The Juniors Report
The Montreal Canadiens currently feature prospects playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), the Western Hockey League (WHL), the USHL (United States Hockey League) and the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association). These leagues can be considered the primary conduit towards professional hockey in North America.
Here’s how the players in the aforementioned leagues performed last week:
| Player | League | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
| Daniel Audette (C) | QMJHL | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| Jeremiah Addison (RW) | OHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Simon Bourque (D) | QMJHL | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Matt Bradley (C) | WHL | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Noah Juulsen (D) | WHL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| Jake Evans (C) | NCAA | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Nikolas Koberstein (D) | NCAA | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Goalie | League | GP | W | L | OTL | GAA | Save % | SO |
| Hayden Hawkey | NCAA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michael McNiven | OHL | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
3.00 |
.900 | 1 |
Jeremiah Addison: It appears there may be an unfortunate break in Addison’s season with the Ottawa 67’s.
He suffered an injury during a 4-3 loss to the Kingston Frontenacs. He was held off the score sheet before retiring from the game in the second period.
The undisclosed upper body injury saw him miss the following game, and there is no definitive update on when he may return to the lineup.
Daniel Audette: The returning star of Sherbrooke Phoenix made the most of his limited opportunities.
In his only game Audette recorded a notable four-point game, which included a goal and three assists in a 8-2 drubbing of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar. In the four games since his return after missing a month due to injury, Audette has recorded at least one point in each match up, and has one goal and six assists in that frame.
Audette’s 23 assists through 19 games this season is an impressive playmaking pace for the forward, given he marked 44 assists through 60 games last season.
Simon Bourque: It was a short but efficient week for the Rimouski Oceanic blueliner.
He marked an assist in his first game, a 3-2 shootout loss to the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. He matched this contribution in the following game, a 4-3 overtime loss to the Moncton Wildcats.
Bourque stands out as the leading source of offence for Rimouski from the back end, his five goals and 18 assists give him a 14-point lead on any other defender.
Matt Bradley: It was a productive stretch of games for the Medicine Hat Tigers forward, who has been struggling to find the score sheet at times this season.
He went without a point in his first game, a 2-1 loss to the Red Deer Rebels. He picked up a goal in the next game, a 5-3 win over the Edmonton Oil Kings. He finished his week out collecting two assists in a rematch versus the Oil Kings that ended in a 5-4 victory. Bradley’s scoring level is still of concern, with just 17 points in 29 games in his first post-draft season.
Noah Juulsen: It has been a short but eventful few days for the Everett Silvertips blueliner. He recorded an assist in a 7-5 loss to the Portland Winterhawks. That was his only WHL game of the week, as Juulsen was selected to take part as part of the camp for Canada’s entry to the Under-20 World Championships taking place later this month.
He took part in an exhibition game with Team Canada against the Canadian Inter-University Sport All-Stars, which saw Team Canada upset in a 5-4 shootout loss. He went scoreless in the following game which saw Team Canada rout the CIS All-Stars 5-0.
While his offensive contributions have been below what has been expected of him in the WHL, his defensive abilities are favoured to the point where he is expected to take a spot with the team and represent Canada at the tournament in Helsinki.
Jake Evans: Evans recorded an assist in his only game of the week, a 4-3 win over Boston College. Evans stands as the assist leader for Notre Dame, with 13 in 17 games, and is second in team scoring.
Nikolas Koberstein: It remains a flat offensive season for the Alaska Fairbanks freshman defender. Koberstein went without a point in both of his team’s games this past weekend, a 2-1 loss to the University of Alaska Anchorage and a 1-1 tie against them in a rematch the following game. Koberstein has now gone 12 games into the season without a point.
Hayden Hawkey: It remains a season of watching his team play from the bench for Hawkey with Providence College, as he sat out their only game this past week. It is worth noting the starting goaltender for Providence, Nick Ellis is keeping a .940 save percentage, more than justifying his tenure.
Michael McNiven: It was a rough start for the Owen Sound Attack netminder in recent games, but he showed his top form before the week was out. He allowed six goals on 33 shots in his first game, a 6-1 loss to the Kitchener Rangers.
He marked his second shutout of the season in his second and final start, stopping 27 shots as his team drubbed the Peterborough Petes 7-0. His .911 save percentage ranks him 9th among OHL goaltenders.
Season Stats to Date:
| Player | League | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
| Daniel Audette (C) | QMJHL | 19 | 9 | 23 | 32 | 16 |
| Simon Bourque (D) | QMJHL | 31 | 5 | 18 | 23 | 30 |
| Jeremiah Addison (RW) | OHL | 30 | 12 | 11 | 23 | 35 |
| Matt Bradley (C) | WHL | 29 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 12 |
| Noah Juulsen (D) | WHL | 24 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 23 |
| Jake Evans (C) | NCAA | 15 | 2 | 13 | 15 | 25 |
| Nikolas Koberstein (D) | NCAA | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Goalie | League | GP | W | L | OTL | GAA | Save % | SO |
| Hayden Hawkey | NCAA | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.75 | .912 | 0 |
| Michael McNiven | OHL | 23 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 2.69 | .911 | 2 |
