In the System: Svejkovsky named WHL Player of Week taken at PPG Paints Arena (Weekly Features)

SEATTLE THUNDERBIRDS

Lukas Svejkovsky

Penguins forward prospect Lukas Svejkovsky had quite the week.

Svejkovsky was named the WHL Player of the Week for the week ending on March 27 after leading all WHL skaters with eight points (five goals, three assists) in three games during that span.

Svejkovsky scored twice on the power play in the Seattle Thunderbirds' 5-2 win over Vancouver on Friday:

He had a five-point night in Seattle's 6-2 win over Vancouver the following night, scoring a hat trick and two assists:

The second goal of the hat trick came on a penalty shot:

Svejkovsky added an assist in Seattle's 4-1 win over Tri-City on Sunday.

Svejkovsky, the Penguins' 20-year-old 2020 fourth-round pick, has now recorded 30 goals and 39 assists in 53 games this season.

Penguins director of player development Scott Young has made the trip out west to see Svejkovsky a couple of times this season, and Young told me he thinks Svejkovsky has "very high skill, a really good skater."

If there's a knock on Svejkovsky, it's his size, at 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds. The Penguins can't teach him to be any taller, but they're hoping to work with him to get him stronger.

"There's a lot to really like about him," Young told me. "We've got to get a little more muscle on him. And always, the case is going to be making sure with the transition (to the pro game) that he pays attention to the details in the defensive zone. But there's a high ceiling there."

Svejkovsky will be making that jump to the pro game next season.

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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: 42 games, 13 goals, 34 assists

Ansons played in four games and scored three goals and five assists.

Two of his goals were shorthanded breakaways, coming in consecutive games:

Tristan Broz
Position
: Center/wing
Size: 6-0/179
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, second round
Age: 19
Team: University of Minnesota (NCAA)
Season totals: 35 games, 6 goals, 5 assists

Minnesota advanced to the Frozen Four with a 4-3 overtime win over UMass in and then a 3-0 win over Western Michigan. Broz played first-line left wing in both games.

Broz scored in the first round in Minnesota's comeback over UMass:

Minnesota will face Minnesota State on April 7.

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 with a 2-1 loss to Notre Dame on March 24. Caulfield was scoreless in the game.

Jordan Frasca
Position
: Center
Size: 6-2/184
Shoots: Left
Drafted: Undrafted
Age: 20
Team: Kingston Frontenacs (OHL)
Season totals: 56 games, 41 goals, 42 assists

Frasca scored three goals and an assist in three games this week. His first goal was an overtime winner:

He hit the 40-goal mark with this one:

Goal No. 41 came shorthanded:

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: 56 games, 30 goals, 39 assists

Svejkovsky scored five goals and three assists in three games this week.

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), 11 games, 1 goal, 2 assist (playoffs)

SKA-Neva didn't play this week as the team awaits the semifinal round to begin. Game 1 is on March 30.

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 missed the start of the Liiga season with a lower-body injury. His team announced on Oct. 14 that Airola underwent surgery and is expected to be sidelined for 6-8 months.

Though Airola obviously hasn't played in any games, his Ilves club has a 2-0 series lead over Karpat in the quarterfinals.

Niclas Almari
Size: 6-1/180
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2016, fifth round
Age: 23
Team: Lukko (Liiga)
Season totals: 11 games, 1 goal, 1 assist (AHL), 6 games, 4 assists (ECHL), 15 games, 2 assist (Liiga), 3 games (Liiga playoffs)

Almari was scoreless in three playoff games. After Lukko won its way into the quarterfinals in the two-game wildcard round, Lukko now trails Tappara 1-0 in the quarterfinals.

Isaac Belliveau
Size: 6-2/185
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, fifth round
Age: 19
Team: Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL)
Season totals: 52 games, 5 goals, 18 assists

Belliveau was scoreless in three games.

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: 57 games, 6 goals, 21 assists

McCleary was scoreless in two games.

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. More on that here.

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), 2 games, 1.57 GAA, .927 SV% (Liiga playoffs), 4 games, 2.26 GAA, .882 SV% (Mestis)

Blomqvist played in two playoff games, the first playoff games of his Liiga career. He entered the first game in relief after Karpat's starting goaltender allowed three goals in under eight minutes. He made 18 saves on 19 shots to finish the game. 

Blomqvist earned the start for Game 2 and stopped 20 of 22 in an overtime loss the following night. Karpat now trails 0-2 in the series.

Blomqvist finished the regular season as Liiga's leader in save percentage, with .940.

Taylor Gauthier
Size: 6-2/208
Catches: Right
Drafted: Undrafted
Age: 21
Team: Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
Season totals: 37 games, 2.25 GAA, .931 SV%

Gauthier played in two games this week. He made 19 saves on 21 shots through two periods in his first appearance, and with Portland leading 7-1 after those two periods, Portland's backup goaltender finished the game just to get some playing time. Gauthier faced 38 shots in his next start and allowed seven goals.


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