The Flyers Junior Hockey Prospect Report (Feb. 3

Welcome to The Flyers Junior Hockey Prospect Report!

This 8^th edition for the 2023-2024 season covers the period that was in the CHL and BCHL from Saturday February 3^rd – Sunday February 18^th.

WHL (Western Hockey League)

Carson Bjarnason #64 (G) – Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)

SEASON	GP	W	L	SO	MINS	SH	SAV	GAA	SAV%
2023-2024	34	19	14	1	1980	1078	978	3.03	.907

(Feb. 3) After getting the win in his return on Feb. 2, Carson Bjarnason would backup Ethan Eskit as the Brandon Wheat Kings hosted the Swift Current Broncos. Both teams traded goals in the opening period as Brandon got goals from Nicholas Johnson (his 6^th at 36 seconds) and Nolan Flammand (his 13^th at 6:10) with the score tied 2-2 after twenty minutes. In the second period, both teams again found the back of the net although the Broncos were outshooting the Wheat Kings 23-12 and the game all tied up 3-3. Brandon’s goal in the frame came from Jayden Wiens 14^th of the season at 19:02. The Wheat Kings would strike at 1:07 of the third period through Brett Hyland’s 28^th of the season but Swift Current would tie the game 4-4 and force overtime. In overtime, Brandon’s Nolan Flammand was the hero with his second goal of the game as the Wheat Kings defeated the Broncos 5-4.

(Feb. 4) The Brandon Wheat Kings returned to action with Carson Bjarnason getting the start as they visited the Saskatoon Blades. In the opening period, the Blades took the lead as Bjarnason stopped the initial shot from the point but lost sight of the puck in front as Saskatoon led 1-0 at 1:16. The Wheat Kings would tie the game as Luke Shipley scored his 7^th of the season at 12:16 to make it 1-1. In the second period, the Blades would take a 2-1 lead on a one-timer at 6:29. In the third period the Saskatoon Blades would add some insurance with an empty net goal as the Blades downed the Wheat Kings 3-1. Bjarnason took the loss and allowed 2 goals on 34 shots (32 saves). Bjarnason was named the Third Star of the game.

(Feb. 7) The Brandon Wheat Kings returned home to face the Edmonton Oil Kings with Carson Bjarnason getting the start. Edmonton would score twice in the first half of the opening period to take a 2-0 lead. Brandon would battle back though with two goals by Nolan Flamand (his 15^th and 16^th goals of the season) less than three minutes apart to make it a 2-2 game. In the second period, Brandon would take a 4-2 lead with goals by Matteo Michels (his 12^th at 1:36) and Dominik Petr (his 11^th at 6:41). In the third period the Wheat Kings would put the game away with another three goals as Joby Baumuller scored his 3^rd at 10:37, Jayden Wiens scored his 15^th at 13:02, and Petr scored his second of the game at 13:43 as the Brandon Wheat Kings cruised to a 9-2 win. Bjarnason shut the door after allowing the two goals in the opening ten minutes and ended up stopping 32 of 34 shots in the win.

Highlights – BWK (7) vs Edmonton Oil Kings (2)

Video courtesy of the CHL

(Feb. 9) Carson Bjarnason got the start as the Brandon Wheat Kings hosted the Lethbridge Hurricanes. In the opening period the Wheat Kings scored two goals on 17 shots as Roger McQueen scored his 21^st of the season at 12:18, and Rylen Roersma scored his 18^th at 19:35 to give Brandon a 2-0 lead. In the second period, Jayden Wiens went in on a breakaway and made no mistake for his 16th of the season at 6:11 to make it 3-0. The Hurricanes would get a goal back to make it 3-1 as Miguel Marques put one through Bjarnason on the five-hole to get Lethbridge back into the game. Bjarnason would not allow another in the third period and Roersma would add his second goal of the game into an empty net as the Wheat Kings defeated the Hurricanes 4-1. Bjarnason would get the win and allow only one goal on 22 shots (21 saves).

HIGHLIGHTS – BWK (4) vs Lethbridge Hurricanes (1)

