The Flyers Junior Hockey Prospect Report (Feb. 19

Welcome to The Flyers Junior Hockey Prospect Report!

This 9^th edition for the 2023-2024 season covers the period that was in the CHL and BCHL from Monday February 19^th – Friday March 8^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	43	22	21	2	2490	1358	1233	3.01	.908

(Feb. 19) The Brandon Wheat Kings were in action on Family Day as they hosted the Saskatoon Blades wearing jerseys featuring the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In the opening period, Carson Bjarnason and the Wheat Kings were outshot 13-5 and were down 2-0 until Brady Turko got his first goal of the season at 12:04 to make it a 2-1 game. In the second period, rookie callup Jaxon Jacobson scored his 4^th of the season the tie the game 2-2 at 8:47 but the Blades would retake the 3-2 lead only 44 seconds later. In the third period Saskatoon would put the game away with an even strength goal and an empty-netter as the Blades defeated the Wheat Kings 5-2. Bjarnason took the loss and allowed 4 goals on 28 shots (24 saves).

(Feb. 22) The Brandon Wheat Kings continued to hit the road in Saskatchewan as they visited the Prince Albert Raiders with Carson Bjarnason getting the start in goal. In the opening period, the Wheat Kings took a 1-0 lead as Jayden Wiens scored his 18^th of the season only 26 seconds in. The second period would see no scoring as Bjarnason would turn away 20 Raiders shots through forty minutes as Brandon clung to a 1-0 lead. In the third period, Matteo Michels would score his 13th of the season at 2:02 to give the Wheat Kings a 2-0 advantage. Prince Albert would break the shutout bid at 6:54 with a powerplay goal to make it 2-1, but Michels would score his second of the game at 10:30 to restore the 3-1 lead. The Raiders would score with 15 seconds remaining, but it wouldn’t be enough as the Brandon Wheat Kings defeated the Prince Albert Raiders 3-2. Bjarnason took the win and allowed 2 goals on 33 shots (31 saves). Bjarnason was named the Third Star of the game. Even more impressive was that Brandon only had 10 forwards dressed for this game.

(Feb. 23) The Brandon Wheat Kings played their second of three games in three nights as they visited the Saskatoon Blades with Carson Bjarnason getting the start once again. Neither side was able to light the lamp in the opening period, but Bjarnason turned away all 13 shots he faced. In the second period, Luke Shipley got the Wheat Kings on the board with his 8^th of the season at 4:05 and Matteo Michels stayed hot with his 15^th of the season at 8:18 to give Brandon a 2-0 lead. In the third period the Blades would finally get one past Bjarnason to spoil the shutout bid at 16:34, but Brandon would get empty net goals from Dominik Petr (his 14^th) and Carter Klippenstein (his 9^th) as the Brandon Wheat Kings would defeat the Saskatoon Blades 4-1. Bjarnason would stop 34 of 35 shots in the game for the win and would also get an assist on the final goal of the game. Bjarnason was named the First Star of the game.

HIGHLIGHTS: Wheat Kings 4 at Blades 1

Video courtesy of the CHL

(Feb. 24) Playing their third game in three nights on the road in Saskatchewan, the Brandon Wheat Kings visited the Prince Albert Raiders. Carson Bjarnason would get the start once again after his great performance the night before against Saskatoon. In the first period Dominik Petr would get Brandon the 1-0 lead with his 15^th of the season on the powerplay at 14:11, but the Raiders would tie the game 1-1 with a powerplay goal of their own at 18:00. In the second period, Brandon would only register 4 shots on goal and would concede another powerplay goal as Prince Albert would lead 2-1 after forty minutes. In the third period, Prince Albert would add insurance goals at even strength and the powerplay to open up a 4-1 lead. Dominik Petr would score his second goal of the game while shorthanded at 13:14 to make it 4-2, but Prince Albert’s Sloan Stanick would complete his hat-trick on the same powerplay as the Raiders downed the Wheat Kings 5-2. Bjarnason took the loss and allowed 5 goals on 34 shots (29 saves).

