A Spoon-full

The Peterborough Petes entered this season full of promise, as many of their young players are expected to make leaps in development. Led by Zach Kassian (Buffalo 1st rounder) and a handsome supporting cast of scorers including Ryan Spooner, David Quesnele and first round selection Matt Puempel, the Petes should be able to improve upon last year's standing. Their backend continues to develop and second year, NHL-draft-eligible-players such as Jeff Braithwaite and Adam Sedlak will need to improve if the Petes hope to advance deep into the OHL playoffs.

McKeen's Director of Scouting David Burstyn profiles several Peterborough Petes looking to make an impact this season including Ryan Spooner - a possible first round draft pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, David Quesnele, Adam Sedlak, Jeff Braithwaite, Zack Kassian, Matt Puempel and Andrew D'Agostini.

Ryan Spooner (2010), C, Peterborough

Spooner leads the team in scoring and is currently amongst the top 20 in league scoring through 18 games .. a dynamic and slick offensive player whose keen attention to defensive detail also serves him well .. capable to make plays without the puck, as he is intelligent in the defensive zone often coming back far below the dots and supporting the defence .. has great timing, as he often wins loose puck battles but allows the opponent to get to the puck first before he casually strips it off them .. he is not physically strong enough to beat guys down low but his hockey sense prevails due to his astute positioning .. has presence in all three zones but is able to manufacture offence and catch the opposition flatfooted in the neutral zone .. he makes smart chip passes up the boards that help to advance the puck and he has the presence of mind to move his feet and go to the slot .. he can make moves at a stand still or blow by defenders with healthy second and third gear acceleration .. very competent in the offensive zone, as his play reading skill and shot make him a threat .. he also sees the ice well and can make strong passes, as he opens up room with his stickhandling prowess .. Spooner is small in stature but is a warrior and plays in excess of 25-plus minutes a game .. he has been a member of each International team thus far that he has been eligible for and continues to flourish in the OHL .. he shows first round skill and plays a game that is along the same lines as a young Doug Gilmour without the feistiness.

David Quesnele (2010), LW, Peterborough

Quesnele has upped his game this season and has become a regular on the score sheet .. has provided the Petes with good secondary scoring, as his high-energy-style-of-play has made him endearing to coach McRae .. boasts a hard slapshot down the wing, although he could stand to be more accurate .. he is a meat-and-potatoes-type-of-player who eagerly sacrifices his body and hits anything in his path .. willingly drops the gloves and has good size (5-11, 190), as he is thick .. his balance is strong and he can usually eliminate a player from the action with a timely hit, as he drives through his man .. his skating is deceiving, as he achieves strong acceleration within a few strides .. his first step is rapid-quick and he can get to loose pucks in an instant .. his problems lie in that he is not overly creative and does not possess the hockey sense to make a quality play when he gets to the loose puck .. he needs to be surrounded with better players to bring out his talent .. his work ethic and intensity should score him high marks with NHL scouts, however he needs to work on his overall positioning and be more active in dictating the play with his speed and forechecking ability.

Adam Sedlak (2010), D, Peterborough

Sedlak returns for a second campaign in the OHL looking to improve on his offensive totals while rounding out other components of his game .. Sedlak likes to join the rush and be part of the offence, however too often, he cannot recover and it costs the Petes in the defensive zone .. he uses his skating offensively to rush the puck when necessary but for the most part he elects to support the attack by containing the point .. he has ok passing skills and can get the puck to the open man .. he see's frequent PP time due to a lack of bonafide offensive producer's on the backend, as he is the best of the bunch .. however, his offensive skills are not elite, as he does not have a shot to QB a PP .. Sedlak's biggest problems arise when he attempts to defend, as he simply can't .. he runs around far too much and simply does not close the gap quickly enough .. furthermore, he will be beaten by flashy players, as he tends to watch the puck .. he needs to simplify his game and understand that less is best .. he has ample size (6-2, 210), but plays far too soft and players much smaller than him take liberties .. Sedlak wants to become better but in all likelihood is putting far too much pressure on his performance in his draft year.

Jeff Braithwaite (2010), D, Peterborough

Braithwaite put up modest point totals last year with 17 points in 52 games in limited action .. the second year hometown native returns to the Petes but is struggling to find icetime on the third defensive pairing .. playing with little to no confidence, as the attributes that set him apart as a second rounder have yet to surface .. very uninvolved in the attack and his decision-making has been suspect, hence his lack of icetime .. he is panicking with the puck and does not have the wherewithal to take a step back and evaluate his options, rather he just throws pucks up the middle .. defensively, he is not able to contain his man down low and his positioning leaves little to be desired as an NHL prospect .. even his skating has suffered, as his start-up looks sluggish and he is not skating through the play, rather coasting .. this was a strength of his coming into the OHL .. Braithwaite can put it together and salvage a slow start but he needs to focus more and play each shift independent of one another not allowing errors to affect the rest of his game.

Zack Kassian (Buf), RW, Peterborough

Kassian, the newly named captain of the Petes to start the season suffered a shoulder injury that cost him three weeks of action .. a hulking, physical specimen he is easily one of the most physically developed players in the entire OHL .. he possesses NHL size already and can dominate a game, however he chooses at times not too .. has a reputation for being too assertive and is usually on the wrong side of calls therefore it has been a challenge for him to fully play his style of game .. has resorted to trying to finesse through guys as a result when clearly this is not his game .. Kassian wants to be a difference maker, as he always embraces challenges .. Kassian still needs to keep his emotions in check, as he can take costly penalties that put his team at a disadvantage .. he got better with this last year but still suffers bouts of immaturity and will need to curb it at the pro level.

Matthew Puempel (2011), LW, Peterborough

Puempel was an offensive machine last year with the Sun County midget program but tailed-off toward the end of the season and was invisible in the playoffs .. this was not enough to scare off the Pete's scouting staff and they wisely made him their 7th overall pick .. thus far, Puempel has responded in spades scoring 8 goals in 13 games .. a natural goal scorer he has a nose for the net and also manages to surface where the puck is .. uncanny ability to get his stick on rebounds and bury his chances even if he only gets one a game .. stealth-like in his approach, he is not a blinding skater nor a bruiser, rather he casually gets into plays and uses his offensive skills including his rapid release to get his name on the score sheet .. innate ability to break free of checks and separate himself from coverage to set up in the slot or in front of the goal .. not much of a force away from the puck, the coaching staff has been intelligent to groom him into an offensive player to improve his confidence .. he plays a regular shift with the team's top players (Spooner, Kassian) and is already a fixture on the PP as 5 of his 8 goals have come with the man advantage .. Puempel should be a top-six forward for Team Ontario's U17 team in Timmins.

Andrew D'Agostini (2011), G, Peterborough

One of only a few 16-year-old goalies who are playing in the league, D'Agostini has yet to win a game in his four decisions but the experience he is gaining now will be paramount to his success .. a highly competitive keeper with quick reflexes .. he relies heavily on his athleticism, as he is still very small in the crease and does not cover a large portion of the goal .. appears comfortable playing the puck .. lively pads and quick feet allow him to routinely kick out rebounds to the side .. he is an ok skater but could improve his overall lateral agility .. tends to play a tad deep in the net and gets beaten short side .. needs to read and react to plays quicker, this will undoubtedly come with age but currently OHL shooters are making him move around too much thus exposing his lack of net coverage .. D'Agostini will challenge for a roster spot on the U17 team and it will come down between him, Binnington and Teichmann for the final two spots.