Game Report: Spirit & Majors from January 2

Even with the Canadian Juniors playing today, I wasn't going to miss the opportunity to see the best team in the Western Conference for the first time (live) this year. Just so happens it was a match-up between the top team in the East and the top team in the West. This should have been a battle for the ages...but it wasn't.

I have to say, this was one of the worst OHL games I've been to in my life. No flow to the game what so ever, thanks in part to a total of 17 powerplays (9 for Saginaw, 8 for Mississauga). Just sloppy play, little end to end action and a game where the Saginaw Spirit looked like the much better hockey team.

Granted, the Majors were without captain Casey Cizikas and head coach Dave Cameron, but they looked pretty terrible out there against the best team in the West. While I didn't watch it, I can't imagine their 5-2 loss against Guelph the other night looked a whole lot better. On the powerplay, they couldn't generate anything and were kept completely to the perimeter. In fact, on many of the Majors' 8 powerplays, they were unable to gain possession of the puck in the offensive zone. It was downright ugly. So ugly that frustration caused star forward Justin Shugg to destroy his stick while on the bench after yet another blown opportunity with the man advantage.

The Majors were also unable to generate much in the way of offense 5 on 5. Despite an advantage in shots, I felt like the Majors were vastly outplayed by the Spirit who were able to generate offense from speed and from turnovers that they caused in the offensive zone. Mississauga had few solid scoring chances in the game (a Mika Partanen slapshot down the wing that went off the post, and a couple of chances in the slot), with the majority of shots coming from the perimeter. It was clear, the game plan was just to get pucks on net, but when your opposing goaltender doesn't give up any rebounds (Mavric Parks), that's just not going to cut it. At least get some bodies in front of the net to try and make it more difficult for Parks.

Meanwhile, Saginaw looked pretty good. With the acquisition of John McFarland, they've clearly got a more balanced scoring attack and can roll three lines that can take the puck to the net. The McFarland, Saad, Trocheck line in particular, is incredibly fast and the Majors had trouble preventing them from entering the zone with possession of the puck. And if they couldn't carry the puck across the line, they'd dump it in and use their speed to gain possession.

If I was a Majors fan, I'd be pretty worried (in all honesty). The rest of the league's top teams are either making moves to get better (Saginaw, Niagara, Oshawa), or are looking sharper as the season moves on (Ottawa, Owen Sound, Kitchener, Windsor). Meanwhile, the Majors look to have stagnated a bit. This team needs help. It needs a true powerplay quarterback to improve the team's average at best powerplay. It also needs a few more dynamic offensive forwards that can help push the pace of play and provide a change of pace from some of the team's grinding offensive lines. With an overage spot open, there should definitely be at least one acquisition. And honestly, the team should also jettison Anthony Peters for another overage skater. Yes, he's been a great teammate and provides a veteran presence in case J.P. Anderson gets injured. But it makes no sense to be using a vital overage spot on a back up goaltender who'll see ZERO time in the playoffs when other needs should be addressed.

On to some individual player reports:

Saginaw Spirit







#6 - John McFarland (Drafted by Florida in 2010)
I thought he was the best player on the ice for either team today. He looks really good (and comfortable) on the wing with Trocheck and Saad. The ankle looks fully healed now as he was explosive coming down the wing with speed. He had a couple of really nice rushes as he flew down the wing, beat his defender to the outside and went hard to the net. He was also very physical (most physical game I've seen him play) and was very active on the forecheck and in the corners. He scored a goal off a turnover forced by Ivan Telegin. He took the puck, cut to the slot on his backhand, and slid the puck through Anthony Peters fivehole. It's definitely refreshing to see him playing so well in Saginaw, where he can hopefully re-invigorate his promising OHL career.

#10 - Jordan Szwarz (Drafted by Phoenix in 2009)
Szwarz had a very solid game and was named the game's second star. He opened the scoring by deflecting a Ryan O'Connor point shot in front of Anthony Peters. His biggest strength has always been his elusiveness on the ice, as he's a bit like a waterbug out there. He's everywhere and active in all three zones. His speed and ability to create turnovers on the forecheck are definitely strengths. He earned a secondary assist on the powerplay goal by Josh Shalla later in the game, off a nice passing play in the slot. I do question the type of role he'll take on in the NHL though. I'm not sure if he's big enough or skilled enough to take on a top six role in the NHL, which means he might have to add a physical element to his game to succeed in a bottom six, energy role.

#15 - Anthony Camara (Draft Eligible in 2011)
Started the game on a line with Jordan Szwarz and Josh Shalla, but saw some action on other lines too. He wasn't really noticeable, save for a few nice hits and a fight with Gregg Sutch at the end of the game, that left Sutch bleeding (thanks to I believe an inadvertent headbutt).

#22 - Brandon Saad (Draft Eligible in 2011)
The man I was most looking forward to seeing, as this was my first viewing of him live. His performance left me somewhat split. On one hand, I was impressed with his skating ability, which is excellent for a big guy. He nearly broke through the defense twice, but just couldn't get by the last defender after beating the rest of the team. He also clearly is an intelligent goal scorer who knows where to go on the ice and isn't afraid of going hard to the net for a goal. He scored after finding a loose puck in the slot on the powerplay in the second period. But on the other hand, I was left underwhelmed by a prospect whom is getting consideration for the top 5 of the NHL draft. When comparing him to Gabriel Landeskog or even Ryan Strome, he's just not as dynamic of a player, nor does he make as big of an impact on the ice. I stick by my midterm ranking of Saad behind those two guys. Is Saad really not just a bigger, and better skating version of Matt Puempel? Definitely a great prospect, but I'm not sure I'm buying the top 5 or even top 10 hype.

#89 - Vincent Trocheck (Draft Eligible in 2011)
Continues to be a favourite of mine. He's not the biggest, but he's an incredibly effective player. He plays in all situations for the Spirit, including seeing the majority of the penalty killing time for Saginaw. His speed and tenacity away from the puck, make him a very dangerous player despite his lack of size, which is what you want to see from an undersized forward (especially a center). He finished with a secondary assist on Saad's powerplay goal, but he could have had a beautiful primary assist on a John McFarland goal, had John not fanned on it in front of the net. On the powerplay, he deked out a Major defender and feathered a pass to McFarland cross crease for the one timer. He's just a good little player.

#49 - Mavric Parks (Overage Free Agent)
I have to think that this guy is going to get serious pro consideration this offseason. He's not the biggest goaltender (pushing 6 feet), which is probably a strike against him when it comes to NHL interest, but he plays big and comes up with big saves. He's very aggressive in challenging shooters and sees the puck very well through traffic. He's also very good at controlling rebounds and has excellent awareness of the game. The Majors were peppering him with shots from the outside, in hopes of getting a big rebound. But he just wouldn't give any up. He's having his second excellent season in a row for a quality team and deserves to get a pro contract (IMO). He made 33 saves for the shutout victory.

Mississauga Majors






#2 - Dylan DeMelo (Draft Eligible in 2011)
DeMelo has been a rock for the Majors this season and plays with overager Marc Cantin on arguably, the team's shutdown line. He saw a ton of action against John McFarland's line and these two were going at it hard all night. DeMelo put McFarland down hard along the boards in the first. McFarland did the same later in the game. But he didn't have the best of games in the defensive end. His pairing got exposed for three goals against today (two ES, one PP), of which DeMelo looked to be a little overmatched against the speed and creativity of the Spirit forwards. He made a really nice play offensively though, and generated one of the Majors best scoring chances in the game. He kept the puck in at the line by jumping to glove down a lob pass, then deked around a Spirit defender to get himself into shooting position in the slot, but was stymied by Parks.

#4 - Justin Shugg (Drafted by Carolina in 2010)
Shugg was clearly frustrated by his team's lack of drive and ability to produce offensively today. He was trying to do too much out there on the ice, and if he got around the first defender, he'd just keep going with his head down to the net and turned the puck over. He took a couple of tripping penalties in the game too, just being a little too aggressive on the attack. He took his frustration out on his stick after a failed powerplay, destroying it on the bench. The passion is refreshing though, on a day where the Majors looked as flat as a pancake.

#5 - Stuart Percy (Draft Eligible in 2o11)
Percy had a quiet game. I truthfully never really noticed him for the good or the bad. As a defender in a 4-0 loss, that's perhaps a good thing.

#23 - Devante Smith-Pelly (Drafted by Anaheim in 2010)
He's got his entry level contract now, and earned a third star today, but I thought he had a pretty quiet game. I've actually been a little bit underwhelmed by his progression this year as I don't think he's taken his game to that next level yet. He needs to become a more consistent physical threat, and still needs to improve his skating.

#26 - Rob Flick (Drafted by Chicago in 2010)
Flick's had a tremendous season thus far, proving that he's more than just scrappy third line center. He's already eclipsed his career high in goals with 18 (previously 15) and is third on the team in goals. His line with Joseph Cramarossa and Gregg Sutch has really good chemistry and he's done a dynamite job with the team's second powerplay unit. But he was pretty quiet this afternoon, minus a great fight with Ben Chiarot (after Chiarot tried to take off Brett Flemming's head with a forearm check).

#27 - Mika Partanen (Draft Eligible in 2011)
Fresh off being the last cut by Team Finland at the WJC's, Partanen started this game on the Major's first line with Justin Shugg and Devante Smith-Pelly. But like most of the games I've seen, Partanen didn't last until the end of the game on the top unit (getting replaced by Rob Flick in the third period). He did ring one off the post in the first period, firing a slapshot coming down the wing and getting it through Parks but not the far post. But his ice time was severely cut in the third period and the coaching staff doesn't seem to have the confidence to give him serious powerplay time.

Well that's it. Your thoughts?

Game Report: Majors and Battalion from November 5

There is nothing better than taking in a GTA battle between the Mississauga Majors and Brampton Battalion, so I headed to the Hershey Centre last night to take in the action.

