Liam Pettersson – Vaxjo Lakers – U20 Nationell
Returns to action January 10.
Vashek Blanar – HV71 – U20 Nationell
Returns to action January 10.
Kirill Yemelyanov – Loko Yaroslav – MHL
Returns to action January 5.
William Zellers, James Hagens – USA – World Junior Championships
Team USA found itself in some difficulty against Slovakia on Monday before a pair of Boston Bruins prospects shifted the momentum. Trailing 4–3 late in the second period, James Hagens pulled the Americans even, taking a feed in the slot and snapping a wrist shot home with 45 seconds left in the frame.
Just 18 seconds into the final period, Hagens struck again, pouncing on a loose puck in the slot and firing home the go‑ahead goal while falling. A little more than four minutes later, Will Zellers delivered his third game‑winner in as many games, stationed at the right post as a centering pass deflected off his skate and in. Team USA held on for a 6–5 victory.
On New Years Eve, The US battled Sweden for top spot in their group and the Swedes came out on top 6-3. Zellers continued his torrid pace by scoring once again and has at least one goal in each of his four games and is tied for the tournament lead with 5 goals.
Hagens assisted on the Zellers goal and he now has at least one point in each of his games.
Team USA’s run came to a close on Friday with a 4–3 overtime loss to Finland. This iteration of the American squad had its shortcomings — along with a few debatable decisions best left for another day — but Zellers and Hagens still distinguished themselves, earning recognition as two of the team’s three top performers. For both players, the long‑term outlook remains highly promising.
Casper Nassen – Miami (Ohio)
Miami rebounded in game two of the Great Lakes Invitational, earning a 4–2 win over Ferris State on Monday after falling 5–2 to Michigan Tech the previous day. Nassen picked up an assist on the eventual game‑winner early in the second period and closed the night with one shot on goal, an even rating, and 13:23 of ice time.
Oskar Jellvik, Andre Gasseau, Dean Letourneau, Kristian Kostadinski, Will Moore – Boston College
Boston College bounced back in their second game of the Holiday Face‑Off, edging Lake Superior 4–3 after dropping the tournament opener. Dean Letourneau opened the scoring with his sixth goal in five games, once again delivering in trademark fashion — stepping off the bench, taking a feed at the blue line, and wiring a shot from the right circle into the back of the net.
Will Moore doubled the lead with his third goal of the season, positioning himself at the top of the crease to redirect a feed from newcomer Oscar Hemming. Elevated into a more offensive role, Moore has responded with strong performances in back‑to‑back games.
Letourneau recorded two shots on goal, went 11‑for‑18 in the faceoff circle, and logged 20:28 of ice time. Moore added two shots of his own, finishing 7‑for‑13 on draws while skating 16:43. Kristian Kostadinski was held without a point for the 13th straight game and played 15:08. Oscar Jellvik and Andre Gasseau remain sidelined on the injured list.
Beckett Hendrickson – University of Minnesota
In an exhibition game on Saturday, the University of Minnesota battled to a 3-3 tie with Bemidji State. There was no stream available.
Chris Pelosi, Elliott Groenewold – Quinnipiac University
Fresh off his return from the Spengler Cup, Pelosi was back in the lineup Friday as Quinnipiac rolled past Harvard in a dominant 9–1 victory. Despite Harvard opening the scoring just 1:09 into the game, the Bobcats took control from there. Pelosi added Quinnipiac’s fifth goal — his 11th of the season — capping a clean 3‑on‑1 breakout. After easing into the offensive zone to create a passing lane, he collected the feed, glided into space, and snapped a bar‑down wrist shot.
Pelosi finished the game a plus-1, had two shots on goal and went 3 for 7 on the dot with 17:21 time on ice. Groenewold had an assist, was also a plus-1 and had 3 shots on goal with 16:04 time on ice.
Quinnipiac earned a 5–3 win over Dartmouth on Saturday. Pelosi was held off the scoresheet, finished minus‑1, and did not record a shot on goal, though he went 3‑for‑5 on draws and logged 17:38 of ice time. Groenewold, meanwhile, delivered a standout performance, posting an assist and a plus‑4 rating while skating 21:40.
Ryan Walsh – Cornell University
Walsh returned from his Spengler Cup and helped Cornell defeat Omaha 6-4 on Friday night. Walsh had a pair of assists, three shots on goal and was 9 for 14 on the dot with 20:30 time on ice.
Cornell took the rematch on Saturday with a 3–2 victory. Walsh was held off the scoresheet and recorded one shot on goal, but once again logged heavy minutes, finishing with 21:56 of ice time. He also went 13‑for‑23 in the faceoff circle.
Ryan Walsh, Chris Pelosi – US Collegiate Selects – Spengler Cup
On Tuesday, the US Collegiate Selects punched its ticket to the Spengler Cup Final with a 5–2 win over Sparta Prague. Walsh did not dress for the semifinal, while Pelosi drew into the lineup but was held off the scoresheet, finishing plus‑1 with 13:29 of ice time.
However, Team USA couldn’t finish the job in Wednesday’s Final, falling 6–3 to HC Davos. The game entered the third period knotted at 3–3 before Davos pulled away with three unanswered goals. Pelosi did not dress for the championship, while Walsh returned to the lineup and delivered a goal and an assist, finishing plus‑1 in 12:46 of ice time.
