• PROSPECT-UPDATE ARCHIVE
A fairly quiet Tuesday in draft-prospect land managed to produce three players for this top-performances list. The World Under-18 tournament, which opens Thursday, will expand this list for certain over the next week, as there are dozens of players listed on this site who are participating in the tournament.
In the meantime, here's a quick observation on the final Central Scouting report. Jay O'Brien, the Thayer Academy forward who spent time with the U.S. NTDP program, rocketed up to No. 32, passing Tier II heavyweights Jacob Bernard-Docker, Jack McBain, and Jonny Tychonick. This puts a lot of faith in the New England prep school circuit, where O'Brien scored 43 goals and 80 points in 30 games. Still, it's hard to argue with a high rank for a guy who puts up those numbers.
Consider two other prep stars from the past -- both first-round selections. Andover's Chris Kreider had 33 goals and 56 points in his 2008-09 draft year -- well off O'Brien's pace. Jeremy Roenick, who also played at Thayer, had 34 goals and 84 points in 26 games of his 1987-88 draft year -- so O'Brien isn't far behind. There is a chance O'Brien will go in the first round, particularly given his experience with Team USA.
More thoughts on the Central Scouting list will come in the days ahead. For now, check out Tuesday's top trio:
ETHAN de JONG -- Quinnipiac fans need to get excited about this recruit after de Jong led Prince George to a 4-2 win in Game 4 of the BCHL's Fred Page Cup finals. The Spruce Kings trailed the series 3-0 and faced elimination, but de Jong made sure that wouldn't happen at home. The game's No. 1 star assisted on a power-play goal to open the scoring at 4:26 of the first period before scoring goals in the second and third. The first goal snapped a 2-2 tie at 19:32 of the second and stood up as the game-winner. Goal No. 2, which came on a power play, closed the scoring at 18:29 of the third. Through 23 playoff games, de Jong has 13 goals and 27 points -- ranking second in the BCHL for both categories. (Note: Fourth appearance on this list in 2017-18)
SEAN DURZI -- The 19-year-old Owen Sound defenseman couldn't save the Attack from OHL playoff elimination, but he turned in an epic Game 7 performance for the Attack. Durzi, the No. 3 star, finished with two goals and three assists in the 9-7 loss to Sault Ste. Marie that ended his team's season. After helping set up the opening goal at 11:22 of the first period, Durzi made a strong bid to get his team back in the game once it fell behind in the second. Trailing 6-1, Durzi scored at 15:11. He erupted for three more points late in the third -- assisting on a goal that cut it to 8-5 at 17:13, scoring 21 seconds later to make it 8-6, and picking up a primary assist with one minute remaining to close the scoring. Durzi, who slipped through the draft last year, finished the playoffs on a seven-game scoring streak. He had three goals and 13 points over that span.
ALEX STEEVES -- Steeves helped Dubuque sweep its USHL Clark Cup playoffs best-of-3 opening-round series with two goals, an assist, eight shots, and a plus-4 rating in a 5-1 win at Green Bay. The game's No. 1 star scored at 7:50 of the first period -- the eventual game-winner -- for a 2-0 lead. In the second, he had the primary assist on a 4-0 goal at 8:34, and the third saw him close the scoring with an empty-netter at 19:05. Steeves, who will join the powerhouse Notre Dame program in the fall, has points in five of his last six games. (Note: Second appearance on this list in 2017-18)