CHL to NCAA Recruiting Megathread

[cinnamoroll]

OHL Conference Finals

(1) London Knights vs. (3) Kitchener Rangers
Game 1 Friday April 26 4pm ET
London:
G Austin Elliott - UMass Lowell, OA
D Andoni Fimis - UVM, 06
F Blake Montgomery - Wisconsin, 05
F Evan Van Gorp - Maine, 06
Kitchener:
C Adrian Misaljevic, Clarkson, OA
G Jackson Parsons, Clarkson, OA
C Haeden Ellis, Northeastern, 07
RW Jack Pridham, BU, 05
London/Kitchener is a massive rivalry series. Expect lots of hate.

(2) Barrie Colts vs. (4) Oshawa Generals
Game 1 Friday April 26 4:30pm ET
Barrie:
LW Owen Van Steensel, Clarkson, OA
D Ethan Armstrong, Minnesota State, 07
Oshawa:
D Wang Haoxi (Simon Wang), BU, 07
F Noah Powell, Arizona State, 05

Oshawa upset Brantford after an injury to 71 goal scorer Nick Lardis. Kitchener/Windsor needed game 7 overtime, where Parsons was outstanding.

Parsons (Clarkson) leads the playoffs in GAA 2.12 and save % 0.919, also has 2 shutouts. Owen Van Steensel (Clarkson) is the only non-London Knight in the top 5 of plus/minus with +15. A lot of the top point getters were recently eliminated.

 

[cinnamoroll]

Goaltender Jan Špunar commits to UND. Currently playing for Dubuque in USHL after a great season with Portland in the WHL 23-24 that made it to the finals. Nominated for USHL Goaltender of the Year. After the rule change he was probably highly sought after, big news for UND's future in net.

Another intriguing goaltender from the CHL, Drummondville's starter Riley Mercer, has turned pro as expected. He signed his ELC with the Minnesota Wild.

 

[cinnamoroll]

One of the last remaining high-end uncommitted overagers, C Oasiz Wiesblatt, has joined his brother in AHL Milwaukee.

also buzz around U18s in Frisco is that we will soon get some of the bigger CHL names announcing commitments.

 

[beaverhockeyfan]

Say whatever you want about Deion Sanders, I do think he has a good point here. The NCAA needs to find a way to put some sort of cap in place on NIL money that a school can spend per sport.

Deion Sanders pushes for NFL-style salary cap in college football's NIL chaos

Deion Sanders, never one to shy away from bold opinions, is once again stirring the pot in college football. This time, the Colorado Buffaloes head coach is calling for a major ove

www.marca.com

 

[Sparkee]

One of the last remaining high-end uncommitted overagers, C Oasiz Wiesblatt, has joined his brother in AHL Milwaukee.

also buzz around U18s in Frisco is that we will soon get some of the bigger CHL names announcing commitments.

Happy for him. He’s a fun player to watch. Scrappy tough fearless with skill.

 

[cinnamoroll]

A shoe of sorts has dropped.

Clarke Caswell is going to DU next season. 06 forward, going into his 19 year old season, captained Swift Current, drafted 5th round 2024 by Seattle Kraken.

Joel Henderson, Director of Scouting from Puck Preps (and WHL scout for FCHockey) quoted Schlossman's tweet of the news:

Clarke Caswell choosing the NCAA route next season and joins fellow Westerners Kyle Chyzowski and Eric Jamieson.

One of the first top-end players to leave the WHL going into their 19 year old season.

Tangentially, it looks like G Johnny Hicks has switched commitments from Tennessee State to DU. He still leads the entire WHL playoffs in save % and GAA, and is tied for shutouts. Must be something about Colorado and goalies who show up in the playoffs...

 

[cinnamoroll]

Schlossman with a column on CHL players and NCAA eligibility:

NCAA teams have gone into the three CHL leagues — the Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League — to recruit talented players.

But coaches are finding out that a lot of them will not be academically eligible to play college hockey.

It's not that the CHL players are bad students.

The primary issue is that many have not taken the required 16 NCAA-approved core classes, including 10 in the first seven semesters of high school.
When these players signed in the CHL, they thought they were giving up their college eligibility and didn't bother working toward NCAA academic requirements anymore.

"The current group of CHL players haven't thought about the NCAA," said Sean Hogan, the executive director of College Hockey Inc. "They made the decision to go to the CHL. They weren't trying to meet the requirements of the NCAA.

"We knew there would be a gap in this education, because they've never thought about it before. They've never had to think about it."

Hogan said the NCAA announced CHL players would become eligible for the 2025-26 season on Nov. 7, and College Hockey Inc., began conversations about how to keep players academically eligible on Nov. 8.

College Hockey Inc., has discussed the issue with all three Canadian major junior leagues, their academic advisors and individual teams.

Hogan said the major junior leagues have been cooperative and dispelled the notion that CHL teams might try to keep players ineligible for the NCAA so they stay in the CHL longer.

"We've had conversations with the commissioners," Hogan said. "They've said, 'We don't want to be known as a league that can't keep our players eligible.' They want to get it right. We've done education sessions for each league and each team's (academic advisor). With the new group coming in, we're less likely to have issues. They'll go in knowing they have two roads in front of them."

