Barrie, Brandon on sizzling streaks: CHL Hot & Cold

It is great to be young and affiliated in some way with Manitoba.

The Brandon Wheat Kings, despite an injury list one would not give to a monkey on a rock, have taken 30-of-32 possible points over the last month and a half. In central Canada, the Barrie Colts, with spark plug Brendan Lemieux now in the Winnipeg Jets system after being part of the Evander Kane trade, are also on a lengthy win skein.

Here is a survey of who is flowing and who is fraying entering a week that begins with a Tuesday slate in the QMJHL and WHL:

OHL

Hot: Barrie Colts

The Colts diversified their portfolio last week by creating a tag team with the Garrett Hooey-Lemieux-Kevin Labanc and Joseph Blandisi-Justin Scott-Andrew Mangiapane scoring lines. Spurred by that big six, they have scored 35 goals during their seven-game win streak. See what was meant by the suggestion a month and change back that the Colts should just embrace being a high-octane, high-production team?

Barrie (.667 point pct., second in the Eastern) is now five points clear of North Bay in their divisional race. The Battalion make the voyage south for the metaphorical four-pointer on Feb. 25.

Not: Saginaw Spirit

Saginaw (.454 point pct., eighth Western) has been outscored 27-9 during a five-game skid that has put a playoff spot in peril, with the young Windsor Spitfires now within two points. A slide back was widely anticipated after moving out vets Nick Moutrey and Jake Paterson in January, but being on the brink of dropping out of the playoff pack is dicey for a franchise that emphasizes playing some spring hockey. The struggle isn't without some bright spots. Rookie Tye Felhaber is taking a three-game goal streak into his homecoming game against Ottawa on Friday, while goalies Evan Cormier and David Ovsjannikov are getting a lot of valuable experience. That, and a lot of 40-shot nights.

Canadian NHL team prospects

Jared McCann, Sault Ste. Marie (No. 24 by Vancouver in 2014) — The streaking Stratfordian has nine points over his last five while playing mostly with two world junior-calibre wings, brawny Nick Ritchie and slippery Sergey Tolchinsky (the OHL player of the week). McCann, who had a disrupted start to the season, is now approaching the top 20 in scoring with 63 points in 47 games.

Brendan Lemieux, Barrie (Winnipeg, No. 31 in '14) — Lemieux had four points during the Colts' three road wins, and has 54 over 49 games. The 18-year-old's numbers are a little goosed by the 24 power-play goals, but he's done the work that affords him those opportunities.

Jimmy Lodge, Mississauga (No. 84 by Winnipeg in '13) — Lodge has been placed on indefinite suspension after receiving a game misconduct on Friday the 13th for physically abusing an official. It was a Category II game misconduct, which means a minimum 10-game ban. At most, the 19-year-old would only make it back for the last four; it wouldn't be a shock if the OHL added more games and ended his (regular) season.

Nick Paul, North Bay (Ottawa, No. 101 in '13) — Big Nick had five points over four games as his Troops batted .500 for the week, ceding ground to both Barrie and the fourth-place Ottawa 67's.

Jordan Subban, Belleville (No. 116 by Vancouver in '13) — Became the first Bulls defenceman to have a 20-goal season, breaking a mark set during brother P.K. Subban's final season in the Quinte Region (though not by P.K. Subban; Shawn Lalonde had 19 that winter). The younger Subban followed up the milestone night by going plus-4 in a home win over Kitchener. It seems like no matter the year, Belleville always gives the Rangers fits.

QMJHL

Hot: Rimouski Océanic 

Like his team, energetic forward Anthony DeLuca is on an eight-game point streak, with 13 points (7G-6A). The Océanic's 7-0-0-1 run stayed extant after it found a way to ration its stamina and win back-to-back games against Saint John and Rouyn-Noranda at home. They were able to keep winning without Philadelphia Flyers first-rounder Samuel Morin and an injury to Charles-David Beaudoin that will keep the experienced defender out for a month, as 19-year-old Jan Kostalek carried a heavy workload.

