Blackhawks CHL, USHL prospect update for 1/16: First post-World Juniors report

1 year ago  /  Second City Hockey

Photo by Jonathan Kozub/Getty Images


The Seattle Thunderbirds will be a team to watch for Blackhawks fans. Checking in on the Chicago Blackhawks prospects skating in the USHL and CHL.
WHL
Kevin Korchinski, Seattle Thunderbirds
Stats: 34 points (4 G, 30 A), 71 SOG in 26 games
Korchinski’s time with Team Canada at the World Juniors may have underwhelmed a bit, but the 2022 first-round pick went right back to his scoring ways once he returned to Seattle. In five games since coming back to the Thunderbirds, he has a goal and five assists.
Here’s the goal:


Here’s a look at Kevin Korchinski’s 4th goal of the season! #Blackhawkspic.twitter.com/v2ekK7Ekiw— Talkin’ Hawkey (@TalkinHawkey) January 15, 2023



Nolan Allan, Seattle Thunderbirds
Stats: 15 points (6 G, 9 A), 48 SOG in 28 games
Allan has also skated in all five games with Seattle since his month-long hiatus for the World Juniors, but has only one goal in that five-game span which is more indicative of Allan’s less offensively-geared game as compared to Korchinski.
The goal he scored was a nifty one, though:


Nolan picks corners like he picks apples. EFFICIENT!@SeattleTBirds | @NHLBlackhawks pic.twitter.com/8UWlAZwU6G— The WHL (@TheWHL) January 11, 2023



Allan — as well as Korchinski — figures to see plenty of top-four minutes as the rest of the season progresses, with Seattle now riding a three-game winning streak that has it atop the Western Conference with a 30-7-1-1 record, good for 62 points.


lineys pic.twitter.com/OgZQzioA7O— Seattle Thunderbirds (@SeattleTbirds) January 15, 2023



Colton Dach, Seattle Thunderbirds
Stats: 17 points (9 G, 8 A), 58 SOG in 14 games played
Dach was traded to Seattle just over one week ago but still hasn’t played with his new team due to the injury sustained at the World Juniors. But the good news for Dach is that the injury wasn’t serious enough to require surgery as reported by Ben Pope of the Sun-Times in the tweet below:


A couple Colton Dach updates:1) The ugly-looking shoulder injury he suffered in World Juniors is not expected to require surgery and he is expected to return this season. That's surely a relief for the Blackhawks.— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) January 7, 2023



Still no word on when Dach will return to the lineup, though.
OHL
Ethan del Mastro, Sarnia Sting
Stats: 17 points (3 G, 19 A), 32 SOG in 25 games played
After skating top-pairing minutes for Canada at the World Juniors, del Mastro was traded from the Missisauga Steelheads to the Sarnia Sting, with del Mastro’s new team apparently loading up for a strong regular-season finish and potential postseason run.
In three games with the Sting since that trade, del Mastro has one goal:


MAKE NO MISTAKE! Ethan Del Mastro gets his first in the black and yellow #SwarmWarning pic.twitter.com/GRGvzEEZDv— Sarnia Sting (@StingHockey) January 14, 2023



Judging from the lineups announced before Sunday’s game, del Mastro went straight to Sarnia’s No. 1 D pairing:


This afternoon's projected lineup in the nation's capital #SwarmWarning pic.twitter.com/F435EaDQqA— Sarnia Sting (@StingHockey) January 15, 2023



Gavin Hayes, Flint Firebirds
Stats: 40 points (23 G, 17 A), 131 SOG in 39 games played
The offensive numbers continue piling up for Hayes. He’s tied for the team lead in goals (23), second in points (40) and his 131 shots on goal are the most by any Firebird.
Hayes is lagging mildly behind a point-per-game pace since the calendar turned to 2023, with five points (3 G, 2 A) in the last six games, but scroll back near the end of 2022 and there’s a four-point game (3 G, 1 A) in there on Dec. 28. He’s been skating in Flint’s top six every time we’ve checked this season and the most recent lineups posted by the Firebirds offered no change to that trend:


