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 Major Junior Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League and the Western Hockey League.
Dalibor Dvorsky has played well for Sudbury during his eight games in the Ontario Hockey League, but it's not the points that matter for the St. Louis Blues forward prospect.
After a disappointing start to the season with Oskarshamn in the Swedish Hockey League, Dvorsky is happy in his new home and producing with the kind of ice time he believes will propel him forward in his development.
"Hockey is my passion and therefore I enjoy every minute on ice," Dvorsky said. "I appreciate when the coaches believe in me and I always do my best to deserve their trust. It is fun for every hockey player when you play a lot. That's why I'm here and I really like it."
He's getting all the ice time he can handle with Sudbury, and producing like the top-line player the Blues believed they were getting when they selected the 18-year-old with the No. 10 pick of the 2023 NHL Draft. Dvorsky has responded with 11 points (six goals, five assists) and at least a point in each, including a season-high three points (two goals, one assist) in Sudbury's 7-2 win against Niagara on Thursday.
But more than the production, the Blues have seen the joy return to Dvorsky's game.
"He seems a lot happier," Blues director of player personnel Tim Taylor said. "He's not as uptight and worried about points as he is just going out there and playing now. At the end of the day, it's a game. And these kids need to have fun to develop and he's having a lot more fun now. He's more relaxed and comfortable where he is."
It's a far cry from where he was when the season began. He was averaging 10:10 of ice time and did not have a point in 10 games with Oskarshamn. That's why the decision was made Oct. 18 for Dvorsky to join Sudbury, which had selected him in the second round (No. 68) of the 2022 Canadian Hockey League import draft.
"The situation [with Oskarshamn] was difficult and I just didn't play as much as I needed." Dvorsky said. "At my stage of development, I need to play a lot, so that's why we decided to move to Sudbury. The club has created excellent conditions for me and I appreciate it very much.
"We all knew that the situation was not ideal. The Blues and my agency analyzed this situation and made a quick decision. In agreement with Sudbury, I just moved to Canada."
Taylor said the move will allow Dvorsky to be in an atmosphere built for development, rather than playing with and against professionals.
"His expectations were to put points on the board real early and it didn't happen and it's just a real tough league and dynamic for a young 18-year-old boy to walk into," Taylor said. "We're really happy to get him into Sudbury, back to really where his peers are playing ... where he could be a kid, be a young teenager, and be able to grow and learn and still play the game and still have some fun with it. It's a better all-around situation for him."
The Blues hope the situation in Sudbury will help Dvorsky develop the finer details and decision making that will help him succeed in the NHL.
"We feel he's got a ton of skill, and just because he's skilled he's going to go through games where he has three, four points in a game," Taylor said. "But if it's a game where it's tight checking, where it's a 1-1 game late in the game and time is running out, what type of play is he making in the defensive zone? Does he try and make a play, or does he make a safe play and live to fight another day? So those are the little things that we want him to learn and understand because those are key points you need for pro hockey. That's what either gets you ice time or loses you ice time."
Dvorsky is getting all the ice time he needs to learn those elements of the game. But for now, he's keeping his goals more short-term as he adjusts to life in North America.
"I don't want to look too much forward," he said. "I just want to go day by day, do my best in every game, practice enough to be a good player and help the team win. This is what I always try to do."
OTHERS TO WATCH
Carson Rehkopf, C, Kitchener (SEA): Rehkopf had a goal and an assist in Kitchener's 5-0 win against Owen Sound on Wednesday to give him four straight multipoint games (four goals, five assists), a streak that ended Friday. The 18-year-old, selected by the Seattle Kraken in the second round (No. 50) of the 2023 draft, leads the OHL with 32 points (18 goals, 14 assists) in 18 games. He leads the league in goals and has 11 multipoint games.
Jake Furlong, D, Halifax (SJS): Furlong extended his point streak to five games (one goal, seven assists) when he matched his Quebec Major Junior Hockey League best with three assists in a 5-1 win against Sherbrooke on Nov. 4. That streak ended Friday but the 19-year-old, selected by the San Jose Sharks in the fifth round (No. 140) of the 2022 NHL Draft, is tied for sixth among QMJHL defensemen with 14 points (one goal, 13 assists) in 17 games.
Riley Heidt, C, Prince George (MIN): Heidt has 16 points (four goals, 12 assists) during a 10-game point streak. That includes his second five-point game in the Western Hockey League, when he had a goal and four assists, including one on the game-winning goal, in a 7-5 victory against Medicine Hat on Oct. 22. Selected by the Minnesota Wild in the second round (No. 64) of the 2023 draft, the 18-year-old has 27 points (nine goal, 18 assists) in 16 games this season.
