Sebastian Aho earns Gold, Alex Nedeljkovic earns Bronze at WJHC

Sebastian Aho and Alex Nedeljkovic received their fair share of praise the last two weeks as they helped their respective teams and countries earn hardware at the 2016 World Junior Hockey Championship in Helsinki, Finland.

Aho was part of a dynamic line with 2016 draft eligible players Jesse Puljujarvi and Patrik Laine leading Finland to the Gold Medal. The three players ranked first (Puljujarvi), second (Aho) and third (Laine) in the tournament in scoring, as well as being named Team Finland’s top three players. Aho wasn’t considered a third wheel on the line, rather an equal contributor.

Aho has elevated his status among scouts, living up to being being drafted 35th overall in 2015. Expectations are he could play his way on to the Hurricanes roster next season, especially after a solid first half of the season with Karpat. He is also eligible to play in the WJHC next year as a 19 year old.

Nedeljkovic started 6 of Team USA’s 7 games going 4-2 with a .942 save percentage and 1.66 goals against average en route to a Bronze medal. Named one of the top three players on the team, his numbers were just behind Goalie of the Tournament Linus Soderstrom of Sweden (4-1, .947 save percentage, 1.42 GAA).

Nedeljkovic received countless praise for his ability to absorb shots and control the pace of play. He drew comparisons to Mike Richter, Jonathan Quick, and Ed Belfour during games. He’s expected to give the Niagara Ice Dogs a huge push as he returns to his OHL club before beginning his pro career at the end of the season.

Previous Prospects earning medals since 1998:

2005 – Andrew Ladd (Gold| CAN)

2008 – Zach Boychuk (Gold | CAN), Brandon Sutter (Gold | CAN)

2009 – Zach Boychuk (Gold | CAN)

2011 – Brian Dumoulin (Bronze | USA), Justin Faulk (Bronze | USA)

2012 – Victor Rask (Gold | SWE)

2013 – Elias Lindholm (Silver | SWE), Victor Rask (Silver | SWE)

2014 – Erik Karlsson (Silver | SWE), Elias Lindhold (Silver | SWE), Lucas Wallmark (Silver | SWE)

2015 – Sergei Tolchinski (Silver | RUS)

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Prospect reports for Dec. 22, 2015 – Jan 5, 2016

2015 Draft Picks:

Sebastian Aho, 2nd Round (#35 overall)

Last two weeks: 7GP – 4AG-8A-12PTS, 4 PIM, 16 SOG, 31.2% shooting (WJHC)
Won the Gold medal as a Member of Team Finland at the World Junior Hockey Championship.
Ranked second in scoring in the Tournament with 14 points behind Kärpät teammate Jesse Puljujärvi.
Named one of Team Finland’s top three players as voted by the coaches in the tournament. Linemates and 2016 Draft Eliglible forwards Patrik Laine and Puljajarvi were the others.
Alternate Captain for Team Finland
This Season: 26GP – 10G-11A-21PTS, 0 PIM, 63 SOG, 15.8% shooting (Liiga)
8GP – 3G-4A-7PTS, 2 PIM, 16 SOG, 18.7% shooting (CHL)
Next Game: Friday, January 8, 2016 vs. SaiPa Lappeenranta (Liiga), Tuesday, January 12, 2016 at Lukko Rauma (CHL Semi-Final)

Callum Booth, 4th Round (#93 overall)

Last Two Week: 3GP (3 Starts) – 1W-1L-1OTL, .904%, 2.98GAA
Booth was named QMJHL goaltender of the Month for December.
This Season: 24GP (24 Starts) – 14W-7L-2OTL, .905%, 2.93 GAA, 2 SO
Next Game: Friday, January 8, 2016 vs. Victoriaville, Tigres

Nicolas Roy, 4th Round (#96 overall)

Last Two Weeks: 4GP – 2G-3A-5PTS, 2 PIM, 15 SOG, 13.3% shooting, 64.6% Faceoffs
Chicoutimi Seguenees went 3-1 with Roy recording a point in all four games.
This Season: 34GP – 21G-23A-44PTS, 49 PIM, 123 shots, 17.1% shooting, 60.9% Faceoffs
Next Game: Thursday, Janurary 7, 2016 vs. Baie-Comeau, Drakkar

Spencer Smallman, 5th Round (#138 overall)

Last Two Weeks: 3GP – 2G-0A-2PTS, 9 PIM, 9 SOG, 22.2% shooting
Saint John Sea Dogs went 1-1, 1-0 when Smallman recorded a point.
This Season: 33GP – 8G-13A-21PTS, 39 PIM, 75 SOG, 13.0% shooting
Next Game: Saturday, January 9, 2016 at Acadie-Bathurst, Titan

Luke Stevens, 5th Round (#126 overall)

Last Two Weeks: 2GP – 3G-1A-4PTS
This Season: 8GP – 7G-9A-16PTS
Next Game: Wednesday, January 6, 2016 vs. St. Sebastian’s School

David Cotton, 6th Round (#169 overall)