It looks like this is what defined some of those changes in the OHL's Standard Player Agreement from a bit ago. Schlossman also mentioned for UND specifically, Portland Winterhawks' Josh Zakreski will be joining in fall, but an OHL player who gave a silent commitment months ago is missing some of those core classes.

I'm wondering if players in the franchises based in American cities, like Portland, are more likely to have those core classes completed since most high schools have a good chunk of them as graduate requirements. As far as I can tell, Portland has the most NCAA commits with 7, and Tri-City has 6. Younger players with commitments or planning on committing can handle missing requirements easier than the overage players. If a player takes a little longer to join, they might need more time to sort out those classes. Things to keep in mind.

CHL playoff semis check-in:
London swept Kitchener
Oshawa is up 3-0 on Barrie, could sweep tonight.
Medicine Hat swept Lethbridge
Spokane is up 3-0 on Portland, could sweep tonight,
Moncton swept Rouyn-Noranda
The one series that already won't be a sweep is Rimouski and Shawinigan, which is tied 2-2.

 

[cinnamoroll]

Alright, we have 2 finals series announced in OHL and WHL, both of whom had two sweeps in each conference final. QMJHL is still tbd, as the night of May 4th game 7 is required between Rimouski and Shawinigan. Reminder that Rimouski making it to the Finals automatically confirms Moncton is going to the Memorial Cup even with a series loss since Rimouski is the host and was always going to attend.

I will make the preview posts on the WHL and OHL finals sometime this week, but they won't start until Thursday for OHL (schedule specifically avoids days of Leafs playoff games, because they are not stupid) and Friday for the WHL.

 

[cinnamoroll]

Huge commit from one of the big players with a lot of speculation around him. Luke Misa, 2024 5th round pick from Calgary, 85 points in 67 games this season with Brampton, announces his commitment to Penn State. Flames getting him in the 5th round is seeming like a steal thus far. Of course, he is the older brother of the draft eligible OHL leading scorer Michael Misa (likely top 3 pick), another one of those big fish. Obviously some speculation on if his brother is considering following him. Reportedly a lot of Hockey East teams pursued both Misa brothers, but Penn State snaps him up.

Luke Misa is a very late 2005 born and would be an overage player this season so he wouldn't necessarily be leaving early.

 

[cinnamoroll]

Official announcement of new rules on the Import Draft.

1. Teams can now have 3 Import picks on their roster
2. Tangentially, the import draft now lasts 3 rounds
3. Also tangentially, the same rules apply as usual but with the max of 3 import picks- that is, if a team has no import picks on your roster, they can pick one each round. If they have 1, they can pick in 2 rounds. If they have 2, they only pick one import pick. If they have 3, they cannot pick anyone.
4. Addition of Penticton to the WHL means 61 teams per round, but per point 3, most teams will not pick all 3. Likely will not see many passes in the first round because of the extra import spot.
5. For the first time, CHL teams can trade import picks before the draft. The trades must be finalized 2 days before the draft
6. Draft is July 2nd 2025 11am EST
7. The whole order is listed in the article but the notable placements are this: 1st overall to Moose Jaw, 2nd overall to Peterborough, 3rd overall to Victoriaville, Penticton's 1st round pick is 10th overall. Their 2nd and 3rd round picks are the first of those rounds, 62nd and 123rd overall.

Usually teams have an idea of who is willing to come over and which teams they're interested in. Some see it as unfair, but if a team knows that picking that person will likely result in nothing at all, selecting them is just a waste of a pick. So someone going at the end of the first round likely has less to do with them being less talented and more them being targeted in their willingness to go to a team.

I will say you usually see NHL-drafted players being talked about and taken in the CHL Import Draft after they sign their ELC. As an example, the Sharks relatively quickly signed their high 2nd round picks in 2023, Kasper Halttunen, even before Quentin Musty, one of their first round picks playing OHL. He was then selected in the late 1st of the import draft by the London Knights. Similar thing happened last year with 2024 33rd overall pick Igor Chernyshov, since they lifted the ban on drafting Russian and Belarusian players that was in place for a few years. Both of them would've certainly not been eligible for playing NCAA even with the rule change (played significant time in Liiga and KHL their draft years), but if someone had stayed within the U18/U20 leagues in their home country, they could still be eligible with some caveats.

Basically, some of these players will not be recruiting targets with significant pro experience and/or early ELC signing. However, some diamonds in the rough have been found, especially those from countries less known for producing elite hockey players.

Current NCAA commits who came from import draft:

Vancouver Giants LW Maxim Muranov, Niagara, OA- Moscow, Russia
Newfoundland Regiment G Mikus Vecvanags, Maine, 06- Riga, Latvia

 

[cinnamoroll]

WHL expansion draft has been completed, with 22 players ending up with Penticton. A few trades happened too, and the 2 WHL finals teams have an extension.

