Hello, all! It’s time for the week in review. We start off with the Monsters, adding a little time to catch up on the AHL All Star Game.
Starting off in Milwaukee with a game against the Admirals, late in the first, Oleg Yevenko kept the puck in at the blueline and found Sonny Milano who fed Justin Scott in front for his 8th of the season. Midway through the second, Oliver Bjorkstrand gathered a loose puck and skated in on an odd man rush and hit the brakes before finding Alex Broadhurst who had an almost empty net to shoot into past the sprawling Ads goalie. After an Admirals goal, the Great Dane scored when John Ramage fired a blast from the point that Oliver tipped to make it 3-1. 1:47 later, the ECHL All Star who recently signed a PTO, Shawn Szydlowski capitalized on an Admirals miscue to make it 4-1. The Admirals scored early in the third before Jordan Maletta finished the scoring. Midway through the third, Jordan intercepted a pass and split the defense when he skated in on the Admirals goalie to make it 5-2 Monsters. In the win Anton Forsberg made 30 saves in the victory.
Up next it was back to Cleveland for a pair against Chicago. Early in the first, Bjorkstrand fired a shot that a pinching Jamie Sifers deflected to make it 1-0. The Wolves scored two straight before the Monsters got back on the board. 2:10 after the Wolves goal, the Monsters struck when Ramage sent a long pass to Nick Moutrey at the blueline. Moutrey found TJ Tynan who skated in and scored his fifth of the season. The Monsters allowed two third period goals to fall by a score of 4-2. Forsberg made 30 saves in the loss.
In the rematch on Indians night, the Wolves built a 2-0 lead before the Monsters got on the board. In the second, off a dump in, a Wolves dman lost an edge and Bjorkstrand stole the puck and found Scott who potted his ninth of the season. Late in the second with the Monsters on a power play, along with a Wolves player missing a stick, Ryan Craig capitalized by tipping in a Scott shot to make it 2-2. The game went to a shootout and it’d take extra innings (they’re wearing Indians jerseys with stirrups on the socks! I’m allowed a baseball pun). In the nine round shootout Milano, Markus Hannikainen, Maletta and Paul Bittner scored to tie the shootout at four. In the final round, Bjorkstrand (who had been stopped on three breakaways during the game) was one of the heroes by getting his shot in, but Joonas Korpisalo would still have to stop the Wolves next shooter. And he did stone Brett Sterling to clinch the victory. In the win, Korpi made 25 saves in regulation and overtime and stopped five of nine in the shootout.
After this game the AHL All-Star “Break” began. Monsters captain Ryan Craig, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Anton Forsberg were off to Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania home of the Phantoms. Now while the AHL All Star Game is a three on three tournament much like the NHL’s, the Skills Competition is the normal East vs West format. Oliver Bjorkstrand took on hometown player Jordan Weal in one of two one on one races. It was part of a puck control relay and Weal won by a nose.
After the fastest skater competition, all three Monsters players would take part in the Rapid Fire Competition where two forwards have 12 seconds to take 10 shots on a goalie. Ryan Craig paired with Ontario’s (California) Vincent LoVerde against Rochester’s Linus Ullmark and his blanket (ok I kid but he does have a minion on his mask). Ullmark was sharp and stopped eight of 10 missing just the last two. Next up, Anton faced Rochester’s Justin Bailey and St. John’s Chris Terry. Anton stopped seven of ten. Closing out the event, Oliver teamed up with Tuscon’s Christian Fischer against the baby Pens’ Tristan Jarry. Jarry only stopped five of the ten shots he faced in the event. After the hardest shot, Ryan Craig started off the Accuracy Shooting event. It took him seven shots to take out the four targets.
Up next, the pass and score where a trio of players has 30 seconds to take three shots on a goalie and all three players must touch the puck. Anton was the only Monster to take part taking on the Utica Comet duo of Jordan Subban and Alexandre Grenier along with Chris Terry from St John’s. It would not be pretty for Anton. The trio scored on all three attempts. Closing out the event was the Breakaway Relay. Ryan Craig was the first Monster to shoot facing Providence’s Zane McIntyre who made the save. Anton was perfect against all five shooters he faced. In the next heat against Tristan Jarry, Ryan Craig shot again and was stopped again. Oliver shot last for the West and he scored on a nifty backhand to give the West a 15-11 lead with one round remaining (goals count towards event score in this event). Ultimately, Michael Leighton shut the door on the East to clinch the Skills Competition championship for the West.
Now while the NHL three on three tournament is win and you’re in, the AHL does a round robin (these guys do three in threes all the time, a few 10 minute games are nothing). The Monsters were part of the defending champion Central Division team and they opened against the Atlantic Division. The Atlantic took a 2-0 lead before the Great Dane would strike. Late in the second half, Oliver took a pass from Alex Tuch and hammered it to make it 2-1 which is how the matchup would end.
Up next, a game aganst the North Division and Anton was the only Monster to factor in with his 11 saves on 12 shots. He also stopped two of three in the a shootout although the Central won 2-1.
Closing out the round robin was a game with the Pacific and it was a wild one. The Central took a 3-0 lead within the first minute including Oliver’s assist on Alex Tuch’s 3-0 goal. Oliver scored late in the first when he tipped a Jack Roslovic shot to make it 4-1 in a 5-3 Central win. Anton played the second five minute half and stopped five of seven in the win.
The championship game was the Central versus the Atlantic and it was a six minute game instead of the usual two five minutes halves. The contest ended up being a goalie battle that also included GOALIE CHANGES ON THE FLY!!!!! at about the midway point. Anton stopped the only shot he faced along with all four shooters he faced in the shootout. Oliver was stopped on his lone attempt but Grand Rapids Matt Lorito was the hero to give the Central back to back All Star Challenge championships.
Quickly, an update from last week. Kole Sherwood received a three game suspension for his match penalty at the end of a game, meaning he missed all of the Firebirds games this week.
Dante Salituro-London Knights (OHL)
Season Stats 9GP 5-5-10 +10 8PIM
First up, the Knights faced the Otters. In the first with the Knights leading 1-0, the puck bounced over an Otters’ players stick and Dante chased down the puck and sent it in front where Liam Foudy tipped it past the Otters’ goalie to make it 2-0 in a 5-3 Knights loss.
Up next the Knights were involved in a wild one. Dante got involved in the third with the Attack leading 6-3. Early in the period, Dante took a pass from Canucks first rounder Olli Joulevi and promptly hammered it to make it 6-4. Late in the third off a faceoff, Dante took a pass and found Mitchell Stephens who shot before JJ Piccinich picked up the rebound to tie it at six. The game went to a shootout with the Knights winning in the shootout for the first time in years.
Dante was held without a point in a 4-0 win over Oshawa to close out the week.
Pierre-Luc Dubois-Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL)
Season Stats 30GP 15-19-34 +6 42PIM
It was a light week for PLD and the Armada with only two games. Opening against Rouyn-Noranda, PLD picked up an assist when he curled out of the corner and passed to Alex Barre-Boulet who sent it in front where Joel Teasdale scored his 13th of the season to make it 2-1. In the second, PLD dropped the gloves for the first time this season taking on Antoine Waked to make him answer for a big hit he laid on an Armada player (hard to tell if that was PLD or a teammate in the video). The game ended in a 3-1 loss.
PLD went pointless in a 5-3 loss to Val-d’Or snapping a six game point streak. In the streak, Dubois collected 10 points going 7-3-10 in that span.
Vitaly Abramov-Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL)
Season Stats 47GP 32-34-66 -5 56
Vitaly and the Olympiques were off to Baie-Comeau for a game against the Drakkar. The Drakkar rolled out to a 4-0 lead before Gatineau got on the board. A Drakkar player’s clearing attempt was intercepted by Mitchell Balmas who found Vitaly in front. Vitaly then fed Yakov Trenin who scored to make it 4-1 in a 6-3 Gatineau loss.
Vitalty and his teammates were held pointless in a 4-0 loss to Chicoutimi to close out the week.
Calvin Thurkauf-Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
Season Stats 38GP 22-19-41 +17 64PIM
Calvin and the Rockets opened against rival Kamloops. The team was trailing 1-0 after one when Calvin picked up an assist on Lucas Johansen’s goal to open the second period. Late in the second, with Kelowna trailing 2-1, Nick Merkley took a long pass and fought off a defender before skating in and finding Calvin in front who shot it past the Blazers goalie to tie it at two. Sadly, the Rockets won the game 3-2 but Calvin was named third star in the loss.
Calvin was held pointless in a loss to Portland to close out the week, but it’s a little confusing on the WHL’s site. The gamesheet shows Calvin as pointless but his game by game stats show him with an assist.
Sam Ruopp-Prince George Cougars (WHL)
Season Stats 36GP 3-13-16 +17 41PIM
Sam was held pointless in a 5-2 loss to Red Deer before one of those games where if he didn’t have a point, I’d be raging.
In a blowout win over Edmonton, Sam had his first multi-point game since October. Early in the first, Sam intercepted a pass and got the puck to Colby McAuley who dropped a pass to Radovan Bondra. Bondra skated in and snapped a shot to make it 1-0. Late in the third with the Cougars leading 9-3, Sam again deflected a pass with Kody McDonald gathering the puck, skating in and firing a shot at almost the goalline making it 10-3 in a 11-3 Cougars rout. In the win, Sam would be a +5.
Sam was held pointless in a 3-1 win over Edmonton.
Keegan Kolesar-Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)
Season Stats 31GP 10-16-26 +15 55PIM
It was a busy but successful week for Keegan and the Tbirds. Starting off against instate rival Spokane, the game went to overtime with Keegan helping to set up the winner. Keegan’s teammates skated in on a two on one before Keegan took a drop pass in the slot, skated in and fired a shot that Austin Strand capitalized on after the rebound sealing the Seattle win.
Up next against Tri-City, Keegan picked up an assist on Turner Ottenbreit’s (of the Long Island Ottenbreits) power play goal to make it 2-0 in a 4-3 Thunderbirds win. Unfortunately, the play didn’t make the highlights.
Up next it was back home for a game against Everett. The Silvertips took a 1-0 lead before Keegan scored. Early in the second, Mathew Barzal stole the puck and found Keegan in front to who went five hole to make it 1-1. Late in the third, with the game tied at two, Keegan passed to Barzal who passed to Ethan Bear at the top of the slot. Bear fired to score the game winner with 1:09 remaining. In the 3-2 win, Keegan was named first star in the win.
Closing out the week, Keegan had himself a night. Early in the first, Keegan picked up an assist when Aaron Hyman fired a shot and Keegan and Ryan Gropp would battle lightly (with pillows maybe) for it with Gropp gathering the puck and firing to make it 1-0. A few minutes later, Keegan skated out of the corner and fired a shot that the Americans goalie would stop but not hold onto, and ultimately, the goaltender put it into his own net with Keegan getting credit. Keegan picked up another assist on Mathew Barzal’s second period goal but it wouldn’t make the highlights. Late in the third with the Birds leading 4-1 and the Americans net empty, Keegan blocked a shot and found Ryan Gropp at the blueline. Gropp skated into the zone and fired a shot just above the circle to make it 5-1. In the win, Keegan was named second star for his second career four point game first since January 2015.
There you have it folks, another wild week in the world of CBJ prospects. We’ll be back next week for more updates.
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