Travis Konecny, Timo Meier lead Team Orr to win: CHL Top Prospects Game 3 Stars

ST. CATHARINES, Ont. — Buzzing The Net's Three Stars from CHL Top Prospects Game at the Meridian Centre, which Team Orr won 6-0 over Team Cherry.

No. 1 star: Travis Konecny, Team Orr (Ottawa 67's, OHL)

Konecny (2G-1A, +3) showed why, regardless of his No. 26 spot in the NHL Central Scouting midterm rankings, that he is a world-class player. Whatever doubts there NHL scouts might have about Konecny having the size to be a skilled power forward at the next level, the 17-year-old was the man of the match as he factored into three Team Orr goals while playing with Connor McDavid (1A, +3) and Timo Meier (1G-2A, +3).

The 5-foot-9¾, 175-pounder had the shift of the game on the Orrs' second goal late in the opening period. Konecny helped turn the puck over by laying out Filip Chlapik, then made a lead pass up to McDavid, who did his thing with a drop pass that created space for Meier to pick a corner.

In the third, with Team Cherry down two goals and pressing, their defence was caught in deep and Meier fouind Konecny for a breakaway pass. Konecny beat goalie Michael McNiven top corner, glove side. Minutes later, the McDavid-Meier-Konecny worked the cycle and Konecny scored on another high shot.

No. 2 star: Ivan Provorov, Team Orr (Brandon Wheat Kings, WHL)

The Wheat Kings standout was credited with one assist and factored into two goals, essentially. Provorov (1A, +3) made a solid open-ice hit that created a rushing opportunity for his Wheat Kings teammate and defence partner for the night, Ryan Pilon, who scored the icebreaker on a screened wrist shot.

Provorov, a first-year Wheatie who previously played for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in the USHL, was also rugged but physical throughout the night. The 17-year-old threw some big checks on Team Cherry's Daniel Sprong and Evgeny Svechnikov.

No. 3 star: Timo Meier, Team Orr (Halifax Mooseheads, QMJHL)

Meier showed that he should be judged by more than the company he keeps, whether it is Winnipeg Jets first-rounder Nikolaj Ehlers with Halifax or McDavid and Konecny. The 6-foot-1, 209-pound left wing picked the corner perfectly for Team Orr's 2-0 goal and provided the quintessential big-body presence on his line, which was able to wear down defenders. Meier also read the ice perfectly while getting assists on each of Konecny's goals.

Honourable mention: Vince Dunn, Team Cherry (Niagara IceDogs, OHL)

Playing in his home arena, the defenceman stood out in the first two periods with some smart defensive zone work and by making some calculated risks on when to move up from his defence spot. The 18-year-old Lindsay, Ont., native also acquitted himself well during some tests against the McDavid line.

Joint honourable mentions: Thomas Chabot and Jérémy Roy, Team Orr (Saint John Sea Dogs & Sherbrooke Phoenix, QMJHL)

The all-QMJHL pair worked well together, with Chabot as the tall, mobile defenceman and the short but squat Roy blending patience and physicality. Obviously, there weren't scored upon, as starter Nick McBride (11 saves) and reliever Liam Herbst (21) combined for the second Top Prospects Game shutout in the past three years.

Entertainment value: B

Typically, the Top Prospects Game takes a while to build up steam as players try to get accustomed to each other's habits and patterns. The first 40 minutes were slow going and Cherrys' top line with the top two OHL point getters, Dylan Strome and Mitchell Marner, was unable to get much going. The Marner-Strome-Jake DeBrusk generated a little more pressure in the third once their team was down and had to press more.

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