The Flyers Junior Hockey Prospect Report (Dec. 4

Welcome to the 5^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 Wednesday December 4^th – Friday December 20^th.

WHL (Western Hockey League)

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

SEASON	GP	W	L	OTL	SO	SH	SAV	GAA	SAV%
2024-2025	16	8	6	2	1	531	485	2.90	.913

(Dec. 6) The Brandon Wheat Kings hosted the Red Deer Rebels with Cason Bjarnason getting the start in goal. In the first period, Brandon would jump out to a 3-0 lead with two goals from Dominik Petr (7^th on the PP at 2:35, 8^th at 8:04) and Quinn Mantei (his 2^nd at 15:27). In the second period, Caleb Hadland (his 9^th at 1:04) and Matteo Michels (his 9^th at 7:38) extended the Wheat Kings lead to 5-0. Red Deer would get a goal in the third period to break the shutout, but the Brandon Wheat Kings would win this game by a score of 5-1. Bjarnason got the win and was not very busy as he stopped 21 of 22 shots and allowed only 1 goal.

(Dec. 7) The Brandon Wheat Kings hosted the Prince Albert Raiders with Carson Bjarnason in goal for their annual Teddy Bear Toss game. The Raiders would open the scoring, but Rhett Ravndahl would get the bears flying onto the ice with his 2^nd of the season at 2:53 to tie the game 1-1. Brandon would then take a 2-1 lead at 6:57 with Matteo Michels 10^th goal of the season. In the second period, the Raiders would draw even at 4:49 but Adam Belusko would score his 1^st of the season at 14:13 to regain the 3-2 lead for the Wheat Kings. Brandon would go up 4-2 as Matteo Michels would stay hot with his 11^th of the season at 17:43. In the third period, the Wheat Kings would score 3 goals on 15 shots with goals by Brady Turko (his 5^th at 1:59), Easton Odut (his 3^rd at 3:07), and Carter Klippenstein (his 4^th at 15:24) to defeat the Prince Albert Raiders 7-3. Carson Bjarnason was credited with the win and allowed 3 goals on 28 shots (25 saves).

(Dec. 14) With Carson Bjarnason away at Team Canada selection camp for the World Junior Hockey Championships, the Brandon Wheat Kings visited the Prince Albert Raiders. In the first period, Prince Albert ran out to a 3-0 lead on 14 shots peppered towards Ethan Eskit. In the second period, the Wheat Kings would get back into the game with goals by Marcus Nguyen (his 14^th at 1:49) and Caleb Hadland (his 10^th on the PP at 16:05) to make it a 3-2 deficit. In the third period, both sides would capitalize with powerplay goals (including Hadland’s second goal of the game) but the Raiders would add an insurance goal at 13:50 to defeat the Brandon Wheat Kings 5-3.

(Dec. 15) The Brandon Wheat Kings continued their Saskatchewan road trip as they took on the Saskatoon Blades. The opening period only saw a combine 11 shots on goal but it was the Wheat Kings who exited the frame with a 2-0 lead with goals by Matteo Michels (his 12^th at 1:51) and Nicholas Johnson (his 8^th on the Powerplay at 11:30). In the second period and early in the third, the Blades would tie the game 2-2 but Luke Shipley would restore Brandon’s lead with his 4^th goal of the season at 14:04. The Wheat Kings would add an empty net goal through Shipley’s second of the game as Brandon would defeat Saskatoon 4-2. Ethan Eskit picked up the victory in the absence of Carson Bjarnason.

(Dec. 17) With Carson Bjarnason continuing to be absent due to his presence at Canada’s World Junior camp, the Brandon Wheat Kings hosted the Moose Jaw Warriors with Ethan Eskit starting in goal. Moose Jaw would outshoot Brandon 14-6 but would only take a 1-0 lead in the opening frame thanks to some solid saves by Eskit. In the second period, Brandon would outshoot Moose Jaw 18-8 and would score four goals through Marcus Nguyen (his 15^th on the PP at 1:54), Giorgos Pantelas (his 2^nd at 6:45), Caleb Hadland (his 12^th at 8:03), and Luke Shipley (his 6^th at 15:04). However, the Warriors would also score three goals in the frame to make it 4-4. After no scoring in the third period and overtime, the game would be decided by the shootout. In the shootout, the Wheat Kings would miss all three shots and Lynden Lakovic would score the shootout winner as Moose Jaw would defeat Brandon 5-4 in a shootout.

