AHL: IceHogs and Monsters Ball

The Toronto Marlies recently hosted the Rockford IceHogs (Chicago Blackhawks) and the Lake Erie Monsters (Colorado Avalanche). McKeen's correspondent Gus Katsaros has notes on several prospects from both teams including T.J Hensick, who was a recently called up to the NHL by the Avalanche.

Jack Skille (Chi), RW, IceHogs

Speedy skater, physical .. sound positional play both offensively and defensively .. generates good start-up speed from stopped/standing position, and makes smart plays with the puck on the defensive side, indicating a maturity not indicative of a 20-year-old .. maximizes his strides taking little effort to get to top speed .. excellent starts, stops, and transition from forward skating to backwards .. did not show much offensive ability in the first period, but loads of energy and hustle to loose pucks, as well as good positioning .. focused awareness of his position on the ice, and does not stop working whether in transition or cycling in the offensive zone .. tends to overplay the space afforded to him, but identifies his position and hustles into clear space .. second period, took the puck while at high speed from the IceHogs blueline and rushed it up through the neutral zone, took advantage of the falling Marlies defender and worked from the outside for a good low hard shot and following the rebound to the net .. effective decision-making and patience of a veteran for someone so young .. exemplary patience with the puck and the play .. scored third goal from a bullet wristshot (the bend in the stick from the force exerted almost looked like it would snap before he got the shot off) with pinpoint accuracy and with little room to maneuver on the right side .. a definite presence on the ice, as works hard every shift.

Cam Barker (Chi), D, IceHogs

Main puck rusher on the powerplay .. strong, low pointshot with man advantage allowing forwards to tip it, or pounce on a rebound .. excellent recovery speed on a turnover in the offensive zone with the man-advantage .. good vision spotting open man on the wing from the opposite point and good crisp passing .. has made appearances with parent club in Chicago .. makes smart defensive plays, getting the puck out high off glass and limits high-risk plays in the defensive zone .. versatile, as he is being used in every situation .. main pointshot on the powerplay from the setup down low used by the IceHogs, sneaking to the top of the circle to get the puck on net .. uses his body effectively on the boards containing opposition forwards and is a physical force in his own zone .. took another positional penalty getting his stick high in the third period, but maintains his presence when defending.

Evan Brophey (Chi), C, IceHogs

Feisty and retaliatory not taking guff from the Marlies after scrums .. although attentive positionally, he tends to stop moving his feet, forcing him to get to the man for coverage from a standing position .. stands in front of the net on the powerplay looking for a tip or to screen the goaltender .. does a lot of stationary/peripheral setup, avoiding high-traffic areas, as much as his 6-foot-1 body affords him .. good balance on his skates, more so when standing still rather than full speed .. took a second penalty in the second period while already down a man, giving the Marlies a 5-on-3 for over a minute and an opportunity to get back into the game .. could use better decision-making on when to use aggressive focus and when to simply let it go .. must work harder at getting more directly involved in the play otherwise, he could show wasted efforts hanging out on the periphery.

Petri Kontiola (Chi), C, IceHogs

Average skater, but actively looks for (and gets to) open ice keeping his stick down at ice level, waiting to pounce on a quick pass or to take a shot .. generated various scoring chances by moving into the slot for a quick shot-on-goal when the puck got there .. not very fast and a choppy skater, yet he finds open ice and gets dirty in traffic .. first unit, powerplay winger .. works hard to get into the play on both sides of the puck, constantly moving his feet .. could be more efficient, as he tends to roam and can get caught a stride behind the play mainly due to skating .. he knows where to go, but getting there could improve .. plays high in the defensive zone with opposition pressure, almost looking for a quick break on the other end .. can seem complacent on the ice, happy to just be out there sometimes, instead of creating along the way .. is the main forechecker for the IceHogs in the four-man unit and uses his stick well, getting it into passing lanes and forcing the opposition to veer into an unwanted lane or get rid of the puck prematurely .. a work in progress if he can improve his skating.

Michael Blunden (Chi), RW, IceHogs

Wide-arcing skating style as he skates low and hunched over .. hard hitting, taking every opportunity to exert his physical game .. does not exhibit great first-step acceleration and stop/starts .. if he is not directly involved in the play, he becomes content on the periphery watching instead of getting involved .. could be more involved defensively .. cycles well and exhibits more energy and determination in the offensive zone .. relishes the rough work, as he threw a heavy check into Marlies tough guy Kris Newbury in the second period and did not back down from the retaliation .. took a high sticking penalty for his efforts on the play .. could use better balance on his skates, as he is easily knocked off the puck and on to his butt often .. as an example of offensive zone work ethic, he pressured the Marlies goaltender behind the red line to cough up the puck in third period, stole the puck from behind the net and sent it out front to an open teammate for an empty net goal .. a physical forward that works hard in the offensive zone, but is limited in skating ability and defensive awareness.

