Prospect Corner: Canes Prospects Hot to Start the Season

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Stelio Mattheos

Could the Canes have found another mid-round gem who will blossom in his post-draft season? It surely seems to be the case so far for Mattheos, who is currently sixth in scoring in the WHL with 19 points in his first 10 games. His nine goals rank in a tie for third among all WHL players, and his eight power play markers easily lead the league. Mattheos is a player whose skill set thrives with the man advantage as a gritty, below the circles forward. He has been a key cog in the Wheat Kings top power play unit, which currently sits second in the WHL with 16 power play goals and first in power play percentage at 38.1%.

The third rounder from this summer will do well to top the .88 points-per-game rate he up put up last season as he takes on more responsibility for a good Brandon team. Expect Mattheos to finish the season above the point-per-game water mark for the first time in his career.

Jamie Kellner

Matt Filipe

Continuing the trend of former Canes third rounders due to break out in 2017-18 is Filipe, who has been on fire to start the season with three goals and two assists in Northeastern’s first two games. Only injury could cool off the sophomore as he didn’t dress for their 3-3 draw against RIT on Saturday with a lower body injury, and is considered day-to-day.

Filipe had an expected slow start as a freshman on a top-heavy Huskies team, posting just four points in his first 16 games of the season a year ago. However, down the stretch, the Massachusetts native gained his footing with 17 points in his final 22 games. It appears that scoring touch has carried over to this season as Filipe is poised to take a step forward for Northeastern and shoulder more of the offensive load.

Jamie Kellner

Morgan Geekie

Geekie was one of the overagers that the Hurricanes took a chance on in June, and he has picked up right where he left off after a strong season for Tri-City a year ago. Prior to the 2017 draft, Geekie was coming off a season where he scored 35 times and added 55 assists. His 90 points led the Americans, and were good for a tie for ninth among WHL scorers.

Early season returns have Geekie on a similar pace from a year ago, with 11 points in his first nine games, and his shot rates have been through the roof, with the pivot averaging 3.89 shots-per-game. He remains a solid asset in the face-off circle as well, averaging nearly six face-off wins per game.

Jamie Kellner

Jake Bean

Carolina’s first round selection from 2016 hung around camp before being returned to Calgary (WHL) in order to play a prominent role for the Hitmen and Team Canada’s World Junior team in 2017-18. Bean has added an “A” to his sweater for the season, and has already played more WHL games to start his campaign then he did a year ago, when he was lost for nearly two months with a broken finger after just three games. In his six games played, Bean has produced four assists, but has been a bit snake bitten on the goal scoring front, being held off the board thus far. The defenseman is averaging nearly four shots-per-game (23), a number that leads Calgary blueliners and is second among all Hitmen players.

As the season moves forward, I’m going to be watching Bean’s development at even strength. In his last two seasons, over 50% of his points have come with the man advantage, 51% in 2016-17, and 52% in 2015-16. We know of the rearguard’s proficiency on the power play, and it’s certainly one of his biggest strengths, but in his draft-plus two season we should start to see some of the production carry over to 5-on-5 to see where he better fits as a prospect in the future.