As the 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.
Our week started on Wednesday, October the 3rd, with Sutter, Olsen and Yuen all receiving 2 minutes in PIM and ending their games pointless. Matthew Dumba, whose Red Deer Rebels played against Sutter’s Saskatoon Blades, scored a highlight-reel goal from his knees after flying end-to-end.
Kosmachuk was the only individual playing on Thursday. The Guelph Storm played a dominate game with Kosmachuk scoring a beautiful goal at even strength. He also added two power play assists to the score sheet, finishing he night with three points. His strong play this past week has pushed him from 60th to 21st in OHL scoring and he joined Scheifele as a “point-per-game” prospect.
Friday’s schedule featured five games, one of which included two potential Jets. First to play was Mark Scheifele who had a strong game, totalling two assists and the winning (and only) goal in the shootout. Kosmachuk’s pace slowed down a little as he finished without any points. Lowry and the Broncos faced Sutter and the Blades, which ended in a 10-1 Broncos landslide, in which Lowry marked two goals and two assists, while Sutter extended his pointless streak. Olsen also had a strong game; while his team did lose, he scored two goals of his own, boosting his stats slighthly. Yuen was also a non-factor in his game.
Saturday saw all seven of the prospects play. Brassard ended with no points and a fighting major after defending a rookie who was being manhandled. Scheifele was sloppy to start, turning over the puck for the opening goal, but finished strong by scoring the game winning goal with 49 seconds left on the clock. Kosmachuk had another multi-point game, finishing with two goals on the power play. Sutter went pointless whilst racking up 9 penalty minutes – 2 for hooking, 2 for unsportsmanlike, and 5 for fighting. Lowry, Olsen and Yuen finished off the night with a secondary assist.
Sunday’s play was light, with only Yuen playing. He was a +1, scoring his first goal of the year into an empty net with one second remaining.
At the end of the week, Mark Scheifele was 5th in OHL scoring, Kosmachuk 22nd and Lowry was 15th in WHL scoring.
After our second week of play, 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 Cotls, OHL | 7 | 4 | 7 | 11 | +2 | 9 | 0.57 | 1.00 | 1.57 | 2 | 2 |
| Adam Lowry | Swift Current Broncos, WHL | 7 | 5 | 4 | 9 | +3 | 10 | 0.71 | 0.57 | 1.29 | 2 | 3 |
| Scott Kosmachuk | Guelph Storm, OHL | 7 | 5 | 3 | 8 | +1 | 12 | 0.71 | 0.43 | 1.14 | 2 | 2 |
| Ryan Olsen | Kelowna Rockets, WHL | 7 | 3 | 2 | 5 | +2 | 14 | 0.43 | 0.29 | 0.71 | 2 | 1 |
| Austen Brassard | Belleville Bulls, OHL | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -4 | 7 | 0.40 | 0.00 | 0.40 | 1 | 0 |
| Zachary Yuen | Tri-City Americans | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -2 | 8 | 0.13 | 0.25 | 0.38 | 0 | 2 |
| Lukas Sutter | Saskatoon Blades, WHL | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -3 | 20 | 0.14 | 0.14 | 0.29 | 0 | 0 |
Questions to Ponder
- Should we worry about the sloweed progress of Austen Brassard and Lukas Sutter?
- Can Ryan Olsen climb over the point-per-game threshold?
- Not a question, but I have to say it: I told you all that Kosmachuk was a great pick in the third round.
What are your thoughts on the early CHL season? Let us know in the comments below!
