HIGHS AND LOWS OF THE PAST WEEK

It was a busy week in the NHL, with many stories and all-star efforts from a variety of players, but this week's thumbs up and thumbs down are highlighted by the announcement of the Final roster for the IIHF Canadian Junior team:

THUMBS UP - The Canadian Junior Team (SK Edition)

The Canadian Junior team for the upcoming U20 World Championship in Ottawa was named Monday, and out of the 4 possible players attempting to make the team, we have 3 SK boys who were named to the final roster. Defenseman Keith Aulie of Rouleau, SK, Jordan Eberle of Regina, and goaltender Dustin Tokarski of Watson, SK round out this year's roster. Keep in mind that both Chet Pickard and Dustin Tokarski were the keepers named to the roster, something that the PrairiePuck predicted 2 months ago.

Another player that made this year's roster worthy of a shoutout is forward Angelo Esposito, who has tried out for the Junior team for the 4th consecutive time, and has finally cracked the roster.

THUMBS UP - Jeremy Williams - Toronto Maple Leafs

Jeremy Williams, of the Toronto Maple Leafs is an extraordinary part of the Leafs' franchise, and many have never even heard of the guy. Jeremy is a native of Glenavon, SK., and has been playing back and fourth between the Maple Leafs and the AHL Toronto Marlies for the past 5 years, notching 63 AHL goals and 79 assists. His NHL stats, although small, are more impressive. In 22 career games, Williams has tallied 6 goals on just career shots. How is he not a regular on the Leafs' lineup? A fun fact...in every single game that Williams has been called up (4), he has scored a goal in each game. I sure hope that Brian Burke is able to recognize raw Saskatchewan talent when he sees it, and we all hope that Williams will finally break the Leafs' lineup for good.

THUMBS UP - Scott Hartnell - Philadelphia Flyers

We all heard about the infamous "Glove throw" that is still the cause of some heckling from Hartnell's teammates. Scotty did redeem himself, however, in a game vs the Carolina Hurricanes last week, which the Flyers came back from a 5-1 deficit to beat the Canes in a shootout 6-5. A big part of this amazing comeback for the Flyers, was the effort of Hartnell, who tallied his 4th career hat trick. Along with an assist to round out the past week's effort, the PrairiePuck is proud to give Scotty a thumbs up this week.

THUMBS UP - Saskatchewan's favourite scorers Patrick Marleau & Ryan Getzlaf

We've said it here before: If the NHL had a team made only of players from Saskatchewan, we would be well represented. Ryan Getzlaf has been a threat in this league for the past 2 years, and this year, he is taking the league by storm, sitting at 4th overall in points with 36. But even more impressive, Aneroid SK native Patrick Marleau is enjoying a resurgent season, sitting at #6 in the league in points with 34. Not only do we have 2 Saskatchewan born players in the top 10 in scoring, we have 2 players that are on teams that are in prime condition to make a serious Stanley Cup run. Could we be seeing either of these two players hoisting the Hart Trophy this year, or succeed Cam Ward as the next Saskatchewan-born Conn Smythe winner? It is very possible.

PP