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Winnipeg Jets Prospect Tracker: Mark Scheifele and Scott Kosmachuk lead the pack

As the NHL lockout rages on, rather than focusing on the definition of HRR, the owner/player split and board meetings that accomplish nothing, we will instead turn our attention to the game of hockey itself by featuring weekly updates on the Winnipeg Jets‘ CHL prospects: Mark Scheifele, Adam Lowry, Scott Kosmachuk, Lukas Sutter, Ryan Olsen, Austen Brassard, and Zach Yuen.

2011 1st Round: Mark Scheifele: 16GP, 11G 16A, 27 PTS, +11, 11 PIM

Year RelDraft G/GP A/GP Pts/GP
2010-11 0 0.33 0.80 1.14
2011-12 1 0.49 0.85 1.34
2012-13 2 0.69 1.00 1.69
projected 67gp 46 67 113

Scheifele has continued to show positive growth, both literately and figuratively. He has steadily improved his point production while being the target of shut-down tactics from opposing coaches. This added attention has aided Scheifele’s development in all areas of the game, as he attempts to become an all situations player. Currently he sits at 5th in OHL scoring, though all four players ahead of him have played an extra 2-3 games. Mark continues to work on his skating and utilizing his size, readying himself for a spot on the Jets’ roster in the near future.

2011 3rd Round: Adam Lowry: 19GP, 9G 12A, 21 PTS, -2, 33 PIM

Year RelDraft G/GP A/GP Pts/GP
2010-11 0 0.27 0.41 0.68
2011-12 1 0.33 0.69 1.03
2012-13 2 0.47 0.63 1.11
projected 72gp 34 45 80

Another steady gainer within the Jets ranks, Lowry has slowed down from ~1.3PTS/GP range to a ~1.1PTS/GP range over the past weeks. If he is able to push his offensive numbers to previous margins, he will end up with a nearly identical progression to that of Ivan Telegin. Both are more natural wingers who have played centre at times, probably due to their height and size. The comparisons end there, however, as Lowry is known for two-way strength game and Telegin for his blinding speed.

2011 4th Round: Zach Yuen: 20GP, 1G 10A, 11 PTS, +3, 20 PIM

Year RelDraft G/GP A/GP Pts/GP
2010-11 0 0.11 0.33 0.44
2011-12 1 0.18 0.39 0.58
2012-13 2 0.05 0.50 0.55
projected 72gp 4 36 40

Yuen’s point growth has been padded by a recent scoring outburst as the young defenseman has marked 5 assists in the last 3 games. His assist progression has been steady, and along the lines of Julian Melchiori’s and Ben Chiarot’s. It’s interesting to see that he has yet to score a power play goal, despite quarterbacking the Americans primary power play unit. Expect his goal rate to rise a bit to ~0.2G/GP range.

2011 5th Round: Austen Brassard: 16GP, 5G 1A, 6 PTS, -3, 19 PIM

Year RelDraft G/GP A/GP Pts/GP
2010-11 0 0.28 0.22 0.51
2011-12 1 0.42 0.38 0.80
2012-13 2 0.31 0.06 0.38
projected 68gp 21 4 25

Now we reach our first “faller“. It’s interesting to see that Brassard’s goal scoring hasn’t dipped much, but rather that his assist totals have plumeted. Similar to Yuen’s goal production, it’s difficult to fathom this persisting, especially considering assists are easy enough to register through rebounds or the secondary assist. I haven’t watched much of Brassard, but when I have he does seem to be on the top unit and on the power play. Although, the Bulls are a low scoring defensive team and have the lowest goals for in the OHL.

2012 2nd Round: Lukas Sutter: 17GP, 2G 1A, 3 PTS, -12, 40 PIM

Year RelDraft G/GP A/GP Pts/GP
2011-12 0 0.40 0.44 0.84
2012-13 1 0.12 0.06 0.18
projected 72gp 8 4 12

Here’s a new drafting strategy for the franchise: trade every second round draft pick away. Check out this franchise second round history; other than Ondrej Pavelec and Carl Klingberg, it doesn’t look too good. That being said, I don’t completely fault Sutter; from all appearances, he was pushed down the depth charts to the third line as the team attempted to pad itself for hosting the Memorial Cup. This has proven unsuccessful thus far, as the Blades sit in 10th place in the 12 team Eastern Conference and have the second lowest goals for in the WHL. I’ve only seen a bit of Sutter, just a tad more than Brassard, but he didn’t appear to be the weak link in the Blades third unit. He’s strong on the face-off dot and the board battles, but he’ll have to improve if he wants to be worth of a second round pick.

2012 3rd Round: Scott Kosmachuk: 18GP, 12G 11A, 23 PTS, +2, 34 PIM

Year RelDraft G/GP A/GP Pts/GP
2011-12 0 0.45 0.43 0.88
2012-13 1 0.67 0.61 1.28
projected 68gp 45 42 87

Another drafting strategy for this franchise: trade those second round picks for third rounders. Lowry and Kosmachuk both look to be solid picks in the third round and hopefully this trend continues. Kosmachuk’s scoring rate should predominately stay level as this season appears to be a normal growth relative to last season. I will say this: I love Kosmachuk’s affinity for scoring goals in the dirty areas around the net.

2012 6th Round: Ryan Olsen: 15GP, 7G 3G, 10 PTS, +5, 29 PIM

Year RelDraft G/GP A/GP Pts/GP
2011-12 0 0.22 0.25 0.48
2012-13 1 0.47 0.20 0.67
projected 68gp 32 14 36

The Kelowna Rockets traded their top scorer for a draft pick and the big centreman they felt they were missing. Olsen has developed nicely, taking a similar role in Kelowna to that which Sutter held last season in Saskatoon. His production has slowed down since his three game suspension, but I expect it to rise once again to about a ~0.8PTS/GP rate. Although, I could be wrong and it could have been luck previously, seven of his ten points have been scored on the power play.

After the quarter poll of the season, here is the statistical breakdown for each prospect:

Name Team GP G A PTS +/- PIM G/GP A/GP PTS/GP PPG PPA
Mark Scheifele Barrie Colts, OHL 16 11 16 27 +11 11 0.69 1.00 1.69 5 7
Scott Kosmachuk Guelph Storm, OHL 18 12 11 23 +2 34 0.67 0.61 1.28 5 4
Adam Lowry Swift Current, WHL 19 9 12 21 -2 33 0.47 0.63 1.11 3 6
Ryan Olsen Kelowna Rockets, WHL 15 7 3 10 +3 29 0.47 0.20 0.67 5 2
Zachary Yuen Tri-City Americans, WHL 20 1 10 11 +3 20 0.05 0.50 0.55 0 5
Austen Brassard Belleville Bulls, OHL 16 5 1 6 -3 19 0.31 0.06 0.38 2 0
Lukas Sutter Saskatoon Blades, WHL 17 2 1 3 -12 40 0.12 0.06 0.18 0 0

Questions to Ponder

  • Relative to what you were expecting, who has impressed you the most so far?
  • Do you agree or disagree with any of my predictions?
  • What changes would you predict from these young players?

What are your thoughts on the early CHL season? Let us know in the comments below!

Option Votes
Yes, it looks like he is 6
No, he’ll probably bounce back 4
Too early to tell 18
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