• PROSPECT-UPDATE ARCHIVE
Not too much Thursday action heading into another busy weekend, but there was enough to find three star performances. It will be interesting to see what comes out of the weekend, because so many of the 2018 draft prospects are playing major roles on their teams. This is already a major difference from last season, when draft prospects this productive were few and far between.
The list of three below includes one from Europe, one from the QMJHL, and one WHL player. Have a look:
LUKA BURZAN -- Burzan was the No. 1 star of Moose Jaw's 5-2 win over Prince Albert on Thursday. His major scoresheet contribution came as a power-play goal at 19:43 of the first period to tie the game and shift momentum briefly back to the Warriors before what became a four-goal third period. He also had five shots on net. With eight points in 16 WHL games, Burzan is slightly ahead of his pace from last season, when he scored 14 goals and 27 points.
JAN DLUHOS -- Dluhos, a defenseman with Zlin's Czech Under-20 team, had two assists in a 6-3 win at Karlovy Vary on Thursday. His first assist, at 0:37 of the third period, came on a power play to put Zlin up 2-1. His second was the lone assist on a goal at 18:50 of the third period, stretching the lead to 5-3. Dluhos, who was not given a preliminary grade from NHL Central Scouting despite having played in several internationals tournaments, has assists in four of his last six games. (Note: Second appearance on this list in 2017-18)
GABRIEL FORTIER -- Big things were expected from Fortier this season, and he has so far beeen able to deliver. On Thursday, he picked up a goal and an assist in Baie-Comeau's 5-4 QMJHL win over Saint John. The game's No. 2 star helped set up a power-play goal at 11:07 of the second period for a 3-1 lead. He then scored the eventual game-winner for a 5-2 lead at 18:10 of the second period. Fortier has six points over the past three outings. With 16 points in 16 games, he is one point shy of his total from 25 games in 2016-17. (Note: Fourth appearance on this list in 2017-18)