With the top undrafted junior hockey players in the country making their way to Vancouver for the BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects game on Jan. 28, we decided to sit down with a handful of them to get their take on something other than hockey. What’s that, you ask? Well, cars, of course.
Matthew Tkachuk, LW, London Knights (OHL)
Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
While Cliff Ronning was zipping through the opposition D for Vancouver, Matt Tkachuk’s dad, Keith, was barreling towards the net for St. Louis, taking everyone with him. While not quite as big as his dad just yet, young Matt seems to already have some of Tkachuk Senior’s deft scoring touch, putting up an amazing 70 points so far for the red-hot London Knights, enough to have him tied for third overall in scoring.
2015-16 stats:
- GP: 37
- G: 16
- A: 54
- PTS: 70
Childhood 5 AM hockey practice chariot: Ford Econoline Van
Unlimited Budget Dream Car: Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead
Practical Car (on NHL salary): Land Rover Range Rover
Favourite car movie: Fast Five
Hot Wheels or Transformers? Hot Wheels
Carter Hart, G, Everett Silvertips (WHL)
Hometown: Sherwood Park, Alberta
Just look at those numbers. They say that a goalie’s career tends to have a longer gestational period, but obviously Silvertips ‘tender Carter Hart isn’t listening. The 17-year old has played a league-leading 43 games, and has the best numbers for goalies having played 30 or more. Incredible.
2015-16 stats:
- GP: 43
- SO: 6
- GAA: 1.93
- SP: .927
Childhood 5 AM hockey practice chariot: Toyota Tundra
Unlimited Budget Dream Car: Ford F-150 Raptor
Practical Car (on NHL salary): Jacked-up Toyota Tundra
Favourite car movie: Need for Speed
Hot Wheels or Transformers? Transformers
Julien Gauthier, RW, Val-d’Or Foreurs (QMJHL)
Hometown: Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec
The Foreurs currently sit atop the entire QMJHL, losing only 12 times through 36 games. Val d’Or has a balanced attack, but that shouldn’t overshadow winger Julien Gauthier’s performance thus far, with 33 goals scored in just 35 games making him a certified sniper.
2015-16 stats:
- GP: 35
- G: 33
- A: 10
- PTS: 43
Childhood 5 AM hockey practice chariot: Volkswagen Jetta
Unlimited Budget Dream Car: Audi R8 5.2 V10
Practical Car (on NHL salary): Land Rover Range Rover
Favourite car movie: Furious 7
Hot Wheels or Transformers? Transformers
Max Jones, LW, London Knights (OHL)
Hometown: Orion, Michigan
If it wasn’t for the astounding season being put together by the Erie Otters, the London Knights would be number one with a bullet. As it stands right now, they remain a threat for OHL supremacy. It’s thanks to an incredibly deep forward core and contributions from Jones, who is on pace for over 60 points this year.
2015-16 stats:
- GP: 41
- G: 20
- A: 17
- PTS: 37
Childhood 5 AM hockey practice chariot: Champagne Chevrolet Trailblazer
Unlimited Budget Dream Car: Bugatti Veyron 16/4
Practical Car (on NHL salary): Jacked-up, blacked out Jeep Wrangler with LED exterior lighting
Favourite car movie: Furious 7
Hot Wheels or Transformers? Hot Wheels
Ty Ronning, RW, Vancouver Giants (WHL)
Hometown: Burnaby, BC
Sure, being a son of one of Vancouver’s favourite sons is nice (his father, Cliff, played in the NHL for parts of 21 seasons, six of which spent with the Vancouver Canucks) , but when you speak to young Ty Ronning, you can see he’s as down-to-earth as it gets. He wants to drive a Prius, for Pete’s sake! On the ice, Ronning has done what he can for the struggling Vancouver Giants, putting up 41 points over 45 games played.
2015-16 stats:
- GP: 45
- G: 26
- A: 15
- PTS: 41
Childhood 5 AM hockey practice chariot: Land Rover Range Rover
Unlimited Budget Dream Car: Ferrari 458
Practical Car (on NHL salary): Toyota Prius
Favourite car movie: Furious 7
Hot Wheels or Transformers? Hot Wheels
Mikhail Sergachev, D, Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
Hometown: Nizhnekamsk, Russia
While big man Logan Brown does the scoring, D-man Mikhail Sergachev is doing his part to keep the pucks out of Windsor’s net, helping the team limit goals against to just 130 through 46 games thus far. Of course, that’s not to say Sergachev can’t put the puck in the net, too; he leads all OHL blueliners with 12 goals.