(Mar. 1) The Brandon Wheat Kings hosted the Prince Albert Raiders with Carson Bjarnason getting the start once again. In the opening period, Bjarnason held his own as the Raiders outshot the Wheat Kings 11-5 and the game remained scoreless. In the second period the roles were reversed as it was Brandon who outshot Prince Albert 10-4 but either side was able to break the stalemate. In the third period, Carter Klippenstein put the Wheat Kings ahead 1-0 with his 10^th of the season at 16:10. The Raiders would roar back though and break Bjarnason’s shutout bid with a tying goal at 17:48 and then go ahead at 18:36 to cap a dramatic comeback as the Raiders defeated the Wheat Kings 2-1. Bjarnason put forth a strong effort but was tagged with the loss as he allowed 2 goals on 29 shots (27 saves).

(Mar. 2) Carson Bjarnason would be back in goal as the Brandon Wheat Kings hosted the Saskatoon Blades as a bobblehead with his likeness was given out to fans. In the opening period, Saskatoon would score the only goal of the period to take a 1-0 lead at 15:21. In the second period the Blades extended their lead to 2-0 at 3:35. Saskatoon would add two more goals on the powerplay in the third period to extinguish any hope of a comeback as the Wheat Kings fell to the Blades 4-0. Brandon was outshot 49-21 in this game with Saskatoon’s Austin Elliot getting the shutout. Bjarnason allowed 4 goals on 49 shots (45 saves) in the loss, but was named the Third Star of the game.

(Mar. 5) The Brandon Wheat Kings hit the road to take on the Medicine Hat Tigers with Carson Bjarnason getting the start in goal once again. The Wheat Kings would fall behind in the opening period after the Tigers converted on the powerplay to take a 1-0 lead at 15:32. The second period did not go well for Brandon as Medicine Hat extended their lead to 2-0 at 2:53 with another powerplay goal, and then added a pair of even-strength goals from Tomas Mrsic to take a 4-0 lead. Bjarnason was pulled after the fourth goal and was replaced by Ethan Eskit at 11:20. The goaltending change seemed to give Brandon some life as Jayden Wiens scored a powerplay goal at 14:55 for his 19^th of the season, and Jackson DeSouza scored his 3^rd of the season at 18:05 to make it a 4-2 deficit. In the third period both teams would trade goals as Wiens would get his second goal of the game, but the Tigers would add an empty net goal to defeat the Wheat Kings 6-3. Bjarnason took the loss and allowed 4 goals on 17 shots (13 saves).

(Mar. 6) The road trip continued for the Brandon Wheat Kings as they travelled to Calgary to face the Hitmen. Brandon would go right back to starting Carson Bjarnason in goal after getting pulled in his last outing. In the first period Calgary would draw first blood and took a 1-0 lead at 7:25. In the second period the Wheat Kings would score the only goal of the frame as Jayden Wiens nabbed his 21^st of the season with 2 seconds remaining to tie the game up 1-1. In the third period, Nolan Flamand would put Brandon up 2-1 with a powerplay goal for his 18^th of the season at 4:15. The lead would not last though as the Hitmen tied the game 2-2 with a powerplay goal of their own at 19:14 to force overtime. In the extra period, Calgary’s Oliver Tulk would be the hero as he scored his third goal of the game 33 seconds in to give Calgary a 3-2 overtime win over the Brandon Wheat Kings. Bjarnason would take the loss and allowed 3 goals on 32 shots (29 saves). Brandon has now lost five games in a row.

(Mar. 8) Looking to break a five game losing streak, the Brandon Wheat Kings visited the Lethbridge Hurricanes with Carson Bjarnason getting the start. In the opening period, Matteo Michels (his 16^th at 13:41) and Joby Baumuller (his 4^th at 16:48) would pace Brandon to a 2-0 lead. It only took 41 seconds into the second period for the Wheat Kings to extend their lead as Jayden Wiens continued to stay hot with his 22^nd goal of the season to make it 3-0. In the third period the Wheat Kings would strike again in the opening minute as Brett Hyland scored his 31^st at 0:58 to make it 4-0. Bjarnason would not allow anything past him as he stopped all 23 shots he faced for the shutout at the Brandon Wheat Kings snapped their losing streak by defeating the Lethbridge Hurricanes 4-0. It was the second shutout of the season for Bjarnason and he was named the Second Star of the game.

HIGHLIGHTS: Wheat Kings 4 @ Hurricanes 0

Video courtesy of the CHL and the Brandon Wheat Kings

***The Brandon Wheat Kings are currently at 67 points which is 3^rd in the East Division and sit in 6^th in the Eastern Conference standings.

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

SEASON	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	S	PIM
2023-2024	58	9	21	30	+36	112	68

(Feb. 23) The Portland Winterhawks travelled to Vancouver Island to take on the Victoria Royals. The Winterhawks fell behind 1-0 but turned it around in the second half of the period with goals by Gabe Klassen (his 31^st at 10:36) and Marcus Nguyen (his 19^th at 14:29) to lead 2-1. In the second period, Carter Sotheran picked up a secondary assist on James Stefan’s 40^th goal of the campaign at 4:37 to make it 3-1. Josh Zakreski would get his 17^th of the season at 9:50, and Stefan would add a powerplay goal for his second goal of the game at 12:53 to make it a 5-1 advantage for the Winterhawks. In the third period both teams would find the back of the net as Tyson Jugnauth scored his 6^th of the season at 13:52 as the Winterhawks cruised to a fairly easy 6-2 win over the Royals in a game where they dominated the shots 53-16. Sotheran finished the game with 1 assist, a +2 rating, and 1 SOG.

(Feb. 24) The next night, the Portland Winterhawks once again took on the Victoria Royals for the second straight evening. In the opening period, the Portland Winterhawks took the 1-0 lead as Nate Danielson scored his 18^th of the season at 5:47. In the second period, Carter Sotheran would score his 9^th of the season at 5:33 off the rush with a wrist shot from the left circle to make it 2-0. The Royals would storm back to tie the game 2-2 with two even-strength goals, but the Winterhawks would regain the two-goal advantage with goals by Diego Buttazzoni (his 25^th at 17:26) and Tyson Jugnauth (his 7^th at 18:36) to make it 4-2. In the third period, Captain Gabe Klassen would put the finishing touches on this one as he scored his 32^nd of the season at 13:01 as the Portland Winterhawks swept their visiting set by defeating the Victoria Royals 5-2. Sotheran finished the game with 1 goal and 1 assist for 2 points, a +2 rating, and 3 SOG.

B-E-A-UTIFUL 🤌 pic.twitter.com/MbLeBBwVhu
— Portland Winterhawks (@pdxwinterhawks) February 25, 2024

Video courtesy of the Portland Winterhawks

(Feb. 28) The Portland Winterhawks returned home as they took on the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors. The Warriors would strike first through Buffalo Sabres prospect Matthew Savoie to take a 1-0 lead at 13:28 of the first period. That score would hold up until the third period when things got wild and both teams erupted for six goals in the frame. Moose Jaw got things started at 2:52 as they took a 2-0 lead, but the Winterhawks made it a 2-1 deficit at 8:04 with Jack O’Brien’s 19^th of the season. The Warriors would retake the two-goal lead at 10:54, but Portland would again fight back to make it 3-2 with Nate Danielson’s 19^th of the season at 12:08. Moose Jaw would add an empty net goal at 17:38, but Gabe Klassen would respond 18 seconds later with his 33^rd of the season to make it 4-3. Unfortunately, it was not to be for the Winterhawks as they dropped a 4-3 decision to the Moose Jaw Warriors. Carter Sotheran finished the game with no points, a +1 rating, and 1 SOG.

