Photo: London Knights

Welcome to the week 7 Washington Capitals prospect report. The following includes game action and news that occurred between October 28 and November 3, 2019. (Reminder: you can always access all of our prospect news and analysis in the top menu under “Prospects”. You can also access the latest Capitals prospect news on Twitter under the #CapsProspect hashtag.

PREVIOUS WEEKLY RECAPS

• Week 6 Report (10/21 – 10/27): here.
• Week 5 Report (10/14 – 10/20): here.
• Week 4 Report (10/7 – 10/13) : here.
• Week 3 Report (9/30 – 10/6): here.
• Week 2 Report (9/23 – 9/29: here.
• Week 1 Report (9/16 – 9/22): here.

AHL/HERSHEY BEARS
The Bears opened this week’s play with a dismal 8-1 loss to the Thunderbirds in Springfield. Axel Jonsson-Fjallby would score the Bears only goal. The Bears would respond at home on Saturday with a 5-3 win over the Providence Bruins. Martin Fehervary, Shane Gersich, Brian Pinho and Garrett Pilon all scored in the game. The Bears wrapped-up their three games in three nights set with a 4-2 win over the Syracuse Crunch at Giant Center. The Bears are now 6-4-1-1, 14 points, and in 4th place in the Atlantic Division.

Pheonix Copley
Copley is officially now in a mini-slump, after starting the season on fire. After giving up five goals in his last start, Copley gave up eight goals in Friday night’s tilt against Springfield. Copley did respond nicely in the Bears 4-2 win over Syracuse Sunday night. Copley is now 3-3-1, with a 2.99 GAA and a .884 save percentage for the year.

Vitek Vanecek
Vanecek turned in a pretty nice effort on Saturday versus the Bruins, stopping 20 of 23 shots he faced in his lone start of the week. For the season, Vanecek is 3-1-1, with a 2.92 GAA and a .881 save percentage. He’s still improving after a very slow start,to the season.

Axel Jonsson-Fjallby 
Jonason-Fjallby continued his hot scoring streak against the Thunderbirds on Friday night. The tally was Axel’s 5th goal in six games.

Axel Jonsson-Fjallby’s 5th of the season. He remains en fuego. His fifth goal in last 6 games. Colby Williams (1) and Brian Pinho (5) with the assists. #AxelFlows Bears-TBirds tied 1-1 after one. pic.twitter.com/3TfehJnF5p

— NoVa Caps (@NoVa_Caps) November 1, 2019

Axel also had a nice assist to Shane Gersich (see below) in Saturday night’s tilt against the Bruins. For the season, Jonsson-Fjallby has five goals and two assists on 17 shots (29.4%) in 12 games played. He is tied with Mike Sgarbossa for most goals on the Bears, and is fourth in points on the team.

Shane Gersich
Gersich would score his first goal of the season Saturday night against the Bruins. His goal would come on a shorthanded breakaway with Axel Jonsson-Fjällby. For the season, Gersich has a goal and three assists on 13 shots (7.7%) in nine games played.

#CapsProspect Shane Gersich with his first goal of the season, a shorthander. Nice breakaway with, and feed from Axel Jonsson-Fjallby. Bears lead 3-2 early 2nd period. Fehervary had the second assist, 2pts for Martin so far. pic.twitter.com/mGXhxS2nXr

— NoVa Caps (@NoVa_Caps) November 3, 2019

Martin Fehervary
Fehervary would score his second goal of the season Saturday night against the Bruins. For the season, Fehervary has two goals and four assists on 23 shots (8.7%) in nine games played.

#CapsProspect Martin Fehervary with his second goal of the season. Bears lead 2-1 late in first frame. pic.twitter.com/YcU7bivirf

— NoVa Caps (@NoVa_Caps) November 2, 2019

Brian Pinho
Brian Pinho Scored his second goal of the season with a nice deke and roof shot Saturday night against Providence. For the season, Pinho has two goals and five assists on 18 shots (11.1%) in 12 games played.

#CapsProspect Brian Pinho with his second goal of the season. pic.twitter.com/E6MUq1cqem

— NoVa Caps (@NoVa_Caps) November 3, 2019

Garrett Pilon
Pilon finally scored his first goal of the season Saturday night against the Bruins. For the season, Pilon has a goal and three assists on 18 shots (5.5%) in 12 games played.

