by Robert Rice, Senior Writer, All Habs Hockey Magazine
TORONTO, ON — This week in review (February 18th – February 24th), top honours belong to a prospect who is flying rather high of late in the Western Hockey League.
Your comments are most welcome. If you have a question about any of the prospects email me, and perhaps it will be answered in the weekly All Habs Mailbag feature that appears on these pages on Thursdays.
The Three Stars
1. D Darren Dietz
In what is very likely his final season in the Western Hockey League, Darren Dietz continues to be a key cog in the Saskatoon Blades late season surge. Dietz would score a goal and assist to start his week for a 5-1 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. Dietz would next pick up three assists in an identical 5-1 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors, Saskatoon’s 13th straight victory at the time and matching their franchise record winning streak. Dietz would help the Blades set a new record next with 14 straight wins, scoring two goals in a 7-4 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. Dietz ended the week scoring a goal and assist against the Moose Jaw Warriors in a 7-1 victory as the Blades would go to 15 straight wins which is also the best winning streak for a WHL team this season. Dietz has scored 9 goals and 13 assists during Saskatoon’s winning streak. Dietz now leads all WHL defencemen with 20 goals and is 3rd overall in defensive scoring with 48 points, a new career high for Dietz. Darren Dietz was drafted in the 5th round, 138th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2011 NHL Draft.
2. RW Erik Nyström
Erik Nyström surged ahead this week as he begins to show signs of adapting to the professional-level play in the Swedish Allsvenskan with Karlskrona HK. Nyström would add an assist to his scoring totals to start the week, in a 5-2 loss to Mora IK. Nyström would have his first 3-point game in the Allsvenskan in his next game, scoring two goals and an assist as Karlskrona would mark a 6-4 victory over IK Oskarshamn. He is now 11th in scoring for under-20 players in the Allsvenskan, with 5 goals and 6 assists while the majority of those ahead of him have played at least 15 more games. Erik Nyström was drafted in the 6th round, 154th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft.
3. RW Danny Kristo
Danny Kristo continues to be one of the most powerful offensive players in College Hockey this season and he doesn’t appear to show any signs of slowing down. Kristo would score a goal and assist in a comeback attempt by North Dakota on Friday night against the University of Denver, but would fall short in a 5-4 loss. Kristo would help North Dakota avenge their loss on Saturday, again scoring a goal and assist as North Dakota would score 6 unanswered goals to crush Denver 6-1. Kristo currently has a 7-game points streak, scoring 6 goals and 6 assists in that time. Kristo has now scored 20 goals for the first time in his NCAA career this past week, is 2nd overall in NCAA scoring in goals and is 3rd overall in points. Danny Kristo was drafted in the 2nd round, 56th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2008 NHL Draft.
On The Radar: 
– LW Olivier Archambault scored two goals and two assists.
– LW Charles Hudon scored two goals and two assists.
– C Mark MacMillan scored a goal and two assists.
– D Magnus Nygren scored a goal and an assist.
– D Dalton Thrower scored a goal and three assists.
Question Marks:
– D Morgan Ellis has no points in his last 21 games.
– LW Steve Quailer has one goal in his last 24 games.
NHL Graduates:
C Alex Galchenyuk: 19 years old, 6’0”, 194 pounds, LH shot.
Junior Club: Sarnia Sting – Team Captain
| Season Stats | 33GP | 27G | 34A | +16 | 22 PIM |
RW Brendan Gallagher: 20 years old, 5’9″, 182 pounds, RH shot.
| Season Stats | 36GP | 10G | 10A | -1 | 61 PIM |
Season-Ending Injuries:
LW Blake Geoffrion: 24 years old, 6’1”, 190 pounds, LH shot.
| Season Stats | 10GP | 4G | 2A | -3 | 9 PIM |
C Joonas Nättinen: 21 years old, 6’2”, 187 pounds, RH shot.
| Season Stats | 24GP | 5G | 4A | +6 | 8 PIM |
Complete Statistics for the week of February 18th, 2013
Legend
Skaters: Games Played, Goals, Assists, +/-, Penalty Minutes
Goalies: Wins, Losses, Overtime Losses, Shootout Losses, Goals Against Average, Save Percentage
Teams: Wins, Losses, Overtime Losses, Shootout Losses. For NCAA, Wins, Losses, Ties. For Elitserien/Allsvenskan/Extraliga, Wins, Losses, Overtime Losses.