It was definitely an entertaining and spirited affair (as are most meetings between Missy and Brampton). Lots of hitting, lots of fighting and lots of angst filled ruffling after the whistle. There was a lot of end to end action offensively, however perhaps in a negative way. Neither team could really get their offensive game going. Pucks were getting dumped in, but the cycle and possession game wasn't really working for either team, so it was simply a game of end to end action with few definitive scoring chances.

The Majors ended up winning the game by a score of 3 to 1. They got a couple of goals off loose pucks in front of the net and in the slot (by Derek Shoenmakers and Devante Smith-Pelly), and finished off the Battalion in a third thanks to a Rob Flick shorthanded goal.

Mississauga looked really strong defensively and the newcomers to the team are really starting to up their game and become more accustomed to Dave Cameron's style. The penalty kill looked especially good and the Battalion had a hard enough time gaining possession of the puck on the powerplay, let alone scoring. However, I still can't help but wonder if the Majors have enough offensively to take home the Memorial Cup. It's obvious that Cameron isn't tremendously happy with the play of the left wing slot on his first line with Casey Cizikas and Devante Smith-Pelly. Riley Brace and Mika Partanen traded shifts there, but I'm not sure either is the long term answer. I also can't help but wonder what a quality puck rushing, offensive defenseman would do to help *cough,* Ryan Ellis, *cough.*

The biggest thing you notice about Brampton is how good their young defense is...and will be. In two years, this could be the best defense in the OHL. Wind, Auld, Abraham, McIvor, Blujus and Bell are all young and playing quite well.

Here are some individual player thoughts:

Brampton Battalion

#2 - Jordan Auld (Draft Eligible in 2011)
Auld plays in all situations for the Battalion and definitely sees a lot of ice time. He particularly looked good working the point on the PP with Spencer Abraham as he moved the puck well at the blueline. He also looked good defending off the rush and was able to neutralize the Majors attack. He did have a couple turnovers trying to do too much with the puck while trying to push the play up ice. Part of that could have been him trying to take some chances in order to get his team going offensively.

#5 - Spencer Abraham (Draft Eligible in 2011)
I continue to be really impressed with him offensively. He reminds me a lot of Geoffrey Schemitsch in Owen Sound last year. He controls the point very well especially on the powerplay. He's definitely one of the main reasons the Battalion powerplay is statistically one of the strongest in the league. His pass on the powerplay goal by Brampton was excellent, tape to tape cross ice through traffic, great find to Watters who roofed the puck. He also generally made some smart pinches to keep the puck in the zone, although did get burnt once, but came back hard to help negate the 2 on 1 the other way. He didn't see as much ice time 5 on 5, whether that suggests Butler isn't as confident in his defensive ability, I'm not sure.

#7 - Zach Bell (Draft Eligible in 2011)
Bell is very physical, however he was taking himself out of position to make a big hit, which is something that needs to be refined. However, for a big physical defender, he seems to be pretty mobile and defended off the rush well when he wasn't going for the big hit.

#10 - Philip Lane (Drafted by Carolina in 2010)
Lane has been a statistical disappointment so far this season. He was someone I was impressed with last year and thought he had the tools to really develop offensively, however there wasn't much there to speak of tonight. He wasn't really a factor.

#16 - Sam Carrick (Drafted by Toronto in 2010)
Carrick was probably Brampton's most dangerous offensive forward. He was working hard to get possession of the puck and often comes out of scrums with it on his stick. He had a great fight with Rob Flick, that lasted at least a minute and saw both players trading shots. It was a good time to fight as his team had just gone down 1-0 and had looked completely flat. However, he took a stupid penalty by shooting the puck after the whistle in the third period. Looked like he was just frustrated that none of his teammates were really up to his level last night.

#23 - Barclay Goodrow (Draft Eligible in 2011)
His skating looks better, although his explosiveness will need to continue to improve as he tries to take the puck to the net, but doesn't have the separation speed to get by defenders. However, he needs to be way more physical and lost a lot of battles for loose pucks along the boards. This is something nobody wants to see of a 6'2, 210lbs winger. He might not be playing with a ton of offensive confidence, as he had a couple opportunities to shoot the puck but elected to pass, one on an odd man rush that negated a scoring opportunity. He has a good shot (which I've seen him use previously), just needs to use it. He did drive hard to the net though, but needs to up the consistency of the rest of his physical game.

#31 - Dennis Saikkonen (Draft Eligible in 2011)
Saikkonen is a very athletic goaltender, definitely butterfly style (my first time seeing him play). He moves very well in his crease and made a few nice saves going side to side, especially on Justin Shugg off a feed from Casey Cizikas at the side of the net. Looked like a sure goal, but Saikkonen read the play very well and had the agility to get over to steal a goal. He also sees the puck really well through traffic and is aggressive in coming out to the top of his crease. The big minus appears to be rebound control, as he had a really tough time hanging on to the puck. Derek Shoenmakers goal was off a juicy rebound and he'll need to work on controlling pucks off his upper body in particular.

Mississauga Majors

#2 - Dylan DeMelo (Draft Eligible in 2011)
DeMelo really impressed with his play at both ends of the ice. He played in all situations including the top PK unit with Marc Cantin. He defended really well off the rush, and was physical when he needed to be (including putting down a Brampton player coming over the blueline). He also got into a fight (with Dom Alberga) which shows a scrapyness to his game. DeMelo was also poised in bringing the puck up ice or making a stretch pass and looks to have really refined his game from a year ago when he wasn't making a big enough impact to stick in the OHL as a 16 year old.

#4 - Justin Shugg (Drafted by Carolina in 2010)
Shugg didn't get on the board, but had a good game. He looks more confident with the puck now and is trying to make things happen with the puck on his stick (had a couple of nice end to end rushes into the offensive zone). He was robbed of a goal by Saikkonen (on the aforementioned slide cross crease). But maybe most impressive was that he did an excellent job on the PK and is rounding into a very good two way player.

#5 - Stuart Percy (Draft Eligible in 2011)
Percy played another excellent game. I've heard whispers about scouts worrying about him not having elite skating ability, but I don't see it, I think he moves well. He defends very well off the rush. He had a couple of one on one opportunities which he shrugged off, in particular one against Stephon Thorne, where he stayed with Thorne, didn't let him pass and then Thorne got a weak shot off which went behind the net, but Percy stayed in front of him and angled him off of getting his rebound too and sent the puck away up the ice the other way. He's also physical when he needs to be, not afraid to throw a good hit (a dimension added to his game this year). He did have a few turnovers in his own end when trying to force passes up ice, so he'll need to be more careful and pick his spots better.

#11 - Casey Cizikas (Drafted by NYI in 2009)
Cizikas did tremendous work on the PK, and is definitely one of the best in the OHL. One thing I've noticed this year is that he has a lot of confidence offensively right now and is starting to become more creative in the offensive end...see the dipsy doodle around a defenseman in the slot to set up Shugg. He has also upped his physical game and is throwing his body around and going hard to the net. Cizikas has transformed himself into one of the most well rounded players in the league. He picked up an assist on Smith-Pelly's goal, but didn't really have any impact on the play per say.

#23 - Devante Smith-Pelly (Drafted by Anaheim in 2010)
He did well to try and get the cycle going, but the Brampton defense did a good job of containing him. He still needs to work on his speed to become a more efficient player off the rush, as he's still largely a complimentary offensive player. He also needs to increase his physical play on every shift, instead of a couple of big hits throughout the game. It's about finding a balance between physical play and offensive creativity, something every physical, yet skilled forward goes through. He did score a nice goal by picking up a loose puck in the slot and hammering it home with a slap shot.

#26 - Rob Flick (Drafted by Chicago in 2010)
It might sound redundant, but great work on the PK. He scored a nice shorty by stealing a pass to the middle of the ice by Kyle Perreira and going in on a breakaway. He's always a physical presence, and had a great fight with Sam Carrick (as mentioned). Offensively he's making things happen through hard work and has showed this year that he has the hands to finish off chances in close to the net.

#34 - J.P. Anderson (Signed by San Jose)
Anderson wasn't really tested tonight at all. Even on the powerplay, Brampton had trouble getting things going. He faced only 19 shots, but the majority were weak and to his pads. The lone goal by Ian Watters was a shot wired top shelf off a cross ice pass. Anderson had no chance.

Game Report: Majors and Greyhounds from October 15

I was in the house for the Majors and Greyhounds game on Friday. It was a pretty sloppy game. The Majors were pretty undisciplined, taking 8 minor penalties. But when they weren't shorthanded, they dominated the pace of play.

The Majors got out to a 2-0 lead, only to surrender three straight goals to the Hounds. Down 3-2, the Majors got a game tying goal from Devante Smith Pelly with about 10 seconds left. Then they got a powerplay goal from Jordan Mayer, who stepped out of the box on a breakaway, as the game winner in overtime.

The Hounds are currently 8th in the Western Conference, with their inconsistent play to blame. Hopefully the addition of Chris Perugini in net can spark a better effort every night.

On to the player reports...

Mississauga Majors






#4 - Justin Shugg (Drafted by Carolina in 2010)
Shugg good game, was driving hard to the net and trying to make things happen. He also looked good on the PK (and got a ton of practice on the night too). Offensively, he had two nice passes off the rush, one to Brace for the 2nd goal of the game, second to Smith Pelly for the game tying goal.

#5 - Stuart Percy (Draft Eligible in 2011)
This was his first game back from an apparent neck injury. I thought Percy looked very solid at both ends of the ice. He was very active in bringing the puck up, although I would have liked to seen him more on the PP. He definitely looks bigger this year and was ready and willing to assert himself physically (had a couple nice hits). He did take a couple of stupid/lazy penalties though.

#23 - Devante Smith Pelly (Drafted by Anaheim in 2010)
I felt like he was a non factor until late in the third period, then he became really hard to handle down low and scored the game tying goal off the feed from Justin Shugg. Without his usual linemate Casey Cizikas (out with an undisclosed injury), Smith-Pelly didn't look to have his normal jump.