This Two Weeks: 3GP – 2G-0A-0PTS, 0 PIM, 7 SOG, 28.5% shooting
Waterloo Black Hawks went 2-1, 1-1 when Cotton recorded a point.
This Season: 26GP – 10G-9A-19PTS, 8 PIM, 67 shots, 14.9% shooting
Next Game: Friday, January 9, 2016 vs. Tri-City Storm

Steven Lorentz, 7th Round (#186 overall)

Last Two Weeks: 3GP – 2G-2A-4PTS, 4 PIM, 9 SOG, 22.2% shooting
Peterborough Petes went 1-2, 0-2 when Lorentz recorded a point.
This Season: 38GP – 16G-18A-34PTS, 16 PIM, 106 SOG, 15.0% shooting
Next Game: Thursday, January 7, 2017 vs. Oshawa Generals

2014 Draft Picks:

Haydn Fleury, 1st Round (#7 overall)

Last Two Weeks: 5GP – 0G-1A-1PT, 0 PIM, 6 SOG, 0.0% shooting (WJHC), 1GP – 0G-1A-1PT, 2 PIM, 7 SOG, 0% shooting
Team Canada went 2-3 in the World Junior Hockey Championship, losing to Finland in the Quarterfinals.
Red Deer Rebels went 1-0 with Fleury in the lineup, recording an assist in his first game back from the WJHC.
This Season: 25GP – 7G-14A-21PTS, 29PIM (WHL)
Next Game: Wednesday, January 6, 2016 at Saskatoon Blades

Alex Nedeljkovic, 2nd Round (#37 overall)

Last Two Week: 6GP (6 Starts) – 4W-2L, 1.66 GAA, .942%, 1 SO (WJHC)
Earned the Bronze Medal as the Starting Goaltender for Team USA at the WJHC. He started 6 of Team USA’s 7 games.
This Season: 3GP (3 Starts) – 2W-1L, 1.67 GAA, .946% (NIA)
19GP (19 Starts) – 9W-7L-1OTL-1SOL, 3.21 GAA, .907%, 1 SO (Flint)
22GP (22 starts) 11W-8L-1OTL-1SOL, 3.00 GAA, .912% (OHL Totals)
Next Game: Friday, January 8, 2015 at Saginaw Spirit (OHL)

Roland McKeown, 2nd Round (#50 overall)

Last Two Weeks: 5GP – 0G-0A-0PT, 2 PIM, 4 shots, 0.0% shooting (WJHC)
Team Canada went 2-3 in the World Junior Hockey Championship, losing to Finland in the Quarterfinals.
This Season: 30GP – 6G-22A-28PTS, 31 PIM, 83 shots, 7.2% shooting
Next Game: Friday, January 8, 2016 vs. Oshawa Generals (OHL)

Warren Foegele, 3rd Round (#67 overall)

Last Two Weeks: 3GP – 1G-4A-5PTS, 6 PIM, 6 SOG, 16.6% shooting
Kingston Frontenacs went 2-1, 2-0 when Foegele recorded a point.
This Season: 23GP – 4G-19A-23PTS, 24 PIM, 37 shot, 10.8% shooting (OHL)
5GP – 0G-1A-1PT, 6 PIM, 8 shots, 0% shooting (NCAA)
Next Game: Friday, January 8, 2016 vs. Oshawa Generals

Josh Wesley, 4th Round (#96 overall)

Last Two Weeks: 4GP – 1G-0A-1PT, 0 PIM, 5 SOG, 20.0% shooting
Niagara IceDogs went 2-3, 1-0 when Wesley recorded a point.
This Season: 9GP – 2G-0A-2PTS, 2 PIM, 13 shots, 15.3% shooting (NIA)
24GP – 2G-10A-12PTS, 21PIM, 42 Shots, 4.7% shooting (Flint)
33GP – 4G-10A-14PTS, 23 PIM, 55 shots, 17.3% shooting (OHL Total)
Next Game: Wednesday, January 6, 2016 at Hamilton Bulldogs

Lucas Wallmark, 4th Round (#97 overall)

Last Two Weeks: 3GP – 0G-1A-1PT, 2 PIM (SHL)
This Season: 26GP – 3G-18A-21PTS, 10 PIM (SHL), 5GP – 0G-0A-0PTS, 4 PIM (CHL), 3GP – 1G-0A-1PT, 2 PIM (Team Sweden / Channel One Cup)
Next Game: Thursday, January 7, 2016 at Linköpings HC (SHL)

Clark Bishop, 5th Round (#127 overall)

Last Two Weeks: 3GP – 1G-1A-2PTS, 2 PIM, 9 shot, 0.0% shooting, 52.5% faceoffs
Bishop suffered a Lower Body Injury on 12/31, missed two games and may miss more this week.
This Season: 28GP – 11G-15A-26PTS, 56 PIM, 63 shots, 17.5% shooting, 51.4% faceoffs
Next Game: Friday, January 8, 2016 at Acadie-Bathurst, Titan

Sebastian Aho earns Gold, Alex Nedeljkovic earns Bronze at WJHC

Previous Prospects earning medals since 1998:

Prospect reports for Dec. 22, 2015 – Jan 5, 2016