Leafs Prospect Update: March 2, 2014

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but with only 10 points in his last 10 games, Connor Brown is currently in mired in his coldest points streak of the season. And that’s not meant to be construed as a negative statement, but a confirmation of just how well Brown has played this year.

Brown’s 115 points (42 goals, 74 assists) in just 62 games so far this season make him the highest scoring player in not only the OHL, but the entire CHL. He’s been so dominant, that some believe he’s the early favourite to walk away with the OHL’s Red Tilson Trophy for the league’s most outstanding player.

If Brown is trending down (heh), then Gauthier appears to be trending up – eight goals and four assists in his last 10 games is a nice little run. 

Still, it’s hard to get excited about Gauthier’s 2013-2014 season, and there isn’t all that much time left to truly turn things around. Gauthier is on pace to finish the year at about a point-per-game – the same as last year. Say what you want about his size or defensive play, but most people were expecting the 6’5, 215lb centre improve on his offensive numbers. Instead, he’s sixth in team scoring, and doesn’t rank at all amongst the league’s top 50 scorers.

After being a bit of a surprise third round pick in last June’s NHL Draft, Carter Verhaeghe made the Leafs brass look like geniuses, exploding for 11 goals and 29 points in his first 15 games of the season. Verhaeghe has been a steady contributor for the IceDogs for most of the year, save his most recent stretch of games. 

Verhaeghe hasn’t tallied a point in four straight games, and hasn’t scored a goal since scoring a hat trick 12 games ago. It’s hardly a major concern, as young offensive players aren’t known for their consistency, and Verhaeghe’s 74 points in 59 games still ranks 20th in the league. That being said, the IceDogs’ 20-33-8 record has them in a four way battle for the OHL Eastern Conference’s final two playoff spots with only seven games to go.