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

SEASON	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	S	PIM
2024-2025	30	1	14	15	-15	90	38

(Dec. 7) The Portland Winterhawks hosted the Vancouver Giants for their first of a back-to-back versus the same opponent on the weekend. In the first period, both sides scored powerplay goals as the Winterhawks tied the game 1-1 with Tyson Yaremko’s 10^th of the season at 14:51. The Giants would take a 2-1 lead in the second period, but Portland would rattle off four goals on 14 shots to take a 5-2 lead. Kyle Chyzowski would get things started at 3:10 with his 19^th of the season. Carter Sotheran would get the lone assist on Diego Buttazzoni’s 11^th at 10:30. Chyzowski and Buttazzoni would each score their second goals of the game (Buttazzoni’s was on the Powerplay) to give the Winterhawks the 5-2 advantage. In the third period, Portland would make it six consecutive goals as Alex Weiermair (his 1^st at 5:28) and Kyle McDonough (his 9^th at 11:36) rounded out the scoring in a convincing 7-2 victory for the Portland Winterhawks. Sotheran finished the game with 2 assists, a +3 rating, 5 SOG, and 2 PIMs.

https://twitter.com/pdxwinterhawks/status/1865599853558157548

Video courtesy of the Portland Winterhawks

(Dec. 8) The second half of the back-to-back home set for the Portland Winterhawks against the Vancouver Giants took place with the home team looking to keep rolling. Portland would outshoot Vancouver 14-10 but it was the Giants that would score the only goal to lead 1-0. The Giants would extend their lead to 2-0 in the second period, but Diego Buttazzoni made it three goals during the home set as he finished his 13^th of the season on the powerplay at 10:22 to make it 2-1. Vancouver would get a pair of goals from Adam Titlbach though to pull away to 4-1 after forty minutes. In the third period, Kyle McDonough would get his 10^th at 7:47 but Titlbach would complete the hat-trick as the Giants defeated the Winterhawks 5-2. Carter Sotheran finished the game with no points, a -1 rating, 3 SOG, and 5 PIMs (Fighting Tyson Zimmer).

(Dec. 11) The Portland Winterhawks were back in action as they visited the Everett Silvertips. Kyle Chyzowski would score a pair in the period (including one 40 seconds into the game) for his 21^st and 22^nd goals of the season to give Portland a 2-1 lead. In the second period, Everett would tie the game 11 seconds into the period but goals by Josh Zakreski (his 16^th at 0:26) and Tyson Yaremko (his 11^th on the Powerplay at 2:46) would give the Winterhawks a 4-2 lead. The Silvertips would get to within one midway through the period, but the Portland Winterhawks would hold on to win this one by a score of 4-3. Carter Sotheran finished the game with no points, an even rating, 5 SOG, and 2 PIMs (Delay of Game).

(Dec. 13) The Portland Winterhawks began their homestand before the Holiday Break as they hosted the Prince George Cougars. The Winterhawks started positively with goals from Kayd Ruedig (his 1^st at 4:48) and Josh Zakreski (his 17^th at 9:12) to end the opening period with a 2-1 lead. In the second period, Zakreski would score his second goal of the game at 9:51 to give the Winterhawks a 3-1 lead despite being outshot 16-11 for two consecutive periods. In the third period, Zakreski would complete the hat-trick at 9:23 and cap off a very good performance as the Portland Winterhawks defeated the Prince George Cougars 4-1. Carter Sotheran finished the game with no points, a -1 rating, and 4 SOG.

(Dec. 14) The homestand continued for the Portland Winterhawks as they hosted the Seattle Thunderbirds wearing their ‘Winter Specialty Jerseys’. In the opening period, Carsyn Dyck scored a shorthanded goal for his 5^th of the season at 11:30 to give Portland a 1-0 lead. The Winterhawks would double their lead with Tyson Yaremko’s 12^th at 15:49 but a late Seattle goal would cut the lead to 2-1 after twenty minutes. In the second period, Kyle Chyzowski would score his 23^rd of the season finishing off a nice pass by Tyson Jugnauth at 4:19 to make it 3-1. Seattle would once again cut the lead to 3-2, but Tyson Yaremko would score a powerplay goal for his 13^th of the season at 11:21 to give Portland a 4-2 lead. In the third period, the Winterhawks would add a powerplay goal by Diego Buttazzoni (his 14^th at 11:36) as the Portland Winterhawks defeated the Seattle Thunderbirds 5-2. Carter Sotheran finished the game with 2 assists, an even rating, 5 SOG, and 2 PIMs.

