Liam Pettersson – Vaxjo Lakers – J20 Nationell
Pettersson missed his sixth consecutive game in Vaxjo’s 4-2 win over Frolunda on Saturday.
Vashek Blanar – HV71 – J20 Nationell
HV71 dropped a 4–2 decision to Farjestad BK on Saturday. Blanar, skating on the top defensive pair, was held without a point and finished minus-1 while logging 21:21 of ice time.
They bounced back with a 5–4 win over Orebro HK on Sunday, but Blanar’s offensive dry spell continued—he’s now gone five straight games without a point. He did pick up a pair of penalties (roughing and holding) while logging top-pair minutes. The silver lining? His defensive game is trending in the right direction, and that extra focus might be why the offense has cooled off. No panic—he’s putting in the work, and the points will come.
Kirill Yemelyanov – Loko Yaroslav – MHL
Last week, I noted that Yemelyanov tends to produce in bursts and needs to find more consistency. On Thursday, he snapped a two-game drought in style, posting a goal and two assists as Loko downed SKA 4–2. He was active throughout, finishing with six shots on goal, a 10-for-20 mark on faceoffs, one blocked shot, and three hits in 18:05 of ice time. That brings his season total to seven goals and five assists through 11 games. Loko remains unbeaten in regulation, improving to 10-0-1.
Loko suffered their first regulation loss of the season on Sunday, falling 4–1 to SKA-1946. Yemelyanov was held off the scoresheet but put up two shots on goal, went 8-for-15 on faceoffs, and logged 16:28 of ice time with a minus-1 rating. There’s been some online chatter questioning his defensive game, but honestly, that feels off—he’s holding his own and showing steady growth in all three zones.
William Zellers, – University of North Dakota
North Dakota opened its season with a convincing 6–2 win over St. Thomas. Zellers lined up on the second-line right wing, finishing with a plus-1 rating, two shots on goal, and 17:11 of ice time. He was held off the scoresheet in the victory.
North Dakota wrapped up the weekend with a 5–2 win on Sunday to complete the sweep—and it was a milestone night for Zellers. He netted his first NCAA goal in style, cruising down the slot untouched and burying a feed from the right side into a wide-open cage. He also added an assist, finished plus-1, and fired three shots on goal in 15:09 of ice time. Big moment for the freshman, and fans should be fired up about what’s to come.
Casper Nassen – Miami (Ohio)
Miami extended its perfect start to the season on Friday, securing a third consecutive win with a 5–3 triumph over RPI. Nassen remained on the third line left wing and was held off the scoresheet. He finished the night with a minus-1 rating, no shots on goal, and logged 16:13 of ice time.
If you had Miami starting the season 4–0, go ahead and raise your hand—because that’s exactly where they stand after blanking RPI 5–0 in a dominant showing. Nassen chipped in with an assist, finished plus-1, and added one shot on goal in 15:27 of ice time while continuing to anchor the third line. He’s now just one helper shy of matching his total from all of last season (4 in 34 games). Safe to say, he’s off to a promising start
Miami has an off week this week.
James Hagens, Oskar Jellvik, Andre Gasseau, Dean Letourneau, Kristian Kostadinski, Will Moore – Boston College
Thursday marked the first of a back-to-back set between Boston College and Minnesota, with BC skating away with a 3–1 victory. Letourneau was initially credited with an assist on the opening goal, though that point is likely to be rescinded, if it hasn’t already. Regardless, he made his presence felt on the shift and remained active throughout the contest. He finished with a plus-1 rating, fired five shots on goal, went 1-for-6 on faceoffs, and logged 15:20 of ice time.
With Oskar Jellvik out of the lineup, Will Moore stepped into his spot and made the most of the opportunity, netting his first NCAA goal. It wasn’t the usual Moore finish—this time he drove to the crease, screened the goaltender, and deflected a shot home. Moore registered three shots on goal, finished plus-1, and logged 13:25 of ice time
Minnesota kept James Hagens under tight wraps all night, shadowing him closely and limiting his usual impact. Still, he managed to pick up an assist on the empty-netter. Hagens finished plus-2, recorded four shots on goal, went 7-for-17 on faceoffs, and logged 19:16 of ice time.
After a three-assist performance in the season opener, it was a quieter outing for Gasseau, who finished minus-1 with an even 8-for-16 mark on faceoffs and 15:45 of ice time. Kostadinski, making his NCAA debut, appeared unsettled throughout the night. He recorded no points, shots, or notable stats in 7:27 of ice time—a performance that may well be chalked up to first-game nerves.
