Welcome to The Flyers Junior Hockey Prospect Report!
This 5th edition for the 2023-2024 season covers the period that was in the CHL and BCHL from Friday December 1st – Sunday December 17th.
WHL (Western Hockey League)
Carson Bjarnason #64 (G) – Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
| SEASON | GP | W | L | SO | MINS | SH | SAV | GAA | SAV% |
| 2023-2024 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 1330 | 711 | 640 | 3.20 | .900 |
- (Dec. 1) The Brandon Wheat Kings hosted the visiting Regina Pats with Carson Bjarnason getting the start in goal. In the opening period, Brandon found itself up 2-0 with contributions on special teams as Rylen Roersma scored his 9th of the season shorthanded and Roger McQueen scored his 14th of the season at 3:29. The Wheat Kings would make it 3-0 as Brett Hyland scored his 12th of the season at 14:10 to give Brandon a 3-0 lead. In the second period, Hyland would score his 13th (shorthanded) at 3:35 and his 14th of the season at18:25 to complete the hat trick. That makes three shorthanded goals in the last three games for Brandon who were wearing their Wheat City Walleye jerseys for today’s game. Regina would get a goal in between Hyland’s two in the frame but the Wheat Kings were up 5-1 after forty minutes. In the third period, Brandon would put the game away with goals early and late as Matteo Michels 6th of the season at 2:19 and yet another shorthanded goal (4 in the last 3 games) by Rylen Roersma finished off the scoring in a dominating 7-1 win for the Wheat Kings. Carson Bjarnason got the win and only allowed 1 goal on 33 shots (32 saves).
Video courtesy of the Brandon Wheat Kings
- (Dec. 5) The homestand continued for the Bradon Wheat Kings as they welcomed the Red Deer Rebels to town with Carson Bjarnason once again getting the nod in goal. In the first period, Red Deer took a 1-0 lead only 3:26 in as Kai Uchacz notched his 16th of the season. Brandon responded well though as they tied the game 1:29 later as Nolan Flamand scored his 7th of the season. The Wheat Kings would take a 2-1 lead as Nate Danielson scored his 9th by going to the net hard and slamming home a rebound to celebrate getting invited to the Canadian WJHC camp at 12:53. The Rebels though would tie the game 2-2 with an even strength goal at 16:02. In the second period, the Wheat Kings Luke Shipley scored his 3rd of the season finishing off some tic-tac-toe passing to give Brandon a 3-2 lead at 2:11. Goals by Brett Hyland (his 15th at 12:47) and Danielson’s second of the game (10th at 15:11) would make it 5-2. There was no scoring in the third period as Bjarnason stopped all 9 shots he faced as the Wheat Kings defeated the Rebels for their third win in a row by a score of 5-2. Bjarnason got the victory and allowed 2 goals on 25 shots (23 saves).
- (Dec. 8) The Brandon Wheat Kings welcomed the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors to town with Carson Bjarnason getting the start in goal. Only 45 seconds in, Moose Jaw would take the lead 1-0 through Jagger Firkus’ 26th of the season. In the second period, Nate Danielson would tie the game 1-1 with his 11th of the season at 9:06, but the Warriors would head to the break with a 2-1 lead. In the third period, Jaxon Jacobson would score his 1st of the season to tie the game 2-2 however the Warriors would score twice in a span of 1:25 afterwards to lead 4-2. Jacobson would score his second of the game at 13:09 on the powerplay to make it 4-3, and Brett Hyland’s 16th of the season a minute later would tie the game 4-4. Overtime solved nothing so the game was decided in a shootout. In the shootout, it took nine rounds before the Wheat Kings completed their comeback with Jayden Wiens scoring the winner as Brandon took this one 5-4. Bjarnason would get the victory and made 27 saves on 31 shots while allowing 4 goals.
Video courtesy of the Brandon Wheat Kings
- (Dec. 9) The Brandon Wheat Kings long homestand continued as they welcomed the Kamloops Blazers to the Westoba Place. Carson Bjarnason got the night off in favor of backup Ethan Eskit. In the opening period, Kamloops took a 1-0 lead early but the Wheat Kings responded with Caleb Hadland’s 7th of the season at 7:42 and some great hand-eye coordination by Luke Shipley who bunted home his 4th of the season at 8:23 to make it 2-1. In the second period, Joby Baumuller scored his 1st of the season to extend the lead to 3-1 at 7:16. Kamloops would cut the deficit to 3-2 at 18:39, but Hadland’s second goal of the game came 30 seconds later to bring the score to 4-2 after two periods. In the third period, Roger McQueen’s 15th at 3:33 and Nolan Flamand’s 8th at 9:40 would put the game out of reach as the Wheat Kings won their fifth in a row by beating the Blazers 6-2.
