team that is 3rd in their division. Despite allowing the first goal, the Silvertips did indeed exert their dominance in this game scoring 6 consecutive goals to win the game by a score of 6-1. Wyatte Wylie assisted on Everett’s game winning goal on the powerplay at 13:03 of the first period. For the game Wylie had 1 assist, an even rating, and 2 shots on goal. Everett’s powerplay was clicking; finishing with 5 goals on 8 attempts. The Silvertips also dominated in the shots on goal department, finishing the game with a 34-21 shots advantage.
- The Everett Silvertips hosted the visiting Tri-City Americans on Sunday night. Tri-City struck first with a powerplay goal early in the first period. From that point on, Everett seemed to dominate play as they held the shots on goal advantage in every period to a total of 52-22 in the game. Wyatte Wylie scored his 6th and 7th goals of the season during the second period; his first goal coming at even strength while the second came on a powerplay. Tri-City had their powerplay working as well going 2 for 3 in the game. Special teams along with the stellar play of American’s goaltender Talyn Boyko, allowed for Tri-City to push the game into overtime with the tying goal coming at 17:43 of the second period. A 19-2 shot advantage for the Silvertips could not win the game in the third period, but their persistence paid off in overtime as Captain Bryce Kindopp scored the winner to ensure Everett the 4-3 victory. Wylie finished the game with 2 goals, a +1 rating, and 4 shots on goal. Wylie was named the Second Star of the game and now sits 4th in points among defencemen in the WHL.
The Everett Silvertips continue to be on top of the U.S. Division with 33 points from 22 games. Everett also remains the number 1 seed in the Western Conference.
Egor Zamula #9 (D) – Calgary Hitmen (WHL)
| SEASON | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | S | PIM |
| 2019-2020 | 22 | 6 | 17 | 23 | +19 | 60 | 8 |
- On Wednesday night, the Calgary Hitman travelled to Saskatchewan to face off against the Regina Pats. With Regina leading 1-0 in the second period, Egor Zamula notched an assist on the powerplay only 15 seconds into the frame to tie the game 1-1. With Regina ahead 2-1, Zamula would get another powerplay helper at 12:53 of the second to tie the game 2-2. Calgary would pull ahead with a shorthanded goal later in the period and add another late in the third to win the game by a score of 4-2. Zamula finished the game with 2 assists, an even rating, and 3 shots on goal. Zamula also picked up 2 PIMs for cross checking late in the second period.
- Friday night saw the Calgary Hitmen travel to Manitoba to face off against the Brandon Wheat Kings. The Hitman started the game strongly and jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period. Egor Zamula registered an even strength assist on Calgary’s first goal. The Wheat Kings responded in the second period with 3 goals of their own to go into the final frame leading 3-2. Calgary tied the game early in the third period, and the game stayed tied 3-3 until the end of regulation. In overtime, Carson Focht scored the winner for the Hitmen at 3:40 to give them the 4-3 win. Zamula ended the contest with 1 assist, an even rating, and 3 shots on goal.
- On Saturday night, the Calgary Hitmen continued their road trip and headed into Saskatchewan to take on the Moose Jaw Warriors. Although the Hitmen ended up 0 for 4 with the man advantage, Calgary dominated the shots on goal by a 31-18 margin on their way to a convincing 4-1 victory. Egor Zamula had 2 even strength assists in the game; one on the opening goal of the contest at 10:34 of the first period, and one on the final goal of the game to cement to victory at 8:46 of the third period. In addition to the 2 assists, Zamula finished the game with a +1 rating, and 3 shots on goal. Zamula earned the game’s First Star award and now sits 5th in scoring among WHL defencemen this season.
Here are the highlights of Zamula’s 2 assist game against the Moose Jaw Warriors:
https://whl.ca/gamecentre/1016752/boxscore
The Calgary Hitmen have 29 points from 22 games played. They continue to hold the first playoff wildcard spot and are in 4th place in the Central Division. They are 6 points ahead of the Brandon Wheat Kings who occupy the second wildcard spot and 4 points behind the Medicine Hat Tigers for 3rd in the division.
