Thoughts on Barrie and Sudbury from January 28

Haven't posted a game report of my own in a little while as I've been busy and haven't been able to get to a game. I was able to catch this spirited tilt between the Colts and Wolves on Roger's Sportsnet.

Considering that the Wolves are one of the Eastern Conference's worst teams and the Colts the best, you might have guessed that this one would be a blow out. But for whatever reason Sudbury seems to play Barrie very hard. While Sudbury may have been slightly outplayed, the game was closer than the shot totals and the score indicate. If I'm Barrie, I'm hoping Sudbury escapes that 8th spot in the East, as I want to avoid them in round 1. The game was a physical affair that saw Barrie come out on top by a score of 4-1 on the strength of two power play goals and a goal + 2 assist night from new addition Alex Pietrangelo.

The Colts have really become like the Spitfires in that they've got so many players worth talking about, it's hard for everyone to make an impression good or bad. Here are SOME thoughts on a few players from each side.

Barrie Colts






Alex Pietrangelo (STL)
It's hard to name someone who's played only 7 games in the OHL this year as the league's best defenseman, but it's less hard when it's true. There is no doubt in my mind that Petro is the best defenseman in this league. He is head and shoulders above most other players on the ice. The way he thinks the game, the way he's playing at both ends of the ice. Tonight he controlled play at both ends. When he picks up the puck in his own zone, it's up ice within a matter of seconds. The speed at which he makes decisions is at an elite level right now. It's obvious that playing and practicing at the NHL level this season has made him a better player. On the powerplay he controlled the point with ease. Made an absolutely terrific play on a give and go with Alex Hutchings. Hutchings made a beautiful feather pass to Petro who then put it right back on Hutchings stick to the back of the net. He also scored on a beautiful shot from the point. Defensively he was outstanding. One play in particular really stood out where he broke up a two on one by Matias Sointu and John McFarland. He played it perfectly by staying in the middle and slowly fading towards the puck carrying Sointu, eventually closing in on him taking away the shot and sliding to prevent the pass. Sointu ended up having to take the puck around the net because Pietrangelo gave him nothing. Hands down the best acquisition at the deadline. Windsor should be kicking themselves for not getting him. One goal, two assists and the game's first star tonight.

Alex Burmistrov (2010)
Had a few nice rushes tonight, and a couple nice moves in close but nothing ever really came from it. Not his best game, but he still managed to be a factor offensively on some of his shifts and did a solid job as part of the penalty kill unit that held Sudbury 0 for 6 on the powerplay.

Alex Hutchings (TBL)
Had a tremendous game tonight. He's definitely one of the league's best penalty killers. He's so effective at closing in on opposing point players and reading passes. Manages to get his stick on a lot and really prevents defenseman from feeling comfortable back there. Scored two goals tonight, one the aforementioned give and go with Alex Pietrangelo where he made a nice feather pass to Petro over two opposing sticks, only to immediately receive the pass back for the shot into the open net as Alain Valiquette had been caught out of position. The second marker was a bit of a fluke one as Pietrangelo rushed the puck up ice and put it to the net where a streaking Hutchings had it go off of his skate. A borderline no goal call, but I'm sure the Colts are glad it counted. The Lightning made a great pick getting Hutchings where they did.

Kyle Clifford (LAK)
Clifford had an OK game. He was in the thick of things offensively but mishandled a bunch of really good opportunities. Defensively and physically he played a very strong game though. He's taken great steps forward this season offensively. He's taking the puck to the net with confidence, he's doing a better job of getting himself in scoring position and he's (for the most part) been able to capitalize on chances. However to take that next step he's going to have to do a better job of being an offensive force in traffic. By that I mean, as a big guy he's got to do a better job handling the puck and getting shots off with defenders close or on top of him. As an offensive player at the next level, he's likely going to spend most of his time near the net and he's going to have to be able to use his size to give himself more time and space to get better shots towards the net.

Nick Crawford (BUF)
Not very often you hear the stat line of 4 assists combined with the phrase "poor game," but I think that's what we're dealing with tonight. I like Crawford, but he didn't play particularly well tonight, even if he did come away with 4 assists. He could have been the reason for about 4 or 5 Sudbury goals tonight. Pretty much every good chance Sudbury generated tonight came as a result of a poor play by Crawford. A few turnovers in his own end with the puck, one really bad one where he failed to look behind the net before passing there to a lone Sudbury player waiting for the puck. A couple bad pinches where he got himself caught up ice, like the first Sudbury goal by Eric O'Dell where Alex Burmistrov was forced to cover for Crawford in front of the net as he trailed the play, or the two on one where Pietrangelo made the nice play on Sointu due to the fact that Crawford caughed up the puck at the blueline and then got caught up ice. To his credit, Crawford has been outstanding for Barrie since his trade from Saginaw, and if you can play a bad game and still rack up 4 assists, you can't REALLY be that bad can you?