Friday night’s contest officially ended in a 2–2 draw, with BC taking the shootout in what amounted to a formality. For Letourneau, it was arguably the most impactful performance of his NCAA career to date. He netted the game-tying goal—his first collegiate tally—with a pure shooter’s finish from the faceoff dot that rang bar down. Beyond the goal, he brought a physical edge in open ice and along the boards, consistently asserting himself throughout the game. It was his lone shot on goal in 13:59 of ice time, and he went 4-for-9 on faceoffs. A performance like this could be a turning point in his confidence.
Moore once again filled in for Jellvik on the second-line left wing, finishing with a clean stat line in 15:37 of ice time. Gasseau was held without a point but registered one shot on goal and went 16-for-23 on faceoffs while logging 22:48 in ice time. Kostadinski led all Bruins prospects with two shots on goal and showed improved poise, though he saw limited action with just 8:19 of ice time.
Hagens recorded an assist, fired one shot on goal, and went 9-for-20 on faceoffs while logging 24:12 of ice time. Still adjusting to the spotlight as BC’s go-to forward, he’s working through the added attention from opposing teams. The stride will come—there’s no concern here.
Beckett Hendrickson – University of Minnesota
As noted, Minnesota dropped a 3–1 decision to Boston College on Thursday. Hendrickson earned a well-deserved promotion to the second-line left wing and made the most of it. He was a constant presence on the forecheck, staying engaged around the puck and working to generate offense. His efforts paid off with an assist on the Gophers’ only goal of the night.
Friday’s rematch proved even tighter, with the teams skating to a 2–2 draw before BC claimed the shootout. Hendrickson remained on the second line and was held off the scoresheet, but he fired four shots on goal, posted a minus-1 rating, and ranked third among forwards with 19:28 of ice time. His relentless motor and high-energy game continue to make him a standout presence on the ice.
Chris Pelosi, Elliott Groenewold – Quinnipiac University
After a statement win over Boston College to kick off the season, Quinnipiac fell 2–1 to Alaska on Friday in a non-conference tilt, despite controlling play and outshooting the Nanooks 34–20. Pelosi centered the second line and finished with two shots on goal, a 5-for-9 mark on faceoffs, and 19:07 of ice time. Groenewold, skating on the second defensive pair, also went without a point, registering three shots and logging 18:25.
Quinnipiac got back in the win column Saturday with a convincing 7–2 thumping of Notre Dame. Pelosi buried his second of the season to make it 4–1 in the second, finishing off a classic net drive with a slick feed from behind the cage. Groenewold picked up his first point of the year with the assist on the play. Pelosi wrapped up the night plus-2 with three shots on goal, a 6-for-13 mark on faceoffs, and 18:56 of ice time. Groenewold was rock-solid as well—plus-3 with three shots and 19:56 logged.
Ryan Walsh – Cornell University
First game is October 31.
Mason Langenbrunner – Harvard University
First game is October 31.
Jonathan Morello – Boston University
BU pushed its record to 2–0 on the season with a 6–2 win over Colgate on Friday. Morello notched his first points of the campaign, assisting on BU’s second goal and later sealing the game with a short-handed empty-netter. He centered the fourth line for the second straight outing, finishing plus-2 with two shots on goal, a 2-for-4 mark on faceoffs, and 13:45 of ice time.
Saturday’s rematch was a tighter affair, ending in a 2–2 draw before BU took the shootout. Morello was credited with an assist on the game-tying goal—though if we’re being honest, it looked unassisted to me (but hey, I’m not the scorekeeper!). Either way, he finished with the helper, added one shot on goal, went plus-1, and won 8 of 15 faceoffs while centering the fourth line. Solid effort all around
Philip Svedeback – Providence College
Providence College lost their season opener by a score of 5-1 to Michigan. They were completely outplayed and outshot 35-20. Not much Svedeback could do in this game.
Back-to-back losses definitely weren’t the way Providence—or Svedeback—imagined kicking off the season. After falling 3–1 to Michigan in Saturday’s rematch, PC finds itself in an early hole. To be fair, the team gave Svedeback a lot more support than they did on Friday, but it still wasn’t enough to flip the result. He turned aside 22 of 25 shots and kept them in it, but the offense couldn’t break through
Cooper Simpson – Youngstown – USHL
Youngstown fell 5–2 to Cedar Rapids on Friday in the first half of a back-to-back set. Simpson was held off the scoresheet, finishing minus-3 with three shots on goal and 18:27 of ice time. It was a tough outing for Youngstown, who were outplayed and outshot 32–18.