It wasn’t the result Walsh and Pelosi were aiming for, but the opportunity to compete against predominantly professional competition should serve them well moving forward.
Mason Langenbrunner – Harvard University
As mentioned above, Harvard fell 9-1 to Quinnipiac on Friday. Langenbrunner did not have a point, was a minus-1 with one shot on goal and 17:35 time on ice.
Saturday saw Harvard lose 3-2 to Princeton and saw Langenbrunner go pointless again while finishing a minus-1.
Jonathan Morello – Boston University
BU defeated Simon Fraser in an exhibition game on Saturday. There was no stream available for this game.
Philip Svedeback – Providence College
Svedeback turned aside 23 of 25 shots on Friday, securing his third consecutive victory as Providence topped Alaska 5–2. The performance marks his first three‑game winning streak of the season.
Alaska responded on Saturday with a 5–1 victory, flipping the script from the previous night. Svedeback stopped 16 of 18 shots before exiting the game with an undisclosed lower‑body injury while Providence trailed 2–1.
Cooper Simpson – Youngstown – USHL
Simpson scored twice on Friday, powering Youngstown to a 5–2 win over Madison. His first — the eventual game‑winner — came as he took a pass while accelerating down the right wing, broke in alone, and beat the goaltender with a smooth backhand‑to‑forehand deke. With Youngstown up 4–2, he sealed the result midway through the third, taking a feed down the slot and snapping a quick shot through a defender and past the netminder. He finished the night with seven shots on goal.
The rematch proved less favorable for Youngstown, as Madison earned a 3–2 overtime win on Saturday night. It was another productive outing for Simpson, who scored twice for the second straight game. Trailing 2–0 entering the third, he needed just 53 seconds to cut the deficit, skating from the left point into the high circle before ripping home his first of the night. Then, with 1:02 remaining, he forced overtime by finding space on the right side and hammering a far‑side one‑timer under the blocker.
Cole Chandler – Shawinigan – QMJHL
On Tuesday, Shawinigan edged Baie‑Comeau 3–2 in overtime. Chandler was held off the scoresheet for the second straight outing — just the third time this month — and finished with one shot on goal.
Shawinigan dropped the rematch 2-1 on New Years Eve. Chandler did not register a point on two shots on goal and was 3 for eight on faceoffs.
On Friday, Shawinigan got past Sherbrooke 3-2. Chandler did not register a point for the fourth consecutive game. He had 3 shots on goal and was zero-for-two on the dot.
On Sunday, Shawinigan got past Rouyn-Noranda 5-2. Chandler ended his point draught with an assist. He finished a plus-1 with 3 shots on goal and was 7 for 12 on faceoffs.
Cole Spicer – Western Michigan
Western Michigan captured the Holiday Face-Off with a 4-1 win over Wisconsin on Monday. Spicer missed his second consecutive game due to injury.
Western Michigan shut out Notre Dame 4–0 on Friday, then repeated the result in Saturday’s rematch. Spicer was unavailable for both games.
The team has offered little detail regarding Spicer’s current injury, and without confirmation there’s no value in guessing. It’s worth noting, however, that he does have a prior history of concussion‑related issues.
Providence Bruins
Providence 2 – Springfield 4
Providence opened the scoring just 4:01 into the contest on Wednesday when Michael Callahan teed up Victor Soderstrom at the top of the right circle, and the defenseman snapped a wrist shot past the goaltender for a 1–0 lead. Patrick Brown picked up the secondary assist on the play.
Springfield responded with three straight goals to take a 3–1 lead before Georgii Merkulov set up Brown at the top of the blue paint, where his redirection trimmed the deficit to 3–2. Fabian Lysell picked up the secondary assist. Springfield later sealed the win with an empty‑netter
Simon Zajicek stopped 21 shots as Providence outshot Springfield 42-24.
Providence 4 – Hartford 1
On Friday, the opening goal didn’t come until 17:01 of the first period, when Matej Blumel dropped a pass into the slot for Riley Duran, who snapped a wrist shot inside the left post to give Providence a 1–0 lead.
Hartford pulled even midway through the second period, but Providence regained control late in the frame. With 1:54 remaining, Riley Tufte’s purposeful shot produced a rebound off the goaltender’s pad, landing on the stick of Dans Locmelis, who tapped it into the open net.
Merkulov and Locmelis would score into the empty net to seal the win. Michael DiPietro, who returned from injury to back up on Wednesday stopped 31 shots in his return.
Providence 3 – Springfield 1
Providence got the best of Springfield on Sunday afternoonWednesday’s loss.
Springfield opened the scoring just 4:32 into the game, but Locmelis pulled Providence even on the power play with 6:25 left in the first. Merkulov fed the puck into middle ice, where Lysell delivered a quick one‑touch to Locmelis in the left circle, and he snapped a wrist shot past the Springfield goaltender.
The 1–1 deadlock held until the final minutes of regulation. With 1:11 remaining, Frederic Brunet hammered a one‑timer from the point, tucking it just inside the post to give Providence a 2–1 lead, with Locmelis and Ty Gallagher picking up the assists. Tufte later sealed the win with an empty‑netter, set up by Brown and Billy Sweezey.
DiPietro wasn’t very busy in this one, stopping 16 of 17 shots.
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 they’ve earned this season to date. Give them a look and check out their site.
Coming up this week:
Dom - Hockey 