BCHL: Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker

Matt Butcher, son of ex-NHLer Garth Butcher, and the Chiefs went out in four straight versus the Surrey Eagles, but the series was a lot closer than a sweep. We have scouting notes on Matt and some of his Chilliwack teammates.

Chris Eppich (2005), C

Smallish forward is blessed with speed and terrific mobility .. doesn't try and overpower the goalie with a heavy slap shot, however, his quick release and tricky little wrist shot can cause troubles .. cuts down time and space on the puck carrier .. played on both special teams .. lacks sufficient strength to fight off checkers in heavy traffic .. got open in the slot and banged home a puck in the far corner .. was able to shake off a serious elbow to the head and remain in the game .. performed well under pressure and was easily the best Chief with the season on the line .. size is an issue and remains a long shot at hearing his name come draft time.

Peter Bogdanich (2005), LW

Elusive winger has good acceleration and is extremely quick around the puck .. his wrist shot explodes off the blade .. worked hard in front of the crease and displays a nose for the net .. played the point on the powerplay .. puts the pass on the tape .. used excellent vision to hit a player with a pass in a prime scoring area .. took a pass at full speed and used his strength to fight off a checker and get a scoring chance .. not an overly physical player, yet doesn't shy away from traffic .. needs to take more advantage of his deceptive shot .. knows how to read the play and get open .. took a dumb penalty away from the play in a tie game .. has the ability to slow the game down when he carries the puck .. was undressed at the point on a few occasions, which allowed a couple of scoring chances .. lost the handle on a penalty shot which would have tied the game to keep the series alive .. there's definitely a nice upside here and is a decent bet to be drafted, but is many years away of being NHL ready.

Matt Butcher (2005), C

Solid looking center and son of ex-NHLer Garth Butcher, needs to use his thickness better to fend off checkers .. had some trouble with stickhandling, especially in traffic and or under pressure .. has good overall speed .. needs more sandpaper to his game .. doesn't show a ton of imagination in the offensive zone .. has decent vision, just needs to work on his touch .. won two important face-offs late in the game .. takes a hit to make a play and displays terrific courage in traffic .. will need to bare down more, especially around the net .. powerful slap shot .. plays with intelligence on the PK .. closes down passing lanes and is a threat to create turnovers with his combination of strength and mobility .. plays on the power play .. a player that is still a work in progress, although could surprise at the draft given his bloodlines, upside as well as his overall package.

Josh Lunden (2005), LW

Looks extremely solid on his skates and has a strong stride .. has the puck skills and poise to dangle in traffic .. on both the powerplay and penalty-kill .. will go to the net .. comes back and supports the defense .. finds the holes .. got open by the faceoff dot and fired a slap shot wide .. needs to display more urgency away from the puck .. was way off on his attempted breakaway pass .. has some vision in the offensive zone, just needs to bare down more .. on the ice in the last minute and with his team needing a goal .. kind of player that leaves you wanting more.

Nolan Julseth-White (2006), D

Participated at the 2004-05 Under 17 World Hockey Challenge in Lethbridge .. blessed with nice size, but is still growing in to his frame .. didn't register a single point in 11 playoff games .. failed to take the man physically and allowed him to slip by and score .. must work on being more of a presence .. tied up his man effectively around the net .. was counted on to help kill a five on three .. although his skating doesn't jump out at you he is strong on his skates .. saw a lot of quality ice time in pressure situations.

Derek Janzen (2005), G

Comes across the crease well .. was beaten on a shot that rang off the post and out .. at times plays too shallow in his crease .. made a nice save by staying square to the shooter .. made a nice kick save, but let the rebound hanging around near the net .. does a good job covering the bottom half of the net .. seems to be positionally sound and is fairly agile .. played the odd man rush perfectly as he was able to come across and stuff a chance on the door step .. soaks up most shots with his glove .. is most effective when he stands up to the shooter and challenges .. needs to work on his puck control .. should benefit from going the college route.