#CapsProspect Garrett Pilon with his first of the season, gives the Bears a 5-3 lead early in final frame. #Peels pic.twitter.com/u2eyK2UnIJ

— NoVa Caps (@NoVa_Caps) November 3, 2019

Beck Malenstyn
Malenstyn would score his third goal of the season Sunday night against Syracuse. For the season, Malenstyn has three goals and three assists on 20 shots (15%) in 12 games played.

#CapsProspect Beck “The Check” Malenstyn (3) gives the Bears a 3-1 lead early in middle frame. Martin Fehervary (4) and Christian Djoos (8) had the helpers. #WreckItBeck pic.twitter.com/BQXXQOJAcN

— NoVa Caps (@NoVa_Caps) November 3, 2019

CHL/WHL/OHL

Connor McMichael
Connor McMichael was named to the ‘team of the week’ for the second time this season.

The @VaughnHockey #CHL Team of the Week features top performers by position for October 21-27.

Forwards: Nicolas Ouellet, @con91mcmichael, @GriciusJake21.

Defence: @noelhoefenmayer & @KWilly__99.

Goaltender: @nicodaws30.

DETAILS 📊: https://t.co/Uv7LbyhLYO pic.twitter.com/IxypDsKlgz

— CanadianHockeyLeague (@CHLHockey) October 29, 2019

McMichael opened the weekend with three goals against the Erie Otters on Friday night. This was McMichael’s second hat trick of the season. He would score the last three goals of the game for the Knights in a 7-6 overtime win.  His second goal came with about a minute left in regulation to tie the game 6-6, and send the game to overtime. He would pot the overtime game winner as well.

For the game, McMichael had three goals on five shots and three assists for a 6-point game.

On Sunday, McMichael added another goal and an assist on 6 shots. For the season McMichael has 17 goals and 17 assists in 14 games played. He has shot 63 shots for a 26.9% shooting percentage for the season.

Aliaksei Protas
Protas would score his 10th goal of the season Friday night against Regina. He had a goal disallowed earlier in the game. For the game, Protas had a goal and two assists on two shots.

On Saturday night, Protas would score a pair of goals and add two assists for a four point night. After providing a nice primary assist on the Raiders first goal, Protas would call his own number on a breakaway.

Protas’ second goal of the game would come on the power play. For the game, Protas had 2g and 2a against Moose Jaw. “The Viper” now has 12g, 14a in 16 games. Shooting 25.5%. He now leads the WHL in points, and is second in goals.

On a side note, Protas received his WHL Championship ring on Friday. Aliaksei posted a video of him showing the ring on his Instagram account Friday evening.

Eric Florchuk
Florchuk would score his sixth goal of the season Friday night against the Edmonton Oil Kings. He was moved from 1C to 2C, with the red-hot Chase Wouters taking the 1C position, but returned to 1C on Saturday. Florchuk had a goal on one shot, and was 8 for 18 from the dot.

On Saturday night against the Calgary Hitmen, Florchuk would get credit for this goal in the third period.

They don’t ask how, they ask how many.

2-1 Saskatoon. #BladeCity pic.twitter.com/DBxgGlhOxX

— Saskatoon Blades (@BladesHockey) November 3, 201

He would score a more convincing tally later in the game. Florchuk would be the first star of the game for Saskatoon.

For the game, Florchuk had 2g on 2 shots against Calgary, and was first star of the game. For the season, the very last player selected in 2018 draft has 8g, 2a on 23 shots (34.8%) in 13 games. (Missed 5 games due to injury)

OTHER PROSPECT NEWS

•  Damien Riat has been selected by the Swiss National team for the Deutschland Cup which starts this coming week. (More here). For the season, Riat has two goals and four assists in 16 games played.
• Alex Kanock Leipert – had an assist in each of the Giants games this weekend. For the season he has one goal and three assists in 18 games played.
• Parker Milner – Milner (Hershey contract) was named ECHL goalie of the week. For the season Milner has a 1.72 GAA and a .925 save percentage in four games played.