(Mar. 1) The Portland Winterhawks hosted the visiting Regina Pats. Neither side would get on the board in the opening period, but Portland outshot Regina 16-6 in what would be a foreshadow of the rest of the game. In the second period, Portland took a 1-0 lead at 14:09 through Hudson Darby’s 7^th of the season. At 17:09 the Winterhawks would double their lead through Josh Davies 32^nd of the season and ended up tilting the ice in shots to the tune of 19-3. In the third period, Portland would add some insurance and put the game away as Nate Danielson scored his 20^th on the powerplay at 4:57 to make it 3-0. Winterhawks goaltender Jan Spunar had an easy night in goal stopping all 15 shots he faced for the shutout as Portland defeated the Regina Pats 3-0. Carter Sotheran finished the game with no points, a +1 rating, 4 SOG, and 2 PIMs.

(Mar. 2) Wearing a throwback jersey to pay homage to the Portland Rosebuds, the Portland Winterhawks hosted the Victoria Royals. In the opening period, Josh Zakreski would open the scoring with his 18^th of the season at 6:22 to give the Winterhawks a 1-0 lead. The lead would not last though, as the Royals struck at even-strength and added a powerplay goal in the final minute of play to take a 2-1 lead. After no scoring in the second period, the third period would see a glut of scoring. The Royals added to their lead at 2:25 to make it 3-1, but Portland struck back with two quick goals by Zakreski (his second of the game at 4:45) and Jack O’Brien (his 20^th at 5:26) to tie the game 3-3. After Victoria retook the 4-3 lead at 6:48, Portland struck back at 14:09 with a shorthanded marker by Marcus Nguyen for his 20^th of the season to tie the game 4-4 to send the game to overtime. In overtime, Portland would complete the comeback as James Stefan would score his 42^nd of the season to give Portland a 5-4 overtime win over Victoria. Carter Sotheran finished the game with no points, an even rating, and 2 SOG.

(Mar. 6) The Portland Winterhawks hit the road as they visited the Kamloops Blazers. In the first period Portland blitzed Kamloops with a dominating 21-7 shots on goal advantage. The Winterhawks were able to parlay that advantage into a 2-0 lead thanks to a powerplay goal by James Stefan (his 43^rd at 9:26) and an even-strength goal by Kyle Chyzowski (his 17^th at 19:41). In the second period, the Winterhawks would score two goals in the opening 1:42 with goals by Josh Davies (his 33^rd at 1:26) and Nate Danielson (his 21^st at 1:42) to open up a 4-0 lead. Kamloops would score immediately 8 seconds later to get on the board at 4-1. In the third period, the Blazers would score two powerplay goals with a two-man advantage in the opening minute to make it a 4-3 game. At 4:02, Hudson Darby would score his 8^th of the season to re-establish a two-goal cushion and a 5-3 lead for the Winterhawks. Kamloops would cut the lead once again, but James Stefan’s 44^th of the season and second of the game into an empty net secured a 6-4 win for the Portland Winterhawks over the Kamloops Blazers. Carter Sotheran finished the game with no points, a +2 rating, 3 SOG, and 2 PIMs.

***The Portland Winterhawks are currently at 87 points which is 1^st place in the U.S. Division and sit in 2^nd in the Western Conference standings. Portland has clinched a playoff spot.

QMJHL (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League)

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

SEASON	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	S	PIM
2023-2024	35	5	6	11	-10	31	60

(Feb. 19) Losers of seven games in a row, the Saint John Sea Dogs hosted the Cape Breton Eagles at TD Station. In the opening period it was the Eagles that struck first to take the lead but Matteo Mann tied the game 1-1 at 14:24 with a deft touch in front of goal for his 4^th of the season. The Eagles would respond though and take a 2-1 lead into the break. In the second period, the Sea Dogs would tie the game 2-2 through Eriks Mateiko’s 21^st of the season at 4:38. The real story of this game though was Sea Dogs goaltender Patrick Leaver. Saint John was outshot in all three periods by a decisive margin (15-5, 14-5, 20-8) for a total of 51-20. Leaver totally kept the Sea Dogs alive in the game and through regulation the game remained tied 2-2. Overtime as well would solve nothing and the game would go to a shootout. In the shootout, Leaver would stop both Cape Breton shooters and Saint John would score twice through Mateiko and Pavel Simek to break the losing streak as the Sea Dogs defeated the Eagles 3-2 in a shootout. Mann finished the game with 1 goal, a -2 rating, 1 SOG, and 2 PIMs.