Roddy Ross #1 (G) – Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)
| SEASON | GP | W | L | SO | MINS | SH | SAV | GAA | SAV% |
| 2019-2020 | 17 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 1004 | 602 | 547 | 3.29 | 0.909 |
- On Tuesday night, the Seattle Thunderbirds played at home against the visiting Winnipeg Ice. Roddy Ross got the start once again for Seattle and his team opened the scoring at 12:34 of the opening period. The lead would be short lived, as the Ice scored the three consecutive goals over the next period and a bit to take a 3-1 lead early in the third period. While Seattle got a goal back to make it 3-2, Winnipeg retook control scoring the insurance marker and adding an empty netter to win the game by a score of 5-2. In the loss, Ross allowed 4 goals on 37 shots (33 saves). Ross played well but his teammates could not convert goal scoring opportunities on the offensive side of the puck, and Ross was let down by some poor defensive coverages in the defensive zone.
- Roddy Ross got the night off on Wednesday as the Seattle Thunderbirds travelled into B.C. to face the Kamloops Blazers. Playing their second game of a back to back, Seattle did not play well and could not keep up with the Blazers as Kamloops won this game handily by a score of 10-1. Backup goalie Blake Lyda allowed all 10 goals in the Seattle net, stopping 32 of 42 shots. Seattle will have to regroup in a hurry, with another back to back set coming on Friday and Saturday night.
- Friday night saw the Seattle Thunderbirds host the visiting Kelowna Rockets. Roddy Ross once again got the start in the first game of back to back games. While the Thunderbirds generated chances in the opening period in outshooting the Rockets 10-7, it was Kelowna that scored the only goals of the period to lead the game 2-0. Particularly on the opening goal, Ross mishandled the puck behind the net leading to a turnover that Kelowna converted as Ross scrambled to try to get back into his open net. The second period saw Seattle increase their shot totals to the tune of 15-7, and they were rewarded with 2 goals to tie the game 2-2 heading into the final 20 minutes. Kelowna scored the only goal of the third period as the Rockets won the game by a score of 3-2. Ross took the loss allowing 3 goals on 29 shots (26 saves). Puck handling miscue aside, Ross and the Thunderbirds put in a solid effort in the game and outplayed Kelowna for the majority of the contest.
- On Saturday night, Roddy Ross got the second night of the back to back off as the Seattle Thunderbirds hosted the visiting Saskatoon Blades. Blake Lyda got the start in goal and won his first game in the WHL as the Thunderbirds won the game by a score of 3-2. Lyda was named the First Star of the game, as Seattle’s powerplay helped the Thunderbirds pick up a vital 2 points in the standings going 2 for 4 in the contest.
The Seattle Thunderbirds were busy this week, playing 4 games but they still face an uphill battle to make the playoffs. With 17 points in 22 games, Seattle gained no ground on the Victoria Royals for the final wildcard spot. Victoria is 6 points ahead of Seattle and have 2 games in hand.
OHL (Ontario Hockey League)
Mason Millman #12 (D) – Saginaw Spirit (OHL)
| SEASON | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | S | PIM |
| 2019-2020 Saginaw Spirit | 23 | 5 | 6 | 11 | -1 | 42 | 16 |
- On Thursday night, the Saginaw Spirit hosted the visiting Owen Sound Attack. After allowing the opening goal, Saginaw responded with 5 unanswered goals (2 by 2020 top prospect Cole Perfetti) to grab a 5-1 lead by the midway point of the game. Owen Sound turned the tide in the second half by scoring 3 unanswered goals themselves, but could not complete the comeback as Saginaw won the game by a score of 5-4. Mason Millman did not get any points and finished the game with an even rating, 1 shot on goal, and 2 penalty minutes. Millman was assessed a 2 minute minor penalty for hooking at 6:39 of the second period.
- Saturday night had the Saginaw Spirit host the visiting Windsor Spitfires. Saginaw could not get their powerplay on track going 0 for 7 with the man advantage and ended up losing the game by a score of 4-1. Despite the scoreline, Mason Millman finished the game with a +1 rating, no points, and 2 shots on goal. The Spirit’s lone goal was scored by top 2020 prospect Cole Perfetti and was his 10th goal of the season.
The Saginaw Spirit continue to sit in 3rd place in the West Division and dropped to 6th in the Western Conference. They currently are in a playoff spot and have 28 points from 23 games played.
QMJHL (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League)
Egor Serdyuk #18 (RW) – Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL)
| SEASON | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | S | PIM |
| 2019-2020 Victoriaville Tigres | 18 | 8 | 5 | 13 | -9 | 37 | 10 |
- Wednesday night saw the Victoriaville Tigres travel to Rouyn-Noranda to face off against the Huskies. Egor Serdyuk missed his third consecutive game with a lower body injury. Although Victoriaville allowed the first goal, the Tigres struck back twice before the end of the opening period to go into the break up 2-1. Both teams traded goals for the remainder of the game, and a relatively even game ended regulation with the score tied 3-3. In overtime, the Huskies nabbed the winner through Vincent Marleau at 4:05 to win the game 4-3. The Tigres earned a valuable point as they continue to try to find a way out of the basement in their division.
