Prospects Of The Week
Travis Hayes Scores Twice For Soo Greyhounds In OHL Last Week
Travis Hayes scored in three consecutive games for the Soo Greyhounds, including two goals last week. The 2025 fourth round pick scored the eventual game winner in a 4-2 win over the Sudbury Wolves on Wednesday and opened the scoring in a 4-3 shootout loss to the London Knights on Friday. Hayes currently ranks sixth on the Greyhounds with 32 points in 49 games—a slight dip in production after posting 51 points in 65 games last season—but ranks third on the team with a +23 plus/minus rating. The Greyhounds currently rank fourth in the Western Conference in the OHL and, with a playoff spot already secured, hope to surprise some teams in the postseason.
Mac Swanson Goal Sparks North Dakota Comeback, Continues Offensive Jump In NCAA
Mac Swanson scored 29 seconds into the third period to make the score 3-2 and kick off a comeback for the North Dakota Fighting Hawks in a 4-3 overtime win over the Miami RedHawks on Sunday night. North Dakota swept the weekend series with a 1-0 win the previous night. The 2024 seventh round pick currently ranks seventh on the team with 21 points in 30 games—a nice jump from 18 points in 38 games as a freshman last season. North Dakota ranks third in the NCAA with only a few weeks remaining in the regular season.
Emil Pieniniemi Scores First AHL Goal, Producing Early With Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Emil Pieniniemi scored for the first time in the AHL to tie the game 3-3 for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Sunday afternoon and preserve a point in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Cleveland Monsters. Pieniniemi boasts three points in six games since joining Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at the end of January after posting four points in 10 games with the Wheeling Nailers in January. The 2023 third round pick showed off good offensive ability with 60 points in 60 games with the Kingston Frontenacs in the OHL last season and joins a strong group of exciting prospects in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton hoping to make some noise down the stretch and into the playoffs.
Down On The Farm
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Drop Two After AHL All-Star Break
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins returned from the AHL All-Star Break with a dud in a 5-0 loss to the Syracuse Crunch on Saturday night. 2026 AHL All-Star Tristan Broz led the team with six shots on goal, while fellow 2026 AHL All-Star Sergei Murashov surrendered five goals on 29 shots in the loss.
The Penguins evened the score three times on Sunday afternoon but lost 4-3 to the Cleveland Monsters in overtime. Ville Koivunen scored and added a helper. Rutger McGroarty and Emil Pieniniemi scored the other Wilkes-Barre/Scranton goals. Avery Hayes, Melvin Fernstrom, Rafael Harvey-Pinard, Joona Koppanen, and Finn Harding all recorded assists. Joel Blomqvist surrendered three goals on 16 shots before being pulled. Sergei Murashov stopped 14 shots in relief but allowed a goal on the only shot against in overtime.
Wheeling Nailers Split Four-Game Week Headed Into Off Week
Connor Lockhart scored twice in the third period to give the Wheeling Nailers a 2-1 win over the Indy Fuel on Wednesday night. Brent Johnson recorded a helper on both goals. Zach Urdahl and Logan Pietila finished with assists. Taylor Gauthier stopped 21 of 22 shots in the win.
The Nailers failed to score in a 3-0 loss to the Reading Royals on Friday night, despite piling up 29 shots on goal. Gauthier stopped 26 of 28 shots in the loss.
The Nailers outshot Reading 39-24 on Saturday night in a 6-3 win. Urdahl scored twice. Brayden Edwards, Lockhart, David Breazeale, and Daniel Laatsch scored the other Wheeling goals. Mathieu De St. Phalle recorded three assists. Brent Johnson and Scooter Brickey both recorded a pair of helpers. Craig Armstrong and Pietila both finished with helpers. Maxim Pavlenko stopped 21 of 24 shots in the win.
The Nailers fell in a shootout 3-2 to Reading on Sunday after 14 rounds of shooters. Mike Posma and Brickey scored in regulation. Tristan Thompson recorded a pair of assists. Tanner Andrew and Armstrong both finished with helpers. Gauthier stopped 19 of 21 shots in regulation and overtime but surrendered three goals on 14 attempts while the Nailers scored only twice.