Big play Friday

Michael St. Croix (Edmonton Oil Kings)

Friday night prospect hockey saw several of the New York Ranger and New York Islander prospects make key plays that helped their team win. Yes it is early in the season but for the younger prospects; making big plays now hopefully will give them the confidence to make those same plays come playoff time.

Tonight's Star Michael St. Croix Edmonton

People have been talking about the fast start Michael St. Croix (NYR 2011 4th) had gotten off to but there remained one thing missing from his game. The player I like to call the "Predator" just had not dominated a game like he did so many times last season.

I had not seen St. Croix put a team on the ropes then finish them off; that is until Friday night when St. Croix led his Edmonton Oil Kings to a 5-1 win over the Moose Jaw Warriors. St. Croix recorded his first hat trick of the season as he rang up 3 power play goals including the game winner.

With the score tied at 1-1, St Croix picked up a loose puck in the slot and fired it up and over Moose Jaw goalie Daniel Wapple to give the Oil Kings the lead for good at 12:12 of the first period. The game's first star, St. Croix's hat trick gave him 5 power play goals on the season along with his 2nd game winner.

In the second period with the Oil Kings already up 3-1, St. Croix put the game away first taking a pass from linemate Dylan Wruck and converting to make it 4-1 at 11:43. St. Croix made it a hat trick when he grabbed a rebound and converted that one to make it 5-1.

The game was over as far as the scoring goes as Edmonton picked up the win. For St. Croix, the hat trick improved his stats to 8-9-17 (9th in the WHL) and his 99th career goal as a member of the Oil Kings.

Adam Pelech (OHL Images)

Honorable Mention Adam Pelech Erie

Last night I got on Adam Pelech's (NYI 2012 3rd) case for getting into a fight over a clean check and the resulting penalties that led to the only goals that Windsor scored and costing his Erie Otters the game. Friday night showed just how important Pelech is to the Otters by scoring a huge goal to help his Otters defeat the London Knight 3-2 in the shootout.

Pelech scored his 2nd goal of the season; a power play goal at 4:39 of the 2nd period which tied the game at 2-2 and led to the Otters earning the win in the shootout. It was a huge confidence building win for the young Otters especially since this was already their 8th road game (out of 11) as they try to rebuild the franchise.

This is why Pelech needs to concentrate on staying on the ice and be very selective as to when he fights. Yes I know defending a teammate is important but Pelech is the "veteran" defensemen and the Otters need him on the ice not in the box or in the locker room.

Pelech's goal was the kind that coaches want to see from their point men; Pelech found himself a spot in the high slot and positioned himself for a one timer. It was a nice goal that froze London's goalie Kevin Balle as it went through traffic to find it's way into the net.

Pelech is now 2-6-8 on the season.

Cristoval Nieves (MGoBlue.com)

Honorable Mention Cristoval Nieves Michigan

Forget calling him "Boo" as Cristoval Nieves (NYR 2012 2nd) setup his 2nd straight game winning goal to help his 6th ranked Michigan Wolverines to an 6-3 win over the Bentley Falcons. Call him "Money" if he keeps setting up game winning goals.

In the 3rd period with Michigan up 3-2 off a face off Nieves grabbed a loose puck and put it right into the slot where teammate Alex Guptill was waiting and Guptill tapped it in for a 4-2 Michigan lead. Nieves has 3 assists on the season but 2 have set up game winning goals for Michigan and I seriously doubt anyone expected this kind of start out of Nieves.

Robbie Russo (Notre Dame)

Honorable Mention Robbie Russo Notre Dame

Defenseman Robbie Russo's (NYI 2011 4th) first goal of the season proved to be the game winner as 10th ranked Notre Dame earned a split in their series with 13th ranked Minnesota-Duluth after a 4-1 win. Russo scored a power play goal at 17:28 of the 1st period giving Notre Dame a 2-0 lead.

Russo (1-1-2) had a very strong game taking 6 shots on goal and a +2. With the win Notre Dame improves to 3-1 on the season.

The Rest of the Prospect Action

Sticking with the Notre Dame game, Anders Lee (NYI 2009 6th) was credited for the primary assist on Russo's goal for his 2nd assist of the season and 3rd point of the season. Lee also had 6 shots on goal and was even for the game.

