The Flyers Junior Hockey Prospect Report (Nov. 19

Welcome to the 4^th edition of The Flyers Junior Hockey Prospect Report for 2024-2025!

This edition for the 2024-2025 season covers the period that was in the WHL, QMJHL, and OHL from Tuesday November 19^th – Sunday December 1^st.

WHL (Western Hockey League)

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

SEASON	GP	W	L	OTL	SO	SH	SAV	GAA	SAV%
2024-2025	14	6	6	2	1	481	439	3.02	.913

(Nov. 22) The Brandon Wheat Kings hosted the Tri-City Americans on Friday night with Carson Bjarnason getting the nod in goal. The visiting Americans would get the only goal of the period to take a 1-0 lead on 17 shots in a busy period for Bjarnason. Tri-City would hold the Wheat Kings to only 5 shots in the middle frame and would add to their lead with another even-strength goal to lead 2-0. In the third period, Caleb Hadland would score his 6^th of the season at 2:06 to cut the lead to 2-1; but a powerplay goal and an empty-netter would seal the loss for the Brandon Wheat Kings by a score of 4-1. Outshot 46-34, Bjarnason took the loss and allowed 3 goals while making 43 saves. Bjarnason was named the First Star of the game.

https://twitter.com/bdnwheatkings/status/1861146499553407051

Video courtesy of the Brandon Wheat Kings

(Nov. 23) Wrapping up their homestand, the Brandon Wheat Kings hosted the Swift Current Broncos with Carson Bjarnason getting the start in goal once again. Marcus Nguyen would get things started with his 12^th of the season at 9:34 to give Brandon a 1-0 lead. In the second period, the Wheat Kings would erupt for five goals including Nguyen’s second of the game (his 13^th at 1:47), Nicholas Johnson (his 5^th at 4:46), Caleb Hadland (his 7^th at 6:13), Brady Turko (his 2^nd at 12:48), and Nigel Boehm (his 1^st at 17:22) to give the Wheat Kings a 6-0 lead. The Broncos solved Bjarnason early in the third period and scored 3 goals on 14 shots, but Matteo Michels 6^th of the season at 16:55 closed out the scoring in the Brandon’s 7-3 win over Swift Current. Bjarnason was credited with the win and allowed 3 goals on 27 shots (24 saves).

(Nov. 29) The Brandon Wheat Kings hit the road as they travelled to face the Medicine Hat Tigers with Carson Bjarnason getting the start once again. In the first period, the Tigers would be up 3-1 with the Wheat Kings goal coming from Jaxon Jacobson (his 4^th at 14:34). In the second period, Matteo Michels would close the gap to 3-2 with his 7^th of the season at 2:13. After Medicine Hat retook the two goal lead, Brandon got powerplay goals from Nicholas Johnson (his 6^th at 6:31) and Jacobson’s 5^th goal (his second of the game) at 13:17 to tie the game 4-4. The Tigers would wrestle the lead back, but once again the Wheat Kings would tie the game 5-5 through Luke Shipley’s 3^rd of the season at 18:06. In the third period, young phenom Gavin McKenna would prove his worth as he notched two assists to help the Tigers down the Wheat Kings 7-5. Bjarnason took he loss and allowed all 7 goals on 34 shots (27 saves).

(Nov. 30) The Alberta road trip continued for the Brandon Wheat Kings as they visited the Red Deer Rebels as Ethan Eskit started the game with Carson Bjarnason as his backup. Brandon would score first and take a 1-0 lead as Nicholas Johnson scored his 7^th of the season at 18:53 on the powerplay. The Wheat Kings would double their lead to 2-0 as Caleb Hadland scored only 15 seconds into the period for his 8^th of the year. The remainder of the scoring would be done by the Rebels in this game as Red Deer got a goal back to cut the lead to 2-1 and then scored three goals in the third period to defeat the Brandon Wheat Kings 4-2.

(Dec. 1) The road trip for the Brandon Wheat Kings continued as they visited the Edmonton Oil Kings with Carson Bjarnason getting the start. In the first period, Brady Turko scored his 3^rd of the season at 2:13 to give Brandon a 1-0 lead. In the second period, Carter Klippenstein (his 3^rd at 2:20) and Turko’s second of the game (his 4^th at 11:54) would give the Wheat Kings a 3-0 lead before the Oil Kings pulled one back to make it 3-1. In the third period, Matteo Michels scored his 8th of the season at 5:33 and Easton Odut scored his 2^nd at 12:51 as the Brandon Wheat Kings cruised to a 5-1 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. Bjarnason got the win and allowed 1 goal on 24 shots (23 saves).

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

SEASON	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	S	PIM
2024-2025	24	1	10	11	-15	65	27

(Nov. 22) The Portland Winterhawks returned home looking to win their third straight game as they hosted the Lethbridge Hurricanes. In the first period, Jordan Duguay (his 4^th at 2:18) and Kyle Chyzowski (his 15^th while shorthanded at 14:52) scored to give the Winterhawks a 2-1 lead. In the second period, Portland would explode for 4 goals on 10 shots to take control of this game. Diego Buttazzoni scored on a 5-on-3 powerplay at 0:32 and added a second at even strength only 19 seconds later for his 10^th of the season to give Portland a 4-1 lead. Tyson Jugnauth would score his 6^th at 2:35 to make it 5-1. On the powerplay once again, Carter Sotheran would add an assist as Tyson Yaremko scored his 8^th of the season at 8:17 by following up on the original shot from the point. In the third period, Lethbridge would claw two goals back but the Hurricanes would fall to the Portland Winterhawks 6-3. Sotheran finished the game with 2 assists, a -1 rating, and 3 SOG.

https://twitter.com/pdxwinterhawks/status/1860174675365756991

Video courtesy of the Portland Winterhawks

(Nov. 23) Winners of three in a row, the Portland Winterhawks hosted the Wenatchee Wild. In the opening period, Portland would take a 2-0 lead as Josh Zakreski (his 9^th on the powerplay at 6:43) and Carsyn Dyck (his 4^th at 14:35) scored for the Winterhawks. In the second period, Zakreski would score his second of the game at 8:13 but the lead evaporated as the Wild scored three goals in the frame to tie the game 3-3. In the third period, Wenatchee would take the 4-3 lead but 5 unanswered goals (including two shorthanded goals with one empty-netter) gave the Portland Winterhawks an 8-4 victory for their fourth in a row. Carter Sotheran finished the game with 2 assists, an even rating, and 4 SOG.

(Nov. 27) The Portland Winterhawks hosted the Kelowna Rockets for their first game of a two-game set at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Portland dominated the shots 13-5 in the opening period, but neither side could find the opening goal. In the second period, both sides would trade goals with Portland’s Josh Zakreski scoring two powerplay goals for his 11^th and 12^th goals of the season but the Winterhawks would trail the Rockets 3-2. In the third period, Kelowna would add an insurance goal at 2:19 and the Winterhawks would not be able to find an answer as Portland’s winning streak was snapped by a 4-2 loss to the Kelowna Rockets. Carter Sotheran finished the game with no points, a -1 rating, and 7 SOG.

(Nov. 29) The return match hosting the Kelowna Rockets was Portland’s first of three consecutive games during a busy weekend. Kelowna would strike first I the opening period, but Kyle Chyzowski would tie the game 1-1 at 15:56 with his 16^th goal of the season. The second period would be explosive with a total of six goals scored between both teams. Goals for the Winterhawks were from Kyle McDonough (his 7^th at 5:22), Josh Zakreski (his 13^th and 14^th goals at 12:43 and 19:15 respectively), and Hudson Darby (his 4^th at 19:46) gave Portland a 5-3 lead. In the third period, the Rockets would cut the lead to one but Zakreski would complete his hat-trick with an empty-netter as the Portland Winterhawks defeated the Kelowna Rockets 6-4. Carter Sotheran finished the game with no points, an even rating, 0 SOG, and 15 PIMs (a major for fighting with a game misconduct).

(Nov. 30) The Portland Winterhawks headed north to Washington as they visited the Spokane Chiefs for two consecutive games at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. In the opening period, the Chiefs took a 2-0 lead with an even strength and a powerplay goal. In the second period with the game 3-0, Carter Sotheran passed the puck to his point partner on the powerplay and Ryder Thompson blasted his 4^th of the season at 17:53 to make it 3-1. That was as close as Portland would get though as Spokane would add a pair in the final stanza to defeat the Winterhawks by a score of 5-1. Sotheran finished the game with 1 assist, a -1 rating, and 2 SOG.

(Dec. 1) For the second straight game, the Portland Winterhawks took on the host Spokane Chiefs for the second half of a back-to-back. Portland took a 2-0 lead in the opening frame with Tyson Yaremko (his 9^th at 3:33) and Kyle Chyzowski (his 17^th at 7:37) getting the goals; but Spokane would add a pair of their own to end the period all square at 2-2. In the second period both teams would combine for four goals again, but Spokane held a 5-3 lead as the Winterhawks goal came from Chyzowski’s second goal of the game. Kyle McDonough’s 8^th at 3:14 cut the lead to 5-4, but Spokane got an insurance marker through Berkley Catton and added an empty-netter as the Chiefs defeated the Winterhawks 7-4. Carter Sotheran finished the game with no points, a +1 rating, 1 SOG, and 4 PIMs (two minor penalties).

QMJHL (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League)

Spencer Gill #15 (D) – Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL)

SEASON	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	S	PIM
2024-2025	24	2	13	15	+18	63	25

(Nov. 20) The Rimouski Oceanic were looking to extend their 5-game winning streak as they hosted the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. In the first period, it was the vising Armada that took the 1-0 lead with an even strength goal at 7:42. That scoreline would stick through the first two periods of play with Blainville-Boisbriand holding a 16-13 shots advantage. Rimouski would tie the game 1-1 only 49 seconds into the third period as Alexandre Blais scored his 9^th goal of the season. The Oceanic would get the winning goal at 15:52 with Spencer Gill registering a secondary assist on Quinn Kennedy’s 8^th of the season as Rimouski would indeed win their sixth game in a row by defeating the Armada 2-1. Gill finished the game with 1 assist, a +1 rating, and 2 SOG.

