Nolan Patrick will be out there with something to prove.

Patrick, who will captain Team Cherry in Monday's CHL Top Prospects Game in Quebec City, entered this season as the likely first overall pick at the 2017 NHL Draft, but was forced out of action early on as a result of a groin injury. He has recorded four goals and four assists in five games since returning to the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings, and will use the showcase to further assert himself as the the most viable first pick.

"Maybe this game is important to me in order to show I'm back at full speed," Patrick told Mike Morreale of NHL.com. "You never want to be injured and out 35 games, but I'm feeling good, feeling 100 percent and feel as though I'm starting to get back into the swing of things."

At least one pro scout believes the injury has given teams at least some reason for pause.

"There's no franchise-type player in this draft and even the No. 1 consensus pick, Nolan Patrick, had the injury factor so there are still questions," Dallas Stars director of amateur scouting Joe McDonnell told Morreale. "That said, Patrick is a big, strong center and can skate well. It's just a matter of his development and getting more experience and strength. But he has all the pro attributes that you're looking for."

Altogether, Patrick has scored 80 goals and added 96 assists in 141 junior games, winning WHL rookie of the year and WHL playoffs MVP along the way.

Center Nico Hischier made up some ground in the top pick discussion with a strong showing at the World Juniors, but Patrick certainly won't move down the draft board without a fight.

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The Canadian Hockey League's Top Prospects game will proceed as scheduled Monday.

The annual showcase is being held in Quebec City, where Sunday's shooting at a local mosque resulted in multiple fatalities and injuries.

Related: CHL's top prospects 'safe and accounted for' after Quebec City mosque shooting

After careful consideration, league president David Branch has confirmed the game will indeed be played at Videotron Centre, according to John Shannon of Sportsnet.

We had considerable discussion with various parties on the safety of the players families staff and fans. We have been comforted by the security and police that this tragedy is under control as late as meetings this morning. We are comfortable to proceed with the game.

The contest will feature 40 top prospects for the 2017 NHL Draft from around the Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League, and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

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theScore's new series, "The Noise," is published every Monday. It normally kicks off each week with a quick look at three teams or players making headlines, good or bad, but we made an exception this time around.

When you think about lasting memories from this past All-Star weekend in Los Angeles, what immediately comes to mind?

Other than Chris Pronger giving Justin Bieber a gleeful back massage, the main takeaway for many was the presence of the NHL's past luminaries and the mutual admiration between them and the league's current stars.

The legends were there as part of the league's centennial celebrations and in conjunction with the "NHL 100" list that was unveiled Friday night to commemorate that anniversary, but surely the alumni can and should be involved more in future All-Star celebrations.

Even though it wasn't in the original plans, tabbing Wayne Gretzky to fill in as head coach for the victorious Metropolitan Division squad was a brilliant move that ultimately had a major impact on the event itself, both in terms of the outcome and Gretzky's own redemption story behind the bench.

Doing more of this with the legends in future years, and intentionally as opposed to as a last-minute replacement, would go a long way in terms of increasing interest in All-Star weekends that lack a John Scott-esque transcendent must-watch factor.

There are a number of ways to do it, too. Getting the best of the best like Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Bobby Orr, and Joe Sakic to serve as head coaches of the four respective divisions or having one legend from the host city lead that team's divisional squad would be fun ways to get the league's greats more involved.

That might be a bit unfair to the best current head coaches, who deserve to be honored with All-Star nods of their own, so here's another way: Work the alumni into the skills competition.

This year's skills event was a snoozer for several reasons, and while there are other ways to liven it up, teaming the modern-day players up with the legends would be delightful, as long as it was done in a way that didn't embarrass the old-timers.

They wouldn't be expected to fire 100-mph slap shots or set fastest-skater records against the current stars. Just have them square off against each other while representing the four divisions (by virtue of their most identifiable former team), and award points to the current squads based on the assistance of their legendary partners.

It could be much simpler than that, like having the elders feed passes to the active players in the accuracy event, or how about ditching the less than thrilling four-line challenge for an entirely new event that gets the alumni and current players to work together in another way?

For the second straight year, the NHL lucked into a compelling All-Star angle, this time thanks in large part to the 100th anniversary. To its credit, though, the league got this one right, incorporating its alumni in a way that both gave the past stars their proper due and celebrated the vast history of the league.

But this shouldn't be a once-in-a-century phenomenon. Whether it's behind the bench or on the ice, the league's most respected figures need to be front and center at these events more often.

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The NHL's best were on full display Sunday in Los Angeles, but the All Stars haven't been the only ones putting on a show.

Here's a look at five of the best plays from the unofficial first half of the season, in no particular order.

Matthews arrives in style

Of the four goals scored by Auston Matthews in his Toronto Maple Leafs debut, the second stood out as the one that will be hard to top.

Miller's diving save

When he's finished playing for the Vancouver Canucks, Ryan Miller might be able to secure a Major League Baseball contract as a shortstop.

Drouin burns Sharks with lightning speed

With a trade demand well in the past, Jonathan Drouin has become a thunderous force for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Exhibit A.

Spurgeon's catch and release

Jared Spurgeon's catch and bat trick for the Minnesota Wild still boggles the mind.

Seriously, how did he do that?

Tavares' tricks

This one needs a couple looks to truly appreciate.

Yes, that's John Tavares playing the puck behind his back in order to elude Jay Bouwmeester and create the space needed to fire it top shelf on Jake Allen.

Don't let him ever get away, New York Islanders.

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Players and staff from around the Canadian Hockey League have gathered in Quebec City for Monday's top prospects game, prompting the league to issue a statement following a shooting at a local mosque that resulted in multiple fatalities and injuries:

The game is set to feature 40 of the CHL's top prospects for the 2017 NHL Draft, and will be played at the Videotron Centre, located approximately six miles from the scene of Sunday's shooting.

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Life in the NHL is no peachy affair, even if you're a high-flying first overall pick in one of the game's biggest markets.

Toronto Maple Leafs centerman Auston Matthews seems well aware of that fact, as the 19-year-old recently discussed his foray into unfamiliar territory courtesy of his new league's 82-game schedule.

"It's a tough grind," Matthews told Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star. "I played more games this season than I did last. It's hard on your body. You've got to recover and make sure you get enough sleep. It makes a big difference."

Matthews played 40 games in total last season, suiting up for 36 regular-season contests and four playoff games for the Swiss league's ZSC Lions. He's already topped that mark in the NHL this season, appearing in 47 games for the Leafs heading into the break - plus a few 3-on-3 All-Star tilts.

The 2016 No. 1 pick's production did tail off a tad recently as he headed into the extended schedule. He's posted five points over his past 10 games, a slight step back after tearing through his previous 20 games with 14 goals and 22 points.

There's little doubt the new franchise cornerstone will be able to adjust to the extra workload, as Matthews has already exceeded expectations in what has been an exceptional rookie year.

Resting up will be crucial, however, as the Leafs' play as of late has the club primed for a return to the postseason, meaning even more games tacked on to Matthews' new schedule.

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Change is good.

The history books of hockey show a host of young players who excelled at the junior ranks only to struggle to find that same scoring touch in the pros. Often times, a move to a new team can help trigger that production.

With that in mind, here are three players who could benefit from new surroundings:

Ryan Strome

A former fifth overall pick, the New York Islanders forward has struggled to find his way in the early goings of his career.

Ryan Strome made his NHL debut in 2013-14 and put up a respectable 18 points in 37 games. The 23-year-old seemed to be on the right track, building on that performance in the following season when he posted 17 goals and 33 assists in 81 games.

But Strome failed to live up to that play last season, when he finished with just eight goals and 20 assists through 71 games. Still, the team saw enough to sign him to a two-year, $5-million extension, but his challenges have continued through the 2016-17 campaign. This season, Strome has twice been a healthy scratch and has been limited to 14 points in 44 games.

Curtis Lazar

The accolades were there, so you can't blame the Ottawa Senators when they chose Curtis Lazar with the 17th pick in 2013.

After winning the Memorial Cup with the WHL's Edmonton Oil Kings in 2014, and following that up a year later with a gold medal as part of Team Canada at the world juniors, Lazar hasn't seen as much success in the pro ranks.

Lazar made his debut with the Senators in the 2014-15 season, posting 15 points through 76 games, and made a slight uptick a year later, when he tallied 20 in 76 games. But a poor training camp this fall saw Lazar begin the year in the AHL, where the forward finished with four points in 13 games. Since his recall to the NHL, he has just a single point in 27 games.

Tomas Jurco

The Detroit Red Wings know how to develop prospects, especially outside of the first round.

That's why it's so surprising to see less-than stellar numbers from Red Wings winger Tomas Jurco, who has been unable to translate his success from the AHL ranks to the NHL level.

After wrapping the 2013-14 campaign with the Grand Rapids Griffins, the Red Wings' minor-league affiliate, in which Jurco recorded 32 points in as many games, he followed that up with 15 points in first 36 games with Detroit. But in the ensuing 120 matches, the Slovak-born winger has tallied only 24 points. A change out of the Winged Wheel uniform could possibly help him find his scoring touch.

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With over half the 2016-17 season in the books, Calgary Flames winger Johnny Gaudreau is establishing himself as one of the game's best when it comes to drawing opponents into taking penalties.

Watch a few minutes of the quick-footed forward working his offensive magic and it's no mystery why. The 23-year-old is one of the most gifted skaters in the league, able to weave in and out of the opposition, and stop on a dime to keep defenders spinning.

A combination that tends to draw a fair amount of hacks, whacks, and trips.

The third-year standout is fifth-best in the league in this regard this season, as he's drawing 1.95 minor penalties per 60 minutes of play. That's fairly impressive as is, but it's nothing compared to what Gaudreau is doing on the other side of the penalties column.

Unlike teammate Matthew Tkachuk - who is drawing the most minor penalties per 60 minutes, but is also the owner of the second-most penalty minutes among all NHL skaters - Gaudreau is drawing the opposition into trips to the box without spending any time there himself.

As in, literally any time. At all.

Gaudreau is one of only three players in the league to have appeared in more than a handful of games this season without taking a single penalty - alongside Edmonton's Oscar Klefbom and Washington's John Carlson. The Flames star has lasted 42 games without a single scolding from the officials.

Combined with his apparently elite knack for sparking power plays for his own club, it's fair to say Gaudreau has been a game-changer for the Flames' special teams units in 2016-17.

And the team-wide numbers back up that assertion as well. With Gaudreau and Tkachuk both drawing a slew of penalties each game, the Flames have been gifted the third-most power-play opportunities in the league (172), which has helped them score the fifth-most power-play tallies despite only ranking in the middle of the pack in terms of actual man-advantage effectiveness.

Given how much Calgary has struggled with special-teams play in the past, having Gaudreau tilting his penalty game entirely in the opponents' direction is quickly becoming a key advantage.

The Flames still have their issues with winding up shorthanded too often, especially with Tkachuk nearing the penalty-minute century mark in just his first year in the big leagues. But at the very least it seems the club's brightest star is doing his part to balance things out, leading the way with a clean sheet.

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