The 2020 Kubota Top Prospects Game will feature two key members of the Kamloops Blazers.
Goaltender Dylan Garand and forward Connor Zary have been added to the event which will take place on January 16th in Hamilton, Ontario.
Zary — whose name is expected to be called in the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft — is currently centering the WHL’s top scoring line with Zane Franklin and Orrin Centazzo on his flanks.
Zary’s 20 goals and 44 points in 33 games lead all draft-eligible players in the WHL and is good for fifth in overall scoring.
While known primarily for his offensive instincts, the Saskatoon native also anchors the WHL’s top penalty-killing unit where his three short-handed goals are tied for first in the league with two other players.
Joining Zary will be 17-year old sophomore Dylan Garand. A native of Victoria, Garand has recorded an 18-8-1-1 record while compiling a .919 save percentage and a 2.40 goals-against average in 28 games this season.
Zary and Garand will be the 15th and 16th members in Blazers’ history attending the event, and the first since Tim Bozon represented the club in 2012.
The news of Kubota’s Top Prospects Game was followed up by another announcement from the Blazers, this time regarding Canada’s 2020 Youth Olympics roster.
Mats Lindgren and Dylan Ernst — both selected by the Blazers in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft — are set to compete for Team Canada in Lausanne, Switzerland from January 9-22.
Lindgren was the seventh overall selection in the 2019 draft and is currently playing with the Burnaby Winter Club Midget Prep team where he’s recorded 10 points in 19 games.
Dylan Ernst — the first goalie selected in the 2019 Bantam Draft — is currently enjoying his first year in the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League where his Moose Jaw Warriors sit atop the standings.
Through 16 games with the Warriors, Ernst has put together a 12-3 record with three shutouts, a 2.18 goals-against average and a 9.30 save percentage.
