Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds' Jean Dupuy enjoys career night: Thursday's 3 Stars

No. 1 star: Jean Dupuy, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)

With overage and alternate captain status comes greater responsibilities, and Dupuy is delivering. The power winger had a career-high four points to help the 'Hounds stay unbeaten thanks to 5-4 decision over the North Bay Battalion, who also came in having yet to lose in regulation time.

The 20-year-old from Orléans, Ont., assisted on both the tying and winning goals in the third period. North Bay took a third-period lead on a snapshot goal from Vancouver Canucks prospect Miles Liberati. Dupuy (1G-3A, +2) and the 'Hounds had a goal waved off due to having a player in the crease, but five minutes after Liberati's goal, Dupuy fed Canucks first-rounder Jared McCann, who drove to the net and tied the game 4-4. With just 4:26 left, Dupuy won a puck battle and got the puck to defenceman Médric Mercier, whose blast from the blueline was redirected by Gabe Guertler for the game-winner.

Dupuy, who attended a NHL camp with the Winnipeg Jets before rejoining the 'Hounds, has eight points in his past three games. That's uncharted waters for someone who had only four multi-point games over his first three seasons.

No. 2 star: Daniel Audette, Sherbrooke Phoenix (QMJHL)

The Montreal Canadiens draft pick didn't score his eighth goal of last season until Dec. 15. The 18-year-old, now surrounded by more talent down in the Eastern Townships, is already at that mark after getting a hat trick plus an assist during Sherbrooke's 7-1 road win over Shawinigan.

Audette (3G-1A, +1), 17-year-old defenceman Jérémy Roy (1G-2A, +2), Kay Schweri (2G-1A, +1) and Tim Weiser (3A, +1) all had big nights for the Phoenix, who poured it with five goals in a row over a 21-minute span. Audette scored a power-play goal in the first minute of the second and then assisted on a Schweri extra-skater salvo a few minutes later. The Blainville, Que., native scored twice in the third to complete his hat trick.

No. 3 star: Mikkel Aagaard, Niagara IceDogs (OHL)

It would be remiss to omit the first star of the opener at the Meridian Centre, where the IceDogs' 7-4 win snapped their six-game losing streak and the Belleville Bulls' five-game win streak. Aagaard (2G-1A, +3), the newcomer from Denmark, was alight and active throughout the contest. The 19-year-old and his linemates Graham Knott (1G-2A, +3) and Johnny Corneil (2A, +3) combined on the new arena's first goal just 1:21 into the action.

Aagaard scored again in the second period on a pass out from Corneil, then set up a Knott marker early in the third that opened a 5-2 lead. That proved to be the game-winning goal.

Honourable mention: Josh Ho-Sang, Windsor Spitfires (OHL)

Ho-Sang (2G-1A, +1) proved worth the wait in his belated season debut, helping the Spitfires down Saginaw 8-5. The New York Islanders first-round pick, who was suspended for the first six games of the season due to an incident in the 2014 playoffs, looked comfortably immediately as he drew in at right wing after playing centre for most of last season. The teams were tied 4-4 when Ho-Sang sniped a breakaway goal 1:21 into the third. Saginaw replied, but Ho-Sang got an unassisted goal with 11:30 left that proved to be the game-winner.

Potent notables — Anaheim Ducks first-rounder Nick Ritchie (1G-1A) had a Gordie Howe hat trick during Peterborough's 5-3 loss to Sarnia ... In the QMJHL, Winnipeg Jets-drafted defenceman Jan Kostalek scored the winning goal in Rimouski's 2-1 win at Chicoutimi ... Philippe Cadorette had an 18-save shutout as Baie-Comeau ended Quebec's five-game win streak.

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.