Matt Kennedy (CAR)
Great to see Kennedy back on the ice already after the Kassian hit. He played a pretty strong first game back too. He's not a flashy player, but he gets the job done. I'm hoping Carolina still gives him a contract because he deserves it. He'll likely not be much of a factor offensively the rest of the way through the season due to the role he's playing on the Colts, but he has offensive talent. He can shoot the puck and he can drive it to the net with effectiveness. I think he'll make a fine pro hockey player as long as he can stay out of concussion trouble.

T.J. Brodie (CGY)
He didn't hit the scoresheet, but I thought he played an excellent game tonight. Made smart decisions with the puck and had a couple of real nice pinches that resulted in scoring chances. Every game he seems to find a way to the front of the net for a scoring opportunity. His acceleration is so strong it makes him very elusive in coverage, especially in transition. Defensively he was excellent. One play in particular stood out as a rushing Sudbury player attempted to take the puck at him one on one, but Brodie stood in front of him skating backwards and eventually engaged him and took the puck off him. Instead of just chipping it away, he took the puck around the net and started the rush up the other way. No points but a strong game from Brodie.

Sudbury Wolves





John Kurtz (Overage Free Agent)
When I eventually release my top available overage free agents list, this guy will definitely be on it. He's had quite an excellent year, but due to Sudbury's struggles it's kind of been overshadowed. Kurtz is basically your stereotypical lunchpail type forward. Works hard in all areas of the ice, but definitely has a scoring touch around the net. Made the nice pass to Eric O'Dell for the game's first goal after beating Alex Pietrangelo to the loose puck behind the net and quickly feeding O'Dell at the side of the net for the tap in. He constantly looks to go hard to the net, whether the puck is on his stick or not. With his size and ability to play both ends of the ice, I'll be surprised if he doesn't at least get an AHL contract next season.

John McFarland (2010)
Didn't have a strong game. I gotta admit. I used to be a defender of his after seeing him play so many strong games over the course of the past couple of years (especially internationally), but ultimately it comes down to the fact that I haven't seen him play a good one in a while now. I think you have to be concerned with the lack of progression in his game this year. Whether it be a lack of motivation playing in Sudbury or just a player who's game has peaked, I'm not quite sure. He's going to have to have one heck of an Under 18 Championship to save his draft stock I think. If he struggles at that tournament (assuming the Wolves are out of playoff contention following round one), he could very well see himself out of the first round IMO.

Jared Staal (PHX)
Another guy you've got to be concerned about. 6 goals this year. Six! As a 1990 born high draft selection, that just doesn't cut it. He was completely invisible tonight. If his name wasn't Staal (as harsh as this sounds), I'm not sure he'd be getting himself a contract. Better players in this league have certainly found themselves in this contract limbo situation.

Eric O'Dell (ATL)
In some ways, I kind of feel bad for Eric O'Dell. He's clearly Sudbury's best offensive player, and defense's realize this. He doesn't really get a lot of room to work out there as teams constantly seem to be double teaming him whenever he touches the puck. He's a high class offensive player and when he gets the room to work, he produces. If he were on another team with a more offensive system and a better supporting cast of players, I think we'd definitely be talking about him as a top 10 scoring player in this league. Scored Sudbury's only goal tonight after finding himself open in front of the net for a tap in goal off a feed from John Kurtz behind the net.

Anyone else catch this one on Sportsnet tonight?

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?

Thoughts on Sudbury and Barrie from November 12

With T.J. Brodie and Nick Crawford making their debut for Barrie, I figured I'd check out this game between Barrie and Sudbury on the OHL Action Pack. Barrie has been on fire lately, winning six in a row, and this one was no different. Crawford and Brodie each finished at +3 as the Colts took it to the Wolves by a score of 5-0. This Colts team is just dominating right now. An eye opening stat mentioned by the Colts broadcast crew was that the Colts have now gone 21 straight periods without being beaten. In other words, the Colts have not only gone seven straight games without losing, but they haven't even lost a period in any of those games. Quite impressive.

In watching Barrie before, and now with Brodie and Crawford, there is a difference. They join this lineup seamlessly and really help to get Barrie up ice quickly so that their forwards can take over play. Speaking of which, the Colts forward have really seemed to find some chemistry. All three lines were solid tonight, with even the fourth line of Ryan Strome, Dean Pawlaczyk, and David Mazurek dominating play down low on several occasions. Goaltender Peter Di Salvo had a great game too. I think there is much reason for Barrie fans to get excited this year, as this Colts team really does look like a contender for the OHL title, perhaps as the second best team behind the Windsor Spitfires.

