2015 NHL Draft
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Posted On Monday, 02.01.2016 / 9:00 AM

By Mike G. Morreale -  NHL.com Staff Writer /NHL.com - 2016 NHL Draft blog

Matthews extends point streak to nine games

Auston Matthews, who many project to be the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, is playing for Zurich in Switzerland's top professional league this season. NHL.com will follow his journey leading to the NHL Draft this season with a weekly update.

Center Auston Matthews extended his season-high point streak to nine games when he had two goals and an assist in two games last week for Zurich in Switzerland's top professional league.

Matthews, No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting's midterm list of international skaters eligible for the 2016 NHL Draft, had his seven-game goal streak end on Jan. 26 in a 3-2 win against Fribourg-Gotteron. Matthews had eight shots in the game.

Posted On Friday, 01.29.2016 / 2:50 AM

By Mike G. Morreale -  NHL.com Staff Writer /NHL.com - 2016 NHL Draft blog

5 things learned from CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game

VANCOUVER -- Victoriaville (QMJHL) center Pascal Laberge, No. 31 on NHL Central Scouting's midterm ranking of North American skaters eligible for the 2016 NHL Draft, had two goals and an assist to lead Team Bobby Orr to a 3-2 victory against Team Don Cherry before 10,113 fans at the 2016 BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game at Pacific Coliseum on Thursday.

The game included 20 prospects from the Ontario Hockey League, 12 from the Western Hockey League, and eight from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The players competing in the game were chosen by the 30 NHL teams; the rosters were set by NHL Central Scouting.

Laberge, who was named player of the game for Team Orr, leads Victoriaville in assists (25) and shots on goal (124), and is second in points (39) in 36 games.

"I sure hope this performance will help me," Laberge said. "I've been injured a lot during the season and maybe this will help with my ranking. I broke my hand two times this season so I missed some games. But I have to take advantage of these opportunities."

Posted On Friday, 01.29.2016 / 12:08 AM

By Mike G. Morreale -  NHL.com Staff Writer /NHL.com - 2016 NHL Draft blog

Laberge, Team Orr win CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game

VANCOUVER -- Center Pascal Laberge of Victoriaville in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League had two goals and an assist to help Team Bobby Orr to a 3-2 victory against Team Don Cherry before 10,113 fans at the BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game at Pacific Coliseum on Thursday.

The game included 20 prospects from the Ontario Hockey League, 12 from the Western Hockey League, and eight from the QMJHL. The players competing in the game were chosen by the 30 NHL teams; the rosters were set by NHL Central Scouting.

Laberge also set up Pierre-Luc Dubois (Cape Breton, QMJHL) for the game-winner 11:35 into the third period.

Posted On Thursday, 01.28.2016 / 3:16 PM

By Mike G. Morreale -  NHL.com Staff Writer /NHL.com - 2016 NHL Draft blog

Sarnia's Chychrun excels in Top Prospects testing

VANCOUVER -- Sarnia defenseman Jakob Chychrun provided NHL scouts one more reason why they should consider him the top player at his position for the 2016 NHL Draft at First Niagara Center in Buffalo on June 24-25.

Chychrun, who will captain Team Don Cherry at the 2016 BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game on Thursday at Pacific Coliseum (9 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, TVA Sports), exceled in the on- and off-ice testing Wednesday performed by all 40 participating players for NHL management and scouts.

The combine data was supplied to NHL Central Scouting and representatives from all 30 teams.

Chychrun a 6-foot-2, 215-pound defender ranked No. 2 on NHL Central Scouting's midterm list of North American skaters eligible for the draft, was second among all players and first among defensemen in the on-ice portion of the tests, which included seven specialized drills. He also finished first among all players in the off-ice tests. All testing was conducted by Sport Testing.

Posted On Monday, 01.25.2016 / 5:14 PM

By Mike G. Morreale -  NHL.com Staff Writer /NHL.com - 2016 NHL Draft blog

Ronning to replace Benson in CHL Prospects Game

Right wing Ty Ronning of the Vancouver Giants in the Western Hockey League will replace teammate Tyler Benson in the BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, to be played at Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver on Thursday (9 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, TVA Sports).

Benson, who was to serve as captain for Team Don Cherry, hasn't played since Dec. 30 after sustaining a lower-body injury. The Giants listed him as week-to-week. At the time of his injury, the left wing had 17 points in 13 games.

Benson, No. 21 on NHL Central Scouting's midterm ranking of North American skaters eligible for the 2016 NHL Draft, missed the first month of 2015-16 after having surgery to remove a cyst near his tailbone.

