Justin follows up on the chicken nugget "incident" in a Kalamazoo Wings versus Toledo Walleye game, with the ECHL leaning into the funny moment. Owen Allard [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAzMTA0NjIzNjM0OTQ5MzAy/allard_ns_9688.jpg] Owen Allard It’s usually around the holiday season when NHL fan bases tend to decide whether they’ll focus on the playoffs or draft boards for the rest of the season. Usually, we hear loads about the top prospects and biggest risers but often little about players who are looking to re-enter the draft after being passed over once or twice before. Here are 10 players giving it another go: JESSE PULKKINEN, LHD, JYP (LIIGA), 6-FOOT-6, 207 POUNDS, SECOND-YEAR DRAFT ELIGIBLE Last year, the only thing notable about Jesse Pulkkinen was his frame, as he only put up four points in 44 games with JYP Jr. This season, Pulkkinen became dominant. He not only activates into the rush but spearheads offensive play with flashes of skill. His 28 points in 18 games for JYP Jr. (yes, you are reading that right) is good for the highest point-per-game rate out of all defensemen in the league. He’s been so impressive that he’s got a few looks in Liiga where he’s fit comfortably in all areas of his game. After being selected to represent Finland at the World Junior Championship, a good tournament could go a long way in front of the scouts. OWEN ALLARD, C, S.S. MARIE (OHL), 6-FOOT-2, 201 POUNDS, THIRD-YEAR DRAFT ELIGIBLE Before this year, few outside of Sault Ste. Marie knew of Owen Allard and for good reason. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Allard entered his draft year and the OHL at the same time after playing sporadically at the U-17 and U-20 levels in France the year prior. His debut campaign saw him record only 24 points over 66 games. After a shoulder injury limited him to only 14 games last year, Allard missed his second chance at a call from the NHL. Now averaging more than a point per game and recently being named a member of Canada’s world junior squad, Allard has caught the attention of scouts and the public alike. He’ll have a chance to impress on one of the biggest U-20 stages. TANNER ADAMS, RW/C, PROVIDENCE (NCAA), 5-FOOT-11, 183 POUNDS, SECOND-YEAR DRAFT ELIGIBLE More people should be talking about how good of a season Tanner Adams is having with the University of Providence. His 33 points in 49 games with USHL Tri-City last season only told one side of his story. Tanner Adams has an advanced defensive skill set that made him perfect as a physical checking forward and a penalty-kill specialist for Tri-City, who had a top-10 penalty kill in the USHL last year. Since taking his talents to NCAA Providence, though, the offensive side of his game has ascended with 12 points over 16 games, good for top three on his team. His skating still lags a bit behind, and he isn’t an offensive dynamo, but he plays a smart and well-rounded game most teams would love to have in their lineup. ANTHONY ROMANI, C/RW, NORTH BAY (OHL), SIX-FOOT, 179 POUNDS, SECOND-YEAR DRAFT ELIGIBLE Despite a 23-goal, 40-point season and being a contributor for North Bay in its conference finals run, Romani didn’t hear his name called at the 2023 NHL draft. He has since come back with a vengeance, already surpassing his goal totals from the year prior in fewer than half the games while leading the Battalion in points. Currently on pace for more than 100 points in the OHL, it’s hard to imagine a world where he wouldn’t get drafted, even if he gets anywhere close to that. KENTA ISOGAI, LW, WENATCHEE (WHL), 5-FOOT-11, 154 POUNDS, THIRD-YEAR DRAFT ELIGIBLE First becoming draft eligible in 2022 while a member of the USHL's Youngstown Phantoms, Kenta Isogai has always been an intriguing prospect. He’s always seemed to have great tools and a relentless drive, but the points never really came. After winning the Clark Cup with the Phantoms, the WHL's Wenatchee Wild selected him in the CHL import draft. Since then, he has registered 46 points in 32 games, becoming one of the league’s premier producers. Isogai will have a chance to prove he can generate that level of offense without his two linemates, Connor Geekie and Matthew Savoie, who have been selected to represent Canada at this year’s World Junior Championship. SAMUEL ST-HILAIRE, G, SHERBROOKE (QMJHL), 6-FOOT-2, 185 POUNDS, THIRD-YEAR DRAFT ELIGIBLE St-Hilaire got his first taste of the QMJHL the year after his NHL ‘draft year,’ splitting the crease with overager Olivier Adam while posting a respectable .903 save percentage and 21 wins over 29 games. It ended up being not enough to hear his name get called, but after a tryout with the Bruins over the summer and the starting position now freed, St-Hilaire has taken that next step. Despite Sherbrooke losing all of its nine NHL-affiliated prospects, St-Hilaire has been a difference-maker for the team, posting a .920 save percentage over 23 games, good enough to earn the call from Team Canada. If he can get some games in and continue his impressive play in major junior, there’s no doubt he will have earned a call on draft day. YEGOR KLIMOVICH, LW, NOVOSIBIRSK JR. (RUS. JR.), 5-FOOT-9, 163 POUNDS, SECOND-YEAR DRAFT ELIGIBLE Despite being in the top three in points per game among draft eligibles in Russia’s MHL, Yegor Klimovich’s name went uncalled last June. The flashy forward was a threat at both ends of the ice, using his speed and stick to forecheck effectively and blocking shots on one play and scoring a highlight-reel goal on another. There was some concern – especially at his size – that his game might not translate against men. But with 26 games under his belt with Novosibirsk of the KHL this year, he’s settled well into a checking role as he looks to get more ice time in the second half of the season to show off the offensive side of his game. BEN ROBERTSON, LHD, CORNELL (NCAA), 5-FOOT-11, 181 POUNDS, SECOND-YEAR DRAFT ELIGIBLE Getting 45 points in 61 games as a defenseman in the USHL, even as one of the later first-year eligibles, probably should have been enough to see Robertson get drafted, but he still fell through the cracks. It could have been his size or his lack of physicality (you’d be hard-pressed to find him in the box for a stick infraction, either). Robertson doesn’t seem to have taken it to heart, as with Cornell, he’s been able to show off his strong playmaking and play in transition while potting 11 points in 11 games in the process. LUKAS MATECHA, G, TRI-CITY (WHL), 6-FOOT-3, 187 POUNDS, SECOND-YEAR DRAFT ELIGIBLE After posting a .918 save percentage over 32 games for Pardubice Jr. and a training camp with the Detroit Red Wings, Lukas Matecha moved to North America to join the Tri-City Americans. He’s helped keep the injury-riddled team afloat, with nine wins over 19 games with a .920 save percentage. While not chosen to represent Czechia this year at the world juniors, he’ll look to keep up his rock-solid play in Tri-City before showcasing his talent at the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game. FILIP SITAR, C, MALMO (SHL), 5-FOOT-11, 176 POUNDS, SECOND-YEAR DRAFT ELIGIBLE If Sitar’s play between J18 and J20 wasn’t worth a look last year, his play this year may warrant one. After a move from AIK Jr. to Malmo Jr., Sitar is in the top five in J20 Nationell points per game (having played a minimum of 10 games) and even got called up for 11 SHL games. He’s a really effective decision-maker and has a pretty rock-solid offensive toolset. Sitar recently came back from leading Slovenia to gold in the World Junior Championship Div I-B, where he led his team with 10 points in five games, and looks to carry that momentum back to Sweden. HONORABLE MENTIONS: - Collin MacKenzie, G, Ottawa (OHL), second-year eligible - Mazden Leslie, RHD, Vancouver (WHL), second-year eligible - Gavyn Thoreson, RW, Waterloo (USHL), second-year eligible - Jan Spunar, G, Portland (WHL), third-year eligible - Francesco Dell’Elce, LHD, Penticton (BCHL), second-year eligible THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNTg5MzM3NTA5NzY2MjUy/my-thn-ad-banner-1500x150.jpg] THN.com/free
