Pittsburgh forward prospect Bill Zonnon has gained a ton of playoff experience this season, a very positive sign for Pens’ fans. After helping his QMJHL team to the league’s postseason semifinals, Zonnon jumped to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to help in their pursuit of the AHL’s Calder Cup. Zonnon has three goals in his first three games, all coming against Springfield in the Atlantic Division Finals.
Playing alongside Zonnon in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is top Pittsburgh goaltender prospect Sergei Murashov. The 22-year-old is having an excellent postseason with a record of 5-2-0 and .942 save percentage, and appears to have all the makings of a future #1 in Pittsburgh.
Toronto forward prospect Easton Cowan and the Marlies are likewise still alive in the Calder Cup race. After a very successful rookie season with the Leafs where he registered 29 points (11G 18A) in 66 games, he was moved to the Marlies for more postseason reps. Cowan has responded with 7 points (3G 4A) in 10 games, helping the Marlies to a 1-1 tie with Cleveland in the North Division Finals.
Like Zonnon and Murashov, Cowan and Toronto d-man prospect William Villeneuve have teamed up in the Marlies’ successful playoff run. Villeneuve is driving the play from the backend with 9 points (1G 8A) in 10 postseason games. His almost point-per-game average for the playoffs is nearly double that of his regular season.
Seattle forward prospect Oscar Fisker Molgaard also has enhanced his playoff productivity for Coachella Valley. Molgaard has 11 points (7G 4A) in 11 games in helping lead the Firebirds to a matchup with Colorado in the Pacific Division Finals.
Part of an excellent goaltending pipeline for the Red Wings is Detroit’s Michal Postava, who boasts a 1.94 goals against average and .919 save percentage for Grand Rapids. This follows up a regular season in which he posted a record of 17-6-0, together with a GAA of 1.71 and a save percentage of .937.