- (Dec. 13) The homestand continued as the Brandon Wheat Kings hosted the Kelowna Rockets with Carson Bjarnason between the pipes with the start in goal. In the opening period, Quinn Mantei scored his 3rd of the season on the powerplay to give Brandon a 1-0 lead at 2:11. Tij Iginla would respond with his 23rd of the season to tie the game 1-1. In the second period, Tre Fouquette’s 1st of the season and Roger McQueen’s 16th of the season were 30 seconds apart to give the Wheat Kings a 3-1 lead. Andrew Cristall would pot his 18th of the season at 6:14 to make it 3-2, but Nolan Flamand’s shorthanded goal at 8:40 would give Brandon a 4-2 lead after two periods. In the third, the Rockets scored 1:15 in but Jayden Wiens 9th of the season at 4:25 on the powerplay and Luke Shipley’s 5th of the season while shorthanded would give the Wheat Kings a 6-3 win over the Kelowna Rockets. Bjarnason finished the game with the win and allowed 3 goals on only 19 shots (16 saves). The Wheat Kings have now won six straight games.
- (Dec. 16) The Brandon Wheat Kings played their final game before the holiday break as they hosted the Moose Jaw Warriors with Carson Bjarnason getting the start in goal. In the opening period both sides alternated goals with Brandon’s Rylen Roersma (his 11th at 1:20) and Carter Klippenstein (his 4th at 14:07) to end the period tied 2-2. In the second period the only goal was scored by the Moose Jaw Warriors only 19 seconds into the period to take a 3-2 advantage. In the third period, the Wheat Kings would tie the game 3-3 at 4:29 with Brett Hyland’s 17th of the season. But it was not to be as the Warriors would score at 17:05 to hand Moose Jaw a 4-3 victory over Brandon. Carson Bjarnason took the loss and allowed all 4 goals on 30 shots (26 saves).
Carter Sotheran #59 (D) – Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
| SEASON | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | S | PIM |
| 2023-2024 | 30 | 7 | 10 | 17 | +12 | 62 | 42 |
- (Dec. 1) The Portland Winterhawks visited the Wenatchee Wild with Gabe Klassen taking home WHL Player of the Month honors. In the first period, Wenatchee led 1-0 but the aforementioned Klassen tied the game 1-1 by intercepting a pass in his own zone and taking it all the way to the house for his 15th of the season at 9:32. Portland would take the 2-1 lead at 17:05 with a powerplay goal by Luca Cagnoni for his 4t of the season. The second period was a disaster for the Winterhawks as they were outshot 11-5 with the Wild scoring four goals (one 17 seconds into the period) to give Wenatchee a 5-2 lead. In the third period, Wenatchee’s Matthew Savoie completed the hat-trick at 7:07 for his 9th of the season. Cagnoni would score his second of the game at 13:02 on the powerplay, but the Wild would add two empty net goals to romp the Winterhawks 8-3. Carter Sotheran finished the game with no points, an even rating, and 3 SOG.
- (Dec. 2) Both teams were back at it for the back half of the home and home as the Wenatchee Wild visited the Portland Winterhawks. In the first period, Josh Davies wristed one off the rush for his 18th of the season only 50 seconds in to give Portland a 1-0 lead. On the powerplay, Marcus Nguyen would get his 8th of the season at 17:34 with a blast right off the faceoff to make it 2-0. In the second period, the Wild would get one back at 2:55 but Davies would score his second of the game on the powerplay at 4:34. Carter Sotheran would grab a secondary assist on Tyson Yaremko’s 1st of the season at 13:57 to make it 4-1. Portland would cap a very productive period with Diego Buttazzoni’s 12th of the season at 17:25 on a nice passing play to make it 5-1. Wenatchee though would not be denied. The comeback was on in the third period led by the Wild’s big guns as Savoie and a hat-trick by Conor Geekie tied the game 5-5 to force overtime. In the extra frame, Geekie would score his fourth goal of the game to complete a great comeback as the Wild defeated the Winterhawks 6-5. Sotheran finished the game with 1 assist, a +3 rating, 4 SOG, and 2 PIMs.