Here's the current roster, with the commitments highlighted. Currently have 4 05s on their team, which they are permitted for year one. Italicized means rights to that player (not yet signed)

GOALTENDERS (4)

Reyelts, Andrew (2006, Wenatchee Wild) Lindenwood commit, Cedar Rapids
Sanche, Jesse (2006, Everett Silvertips)
Schlenker, Marek (2006, Portland Winterhawks)
Smith, Kaenan (2008, Edmonton Oil Kings) Currently plays NTDP

DEFENCE (7)

Anderlini, Kalan (2006, Kamloops Blazers)
Burick, Sean (2008, Tri-City Americans) DU commit, Shattuck St Mary's
LaPlante, Easton (2008, Calgary Hitmen)
Pederson, Doogan (2006, Red Deer Rebels)
Stevenson, Nolan (2005, Swift Current Broncos*) Omaha commit
Tastad, Morgan (2006, Saskatoon Blades)
Weber, Ethan (2006, Saskatoon Blades) Penn State commit, plays for Lincoln Stars

FORWARD (11)

Almen, Corban (2007, Regina Pats)
Birnie, Brady (2005, Swift Current Broncos) Bemidji State commit
Bursaw, Liam (2007, Prince Albert Raiders) Salmon Arm Silverbacks
Danyleyko, Wyatt (2007, Victoria Royals)
Davies, Isaac (2008, Brandon Wheat Kings)
DeMars, Brooks (2009, Swift Current Broncos) Long Island Gulls AAA
Danis, Matteo (2005, Prince George Cougars)
Hughes, Ethan (2006, Moose Jaw Warriors)
Johnson, Diego (2006, Seattle Thunderbirds) UConn commit, Madison Capitols
Norrie, Cameron (2007, Lethbridge Hurricanes)
Valliant, Chase (2006, Calgary Hitmen)

Nolan Stevenson is an interesting one. He played for the Vees in the BCHL past two seasons, so this trading for him is essentially trading for his rights as a player. They couldn't just bring him from the BCHL because Swift Current already held his rights after drafting him in 2020. Essentially, got their own player via expansion draft trade.

We will see who ends up coming to the Vees this season. The only current commit who played in the WHL this season is Brady Birnie

 

[cinnamoroll]

OHL finals start tonight! You can watch the series live for free on Victory+

(1W) London Knights vs. (4E) Oshawa Generals
Game 1 Thursday May 8th 7pm ET
London:
G Austin Elliott - UMass Lowell, OA
D Andoni Fimis - UVM, 06
F Blake Montgomery - Wisconsin, 05
F Evan Van Gorp - Maine, 06
Oshawa:
D Wang Haoxi (Simon Wang), BU, 07
F Noah Powell, Arizona State, 05

This is a rematch of last years playoffs, which London swept with relative ease, with scores of 8-1, 9-1, 7-6 in 2OT, and 7-1. However, that Oshawa team had lost Beckett Sennecke to injury and played way more games than London, who had only lost 2 games in the Conference Finals. Really just didn't have the juice to push through a stacked team. They have since added some significant pieces, including at the deadline.

London Knights remain stacked–arguably even better than last season–but Oshawa is a lot scarier this time around. London has swept all 3 series, while Oshawa has played 16, with 2 losses in the first two rounds before also sweeping the 2nd East seed Barrie. Oshawa has seen 2 suspensions- a carryover of first 2 games for Beckett Sennecke and 2 games for Andrew Gibson, the guy who knocked the 71 goal scorer out for Brantford. London has seen 1 suspension, D Jared Woolley getting 1 game.

Team Stats:

	GP	Record	GF-GA-Diff	PP	PK
London	12	12-0	66-28-+38	29.2%	83.9%
Oshawa	16	12-4	76-52-+24	35.8%	76.4%

Head to head regular season:
12/6: OSH 5 at LDN 3 PP: 2/5 v 1/4
3/2: LDN 4 at OSH 3 OT PP: 1/4 v 1/4
The december matchup had both backups in net. Both are fairly good, both are also only 07s so inconsistency comes up. This ended a 19-game winning streak London was on. They lost a few days late 6-1 to Saginaw and fired their coach. The March matchup i mainly remember for 2 fights that resulted in instigator penalties, both of which ended poorly for the instigators.

Goalies:
G Austin Elliott, Overage goalie for London, UML commit.
regular season: record 32-1-0-0, 2.10 GAA, 0.924 save%, 3 shutouts
playoff stats: 12-0, 2.31 GAA (2nd in playoffs), 0.904 save% (5th in playoffs), 1 shutout
Had some shaky outings in rounds 1 and 2- London outscored their problems if needed, played absolutely dialed by round 3. If he plays like that, it puts London in a great spot, though there is a lot of elite offense on the other side. Hasn't had to face a ton of shots yet. Gave up 4 goals in round 1 games 3 and 4, hasn't given up more than 3 since.
G Jacob Oster, Overage goalie for Oshawa.
regular season: 32-17-3-1, 2.81 GAA, 0.904 save%, 3 shutouts.
playoff stats: 12-4, 2.82 GAA (5th in playoffs), 0.896 save%, no shutouts.
Was outstanding for back half of second 2nd round and first half of conf finals. gave up 6 goals twice so far, including game 3 of the conf finals.