Posted On Monday, 01.25.2016 / 9:00 AM

By Mike G. Morreale -  NHL.com Staff Writer /NHL.com - 2016 NHL Draft blog

Matthews also a big hit with the Swiss media

Auston Matthews, who many project to be the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, is playing for Zurich in Switzerland's top professional league this season. NHL.com will follow his journey leading to the NHL Draft this season with a weekly update.

Auston Matthews, No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting's midterm ranking of international skaters eligible for the 2016 NHL Draft, extended his goal streak to seven games for Zurich in Switzerland's top professional league.

Matthews had two goals and four points in two games last week, a 5-4 loss against Zug on Friday and 4-2 win against Geneve-Servette on Saturday. Matthews, 18, has eight goals, 13 points and a 27.58 shooting percentage in the past seven games.

Posted On Thursday, 01.21.2016 / 1:33 PM

By Mike G. Morreale -  NHL.com Staff Writer /NHL.com - 2015-16 At the Rink blog

At the Rink: Senators at Devils

NEWARK, N.J. -- Forwards Mike Hoffman and Kyle Turris will be game-time decisions when the Ottawa Senators play against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; RDS, TSN5, MSG+).

Hoffman (upper body), who leads the Senators with 20 goals, was injured against the San Jose Sharks on Monday when he collided with the goal post in the second period while driving to the net. He participated in the Senators' optional skate Thursday but admitted afterwards he's still dealing with headaches and stiffness in his neck.

"I felt alright [at the skate] but I'll definitely have to talk it over with our trainers," Hoffman said. "I guess the injury could have been a lot worse; I'm fortunate it's not long term."

Posted On Tuesday, 01.19.2016 / 1:14 PM

By Mike G. Morreale -  NHL.com Staff Writer /NHL.com - 2015-16 At the Rink blog

At the Rink: Flames at Devils

NEWARK, N.J. -- Left wing Mike Cammalleri will return to the lineup for the New Jersey Devils against the Calgary Flames at Prudential Center on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; SNF, MSG+).

Cammalleri, who practiced for the second straight day Tuesday, has missed the past eight games with a hand injury sustained in a 3-0 win at the Ottawa Senators on Dec. 30. Cammalleri leads the Devils with 35 points (14 goals, 21 assists) in 38 games.

"I'm excited to be back at it and obviously it's Calgary, so that adds to the fun of the game," said Cammalleri, who played for the Flames in 2008-09 and again from 2011-14. "I've been out eight games, two weeks, and had just one full practice, so we'll jump right in and see what happens. I'm ready for the challenge."

Posted On Monday, 01.18.2016 / 9:00 AM

By Mike G. Morreale -  NHL.com Staff Writer /NHL.com - 2016 NHL Draft blog

Matthews gets high marks during 4-game point streak

Auston Matthews, who many project to be the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, is playing for Zurich in Switzerland's top professional league this season. NHL.com will follow his journey leading to the NHL Draft this season with a weekly update.

Auston Matthews, an A-rated skater on NHL Central Scouting's November players to watch list for the 2016 NHL Draft, has scored in four straight games since his return from 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship.

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound left-shot center, who scored seven goals and 11 points in seven games to help the United States win a bronze medal at the WJC in Helsinki, Finland, has five goals, seven points, a plus-7 rating and a 33 percent shooting rate in the past four games for Zurich in Switzerland's top professional league.

"In my opinion, Matthews is the best player in the league, although it's not very clear and there might be other opinions," said NHL Central Scouting's Thomas Roost, who evaluates prospects in Switzerland and Germany. "Former NHL player Pierre-Marc Bouchard is close. Matthews' play is still on the same level as before or during the World Junior [Championship] and this is a very high level."

Posted On Wednesday, 01.13.2016 / 10:10 AM

By Mike G. Morreale -  NHL.com Staff Writer /NHL.com - 2016 NHL Draft blog

Benson, Tkachuk named captains for Prospects Game

Vancouver left wing Tyler Benson and London left wing Matthew Tkachuk, each an A-rated skater on NHL Central Scouting's November players to watch list for the 2016 NHL Draft, were named captains Wednesday for their respective teams at the BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.

The CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game will be played at Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver on Jan. 28 (9 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, TVA Sports).

Benson will captain Team Don Cherry with alternate captains Jakob Chychrun of Sarnia and Julien Gauthier of Val-d'Or. Tkachuk will captain Team Bobby Orr with alternates Jake Bean of Calgary and Pierre-Luc Dubois of Cape Breton.

Benson's status for the game remains in question since he hasn't played since Dec. 30 after sustaining a lower-body injury. The Giants list him as week-to-week. At the time of his injury, Benson had 17 points in 13 games.

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