#24 - Gregg Sutch (Drafted by Buffalo in 2010)
I thought Sutch was the Majors best forward, even though he didn't hit the score sheet. He was a beast on the forecheck and on the PK. His skating looks improved (especially his first step), as he drove to the net with conviction. It really seems like it's only a matter of time until he breaks out...but then again I'm always saying that.

#27 - Mika Partanen (Draft Eligible in 2011)
Outside of a few shifts at the beginning of the game where he looked strong on the puck, I hardly noticed him.

#34 - JP Anderson (Signed by the San Jose Sharks)
Anderson really held the fort during the Hounds 8 PP chances. His ability to take away the bottom of the net remains his biggest strength. However he still gives up too many rebounds. The Hounds 3rd goal (by Vern Cooper) was as a result of a juicy rebound to slot. On the Hounds 2nd goal by Brett Thompson, Anderson clearly didn't play the angle right and Thompson put a well placed shot to the lower far side of the net. But it was a solid performance and Anderson made 22 saves for the win.

Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds







#3 - Brandon Archibald (Drafted by Columbus in 2010)
I thought he looked good defensively and physically, his size, skating and physicality profiles him as a solid NHL defensive guy. Although he didn't look great on the PP, as he had some difficulty handling the puck. This might be an outlier though, as I felt like he handled himself quite well on the powerplay last year. One thing I was looking for was more of a step forward in a puck carrying role, considering Archibald is a quality skater. But that role was mostly handled by Curcuruto.

#7 - Daniel Catenacci (Draft Eligible in 2011)
He was probably the best player on the ice. Catenacci showcased tremendous speed, and really disrupts play at both ends of the ice. He also got under the skin of the Majors players (got Derek Shoenmakers VERY angry on one shift where he got his stick up a little high). I was especially impressed by his play in his own end. He has a really active stick and is constantly buzzing around trying to cause a turnover. He also seems pretty fearless and drives hard to the net, creating plays for his teammates. One of those drives started the play that ended up as Hounds first goal by Omelyaneko. Colour me very impressed.

#24 - Gianluca Curcuruto (Draft Eligible in 2012)
He looked really good for a 16 year old defenseman. Curcuruto was solid at both ends of the ice and was poised in the puck rush. He also did a really good job defensively off the rush, and seems to play angles well. The Majors had a couple of one on one opportunities against him and both times he negated the scoring chance by separating his man from the puck.

#25 - Brock Beukeboom (Drafted by Tampa Bay in 2010)
I didn't notice him at all really, is that a bad thing or a good thing?

#27 - Nick Cousins (Draft Eligible in 2011)
Cousins got better as the game went on. He displayed good speed, kind of a pest similarly to Catenacci. He's definitely not afraid to do the dirty work on a line and probably profiles as one of those pesky energy guys with hands.

Thoughts on Plymouth and Windsor from March 11

Watching a game on the OHL Action Pack is not the same as watching it live; that goes without saying. But no way was I missing the last regular season battle (and possibly last OHL battle) between Taylor and Tyler. This was a scout's dream, with a chance to see the potential top 3 selections of the 2010 NHL Draft in the same game (Hall, Seguin, and Fowler). It looked like the entire Oilers front office was in the building tonight.

It was definitely a good game to watch, especially considering both Seguin and Hall had relatively strong games. That said, I think Hall had the more impressive game, as he was instrumental in his team's comeback from being down 4-1, to winning 6-4. The win clinched first place in the West for the Spitfires, and delayed the clinching of 4th for the Whalers.

The Spitfires didn't play the best of games, but you have to hand it to their resiliency. Being down early and turning on the jets in the third period to mount the comeback. Their depth has a lot to do with their ability to stay in hockey games, because every line put out there has the ability to wear down a defense. Eventually that toll just adds up.

Don't have a ton of time tonight for a write up, but here are some minor (when I say minor, I probably mean under 2000 words!) individual player thoughts...

Plymouth Whalers






Colin MacDonald (2010)
Really liked what I saw from MacDonald tonight. Looked like coach Mike Vellucci was happy too. MacDonald saw limited ice time in the first and second periods, but after a few strong shifts, got a lot of time in the third. He's got good size and he's very mobile. I was very impressed with his one on one defense off the rush, in particular a play he made to stand up Justin Shugg as he tried to get by him. In the defensive zone he was quiet...which is a good thing. Still looks like he could stand to improve his ability to move the puck out of his zone, might be a confidence thing as he seems more content to chip the puck off the boards at times. But scored his first career OHL goal in the first period off a weak point shot that eluded Phil Grubauer. With all the scouts in the building tonight, I have to think MacDonald did well to put himself on the map for a draft position in 2010.

Austin Levi (2010)
Had a strong game up until the last part of the third period. Was on the ice for both the Windsor 5th and 6th goals. The Dale Mitchell goal was a result of him failing to take his man at the net, while the Zack Kassian goal was a result of a turnover in the defensive end by Levi thanks to a hard forecheck from Justin Shugg. While Levi is mobile, he seems to have a hard time with the forecheck and knowing where and when to move the puck. The first two periods he was excellent though. Made a great play on a 3 on 1, using an active stick to break up an Eric Wellwood pass. Also looked good along the boards and off the rush defensively. An interesting prospect for sure. Unfortunately for him, he got beaten up a little bit by Adam Wallace after coming to the aid of his goaltender, who Wallace ran. Felt bad for him. Truthfully, he shouldn't have gotten a fighting major, and Wallace should have gotten an instigator. I'm not sure what it looked like live, but from home it looked like Levi went to just starting shoving Wallace after the play and instead, before he could touch Wallace, Adam had his gloves off and started throwing on Levi. Quite frankly, it didn't even look like Levi got his gloves off. I don't think he intended to fight there.

Tyler Seguin (2010)
Had a very strong start to the game. Was all over the ice, at both ends. Made a couple really nice plays in the defensive end to break up Windsor scoring chances, showcasing his all around game. Also had a few nice rushes into the Windsor end, showcasing his speed and acceleration. However, I felt like he struggled at times in the second and third. Had a few bad turnovers as he tried to force action up ice and stopped using his teammates. I think Hall outplayed him tonight.

R.J. Mahalak (2010)
Wanted to see more of him. Started off strong, had a couple of big hits and was active in the forecheck, but faded as the game went on. He may need a really strong playoff performance to help him get drafted in an injury plagued season.

Robbie Czarnik (LAK)
Played an absolutely tremendous game. Has speed, skill and perhaps even an underdeveloped mean streak. He's been unstoppable lately and now has 8 points in his last three games. He finished with 2 goals and an assist tonight. First goal was all Tyler Brown as he chipped the puck around Cam Fowler, beat him to the outside and fed a one handed pass to a streaking Czarnik for the tap in. Second goal was off a turnover by Mark Cundari off the faceoff, as Czarnik swarmed him, stole the puck and put it past Phil Grubauer. He earned a second period assist on Tyler Brown's goal, this time by returning the favor to Brown by doing all the work. He exploded into the offensive zone, got through one Windsor defender, used a toe drag on the next to get a shot off that was partially blocked right to Brown for the goal. In the second, he also picked up a pretty vicious checking from behind penalty as he tried to beat out Marc Cantin for a loose puck, and mushed his head into the end glass with his forearm. Cantin was bleeding from the head area and Windsor was rightfully calling for more than the two minutes he received. Still an impressive performance by a player who's turned heads since he joined the league.

Scott Wedgewood (2010)
Despite give up six goals, I thought he played a solid game. Made a lot of saves to keep his team in the game for as long as he could. Robbed Taylor Hall on a partial breakaway in the second period, as Hall got past the defense and tried to slide it home five hole following a deke, but Wedgewood stayed with him and kept the puck out. Did a good job with his rebound control and looks to be fairly poised in the net. I'm not sure I'd call any of the six goals against weak. He made 39 of 45 saves and took the loss.

Windsor Spitfires






Taylor Hall (2010)
Hall was the opposite of Seguin. He started slowly but picked it up by game's end. In the second half of the second and during the third periods, he was nearly unstoppable. He showcased his elite speed by creating chances off the rush nearly every time up ice. Slipped past the defense in the second for a partial breakaway but was stoned by Wedgewood. Ended up scoring in the third by going hard to the net and taking a nice pass from Eric Wellwood, finishing back hand top shelf on Wedgewood. Hall also picked up two secondary assists. I think tonight Hall showed why he belongs at the top of the 2010 NHL Draft list.

Zack Kassian (BUF)
Kassian's second game back from suspension, he had an inconsistent effort. Had a couple of really strong shifts in the first period, threw a huge hit in the corner and had a strong shift on the cycle behind the net that ended in a scoring opportunity. But then in the second he disappeared completely. In the latter half of the third period, he reappeared and began to show why he was a first round NHL draft pick. Had a few more nice hits, and scored a beautiful goal to seal the victory for Windsor at 6-4. Took a feed in front of the net, deked out Wedgewood and put it home with one hand as he began to skate in the opposite direction. The knock all throughout his OHL career thus far has been the inconsistency between shifts and periods for Kassian and that appears to still be plaguing him. In order to be an elite NHL power forward, he's going to have to find a way to make an impact every time on the ice.

Justin Shugg (2010)
Second time in a row that Shugg has played very well when I've seen Windsor. I'm really starting to come around on him after originally being weary of his future NHL role. He's become a very good player on the forecheck, and if he can improve his skating (in particular his top speed), I think he could develop into a quality top 9 forward at the next level. Had a nice goal in the first to open the scoring for Windsor as he corralled a bouncing puck from Whalers defenseman Leo Jenner and went in alone on Scott Wedgewood, beating him forehand fivehole. He also earned the primary assist on the Zack Kassian goal by making a nice pass to Zach after stealing the puck from both Austin Levi and Tyler Brown. No way he's still #27 on my final OHL list for the draft.

