Prospect Playoff Update

Apologies to all this site's readers (to whom I'm personally very grateful) for a slow week lacking content. As I Tweeted a couple of times, I was off in the remote region of the Canary Islands for the past 7 days, limiting my computer access.

Soo let's get started! After mentioning today's biggest news of the firing of Pierre Gauthier earlier, the other latest bit is the strong performance of some young Canadiens prospects in their respective post-seasons.

WHL

Patrick Holland and the top-seeded Tri-City Americans swept their opening round against the Everret Silvertips. Holland ranks fourth on the Americans in scoring with a goal and 3 assists, having an incredible 22-game point streak snapped in the third game after he was ejected in the first period for a clipping incident. The match penalty meant he missed the final matchup of the series as well.

Darren Dietz's Saskatoon Blades - an underdog club - were unfortunately swept in the opening round. In 3 games, the blueliner had one assist and finished a -1, a disappointing end to a phenomenal year.

Brendan Gallagher and the Vancouver Giants are locked in quite a battle, with their series against the Spokane Chiefs knotted at 2 games a piece. Gallagher picked up right where he left off in the regular season, notching 4 goals and 9 points over the first 4 games.

OHL

Jarred Tinordi's London Knights are up 3 games to none on the Windsor Spitfires with a chance to close it out tonight. Tinordi is even, with no points and 7 penalty minutes thus far.

QMJHL

Nathan Beaulieu's first place Saint John Sea Dogs swept their opener against Cape Breton, with all four games ending in blowouts. Beaulieu scored 2 goals and added 3 assists while finishing a +9. The Sea Dogs will face surprising Baie-Comeau in the second round.

The Shawinigan Cataractes also swept their first round series. Captain Michael Bournival was somewhat quiet with "just" a goal and 4 helpers to his name, but defenseman Morgan Ellis was on fire with 2 goals and 5 assists (tied for team lead in points).

Olivier Archambault's Drummondville Voltigeurs find themselves down 3 games to none to Quebec. Archambault has 2 assists but is a -4. On the other side, Mikhail Grigorenko is tied for his team's lead with 7 points in games.

NCAA

A disappointing end to the season for Mac Bennett and Greg Pateryn with the University of Michigan, as their year ended with an upset by Union who has since qualified for the Frozen Four. Pateryn completed his NCAA eligibility and was signed to a 2-year deal by the Canadiens, while Bennett can return to school for another season (a likely scenario given the number of new young bodies already joining the pro organization this summer).

Similarly, after beating Western Michigan, Danny Kristo and Mark MacMillan's University of North Dakota was beaten by Minnesota, failing to reach the Final Four this time around. After an assist in the round of 16, Kristo scored a goal in his final game of the season as well, ending a strong season. Kristo could return to college for one more season, but I am hopeful the Canadiens get him under contract to join the Hamilton Bulldogs in the Fall. After an assist against Western Michigan extended freshman MacMillan's scoring streak to 7 games, he was held off the scoresheet in the season finale. He'll look to better his offensive numbers in a bigger role with the Fighting Sioux next season.

That's where they stand as of now, with seemingly a decent shot of having all of Tinordi, Holland, Beaulieu, Ellis, and Bournival participate in this year's Memorial Cup, which could be a great experience for them (and an exciting time for Habs fans). To keep up to date on everything, now that we're back online, keep your eyes tuned to this very site!