Steven Fogarty (NYR 2011 3rd) took 2 shots and was a +1 for the game.

In the first big upset of the college hockey season, Brady Skjei (NYR 2012 1st) and his top ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers were defeated by Michigan Tech 5-3. Skjei was scoreless on 1 shot and a -1 but also took a holding penalty that Michigan Tech turned into a power play goal.

In Denver, defenseman Scott Mayfield (NYI 2011 2nd) and his 8th ranked Denver Pioneers made their season debut hosting UMass-Lowell. Denver did have much trouble defeating UMass-Lowell 5-1 as Mayfield was scoreless with no shots, a +1 and a minor for tripping.

In Edmonton, defenseman Griffin Reinhart (NYI 2012 1st) was scoreless and a +1 in his Edmonton Oil King's 5-1 win over the Moose Jaw Warriors. Reinhart and his teammates blanked the Warriors on their 6 power plays.

In Spokane, defenseman Brendan Kichton (NYI 2011 5th) and his Spokane Chiefs defeated the Seattle Thunderbirds 2-1 to earn a split in their home and home series. Kichton was scoreless with a +1 for the Chiefs who held Seattle to just 15 shots for the game.

Everyone talks about Kichton's offensive skills so it is easy to overlook that he can play defense too.

In Swift Current, center Shane McColgan (NYR 2011 5th) and his Saskatoon Blades dominated the Swift Current Broncos in every area except on the scoreboard. The Broncos despite being out shot 44-28 defeated the Blades 2-1.

McColgan was held scoreless breaking a 4 game scoring streak as Saskatoon saw their 3 game winning streak end as well.

In Guelph, defenseman Andrey Pedan (NYI 2011 3rd) and his Guelph Storm extended their unbeaten streak to 7 games (6-0-0-1) after whipping the Sarnia Sting 6-3. Pedan scored his 3rd goal of the season to improve to 3-2-5 on the season.

The Storm are 7-2-0-1 good for the 2nd best record in the OHL's Western Conference. Pedan also earned also picked up a minor penalty to give him 36 for the season (3rd in the OHL).

In the QMJHL, Loic Leduc (NYI 2012 4th) and his Cape Breton Screaming Eagles were whipped on the road 5-1 by the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. This one was much worse than the score shows as the Screaming Eagles were out shot 54-23 as they extended their winless streak to 5 games (0-4-1-0).

Leduc was a -3 and had a single hit for his evening.

Defenseman Samuel Noreau (NYR 2011 5th) had a very quiet night as his Baie-Comeau Drakkar were defeated at home by the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.

Going streaking

Mitchell Theoret (OHL Images)

Thursday night was mainly a night for the New York Islander prospects as just a couple of New York Ranger prospects played. What I do have is plenty of video highlights courtesy of the folks at TVCogecoOntario.

Marty Williamson the coach of the Niagara IceDogs is looking like a genius these days after putting Mitchell Theoret (NYI 2011 7th) on the same line as Ryan Strome (NYI 2011 1st). In the 4 games since the duo were put together they have produced 7-6-13 for the IceDogs.

Thursday night it was the IceDogs hosting the Brampton Battalion and the dynamic duo played a huge part in the IceDogs 3-2 overtime win. The IceDogs would strike first as Theoret hit Strome with a nice setup that Strome converted for his 8th goal of the season and a 1-0 IceDog lead just 1:59 into the game.

In the second period it was Strome returning the favor as he hit Theoret right on the stick as Theoret had a partial breakaway and scored his 4th goal of the season at 2:03 and a 2-0 IceDog lead.

The Battalion would rally to tie the game and it went into overtime where Theoret would pick up his 3rd point of the evening when Dougie Hamilton picked up Theoret's rebound and cashed it in for the game winner at 2:41 of overtime.

Theoret finishes with a 1-2-3 +2 evening extending his goal scoring streak to 4 games as he improves to 4-4-8. When you watch the highlights on the gamewinner, Theoret also gets away with a pick preventing a Battalion defender from getting to Hamilton.

Strome was the game's "first star" on a 1-1-2 evening +1 but Strome also took 2 minor penalties that gave the Battalion their only 2 power play chances. The 3rd member of the Islander IceDog prospects defenseman Jesse Graham (NYI 2012 6th) was scoreless with a +1.

