McKinney had the points, but Stenberg's minutes carry more weight
Cole McKinney scored five points in two games. Ivar Stenberg finished fourth of twelve San Jose forwards in ice time on both nights, including with Macklin Celebrini back.
Fourth of twelve San Jose forwards, twice, carries more weight than a five-point college weekend. Ivar Stenberg played 17:21 and 18:09 this week after ranking seventh, seventh and ninth in ice time in his first three games. He had two shots each night and the primary assist on Darnell Nurse's overtime winner at St. Louis on October 8.
Macklin Celebrini missed October 8 and returned October 10, and Stenberg was fourth both nights. Collin Graf, fourth of twelve on October 1 and October 3, was ninth and seventh this week. The case against weighting the minutes highest has two parts, and the first one is real:
- Stenberg is 19, with no goals, two assists and five shots in five games. That is mostly noise.
- Cole McKinney's line is louder: three goals, two assists and ten shots in two games, for four goals and six points in four games this season. Alaska-Anchorage supplied the opposition and lost 10-1 and 7-2.
McKinney stays 15th, behind Mattias Havelid and Haoxi Wang, who had quiet weeks. A swap is a claim about all three men, and four college games against one opponent is too few to make it. The one move on the prospect board is Luca Cagnoni to fifth, past the injured Quentin Musty, on five NHL games at 19:37 a game. Stenberg's minutes are a coaching decision, made once with Celebrini out and once with him back: fourth of twelve forwards, 17:21 and 18:09.
Sources: NHL box scores; AHL, OHL and WHL league feeds; a Liiga game file; College Hockey News box scores; Boston University's box score.
