Game Time's TRENDING UP: Week Ending Feb. 9, 2013

By Brian Weidler, "Game Time" Prospect Department

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THREE STAR SELECTIONS FOR THE WEEK ENDING 02-09-13

The First Star among prospects in the Blues' organization this week is Portland (WHL) right wing Ty Rattie. The western Canada (Airdrie, AB) native is putting to rest for good and all any speculation that his success in recent years was dependent upon linemate and Calgary first-round pick Sven Bärtschi.

Rattie has been absolutely en fuego in the last month since returning to Portland from a disappointing fourth-place finish with Team Canada at the 2013 World Junior Championships. In 17 games with the Winterhawks during that span, Rattie has racked up 12 goals and 22 assists to boost his impressive scoring line to 31-50-81 (plus-48, 21 PM, 9 PPG, 5 GWG) in just 47 total games played. Rattie is a plus-20 with just four penalty minutes, six power play tallies, and three game-winners, since rejoining the Hawks in early January.

Second Star honors this week go to 2012 late-round pick (146th overall) Francois Tremblay. The goaltender for les Foreurs de Val-d'Or in the QMJHL has, with very little fanfare, been steadily closing in on the ranks of the Top Ten goalies in the "Q." Tremblay's strong performance from Feb. 3-9 has him ranked 11th in goals-against average (3.25) and save percentage (89.8%), 7th in total saves (1031), 12th in wins (18), and 10th in minutes played (2160:29) among Quebec League stoppers.

This week's Third Star is another player who has been lighting up his league since returning from the World Juniors, winger Dmitrij Jaskin of the QMJHL's Moncton (NB) Wildcats. The 2011 draftee (41st overall) has, in just 11 games played since early January, rung up 16 goals and 15 assists for 31 points, a pace of very nearly three points per game. Jaskin is also a plus-17, with 16 minutes in penalty time, four power-play goals and one game-winner in that span.

Honorable Mentions for this past week go to center Max Gardiner, who leads all players on the first-year DI program at Penn State with 17 assists, and to Jaskin's Moncton teammate Yannick Veilleux, who like Jaskin played just one game this week, but made it memorable with the GWG on Friday night in Moncton's 8-5 win over the league-leading Halifax Mooseheads.

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*** FIRST Star ***	** SECOND Star **	* THIRD Star *
Ty RATTIE	Francois TREMBLAY	Dmitrij JASKIN
Portland (WHL)	Val-d'Or (QMJHL)	Moncton (QMJHL)
** 3 games played this week	** 2 games played this week	** 1 games played this week
** 2 G, 6 A, plus-5	** 120 mins, 3 GA, 2-0-0	** 3 G, 1 A, plus-3
** 0 PM, 2 PP, 0 SH, 0 GW	** 1.50 GAA, 95.6 save %	** 2 PM, 1 PP, 0 SH, 0 GW

HONORABLE MENTION:

MAX GARDINER, C, Penn State (Ind): 2 GP, 1-1-2, minus-1, 0 PM, 1 PP, 0 SH, 0 GW.

...

YANNICK VEILLEUX, LW, Moncton (QMJHL): 1 GP, 1-2-3, plus-1, 0 PM, 0 PP, 0 SH, 1 GW.

...

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THREE STAR POINT STANDINGS FOR THE WEEK ENDING 02-09-13

Players receive four points for being named First Star, three points for Second Star, two points for Third Star, and one point for Honorable Mention. The top ten prospects in the Three Star point standings for this week are as follows: