New Jersey Devils Prospect Update: 4/10/18

The twenty-seventh week of the 2017-18 prospect update is here. It’s highlighted by Joey Anderson and Minnesota Duluth defeating Matt Hellickson and Notre Dame in the NCAA Championship game, Michael McLeod and Cam Johnson making their professional debuts in Binghamton, and the remaining CHL and European prospects continue in playoff action.

QMJHL

Jocktan Chainey and #4 Halifax are currently down 2-0 in their Quarterfinals Series against #9 Charlottetown. Chainey had 2 assists, -2, and 6 shots in 2 games last week. So far in 7 playoff games he has 2 goals, 4 assists, 4 PIM, +2, and 16 shots. Also, it was announced last Thursday that Halifax will host the 2019 Memorial Cup so Chainey will certainly be looking forward to that.

OHL

Michael McLeod made his professional debut with the Binghamton Devils this past week. In 3 games he was a -3 with 2 PIM and 3 shots as well as a shootout goal. He centered Blake Pietila and Christoph Bertschy in his first game. His second game saw him between Brett Seney and Nick Lappin. He was re-united with former junior linemate Nathan Bastian in his third game while once again playing alongside Pietila.

Marian Studenic and #1 Hamilton are currently up 2-1 over #4 Niagara in their Eastern Conference Semifinals series that has seen every game go to overtime. In 3 games last week he had 2 assists, +4, and 9 shots. His assist in Game 2 of the series came on the game winning goal as he crashed the net to keep the play alive for his teammates. He now has 4 assists, +6, 2 PIM, and 14 shots in 8 playoff games. You can check out his game winning assist below:

WHL

Colby Sissons and #E2 Swift Current are currently tied 1-1 in their Eastern Conference Semifinals series with #E1 Moose Jaw. He was held to a -1 with 2 PIM and 3 shots in Game 1. Sissons made an impact in Game 2 with 3 assists, +3, and 6 shots. In 9 playoff games he has a goal, 7 assists, -2, 8 PIM, and 30 shots. Swift Current also released the below video about Colby Sissons and his billet family. It’s an interesting look at how Sissons is off the ice.

NCAA

Brett Seney had 2 goals, an assist, -1, 6 PIM, and 6 shots in 3 games last week for Binghamton. In 9 games he has 2 goals, 4 assists, -3, 10 PIM, and 23 shots. You can check out his second goal below:

Joey Anderson had an even rating and 4 shots in UMD’s 2-1 victory over Ohio State on Thursday in Froze Four action to advance to the title game. He became a National Champion as he helped the Bulldogs to a 2-1 victory over Notre Dame with an even rating and shot, playing a lot in different situations. While his overall numbers aren’t as strong as a year ago, it’s important to remember he fought through injury this season and also missed time for the WJC. Julie Robenhymer had an excellent article over at The Athletic on Anderson with some interesting quotes from the player himself and his coach at UMD, Scott Sandelin. It seems he’ll make a decision shortly about whether to turn pro or go back for his junior season. I personally think another season of college hockey would be good for his development as he would continue to play a big role on the team and gain valuable experience. He doesn’t turn 20 until mid June so time is on his side.

Jeremy Davies was named to the AHCA First Team All-Americans East on Friday. He was also won the “Best Prospect” award in the 2017-18 AAtJ Awards yesterday.

Matt Hellickson had an even rating and 2 shots in Notre Dame’s 4-3 Frozen Four win over Michigan on Thursday to advance to the title game. As mentioned above they fell to Minnesota Duluth 2-1 and he had an even rating and 3 shots. Overall, Hellickson turned in a fine freshman season for Notre Dame, appearing in 40 games and even earning some PP time as the season went on. I look forward to seeing how his game continues to grow as he will move into a larger role for Notre Dame next season.

Cam Johnson made his professional debut for Binghamton in a 7-4 loss to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Saturday. He made 29 saves on 35 shots in a wild contest.

KHL/VHL

KHL

VHL

Mikhail Maltsev had 2 assists, +1, 2 PIM, 3 shots, and won 57.77% of his faceoffs while playing around 17 minutes per game across 2 games last week as SKA-Neva advanced to the VHL Finals. In 14 playoff games he has 3 goals, 3 assists, +5, 12 PIM, 30 shots, a 62.2 FO%, and average ice time of 15:59.

Nikita Popugaev played 6 shifts for 3:53 of ice time and had a shot on goal as CSKA defeated SKA in Game 6 of their Western Conference Finals series in KHL action. They will take on Ak Bars in the Gagarin Cup Finals which begin on Saturday. In 5 playoff games he has a goal, +1, and 2 shots with an average ice time of 2:42.

Europe

Gilles Senn is currently with the Swiss national team as they prepare for the World Hockey Championship in Denmark which starts in May.

Your Take

Which prospects stood out to you this week? Are you pleased with the collegiate seasons that Joey Anderson and Matt Hellickson had? Would you like to see Anderson turn pro now or in another year? Leave your comments below and thank you for reading!