The Portland Winterhawks hosted the Spokane Chiefs in their final game before the holiday break. Diego Buttazzoni (his 15^th at 4:59) and Kyle Chyzowski (his 24^th at 13:34) paced the Winterhawks to a 2-0 lead in the opening period before the Chiefs cut the deficit to 2-1 at 15:18. In the second period, Portland would outshoot Spokane 17-5 but both goals in the frame belonged to the Chiefs as Spokane would take a 3-2 lead after forty minutes. In the third period, four Portland goals by Alex Weiermair (his 2^nd and 3^rd at 2:10 and 14:23), Kyle Chyzowski (his 25^th at 3:34), and Tyson Yaremko (his 14^th at 18:51) negated a Rasmus Ekstrom hat-trick as the Winterhawks won their third in a row with a 6-4 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. Carter Sotheran finished the game with no points, a -1 rating, and 3 SOG.

QMJHL (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League)

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

SEASON	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	S	PIM
2024-2025	28	3	14	17	+20	69	29

(Dec. 6) The Rimouski Oceanic hit the road with a back-to-back versus the Chicoutimi Sagueneens. In the opening period, Chicoutimi would take the lead but Rimouski would tie the game 1-1 with only 19 seconds left as Maxime Coursol scored his 10^th of the season. Both sides would trade goals once again in the second period as the Sagueneens took a 2-1 lead but the Oceanic tied the game 2-2 through Dominic Pilote’s 6^th goal of the season at 7:58. There would be no more goals scored in regulation or overtime as Rimouski outshot Chicoutimi 36-23. In the shootout, both Jacob Matthew and Mathieu Cataford scored for the Oceanic as Rimouski would defeat Chicoutimi 3-2 in a shootout. Spencer Gill finished the game with no points, an even rating, and 5 SOG.

(Dec. 7) The Rimouski Oceanic visited the Chicoutimi Sagueneens for the second half of their back-to-back set. Chicoutimi would lead 1-0 in the opening period thanks to a powerplay goal at 16:18. After no scoring in the second period, the Sagueneens would score one even strength and two powerplay goals to put themselves up 4-0 in the third period. Rimouski would get on the board at 12:19 with Maxime Coursol’s 11^th of the season on the powerplay to make it 4-1. The Oceanic would continue to claw back despite only having 5 shots in the period as Spencer Gill scored his 3^rd goal of the season at 15:16 to make it 4-2. That was as far as Rimouski’s comeback would get though as the Sagueneens put the game away with another powerplay goal to defeat the Oceanic 5-2. Gill finished the game with 1 goal, a +1 rating, 1 SOG, and 2 PIMS.

(Dec. 13) The Rimouski Oceanic returned home for another back-to-back set but this time they welcomed the visiting Baie-Comeau Drakkar. Rimouski would get the opening goal at 12:57 as Dominic Pilote scored his 7^th of the season to give the Oceanic a 1-0 lead. In the second period, the Oceanic would double their advantage as Maxime Coursol scored his 12^th of the season at 9:58 to make it 2-0. That would be all the scoring in this game as the third period was scoreless and goaltender William Lacelle stopped all 26 shots he faced as the Rimouski Oceanic shutout Baie-Comeau 2-0. Spencer Gill finished the game with o points, a +1 rating, and 0 SOG.

(Dec. 14) Before the Holiday Break, the Rimouski Oceanic once again hosted the Baie-Comeau Drakkar for the second half of their back-to back set. Alexandre Blais would get the scoring started with his 11^th of the season at 13:18 to give Rimouski a 1-0 advantage. The Drakkar would even things 1-1 though in the final minute of the period to even things up. In the second period the Oceanic enjoyed a 13-4 shots advantage and got goals from Mathys Dube (his 4^th at 7:50) and Mael St-Denis (his 6^th at 19:03) to take a 3-1 lead after forty minutes. In the final frame, Justin Poirier continued his stellar season with his 25^th of the season for the Drakkar but the Rimouski Oceanic would get the win and hang on with a 3-2 win over Baie-Comeau. Spencer Gill finished the game with 1 assist, an even rating, 0 SOG, and 2 PIMs.

