Catching the Torch: Matthew Bradley takes off, Michael McNiven stands out in net

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:

Jeremiah Addison: Addison maintained his goal-scoring pace in three outings. He opened by scoring a goal in his first game, a 3-2 win over the Peterborough Petes, but had no points in his next game, a 5-2 loss to the Owen Sound Attack. The Ottawa 67's forward marked a goal and an assist in his final game, a 5-4 shootout win over the Oshawa Generals.

Addison has now surpassed his goal total from last year with his 20th and 21st goals of the season while playing 16 fewer games than he did last year.

Daniel Audette: Audette had a fairly unremarkable week of action, going without a point in a 3-2 loss to the Quebec Remparts before scoring one point — a goal — in a 4-1 win over the Gatineau Olympiques.

Simon Bourque: The Rimouski Oceanic captain marked an assist in a 5-3 loss to the Saint John Sea Dogs, then went without a point in his second and final game, a 3-2 loss to the Chicoutimi Saguneens.

Bourque stands as the defensive scoring leader on Rimouski with 32 points, which is more than double his closest teammate, and good for third overall in team scoring.

Matt Bradley: Bradley had an excellent sequence of games since the last report, opening by scoring a goal and an assist in a 6-4 win win over the Prince George Cougars. He then marked two goals, including the game-winner, in a 3-1 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors, went scoreless in a 5-3 loss to the Prince Albert Raiders, and finished off by marking two assists in a 9-3 loss to the Moose Jaw Warriors, for six points in four games.

Noah Juulsen: The offensively challenged season of Noah Juulsen continues with the Everett Silvertips. He went without a point in a 2-1 loss to the Tri-City Americans before marking an assist in the next game, a 2-1 win over the Seattle Thunderbirds. He went without a point in a 4-1 loss to the Spokane Chiefs to cap off his week.

Juulsen' points-per-game pace is trending downward, his 0.44 mark this season paling in comparison to the 0.76 tempo he had in his draft year last season.

Jake Evans: Evans went scoreless in his only game, a 4-0 shutout loss to Boston College, breaking an offensive run that has him second overall in Notre Dame scoring.

Nikolas Koberstein: It continues to be a lacklustre offensive season for the University of Alaska Fairbanks blue-liner. Koberstein went without a point in both of his games on the weekend: a 4-3 loss to the University of Wisconsin, followed by a 5-2 loss in a rematch the following day.

Hayden Hawkey: The season remains that of just watching the games from the bench for the rookie netminder with Providence College. Hawkey did not start either of his team's games, as the team's starting goaltender, Nick Ellis, is posting a .927 save percentage to keep Hawkey out of net.

Michael McNiven: The Owen Sound Attack goalie reaffirmed his status as his team's MVP. He put on one of his best performances of the season to start things off, stopping 40 of 42 shots in a 5-2 win over the Kingston Frontenacs. He kept a steady hand in net the very next night as well, stopping 26 of 28 shots as his team defeated the Ottawa 67's 5-2.

McNiven registered a .942 save percentage over the two starts while raising his season save percentage to .910.

Season Stats to Date:

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