Sudbury will have some tough times ahead. Already one of the worst offensive teams in the league, the Wolves will be without John McFarland for at least a few weeks as he's suffered a shoulder injury. The guys who need to pick up that slack, like Jared Staal and Marcus Foligno just aren't getting it done. Staal has 1 goal in his last 7 games, and Foligno hasn't scored since the third game of the season. The Wolves started this one with a bizarre offensive line up too. Nothing against Coach Foligno, because he knows what he's doing, but the forward lines he started with seemed like a recipe for disaster. The team's best player and only true offensive player, Eric O'Dell, was between 2 guys with a combined 4 goals on the year (Tarini and Allicock). Meanwhile, the club's other offensive threats were all on one, slow line (Kurtz, Staal, Foligno). Three very two way players, but also three forwards who lack the natural talent and foot speed to carry the puck into the zone. It's obvious that Coach Foligno is trying to find something without McFarland in the line up (and O'Dell's normal linemate), but it wasn't surprising to me that those lines failed to get anything done. And it didn't take long before they got thrown in the blender and mixed around. It wasn't until the 3rd period until the Wolves showed some life, much thanks to Eric O'Dell, but it was too little too late. Not a pretty game from their end at all and it certainly doesn't get easier for the Wolves to score as they'll be taking on the defensively stingy Mississauga Majors at home tomorrow.

On to some individual performance thoughts...

Sudbury Wolves





Justin Sefton (2011)
Highly touted draft selection of 2009, Sefton seems to be adjusting more and more to play in this league. I continue to be impressed with his defensive abilities, and ability to use his size at the ripe age of 16. On one occasion, beast Kyle Clifford came into the zone with a head of steam, but Sefton stayed in front of him, guided him to the boards and separated him from the puck. Quite a few defenders have a tough time with Clifford's size and speed combination, but not Sefton. He made a similar play on Stefan Della Rovere later in the game; another guy who's tough to contain. His offensive game still needs work, in particular his confidence in moving the puck up ice quickly, but I think there's some potential there. Late in the game he rushed the puck into the offensive end, which was a first for me in my viewings. He went end to end and took it right to the net, forcing Di Salvo to make a nice save. I hope he starts doing this more.

Jake Cardwell (2010)
Over the past two seasons, Caldwell has always been a guy who's caught my eye. He's got good size on the backend and he's not afraid to use it. He seems to be fairly mobile and has the ability to move the puck up ice. He runs the powerplay and can get his shot through to the net. The only thing missing is a big statline. I'm not entirely sure he's an NHL prospect, but I think it's worth giving him a solid shout out. He did well to defend against the Barrie rush and does a good job of staying ahead of the forwards. He had a couple nice rushes into the Barrie zone, in particular in the third period when Sudbury was trying to get some momentum back. He also hit the post with a point shot while on the powerplay. He did have a couple of turnovers in the defensive end, in particular one bad pass up the middle of the ice from behind his net, but nothing came of it.

Jared Staal (PHX)
Not much to say here. Completely invisible on the ice, for better or worse. Didn't make any glaring mistakes, but he didn't do anything in the offensive end either. Since his hot start to the season, he's gone quite cold as of late.

Daniel Maggio (NYR)
I thought he played a very solid game for a defender whose team just lost 5-0. Defensively he made a few very nice plays. For a guy his size, he has excellent mobility and he seems to do a very good job on rushing forwards. On two different occasions he was able to stay ahead of Kyle Clifford and Alex Hutchings, and keep them from the front of the net. It showed not only strong mobility, but good positioning too. He does need to tighten up his defensive zone coverage though and be quicker in picking up his man. Offensively, he rushes the puck well up ice and seems to make smart passing plays. On the powerplay, made a very nice play to keep the puck in the zone by knocking it down right at the line, then used the Brian Campbell esque spin'o'rama to elude two stick checks, and finishing the play off with a heads up cross ice pass for a one timer that was stopped by Peter Di Salvo. As a former 7th overall priority selection, his progress this year seems to be really flying under the radar.

Marcus Foligno (BUF)
Struggled tonight. Took two bad, sloppy, undisciplined penalties to negate his teams powerplays. The first a tripping call, the second a high stick. Nothing like taking two different penalties with the man advantage to kill any momentum offensively. Also had a couple terrible giveaways in his own end, one a bad pass to the middle of the ice that was picked off at the blueline. Another where he was stripped of the puck from behind while trying to carry it out of the defensive zone. Both led to scoring chances, but not to goals. Offensively, he just isn't getting anything done. As a penalty killer and board player, he's effective, but the Sabres didn't draft him to be a 4th line plugger. Hoping that playing for his dad again turns his game around for the better as the season goes on.

