Thoughts on Barrie and Mississauga from November 27

I was lucky enough to take this one in tonight, because it was an excellent game. Hard to imagine that a match up between the 5th (Barrie) and 6th (Mississauga) ranked teams in the Canadian Hockey League would be anything other than fantastic.

This game had pretty much everything. Back and forth action; some outstanding goaltending; a few very nice goals; and even a fight. In the end, the Colts came out on top 5-2 thanks to a third period hat trick by Darren Archibald and some outstanding goaltending from Dalton McGrath. The win increases the Colts lead on the Central Division and Eastern Conference to three points and simultaneously extends their winning streak to 13 games. This Colts team is starting to look pretty unbeatable. Since the Brodie/Crawford deal, Barrie has held opponents to less than 1.5 goals per game and has not given up more than 2 goals in any of those seven contests. For a team that got a lot of attention for their offensive firepower, that deal has made them quite the defensive juggernaut too.

This brings me to Mississauga. Hard to really say something negative about the Majors because they've been just as strong this season and were 8-0-2 in their last 10 before tonight's division battle. I don't want to jump to conclusions after tonight's game, but considering how often I've seen the Majors (and the Colts) this season, I feel that I've got a good grasp on what this team brings to the table. I'm just going to come out and say it. Mississauga does not have the firepower or skill to hang with Barrie in a seven game playoff series. If tonight proved anything to Majors management, it was that they need to make a few additions in order to be able to beat the Barrie Colts in the playoffs. Barrie's forwards were too fast, too physical, and too skilled for Mississauga's defense to handle. And Mississauga's forwards are not skilled enough to be able to compensate for this disadvantage. The Majors had many great opportunities tonight, but they just couldn't finish. Again, the Majors are a great team and they have a great team concept, but I truly believe if they want to stay neck and neck with Barrie, they're going to have to go out and add another quality scorer and a quality two-way physical defenseman. That trade with Saginaw improved this Barrie team so much; the Majors have to go out and add something to stem the tide.

Some thoughts on individual performances...

Barrie Colts





Alexander Burmistrov (2010)
Burmistrov had a relatively quiet game tonight. He had a few nice rushes with the puck, was effective on the penalty kill, but didn't really get any chances in close to the net. On one of his rushes he did make a very creative play with the puck. He brought the puck up ice, and just before he hit the blueline, he faked a dump in, to which the defender bit (and backed off), and he was able to continue carrying the puck across the blueline and make a nice pass to a teammate for a shot on net. He finished with an assist and was +2 on the night.

Alex Hutchings (TBL)
I was really disappointed that he didn't get an invite to the Subway Super Series as it means he's not considered a candidate for Team Canada at the WJC's. However, I think he would have been a perfect candidate for the team. He's one of the best skaters in the OHL, he's a tremendous penalty killer and capable two way forward, and he's able to play any role needed of him. Since he's a 1990, it was his last kick at the can too. Oh well, you've got to soldier on and that he did tonight. Hutchings had a very good game. His speed creates so many chances, not for himself but for his teammates too thanks to forced turnovers. Had two partial breakaways, but was stymied twice by Majors defenseman David Corrente (making two very nice defensive plays). On the penalty kill, he did get a break on net alone though, but was robbed by J.P. Anderson with the paddle. He rang a shot off the goal post on that same penalty kill, as he cut across the blueline one on one with the defender and tried to go far side on Anderson. He scored his goal late in the game on a redirect that Anderson mishandled.

Nick Crawford (BUF)
Continues to be outstanding for Barrie since the trade. Playing solid both ways and really establishing himself was one of the league's top defenseman. The game's opening goal in the first period by Stefan Della Rovere was all Crawford. Controlled the puck at the point and made a beautiful pass to Stefan Della Rovere in front of the net for the wide open tap in. He's got outstanding on ice vision and just keeps the game simple. I have a hard time wondering what type of impact he'll have at the next level, but he's definitely playing some inspired hockey right now. Had 3 assists on the night and now has 10 points in 7 games with Barrie.

Stefan Della Rovere (WSH)
After a slow start to the season offensively, SDR has been much better over the course of the last month or so. He's back to playing that aggressive, pesky offensive role he cherishes and excels at. Tonight he was excellent along the wall and in the cycle, winning the majority of battles he engaged in. Finished off the aforementioned Crawford pass for the games opening goal. Got open in front of the net, took the pass and went around Anderson tucking it in on the backhand. Also received an assist on the late third period Alex Hutchings goal, making a nice pass to Hutchings in front of the net. Looks to be in good form as he tries to reclaim his role on Team Canada's checking line.

