2004 Draft: OHL Profile Updates

Dave Fortier provides notes from throughout the year on several key names for the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, including John Disher, Steve Ward, John Adams and Ryan Garlock.

Derek Merlini, D, Erie Otters

03/05/2004 - Skates with wide stance, smooth stride .. average overall speed .. adequate lateral and backward mobility which is effective when defending quicker guys in defensive zone .. poor first step quickness which must be worked on .. displays impressive agility for man his size, able to stop quickly .. has impressive passing instincts; makes the smartest play available, usually keeping things simple .. good accuracy on the shot, with excellent power to boot .. handles the puck adequately well; able to skate it up ice .. showed good coordination catching a pass with his hand, and then dropping it directly to his stick immediately at top speed .. excellent at using the stick in defensive mode around the net and along the boards .. very balanced, can be extremely hard to hit if in position .. loves to throw his weight around but must control aggressiveness as he often will throw a hit, get caught up, then struggle to get back into play .. a strong defensive contributor; maintains excellent positioning.

02/20/2004 - Love his passing game .. very adept at moving the puck from his own zone .. would have better puck moving potential if only he were a little quicker .. good lateral and reverse mobility .. cuts off angles well, imposing on opponents’ space .. able to throw bone crushing hits when in position .. often plays the puck off the boards and out but is smart when choosing to pass .. booming, accurate shot .. struggles with first step quickness .. very confident at handling the puck; shows good panic instincts against a fast paced fore check .. skilled with the stick; makes great poke checks when battling along the boards.

Josh Disher, G, Erie Otters

03/20/2004 - Excellent pad mobility while along the ice, moving laterally very well .. outstanding quickness with the glove hand .. controls rebounds well .. very active at playing the puck, handles it smoothly and accurately .. does not panic at the sight of an aggressive forecheck .. outstanding overall quickness; very quick with arms, hands, blocker, exhibiting excellent reflexes .. plays a butterfly style .. goes down and gets back up extremely well .. maintains solid positioning even when concentrating on the lower part of the net .. does not flop around, staying in a solid stance when along the ice .. keeps his legs wide, covers corner angles well with pads .. shows off his five hole but is able to close holes quickly .. exhibits excellent cross ice movement while in standing position, able to rob guys of near surefire goals .. can be vulnerable up high when down.

Steve Ward, D, Sarnia Sting

03/14/2004 - Has a very fluent skating style .. excellent top speed when moving forward and good overall speed in all directions .. displays quick stopping ability, has extremely quick feet .. agile lateral skater .. splendid first step and acceleration into top speed .. jumps into the play often, prone to making poor reads on the play which lead to odd man situations for the opposition .. although accurate, his shot lacks power .. primarily a pass-first guy out of the offensive zone .. moves the puck effectively with a solid outlet pass .. exhibits good panic instincts playing puck at top speed .. needs to add strength as he is easily neutralized by bigger forwards in defensive zone .. weak defensive coverage but shows excellent effort .. adequate man-on-man, mobility is very beneficial in this area but is too easily knocked around and lacks defensive instincts .. prone to making a bad play when opposing players forecheck him hard .. lacks puckhandling skills, tending to lose control near traffic .. capable in creating plays skating in all directions.

Bryan Bickell, RW, Ottawa 67's

02/27/2004 - Has a hard wrist shot, with a terrific release and excellent accuracy .. good first step and excellent top speed .. good passer in open ice, but same can’t be said in traffic .. lacks great agility .. shows a tendency to float while he should be working hard .. displayed excellent balance and powerful hitting ability .. loves throwing his weight around, but should show a greater effort along the boards to generate turnovers .. ideally a force near the net, but isn’t always willing to be.

Kyle Wharton, D, Ottawa 67's

02/27/2004 - Has a beautiful skating stride .. very smooth at making transitions to all directions .. sufficiently quick hands .. displays good decision making when skating with the puck .. has a quick poke check .. very rough with the puck .. has an accurate point shot .. shows a tendency to jump into the play at inopportune times .. defensive awareness is very raw, tends to lose his man and run around cluelessly .. gets the puck off quickly enough, but often too impulsively .. good strength but nothing overpowering .. has trouble controlling puck around traffic .. solid in one-on-one situations.

Peter Tsimikalis, C, Ottawa 67's

02/27/2004 - Skates deceptively well with the puck at top speed .. overall an average, somewhat rough skater .. excellent work ethic .. strong passing instincts compensate for average acceleration .. good agility .. excellent on faceoffs .. solid forechecker; gives excellent effort on every shift .. exhibits a quick release on his wrist shot .. love his passing at top speed .. quick stopping ability .. slightly above average first step.

Kyle Raftis, D, Kingston Frontenacs

02/21/2004 - Average top speed, lacks extra gear .. acceleration leaves something to be desired .. Adequate mobility in reverse .. quick first step compensates .. good transition from forward to back .. strong with the puck at top speed .. too often feathers passes at top speed which lead to turnovers ..mediocre offensive upside .. must improve stick work in corners and defensive zone .. slap shot lacks power .. quick release .. very good hand-eye coordination .. poor balance; easily outmuscled .. an off-the-boards-and-out kind of player .. not flashy; goes about his business in a safe manner.

John Adams, RW, Belleville Bulls

11/08/2003 - Has an excellent reach ..very quick hands .. adept at making quick feeds .. handles the puck very well in traffic .. top speed is slightly above average .. coordination is questionable, due to the lack of quick stopping ability, although he turns the corners quickly .. hard working; you can expect great effort on every shift .. a strong presence in front of the net where he uses his size well .. solid positionally; comfortable and steady .. excellent balance on skates; able to throw his weight around effectively .. moves sufficiently well for a big guy .. goes hard to the net when the opportunity presents itself.

Ryan Garlock, RW, Windsor Spitfires

11/22/2003 - Has a quick first step and keen feet when accelerating into top speed .. above-average mobility .. good stopping ability .. agile, but turns corners somewhat wide .. blue collar and hard-working .. attacks the net consistently .. has a hard wrister he times well .. hard and accurate playmaking skills, he exhibits impressively at top speed .. displayed well-honed stickhandling abilities .. a balanced skater, who stays low to the ice.