Catching the Torch: Michael McNiven continues to impress for Owen Sound

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:

Daniel Audette: The scoring star of the Sherbrooke Phoenix does not show any signs of slowing down. Audette scored a goal and assist in his first game of the week, a 5-3 win over the Drummondville Voltigeurs. He assisted the game-winning goal and then scoring the insurance marker shorthanded. He continued this pace into his next game, marking two assists in a 7-3 win in a rematch versus Drummondville.

Audette's 25 points have him tied for the team scoring lead with Sherbrooke, and is scoring at a pace of 1.79 points per game, ranking him 7th overall in the QMJHL.

Simon Bourque: While his season does not stand out in terms of consistency, Bourque did have his first offensive breakout this past week for Rimouski Oceanic.

He scored a goal and two assists in his first game, a 6-5 win over the Drummondville Voltigeurs. Bourque is currently tied for the defensive scoring lead on Rimouski with one goal and six assists.

Matt Bradley: It continues to be a slow season for The Medicine Hat Tigers forward. Bradley would miss the scoresheet in his first game, a 3-1 loss to the Red Deer Rebels. He broke a six-game goal drought in the next game, scoring a goal in a 5-4 loss to the Saskatoon Blades.

Noah Juulsen: It was a flat week offensively for the Everett Silvertips blueliner. He went scoreless in both of his games, a 2-0 loss to the Portland Winterhawks and a 2-0 win over the Seattle Thunderbirds. Despite the lack of points, he showed flashes of offensive flair, including a very nice end-to-end rush. Juulsen continues to stand tied for the team scoring lead for Everett with 2 goals and three assists over six games.

Jake Evans: It was a rather quiet week for the sophomore Notre Dame forward. He went without a point in his first game, a 3-3 tie with the University of Minnesota-Duluth. He recorded an assist in his next game, which saw the exact same result as Notre Dame again drew a 3-3 tie with Minnesota-Duluth.

Jeremiah Addison: Addison's scoring touch seems to have heated up this past week for the Ottawa 67s. He scored a goal in his first game, a 5-2 loss to the Mississauga Steelheads.

He would match this contribution in the following game, a 4-2 win over the Oshawa Generals. He added an assist to finish off his week in a 4-1 win over the Peterborough Petes.

Nikolas Koberstein; There was a break in action for Koberstein as Alaska-Fairbanks did not play this past weekend.

Hayden Hawkey: Hawkey continues to wait for his debut with Providence College as he did not play during either of his team's games this past week.

Michael McNiven: McNiven continues to stand as one of the top goalies in the OHL this season, much to the fortune of the Owen Sound Attack.

He stopped 26 of 27 shots in his first game, a 4-1 win over the Guelph Storm. He would struggle in his next start, allowing 4 goals on 29 shots before being pulled after 40 minutes against the London Knights in an eventual 5-1 loss.

He stood tall in net the following game, stopping 23 of 24 shots to help his team to a 2-1 victory over the Flint Firebirds. McNiven's .927 save percentage ranks him 5th overall in the OHL, and 2nd among goalies who have at least ten starts on the season.

Season Stats to Date:

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