2020 NHL draft: 3 Stars of the Week

1. Kaiden Guhle

Prince Albert Raiders defenceman Kaiden Guhle showed this past week why he is deserving of his “A” prospect ranking bestowed upon him by NHL Central Scouting. He was one of only four Western Hockey League players to receive that distinction. A player handed an “A” ranking is projected to be a first-round selection for the 2020 NHL draft.

Guhle scored his first goal of the season and added three assists in a 6-0 victory over the Regina Pats. As well as the points that he recorded, Guhle also played a physical game and transitioned the puck efficiently from the defensive zone. His strong overall performance saw him selected as the first star of the game. His goal can be seen in the clip below.

Next up for the Raiders was a rematch of the 2019 WHL championship versus the Vancouver Giants. With the game knotted 2-2 late in the third period, Guhle unleashed a powerful wrist shot on the powerplay that beat Giants netminder David Tendeck for the game-winner. The Raiders won the game 4-2.

In his third game of the week, Guhle set up the game’s first goal in a 4-2 victory versus the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Guhle is ranked #24 by HOCKEYPROSPECT.COM for the 2020 NHL draft.

2. Elliot Ekmark

Swedish center Elliot Ekmark ranked #98 by FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS compelled his way into my stars of the week with several superb performances. His ability to maneuver around in the offensive zone led to multiple scoring chances for himself and his teammates.

Ekmark began his week with a two-assist effort for Linkopings U20 in a 6-1 triumph over Vaxjo in SuperElit league play. A day later, his two powerplay helpers aided Linkopings in a 6-2 victory versus Karlskrona. He followed that up with a two-goal and one-assist performance, which led to a 5-3 decision over Farjestad BK. With those three wins, Linkopings has climbed into first place in the SuperElit’s South Division.

3. Veeti Miettinen

Speed, agility and a quick release are some of the features that Finnish winger Veeti Miettinen displayed in earning the third star of the week honours. In his first game, Miettinen scored a hat-trick while also chipping in with one assist in a 7-2 win for Kiekko-Espoo U20 Blues over Vassan Sport U20. His goals in the video clip below show evidence as to why he is one of the top-ranked Finnish prospects available for the 2020 NHL draft.

Other strong traits that Miettinen shows are his excellent offensive instincts as well as exceptional creativity and vision. In his second game of this segment, he provided a goal and an assist in a 4-1 victory. With those points, he currently is fourth in SM-Jr. Liiga scoring. Miettinen is ranked #40 by Future Considerations.

Honourable mentions

Several other draft-worthy prospects had outstanding weeks.

Despite having eight points in three games, Alexis Lafreniére only receives an honourable mention for this segment. The first star from last week’s article leads the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in scoring with 23 points in nine games. He is averaging 2.56 points per game, so the points he registered this week are just above his average output.

In other QMJHL action, the Saint John Sea Dogs had two players, both recording seven points in four games this past week. Defencemen William Villeneuve and Charlie DesRoches both had terrific offensive production. However, the Sea Dogs surrendered 22 goals in those four games.

Likewise, in the Western Hockey League, Portland Winterhawks star forward Seth Jarvis had seven points in four games. The Winterhawks split those games winning two and losing two. Jarvis is ranked #29 by HOCKEYPROSPECT.COM for the 2020 NHL draft.

Rick Warman is a Vancouver Canucks and prospects contributor for Overtime Heroics. Follow him @statman1956 on Twitter

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