Game Report: Storm and Spitfires from January 19

I had such high hopes for this one. A battle between two of the league's youngest and most talented rosters. While things this year have been up and down (due to the inexperience of the team's core players), you'd be hard pressed to a find game featuring more talent available for the 2012 Draft. Between the two teams, they had 14 players listed on Central Scouting's midterm rankings.

But it truly was a stinker. I'm glad I caught this one on t.v. as opposed to being there live as the Spits laid quite an egg. I read that after the game, Bob Boughner said it was among the worst losses he's ever been a part of. Pretty strong words.

The Storm got off to a quick start by scoring two goals in the first three minutes, and four in the first period. They never looked back from there, nearly doubling the shot total of the Spits in the process. Considering how important the game was (the Spits and Storm are among four teams battling for the final three playoff spots in the West), you'd have to worry about the effort level of Windsor. The final score was 6-0 for Guelph.

Guelph Storm

#3 - Andrey Pedan (Drafted by the New York Islanders)
I continue to be impressed with Pedan this season. I think he's definitely a solid pro prospect. His biggest asset is definitely his mobility in combination with his size and physicality. He's a very in your face player and was all over the Spits tonight, taking away time and space. But his offensive game has really improved this year, especially his confidence in rushing the puck. He's a very dangerous puck carrier because he's very strong on the puck and hard to strip once he gets going at full speed. One of his rushes lead to Scott Kosmachuk's 2nd period goal, where he took the puck from his own zone, blew past Alex Khokhlachev and fed a streaking Kosmachuk at the blueline (where Kosmachuk fired home a wrist shot once entering the zone). The last couple of times I've seen him, he's cut down on some of the undisciplined penalties too. But I'm told that this is still a bit of an issue at times. When he finds that happy medium between smart aggression and over aggression, he's at his best.

#4 - Matt Finn (Draft Eligible in 2012)
Had a really terrific game, showcasing his talents at both ends of the ice. Offensively, he was solid. He did a good job of moving the puck and is very poised with the puck in his own zone. When the Spits still had some fight in them in the first half of the game, he shook off the forecheck with ease, and never had any issues skating the puck out of trouble. On the powerplay, he has great vision and is a terrific playmaker. This was showcased on the last first period powerplay for the Storm. Finn took the puck at the point and fired a hard pass to an open Francis Menard near the faceoff dot, who then found Mitchell in the slot for the goal. Defensively, his most impressive play was definitely his breakup of an Alex Khokhlachev breakaway in the first. The Khok snuck behind the defense, but Finn hustled back (showcasing great closing speed) and lifted Khokhlachev's stick at the last second, stealing the puck away from him before he even got a shot away. The fact that he didn't have to take a penalty on the play was fantastic. Finn is inching ever so close to Cody Ceci for me in the race for the league's top draft eligible d-man.

#8 - Zach Leslie (Draft Eligible in 2012)
Had an absolutely fantastic game. I'm not sure he's as good as Craig Button thinks he is (been ranked in Button's top 50 for the better part of two months), but he's definitely better than CSS thinks he is (NHL Central Scouting didn't rank him). He's very cool with the puck and I think he's got a strong head on his shoulders when it comes to the offensive side of the game. I really liked how he got his point shot towards the net in the game. He got one assist from this (and should have had a second). In the first, he walked the line and fired a low hard shot on net, which Tyler Bertuzzi redirected past Jaroslav Pavelka. Later in the period, it was nearly an identical play, except this time his shot bounced around near the crease until Justin Auger cleaned up the garbage. He was also a little more physical than I had seen him previously. Leslie actually got into a fight with Kerby Rychel in the third after he was all over Rychel as he tried to carry the puck over the blueline and towards the net. After finishing him off along the boards, a visibly frustrated Rychel dropped the mitts. It wasn't a long fight, and Leslie was mostly hanging on for life, but it showed gumption. Leslie's defensive game is still a little bit raw, but he's turning into a real diamond in the rough for this draft.

#19 - Hunter Garlent (Draft Eligible in 2013)
Honestly, outside of Aaron Ekblad, I'm not sure there has been a more impressive 2011 draft pick in the league this year. I'm really not sure about his NHL draft ranking at this point, because he's a little guy, but he's certainly impressive. Garlent actually reminds me a lot of how Gemel Smith looked last year. He's so noticeable because of how hard he works on and off the puck. He may be small and young, but he's fearless of high traffic areas and loves to get his nose dirty. Look no farther than him taking Nick Ebert to school along the boards in the first period, coming away with the puck and driving to the net for a flying, crease crashing goal. He seems to be a really smart player too and I think profiles well as a skilled playmaker.