- (Dec.3) After the disappointment of giving up a huge lead the night before, the Portland Winterhawks played their third game in three nights as they welcomed the Prince George Cougars to town. The Cougars outshot the Winterhawks 15-6 in the opening period and scored twice to take a 2-0 lead. Zac Funk would score his second and third goals of the game in the second period (to bring his season total to 30 goals) to lead 4-0. The third period was scoreless and Prince George’s Joshua Ravensbergen stopped all 33 shots he faced as the Cougars shutout the Winterhawks 4-0. Carter Sotheran finished the game with no points, a -2 rating, and 5 SOG.
- (Dec. 8) The Portland Winterhawks were back in action at home as they hosted the Spokane Chiefs. In the opening period, both teams erupted for 4 goals in the first 5 minutes as James Stefan scored twice at 50 seconds in and at 4:14 for his 15th and 16th goals of the season to pace the Winterhawks to a wild 3-2 lead. In the second period, Marek Alscher would get his 2nd of the season at 4:14 and Stefan would get the hats flying as his 17th of the season at 8:24 would complete the hat-trick and give Portland a 5-3 lead. Spokane would make it 5-4 33 seconds into the third period, but Carter Sotheran would skate through the defense and slide home his 6th of the season at 1:29 to make it 6-4. The Chiefs would score a shorthanded goal to make it a one goal game once again, but the Winterhawks would score twice into the empty net late to give Portland an 8-5 win over Spokane. Sotheran finished the game with 1 goal (GWG) and 1 assist for 2 points, a +2 rating, and 3 SOG.
Video courtesy of the Portland Winterhawks
- (Dec. 9) The Portland Winterhawks welcomed the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds to town to renew their rivalry with each other on Teddy Toss Night. In the opening period, Portland took a 1-0 lead at 16:32 through the red-hot James Stefan scored his 18th to send the teddy bears onto the ice with his fourth goal in two-games. In the second period, Josh Zakreski’s 7th of the season at 1:43 made it 2-0. The powerplay then got into the act as Carter Sotheran snapped home his 7th of the season at 8:32 followed by Jack O’Brien’s8th of the season at 14:09 to make it 4-0 for the Winterhawks. In the third period, the Thuderbirds would score a powerplay and an even strength goal to make it 4-2 but Jack O’Brien would add two goals to complete his hat-trick to restore the four goal lead. Josh Zakreski would add a second goal to his tally for the game at 15:15 to cap off the scoring and give the Winterhawks a 7-2 win over Seattle. Sotheran finished the game with 1 goal (GWG), a +1 rating, and 1 SOG. It was Sotheran’s 5th GWG of the season.
Video courtesy of the Portland Winterhawks
- (Dec. 10) With their third game in three nights, the Portland Winterhawks travelled to face the Everett Silvertips. In the first period, Everett would take a 2-0 lead by 8:24 but the Winterhawks soared back with goals by Gabe Klassen (his 16th on the powerplay at 18:57) and Josh Zakreski (his 9th at 19:25) to tie the game 2-2. In the second period the goals would come in clusters once again as the Silvertips took a 3-2 lead at 1:08 only for Portland to tie the game 3-3 through Josh Zakreski’s second of the game at 1:56. The Winterhawks would outshoot Everett 21-10 in the frame and James Stefan would record a hat-trick in the period (to total 21 goals on the season) to give the Winterhawks a 6-3 lead. A scoreless third period meant that the Portland Winterhawks defeated the Everett Silvertips 6-3 with their third consecutive game with a hat-trick. Carter Sotheran finished the game with no points, a -1 rating, 3 SOG, and 2 PIMs.
- (Dec. 13) The Portland Winterhawks returned home to face the Wenatchee Wild. In the first period, Portland took the 1-0 lead as Jack O’Brien scored his 11th of the season at 15:44. In the second period, four powerplay goals were scored (three by Portland) as Josh Davies (21st at 0:41) and Marcus Nguyen (10th at 1:55 with an assist from Carter Sotheran) gave the Winterhawks a 3-0 lead. Wenatchee responded with a powerplay goal of their own but Gabe Klassen’s 17th of the season at 13:41 made it 4-1. The Wild would grab a late goal to make it 4-2 after forty minutes. In the third period all the scoring was done by the Winterhawks as Josh Zakreski (his 11th at 10:41), Jack O’Brien (second of the game at 17:53 into an empty net), and Hudson Darby (3rd of the season on the powerplay at 19:59) secured a 7-2 victory for the Portland Winterhawks. Sotheran finished the game with 1 assist, a +1 rating, and 3 SOG. Sotheran also picked up 7 PIMs as he was assessed a slashing penalty and a fighting major in the third period.
