Joe Pascucci
Heading into the NHL's Christmas break here is a look at the top scorers in the League from our Province.
Maybe it shouldn't be a surprise that 19 year old Jonathan Toews leads all Manitobans in NHL points and is second only to teammate Patrick Kane in rookie scoring. Toews has 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points while Kane has 32. Individually his goal and assist numbers are also tops among Manitoba players. Toews has been everything and more the Blackhawks hoped he would be when they drafted him 3rd overall in 2006 behind defenseman Erik Johnson by the Blues and Jordan Staal by the Penguins. Both those players have just 2 goals this season and 11 and 7 points overall respectively.
2nd behind Toews among Manitobans in NHL scoring is Winkler's Dustin Penner. A Stanley Cup Champion with Anaheim - Penner won the lottery this past summer when the Oilers signed him to a 21.25 million dollar 4 year offer sheet which the Ducks did not match. Penner has 9 goals and 11 assists for 20 points with over half those goals coming in the Oilers last 10 games.
3rd in scoring is Alex Steen...though his 5 goals and 16 points have to be considered a disappointment. Now in his 3rd season with the Leafs, Steen had 18 goals and 45 points in his rookie season and won't come close to those totals this season.
Travis Zajack had 17 goals and 25 assists in his rookie season with the Devils but isn't scoring nearly as often this season with Brent Sutter as New Jersey's head coach. Zajack with 5 goals and 10 assists for 15 points in 34 games.
Not surprisingly Riley Cote of the Flyers with 68 and Colton Orr of the Rangers with 56 lead all Manitobans in penalty minutes.