After a strong showing from a number of top prospects at the CHL/USA Prospects Challenge and even the World Junior Championship, it was time for the Ontario Hockey League’s best draft-eligible players to go toe-to-toe with one another for the second edition of the Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game.
It was a thrilling game between the two OHL sides as Team West won an entertaining game that went down to the wire with a 4-3 win. Adam Novotny and Nikita Klepov took home player of the game awards for their respective teams. Novotny had two goals for Team East and Klepov had a goal and two assists for Team West.
While some of these players have already excelled at previous showcases, there are always other players take centre stage and improve their draft stock in the process. Last year, Jack Nesbitt and Owen Griffin were some names that improved their value as prospects. Once again there were others that stood out along with some of the more notable draft-eligible names. Here are the top performers from each team that really made their mark as they look to rise up draft boards for NHL teams.
Team West
One of the most dangerous scorers in the OHL with 50 points in 40 games was definitely dangerous in the showcase. Ranked 16th among North American skaters, Klepov instantly stood out with his high-end skillset and creativity. He had two great assists on Egor Barabanov and Rylan Singh’s goals and even scored himself, leading the way offensively as the player of the game for his team.
When the puck is on his stick, that’s when he goes into high gear as he’s a dynamic play driver and facilitator. He shows that excellent combination of his patience, speed, soft hands and puck control. You just never know what he’s going to do as he shows great deception with his movements and hands and does a great job to bait defenders in and leave them in the dust. He had the vision to track and locate pucks in order to regain possession and extend his team’s time in the offensive zone.
Ethan Belchetz, RW, Windsor Spitfires
As he was during the regular season with 25 goals and 40 points, Ethan Belchetz was once again an absolute force on the attack given the combination of his size and skill. He wasn’t on the scoresheet, but he was noticeable regardless.
There were multiple instances in the game where he utilized that to his advantage, cutting to the middle easily and creating those high-quality shooting opportunities. His skill and strength are evident, as he asserts his dominance any way that he can in the offensive zone, shielding the puck very well and making it difficult for defenders to knock the puck off him. He doesn’t shy away from the physical play as he’s more than capable of handling himself no matter who he’s going up against. He’s intimidating and dangerous offensively to go up against when he attacks head on.
Jaxon Cover, RW, London Knights
Ranked 45th among North American skaters, Jaxon Cover showed that he’s proving to be more valuable than a possible third or fourth-round pick. He had the jump right from the beginning of the game as he was buzzing early on.
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On his first couple of shifts, he got in quick on the forecheck and applied pressure when he could. He was engaging when battling for the puck, providing timely stick lifts to regain possession and when he did, he had great vision to set up teammates for scoring opportunities. He’s a strong skater with great agility and always seemed to find himself in the right place at the right time.
Rylan Singh, RD, Guelph Storm
I thought Singh had a really great showing. Much like Griffin last year, he is further down the rankings around this time as he’s ranked 144th among North American skaters. Despite not having the best production during the season, he really made sure to get in on the offense with a goal and an assist, while also making smart decisions on both sides of the puck.
Singh made timely reads to jump into the attack and did a great job to keep pucks in and extend offensive zone time. He was sound defensively too, breaking up plays and showed great vision to get the puck out effectively. While he’s fighting to be a late round selection, I thought he did a great job to improve his stock.
Team East
Adam Novotny, LW, Peterborough Petes
Fresh off winning a silver medal with Czechia at the World Junior Championship, Adam Novotny didn’t slow down as he was one of the top shooting threats in this showcase. The captain for Team East had seven shots on net, scored on a great move in tight and had a wicked goal off a wrist shot for his second goal of the game.
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Novotny displayed his skillset, showing great strength in battles and in the high danger areas. He was elusive, broke free from pressure, showed great chemistry and reads with his line mates and displayed a great work ethic every shift. He’s a battler, competitor and never takes a shift off. He showed awareness and vision when making plays and great awareness with the puck to help on backchecks and within his own zone.
Caleb Malhotra, C, Brantford Bulldogs
There’s a reason why I ranked Caleb Malhotra fifth in my latest rankings and this showcase shows that he continues to elevate his game. His strong hockey IQ, puck sense and positioning was evident throughout the game. He had instant chemistry with Novotny and it showed at the start as he capitalized on a turnover early in the game and set him up for a dangerous scoring chance. Had a secondary assist on the rush play that led to Novotny’s first goal and set him up again later on in the game on the power play.
His reaction and timing with and without the puck are impressive as he’s always one of the first ones on it to quickly catch defenders off guard. He created time and space effectively that opens things up for his line mates and it showed in this game and did a great job to avoid pressure from defenders with his quick speed and movement.
Brooks Rogowski, C, Oshawa Generals
Another towering forward at 6-foot-7, 232 pounds, Brooks Rogowski moves extremely well for his size, showing great speed and pace in transition and in the attacking zone. He was effective off the rush, really using his size to his advantage to protect the puck and drive hard to the middle of the ice. He had great vision on the backcheck and did a great job to take away time and space and get into lanes to break up plays. He can play the body, but showed great instincts on both sides of the puck.
Honourable Mentions
Ryder Cali, C, North Bay Battalion
Thomas Vandenberg, C, Ottawa 67’s
Rowan Henderson, LW, Sudbury Wolves
Alessandro Di Iorio, C, Sarnia Sting
Chase Reid, RD, Soo Greyhounds
