TROPHY CASE
Vancouver inks Gaudette to three-year deal, Dorsett nominated for Masterton
It’s the latest edition of the weekly tracker, where we tally up the efforts of the Canucks’ highest-profile prospects:
Kole Lind
Not a great start to the WHL playoffs for Lind’s Kelowna Rockets, who dropped two straight games at home to the Tri-City Americans.
Game 1 was ugly, with the Rockets sputtering to a 5-0 loss. A 9-7 loss Saturday night wasn’t much better, though Lind came to play. The Canucks’ second-round selection last year scored twice and assisted on two more. He also had five shots on net.
The series now shifts to Washington state for Games 3 and 4 on Wednesday and Thursday nights.
Olli Juolevi
When the Canucks drafted Juolevi fifth overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft it was with the mindset that he had the potential to become a first-pairing defenceman.
Well, he’s looking the part for TPS Turku in the SM-Liiga playoffs.
In Game 1, a 4-3 overtime win against SaiPa on Tuesday, Juolevi opened the scoring with a seeing-eye shot through a defenceman’s legs, beating the goalie blocker side.
He logged a whopping 27 minutes of ice time, finished plus-2 and was on the ice for the overtime winner.
Thursday’s Game 2 — a 6-5 win — wasn’t as eventful, but Juolevi found the scoreboard again Saturday, a 7-0 win in which he scored a power play goal, had three shots on net and was on the ice for over 17 minutes.
Juolevi’s game appears to be rounding into form as TPS leads the series 3-0.
Elias Pettersson
After a slow start for Vaxjo in the Swedish Hockey League playoffs, Pettersson is now proving his playoff mettle.
Held pointless in the first two games against Brynas, Pettersson assisted on a goal in Game 3 — a 4-0 win for Vaxjo — then came alive Saturday night. Pettersson scored a goal and assisted on two others in a 5-3 win. He was also plus-3 in over 16 minutes of ice time.
His goal was a signature Pettersson snipe. He corralled the puck, dragged it around a defender, then picked his spot top shelf.
One of his assists was also a thing
of beauty, stickhandling at the side of the net before finding an open teammate.
Vaxjo now leads the series 3-1, while Pettersson has four points in four games.
Mike DiPietro
DiPietro is putting on a show for the Windsor (Ont.) Spitfires in their battle against the fifth-ranked junior team in Canada, the Sarnia Sting.
DiPietro recorded 43 saves on 45 shots in Game 1, a 6-2 win in Sarnia, Ont. He was the game’s first star.
On Saturday night, Windsor lost 4-1, but DiPietro continued to shine. The Canucks’ 64th overall selection in the 2017 entry draft was remarkable, making 48 saves on 50 shots.
“He’s the best,” said teammate Cole Purboo. “He puts on a performance 99 per cent of the time. He’s great.”
The series goes back to Windsor for Game 3 on Tuesday and Game 4 on Thursday.
Jonathan Dahlen
Dalhen’s goal to help his Timra team get promoted to the SHL got off to a bumpy start, with Timra falling 2-1 in overtime to Karlskrona, who are trying to avoid relegation to the Allsvenskan league.
Dahlen had two shots and two penalty minutes in almost 20 minutes of ice time.
The best-of-seven series continues Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Jonah Gadjovich
Big Jonah’s Owen Sound Attack are off to a fast start in the OHL playoffs, though Gadjovich has been noticeably absent from the scoresheet.
In Thursday’s 5-4 win over the London Knights, Gadjovich registered four shots on net. And in Saturday’s 4-3 overtime win, Gadjovich had five shots on target. It’s just a matter of time for the big fella, who gets to the dirty areas of the ice.
Thatcher Demko
Demko played in back-to-back games this past weekend, and was stellar in each.
The Canucks’ next big hope in net had 37 saves in a 5-4 overtime win for the Utica Comets over the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins on Friday night, and he was even better on Saturday, though the Comets lost 2-0 in Syracuse against the Crunch.
Demko made 35 saves in that effort, and only allowed one goal in a game that was scoreless through two periods.
Demko now has a 22-12-6 record on the season.
Petrus Palmu
The Canucks took a flyer on the diminutive winger in the sixth round of last year’s draft, and Palmu is often overshadowed playing on the same team as Olli Juolevi.
But Palmu has played a big role for TPS in their 3-0 series lead over SaiPa in the SM-Liiga playoffs. In Games 2 and 3, Palmu caught fire, scoring three goals and assisting on another.
It’s the little guys that can jump up and bite you if you’re not careful!