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3 Stars of the Week: Blackhawks prospect Adam Boqvist continues to score

Posted on by Brandon Cain

A weekly review on Blackhawks prospects who have stood out for their junior, college or professional team during the past week.

Rockford report

The IceHogs went 2-1, highlighted by an incredible four-goal comeback against Iowa on Saturday to remain in the fourth spot in the Central Division for a playoff spot. Rockford’s lead isn’t much though as four teams are within five points in the division.

Luke Johnson, F — 2013 fifth

Johnson stepped up this week with two goals and three assists after Dylan Sikura was recalled to Chicago. Johnson started the week Tuesday with primary assist on Rockford’s opening goal against Texas then had back-to-back two-point games. He had a secondary helper on Rockford’s first goal during the man advantage then scored the next goal on 5-on-5 against Iowa. On Sunday, he tallied the opening goal against San Antonio.

Johnson has 11 goals and 22 points in 33 AHL games this season.

Henri Jokiharju, D — 2017 first

Jokiharju flourished this week with two multi-assist games and five points total in three games. He had two secondary helpers Tuesday before dishing out two primary markers on the IceHogs’ second and third goals Saturday. He capped the week the next day with a primary feed on Rockford’s second goal.

After scoring a goal in his AHL debut, Jokiharju has six assists in his last five games.

Kevin Lankinen, G — Free agency

Interim head coach Derek King is riding the hot hand with Lankinen between the pipes. The Finnish netminder has won five of his last six appearances. He stopped 28 shots in a loss Tuesday then made 33 stops and allowed four goals Saturday. He capped the week by making 23 saves Sunday.

Anton Forsberg hasn’t played since Feb. 9, when he allowed four goals on 38 shots in a 5-3 home loss to Tucson.

Prospects

Adam Boqvist, D (OHL London) — 2018 first

Boqvist had a big day Sunday with a three-point performance in London’s 8-5 win over Erie. He scored a power-play goal and two assists, including a primary marker on the man advantage. Earlier in the week, he scored the Knights’ second goal in a 6-1 victory over Guelph.

Boqvist has three goals and four assists in his last four games. His 47 points (16 goals, 31 assists) in 42 games are seventh among OHL defensemen.

Nicolas Beaudin, D (QMJHL Drummondville) — 2018 first

Beaudin punctuated a four-game week with four secondary assists Sunday in a 6-4 win over Shawinigan. He had a primary assist in Drummondville’s first two games this week before held off the scoresheet in the team’s 7-2 victory against Cape Breton on Saturday.

With his six-point week, he eclipsed the 50-point mark for a second straight season. The left-hander has seven goals and 46 assists in 44 games. His 46 assists and 53 points both rank second among QMJHL defensemen to Charles-Édouard D’Astous, who has played in 53 games.

Brandon Hagel, LW (WHL Red Deer) — Free agency/2016 sixth by Buffalo

Hagel had a five-point week with two goals and three assists across four games. He tallied Red Deer’s second goal in a 4-3 overtime loss Tuesday at Spokane. The week took a weird turn as the Rebels had their game in Everett pushed back to Thursday as the team was unable to get to game since roads were closed down due to weather. Hagel pushed the game to overtime with a third-period goal, but missed his shootout attempt in the 2-1 loss. He then dished out three secondary assists and nine shots in Red Deer’s 6-4 loss at Seattle.

Hagel’s five-game point streak was snapped Saturday in Red Deer’s 2-0 loss in Portland. During his streak, Hagel scored two goals with five assists. He is tied for fifth in the league in scoring with 82 points (32 goals, 50 assists) in 54 games.

Other notables

Jake Ryczek, D (QMJHL Halifax) — 2016 seventh

Ryczek scored a power-play goal with two secondary assists Friday in his first game after missing a month of action due to an upper-body injury. He had six shots and one hit in the game. He did had three shots Saturday, but did not score.

Ryczek has eight goals and 27 points in 39 games this season.

Evan Barratt, C (No. 17 Penn State) — 2017 third

Barratt left Friday’s game against Michigan State with an apparent upper-body injury just 5:30 minutes in and did not return. The center did not play the next night against the Spartans.

Barratt has 15 goals and 22 assists in 26 games during his sophomore season.

Alexis Gravel, G (QMJHL Halifax) — 2018 sixth

Gravel went 2-0, including posting his third shutout of the season with 24 saves in Halifax’s win over Charlottetown. The night before he stopped 18 of 20 shots. He has allowed two goals or fewer in his four victories this month.

Gravel is 28-13 with a 2.58 goals-against average and .913 save percentage. His win total is third in the league, while his save percentage and GAA rank fourth and fifth, respectively. He has 65 career wins, and his four away from surpassing Jean-Sèbastien Giguère for the second most victories in franchise history.

Ivan Nalimov, G (KHL’s Avangard Omsk)

Nalimov had a 31-save shutout in Avangard’s 2-0 win over Vladivostok on Tuesday. He followed that effort Thursday by stopping 26 of 29 shots in a 3-2 loss to Amur.

Nalimov has a 2.84 GAA and .918 save percentage with two shutouts in 11 games with Avangard.

Talking Points