Niagara now has a 3 game unbeaten streak going (2-0-1-0).



In Peterborough, Peter Ceresnak (NYR 2011 6th) registered his 1st goal of the season but it wasn't enough as the Plymouth Whalers defeated the Petes 2-1. The Petes are now winless in their last 4 games and are 9th in the OHL's Eastern Conference.

Ceresnak's goal came in the first period while the Petes had a power play going. Ceresnak pinched in from the left point and one timed the shot in for the goal. It tied the game but it wasn't enough.



If you watched the tape then you would see why I expect more out of Ceresnak than he has produced. His goal was a thing of beauty so how come he doesn't make plays like that more often?

In Windsor, defenseman Adam Pelech (NYI 2012 3rd) might be getting a call from the OHL offices after Pelech was ejected for a fight he instigated during Erie's 2-1 loss to the Windsor Spitfires.

In this case I will show the tape and then explain why I think what Pelech did was wrong.



Let's get something straight right up front, I never have a problem with a player who is standing up for a teammate. What I do have a problem with is the trend these days when a clean hit causes a fight.

Pelech saw the entire hit right in front of him; he doesn't even give Patrick Sieloff a chance to get up and is throwing punches while Sieloff was down.

For the record Sieloff was not called for any penalty on this play and it was the right call. Pelech hurt his team by getting ejected causing them to lose their best defender and they might lose him for a couple of games.

The resulting power play also led the Spitfires to both of their goals (stick tap to Neate Sager)

Pelech winds up with an instigator which will count towards a future suspension. And before people get upset; the goal is not to take hitting out of the game but rather to take people getting hurt out.

One game on the college hockey scoreboard as 13th ranked Minnesota-Duluth traveled to South Bend, Indiana to face 10th ranked Notre Dame. It was the home opener for Notre Dame and they would come away 3-1 losers.

Penalties ruled the day as the Irish were called for 7 power plays and received 6 of their own. The 3 prospects NYI Anders Lee and Robbie Russo, NYR Steven Fogarty) playing in this game were held scoreless and each was a -1 for the night.

An ugly effort by Notre Dame who will play Minnesota-Duluth again on Friday evening. The one bright spot was Steven Fogarty going 7-1 on his face offs.

Middle of the week overtime

Shane McColgan (Saskatoon Blades)

So what are the odds that with 4 games being played with New York Ranger and New York Islander prospects involved that all would wind up needing at least overtime? If you had put money on that happening then you would have won that bet.

The bad news was that only one prospect walked away from Wednesday's games as a winner and that player is Shane McColgan (NYR 2011 5th). McColgan played his best game of the season as he set up the game winner in overtime for his only point of the night as the Blades defeated the Tri-City Americans 3-2.

The win gives the Blades a 3 game winning streak as the team improved their record to 5-7 on the season. McColgan in addition to his assist was also a +3 for the game and now has a 4 game scoring streak going (2-4-6) as he improves to 2-8-10 on the season.

Michael St. Croix (NYR 2011 4th) and Griffin Reinhart (NYI 2012 1st) led their Edmonton Oil Kings against the team with the best record in the WHL, the Kamloops Blazers. The Oil Kings have been unable to find ways to beat the top teams in the WHL and they blew a chance against the Blazers.

The Oil Kings were leading the Blazers 4-3 after scoring a goal with 1:59 left in regulation. They also gained a power play with 1:34 left on the clock but failed to cover JC Lipon as Lipon was uncovered in the Oil King defensive zone scoring the tying goal and forcing overtime.

Neither team scored in overtime but Kamloops scored twice in the shootout round to walk out of Edmonton with a 5-4 shootout win. Michael St. Croix was held scoreless while Griffin Reinhart had a secondary assist for his 5th point of the season.

The Oil Kings are now winless in their last 3 games (0-1-0-2).

In the QMJHL, Samuel Noreau (NYR 2011 5th) had the primary assist on the Baie-Comeau Drakkar's first goal of the game but it wasn't enough as the Drakkar lost 5-4 in the shootout to the Chicoutimi Saguenéens.

Noreau was very active in this game taking 4 shots and being credited for 3 hits but Noreau also took a checking to the head minor that the Saguenéens converted into a power play goal.

