Lightning prospect roundup: Five set for Team Canada

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, Oshawa Generals
Drafted 72nd overall (3rd Round) in 2015
Cirelli was one of five prospects named to Team Canada's roster for the 2017 World Junior Championship, which begins its pre-tournament games tonight. Through 25 games with the Gens until he departed for the WJC, Cirelli has 13 goals and 20 assists to rank second in Oshawa scoring.
LW Boris Katchouk, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
Drafted 44th overall (2nd Round) in 2016
Katchouk stormed back to the Soo scoresheet with six points in his last three games, capped off by a four-point performance on Sunday night to help propel the Greyhounds to an 8-1 win over Sarnia. He's been named First Star in back-to-back games.
C Christopher Paquette, Niagara IceDogs
Drafted 148th overall (5th Round) in 2016
Paquette is currently riding a four-game point streak (2G-5A) and was named Second Star in the IceDogs' 4-3 shootout win over Windsor on Saturday night.
RW Taylor Raddysh, Erie Otters
Drafted 58th overall (2nd Round) in 2016
Also named to the final roster for Team Canada, Raddysh left his Otter club leading in assists (38) and points (61) through 28 games, and still leads the entire OHL in scoring.
D Matt Spencer, Peterborough Petes
Drafted 44th overall (2nd Round) in 2015
Spencer has points in three straight games (1G-3A) for the Petes, including the game-winning goal on Saturday in a 5-2 Peterborough win over North Bay.
C Mitchell Stephens, Saginaw Spirit
Drafted 33rd overall (2nd Round) in 2015
Stephens will represent Canada for the fifth time at the upcoming World Juniors, joining the four other Bolt prospects on the roster. Through 22 games before the WJC break, Stephens sits second in Spirit scoring with 11 goals and 28 points.
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.
Western Hockey League (WHL)
D Libor Hajek, Saskatoon Blades
Drafted 37th overall (2nd Round) in 2016
Hajek will represent the Czech Republic at this year's World Juniors, moving up to U20 after playing in the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament (U18) the last two years. He has a goal and 11 assists in 31 games for the Blades thus far this season.
C Brett Howden, Moose Jaw Warriors
Drafted 27th overall (1st Round) in 2016
Howden was cut from the Team Canada roster, but hasn't slowed down for Moose Jaw. He recorded a goal and three assists in the Warriors' two weekend games, a home-and-home they split with Regina, and has 11 points in the month of December.
G Connor Ingram, Kamloops Blazers
Drafted 88th overall (3rd Round) in 2016
As expected, Ingram will be part of the goalie tandem for Canada at the WJC. He has a 14-9-1 record for Kamloops to go along with a .935 save percentage and a 2.12 goals-against.
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
LW Boko Imama, Saint John Sea Dogs
Drafted 180th overall (6th Round) in 2015
Imama posted a three-point night to help his Sea Dogs register an 8-2 win over Charlottetown on Saturday. He has now matched his QMJHL career-high for points (28) and is four points away from his 100th career QMJHL point.
RW Mathieu Joseph, Saint John Sea Dogs
Drafted 120th overall (4th Round) in 2015
Joseph will join his fellow prospects at the World Juniors for Canada, and has 25 goals and 45 points through 29 games as he hits pause on his season in Saint John.
C Otto Somppi, Halifax Mooseheads
Drafted 206th overall (7th Round) in 2016
Somppi is tied for fifth in Mooseheads scoring after putting up a three-point night (2G-1A) in a 6-3 loss to Moncton on Saturday. He was named Third Star in the loss, and one of his two goals was a power play marker.
LW Dennis Yan, Shawinigan Cataractes
Drafted 64th overall (3rd Round) in 2015
With points in his last four straight, Yan continues to lead the Cataractes in scoring with 39 points in 29 games. He has 12 points in those four games.
NATIONAL COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (NCAA)
F Ross Colton, U. of Vermont (Hockey East)
Drafted 118th overall (4th Round) in 2016
A freshman, Colton leads all Catamounts in scoring with 14 points (7G-7A) in 18 games.
F Ryan Lohin, UMass Lowell (Hockey East)
Drafted 208th overall (7th Round) in 2016
Lohin is tied for seventh in scoring with 10 points in 18 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 13 games to go along with a plus-3 rating and 14 shots from the blueline.
G Kris Oldham, U. of Nebraska-Omaha (NCHC)
Drafted 153rd overall (6th Round) in 2015
Through six games, Oldham has a 3-2-1 record for UNO, with a 2.97 goals-against and a .901 save percentage.
D Ryan Zuhlsdorf, U. of Minnesota (Big-10)
Drafted 150th overall (5th Round) in 2015
Zuhlsdorf has two goals and two assists through 15 games with the Gophers this season, and is a plus-4 with nine shots on goal.
AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE - SYRACUSE CRUNCH
The Crunch are 10-for-10 on the penalty kill in their last three games … Matt Taormina and Yanni Gourde pace the team with 23 points … They won one of their three games this past weekend.