31 Teams in 31 Days - Minnesota Wild

1. Hunter Jones - Peterborough Petes
Jones was successful in putting together a strong season from start to finish this year, the number one priority for him after fading down the stretch the previous year. The expectation was for Jones to be one of the best goalies in the OHL and he met those expectations. One thing Jones does so well is challenge shooters and cut down angles on longer shots. With his 6'4 frame, when he's out at the edge of the paint, he really doesn't give much daylight. And he has learned to be more aggressive in cutting down those angles, improving his quickness to recover and track the play when required. Moving forward, I think the key for Jones is continuing to progress as a "goaltender" and not just a stopper; by that I mean improving his rebound control and limiting second chance opportunities. He can have a tendency to drop down a bit early in the butterfly and even with his size, that leaves him especially vulnerable if he's not limiting those second chance opportunities as he scrambles to recover. Next year, I would anticipate that Jones spends the year in the ECHL with Kahkonen and Robson patrolling the crease at the AHL level. I always feel it necessary to say that this is not a bad thing for goaltenders, and is extremely common.

2. Ivan Lodnia - Niagara IceDogs
It couldn't have been easy for Lodnia this year. After signing his ELC last year, the expectation was that he would be in Iowa this year (AHL), however he failed to make that team and was sent back to the OHL in mid October. Some players take this hard and their on ice performance suffers because of it; players on good teams, let alone the rebuilding IceDogs that Lodnia was returned to. However, he put his head down and went to work, putting forth a consistent effort all season long. He was even named captain after the trade deadline passed. Look, not a lot of people (or scouts) were flocking to see Niagara down the stretch...myself included. But when I did, Lodnia was a difference maker. His confidence with the puck really reached a new level this year and he was a consistent play driver whenever on the ice. Teams would focus in on him and he would take a lot of abuse, yet he kept on trucking (even after a lower body injury kept him sidelined for a while at the start of 2020). He has an ability to create out of nothing, with his hands and agility working to give him that time and space to operate. The proof is in the pudding too. Look at the per game offensive stats this year and you'll find Lodnia near the top of every list. For example, 10th in even strength primary points per game and 6th in shots per game. That said, I think we all would have been disappointed if Lodnia wasn't as effective as he was as an OA and with all the ice time he could handle. So what's next? He'll take that pro plunge next year, but not in a way that you might expect. He's being loaned to Dinamo Minsk of the KHL. For the KHL he'll need to get a little quicker. He'll need to get a little stronger. These are cliches but true. However, I do believe that Lodnia possesses the talent to be a top 6 player at the pro level. Whether that's as an AHL level player, European player, or in the NHL remains to be seen.

3. Damien Giroux - Saginaw Spirit
No question, Giroux is one of the hardest working players in the OHL. There's a reason why he's been the captain of the Spirit for the last two years. He leaves it all on the ice. The effort is consistent in all three zones and he provides a ton of flexibility to his coaches; be it usage in different situations or positional flexibility. Giroux is also a very underrated goal scorer. He's underrated because he's not a Jack Quinn, or Nick Robertson in the sense that he'll fly down the wing and beat a goaltender clean with a wrist shot. Giroux does the majority of his damage in tight. But it's because of his wicked release and his instincts/anticipation. His ability to read the play and his tireless work ethic earns him those chances as he gains inside leverage on larger defenders. Giroux is also not the type of player you'll see being the primary puck carrier in transition. He's the type that does the dirty work, driving the middle to create space and working hard to recover dump ins or establish/maintain possession along the wall. Giroux is also a committed two-way player who can be relied upon whether Saginaw is down a goal or up one late. That said, there may be some limitations to his game moving forward to the pro level due to his lack of dynamic skating ability and his lack of size. Will he be able to be as effective hunting down scoring chances near the net and dominating through the middle? While it is rare for signed players to be sent back, it actually wouldn't surprise me at all if Giroux returns to Saginaw for his OA (similar to what Minnesota did with Lodnia and Gordeev). That's because Saginaw will be hunting an OHL Championship and that could be a great experience for Giroux. However, he'll be given every opportunity to make the AHL squad in Iowa and could certainly be a successful role player in a checking line role. I'd call it a 50/50 toss up.

4. Fedor Gordeev - Guelph Storm 
Like Lodnia, Gordeev was sent back to the OHL for his OA season by the Wild. He played a very large part in the Guelph Storm's surprisingly strong season by being a minute eater for the team. At the OHL level, Gordeev is simply physically dominant. He routinely has his way with opposing forwards who challenge him below the hash marks. No doubt, Gordeev is a menacing physical specimen and one of the OHL's most physical players. With his reach and his good mobility for his size (at 6'7), his positioning and anticipation doesn't even have to be fantastic for him to be effective. And that's going to be the challenge at the next level. Gordeev can still struggle with his decision making, both with and without the puck. Turnovers are an issue. However, he's certainly not devoid of talent. He can make a clean exit, be it with his feet or a pass. It's that he can get bottled up because he's not making those decisions quick enough. Another thing Gordeev will have to work on are his routes to DZ recoveries. At times in the OHL, I feel like Gordeev is content to lose that initial battle because he knows he can overpower forwards on the cycle. However, at the pro level, he's going to want to beat those forwards to loose pucks and give them less time. I see Gordeev's development going one of two ways. The first is that the speed of the pro game becomes too much for him and he becomes an AHL lifer (ala Chris Breen). The second is that he learns to rely more on his mobility than his size and adapts to become a useable third pairing defender. The tools are there, but patience will be required.

5. Matvei Guskov - London Knights (now with North Bay)
It will be really interesting to see how Guskov handles the move to North Bay next season, as he'll finally get a chance to be a top line center after playing more of a checking line role in London. From a development standpoint, it was a stagnant year. Guskov remains a project who has tools (length, power, two-way awareness), but who has yet to show that he has the vision or IQ to be a consistent point producer. He will dazzle with an end to end rush, but then go the rest of the game without really making a difference. In North Bay, he'll be counted on to be a go to guy and will get all the ice time he can handle. Needless to say, it will be a make or break year for him as an NHL prospect. Best case scenario likely sees him as a 30 goal, 40 assist player (doubling his previous career highs).