In terms of scoring, Oshawa leads the way with more games and a few more high-scoring ones. The top 5 in playoff scoring has Generals at 1-3 and 5th, with London's Easton Cowan tied at 3rd with Sennecke for 27 points. Defenseman Luca Marrelli is in 1st with 6-25-31. Half of those goals and assists are on the power play. Owen Griffin leads in goals with 15. The next London Knights in the scoring list is OHL defenseman of the year Sam Dickinson at 7-16-23, followed by captain Denver Barkey with 9-11-20, but in 9 games, as he suffered a leg injury in the 9th game. Also injured for London is Evan Van Gorp (Maine), who is usually the 4C.

The immediate biggest difference to me is depth. London has 7 players above a point per game while Oshawa has 5. Defense is also largely in favor of London. London's power play has looked uncharacteristically bad lately, but their pk is as dangerous as ever. Oshawa's power play is red hot, and London takes a good amount of penalties. Another notable difference is coaching. You have the old vet who has done it all, including last year against this same team, vs the player development coach elevated mid-season, who was playing for the Calder Cup a year ago as captain of the Bakersfield Condors. One hall of famer in the record books as both a player in NHL and OHL coach Dale Hunter vs just retired mid-thirties mostly-AHLer Brad Malone. Script almost writes itself.

As for the committed players, I already went over Elliott and mentioned EVG's injury- he had 4 assists in his 8 games. Andoni Fimis has been in the 3rd pairing and got a little more ice time when Woolley served his suspension. Blake Montgomery has been fairly quiet, 3-4-7, London would love to get him going. Simon Wang has settled into the league very well after a slower adaptation to the OHL level, only 3 assists but he's looked good in my viewings. Noah Powell has 4-9-13, one of Oshawa's most productive forwards who is not an NHL first round pick or draft eligible Griffin.

I'm pulling for London, mostly for the 2 Sharks they have, but they also (so far) have more college commits. Montgomery and Wang were some of the high profile mid-season adds due to the rule change. Powell left Wisconsin to join the Gens after a tough start in college, recently transferred to ASU. This should be a fun one. I don't think this one will be a sweep like last year.

Reminder, it is free to watch on Victory+. Also available on NHL network in the US.

 

[cinnamoroll]

WHL champs preview coming in short order, but a few news items.

It sounds like you can watch WHL, OHL, and QMJHL finals on Victory+ for free. I think for Q finals they broadcast all the games in both languages (english on TSN french on RDS), so even for games in Rimouski the commentary should be in english.

WHL had their drafts the past few days, with the 1st round of the Prospects Draft a few hours after the Penticton expansion. WHL drafts players earlier than the OHL and QMJHL so unlikely many of them are already committed, all are 2010-born. In the prospects draft, 1st overall was F Maddox Schultz going to his hometown Regina Pats. He already had exceptional status to play U18AAA this year (he's 14), and there's a new rule where he doesn't need to apply for exceptional status again to spend half the season with his WHL club. Last year's first overall, D Landon Dupont, applied for exceptional status and spent the entire season with Everett. The next morning they did the US Priority Draft (you can be drafted in the Prospects Draft still, but theres a chance to get the high end US players earlier in US Priority Draft). It is 2 rounds, and after that they do the final 15 rounds. Most teams pass on selecting players in the last few rounds (usually already have 50 players listed or they want to keep some spots open for FA/invites). The only team to pick players in rounds 13, 14, and 15 was Penticton, which makes sense.

Among the draft day trades, Swift Current traded incoming OA forward Rylan Gould (Michigan Tech) to Saskatoon. Rights to F Mason Kraft (Minnesota State Mankato) traded to Wenatchee by Victoria.

college commitments dump:
Lethbridge Hurricanes: G Jackson Unger, Colorado College, 05, 2024 WHL Champion w Moose Jaw
Calgary Hitmen: D Dax Williams, Holy Cross, 05
Everett Silvertips: F Tyler MacKenzie, Western Michigan, OA

Barrie Colts: G Sam Hillebrandt, Ohio State, 05, Port Huron, MI native, 2025 Team USA WJC Gold
Kingston Frontenacs: F Ethan Hay, Miami, 05, 2024 Memorial Cup Champion w Saginaw, TBL draft pick in 2023 (Following in Dan Boyle and Blake Coleman's footsteps?). Notably, Kingston's article explicitly mentions he won't be returning for OA season.
Ottawa 67's: D Matthew Mayich, Clarkson
Sarnia String: C Easton Wainwright, Colgate, 05

Drummondville Voltigeurs:D Simon-Pier Brunet, Merrimack (26-27 arrival), 05, 2024 BUF 4th round pick
Victoriaville Tigres: D Mathis Aguilar, Alaska Anchorage, OA
Chicoutimi Saguenéens: F Félix Gagnon, UNH, OA

