Welcome to 1st edition of The Flyers Junior Hockey Prospect Report for 2024-2025!
This inaugural edition for the 2024-2025 season covers the period that was in the WHL, QMJHL, and OHL from Friday September 27th – Tueday October 15th.
WHL (Western Hockey League)
Carson Bjarnason #64 (G) – Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
| SEASON | GP | W | L | SO | MINS | SH | SAV | GAA | SAV% |
| 2024-2025 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 237 | 152 | 138 | 3.54 | .908 |
- (Sept. 27) The Brandon Wheat Kings welcomed back Carson Bjarnason from Flyers training camp as he backed up Ethan Eskit as the Brandon Wheat Kings visited the Prince Albert Raiders. In the first period shots were even at nine a piece but the Wheat Kings scored on the powerplay through newcomer Marcus Nguyen who scored his 1st of the season at 16:04. In the second period, Dominik Petr would score his 1st of the season at 17:12 to give Brandon a 2-0 lead, but the Raiders would strike at 19:07 to cut the lead to 2-1 through two periods. In the third period, 2025 Draft prospect Roger McQueen would get his 5th goal of the young season at 6:46 and Nguyen would score his second of the game at 16:55 into an empty net as the Brandon Wheat Kings would defeat the Prince Albert Raiders 4-1.
- (Sept. 28) Carson Bjarnason made his first start of the season as the Brandon Wheat Kings road trip into Saskatchewan continued with a game against the Saskatoon Blades. The opening period finished scoreless but the Blades had the better of the play and the opportunities as they outshot the Wheat Kings 11-5. The second period was a much more offensive affair that began with Brandon taking a 1-0 lead through Luke Shipley’s 1st of the season only 1:49 in. Saskatoon would score three straight (including two goals that were 1:16 apart) to take a 3-1 lead before Roger McQueen scored a powerplay goal at 18:35 (his 6th) to make it a 3-2 deficit. The point was McQueen’s 9th which leads the WHL. In the third period, Marcus Nguyen would tie the game 3-3 at 7:45 with his 3rd of the season, but Saskatoon would score the winning goal on the powerplay at 16:57 to hand Brandon its first loss of the season by a score of 4-3. Bjarnason was tagged with the loss and stopped 34 of 38 shots (allowing 4 goals).
- (Oct. 4) Carson Bjarnason got his first home start of the season as the Brandon Wheat Kings hosted the Edmonton Oil Kings at Westoba Place. Neither side would find the twine in the opening period, but Bjarnason put in some good work in front of the home fans stopping all shots as the Oil Kings outshot the Wheat Kings 13-9. His best stop came in the dying seconds of the period as he turned away Roan Woodward on a breakaway to keep things scoreless. In the second period, Brandon would strike first as Matteo Michels scored his 1st of the season to give Brandon a 1-0 lead only 23 seconds in. Roger McQueen would stay red hot with a powerplay goal for his 7th of the season at 4:05 to make it 2-0. Edmonton would finally get a goal past Bjarnason while on the powerplay at 11:43, but Brandon would still hold a 2-1 lead. In the third period, Jaxon Jacobson would score his 1st of the season at 16:38 to provide some insurance as the Brandon Wheat Kings would defeat the Edmonton Oil Kings 3-1. Bjarnason won his first game of the season only allowed 1 goal on 34 shots (33 saves). Carson Bjarnason was named the First Star of the game.
Video is courtesy of the WHL and the Brandon Wheat Kings
- (Oct. 5) The homestand continued for the Brandon Wheat Kings as they welcomed the Swift Current Broncos to Westoba Place. Ethan Eskit would get the start in goal as Carson Bjarnason was the backup. Brandon would outshoot Swift Current in all three periods and found themselves up 2-1 after forty minutes of play. After falling behind 3-1, Swift Current would fight back to tie the game 3-3 and force overtime. After a scoreless overtime, the Broncos would complete the comeback by scoring twice in the shootout to defeat the Wheat Kings 4-3.