T.J. Brodie (CGY)
It's interesting to see him playing a bit of a different role in Barrie. While he's been underwhelming on the stat sheet, I don't think he's playing poorly. The pairing of Brodie and Crawford must have played AT least 30 minutes for Barrie tonight and Brodie saw time on the first powerplay unit. As always, he was solid with puck possession and makes smart plays to get the puck up ice. However, one thing I have noticed about Brodie is that at times he can become a little too narrowly focused with the puck in his own end. He'll try to do it all himself and skate out of the forecheck, rather than make the simple pass. This can lead to turnovers like it did on one occasion tonight. Defensively, I think he's playing much better and more consistent with Barrie, especially in defensive zone coverage. He got only his second point with Barrie tonight, but it was a beauty. On the powerplay, he regained possession of the puck along the boards, spun around at the point and fired a lob pass to Darren Archibald for a one time goal at the side of the net. Just a beautiful pass. Brodie also finished +3 tonight.

Darren Archibald (2010, but 1990 born)
This guy is just phenomenal. I'm going to make a pretty blunt statement here, but I think he's the best power forward in the OHL right now. The guy has 8 goals and 12 assists in his last 11 games. He hits hard (crunched Stuart Percy hard into the boards tonight), he drops the gloves, and he's very skilled for a big man. His best asset might be his wrist shot which is very hard and very accurate. He uses his size and speed to allow him space to get it off too. I'll run over the goals he scored to accumulate his third period hat trick. First one cutting down the wing on a 2 on 1, he absolutely wired a wrist shot over a sliding Stuart Percy and over J.P. Anderson's shoulder to the back of the net. Second goal was off that beautiful Brodie lob pass on the powerplay. But he showed incredible hands at the side of the net to finish off the pass by one timing it over Anderson's shoulder yet again. Hat trick goal he found a loose puck in the slot and wired top shelf yet again. Puck was on his stick and to the back of the net in a split second. Did I mention he also hit the crossbar in the first period too? Did I also mention he saved an easy tap in goal with some excellent work on the penalty kill by lunging with his stick to disrupt a pass to an open man at the side of the net? Darren Archibald is a beast in this league, plain and simple.

Dalton McGrath (2010)
Simply put, McGrath was outstanding tonight. Maybe the best goaltending performance I've personally witnessed this season. Admittedly, there was some luck involved, but the old adage is you've got to be good to be lucky. I think maybe it's time we realized this guy might actually be good and in the shadows of starter Peter Di Salvo. He was an award winner and all star in Junior A last year, he was excellent in the OHL preseason and he's been tremendous in limited action during the regular season. He's started only 4 games, but he's won all four of them and he hasn't had a save percentage under .913 in any of them. Made two absolutely outstanding saves tonight. Went post to post and robbed Devante Smith Pelly at the side of the net with the blocker. Later, used the blocker again as Blake Parlett had an open net to shoot at but McGrath managed to somehow keep the puck out. To be slightly negative, he does have some rebound control concerns, as he doesn't yet have the ability to control the shots he stops. But the important thing is that he's stopping them. He cuts down the angles and makes himself big in the net. He seems to have good mobility, especially laterally. As a late 1991, McGrath is first time eligible for the NHL Draft in 2010 and if he can start to get a few more starts, he might work his way on to a few radars, if he hasn't already. McGrath made 40 of 42 saves for the win.

Mississauga St. Michael's Majors




Stuart Percy (2011)
I thought he was the Majors best defenseman tonight, despite being a -3. As a 1993 rookie, his progress thus far has to be a positive for Majors management. Made a very nice defensive play on Stefan Della Rovere as he tried to get by him with the puck on the way to the net, but Percy stood his ground and got the puck off him and out. Also made a very nice play on the Archibald two on one goal. He forced Archibald to shoot by cutting off the pass, and then very nearly blocked the shot attempt, but credit to Archibald for the very well placed shot. This rookie was definitely not to blame for the loss tonight.

Tim Billingsley (PHX)
Had a very poor game. A couple bad turnovers in the first period, combined with blown coverage on the Stefan Della Rovere goal got him off to a bad start. To start the third, he took a sloppy tripping penalty to cope with making a bad pinch and getting caught in the zone. This led to Archibald's powerplay goal that made the game 3-0 and put it out of reach for the Majors. Billingsley has to be better.

