AHL: Mayor-ov Syracuse

McKeen's Chief correspondent David Burstyn looks at several Syracuse Crunch players including Kevin Lalande, Grant Clitsome, Tom Sestito, Michael Blunden, Maksim Mayorov (pictured), Alexandre Picard and Stefan Legein.

Kevin Lalandee (CBJ), G, Syracuse

Toiled in both the ECHL and as a member of the Quad City Flames before being traded to the Columbus organization in early March for a fourth round pick .. has played admirably for the Crunch in a backup role to Dan Lacosta .. a big body who adopts a butterfly technique .. still needs to work on many facets of his game to make him a starter, including his lateral agility .. has size to fill the net, but he tends to play too deep into the net giving away precious angles and therefore not always in the best position to make a save .. he does a good job of maintaining his position on the post and due to his disposable frame, he is difficult to beat down low .. surrenders limited rebounds .. handles the puck ok .. relies too much on his size and not enough on his quickness .. Lalande has a way to go, but should get more icetime with the Crunch to develop.

Grant Clitsome (CBJ), D, Syracuse

After a decorated four year career at Clarkson, including numerous trips to ECAC All Star games and a senior year, where he led his team in both scoring and plus/minus, Clitsome joins the Crunch for his first professional season .. a steady, reliable defenseman whose athleticism and agility keep him involved in plays .. he strategically angles off the puckcarrier rather than physically out-muscling them from the play .. he lacks strength at this point, despite a modest frame (6-0, 205), but he does effectively use his stick in defensive situations .. offensively, he makes smart decisions with the puck, as he does not look to over handle it .. he is not a puck rusher but he calmly finds his outlets and makes heady plays up ice with the puck in his possession, shielding the puck in the process .. average shot with a long wind up, although he does get the shot to and on the net .. Clitsome has a solid understanding of the game and just has to learn to be more physical in down-low situations to be more effective at the NHL level.

Tom Sestito (CBJ), LW, Syracuse

Entering his second season, the Rome, NY native has adjusted to the pace of the league and is slowly becoming one of the more physically dominating players in the PIM department .. has not developed much of an offensive side to his game, as his stats have fallen short in his second season, however his game is tailored around using his size effectively to intimidate and win battles down low .. his skating has remained the same, as he lacks the lateral agility to make quick cuts .. his speed and length of stride in a straightaway position keeps him involved .. he possess superior upper body strength and like a bully he strips the puck off the opposition, however he is too slow to make a decision with the puck once he retrieves it .. individual puckhandling skills have marked an improvement, but his lack of start up speed in the neutral zone to defend is a glaring concern that will stunt his path to the NHL.

Michael Blunden (CBJ), RW, Syracuse

Acquired by Columbus in exchange for Adam Pineault, Blunden has not been able to adjust to his new surroundings or linemates .. has the size to be a power forward and the skating skill to boll over guys but rarely does he exhibit this type of hunger to score goals or make plays .. has a good skill package but does not possess elite puckhandling skills or a powerful shot .. mans the point and the half boards in PP situations and shows creativity with additional time and space .. he can stickhandle well due to his size and his reach .. too easily knocked off the puck .. no stranger from going to the front of the net to create offensive chances .. long, languid stride which surprisingly generates decent start-up speed .. Blunden needs to develop more of a killer instinct otherwise it is difficult to see him bumping off a current roster player from the Blue Jackets.

Maksim Mayorov (CBJ), RW, Syracuse

A highly entertaining player who oozes speed and skill .. most electrifying player on the roster (excluding Filatov), as he explodes up and down the ice and can make plays in tight quarters .. very fluid and fleet on his feet .. his speed and ability to create offensively make him a fixture on the PP .. is constantly being shuffled with a series of linemates to find the right combinations to bring out the best of his ability .. like a tornado, he attacks the offensive zone and has his limbs flailing everywhere making it difficult to contain him and/or strip him off the puck .. at times, he hurries plays to avoid contact but this is also done for self-preservation .. could be a productive NHLer once he is able to play with better players who bring out his skills, however he needs to learn how to distribute the puck quicker and put more of a concerted effort away from the puck.

Alexandre Picard (CBJ), LW, Syracuse

First round selection (8th overall) from the 2004 draft is starting to run out of time .. a rash of injuries have robbed him of playing a full pro season .. despite being a four year AHL veteran, he has yet to play more than 50 games in each of his seasons .. a tenacious and aggravating forward who is constantly hurling his body and looking to take out his mark .. looks like he will back up his pugilistic style of play with his fists .. an average skater, he does have good coordination in his turns and ok straight-ahead speed .. has a good shot but lacks finish .. works give and goes well in traffic, as he will stay in danger areas for extended periods of time .. his play away from the puck is disheartening, as he constantly stops moving his feet when he does not have the puck .. he attempts to use his stick when he can but too often, he is out of position and can not recover .. his work ethic at both ends of the rink is frustrating and it appears he is content to ride the buses of the AHL loop.

Stefan Legein (CBJ), RW, Columbus

Took a four month sabbatical from the game this season, as there were rumblings that he was going to quit the sport all together .. sustained a hand injury and has yet to find himself in true game shape, which would explain his lack of production (no points through 20 games) .. a strong skating, lightweight agitator cut from the same cloth as a Steve Ott or a young Darcy Tucker .. he navigates on the ice effortlessly due to his superior short and long-term speed .. his game is based largely around his speed and his determination, as he simply out works the opposition .. he routinely breaks up plays and makes mad dashes up the ice .. offensively snake bitten, as he has yet to understand his positioning in accordance to plays, however his anticipation should improve as he is always in the general vicinity of the puck .. he tends to over commit at times in the offensive zone but is able to fully recover .. he brings it every game and will do what is necessary to win including blocking shots, forechecking hard and consistently and will even fill the water bottles if it means a win .. he needs a specific assignment to be effective and could make the ultimate shadow in a few years time if groomed correctly and his hands develop.