Prospects Of The Week
Harrison Brunicke Continues Strong Production From Blueline With Kamloops Blazers
Harrison Brunicke continued to produce from the backend in the WHL with five assists in three games for the Kamloops Blazers last week. The 2024 second round pick recorded three assists–two primary and one secondary–in a 5-2 win over the Red Deer Rebels on Wednesday, added a secondary assist in a 5-2 win over the Penticton Vees on Friday, and picked up another secondary assist in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Prince George Cougars on Saturday. Brunicke boasts 12 points in eight games since rejoining Kamloops after starting the season with Pittsburgh and representing Canada at the 2026 World Junior Championship. The Blazers currently rank fifth in the Western Conference in the WHL, and the look to surprise some teams in the postseason with the addition of Brunicke on the blueline.
Owen Pickering Staying Steady In Strong AHL Sophomore Season
Owen Pickering continued to string together a solid sophomore season in the AHL with a goal and a primary assist last week in a pair of wins for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Pickering recorded the primary assist on the opening goal of a 4-1 win over the Syracuse Crunch on Saturday and gave the Penguins a 5-1 lead in a 6-2 win over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Sunday with a bomb from the point on the power play. The 2022 first round pick leads blueliners on the team with five goals and 18 points through 42 games and ranks second on the team with a +13 plus/minus rating. Last year Pickering recorded 13 points, including two goals, in 47 games. Pickering hopes to finish the 2025-26 season strong and be a legitimate candidate to make the NHL roster next season.
Emil Jarventie Returns From Injury, Finds Scoresheet In Mestis
Emil Jarventie returned to the Nokian Pyry lineup after missing nearly 11 weeks due to injury and quickly reacclimatized with a goal and two points in two games last week. Prior to the injury, Jarventie carried five goals and 10 points through 15 games in the Mestis, the second tier of professional hockey in Finland. The 2023 seventh round pick missed significant time last season and played in only 16 games between the Liiga and the U20 SM-Sarja and looks to be on pace to play in roughly 27 games in 2025-26 between the Liiga and the Mestis. Only 20 years old, hopefully the offseason allows Jarventie to get back on a good development track, but missing significant parts of two key post-draft seasons potentially hinders the ceiling of the Finnish forward.
Down On The Farm
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Win Pair Of Division Matchups
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins beat the Syracuse Crunch 4-1 on Saturday. Matt Dumba and Gabe Klassen both scored and added helpers. Avery Hayes and Rafael Harvey-Pinard scored the other Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins goals. Owen Pickering, Aaron Huglen, Boko Imama, and Atley Calvert all finished with assists. Sergei Murashov stopped 26 of 27 shots in the win.
Six different Penguins scored in a 6-2 win over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Sunday afternoon. Aidan McDonough, Nolan Renwick, Imama, Hayes, Pickering, and Harvey-Pinard scored. Dumba recorded four assists. Chase Pietilia, Zach Gallant, Emil Pieniniemi, Ville Koivunen, Tanner Howe, and Klassen all finished with helpers. Joel Blomqvist turned away 23 of 25 shots in the win.
Wheeling Nailers Drop Three One-Goal Games, Manage Two Points In Four Losses
The Wheeling Nailers forced overtime with a late goal but lost to the Maine Mariners 3-2 in a shootout on Wednesday night. Connor Lockhart scored 13 seconds into the third period to tie the game 1-1 and Logan Pietilia scored with 23 seconds remaining in the third period to tie the game 2-2. David Breazeale, Eric Parker, Brent Johnson, and Mathieu De St. Phalle all recorded assists. Taylor Gauthier stopped 31 of 32 shots and four of five attempts in the shootout. All five Wheeling shooters failed to score.
The Nailers fell behind 3-0 in the first period and never caught up in a 6-3 loss to the Worcester Railers on Friday night. Breazeale, De St. Phalle, and Max Graham scored. Brent Johnson and Ryan Mashie both recorded two assists, and Tristan Thompson and Logan Pietila finished with helpers. Maxim Pavlenko surrendered six goals on 24 shots in the loss.
The Nailers forced overtime after falling behind 2-0 to the Railers on Saturday but lost 3-2 in the extra frame. Matthew Quercia scored and added a helper. Brent Johnson scored the other Wheeling goal. Bogdans Hodass and Thompson both recorded assists. Gauthier surrendered three goals on 31 shots.
Despite outshooting the Railers 34-18 on Sunday afternoon, the Nailers fell 1-0. Gauthier stopped 17 shots in the loss.