Brett Flemming (WSH)
Thought he played a quietly effective game defensively despite being -2 on the night. Shows glimpses of being a physical defender, I wish he'd be more consistent in that department. Was a non factor offensively tonight though, which has to be a big part of his game. Not his best or his worst effort though.

Casey Cizikas (NYI)
I thought Cizikas was Cizikas tonight. Some solid penalty killing, a couple scoring chances in close to the net. Overall the Colts defense did a pretty good job neutralizing him though, especially the Brodie/Crawford combo. Did take a really lazy penalty in the first period though, while the Majors were on the powerplay.

Devante Smith-Pelly (2010)
I thought Smith-Pelly was easily the best forward for Mississauga tonight. He was robbed a few times by Dalton McGrath, especially on the play I mentioned where McGrath slid across the crease to make the save with the blocker off Smith-Pelly's shot attempt. He scored a nice goal with a big slap shot near the faceoff circle that McGrath was unable to glove just above his pads. I definitely don't understand why he was left off the NHL's Central Scouting Preliminary list, but if he continues to play well and hard, I'm sure he'll find his way into the mid season rankings.

Cameron Gaunce (COL)
Gaunce played a solid, if unspectacular game tonight. He seems to be cutting down on the defensive zone turnovers that were plaguing him a bit in the early part of the season. Last two times I've seen him, he's been relatively mistake free. I also like the progress he's shown in the physical aspect of his game this year. Seems much more willing to throw the body and had a couple nice hits (including a nice hip check) tonight. He finished with assists on both of the Majors goals but didn't really influence them greatly.

J.P. Anderson (2010)
Anderson was OK tonight. I still really like him as a prospect, but he's got to make some adjustments as he's been underwhelming to start the season. Not the biggest goalie, Anderson is definitely not afraid to challenge shooters and come well out of his crease to make a save. However, one thing I've noticed about Anderson is that his posture in net is hindering him. Maybe I'm crazy, but he seems to compact himself and hunch over a bit when he's challenging shooters. Rather than standing tall (or tallish to still give himself a chance to be ready to go down into the butterfly) to take away more of the upper part of the net. All three of Darren Archibald's goals were scored up high on Anderson and that seems to be a pattern I'm seeing from every team this year. He's definitely a very athletic goaltender though and he does well to control his rebounds and take away the bottom of the net. His pads are incredibly quick and he reacts very well to the play. Still though, some of the same concerns I have about Anderson are the same ones people had about Mike Murphy, and we all know that Murphy wasn't the highest NHL draft pick. Anderson made 24 of 29 saves and took the loss.

That's it for tonight's game. Anyone else see this beauty or have thoughts on anything I've said? Is Darren Archibald the best power forward in the OHL? Is Barrie that much better than Mississauga?

Sunday Top 10 - "Sleepers" for the 2010 NHL Draft

Completely inspired by The Scouting Report's "OHL Sleepers to Watch" (found here), I've decided to mold the theme of today's Top 10 in a similar fashion. I'm going to take a look at 10 players you may not have heard of right now, but by season's end you likely will have. These are NHL Draft prospects in their first year of eligibility (you've got to draw the line somewhere!). Thus a lot of them are OHL rookies, or guys who saw limited time last year. These are also guys who come June, could be hearing their name called at the 2010 NHL Draft, even though they are on few scouting lists right now.

I didn't rank them because at this point I think that defeats the purpose. It's too early in the season to determine what order these players should be ranked in. However, it's not too early to identify them as players to keep an eye on, and that is my purpose with today's Top 10.

Here they are...

Domenic Alberga - Brampton Battalion
Alberga led the OPJHL's Villanova Knights in scoring last year and is currently centering the Brampton Battalion's all rookie "92" line (with Phil Lane and Ian Watters). Scored his first OHL goal the other night and I think it's only a matter of time before that line starts to get comfortable. Alberga is strong on the forecheck and he appears to love to drive the puck to the net. He's also a budding physical player who might just have power forward potential. His skating looked only average, but he has lots of time to improve it.