- (Dec. 15) The Portland Winterhawks visited the Spokane Chiefs on Friday night. In the opening period, the Chiefs went up 1-0 with a shorthanded goal at 1:52 but the Winterhawks responded with goals by James Stefan (his 22nd at 8:04) and Diego Buttazzoni (his 13th at 12:11) to take a 2-1 lead. In the second period the script was reversed as Marcus Nguyen scored his 11th of the season shorthanded to give Portland a 3-1 lead, but the Chiefs would score twice (including another shorthanded goal with 3 seconds remaining) to tie the game 3-3. In the third period, both sides alternated goals with Jack O’Brien scoring a powerplay goal for his 13th of the season at 17:06 and Josh Davies scoring his 22nd of the season to tie the game 5-5 after a frantic last few minutes to force overtime. In overtime, The Winterhawks would prevail with James Stefan’s second of the game to give Portland a 6-5 overtime win over the Chiefs. Carter Sotheran finished the game with no points, a -2 rating, and no SOG.
- (Dec. 16) In their last game before the holiday break, the Portland Winterhawks hosted the Spokane Chiefs in the second half of a home and home set. In the opening period it was Spokane that would take a 1-0 lead with a powerplay goal at 3:54. In the second period, the Chiefs would dominate the Winterhawks in shots on goal with a massive 24-7 advantage. Spokane would double their lead to 2-0 at 4:25 but Portland would strike 26 seconds later though Josh Davies 23rd of the season to make it 2-1. Spokane would retake the two-goal advantage at 15:17 to take a 3-1 lead into the intermission. There would be no scoring in the third period although Portland would outshoot Spokane 19-11 in the frame, but it wasn’t enough as the Winterhawks fell 3-1 to the Spokane Chiefs. Carter Sotheran finished the game with no points, a -1 rating, 1 SOG, and 2 PIMs.
QMJHL (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League)
Matteo Mann #76 (D) – Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)
| SEASON | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | S | PIM |
| 2023-2024 | 18 | 2 | 4 | 6 | +3 | 8 | 31 |
- (Dec. 2) The Saint John Sea Dogs opened a three game homestand as they welcomed the visiting Cape Breton Eagles to TD Station. In the opening period, Cape Breton found themselves up 2-0 before the five minute mark with an even strength and a powerplay goal. Matteo Mann got the Sea Dogs on the board with his 2nd of the season after having all day to wrist home a shot from the slot at 17:26. In the second period, Reid Carter scored his 1st goal of the season at 12:50 followed by Noah Reinhart’s 10th via the powerplay at 16:45 to give Saint John a 3-2 lead. In the third period, Kency Pierre-Noel scored his 2nd of the season at 8:20 to make it 4-2 but the Eagles would respond 18 seconds later to make it a 4-3 deficit. Saint John would pull away though as Eriks Mateiko’s 14th of the season at 9:19 would provide some insurance and Mathis Gauthier would add an empty net goal to give the Sea Dogs a 6-3 win over Cape Breton. Matteo Mann finished the game with 1 goal, an even rating, and 1 SOG.
Video courtesy of the Saint John Sea Dogs
- (Dec. 3) The Chicoutimi Sagueneens were the visitors as they took on the Saint John Sea Dogs. After no scoring in the opening period with the shots 8-6 in favour of Chicoutimi, Eriks Mateiko would give Saint John a 1-0 lead and initiate the teddy bear toss with his 15th goal of the season at 16:05. The lead was short lived though as the Sagueneens would tie the game 1:39 later through Samuel Vachon’s 6th of the season. The third period would be scoreless and overtime was needed to decide a victor. In overtime, Chicoutimi’s Thomas Desruisseaux would be the hero with his 6th goal of the season as the Sagueneens would snap the Sea Dogs three game winning streak 2-1 in overtime. Matteo Mann finished the game with no points, a -1 rating, 1 SOG, and 4 PIMs (both minor penalties for roughing).
