WOO WOWS IN WHL TO EARN ALL-STAR OF THE WEEK NOD
Madden, Gadjovich and Rafferty piling up points as Mike Raptis catches up with the progress of the Canucks’ top prospects.
JETT WOO
While all eyes were on the world juniors, Woo was striking gold right here on home soil.
The Canucks’ 2018 second-rounder (37th overall) has been all-world of late, collecting six points in a five-game stretch for the Western Hockey League’s Calgary Hitmen and getting named to the Canadian Hockey League’s team of the week.
And if he was still smarting from not getting a Team Canada camp invite, it didn’t show on the day of the gold-medal game. Through his signature smile, the soft-spoken, rugged blue-liner told the press he’d be watching for his defensive partner Egor Zamula, playing for Russia, and for his country.
“You’re cheering for him, but you’re cheering for your country, so I’m hoping he had fun and I look forward to the stories he has when he comes back,” Woo said.
Woo then went on to notch a primary assist and a plus-two rating in the Hitmen’s 7-2 whacking of the Moose Jaw Warriors — a lopsided loss that ultimately cost Moose Jaw head coach Tim Hunter his job.
“I just wanted to have fun and smile as much as I can and ... it feels even better to get the win,” Woo said post-game, killing his former team — and coach — with kindness.
Zamula did come back, but the stories of silver were surely overshadowed with news of his season-ending injury. The 19-year-old has a degenerative condition in his back that apparently intensified during the world juniors. He’ll be out for three to four months.
This means Woo becomes the de facto No. 1 defenceman on the team, a role that will put the abilities of the six-foot, 205-pound right-shot defenceman to the test.
Woo wasn’t great in Friday’s 4-2 loss in Lethbridge, going minus-two with an assist, but Sunday’s 3-1 win against the Swift Current Broncos was better, with the 19-year-old notching a primary assist and a plus-two rating.
Woo has six goals and 19 assists in 39 games this season. He’s also a plus-seven overall.
TYLER MADDEN
Madden is keeping up the pace in the Hobey Baker chase. The Canucks’ 2018 third-round selection (68th overall), Madden scored a goal and had two assists in Northeastern’s 4-2 win on Monday against Bentley. He added three shots on net and went 5-for-8 in the faceoff dot in the first-star performance.
The 20-year-old Florida native’s goal came from the slot with the game tied 1-1 in the third period. With the puck at the side boards, Madden circled to the high slot, took a pass and fell to his knees as he fired the puck past the goalie’s blocker side.
After the game, head coach Jim Madigan said Madden has “stepped up,” while his star centre elaborated on his superb sophomore season.
“I don’t think (the game) has slowed down, I think I understand it better,” Madden said. “I’m starting to get to those areas where I score more.”
Madden also scored in Saturday’s 5-4 overtime loss to New Hampshire. His goal came on a rebound with the No. 11-ranked Huskies down 2-1 early in the third period. Madden finished the game with two shots on net and a plusone rating.
Madden was also named the United States Hockey League’s alumni of the month for December, having already eclipsed last year’s points total after only 20 games.
The 5-11, 152-pound forward is tied for third in points with 30 in 21 games, is one goal back of the NCAA leader with 16 goals, and is fourth in shots with 88 this NCAA season.
VASILI PODKOLZIN
He finally scored — until the goal was given to someone else.
Such is life for Podkolzin in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League, where minutes are hard to come by and goals even harder.
In Sunday’s 2-1 overtime win for SKA St. Petersburg over Dynamo Moscow, the 18-year-old appeared to score his first of the season, banging away at a loose puck amid a cavalcade of bodies in the crease.
He celebrated the goal like it was his, but nope, the Canucks’ 2019 first-rounder (10th overall) will have to wait another day.
The 6-1, 192-pound winger nearly scored earlier in the game, ripping a hot shot that hit the goaltender up high, causing a rebound. He had two shots on goal, one hit and an even rating in 8:26 of ice time.
Podkolzin has no points in 15 KHL games this season, but has three goals and five assists in 16 games for SKA-Neva in Russia’s second-tier Supreme Hockey League.
JONAH GADJOVICH
The big man is having a big bounce-back season in Utica.
Having slid down the prospect depth chart after a rocky rookie season in the American Hockey League, Gadjovich has grown into his role with the Comets and is getting results the second time around.
The 6-2, 205-pound power forward is using his big frame to cause chaos around the net and is using his soft hands to score while he’s at it.
Gadjovich scored two goals from the top of the crease this past week, upping his total to nine goals this season while playing a bottom-six role. The first came in Wednesday’s 3-2 win over the Belleville Senators, with the 2017 second-rounder (55th overall) tipping a Nikolay Goldobin shot to tie the game 2-2.
Gadjovich had two shots on net and a plus-two rating in the win.
Then, with Canucks GM Jim Benning in the crowd on Friday, Gadjovich scored again, this time with the puck deflecting in off his skate while the 21-year-old jockeyed for position in front of the net.
He finished the game, a 5-2 win over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, with two shots and an even rating.
Much like Kole Lind, also drafted in the second round (33rd overall) in 2017, Gadjovich’s game is rounding into form with the Comets. While not the most fleet of foot, he’s using his smarts, strength and skill to be an effective professional player.
In 24 games this season, Gadjovich has nine goals, three assists and a minus-three rating.
Lind, meanwhile, continues to shine, upping his points total to 32 (10 goals, 22 assists) in 39 games while playing his own brand of feisty, flashy hockey.
The Utica Comets are in first place in the AHL’s North Division with a 22-13-2-2 record.
BROGAN RAFFERTY
He’s the best of the blue-liners. Rafferty continues to turn heads in his rookie AHL campaign, leading the league’s defencemen in points while putting together a solid season defensively.
The undrafted 24-year-old had two more assists and a plus-two rating in Wednesday’s 3-2 win over Belleville while being named the game’s second star. He also had a helper in Friday’s 5-2 win against the Phantoms.
Rafferty was named the AHL’s rookie of the month on Friday, a fitting tribute to a player who has rocketed past all expectations.
The 6-2, 192-pound right-shot defenceman now has five goals, 28 assists and a plus-17 rating in 39 games played this season. Fellow blue-liner Olli Juolevi, a 2016 first-rounder, has one goal, 14 assists and a minus-seven rating in 30 games in a similar deployment to Rafferty.
JACK RATHBONE
There was just one game for Rathbone’s No. 17-ranked Harvard squad this past week, a 7-0 drubbing of Yale.
Rathbone, a fourth-round pick (95th overall) in 2017, used his big slap shot from the point to generate a rebound goal for a teammate.
The 5-10, 176-pound mobile left-shot defenceman was credited with an assist on the play, his 10th in 15 games this season. He also has four goals, with the last one scored on the power play in a 4-4 tie against No. 14 Arizona State.
NILS HOGLANDER
Fresh from a world-class world junior showing, Hoglander had two assists in two games with Rogle BK of the Swedish Hockey League this past week, with both assists coming on goals by linemate Dominik Bokk.
On the first, the 2019 second-rounder (40th overall) used his speed to enter the zone, draw in another defender below the goalline, then slip the puck to Bokk. On the second assist, Hoglander found Bokk streaking into the zone all alone.
Hoglander logged 16:38 and 14:53 of second-line minutes in the two games, both losses, and had two shots on goal in each.