Brandon Alderson - Sarnia Sting
Alderson played mostly midget AAA last year with the Oakville Rangers and is entering his first season in Sarnia. He has good size and appears to have a good nose for the net. He's been seeing some action on a line with Kale Kerbashian, who might be Sarnia's best offensive player, and he ended up scoring the game winner in Erie the other night. Sarnia's going to need some players to help fill the net this year and Alderson looks like a candidate to do so early in the season.

Chris Buonomo - Peterborough Petes
Buonomo split last season between the Petes and Peterborough in the OPJHL. He's not the biggest defenseman in the world at 5'11, but he's definitely aggressive. He gets right in there in the defensive end and is a really hard nosed player. He's been getting a fair amount of ice time thus far, even seeing some time paired with Jamie Doornbosch. Offensively, he appears to be no slouch either, scoring in Peterborough's first game of the season. If he can continue to show a physical two way dimension, he could be an attractive option on draft day.

Michael Houser - London Knights
Don't look now, but the Knights have found their goaltender of the future. Houser played for the atrocious Des Moines Buccaneers of the USHL last season, where he performed admirably under the conditions (considering the other goalies on the team had SV% nearly .50 lower than his). The Knights found him and signed him this offseason, likely before he could make a decision on an NCAA scholarship. He was outstanding for London throughout training camp, and he has carried that over into the season. He got his first start of the season against Windsor last week (talk about throwing him into the fire) and he made 42 saves for the victory. London was horribly out shot in the game and he kept them in the game. He's not likely to get a lot starts this season behind the solid Michael Hutchinson, but it should be enough to catch scouts attention (ala Steve Mason behind Adam Dennis in 2006). He's also barely eligible for this year's draft, born September 13. That has to make him one of the youngest, if not the youngest, player available for the draft.

Philip Lane - Brampton Battalion
While yet to hit the scoresheet, Lane is bound to do so eventually. A budding power forward, Lane played last season for Buffalo of the OPJHL where he excelled. He's a high profile American player who has previously attended U.S. development camps. He signed with the Battalion this offseason and is likely to eventually make a big impact in the league. He's got great size, great wheels and a good attitude. In the game I saw, he was all over the ice, throwing hits, forechecking, causing turnovers. In a similar situation to a guy like Austin Watson, he'll take his time getting used to the league.

Dalton McGrath - Barrie Colts
One of the stars of the OHL preseason, Mcgrath has yet to start a game in the regular season for Barrie. But the late 1991 born goaltender is definitely one to keep an eye on. He was a rookie of the year in the OPJHL last season while playing for the Couchiching Terriers and didn't lose a single game during the regular season. Taking nothing away from Peter Di Salvo, I could see Mcgrath slowly taking starts away from him as the season progresses, similar to the way Di Salvo did to Michael Hutchinson last year. I'll be curious to see how McGrath fairs in his first start.

Matt Petgrave - Niagara IceDogs
A free agent acquisition by the IceDogs this offseason, Petgrave seems to have the potential to develop into a quality two way defender. He played last season for the Toronto Titans midget AAA team (and sparingly for Bramalea of the OPJHL). Throughout the two games he's played for the Dogs this season, he's been active at both ends of the ice. A solid skater who's capable of carrying the puck up the ice, but also a potentially strong defender. He also seems to have a penchant for throwing the big hit, although he needs to be careful in not taking himself out of the play defensively. Once he gains more confidence, we could see big gains from him on an arguably wide open Niagara blueline.

Charles Sarault - Kingston Frontenacs
Even though Sarault played for the Frontenacs all of last year, he's a player who saw limited ice time and produced very little in the way of offensive stats. This year, he's playing a larger role and is starting to see playing time with some of Kingston's better offensive players. He had a three assist night last night against Peterborough and appears to be poised to breakout. Sarault, only moderately sized at 5'10, is a real spark plug. He brings a lot of speed into the offensive zone and keeps his legs moving in attacking the puck carrier. He's got some offensive creativity too, although needs to be careful in getting too fancy.

Geoffrey Schemitsch - Owen Sound Attack
Another player signed as a free agent this offseason, Schemitsch is a two way defender who played midget AAA in Mississauga last year. He's got adequate size at 6'1, 180lbs and he has been playing in all situations for Owen Sound thus far. He brings the puck up the ice confidently, he runs the powerplay well and he even does a good job positionally on defense. He had a goal and an assist against Windsor last night and now has 4 points in 5 games to start the season. Seems like a really good find for Owen Sound and potential NHL draft pick.

