• PROSPECT-UPDATE ARCHIVE
The bar was high for Sunday's top-performances list, so only five names made the cut. All five were outstanding.
Sunday capped off a very busy weekend that saw a number of prospects show up here for the first time this season. A total of 217 players will be drafted in June, and 241 prospects have already made it onto this daily list. That is a testament to the depth of this draft, so any NHL team that knows it isn't going anywhere in 2017-18 should start loading up on picks. Expect a wild trade deadline on Feb. 26 with many of the deals involving draft choices.
The list below includes three major-junior players, one European, and one from the USHL. Take a look at what they achieved:
SAMUEL ERSSON -- Ersson is having a huge draft year for Gavle's Swedish Under-20 team. On Sunday, he stopped 34 shots in a 6-1 win at Skelleftea, posting 57 shutout minutes after allowing the game's first goal. He was 7-for-7 on saves in the second period and a remarkable 16-for-16 in the third. Ersson went 1-0-1 and stopped 61 of 64 total shots (.953 save percentage) over the weekend. Since the start of the season, he is 18-6-1 at the U20 level. (Note: Seventh appearance on this list in 2017-18)
CAM HILLIS -- Hillis, the highest-scoring OHL rookie to date, scored two goals, assisted on a third, and fired six shots on net in Guelph's 5-4 OT win at Ottawa on Sunday. His first goal, at 16:53 of the opening period, put the Storm up 2-1. With the game on the line late in the third, he set up the tying goal to force overtime with only 1:41 remaining. He then came through in the OT with a power-play goal at 3:27. Hillis is a strong contender for OHL Rookie of the Year, having posted 17 goals and 39 points in 42 games. Sunday was his first multi-goal game since Dec. 15. (Note: Fourth appearance on this list in 2017-18)
JORDAN KOOY -- When Kooy gets hot, there is no goalie in the OHL quite like him. On Sunday, he stopped 38 shots to earn No. 1 star honors in London's 2-1 win at Kitchener. He dominated the second period by stopping all 14 Rangers shots, and continued his roll in the third, going 9-for-9 to close the game with 43:28 of shutout hockey. Kooy, who has taken on more of the Knights' goaltending load, has won five of his last six starts. (Note: Fourth appearance on this list in 2017-18)
ANDERSON MacDONALD -- MacDonald scored two goals in Moncton's 4-1 win at Charlottetown and was honored as the game's No. 1 star -- his first three-star selection since Oct. 27. His first goal stood up as the winner after making it a 2-1 game at 15:05 of the opening period. His second goal, at 14:34 of the third, stretched the lead to 3-1. MacDonald had a strong start to 2017, but went into a bit of a slump. He is roaring back now with goals in four of his last five games. Overall, he has 20 goals and 33 points in 40 QMJHL games. (Note: Fifth appearance on this list in 2017-18)
BLAKE McLAUGHLIN -- It was a Sunday to remember for McLaughlin, who posted a career-high five points in Chicago's 7-2 rout of Sioux City. The game's No. 1 star began his point parade at 7:11 of the first period, assisting on the 3-0 goal. At 11:40 of the first, he scored on a power play for a 4-0 lead. In the second period, McLaughlin assisted on a goal at 7:57 to make it 5-1. He completed his first USHL hat trick with two more goals in the third -- scoring at 6:03 and 17:02. Riding a four-game point streak, the University of Minnesota recruit has 14 goal and 32 points in only 25 games. (Note: Sixth appearance on this list in 2017-18)