The Albany Devils win/point streak ended before it could break a record, but it is an exciting time for a few prospects heading to the WJC in Sweden.
While the Albany Devils win streak came to an end, there were a few highlights from the week. Stefan Matteau and Steve Santini will be playing for the U.S. in the World Junior Championship Tournament in Sweden, but Damon Severson didn't make the final cut for team Canada. Keep reading for stats and notes on each prospect.
Player
Birth Year
Team
League
Position
GP
G
A
PTS
PPG
+/-
PIM
PP
SHG
SOG
SH%
Jon Merrill (X)
1992
Albany
AHL
D
14
2
7
9
0.64
-1
0
2
0
20
10
Joe Whitney
1988
Albany
AHL
LW
28
10
19
29
2
2
16
3
0
76
13.2
Scott Timmins
1989
Albany
AHL
C
14
6
9
15
1.07
6
6
2
1
32
18.8
David Wohlberg
1990
Albany
AHL
C
23
2
0
2
0.09
-1
14
0
0
14
14.3
Harri Pesonen
1988
Albany
AHL
LW
28
5
9
14
0.50
5
30
1
0
59
8.5
Reid Boucher (X)
1993
Albany
AHL
LW
21
10
8
18
0.86
4
2
2
0
69
14.5
Brandon Burlon
1990
Albany
AHL
D
27
2
5
7
0.26
-3
18
1
0
35
5.7
Eric Gelinas (X)
1991
Albany
AHL
D
5
1
2
3
0.60
2
4
1
0
20
5
Seth Helgeson
1990
Albany
AHL
D
28
0
5
5
0.18
4
52
0
0
23
0
Cam Janssen (X)
1984
Albany
AHL
RW
11
0
1
1
0.09
-2
15
0
0
2
0
Dan Kelly
1989
Albany
AHL
D
28
1
9
10
0.36
8
42
0
0
32
3.1
Stefan Matteau (X)
1994
Albany
AHL
LW
25
6
7
13
0.52
1
35
1
0
40
15
Chris McKelvie
1985
Albany
AHL
LW
28
5
6
11
0.39
0
40
0
1
45
11.1
Corbin McPherson
1988
Albany
AHL
D
24
0
3
3
0.13
3
21
0
0
11
0
Rod Pelley
1984
Albany
AHL
C
28
3
2
5
0.18
-3
26
0
0
39
7.7
Tim Sestito (X)
1984
Albany
AHL
C
21
5
9
14
0.67
-2
28
1
1
34
14.7
Mike Sislo
1988
Albany
AHL
RW
24
8
9
17
0.71
5
12
3
1
53
15.1
Darcy Zajac
1986
Albany
AHL
C
4
0
1
1
0.25
-3
12
0
0
2
0
Reece Scarlett
1993
Albany
AHL
D
26
4
6
10
0.38
10
16
4
0
40
10
Mike Hoeffel
1989
Albany
AHL
LW
24
5
5
10
0.42
-1
25
2
0
47
10.6
Kelly Zajac
1988
Albany
AHL
C
22
2
12
14
0.64
5
2
1
0
24
8.3
Riley Boychuk
1991
Albany
AHL
LW
13
1
1
2
0.15
2
12
0
0
5
20
Harry Young (X)
1989
Elmira
ECHL
D
6
0
0
0
0.00
-1
5
0
0
1
0
Raman Hrabarenka
1992
Albany
AHL
D
17
3
10
13
0.76
-2
7
3
0
33
9.1
Artem Demkov
1989
Albany
AHL
C
7
3
2
5
0.71
2
4
1
0
16
18.8
Mattias Tedenby (X)
1990
Albany
AHL
LW
2
3
1
4
2.00
2
0
1
0
5
60
Goalies
GP
Mins
W
L
SOL
SO
GA
GAA
SVS
SV%
Keith Kinkaid
1989
Albany
AHL
G
16
975:57:00
11
4
1
3
34
2.09
386
0.919
Scott Wedgewood
1992
Albany
AHL
G
11
630:07:00
6
5
0
0
32
3.05
220
0.873
Maxime Clermont
1991
Elmira
ECHL
G
11
600:00:00
4
6
1
0
33
3.3
280
0.895
Anthony Brodeur
1995
Gatineau Olympiques
QMJHL
G
15
718:38:00
7
6
0
0
38
3.17
270
0.877
(X - not on active roster)
Player
Birth Year
Team
League
Position
GP
G
A
PTS
PPG
+/-
PIM
PP
SHG
SOG
SH%
Artur Gavrus
1994
Dinamo Minsk
KHL
C
20
1
2
3
0.15
-2
8
0
0
27
3.70%
Vladimir Zharkov
1988
CSKA Moskva
KHL
RW
35
2
2
4
0.11
-2
4
0
0
53
3.77%
Graham Black
1993
Swift Current Broncos
WHL
C
36
17
32
49
1.36
15
31
6
2
-
-
Myles Bell
1993
Kelowna Rockets
WHL
LW
31
17
15
32
1.03
13
25
1
1
-
-
Damon Severson
1994
Kelowna Rockets
WHL
D
27
9
19
28
1.04
15
24
4
0
-
-
Ben Johnson
1994
Windsor Spitfires
OHL
C
28
15
9
24
0.86
7
8
1
2
-
-
Ben Thomson (total)
1993
North Bay Battalion
OHL
LW
23
8
7
15
0.65
-3
55
3
1
-
-
Ryan Kujawinski
1995
Kingston Frontenacs
OHL
C
28
14
11
25
0.89
1
27
5
0
-
-
Blake Coleman
1991
Miami Ohio
NCAA
C
17
10
6
16
0.94
8
39
3
0
64
15.63%