Dalton Smith - Ottawa 67's
Saw little time with Ottawa last year, instead playing closer to home for Whitby of the OPJHL. But he did excel towards the end of the season and into the playoffs for the 67's. A big forward, Smith actually uses his size to his advantage, parking himself near the crease. He's got good hands in close, as evidenced by his 4 goals already this season. A real power forward prospect. Definitely one to watch this season.

Cameron Wind - Brampton Battalion
Wind played sparingly for the Battalion last season, but this year is taking on a much larger role, playing in all situations for the Battalion. He's a strong two way defender who has excellent size at 6'1, 200lbs. He's composed with the puck, does a good job of getting shot through to the net and he's a willing combatant in the defensive zone. He skates well for a big man too. While he hasn't put anything up on the score sheet yet, I'd say it's only a matter of time.

Whoops, was that 11? My bad!

All jokes aside, I do seem to have trouble sometimes keeping these lists at 10.

Anyone have any additional comments about these players, or for that matter, any players you've felt I missed?

Sunday Top 10 - Unheralded Rookies Who Could Make an Impact in 2009-10

I had no idea what to call the list this week. After mentioning Dalton Smith last week, it got me thinking about other players in a similar situation who could make an impact. Those players being, 1992 and 1991 born players who didn't play or played very sparingly in the OHL last year. So I did a lot of researching to drum up 10 guys who could fit that description.

Of course, any list like that could include guys like Cam Fowler, Jeremy Morin or Brandon Maxwell. But I decided against including them. Instead I went with more unheralded guys. Every year, lesser knowns like Calvin de Haan (3rd rounder in 2007) and Matt Clark (11th rounder in 2006) make OHL teams with little hype, only to emerge as impact players.

However, since I had to do a lot of research for this week's list, it will not appear as the usual top 10 list. The players will not be ranked according to their potential impact, because I simply have not seen most of these guys play. Instead, it will be a list of 10 guys who could make such impacts. No order, just 10 guys whom you may not know right now, but could know by this time next year.

Here are 10 potential 1992 and 1991 born rookies to look out for next season:

David Searle - Guelph Storm
Searle is a gigantic defenceman who played for the GOHL's Guelph Dominators (Junior B) last season. Listed at 6'5, 225lbs, Searle was the 32nd overall pick by Guelph in the 2008 Priority draft. While probably not a threat to be a big contributor offensively, judging by his 9 points in 50 games last year, Searle could supply Guelph's defense with a towering and imposing stay at home presence. Considering the uncertainty around Guelph's goaltending situation next season, the addition of a more mature Searle could help keep pucks out.

Shayne Rover - Niagara IceDogs
Rover is another big defenceman and a fellow 2nd round pick in 2008. Rover did see some limited time with Niagara last year when they were experiencing injury trouble on the backend. At 6'3, 200lbs, Rover played well in a limited role, showcasing a solid skating ability and defensive presence. He played the majority of the season with the York Simcoe Express Midget AAA team, where he was a AAA all star. If Rover can play well early in the season, he could easily slip into the IceDogs top 4 defenceman and have a Matt Clark type impact for Niagara.

Aaron Pearce - Peterborough Petes
Pearce, a talented offensive forward, was the last pick of the 2nd round in 2008. The 5'11 forward was an OPJHL junior all star last season, where he posted 47 points in 49 games for Georgetown. The problem is that Pearce isn't yet committed to coming to the OHL. Still undecided on his future, Pearce has been talking to NCAA schools as well. The fact that Pearce has yet to sign a letter of intent anywhere, and that he's still in active talks with Peterborough, bodes well for their chances to convince him to play. If he does play, Pearce could be an immediate impact forward in their top 6.

Steven Beyers - Sudbury Wolves
Beyers, the first pick of the third round in 2008, is an undersized center who played with Orangeville of the OPJHL. Beyers was also an OPJHL junior all star, after posting 31 points in 34 games in 2008-09. Although slightly undersized at 5'10, Beyers could make an impact in Sudbury by giving them more scoring depth and rounding out their top 3 forward lines.

Chris Brown - Owen Sound Attack
Brown was the team's 3rd round pick in 2008 out of the York Simcoe Express. Brown is a 6'1 winger with speed, offensive ability and grit. While he only played Junior C this past year with Alliston, Brown did finish in the top 10 of league scoring with 52 points in 37 games. With Owen Sound hoping to make a climb in the West, Brown could be a welcome addition to the teams forward lines, where he could be an offensive catalyst for the second or third line.