- Victoriaville’s road trip continued on Thursday as the Tigres travelled to face the Val-d’or Foreurs. Although the shot totals for the game were only 37-35 in favor of the Tigres, Victoriaville jumped out to an early advantage by scoring the lone goal in a period where they had a 15-10 shot advantage. Victoriaville blew the game open in the second period, scoring 3 goals on 12 shots on their way to securing a convincing 5-1 victory. Egor Serdyuk did not play for the fourth game in a row.
- On Saturday night, the Victoriaville Tigres welcomed the visiting Quebec Remparts without the services of Egor Serdyuk. Serdyuk missed his fourth straight game with a lower body injury, but Nikolas Hurtubise stopped all 30 Remparts shots he faced as Victoriaville won via shutout by a score of 2-0. In particular, Quebec bombarded the Victoriaville goal in the second period with an 11-1 shot advantage but was unable to put one past Hurtubise.
The Victoriaville Tigres pulled ahead of the Gatineau Olympiques to sit 7th in the Western Conference with 21 points from 27 games. They are 5 points back of Shawinigan for the last playoff spot with the Cataractes having 2 games in hand.
BCHL (British Columbia Hockey League)
Jay O’Brien #9 (RW) – Penticton Vees (BCHL)
| SEASON | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
| 2019-2020 Penticton Vees | 29 | 15 | 27 | 42 | 39 |
- On Tuesday night, the Penticton Vees were looking to win their third game in a row as they faced off against the Langley Rivermen. The Rivermen opened the scoring in this one, with the Vees coming back to end the first period with a 2-1 lead. Jay O’Brien tallied his 26th assist of the season on the powerplay at 8:03 of the second period to give the Vees a 3-1 advantage. Langley would make a game of it, but the comeback attempt was not enough as Penticton hung on for a 4-3 win. Jay O’Brien was named as the First Star of the match. In addition to the assist, O’Brien was given 2 minor penalties (4 minutes) in the game. O’Brien was penalized for hooking at 14:57 of the first period and high sticking at 4:49 of the third period.
- Wednesday night had a top of the BCHL tilt between the 2nd place Penticton Vees and the 1st place Coquitlam Express. Unfortunately for the Vees, the game got away from them early as the Express jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first half of the game. Jay O’Brien picked up an assist (his 27th) at even strength to narrow the gap to 3-1, but Coquitlam put the game out of reach with two powerplay goals in the third period on their way to a 7-2 win. Special teams made a huge difference in this game as Coquitlam went 3 for 6 with the man advantage while the Vees were 0 for 4.
- On Friday night, the Penticton Vees looked to get back into the win column as they faced the Chilliwack Chiefs. The Vees dominated the play in the first period but could not score, decidedly outshooting the Chiefs 12-1. Unfortunately for Penticton, Chilliwack scored on their only shot in the period (on the powerplay) to head into the second with a 1-0 lead. The roles were reversed in the second period as the Chiefs peppered 21 shots on the Vees net and scoring 2 more goals but kept the Vees off the scoresheet. The Vees could not find a way to get a goal past Chilliwack goaltender Mathieu Caron, as the Chiefs won the game in a shutout by a score of 4-0. Jay O’Brien did not score a point for the first time in 5 games and picked up a 2 minute minor penalty for goaltender interference at 17:16 of the second period.
Here is a link to the highlights of the Vees versus the Chilliwack Chiefs:
After this week, the Penticton Vees remain on top of the Interior Division with 43 points from 29 games. With the loss to Coquitlam the Vees remain 2nd in the entire BCHL, 3 points behind the Express with Coquitlam having a game in hand.
After this week, Jay O’Brien now has 42 points in 29 games for a 1.45 points per game average. He remains second in BCHL scoring, 10 points behind Kent Johnson of the Trail Smoke Eaters with 1 game in hand.
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Hope you enjoyed this early November edition of the Flyers Junior Hockey Prospect Recap.
Feel free to leave any comments or feedback via twitter or at www.brotherlypuck.com .
Until next time from BrotherlyPuck.com,
I remain,
Manny Benevides
brotherlypuck.com 