Season Stats: Season scoring prior to the past week.
The AHL Report: The Hamilton Bulldogs have been the AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens since 2002. It is the most common route for developing Montreal Canadiens prospects into full-time members of the organization. There are currently 9 members of the Hamilton Bulldogs that can be thought to have future consideration for an NHL position. The Hamilton Bulldogs are 20-26-1-5 this season, 5th in the North Division, 29th overall in the AHL.
D Nathan Beaulieu: 20 years old, 6’2”, 194 pounds, LH shot.
| Season Stats | 48GP | 4G | 12A | -12 | 39 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 3GP | 0G | 0A | -2 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 51GP | 4G | 12A | -14 | 39 PIM |
C Michaël Bournival: 20 years old, 5’11, 191 pounds, LH shot.
| Season Stats | 42GP | 6G | 11A | -1 | 18 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 3GP | 0G | 1A | -2 | 2 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 45GP | 6G | 12A | -3 | 20 PIM |
C Gabriel Dumont: 22 years old, 5’10”, 189 pounds, RH shot.
| Season Stats | 47GP | 15G | 15A | +5 | 77 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 3GP | 0G | 0A | -2 | 4 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 50GP | 15G | 15A | +3 | 81 PIM |
D Morgan Ellis: 20 years old, 6’1″, 202 pounds, RH shot.
| Season Stats | 45GP | 3G | 4A | -12 | 51 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 3GP | 0G | 0A | +1 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 48GP | 3G | 4A | -11 | 51 PIM |
RW Patrick Holland: 21 years old, 6’, 175 pounds, RH shot.
| Season Stats | 47GP | 5G | 9A | -12 | 4 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 3GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 50GP | 5G | 9A | -12 | 4 PIM |
RW Louis Leblanc: 21 years old, 6’, 190 pounds, RH shot.
| Season Stats | 35GP | 7G | 3A | -6 | 29 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 3GP | 0G | 0A | -2 | 2 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 38GP | 7G | 3A | -8 | 31 PIM |
D Greg Pateryn: 21 years old, 6’2”, 219 pounds, RH shot.
| Season Stats | 15GP | 3G | 1A | -5 | 7 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 3GP | 0G | 1A | 0 | 2 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 18GP | 3G | 2A | -5 | 9 PIM |
LW Steve Quailer: 22 years old, 6’4”, 209 pounds, LH shot.
| Season Stats | 44GP | 4G | 4A | -7 | 29 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 2GP | 1G | 0A | +2 | 5 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 46GP | 5G | 4A | -5 | 34 PIM |
D Jarred Tinordi: 21 years old, 6’6″, 218 pounds, LH shot
| Season Stats | 45GP | 1G | 7A | -4 | 49 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 3GP | 1G | 0A | -1 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 48GP | 2G | 7A | -5 | 49 PIM |
The Juniors Report: The Canadiens currently feature prospects playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and the Western Hockey League (WHL). These leagues can be considered the primary conduit towards professional hockey in North America.
QMJHL:
LW Olivier Archambault: 19 years old, 5’11”, 184 pounds. LH shot.
Junior Club: Drummondville Voltigeurs
Team Record: 32-23-2-2
| Season Stats | 53GP | 23G | 28A | -4 | 42 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 3GP | 2G | 2A | -2 | 2 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 56GP | 25G | 30A | -6 | 44 PIM |
LW Charles Hudon: 18 years old, 5’10”, 171 pounds, LH shot.
Junior Club: Chicoutimi Saguenéens – Team Captain
Team Record: 26-27-2-5
| Season Stats | 46GP | 27G | 32A | +13 | 56 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 2GP | 2G | 2A | +3 | 4 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 48GP | 29G | 34A | +16 | 60 PIM |
OHL:
C Brady Vail: 18 years old, 6’, 195 pounds, LH shot.
Junior Club: Windsor Spitfires – Alternate Captain
Team Record: 24-29-1-6
| Season Stats | 56GP | 17G | 27A | -14 | 35 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 4GP | 1G | 1A | -8 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 60GP | 18G | 28A | -22 | 35 PIM |
WHL:
LW Tim Bozon: 18 years old, 6’0”, 183 pounds, LH shot.