#20 - Justin Auger (Draft Eligible in 2012)
I really like this kid and he's sneaking very close to my top 30 for the draft. He's got 6 goals and 3 assists in his last 9 games and is really coming into his own in the league. Best of all, he's a legit 6'7 and could stand to add more size to his frame. Auger is a really interesting player because he's not really your typical 6'7 forward. He uses his size to his advantage, but he's definitely not what I would call an in your face behemoth. So while he's not out there laying bone crushing hits, he uses his size to his advantage in the offensive zone. Especially in the cycle game, and in driving hard to the net. Every time I've seen him, he's been noticeable because of how well he works the boards down low and uses that big stick to dig out pucks and keep the play alive. His line with Tyler Bertuzzi and Ryan Horvat really tired out the Spits defense in the first couple of periods with their puck possession game. He also scored in the first, taking a pass from Tyler Bertuzzi in a goal mouth scramble and taping it into the back of the net. On the play, he beat Nick Ebert to the front of the net, showing how hard he is to move from his desired path. His skating isn't really all that bad either. Kind of wide and awkward looking, but he seems to find space relatively easy. If he keeps up a point per game pace for the rest of the year, there's no way he'll be taken where CSS currently has him ranked.

#23 - Zack Mitchell (Draft Eligible in 2012, second year eligibility)
Every other time I've seen Mitchell this season, I haven't really noticed him (to be honest), despite the fact that he leads Guelph in scoring. But he was definitely noticeable in this game. I was impressed by how he kept plays alive in the offensive zone with his stick handling ability. The Spits had a really tough time taking the puck off him as he had a real elusive/slippery quality about him. His two points showcased his high skill level too. On his first period goal, he took a quick pass in the slot from Francis Menard and quickly buried a wrist shot top shelf on John Cullen (who had replaced Pavelka). The puck wasn't on his stick long and he got a lot of mustard on the shot. In 2nd, he drew an assist after getting partial breakway and driving hard to the net. He was stopped, but Menard was there to clean up his garbage. Playing for a guy like Scott Walker is only going to help him round out his game (away from the puck and defensively), so you have to like his chances of getting drafted this year.

#24 - Scott Kosmachuk (Draft Eligible in 2012)
There's no denying that I love the way this kid plays the game. I went so far as to put him ahead of Jarrod Maidens in my midterm rankings. He's a really solid north/south kind of guy who plays both ends of the ice and has the skill the create and finish scoring chances. Most impressive on the night was his defensive play actually. He had a couple really nice plays coming back to tie up Windsor forwards to prevent scoring chances and won nearly all of his battles along the boards in his own end. He scored in the 2nd period on a wrist shot, although it wasn't the prettiest of plays. He took a pass from Andrey Pedan, cruised into offensive zone, cut to the middle to unleash a shot, but fanned on it. This actually helped him out because defender Adam Bateman overcommited on the play, so when he fanned on the shot, he actually found himself open in the slot with the puck still on his stick. Then he fired a low wrister through Cullen. He also earned an assist on Hunter Garlent's first period goal.

#40 - Garret Sparks (Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs)
Sparks was solid on the night. To be honest, he wasn't really tested a ton. But he did a good job of making sure Windsor didn't get themselves back in the game. Particularly impressive was his handling of the rebounds...or lack there of. He swallowed up the puck and looked good squaring up shooters from the point. Sparks has progressed well this year with increased ice time and looks like a solid selection by the Leafs. Next year will be a big test for him, when the Storm have a chance to be one of the better teams in the West.

Windsor Spitfires

A disclaimer before the Windsor reports. Definitely a hard game to give a ton of positive feedback about, so most of the Windsor reports are going to be pretty bleak or short.

#12 - Ben Johnson (Draft Eligible in 2012)
I felt like he and Brady Vail were probably the two best Spitfires on the night. He had a couple of noticeable shifts in the first couple of periods, where he kept the Storm pinned in their own zone by working hard along the boards. He's a noticeably quick skater and a hard worker away from the puck. Not really much else to say on the night.

#16 - Kerby Rychel (Draft Eligible in 2013)
Wasn't really noticeable in a good or bad way. Had a tough time finding space to operate offensively on the night and took his frustration out on Zach Leslie in a third period scuffle.

