Hagel on point-per-game pace for Red Deer since return from injury

It has been at times a tough season to navigate, but Red Deer Rebels forward Brandon Hagel (2016, sixth round) has himself back on the map as a peak performer after capturing nine points last week.
Hagel erupted for a four-assist effort Monday, the second four-helper game of his WHL career, to boost Red Deer to a 4-0 victory at Prince George.

On Wednesday, Hagel took a lead pass and buried a forehand for the game-winning goal and added an assist as Rebels toppled Kelowna 4-1.

Hagel continued to make an impact Friday, netting one assist and pumping eight shots on goal to earn the game's first star to help the Rebels earn a 4-3 win at Victoria.
The Rebels continued the Western road swing Sunday with yet another victory as Hagel produced a pair of helpers in a 4-2 triumph at Vancouver.
It has been a challenging season for both Hagel and the Rebels, but the club is getting on track at the right time. After missing six weeks with an upper-body injury, during which the Rebels spiraled into a 13-game losing streak, Hagel has been a point-per-game player with 17 points in as many games since his return.
The productive week gives the energetic winger 10 goals and 42 points in 45 total contests for a Red Deer squad that has won nine of its last 11 games.

OHL

Kingston forward Cliff Pu (2016, third round) scored a tap-in goal and notched one assist Sunday as the Frontenacs blew past Kitchener 6-1. The strong performance gives Pu points in three-straight games and nine of his last 10.
Pu began the week by picking up an assist Wednesday in a 4-3 loss to Ottawa, and drawing another helper on the game-winning goal Friday as the Frontenacs got past Peterborough 2-1.
Through 55 games, Pu has amassed 23 goals and 72 points. His 49 assists are fifth-most in the OHL. He has been a stalwart at the faceoff circle with a 62 per cent success rate.
Austin Osmanski (2016, seventh round) picked up a power-play assist Thursday to help Peterborough earn a 6-1 win over his former club, Mississauga. Osmanski, who ended the week with one shot on goal Friday in a 2-1 loss to Kingston, has collected one goal and 15 total points in 53 games this season.

WHL

Prince Albert defenseman Vojtech Budik (2016, fifth round) earned the game's first star Friday, smoking a slap shot from the left boards for his ninth goal of the year and providing steady defensive play to help Prince Albert to a 5-2 triumph over Brandon.

Budik returned the next night with one assist as the Raiders capped the home-and-home series with a 4-3 loss in Brandon.
It has been a tale of two halves for Budik.
In his first 25 games of the season, the Czech defender captured just five points. In 26 games since then, Budik has been nearly a point-per-game player with eight goals and 25 points to get himself squarely on the Sabres' radar for discussions on an entry-level contract.

QMJHL

In Friday action, Vasily Glotov (2016, seventh round) went to the net with his stick down and scored on one of his eight shots on goal as Shawinigan dropped a 5-4 overtime decision to Sherbrooke.

Glotov was blanked in Saturday's 7-2 loss to Baie-Comeau, leaving the Russian shooter with 26 goals and 11 assists through 52 outings with a Cataractes club sitting in 17th place in the 18-team league.

NCAA

Casey Mittelstadt (2017, first round) picked up an assist on the game-winning goal Friday as Minnesota edged Ohio State 2-1, and then produced five shots on goal the next night as the Gophers and Buckeyes played to a 1-1 tie.
The Friday helper gives Mittelstadt 24 points (8+16) through 30 games.
Junior defenseman Casey Fitzgerald (2016, third round) ended an 11-game dry spell with his fifth goal of the season Saturday and added an assist as Boston College downed Maine 5-0.
Earlier in the week, Fitzgerald notched an assist in Monday's 5-4 overtime loss to Harvard in the third-place game at the Beanpot. On Thursday, he produced three shots on goal in a 5-2 win over Massachusetts.
Fitzgerald now has points in three of his last four games to elevate his total to 18 (5+13) through 31 outings.
Boston College forward Christopher Brown (2014, sixth round) buried a short-handed goal Monday as Boston College fell to Harvard at the Beanpot, and went without a point in the weekend wins at Massachusetts and Maine.
Brown has set a physical tone this season for the Eagles, along the way picking up seven goals and 16 points while spearing in all 32 games.
Second-year rearguard Jacob Bryson (2017, fourth round) earned assists in both games over the weekend as Providence swept a home-and-home series with Massachusetts Lowell by scores of 5-2 and 3-1.
Bryson has now picked up points in four-straight games to boost his season totals to four goals and 20 assists through 33 appearances. He's the first Friars defenseman since 2002-03 to record 20 assists in a season. He's the second defenseman in Hockey East this season to achieve the benchmark.
St. Cloud State defenseman William Borgen (2015, fourth round) has been a healthy scratch for the U.S. through the first three games of the 2018 Olympic Men's Hockey Tournament. The 21-year-old rearguard has 12 points (2+10) and a plus-10 rating in 26 contests this season with the Huskies.
Judd Peterson (2012, seventh round) connected for two shots on goal over the weekend as St. Cloud State played to a 5-5 tie and a 4-2 victory at Western Michigan.
At the 30-game mark, Peterson has gathered five goals, 16 points, and 69 shots on goal.
The University of Wisconsin enjoyed a weekend off, keeping freshman winger Linus Weissbach (2017, seventh round) with eight goals and 22 points through his first 30 collegiate tilts.
Junior defender Ivan Chukarov (2015, seventh round) logged a plus-1 rating Thursday as Massachusetts fell to Boston College 5-2.
After missing the first month of the season due to injury, Chukarov has appeared in all 24 games since his return, posting five assists and 29 shots on goal.
Penn State sophomore Brett Murray (2016, fourth round) remained out of the lineup last week as the Nittany Lions split a conference series at Michigan State. Murray, who has played in just one of his team's last 14 games, has five points (1+4) and a minus-6 rating in 17 appearances this season.
Sophomore defenseman Philip Nyberg (2016, fifth round), who sat out for a third consecutive game Friday as Connecticut defeated Boston University 5-4 in overtime, has recorded three points (2+1) and a plus-6 rating in 17 games this season.

Europe

Ilves defenseman Oskari Laaksonen (2017, third round) was shut out Wednesday in 10:57 of work in 2-1 win over HIFK, but returned to the score sheet Saturday for the first time since his Liiga debut with a power-play assist in a 3-2 victory over KooKoo.
The 18-year-old Laaksonen has now appeared in 16 Liiga contests, notching a pair of assists to go along with 30 shot attempts and a minus-4 rating.
LeKi goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (2017, second round) did not see any game action last week. Luukkonen has earned wins in 11 victories in Finland's second professional division while posting a 2.92 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage.
With the Swedish Hockey League is on break for the Olympics, Frolunda HC sniper Victor Olofsson (2014, seventh round) remains the league's leading goal scorer with 24 markers in 43 games as part of his 37-point campaign.

Rasmus Asplund (2016, second round) has collected 27 points (7+20) in 43 games as the second-line centerman for Farjestad BK.
Djurgarden IF centerman Marcus Davidsson (2017, second round) will look to improve on his six goals and 14 points through 32 games when play resumes on Feb. 24.
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.