- (Dec. 6) Finishing up the homestand, the Saint John Sea Dogs played the visiting Drummondville Voltigeurs. This game would not be particularly close as Drummondville outshot Saint John in all three periods to the tune of 39-18 overall. In the opening period, the Voltigeurs scored the only goal late in the frame to take a 1-0 lead. They would double their lead 22 seconds into the second period and add a third on the powerplay at 8:39 to make it 3-0 with Matteo Mann in the box for holding. The Sea Dogs would get on the board courtesy of Mathis Gauthier’s 4th of the season at 17:19 to make it 3-1, but Drummondville struck 41 seconds later to dash any hopes of momentum building to make it 4-1. In the third period, the Voltigeurs would add another two goals including one on the powerplay as they defeated the Sea Dogs by a score of 6-1. Matteo Mannfinished the game with no points, an even rating, no SOG, and 2 PIMs.
- (Dec. 8) The Saint John Sea Dogs travelled to Charlottetown to take on the Islanders. In the first period, Darien Reynolds scored his 1st QMJHL goal by banging in a rebound at 4:09 to give Saint John the lead but Charlottetown would tie the game 1-1 before the end of the period. In the second period, Luka Benoit scored his 2nd of the season at 3:11 to make it 2-1 but the Islanders would score twice including a powerplay goal to take a 3-2 lead. In the third period, the Islanders made it a two-goal advantage at 3:38 to make it 4-2. Pavel Simek scored his 12th of the season at 15:48 to close the gap to one goal, but that was as close as the Sea Dogs would come as they dropped a 4-3 decision to the Islanders. Matteo Mann did not dress in the game.
- (Dec. 9) The Sea Dogs hosted the Halifax Mooseheads for the first of three consecutive meetings against each other with Matteo Mann not dressing once again for the game. The first period was scoreless with the Sea Dogs holding an 11-7 shots advantage over the Mooseheads. The game would turn out to be a good one from a shot suppression standpoint for Saint John as they outshot Halifax 29-15 overall. In the second period, Halifax took a 1-0 lead at 16:03 but Saint John responded at 16:44 to tie the game through Peter Reynolds’ 18th of the season to make it 1-1. In the third period, the Sea Dogs would get goals from Danny Akkouche (his 4th at 14:35) and Noah Reinhart (his 11th at 18:12) to come from behind to defeat the Mooseheads by a score of 3-2.
- (Dec. 15) The Saint John Sea Dogs travelled to Halifax for two straight games in the Mooseheads barn. Matteo Mann was once again not dressed for the game. In the opening period, Saint John opened the scoring at 9:40 through Jacob Beaulieu’s 2nd of the season but the Mooseheads Mathieu Cataford would score twice to give Halifax a 2-1 lead. In the second period, Saint John would get goals from Egan Beveridge (his 5th at 11:53) and Kency Pierre-Noel (his 3rd at 18:06) to get to the intermission tied 3-3. In the third period the Sea Dogs would be disappointed not to score more goals as they outshot the Mooseheads 17-4, but did get a Vince Elie goal (his 14th at 7:48) to take a 4-3 lead. The Mooseheads would tie the game 4-4 late to force overtime, and in the extra frame the home side would get a winner and a hat-trick goal from Cataford to hand the Sea Dogs a 5-4 overtime loss.
- (Dec. 16) Once again in Halifax, the Saint John Sea Dogs visited the Mooseheads for their final game before the holiday break with Matteo Mann not dressed. Peter Reynolds got the Sea Dogs going with his 19th of the season at 11:21 to give Saint John a 1-0 lead. The lead would double at 16:48 with a powerplay goal by Noah Reinhart for his 12th of the season. In the second period, it was the Mooseheads turn to score twice in a period with an even strength and powerplay goal of their own to tie the game 2-2. With no scoring in the third period, the game went to overtime for the second straight game. In overtime, Peter Reynolds second goal of the game was the winner as the Sea Dogs entered the break on a high note by defeating the Halifax Mooseheads 3-2.