Video courtesy of the CHL

(Feb. 10) The Brandon Wheat Kings visited the Prince Albert Raiders with Carson Bjarnason as the backup goaltender for the game. The opening period was a wild affair with both sides combining for five goals with the Raiders taking a 3-2 lead. The Wheat Kings got goals from Nolan Flammand (his 17^th at 0:10) and Brett Hyland (his 29^th on the powerplay at 6:35). In the second period, Prince Albert would score a shorthanded goal to extend their lead, but Dominik Petr would get the goal back with his 13^th goal of the season at 18:31 to make it a 4-3 game. In the third period, Prince Albert would score twice on the powerplay and add an even strength goal to hand the Brandon Wheat Kings a 7-3 loss.
(Feb. 15) Carson Bjarnason got the start in goal as the Brandon Wheat Kings visited the Moose Jaw Warriors. Jagger Firkus would score his 41^st of the season the put Moose Jaw up 1-0 at 15:00 but Brandon would storm back 38 seconds later as Jayden Wiens would score his 17^th of the season to tie the game 1-1. The second period had Moose Jaw outshoot Brandon 17-9 and put three goals (one powerplay marker) past Bjarnason to take a 4-1 lead. The Wheat Kings would score a late goal in the third period through Caleb Hadland’s 10^th of the season but Brandon would fall to Moose Jaw by a score of 4-2. Bjarnason took the loss and allowed 4 goals on 37 shots (33 saves).

(Feb. 16) The Brandon Wheat Kings returned home to face the Calgary Hitmen with Carson Bjarnason getting the start in goal. In the opening period, Caleb Hadland scored his 11^th of the season at 10:11 and Brett Hyland hit the 30-goal mark at 13:30 to give Brandon a 2-0 lead. In the second period both teams traded goals with the Wheat Kings tally scored by Carter Klippenstein’s 8^th of the season at 4:54 to pace Brandon to a 3-1 lead. But the Hitmen would plug away and score at even strength and on the powerplay to tie the game 3-3. In the third period, Jackson DeSouza scored a shorthanded goal at 2:49 for his 2^nd of the season to break the tie and give the Wheat Kings a 4-3 lead. At 4:23, Jaxon Jacobson added an insurance goal for his 3^rd of the season add to Brandon’s lead to 5-3. Bjarnason would stop all 14 shots in the period as the Wheat Kings would defeat the Hitmen 5-3. Bjarnason would pick up the win and allowed 3 goals on 32 shots (29 saves).

HIGHLIGHTS – BWK (5) vs Calgary Hitmen (3)

Video is courtesy of the CHL

Carter Sotheran #59 (D) – Portland Winterhawks (WHL)

SEASON	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	S	PIM
2023-2024	52	8	19	27	+28	98	64

(Feb. 3) The Portland Winterhawks hit the road to take on the host Seattle Thunderbirds. Portland acted like road warriors as they would outshoot Seattle in all three periods to a total of 60-25 differential. In the opening period, Portland jumped out to a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Tyson Jugnauth (his 4^th at 2:30) and Diego Buttazzoni (his 23^rd at 5:47) with Carter Sotheran drawing an assist. In the second period the Winterhawks put up a four spot with goals from Kyle McDonough (his 2^nd at 2:54), Gabe Klassen (his 25^th at 5:17), James Stefan (his 34^th at 9:40), and Ryan Miller (his 5^th at 10:42) to make it 6-0. In the third period Seattle would break the shutout bid with a powerplay goal at 1:40, but Sotheran again used a nice feed to set up McDonough’s second goal of the game at the Porland Winterhawks pummeled the Seattle Thunderbirds 7-1. Sotheran finished the game with 2 assists, a +5 rating, and 2 SOG. Sotheran was named the Third Star of the game.

Sotheran finds the seam, Buttazzoni finds the back of the net 🤝 pic.twitter.com/xxFKD9uxNZ
— Portland Winterhawks (@pdxwinterhawks) February 4, 2024

Video courtesy of the Portland Winterhawks

Kyle McDonough hatty watch 👀 pic.twitter.com/xGVRRPUdxK
— Portland Winterhawks (@pdxwinterhawks) February 4, 2024

Video courtesy of the Portland Winterhawks

(Feb. 4) The Portland Winterhawks returned home to take on the Tri-City Americans. The home side had a very good first period and took a 3-0 lead thanks to goals from Luca Cagnoni (his 11^th at 3:34 on the powerplay), Marek Alscher (his 4^th at 11:13), and Kyle Chyzowski (his 13^th at 15:32). In the second period the Americans outshot the Winterhawks 12-10 but it was Portland that scored the only goals of the frame to take a 5-0 lead. Tyson Jugnauth scored his 5^th of the season at 6:19 and Gabe Klassen notched his 26^th of the season in the final minute to turn the game into a lopsided affair. In the third period Tri-City would break the shutout and end up scoring twice, but it was not enough as the Portland Winterhawks won their third straight game by defeating the Tri-City Americans 5-2. Carter Sotheran finished the game with no points, a +3 rating, and 2 SOG.

