CHL Players of the Week: Jan. 6-12
Each week throughout the regular season, the CHL will recognize the OHL, QMJHL and WHL’s top players as chosen by the member leagues:
OHL
Sudbury’s Kocha Delic had five goals and eight points in three home games. On Jan. 6 he had his second hat-trick of the season, and an assist, in a 7-1 win over the Soo while two days later he found the back of the net in a 5-4 loss to Niagara. On Jan. 12 he had three points (1G, 2A) in a 10-6 win over Kingston. Delic has goals in nine straight games and has 20 goals on the season alongside 49 points in 37 games.
Between the pipes, Peterborough’s Easton Rye posted a 2-0-1 record. On Jan. 9 he made 23 saves in a 5-2 home win against Barrie while on Jan. 11 he stopped 39 shots in a 5-4 shootout loss to Brantford. A day later, he turned away 30 shots in a 5-2 road victory over Niagara. Rye is 7-7-2 with a .910 save percentage across 16 appearances.
QMJHL
Shawinigan’s Kody Dupuis had six points (2G, 4A) in two games. On Jan. 10 he had a career high four assists in a 10-0 win against Victoriaville while 24 hours later he scored twice in a 4-2 victory over Chicoutimi. In 34 games, Dupuis had eight goals and 19 points in his third QMJHL season.
Charlottetown’s Nicolas Ruccia was named to the QMJHL’s Team of the Week after he won a pair of road games. He stopped 31 shots Jan. 8 in a 3-2 road win against Acadie-Bathurst while on Jan. 12 he made 21 saves to register his 10th career QMJHL shutout. Ruccia is 9-12-2 with a 2.98 GAA in his first season with the Islanders.
WHL
Andrew Cristall (WSH) has already made his presence felt in Spokane. Held pointless in his Chiefs debut Jan. 10 after his acquisition from Kelowna, he then recorded seven points (3G, 4A) in his second appearance as part of a 12-2 win over Wenatchee. Cristall leads the WHL in scoring this season with 67 points (29 goals).
In goal, Victoria’s Jayden Kraus collected three road wins over the past seven days. On Jan. 7 he made 29 saves in a 4-1 win against Seattle and followed that up with a 16-save performance in a 5-2 decision over Wenatchee on Jan. 10. A day later, he stopped 23 shots as part of a 6-2 victory versus Tri-City. Kraus is 18-6-6 in 32 games this year and owns a 2.66 GAA and .912 save percentage.