It's a big week for the Dallas Stars college prospects, as several players gear up for their respective conference tournaments this weekend. Austin Smith, Reilly Smith, Curtis McKenzie, Alex Chiasson and Alex Guptill will all be playing this weekend in the CCHA and ECAC tournaments.
Reilly Smith, who scored 26 goals and 12 assists in 34 games this season, earned First-Team All-CCHA honors for the second straight season. Smith is leading the Miami Redhawks this weekend against Michigan State, with his team riding a six-game winning streak into the tournament.
There's a big push for Austin Smith to win the Hobey Baker this year, with 34 goals and 52 points in 34 games and has the chance to be the first college player in hockey to score 40 goals in a season since 1994. There's a lot of debate as to whether Smith deserves the award based on his age and the pedigree of his team and the league he plays in but one thing is certain, everyone agrees he's become a very special player.
We're going to have more on Austin Smith next week but for now, here's highlights of his magical season. Be sure to check out the goal at the 2:00 mark:
After the jump, we rank the Stars prospects heading into March.
1. Reilly Smith
2. Austin Smith
3. Jamieson Oleksiak
4. Jack Campbell
5. Patrik Nemeth
6. Matej Stransky
7. Scott Glennie
8. Alexander Guptill
9. Matt Fraser
10. Alex Chiasson
11. Brett Ritchie
12. Brenden Dillon
13. Colton Sceviour
14. Jordie Benn
15. John Klingberg
16. Emil Molin
17. Scott Winkler
18. Troy Vance
19. Francis Wathier
20. Curtis McKenzie
A couple of quick notes:
**Brett Ritchie, who had a rough start to his season before being traded to the Niagara Ice Dogs, has 24 points in 24 games with his new team and is an astounding plus-25. The power forward is showing the potential we knew he had when he was drafted by Dallas last summer in the 2nd round and now has nine goals in his past 13 games.
**Jamie Oleksiak, who is looking to improve his offensive play while becoming powerhouse defenseman, has also benefitted from a change of scenery. After scoring just 11 points in his first 31 games in the OHL, Oleksiak has 13 points in his past 13 games and is plus-17 -- showing that he possesses solid offensive talent to go along with his size and considerable skating ability.
**Jack Campbell has a had a very rough season and he can't get to the AHL fast enough. Playing for a woefully bad Soo Greyhounds team he's managed to get six wins in his 10 games while facing nearly 40 shots per game this season. Pay no attention to his numbers as word is he's doing his absolute best and is in now way to blame for the poor play of the team in front of him.