Some commits signing with CHL teams:
Victoria Royals: 07 D Henry Peterson, St. Thomas
Wenatchee Wild: 07 D Josh Toll, St Thomas
Sudbury Wolves: 08 D Finn Kearns, UMAss
Sudbury Wolves: 08 F Vladimir Provorov, Ohio State (yes, younger brother of CBJ Ivan Provorov)
Charlottetown Islanders: 07 CJ Watroba, Merrimack

 

[cinnamoroll]

WHL Finals

Medicine Hat Tigers (1E) vs Spokane Chiefs (3W)
Game 1: Friday May 9th, 7:00pm MT
Medicine Hat:
F Mathew Ward, Northern Michigan, OA
[rumored] F Cayden Lindstrom, Michigan State
Spokane:
F Shea Van Olm, Penn State, OA
D Brayden Crampton, BGSU, OA

Both these teams swept the conference finals, Medicine Hat on Lethbridge and Spokane over Portland. Medicine Hat also swept Prince Albert in round 2, while Spokane needed 6 to oust Victoria (which also required 88+ minutes of overtime, so it probably felt like a 7 game series). Both teams had gentlemen's sweeps over their round 1 opponents, both losing game 3 by 1 goal. The notable stat coming out of the Western Conference finals is goals, goals, goals. The scores were: 10-4,6-5 OT, 8-5, 6-4. Makes for unspectacular goaltending numbers all around and insane stat totals. Eastern conference finals were a comparably tamer 5-2, 7-2, 7-6 OT, 5-3.

The biggest news to come down this morning is that 2024 4th overall pick Cayden Lindstrom (rumored Michigan St) and Andrew Basha, 2 very impactful pieces, are coming back for game 1. Lindstrom last played 399 days ago.

	GP	Record	GA-GF-Diff	PP	PK
Medicine Hat	13	12-1	65-35-+30	37.5	78.6
Spokane	15	12-3	85-59-+26	30.6	63.6

Regular season head to head-
Jan 24: MH 3 @ SPO 2
Medicine Hat ended the season on a big winning streak, so since February 22nd, they are 22-1.

Starting Goaltenders:

	Regular Season Record	RS GAA	RS Save %	RS SO	Playoff Record	P GAA	P Save %	P SO
MH Harrison Meneghin	23-10-1-1	2.58	0.900	3	10-0	2.43	0.889	2
SPO Dawson Cowan	34-14-0-2	2.67	0.905	4	12-2	3.49	0.872	0

Medicine Hat has given their backup, 07 rookie goalie Jordan Switzer, 4 games, including relieving Meneghin halfway through the round 1 loss and for under 15 minutes in game 2 of the conference final. His record is 2-1, 0.865 save % 3.48 GAA. Spokane backup, 08 rookie goalie Carter Esler has played 1 game, and it did not go very well. 0-1, 5.00 GAA, 0.762 save %.

Spokane has one huge area of weakness that is a major strength for the Tigers- unstoppable force power play meets a very moveable penalty kill. Medicine Hat can get themselves into penalty trouble, but their PK record is sparkling in comparison at this point. Neither goaltender is spectacular but edge to Meneghin.

Noteworthy on Meneghin, he recently had some personal tragedy at the end of the regular season when his father passed away on March 23rd. He spend some time at home before coming back to start game 1, in which he posted a 21 save shutout. Very emotional celebration from him, the team, and the fans. He's

Top scorers (above PPG):

Spokane
Andrew Cristall 14-20-17-37 (1 game suspension)
Berkly Catton 15-8-28-36
Shea Van Olm (Penn State) 15-11-16-27

That is the devastating 1st line of the Spokane Chiefs. The next closest point getter for Spokane has 14 points. Very top heavy, but really really good. Notably, they have little defensemen scoring, only Brayden Crampton (BGSU) and Nathan Mayes have over 10 points. Cristall led the regular season in points and was second in goals, 1 behind... SVO. He leads the playoffs in goals with 20, next closest player has 14.

Medicine Hat:
Gavin McKenna 13-8-27-35
Oasiz Wiesblatt 13-14-12-26
D Bryce Pickford 13-7-10-17 +19(!)
Ryder Ritchie 13-8-8-16
D Tanner Molendyk 13-3-11-14

Medicine Hat has a little more depth here. Gavin McKenna is the big ticket name of course, he has set the modern WHL/CHL point streak record to 53 straight games, totaling 135 points in that span, and could continue it tonight. Wiesblatt and Cristall lead the playoffs in power play goals, each with 6. McKenna co-leads in shorthanded goals with 2, along with Mathew Ward (Northern Michigan). Lots more offense from their defense.

Of the commits, Crampton (BGSU) has 12 assists to lead Spokane's blue line in scoring, SVO (Penn State)'s stat line was already mentioned. Mathew Ward is at 13-5-5-10, 2 of those being shorthanded. Cayden Lindstrom has not played in over a year, but he's a great player and fun to watch.

Remember, you can watch for free on Victory plus! This should be a fun one. 1 hour until puck drop in Medicine Hat.

