Prospect roundup: Howden continues new-year surge

With an emphasis on drafting and developing, the Tampa Bay Lightning have created one of the strongest pipelines in the National Hockey League over the last few years. Each week, TampaBayLightning.com will provide statistical updates on key prospects throughout the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) and the National Collegiate Athletic Associaton (NCAA), and will highlight select players from the club's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch.

CANADIAN HOCKEY LEAGUE (CHL)
Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
C Anthony Cirelli, Erie Otters
Drafted 72nd overall (3rd Round) in 2015
Three points in his last two games for Cirelli, who has adjusted nicely since his trade to Erie at the OHL deadline. He is seventh in Otter scoring with 42 points, and has eight points through his first nine games with the club.
LW Boris Katchouk, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
Drafted 44th overall (2nd Round) in 2016
Katchouk has four points in his last three games to put him in a tie for second in overall Soo scoring with 41 points on the season. He was named Second Star in last Friday's win over Windsor, adding two goals, and scored a goal in Saturday's loss to Peterborough.
C Christopher Paquette, Peterborough Petes
Drafted 148th overall (5th Round) in 2016
Paquette was named First Star in Saturday's win over the Soo, adding a power play goal and the game-winner in the 5-3 victory. He is seventh in Petes scoring with 33 points.
RW Taylor Raddysh, Erie Otters
Drafted 58th overall (2nd Round) in 2016
With points in five-straight games, Raddysh's latest trick was a four-point effort and Third Star honors in Erie's 9-1 win over Guelph on Saturday night. He has 77 points on the year through 37 games.
D Matt Spencer, Peterborough Petes
Drafted 44th overall (2nd Round) in 2015
Spencer is third in Petes' defensemen scoring with 21 points in 39 games.
C Mitchell Stephens, London Knights
Drafted 33rd overall (2nd Round) in 2015
First Star honors, a power-play goal, a power-play assist, a hat trick, and five points overall that night, Stephens helped his club to a 7-6 shootout win over Owen Sound on Saturday, and then added two more goals in a 4-0 blanking of Oshawa on Sunday to earn Second Star.
RW Jonne Tammela, Peterborough Petes
Drafted 118th overall (4th Round) in 2015
Tammela scored in his OHL debut on Nov. 8, but has played in just one game since, sidelined with a lower-body injury.
Western Hockey League (WHL)
D Libor Hajek, Saskatoon Blades
Drafted 37th overall (2nd Round) in 2016
Hajek is second in Blades' defensemen scoring, though he's been held pointless in his last two games after posting points in five-straight. He has 20 points so far this year.
C Brett Howden, Moose Jaw Warriors
Drafted 27th overall (1st Round) in 2016
Howden continues to surge through the month of January, posting 17 points in 12 games. He has pointed in all games except two this month, and keeps climbing back to the top of the Warriors' roster in scoring, now sitting third overall with 52 points despite missing a month due to injury.
G Connor Ingram, Kamloops Blazers
Drafted 88th overall (3rd Round) in 2016
Ingram is 18-9-1 on the season for Kamloops to go along with a .929 save percentage and a 2.30 goals-against average.
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
LW Boko Imama, Saint John Sea Dogs
Drafted 180th overall (6th Round) in 2015
Imama was named First Star in Saint John's 5-2 win over Moncton on Saturday with two power-play goals, including the game-winner. He continues to lead his team in goals (31) and is fourth in scoring (42 points).
RW Mathieu Joseph, Saint John Sea Dogs
Drafted 120th overall (4th Round) in 2015
Joseph extended his point streak to 25 games, continuing to set the Saint John franchise record. He recorded three points in two games this weekend,

in Sunday's win over Charlottetown.
C Otto Somppi, Halifax Mooseheads
Drafted 206th overall (7th Round) in 2016
Riding a four-game point streak, Somppi scored goals in all three of Halifax's games this past weekend. Friday's was a shorthanded tally in a win over Drummondville to go along with two assists for a three-point game; Saturday's was the game-winner over Sherbrooke; and Sunday's effort earned him Third Star in a loss to Oceanic.
LW Dennis Yan, Shawinigan Cataractes
Drafted 64th overall (3rd Round) in 2015
With goals in his last three games, Yan now has 10 more goals than the next-closest skater on his Cataractes club. He added a power-play goal in a loss to Victoriaville on Saturday, and the go-ahead goal in an eventual win over Baie-Comeau on Sunday.
NATIONAL COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (NCAA)
F Ross Colton, U. of Vermont (Hockey East)
Drafted 118th overall (4th Round) in 2016
Colton leads his team in goals (9), assists (13), and points (22) through 25 games as a freshman.
F Ryan Lohin, UMass Lowell (Hockey East)
Drafted 208th overall (7th Round) in 2016
Lohin is tied for sixth in scoring with 16 points in 27 games for the River Hawks as a freshman forward.
D John MacLeod, Boston University (Hockey East)
Drafted 57th overall (2nd Round) in 2014
In his junior season with the Terriers, MacLeod has four assists through 21 games to go along with a plus-5 rating and 23 shots from the blueline.
G Kris Oldham, U. of Nebraska-Omaha (NCHC)
Drafted 153rd overall (6th Round) in 2015
Through nine starts, Oldham has a 5-3-1 record for UNO, with a 3.38 goals-against and a .895 save percentage.
D Ryan Zuhlsdorf, U. of Minnesota (Big-10)
Drafted 150th overall (5th Round) in 2015
Zuhlsdorf has two goals and three assists through 22 games with the Gophers this season, and is a plus-7 with 18 shots on goal.
AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE - SYRACUSE CRUNCH
Cory Conacher, Yanni Gourde, and Matt Taormina are all representing the Crunch in the 2017 AHL All-Star Classic, taking place yesterday and tonight in Allentown … Crunch head coach Ben Groulx is coaching the North Division as well … The Crunch defeated Springfield 4-3 in their last game before the break.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"He's got good size, he skates well, and he's got a good shot. He's smart. Last year, he might have gotten overlooked in Halifax. It was good for us to get him in the seventh round." -- Lightning director of player development Stacy Roest on Somppi