Your @HurleyMedical lineup this afternoon in North Bay!!! #FuelTheFire pic.twitter.com/tSGJo20QJj— Flint Firebirds (@FlintFirebirds) January 15, 2023



Paul Ludwinski, Kingston Frontenacs
Stats: 26 points (7 G, 19 A), 60 SOG in 34 games played
Ludwinski has continued with solid, steady production while continuing to center the top line for Kingston:


Here is our projected lineup tonight.#FrontsHockey | @OHLHockey pic.twitter.com/8dhGC6WW1G— Kingston Frontenacs (@KingstonFronts) January 14, 2023



In six games this year, Ludwinski has one goal and three assists, including this primary assist from Saturday night:


A look at Linus Hemström's goal to cap off a great night Assists: Paul Ludwinski and Nathan Poole.#FrontsHockey | @OHLHockey pic.twitter.com/aiQrPeRQE5— Kingston Frontenacs (@KingstonFronts) January 14, 2023



The other major development related to Ludwinski is that he was named Kingston’s captain for the rest of the season, adding to a long list of Blackhawks prospects in leadership positions for their teams:


The @KingstonFronts have named their leadership group for the remainder of the 2022-23 season, with @NHLBlackhawks prospect Paul Ludwinski wearing the 'C'.DETAILS : https://t.co/GPQlLXvSPG pic.twitter.com/vFd3yZnvf5— OntarioHockeyLeague (@OHLHockey) January 13, 2023



QMJHL
Samuel Savoie, Gatineau Olympiques
Stats: 39 points (18 G, 21 A), 84 SOG in 35 games played
Savoie started 2023 with a three-point game (1 G, 2 A) against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Jan. 4, kicking off the new year the same way he ended the old one. Savoie has eight points (4 G, 4 A) in six games this month and continues to be one of the more pleasant surprises in the Blackhawks system with how his season is unfolding.
Here’s a long look at an impressive shift from Savoie on Thursday that ended with a goal:


Wow what a shift from Samuel Savoie (#93). Basically starts the whole play, and gets rewarded with a goal at the end! #Blackhawks #HawksProspects pic.twitter.com/XdXbnlpXRI— Chicago Prospects (@Chi_Prospects) January 13, 2023



As recently as Saturday, Savoie was still skating on the top line for Gatineau:


Vos Olympiques en uniforme pour le match de cet après-midi ⬇️Your lineup for afternoon's game ⬇️#goOLgo♠️ pic.twitter.com/4EI5nOXfAS— Olympiques de Gatineau (@OlympiquesGAT) January 14, 2023



USHL
Nils Juntorp, Dubuque Fighting Saints
Stats: 14 points (9 G, 5 A), 55 SOG in 27 games played
Juntorp missed two weeks in late December for reasons unknown. He’s played in the last four games for Dubuque and the most recent lineups have Juntrop skating at left wing on the top line:


Game 29 vs. Cedar Rapids #HailToTheHalo #StarsRise pic.twitter.com/WrtYl07W4m— Dubuque Fighting Saints (@fightingsaints) January 15, 2023



Juntorp is in the midst of a scoring drought that dates back to December, though: he’s without a point in his last eight games.
Sam Rinzel, Waterloo Black Hawks
Stats: 17 points (3 G, 14 A), 73 SOG in 27 games played
The Blackhawks’ first-round pick in 2022 has been on the scoresheet a lot since returning to Waterloo from helping Team USA win gold at the World Junior A Challenge. Rinzel has two goals and four assists in the last seven games, including this neat goal from Saturday night against the Des Moines Buccaneers:


Sam Rinzel's third goal of the year evens the score at two goals apiece. The #Blackhawks 2022 first-rounder grabbed his own rebound and beat Jan Korec in front of the net.@BlckHawksHockey #USHL pic.twitter.com/p7VMyMQOv0— Ryan Sikes (@ryan_sikes10) January 15, 2023


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