 

[Sparkee]

WHL Finals

Medicine Hat Tigers (1E) vs Spokane Chiefs (3W)
Game 1: Friday May 9th, 7:00pm MT
Medicine Hat:
F Mathew Ward, Northern Michigan, OA
[rumored] F Cayden Lindstrom, Michigan State
Spokane:
F Shea Van Olm, Penn State, OA
D Brayden Crampton, BGSU, OA

Both these teams swept the conference finals, Medicine Hat on Lethbridge and Spokane over Portland. Medicine Hat also swept Prince Albert in round 2, while Spokane needed 6 to oust Victoria (which also required 88+ minutes of overtime, so it probably felt like a 7 game series). Both teams had gentlemen's sweeps over their round 1 opponents, both losing game 3 by 1 goal. The notable stat coming out of the Western Conference finals is goals, goals, goals. The scores were: 10-4,6-5 OT, 8-5, 6-4. Makes for unspectacular goaltending numbers all around and insane stat totals. Eastern conference finals were a comparably tamer 5-2, 7-2, 7-6 OT, 5-3.

The biggest news to come down this morning is that 2024 4th overall pick Cayden Lindstrom (rumored Michigan St) and Andrew Basha, 2 very impactful pieces, are coming back for game 1. Lindstrom last played 399 days ago.

	GP	Record	GA-GF-Diff	PP	PK
Medicine Hat	13	12-1	65-35-+30	37.5	78.6
Spokane	15	12-3	85-59-+26	30.6	63.6

Regular season head to head-
Jan 24: MH 3 @ SPO 2
Medicine Hat ended the season on a big winning streak, so since February 22nd, they are 22-1.

Starting Goaltenders:

	Regular Season Record	RS GAA	RS Save %	RS SO	Playoff Record	P GAA	P Save %	P SO
MH Harrison Meneghin	23-10-1-1	2.58	0.900	3	10-0	2.43	0.889	2
SPO Dawson Cowan	34-14-0-2	2.67	0.905	4	12-2	3.49	0.872	0

Medicine Hat has given their backup, 07 rookie goalie Jordan Switzer, 4 games, including relieving Meneghin halfway through the round 1 loss and for under 15 minutes in game 2 of the conference final. His record is 2-1, 0.865 save % 3.48 GAA. Spokane backup, 08 rookie goalie Carter Esler has played 1 game, and it did not go very well. 0-1, 5.00 GAA, 0.762 save %.

Spokane has one huge area of weakness that is a major strength for the Tigers- unstoppable force power play meets a very moveable penalty kill. Medicine Hat can get themselves into penalty trouble, but their PK record is sparkling in comparison at this point. Neither goaltender is spectacular but edge to Meneghin.

Noteworthy on Meneghin, he recently had some personal tragedy at the end of the regular season when his father passed away on March 23rd. He spend some time at home before coming back to start game 1, in which he posted a 21 save shutout. Very emotional celebration from him, the team, and the fans. He's

Top scorers (above PPG):

Spokane
Andrew Cristall 14-20-17-37 (1 game suspension)
Berkly Catton 15-8-28-36
Shea Van Olm (Penn State) 15-11-16-27

That is the devastating 1st line of the Spokane Chiefs. The next closest point getter for Spokane has 14 points. Very top heavy, but really really good. Notably, they have little defensemen scoring, only Brayden Crampton (BGSU) and Nathan Mayes have over 10 points. Cristall led the regular season in points and was second in goals, 1 behind... SVO. He leads the playoffs in goals with 20, next closest player has 14.

Medicine Hat:
Gavin McKenna 13-8-27-35
Oasiz Wiesblatt 13-14-12-26
D Bryce Pickford 13-7-10-17 +19(!)
Ryder Ritchie 13-8-8-16
D Tanner Molendyk 13-3-11-14

Medicine Hat has a little more depth here. Gavin McKenna is the big ticket name of course, he has set the modern WHL/CHL point streak record to 53 straight games, totaling 135 points in that span, and could continue it tonight. Wiesblatt and Cristall lead the playoffs in power play goals, each with 6. McKenna co-leads in shorthanded goals with 2, along with Mathew Ward (Northern Michigan). Lots more offense from their defense.

Of the commits, Crampton (BGSU) has 12 assists to lead Spokane's blue line in scoring, SVO (Penn State)'s stat line was already mentioned. Mathew Ward is at 13-5-5-10, 2 of those being shorthanded. Cayden Lindstrom has not played in over a year, but he's a great player and fun to watch.

Remember, you can watch for free on Victory plus! This should be a fun one. 1 hour until puck drop in Medicine Hat.

Interesting to see what Lindstrom looks like.

 

[cinnamoroll]

Interesting to see what Lindstrom looks like.

The answer was... a talented player who hadn't played in a while. Did very well considering that, had an assist on the first goal that came from the other injury returnee, speed and physicality remains his strengths. Undoubtably rusty but most people are just ecstatic he's playing again. Went 5/10 in faceoffs, had the 1 assist, +1, took an early penalty.

Because he is coming off of back surgeries, the plan from coaches and trainers from both Medicine Hat and CBJ is to manage his minutes, and not have him play every game. Maybe he plays every other game in limited minutes to get himself back up to speed.