Manner finishes off the give-and-go.

🚨: Mann (4)
🍎: Beveridge
🍏: Elliott#GoDogsGo pic.twitter.com/qIV3UJCuD7
— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) February 19, 2024

Video courtesy of the Saint John Sea Dogs

(Feb. 23) The Saint John Sea Dogs hit the road as they visited the Quebec Remparts. In the opening period the Sea Dogs used the powerplay to jump out to a 2-0 lead. First it was Nicolas Bilodeau who scored his 5^th of the season on the powerplay at 11:55 to give the Sea Dogs a 1-0 lead. Matteo Mann made it two consecutive games with a goal as he scored his 5^th of the season with the man advantage at 13:17 to make it 2-0 as he slid home a loose puck in the crease. The Remparts would close the gap to 2-1 with a powerplay goal of their own at 17:53. In the second period, the Sea Dogs would restore their two-goal advantage as Egan Beveridge scored his 8^th of the season at 2:13 to make it 3-1. Saint John would hold that lead through forty minutes, but the third period saw the Remparts tie the game 3-3 with two even strength goals to force extra time. In overtime, Quebec would complete the comeback to defeat Saint John 4-3. Mann finished the game with 1 goal, a +1 rating, 1 SOG, and 2 PIMs.

Manner with goals in back-to-back games.

🚨: Mann (5)
🍎: Elliott
🍏: Beveridge#GoDogsGo pic.twitter.com/RL7Q2wKd9D
— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) February 24, 2024

Video courtesy of the Saint John Sea Dogs

(Feb. 24) The Saint John Sea Dogs road trip continued as they travelled to face the Drummondville Voltigeurs. It wasn’t the start that the Sea Dogs envisioned in the opening period as Drummondville scored 4 goals (all even strength) on 17 shots to take a 4-0 lead. Th second period fared a bit better as the Voltigeurs were only able to get two more goals in the frame past Patrick Leaver to lead 6-0 after forty minutes. In the third period, the Voltigeurs would score another two even strength goals (Flyers prospect Alexis Gendron registered an assist on the eighth goal) to make it an 8-0 lead. The Sea Dogs would get goals from Eriks Mateiko (his 22^nd on the powerplay at 8:16) and Brody Fournier (his 20^th while shorthanded at 16:26), but Drummondville would add a late powerplay goal to crush Saint John 9-2. Matteo Mann did not dress in the game.

(Feb. 25) The road trip continued for the Saint John Sea Dogs who played their third game in three days as they visited the Sherbrooke Phoenix. The Phoenix would get on the board with a powerplay goal at 3:52 to take a 1-0 lead. Both goalies would shut the door for the entire second period and the majority of the third period as Sherbooke’s Samuel St-Hilaire and Saint John’s Justin Robinson were participating in a good old fashioned goaltenders duel. Sherbrooke would get an insurance goal at 18:32 to take a 2-0 lead and add an empty net goal to hand Saint John a 3-0 shutout loss. Matteo Mann once again did not dress for todays game.

(Mar. 1) Losers of three in a row, the Saint John Sea Dogs hosted the Baie-Comeau Drakkar to the TD Station. In the opening period, the Drakkar scored 13 seconds into the game and added another to go up 2-0 before the game was 6:00 in. Saint John would score at 6:22 through Coen Miller’s 8^th of the season to make it 2-1. In the second period the Sea Dogs would tie the game 2-2 with a powerplay goal as Tyler Peddle scored his 10^th of the season at 1:22. Baie-Comeau would reply later in the period to go ahead 3-2 and in the third would add some insurance with an even strength goal and an empty-netter as the Sea Dogs fell 5-2 to the Drakkar. Matteo Mann did not dress for the game.