Noreau is 2-3-5 on the season as his Drakkar fell to 5-4-0-1.

Loic Leduc (NYI 2012 4th) got the start for his Cape Breton Screaming Eagles but they too lost as they dropped a 6-5 overtime decision to the expansion Sherbrooke Phoenix. It was the first road win for the Phoenix and just their second win of the season.

Leduc was scoreless as his Screaming Eagles saw their winless streak extended to a 4th game 0-3-1-0.

Prospects of the week

"Boo" Nieves (MGoBlue.com)

The first "Prospects of the Week" coming from the New York Rangers and the New York Islanders share a common theme. They were given opportunities and they too full advantage of them.

Cristoval "Boo" Nieves (NYR 2012 2nd) had a pretty rocky debut for the Michigan Wolverines last Thursday evening. Anything that could go wrong did for the freshman as he was on the ice for 2 goals against, got called for "embellishment" and while he took 3 shots; none were serious scoring chances as Michigan dropped their home opener.

Friday evening was a total 180 for Nieves as his coach Red Berenson had Nieves as his starting right wing to show the freshman he believed in him. Nieves did not disappoint his coach setting up 2 goals to help Michigan earn their first win of the season.

Now normally 2 assists would not earn you the "Prospect of the Week" but one play just may have spoken volumes about the potential that Nieves has. Take a look at this video starting at the 1:25 mark.

Right now it is my favorite play this season as Nieves showed off several of his skills in one play. For starters on a turnover most players just turn around and head back to their defensive responsibilities.

Instead Nieves kept his head up and was watching the RIT player who had the puck; Nieves read the player and saw what his intentions were. So Nieves put himself into a position so when the RIT player attempted his clearing pass; there was Nieves stepping right in the way of the pass intercepting it.

Nieves wasn't done as he saw his teammates coming up ice on the attack, gave them the puck and the result was a goal. With one play, Nieves displayed his hockey IQ, his ability to read plays, his defensive skills, his ability to transition from defense to offense and his ability to put the puck right on the stick of a teammate so he could make a play.

That folks is what John Tortorella wants out of his players, to play smart hockey and use their defense to create their offense. Not bad for a 18 year old playing just his second game at the NCAA level.

Can't wait to see what Nieves does for an encore.

Mitchell Theoret (Niagara IceDogs)

Mitchell Theoret (NYI 2011 7th) of the Niagara IceDogs earned the Islander's Prospect of the Week because he too took advantage of an opportunity given to him by his coach. Niagara coach Marty Williamson moved Theoret to the first line to play with fellow Islander prospect Ryan Strome and Brett Ritchie.

According to Theoret, the goal with the move was for Theoret to create chances for his linemates.

“Marty wants me to create some space for them,” Theoret said. “I’m just going to go in the corner and dig for pucks and hit them in the high slot.”

Theoret has also responded himself by scoring a goal in each of the 3 games since the promotion to the IceDogs top line. Pretty sure Marty Williamson is very happy to get a bigger contribution out of Theoret than he expected when he moved him to the line.

Theoret over the 2 years I have watched him has done everything asked of him from being a protector to checking forward to now 1st line scorer. When you are a 7th round pick, you have to do things like this to make sure you attract the attention of the team that drafted you.

Theoret is 6'2 220 and really he needs a monster season if he wants a professional contract whether it comes from the Islanders or anyone else. Scoring a goal a game is a good way to attract attention.

Game Action

Just one game as Brendan Kichton (NYI 2011 5th) and his Spokane Chiefs were in Kent Washington to play the Seattle Thunderbirds. The Thunderbirds came away with a 6-4 win in a game that Spokane can blame themselves for why they lost.

Kichton was named the game's 3rd star as he registered 2 primary assists but I would not have given him a star. Kichton was a -1 with 2 minor penalties in the game with the second minor resulting in what proved to be the game winning goal for the Thunderbirds.

Kichton improved his stats to 3-9-12. According to Gregg Drinnan of Taking Note the assists were the 146th and 147th of Kichton's career with the Chiefs making him the new all-time leader in assists by a defenseman.

Kichton already holds the franchise record for most goals (48) and points (195) scored by a defenseman.

