Minnesota Wild Prospects Report: Dylan Labbé’s Big Week; Lang, Lucia, & Duke Continue Impressive Run

Alexandre Belanger

Belanger and his Rouyn-Noranda Huskies had three games this last week, going 1-2 with Belanger getting the start in two of the games.

He got a win on Thursday over Acadie-Bathurst, allowing just one goal on 31 shots. He got the start again Sunday when Rouyn-Noranda took on Cape Breton, but was yanked after allowing three goals on 11 shots in the first period. Cape Breton went on to win that game 6-4.

Louie Belpedio

Belpedio and his University of Miami (OH) Redhawks split their weekend series with Omaha. Belpedio had two assists, a pair of shots, a minor penalty, and a plus-2 rating in Friday’s 8-2 win. He didn’t tally the next night when the pendulum swung in the other direction, with Omaha taking a 5-2 win over the Redhawks.

Christoph Bertschy

Bertschy, still playing in SC-Bern in the Swiss A League, has ten goals and 12 assists through 29 games.

Reid Duke

Duke and the Brandon Wheat Kings started the week by dropping a pair of games to the Regina Pats in which Duke a goal, an assist, and a plus-2 rating.

They finished off the week with a win though, beating the Swift Current Broncos 6-4. Duke scored again in this game to finish the three-game run with two goals and an assist.

Duke currently has ten goals and 18 assists through 27 games this season, with the first few coming prior to his trade to Brandon from the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Those 28 points on the season have hit ranked sixth overall on the Wheat Kings, who currently hold the WHL’s best record in the Eastern Conference. A far cry from the Lethbridge Hurricanes who finished at the bottom of the Eastern last year (and are there again this season).

Tanner Faith

Faith saw time in the first two Kootenay games this week, adding an assist in Saturday’s 3-2 win over the Spokane Chiefs.

However, Taylor Rocca tweeted out that Faith was held out of Sunday’s game against the Tri-City Americans with an undisclosed injury.

Pavel Jenys

The Sudbury Wolves dropped both of their matches this week, getting outscored by a total of 12-3 in losses to the Mississauga Steelheads (5-1, shots were 29-29) and the Oshawa Generals (Oshawa outshot the Wolves 53-24). Jenys finished the week with an assist and a relatively modest minus-2 rating.

The Wolves still sit at the bottom of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) standings with a record of 5-22-1-0.

Through 28 games this season, Jenys has six goals, 16 assists, a minus-11 rating (really not that bad considering), and 22 penalty minutes. He ranks second on the team in points, just one behind Nathan Pancel.

Dylan Labbé

Labbé started his week of strong, scoring a pair of goals in a 5-1 Shawinigan win over Baie-Comeau on Thursday. In Friday’s 5-4 win over Victoriaville, Labbé potted two more and added an assist.

Shawinigan dropped their third game of the week in a 5-3 decision against Blainville-Boisbriand. But, again, Labbé was a part of the offensive attack, scoring a goal and an assist.

In three games this week he had five goals, two assists, and eight penalty minutes. Not a bad week for the young defender.

Through 28 games in the QMJHL this season, Labbé has nine goals on 50 shots, as well as 14 assists. He’s tied for eighth among all QMJHL defensemen in scoring.

Christoph Bertschy defends in front of the SC Bern net.

Photo by Mika Kylmäniemi

Chase Lang

Lang and the Calgary Hitmen had two games this last week and won both in impressive fashion. On Tuesday, Lang had a goal and two assists as the Hitmen won a high scoring battle against the Red Deer Rebels, 9-5.

It was a little less of a shootout on Friday when Lang tallied one assist in a 6-2 win over the Edmonton Oil Kings.

Lang current has 12 goals and 12 assists through 25 games. That puts him at fifth on the team in scoring.

Mario Lucia

Lucia continued his impressive season for Notre Dame, who swept their weekend series against UMASS Amherst. He added a goal in a 7-5 win on Friday and a goal and an assist in Saturday’s 4-0 win.

Lucia leads Notre Dame in goals with 11 through the season’s first 18 games.

Steve Michalek

Michalek got the start for Harvard in both games over the weekend. Friday he stopped 22 of 25 in a 4-3 win over Princeton. Saturday Harvard grabbed a 5-2 win over Quinnipiac, despite being outshot. But Michalek kept Harvard in the game, stopping 43 shots in the 5-2 win.

Lou Nanne

Nanne is still out for RPI.

Avery Peterson

On the other side of Belpedio’s Redhawks weekend was Avery Peterson and the Omaha Mavericks. Peterson grabbed an assist in the 8-2 loss and a goal and an assist in the 5-2 win the following night.

Hunter Warner

Warner was a scratch in all three Prince Albert Raiders games this week due to injury.

Photo of Avery Peterson by Jared Mehle.