Daily 2018 Draft Prospect Updates

Jan. 31, 2018

PROSPECT-UPDATE ARCHIVE

We had a solid Wednesday for 2018 draft prospects, and five players qualified for this top-performances list. January was a great month for many of these draft hopefuls, and we had a chance to see them a number of Top Prospects events.

So now it's on to February, and there are plenty of questions out there. The biggest one is the fight for the No. 2 draft spot, as Andrei Svechnikov continues to be challenged by Filip Zadina. As great as Zadina has been, it is still too risky to pass on Svechnikov, who continues to flash a rare talent for putting pucks in the net. While Zadina is more of a sniper, who needs a good set-up man, Svechnikov seems to create more opportunities on the ice and looks like a great NHLer in the making.

And guess what? Svechnikov made this list. Read about his big game as well as four other strong major-junior showings below:

Stars of the Night

TY DELLANDREA -- Dellandrea has been red-hot since scoring two goals in the Jan. 25 CHL Top Prospects Game. On Wednesday, he continued the trend as the No. 1 star of Flint's 3-2 overtime win vs. Saginaw. Dellandrea scored twice on five shots to maintain his two-points-per-game average over the past week. His first goal came on a power play at 4:57 of the opening period. His second, scored with only 54 seconds left in regulation, forced OT at 2-2. Dellandrea has three goals and three assists in his last three OHL games, bringing him to 20 goals and 41 points in 47 games. That's very impressive for a player on a last-place team. Put him with better players, and the sky is the limit. (Note: Eighth appearance on this list in 2017-18)

TODD SCOTT -- The Edmonton Oil Kings' new No. 1 goalie was the No. 3 star of his team's 5-2 victory at Kootenay on Wednesday, stopping 30 shots. He went 7-for-7 on saves in the first period, 15-for-16 in the second, and 8-for-9 in the third. Scott snapped a three-game winless streak and is now 2-2-0 since coming over from Vancouver at the WHL trade deadline. (Note: Sixth appearance on this list in 2017-18)

ANDREI SVECHNIKOV -- Missing a big chunk of 2017-18 with a broken hand and then having to recover from it has makes it harder to know exactly what Svechnikov's scoring totals would be like over a full season. His current pace, however, is spectacular enough that he should still be a no-brainer for No. 2 overall. On Wednesday, he scored both Barrie goals in the third period of the Colts' 4-2 loss at Owen Sound. He connected at 8:16 to cut the lead to 3-1 and then pulled Barrie within a goal at 14:13. With 23 goals and 38 points in 27 games, Svechnikov leads all OHL rookies in goal-scoring and is second overall in points. In the three games since his subpar Top Prospects Game performance, Svechnikov has posted four goals and two assists. (Note: 14th appearance on this list in 2017-18)

DAVID TENDECK -- Tendeck ended his goaltending slump in style on Wednesday, making 27 saves for No. 1 star honors in Vancouver' 4-1 win over Calgary. He stopped all eight Hitmen shots in the first period, all 13 in the second, and six of seven in the third -- having held a shutout for 44:08. The victory snapped a a rare four-game winless streak. Despite the recent slide, he maintains a strong .911 save percentage and is 18-9-2 on the WHL season. (Note: Eighth appearance on this list in 2017-18)

JOE VELENO -- If there's going to be a player teams will one day regret passing over, it might be Veleno. At the same time, if you draft him too high, you also might regret it. On Wednesday, he was top-5 worthy as the No. 1 star of Drummondville's 5-2 win at Shawinigan. Veleno put up three special-teams points -- a goal and two assists. He scored the game's first goal, shorthanded, at 18:08 of the opening period, assisted on a power-play game-winner for a 3-0 lead at 11:44 of the second period, and had a primary helper on another man-advantage goal to make it 4-2 at 0:49 of the third. He now has a four-game QMJHL scoring streak and points in 10 of his last 11 games. Overall, he has 10 goals and 53 points in 45 games. In 14 games with Drummondville, he has produced four goals and 22 points. (Note: Eighth appearance on this list in 2017-18)