All eight New York Rangers prospects in the CHL and USHL got into game action last week, and the group delivered a little bit of everything: goals, assists, a return from injury, a rough night in net and even a few penalty-heavy performances.
The biggest Rangers-related development came from Artem Gonchar, who finally made his season debut for Sudbury after being sidelined by an injury. The 19-year-old defenseman, a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, had missed all of rookie camp and training camp with the Rangers because of an unspecified injury, so his return was a welcome sight.
He stepped right back into a top-pair role on Friday, when Sudbury beat Barrie 5-2. Gonchar didn’t get on the scoresheet in that one, but he logged two shots, finished plus-2 and took a roughing minor.
He followed that up Sunday by picking up a secondary assist in a 4-2 win over Brampton for his first point of the season. Last year, he posted 51 points - 15 goals and 36 assists - in 65 games with Sudbury.
Darian Anderson also made his mark for Flint, and he did it quickly. On Friday, he was named First Star in a 4-2 win over Windsor after scoring a goal late in the second period.
The play started when a clearing attempt caromed off the left boards, Jaems Paul nudged the loose puck toward Anderson, and the Rangers’ 2026 sixth-round pick buried a high shot from the middle of the zone for a 3-1 lead. Anderson finished with a goal, two shots and a plus-2 as Flint opened the season with a second straight win.
He stayed hot Saturday too, scoring again in a 5-2 loss to Niagara. That gave him three goals in three games, and he’s tied with Xavier Tessier for the team lead.
Spencer Bowes put together a strong opening weekend for Ottawa. He earned First Star honors Saturday in a 6-3 win over Peterborough, scoring twice.
His first goal came on a tip of a point shot for a 1-0 lead, and he later added an empty-netter. Bowes finished with two goals, five shots, a plus-2 and won 10 of 13 face-offs.
He added a primary assist Sunday even though Ottawa was thumped 10-3 by Sarnia. Through the opening weekend, he has four points, tied with Filio Ekberg for the team lead.
Felix Färhammar kept producing for Muskegon. He picked up a secondary assist Friday in a 5-3 loss to the USNTDP, then scored his first USHL goal Saturday in a 6-1 win. That goal came on the power play, and it pushed him to three points in four games.
Evan Passmore had a mixed weekend in Barrie. Friday was rough: he was held off the scoresheet in a 6-0 shutout loss to Sudbury, with one shot, a minus-1 and seven penalty minutes.
He also fought for the second time this season, leaving him close to the OHL’s new fighting-limit threshold. Players are allowed three fighting majors from the start of the season through Dec. 31, then three more from Jan. 1 through the end of the regular season, and those who go over the limit face suspension.
Passmore bounced back Saturday by scoring his first goal of the season in a 4-2 loss to Oshawa. He took a pass from below the goal line and beat the goalie over the glove on his only shot of the night.
The defenseman has now scored three goals in each of the past two seasons with Barrie.
Andre Mondoux and Kingston had a tough three-game stretch. Mondoux was scoreless Friday in a 5-3 loss to Sarnia, finishing with no shots and a minus-2.
Saturday was more of the same in a 10-4 loss to Brantford, as he again had no shots and finished minus-2. He finally got on the board Sunday with a secondary assist in a 6-3 loss to Kitchener.
Kingston had opened the season by winning its first two games before dropping three straight.
Dani Shaiikov saw both sides of the goalie coin for Gatineau. He had been excellent in the team’s first two games of the season two weeks ago, and he was solid again Friday in an overtime loss to Blainville-Boisbriand, stopping 17 of 20 shots.
Sunday, though, he was pulled at 13:45 of the second period after allowing four goals on 16 shots in a 7-5 loss to Victoriaville. His record remains 2-0-1, but his numbers now sit at a 2.78 goals-against average and a .888 save percentage.
Zeb Lindgren added a little offense from the back end for Red Deer. Friday, he picked up a primary assist in a 4-3 win over Lethbridge, finishing with one shot, a plus-1 and a hooking minor. Saturday, he was held without a point in a 3-1 win over Medicine Hat, but he still contributed three shots, a plus-2 and a tripping minor early in the first period.
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