AHL: Who Let the Dogs Out

The Hamilton Bulldogs are off to a great start and are getting significant production from several of their first-year pro players. McKeen's correspondent David Burstyn has notes on three of them including Ben Maxwell, Yannick Weber and 2007 first round draft pick Max Pacioretty.

Ben Maxwell (Mtl), C, Hamilton

Hampered by injuries in his final two seasons of junior, Maxwell is among four new rookies playing their first year pro with the Bulldogs .. sluggish in appearance, his skating is deceptively fast, as he lost no footraces in the entire contest .. played a strong game down low, using his balance and strength on his skates to dig out loose pucks and play a good positional game along the boards .. has a good set of hands and an ok shot but has generated many of his chances by sheer will and his uncanny hockey sense .. has found the back of the net with consistent regularity, as he is averaging close to a point a game in the team's first 10 contests .. has been using his size more in open areas of the ice, as he constantly pumps his feet and makes the simple play .. coming along nicely and learning to play away from the puck under the tutelage of Don Lever, which should help his NHL chances.

Max Pacioretty (Mtl), LW, Hamilton

Former first round selection in 2007 has managed to find the net in recent games, as he is multi-purpose forward with a myriad of skills .. his hand skills and playmaking ability especially down low give the Bulldogs a legitimate second-line scoring threat .. his skills are apparent and like any rookie adjusting to the pro game it is difficult, however Pacioretty appears well on his way .. he is patient in most cases and protects the puck well .. his skating allows him to keep up and manufacture offence on the fly .. he needs to bulk up in his upper body to be a more physical force .. can wander defensively and needs to eliminate some poor habits he has developed .. he is a skilled skater, blessed with speed and a tight turning radius .. his development has been accelerated by the strong supporting cast around him but it should not take long for him to carry a line and produce strong numbers.

Yannick Weber (Mtl), D, Hamilton

Struggled through an average Memorial Cup but redeemed himself with a successful Montreal training camp and is among the top four defensemen in Hamilton .. young but plays with poise and experience that belly his age, as he is the youngest on the team .. mindful of when to jump into the offence and has been making intelligent decisions that leave him in steady positions curbing his offence-first-type-of-mentality .. defensively, he has improved cutting down the angles and using his effective stop and starts to force opponents to the outside .. has not been thrust into offensive situations yet, as he is on the second PP unit but coach Lever is aware of his QB skills .. maturing into a viable option for the Canadiens organization – an organization that is already blessed with a surplus of capable defensemen.