Set Your DVRs

Friday night starting at 7PM/4PM on the NHL Network the Erie Otters will be taking on the London Knights live. This is a game that you might not want to miss as there several good reasons to watch this one.

If you are an Islander fan then 2012 3rd round pick Adam Pelech of the Erie Otters is who you want to watch. If you were a fan of Tie Domi then you will get a kick out of seeing his son Max play for London.

Max is nothing like his father as a player as he is one of the top scorers in the OHL. He is one of 3 players on the London roster who should go in the 1st round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft (Bo Horvat and Nikita Zadorov are the other 2).

But the best reason to watch will be a special player who won't be eligible to be drafted until the 2015 NHL draft by the name of Connor McDavid. He is one of the rare 15 year old players who Hockey Canada granted "exceptional status" so he could play at the junior level.

He doesn't play like a 15 year old as his skill set has to be seen to be believed. This is one special kid and you don't want to miss a chance to see this future first round pick in action.

Making the most

Mitchell Theoret (OHL Images)

When you cover the prospects of the New York Islanders and the New York Rangers; there are times when you want to cheer those prospects who are given an opportunity and make the most of it. Mitchell Theoret (NYI 2011 7th) of the Niagara IceDogs is one of those prospects as he is a coach's player.

A coach's player is a player who gets asked to do whatever is needed to help his team win. A player who puts the team ahead of his own personal gain and over the last 2 seasons it is what I have watched from Mitchell Theoret.

From being a 4th line energy player to a 3rd line grinder to his current role of bodyguard/grinder/power forward, Theoret does what it takes to help his IceDogs win. Theoret is a 19 year old 6'2 220 left wing from Montreal in his 4th season with the IceDogs and has been elevated to the IceDog's first line.

3 games after the promotion and Theoret has a career best 3 game goal scoring streak thanks to his 3rd goal of the season in the IceDog's 4-3 shootout win over the Windsor Spitfires. The win snapped a 3 game losing streak for the IceDogs who had to rally from down 1-3 to force overtime.

Theoret scored his 3rd goal in the first period picking up a rebound of a Dougie Hamilton shot and putting it in at 10:59 for a 1-0 IceDogs lead. It was the only goal scored in the 1st period but Windsor responded with 3 unanswered goals in the second to take the lead.

One of those goals was scored on a Windsor power play while Ryan Strome (NYI 2011 1st) was serving a minor for cross-checking. Strome took 2 penalties in this game but made up for it by scoring the tying goal at 12:07 of the 3rd period while on the power play.

It was a 5 on 3 power play and Strome took advantage to record his 7th of the season and first power play goal of the season as Strome improved to 7-7-14 (8th overall in the OHL). It helped the IceDogs force overtime then the shootout where they got the win.

The 3rd Islander prospect on the IceDogs defenseman Jesse Graham did not miss out of the scoring party as Graham had the primary assist on Niagara's 2nd goal. It was Graham's 3rd assist on the season (0-3-3) but it meant that the 3 Islander prospects on the IceDogs had a hand on all 3 goals.

In Medicine Hat, Shane McColgan (NYR 2011 5th) and his Saskatoon Blades earned their 2nd straight win 6-3 over the Medicine Hat Tigers. McColgan was 1-1-2 setting up what proved to be the game winning goal in the 2nd period while the Blades were on the power play.

Whatever was ailing McColgan's game seems to be disappearing as McColgan has a 3 game scoring streak going (2-1-3) but even better was the Blade power play went 3 for 4 for the game with McColgan the QB on it.

McColgan got on the board when he scored his 2nd goal of the season with just 1 second remaining in the 1st period. It gave the Blades a 2-1 lead and was the start of 4 unanswered goals that put the game away.

McColgan's assist came when he set up the 4th of those goals while the Blades were on the power play. It was McColgan's 7th assist of the season and 9th overall point. McColgan has gone 2-3-5 in his last 3 games and he is starting to play the way the Blades had hoped for when they traded for him.

In Guelph it was the battle of defensive prospects as Peter Ceresnak (NYR 2011 6th) and his Peterborough Petes took on Andrey Pedan (NYI 2011 3rd) and his Guelph Storm. It was a wild back and forth penalty filled game as both teams each went 3 for 9 on the power play but Guelph won 7-6 in overtime.

