Players to watch Sunday in junior B all-star games

By Medicine Hat News on January 4, 2020.

The Heritage Junior Hockey League’s best will be on display Sunday at the Kinplex.

The action gets underway at 1 p.m. with the HJHL’s top prospects game, followed by the all-star game at 4 p.m. Here are a few players commanding attention entering the league’s superstar showcases.

All-star game

Tyson Scott, Okotoks Bisons forward (Southern)

Scott has been scoring at a blistering pace while leading the Okotoks Bisons to a staggering 27-1-0 record at the holiday break. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Turner Valley product is producing at a rate of nearly three points per game with 33 goals and 35 assists over just 25 contests and leads the HJHL scoring race by an 18-point margin.

Mason Fischer, Medicine Hat Cubs forward (Southern)

Medicine Hat’s Fischer will captain the Southern Division after leading the Cubs in scoring with 21 goals and 14 assists through his first 23 games. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound forward has been an imposing force in the offensive zone, and with plenty of family and friends in the stands he’ll be playing with something to prove.

Devin Reagan, Okotoks Bisons goaltender (Southern)

The Bisons may boast a league-best 180 goals scored, but you don’t get to 27-1-0 without stellar goaltending as well – and they’ve had that from Reagan. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Calgary product leads all goaltenders with 10-or-more starts in both save percentage (.940) and goals against average (1.80) while sporting a perfect 24-0-0 record.

Tristan Paquette, Airdrie Thunder forward (Northern)

The Airdrie Thunder hold a comfortable 10-point lead for first place in the Northern Division, and Paquette has been a big factor in that success. The 6-foot, 190-pound Airdrie product sits fourth in the HJHL’s scoring race with 45 points over his first 24 games of the season.

Josh Gette, Mountainview Colts forward (Northern)

Gette rides a hot streak into Sunday’s all-star game. Entering this weekend’s games the 22-year-old Innisfail product has been held off the score sheet once since Nov. 16 and collected seven points over his final three contests in 2019. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound sniper leads his Colts in points with 36 over 24 games, while his 25 goals are the most in the Northern Division and good enough for second overall.

Top prospects game

Levi Schlosser, Medicine Hat Cubs forward (Southern)

Schlosser was one of many who joined up with the Cubs this season after winning a provincial championship with the Medicine Hat Hounds midget AA squad last year. The 18-year-old Hatter has proven himself more than capable as a rookie with 11 goals and 11 assists through his first 27 games in the HJHL.

Patrick Forde and Dean Olenyk, Cochrane Generals forwards (Southern)

Forde and Olenyk lead all players in the top prospects game with 32 points apiece, good enough for a shared spot at 19th in the HJHL’s scoring race. The pair of 18-year-old forwards also lead the Generals in scoring so far this season.

Dawsen Savage, Medicine Hat Cubs goaltender (Southern)

When the Cubs announced goaltender Brett Vanderveer would be leaving the team to pursue a future with the Prairie Junior Hockey League’s Pilot Butte Storm, the responsibility of a starting role fell on Savage’s shoulders – but the 18-year-old Hatter has thrived under the pressure. Savage sits second among all goaltenders with at least 10 starts this season in all three of the position’s major categories – boasting a 2.35 goals against average with a .927 save percentage and 12 wins in 19 games this season.

Jace Paarup, Red Deer Vipers forward (Northern)

Paarup leads the Northern Division’s top prospects roster in scoring with 11 goals and 15 assists – and he’s done it in just 16 games. The pace has Paarup sitting 12th among all HJHL players in points per game at 1.6, and 12 of his 26 points have come over Red Deer’s seven-game winning streak to close out 2019.

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