#17 - Michael Clarke (Draft Eligible in 2012)
Really didn't have a good game. In fact, Clarke has been going through a really tough stretch the past couple of months. He's got only a goal and an assist in his last 17 games and is a -11 through that. After such a strong start, it's possible he's hitting a wall in his first full OHL season. He was a -3 in this game...and was actually on for four goals against (one was a powerplay goal). The powerplay goal by Mitchell was actually a direct result of a poor play by Clarke. When Mitchell received a pass in the slot, Clarke was slow to tie him up and really didn't do much to prevent him from getting his shot off. Offensively, he really didn't do much at all. If he doesn't start picking up his game, he'll really begin to tumble down the draft charts in the 2nd half.

#22 - Nick Ebert (Draft Eligible in 2012)
Ebert was visible for all the wrong reasons on the night. The last time I saw Windsor play, it looked like he was starting to turn the corner a bit. But he was...really quite bad in the Guelph game. Three of Guelph's 6 goals could be directly tied to him. In the first, he was muscled off the puck in the corner by the 5'9 Hunter Garlent, who then escaped his clutches to take the puck hard to the net uninterrupted for a goal. Also in the first period, he failed to tie up Justin Auger as he drove to the net for a goal on a goal mouth scramble. Lastly, in the 2nd period he got caught out of position and Zack Mitchell broke in for a partial breakway. Ebert did well to get back, but didn't tie up Mitchell enough to prevent him from getting off a shot. Offensively, it was much of what I saw in the first couple of months of the season. A lot of forced long passes that failed to connect, and rushes up the ice that saw him create little. The biggest thing that has disappointed me about Ebert this year has been the disappearance of his physical game. Last year, he came into the league as a 16 year old not afraid of pushing bodies around in front of the net and capable of laying out bodies in the defensive zone. This year, I just haven't seen that element to his game.

#61 - Chris Marchese (Draft Eligible in 2012)
Invisible. Pretty clear the consistency issues that plagued him in Erie have followed him to Windsor. I know Windsor fans have been quick to point out that he may have conditioning/endurance issues. I saw nothing tonight to dispute that.

#89 - Alex Khokhlachev (Drafted by the Boston Bruins)
I kind of felt bad for the Khok in this game. He came out with a fair amount of energy and I felt like he was one of the only Spits to actually create things offensively in the first. But after he had that breakaway attempt thwarted by Finn in the first period, things kind of went downhill. He was less and less noticeable until he let Andrey Pedan go by him in the neutral zone late in the 2nd period. This obviously resulted in the aforementioned goal by Kosmachuk. From then on out, I don't think he saw much ice time then was apparently sent to the dressing room to sit out the third.

#97 - Brady Vail (Draft Eligible in 2012)
As I alluded to earlier, I felt like he and Ben Johnson were probably the best Spit forwards on the night. Vail looked good along the boards and on the cycle and had a few shifts where it looked like he might be close to getting Windsor on the board.

Unfortunately Tanner Richard and Brandon Devlin weren't playing in the game, as I would have loved to get another look at both of them. Richard is nursing some minor injuries, while Devlin has been suspended (controversially) for his apparently degrading marks towards Guelph's Tyler Bertuzzi.

Sunday Top 10 - Most Impressive 1994 Born Players

Like many of the Sunday Top 10 articles on this blog, it's become a tradition for me to rank the "true" OHL rookies who impressed me the most. By true, I mean those 1994 birth date, sixteen year olds (sometimes fifteen) who did more than just get their feet wet in the OHL this season.

Now I must warn you. This isn't an early ranking of these players for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. This is a list of those 1994's who impressed me the most this year, and is not meant to be an early draft prognostication (as if it was, the list would look different).

As I mentioned, this is somewhat of a tradition, so it only seems fair to link you to the versions of yesteryear. 1992's. 1993's.

Here's this year's list.

10. Matia Marcantuoni - Kitchener Rangers
Even though he didn't really play the final two months of the season because of a high ankle sprain, Marcantuoni did enough in the opening months of the season to open some eyes. He has the potential to develop into quite the well rounded center, with speed, a complete offensive arsenal, and a developing edge to his game. He's likely to be the team's number one center next year (or at least number two behind Michael Catenacci) so I'd expect pretty big things from him next year after a summer of strength training.