(Feb. 10) The Portland Winterhawks hosted the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds. In the opening period, Gabe Klassen scored a powerplay goal for his 27^th of the season at 10:03 to give the Winterhawks a 1-0 lead. In the second period, Klassen would score his second goal of the game once again on the powerplay at 5:44 to extend Portland’s lead to 2-0. The Thunderbirds would strike back at 16:03 to make it 2-1, somehow hanging around in a game where they were outshot 36-12 after forty minutes. In the third period Portland would put the game away with two goals by James Stefan his 35^th and 36^th of the season (with the latter being an empty-netter) as the Winterhawks beat the Thunderbirds 4-1. Carter Sotheran finished the game with no points, a -1 rating, 4 SOG, and 4 PIMs.

(Feb. 13) Winners of four in a row, the Portland Winterhawks hosted the visiting Everett Silvertips. In the first period, Gabe Klassen scored his 29^th of the season at 5:07 and was followed up by Jack O’Brien’s 16^th of the season 20 seconds later to take a 2-0 lead. Nate Danielson would make it 3-0 with his 16^th at 14:57 but the Silvertips would get a powerplay goal to make it a 3-1 game after twenty minutes. Portland would keep the foot on the gas in the second period with shorthanded goals by James Stefan (his 37^th at 0:32) and Gabe Klassen (his 30^th at 1:30) to make it 5-1. After the Silvertips scored at 4:04, Marcus Nguyen scored at even strength for his 18^th at 5:47 and followed it up with Kyle Chyzowski’s 14^th on the powerplay at 8:56 to make it 7-2. There was no let up in the third period as the Winterhawks scored three times (including O’Brien completing a hat-trick) as the Winterhawks cruised to a 10-2 win over the Silvertips. Carter Sotheran finished the game with no points, a -1 rating, and no SOG.

(Feb. 16) The Portland Winterhawks visited Vancouver to take on the Giants at the Langley Events Centre. In the opening period, the Giants struck first with a powerplay goal at 13:11 to take a 1-0 lead. In the second period, the Giants would extend their lead to 2-0 with an even strength goal at 7:38 and take that lead into the intermission even though Portland had 27 shots on goal in the game to that point. The third period saw the Winterhawks finally break through as Josh Mori scored his 2^nd of the season at 2:16 to make it a one goal game, but the Giants would restore their two-goal lead later in the frame and defeat the Portland Winterhawks 3-1. Carter Sotheran finished the game with no points, an even rating, and 1 SOG.

(Feb. 17) In the return match of the home and home set, the Portland Winterhawks hosted the Vancouver Giants looking to avenge last night’s loss. In the opening period, the Winterhawks outshot the Giants 20-3 and were able to take a 3-0 lead thanks to goals from James Stefan (his 38^th at 5:52), Kyle Chyzowski (his 15^th on the powerplay at 6:20), and Nate Danielson (his 17^th at 9:39). The Winterhawks were able to successfully kill a Carter Sotheran double minor for roughing. In the second period the dominance would continue as Stefan and Chyzowski would score their second goals of the game, along with Kyle McDonough (his 4^th at 5:30) and Luca Cagnoni (his 13^th on the powerplay at 18:32) to take a commanding 7-0 lead. In the third period the Vancouver Giants would finally break through with three consecutive goals, but the Winterhawks would get a late Diego Buttazzoni goal for his 24^th of the season as Portland trounced Vancouver 8-3. Sotheran finished the game with no points, a +1 rating, no SOG, and 8 PIMs.

(Feb. 18) Playing their third game in three nights, the Portland Winterhawks travelled to face the Everett Silvertips. Although Portland would outshoot Everett 12-4, they found themselves down 1-0 after twenty minutes. In the second period, the Silvertips would double their lead to 2-0 with an even-strength goal at 9:45. The 2-0 score would remain until late in the third where Everett would add two empty net goals to shutout the Portland Winterhawks 4-0. Silvertips goaltender Tyler Palmer stopped all 34 shots he faced for the shutout. Carter Sotheran finished the game with no points, an even rating, and no SOG.

QMJHL (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League)

Matteo Mann #76 (D) – Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)

SEASON	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	S	PIM
2023-2024	32	3	6	9	-8	28	47

(Feb. 4) The Saint John Sea Dogs visited the Moncton Wildcats in a provincial rivalry game. The game did not start well for the Sea Dogs as Moncton took the 1-0 lead only 27 seconds into the game. In the second period, Moncton’s Julius Sumpf would score twice including a powerplay goal to extend the Wildcats’ lead to 3-0. The third period saw quite a few roughing and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties handed out as the Wildcats pumped four goals in to completely manhandle the Saint John Sea Dogs by a score of 7-0. Matteo Mann finished the game with no points, a -1 rating, 3 SOG, and 2 PIMs.