Eric O'Dell (ATL)
I thought he was really the only Sudbury forward who was able to generate offense tonight. Plays both ends of the ice, made a couple of very nice plays defensively to tie up his man. He works the cycle well and he can make things happen off the rush. Missed on a penalty shot (which was a terrible call) after taking the puck off a falling Nick Crawford and going hard to the net. Nothing to show for on the stat sheet, but this loss wasn't his fault. He's definitely missing John McFarland right now, as the two had built up quite the chemistry this season.

Barrie Colts






Alexander Burmistrov (2010)
Was part of the Colts most effective line on the night, with Alex Hutchings and Stefan Della Rovere. This line just couldn't be stopped. Burmistrov is such a smart offensive player. He doesn't need much room to slip through the defense and has a lot of confidence in carrying the puck. On Barrie's final goal of the game, he took the puck end to end on the powerplay, deking through two Wolves defenders, before smartly pulling up and finding Nick Crawford for the open point shot. Stefan Della Rovere promptly made the redirect, but it was Burmistrov's original play that got the ball rolling. His overall game is really rounding into form too. He's still doing good work on the penalty kill, but he's showing more effort 5 on 5 defensively and on the backcheck. He also is showing a willingness to stand in front of the net for screens, like he did on the Rovere tip in third period goal. Hasn't finished a game with a minus rating in 10 games. His stock for the draft can only go up at this point.

Alex Hutchings (TBL)
Simply put, Hutchings was a beast tonight. His speed caused a lot of trouble for the Wolves defense, in particular for the Wolves forwards on the backcheck. On the penalty kill, he was outstanding, pressuring on the forecheck and killing time along the boards. He takes the puck on the outside and goes hard to the net with speed, and his acceleration and low center of gravity make him very hard to stop, even if he is slightly undersized. Scored a goal on a nice pass from SDR in the first and picked up two assists on Barrie's 3rd and 4th goals. I'm disappointed he didn't get an invite to the Subway Super Series, because he deserves to be there. If there's an injury, I don't doubt he'd be the first they'd call to play.

Kyle Clifford (LA)
While he didn't have any points tonight, he made a difference. As I mentioned, his speed and size combination make him very hard to stop. While Sudbury's defense made a few nice plays on him, they largely had trouble containing him. On one excellent play, he slipped behind the defense for a breakaway, missed the net but followed up his rebound, shrugged off a check and took the puck hard to the front of the net on a wrap around. Unfortunately Andrew Loverock made a nice save on the play, but it showed how hard he is to stop with full momentum. He seems to be gaining a lot of confidence in just taking the puck to the net as soon as he gets it on his stick, which is something the Kings have to be happy with (in terms of his development).

Nick Crawford (BUF)
Played a tremendous game. Was solid defensively, playing a sound positional game. He keeps himself between the net and the opposing forward very well, and he reacts to the play like an NHL veteran. Offensively, he's incredibly smart too. Had three points on the night, a goal and 2 assists. What I like about Crawford is that he doesn't feel the need to take a big slapper from the point. He's comfortable putting a hard, accurate wrist shot towards the goal, and it creates scoring chances. He scored on one, and had another redirected for a goal. All in all, a tremendous first impression for him in Barrie, and perhaps out of the shadows in Saginaw, he'll start to garner the respect he deserves as an NHL prospect and top OHL defender.

Stefan Della Rovere (WSH)
Since starting the season very slowly, SDR has been outstanding of late (7 goals in his last 10 games). He's taking the puck hard to the net, he's crashing the net looking for rebounds, he's screening the goalie on point shots, and he's back to being his general shift disturbing self. Always a physical threat, Rovere is really hard to contain along the wall. Always keeps his feet moving in loose puck battles near the boards, part of the reason he rarely loses them. Scored a nice goal on a redirect in front of the net. Scored another goal on a nice reaction off a rebound, by turning and firing it top shelf, surprising Loverock. He also made a great pass to Alex Hutchings for the first goal of the game. Won a battle for the puck behind the net and made a beautiful back pass to a streaking Hutchings for the one timer. As long as he can keep his emotions in check and remain disciplined, he's such a valuable player to have on the ice in this league.

T.J. Brodie (CGY)
Like Crawford, this was Brodie's first game with Barrie and he was very strong. Interestingly enough, Brodie wasn't really involved offensively tonight like his partner Nick Crawford was. But he was solid defensively. Was never beat to the net, was winning battles in the corners. Did a good job on coverage. I even saw him rub out an opposing forward along the boards. That physical play is something you don't see enough of from Brodie. If he can put forth the defensive effort he did tonight...consistently for Barrie...it won't be long before more than just OHL and Calgary Flames fans know who this guy is. Like Crawford, he finished +3.