Philip Grubauer (2010)
Had a very poor outing. Looked to be really fighting the puck early, and even though the Windsor defense wasn't really helping him out, he failed to help them out too. The Colin MacDonald goal was really ugly as I'm not sure the point shot left the ice. Boughner was right to pull him in the second period after giving up 4 goals on 15 shots. I gotta say, I've been disappointed with how inconsistent Grubauer has been in Windsor. I really thought he'd take the opportunity and run with it. He's going to need to have an excellent (or at least dependable) OHL playoffs to save his draft position.

That's it for tonight. Thoughts on the game? Thoughts on Taylor vs. Tyler?

Thoughts on Kitchener and Windsor from February 11

Game number 8 of my "10 Match-ups to watch in 2009-2010," saw the 3rd place in the West Kitchener Rangers taking on the 1st place Windsor Spitfires. The Rangers have been awfully inconsistent over the last two months, but I still expected this one to be closer than it was. The Rangers were largely dominated by the Spitfires being outshot 46-18 and outscored 6-2. That's not a good enough effort for a team with second or even third round aspirations in the playoffs.

The Spitfires have been looking better and better lately as they start to get everyone back to good health. They're starting to play with more of a chip on their shoulder and have become increasingly "gritty" and physical as the regular season winds down. This is going to be a necessity this year for the Spitfires if they want to get past teams like Plymouth in the West and Barrie in the East during their Memorial Cup defense.

Some individual thoughts...

Kitchener Rangers





John Moore (CBJ)
Thought he played a very good game. I think his play has improved over the course of the season, after being somewhat underwhelming for the first part of it. Maybe the expectations were just set too high. He was coming off winning the USHL's Top defenseman award, a first round NHL draft selection and a near make of his NHL team. Pretty much the same circumstances that John Carlson came to London under last year and completely set the league on fire. I think many people looked at Moore's resume and assumed he'd make the same kind of immediate impact as one of the league's best defenseman. While that hasn't really come to fruition, I think he has made progress. He's confident in carrying the puck and he's definitely a great skater. Had one really nice rush tonight as he deked around the Windsor forechecker, dipsy-doodled through the neutral zone, went right to the net and got a chance on a wrap around. He also scored a nice goal as he slid behind the Windsor defense on the cycle and buried a wrist shot past Phil Grubauer off a nice feed from Chris MacKinnon. Defensively, he seems a lot more composed, less running around like a chicken with his head cut off. I think he's still going to need to improve his play away from the puck in his own end, and increase his intensity level, but he's definitely a future NHL player.

Ryan Murphy (2011)
Murphy had his ups and downs tonight. The ups were his usual beautiful rushes up ice with the puck. He makes it look so effortless. But on the downside, he made a gaff on the second period Adam Wallace goal as he tried to hit a bouncing puck with his stick, instead of using his glove, the puck went behind him, Windsor gained possession and eventually scored on a loose puck in the slot. After that, he seemed to play a lot less. He was even seeing little time on the powerplay, which made no sense to me. But cest la vie. I just hope Murphy grows another inch by this time next year so we don't have to hear about the defenseman under 6'0 ft crap.

Jeff Skinner (2010)
Skinner played a really good game tonight I thought. Showed an ability to fight through bigger and more physical defenders. Mark Cundari and Harry Young were really on him all night, hitting him, tossing him around, but he never gave up and he managed to still get his fair share of scoring opportunities. The first Rangers goal by Matt Tipoff was all Skinner as he fought his way to the net, dragged the puck and missed the net with a shot, only for it to take a nice carom off the end boards right to Tipoff for the easy put away. It's games like this where Skinner cements his place among the top end of OHL players available for this draft IMO. While he's not going out there throwing massive bodychecks, his intensity level is still high and he's got this motor that just keeps running and running every shift. Those types of players will always get their scoring chances.

Jeremy Morin (ATL)
I thought Morin played a pretty good game too. He he was robbed by Phil Grubauer a few times, once on a two on one where he tried to roof it on a sliding Grubauer and the other time as he came down the wing and released a wicked wrister that Grubauer got enough of to direct it off the crossbar. Every time I've seen him play I've been very impressed by his ability to get himself in position to score. In a lot of ways, he reminds me of former Oshawa winger Brett MacLean, who despite not being the world's greatest skater, was elusive and slippery in the offensive zone and had a outstanding ability to get shots off in traffic and while in motion. MacLean has done very well for himself so far in his professional career so I'd expect Morin to follow a similar path.

Brandon Maxwell (COL)
The story for Brandon Maxwell this year has been his bouts with inconsistency. Just look at his stat line, especially over the course of the last month. Some tremendous performances mixed with some incredibly poor ones. Now, I must admit. I think Maxwell has been the recipient of some unfortunate luck and play from the team in front of him at times this year. Some of those terrible stat lines have been a result of his team just laying out a big turd, especially at the defensive end. Tonight was really no different. He made 40 saves and for the most part, kept his team in a game that they had no right to be in. But...on the flip side, there were a few "iffy" goals that he gave up that could have really given his team a boost. He made some big saves, but he didn't necessarily make them when they were most needed (aka after the team battled back to make it 4-2). The talent is definitely there. He's a very athletic goaltender who's a good skater, moves well in his net, can stretch out for the save. He also appears to be pretty good at taking away the top part of the net, good glove and blocker and does a good job limiting the rebounds of shots to his upper body. It's the lower part of the ice that he seems to be vulnerable too. I think a lot of that stems with some poor mechanics. He challenges the shooters, but seems to play the wrong angles at times. For example on the first goal by Greg Nemisz, he came out to cut down the one time shot, but he was too far over to the left of his net, exposing the right side which is where Nemisz put it (and put it right along the ice). He seems to really over commit to plays at times too, like the Cam Fowler goal where Maxwell completely committed to a pass, only for Fowler to get the puck back and put it home five-hole. In time, I think he can develop into a good goaltender...if he's got the work ethic (which I have no idea if he does because I don't know him or his habits).

Windsor Spitfires





Taylor Hall (2010)
Hall had a great game for creating scoring chances and a terrible one for finishing them. Obviously this isn't the norm for Hall, but he had a lot of trouble with the puck tonight. I think I counted about 3 or 4 glorious opportunities for Hall to put home a goal, but he either fanned on the shot or just couldn't get enough of his stick on it. But he was all over the ice creating with his speed. Did manage an assist on the first one timed Nemisz goal, with a very nice pass to the center of the ice through the Rangers defense. Playmaking is definitely an underrated part of Hall's game similar to the way it was for John Tavares last year.

Ryan Ellis (NSH)
Ellis had a pretty good game. He finished with a goal and two assists, but it was a fairly quietly productive night. The goal was scored on the empty net to make it 6-2, while the two assists were not really critical to the plays made on the goals. For as big a supporter I've been of Ellis over the past couple of seasons, I am starting to have some question marks creep into my head about his play. If anything, I've kind of been underwhelmed by the lack of "dynamic" development in his game this year. By that I mean, he hasn't really developed into the game changing, shift dominating defenseman I figured he would be this season. He's still a beast on the powerplay, but five on five, he hasn't really taken that next step as a dominant two way defenseman. If anything, I think the biggest hurdle has been his lack of improvement in skating. Not an atrocious skater by any means, but he's not good enough to be an elite puck rusher at the next level. Just looking at a guy like John Moore tonight, his skating and ability to stretch the defense out makes him a dynamic player. But Ellis doesn't have that same quality. This concerns me because at the next level, he's really going to need to take advantage of his offensive gifts (shot, passing ability, game awareness), but I fear that his lack of physical gifts could prevent him from doing this. Just what type of role does he play in the NHL? Is he the next John Slaney, or does he develop into a quality NHL offensive defenseman. I'm just not as sure as I once was about his NHL future.

Stephen Johnston (DET)
The move to Windsor seems to have been a blessing for Johnston so far, who was getting suffocated in Belleville by a rebuild process. This is an important season for Johnston, as he needs to be signed by the Wings as a 2008 draft pick. Unfortunately for him, injuries have really slowed his development, but playing in Windsor seems to have re-animated his game as he's playing the best hockey he's played in a while. He was very dangerous all night. He looked good off the rush, using his speed to generate scoring opportunities. Flew right by Rangers defenseman Patrik Andersson coming down the wing, but was stoned by Maxwell as he cut across the net. He also looked good in the cycle and did a good job in puck possession and the hunt for it on the forecheck. Johnston was also a solid contributor on a Windsor penalty kill that held Kitchener to 0 for 7 tonight. If he can string together a strong performance to close out this season, there may yet be hope for Johnston to earn a contract from Detroit.

Adam Henrique (NJ)
Henrique seems to be picking things up again after struggling through the past month and a half following the World Juniors. Truthfully, I think he injured himself at the tournament more than we were lead to believe (a minor shoulder injury suffered in an exhibition game). Lingering injury, combined with a move down to the teams third line seem to have combined to slow Henrique's production to only 2 goals in his last 11 games. But him and Johnston seem to have developed some chemistry and Henrique looked better tonight than he has lately. Although he's still not as aggressive in carrying the puck and doesn't seem to be as dynamic of a player as the one who left for the WJC's in December.

Cam Fowler (2010)
Don't really have too much to say about Fowler that hasn't already been said. He's a tremendous defenseman and a tremendous talent. His mobility, combined with his elite physical and hockey oriented skills make him a great NHL prospect. His goal was scored as he picked up the puck in the corner, took the puck to the net, attempted a shot that was blocked only to come right back to him where he shot it again, beating Maxwell five hole. For more on Fowler, check out my profile of him for School Your Pool here.

Kenny Ryan (TOR)
Ryan looks much improved from when I saw him earlier this season. Big change seems to be in his conditioning. His energy level seems way up and he was active on the forecheck all night. He also seems to be generating way more offensively. In the first period, he had a couple of great opportunities that nearly resulted in goals. One a drive to the net that saw him finish with a slapper to the chest of Maxwell, another a partial breakaway that was foiled by Brandon Maxwell. When college players make that jump to the OHL, they often look lost in their first month or so and Ryan was no different. Ryan was another player who's strong work on the penalty kill helped keep the Rangers at 0 for 7 on the night.

Justin Shugg (2010)
This was the best game I've seen Shugg play. He was all over the place tonight and turned in a very solid effort. He earned two assists on the night, one of which he was critically a part of. This was the first Windsor goal where his hard work along the boards resulted in the puck getting to Mark Cundari at the point who released a shot tipped in by Scott Timmins. Shugg also demonstrated some solid stick work that I hadn't previously seen, with a great drive to the net through two Rangers players, only to lose the puck as he was nearly free on Maxwell. Similar to Saginaw's Josh Shalla, I'm still not really sure what to make of his NHL potential and thus his draft position, but if tonight is any indication, he might have a future as a hard working, offensively productive, complimentary top 6 forward.

Mark Cundari (STL)
Cundari played a very good game. He's had kind of an up and down season thus far, with most of his troubles stemming from a desire to develop into an elite offensive defenseman. When he's not trying to force action up ice (by rush or pass), and when he's playing things safer, he's a very good defenseman. Because when he limits the amount he rushes, he's actually one of the better shut down defenders in the league, as he displayed tonight. Did a great job keeping Jeff Skinner in check, and really was throwing his body around. Rubbed out Skinner twice in one shift then skated by the Kitchener bench looking for a fight. He's going to need to keep that high intensity level in order to play the type of game he does at the next level, where being a 5'10 stay at home defenseman can be tough. But I have faith that he'll develop into a quality defender at the next level, when he'll eventually learn his limits and stick to the things he's best at.

Greg Nemisz (CGY)
Not a whole lot to say really, other than what I've been saying all season long. The improvements he's made to his skating have really helped his game. He's much more involved off the rush and he's even harder to contain in the slot as his mobility makes him more elusive. Both goals were scored off one timers in the slot. Still needs to improve his consistency from shift to shift and his ability to use his size with the puck on his stick, but I'm hopeful playing at the next level will unlock that more, as it often can for players like Nemisz.

Eric Wellwood (PHI)
As I had in one of my recent Sunday Top 10's (here), Wellwood is definitely one of the most improved players in the OHL season. He's evolved into more than just a solid penalty killer and checking line forward. He's gained confidence with the puck on his stick and is taking more opportunities to develop offensive scoring chances. Playing with Taylor Hall doesn't hurt either. One thing I have really been impressed with lately is his increasing motivation to become involved physically. He's really starting to develop into a gritty type forward. Had one really nice hit on a Rangers player tonight (I believe Ben Thomson). A great draft selection by the Flyers.

Philip Grubauer (2010)
Grubauer was excellent tonight, even if he only faced 18 shots. Of those 18, quite a few were excellent scoring opportunities. The best save was on Jeff Skinner, as he slid across his crease in the splits to rob a streaking skinner with his glove. He made a similar save on Jeremy Morin earlier in the game on a 2 on 1. Grubauer is definitely very athletic and moves very well from post to post. He challenges shooters, does a good job of finding the puck in traffic and uses a kind of hybrid style to keep shooters guessing. He's still yet to lose in regulation for the Spitfires (with only one shootout loss), so the move to Windsor has to do nothing but good for his draft status.

That's it folks. Any questions?

Ryan Yessie's Thoughts on Sarnia vs. Windsor from January 9

Sarnia came out and played their game of the year, but a few very questionable calls, and a relentess 3rd period effort by the top ranked team in Canada results in a 5-4 Windsor victory at the RBC Center Saturday night.

Taylor Hall - #4 - LW - YOB: 1991 - 6‘1” - 185lbs.
NHL: Eligible in 2010
Report: Jan/09/10: Taylor Hall has become a little less respectful towards his opponents as he used to be in his first two seasons in the OHL. Brent Sullivan caught Hall around the boards, early in the game and delivered a massive, yet clean hit, Hall gets up and cross checks Sullivan in the back as he’s skating away. This results in Brett Appio the only other player left to attack Hall. Appio landed one, maybe two shots on Hall before he turtled and a linesman and referee intervened. The funny part was when Hall jumped up looking like he was ready to fight momentarily. Hall received a penalty for the cross check, and was a non factor for most of the 1^st period. Hall several times tried to showboat with his stick handling, carrying the puck, putting the puck through his skates, most of these resulted in a turnover, one resulted in him getting nailed with what probably could have been considered a head check. Despite all of this Hall was in on 4 of the 5 goals in this game, with a goal and 3 assists. This may be a tribute to how talented he really is that he can do all these careless things, and still be a directly positive impact on his team winning the game. Hall still has every element to his game, however the defensive part is lacking. He’s alright short handed although I think he’s out there to think offense just as much as defence out there, but especially 5 on 5 he seems a little hesitant to be willing to jump back into the play. Realistically this, and his new found attitude seem to be the only flaws in his game, and to me he is still the clear cut #1 Overall pick.
(Hall had 1G, 3A, 2 PIM)

Ryan Ellis - #6 - D - YOB: 1991 - 5‘10” - 170lbs.
NHL: 1^st Round - 11^th Overall by Nashville in 2009
Report: Jan/09/10: Ellis’ puck control in terms of handling it is amazing, especially on the point on the power play. He really is smart, and one thing I noticed about Ellis is when you’d see other defensemen make those fancy back hand passes and gets picked off, Ellis takes that extra split second peak over his shoulder just to make sure the play is there, and it seems to separate him from most PPQB’s. Ellis’ puck handling abilities outside the offensive blue line seem to be bpretty questionable at times. He’s made some really bad decisions, and his offensive and defensive game seems to be the tale of two players. Ellis’ skating is much better from 12 months ago, but in all honesty for a defenceman his size still needs more improvement. Ellis will almost definitely be back in the OHL next season. Ellis blasted one from the point with only 12 seconds left that turned out to be the winning goal of the game.
(Ellis had 1G)

Marc Cantin - #11 - D - YOB: 1991 - 6‘1” - 201lbs.
NHL: Eligible in 2010
Report: Jan/09/10: Cantin is a guy who I could see get picked in this years draft in the late rounds. He plays a hard nosed physical style, however the way he hits looks a little on the edge. He was challenged to fight multiple times but declined at times where it looked his team could use some extra motivation, which was disappointing as a fan to see more. Cantin received two minor penalties in this game, but other than that Cantin was very effective for his team.
(Cantin had -1, 4 PIM)

Adam Henrique - #14 - C - YOB: 1990 - 6‘0” - 196lbs.
NHL: 3^rd Round - 82^nd Overall by New Jersey in 2008
Report: Jan/09/10: It’s only been 18 months, but Henrique could very easily be considered the steal of the 2008 draft. He was not at the top of his game tonight, however he was still an impact on his team. He won a couple clutch, critical face-offs, and was very good defensively keeping it safe, while at times being on the kill with a forward partner that was thinking offense while trying to kill off the penalty.


Cam Fowler - #24 - D - YOB: 1991 - 6‘2” - 190lbs.
NHL: Eligible in 2010
Report: Jan/09/10: Fowler is certainly making his push to become the 2^nd Overall pick for this draft. It’s not likely he’ll land 1^st overall, but Fowler is a can’t miss prospect and will likely be a franchise defenceman for some team. Folwer combines projectable size with great skating ability. He didn’t put up any offense, but he did rush the puck up the ice effectively. I would consider him somewhat comparable to Erik Johnson of the St. Louis Blues. Like Johnson he does have a good shot from the point, a very solid skater for a defenceman with a big frame. Unlike Johnson I think Fowler is a little safer defensively, although that area could use improvement, but the one area he is not like Johnson, and I think needs to try harder to bring into his game is the physical element. Someone his size could still grow another inch, or two and if he can get himself to 205-215 lbs. He could be a physically imposing defenceman while still being a solid skater and offensive contributor.


Kenny Ryan - #26 - RW - YOB: 1991 - 6‘0” - 204lbs.
NHL: 2^nd Round - 50^th Overall by Toronto in 2009
Report: Jan/09/10: Kenny Ryan has put up close to a point per game since joining the OHL, but for the time this year I can’t really say I saw a lot in his game. He threw a couple hits, and got decent ice on the penalty kill, but he doesn’t see overly engaging on. He could be a valuable penalty killer at the next level, but needs to continue to work on his offensive skills if he would like to be much of an impact player in the NHL.


Justin Shugg - #44 - RW - YOB: 1991 - 5‘11” - 185lbs.
NHL: Eligible in 2010
Report: Jan/09/10: Shugg reminds me quite a bit like Guelph forward and NHL draftee Michael Latta. Despite the size, Shugg is built pretty solid and is able to throw a solid hit. It seems, atleast in Sarnia this year Shugg has got lost in the mix with his ice time, much like Jesse Blacker last year you can tell Shugg has some solid potential but it’s a lot less noticeable because he’s not one of the lead guys for Windsor. Shugg appears to have a solid shot, and a decent skater.


Austin Watson - #61 - RW - YOB: 1991 - 6‘3” - 187lbs.
NHL: Eligible in 2010
Report: Jan/09/10: Scouts seem to give Watson a little extra credit due to his size, in the times I’ve seen him this year and last, Watson doesn’t appear to be as significant of a prospect as he’s being projected to be a 1^st round pick. Watson does a good job around the boards, and is a hard worker when he gets to the front of the net. Watson was very defensively responsible tonight and seems to do a good job breaking down plays in his own zone. Watson seems to play fairly similar to Kenny Ryan in both games I’ve seen him, and like Ryan, He needs to put forth more effort in developing his offensive game if he wants to be anything more than a 3^rd liner in the NHL. The potential, and the size is there, Watson may just need a little more time
(Watson had 1G)

Eric Wellwood - #67 - RW - YOB: 1991 - 5‘11” - 179lbs.
NHL: 6^th Round - 172^nd Overall by Philadelphia in 2009
Report: Jan/09/10: Hall may have had a goal and 3 assists, but Wellwood was, in my opinion the best Windsor player on the ice today. He plays with a never quit attitude, and has great speed. His size makes it difficult to keep up with bigger opponents sometimes, but his relentless effort and active stick make him a very solid and projectable penalty killer. Wellwood also handles the puck very well, and has a great shot. Wellwood appears to be a player who will have a good shot at starting his pro career in 2010-2011.
(Wellwood had 1G, 1A)

Thoughts on Windsor and London from October 8

Tonight saw match up number 2 from my 10 Match-up's you've got to see this year, as the London Knights traveled to Windsor to take on the Spitfires. Two teams with a lot of fire power, I expected a bit of a "shoot-out." What I got was a hard fought, back and forth game that ended in a 2-0 victory for the Spitfires. The goaltending at both ends of the ice was tremendous, especially Michael Hutchinson who really kept London in the game.