OHL (Ontario Hockey League)

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

SEASON	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	S	PIM
2023-2024	24	6	15	21	+13	93	12

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

SEASON	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	S	PIM
2023-2024	26	7	27	34	+18	60	16

(Dec.4) The London Knights hosted the Owen Sound Attack on Teddy Bear Toss night. The bears would have to wait though, as London outshot Owen Sound 20-8 but neither side could buge the twine. In the second period, the Teddy Bears did indeed get tossed as the Knights took a 1-0 lead courtesy of Landon Sim’s 8^th of the season at 7:00. Only 1:45 later, Sam O’Reilly would double the lead to 2-0 with his 10^th of the season with Denver Barkey nabbing a secondary assist. At 17:01, Barkey would make it 3-0 as he followed up on his own rebound for his 5^th goal of the season. There would be no further scoring in the final frame, as Austin Elliot stopped all 23 shots he faced and the London Knights shutout the Owen Sound Attack 3-0 for their 19^th victory in a row. Barkey finished the game with 1 goal and 1 assist for 2 points, a +2 rating, 7 SOG, and 2 PIMs. Barkey was named the game’s First Star. Oliver Bonk finished with no points, a +1 rating, and 4 SOG.

https://twitter.com/LondonKnights/status/1864483822940631287

Video courtesy of the London Knights

(Dec. 6) Winners of 19 straight, the London Knights put their impressive streak on the line as they faced the visiting Oshawa Generals. Blake Montgomery opened the scoring on a 2-on-1 at 7:17 for his 6^th goal of the season to give London a 1-0 lead. London would make it 2-0 with the man advantage as Easton Cowan blasted a one-timer for his 15^th of the season (and 56 consecutive games with a point) at 13:28. In the second period, William Nichol would make it 3-0 only 56 seconds into the frame capitalizing on an awful turnover with his 11^th goal of the season. The Generals though would claw their way back with two powerplay goals before the end of the period to cut the Knights lead to 3-2. In the third period, Oshawa would score three more goals to make it 5 consecutive goals in the game, (including a goal of the year candidate by Beckett Sennecke) as the Oshawa Generals snapped the London Knights winning streak with a 5-3 win. Denver Barkey finished the game with 1 assist, a -1 rating, 1 SOG, and was 3 of 5 on faceoffs. Oliver Bonk ended up with no points, 1 -2 rating, and 4 SOG.

(Dec. 13) The last game of the London Knights homestand came on Friday the 13^th as they hosted the Windsor Spitfires. Both Oliver Bonk and Denver Barkey were absent as they are in Ottawa attending Canada’s tryout camp for the World Junior Hockey Championship. Down 1-0 after a powerplay goal in the opening period, London would tie the game 1-1 with Landon Sim’s 9^th of the season at 9:28 of the second period. In the final frame, the Knights got goals from William Nichol (his 12^th at 0:44), Jacob Julien (his 6^th at 1:58), and a powerplay goal by Kaspar Halttunen (his 2^nd at 3:30) as they defeated Windsor in the first game of a back-to back 4-2.

(Dec. 14) The Windsor Spitfires were the opponents once again only this time they were the hosts as the London Knights played their second of three back-to backs this weekend. Once again, the Knights were without Oliver Bonk and Denver Barkey. London would get goals by Henry Brzustewicz (his 5^th at 9:20 of the first period) and Blake Montgomery (his 7^th at 4:23 of the second period) but would fall 3-2 to the Windsor Spitfires. Goaltender Aleksei Medvedev was impressive for the Knights as he took home First Star honors and stopped 39 of 42 shots.

(Dec. 15) Closing out the last of three straight games this weekend, the London Knights returned home to face the Kitchener Rangers. Oliver Bonk remains with Canada’s World Junior team, but Denver Barkey did return to the lineup following not making the final World Junior roster. In the first period, Sam O’Reilly (his 11^th at 1:16) and Blake Montgomery (his 8^th at 13:37) would give London a 2-1 lead after twenty minutes. In the second period, Jacob Julien would extend the Knight’s lead to 3-1 with his 7^th at 16:19. In the third period, Kitchener would cut the lead to 3-2 but could not get any closer as the London Knights won their second game in a row by defeating the Rangers. Barkey finished the game with no points, a +1 rating, 2 SOG, and was 0/1 on faceoffs.

