While the battle for top honors at the 2013 NHL Draft will likely be between North American prospects Nathan MacKinnon of the Halifax Mooseheads and Seth Jones of the Portland Winterhawks, the distinction as top European prospect is just as intriguing.

Alexander Barkov, Tappara (FINLAND)

Make no mistake, the battle for European prominence appears to be between center Elias Lindholm of Brynas in Sweden and center Alexander Barkov of Tappara in the Finnish Elite League.

Lindholm has four goals and 10 points in 16 games this season for Brynas while Barkov has produced nine goals and 17 points in 15 games.

"Lindholm and Barkov are outstanding with their league teams and both could be top five at the [NHL] Draft," said Goran Stubb, European Director of NHL Central Scouting.

Lindholm had 14 goals, 49 points and a plus-24 rating in 36 games with Brynas in Sweden's junior league last year.

NHL Central Scouting on Thursday upgraded four players to A status on its preliminary players to watch list of prospects for the 2013 NHL Draft.

In addition to the upgrades, Central Scouting identified several players who happen to be tracking higher and will receive considerable attention in anticipation of its preliminary rankings list, which will be released in November and rank the top 25 prospects in the Ontario Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Western Hockey League and United States Hockey League, as well as various Europena nations.

Bridgestone Arena, home of the NHL’s Nashville Predators since 1998, opened its doors in December of 1996. The facility has hosted more than 13 million guests since that time. Increasingly, arena management has prioritized sustainable operating practices and procedures.

Most recently, Bridgestone Arena administrators conducted two audits—one reviewing energy usage and one examining water consumption—that will be used to determine methods for making the arena more sustainable. The scope of work was consistent with a Level II audit as described by ASHRAE guidelines.

“The focus of the audits was to determine what can be done to bring our building up to today’s energy-efficient standards,” says Terry McConnell, senior director of operations for the arena. “As a municipal building, we have a responsibility to be good stewards of the environment.”

Ongoing review of the audit results, which became available earlier this year, has pointed to several ways Bridgestone Arena might move forward in its sustainability goals.

Regarding energy, planned improvements to the lighting system will utilize daylight-harvesting next to glass curtain walls. “This process would enable us to make better use of daylight throughout the facility,” McConnell says. Inefficient T-12 bulbs will be replaced with energy-saving T-8s. Bi-level lighting controls and energy-efficient lamps—in the place of metal-halide sources—will be implemented along concourses will further reduce energy consumption.

On the mechanical side, upgrades to the HVAC control system will have the greatest impact. Enthalpy-based economizer controls are planned for all air-conditioning units while occupancy-based controls, night setbacks and variable frequency drives on unit fans will be utilized.

The goals of the water audit were to assess the arena’s current water use and cost and identify any potential water-saving improvements that could be made. Installation of more efficient water aerators will figure prominently in Bridgestone’s sustainability efforts. Water flow will be reduced from 2.5 to 1.5 gallons per minute for sink faucets. Similarly, low-flow toilets will replace the current 3.5 gallons used per flush to a more efficient 1.28 gallons. Looking toward the future, Bridgestone Arena has plans underway for a rainwater-harvesting system which would offset all water used for toilets and urinals.

These and other enhancements are set to begin later this year. “We believe it is a great initiative that is definitely moving us in the right direction,” McConnell says. “It enables us to be ecologically responsible tenants of this building and, at the same time, to remain at the forefront of the sports and entertainment industry.”

To read the full article, visit GB&D.

Forward Anthony Mantha of the Val-d'Or Foreurs in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is proving to be quite the offensive force to open the 2012-13 season.

The 18-year-old connected for his third hat trick of the year -- scoring four goals and one assist -- in a 5-4 overtime victory over the Rimouski Oceanic on Wednesday to move into a tie with Rouyn-Noranda's Jean-Sebastien Dea for the league scoring lead with 28 points. Mantha, who is regarded as an A skater on NHL Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list from the QMJHL, has 15 goals and 13 assists for the season.

Highly regarded 2013 NHL Draft prospect Jonathan Drouin of the Halifax Mooseheads returned to the lineup with a vengeance on Wednesday before 6,634 fans at the Halifax Metro Centre.

