• PROSPECT-UPDATE ARCHIVE
When it comes to monitoring draft prospects, Monday nights are often so slow
that no player turns in a top performance worthy of this list. On those
occasions, we feature a top prospect in this space.
That's not the case this week, as one player in the Minnesota high school talent pool more than qualified for the list, so there will be no Player of the Week.
Instead, we have a Player of the Day below, and what a night he had. See for yourself:
BEN ALMQUIST -- The University of Wisconsin recruit is having a big season for Minnesota high school power Holy Family. Almquist, a left wing, posted his second hat trick of the season on Monday, leading the Fire to a 5-0 win over Orono. This wasn't just any hat trick -- it was a natural one, with three goals in a row. Almquist's first goal put Holy Family up 2-0 at 5:09 of the second period. His second goal, just 43 seconds later at 5:52, pushed it to 3-0, and he completed the natural hat trick with the 4-0 goal on a power play at 11:44 of the third. Almquist ranks 14th in the state with 25 goals in 21 games. He also ranks 26th in the state in scoring with 44 points. His 25-goal season includes eight multi-goal games. Almquist missed the age cut-off for the 2017 NHL Entry Draft by just over two weeks, so he's one of the older players in this draft class. He could have played in the USHL with Tri-City this season, since the Storm selected him in last year's USHL Entry Draft, but he opted to return to his high school team. Tri-City's loss was Holy Family's gain. Get excited, Badger fans, you've got a sniper on the way. (Note: Third appearance on this list in 2017-18)