Each week, this column will highlight news for NHL prospects and 2019 draft-eligible players, with a close eye on U.S. men's college hockey, and share some thoughts from recent prospect viewings as we look ahead to June's 2019 NHL draft.
On Friday, we dissected the race for the No. 1 pick between Kakko and Jack Hughes, with scouts still professing their belief that Hughes remains largely the consensus top prospect for 2019. Well, maybe he reads ESPN. Kakko promptly went off this weekend. He had a goal and an assist against Tappara that same day and then netted his first professional hat trick on Saturday against Lukko.
Kakko has six points in his past three games and now has 29 on the season, including 16 goals. It is looking like Kakko is going to rather comfortably surpass Patrik Laine's draft-season (2016) totals of 33 points and 17 goals. The goal-scoring element is one of the things that allows Kakko to stand apart from Hughes a bit. He has a good release and a heavier shot, and he's pretty sneaky. In his hat trick this weekend, he was taking shots from distance with the goalie barely moving before it was by him.
Prospect notes
Kirill Kaprizov, LW/RW, CSKA Moskva (KHL)
Kaprizov hasn't produced points at the same pace he did last season in the KHL, but his goal-scoring has picked up in a major way. With nine goals in his past seven games, the 22-year-old Russian has taken sole possession of the goal-scoring lead in the KHL with 29 so far this season. He had just 15 goals in 2017-18.
What I've always liked about Kaprizov is his dogged competitiveness on top of his skill, which remains evident in recent video I've watched of the Minnesota Wild prospect. He's very strong on his skates and protects the puck well, but then he's got those quick hands to make plays. When you put his competitiveness together with his natural offensive sense, you've got a potential impact player.
Still, the waiting game continues. When will he come to the NHL? The Wild could really use a guy like him, like ... now.
Alexis Lafreniere, LW, Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL)
The early favorite for the top pick in the 2020 has absolutely torched the QMJHL this season. A report surfaced early last week that Lafreniere was considering going the European professional route a la Auston Matthews for his draft season. Although it sounds like that was at least being considered, Lafreniere's representation released a statement to the media confirming the talented 17-year-old would remain in the QMJHL with the Rimouski Oceanic, the same team that trained Sidney Crosby in his junior days.
Lafreniere is now alone at the top of the QMJHL scoring race with 92 points in 50 games. His 1.84 points per game is exceptional for a player his age, with only Crosby, Jonathan Drouin and Pierre-Marc Bouchard posting higher scoring rates as a U18 player in the Q since 2000-01.
There are going to be some high-end competitors in the 2020 class, and Lafreniere is leading them all with quite the pre-draft résumé. Despite not having the best showing at the World Juniors, he has some dynamic qualities and plays with enough intensity to make any warts fade. A summer of building strength should allow him to more comfortably dominate and provide some separation from the pack.
NCAA weekend rundown
This was an eventful weekend for our top 10 clubs. The UMass Minutemen picked up a big sweep in Hockey East over Boston College to improve to 4-0 against the traditionally powerful Bostons: University and College. It might be a down year for those two programs, but UMass is making statement after statement in proving its validity as one of college hockey's very best. Meanwhile, Ohio State took one on the chin at home by dropping a pair to the wildly inconsistent Minnesota Golden Gophers, a rare stumble for the Buckeyes.
Heading into their final weekend of the season, the independent Arizona State Sun Devils are a virtual lock for the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history. They swept American International in their final home series of the season, capping it off with a 5-4 overtime win. With no conference tournament to play and an extra week to prepare for a road battle with Minnesota, the Sun Devils are tied for eighth in the Pairwise rankings that help determine the tournament field. They would be the first independent to reach the tournament since 1992.
Quick hitters
Jack Hughes, presumptive No. 1 pick this June, returned from a lower-body injury that kept him out of last week's U18 Five Nations Tournament in Sochi, Russia. He had an assist in each of his two games in the USHL this weekend and registered nine shots on goal.
Robert Mastrosimone, a crafty forward who is an intriguing prospect for the 2019 NHL draft currently playing for the Chicago Steel in the USHL, posted four points this weekend to extend his point-streak to 10 games, registering 15 over that period. I've seen him live multiple times this year and watched video of him this weekend. He should be a fairly early pick on Day 2 of the draft.
Filip Zadina, the No. 6 pick last June for the Detroit Red Wings, has taken a while to find his legs in the AHL, but the past few weeks have shown he's feeling it now. He has nine points in his past seven games, and on Saturday night, he scored the game-winner just eight seconds into overtime as the Grand Rapids Griffins beat the San Antonio Rampage.
Alexandre Texier of the Columbus Blue Jackets is in his second full season with KalPa in the Finland's top pro league. The 19-year-old Frenchman has already obliterated last season's impressive 22 points in 53 games with 33 in 45 so far in 2018-19. That included a point-scoring streak of 11 games over the past month that was just snapped Saturday.
Hockey has been growing in Ohio in recent years, particularly in Columbus in the wake of the Blue Jackets coming to town in 2000. Kole Sherwood, from nearby New Albany and an alumnus of the Jr. Blue Jackets youth hockey program, became the first local to debut for the big club when he took the ice Saturday night against the Chicago Blackhawks. The 22-year-old still has work to do to become an everyday NHLer, but making his debut less than an a year removed from junior is impressive for a guy who was signed as an undrafted UFA.
Providence College senior goalie Hayden Hawkey became the program's all-time wins leader on Friday night and earned his seventh shutout of the season on Saturday night. He's now tied for the national lead in shutouts and has allowed only four goals over his past five starts. Hawkey was drafted in the sixth round in 2014 by the Montreal Canadiens before being dealt in 2018 to the Edmonton Oilers.
Prospect game of the week
Yale at No. 15 Harvard
Saturday, 7 p.m. ET
ESPN+
On top of this being one of the greatest rivalries in college hockey, there will be quite a few prospects on the ice for both squads. Harvard's Adam Fox (Carolina Hurricanes) is a legitimate threat for the Hobey Baker Award, and fellow Crimson defensemen Jack Rathbone (Vancouver Canucks) and Reilly Walsh (New Jersey Devils) are having strong seasons. Over on Yale's side, defensemen Jack St. Ivany (Philadelphia Flyers) and Phil Kemp (Edmonton Oilers) were on the U.S. National Junior Team this year and continue improving while playing significant roles for the Bulldogs.