Bryan Cameron (Overage Free Agent)
Cameron didn't have a tremendous game, taking some undisciplined penalties. But he has been on absolute fire lately, with 7 goals in his last 5 games before this affair. I really like him as a player and I hope an NHL team gives him a shot this offseason.

Darren Archibald (2010, but 1990 born)
I was shocked when this guy went undrafted last season, after his strong OHL rookie season and playoffs. I'll be even more shocked if he goes undrafted or signed again this year. He's big, he can skate well for his size, and he has good hands and offensive instincts. A true power forward prospect who can do a little bit of everything. Besides Alex Hutchings, I thought Archibald was Barrie's best forward tonight. On his first shift of the game, he took a drop pass from Taylor Carnevale and ripped a snap shot off the crossbar. Later in the period, he flew down the wing, shrugged off a check from Josh McFadden, took the puck straight to the net and fired home a wrist shot top shelf. Quite an impressive goal. He also made a few really nice passes tonight in transition. Big power forwards who can play offense in transition don't grow on trees. He also kills penalties and makes a consistent effort on the backcheck. He saved a likely goal in the second period after coming back to the defensive zone to cover for a pinching defenseman, and intercepting a pass to a wide open Sudbury player in front of the net. After starting the season off slowly as he recovered from injury, Archibald has a 6 game point streak (6 goals, 4 assists) going now. This guy is a beast.

Taylor Carnevale (2010, but 1991 born)
Exploded offensively this season in Barrie and has a lot of people talking about his draft prospectus. Mark Seidel has him in his recent top 100 for the NACS. He seems to have very good chemistry with Darren Archibald and these two worked the give and go on several occasions. He has good speed and he's not afraid to work hard on the forecheck or in the corners. Kind of a jack of all trades who's smarts and vision give him the opportunity to put up points. He finished with a secondary assist on Archibald's goal.

Peter Di Salvo (2010, but 1990 born)
This one is for Mr. CAPS (read my comments section and you'll know!). Di Salvo was excellent tonight. Didn't really face much in the way of serious scoring chances until the third period, but he shut the door all night long. I really like how aggressive he is in challenging shooters. He gets out right past the blue ice and gives opposing shooters very little to aim for. His rebound control was a little bit suspect tonight, especially on long shots, but not much more you could ask from him tonight. Made all 28 saves for the shutout victory. By the way, Di Salvo has one of the coolest masks in the OHL (check it out)

That's it, anyone else see Brodie and Crawford's first game with the Colts?

Thoughts on Barrie from September 19

Fresh off a 9-1 spanking of the Owen Sound Attack, the Barrie Colts took their offensive juggernaut to the Garden City Saturday night. The Colts ended up defeating the Niagara IceDogs in overtime by a score of 5-4. It was a hard fought game that saw momentum swing back and forth, and it was a tough one for the Dogs who played their second straight game against a much improved Eastern Conference opponent. The Colts got their offense from Luke Pither and Alex Burmistrov. Pither had a hat trick for the second straight game (now with 7 in his 2 game total), including the game winner in overtime. Burmistrov had 5 points (2 goals, 3 assists). The Dogs got the majority of their offense from Alex Friesen, who had 2 goals and an assist.

The Colts are a high octane team and definitely one that is going to be fun to watch this year. Here are my thoughts on some of the Colts last night...

Alexander Burmistrov (2010)
He was outstanding tonight. A stand out in the first two games of the season, this Russian import has been everything as advertised. It's not often that an import makes such an immediate impact in the CHL. There is usually an adjustment period, even for the most talented ones. Evgeni Grachev didn't score a goal until his 7th game in the league last year. Burmistrov seems like the total package. Solid skater who looks to have an extra gear. He's very elusive on the ice and seems to find the scoring lanes with ease. On one of his goals, he snuck in quickly to the slot and buried a quick pass from Alex Hutchings (who was behind the net). The puck was on his stick for less than a second. Nearly the entire game, he used his strong puck handling ability to cut through the Niagara defense with ease and created numerous scoring chances for himself and his teammates. I say he appears to be the complete package because he also took shifts on the penalty kill and helped to hold Niagara to 0 for 5 on the powerplay. He also appears to have a bit of feistyness to his game, not afraid to give a shove here and there. Colour me very impressed. By the way, on his blog, Alessandro Seren Rosso conducted an interview with Burmistrov and there are some interesting tidbits in it. You can find it here. Burmistrov had 2 goals and 3 assists.