Of the other NCAA commits/potential targets, Mathew Ward (Northern Michigan) took the penalty that gave Spokane their only goal in the 3rd. Shea Van Olm (Penn State) and Brayden Crampton (BGSU) both assisted on that goal from Catton.

Gavin McKenna had 2 assists, his points streak is up to 54 games.

This game was kinda predictable- Medicine Hat scored early, took a few more penalties, the Spokane power play struck but only once, Meneghin played great with 36 saves on 37 shots. Medicine Hat only had 3 shots in the 3rd. They pressed hard in the 2nd and Cowan stood very tall for Spokane, 4th goal was empty net so he had 18 saves on 21 shots.

The power play amounts were very normal, 1/4 for Spokane and 0/2 for MH. OHL champs game one... decidedly not normal. Game 2 for OHL tomorrow.

 

[cinnamoroll]

QMJHL finals time!
Also can stream for free on Victory plus. Schedule is kinda weird, game 2 is tomorrow and then 3 and 4 are Wednesday and Thursday. Reminder games 1, 2, 5, and 7 would be in atlantic time because Moncton is in New Brunswick. I think the feed for all the games will be the english broadcast, but the in game PA will be entirely french in Rimouski.

Moncton Wildcats vs Rimouski Océanic
Game 1 Saturday May 10th 5pm AT
Moncton:
C Markus Vidicek, Quinnipiac, OA
C Simon Binkley, Alaska-Fairbanks, 06
G Rudy Guimond, Yale, 05
Rimouski:
C Jonathan Fauchon, Providence, OA
C Thomas Belzil, UMass, 06
LW Jacob Mathieu, Northeastern, OA

Stakes are a little less high because both teams will be going to the Memorial Cup no matter what. The last host team to make their finals was Halifax in 2019, in which they lost to Rouyn-Noranda in both the QMJHL finals and the Memorial Cup finals. Last host to actually win the league championship they made was 2008 Kitchener Rangers, who lost to WHL Champs Spokane Chiefs in the Memorial Cup finals.

One player on the "25/26 NHL draft eligible too good for their league" list a la Gavin McKenna, Michael Misa, Porter Martone etc. is C Caleb Desnoyers of Moncton. I haven't seen any rumors about NCAA prospects but I'd guess plenty are interested. He's been dominant in the QMJHL and also elite for Team Canada at multiple international events.

Moncton swept Québec in round 1 and Rouyn-Noranda in the semi-finals. against Québec they needed 2 overtime wins, 3 of the 4 had a score of 4-3, so it was closer than you'd think for a sweep. Round 2, games 1 and 2 were firm victories before they had their only loss of the post-season at Baie-Comeau, losing 5-2 in game 3. They won game 4 in 2OT, and game 5 was also a 1 goal win. Rouyn-Noranda also had 3 of its 4 games by 1 goal, and that other game had and empty netter for a 2 goal lead. Game 4 needed overtime. Again, a much closer series than a sweep usually is. Rimouski has had a tougher time of it after sweeping Charlottetown with decisive wins. Needed 6 to beat Chicoutimi and Shawinagan took them all the way to double overtime of game 7, the 3rd OT and 2nd 2OT of the series. Every home team won their game. Very fun series with big swings in momentum. Rimouski has had significant injury issues, began without their starting goaltender, he came back in time for the backup playing spectacular to be injured, lost very dangerous Mathieu Cataford at various times to injury.

	GP	Record	GF-GA-Diff	PP	PK
Moncton Wildcats	13	12-1	53-32-+21	25.6	84.0
Rimouski Océanic	17	12-3-2	65-35-+30	25.9	89.4

Power play and penalty kill are fairly similar, not listed but relevant stat is that Rimouski takes 1 more penalty per game than Moncton. They have needed to kill 47 power plays vs 25. Even with the 4 more games, that's fairly extreme. Moncton is generally better at coming back and seem a lot more comfortable being outshot and keeping a 1 goal lead. Just not a lot of panic and defensively sound. Rimouski is eventful. Will wait and see which style prevails.

Regular season head to head:
Jan 25th: Mon 3 vs Rim 5, Mon 1/5 pp Rim 0/4 pp, Rousseau v Lacelle
March 5th: Rim 2 vs Mon 3, Rim 0/2 pp Mon 0/3 pp, Lacelle v Guimond

Coaching, severe advantage Moncton. It's the brains behind the best USports team in years of UNB, Gardiner MacDougall. Wins everything always. Moncton also has not played since April 30th, so he will need to get them ready to play again.

Goaltending

	Regular Season Record	RS GAA	RS Save %	RS SO	Playoff Record	P GAA	P Save %	P SO
Rimouski Mathis Langevin	20-12-7 (AcB and Rim)	2.55	0.912	0	13-10-2	1.38	0.947	3
Rimouski William Lacelle	36-27-8	2.38	0.909	3	5-2-3	2.96	0.903
Moncton Rudy Guimond	16-16-0	1.73	0.940	3	7-7-0	2.00	0.927	1
Moncton Mathis Rousseau	45-20-25 (Hal and Mon)	2.88	0.905	2	6-5-1	2.59	0.912	1

Rookie William Lacelle was the Rimouski starter all year, winning the Jacques-Plante Trophy for best GAA and Raymond-Lagacé Trophy best defensive rookie of the year, but was out with injury for 6 weeks. Langevin didn't start either of the regular season meetings, but he has been the guy all playoffs because of that injury. He was injured in game 3, and Lacelle has been not as spectacular in return. Reportedly Langevin will be back and starter for game 1, and if he's just as stellar as he was before the injury, they are in good shape.