London was largely snake bitten on the night. They created a lot of scoring chances, but failed to finish any of them off. Part of it was solid goaltending from Troy Passingham and part of it was just a failure of the Knights main offensive weapons to put the puck in the net. London had 33 shots on net, but they could have easily had 10 more. So many good scoring opportunities were wasted by players who couldn't get the puck off their stick, or corral a rolling puck.

The biggest surprise of the night was the fact that these two teams combined to go 0 for 14 on the powerplay. Some really good penalty killing by both sides and, as mentioned, solid goaltending.

With so many guys to write about, I'm going to keep some of the reports brief. This will be especially true for those players who really didn't do a whole heck of a lot. My thoughts on both sides...

London Knights






Phil Varone (SJ)
I really expected Varone to come roaring out of the gates this year offensively. It's his third full year in the league as a veteran 1990 born player, and he's coming off an excellent 2009 playoff performance. But thus far, it just hasn't happened and at this point, you might have to consider the fact that it might never happen. It's not a direct criticism of him, but maybe he's just not as offensively talented as we once thought. He's still a dynamite penalty killer, and he skates hard on the forecheck. He had a breakaway with less than 2 minutes left, but couldn't beat Passingham. That would have been a huge goal for London. He looks like he could be a potential 4th line energy player and penalty killer at the NHL level, but I'm really not sure he's got the offensive potential to be more than that.

Zac Rinaldo (PHI)
Dare I say Rinaldo was London's best forward tonight? I remember having a debate with someone last season about Rinaldo's offensive potential in this league. I really didn't think he had the skill to develop into a scoring option the way other "scrappers" have in their veteran seasons. I must admit, I was wrong. He was dynamite tonight. On the penalty kill, he was a force. His forechecking really disrupted the ability of Windsor's defenseman to move the puck up ice. Offensively, he looked like a man possessed, taking the puck to the net and showing some really good puck control. On one occasion he got Ryan Ellis to bite on the fake and walked right around him to the net. Only an Ellis hook prevented Rinaldo from putting a good shot on net. Most importantly, he was disciplined and didn't take any bad penalties, while still playing his in your face style. He's really developing into a quality professional hockey league prospect.

Phil McRae (STL)
Still goalless on the season, it's easy to see why after this game. He's really pressing out there. Was not sharp tonight. Had two glorious opportunities at the side of the net after good cross ice passes, and both times he failed to even get a shot off, as he fanned on them. Outside of that, he just wasn't creating much offensively on his own accord either. The Knights really need him to step up his game.

Nazem Kadri (TOR)
Kadri didn't really have a good game. He was largely neutralized by Mark Cundari, who did a great job of getting in his face. Through the first half of the game, even though he was invisible, he did a good job of keeping his composure and sticking to the game plan. But, in the second half, it was obvious he was getting frustrated. Turned the puck over in the second period along the wall, as he tried to carry it out himself. This indirectly led to the Justin Shugg goal. In the third period, he really started to force things and turned the puck over terribly twice in a matter of minutes. As much as he's capable of doing great things, he needs to be less predictable with the puck. Windsor's forecheck and defenders really started pressuring him and he did not respond well. In a big game like this one, London needs Kadri to play better.

Jared Knight (2010)
At this point, I'd say the only thing preventing Jared Knight from making a bigger impact in the league is consistency from shift to shift. He needs to figure out a way to bring energy to the ice every time he steps on it, rather than just on a few shifts. On the couple shifts he was visible, he was hitting hard, causing turnovers and creating offensive chances from the cycle. But on his other shifts, he was invisible.

Michael Hutchinson (BOS)
The best goaltending performance I've seen so far this season. I'd be surprised if one of his two brilliant saves didn't make next week's Top 5 plays of the week. In the first period, the left handed goalie slid across the crease robbing Adam Henrique point blank with his blocker after a juicy rebound (Clip, 20 second mark). In the third, he threw on his glove going the opposite direction, taking an easy goal away from a Spitfire player. All night, he fought through screens and did a great job of making the save and controlling the rebounds. His composure was tremendous. He's also tremendously athletic and reads the play very well. Unfortunately for him, the black mark on his performance was Richard Panik's game winning goal. On the wrap around, he failed to get his paddle down and Panik slid it under him. Definitely one he'd love to have back, but it doesn't take away from his brilliance tonight. He made 41 of 43 saves, taking the loss.

Windsor Spitfires





Taylor Hall (2010)
Truthfully, he had a bit of a quiet game. His line with Richard Panik and Adam Henrique was not as dangerous as the Greg Nemisz, Scott Timmins, and Justin Shugg line. While he didn't really stand out offensively, on the plus side he did do a solid job on the penalty kill and I'd say his two-way game is starting to greatly improve. Just an interesting observation, but Taylor Hall has 17 points in 9 games. All of those points have come in 5 games, with him being held pointless in the other four. Windsor fans who've seen him more often this season, would it be correct to say he needs to find a way to make an impact offensive every game?

Ryan Ellis (NSH)
I thought Ryan Ellis played a very solid game tonight. I think he's really starting to prove those doubters wrong about his ability to play five on five at the next level. He is still learning though, but in a positive way. As an example. Tonight he bit on a fake by Zac Rinaldo, went for the puck and Rinaldo went right around him to the net. He was forced to take a penalty to prevent the goal. Not a good play and a situation where he's got to play the man regardless of whether Rinaldo has the size advantage on him. Fast forward to the third period, Rinaldo goes in on a drive towards the net, tries to use his size to go right around Ellis. Ellis has absolutely none of it, stays with him, pushes him off the puck and puts him to the ice. It's impressive for him to show, "Hey I messed up the first time, that won't happen again." Of course, offensively he was Ellis. Controls play and makes decisions with the puck that few do.

Adam Henrique (NJD)
Didn't really do much tonight. Simply a quiet game from him. But I do like him as a player.

Cam Fowler (2010)
I couldn't wait to get a peak at Fowler. First time I've seen him play in the OHL (although had seen him play in international tournaments). I thought he played O.K. Some really positive things, and some negative things. First the positive. I thought he did a very good job defensively tonight. He stays with his man and does a good job with coverage. He's also obviously an elite puck mover and seems to have very good offensive instincts. When to join the rush or make a pinch. He actually had a breakaway after pinching and stealing the puck from Steve Tarasuk, but fanned on the attempt on net, failing to get a shot off. On the negative side, for an offensive defenseman, he needs to do a way better job of getting the puck on net from the point. If you look at a guy like Ryan Ellis, he seems to find a way to get his shot on net every time. However, I'm not sure Fowler got his on net once. They were either blocked (for the majority) or shot way wide. He doesn't have to wind up for that big slapper every time. Also on the negative, he needs to take care of the puck better in his own end. I'd read that Windsor fans we're seeing this too. He had two bad giveaways in his own end that resulted in scoring chances for London. The potential is obviously there though, especially in terms of developing into an elite two-way defender.

Saverio Posa (2010)
I've had a fair amount of people ask me about him, and now I can at least tell them I've seen him once. I liked what I saw. He seems very composed on the back end. Did a good job of keeping the puck in the offensive end. Got an assist on the Richard Panik goal by doing just that. Didn't make any glaring defensive mistakes. For the amount of ice time he got, I thought he made a good impression.

Richard Panik (TBL)
Seems to be a bit of an enigma. He had two very good shifts, but outside of that he was relatively invisible. On one of those shifts, he managed to score the game winning goal on a wrap around. He fought off the London defenseman and took it right to the net. On another shift, he showcased some elite puck skills, getting around a couple London defenders before being stopped and stripped of the puck. On those same shifts, he was all over the ice too. He made a nice play on the backcheck to break up a London rush, before going in on the aforementioned rush of his own (where he went around two London defenders). At this point, it seems all about being able to put it together for the full 60 minutes.

Justin Shugg (2010)
Quite possibly the best Windsor forward tonight. Really liked what I saw, and I think it's great seeing him take that step forward this year after coming into the league with a fair amount of hype. He was very dangerous on the forecheck and was forcing turnovers. The turnovers came as a result of winning battles in the corner and showed a bit of a grit side to his game. He also showed a lot of skill. Made an outstanding pass to Taylor Hall on the powerplay in the first period; tape to tape cross ice. But Hall was robbed by Hutchinson as he slid from post to post. On his goal, he made a very nice deke on Hutchinson and slid it by him on the forehand. I hope he keeps up the solid play.

Mark Cundari (STL)
Honestly, one of the most underrated players in the league. If this guy were on any other team, he'd be on their top defensive unit. He did an outstanding job shutting down Nazem Kadri all night, getting in his face and taking away his space. He was throwing hits all night. Offensively, his pass to Justin Shugg for the second Windsor goal was excellent. He recognized the wide open Shugg in front of the net and hit him perfectly with the puck between the London defense. He earned another assist on the Panik goal. I obviously really like him as a player. On the slightly negative side, he does have to watch the undisciplined penalties though.

Harry Young (NJ)
Truthfully, if he hadn't of mixed things up with Zac Rinaldo at the end of the second period, I'm not sure I would have noticed him on the ice at all. Perhaps that's a good thing for Young though. Playing that quietly solid defensive game.

