Prospect Info: 2024-25 Prospects Thread (CHL/NCAA/Euro)

[Adam Michaels]

Prospect recap from yesterday (Dec. 29th):

- CHL -

- Vancouver won 3-1 vs. Kelowna
Thorpe with 0 pts / +1 / 6 SOG
Season So Far: 29 pts (12G, 17A) in 33 GP

- NCAA -

- Providence won 5-3 vs. Dartmouth
Sawyer with 0 pts / +1 / 1 SOG
Season So Far: 8 pts (2G, 6A) in 20 GP
Croteau didn't start for Dartmouth

- BCHL -

- Pentincton lost 4-3 in OT vs. Okotoks
Merrill with 1 assist / *Named 3rd Star*
Season So Far: 11 pts (10G, 1A) in 30 GP

- WJC -

- Sweden won 7-5 vs. Switzerland
Bergqvist with 0 pts / 1 SOG / 6 PIM / 14:33 TOI
WJC So Far: 1 goal in 3 GP

______________________________________________________

Prospects in action today (Dec. 30th):

- Konyushkov already played (1 assist in a 4-3 OT loss)
- Kapanen @ 1PM ET
- Eriksson @ 1PM ET

 

[bopeep]

Ollie Kapanen with a goal so far, Timra up 5-2 after the 2nd.

 

[Victoire HuGo]

Ollie Kapanen with a goal so far, Timra up 5-2 after the 2nd.

Doesn't seem to have been impacted by him overstaying with the team at all. Great start to his SHL career

 

[bopeep]

Doesn't seem to have been impacted by him overstaying with the team at all. Great start to his SHL career

Exactly - he slotted back in at 1C seamlessly and hasn't missed a beat.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Exactly - he slotted back in at 1C seamlessly and hasn't missed a beat.

Near PPG in the SHL at his age is pretty phenomenal.

 

[Adam Michaels]

Prospect recap from yesterdat (Dec. 30th):

- EURO -

- Torpedo lost 4-3 in OT to Kunlun
Konyushkov with 1 assist / -1 / 3 SOG / 25:20 TOI
Season So Far: 10 pts (2G, 8A) in 39 GP

- Timra won 6-3 vs. Brynas
Kapanen with 1 goal / +1 / 5 SOG / 61% FOW / 19:04 TOI
Season So Far: 12 pts (5G, 7A) in 13 GP

- Vaxjo lost 3-2 in OT to Orebro
Eriksson with 0 pts / -1 / 2 SOG / 13:49 TOI
Season So Far: 4 pts (2G, 2A) in 29 GP

___________________________________________________________________

Prospects in action today (Dec. 31st)

- Vecvanags @ 1PM ET (we'll see if he gets the start for Acadie-Bathurst after joining them)
- Thorpe @ 5PM ET
- Protz @ 6PMET

- Smith @ 8PM ET

in WJC action today:

- Bergqvist @ 5PM ET

 

[Adam Michaels]

Vecvanags will be the back-up today for the Titan. It is the first game he dresses for them.

 

[Treb]

Vecvanags will be the back-up today for the Titan. It is the first game he dresses for them.

Missed the news on Friday.

Looking at his EP page, his move to Maine is pushed to 2026, so he should play this year and next in the QMJHL.

Edit: and due to be signed in 2030 if he plays 4 years in the NCAA

 

[bopeep]

Thorpenado as @Habs likes to call him

Down 5-1 in the second, the Thorpedo cues the comeback with a couple of goals, 6-6 in OT.

 

[The Nemesis]

Down 5-1 in the second, the Thorpedo cues the comeback with a couple of goals, 6-6 in OT.

Giants were down 3-0 on 3 shots after the first 6 minutes of the game (yes, the goalie did get pulled at that point). Down 4-1 after the first period and 5-1 at the worst point.

Then came the comeback which Thorpe started by scoring the Giants' 2nd goal and capped with a sweet tip to notch the 6-6 tying goal.

They're 11 seconds away from heading to a shootout with the Giants having just taken an interference penalty to give Victoria one last chance to stem the bleeding. EDIT: yep, shootout time.

 

[bopeep]

Giants were down 3-0 on 3 shots after the first 6 minutes of the game (yes, the goalie did get pulled at that point). Down 4-1 after the first period and 5-1 at the worst point.

Then came the comeback which Thorpe started by scoring the Giants' 2nd goal and capped with a sweet tip to notch the 6-6 tying goal.

They're 11 seconds away from heading to a shootout with the Giants having just taken an interference penalty to give Victoria one last chance to stem the bleeding. EDIT: yep, shootout time.

Yeah, he sucks

 

[The Nemesis]

Yeah, he sucks

Towering goon who skates like a baby deer.

Seriously, I said this the last time I was here with Thorpe highlights, but the progress he's made in the last 2 years is nuts. I remember his debut in 22-23 when the Giants signed him as an undrafted FA from the BCHL (he was literally just playing across town) and thinking he was just a big, lumbering WHL 4th liner because he was such an awkward skater and constantly seemed overwhelmed. The fact that he's come to the point where he keeps up with plays and makes surprisingly handsy plays is impressive.

 

[The Nemesis]

Thorpe didn't shoot in the shootout, but Vancouver pulls it out to win 7-6.

He was the second star of the game. 1st star was a Victoria player with a hat trick.

