The first stretch of the CHL calendar has already given several Eastern Conference NHL organizations a clear look at their young talent. From Guelph’s crease to power-play production in Saskatoon, drafted prospects are making early noise across the OHL, WHL and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.
Flint right wing Darian Anderson has supplied the Rangers with one of the OHL’s hotter opening runs. The 19-year-old scored in each of his first five outings and carried a six-game points streak to start the season, producing five goals and three assists. His finish in a 7-2 win at London on Oct. 4 stood as the winner, and he added two helpers that night. It was already Anderson’s second deciding goal of the young season after he managed two across 60 games last year. His scoring streak ended against Kitchener on Wednesday, though he set up Cooper Williams for the winning goal in a 5-2 Flint defeat. New York selected Anderson 163rd overall in the 2026 NHL Draft.
Another Rangers pick, Ottawa left wing Spencer Bowes, has been just as productive early. Bowes scored the 67’s only goal in a 2-1 overtime loss in Niagara on Thursday, extending his personal goal run to three games. He has found the net in four of five contests and owns five goals and two assists through a six-game points streak. The Rangers took the 19-year-old in the fourth round, 102nd overall, in 2026.
Guelph has two Eastern Conference prospects off to notable starts. Maple Leafs center Tyler Hopkins opened with four consecutive multi-point games after putting up two assists in a 6-0 win over Oshawa. He then scored twice, including the deciding goal, in a 4-2 victory against Windsor on Oct. 2. Hopkins had four goals and five assists during that initial surge before it stopped in Friday’s 3-2 win against Owen Sound. Toronto chose the 19-year-old 86th overall in the 2025 draft.
At the other end of the rink, Hurricanes prospect Zachary Jovanovski opened with a piece of OHL goaltending history. The 19-year-old stopped 25 shots against Oshawa on Sept. 25, then made 19 saves against Kitchener on Oct. 4 for another clean sheet. No OHL goalie since the 1997-98 season had begun a campaign with back-to-back shutouts. Jovanovski had recorded one shutout in each of his first two OHL seasons before Carolina drafted him in the sixth round, 165th overall, in 2026.
WHL starts have been loud
Prince George center Aiden Foster has quickly rebounded from a difficult opening night, when the Cougars lost 8-0 in Seattle and he finished minus-5. The Tampa Bay prospect responded with two goals, including his first WHL short-handed marker, in a 4-2 loss at Vancouver on Sept. 27. Five days later, he scored short-handed again against Brandon before snapping a 1-1 tie in the third period of a 3-1 Prince George win. Foster, 19, had only one two-goal game over his first three WHL seasons. The Lightning selected him 127th overall in 2025.
Montreal prospect Brayden Klimpke has been driving Saskatoon’s offense from the blue line while wearing the captain’s “C.” His power-play goal and assist against Red Deer on Oct. 2 made him the first WHL defenseman this season to hit 10 points. Klimpke has four goals and eight assists during a six-game scoring streak, with multiple points in five of those games. The Canadiens took the 19-year-old in the fourth round, 117th overall, in 2026.
Medicine Hat center Markus Ruck missed the Tigers’ first two games while attending Pittsburgh camp, but the delay has not slowed him. After leading the WHL with 108 points last season — 21 goals and 87 assists in 68 games — Ruck recorded an assist and two shots in each of his first two appearances. He followed with two goals and an assist in a 4-2 win against Prince Albert on Oct. 3, bringing him to seven points in four games. Pittsburgh used the 39th pick of the 2026 draft on Ruck, after selecting his twin brother Liam at No. 22.
Calgary winger Carter Sanderson has carried his scoring touch from the USHL into the WHL. The Penguins prospect, who spent the previous two seasons with Muskegon, opened with a power-play goal and two assists in a 6-1 win over Edmonton on Sept. 25. In his next game, he posted a hat trick — two on the power play and one short-handed — plus an assist in a 7-4 road win against Lethbridge. Sanderson added a goal against Regina and scored twice in a loss at Red Deer, reaching seven goals and 10 points in his first four games. Pittsburgh drafted the 19-year-old 169th overall in 2025.
Lethbridge center Logan Stuart has also adapted quickly after two seasons with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. The Capitals pick began with points in five straight games, totaling three goals and three assists over that stretch. His first multi-point WHL game came Oct. 2, when he scored once and assisted on another in a 3-1 win against Prince Albert. Stuart has four goals and four assists in seven games, and has won 51.3 percent of his club-leading 113 faceoffs. Washington selected the 18-year-old, the son of former NHL defenseman Brad Stuart, 208th overall in 2026.
In the QMJHL, Philadelphia prospect Nathan Quinn is off to an especially sharp start with Quebec. He had only one multi-goal performance over his first 28 games last season, but produced two goals and two assists against Shawinigan on Sept. 25 in a 7-3 victory. One of those goals held up as the winner. Two nights later, Quinn scored 31 seconds into overtime to beat Rimouski 5-4. The 19-year-old has five goals and five assists in five games, scoring in four of them. Philadelphia selected him in the sixth round, 164th overall, in 2025.