Austin Watson (2010)
Offensively, he didn't do a lot for me. In all other areas, he was an absolute stand out. Was absolutely tremendous on the penalty kill. He anticipates the play really well and did a great job of disrupting the London rush into the zone. He was also very physical, eager to throw his weight around. I love to see that in players his size. Had a few nice attempts to take the puck hard to the net and made a really nice play to keep the puck in the zone on the Panik goal (earning a secondary assist). But I like the intangibles.

Greg Nemisz (CGY)
I like Nemisz as a player. He was good tonight. Controls play in the offensive zone by using the cycle, obviously has soft hands (especially for a big man). He's not afraid to take the puck to the net, often using his size to shield the puck. Just a solid all around offensive game. I also liked what I saw in terms of using his size more. I've never really seen him be a physical presence before, but he laid a few nice hits tonight. Perhaps it's the start of a good new habit. My only concern is to what role he plays at the NHL level, since I don't see him taking the physicality to the next level. Could he be the next Eric Daze, and will Calgary fans forgive him for having size, but being more of a finesse player?

Eric Wellwood (PHI)
Liked what I saw from Wellwood tonight. He really is the opposite of his brother Kyle. He skates well, he's an excellent two way player and he has a level of grit to his game. Seems to be one of those guys who's always got his motor running and who skates hard. This allows him to excel on the forecheck and on the penalty kill. I'm not sure he has a whole lot of offensive potential at the NHL level, but he could definitely develop into a quality role player.

Jesse Blacker (TOR)
Outside of a few nice rushes with the puck, he wasn't noticeable tonight. He's gotten off to a bit of a slow start offensively this year. I definitely expected him to explode a little bit, since I really liked what I saw last year. Perhaps he's still feeling a little trapped by the fact he's surrounded by so many talented offensive defenseman. The fact that he was quiet though, tells you he didn't make any glaring mistakes defensively.

Scott Timmins (FLA)
Timmins plays a quietly effective game. Smart with the puck, solid at both ends of the ice, wins battles in the corners. He's definitely not flashy, but he has a certain calmness to his game. I'm still not sure what the future holds for him at the next level though.

Troy Passingham (2010, but 1990 born)
Boy, if this kid keeps playing like this, Windsor won't need to go out and get another goalie. He was outstanding tonight. It's funny, but because of his size, he looks kind of unorthodox in his movements. His saves weren't necessarily pretty, but he got the job done. His breakaway save on Phil Varone with 2 minutes left in the game was huge. Stuck the pad out after flashing the low corner to him. He did a very good job of controlling his rebounds too. Colour me impressed! Passingham made 33 saves for the shutout victory.

Well that's it. Some of the reports were a little short winded, so if you have any other questions, feel free to post them. And as always, if you've got any additional comments, I welcome them.

Ryan Yessie's OHL Draft Sleepers

In lieu of Brock's great 10.. er.. 11 sleeper picks in the OHL, I have decided to throw together a list of 10 MORE excellent sleeper picks. Basically the method is if I already consider them a prospect for the 2010 draft, then they can't make this list. This looks like one of the best crops to come out of the OHL in years.. maybe ever. I can easily assemble a list of 50-60 players that could all be drafted this year.. so here's 10 more sleepers to add to your potential list of soon to be NHL prospects. This is in alphabetical order, not necessarily the order of talent.

Patrik Andersson - D - Kitchener Rangers
Info: Andersson has size at 6’2” but also is a smooth skater with good puck movement skills including an excellent first pass. Andersson comes over from Sweden and despite being a 19 year old rookie, may very well interest a lot of scouts by the end of the year.

Brandon Archibald - D - Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
Info: Archibald is a big 6’3” 200lb. Defenceman, and will get a lot of action on the blueline for the progressing SOO team. Physical but also is moving the puck well has opened the season with a 5 game point streak despite only putting up 8 assists all last year.

Jeff Braithwaite - D - Peterborough Petes
Info: Braithwaite is a reliable defenceman, who can move the puck well and is a decent skater.

Nathan Chiarlitti - D - Sarnia Sting
Info: I’m breaking my rules a little bit but although I consider him a prospect for this draft, he appears to be flying well under the radar for everyone else, which qualifies him as a sleeper. Chiarlitti has near ideal size at defense for a 17 year old. Chiarlitti scored the first goal of the season for Sarnia. He’s been playing a defensive stay at home style most of the time, and has excellent positioning, and patience beyond his years as well as good decision making under pressure. Chiarlitti has some untapped offensive skills that may be unleashed this year on a weak Sarnia blueline.

R.J. Mahalak - LW - Plymouth Whalers
Info: Mahalak is unliked by many outside the Plymouth fan base, but Mahalak shows the size and the skill of a potential prospect. Unsure going into this year if he’d have the points to go with the physical edge that would make him an intriguing prospect, Mahalak has started strong putting up 4 points in his first 4 games.

Petr Mrazek - G - Ottawa 67’s
Mrazek who was brought over from the Czech Republic apparently may have won the job from Chris Perugini in Ottawa. If this does indeed occur expect Mrazek to get a lot of attention from scouts.

Ben O’Quinn - C - Sarnia Sting
O’Quinn who was a 4th liner + PK specialist until midway though last season, didn’t produce enough to get drafted. So far he’s Sarnia’s leading scorer. Despite 3 losses O’Quinn contributed offensively in all 3 games. O’Quinn will be counted on both sides of the puck this year, and could legitimately be Sarnia’s top scorer as well.

David Quesnele - RW - Peterborough Petes
Info: Quesnele already had some potential going into this year, but has put up 2 goals and 4 points in his first 5 games. Built solid at 5’10” 195 he should only get stronger from here on in.

Justin Shugg - RW - Windsor Spitfires
Shugg got lost between all the prospects from last year, as well as all the talent that surrounded the Windsor team last year despite putting up 17 points. The late 1991 birthdate makes Shugg eligible in 2010 and he will one again be a name lost behind teammates and potential 1st overall picks Taylor Hall, Cam Fowler and sure fire NHL draft pick Austin Watson. But make no mistake, Shugg will get drafted and will likely be a pleasant surprise to whoever lands him.

Ivan Telegin - C - Saginaw Spirit
Telegin comes over from Russia with great size (6’3”) and apparently the ability to put the puck in the net, evidence of this is the 3 goals in his last 2 games for Saginaw. A rookie in the OHL and entering his first year as a NHL draft eligible prospect, expect Telegin to get a lot of attention later this season.

Two other guys i felt had potential to make this list, but may already be too established as potential NHL prospects..
Josh Shalla - RW - Saginaw Spirit
Michael Sgarbossa - C - Barrie Colts

RY

Thoughts on Weekend Action Against Sarnia and Windsor

This weekend, the Niagara Ice Dogs took on a couple of non conference teams in the Sarnia Sting, and Windsor Spitfires. It gave me great opportunity to catch a glimpse at a few players that I haven't had a chance to see this season, at least in regular OHL play. On Friday night, the Dogs defeated the Sting 2-1 in a relatively boring game. On Saturday night, they lost 8-4 to Windsor. They played hard against Windsor and hung with them for two and a half periods until the Spits finally blew things out of reach.

Thoughts from Friday, December 5, 2008 against Sarnia.









Jamie Arniel (Drafted in 2008 by Boston/97th)

Arniel was very good tonight. In fact, I was impressed with his play at the ADT Challenge as well. He appears to be on the right track to putting that whole Guelph situation at the back of scouts minds and really making his play the sole focus. In seasons past, I've always been critical of his effort and it's consistency. I thought he had a tendency to take shifts, or even periods off. But in the two times I've seen him this season so far, he seems to be playing much harder and could be evidence to why he's posting over point per game numbers for the first time in his OHL career. He works hard in the corners, he has good speed which he uses to carry the puck and he has relatively good hands in close. He also has been working on his defensive game and becoming more involved physically. He's starting to turn himself into a complete player, which is ultimately what he needs to do to succeed at the next level. I'm not sure his offensive skills are good enough alone for him to succeed in the NHL. I see him as a future 3rd liner who works hard for his goals and is an asset to his team in all areas. His addition to the Team Canada selection camp roster is a testament to his coming of age and his improvement as a hockey player.

Michael Neal (Drafted in 2007 by Dallas, 149th)

After being drafted by Dallas (obviously same team who has his brother James), Neal missed the entire 2007-08 season, save a few playoff games, due to a knee injury. That really hurt his development. The season after a player is drafted is often the season where they take the biggest steps forward and learn to work on the things that they need to improve upon to become NHL players. Getting a taste of the show at prospect camps often gives players that final motivation to get better. Neal unfortunately did not have that chance, until before this season. He's not really putting up many points, and nor do I think he ever will. But he's actually a pretty similar player to his brother. He appears to be a great skater, he takes the body hard and he has solid puck carrying ability. The only difference really appears to be James finishing ability and offensive hockey sense is/was much higher. Neal was actually very good tonight, perhaps Sarnia's best player tonight for me. I'd say it's probably borderline for Dallas if they sign him this offseason, but with James in Dallas thriving, they may not want to upset one of their core young players by not retaining his brother. If he does end up getting a contract from Dallas, I think he could actually be an NHL player. With the game today being built on speed and the forecheck, Michael Neal could have a place as a 4th liner/depth player.

Mark Katic (Drafted in 2007 by the New York Islanders, 62nd)

Katic was alright tonight. I've actually never been the biggest fan of his play, but I'm starting to come around. It's not that I don't like him as a player, it's more that I've always felt he was overrated and that ultimately his NHL potential was overrated too. I think his defensive game has come leaps and bounds, and that he's proven now to be a very smart defender who has good positioning and uses an active stick to break up plays. And he's obviously an outstanding skater who can lead the rush. However, I'm not sure his offensive abilities will translate to him putting up a lot of points in the NHL. Maybe it's just me, but I've always looked at him and thought he could be hitting the scoresheet more often, but he doesn't really. To me, I think that offensively he doesn't think the game at the same level as guys who are able to step into the NHL and start putting up the points in a faster and more aggressive game. An example tonight was near the end of the game, Sarnia is trying to get the puck up ice to try and tie the game and Katic is spending the entire time skating around in his own end, moving around the forecheck. He could have beat the attack by simply making a pass to a teammate or gaining the line and dumping it in, but instead was skating around aimlessly. I think that ultimately, Katic will find his role in the NHL, as one of those steady, yet non flashy number 4 or 5 defenseman. Does a little bit of everything, but never really puts up the big points.

Justin DiBenedetto (Drafted in 2008 by the New York Islanders/175th)

DiBenedetto was invisible for me tonight. I've seen him better obviously, but tonight he did not make an impact. As I mentioned before, it was a pretty boring game and neither team could really get anything going off the rush. He's obviously taken a big step forward this season without Stamkos and shown people that he's not the next Dany Roussin (off collar reference for some of you out there). Not much more to say here.

Matt Martin (Drafted in 2008 by the New York Islanders/148th)

Similar to DiBenedetto, Martin didn't make much of an impact for me. He was aggressive on the forecheck and he was playing physical, but didn't have the puck on his stick very much tonight. I think the Isles have to be happy with the fact that he's taken the next step offensively this year and that he's apparently cut down on some of those undisciplined penalties. Again not a lot to say here.

Miroslav Preisinger (NHL Draft Eligible in 2009)

I had heard a lot of good things about Preisinger from our contributor Ryan Yessie, but he was pretty disappointing for me tonight. He did have one very nice hit and showed a willingness to get involved physically, which is something you like to see from European finesse players. But Preisinger showed me nothing offensively. I can't say I even remember him touching the puck in the offensive zone tonight. Judging by his offensive stats, he's been quite the enigma this season. To get drafted, he's going to need to show a lot more than 2 goals in the second half of the season.

Gregg Sutch (NHL Draft Eligible in 2010)

Sutch was another guy who was completely invisible tonight. As a recently named member of Team Ontario for the Under 17's, I was expecting a more involved showing for Sutch. But he looked relatively soft in the corners and was outmuscled easily by the Ice Dog defenders. As such, he was another guy who didn't really make any noise offensively tonight.

Thoughts from Saturday, December 6, 2008 against Windsor.










Taylor Hall (NHL Draft Eligible in 2010)

What else is there to say about this kid. He's unreal. Everytime he was on the ice tonight, he controlled the play. It was almost as if his linemmates were along for the ride. He skates effortlessly with the puck and makes defenders miss nearly every time he touches the puck. The encouraging thing about him, is that everytime he has the puck on his stick, he's looking to drive to the net for a scoring opportunity. Pretty much no one could touch him tonight. It's almost unfair that this kid has another year of OHL hockey to play before his draft year.

Ryan Ellis (NHL Draft Eligible in 2009)

I was not impressed by Ellis tonight. After coming away impressed with his play in the OHL last season, and at the Under 18's, I've found him generally underwhelming this season. I think the main difference is defensively and physically. Last season, in particular at the Under 18's, I saw him taking the body with authority and being involved physically. This season, I've yet to see that same aggressiveness. Tonight he was completely passive, and often times it looked like he was waiting for defense partner Rob Kwiet to make the play so that he could get open for a pass and lead the rush. He was also completely ineffective at rushing the puck tonight and was often left out of position defensively because he was taking liberties with the puck. He's still a treat to watch on the powerplay and his shot is an A+. He gets it through everytime. But the last few times I've seen him play now, I find myself asking the question. Is he only a future powerplay quarterback? He needs to find that aggressiveness in his play again in order to find success in every situation at the next level.

Rob Kwiet (Overager and NHL free agent)

Many believe Kwiet to be the best available overage player in the OHL this season. He sure plays a lot for Windsor, at times it seems like he never leaves the ice. He's a great skater and he makes a very good first pass. Defensively, he engages the puck carrier and does a relatively good job with coverage for a mainly offensive defenseman. The big question is, does he have a future at the next level? I'm just not quite sure. He has some good intangibles, but nothing has ever screamed, NHL player to me. I've seen Kwiet play a lot in his OHL days, due to his time with the Majors before. I think he's still got a shot to get himself an NHL contract, but I'm not sure he's ever going to be more than a depth player.

Adam Henrique (Drafted in 2008 by New Jersey/82nd)

Henrique was quite good tonight. He's quite the speedster and has outstanding acceleration. At one point, he blew by and Ice Dog defender coming off the wing, and put a good shot at goaltender John Cullen. He was also very aggressive at driving to the net, picking up two goaltender interference penalties. At this point, I think the Devils have to be very happy with his progression this season, as he's producing at over a point a game.

Jesse Blacker (NHL Draft eligible in 2009)

Blacker was ranked 19th on the CSB's preliminary draft list for the OHL, which was surprising to me. He was however relatively impressive in this game. He showed very good speed in rushing the puck and a willingness to jump up into the attack. He was almost too aggressive in that respect. A few times he was caught up ice, which lead to an odd man rush for the Ice Dogs. However, as a young and inexperienced player (only 47 OHL games under his belt to date), he's going to learn to pick his spots better. I liked how he was not afraid to engage his man in the corner and how he came away with the puck nearly everytime in those one on one battles. I think that because he and defense partner Mark Cundari are playing second fiddle to Ellis and Kwiet right now, his offensive stats are a little bit underwhelming. But he's clearly got talent and I think someone is going to take this kid in the first three rounds on draft day.

Richard Greenop (Drafted in 2007 by Chicago/156th)

I think that it's needless to say that the Hawks did not draft Greenop for his offensive ability. He is what he is. He's a big gu, who skates reasonably well for his size, and who can throw his body around and be aggressive on the forecheck. He's also a pretty good fighter who's not afraid to drop the mitts. That being said, I'm sure they'd be lying if the Hawks told you they were happy with his offensive progression. Even a 4th line scrapper, in this day and age, needs to have some offensive skill to survive in the NHL. With the decreasing role that heavyweights are playing, you need to bring other things to the table besides fighting in order to see more than 2-3 minutes of ice per game. Personally, I don't think Greenop is an NHL player, at least not a regular one, for that reason.

Justin Shugg (NHL Draft eligible in 2010)

I think that a lot more has been expected of Shugg, considering he was a top 10 Priority selection in 2007 by Oshawa. Especially considering that he was playing well for Oshawa in his rookie season before the trade to Windsor. In this game, Shugg skated on the top line with Taylor Hall and was actually relatively impressive. He showed good skating ability in keeping up with Hall, and a willingness to go into the corners for the puck. He also made a nice play on his goal, as he showed good anticipation. Ice Dogs goaltender attempted to clear a rebound out of his crease, but Shugg cut out from behind the net and knocked the puck down in mid air and put it fivehole on Cullen as he was still down in his butterfly. I think that he has some skill and he has potential. Since his draft year isn't until 2010 because of a late birthday, he's still got a shot to bring up his game and get himself on the scouting map. A trade (which has been much rumoured), to a team with less scoring depth might not hurt either.

Mark Cundari (Signed by the St. Louis Blues as a free agent)

Cundari earned himself a contract by playing very well at the Blues prospect camp this past offseason. I felt that he was very impressive in the times I saw him last year, and in the ADT this season. But he did not have a great game. He does take the body very well and has an underrated ability to move the puck, but tonight his one on one play was exposed a little bit. He was made a fool by Alex Pietrangelo on one rush, where he tried to play the puck instead of taking the body and Petro deked him out of his skates (Cundari actually got so crossed up, he fell over). On another occasion he tried for a big hit as a player crossed the red line, missed and took himself completely out of position as the Ice Dogs came back on a 2 on 1. But one thing that impressed me was that I think he realized what he had done wrong earlier. Later in the game, Ice Dog forward Chris Desousa tried the same move Petro did, but Cundari this time played the man and sent Desousa to the ice, voiding the scoring chance. I think he was a solid signing by the Blues, even if he does have some things to work on.

Austin Watson (NHL Draft eligible in 2010)

This kid is going to be a great player. For a 1992, his strength on the drive and in the corners is unreal. He worked the cycle well all night and showed great speed as he drove hard to the net. He also wasn't afraid to take a beating in front of the net to cause a screen. While he didn't hit the scoresheet, I thought he was definitely visible. I think he's going to be a very high pick in 2010, thanks to his combination of size and skill.

Greg Nemisz (Drafted in 2008 by Calgary/25th)

Nemisz was good tonight. I think his skating and first step are much improved this season, and he now skates fairly well for a big man. He's always aggressive on the forecheck and is often the first opposing player in the zone to work the cycle. Still though, and maybe I have unfair expectations, I want to see him use his big body more offensively. I think he could stand to use his size more as he drives to the net, shielding the puck with his body. I also think he needs to become more involved in front of the net, screening the goal and looking for rebounds. He has good puck skills and he has good hands, I just want to see him taking that next step. I'm not saying he needs to start playing like the next Brendan Shanahan. But at the same time, I don't think his offensive skills are good enough for him to play a more finesse game at the next level. He needs to get start getting a little more dirty.

Dale Mitchell (Drafted in 2007 by Toronto/74th)

Mitchell is always a fun player to watch. He's like a little wrecking ball of energy. Always keeps his feet moving, always attacking, and is a relentless forechecker because of it. Is also an aggressive body checker who is constantly looking for someone with their head down. He's got above average speed which he uses to come off the wing, and actually has a very hard, and often accurate shot. Likely is going to be one of those fan favourite type energy players in the NHL, as long as he can continue to play his style without injury.

.....................................................................................................................................................................

Just something else to mention. Windsor's goaltending was terrible in this game. Engelage was pulled entering the 2nd period after giving up two real softies, and Gleeson wasn't a whole lot better as he gave up a real softie too. There has been a lot of talk about Windsor trying to improve in net, and now I see why. If they want to be serious Memorial Cup contenders, they've got to do something.