• PROSPECT-UPDATE ARCHIVE
Three 2018 first-round selections have changed hands so far.
The Rangers have Boston's pick, the Islanders have Calgary's, and Ottawa has Pittsburgh's. Of the three, Calgary's would likely be highest, but none will be lottery picks. Credit the Rangers and Senators for recent moves, because first-round picks are tough to come by, and teams know how good this 2018 draft is. How many more will be gone by the end of the trade deadline on Monday? How many more will be traded on draft day? Those are the big questions, especially since a team might try to package other first-rounders to move up and get Rasmus Dahlin or Andrei Svechnikov.
Saturday was yet another taste of the depth and talent in this draft pool. The 10 players on the top-performances list below come from six different leagues, and none of them are among the biggest names available. Here's who made the cut:
DOMINIK ARNOST -- The Czech Republic's Under-18 league hasn't seen a lot of draft prospects this season, but Arnost is the exception. Although he has also played at the Under-20 level, Arnost really shines in U-18. On Saturday, the 5-foot-9 right win scored a hat trick and added an assist in Prague Sparta's 4-2 win at Pardubice. He scored the game's first goal while short-handed at 5:39 of the second period. He assisted on a 5-on-3 power-play goal at 14:46 of the second to make it 2-1 before scoring the eventual game-winner while the teams skated 4-on-4 at 17:38. He closed his hat trick in the third period with the game's final goal at 15:40. Arnost has points in four of his last six games. He's a longshot to be drafted, but games like this definitely help. (Note: Third appearance on this list in 2017-18)
AIDAN BROWN -- What a night for Brown, who is hardly known as a big scorer. On Saturday, he was at the top of his game, earning No. 1 star honors with two goals in Barrie's 5-3 win over Guelph. Brown got his first goal at 4:36 of the opening period for a 2-0 lead. He saved his best for last, snapping a 3-3 tie with the game-winner at 16:23 of the third. Brown now has five goals and 11 points in 52 OHL games. Four of those goals have come in a pair of two-goal games. Saturday's performance snapped a four-game points drought. (Note: Second appearance on this list in 2017-18)
BRENDAN BUDY -- Budy, a University of Denver recruit playing with the BCHL's Langley Rivermen, was the No. 1 star of a 4-0 win over Merritt on Saturday, finishing with two goals and an assist. He opened the scoring with the eventual game-winner on a power play at 13:56 of the first period and scored again 54 seconds into the third to make it 3-0. He also assisted on the final goal at 2:25. Budy has an impressive 22 goals and 56 points in 48 BCHL games, including goals in three of his last four games. This was his seventh three-point night of the season. (Note: Second appearance on this list in 2017-18)
PAUL COTTER -- When Cotter is good, he is very good, as was the case on Saturday, when he scored two goals and added an assist in Lincoln's 8-5 win at Waterloo. The Western Michigan recruit earned No. 1 star honors after picking up a point in each period. He pushed the lead up to 3-0 with a short-handed goal at 17:06 of the opening period, and later made it 5-2 with an even-strength goal at 15:20 of the second. He finished with an assist at 6:57 of the third, stretching the lead to 6-3. Cotter now has 12 goals and 23 points in 34 USHL games, including a three-game scoring streak. He had one other three-point game this season on Dec. 1. (Note: Fourth appearance on this list in 2017-18)
GABRIEL FORTIER -- Few draft prospects have improved as steadily this season as Fortier, who should go fairly early in June. On Saturday, the Baie-Comeau center scored two goals, notched an assist, and won 13 of 20 face-offs in a 5-4 win over Val d'Or. Fortier, the game's No. 2 star, opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 3:18 of the first period. He added another power-play tally at 10:24 of the second to pull the Drakkar into a 3-3 tie, and later assisted on the game-winner for a 5-3 lead at 14:24 of the third. Fortier's 23 goals and 49 points in 57 QMJHL games include his current five-game goal-scoring streak and a six-game point streak. (Note: Seventh appearance on this list in 2017-18)
ALEXIS GRAVEL -- The Halifax Mooseheads goalie, one of the top-rated netminders in the draft, came through with 29 saves in his team's 4-1 win over Gatineau on Saturday, claiming No. 1 star honors. Gravel stopped all nine shots in the first period, all 10 in the second, and 10 of 11 in the third. He lost his shutout at 7:56 of the final. A previously rocky season has turned gold for Gravel, who has won his last five starts. (Note: Ninth appearance on this list in 2017-18)
PHILIPP KURASHEV -- Swiss import Kurashev notched his first QMJHL hat trick in style on Saturday, leading Quebec to an 8-2 rout of Chicoutimi. The game's No. 1 star scored his first goal at 10:56 of the opening period for a 2-0 lead. His second goal, on a power play at 13:26 of the first, made it 3-0 and was the game-winner. He completed the hat trick with a 5-on-3 goal to close the scoring at 17:34 of the third. Kurashev looked impressive at the 2018 World Juniors, and he is now averaging over a point per game in the QMJHL with 17 goals and 39 assists in 55 outings. (Note: Seventh appearance on this list in 2017-18)
MATEJ PEKAR -- Pekar has carried Five Nations momentum back to the USHL's Muskegon Lumberjacks. On Saturday, he was the No. 1 star of a 6-2 win over Sioux City with two goals and an assist. Pekar's first tally came on a power play at 8:03 of the opening period for a 1-0 lead. His assist was a primary helper at 6:27 of the first, stretching the lead to 2-0. In the second period, Pekar scored at 13:25 to put Muskegon up 4-2. The University of Nebraska-Omaha recruit now has nine goals and 39 points in 42 USHL games. Saturday's goals snapped an 11-game drought. (Note: Second appearance on this list in 2017-18)
COLE REINHARDT -- The No. 3 star of Brandon's 4-3 OT win at Medicine Hat on Saturday, Reinhardt fired home two goals, including the dramatic overtime winner. His first goal, scored at 4:43 of the opening period, broke a 1-1 tie, but it was his second, at 1:06 of overtime that silenced the home crowd for good. Reinhardt has 15 goals and 24 points in 57 WHL games. This was his third two-goal night of the season. (Note: Fourth appearance on this list in 2017-18)
DMITRI ZAVGORODNY -- Yes, Zavgorodny is very small, and that will likely hurt his draft position, but the Rimouski forward plays with so much heart that it's hard to imagine him getting passed over in June. On Saturday, Zavgorodny picked up two more goals in a 5-3 win over Rouyn-Noranda, earning No. 1 star honors. The first goal came on a power play at 4:10 of the middle period to give Rimouski a 3-1 lead. The second goal, scored just 30 seconds into the third period, made it 4-1 and stood up as the game-winner. This was Zavgorodny's third two-goal game of the season. He now has 20 goals and 38 points in 54 QMJHL games. (Note: Fifth appearance on this list in 2017-18)