These two teams are back at it tomorrow in Langley for the second half of a home-and-home. I won't be there because I'm under the weather but I will watch the stream and possibly provide Thorpe-related updates for you guys/gals.

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

Thorpe didn't shoot in the shootout, but Vancouver pulls it out to win 7-6.

Hood probably wasn't very good in the beginning of the game but he was good in the OT and very good in the shootout. Levis made the play the Habs should have. Giants took a penalty with 10 seconds to go. Levis got the puck with 6 seconds to go near the boards, turned into the boards and covered the puck for the last 6 seconds.
The tying goal was a nice tip by Thorpe.

 

[The Nemesis]

Hood probably wasn't very good in the beginning of the game but he was good in the OT and very good in the shootout. Levis made the play the Habs should have. Giants took a penalty with 10 seconds to go. Levis got the puck with 6 seconds to go near the boards, turned into the boards and covered the puck for the last 6 seconds.
The tying goal was a nice tip by Thorpe.

I don't fault Hood too much. He wasn't planning on coming in until Hutchison gave up 3 goals on 3 pretty average shots/attempts and was chased 6 minutes in. 3 goals on 17 shots isn't great, but he found his groove early in the period and made big saves when he had to.

Levis is an interesting prospect. He was a Jets pick in 2023 after a strong ppg season with the Blazers, and he's been around a PPG since then even while being traded from Kamloops to Vancouver, but he's kind of a frustrating player to watch because when he's on he looks great and engaged all over the ice, but then he falls into a funk and you barely even notice he's out there for a half-dozen games while maybe picking up a couple of assists. Then he randomly explodes for 3 or 4 points. He had a 4-goal game just before the Christmas break started.

He's part of that first wave of CHLers who are taking advantage of retaining NCAA eligibility now as he's committed to Bowling Green for next season. That seems to indicate that the Jets won't be signing him and perhaps he's hoping that the NCAA exposure will earn him an NHL dev camp invite and/or UDFA contract in a year or two.

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

I don't fault Hood too much. He wasn't planning on coming in until Hutchison gave up 3 goals on 3 pretty average shots/attempts and was chased 6 minutes in. 3 goals on 17 shots isn't great, but he found his groove early in the period and made big saves when he had to.

Levis is an interesting prospect. He was a Jets pick in 2023 after a strong ppg season with the Blazers, and he's been around a PPG since then even while being traded from Kamloops to Vancouver, but he's kind of a frustrating player to watch because when he's on he looks great and engaged all over the ice, but then he falls into a funk and you barely even notice he's out there for a half-dozen games while maybe picking up a couple of assists. Then he randomly explodes for 3 or 4 points. He had a 4-goal game just before the Christmas break started.

He's part of that first wave of CHLers who are taking advantage of retaining NCAA eligibility now as he's committed to Bowling Green for next season. That seems to indicate that the Jets won't be signing him and perhaps he's hoping that the NCAA exposure will earn him an NHL dev camp invite and/or UDFA contract in a year or two.

Only saw the last half of the game. Didn't realize Hood wasn't the starter.

 

[The Nemesis]

Only saw the last half of the game. Didn't realize Hood wasn't the starter.

I'm now wondering if Hood gets the nod tomorrow. The Giants don't usually start the same goalie on back-to-backs but putting Hutchison back in against the team that just ripped him for 3 goals on 3 shots. On the other hand in the prior 2 matchups between these teams Hood started both games. One he lost 4-0 and the other he gave up 3 goals on 8 shots and was chased early in the 2nd (and the Giants lost that game in the end too).

 

[montreal]

Thorpe Nice Pass 3:21
Thorpe Almost Backhander Goal 3:56
Thorpe Shot Almost Tipped 4:49
Thorpe Goal 5:04
Thorpe Big Hit 10:34
Thorpe Goal 11:01

 

[Adam Michaels]

Prospect recap from yesterday (Dec. 31):

- CHL -

- Vancouver won 7-6 in the SO vs. Victoria
Thorpe with 2 goals / 6 SOG / *Named 2nd Star*
Season So Far: 31 pts (14G, 17A) in 34 GP

- Brantford los 5-4 to Erie
Protz with 0 pts / -2 / 1 SOG
Season So Far: 18 pts (4G, 14A) in 34 GP

- NCAA -

- Minnesota-Duluth won 4-2 vs. Bemidji State
Jack Smith with 1 assist / 1 SOG / 53% FOW
Season So Far: 5 pts (2G, 3A) in 13 GP

- WJC -

- Sweden won 4-2 vs. Czechia
Bergqvist with 0 pts / 1 SOG / 12:25 TOI
WJC So Far: 1 goal in 4 GP

___________________________________________________________

Prospect in action today (Jan 1):

- Thorpe @ 5PM ET

 

[jrom]

 

[montreal]

Kapanen's goals plus 1 assist from the past 2 weeks (his games are tough for me as they are on while I'm working) plus a PS.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

Missed the news on Friday.

Looking at his EP page, his move to Maine is pushed to 2026, so he should play this year and next in the QMJHL.

Edit: and due to be signed in 2030 if he plays 4 years in the NCAA

We have until August 15, 2029 to sign him. He can play 2 years in Q than 3 years NCAA before we have to decide on him. Good to see him move. It was a poor decision to go BCHL, imo.