(Feb. 8) Losers of three in a row, the Saint John Sea Dogs travelled to face the Halifax Mooseheads. The first period was disastrous for the Sea Dogs as they only managed 1 shot on goal but only trailed the Mooseheads 1-0 after twenty minutes of play. Goaltender Patrick Leaver for the Sea Dogs was impressive in not allowing a second goal through two periods and only allowing one on 25 shots. Saint John was rewarded in the third period as Eriks Mateiko scored a powerplay goal for his 19^th of the season at 4:43 to tie the game 1-1. Matteo Mann would get a secondary assist as Olivier Groulx scored his 1^st goal at 9:01 to give the Sea Dogs a 2-1 lead. Unfortunately it would not last as the Mooseheads would score a powerplay goal to tie the game and take the lead 1:39 later to hand Saint John a 3-2 loss. Mann would finish the game with 1 assist, a +1 rating, and no SOG.

(Feb. 9) With four straight losses the Saint John Sea Dogs tried to end the streak as they travelled to Charlottetown to face the Islanders. The trip to Prince Edward Island was not a memorable one as the Sea Dogs would get outshot in every period to the tune of 44-23 for the game. After a scoreless first period, the Islanders broke the deadlock in the second period with a powerplay goal to take a 1-0 lead at 8:16. Charlottetown would double the lead to 2-0 at 15:35 with an even strength goal, and neither side would score in the third period as the Saint John Sea Dogs were shutout by the Islanders 2-0. Matteo Mann finished the game with no points, an even rating, 2 SOG, and 2 PIMs.

(Feb. 15) The Saint John Sea Dogs hosted the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. In the first period the Sea Dogs were outshot 26-12 but got the first goal through Darien Reynolds 2^nd of the season only 2:04 in. After the Armada tied the game at 4:50, Saint John would go up 2-1 through Eriks Mateiko’s 20^th goal of the season at 6:05. Sea Dogs goaltender Patrick Leaver was tremendous in only allowing one goal in the frame and keeping Saint John with the lead. That lead would evaporate in the second period though as Blainville-Boisbriand would tie the game with a powerplay goal at 1:13 and take a 3-2 lead at 15:29. In the third period, the Armada would add another even-strength goal and an empty net goal as they handed the Saint John Sea Dogs a 5-2 loss. Matteo Mann finished the game with no points, a -2 rating, and no SOG.

(Feb. 17) The Saint John Sea Dogs continued at home as they hosted the visiting Gatineau Olympiques. After outshooting Gatineau 13-9, the Sea Dogs found themselves down 3-1 after twenty minutes with their only goal coming from Joseph Ianiello’s 4^th of the season at 9:29 and allowing three powerplay goals against. In the second period, Saint John would get back into the game as Ianiello would score his second of the game to make it a 3-2 deficit at 4:48. The Sea Dogs would tie the game 3-3 at 6:32 through Nicolas Bilodeau’s 4^th of the season. With a powerplay goal at 15:16, Pavel Simek’s 17^th of the season would give the Sea Dogs a 4-3 lead. But the third period would see the Olympiques score the only goal of the frame to tie the game 4-4 at 5:26 and force overtime. In overtime, Gatineau would score the winner in order to comeback after blowing a lead as they defeated the Saint John Sea Dogs 5-4. Matteo Mann finished the game with no points, a +1 rating, 2 SOG, and 2 PIMs.

OHL (Ontario Hockey League)

Oliver Bonk #59 (D) – London Knights (OHL)

SEASON	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	S	PIM
2023-2024	46	21	37	58	+17	128	24

Denver Barkey #86 (RW) – London Knights (OHL)

SEASON	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	S	PIM
2023-2024	50	27	49	76	+35	154	22

(Feb. 3) The London Knights played their second in a run of three games in three nights as they visited the Owen Sound Attack. The Attack scored the only goal of the opening period as 2023 first round pick Colby Barlow of the Winnipeg Jets scored a powerplay goal to lead 1-0. In the second period Alec Leonard would tie the game 1-1 for the Knights at 4:06 with his 2^nd of the season, but Barlow would score his second powerplay goal of the night to reestablish the 2-1 lead for Owen Sound. In the third period the attack would extend the lead to 3-1, but the Knights would respond with Easton Cowan’s 22^nd goal of the season on a beautiful individual effort at 11:42 to make it a 3-2 deficit. At 18:47 the tying goal would come as Denver Barkey got the puck to Oliver Bonk by the goal line and his pass in front careened in off a skate for his 17^th of the season. After overtime failed to produce a winner, the shootout was won by Barkey who silenced the crowd by scoring the only goal to lead the Knights to a 4-3 shootout win over the Owen Sound Attack. Barkey finished the game with 1 assist, a +2 rating, and 3 SOG. Bonk ended up with 1 goal, a +1 rating, 2 SOG, and 2 PIMs.

OLIVER BONK IS SO CLUTCH

TIE GAME.@NHLFlyers | #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/HRvpLQ2Ex7
— London Knights (@LondonKnights) February 4, 2024