On Wednesday January 8th we saw Charlottetown play Acadie–Bathurst Titan. Here are the Prospects who caught our eye
Lukas Cormier (4.25 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — B) Defense
Cormier is a smooth skating defenseman with good puck-moving ability skill level. After a tough first shift where he caught an edge and fell giving a clear lane for a goal against, the NHL Central Scouting B-Rated Skater recovered and played fairly well. He has a long stride, which sometimes makes it look like he isn’t giving a full effort, but he makes an impact. Cormier looked to get up into the play offensively, joining the rush and making good passes through the neutral zone and in the offensive end of the ice. He was at his best on the PP, as the quarterback on breakouts and manning the point as a distributor, as well as getting pucks to the net. He kept pucks in with pinches, and wanted the puck. He had a tendency to get caught up in the play, having to work to get back defensively–contributing to the second goal against. There is a lot of talent there, particularly offensively. Game Grade:B+
Nikita Alexandrov (4.25 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — B-, 2019 Round 2 #62 St. Louis Blues) Forward
Alexandrov–the 2nd rounder of the St. Louis Blues this past June–was the most impactful skater for the Islanders in this match. Used in all situations, Alexandrov created chances for his teammates at 5v5 and on the man advantage, as well as scoring opportunities for himself while on the penalty kill–even drawing a penalty shot while down a man. Though the puck bobbled on him there, The 2000 born skater stuck with it and scored on a chance moments later, where he fought through a defender and somehow put one past the Titan goalie. He showed good skating ability, skill with the puck, playmaking ability, and made several quality reads in all zones–turning pucks over and creating chances for Charlottetown. A skilled player, Alexandrov scored his 15th goal in his 20h game of the season. Game Grade: A-
William Trudeau (3.75 Star Amateur Rating, 2021 NHL Grade — C) Defense
Trudeau had a solid match here. The left-shot D-man has good size and used it well, playing a physical game and finishing credited with four hits. The late 2002 born skater kept shifts alive with his willingness to pinch down the wall, and broke up opportunities against by making good defensive reads in the neutral zone. He showed good poise with the puck, escaping fore checkers well and making simple first passes for zone exits. His skating is decent, when he did get up in the play and needed to get back defensively, he was able to catch up with relative ease. He made one great defensive play, sliding to nullify a 2v1 against, and one great offensive play–picking off a pass in the neutral zone and driving to the net for a scoring chance that just went wide. A late pick in the QMJHL Draft, Trudeau looked steady and strong here. Game Grade: B
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images
Game Evaluation: William White