OHL (Ontario Hockey League)
Oliver Bonk #59 (D) – London Knights (OHL)
| SEASON | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | S | PIM |
| 2023-2024 | 28 | 6 | 24 | 30 | -6 | 62 | 16 |
Denver Barkey #86 (RW) – London Knights (OHL)
| SEASON | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | S | PIM |
| 2023-2024 | 30 | 17 | 27 | 44 | +15 | 93 | 14 |
- (Dec. 1) The London Knights started the month of December by welcoming the Mississauga Steelheads to Budweiser Gardens. In the opening period no goals would be scored and the Knights held a 13-12 shots on goal advantage. In the second period, Denver Barkey would open the scoring only 45 seconds in on the powerplay by moving around the perimeter and finding a shooting lane for his 14th of the season. Mississauga’s Luke Misa would tie the game 1-1 with his 8th of the season at 11:43 and follow it up with a powerplay goal at 16:19 to take a 2-1 lead into the intermission. The third period had the Steelheads do all the scoring as Misa would complete the hat-trick and finish 2/5 on the powerplay as Mississauga defeated London 5-1. Barkey finished the game with 1 goal, a -2 rating, and 2 SOG. Oliver Bonk ended the game with no points, a -2 rating, and 2 SOG.
Video courtesy of the London Knights
- (Dec. 2) The London Knights travelled to Saginaw to face off against the Spirit. In the opening period, Max McCue scored his 5th of the season only 56 seconds in to give the Knights a 1-0 lead. After getting a secondary assist on the opening goal, Oliver Bonk would score a powerplay goal for his 6th of the season at 10:07 from his bumper spot in the slot once again to double the lead to 2-0. In the second period, Saginaw would level the score 2-2 but Denver Barkey would easily convert into a yawning cage to score his 15th of the season at 12:50 to make it 3-2. Kasper Halttunen would add a powerplay goal at 14:44 for his 19th of the season to extend the lead, but the Spirit would score a late goal to make it 4-3. In the third period, a wild first five minutes saw Saginaw score three goals including two on the powerplay (one with Barkey in the box) to give the Spirit a 6-4 lead. 2024 NHL Draft prospect Sam Dickenson scored his 6th of the season on the powerplay at 11:43 to make it 6-5, but highly touted 2025 draft prospect Michael Misa scored an empty net goal for his 13th of the season to hand the London Knights a 7-5 loss. Bonk finished the game with 1 goal and 1 assist for 2 points, a -3 rating, and 3 SOG. Barkey ended up with 1 goal, a -1 rating, 2 SOG, and 2 PIMs.
Video is courtesy of the London Knights
Video is courtesy of the London Knights
- (Dec. 5) The Sarnia Sting were the visiting opponents for the London Knights on their annual Teddy Bear Toss game. In the first period, Jared Wooley scored his 1st goal in the OHL to make teddy bears rain down onto the ice and give the Knights a 1-0 lead at 5:15 with Denver Barkey grabbing a secondary assist. In the second period, Max McCue would score his 6th of the season at 3:10 but Sarnia would reply on the powerplay 18 seconds later to make it 2-1 for the Knights. In the third period, Oliver Bonk would set up Jacob Julien’s 9th of the season on the powerplay 55 seconds in to make it 3-1. The Knights powerplay would strike again at 7:11 as Easton Cowan scored his 11th of the season with both Bonk and Barkey getting helpers as the Knights cruised to a 5-1 victory over the Sting. Barkey finished the game with 2 assists, a +1 rating, and 3 SOG. Bong ended up with 2 assists, an even rating, 2 SOG, and 2 PIMs.
Video courtesy of the London Knights
- (Dec. 8) The London Knights were back in action as they hosted the Saginaw Spirit. The opening period saw a seven goal explosion with the shots 19-7 in favor of London. Kaspar Halttunen opened the scoring with a powerplay goal at 1:59. Denver Barkey made it 2-0 by going to the net and finishing his 16th of the season at 9:44. After Easton Cowan made it 3-0, Oliver Bonk and Barkey would get assists on Jacob Julien’s powerplay goal at 13:38 to make it 4-0. Bonk would add an assist on Landon Sim’s 1st of the season to give London a 5-2 lead at the break. In the second period, Barkey would score his second of the game shorthanded at 9:39 on a two-on-none with Easton Cowan. Saginaw added a score but the damage was done with a 6-3 score after forty minutes. In the third, London would cap off a successful game as Max McCue’s 7th of the season at 1:20 would give the Knights a 7-3 victory over the Spirit. Oliver Bonk finished he game with 2 assists, a +1 rating, and 1 SOG. Bonk was named the Third Star of the game. Denver Barkey ended up with 2 goals and 2 assist for 4 points, a +1 rating, and 3 SOG. Barkey was named he First Star of the game.