Luke Pither (Overager)
Fresh off an apparently impressive showing at Rangers camp (although he hasn't earned a contract as of yet), Pither looks poised to make a run at the scoring title. Every time he was on the ice, he made something happen. He's an elite level skater and he's so deadly from in close. Definitely one of the better shots in the league, his wrister especially, which is both accurate and hard. Like Burmistrov, his puckhandling ability left Niagara's defense in the dust all night. He's obviously still not much of a complete player, but you can't deny his offensive abilities. If he doesn't a get a contract from someone this season (someone being an NHL team), I'll eat my hat. Pither had 3 goals.

Alex Hutchings (TBL)
After falling to the 4th round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Hutchings has to have a bit of a fire lit under his belly this season. He was apparently incredibly impressive at Tampa's camp and I think a lot of teams will be kicking themselves for passing on him. While he hasn't scored a goal yet this year, there's no cause for alarm. He played a good game, constantly involved offensively with Burmistrov and Michael Sgarbossa (his linemmates). He produces offensively in any situation, whether it be using his speed off the rush, or controlling the puck in the offensive zone. He's undersized, but he's also strong on the puck and a strong two way player who backs down from no one. Hutchings finished the game with 2 assists.

Michael Sgarbossa (2010)
Sgarbossa has had a very impressive start to the 2009-10 season. He was one of Barrie's offensive leaders in the preseason and he's carried it over to the regular season thus far, with 2 goals and 2 assists in the first two games. Sgarbossa had a very underrated rookie season in Barrie and I think that as the season goes on, he'll start to make a name for himself. He seems to make things simple offensively and is really meshing well with Alex Burmistrov thus far. Like Burmistrov, he's an elusive player who reads and reacts to offensive situations well in order to put himself into scoring positions. He's also a really solid playmaker. Sgarbossa isn't as good of a skater as his linemmates, but I wouldn't say he's terrible either. It'll be interesting to see the type of season he has. Sgarbossa finished with 2 assists.

Ryan O'Connor (2010)
O'Connor didn't have a great game last night. The undersized puck moving defenseman is definitely a solid offensive player, but is he good enough to overcome his size disadvantage. I've heard a lot of people compare O'Connor to Ryan Ellis, a natural comparison on paper. But Ellis was a first rounder for a reason, despite his size. His offensive instincts are out of this world. He thinks the game at another level and anticipates the next move. O'Connor, while a skilled puck carrier, does not seem to possess that elite level vision or creativity that Ellis does. He's also not as fearless and willing to throw his body around and in that sense he can play small at the defensive end. Like he did last night, when Niagara's forwards did a good job in winning one on one battles against him. I was impressed with him last season, but this year he really needs to step up defensively. O'Connor had an assist and was -2.

Mitch Bennett (2010)
Tall and lanky rookie defenseman, Bennett was fairly impressive tonight. He's got great size and he moves fairly well. He's also not afraid to use his size and was a physical aggressor all night. He had a really strong preseason offensively, however I didn't really see any significant offensive skills tonight. Perhaps as he becomes more comfortable, we'll see them. Would love to see him play again.

Josh Brittain (ANA)
Brittain did not look good. Just returned from NHL camp, Brittain looked completely uninspired during the game. Perhaps he was just tired, but he never appeared to be skating at full speed. Even defensively he was poor and a non factor and allowed Niagara players to beat him for pucks and get around him for scoring chances. Another factor that maybe lead to a lackluster performance, are the trade rumours surrounding him. Barrie is apparently shopping him for an elite level stay at home defenseman (likely to pair with O'Connor). He needs to step up.

Bryan Cameron (Overager)
I think it's safe to assume that Cameron has to be disappointed that he didn't receive an NHL contract offer this summer, after he failed to come to terms with LA (the team that drafted him in 2007). He attended Phoenix's training camp, but failed to make a significant impression. Cameron is the type of forward who can do a little bit of everything and it'll be interesting to see how he fits in in Barrie this year. With the depth that they have, he may have to take a bit of a smaller role than he's used to offensively. But he did see some powerplay time with the big guns and was his normal self, winning battles for the puck and playing a solid puck possession game. I'm pulling for him to have a big year and to earn a contract. He finished the game with 1 assist.

That's it folks, anyone else have any comments about the game last night?

Thoughts on Barrie from January 8

Happy New Year everyone. I'm back with my first game report of 2009 and was able to take in a very hard fought game between the Ice Dogs and Barrie Colts. It wasn't really a great game to evaluate offensive talent, since a lot of the game was played in the neutral zone and it was quite the back and forth defensive affair. The Dogs came out on top 1-0, thanks to a late third period goal by Chris DeSousa. Newly acquired netminder Jeremy Smith was solid in his first game, earning the shutout.

