With Game Days 1-4 behind us, join us for a look back at which three forwards dominated across the first part of the 2023/24 season!
Austin Ortega
The 29-year-old American is entering his third season with Red Bull Munich where he’s been a constant on the scoresheet, compiling 105 points in 107 games played.
This season, Austin Ortega has been equally dominant in the CHL and has been instrumental in Munich’s success, notching four goals and three assists for seven points through their first four contests to help the Germans to a 3-1 record.
His four tucks tie him for second in the league, with three of them coming on the powerplay as Ortega has been a machine on the man-advantage with his three PP markers tied for first.
The 173 cm, 80 kg forward's best performance was in Munich's last outing when the Germans put nine past HC Innsbruck with Ortega securing five points - two goals and three assists - to put him in the top place in points on the team.
Marc-Antoine Pouliot
Former NHLer Marc-Antoine Pouliot should be a familiar name to many as he's participated in four previous CHL seasons before entering his fifth with Genève-Servette.
Pouliot is coming off consecutive multi-point efforts against HC Bolzano and the Rouen Dragons where the Canadian compiled five of his six points - four goals, one assist - in that span.
The 38-year-old's six points tie him for fourth in scoring and his 1.50 points per game put him in seventh-place with the likes of other top scorers in Tappara Tampere’s Nicholas Baptiste and Vitkovice’s Dominik Lakatoš.
Pouliot's also shown that he can produce in all situations, including netting two powerplay goals and a shorthanded tally. What’s most impressive, however, is that the CHL veteran has been doing all of this while averaging 12:53 of ice time.
Ryan Lasch
Continuing his streak of stellar CHL play, Lasch, after finding a new home with Finnish club the Lahti Pelicans, is showing that he can create chemistry with anyone anywhere.
The American winger has recorded three goals and four assists to begin the 2023/24 Regular Season to tie for second in league scoring. His four-point night against Vítkovice Ridera was his best showing of the season with Lasch a factor in all four tallies - netting two and notching two assists.
His seven points in three games place Lasch in third in points per game with 2.33 and, like Marc-Antoine Pouliot, he's managed all of this while skating below-average minutes at 13:54 TOI.
A product of Swedish hockey for the better part of a decade, this is the winger's ninth season in the CHL and in that span he has cemented himself as the league leader in scoring with 138 points – 43 goals, 95 assists – in 86 games played.
Be sure to return later this week for more of our Top 3 series!