After recognizing the Three Stars of the Month for October in last week’s article, we return to our regular format of summarizing the performances of more than a dozen Kings prospects playing all across the globe.
EUROPE
Samuel Fagemo: Forward, Frölunda HC, SHL (2nd round pick in 2019)
Regular season: 4 goals, 2 assists, plus-1, 0 PIM in 12 games played
Our second star of October had a rather unremarkable week in the stats department, where he was blanked in both contests. It’s of little concern in the grand scheme of things, though, as consistency is a staple for every prospect to develop. Fagemo has averaged a shade over nine minutes of ice time in the few games played since Halloween.
Jacob Moverare: Defense, Frölunda HC, SHL (4th round pick in 2016)
Regular season: 3 goal, 4 assists, plus-9, 4 PIM in 15 games played
As discussed on a recent Kings of the Podcast episode, this is likely Moverare’s last season in Sweden, as the Kings are going to try to bring him back. He picked up a helper this week. The seventh point of 2019-20 matches his season high from yesteryear, but last season it took 42 contests to reach the same output. We discussed in our first article this season the importance of individual growth, and so far the numbers are looking good.
Further, word is he’ll likely have a chance to play for Team Sweden at the Channel One Cup in Moscow in December. Many European scouts were expecting him to play this weekend, but it’s coach Garpenlöv’s first tournament as the top bench boss for Team Sweden, so he opted for a more experienced team. Moverare has been impressive thus far this season, playing on both the penalty kill and power play, as well as his regular shifts. As one scout put it, “It’s not a sexy style, but they love him in Frölunda, on and off the ice.” This shouldn’t come as a major surprise to longtime MayorsManor readers. You may recall where Mark Yannetti once proclaimed the then 17-year-old Moverare had the highest hockey IQ of any defenseman in the NHL Draft.
Kim Nousiainen: Defense, KalPa, Liiga (4th round pick in 2019)
Regular season: 1 goal, 1 assist, minus-6, 4 PIM in 18 games played
Nousiainen hasn’t found his name on the scoresheet since September 20 and his team hasn’t won since October 12 (going 0-4-2 in that span and being outscored 25-7 in that span). So we reached out to some European-based NHL scouts to find out what’s going on. Here’s what we came up with from those conversations… While the team is struggling under their new coach, Nousiainen continues to play big minutes still, around 15-22 each night. He’s also set to join Finland’s U20 team for the big Four Nations Tournament this coming weekend. It should serve as a good break for him. Overall, the general feeling is Nousiainen’s game is going in the right direction, as he’s still a rookie in Liiga – and a young one at that. The points will come. Let’s see what happens in the second half of the season, after he returns from the World Junior Championships.
Bulat Shafigullin: Forward, Reaktor Nizhnekamsk, KHL (3rd round pick in 2018)
Regular season: 5 goals, 3 assists, plus-3, 8 PIM in 8 games played
The past two matches were exceptionally rough for Reaktor in general. Shafigullin didn’t pick up a point, but the bigger issue is finding yourself on the receiving end of 8-2 and 9-1 on back-to-back routs. Then, just as we were about to publish this week’s article, an update came in. You have to watch the video below, you just have to.
Actually, there were a few more seconds remaining on the clock. Either way, watch this…
— John Hoven | The Mayor (@mayorNHL) November 4, 2019
Fast forward to 2:18:30https://t.co/dRvSelKXbO
They just let Shafigullin stand alone behind the net for quite sometime, and then he wraps it around and scores. Crazy! https://t.co/noPv0gbnWz
NCAA + USHL
Braden Doyle: Defense, Dubuque Fighting Saints, USHL (6th round pick in 2019)
Regular season: 1 goal, 2 assist, plus-0, 2 PIM in 9 games played
Dubuque remains the only team in the USHL who has not lost a match in regulation. They are top of the league and have the fewest goals against. Doyle’s three points ties the team lead with the other blueliners, as the Fighting Saints seem to lean more on team defense and generating offense from the forwards.
