5 things learned from CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game

GUELPH, Ontario -- Halifax right wing Filip Zadina, No. 2 in NHL Central Scouting's midterm ranking of North American skaters eligible for the 2018 NHL Draft, scored two goals to help Team Don Cherry win 7-4 against Team Bobby Orr at the Sherman-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game at Sleeman Centre on Thursday.
Flint center Ty Dellandrea, No. 76 in Central Scouting's midterm rankings, and Owen Sound center Aidan Dudas (No. 131) each scored twice, London defenseman Evan Bouchard (No. 5) had four assists, and Cape Breton left wing Egor Sokolov (No. 73) had a goal and an assist for Team Cherry.

The four points by Bouchard equaled a CHL Top Prospects Game record shared by five players: Daniel Briere (four assists in 1996), Trevor Wasyluk (one goal, three assists in 1996), Greg Watson (two goals, two assists in 2001), Blake Comeau (one goal, three assists in 2004) and Gilbert Brule (three goals, one assist in 2005).
"I was just coming in to play my game and with teammates like that, I guess (records) like this happen," said Bouchard, who had five shots on goal. "I'm really excited about it."
RELATED: [2018 NHL Draft midterm rankings of international skaters | North American skaters]
Ottawa defenseman Kevin Bahl (No. 30) had a goal and an assist for Team Orr. Moncton left wing Anderson McDonald (No. 65) had two assists, and Oshawa right wing Serron Noel (No. 9), Prince Albert center Cole Fonstad (No. 78) and Rimouski left wing Dmitri Zavgorodny (No. 54) scored. Barrie right wing Andrei Svechnikov (No. 1) had one shot on goal and a plus-1 rating.
Drummondville goaltender Olivier Rodrigue, No. 2 in Central Scouting's midterm list of North American goalies, made 13 saves on 14 shots for Team Cherry. Cape Breton goalie Kevin Mandolese (No. 4) made 18 saves on 20 shots for Team Orr.
Here are 5 things learned from the 2018 Top Prospects Game:

Zadina shines on the big stage

Zadina (6-foot, 196 pounds), a projected top-five pick in the NHL Draft, looked like a player on a mission among his peers.
He scored twice and hit the post in the second period, and finished with a game-high seven shots on goal. He scored from one knee in the slot at 4:12 of the second period to give Team Cherry a 5-0 lead, and then fought off a check from Acadie-Bathurst defenseman Noah Dobson (No. 8) to score on the power play at 18:08 of the second to make it 7-2 for Team Cherry.

"I'm real happy that we won the game and I think I played well," Zadina said. "I did my job. I scored twice to help my team win and I enjoyed the time with the guys."
Zadina also got the best of his three Halifax teammates, forward Benoit-Olivier Groulx (No. 18), defenseman Jared McIsaac (No. 12) and goalie Alexis Gravel (No. 1 among goalies), who played for Team Orr.
"That was probably the best feeling for me," Zadina said with a big grin. "I can't wait to play back at Halifax on Friday with the guys. I haven't gotten any text messages yet; I'm still waiting for it."

Dellandrea delivers

Dellandrea not only set a record for the fastest two goals in the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game when he scored twice in 20 seconds in the first period, but the projected third-round draft choice likely opened some eyes with a sterling performance.
The 6-foot, 190-pound forward, who has 35 points (17 goals, 18 assists) in 44 Ontario Hockey League games this season, impressed with a determined effort in both zones and showed he could anticipate plays all over the ice.
"It was just a matter of making the most of every shift," Dellandrea said. "I wanted to make the most of it, maybe try to turn some heads. I like to be a 200-foot player but also feel I can generate opportunities in the offensive zone. I want to be a guy who's reliable and can be on the ice in any situation."

Current No. 88 meets former No. 88

Bahl, who has worn No. 88 for much of his hockey-playing career in honor Eric Lindros, was excited to meet in person the Hockey Hall of Fame center at the Top Prospects Game.

Lindros, who had his No. 88 retired by the Philadelphia Flyers on Jan. 18, coached Bahl and Team Orr. Lindros, who played his junior hockey for Oshawa (1989-92) before beginning his NHL career, said he had a chat with Bahl during practice.
Bahl, who has 14 points (one goal, 13 assists) in 45 OHL games, was named Team Orr player of the game.
"When I was 7 years old I had a binder of hockey cards and one of the cards was Eric Lindros," Bahl said. "My dad told me the story about how he was big and physical, a tough guy to play against, so I ended up taking his number. He came into the locker room and was telling us the experience he had coming out, how special it was in his hockey career.
"This was definitely a high point in the year for me, to come out here and make something special happen."

European invasion

Six skaters in the game were starring outside North America last season.
Zadina (Czech Republic), Zavgorodny (Russia), Sokolov (Russia), Sault Ste. Marie defenseman Rasmus Sandin (No. 15, Sweden), Oshawa defenseman Nico Gross (No. 47, Switzerland), and Chicoutimi left wing Vladislav Kotkov (No. 74, Russia).
"Hockey is a global sport and the NHL is the best League in the world, so all young players, no matter where they are from, should want to pursue their goals of getting to the NHL," said Dan Marr, NHL director of Central Scouting. "For some European players that route is through the CHL import draft and for others it's playing at elite levels in their own country; the scouts will find the good players wherever they play. The Canadian Hockey League does allow these top NHL Draft prospects from Europe the opportunity to acclimatize to the North American way of life with language and social skills as well as compete and develop at a high level playing against their CHL peers."

CHL on- and off-ice test results

Dobson (6-3, 180) finished first in the on-ice testing across 10 different categories, and Spokane defenseman Ty Smith (5-10, 176) and London forward Liam Foudy (6-0, 180) finished tied for second.
Sault Ste. Marie forward Barrett Hayton (6-1, 191), No. 6 on Central Scouting's midterm list, was best in the off-ice testing across seven different areas, and Bahl finished second.
Dobson finished first in 30-meter backward skate, the 30-meter backward skate with the puck, and third in 30-meter forward skate with the puck. Hayton finished first in hand grip (left) and the pro-agility (left) test, and was second in vertical jump.
Svechnikov finished fifth in the on-ice testing, including first in weave agility and in weave agility with the puck. Zadina finished 31st.
Mississauga goalie Jacob Ingham (6-3, 186), No. 3 on Central Scouting's midterm list of North American goalies, finished first among players at his position after a strong showing in reaction, agility and movement challenges.