KELOWNA, B.C. -- The old adage 'blood is thicker than water' was certainly put to the test, to an extent, on Wednesday during the 2012 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game here at Prospera Place.

Saskatoon's Lukas Sutter (L) and Dalton Thrower

Not that Saskatoon Blades teammates Lukas Sutter and Dalton Thrower are related, but you kind of get the feeling this friendship is not only built on trust and reliability, but watching the other's back in a time of need.

So was the case on Wednesday when, with 3:22 remaining in the second period, Thrower came to the aid of his best friend following a tremendous hit that sent Sutter head over skates in his own zone. Plymouth Whalers forward Thomas Wilson was the one to raise the ire of Thrower, who wasted little time when given a brief window of opportunity to set the record straight despite being four inches shorter and 18 pounds lighter than the 6-foot-4, 200-pound Wilson.

"I was still on the bench when it happened, but the (defenseman) changed right after the hit and I saw Wilson was still on the ice," Thrower said. "He's a great player and a physical presence out there. I didn't know a lot about him but you see he's a big guy and I saw him hitting guys out there. I felt it wasn't a clean hit and did something about it."

Wilson appeared to get the upper hand initially, but Thrower, who partners with Colorado Avalanche prospect Duncan Siemens in Saskatoon, had a good finish.

"I thought I did OK [in the fight]," Thrower told NHL.com. "He had a couple inches and pounds on me, but I wasn't too scared."

Said Sutter: "That's what best friends are for. It was a good hit and he caught me at the end of a shift, and Dalton was the first guy to have my back … I wouldn't expect anything different from him."

Sutter, the son of former Philadelphia Flyers forward Rich Sutter, said he gave Thrower a hug and said thank you after the period.

"I gave him pat on back," he said.

Follow Mike Morreale on Twitter at: @mike_morreale

KELOWNA, B.C. -- It appears as though Ryan Murray and Mathew Dumba, two of the most talked-about defensive prospects eligible for the 2012 NHL Draft, will pair up in the first period of the Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game on Wednesday at Prospera Place.

"That will be a pretty deadly pair, that's for sure," Team Cherry goalie Matthew Murray told NHL.com.

Perhaps it won't be the first time, either, that Murray and Dumba pair up along the blue line in an All-Star type setting. Both players, who worked together exclusively during Wednesday's morning skate for Team Cherry, are looking forward to the opportunity.

Kelowna, BC -- The Canadian Hockey League on Tuesday announced that Hockey Hall of Famer Jim Gregory will be recognized annually at the Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game with Player of the Game awards that will be named in his honor.

The announcement was made by CHL President David Branch on Tuesday evening at a special reception hosted by the CHL for those scouts attending the Top Prospects Game this week.

"The CHL and the Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game has benefited from the support of builders such as Jim Gregory," Branch said in a statement released by the CHL. "Mr. Gregory's contributions to this event and to our game are countless and it is only fitting that he be recognized annually in an event that features future NHL greats."

KELOWNA, B.C. - The CHL/NHL Top Prospects Skills Competition is under way here at Prospera Place.

Results:

Fastest skater: 1-Francis Beauvillier (Rimouski Oceanic) 14.132. 2-Branden Troock (Seattle Thunderbirds) 14.356. 3-Damon Severson (Kelowna Rockets) 14.542.

Hardest shot: 1-Nick Ebert (Windsor Spitfires) 94.7. 2-Ryan Murray (Everett Silvertips) 94.3. 3-Chandler Stephenson (Regina Pats) 94.1.

Accuracy: 1-Gianluca Curcuruto (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) 4 hits on 5 attempts (1 for 1 in tie-breaker). 2-Scott Laughton (Oshawa Generals) 4 hits on 5 attempts (0 for 1 in tie-breaker). 3-Tom Wilson (Plymouth Whalers) 4 hits on 6 attempts.

Showdown Breakaway Challenge: 1-Radek Faksa (Kitchener Rangers). 2-Tim Bozon (Kamloops Blazers). Faksa shootout winner in tie-breaker against Bozon came on backhand lift from in tight off Matthew Murray of Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

KELOWNA, B.C. -- Not surprisingly, Kelowna Rockets captain Colton Sissons and defenseman Damon Severson received the loudest ovation during pre-game introductions for the CHL/NHL Home Hardware Top Prospects Skills Competition here at Prospera Place.

Sissons, ranked No. 14 among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, is currently in this second season with the Rockets. He's produced 26 goals and 38 points in 51 games this season for Kelowna.

"It's definitely more comfortable for me being there than for some of the guys coming into Kelowna," Sissons told NHL.com. "I'm used to it here. Our fans will be loud and into it, and hopefully all our fans will get to enjoy our fans like I do night in and night out."

Sissons will participate in the showdown breakaway contest for Team Orr.

KELOWNA, B.C. -- Will London Knights wing Andreas Athanasiou be able to pull off the ridiculous move he has up his sleeve at the 2012 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Skill competition on Tuesday here at Prospera Place.

If he does, it could turn out to be even more spectacular than last year's lacrosse-style scoop and wicked backhand off a spin-o-rama by Detroit Red Wings prospect Tomas Jurco.

"I remember watching that move last year by Jurco … it was pretty amazing," Athanasiou told NHL.com.

While the 6-foot-1, 174-pound native of Woodbridge, Ont., would not reveal the exact move he had prepared for the scouts and fans in attendance, he was certain that if he's able to execute, it will be something special.

KELOWNA, B.C. -- Long before those top players from the Canadian Hockey League will hear their names at the NHL Entry Draft, they'll undergo a series of on- and off-ice tests that will provide scouts and general managers an instant user profile of each player.

On Tuesday morning, those 2012 draft-eligible stars of the CHL will be put through those tests at Prospera Place, home to Western Hockey League's Kelowna Rockets.

The on-ice component, which will have 70 individual measurements extracted from 14 on-ice tests that break each player's game down into the essentials of skating, puck handling and reaction time, will be conducted by a representative from Next Testing. Next Testing, a provider of testing and reporting services for understanding athletic performance, has served as the testing provider for the Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game since 2008.

Nail Yakupov appeared comfortable and confident in his return to the ice for the Ontario Hockey League's Sarnia Sting in three games this weekend.

The Russian right wing, ranked No. 1 according to NHL Central Scouting's midterm list of North American skaters, finished with one goal, two points and a minus-2 rating in his first bit of game action with the Sting since Dec. 17.

Yakupov, who missed the previous nine games for the Sting, suffered a knee injury in the gold medal game at the 2012 World Junior Championship in Calgary, Alta. He scored his 22nd goal of the season en route to being named the game's second star in a 5-2 loss to the Ottawa 67's in Ottawa on Friday.

It appears as though Nail Yakupov, the top-ranked skater on NHL Central Scouting's midterm list of North Americans, could rejoin the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League as early as this weekend.

According to The Observer, Yakupov, who has been sidelined since suffering a knee injury in the gold medal game of the 2012 World Junior Championship on Jan. 5, might play Friday against the Ottawa 67's.

Yakupov has certainly made the most of the time he's spent on the ice in Sarnia this season, connecting for 21 goals and 53 points in 26 OHL games. The 5-foot-10 1/2, 189-pound right wing won a silver medal for Russia at the WJC after producing 9 assists and a plus-4 rating in seven games. His teammate in Sarnia, Alex Galchenyuk, was believed to be out the entire regular season after undergoing ACL surgery. But, according to The London Free Press, he could return March 1.

Not soon after NHL Central Scouting released its midseason list of the top North American and European skaters for the 2012 NHL Draft, did NHL Network analyst Craig Button offer the top 10 prospects in his cross-hairs.

Not surprisingly, Button's list is chock full of talented defensemen and centers -- two areas of strength in this year's talented crops. The top player on his list is Nail Yakupov, the Russian flash from the Sarnia Sting in the Ontario Hockey League.

Here is Button's personal top 10 with some commentary on each prospect. The number in parenthesis represents the ranking issued by NHL Central Scouting earlier this month.

10 (9) - Jacob Trouba, USA U18 NTDP (USHL), D -- "A real terrific two-way defenseman. As he grows into his body, I think he has a chance to be a real force in that area of the game."

9 (3) - Ryan Murray, Everett (WHL), D -- "Is one of those guys that winning teams have. He doesn't make mistakes, he's steady and coaches will put guys like this on the ice because they know that nothing bad will happen. He's smart, a good skater. He's maybe not that dynamic offensively, but a very consistent, reliable defenseman."

8 (15) - Matthew Finn, Guelph (OHL), D -- "I just love Matt Finn because I think he's developed so much from the beginning of the season until now. To me, he reminds me of my dear late friend, Brad McCrimmon. Brad was a guy who could control the game in so many different ways, and that's what I see when I watch Matt Finn."

7 (2) - Mikhail Grigorenko, Quebec (QMJHL), C -- "Everybody needs centers, and the bigger the center, the better. Grigorenko qualifies under both traditions and he's a guy who might not have the greatest finishing ability, but he's a real strong playmaker who uses his size effectively. He's a strong skater and he has a lot of potential. He's one of the very few guys who could challenge the very top part of the draft, maybe even No. 1."

6 (8) - Griffin Reinhart, Edmonton (WHL), D -- "His brother was drafted by Calgary, and he has a younger brother up and coming. Griffin is different and the defensemen in the draft all have different qualities. They're big, strong and raw. But when he gets his confidence, size and physically matures, watch out, because he'll be a force."

5 (LV) - Alex Galchenyuk, Sarnia (OHL), C -- "He's been out with the ACL, rehabbing and trying to get back to the ice before the end of the season. But he's another center, a dynamic playmaker. He makes others around him better and he's a really strong competitor."

4 (5) - Morgan Rielly, Moose Jaw (WHL), D -- "Another top player who had ACL surgery … he had it in November. When I think of Morgan Rielly, I think of a guy who completes plays. He's always puts the puck on your stick, creates scoring chances. He gets out of trouble and the way the game is played now at the NHL level, guys that are so dynamic and can transition from defense to offense, are very desirable."

3 (1 Euros) - Filip Forsberg, Leksand (SWE), C -- "He was a member of Team Sweden's gold medal team at the World Junior Championship, where he played a regular shift. He's big and strong, and loves to shoot the puck. He's got great hands and a great release and he's hungry to score. He gets the puck and gets directly to the net. I see some shades of Brendan Shanahan in terms of that release he possesses."

2 (7) - Mathew Dumba, Red Deer (WHL), D -- "Every time I watch him play, all I see is continued progress in his game. I watch and I don't see any area of his game that he cannot only play in, but can dominant and excel in. He reminds me of Chris Chelios, with a little bit of Scott Stevens."

1 (1) - Nail Yakupov, Sarnia (OHL), RW -- "Suffered a knee injury but that won't hold him out. He's dynamic, electric. Not only is he a competitor, but he has the great skills to finish and make plays. He pulls people out of their seats. Hey NHL fans, he'll be a treat to watch once he reaches the NHL."

Follow Mike Morreale on Twitter at: @mike_morreale