AHL: Monarchs Taking Flight

After a slow start, the Manchester Monarchs are beginning to turn their season around. McKeen's correspondent David Burstyn looks at several promising prospects in the Los Angeles organization including Jonathan Bernier, Andrew Campbell, Vyacheslav Voinov, Trevor Lewis and the impressive Teddy Purcell.

Jonathan Bernier (LA), G, Manchester

The Kings goalie of the future has had to bide his time this year with the consistent play of Jason Labarbera and emerging play of Erik Ersberg .. a naturally skilled skater with resounding reflexes and agility .. adopts a hybrid approach, as he is very patient and poised .. he drops down to the butterfly and is unflappable in his approach .. he covers so much of the net just by simply standing still .. there is no panic point to his game, as he is rarely caught scrambling or out of position .. he swallows up rebounds and is constantly moving his head to watch the play .. some areas of concern are his blocker side and at times, he opens up his five-hole too much .. his mechanics are flawless as he pivots well, has great push off and does not cheat with his shuffles .. a picture perfect goalie whose style and composure is reminiscent to Carey Price, however do not be surprised if he plays an entire season in the minors to fully maximize his playing time, as the Kings are in no pressure to rush him.

Andrew Campbell (LA), D, Manchester

Campbell, who only five years ago was a 15th round OHL selection has taken his game to another level and finds himself playing the PP in his first year of the AHL .. decent skater who is not breathtaking in his speed or acceleration but does digest the ice with long calculated strides .. handles himself well and is very composed with the puck .. he is mindful not to overplay it and makes safe economical plays .. he protects his goal and even though he is not a bruiser or an overly physical player, his 6-foot-4 frame usually scares off players .. he will be more tested in the NHL should he make it to that level so developing a mean streak would help even though it is not his style .. he does manage to get in the way with his big body and constantly block shots .. he has played on both the PK and PP but thrives more in a defensive role .. he plays with restraint and does not take poor penalties .. checkers already bounce off of him and once he fills out even more, he will be a difficult player to play against primarily due to his size .. has a style of play very similar to Uwe Krupp and could be a serviceable depth defenseman should he continue to develop.

Vyacheslav Voinov (LA), D, Manchester

The youngest defenseman in the league, Voinov has adjusted rather nicely on a team that has supported him with icetime and the ability to learn from his mistakes .. an average skater who makes the most of his stride, however it lacks an additional gear or agility but it does get the job done .. where Voinov earns his ice is on the offensive side of the puck .. he does not carry the puck out of the zone, yet, on account of his inexperience but he does have good puckhandling skills .. his shot is very accurate and even though he did not show off his slapshot in this contest he does have a cannon from the point .. he has the ability to get his shots on goal and is intelligent enough to take some off his shot .. he lacks consistency from shift-to-shift, yet another trait that can be chalked up to his youthful age .. at times, he finds outlets and other times he skates into dead ends .. he has an active stick in the defensive zone but could still work on his reaction time in the defensive zone .. showing signs of improving, the second round selection from last year's draft should see his time come sooner than later with the Kings.

Trevor Lewis (LA), LW, Manchester

A proven scorer in every league and level, Lewis is on pace to shatter his rookie totals of last season (76-12-16-28), as he is producing even though he plays third-line minutes .. he commands time and space with his wide skating stance and array of stickhandling moves .. his quick feet and acceleration makes him a fixture on the PK, even in 3-5 situations .. he is most effective when he drives the net and dumps the puck in deep to dig it out .. works well in tight spaces and can create down low .. he is starting to gain more confidence in his ability to produce and making things happen with the pressure his line creates .. he is very strong and effective with his skating and angles well .. he is a character player with quiet leadership skills but the Manchester coaching staff will constantly be pushing him to get the most out of him .. should he add an element of peskiness to his game coupled with his staunch defensive game and improving offensive ability, he might be able to see a spot on the fourth or third line.

Ted Purcell (LA), RW, Manchester

Purcell exploded last season with 83 points to win the AHL Rookie-of-the-Year .. undrafted, Purcell is a victim of the numbers game, as the offensively strapped Kings are deep on the wings .. he is a big skater who looks even bigger since he uses an extra long stick .. for a player of his size, he is an agile skater and marries his foot speed with his hand speed, as he effortlessly weaves his way around the opposition with ease .. he has good lower body strength getting good drive for battles along the boards .. his balance is a slight issue but considering the weight distribution of his muscle (still a lanky, 183 pounds, despite being 6-3) and his coordination catching up this should heal itself in time .. he doesn't look like he is going fast but he takes such ground eating strides it allows him to cover in two strides what other accomplish in three or four .. he is actually a better east-to-west skater as opposed to a north-to-south, as his silkiness and shiftiness help him elude players .. he tends to dangle the puck away from his body and will need to keep it a touch closer to him, as NHL players will pry it free with an active pokecheck .. this only occurs in open-ice situations, once he uses his body to drive down low he does a formidable job protecting the puck .. he can control the pace of the game, as he can wait patiently to make a play and usually spreads the defence thin on account of the respect they have for him to make a play .. his shot is excellent and uses a variety of them to score .. Purcell has a great future ahead of him and only needs to add some weight to his vast frame .. his play is very reminiscent of a young Mats Sundin and teams will be asking themselves how they let player of this magnitude go.