Rimouski's three-game slate involves meeting the Q's bottom three. Never assume, but they could still be riding a streak heading into a visit next week to Memorial Cup host Quebec.

Not: Drummondville Voltigeurs

That's right; the two teams guided by coaches from Team Canada's staff — Volts skipper Martin Raymond was an assistant to Gatineau's Benoit Groulx at the WJC — are playing hot potato with the last playoff berth. The Voltigeurs have lost eight in a row and are down a seasoned forward after Christophe Lalancette broke his foot last week. Their 0-3 homestand started with a pair of played-just-well-enough-to-get-beat setbacks before a 6-0 shellacking against Chicoutimi.

Sixteen-year-old Mathieu Sévigny did have a two-goal night last week, breaking into double digits on the year. Sean Couturier scored only nine in his yearling season in 2008-09, albeit on a league champion team that wasn't forced to give lots of prime ice time to a rookie.

Canadian NHL team prospects

Nikolaj Ehlers, Halifax (No. 9 by Winnipeg in '14) — Lather, rinse, repeat. The Dashing Dane has now tallied a point in 29 consecutive games after getting four helpers in two contests last week.

Jan Kostalek, Rimouski (No. 114 by Winnipeg in '13) — The unsigned fourth-rounder has six points and 16 shots over five games in February, once again covering for absent teammates. The Jets' surfeit of young prospects might factor into why Kostalek hasn't been locked up. He shouldn't stay unattached for long if no contract materializes by June 1.

Daniel Audette, Sherbrooke (No. 147 by Montreal in '14) — Someone told Audette to shoot more. The fifth-rounder has six in his last three games, which is as many as he mustered in the previous 21 fixtures.

WHL

Hot: Brandon Wheat Kings

Thank you for making this blurb easy, Wheaties. Brandon is on a 16-game point streak (14-0-1-1) even with their name-brand players such as Reid Duke, Jayce Hawryluk, Nolan Patrick and defenceman Ivan Provorov on the injured list. There often is a breaking point when a team runs for an extended period without top-end players, so one shouldn't presume the streak goes to 18 after this week's back-to-back against rebuilding Prince Albert and Saskatoon. Duncan Campbell, Tyler Coulter and Tanner Kaspick, who all came of age on Brandon's AAA midget team of the same moniker, have grabbed a lot of slack lately.

Not: Red Deer Rebels

Red Deer's current funk — try one regulation time win on the month — is a launch point for pointing out that apeing the NHL's playoff format has kind of backfired on the WHL, at least in the Eastern Conference. Red Deer (.591 point pct., third Central) and the Regina Pats (.598, second East) could be vying for home ice in the first round. Instead, both are locked into their slots a good five weeks in advance.

Captain Connor Bleackley missed both games last weekend with a minor injury and the zing went out of the Rebels, who scored just three times on 69 shots during losses against Prince George and Lethbridge. It could just be a minor blip.

Canadian NHL team prospects

Leon Draisaitl, Kelowna (No. 3 by Edmonton in '14) — Easy mention here; Draisaitl copped player-of-the-week honours after getting seven points (2G-5A, +4) in the Rockets' back-to-back wins that wrapped up their week.

Tim Bozon, Kootenay (No. 64 by Montreal in '12) — With a hat trick against Saskatoon, Bozon now has a career goals per game rate in the WHL that compares favourably with current Hab Brendan Gallagher. Granted, Gallagher was the more all-around player as a junior, but

Rinat Valiev, Kootenay (No. 68 by Toronto in '14) — The 19-year-old had four points over three games from the back end. With 36 over 38 games, the 19-year-old is one of the most proficient point-producing defencemen in the Dub. He's also somehow plus-15 while on a defence corps that has only one other member (Tyler King) in the black. So there is that, Leafs fans.

Austin Carroll, Victoria (No. 184 by Calgary in '14) — The overage crushed it with seven points over three games, although that included two during window-dressing time of a Royals loss to Kelowna.

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