AJHL: Free Mason

Camrose Kodiaks' left winger, Mason Raymond, is arguably the best player available for the 2005 NHL Entry Draft that most people outside of the AJHL haven't heard of. We have notes from a recent game featuring Raymond and a pair of his Kodiak' teammates including T.J. Fast and Tyler Swystun.

T.J. Fast (2005), D

Powerplay specialist didn't play much at the start of the game partly due to Camrose having to kill off three straight penalties .. partnered with Tanner Stockwell .. appears to have adequate size, however he doesn't always appear to use it .. allowed his man to beat him to the net .. will need to work on his positioning .. a regular on the powerplay .. extremely mobile, with tremendous acceleration and overall speed .. thinks offense first, in fact he usually is ahead of at least forward on the breakout .. started to be used more five on five when his team was down a few goals .. joins the rush at the first sign of an opening .. needs to be more of a presence in his own zone to be able to play in all situations .. very good stickhandler and doesn't lose a step at top speed when carrying the puck .. terrific offensive upside and has all the tools to be worth a mid to late round pick by a team willing to be patient as he learns to play in his own zone.

Mason Raymond (2005), LW

Electrifying speedster is very mobile with lightning quick acceleration .. takes and gives the pass well .. played on a line with Chance Olsen and Matt Boyd .. looked solid on his skates as he shook off a bodycheck in the corner .. will need to add some muscle to his slender frame .. received a questionable hooking penalty that appeared to be nothing more than tight checking .. in the highlight of the night, Raymond went end to end down his off wing using blazing speed to gain the offensive zone, where he then dished off a crisp pass to a linemate and drove hard to the crease where he easily drilled home a shot in to the yawning cage .. has the speed and stickhandling ability to back off defenders .. didn't look out of place when he got the odd PK shift .. a regular on the powerplay .. splendid vision and uses his teammates effectively .. beat a defender by faking inside and then blasting by the flatfooted blueliner on the outside .. easily the most dangerous player on the ice for either team .. was the recipient of a cheap hit after the whistle that the official chose to ignore .. opposing checkers would be well advised to hit him and hit him often to try and limit his effectiveness as he is quite simply a nuclear weapon size threat when given any kind of time and space.

Tyler Swystun (2006), RW

Very agile with nice acceleration .. might have had a small case of the jitters in this game .. knows how to elude a check .. played on a line with Kyle Parkes and Jason Roberts .. blew a great opportunity when he double clutched on a shot while all alone in the slot .. took a regular shift at even strength .. closes the passing lanes on the puck carrier .. very graceful skater .. received the pass smoothly, unfortunately had the puck roll of his blade as he was stickhandling in deep .. defensively conscientious and communicates effectively with his defense .. takes or gives a hit to make a play .. made a crisp saucer pass to an open teammate for what should have been a scoring chance .. drove hard to the net and left his check in the dust, but was unable to convert as he mishandled the pass in the slot.

Notes: Michael-Lee Teslak continues to shine in his role as a replacement for both of South Surrey's injured goaltenders. He was selected the second star in Game 1 of the Doyle Cup.