9. Scott Laughton - Oshawa Generals
While it might have been hard for Laughton to stand out this year in Oshawa, thanks to the forward depth the team has accumulated, he made the most of his ice time. As a high priority selection, you'd expect the offensive skills to be there...and they are. Laughton is going to be an elite goal scoring center in this league. But what caught me off guard was the development of the rest of his game. Laughton is already a very complete player who plays the game hard, and isn't afraid to get his nose dirty. While it may be equally hard for him to stand out next year when all of Oshawa's talented forwards likely return, he does enough of the little things right to make me believe that he'll be just fine.

8. Adam Pelech - Erie Otters
The Otters, even if they lost the battle with Windsor in the opening round, had a very good season. One of the biggest reasons for their success this season was the play of their underrated defense and that includes the third Pelech brother to play in the OHL. Brothers Michael and Matt had very productive OHL careers (even if their pro careers haven't gone quite as well so far), and Adam looks to be on track make it a hat trick. He's cut from a similar cloth to brother Matt (a former first rounder of Calgary); a solid stay at home defenseman who can move bodies with a good frame. But the difference is that I think Adam has the potential to be better offensively because he moves the puck better and has the skating ability to lead the rush. I think Adam could be the best Pelech yet!

7. Ryan Rupert - London Knights
A third round pick of the Knights, Rupert originally failed to make the team and didn't really start making his impact until the new year. Before that he was putting up great numbers in the GOJHL with Lambton. He's not the biggest, but he's a fearless player and has all the attributes you like to see in smaller offensive guys. He's quick, he battles away from the puck, and he's not afraid to stick up for himself. I'm not sure where the Knights keep finding these guys outside of the first couple of rounds, but Rupert looks like a guy who could make a very large impact in this league (along with twin brother Matt).

6. Gianluca Curcuruto - Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
A very composed and intelligent defenseman, Curcuruto was maybe the top all around defenseman for the Hounds in his freshman season. He played in all situations for the team and finished at only -1 on the year...which has to be considered quite the feat on a last place team. I think we're looking at a player who's only scratching the surface of his potential; a potential we're likely to see more of next year.

5. Slater Koekkoek - Peterborough Petes
I wonder if any of the teams drafting in the top 6 are kicking themselves for letting Koekkoek slide to the Petes at 7th. Originally considered a possible top 3 pick, Koekkoek took a minor tumble on draft day, but he's certainly proved himself to be a future OHL all star. Offensively, he has all the tools and already controls the point on the powerplay quite effectively. Defensively, he's a work in progress, but he has all the intangibles that would suggest that part of his game will improve (like a desire to impose his size). It'll be interesting to see how he plays for Team Canada at the Under 18's.

4. Nick Ebert - Windsor Spitfires
You've got to be impressed by this Windsor blueliner. Coming over from the USHL, he had pretty high expectations and he met them (you don't say that for every player in his situation). Ebert is really the whole package. He can skate, he can shoot the puck, he plays both ends of the ice. The thing about Ebert's game that not a lot of people realize is how physical he is. He really throws the body around defensively. Sure he's a bit rough around the edges and has some learning to do (when it comes to pinching, or going for the big hit), but he's had a tremendous season and looks like he's well on the path to replacing Ryan Ellis in Windsor next year.

3. Alex Galchenyuk - Sarnia Sting
I bet you're probably surprised to see him at three, and really it doesn't have anything to do with Alex being bad (how could you be bad with the rookie season he put up), but more so to do with the next two really knocking my socks off. Alex is just a tremendous offensive player. He might have the best hands in the entire OHL, and next year's he's going to make one NHL GM very happy. Along with Nail Yakupov, he's become such an electrifying player who plays the game at full speed ahead. He's also got a bit of a mean streak, which he'll need as teams start to further zero in on him. I wouldn't be surprised if he lead the league in scoring next year.

2. Sean Monahan - Ottawa 67's
How good was this guy this year? Monahan was outstanding for the 67's, playing a bevy of roles for the team, whether it be the checking line center or on a scoring line. He's got great size down the middle, and unlike a lot of kids his age, he actually knows how to use it. He protects the puck unbelievably well and is already a very hard player to contain offensively. The best thing about Monahan is that he's already a very good two way player. When he's centering Tyler Toffoli next year, a lot of people are going to start to take notice of this kid. He's the complete package.