Junior Club: Kamloops Blazers
Team Record: 41-17-2-3
| Season Stats | 57GP | 32G | 43A | +30 | 50 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 3GP | 0G | 0A | -2 | 2 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 60GP | 32G | 43A | +28 | 52 PIM |
D Darren Dietz: 19 years old, 6’1”, 195 pounds, RH shot.
Junior Club: Saskatoon Blades – Alternate Captain
Team Record: 38-21-0-3
| Season Stats | 58GP | 16G | 23A | -5 | 79 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 4GP | 4G | 5A | +8 | 4 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 62GP | 20G | 28A | +3 | 83 PIM |
D Dalton Thrower: 19 years old, 5’11”, 200 pounds, RH shot.
Junior Club: Saskatoon Blades
Team Record: 38-21-0-3
| Season Stats | 43GP | 4G | 17A | +14 | 75 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 4GP | 1G | 3A | +4 | 7 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 47GP | 5G | 20A | +18 | 82 PIM |
US College Hockey (NCAA) Report: The Canadiens have drafted a number of college players in recent years, these are generally ‘project players’ who benefit from additional years in lower level hockey to develop their skills.
D Mac Bennett: 21 years old, 6′, 180 pounds, LH shot.
NCAA Team: University of Michigan Wolverines – Alternate Captain
Team Record: 12-18-2
| Season Stats | 21GP | 5G | 10A | -3 | 4 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 2GP | 0G | 0A | +1 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 23GP | 5G | 10A | -2 | 4 PIM |
RW Danny Kristo: 22 years old, 5’11”, 188 pounds, RH shot.
NCAA Team: University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux – Alternate Captain
Team Record: 17-9-6
| Season Stats | 28GP | 18G | 21A | +12 | 18 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 2GP | 2G | 2A | +2 | 4 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 30GP | 20G | 23A | +14 | 22 PIM |
C Mark MacMillan: 21 years old, 6’, 183 pounds, LH shot.
NCAA Team: University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux
Team Record: 17-9-6
| Season Stats | 30GP | 9G | 9A | +6 | 20 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 2GP | 1G | 2A | +2 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 32GP | 10G | 11A | +8 | 20 PIM |
Czech Extraliga Report: The Extraliga is the top professional league in the Czech Republic.
C Daniel Pribyl: 20 years old, 6’3”, 193 pounds, RH shot.
Extraliga Team: HC Sparta Prague
Team Record: 28-19-4
| Season Stats | 39GP | 10G | 10A | +11 | 10 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 2GP | 1G | 0A | +1 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 41GP | 11G | 10A | +12 | 10 PIM |
Elitserien Report: The Elitserien or Swedish Elite League is the top professional league of Sweden. A prospect playing well in this league is a typical indication they may be ready for the NHL. The Allsvenskan is the secondary professional league of Sweden, playing directly under the Elitserien.
RW Sebastian Collberg: 18 years old, 5’11”, 180 pounds, RH shot.
Elitserien Team: Frölunda HC
Team Record: 26-20-5
| Season Stats | 29GP | 5G | 3A | +2 | 6 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 2GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 31GP | 5G | 3A | +2 | 6 PIM |
Allsvenskan Team: Örebro HK
| Season Stats | 15GP | 6G | 2A | +4 | 2 PIM |
D Magnus Nygren: 22 years old, 6’1”, 191 pounds, RH shot.
Elitserien Team: Färjestads BK
Team Record: 32-12-7
| Season Stats | 45GP | 11G | 14A | +7 | 49 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 2GP | 1G | 1A | +1 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 47GP | 12G | 15A | +8 | 49 PIM |
RW Erik Nyström: 19 years old, 5’11”, 176 pounds, LH shot.
Allsvenskan Team: Karlskrona HK
Team Record: 11-35-3
| Season Stats | 18GP | 3G | 4A | +2 | 4 PIM |
| Weekly Stats | 2GP | 2G | 2A | -1 | 0 PIM |
| Complete Stats | 20GP | 5G | 6A | +1 | 4 PIM |
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