- (Oct. 8) Carson Bjarnason would get the start as the Brandon Wheat Kings welcomed the Everett Silvertips to town. In the opening period, Brandon would take the 1-0 lead through Ben Binder Nord’s 1st of the season at 6:31. Everett would outshoot Brandon 12-10 in the opening frame. In the second period, exceptional status defenseman Landon DuPont would tie the game 1-1 with a powerplay goal at 8:19. The Silvertips would score twice more before the end of the period to take a 3-1 lead. In the third period, DuPont would add an empty-netter for his second goal of the game as the Silvertips defeated the Wheat Kings by a score of 4-1. Bjarnason took the loss as he allowed 3 goals on 43 shots (40 saves).
- (Oct. 11) The Brandon Wheat Kings visited Medicine Hat as they took on the Tigers with Carson Bjarnason starting in goal. Bjarnason would be busy in this game as Medicine Hat outshot Brandon in all three periods to a total of 37-22 for the game. In the opening period, the Tigers would only lead 1-0 through a powerplay goal at 13:44. In the second period, Medicine Hat would score twice at even strength with goals 1:29 apart to take a 3-0 lead through forty minutes. In the third period, the game was put out of reach as the Tigers would score twice at even strength and once on the powerplay to make it a 6-0 game. Brandon would break the shutout bid at 17:36 as Brady Turko scored his first of the season, although it was a tough night for the Wheat Kings as they fell to the Tigers 6-1. Bjarnason allowed all 6 goals on 37 shots (31 saves) in the loss.
- (Oct. 12) The Brandon Wheat Kings continued their Alberta trip as they visited the Lethbridge Hurricanes with Carson Bjarnason backing up Ethan Eskit in this game. In the opening period, the Hurricanes pounced to a 3-0 lead before Nolan Flamand scored his 2nd of the season at 15:59 to make it a 3-1 game. In the second period, Marcus Nguyen would score a powerplay goal to cut the lead to 3-2 at 6:18 with his 4th of the season. After Lethbridge reestablished the two-goal lead at 8:16, Flamand would score his second of the game on the powerplay at 18:01 to make it a 4-3 deficit. In the third period, the Hurricanes would ice the win with an empty-netter as the Lethbridge defeated Brandon by a score of 5-3.
Carter Sotheran #59 (D) – Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
| SEASON | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | S | PIM |
| 2024-2025 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | -13 | 17 | 10 |
- (Sept. 28) Winners of their first two games, the Portland Winterhawks welcomed back Carter Sotheran from Flyers Training Camp as they visited the Everett Silvertips. The first period was not kind to Portland as they found themselves trailing 3-0 and outshot 16-8. In the second period, Everett would add another two goals to take a 5-0 lead before Kyle Chyzowski scored his 4th of the season at 12:15 to trail 5-1. In the third period with the score 6-1, Sotheran would head to the penalty box for a delay of game penalty and the Silvertips would convert on the man advantage to make it a lopsided 7-1 scoreline. Chyzowski would score his second of the game at 17:44 with a powerplay goal, but Everett would add another goal late as they crushed the Portland Winterhawks 8-2. Sotheran had an abysmal night in his first game back as he finished with no points, a -7 rating, 3 SOG, and 2 PIMs.
- (Oct. 4) The Portland Winterhawks returned home as they faced the visiting Victoria Royals. Portland was outshot 14-7 in the opening frame but both sides scored on the powerplay and at even strength to finish the period tied 2-2. Ryan Miller scored his 1st of the season at 9:39 and Josh Zakreski scored on the powerplay for his 1st at 14:17. In the second period with the Royals leading 3-2, Tyson Jugnauth scored his 1st of the season with a powerplay wrist shot from the point at 5:45 to tie the game 3-3. Jugnauth would nab an assist at 19:52 as Ryan Miller would score his second of the game on the powerplay to give the Winterhawks a 4-3 lead. 35 seconds into the third period, Carsyn Dyck would score his 2nd of the season to add some insurance as the Portland Winterhawks won their home opener by a score of 5-3 over the Victoria Royals. Carter Sotheran finished the game with no points, a +1 rating, 2 SOG, and 2 PIMs.
- (Oct. 5) The Portland Winterhawks welcomed the visiting Prince George Cougars to the Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Saturday night. The festivities got started 18 seconds in as Portland took the lead through Hudson Darby’s 1st of the season to make it 1-0. The Cougars would tie the game 1-1 at 12:53 with an even strength goal by Viliam Kmec. In the second period, Prince George would take a 2-1 lead with a powerplay goal at 4:26; but Josh Zakreski would respond with his 2nd of the season at 19:06 to tie the game 2-2. In the third period, the Portland Winterhawks would get the winning goal with only 3 seconds remaining in regulation as Ryan Miller was the hero with his 3rd of the season giving the Winterhawks a 3-2 win over the Cougars. Carter Sotheran finished the game with no points, a +1 rating, and 1 SOG.