Dávid Hrenák: Goalie, St. Cloud State University Huskies, NCHC (5th round pick in 2018)
Regular season: 1-2-3, 3.24 GAA, .884 SV%, 0 SO in 6 games played
The returning runner up of the NCAA championship doesn’t have the same caliber team in front of him this season. They continue to slide down the rankings, and while the Slovak goalie is doing what he can, allowing 10 goals this weekend will likely see them slip a bit further.
Cole Hults: Defense, Penn State Nittany Lions, Big Ten (5th round pick in 2017)
Regular season: 4 goals, 4 assists, plus-8, 2 PIM in 7 games played
The big talk of the week at MayorsManor was some Kings on Kings crime, in which the junior defenseman faced off against Los Angeles’ most recent top pick in Alex Turcotte. Hults would walk – or in this case, skate – away with more bragging rights, as he picked up three assists and a pair of wins.
Note from @ColeHults on facing @Turcotte__71 for the first time – "Obviously he's a highly touted player and I'm excited to see what he can do at the college level. We have a good rivalry with Wisconsin too, so it should be a fun weekend to lock him down."#KingsOnKingsCrime https://t.co/haVF4Tu6oa
— John Hoven | The Mayor (@mayorNHL) October 30, 2019
Andre Lee: Forward, UMass-Lowell River Hawks, Hockey East (7th round pick in 2019)
Regular Season: 3 goals, 2 assist, plus-3, 4 PIM in 9 games played
The hulking forward witnessed his team capture a couple victories over the weekend, but he did not notch a point himself.
Alex Turcotte: Forward, Wisconsin Badgers, Big Ten (1st round pick in 2019)
Regular season: 3 goals, 5 assists, minus-5, 4 PIM in 6 games played
Turcotte had a rather unusual experience while enduring Kings on Kings crime: he didn’t register a point in back-to-back contests. While he had been blanked in a few U-18 World Championship games, he was held off the scoresheet only three times against the collegiate competition last year. Knowing his competitive nature, look for him to fight hard next week against Omaha.
This week’s college hockey rankings w/ LA’s prospects noted…
— John Hoven | The Mayor (@mayorNHL) November 4, 2019
6. Penn State (Hults)
12. Wisconsin (Turcotte)
14. UMass Lowell (Lee)
N/R St. Cloud (Hrenak)
* Essentially, Penn St. and UW flip-flopped. And SCSU N/R? Wow. Been a long time.
Full Rankings https://t.co/mWwlFMaTjN
CHL
Aidan Dudas: Forward, Owen Sound Attack, OHL (4th round pick in 2018)
Regular season: 7 goal, 15 assists, plus-9, 6 PIM in 15 games played
The captain of the Attack and the future leader of Team OHL in the Canada Russia series next week saw his five-game scoring streak snapped on Saturday. Dudas displayed a repertoire of contributions this week, as he scored a short-handed goal, powerplay goal, even strength goal and added an even strength assist. Beginning Thursday, Dudas will captain the OHL team in their two-game series vs. Russia.
This is how you hit speed burst ⏩@LAKings prospect @AidanDudas with a nice shorty as @AttackOHL battles division rival Kitchener on the road. pic.twitter.com/NICSgGZiPG
— OntarioHockeyLeague (@OHLHockey) November 2, 2019
#OHL News Radio with host @Terry_Doyle presented by @BauerHockey features @LAKings prospect @AidanDudas of @AttackOHL who will captain Team #OHL at the upcoming @cibc #CANvsRUS Series.
— OntarioHockeyLeague (@OHLHockey) November 1, 2019
LISTEN 🎙: https://t.co/dOJZ5DgdRE pic.twitter.com/ZtFcjGhjwo
Meet the leadership group for Team #OHL at next week’s @cibc #CANvsRUS Series!
— OntarioHockeyLeague (@OHLHockey) October 30, 2019
DETAILS 🇨🇦🇷🇺: https://t.co/zyFhhzJhAs pic.twitter.com/H0yAQqToSn
Jacob Ingham: Goalie, Kitchener Rangers, OHL (6th round pick in 2018)
Regular season: 6-3-3, 3.28 GAA, .912 SV%, 0 SO in 12 games played
The late pick from 2018 had his workload lightened this week with only one game, and the Rangers aren’t slated to play again until November 8. He’ll get some extra time between the pipes for Team Canada as they play against Russia, and hopefully he can regain his earlier performance this season.