Kris Versteeg (Chi), RW, IceHogs

Traded to Chicago by Boston along with Jim Vandermeer for Brandon Bochenski .. takes a lot of coasting strides .. skates hard when the mood hits him, otherwise he stops moving his feet and glides into position .. could be more proactive defensively and with a little effort, he could have checked a Marlies skater that blew right by within reach .. his skating looks strange, as his back remains straight and upright with minimal hunch .. could improve intensity for a shot at the next level .. complacent in defensive coverage, and was the third-man in to help teammate St Pierre when confronted .. could use some work with the physical aspect of the game, as he seems to always throw late hits and loses position .. interesting decision by the coach to use him as a penalty killer, yet he looks disinterested in defense .. made one effective rush from behind the net while teams were 4-on-4, as he skated up-ice by himself, only to lose it at the blueline, dismissing his teammate's positions that could have yielded better results and a better scoring opportunity .. does not really get into open-ice effectively, which hinders teammates' ability to get the puck to him .. scored fifth goal by going to the net and knocking in a centering pass with no defensive coverage .. has to step-up intensity and defensive awareness/positioning.

Colin Fraser (Chi), C, IceHogs

Finds many openings and goes to the net without the puck, where he received it to score the IceHogs opening goal .. assistant captain was relied upon to take the game's important faceoffs .. scored a gimme on an open net for the fourth Rockford goal (his second of the night), on a gaffe between the Marlies goalie and defenseman after pressure by Blunden, but it was the drive to the net that allowed for the goal .. gets to the slot fast and hard with stick on the ice ready for the pass but does not show the same individual creativity .. uses his teammates positioning effectively, recognizing better outlets for passes and getting to open ice creating outlets for returns .. has an intelligent game.

Bryan Bickell (Chi), LW, IceHogs

Choppy skater requiring a lot of effort to get himself into position.. could use better stop/starts and should keep his feet moving .. average first-step acceleration .. comes down deep in the zone on defensive coverage allowing the point man free access for a pointshot or to sneak in on the play .. an enigma, as he exhibits good defensive efforts, but does not compliment the efforts with positional play .. has to improve his skating and positioning.

Troy Brouwer (Chi), RW, IceHogs

First unit powerplay center and stands in the slot creating a screen and looking for rebounds .. seems to shy away from the rough stuff for his size but stands in front of the net with the man-advantage taking the abuse .. is knocked off the puck too easily in stride, but has better control along the wall in a slower environment or standing still .. could be more physical for his size, as the 6-foot-3, 215-pound winger does not exhibit a mean streak anywhere other than in the slot with pressure in the offensive zone.

Lake Erie Monsters

T.J. Hensick (Col), C, Lake Erie Monsters

Good awareness to get down low where a stray puck met him with two-three feet within Pogge and a quick one-timer landed in the sprawled goaltender's trapper on a nice save .. has a wide skating style with arced legs, picking up speed quickly from a still position .. could deliver a better second effort, as a pass back to the point caught him standing in the corner instead of getting into a rebound position in front of the net .. diminutive size but is good along the boards, although he seems to shy away from the rough aspects of puck retrieval in the corners .. good burst of speed on very little effort from the Monsters blueline, penetrating the Marlies zone, but made an extra move to take the play offside .. will not win many battles along the boards, mainly due to his size .. excellent patience and vision spotting the open man, anticipating his teammate's position, and getting the puck to him .. decision-making could improve, as he left the offensive zone with his team in possession and control to facilitate a line change, instead of digging deep and trying to make a play, or going to the net looking for a rebound .. peripheral player, almost like a shark circling its prey .. really likes to head behind the net to setup the play or at least give teammates a passing option when getting the puck in deep .. tends to panic in defensive zone coverage and sometimes looks lost, caught in no-mans land covering no one, mesmerized with the vicinity of the puck .. could show more intensity without the puck, especially in his own zone .. stops skating when there is not any room to maneuver .. Hensick had a decent showing in the preseason with the Avalanche, but his defensive game and peripheral play needs more development in the AHL.

Chris Stewart (Col), RW, Lake Erie Monsters

Not very effective defensively and made a couple of first period attempts at body checks easily alluded by both Marlies players .. could use some more determined spirit in the offensive zone, instead of waiting for the puck or moving into position to receive it .. did not play very much with limited first period duty and only two shifts in the second .. scored Monsters first and only goal from the side of the net with a flubbed/chipped shot in midair by the left post that caught the top of the blade and floated over Pogge who was down on one knee covering the net down low .. must show more emotion and a determined effort, but had glimpses of some real offensive talent and good skating ability .. a lot of upside to his game, someone just has to bring it out of him.

Jason Bacashihua (Col), G, Lake Erie Monsters

Constantly scans the area where shooters are positioned, even when the puck is in the corners .. gets across post-to-post efficiently, despite his 5-11 height .. gets down quickly and recovers to get back into position or limit the space available to shooters very quickly .. seems to "explode into bigness" mainly by hunching down waiting for the shot and bursts into a large wall with gloves up by his sides taking away as much open net as he can to make the stop .. has to be quicker playing the puck from behind the goal, or at least be aware that there is pressure bearing down on him .. plays wraparound attempts very well, flowing from post-to-post very quick and jamming his skate on the post to limit the shot at ice level - all the while looking behind him for the skater's position and peering in front for the possible pass out into the slot .. would make for a decent backup goaltender for the Avs', and has played 38 games for the St. Louis Blues when he was thrust into a starting position due to injuries in the past two seasons .. replacement for when Jose Theodore's contract expires and should form a good tandem with Peter Budaj.