Video courtesy of the London Knights
Video courtesy of the London Knights
Video courtesy of the London Knights
- (Dec. 10) The London Knights traveled north to face the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds without Oliver Bonk, Denver Barkey, and Easton Cowan as they were participating in Canada’s WJHC selection camp. In the opening period, Isaiah George would score 19 seconds in for his 4th of the season to give London the early 1-0 lead. Although Sam Dickenson would score his 7th of the season at 12:13, the Knights would find themselves trailing 3-2 at the break. In the second period, both sides would trade goals with London’s Max McCue tallying his 8th of the season at 8:55 but the Greyhounds would take a 4-3 lead into the third. In the third period, Sault Ste. Marie would add some insurance for a two-goal lead. Although Landon Sim scored his 2nd of the season late, they could not tie the game and the Knights fell to the Greyhounds 5-4.
- (Dec. 14) The London Knights visited the Windsor Spitfires once again without the services of Oliver Bonk and Denver Barkey. In the first period, Jacob Julien’s 11th of the season and Landon Sim’s two goals (3rd and 4th of the year) would pace the Knights to a 3-2 lead. In the second period, Sam O’Reilly’s 8th of the season on the powerplay and Henry Brzustewicz’s 2nd of the season on a breakaway made it a 5-2 game. Max McCue would score the only goal of the third period as the London Knights cruised to a 6-2 victory over the Windsor Spitfires.
- (Dec. 15) Denver Barkey returned to the Knights lineup following the cuts from the Team Canada camp as London hosted the Owen Sound Attack. Oliver Bonk made the Canadian WJHC team and will return in the new year. In the opening period, London outshout Owen Sound 16-9 but found themselves down 1-0. In the second period the offense would come alive as the Knights scored five consecutive goals to chase Attack goaltender Carter George. The attack would score a goal with 5 seconds remaining to make it a 5-2 game after forty minutes. Goal scorers for the Knights were Ruslan Gazizov (his 10th at 6:27), Max McCue (his 10th and 11th at 9:14 and 10:07), Jacob Julien (his 12th at 10:52), and Sam Dickenson (his 8th at 19:11). Barkey assisted on two of the goals in the period. In the third period, London would keep up the pressure as Julien would score his second and third goals of the game (the former at even strength with Barkey getting his third assist of the evening) and Jared Wooley capping the night with his 2nd of the season to lead the Knights to an emphatic 8-2 victory. Denver Barkey finished up with 3 assists, a +2 rating, and 2 SOG.
Video courtesy of the London Knights
- (Dec. 17) The London Knights hosted the Sudbury Wolves in their final game before the holiday break. Oliver Bonk remains with the Canadian WJHC team and will return in the new year. In the opening period, Max McCue made it seven straight games with a goal as he scored his 12th of the season only 28 seconds in to give London a 1-0 lead. In the second period, Sudbury would tie the game 1-1 even thought they were outshot 12-8. The third period was more open from a goalscoring perspective as both sides alternated goals. Sudbury got the ball rolling but the Knights tied the game 2-2 with William Nicholl’s 4th of the season at 3:06. After the Wolves took the lead again, the Knights tied the game 3-3 through Ruslan Gazizov’s powerplay goal (his 11th) at 18:25 to force overtime. In overtime, Gazizov was the hero with his second goal of the game to give the Knights a 4-3 victory heading into the break. Denver Barkey finished the game with no points, an even rating, and 4 SOG.
BCHL (British Columbia Hockey League)
Ryan MacPherson #7 (C) – Penticton Vees (BCHL)
| SEASON | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
| 2023-2024 | 28 | 11 | 18 | 29 | 0 |
- (Dec. 1) The Penticton Vees started off the month of December with a home game versus the Prince George Spruce Kings. In the opening period, the Vees outshot the Spruce Kings 14-5 and opened the scoring through Conyr Hellyer’s 7th goal of the season on the powerplay to lead 1-0. In the second period, Penticton added to their lead through Billy Renfrew’s 6th of the season at 5:08 and Brock Reinhart’s 3rd of the season at 8:34 to make it 3-0. Ryan MacPherson would add a powerplay goal for his 10th of the season at 18:59 to make it 4-0. There would be no scoring in the third period and Andrew Ness stopped all 28 Prince George shots as the Penticton Vees shutout the Spruce Kings 4-0. Ryan MacPherson finished the game with 1 goal.