Alexander Kerfoot
1994
Harvard University
NCAA
C
10
3
1
4
0.40
5
2
1
0
17
17.65%
Blake Pietila
1993
Michigan Tech
NCAA
LW
19
2
7
9
0.47
-5
52
2
0
55
3.64%
Derek Rodwell
1990
University of North Dakota
NCAA
LW
8
2
0
2
0.25
2
8
0
0
15
13.33%
Miles Wood
1995
Brown University
NCAA
LW
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Joe Faust
1991
University of Wisconsin
NCAA
D
14
1
7
8
0.57
6
0
0
0
13
7.69%
Curtis Gedig
1991
Ohio State University
NCAA
D
14
0
3
3
0.21
5
8
0
0
23
0.00%
Steve Santini
1995
Boston College
NCAA
D
13
2
5
7
0.54
13
36
0
0
16
12.50%
Albany Notes:
After a few exciting weeks in Albany with six straight wins, this past weekend was a disappointment with two losses. The first was a 3-2 overtime loss to the Binghamton Senators. Harri Pesonen scored both regulation goals and Kinkaid was in net getting just his fourth loss of the season. The Devils outshot Binghamton 31-29. Here are the highlights:
In what could have set an Albany record for points in ten straight games, the Devils fell just short, losing 4-3 to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in the final few minutes of the game. Scott Wedgewood was in net and was dislodged from his crease on the game-winning goal. He made 22 saves. Albany had just 15 shots and got goals from Mike Hoeffel, Harri Pesonen, and Scott Timmins. Here are the highlights:
Scott Timmins returned to the Albany lineup this week after missing 14 games with an injury. He had a goal and assist in his first weekend back.
Harri Pesonen had three goals in two games raising his total to five on the season.
Stefan Matteau was named to U.S. WJC team and will be participating in the tournament in Malmo, Sweden. Their first game is today at 11:30 ET against the Czech Republic. Here is the full schedule.
Other Notes:
In the WJC-20 D1A tournament, Artur Gavrus lead the tournament in points with five goals and six assists for eleven points. This is the second year in a row he had the most points. His team, Belarus, received bronze while Latvia won silver and Austria earned gold.
I was very surprised to see Damon Severson was cut from the Canadian WJC team. He was one of the final defenseman let go and was sent back to the Kelowna Rockets where he has been leading the best defensive team and the top team in the WHL all season.
Ben Johnson had two goals and two assists in an 11-6 win over Saginaw.
Ryan Kujawinski had two goals (both PPG) and two assists in two games for the Kingston Frontenacs last week.
There were no college prospects in action due to the holidays.
Steve Santini made the final cut for the US WJC team. He will be travelling to Sweden along with Matteau and the rest of the team.
Prospect of the Week:
This week goes to both Stefan Matteau and Steve Santini. Both made the final cut for the US WJC team and will be travelling to Malmo, Sweden to help the US try to win gold for the second year in a row. I will have updates on their play throughout the tournament. Congratulations to both.
Do you think Santini and Matteau can help the US WJC team repeat as champions? What do you think the Albany Devils need to do to get back in the win column? Feel free to discuss your thoughts on the prospects in the comments section below. I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season! Thanks for reading.