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Bowen Byram back in CHL limelight
Cranbrook’s Bowen Byram (pictured above) was returned to the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League (WHL) last week by the Colorado Avalanche.
The 18-year-old fourth overall selection in the 2019 NHL entry draft has apparently taken the demotion well – as he stormed onto the ice for the Giants and skated right back into the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) limelight.
The CHL Oct. 1 announced the second edition of the Vaughn CHL Team of the Week for the 2019-20 season based on individual performances from September 23-29. This week’s edition features from the WHL: Byram, Lethbridge Hurricanes forward Dylan Cozens and Tri-City Americans goaltender Beck Warm from the WHL.
The forward ranks are headlined by London Knights centre Connor McMichael, who posted five goals and two assists for seven points to help guide his club to back-to-back victories. For his efforts, the Washington Capitals first-round pick was recognized as the OHL On the Run Player of the Week.
Drawing even with McMichael at seven points is Rimouski Oceanic left-wing Alexis Lafreniere, a projected top selection for the upcoming 2020 NHL Draft who picked up two goals and five assists in two games to push their season-opening record to 3-0-0-1 for top spot in the QMJHL’s East Division.
Rounding out the forward ranks is Cozens, who made an immediate impact upon returning from NHL training camp with the Buffalo Sabres to notch three goals and three assists as the Hurricanes came away with a split against the Red Deer Rebels and Edmonton Oil Kings. Cozens’ six-point production also helped him earn WHL On the Run Player of the Week honours.
On the back end, the Vaughn CHL Team of the Week includes, Byram, who returned to WHL action and promptly tallied five points – all coming as assists – in a trio of games.
Also included on the blue line is Saginaw Spirit first-year import blue-liner Ilya Solovyov, who amassed eight points across three games counting one goal and seven assists. That stretch included a five-point night against the Sarnia Sting in which Solovyov was later recognized as the CHL Player of the Night.
Between the pipes, Warm was nearly unbeatable across two appearances as he came away with two victories while turning aside a combined 69 of 70 shots. He finished the week with a 0.50 goals-against-average and .986 save percentage with a top performance that featured a 38-save shutout against the Spokane Chiefs.
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