Drouin, who was sidelined the previous six games with an upper-body injury, connected for two goals and two assists to help lead the Mooseheads to a 6-2 victory over the Drummondville Voltigeurs.

Hockey Canada on Wednesday released the 60-man roster attending training camp for team Canada West that will participate in the World Junior A Challenge, to be held Nov. 5-11 at the Mariners Centre in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

The Canada West camp will be held Oct. 28-31 at the Markin MacPhail Center in Calgary. Players for the camp were selected from the Canadian Junior Hockey League's five western Junior A leagues: the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL), Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) and Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL).

Guelph Storm forward Hunter Garlent and Kelowna Rockets goalie Jordon Cooke have been named Canadian Hockey League player and goalie of the week, respectively.

Garlent, a center rated as a C skater in NHL Central Scouting's preliminary rankings of players to watch for the 2013 NHL Draft, was named CHL Player of the Week after scoring three goals and five assists in three games last week. He had a goal and an assist Friday in a 6-3 win against the Sarnia Sting. On Saturday the 5-foot-8.25, 164-pound forward had a career-best four-point night -- a goal and three assists -- in an 8-5 defeat of the Saginaw Spirit. He finished his week with a goal and an assist in a 7-1 defeat of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

After totaling 42 points in 60 games as an OHL rookie last season, Garlent has 10 points and a plus-5 rating in 11 games this season.

Halifax Mooseheads forward Jonathan Drouin will return to the lineup on Wednesday after sitting out the previous six games with an upper-body injury.

"He's good to go," Halifax general manager Cam Russell told The Chronicle Herald. "It's always a good moment when a player like Jonathan is in your line-up. He's played extremely well for us so far. We're excited to have him back."

Halifax (12-1-0), which ranks first overall in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, will play host to the Drummondville Voltigeurs (7-6-0), which is third in the Telus West Division, at Metro Centre.

Hockey Canada on Monday announced the 60 players who will attend a training camp for the team Canada East will take to the World Junior A Challenge, to be held Nov. 5-11 at the Mariners Centre in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

The Canada East camp will be held Oct. 28-31 at the MasterCard Centre in Toronto. Players for the camp were selected from the Canadian Junior Hockey League's five eastern Junior A leagues: the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL), Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL), Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL), Ligue de hockey junior AAA du Québec (LHJAAAQ) and the Maritime Hockey League (MHL).

Among the players picked were 54 players eligible for the 2013 NHL Draft. Topping that group is Matt Buckles, a center with the St. Michael's Buzzers (OJHL). The 6-foot-1.25, 205-pound forward is tied for fifth in the league with 22 points in 16 games. He earned a B rating from NHL Central Scouting in its preliminary rankings of players to watch for this year's draft.

Comcast-Spectacor and the Philadelphia Flyers have built a recycling program at the Wells Fargo Center that rivals many of the large arenas in the country. But the Philadelphia-based international sports and entertainment firm is not stopping there. To divert even more waste from landfill, the facility is ramping up their composting initiative.

Composting is the controlled breakdown of organic waste into a useful product that can be used as a mulch and fertilizer.

"Comcast-Spectacor is committed to going green by seeking every opportunity to reduce, reuse and recycle wherever possible," says Comcast-Spectacor President Peter Luukko.

The Wells Fargo Center is positively impacting its waste stream by altering purchasing behavior. The arena is introducing all new compostable service ware in all concessions and all premium areas, helping fans to lighten their footprint.

How does the operation work? Aramark, food provider at the Wells Fargo Center, has equipped its kitchens with special containers for food waste. These containers will be emptied into larger food waste containers that Waste Management will empty after each event. Waste Management will transport the food waste to a composting center in Delaware where it will be turned into compost and organic soil products for home, farm and landscape use.

Beyond service ware, waste that will be composted at the Wells Fargo Center includes fruit and vegetables; meat, poultry and seafood; bakery items and ingredients; coffee grounds, filters, tea bags; milk, juices and cartons without plastic spouts; dairy products; and paper and plant products.

The 21,000-seat Wells Fargo Center, home of the Flyers, is a registered member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The Flyers are a member of the Green Sports Alliance (greensportsalliance.org). Find out more about the Global Spectrum Total Environmental Plan by visiting: www.wellsfargocenterphilly.com/step-up.aspx.