Matt Solomon - Erie Otters
This talented offensive defenceman was a 12th round pick of Erie in 2008. He was a OPJHL junior all star this year while playing for Upper Canada. The 6'0 Solomon nearly led his team in scoring as a defenceman with 8 goals and 23 points in 40 games. He is a slick skating, puck mover who could fit very well into an Erie line up which badly needs more offense from its backend.

Phil Lane - Brampton Battalion
Lane is a real wildcard. He could have been a first rounder in 2008 had it not been for the scares that he'd go NCAA. The New York native ended up going in the 4th round to Brampton. However, he spurned the NTDP to play in Buffalo of the OPJHL last year, where his 42 points in 45 games led him to become an OPJHL junior all star. Lane is a 6'2 forward with speed, skill and grit. The total package. At the recent US Select 17 Camp, he outperformed Windsor's Austin Watson, whom is obviously a very talented player. The question remains as to whether he's going to play in Brampton or play with Omaha in the USHL to keep his NCAA options open. If he does decide to play in Brampton, he could be an immediate impact player.

Dalton McGrath - Barrie Colts
McGrath is a goaltender who was Barrie's 6th round pick in 2008. He was an OPJHL junior all star this year while playing for the dominate Couchiching Terriers. In fact, Mcgrath lost only one game all year (in the playoffs) and was a perfect 16-0 in the regular season. His numbers are quite sparkling, with a 1.65 GAA and .937 SV%. His performance earned him a share of the Rookie of the Year in his Division. With Barrie trading Michael Hutchinson to London, Barrie has opened up a spot for Mcgrath to likely back up Peter Di Salvo. However I wouldn't be surprised to see them split games, similar to how Hutchinson and Di Salvo did last year.

Branden Morris - Kitchener Rangers
Morris, a 6'3 defenceman, was a 4th round pick of Kitchener in 2008. He was a OPJHL junior all star this year playing for Cobourg. Morris is a tall and lanky two way defender who put up 13 points in 50 games. He's also not afraid to use his size and is an aggressive defender. He could be a welcomed addition to the improving Kitchener Rangers blueline, if he can fight through the log jam.

Domenic Alberga - Brampton Battalion
Alberga was actually a 5th round pick of Brampton in 2009, as a draft overager (1992 born). This 6'1 forward led Villanova of the OPJHL in scoring with 40 points in 49 games. He also posted 104 penalty minutes which leads you to believe he's got some feistyness in him. After a very strong season, Alberga actually shared his Division Rookie of the Year award with the aforementioned Dalton McGrath. The door is open for Alberga to have big impact in the OHL this year, with Brampton likely losing Cody Hodgson, Evgeni Grachev, and Matt Duchene to the NHL (or AHL in Grachev's case).

Two Honorable Mentions Worth Noting:

Nick Quinn - Sudbury Wolves
The first pick of the 2nd round in 2008, Quinn has thus far rejected Sudbury's wishes for him to play for them. Quinn, a 6'0 defenceman, is apparently looking for an NCAA scholarship, with Boston College being the most talked about destination. So while his OHL prospects are looking suspect at best (since he has yet to show for a Sudbury camp), I think he's still worth noting because of the impact he could have. As an OPJHL junior all star for Dixie, Quinn put up 25 points in 45 games. He is an excellent two way blueliner who could immediately make Sudbury's defence better should he change his mind.

Brock Higgs - Kingston Frontenacs
Higgs could possibly make the biggest impact of any player on this list. The 5'11 forward, and Kingston native, was a 5th round pick of the Frontenacs in 2008. A dynamic offensive player, Higgs finished second in scoring for OPJHL Champions Kingston, with 28 goals and 58 points in 49 games. Higgs was especially incredible for Kingston on their quest for the RBC Cup, where he had 22 goals in 25 playoff games. This led all OPJHL players in playoff scoring. Higgs would be an immediate impact player in the OHL and would be a big boost to an improving Kingston team. However, for whatever reason, the Kingston native does not appear to want to play for his hometown OHL team. He's verbally committed to Canisius for 2010, which could obviously change the same way Ethan Werek's commitment to Boston University did.

Got any other under the radar guys who could make an impact on your team this year? Leave a comment!

Stay tuned for next week's Top 10 which will take a look at the apparent top performances for OHL players at NHL Development Camps.