2015-16 stats:
- GP: 45
- G: 12
- A: 23
- PTS: 35
Childhood 5 AM hockey practice chariot: Mitsubishi Airtrek
Unlimited Budget Dream Car: BMW M5
Practical Car (on NHL salary): BMW X6M
Favourite car movie: Furious 7
Hot Wheels or Transformers? Transformers
Michael McLeod, C, Mississauga Steelheads (OHL)
Hometown: Mississauga, ON
Like Bean, centreman Michael McLeod is getting to live the dream of playing high-level hockey in the town he grew up in. It’s not been an easy season for Mississauga so far, but with a total of four players at this year’s Top Prospects game, you know the future is bright. It starts with McLeod, who, along with linemate (and fellow Top Prospecter) Alexander Nylander form two-thirds of a high-scoring first line.
2015-16 stats:
- GP: 45
- G: 18
- A: 32
- PTS: 50
Childhood 5 AM hockey practice chariot: Green Dodge Caravan
Unlimited Budget Dream Car: Ferrari 458
Practical Car (on NHL salary): Land Rover Range Rover
Favourite car movie: Cars
Hot Wheels or Transformers? Hot Wheels
Jake Bean, D, Calgary Hitmen (WHL)
Hometown: Calgary, Alberta
Playing at the top junior level is one thing, but being able to play on your hometown team is quite another. This year, defenseman Jake Bean has played an integral part helping the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen achieve a strong 28-18 record through the first half of the season.
2015-16 stats:
- Games Played (GP): 46
- Goals (G): 17
- Assists (A): 26
- Points (PTS): 43
Childhood 5 AM hockey practice chariot: Ford Expedition
Unlimited Budget Dream Car: Ferrari
Practical Car (on NHL salary): Mercedes-Benz G-Class
Favourite car movie: Cars
Hot Wheels or Transformers? Hot Wheels
Logan Brown, C, Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
Hometown: Chesterfield, Missouri
The OHL’s Windsor Spitfires are having a dynamite season, currently sitting atop their division with a sterling 29-12 record through 46 games. A lot of that rests on centreman Logan Brown’s tall shoulders (he’s 6’6”), whose 35 assists put him tied for first on the team, and 10th overall.
2015-16 stats:
- GP: 38
- G: 8
- A: 35
- PTS: 43
Childhood 5 AM hockey practice chariot: GMC Yukon Denali
Unlimited Budget Dream Car: Ferrari
Practical Car (on NHL salary): Land Rover Range Rover Sport
Favourite car movie: Something Fast and something Furious
Hot Wheels or Transformers? Hot Wheels
Pierre-Luc Dubois, LW, Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (QMJHL)
Hometown: Ste-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec
At 6’3” and 202 lb, he’s got the size and it appears that Cape Breton winger Pierre-Luc Dubois has the hands, too, notching 68 points—30 of which are goals—in 46 games so far this year with the 8th-place Screaming Eagles squad.
2015-16 stats:
- GP: 46
- G: 30
- A: 38
- PTS: 68
Childhood 5 AM hockey practice chariot: Dodge Caravan
Unlimited Budget Dream Car: Mercedes-AMG GT S
Practical Car (on NHL salary): Mercedes-Benz G-Class
Favourite car movie: The Fast and the Furious
Hot Wheels or Transformers? Hot Wheels
Evan Fitzpatrick, G, Sherbrooke Phoenix (QMJHL)
Hometown: St. John’s, Newfoundland
He may not be the loudest guy in the room, but what Sherbrooke goaltender Evan Fitzpatrick doesn’t say with words, he says with his on-ice performance. After all, when you’re on a struggling team—the Phoenix sit below the playoff bar, with an 18-30 record—two shutouts and a save percentage above .900 are bright spots in a challenging season.
2015-16 stats:
- GP: 39
- Shutouts (SO): 2
- Goals Against Average (GAA): 3.20
- Save Percentage (SP): .901
Childhood 5 AM hockey practice chariot: Jeep Wrangler and Chevrolet Trailblazer
Unlimited Budget Dream Car: Mercedes-AMG GT S
Practical Car (on NHL salary): Chevrolet Silverado
Favourite car movie: 2 Fast 2 Furious
Hot Wheels or Transformers? Hot Wheels
You may also like