Arthur Kaliyev: Forward, Hamilton Bulldogs, OHL (2nd round pick in 2019)
Regular season: 19 goals, 17 assists, plus-1, 10 PIM in 18 games played
Arguably, there is no prospect who has been more consistent in Juniors than the recent second round pick. He leads the entire OHL in points and shots on goal, and is tied for the league lead in goals. He has scored in 16 of the 18 contests, and 12 of such were multi-point affairs. Coincidentally, his stat line last season ended with 51-51-102, and it now sits at 19-17-36. He may not win the Cy Young award, but he keeps you guessing until the puck finds its way in the net. Over the past week, Kaliyev became the second Bulldog to hit the 100-career goal plateau in OHL history.
#OHL HAM/MISS: The Jenik & Kalyev show continues for @BulldogsOHL as they combine for 5 points. Arthur Kaliyev breaks the 100 career goal barrier after a pair and becomes the 2nd in club history to reach mark. Nathan Staios reaches 50 career points after earning 2 assists.
— Geoffrey Brandow (@GeoffreyBrandow) November 2, 2019
🚨 #BURT
— Hamilton Bulldogs (@BulldogsOHL) November 3, 2019
🍎 @Arthur_Kaliyev
🍏 @NathanStaios
Lukáš Pařík: Goalie, Spokane Chiefs, WHL (3rd round pick in 2019)
Regular season: 2-1-1, 2.77 GAA, .891 SV%, 0 Shutouts in 4 games played
As we discussed last week and mentioned on Kings of the Podcast by MayorsManor editor John Hoven, the Czech goaltender finally returned to the ice after injury on November 3. While losing 4-3 in overtime isn’t ideal, and his statistics took a hit, getting back on the ice and regaining his rhythm is the top priority.
Jordan Spence: Defense, Moncton Wildcats, QMJHL (4th round pick in 2019)
Regular season: 1 goal, 14 assists, plus-12, 10 PIM in 12 games played
While only finding twine once this season, the smaller than average puck mover remains in the top 10 in defenseman scoring due to the assists he’s picked up. He’s anchoring the top pair for Moncton, which has pushed them to the top of the Eastern Conference in the Q and the second-best team defensively. Spence will also be the first of several Kings prospects to participate in the annual Canada-Russia series beginning tonight in Saint John. First up, the QMJHL teams will play a pair vs. Russia (including a follow-up game tomorrow), then the OHL will have their turn this Thursday and next Monday. Those games will feature Akil Thomas, Aidan Dudas, and Jacob Ingham.
Akil Thomas: Forward, Niagara IceDogs, OHL (2nd round pick in 2018)
Regular season: 7 goal, 16 assists, minus-7, 20 PIM in 15 games played
The captain continues to develop leadership and put his team first. On a night when the IceDogs only had four healthy defensemen, Thomas was one of the forwards who was willing to move back on defense and played 29 minutes. His points per game took a hit as a consequence, but he still leads Niagara in this statistic.
Akil Thomas played 29 minutes on defense tonight because his team only had 4 healthy D.
— John Hoven | The Mayor (@mayorNHL) November 4, 2019
What a stud.
Was able to speak to @LAKings prospect Akil Thomas about him playing defense on the top pair today for @OHLIceDogs. Quote forthcoming.
— Mark Scheig (@markscheig) November 3, 2019
More Thomas: "I just tried to keep it simple back there. I've played D growing up a lot. Even on minor midget team, I'd play both forward and D, switch it back and forth. It's something I'm very comfortable with." (2/?)
— Mark Scheig (@markscheig) November 3, 2019
Thomas: "It's cool to play the game from a different position." (4/4)
— Mark Scheig (@markscheig) November 3, 2019
Keep in mind, this weekly tracker only covers prospects not playing professional hockey in North America. In essence, the report serves to provide updates on all players in the pipeline — signed or unsigned — excluding those in the NHL, AHL, and ECHL.
NOTE: Author David Hofreiter can be found on Twitter @Davidenkness if you’re interested in talking more hockey with him or asking further questions about these players.
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