(Mar. 2) Hitting the road to try to change their fortunes, the Saint John Sea Dogs visited the Halifax Mooseheads. After conceding the first goal, the Sea Dogs would respond at 12:43 to tie the game 1-1 through Tyler Peddle’s 11^th goal of the season. Halifax would retake the lead only 23 seconds later to go into the intermission up 2-1 after dominating the shots on goal 21-7. Halifax would extend their lead to 3-1 in the second period with Saint John outshooting the Mooseheads in the period. In the third period the wheels would fall off for Saint John as Halifax would score 4 goals on 12 shots (including one 36 seconds into the period) on their way to a 7-1 loss to the Halifax Mooseheads. Matteo Mann once again did not dress for the game.

(Mar. 6) Having lost five in a row, the Saint John Sea Dogs travelled to Moncton to face the Wildcats. In the opening period it was the home side that pushed the play as they outshot Saint John 19-6 but could only score one goal to take a 1-0 lead. In the second period, the Wildcats would score three goals including one powerplay goal to go up 4-0. In the third period, Brody Fournier (his 21^st) would get Saint John on the board with a powerplay goal at 11:13 to make it 4-1. The Wildcats would then put the game away with two more goals to make it 6-1 and six losses in a row for the Sea Dogs. Towards the end of the game, tempers flared as Matteo Mann took his second slashing penalty of the period and dropped the gloves with Gabe Smith to add a fighting major and a game misconduct to his stats sheet. Mann finished the game with no points, a -1 rating, 1 SOG, and 9 PIMs.

(Mar. 8) The Saint John Sea Dogs visited the Cape Breton Eagles for the first of two games in the Eagles’ barn. The opening period was disastrous for the Sea Dogs as they allowed 2 goals in the opening minute of play and a total of five in the period to go down 5-0. Mercifully, the Sea Dogs would come out and outshoot the Eagles 13-3 in the second period but neither side would get on the board. In the third period, the Eagles added a powerplay goal but Saint John was able to break the shutout as Egan Beveridge scored his 9^th of the season at 13:50 as the lone bright spot in a 6-1 loss to the Cape Breton Eagles. Matteo Mann did not play in today’s game.

***The Saint John Sea Dogs are currently at 42 points which is 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings. The Sea Dogs will not qualify for the postseason.

OHL (Ontario Hockey League)

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

SEASON	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	S	PIM
2023-2024	54	23	39	62	+24	151	30

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

SEASON	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	S	PIM
2023-2024	58	31	60	91	+38	178	24

(Feb. 19) On Family Day, the London Knights were in action as they hosted the Windsor Spitfires. In the opening period, Windsor would open the scoring 1:51 in but London would tie the game 1-1 through Jackson Edwards 6^th of the season at 12:50. The Knights would take the 2-1 lead shorthanded as Denver Barkey would nab an assist on a two-on-one that was finished off by Easton Cowan for his 27^th of the season at 14:18. The Spitfires would tie the game 2-2 with a penalty shot goal, but the Knights would go up 3-2 as Max McCue scored his 24^th of the season at 19:07. In the second period, Barkey would pick up his second assist of the game on Sam Dickenson’s powerplay blast from the point for his 16^th of the season at 3:52 to make it 4-2. Landon Sim would extend the lead to 5-2 with his 9^th at 9:32, and Barkey would cap a three-goal period for the Knights with his 28^th at 10:28. Up 6-2 in the third period, Ruslan Gazizov would add a shorthanded goal at 14:22 with his 28^th of the season to cap off a 7-2 victory for London over Windsor. Oliver Bonk finished the game with no points, a +3 rating, and 4 SOG. Barkey ended up with 1 goal and 2 assists for 3 points, a +2 rating, and 3 SOG. Barkey was also named the First Star of the game.

Q!!! pic.twitter.com/OiEtAbiQWM
— London Knights (@LondonKnights) February 19, 2024