BCHL: Bradford Expresses Himself

Travis GawryletzClick Brock Bradford is the type of mega-gifted, pint-sized player that one hopes the NHL can find a place for amongst the behemoths that lumber around the ice. We have notes from a recent game featuring Bradford and the Trail Smoke Eaters' Travis Gawryletz. Here to view this Link., D, (2004)

Brock BradfordClick On the power play .. gets a quick burst out of the blocks .. delivered a crisp breakout pass right on the tape .. picks up his man, but tended to use the stick to check instead of the body .. played either point, but usually was on the left side .. partnered with Josh Bishop .. needs to get his body on the puck carrier .. a regular on the PK .. used good anticipation to intercept a pass .. quick feet and moves very well sided to side .. communicates with his defensive partner .. received a ton of playing time in every situation .. has a long forceful stride .. looks for the open forward to try and deliver a home run pass to .. solid on his skates .. has the speed and strength to rush with the puck .. defensively conscientious, but will pinch in when given the opportunity .. uses the wall as one of his options to clear his zone .. got caught watching the play and let a forward sneak in behind him for a breakaway .. took an opening and jumped up and drove to the net and got away a bad angled shot .. blocked a clearing attempt by the opposition and chipped the puck off the boards to a forward who then moved it to a wide open player for a late goal in the second period .. supports the play .. let loose a howitzer from the point which created a dangerous rebound .. made the smart play defensively more often than not .. does not put himself in harms way unnecessarily very often .. received a roughing penalty late in the game which the Express scored on to salt it away 6 - 3 .. when Gawryletz did use his body he was quite effective .. his stock will soar if he develops a nasty/physical component to his game. Here to view this Link., LW, (2005)

Played at the recent Under-17's where he represented and won a Silver medal with Team Pacific .. excellent mobility and overall top speed .. part of a nice give and go which resulted in a beautiful goal .. listed at 5'10 and 160lbs, but he must have been standing on a crate .. thanks to tremendous vision, he distributes the puck efficiently .. on the PP .. blasted a snap shot that gave the goalie a little trouble .. played the left point on a 5 on 3 man advantage .. can stickhandle in a phone booth .. keenly aware how to maximize his blazing acceleration .. not overly physical .. made a nice head man pass to a forward breaking open for a scoring chance .. went to the net and deposited a backhanded shot over the prone goalie .. played on a line with (Colorado Avalanche prospect) David Jones and Brandon Yip .. didn't get a lot of time on the PK, but was told that they were resting him a bit .. very elusive and rarely gets tagged with a straight on hit .. got bumped off the puck .. not physical on the forecheck, however does close the gaps .. Bradford doesn't shy away from the physical aspects of the game, however, he is neither big or strong enough yet to be anything more than a nuisance to large bodied players .. forced a turnover in the offensive zone .. bobbled the reception of a pass a few times .. definitely a player to keep an eye on as his draft year approaches.