Penn State University forward Gavin McKenna’s recent performance certainly is worthy of his status as the top-ranked North American skater. Prior to the World Junior Championship, McKenna received much criticism for his lack of goal-scoring production. He responded with 4 goals to go with 10 assists in 7 world junior games for Team Canada. Also, since his return to the Nittany Lions, he has tallied 6 goals in less than 1 month. This brings his season point total to 29 points (10G 19A) in 22 games for NCAA’s 5th-ranked team. McKenna will participate in Penn State’s first-ever outdoor game this weekend against Michigan State.
Sweden’s Ivar Stenberg remains in the hunt for the first overall draft pick as well. On the biggest stage in amateur hockey, Team Sweden won the world junior gold medal with the help of Stenberg’s 10 points (4G 6A). Also, Stenberg has amassed 28 points (7G 21A) in 30 games in Sweden’s top pro league, good for the 6th-best point-per-game total in the SHL. He is on pace to break hall-of-famer Daniel Sedin’s SHL points record (42) for a draft-eligible player.
Slovak forward Adam Nemec (younger brother of NJD d-man Simon Nemec) of Sudbury in the OHL is thriving with the Wolves. The 29th-ranked international skater per NHL central scouting, Nemec has since relocated to North America to play in the OHL. He has benefited tremendously from this move, as he has used his 20+ minutes of ice time per game in generating 11 points (4G 7A) in 9 games for the Wolves. Earlier this year, Nemec competed as an underager for Slovakia at the world juniors, and in Slovakia’s top pro league.
Near the bottom end of the draft spectrum, at least for now, sits forward Andrei Molgachev of Calgary in the WHL. For the second time this season, Molgachev was awarded the WHL’s Rookie of the Week for the week ending Jan. 25. Despite these accolades, as well as being on a point-per-game pace in his inaugural season, he is the 199th-rated North American skater for this draft. The fact that he stands 5’9″ very well may be the leading culprit here, as he is lauded for his pace of play and relentless puck pursuit.