Here are my thoughts on some Barrie players...

Alex Hutchings - NHL Draft Eligible 2009

Hutchings was the best forward for Barrie tonight. He uses good speed to drive the puck to the net, and despite being undersized is often able to circle the offensive zone with the puck on his stick. He's just a really smart player too, who makes an effort to backcheck and who will go into the corners to win puck battles. As a late 1990, I've heard some criticisms or concerns over the fact that as an undersized offensive pivot, he's not putting up incredibly dominating offensive numbers. But he's a smart player, who has seen his production increase, and his overall game take that next step. He's a good bet to be a top 100 NHL draft pick.

Stefan Della Rovere - Drafted in 2008 by Washington/204th

Della Rovere was pretty quiet tonight. Definitely understandable as the guy must be exhausted after the show that is the WJC's. He did start to turn it on in the 3rd period and was beginning to take the body and drive to the net. In one instance he drove to the net, taking out goaltender Jeremy Smith and causing a minor circus. I'm not sure a lot more needs to be said about Della Rovere, who has obviously taken great steps forward this season in becoming a potential NHL player.

Josh Brittain - Drafted in 2008 by Anaheim/71st

Brittain has been somewhat underwhelming offensively since coming over from Kingston. He's got only 3 goals in 12 games, none in his last 8. At 6'4 and over 200lbs, he's a very good skater who loves to have the puck on his stick, and he drives hard to the net. He also works well in the corners, especially in the cycle. However, I'd like to see him improve upon a few things. For one, for such a big guy, he doesn't throw his weight around nearly as much as he should. Nor does he use his body to protect the puck. Also, he needs to stop being so cute with the puck. Just get the thing on net and go hard to the crease looking for some garbage. With his speed and the skill he does have, if he could develop more of a mean streak, and more of a desire, he could be a top end power forward. Apparently, this is what got him out of favor in Kingston with Coach Killer, the fact that offensively he was being to much of a finesse player and not enough of a 6'4 power forward.

Darren Archibald - 2009 NHL Draft Eligible (1990 born)

Rookie OHL winger who played last season in Stouffville with Ethan Werek and Corey Trivino, on a very solid team. He's been getting better and better as the season has gone along. At 6'3, 200lbs, he skates fairly well and is aggressive on the forecheck and along the boards. He uses his size well and goes hard to the net, looking for rebounds. He didn't show a lot of offensive ability tonight, but he did show a good effort level. As a 1990 born, playing in his first OHL season, I'd say he has a chance to get drafted as an entry overager this season, if he's caught a few scouts eyes.

Taylor Carnevale - 2009 NHL Draft Eligible

Since a trade from Oshawa, Carnevale has been great for Barrie with 13 points in 15 games. He's supplied the Colts with some secondary offensive production that they lacked. He's somewhat undersized, but he looks to skate well and he isn't afraid to get his nose dirty. He went to the net and he played in the corners. He also showed some good playmaking ability, with a couple nifty passes, although none ended up creating serious scoring chances. He played hard, and he looks to be fairly skilled. Could definitely be an NHL draft pick if he continues to put points up in Barrie.

Michael Hutchinson - Drafted in 2008 by Boston/77th

Hutchinson was very good tonight. He does a great job of challenging shooters when he needs to, and at 6'3 he can still make himself look big while staying back in his net. He moves well and has good overall mobility, and he also anticipates the play very well. His rebound control was excellent tonight, as many of the Dogs 42 shots came from the perimeter. He did a good job to make sure none of these softer shots ended up as rebounds in the scoring area. Going back to his size, Hutchinson is one of those goalies who seems to get a piece of absolutely everything. Because he's so big, when he does come out to challenge, especially on point shots, it's hard to find space. The only goal that beat him was an outstanding shot by Chris DeSousa, top shelf, blocker side, on a 3 on 1. No goalie would have saved that one. He's had a bit of tough luck recently, as despite a SV% over .940, and a GAA right around 2, he's only 4-4 in his last 8 games.

And a quick thought on an Ice Dog player...

Jeremy Smith - Drafted in 2007 by Nashville/54th

Smith has had a terrible season, and no doubt relishes the opportunity to start over in Niagara. He was outstanding in his first game with the Dogs, stopping all 33 shots for the shutout victory. And while none of his saves were incredible, he was a solid and calming presence in net, who gave up very few rebounds, and directed pucks away from high traffic areas. He was once considered an elite goaltender in this league, but hasn't been the same since a disastrous WJC tournament with team USA last year. There has to be some mental/confidence issue which is causing his poor play this season, as he has the skill and technical ability to be a good goaltender. Here's hoping he can continue to play well in Niagara and show Nashville that he's still got more left in the tank.

