AHL: Woe is Weiss

The effort was there for Stephen Weiss (right) in the Calder Cup Finals, but the end result fell short of expectations for the young center and his Chicago Wolves teammates. Our report card series wraps up with Weiss, along with Tommi Santala and Jon Sim.

Stephen Weiss (Fla), C, Chicago Wolves: C

Worked hard to create offense in this series but he still only managed one assist .. size continues to be a concern .. although he went into traffic he isn't strong on his skates and he can still be moved easily .. he'll even battle for loose change in the corners and behind the net but rarely emerges with the puck .. uses his good hands and skating to slither through the neutral zone .. vision was used to create chances for his linemates .. normally strong on the PP, although Philly boxed out the opposition well on the PK in this series .. good effort in game four in an attempt to save the season, managing a goal and being +1 on a team that lost 5-2 .. will likely put up 40-50 points as a second line center in the NHL, most of those coming on the PP.

Tommi Santala (Atl), C, Chicago Wolves: B-

Held to only one assist in four games .. despite the poor offensive output he had a good series .. showed off his amazing vision and playmaking ability to give his teammates multiple chances for goals .. uncanny ability to see an open man that is invisible to most .. worked the puck well .. showed a willingness to use his size, something that has been a downside for such a big man .. was difficult to move off the puck and made a living in this series by being the first man in front of the net on the PP .. was the only Wolves player that really had any success creating traffic in front of Niittymaki .. uses his size and hands to shield checkers away from the puck .. showed a good effort in coming back to help on defense .. Thrashers' brass has to be pleased with his recent development .. would be a third liner winger with good size and playmaking ability in the near future .. still, his lack of offensive output for a team crying for it in this series hurt.

Jon Sim (Phx), LW, Philadelphia Phantoms: B+

Versatile player who has a small frame but is an incredible pest .. played the pest role in this series to perfection .. not only drove Kari Lehtonen crazy along with every other Wolves player, but also the fans .. relentlessly .. goes to the net and puts his body on the line every night .. likes to get in the thick of things .. loves to chase after the puck but isn't smart enough to really break down and digest a game, although that's not why he's there .. flies into traffic areas and will do anything to take the opposition off the puck .. loves to jab after the play .. should be commended for taking some of the Wolves best players off their games and causing retaliatory penalties .. opened up the series with a big game, including an assist, eight shots, and six PIM's .. flew out of the gate in game four with two goals, four shots, six PIM's and a third star nomination .. has an NHL spot waiting for him once the lockout is over, likely with Phoenix as they hold his rights .. fourth liner won't score points like he did in the AHL, but he'll play the pest role and do it well .. can also skate well and comes back on defense, so he won't hurt your team with a lack of NHL speed either.