Ceresnak played a good game registering his 1st assist of the season as he set up Stephen Nosad to put the Petes ahead 6-5 at 15:50 of the 3rd period. But the Petes gave up a shorthanded goal with 2:23 remaining in regulation then Guelph scored 23 seconds in overtime for the win.

Pedan didn't score for the Storm but this was a very entertaining game to watch as there were 6 lead changes and both teams blew 2 goal leads in this game. Guelph stretches their unbeaten streak to 6 games (5-0-0-1) while the Petes have registered points in 4 straight games.

In Kootenay, Michael St. Croix (NYR 2011 4th) along with Griffin Reinhart (NYI 2012 1st) and the rest of their Edmonton Oil Kings were shut out by the Kootenay Ice 1-0. The loss snapped a 4 game scoring streak for St. Croix who was 2-6-8 during his streak.

Loic Leduc (NYI 2012 4th) and his Cape Breton Screaming Eagles dropped their 3 straight game, this time 5-2 to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Leduc was scoreless with 2 shots and 2 hits but he also took a tripping penalty that the Titan cashed in on for their 4th goal of the game.

Saturday night delight

Anders Lee (CCHA)

Plenty of action from the New York Ranger and New York Islander prospects as players who their teams count on to contribute did so which made for an entertaining Saturday night of hockey. It is nice to have an evening where picking who gets a star is a hard decision.

First Star Anders Lee Notre Dame

Anders Lee (NYI 2009 6th) set up the game's first goal just 1:14 into the game then added a goal to help his 13th ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish win the 2012 Ice Breaker Tournament with a 3-2 win over the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks. It was Lee's first points of the 2012-2013 as the newly appointed captain of the Fighting Irish led by example.

Lee fired a shot that hit the boards and rebounded to the front of the net where it went in off a teammate at 1:14 for a 1-0 lead. After the Mavericks tied the score midway of the 1st period; Lee put his team ahead to stay when he picked up a rebound and wristed a shot that went in at 15:56 of the 1st.

Lee is being asked to do a lot this season, first as the captain of the team but also shifted back to center after 2 seasons as a winger. At 6'3 230, Lee looks more like a linebacker coming on a blitz than a hockey player.

Lee finished the evening with the 1-1-2 on 3 shots, a +2 with 1 blocked shot and 7-7 on his faceoffs.

Brady Skjei (New York Rangers)
Minnesota

Second Star Brady Skjei Minnesota

Minnesota Golden Gopher coach Don Lucia took a page from Michigan Wolverine coach Red Berenson when he sent out freshman Brady Skjei (NYR 2012 1st) as one of his starting players. Lucia had to be pleased with the results as Skjei responded with his first 2 points of his NCAA career to help Minnesota to a 7-1 win over Michigan State.

Skjei earned the game's 3rd star in just his 2nd game in the NCAA as the youngster from Lakeville Minnesota got on the scoreboard with a secondary assist on Minnesota's 5th goal just 30 seconds into the 2nd period. In the 3rd, Skjei scored his first career NCAA goal at 15:42 of the 3rd period on the power play.

It was Skjei's first shot of the game as the young defender finished 1-1-2 and +1. Skjei looked more at ease as the 1st game jitters were out of the way.

Blowouts like this weekend (Minnesota out scored Michigan State 12-2) will give Skjei more ice time as the season progresses. Minnesota established that they are a legit contender for the NCAA title and Skjei will be a part of it.

Ryan Strome (OHL Images)

Third Star Ryan Strome Niagara

The Islander's 2011 1st round pick Ryan Strome had a strong effort with a 1-1-2 game against the Sarnia Sting but the Sting got the win in overtime 4-3. The game's second star, Strome did what he could to end Niagara's 3 game losing streak but a badly timed major penalty led to a power play that carried over into overtime.

Now Niagara is on a 4 game winless streak but they can't blame Strome as he did his part. First Strome set up his new linemate fellow Islander prospect Mitchell Theoret for a goal that tied the game at 1-1 in the first period.

In the second it was Theoret returning the favor setting up Strome for his 6th goal of the season and his 13th point of the season. At 6-7-13, Strome has points in 9 of the 10 games he has played in and sits 8th in the OHL in overall scoring.

