The slate for the week features some some quality match-ups, as well as opportunites to pick up easy points, for teams involving Sabres prospects.
Thursday evening should mark the return of Jhonas Enroth to the SSK crease as they battle Djurgarden.
The CCHA will feature a pair of high-profile weekend sets for key Sabres prospects. #7 Michigan State, with wings Tim Kennedy and Corey Tropp, will enter a tough home-and-home series with hated #1 Michigan, while Nick Eno's Bowling Green Falcons will swap home ice with #6 Notre Dame.
Another Saturday match-up will feature two of the top three QMJHL clubs as Paul Byron's Gatineau Olympiques travel to second place Rouyn-Noranda.
Brad Eidsness' Okotoks Oilers (34-9-0-3) will host two of the weaker teams in the league this week (Calgary Royals and Canmore) before visiting AJHL South Division leaders Camrose (39-4-0-5) next Tuesday.
Drew Schiestel's Niagara Ice Dogs face a pair of last place teams during the week before welcoming 2008 top prospect Steven Stamkos on Sunday.
I'd rather write about more the action itself, so here's the complete schedule for the week:
Monday
Huddinge at Nykopings (Persson)
Rochester at Iowa
Tuesday
Moncton at St. John's (Allard, Brennan)
Okotoks (Eidsness) at Calgary
DEG Metro Stars at Cologne (Gogulla)
Ingolstadt (Schutz) at Hannover
Indiana at Waterloo (MacKenzie)
Wednesday
Quad City at Rochester
Moncton at St. John's (Allard, Brennan)
Halifax at Gatineau (Byron)
Nykopings (Persson) at Vasteras
Thursday
Erie at Niagara (Schiestel)
Canmore at Okotoks (Eidsness)
Sodertalje (Enroth) at Djurgarden
Friday
Lake Erie at Rochester
Union at St. Lawrence (Generous)
Boston College (Gerbe, Orpik) at Maine
Bowling Green (Eno) at Notre Dame
Michigan State (Kennedy, Tropp) at Michigan
Berlin at Ingolstadt (Schutz)
Cologne (Gogulla) at Augsburger
Niagara (Schiestel) at Kingston
Acadie-Bathurst at Baie-Comeau (Breault)
Gatineau (Byron) at Val D'or
Waterloo (MacKenzie) at Omaha
Saturday
Frolunda at Sodertalje (Enroth)
Harvard (Biega) at Dartmouth
Notre Dame at Bowling Green (Eno)
Boston College (Gerbe, Orpik) at Maine
Michigan at Michigan State (Kennedy, Tropp)
RPI at St. Lawrence (Generous)
Gatineau (Byron) at Rouyn-Noranda
St. John's (Allard, Brennan) at Saint John
Lincoln at Waterloo (MacKenzie)
Sunday
Mannheim at Ingolstadt (Schutz)
Cologne (Gogulla) at Struabing
Yaxso at Nykoping (Persson)
St. John's (Allard, Brennan) at PEI
Victoriaville at Baie-Comeau (Breault)
Sarnia (Stamkos) at Niagara (Schiestel)