1. Jesse Graham - Niagara IceDogs
When the Dogs took Graham 6th overall, a lot of people were left scratching their heads a bit. Sure he was expected to be a first round pick, but over guys like Slater Koekkoek and Alex Gudbranson? Once Dogs fans got a glimpse of Graham in action, the critics were silenced. A lot of people are going to look at him at number 1 and ask me if I'm insane. And I'm cool with that. But let me tell you, this kid is a great hockey player. How many 16 year old defenseman are on the top pairing of the 3rd best team in the OHL and play 30 minutes a night in all situations? Graham's offensive stats may not wow you, but he gets the job done. He's a tremendous skater and compliments Dougie Hamilton very well in this regard as the two take turns bringing the puck up ice. He's also very mature defensively, with his +27 being BY FAR the best rating of any 16 year old defenseman in the league (Adam Pelech was 2nd at +14). While Graham may not be the biggest, he was the sixteen year old who caught my eye the most this year.

All in all, the defenseman crop for next year's NHL draft seems to be pretty freaking outstanding (especially when you throw in a late 1993 like Cody Ceci).

Game Report: Majors and Spitfires from February 3

It's been a while since I've seen the Spitfires play, so I decided to watch the Majors take on the Spitfires tonight on the Action Pack. Watching games on TV isn't ideal, but it's better than nothing when you haven't seen a team play in a while.

This was a great game and one that would have been even better to see live. A ton of energy, and it almost seemed like a playoff game. It was a tight battle until the start of the third period, when the Spitfires pulled ahead 3-1 (thanks to back to back goals from Taylor Carnevale). But for the second straight game, the Spits gave up a solid lead (lost to Kitchener on Sunday after being up 4-0). The Majors stormed back late in the third period to tie it, and then won it in the shootout on the strength of goals from former Spits Justin Shugg and Marc Cantin.

Player Reports

Mississauga St. Michael's Majors

#2 - Justin Shugg (Drafted By Carolina)
Shugg had some good rushes and showed some good speed tonight, but was largely unable to get through the Windsor defense to the net. While the first line of Cizikas, Smith-Pelly and DeSousa has clicked very well, I think Dave Cameron has had some difficulty finding consistent playing partners for Shugg this year (in terms of chemistry). He scored a beauty shootout goal though, leg fake, avoid the pokecheck, back hand passed Campbell who had sprawled out on the pokecheck.

#5 - Stuart Percy (Draft eligible in 2011)
Percy played as usual, solid game at both ends of the ice. You know what you're getting from him, night in and night out. He had an outstanding shift in overtime where he controlled the pace of play, deked out the Windsor unit, put a good shot on net, got his own rebound, found an open teammate for the point shot (although it was stymied). It often makes me think there is more offense to his game then he shows on a nightly basis.

#11 - Casey Cizikas (Drafted by New York Islanders)
Cizikas had a quiet game. He had a couple nice rushes, but was largely ineffective on the night. Which was the case for most of Missy's big offensive guns on the night.

#13 - Maxim Kitsyn (Drafted by Los Angeles Kings)
I've seen him play some really solid games so far in his OHL career. There's no doubt he's been a bit snake bitten lately, despite producing good opportunities. He was pretty much invisible in the game though, so hopefully he's not losing confidence based on his lack of scoring success in recent games.

#16 - Joseph Cramarossa (Draft eligible in 2011)
This was the best game I've ever seen Cramarossa play. The first Majors goal was a thing of beauty. Took the puck at the red line, exploded into the Spits end, side stepped a check/ran over Nick Ebert along the boards, took it to the net, toe dragged around a sliding Ryan Ellis and put a wrist shot over Campbell's pads. He was also involved in the two other Majors goals with nice plays. On the 2nd goal he dipsy doodled into the slot and made a one handed pass to Schoenmakers at the side of the net for the goal as he was about to lose his balance. On the 3rd goal, he took the puck hard to the net, cut to the middle and used the defender as a screen for a weak shot, but Schoenmakers put home the rebound. Cramarossa is a hard nosed player (also fought on the night, but didn't do as well), who has more offensive upside than his numbers would indicate. If he was on a team where he was getting more ice time (specifically powerplay time), he might be a guy people might talk more about.

#34 - J.P. Anderson (Signed by San Jose Sharks)
JP had a really solid game. He really kept his team in the game when they were getting outplayed for portions of the 1st and 2nd period. He made a tremendous save on Kassian as he broke through the Majors defense and went in on Anderson, went backhand, but Anderson sprawled to make the save. He never gives up on the play and uses his athleticism to make some big saves. His rebound control has come a long way this year too. It still needs work for the next level, but tonight was evidence of his hard work, as he controlled his rebounds really well (which is key against Windsor and Ryan Ellis' point shot). The third Windsor goal was a bit weak, wrist shot through the body, but he played well and got the W.