Honorable Mention Mitchell Theoret

Got to give Mitchell Theoret (NYI 2011 7th) a major stick tap for realizing the opportunity that he has been handed by Niagara head coach Marty Williamson. Placed on Niagara's top line to be a grinder/protector, Theoret is taking full advantage of it.

2 games, 2 goals (and an assist) and Theoret is showing he wants to stay on this line instead of being a 3rd liner. As a 7th round pick, Theoret knows that he needs to have a monster season to earn himself a contract.

Always glad to see a player who busts his butt to make the most of his opportunities. In 2 games Theoret has more points than he did in his first 6.

Rest of the Prospects

Jesse Graham (NYI 2012 6th), the 3rd Islander prospect on the IceDogs was a -1 and did not score.

Robbie Russo (NYI 2011 4th) and Steven Fogarty (NYR 2011 3rd) were both scoreless in Notre Dame's 3-2 win over Nebraska-Omaha. Russo took 2 shots, was a +1 and blocked 1 shot while Fogarty did not take any shots, was 3-3 on face offs and took a slashing penalty.

Shane McColgan (NYR 2011 5th) had a secondary assist as his Saskatoon Blades broke a 5 game losing streak with a 5-2 win over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. McColgan's assist came on Saskatoon's 2nd goal which gave them a 2-1 lead that they did not give back.

McColgan improves to 1-6-7 which is not earth shattering as McColgan badly needs to go on a monster run if he wants a Ranger contract.

Brendan Kichton's (NYI 2011 5th) 3rd goal of the season; a power play goal at 19:18 of the 1st period got his Spokane Chiefs going as they defeated the Vancouver Giants 5-2. For Kichton, he improves his stats to 3-7-10 in 8 games as the Chiefs earn their 6th win of the season (6-2-0-0).

Peter Ceresnak (NYR 2011 6th) and his Peterborough Petes may be stretching things by saying they are unbeaten in their last 3 regulation games (1-0-1-1) but 4 points in their last 3 games is way better than the 2 they earned in their first 6.

Ceresnak was scoreless as the Petes dropped a 5-4 decision in the shoot out to the Owen Sound Attack. The Attack happen to have the 2nd best record in the OHL and the Petes got a point on the road so call it a win for the struggling Petes.

Ceresnak is pointless after 9 games so he needs to get some offense going soon if he hopes to earn a Ranger contract.

Samuel Noreau (NYR 2011 5th) was scoreless on 2 shots and had a hit as his Baie-Comeau Drakkar got a bit of revenge on the Rimouski Oceanic shutting them out 2-0 on their ice. Friday evening it was the Oceanic who got the win.

Noreau is not putting up earth shattering numbers but you can see a clear difference between Noreau and Ceresnak. Noreau is playing like he wants the Ranger contract, with a sense of both purpose and urgency while Ceresnak isn't.

Someone needs to show Ceresnak the Ranger's defensive depth chart and explain to him the golden opportunity he might be blowing.

Adam Pelech (NYI 2012 3rd) made up for taking 2 third period minors by scoring his 1st goal of the season 8 seconds after his 2nd penalty ended. The goal at 10:15 of the 3rd tied the game up at 3-3 but Pelech's Erie Otters could not hold off the Mississauga Steelheads.

The Steelheads scored with 2:20 remaining in regulation to earn a 4-3 win over the Otters. For Pelech it was his first goal in his last 28 games going back to February 3rd 2012.

Cody Rosen (NYI 2010 7th) got to watch from the bench as his Clarkson Golden Knights lost for the 2nd evening in a row to the Colorado College Tigers 5-4. It was the same score as Friday evening as Clarkson dropped to 0-2.

Hello Lancers

Want to say hello to the fans of the Omaha Lancers of the USHL where New York Islander prospect defenseman Jake Bischoff (2012 7th) is spending the season with. Jake is on twitter for Islander fans to follow at @jakethesnnake22.

Currently Jake is sitting out with an upper body injury so going to have to wait a bit before we can get a look at him. Been told he is a hard worker so look forward to getting to check him out.

Bischoff next season will be joining Brady Skeji at Minnesota but for now he is with the Lancers. The USHL is a pretty good league that has been getting better with each passing year.

Take a look at the list of players who once played in the USHL and made it to the NHL. Not a bad list and toss in that Bischoff will be attending Minnesota says something about him.