NEW YORK -- The field is set for the second round of the WHL playoffs, and the two teams with Penguins prospects on them will be going head-to-head.
The Portland Winterhawks, including goaltending prospect Taylor Gauthier and defense prospect Ryan McCleary, swept the Prince George Cougars in the best-of-seven first round. Gauthier started all games and stopped 111 of 115 shots faced for a 1.00 goals-against average, a .965 save percentage and one shutout. McCleary was scoreless in the series with an even plus/minus.
Forward prospect Lukas Svejkovsky and the Seattle Thunderbirds eliminated the Kelowna Rockets in five games. Svejkovsky finished the series with four goals and one assist in the five games, including a hat trick in Game 2.
The other first-round series in the WHL wrapped up on Monday night, securing a meeting between Seattle and Portland in the conference semifinals. Portland will have home-ice advantage for the series.
The schedule for that series is as follows:
Game 1: May 7, Portland @ Seattle
Game 2: May 8, Seattle @ Portland
Game 3: May 11, Seattle @ Portland
Game 4: May 13, Portland @ Seattle
*Game 5: May 14, Seattle @ Portland
*Game 6: May 16, Portland @ Seattle
*Game 7: May 17, Seattle @ Portland
*if necessary
The winner of the series will move onto the conference finals, where they will play the winner of the Vancouver Giants-Kamloops Blazers series.
____________________
Here's how the Penguins' prospects in junior, college, and Europe did this week:
FORWARDS
Raivis Ansons
Position: Right wing/left wing
Size: 6-1/190
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, fifth round
Age: 20
Team: Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)
Season totals: 56 games, 18 goals, 42 assists
Ansons appeared in two games, missing Saint John's other game this week while serving a suspension for a cross-check. He had a goal and an assist:
Ansons signed his entry-level contract with the Penguins on Monday. More on that here.
Tristan Broz
Position: Center/wing
Size: 6-0/179
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, second round
Age: 19
Team: University of Minnesota (NCAA)
Season totals: 36 games, 6 goals, 5 assists
Minnesota's season ended on April 7 in the Frozen Four.
Broz entered the transfer portal and will have a new team next season. More on that here.
Judd Caulfield
Position: Right wing
Size: 6-3/207
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2019, fifth round
Age: 20
Team: University of North Dakota (NCAA)
Season totals: 39 games, 11 goals, 9 assists
North Dakota's season ended on March 24.
Jordan Frasca
Position: Center
Size: 6-2/184
Shoots: Left
Drafted: Undrafted
Age: 20
Team: Kingston Frontenacs (OHL)
Season totals: 61 games, 42 goals, 45 assists (regular season), 5 games, 3 goals, 2 assists (playoffs)
Frasca and the Frontenacs advanced to the second round of the OHL playoffs and will play the North Bay Battalion next.
The Frontenacs eliminated the Oshawa Generals in six games. Frasca missed Game 5 with a suspension for this cross-check:
Frasca scored this goal in Game 6:
Liam Gorman
Position: Center
Size: 6-3/199
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2018, sixth round
Age: 21
Team: Princeton University (NCAA)
Season totals: 28 games, 3 goals, 3 assists
Princeton's season ended on March 5.
Lukas Svejkovsky
Position: Center/right wing
Size: 5-9/170
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2020, fourth round
Age: 20
Team: Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)
Season totals: 57 games, 35 goals, 41 assists (regular season), 5 games, 4 goals, 1 assist (playoffs)
Svejkovsky and the Thunderbirds advanced to the second round of the playoffs.
Kirill Tankov
Position: Center/wing
Size: 6-2/190
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, seventh round
Age: 19
Team: SKA-Neva (VHL)
Season totals: 38 games, 10 goals, 11 assists (regular season), 17 games, 1 goal, 4 assists (VHL playoffs)
SKA-Neva's season ended on April 10. Tankov reported to SKA's junior affiliate in the MHL following SKA-Neva's elimination, and recorded two assists in five games before sustaining an arm injury. SKA went on to win the league championship, the Kharlamov Cup.
Chase Yoder
Position: Center
Size: 5-11/185
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2020, sixth round
Age: 19
Team: Providence College (NCAA)
Season totals: 38 games, 5 goals, 6 assists
Providence's season ended on March 12.
DEFENSEMEN
Santeri Airola
Size: 5-9/163
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2019, seventh round
Age: 21
Team: Ilves (Liiga), KOOVEE (Mestis)
Season totals: 2 games (Mestis)
Airola underwent surgery in October and missed the remainder of the season. His Liiga team, Ilves, went on to win bronze in the league.
Niclas Almari
Size: 6-1/180
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2016, fifth round
Age: 23
Team: Lukko (Liiga)
Season totals: 13 games, 1 goal, 1 assist (AHL), 6 games, 4 assists (ECHL), 15 games, 2 assist (Liiga), 7 games (Liiga playoffs)
Lukko's season ended on April 3.
Almari returned to Wilkes-Barre to finish the AHL season. He appeared in two games with Wilkes-Barre this week, recording a combined five shots on goal and a minus-1 rating.
Isaac Belliveau
Size: 6-2/185
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, fifth round
Age: 19
Team: Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL)
Season totals: 67 games, 10 goals, 28 assists
Belliveau scored two goals and an assist in two games. This goal was his 10th of the season:
Daniel Laatsch
Size: 6-5/190
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, seventh round
Age: 20
Team: University of Wisconsin (NCAA)
Season totals: 28 games, 1 goal, 2 assists
Wisconsin's season ended on March 6.
Ryan McCleary
Size: 6-2/180
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2021, seventh round
Age: 18
Team: Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
Season totals: 63 games, 6 goals, 24 assists (regular season), 4 games (playoffs)
McCleary was scoreless in Portland's first-round sweep to advance to the second round.
Clayton Phillips
Size: 6-0/195
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2017, third round
Age: 22
Team: Penn State University (NCAA)
Season totals: 32 games, 5 goals, 7 assists
Penn State's season ended on March 12. Phillips signed an AHL amateur tryout with Wilkes-Barre. He played one AHL game this week, recording no points and an even plus/minus.
GOALTENDERS
Joel Blomqvist
Size: 6-1/183
Catches: Left
Drafted: 2020, second round
Age: 20
Team: Karpat (Liiga), Hermes (Mestis)
Season totals: 20 games, 1.32 GAA, .940 SV% (Liiga), 7 games, 1.10 GAA, .950 SV% (Liiga playoffs), 4 games, 2.26 GAA, .882 SV% (Mestis)
Karpat's season ended on April 6.
Blomqvist signed an amateur tryout contract with Wilkes-Barre and made his AHL debut last Saturday. He stopped 25 of 27 shots in a 3-1 loss to Springfield. Ex-Penguin James Neal had the game-winner. He returned to Finland this week to complete his mandatory military service.
Taylor Gauthier
Size: 6-2/208
Catches: Right
Drafted: Undrafted
Age: 21
Team: Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
Season totals: 42 games, 2.34 GAA, .928 SV% (regular season), 4 games, 1.00 GAA, .965 SV% (playoffs)
Gauthier's performances in Games 3 and 4 earned him WHL goaltender of the week honors, posting a combined .983 save percentage and 0.50 goals-against average in those two games.