Windsor Spitfires

#6 - Ryan Ellis (Drafted by Nashville Predators)
Ellis had a tremendous game at both ends of the ice. He absolutely laid out Jamie Wise with an open ice hit in the first period. Offensively, he was bringing up the puck very confidently. He made a tremendous play on Windsor's first goal by alluding the forecheck in his own end (along the wall), sucked in the defense by being patient and found Jeff Brown crossing the redline with a pass that ended up as a tic-tac-toe goal by Kuhnhackl. Defensively, he had a play that really showed his maturity as a defender. Late in the game the Spits came in with numbers, but the play was broken up until the puck bounced back into the slot. Ellis could have MAYBE had an opportunity to get it to put a shot on net, but instead recognized that if he missed, it'd be a two on one the other way, so he peeled back, skated hard and negated the 2 on 1 and the scoring chance. He's been a man among boys this year.

#8 - Craig Duininck (Draft eligible in 2011)
Duininck had a really solid game on the night. He's someone who's really growing on me as an NHL prospect. He's big, physical and a mobile defender (somebody built to play defense in today's NHL). He had one really impressive defensive play on Justin Shugg, as he came across the blueline full speed ahead, but Duininck came up to challenge him, skated with him, angled him off to the corner, and stripped him of the puck, starting the breakout the other way. Offensively, he saw limited time on the secondary PP unit, and is starting to get his shot through to the net more.

#14 - Tom Kuhnhackl (Drafted by Pittsburgh Penguins)
He had a very good game. Was all over the ice, constantly around the puck. Tic tac toe to open Windsor's scoring, where he finished off a play by going hard to the net. Around the net was where he seemed to be doing most of his damage largely, and also picked up a couple of assists finding Carnevale open in the slot and on the wing for goals 2 and 3.

#19 - Zack Kassian (Drafted by Buffalo Sabres)
Kassian had no points, but had a solid game. He was robbed by Anderson a couple of times, including when he broke through Mississauga's defense, got Anderson out of position on the deke to the backhand, but couldn't get it over his sprawling body. Along the boards, he's a man among boys in this league. On the night, he was very tough to get the puck off of, had a couple nice hits and a nice fight. Last year he really struggled to find that balance between physicality and offense. This year, he's been able to put together more consistent performances and understands his role on the ice. He's there to intimidate, but he's also there to score.

#22 - Nick Ebert (Draft eligible in 2012)
Ebert was exposed on the Cramarossa goal (went for the big hit and missed), but has so much potential and is having a great year. His skating is excellent and he has the skill to be a solid two way defender. I like his aggressiveness without the puck for such a young player. With added strength, that element will likely only improve (in quantity and quality), which will really nicely compliment his strong offensive game.

#77 - Taylor Carnevale (Draft eligible in 2011, but 3rd year eligible)
He might be making a case for a selection this year in the draft. I'm not exactly sure where he'd fit in at the next level, but he's solid both ways, good on faceoffs, and is a heady offensive player. He made a nice pass to Kuhnhackl in transition for the first goal, and showed good speed on the 3rd goal by coming down the wing and beating Anderson.

#89 - Alexander Khokhlachev (Draft eligible in 2011)
The Khok had a rough game, the worst I've seen him play this year. He was completely taken out of the play as the Majors didn't give him time and space to work. He was incapable of winning any battles along the boards. On the positive, his defensive play is really coming around and he made a couple nice plays in his own end to take the puck off a Majors player. But he's one of the youngest players in the draft. He obviously needs to add size. The skill and dynamic nature of his offensive game are there, even if they weren't on this night.

#1 - Jack Campbell (Drafted by Dallas Stars)
Campbell had a rough game, even if he only gave up three goals. His rebound control was really poor, especially on low shots. He was kicking out juicy rebounds into the slot, left, right and center. On the first Majors goal, he didnt come out far enough to challenge Cramarossa, and he was caught flat footed going right to left. On the 2nd goal, he was beat side to side by Schoenmakers, on what looked like a minor scoring chance. Where it was the poor rebound control that led to the third Majors goal by Schoenmakers, as Cramarossa got a weak shot away in the slot, that was kicked right back out into play and Schoenmakers put it into the back of the net. He also looked bad in shootout as he fell for the same move twice (the Crosby leg fake to the backhand) by Shugg and Cantin. Campbell needed to be better in a game where his team probably deserved to win.