• PROSPECT-UPDATE ARCHIVE
It was a quiet day on the World Under-18 front with only a couple of games. That led to a smaller top-performances list than expected for a Saturday, but at least those two games produced one member of the trio below.
It's interesting to look over the Central Scouting final rankings -- both North American and European -- and see so many players who were eligible for last year's draft . It's odd because 2017 was a notoriously weak draft compared to what's available this year, yet Central Scouting has provided plenty of room for players who weren't taken the first time around -- and in some cases, the second. Did these players get dramatically better in the past year? Maybe so, but don't expect too many of these guys to get drafted when the first-time eligibles are so talented.
Just something to think about, and as you do, have a look at the three top-performances from Saturday:
ADAM BOQVIST -- The highly-rated Swedish defenseman dominated his team's 4-3 win over Belarus at the World Under-18's. Boqvist had a goal, two assists and eight shots in the win. His goal, at 14:12 of the second period, pulled the Swedes into a 2-2 tie. He saved his best for the latter stages of the third period, picking up primary assists on power-play goals at 11:21 for a 3-2 lead and 12:41 to make it 4-2. His late surge turned the game in Sweden's favor. Boqvist has four points in two WJC games and is no doubt helping his first-round positioning at this tournament. (Note: Seventh appearance on this list in 2017-18)
PAUL COTTER -- Cotter was the No. 1 star of Lincoln's 3-2 OT win at Waterloo in the team's second-round USHL playoff series opener. The Western Michigan recruit scored a pair of goals -- the first at 2:44 of the second period to cut Waterloo's lead to 2-1 and the second to win the game at 3:10 of overtime. He now has a four-game playoff point streak that has seen him score four goals and six points over the span. Cotter will get drafted, but it will be interesting to see how long it takes for his name to be called. (Note: Eighth appearance on this list in 2017-18)
CURTIS HALL -- Yale has a very good recruit on the way in Hall, who has had an impressive season in the USHL. His latest achievement was No. 2 star status in Youngstown's 3-2 playoff win over Dubuque -- a win that gave the Lumberjacks a 2-0 lead in the best-of-5 second-round series. His goal came at 5:40 of the second period for a 1-1 tie, and his assist was the lone helper on the game-winner at 14:40 of the third. Hall's goal was his first in the USHL postseason, coming in his seventh career playoff game. (Note: Fourth appearance on this list in 2017-18)