Saturday, September 27, 2014

Draft stuff: McDavid warms up with three-point night

Jack Eichel was the talk of the town Thursday with his one-goal, one-assist effort to earn the Player of the Game Award at the 2014 CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game, but it didn't take long for the expected valedictorian of the 2015 draft class to get the spotlight back.

Connor McDavid showed his dominating offensive poise Friday en route to collecting a goal and two assists as Erie dealt Windsor a 5-2 defeat.

After showing tremendous hands his first goal of the year, McDavid followed up with a heady play that saw him shoulder a defender, race down the ice and make hard stop in the slot to find Nick Betz for the easy goal. He later earned his third point of the night with an assist off a clean faceoff win.


McDavid has a goal and three assists through his first two games of the year.

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Also from Friday, Swedish standout Gustaf Franzen sent a laser beam top shelf for his first goal of the season in Kitchener's 4-3 win over Owen Sound. The crafty forward was chosen fourth overall by the Rangers in the 2014 CHL Import Draft.



In Sault Ste. Marie, Blake Speers kicked off his campaign with an assist and a goal before the game was five minutes old in the Hounds' 7-3 victory over Sarnia. The hometown Soo product connected for 19 goals and 40 points last season.



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On Thursday, Lawson Crouse executed a wraparound for his first goal of the season in Kingston's 5-3 win over Peterborough. The 6-foot-3 power forward is hoping to be a top-15 pick coming off a 15-goal rookie season.


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In the "good things come in small packages" department, 5-foot-6 import scorer Petrus Palmu has pocketed a goal in each of his first two North American contests.

On Wednesday, the diminutive Finn got on the board in Owen Sound's 6-1 throttling of Kitchener.



The Jokerit product followed up with another finish Friday as the Attack lost to the Rangers 4-3 in overtime.


Palmu made waves over the summer when he nabbed four goals and four assists in four games for Finland at the 2014 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup.