Also his email is ohlprospects@hotmail.com
For now we will call him "Fatum", as he is known of the hockey prospect website Hockey's Future. Fatum is a Sudbury Wolves follower so the game reports he files are from teams traveling to Sudbury to play in the Sudbury Community Arena.
He has provided us with three game reports he has compiled in the recent week or so. They focus on 2009 and 2010 NHL draft eligible players.
Friday October 31st – Niagara Ice Dogs 7 @ Sudbury Wolves 9
RC Alex Friesen – 01/30/91 (09 Draft)
5’9” 183lbs
Friesen is a tenacious center who competes very hard on the ice. Lacking elite talent and skating ability for his size is going to be a major concern for scouts. Friesen is not afraid to go into the corners against bigger players, often paying the price by taking a big body check. He also likes to play the body despite being one of the smaller players on the ice. Friesen had one assist early in the game and despite putting up decent numbers this season thus far he is likely going to be a late round pick at best and may go undrafted this season.
LW Andrew Agozzino – 01/05/91 (09 Draft)
5’9” 188lbs
After a decent rookie season, Agozzino has been the focal point of the Ice Dogs offense this year after the departure of some key players. Agozzino had a great game statistically notching 2 goals and 2 assists, but he wasn’t very noticeable in doing it. Agozzino has good hockey sense and vision but for his size he is a fairly average skater and while handling the puck he often looked unsure with what he wanted to do. Either way Agozzino is still a pretty safe bet to be drafted in the mid rounds of the 09 draft.
RC Freddie Hamilton – 01/01/92 (10 Draft)
6’0” 185lbs
Hamilton is a player that I have been very excited about for some time after watching him last year with the Marlies, however he has been a major disappointment both times the Ice Dogs have been up to Sudbury. That being said, I have seen Hamilton other times and can say that he shows a lot of promise to be selected in the first couple of rounds in 2010. He has good size for a 16 year old and is a very talented player. He has great vision and soft hands, and can make some very nice passes to set up teammates.
LC Mathew Sisca – 10/30/90 (09 Draft)
5’9” 184lbs
After coming on as a 17 year old rookie last year, Sisca has been a surprise thus far playing in Niagara’s top six. Like Friesen and Agozzino and many of the other Ice Dogs forwards for that matter, Sisca is pretty undersized. He was willing to battle for the puck and made a great pass to Maione for his goal in the third. I’m not sure how much pro potential Sisca has and I think his draft situation will be similar to Friesen’s although the fact that he is a late 90 born potentially playing against him a bit more.
Saturday November 1st – Erie Otters 1 @ Sudbury Wolves 5
LD Brett Cook – 03/21/91 (09 Draft)
6’0” 193lbs
A lot of people had high expectations for Brett Cook this season, and he has been a pretty big disappointment for those people thus far. He got a lot of opportunity in power play and penalty kill situations but he just looked out of place. You can tell that he does have some natural talent and that he does have the ability to play at the OHL level, but his positioning is concerning and he really needs to find a comfort zone where he can find some consistency. If the draft was tomorrow, Cook would likely go undrafted despite being considered as a Top 3 round prospect by many before the season.
RD David Shields – 01/27/91 (09 Draft)
6’3” 216lbs
Shields is one of many big bodies on the Otters and had a decent game against the Wolves. He is by no means flashy, but he utilizes his size well and doesn’t get caught out of position very often. I’m not sure how much potential Shields has in terms of his overall upside, but he is a player who will likely be picked up in the 09 draft.
LC Ryan O’Reilly – 02/07/91 (09 Draft)
6’0” 205lbs
Despite being held off the score sheet, O’Reilly was one of the best Otters on the ice in this game. His skating has improved a lot since last season and he looks a lot more poised with the puck. He controls the pace of the game when he has possession and he has very good vision. He made a couple great set-ups which should have been goals if his teammates could have converted on the opportunities. I think O’Reilly needs to shoot the puck more as he passes up a lot of good shooting opportunities. Overall O’Reilly is definitely a bonafide prospect who will likely go in the first round of the draft and will continue to develop into a very good prospect.
LC Greg McKegg – 06/17/92 (10 Draft)
6’0” 185lbs
By looking at McKegg’s statistics with only one assist in 17 games after being the 2nd overall pick in the 08 Priority Selection there is certainly reason to be concerned. However McKegg is a player that is going to need a season to adjust to the style of play in the OHL. He drives the net which is something good to see from a young player and you can tell that he does have some good offensive skills. He is a decent skater and was pretty noticeable in this game drawing a penalty as well. Keep an eye on McKegg for a breakout season next year.
Tuesday November 4th – Kingston Frontenacs 4 @ Sudbury Wolves 7
RD Taylor Doherty – 03/02/91 (09 Draft)
6’8” 218lbs
Doherty was a factor in this game for the wrong reasons. The Wolves got under his skin early and really knocked him off his game. For a big guy he struggled to contain the forwards and was often caught out of position. He made a couple nice hits but he needs to play the body more often in the corners and utilize his size. Doherty will likely be a high draft pick, but after viewing him several times over the past couple of seasons I’m not convinced he has the ability to play at the NHL level.
RD Eric Gudbranson – 01/07/92 (10 Draft)
6’3” 195lbs
Gudbranson was easily Kingston’s best player in this game, playing in all situations. He is very skilled positionally and while he isn’t overly physical he does a good job in his own end utilizing the poke check. He makes a great first pass and is very calm for a young player, not afraid to slow the play down for a regroup. On the power play he is an excellent quarterback. He is a major threat with his shot and makes great passes. Gudbranson is a player to watch out for, and he could very well challenge for first overall in 2010.
LW Ethan Werek – 06/07/91 (09 Draft)
6’2” 195lbs
Werek was playing at center in Sudbury, a position he saw a lot of time at when he was with the Toronto Marlies and Stoufville Spirit. Werek is a big player and he is not afraid to go into the corners which is a positive. Overall Werek’s game is very inconsistent, you can tell that he has skill but he just doesn’t seem to be able to put it all together on the ice. I was expecting more from Werek this season and at times it looks as though he is just overwhelmed at this level, but he should continue to get more comfortable with more games under his belt. Expect Werek to be a mid-round pick and potentially even a second round pick if a team is really high on him.
Some real interesting views. In particular it's interesting to see his perspective on a few Ice Dog players that I get to see a lot. Few things I agree with (such as Agozzino not knowing what to do with the puck at times offensively), few I disagree with (Agozzino and Friesen's skating abilities). But it's good to see both sides of the coin.
Thanks to fatum and looking forward to more.
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