- (Dec. 2) The Penticton Vees travelled to face the Merritt Centennials. In the opening period, the Vees would open the scoring 1:59 in as Carson Lesiuk scored his 1st goal of the season to make it 1-0. Merritt would tie the game 1-1 at 7:09, but the Vees would respond 39 seconds later on the powerplay through Francesco Dell’Elce’s 7th of the season with an assist getting credited to Ryan MacPherson to make it 2-1. After a scoreless second period that saw Merritt outshoot Penticton 11-10, Billy Renfrew would add some much needed insurance at 15:15 with his 7th of the season to extend the lead to 3-1. The Centennials would score late to make it close, but the Vees came away with the 3-2 victory. Ryan MacPherson finished the game with 1 assist.
- (Dec. 6) The Penticton Vees returned home to face the Merritt Centennials for the second half of their home and home set. In the first period, Ryan MacPherson deked the goaltender in front to slide home his 11th goal of the season at 2:20 to give the Vees a 1-0 lead. In the second period, Penticton would double the lead to 2-0 as MacPherson picked up his 17th assist of the season on Cade Littler’s 1st goal of the campaign at 9:42. In the third period, Merritt would close the gap with a powerplay goal, but the Vees were able to close the game out and win by a score of 2-1. Ryan MacPherson finished the game with 1 goal and 1 assist for 2 points. He was named the Second Star of the game.
Video courtesy of the BCHL
- (Dec. 8) The Penticton Vees visited Salmon Arm, British Columbia to take on the Silverbacks. This game turned into a goaltenders duel with both sides staying scoreless through two periods of play with the shots 21-18 in favor of Penticton. In the third period, Salmon Arm would outshoot Penticton 13-7 and it looked like a scoreless game heading towards overtime as the Vees’ Will Ingemann and the Silverbacks’ Eli Pulver were working on dual shutouts. But at 19:37 of the third period with overtime just seconds away, Salmon Arms Ryan Gillespie scored his 6th of the season to win the game as the Silverbacks defeated the Vees 1-0. Ryan MacPherson did not register a point in the game.
- (Dec. 9) The Penticton Vees were back in action as they hosted the Salmon Arm Silverbacks in the second half of the home and home set. This one would be another low scoring affair with both Will Ingemann and Eli Pulver starting in goal once again. After no scoring in the opening period, Salmon Arm would score a powerplay goal 37 seconds into the period to take a 1-0 lead. The lead would hold into the third period but the Vees would tie the game with a powerplay goal of their own as Callum Arnott notched his 13th of the season at 10:37 to tie the game 1-1. That goal initiated the Teddy Bear Toss by the Vees faithful. But the Silverbacks would score the winner despite being outshot 16-6 in the period as J.J. Monteiro scored the winner to give the Silverbacks a 2-1 win over the Vees and a sweep of the home and home set. Ryan MacPherson did not register a point in this game.
- (Dec. 15) Losers of two in a row, the Penticton Vees hosted the West Kelowna Warriors. Larry Keenan would give the Vees a 1-0 lead in the opening period with his 2nd of the season at 13:49. In the second period, the only goal came from the Warriors who tied the game 1-1 only 1:37 in. In the third period, West Kelowna took a 2-1 lead at 11:17, but Penticton would tie the game 2-2 only 1:31 later as Cade Littler scored his 2nd of the season. In overtime, the Vees losing skid would be snapped as Callum Arnott scored his 14th of the season with a spinning between the legs goal to give the Penticton Vees a 3-2 overtime win over the West Kelowna Warriors. Ryan MacPherson did not get a point in this game.
- (Dec. 16) The Penticton Vees visited the West Kelowna Warriors for the back end of a home and home set for their final game before the holiday break. The Vees came out flying with a 14-6 shot advantage and getting the opening goal from Callum Arnott (his 15th at 3:01) to lead 1-0. The Vees would then convert two powerplay goals by James Fisher (his 13th at 9:24) and Cade Littler (his 3rd at 18:16 with Ryan MacPherson assisting) to lead 3-0. The second period was a complete role reversal as the Warriors outshot the Vees 14-5 and put five past goaltender Will Ingemann to chase him from the game and lead 5-3. The Warriors would add an empty-netter in the final minutes of the third period to hand the Penticton Vees a 6-3 defeat. Ryan MacPherson got 1 assist in this game.
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Hope you enjoyed this edition of The Flyers CHL Prospect Report.
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Until next time from BrotherlyPuck.com,
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Manny Benevides
brotherlypuck.com 