Ryan Berlin, a left winger with the St. Albert Steel, and defenceman Matt Benning with the AJHL champion Spruce Grove Saints were among six AJHL and 22 Canadian Junior Hockey League players named to the NHL draft watch list.
NHL Central Scouting will release its mid-term ranking report in January and the final rankings in April.
Berlin, 17, has six goals and 11 assists in 36 games for the Steel. In his AJHL debut last season the six-foot-two, 180-pound Edmonton product recorded 10 goals and six assists in 56 games.
Benning, 17, scored three goals and added seven assists while racking up 63 penalty minutes in 23 games for the first-place Saints. Last season as an AJHL rookie he was scoreless with seven assists in 43 games. The six-foot, 210-pound blueliner is the son of former NHL defenceman Brian Benning.
Last month Berlin and Benning were selected to play for Team West in the seventh annual CJHL’s prospects games, featuring the top 40 NHL draft-eligible players in the CJHL. Berlin posted two assists in two games. Benning was unable to participate because of an injury.
Rounding out the AJHL draft watch prospects is netminder Matt Tomkins and forward Peter Quenneville of the Sherwood Park Crusaders, forward Chase McMurphy of the Calgary Mustangs and defenceman Rhett Holland of the Okotoks Oilers.
The St. Albert Steel will be desperately trying to halt an eight-game losing streak in the Alberta Junior Hockey League when they face the Fort McMurray Oil Barens (30-4-3) tonight.
Faceoff is 7 p.m. at Performance Arena
Last weekend in Fort McMurray the last-place Steel (6-32-3) were outshot 59-16 in Saturday’s 7-1 loss and 58-23 in Sunday’s 7-2 loss.
Tanner Kovacs was in net for the first game and Rhys Hadfield was between the pipes in the rematch. They both earned Steel player of the game honours.
Stefan Meunier potted goals in both games and Bryce Sauers opened the scoring Sunday.
The worst defensive team in the AJHL has only one win in its last 16 games.
The Steel and Oil Barons will ring in the new year on Jan. 4 in St. Albert. Game time is 7 p.m.
The St. Albert Merchants continued their dominance of the rival Morinville Jets in Sunday’s 3-2 victory at Akinsdale Arena.
Matt Bowles’ 13th goal of the season, a power-play effort three minutes into the third period, was the game winner.
Mitch Allen and Alex Hawirko put the Merchants up 2-0 in the first and Nick Pratt replied with a pair for the Jets in the middle stanza. Mike Putt assisted on both Jets goals.
Curtis Ronaldson backstopped the Merchants (14-9-4) to their third win in four games against the Jets (17-8-2) in the Capital Junior B Hockey League. Mike Saunders was in net for the west division leaders.
League play resumes Jan. 6 after the Christmas break. The Jets visit the Leduc Riggers (6-17-5) at 7:45 p.m. and Merchants host the Strathcona Bruins (10-14-1) at 8 p.m.
The female bantam AAA St. Albert Raiders are represented by 11 players on the Zone 5 Black Gold/Yellowhead team for the 2012 Alberta Winter Games.
Named to the team were defensive players Abigail Benning, Ashlee Drevant and Hannah Fouillard and forwards Corissa Blake, Kennedy Bozek, Jenna Jewell, Jamie Jones, Megan Lalor, Lauren MacMaster, Kennedy Newton and Rachel Rochat.
The head coach is France Montour of St. Albert.
The provincial competition goes Feb. 9 to 12 at Stony Plain, Spruce Grove and Parkland County.
Meanwhile in the Alberta Major Bantam Female Hockey League, the Raiders improved their first-place record to 13-2-3 with Saturday’s 6-3 road win against the Sherwood Park Royals (1-12-2). Lalor scored twice and Megan Webb, Taylor Corrigal, Kennedy Newton and Jamie Jones notched singles. Blake, MacMaster and Rochat had two assists apiece. Shots were 39-16 for the Raiders. In net was Natalie Bender.
The next game for the Raiders is Jan. 8 against the Lloydminster IceCats (7-7-4) at 11 a.m. at Performance Arena.