- (Oct. 8) The Portland Winterhawks started a back-to-back series at Prince George to face the Cougars to open their road trip. In the first period, Koehn Ziemmer got the Cougars out to a 2-0 lead with a goal and an assist in his debut after returning from Los Angeles Kings Training Camp. In the second period, Portland would outshoot Prince George 12-6 and would be rewarded at 5:15 with Ryder Thompson’s 1st of the season. The Winterhawks would tie the game 2-2 as Carter Sotheran banked the puck out of the defensive zone to an aggressive Josh Zakreski who would beat Joshua Ravensbergen for his 3rd of the season. The assist was Sotheran’s first point of the season. In the third period, Tyson Yaremko would give the Winterhawks the 3-2 lead with his 3rd of the season; but Ziemmer would tie the game up with his second of the game in the final minute to force overtime. In overtime, Diego Buttazzoni was the hero as his 2nd of the season gave Portland a 4-3 win over Prince George. Sotheran finished the game with 1 assist, an even rating, 2 SOG, and 2 PIMs (Unsportsmanlike Conduct).
Video courtesy of the Portland Winterhawks
- (Oct. 9) In the second half of the back-to-back, the visiting Portland Winterhawks and the Prince George Cougars would once again need extra time to sort out a winner. The opening period began with the Cougars jumping out to a 3-0 lead on 12 SOG. Prince George looked to have the game well in hand after forty minutes of play as they had extended their lead to 4-0. Carter Sotheran had a tough go of it as he was a -4 at that point of the game. Cue the comeback for the Portland Winterhawks. In the third period, Diego Buttazzoni score his 3rd on the powerplay and Hudson Darby scored his 2nd of the season to cut the deficit to 4-2. Captain Kyle Chyzowski would score his 6th at 16:14 (with Sotheran drawing an assist) and Tyson Jugnauth would score his 2nd of the season 23 seconds later to tie the game 4-4. After a scoreless overtime, Portland completed the improbable comeback as Diego Buttazzoni scored the only goal of the shootout to hand the Portland Winterhawks a sweep at Prince George with a 5-4 shootout win. Sotheran finished the game with 1 assist, a -3 rating, and 4 SOG.
- (Oct. 11) The Portland Winterhawks road trip continued as they travelled to Kelowna to face the Rockets. In the first period, Tij Iginla scored twice and Andrew Cristall scored three points to pace the Rockets to a 3-0 lead by 12:28. Jordan Duguay would get the Winterhawks on the board before the end of the period with his 2nd of the season looking to start a comeback in this one. That comeback would never materialize as the Rockets blasted the Winterhawks for 6 goals on 13 shots and chasing goaltender Marek Schlenker from the contest. 9-1 in the third period, Portland began to show signs of life as they got powerplay goals from Josh Zakreski (his 4th), Reed Brown (his 2nd), and Diego Buttazzoni (his 4th); but the Winterhawks fell to the dominant Rockets by a score of 9-4. Carter Sotheran finished the game with no points, a -3 rating, and 0 SOG.
- (Oct. 12) The Portland Winterhawks road trip had a final stop as they visited the Seattle Thunderbirds. Seattle would open the scoring 2:10 in, but the Winterhawks would respond on the powerplay as Tyson Yaremko scored his 4th at 8:04 to tie the game 1-1. Diego Buttazzoni would score again on the man-advantage (his 5th at 10:19) and Jordan Duguay would add his 2nd of the season at 15:06 to pace Portland to a 3-1 lead. In the second period the Thunderbirds would tie the game 3-3, but Tyson Jugnauth would restore the 4-3 lead with his 3rd of the season on the powerplay. After Seattle tied the game once again, Yaremko would notch his second of the game with 3 seconds remaining in the frame to give Portland a 5-4 lead after forty minutes. In the third period, Seattle would not be denied as they scored twice in the final period to hand the Portland Winterhawks a 6-5 loss. Carter Sotheran finished the game with 1 assist, a -2 rating, 2 SOG, and 4 PIMs.
