• PROSPECT-UPDATE ARCHIVE
Well, the World Under-18 Championship starts in a week, and it's too bad we won't get to see Rasmus Dahlin on this big stage. Obviously, he is exhausted from having played so much hockey,
and the decision to shut him down was probably for the best. Even more disappointing is his absence from the World Championship event. It would have been great to see him play against men one more time before the draft.
Dahlin might not be the only huge name missing. Unfortunately, Andrei Svechnikov and Filip Zadina might not be available because their teams are still going in the playoffs. Team Canada features Ty Smith and Ryan Merkley, but it also includes eight younger players not draft-eligible until 2019. That could make for a tournament with far less impact than usual on the final draft rankings. For now, however, have a look at the best from Tuesday:
LUKA BURZAN -- Burzan doubled his playoff goals total by scoring a pair on Brandon's 5-4 win over Lethbridge, as the Wheat Kings got their first victory in Game 3 of the second-round WHL playoff series. The No. 3 star, Burzan scored both of his goals in the second period. The first came at 3:12 and gave Brandon a 3-2 lead. The second put Brandon back into the lead, 4-3 at 17:35. Burzan now has four goals and six points in nine playoff games. That's a big step up from last year's postseason, when he had only three assists in seven games. (Note: Third appearance on this list in 2017-18)
LINUS NYMAN -- The Kingston forward continued his brilliant OHL playoff run with a goal and two assists in a 4-2 win over Barrie to earn No. 2 star honors. All three points came in the middle period -- an assist at 5:28 for a 1-1 tie, another assist at 14:22 for a 2-2 tie, and the eventual game-winner, scored short-handed, at 17:57 for a 3-2 lead. Nyman, who slipped through the 2017 draft, now has six goals and 13 points in nine playoff games for Kingston, which evened the second-round series at 2-2. He ranks sixth in playoff scoring. (Note: Third appearance on this list in 2017-18)
RILEY SUTTER -- When your last name is Sutter, you pretty much know you're going to be drafted by an NHL team. Riley, the son of longtime NHL player Ron Sutter, would get drafted on his own merits anyway. He proved that in Game 3 of Everett's second-round WHL playoff series vs. Portland -- scoring two goals in a 6-2 win. The game's No. 1 star opened the scoring at 4:35 of the first period and made it 3-0 with the game-winner just under five minutes later at 9:11. All six of his playoff points have come in the last five games. (Note: Eighth appearance on this list in 2017-18)