(Dec. 18) The London Knights returned to action as they visited the Erie Otters. In the first period, Landon Sim (his 10^th at 10:19) and Evan Van Gorp (his 10^th at 18:30) gave the Knights a 2-0 lead. In the second period, newly acquired defenseman Cam Allen scored his first goal as a Knight (his 8^th at 0:16) to extend London’s lead to 3-0. After the Otters got on the board, the Knights got goals from Jacob Julien (his 8^th at 13:32) and Sam O’Reilly (his 12^th at 13:43) to stretch their lead to 5-1. In the third period, Denver Barkey would feed a nice backhand to Blake Montgomery for his 9^th of the season at 8:11 as the Knights rolled to a 6-1 victory over the Erie Otters. Barkey finished the game with 1 assist, a +1 rating, 3 SOG, and won all 3 faceoffs he took.

https://twitter.com/LondonKnights/status/1869564601542877551

Video courtesy of the London Knights

(Dec. 20) The London Knights returned home to face the Sarnia Sting for their final game before the holiday break. In the first period, Sam O’Reilly would score his 13^th of the season at 3:32 to give the Knights a 1-0 lead. Sarnia would tie the game 1-1, but London took a 2-1 lead into the break as Blake Montgomery scored his 10^th of the season on the powerplay at 18:56. In the second period, Denver Barkey scored his 6^th of the season at 1:33 by finishing off a nice pass by Montgomery to make it 3-1. Logan Hawery would add his 3^rd of the season at 2:49 to make it 4-1 in a frame where London doubled up Sarnia 14-7 in shots. In the third period, Barkey would score his 7^th of the season on the powerplay at 3:15 to give the Knights a 5-1 lead with a shot from the slot. Hawery would then also add his second goal of the game for the Knights as London would go on to defeat the Sarnia Sting 6-1. Barkey finished the game with 2 goals, a +1 rating, and 2 SOG. Barkey was named the Second Star of the contest.

https://twitter.com/LondonKnights/status/1870277381857919332

Video courtesy of the London Knights

https://twitter.com/LondonKnights/status/1870291056056586306

Video courtesy of the London Knights

Jett Luchanko #7 (C) – Guelph Storm (OHL)

SEASON	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	S	PIM
2024-2025	16	7	13	20	-2	37	14

(Dec. 4) The Guelph Storm played a midweek matinee as they visited the Brampton Steelheads at the CAA Centre. In the opening period, the kids in attendance got their money’s worth as the Steelheads scored 4 goals on 15 shots as Brampton took a 4-0 lead (Guelph had 14 shots in the frame). In the second period, the Storm would get on the board as Hunter McKenzie scored his 6^th of the season at 10:12 to cut the deficit to 4-1. In the third period, Brampton’s top line would get on the board again only 36 secons in; but goals by Cam Allen (his 7^th on the powerplay at 5:59) and Charlie Paquette (his 5^th at 8:57) made it a 5-3 game. It was as close as the Storm got though as Brampton added another two goals to counter Max Namestnikov’s powerplay goal (his 8^th at 16:36) to close this out by a 7-4 scoreline in favor of Brampton. Jett Luchanko finished the game with no points, a -5 rating, 3 SOG, and was 7/16 on faceoffs.

(Dec. 6) The Guelph Storm returned home as they hosted the visiting Owen Sound Attack. In the first period, Guelph would take the 1-0 lead as Carter Stevens scored his 6^th of the season at 13:42. In the second period, Jett Luchanko would start the play with a nice forecheck and feed Charlie Paquette for his 6^th of the season at 10:51 to give Guelph a 2-0 lead. Shortly after, Luchanko would get his second assist of the period as he would find Max Namestnikov who would tuck in his 9^th of the season at 16:06 to make it 3-0. In the third period, the Attack would get on the board midmay through the frame, but the newly acquired Lev Katzin would score his 1^st of the season into an empty net as the Guelph Storm would defeat Owen Sound by a score of 4-1. Luchanko finished the game with 2 assists, a +1 rating, 3 SOG, 2 PIMs, and was 7/13 on faceoffs. Luchanko was named the First Star of this contest.

https://twitter.com/Storm_City/status/1865204606256484631