Youngstown flipped the script in Saturday’s rematch, skating away with a 5–3 win. It was a much stronger showing across the board—and Simpson made the most of it. He picked up a goal and an assist on the game-winner, led all skaters with five shots on goal, and was buzzing all night. With 15 seconds left, he did take his second 10-minute misconduct of the young season, but overall, it was a big bounce-back performance.
Cole Chandler – Shawinigan – QMJHL
Shawinigan rolled past Gatineau 7–3 on Friday night, improving to 3-2-1-1 on the season. Chandler picked up his fifth assist of the year on Shawinigan’s sixth goal, finishing plus-1 with three shots on goal. He went 8-for-11 on faceoffs and logged 17:02 of ice time.
Cole Spicer – Western Michigan
Western Michigan lost their season opener to Ferris State 3-2 on Thursday. Cole Spicer did not dress.
WM took the rematch Friday 6-4. Once again, Spicer did not play.
Providence Bruins
What a way to kick off the season! Matej Blumel was the hero in overtime, burying the game-winner and adding an assist as the Providence Bruins edged Bridgeport 3–2 in their opener Saturday night at. Georgii Merkulov was buzzing with a goal and two helpers, while Frederic Brunet chipped in with a goal and an assist from the blue line. Victor Soderstrom added two assists of his own, and rookie netminder Simon Zajicek stood tall with 23 saves to earn his first AHL win in his debut start.
Bridgeport came out flying, grabbing a 2–0 lead before the halfway mark of the first period—but Providence wasn’t about to back down. On the power play, Blumel slid a slick pass to Merkulov at the top of the crease, and he made no mistake, flipping it under the goalie’s arm to cut the deficit to 2–1 with 7:35 left in the frame. Soderstrom picked up the secondary assist on the play. The comeback was officially on.
Soderstrom made a slick play from the right circle, threading a pass to Brunet at the far post, and Brunet didn’t miss—redirecting it home to tie things up at 2–2 with 13:38 left in the second. Merkulov picked up his second assist of the night on the play. The momentum had shifted.
Brunet kicked off the rush with a smooth drop pass to Merkulov, who quickly slid it over to Blumel in the right circle—and Blumel made no mistake, ripping a one-timer inside the near post to seal the win just 1:04 into overtime. What a finish for the P-Bruins.
What a night for Providence’s top line on Sunday! Fabian Lysell lit the lamp three times and added an assist for a four-point outing, while Alex Steeves chipped in a goal and three helpers of his own. Matthew Poitras was the setup man all game long, racking up four assists. That trio was firing on all cylinders, powering the P-Bruins to a 6–3 win over the Charlotte Checkers.
Lysell scored just 1:14 into the game after Poitras sent him in all alone with a key play at the Providence blue line. Steeves had the secondary helper.
Charlotte answered back with two quick goals to grab the lead, but Blumel wasn’t having it. He charged down the slot and let a wrister fly, beating the goalie clean with 11:47 left in the second to tie things up. Merkulov and Steeves picked up the assists on the play, and just like that, momentum swung back to the P-Bruins.
However, Charlotte grabbed the lead again with 6:23 left in the second, but Patrick Brown had the perfect response. Just 1:46 later, he pounced on a juicy rebound from a Lysell shot and buried it to tie things up. Dans Locmelis picked up the secondary assist, and the P-Bruins were right back in it.
Just 4:55 into the third, Lysell gave Providence the edge by tipping home a Jonathan Aspirot point shot to make it 4–3. Poitras picked up the secondary assist, and the momentum kept rolling. With 3:37 left, Lysell completed the hat trick in style—taking a drop pass from Poitras in the slot and snapping it past the blocker to stretch the lead to 5–3. Steeves iced it with an empty-netter, with Poitras grabbing his fourth assist of the night. The line of Steeves – Poitras – Lysell was cooking all night.
Michael DiPietro stopped 34 of 37 shots for the win.
Here’s a look at the Providence Bruins leaders. You will notice a column called “Benchrates” This is provided by our friends at Benchrates. Created by a retired hockey player, Benchrates has created an algorithm that computes values in real time. The value you see is the cap hit value projected over the full season at their current pace. Give them a look and check out their site.
Coming up this week:
Dom - Hockey 