Helenius, Riku

SM-liiga (Finland)
Assat 2 @ JYP 4
Riku Helenius, JYP, Win, 24/26, 2.00 GAA, ?923 sv %
Season totals: 16 GP, 10-6-0, 6 SO, 1.51 GAA, .931 sv %

Despite Assat goals by ex-Lightning prospects Kristian Kudroc and Radek Smolenak, Riku Helenius and JYP emerged with a 4-2 win. JYP draws TPS on 1/3.

SM-liiga (Finland):
SaiPa 2 @ JYP 3 (OT)
Riku Helenius, JYP, DNP
Season totals: 15 GP, 9-6-0, 6 SO, 1.47 GAA, .932 sv%

Ex-Lightning forward Eric Perrin had 1 goal and 1 assist, including the helper on the overtime winner, to lead JYP to a 3-2 win over SaiPa. JYP draws Assat next on Thursday.

KHL (Russia):
Cherepovets 3 @ Spartak Moscow 2
Vasily Koshechkin, Cherepovets, Win, 26/28, 2.00 GAA, .929 sv%
Season totals: 22 GP, 11-8-0, 2 SO, 2.57 GAA, .919 sv%

Despite a goal by ex-Flyer Stefan Rucizka with 7 seconds left in regulation, Vasily Koshechkin and Cherepovets held off Spartak Moscow 3-2. Cherepovets is now off until next Tuesday.

SM-liiga (Finland):
JYP 4 @ Lukko 1
Riku Helenius, JYP, Win, 16/17, 1.00 GAA, .941 sv%
Season totals: 15 GP, 9-6-0, 6 SO, 1.47 GAA, .932 sv%

Remember the days when Riku Helenius (pictured) allowing 1 goal in a win would have been exciting? Now, if he doesn't get a shutout, we wonder what went wrong. He's raised the bar that much this season. In fairness, he somewhat made up for it by assisting on JYP's opening goal by Jani Tuppuainen. JYP now sails off into the Channel One Cup break and won't play again until the Tuesday after Christmas against SaiPa. The Channel One Cup will run from 12/15 through 12/18.

SM-liiga (Finland):
Blues 3 @ JYP 1
Riku Helenius, JYP, DNP
Season totals: 14 GP, 8-6-0, 6 SO, 1.51 GAA, .931 sv%

Riku Helenius sat backup as JYP fell to Espoo 3-1. JYP faces Lukko on Saturday.

Bolt Prospects would now like to talk turkey about the prospects who rose to the top in the month of November. We took our time to make sure this month's Bolt Prospects Prospect of the Month had spent the proper amount of time in the oven before serving him to you. We thought about giving the award to Riku Helenius of JYP, but there was not much thanks being given in the SM-liiga by his opponents after he posted a 3-1-0 record with 2 shutouts, a 0.99 GAA, and a .949 sv%. How could we give the award to a man who clearly was in no mood to share with the rest of Finland's top league. We also might've considered Cory Conacher, who had 8 goals and 13 points in 12 games, but Conacher's still a pilgrim on his way to the land where NHL entry level contracts are found.

So, we looked high and low and then decided to honor a prospect who plays his hockey in the old Massachusetts colony, not terribly far from Plymouth Rock. Novemeber's Prospect of the Month honors belong to...