Lightning prospect roundup: Howden returns to action

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 named First Star in the Gens' 5-3 win over Flint on Friday with the game-winning goal. The tally was his third power play goal of the season, one behind the team lead though he continues to lead his club in scoring through 22 games (13-17-30). He has nine points in his last nine games.
LW Boris Katchouk, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
Drafted 44th overall (2nd Round) in 2016
Currently riding a seven-game point streak (5-5-10), Katchouk earned Third Star honors on Sunday afternoon in the Greyhounds' 8-3 beating on Oshawa. He posted a goal and an assist in the win for a three-point weekend. The Ontario native was named the OHL's First Star of the night last Thursday thanks to a two-goal, one-assist effort in the Soo's 6-1 win over North Bay. He has 11-11-22 totals through 24 games.
C Christopher Paquette, Niagara IceDogs
Drafted 148th overall (5th Round) in 2016
Though he went pointless in Niagara's two weekend games, Paquette continues to perform at just under a point-per-game pace with a 10-10-20 statline in 23 games.
RW Taylor Raddysh, Erie Otters
Drafted 58th overall (2nd Round) in 2016
Twenty-three games into the season, Raddysh is already just four goals away from tying his previous OHL career-high of 24, set last season en route to a 73-point campaign for the Otters. He continues to lead the OHL in points (50), assists (30), and plus/minus (plus-29). He is second among all OHL skaters in goals (20). Raddysh has recorded at least a point in all but one of his games this season.
D Matt Spencer, Peterborough Petes
Drafted 44th overall (2nd Round) in 2015
Steady on the blueline, Spencer registered a two-point game and Second Star honors in a 5-4 overtime loss to Windsor last Thursday. He is 2-7-9 through 17 games for the Petes.
C Mitchell Stephens, Saginaw Spirit
Drafted 33rd overall (2nd Round) in 2015
Stephens scored his 10th goal of the season and added an assist to help his Spirit club to a 4-2 win over Guelph to split the weekend. He sits first among all Saginaw skaters with 10-15-25 through 20 games.
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 has yet to score a goal this season, though his 10 assists in 25 games are good for second among all Blades defensemen.
C Brett Howden, Moose Jaw Warriors
Drafted 27th overall (1st Round) in 2016
Having not played since Oct. 25 due to injury, Howden returned to action for Moose Jaw this weekend and did so with a fury. He posted six points (2G-4A) in two games this weekend for the Warriors, helping them to back-to-back road wins and earning himself Second Star honors in each game. Despite missing a month, Howden still ranks fifth overall in Moose Jaw scoring.
G Connor Ingram, Kamloops Blazers
Drafted 88th overall (3rd Round) in 2016
Ingram continues to flourish in net for Kamloops, putting himself into plenty of chatter about the Team Canada squad at the upcoming World Juniors. His 2.19 goals-against ranks third among all WHL goaltenders, and his .932 save percentage is good for second overall.
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
LW Boko Imama, Saint John Sea Dogs
Drafted 180th overall (6th Round) in 2015
With eight goals so far in the month of November, Imama is just two goals away from tying a previous QMJHL career-high of 13, set in 2014-15 when he split time between Baie-Comeau and Saint John. He has 11-6-17 totals through 23 games to sit fifth in Sea Dogs scoring.
RW Mathieu Joseph, Saint John Sea Dogs
Drafted 120th overall (4th Round) in 2015
Joseph has 15 points in nine games this November and has recorded at least one point in every game he's skated in since Oct. 26. He scored a goal in back-to-back Saint John wins last week, and was named Second Star in their victory over Cape Breton last Wednesday.
C Otto Somppi, Halifax Mooseheads
Drafted 206th overall (7th Round) in 2016
He's been held off the scoresheet in his last two games, but Somppi has 17 points in 21 games so far for the Mooseheads in his second QMJHL season.
LW Dennis Yan, Shawinigan Cataractes
Drafted 64th overall (3rd Round) in 2015
Yan is second in overall Cataractes scoring (25 points) but still paces his club with 16 goals. He posted a goal in Shawinigan's 5-1 over Moncton last Thursday but was held pointless the rest of the weekend.
NATIONAL COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (NCAA)
F Ross Colton, U. of Vermont (Hockey East)
Drafted 118th overall (4th Round) in 2016
With two goals and an assist in Saturday's 5-1 win over Quinnipiac, Colton helped his team to their second straight win and now sits solely in first place in Catamount scoring with 12 points in 14 games.
F Ryan Lohin, UMass Lowell (Hockey East)
Drafted 208th overall (7th Round) in 2016
Lohin ranks sixth in scoring with nine points in 14 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 10 games to go along with a plus-4 rating and 14 shots from the blueline.
G Kris Oldham, U. of Nebraska-Omaha (NCHC)
Drafted 153rd overall (6th Round) in 2015
Through five games, Oldham has a 2-2-1 record for UNO, with a 2.75 goals-against and a .898 save percentage.
D Ryan Zuhlsdorf, U. of Minnesota (Big-10)
Drafted 150th overall (5th Round) in 2015
Zuhlsdorf has two goals and an assist through 11 games with the Gophers this season, and is a plus-two with six shots on goal.
AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE - SYRACUSE CRUNCH
The Crunch have won three of their last four … Yanni Gourde leads the team in scoring with 13 points … Tanner Richard's six goals pace all skaters … Syracuse is second in their division with a 10-5-0-1 mark to start the season.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"Every game he plays in, he has a big impact in. he's all over the ice. He's their leading scorer, he goes out there and makes a difference every shift he's on the ice. He's gotten better every year, he's put in the work and he's gotten rewarded for it." -- Stacy Roest on Mathieu Joseph