A Touch Of Glass

Although top-10 pick Brian Lee was not amongst the Senators participants at the Ottawa Rookie Tournament, Ottawa still iced a skilled lineup that featured at least two candidates for the NHL roster this year. We have notes on the key players including the Andrej Meszaros, Patrick Eaves and Jeff Glass.

Andrej Meszaros, D .. offense-minded with some uncanny explosiveness to complement underrated all-around skating skills .. hard-working along the boards and is not afraid to take the stick to your chops to stop you .. hard, low point shot with excellent velocity .. dangerous, booming one-timer with a rifle release .. occasionally overaggressive at pinching .. has some meat to his frame and jam physically .. closer to NHL duty than initially anticipated, but he'll need another year of development.

Tomas Kudelka, D .. pleasure to watch when skating with the puck .. elegant skater just dances on the ice .. passes are crisp and on the tape .. moves the puck, yet does not attack with it much; both a sign of his age and conservative defense-first style in Czech Republic .. slap shot could be harder but is low and accurate.

Todd Perry, D .. fluid and confident with the puck .. made economical, brainy decisions; not trying to do too much out there .. has a good head on his shoulders, which is why the Senators scouts liked him enough to draft him .. positive showing, but it's too early to say how the pieces will fit.

Patrick Eaves, LW .. brainy puckmover .. makes hard accurate feeds while his feet are moving .. never stops to ponder .. quick, fluid strides on a pair of strong, balanced legs .. not particularly physical but has strong arms, quick hands and workman-like approach in the corners .. the puck always seems to find his stick .. didn't show a lot of his great wrist shot .. impressive pk dedication and drive to the net .. creative hands on the pp where he played the point .. impressed with the ability to shake off opponent along the boards with quick hesitation moves .. showed excellent hand-eye skills by picking off a clearing attempt cleanly at centre ice .. his body still should probably mature a bit more before he makes the Sens' roster.

John Wikner, LW .. weak defensively but showed some giddyup on the forecheck later into the tournament .. needs to get stronger on the puck .. gets his body involved physically but must get considerably stronger on his feet .. does not excel in any areas and most likely will have a career in Europe.

Roman Wick, RW .. has really deceptive wheels, not showing great speed until suddenly accelerating and catching the defender by surprise .. likes to streak past defenses for quick breaks the other way .. he seems to avoid trying to make too much body contact and could be quicker to loose pucks with his stride .. displayed very skilled hands when delivering passes at both sides of the stick .. showed good hand-eye coordination by knocking down an opposing outlet pass .. gifted with the puck, but arms have to get stronger.

David Desharnais, C .. tiny dynamo just plows through people on his way to the net .. buzzard has tremendous quickness, work ethic .. wastes no time making passes with great quick hands .. excellent puck distributor on the pp .. did a magnificent job crashing the net and digging for loose pucks .. never stops moving his feet with his heads constantly on a swivel.

Cody Bass, C .. scrappy, competitive player .. gets his frame involved and pesters opponents effectively .. excellent faceoff abilities .. very good skater is strong on his feet .. moves the puck quickly and accurately .. feet always moving; head full of steam .. abused goalies constantly by driving the net .. looks more powerful on the puck than in past viewings .. showed some skilled moves at top speed and adequate playmaking qualities .. already a tough customer on the puck behind the net; just imagine 10 more pounds of muscle.

Matt Marquardt, LW .. 18-year old former CJHL rookie-of-the-year out of Brockville fought through a lot of abuse, yet stood his ground and got himself involved physically .. great size with good feet for his weight that don't stop moving .. mostly looked comfortable combating with older guys aside from some balance issues and raw, but developing, lower body .. vocal, attacks the net and loves to shoot the puck .. maturity and competitiveness beyond his years .. will play with Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL this season (signed as free agent).

Jeff Glass, G .. showed outstanding athleticism and lower body extension .. stopped several point-blank shots in a row on a scramble in front of the net .. plays the angles exceptionally well, giving the shooter little to aim for .. low shots just don't get by this guy .. sizzling glove hand .. great, zen-like concentration .. no unnecessary movements .. looked a little tentative at times moving the puck due to rule changes to puckhandling .. looks ready for pro challenge.

Ottawa Rookie Tournament: The Top-10 Performances

1. Andrew Ladd, F, Carolina

2. Jeff Glass, G, Ottawa

3. Andrej Meszaros, D, Ottawa

4. Maxim Lapierre, F, Montreal

5. Vince Bellissimo, F, Carolina

6. Guillaume Latendresse, F, Montreal

7. Alexander Steen, F, Toronto

8. Rostislav Olesz, F, Florida

9. Kenndal McArdle, F, Florida

10. Patrick Eaves, F, Ottawa

For complete results, including standings and scoring leaders, click HERE.