NHL Draft Prospect Roundup: 10 players ending the season off strong

Credit: Larry Brunt

There’s something about putting your best foot forward when it matters most.

When the pressure’s on, it can be difficult to perform. It’s crunch time, with seasons on the line and many players just trying to prove they’re worth using a draft pick on. Plenty of players fall flat when it matters, hurting their draft stocks. But other times, the stretch run helps put you on the map instead – just ask Easton Cowan about that last year.

These 10 players have found ways to finish off the regular season – and, in some cases, the playoffs – on a high note. We’re talking about players who have stood out since the start of March and carried it on all the way. Scouts notice performances like that because they know how difficult it is when the going gets tough and the player’s career could be on the line.

Here are 10 players who have ramped things up recently:

Ondrej Becher, C (Prince George Cougars, WHL)

No draft-eligible player has been more productive than Becher since March 1, scoring 12 goals and 30 points in just 14 games. That includes seven points in four playoff outings for the Cougars as they swept the Spokane Chiefs, with Becher registering at least one point in every game. He had a season-high 10 shots in the opening game, coming out with a three-point effort. The craziest thing? He’s been off the scoresheet just three times since the start of December, helping him to finish with just fewer than 100 points as a sophomore. The offense is there all season long – including a 10-point run at the World Junior Championship – but he’s already been through the draft ringer twice already. We’ll see if a team has a change of heart this time around.

Ivan Demidov, RW (SKA-1946 St. Petersburg, MHL)

Good luck keeping Demidov off the scoresheet. Through 10 playoff games with SKA-1946 in the MHL, he’s already up to eight goals and 20 points. He’s tied for the best all-time points per game output by any MHL player with at least 10 games played in a single playoff run and is on pace to crush Nikita Gusev’s 27-point run in 16 games back in 2011 – the gold standard for U-19 MHLers. Demidov is a point-scoring machine, as shown by his 23 goals and 60 points in 30 games in a season that saw him get injured and even spend some time in the KHL. All eyes will be on the potential top five pick heading into the playoff series against Belye Medvedi Chelyabinsk.

Berkly Catton, C (Spokane Chiefs, WHL)

Catton, like the rest of Spokane, had a quiet playoff playoff exit, losing in four straight games to Prince George. Catton failed to score and had just four assists, but it can’t be understated just how good he was down the stretch. Over his last 15 games – regular season and playoffs – Catton had 11 goals and 27 points to help him finish with 116 on the season. No NHL Draft prospect outscored him this year at any level, with his 54 goals trailing just Anthony Romani out of the OHL. Catton is expected to join Canada for a second stab at the U-18 World Championship, where he’ll be counted on as a leader just like he was when he went on an absolute tear at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last spring. I’m a huge fan.

Terik Parascak, RW (Prince George Cougars, WHL)

From playing prep hockey a year ago to finishing eighth in WHL scoring this year, Parascak has been a revelation this season. He finished with 43 goals and 105 points, including 26 points in his past 14 games. He’s been scoring at nearly a goal-per-game since March 1, including four goals and six points against Spokane in the first round. He kicked things off with a hat trick in Game 1 – his second of the year after scoring four in just his third game of the season – and was only held off the scoresheet once in the four-game set against the Chiefs. Some scouts are worried his game isn’t rounded enough and that playing on an offensively dominant team has helped him significantly, but he’s a top-60 candidate that, with the right system around him, could make him a top-six scorer sooner rather than later.

Zayne Parekh, RHD (Saginaw Spirit, OHL)

Yeah, Parekh is incredible. In 37 games since Jan. 1, the defender had 21 goals and 56 points and 134 shots – no draft-eligible OHLer had more. He finished the regular season with 33 goals and 96 points in 66 games to lead all U-18 OHLers. It was the third most productive U-18 season ever by an OHL defender, and he’s one of just two that age to crack 80 points in the 21st Century – the other being Ryan Ellis’ 89-point season in 2008-09. For reference, Carter Yakemchuk and Sam Dickinson were the only other first-year draft defensemen to break 70 points this year. Parekh was far and away the best offensive defenseman in junior hockey this year, so it’ll be exciting to see just how high he goes.

Clarke Caswell, LW (Swift Current Broncos)

Many believe Caswell should go outside the top 60, but he put up a good fight as the season wore on. He had 10 goals and 26 points in his last 15 games, including eight points in four postseason games as the Broncos eliminated the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Caswell has at least one point in every game since getting left off the scoresheet on Feb. 19, finishing off the regular season strong after a good, yet unspectacular first half. It’s hard to get a good read on what his future’s like – he’s not big, needs to improve his skating and could up his defensive game, but with the puck, there’s a lot to like.

Michael Hage, C (Chicago Steel, USHL)

After starting the year as a projected late first-rounder, could Hage put himself in the top 20? It’s been well-documented how he missed most of 2022-23 with an injury, but with 32 goals and 73 points in 52 games this year – including 25 points in his past 10 – he’s been an unstoppable force. He’s second in league scoring among everyone and third in goals among draft-eligible prospects while still playing with an edge. Teams are excited, that’s for sure.

Beckett Sennecke, RW (Oshawa Generals, OHL)

What a year it’s been for Sennecke. He has 22 points in 13 games since March 1, and leads all OHL forwards since Jan. 1 with 19 goals and 46 points. Sennecke isn’t afraid to rough it up and get into the dirty areas to win puck battles and is a very underrated passer, too. Sure, he’s got one of the best prospects in the game alongside him in Cal Ritchie, but Sennecke is not getting carried – he is a powerhouse himself.

Tij Iginla, C (Kelowna Rockets, WHL)

If Iginla has made anything abundantly clear this year, it’s how much he loves having the puck on his stick. He had 47 goals and 84 points in the regular season, and is entering Game 5 against Wenatchee with six goals in four games. There are few better pure goal scorers in this draft class, which has pushed him into the top 10 conversation for some scouts. He dazzled at the CHL Top Prospects Game and has shown on multiple occasions that he can take over a game when he’s feeling it. Iginla is going to be a difference-maker in the NHL.

Matvei Gridin, LW (Muskegon, USHL)

Gridin is likely to win the USHL scoring race, which, after scoring 20 goals and 43 points in 27 games since Jan. 1, isn’t too surprising. He’s entering the league’s regular season stretch run on top with 35 goals and 77 points in 56 games – a huge step above his eight goals and 21 points last year. The University of Michigan product has 23 multi-point efforts this season, the most in the USHL. His two-way game needs some work, but something positive typically happened when Gridin touched the puck this year.

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