CHL notebook: 'Sky's the limit' for Kraken prospect Loshko

Future NHL stars are developing in the Canadian Hockey League this season. Each week, NHL.com will highlight a few of the top NHL-affiliated prospects in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League and the Western Hockey League.

Andrei Loshko has had the kind of offensive production this season that opens eyes at the next level.

But the Seattle Kraken forward prospect knows he won't be able to score his way into the NHL. It's his two-way ability and attention to detail in all three zones that could earn the 19-year-old a shot at the next level as soon as next season.

"I think I'm improving every zone in my game," Loshko said. "I want to be very strong defensively because I'm a center and a two-way forward."

Loshko has 54 points (23 goals, 31 assists) in 51 games with Rouyn-Noranda this season, including a hat trick and two assists in a 11-0 win against Acadie-Bathurst on Feb. 8, and he had 21 points (six goals, 15 assists) during a 13-game point streak from Dec. 3-Jan. 9, the longest by Rouyn-Noranda player since 2018-19 (Peter Abbandonato, 14).

But it's the other parts of Loshko's game that have impressed the Kraken.

"He's a really exciting prospect," Seattle director of player development Jeff Tambellini said. "There's so many subtle things that Andrei does well that I believe fly under the radar. He's a talented scorer, but his defensive game, his 200-foot game, is really impressive for a young player. We've been thrilled with his progress this year.

"'Losh' is one of our top two-way guys. We love his size (6-foot-1, 173 pounds) but we love his 200-foot game. Not many players understand the game on both sides of the puck and he takes a ton of pride in it."

Loshko, selected by the Kraken in the fourth round (No. 116) of the 2023 NHL Draft, takes a simple approach for why he puts so much effort into playing as hard on both sides of the puck.

"If you play less in the defensive zone you get to play more in the offensive end," he said, "and everyone wants that."

Tambellini said he believes Loshko has a lot of the same qualities as Seattle center Matty Beniers, the Calder Trophy winner as NHL rookie of the year last season.

"He's a player that takes a ton of pride in the forechecking, tracking, defending aspect, and that as a young center is so important," Tambellini said. "We have one of those young centers in Seattle today with Matty Beniers, who takes so much pride in the defensive zone and the neutral zone and is able to produce and, 'Losh' brings a lot of those same qualities to his game where he's at right now in the Quebec league.

"He cares about it, he works on it, and it's as much of a skill set for him as it is running power plays and making plays offensively."

The next step for Loshko before turning pro is adding size, which would make his two-way game even more effective.

"That's what I think right now is the most important thing for me, is to get stronger," Loshko said.

The Kraken already have seen improvement in that area, and are positive there will be more when he arrives for training camp next season.

"Every time we see him he looks a little bigger, a little stronger," Tambellini said. "We're never worried about him not putting the work in. ... He's done a great job of making gains throughout the season.

"We're excited with his progress. He's a worker, he wants to learn. He continues to add to his game. We're really excited to get to three, four years and see what we have. I think the sky's the limit for this young man."

OTHERS TO WATCH

Easton Cowan, LW, London: The Toronto Maple Leafs prospect scored a goal in his third straight game, a 5-0 win at Kingston on Friday, to give him 48 points (19 goals, 29 assists) during a 25-game point streak, the longest in the OHL since 2019-20 and the longest by a London player since Sergei Kostitsyn had points in 25 straight in 2006-07. Selected by Toronto with the No. 28 pick in the 2023 draft, the 18-year old is London's second-leading scorer with 76 points (28 goals, 48 assists) in 43 games.

Samuel Savoie, LW, Rouyn-Noranda: The Chicago Blackhawks prospect made his season debut Feb. 1, four months after surgery Oct. 1 to repair an injury to his right femur sustained during an NHL preseason game. He has nine points (four goals, five assists) in eight games, with at least a point in six of them. The 19-year-old, selected in the third round (No. 81) of the 2022 NHL Draft, had 59 points (26 goals, 33 assists) in 60 games with Gatineau last season.

Fraser Minten, C, Saskatoon: Minten scored in overtime to give Saskatoon a 4-3 win at Medicine Hat on Feb. 17. Two nights later he scored the game-winner again, in a 5-2 victory at Brandon. The Maple Leafs prospect has 14 points (nine goals, five assists) and four game-winning goals in his past 11 games for Saskatoon, which had an 11-game winning streak end in a 4-1 loss to Brandon on Friday but still has the best record in the WHL (42-10-5). The 19-year-old, selected in the second round (No. 38) of the 2022 draft, was scoreless in four games after making the Maple Leafs opening-night roster and has 40 points (18 goals, 22 assists) in 32 games with Saskatoon and Kamloops this season.