(Nov. 22) Riding a six-game winning streak, the Rimouski Oceanic visited the Victoriaville Tigres. In the opening twenty, the Tigres would score the opening goal at 16:25 but the Oceanic would respond 1:17 later to tie the game 1-1 with Mathys Dube’s 3^rd goal of the season. In the second period both sides would trade goals with Victoriaville taking a 2-1 lead but Rimouski equalizing through Quinn Kennedy’s 9^th of the season at 8:56. In the third period, Kennedy would be the hero as his second goal of the game at 2:13 would end up as the game- winner with the Rimouski Oceanic downing the Victoriaville Tigres 3-2. Spencer Gill finished the game with no points, an even rating, and 0 SOG.

(Nov. 23) Winners of seven in a row, the Rimouski Oceanic visited the Sherbrooke Phoenix. Sherbrooke would take a 2-0 lead in the opening period with an even strength and a powerplay goal amidst a 12-9 shots on goal advantage. The Phoenix would add anther powerplay goal in the second period to make it 2 for 2 with the man advantage (they would finish the game 2 for 5) with Maverick Lachance scoring both powerplay goals. Rimouski would not be able to find a goal in this one as Linards Feldbergs would stop all 20 shots he faced and the Phoenix shutout the Oceanic 3-0. Spencer Gill finished the game with no points, a -1 rating, and 0 SOG.

(Nov. 29) Looking to get back to their winning ways, the Rimouski Oceanic hosted the Quebec Remparts. Kicking off an eventful first period, Rimouski would pen the scoring as Quinn Kennedy scored his 11^th of the season at 6:02 to give the Oceanic a 1-0 lead. The Remparts would respond with two goals in 3:11 to take a 2-1 lead at 13:21. Less than a minute later though, Spencer Gill would score his 2^nd goal of the season to tie the game 2-2. Jacob Mathieu would add a powerplay goal for his 17^th of the season at 15:50 to give Rimouski a 3-2 lead. Things calmed down a bit scoring wise in the second period with the only goal of the frame coming courtesy of another powerplay goal by Mathieu for his second of the game to give the Oceanic some insurance with a 4-2 lead. In the third period, Rimouski would get a late goal from Mael St-Denis (his 5^th into an empty net) as the Oceanic would return to the win column by defeating the Quebec Remparts 5-2. Gill finished the game with 1 goal, a +3 rating, 3 SOG, and 6 PIMs (3 minor penalties).

(Nov. 30) The homestand continued for the Rimouski Oceanic as they hosted the Chicoutimi Sagueneens. The Sagueneens would take the lead only 57 seconds in, but the Oceanic would get late goals from Mathieu Cataford (his 11^th while shorthanded at 17:47) and Jacob Mathieu (his 19^th at 19:56) to give Rimouski a 2-1 lead. In the second period, Rimouski would outshoot Chicoutimi 17-6 but a shorthanded goal and Emmanuel Vermette’s second goal of the game would let the Sagueneens escape the period with a 3-2 advantage. In the third period, Alexandre Blais scored his 10^th of the season on the powerplay to tie things up 3-3 at 5:10. Rimouski only allowed 3 shots in the third period but couldn’t find the winner in regulation. In overtime, Rimouski would earn their well deserved win as Mathieu scored his second goal of the game to lift Rimouski to a 4-3 overtime win over Chicoutimi. Spencer Gill finished the game with no points, a -1 rating, and 3 SOG.

OHL (Ontario Hockey League)

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

SEASON	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	S	PIM
2023-2024	23	6	15	21	+15	89	12

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

SEASON	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	S	PIM
2023-2024	21	4	24	28	+13	52	16

(Nov. 19) Winners of 11 games in a row, the London Knights hit the road to take on the archrival Kitchener Rangers. London would outshoot Kitchener 12-8 in the opening frame but found themselves down 1-0 on a powerplay goal. The Knights would tie the game 1-1 though as Oliver Bonk scored his 4^th of the season from his familiar spot in the slot at 18:53. In the second period, London would take the 2-1 lead as Sam Dickenson continued his strong play scoring his 12^th of the season on the powerplay by almost going end-to-end with a light touch by Denver Barkey providing an assist at 6:47. In the third period, Easton Cowan would close off the scoring with his 14^th of the season into an empty net as the London Knights defeated the Kitchener Rangers 3-1. Bonk finished the game with 1 goal, a +2 rating, and 5 SOG. Barkey ended up with 1 assist, a +1 rating, 4 SOG, 2 PIMs, and was 4 of 9 on faceoffs. Barkey was named the Third Star of the game.

https://twitter.com/LondonKnights/status/1859035137234845747