QMJHL (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League)
Spencer Gill #15 (D) – Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL)
| SEASON | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | S | PIM |
| 2024-2025 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 4 | +8 | 17 | 10 |
- (Sept. 28) Starting the season on the road for their first nine games, the Rimouski Oceanic visited the Gatineau Olymiques as Spencer Gill made his debut after being released from Flyers Training Camp. After conceding the first goal, Rimouski responded with goals from Jacob Mathieu (his 1st at 9:10) and Pavel Simek (his 2nd at 18:21) to lead 2-1. Both sides would trade goals in the second period but the Oceanic would trail 4-3 by periods end with Olivier Theberge scoring his 1st at 9:39 for the only Oceanic goal. In the third period, Rimouski started quick as Jacob Mathieu scored 39 seconds in and added a shorthanded goal at 3:11 for his 2nd and 3rd goals of the season. Olivier Theberge would score his second of the game to make it 6-4 at 9:42, and Maxime Coursol would add an empty-netter to give the Rimouski Oceanic a 7-4 win over the Gatineau Olympiques. Gill finished the game with no points, a +1 rating, and 0 SOG.
- (Sept. 29) The road trip continued as the Rimouski Oceanic visited the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. In the opening period, the Armada opened up a 3-0 lead but the Oceanic would respond with Mathieu Cataford assisting on Pavel Simek’s 3rd of the season at 15:01 and Luke Coughlin’s 1st at 17:09 to cut the lead to 3-2. In the second period, the only goal cam courtesy of a Blainville-Boisbriand powerplay goal to make it a 4-2 lead. In the third period, Spencer Gill would get a secondary assist on Mathieu Cataford’s powerplay goal (his 1st at 5:23) to get it to 4-3; but the Armada would add goals including an empty-netter to take the victory 6-3. Gill finished the game with 1 assist, a +1 rating, 4 SOG, and 2 PIMs.
- (Oct. 4) The road trip for the Rimouski Oceanic continued as they headed to the east coast to take on the Cape Breton Eagles. Former Halifax Moosehead Mathieu Cataford opened the scoring at 3:44 for his 2nd of the season and added an assist on Olivier Theberge’s 3rd of the season at 19:17 to give Rimouski a 2-0 lead. In the second period, both sides traded goals as the Oceanic originally took a 3-0 lead through Loic Francoeur’s 1st of the season at 3:17 but ended t period up 3-1. In the third period, the Eagles cut the lead to 3-2 but Cataford assisted on both empty net goals from Quinn Kennedy and Jacob Mathieu to lead Rimouski to a 5-2 victory. Spencer Gill finished the game with no points, a +2 rating, and 0 SOG.
- (Oct. 6) The Rimouski Oceanic travelled to Halifax to face Mathieu Cataford’s former team the Mooseheads. The home side would lead 1-0 after twenty minutes despite only registering 4 SOG. In the second period, both sides would find the back of the net twice bookended by Alexandre Blais’ 1st of the season at 1:20 and Pavel Simek’s 4th at 6:55 to make it a 3-2 deficit for Rimouski. In the third period, the Oceanic would tie the game 3-3 with Mathys Dube’s 1st of the season at 6:54. At 16:18, Spencer Gill would get the puck behind the net to a determined Mathieu Cataford who slid the puck 5-hole for the game winning goal as the Rimouski Oceanic defeated the Halifax Mooseheads 4-3. Gill finished the game with 1 assist, a +2 rating, 6 SOG, and 4 PIMs (two minor penalties for roughing).
Video courtesy of the CHL and the QMJHL
- (Oct. 11) The Rimouski Oceanic returned to Quebec and visited Chicoutimi to take on the Sagueneens. The home team found themselves up 2-0 in the opening period and added to their lead at 1:19 of the second period to make it 3-0. Rimouski would get on the board through Alexandre Blais’ 2nd of the season at 3:17 (with a secondary assist to Spencer Gill), and a Mathieu Cataford powerplay goal for his 4th of the season at 12:53 to make it a 3-2 game. In the third period, Chicoutimi would extend their lead to 4-2 but Pier-Olivier Roy would score a powerplay goal for his 1st at 8:59 and tie the game with Jacob Mathieu’s 5th of the season at 11:30. With the game tied 4-4 and overtime not able to decide a winner, the game went to a shootout where the Oceanic would score on all three of their attempts as they defeated the Sagueneens 5-4. Gill finished the game with 2 assists, a +1 rating, 6 SOG, and 4 PIMs.
