Pettersson’s stock continues to rise
Leads Swedish league in scoring with 51 points, seen as best NHL pick since McDavid
It’s the latest edition of the weekly tracker, where we tally up the efforts of the Canucks’ highest-profile prospects:
Elias Pettersson
After breaking Peter Forsberg’s Swedish Hockey League record of 48 points by an U-20 player, Pettersson isn’t only on top of the prospects world — he’s on top of the SHL with 51 points in 41 games.
He is also rated as the best NHL prospect since Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, according to this metric.
The Vaxjo Lakers’ sniper scored a goal in all three games played this week, and added two assists as well.
Pettersson now needs three points in Vaxjo’s remaining three games to tie Kent Nilsson’s U-20 record of 54 points in an SHL season.
Kole Lind
Lind signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Canucks this week, and he couldn’t be happier.
Lind played in four games this week for the Kelowna Rockets, scoring five goals and assisting on another. Three of those goals came in Wednesday’s 7-6 loss to the Prince George Cougars, a game in which Lind was named the first star.
Lind is now 10th in WHL scoring this season, with 37 goals and 50 assists in 53 games. He’s now tied his career-high with 17 less games played.
Olli Juolevi
Some positive news this week for Juolevi, whose increased ice time is paying dividends for TPS Turkuas.
Juolevi scored a goal in Tuesday’s 5-1 win over Jukurit in SM-Liiga play. That’s great, but what’s also notable was the 21:02 he played on TPS’s first pairing.
Juolevi wouldn’t factor into the scoring in TPS’s two other games (both wins), but he continued to see lots of ice time, averaging around 20 minutes per game.
Juolevi now has seven goals and 11 assists in 36 games this season.
Jonathan Dahlen
Dahlen is now up to fourth place in Allsvenskan scoring after tallying in Timra’s 2-0 win over Karlskogen.
It was his 23rd of the season and 43rd point in 43 games.
Jonah Gadjovich
Gadjovich’s Owen Sound Attack had a middling week, but the hulking Canucks prospect did his part for the OHL club.
Gadjovich scored a goal in each of the Attack’s three games, and continues to shoot the puck with no reservations.
Gadjovich had seven shots on goal in a win against the Erie Otters, seven more in a loss to the Guelph Storm and nine (!) shots in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Sarnia Sting on Sunday. He now has 39 points in 35 games this season.
Mike DiPietro
The OHL’s shutout king added another goose egg to his crown this week.
DiPietro’s Windsor Spitfires started the week with a 4-3 loss to the Sudbury Wolves, but the Canucks’ goalie prospect reined in all the shots the next time around in a 4-0 shutout of the Saginaw Spirits.
DiPietro has seven shutouts this season. The next-best OHL goalie has four. DiPietro is also third in the league in goals against average (2.74) and fourth in save percentage (.912).
Thatcher Demko
Demko saw limited action this week, with limited results.
The Utica Comets’ netminder made 24 saves Saturday in a 3-0 loss to the Hershey Bears. It was Demko’s only start of the week. Demko came on in relief the next night in a 7-2 loss to the Binghamton Devils. He stopped seven of 10 shots.
Demko now has a 19-10-6 record for the season.
Adam Gaudette
Centre Gaudette’s NCAA season has concluded, with the playoffs just around the corner. The promising prospect’s Northeastern Huskies will face UMass in a best of three series beginning March 9.