The Rousseau/Guimond tandem is interesting because the starter isn't totally clear.. Rousseau is the grizzled QMJHL vet. 21 of his 25 losses in the regular season came before Halifax traded him, his regular season GAA and record looks much better if you only look at him in Moncton. Rudy Guimond (Yale) joined Moncton as a free agent on November 27th from USHL Cedar Rapids, DET 23 6th round pick, and has not lost since joining. Like the Avalanche they did a mid-season conplete overhaul of their goaltending corps (though Steinman went on to be outstanding for a much weaker Halifax team), both have been good-to-great. Moncton has announced that Mathis Rousseau will be starting.

Top Scorers
Moncton:
Caleb Desnoyers 13-9-15-24
Gabe Smith 13-4-13-17
Juraj Pekarcik 13-6-8-14
D Etienne Morin 13-1-12-13

Gabe Smith is the big surprise here with quite the hot streak. Never been a point per game guy in his career until this playoffs, on an absolute tear.

Rimouski:
Jacob Mathieu (Northeastern) 17-13-11-24
Alexandre Blais 17-5-12-17
Jonathan Fauchon (Providence) 17-3-13-16
D Pier-Olivier Roy 15-3-10-13

If they weren't injured for large chunks of the playoffs, you would see Cataford and Eriks Mateiko up there.

Recruits. Simon Binkley (UAF) has 0 points in 8 playoff games, been either 4C or the extra skater. He doesn't take any faceoffs though. Markus Vidicek (Quinnipiac) has been quiet, 13-3-5-8. His faceoff numbers are good at 59.7%, and he's taken over 300 at this point. Guimond (Yale) I mentioned above, but he is the new kid compared to Rousseau. Thomas Belzil (UMass) 12-1-2-3, was scratched for the first few games. Captain Mathieu is tied for the playoff points lead, is the goals leader above Desnoyers, and leads in power play goals with 5. Fauchon is tied for 3rd in points and has 9 power play assists.

30 minutes until puck drop! Victory plus will have it all for free.

 

[Sparkee]

Moncton outshooting Rimouski 30-7 through two periods. Rousseau in net for Moncton, he’s made all 7 saves.

 

[cinnamoroll]

Game 2 for both Moncton/Rimouski and Medicine Hat/Spokane is today. I don't think Lindstrom will play this one, they said they aren't planning on him playing every game.

Big news in high-end CHL players going to NCAA: Barrie Colts 05 forward Anthony Romani to Michigan State. Canucks 2024 6th round pick, lead the OHL in goals last season with North Bay (58 in 68 games). Was injured early this season, traded to Barrie at the deadline and was spectacular in the playoffs with 12-12-24 in 16 games. 6'1 190, not bad 2 way play, great shooter. Another potential overage player for Barrie going to Big 10 after Hillebrandt committed to Ohio State a few days ago.

 

[cinnamoroll]

veryyyyyyy interesting article with quotes from Luke Misa on his choice of going NCAA and choosing Penn State.

Besides any potential NIL opportunities, he spoke with coaches and players and felt the fit was right, which I hope we all know doesn't always have a reasoning behind it, just the vibes work out better in some environments. Liked the facilities too. But the big surprise was this one.

Misa had the chance to sign an entry-level contract (ELC) with the Flames for the 2025-26 season, but chose to go to the NCAA to develop more instead of turning pro. “The option was definitely there. But I wanted to go to [Penn State] and play a couple more years before turning pro.”

That is really interesting to note. NIL money probably could be more than minor league salary but the signing bonus might balance it out. He might not have gotten many of the bonuses that can be added to ELCs as a 5th round pick.

“In the OHL, you’re playing close to 70 games a season, and it’s tough to gain strength during the year. In college, they play fewer games, so there is more opportunity during the week to gain strength. That was a big positive for me.” Misa currently weighs in at 176 pounds according to Elite Prospects, so focusing on adding muscle will be a big part of this next season for him.

His NHL prospects would be a lot more favorable if he gets that muscle, and he won't get that in season with either AHL/ECHL or OHL schedule. He's spent 4 whole seasons in the OHL and put up 80 points each of the last two, probably has gotten as much as he could out of this level. Don't blame him from wanting to spend a year in a step up level that will set him up for long term NHL success before he turns pro. Plenty of prospects with his size, style, and a similar path have fizzled out in the minor leagues.

Plus... college is fun for kids like him. Gets to go to those crazy Penn State football games. Even if Calgary's AHL team is no longer in the complete shithole of Stockton, the minor league lifestyle is a grind.