- (Oct. 12) The Rimouski Oceanic continued to hit the road as they travelled to the provincial capital to take on the Quebec Remparts. After a scoreless first period, the Oceanic blew the game open in the second period with 3 goals on 12 shots courtesy of Maxime Coursol’s 2nd of the season at 1:37, Dominic Pilote’s 1st at 4:04, and Quinn Kennedy’s 3rd at 10:24. In the third period, Rimouski would ice the game as Alexandre Blais scored his 3rd of the season at 14:38 and William Lacelle would stop all 19 shots as the Oceanic shutout the Remparts 4-0. Spencer Gill finished the game with no points, a +1 rating, and 1 SOG.
OHL (Ontario Hockey League)
Oliver Bonk #59 (D) – London Knights (OHL)
| SEASON | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | S | PIM |
| 2023-2024 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | +4 | 5 | 2 |
Denver Barkey #86 (RW) – London Knights (OHL)
| SEASON | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | S | PIM |
| 2023-2024 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 4 |
- (Oct. 9) After a 2-2 start to the OHL season, the London Knights travelled to Owen Sound to face the Attack with both Oliver Bonk and Denver Barkey making their season debuts following their release from Flyers Training Camp. Down 2-0 in the opening period, the Knights responded with a shorthanded goal from Easton Cowan for his 1st of the season at 9:05 and Blake Arrowsmith’s 3rd at 16:06 to tie the game 2-2. In the second period, Oliver Bonk would open his account with his 1st of the season at 2:05 after finding himself all alone in front in the slot to put London up 3-2. The Attack would tie the game 3-3 only 40 second later. In the third period, Barkey would pass the puck to Sam Dickenson who one-timed a shot to give the Knights a 4-3 lead on the powerplay at 2:50. But the resilient Owen Sound would claw their way back once again with the Knights getting into penalty trouble to force overtime all tied at 4-4. In overtime, Sam O’Reilly would score the winner for his 2nd of the season only 58 seconds in as the London Knights would defeat the Owen Sound Attack 5-4. Barkey finished the game with 1 assist, a -1 rating, 3 SOG, and 2 PIMs. Bonk ended the game with 1 goal and 1 assist for 2 points, a +3 rating, 3 SOG, and 2 PIMs.
Video courtesy of the London Knights
Video courtesy of the London Knights
- (Oct. 11) The London Knights returned home to the Budweiser Gardens as they opened a 5-game homestand against the Barrie Colts. Sam Dickenson opened the scoring at 19:06 with a powerplay goal for his 2nd of the season to give London a 1-0 lead. After Barrie scored twice in the second period, Denver Barkey fed the puck into the slot where Jesse Nurmi scored his 1st of the season to tie the game 2-2 at 11:43. A pair of shorthanded goals gave the Colts a 4-2 lead, but in the third period Dickenson scored a pair of powerplay goals to give him a hat-trick in the game to tie thing up at 4-4. The Knights were not done though as Evan Van Gorp scored the winner for his 4th of the season at 15:29 to give London a 5-4 regulation win over Barrie. Bonk finished the game with 2 assists, a -1 rating, and 1 SOG. Barkey ended the game with 1 assist, an even rating, 2 SOG, and 2 PIMs.
Video courtesy of the London Knights
Video courtesy of the London Knights
- (Oct. 12) The London Knights welcomed the visiting Guelph Storm for their game on Saturday. In the opening period, William Nicholl scored his 3rd of the season at 17:47 to give the Knights a 1-0 lead. In the second period, PJ Fagan II scored his 1st of the season at 6:34 to extend the lead to 2-0. The Storm would respond to make it 2-1, but Nicholl would score his second goal of the game to restore the 3-1 lead. In the third period, London would get insurance from Easton Cowan who scored his 2nd of the season at 9:58 and get an empty-netter from Evan Van Gorp whose 5th of the season ensured the London Knights a 5-1 victory over the Guelph Storm. Denver Barkey finished the game with no points, a +1 rating, and 1 SOG. Oliver Bonk ended the game with no points, a +2 rating, and 1 SOG.
***
Hope you enjoyed this edition of The Flyers CHL Prospect Report.
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 