Thoughts on Barrie from November 6 vs. Niagara

Tonight the Barrie Colts came to St. Catharines to take on the Ice Dogs. The Colts came back from being down 2-0 to win in overtime, 3-2.

Thoughts...

Alex Hutchings (2009 NHL Draft Eligible)

Was alright tonight. I've seen him better. He had a few really good shifts, but was all in all fairly invisible and was held off the score sheet. When he's on, he uses his great skating and extra gear to fly down the wing and head toward the net. In one particular play tonight, Hutchings did just that and put a nice one on one move on Dogs defenseman Reggie Tracitto to earn a scoring chance in close. He looked pretty good on the powerplay too and has great vision on the ice and made a few passes that could have easily been converted to goals or scoring attempts by more talented offensive players. He's slightly undersized a 5'10, but he doesn't shy from physical contact and will work in the corners and go to the net. He doesn't necessarily initiate the contact though. All in all a solid prospect who's a good bet for the NHL first round. Just would have liked to have seen him more consistently involved offensively tonight. His line was definitely carried by the hardwork put in by Della Rovere.

Stefan Della Rovere (Drafted 2008 by Washington/204th)

This guy is a player. All hustle on the ice. He drives hard to the net and has a solid extra gear as he skates down the wing. He's a horse down low and in the corners. Was rarely taken off the puck tonight and worked the cycle to perfection. He sets himself up for scoring opportunities by using his physicality to seperate himself from his defenders. While he failed to pot a goal, he was easily Barrie's most dangerous offensive player tonight. He also was a big factor on Barrie's penalty kill. While he didn't really have one tonight, Rovere is also one of the league's most dangerous and feared body checkers. Reminds me a lot of when Cal Clutterbuck used to play for Oshawa. Constantly involved in the play in some capacity. Doubt he has anything more than 3rd line potential in the NHL, but he'll be a fan favourite.

Peter Di Salvo (2009 NHL Draft Eligible)

Was really hoping Di Salvo would get the start tonight because I've seen Hutchinson enough to know he's a stud. I believe this is the first time I've actually seen Di Salvo play, or at least remember seing him play. He was fairly solid, although was somewhat outshined by Dogs goaltender (also draft eligible) John Cullen who was outstanding. The thing that stood out most for Di Salvo for me tonight was his rebound control. It was outstanding for a young goalie. While he wasn't tested a whole lot really, the perimeter shots he faced, he managed to prevent big rebounds from escaping off them. The two goals he let in, he didn't really have a chance on. On the negative side, one thing I noticed about Di Salvo is how far back in his crease he plays. Sometimes you see this with bigger/taller goalies who can afford to do this, but not with goalies pushing 6'0. I think someone needs to get him to come out and challenge shooters more, especially if he wants to find success at the next level.

Brian Lashoff (Signed by Detroit/2008)

Lashoff earned himself a contract from the Detroit Red Wings this offseason after going undrafted, but putting on a good show at the Wings prospect camp. He was fairly impressive tonight, although didn't play nearly as much as I expected him too. He showed a good ability to move the puck out of the zone, making the smart and easy plays. He also showed good puck skills and made a couple real nice passes, particularily on the powerplay where he saw the majority of his icetime. I would have liked to have seen him take a larger role in rushing the puck up ice, as he seemed more interested in keeping it safe. Defensively, I never really noticed him, which I guess is a good thing because it means he stayed with his man and didn't make any stupid mistakes. Definitely reminds me a lot of his brother Matt, a former Kitchener Ranger and Bruins first rounder. Looks like a good signing by the Wings.

Mitch Lebar (2009 NHL Draft Eligible)

Was looking forward to seing Lebar play tonight as a 1991 who's put up some half decent offensive stats this season. He was the Colts second line center tonight, and was completely invisible. The only time he was noticeable tonight was when he made a defensive error in the first, leaving his man uncovered leading to the first Dogs goal. Maybe I'll see him again and see something different.

Ryan O'Connor (2010 NHL Draft Eligible)

O'Connor was the Colts best defenseman tonight and saw a boat load of playing time. Not knowing he was a 1992 until after the game, I've found myself even more impressed by his play. He was solid at both ends of the ice, and scored a really nice goal top shelf after sneaking into the slot. He showed an ability to rush the puck up the ice, but was smart and only made one really bad play when he tried to force the puck up ice leading to a turnover and scoring chance. But as 1992 born defenseman in the OHL, color me impressed. I'd say he's definitely one of the best OHL defenseman I've seen for 2010.