In the System is your weekly Blue Jackets prospect report. We look at who's scoring, who's not, and who's stopping pucks.
At long last, some form of hockey in North America has begun. NCAA play began this weekend, and the Blue Jackets' fifth-round draft pick in 2017, Kale Howarth, was impressive for the University of Connecticut.
Elsewhere, Dimitri Voronkov, a fourth-round pick in 2019, scored a spectacular one-handed goal, his fourth tally of the year.
Let's take an in-depth look at what the last week held.
Kale Howarth
Howarth had a good weekend. On Friday night, he finished a puck right on the doorstep to tie the game at one apiece with the #7 ranked University of Massachusetts. Unfortunately, UConn would go on to lose that game, 5-1, but Howarth came back on Saturday with a vengeance.
GOAL!!!! Huskies tie it up as Jonny Evans sends a pretty pass back to Kale Howarth who buries it at the right post. #IceBus pulls even 1-1 at 14:18 pic.twitter.com/SoCGAvne5K
— UConn Men's Hockey (@UConnMHOC) November 20, 2020
On Saturday, UConn and UMass were tied after regulation and overtime. Their conference, Hockey East, determined shootouts would be used this year after the conclusion of overtime for the first time in conference history. Howarth scored the game-winner and celebrated appropriately as he etched his name in the record books and gave UConn a huge win.
Here is Kale Howarth to win the very first #HEA shootout against UMass
— UConn Men's Hockey (@UConnMHOC) November 22, 2020
pic.twitter.com/kaKxeyejHJ
Dmitri Voronkov
On Thursday, Voronkov scored one of the better goals you'll see. At 6'4" and 190 lbs., he showed that he's got some skill to go along with his size.
Can Dmitry Voronkov score with one hand? Can't see why not. pic.twitter.com/NPHQD1ZTxa
— KHL (@khl_eng) November 19, 2020
Voronkov has four goals and 10 points in 23 games this year, which is an average of .43 points per game. Last year, he averaged .35 points per game in 34 KHL contests.
Yegor Chinakhov
To the surprise of virtually no one, Chinakhov was named to Russia's camp roster for the U20 World Juniors tournament. He's been a little quiet in the KHL recently, but he's still one of Russia's best.
Team Russia U20 #WorldJuniors camp roster has been announced. pic.twitter.com/efIAg4jSQ3
— Russian Prospects (@RUSProspects) November 20, 2020
Below, you'll find an up-to-date chart of all Blue Jackets prospects that are currently playing.
2020-21 Season To Date, Skaters:
| Prospect | Draft Pick | Current Team and League | GP | G | A | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mikael Pyythiä (C) | CBJ, 4th Round, 2020 | TPS U20 (U20 SM-sarja) | 16 | 9 | 10 | 19 |
| Emil Bemstrom (RW) | CBJ, 4th Round, 2017 | HIFK (Liiga) | 15 | 8 | 9 | 17 |
| Daniel Zaar (RW) | CBJ, 6th Round, 2012 | Rögle BK, (SHL) | 14 | 6 | 8 | 14 |
| Yegor Chinakhov (RW) | CBJ, 1st Round, 2020 | Avangard Omsk (KHL) | 25 | 7 | 6 | 13 |
| Samuel Knazko (D) | CBJ, 3rd Round, 2020 | TPS U20 (U20 SM-sarja) | 21 | 4 | 9 | 13 |
| Kirill Marchenko (LW) | CBJ, 2nd Round, 2018 | SKA St. Petersburg (KHL) | 19 | 6 | 5 | 11 |
| Dmitri Voronkov (C) | CBJ, 4th Round, 2019 | Ak Bars Kazan (KHL) | 23 | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| Ole Julian Bjørgvik Holm (D) | CBJ, 5th Round, 2020 | Manglerud (Norway) | 12 | 2 | 6 | 8 |
| Eric Hjorth (D) | CBJ, 4th Round, 2019 | Frölunda HC J20 (J20 Nationell) | 14 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Marcus Karlberg (RW) | CBJ, 3rd Round, 2018 | HC Vita Hästen (HockeyAllsvenskan) | 15 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Calvin Thürkauf (C/LW) | CBJ, 7th Round, 2016 | EV Zug (NL) | 10 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Samuel Johannesson (D) | CBJ, 6th Round, 2020 | Rögle BK (SHL) | 14 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Kale Howarth (LW/C) | CBJ, 5th Round, 2017 | Univ. of Connecticut (NCAA) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Tim Berni (D) | CBJ, 6th Round, 2018 | ZSC Lions (NL) | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
2020-21 Season To Date, Goaltenders:
| Prospect | Draft Pick | Current Team and League | GP | SV% | G.A.A. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veini Vehviläinen | CBJ, 6th Round, 2018 | JYP (Liiga) | 12 | .896 | 3.19 |
| Daniil Tarasov | CBJ, 3rd Round, 2017 | Salavat Yulaev Ufa (KHL) | 3 | .902 | 2.69 |
