Pu posts 9 points in 1st round of OHL playoffs as Kingston advances

Two Canadian Hockey League prospects will continue playing this week, including a Western Hockey League defenseman who will take part in an always-exciting Game 7 on Tuesday.
Meanwhile in Sweden, one Swedish Hockey League forward moves on to gain semifinal round experience while two others saw their seasons end and will now skate for Team Sweden this week in preparation for the 2018 IIHF World Championship.

OHL

Cliff Pu (2016, third round) had a productive week, notching six points in the week's three games including a two-goal, one-assist outing Thursday in a 6-3 win at North Bay.

The Frontenacs eliminated the Battalion in five games, with Pu amassing two goals and nine points in the first-round series.
Kingston now moves on to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs where they'll take on Barrie.

WHL

Brandon Hagel (2016, sixth round) saw his season come an end last week, but not after scoring a goal in each of his final three games as the Red Deer Rebels were closed out by the Lethbridge Hurricanes four games to one in their Eastern Conference first-round series.
Hagel raced down the left side and went far side for a short-handed goal Tuesday as the Rebels were defeated 5-4 in overtime to slip into a 3-0 series hole.

On Wednesday, Hagel scored the game-winning goal from the side of the net just 38 seconds into the third period as the Rebels won 5-2 to force a fifth game.

Hagel scored his fifth of the year Saturday with a wrist shot from the high slot in a 6-4 loss.

Hagel, who notched seven goals and an assist in seven games in last year's first-round series loss to Lethbridge, finishes his playoff year with five goals and one assist in this season's five-game stanza.
Defenseman Vojtech Budik (2016, fifth round) scored from the top of the faceoff circle Tuesday in Prince Albert's 5-4 overtime loss to Moose Jaw in Game 3.

Budik, who logged a minus-1 rating Wednesday as the Raiders were blanked 2-0, bounced back with an assist in Saturday's 5-1 triumph and another helper Sunday in a 5-4 win as the Raiders forced a Game 7 with the Warriors.
Budik will look to improve on his two goals and five points gathered through six games when Prince Albert travels to Moose Jaw for Tuesday's deciding match.

Europe

Marcus Davidsson (2017, second round) notched an assist Monday as Djurgarden IF advanced to the SHL semifinals with a 5-4 victory over Linkoping HC.
Davidsson, who has produced three assists through five post-season tilts, will continue to drive the play in a lower-line role when Djurgarden engages Skelleftea AIK for a best-of-seven series beginning Tuesday.
After a quiet night in Tuesday's 4-0 loss, Victor Olofsson (2014, seventh round) scored his third playoff goal from the lower left circle in Thursday's Game 6 as Frolunda HC was bounced from the Swedish Hockey League playoffs with a 4-3 loss to IF Malmo Redhawks.

Olofsson, who paced the SHL with 27 regular-season goals, ends the playoffs with four points (3+1) and 19 shots on goal while averaging 17:04 of work per contest.
Rasmus Asplund (2016, second round) was unable to get a point as Farjestad BK clawed their way back with back-to-back victories in their series against Skelleftea AIK but saw their season end with a 5-2 loss in Game 6.
Asplund recorded 10 shots on goal and a minus-3 rating in the series' six games.
Following their losses, both Asplund and Olofsson were named to the Sweden's roster for the Euro Hockey Cup, a preparatory tournament in advance of the IIHF World Championship. Sweden will take on Slovakia in pair of games on April 5 and 6.
For more on all the youngsters in the Sabres pipeline, check out Kris Baker's website, SabresProspects.com. You can also follow him on Twitter (@SabresProspects) for in-game updates throughout the week on any Buffalo prospects that are in action.