Liam Pettersson – Djurgardens IF – U20 Nationell
Pettersson was back in the U20 Nationell with Djurgardens on Saturday as they skated to a 6-2 win over Sollentuna HC. Playing on the top pair, Pettersson had 5 SOG and was a plus-1 while playing in all situations.
Pettersson was back in action on Saturday as Djurgardens blanked AIK 3-0. He was once again kept off the score sheet but played in all situations. He was a plus-1 with 1 SOG.
Kirill Yemelyanov, Matvei Kotkov – Loko Yaroslav – MHL/KHL
It was an eventful Saturday for Matvei Kotkov, who wasted no time making his mark — scoring his first KHL goal on his first shift and first shot. The youngster slipped free in front and buried it as Loko rolled to a 5–1 win over Traktor. He finished the night plus‑1 with two shots on goal in 9:26 of ice time.
For Yemelyanov, he didn’t crack the lineup for Loko’s KHL opener but was back in the MHL on Sunday for a 3–1 win over Avto. He was held off the scoresheet, finished minus‑1 with one shot on goal, went 6‑for‑12 on draws, and logged 15:37 of ice time.
Nils Bartholdsson – Rogle BK – U20 Nationell
Rogle’s regular season opened on Saturday, and it was a rough start — a 7–2 drubbing at the hands of Farjestad BK. Bartholdsson wasn’t in the lineup, as he’s currently skating with the parent club in the Champions League where they lost 1-0 to Pardubice.
On Sunday, they defeated BIK Karlskoga 7-2 while Bartholdsson was still with the parent club.
Oscar Olsson – Orebro HK – U20 Nationell
Olsson’s regular season opened with a 3–2 loss to Linkoping on home ice Friday in U20 Nationell play, and it was a quiet night for him on the scoresheet. The real low point came with 1:51 left, down 3–2 and preparing to pull the goaltender for one last push. Instead of helping drive the equalizer, Olsson was whistled for an unnecessary holding penalty — a tough way to finish his season debut.
Orebro picked up its first win of the season on Saturday, a 4–2 decision over Sodertalje SK, but it was another uneven outing for Olsson. He was held off the scoresheet again and, once more, put his team in a tough spot late. Protecting a 3–2 lead with 4:45 remaining while Sodertalje pressed for the equalizer, Olsson took another unnecessary penalty — this time for slashing. His teammates bailed him out with a strong kill and later iced it with an empty‑netter in the final six seconds, sealing the victory despite the late miscue.
Vashek Blanar –
Blanar is coming off a strong Five Nations showing, posting a goal and an assist across three games as he pushes for a spot on the Czech World Junior roster later this year. He helped his case in that tournament and looks like a legitimate candidate to be one of the Czechs’ seven defensemen. For now, though, his attention shifts back to earning a place with his SHL club.
I had the chance to interview Blanar a couple of weeks ago.
Season gets underway September 19.
Casper Nassen – Lake Superior State
Season gets underway October 23.
William Zellers, Cooper Simpson – University of North Dakota
Season gets underway October 9.
Dean Letourneau, Kristian Kostadinski, Will Moore, Roberto Henriquez – Boston College
Season gets underway October 9.
Chris Pelosi, Elliott Groenewold – Quinnipiac University
Back on September 1, Quinnipiac named both Pelosi and Groenewold alternate captains for the season.
Season gets underway October 2.
Jonathan Morello – Boston University
Season gets underway October 2.
Beckett Hendrickson – University of Minnesota
Season gets underway October 2.
Cole Spicer – Western Michigan
Season gets underway October 8.
Ryan Walsh – Cornell University
Season gets underway October 30.
Cullen McCrate – Brantford Bulldogs – OHL
McCrate is coming off a trio of preseason games with the Brantford Bulldogs and has looked every bit like the player he was projected to be. He’s picked up three assists so far, but his standout performance came in Friday’s 7–1 win over the Niagara IceDogs, where he posted a game‑high plus‑6 with five shots on goal.
Season gets underway on September 18.
Cole Chandler – Cape Breton – QMJHL
Chandler is coming off of a pair of preseason victories. On Saturday he had 3 assists, was a plus-2 and 10 for 16 on the draw in a 7-5 win over the Moncton Wildcats. Then on Sunday, he didn’t register a point, was 12 for 24 on the dot and was a plus-1 in a feisty performance during a 3-2 overtime win over the Charlottetown Islanders.
Season gets underway on September 18.
Jacob Vandeven – London Knights – OHL
While Vandeven flashed a couple of encouraging moments in a pair of exhibition games against the Victoria Royals of the WHL, he still looked very much like a player who only switched to the position less than a calendar year ago. The raw tools are there, but this has the feel of a longer‑term project than I initially expected.
Season gets underway on September 18.
Yuri Ivanov – Spartak – MHL
Season gets underway September 8.
Coming up this week:
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