BCHL: Kyle Turris XY

BCHL: Kyle Turris XY (posted 01.04.07)

by Ron Jones

Kyle Turris (2007), C, Burnaby

Simply is an effortless skater that almost looks like he can reach top speed without trying .. wears an A .. dishes out breakaway passes thanks to his vision and elite delivery .. will go to the net .. boasts the ability to slip through defensive coverage almost untouched and get a scoring chance .. displays a ton of energy even with his extra time on the ice .. unselfish, but reads the game so well that he knows when to shoot and when to pass .. a deadly accurate array of shots and heaven help a goalie that is left alone with him .. moves the passing and shooting lanes so well that it makes it hard for checkers to mark him .. an exceptional stickhandler in and out of traffic .. when he played against Pierro-Zabotel he showed why he is ranked significantly higher than his fellow BCHLer .. terrific balance on his skates and rarely gets knocked down .. he communicates with his teammates always seems to be supportive .. it says something that he can ever get open as he has a huge bull's-eye on his back, yet he almost always gets a few prime scoring chances each game .. a regular on both special teams .. add 20 pounds and it isn't hard to think of him as a top five candidate in the upcoming draft, even so it would be a surprise if he's not selected in the top 15 .. played on a line with Tyler McNeely and Chris Rengert. (27gp, 32-21-53)

Casey Pierro-Zabotel (2007), C, Merritt

Lacks the elite mobility and effortless skating stride of Kyle Turris, however his skating is still a strong suit .. takes the pass smoothly .. possesses some snap to his wrist shot .. wears an A .. would like to see a bit more energy him as he seemed to pace himself a tad too much .. displays good vision and does a nice job sharing the puck .. played on a line of Jordan Zalba and Jeff Taylor .. goes to the net and parks himself there .. when he chooses to he can close the gap quite quickly on the puckcarrier .. he does have deceptive top speed thanks to a powerful stride .. saw some time at the point on the powerplay when he wasn't parked in front trying to disrupt the goaltender .. shows an awareness on the ice that is impressive .. will dish out bodychecks, especially along the wall, yet isn't a dangerous hitter .. at his best when keeping his feet moving, using his strength to push through traffic and his soft hands to finish .. quite good in the faceoff circle .. needs to play with more determination away from the puck and can look sluggish, almost lazy at certain times .. uses his stick to close passing lanes, yet too often doesn't pressure the puck. (33gp, 32-37-69)

WHL: Grab Bag (posted 01.02.07)

by Ron Jones

John Negrin (2007), D, Kootenay

Plays a very patient game, sometimes too patient .. communicates with his teammates .. his passes lack the crispness and accuracy to move him up to the elite prospect status .. seems to estimate correctly when to close the gap on an opposing puckcarrier .. will take a hit to make a play .. rarely carried the puck as he usually unloaded it almost as soon as it was on his stick .. looks a bit tentative offensively and rarely chose to pinch in .. it is doubtful that he's see much powerplay time anyways, but with Ben Maxwell seeing time at the point it is basically non-existent .. not always successful getting his shot through traffic, in fact a high percentage are nullified .. sometimes just throws the puck up the boards to not one in particular. (11gp, 1-7-8)

Oscar Moller (2007), C, Chilliwack

Has the poise and the hands to take advantage of the scoring chances in the slot .. plays on a line with Mark Santorelli and Josh Aspenlind .. uses his body effectively to protect the puck .. boasts a low center of gravity and can be hard to knock off the puck .. can be guilty over handling the puck and not using his teammates .. his skating remains a concern, especially out of the blocks and his top end speed is far from elite .. supports the puck and can usually be found near it .. very good at finding the holes in the offensive zone .. takes the body reasonably, but isn't a feared hitter .. receives the pass smoothly .. plays the point on the powerplay and is aggressive about pinching in. (37gp, 19-15-34)

Taylor Ellington (2007), D, Everett

With Doyle out he saw time on the third pairing with Mike Alexander .. will move in from the point .. needs to read the play better to have more success offensively .. at his best when he keeps his game simple, especially when moving the puck .. must be careful about not getting caught flatfooted in one-on-one situations .. although his jump still needs improvement it still is above average .. sports the ability to deliver heavy bodychecks along the wall, but isn't a feared hitter that opponents stay clear from .. not dangerous shooting from the point .. saw time on both special teams. (34gp, 4-2-6)

Zach Hamill (2007), C, Everett

Really has trouble maintaining position in heavy traffic .. with Peter Mueller away at the USA Junior camp he sometimes rotated back to the point .. wears the A .. takes and gives the pass well, however can be rushed in to poor passes if he starts hearing footsteps .. becomes less effective the more physical the game is very alert at finding the holes and possesses the quickness to get there .. shows imagination offensively, yet can be a bit too fancy with the puck .. boasts the hands to stickhandle through a checker going for the puck .. a regular on the powerplay and will slide back to the point or the half wall to make plays .. saw a bit of time on the PK, but isn't overly effective in the dirty areas .. at his best when keeping his feet moving and showing determination with the puck which he doesn't do as much as he should. (36gp, 15-30-45)

WHL: Rowatt's Standing Pat (posted 01.01.07)

by Ron Jones

Matt Delahey (2008), D, Regina

Handles the pressure fairly effectively when handling the puck .. very good jump out of the gates .. moves his feet well as he can go swiftly forward or backwards .. does a solid job of picking up the opposition forward that tries to park himself in front .. will pinch in from the point when he's got the opportunity .. plays on the penalty-kill. (37gp, 1-3-4)

Jordan Eberle (2008), C/RW, Regina

Displays good puck pursuit, but tends to wander out of his lane a lot .. isn't hesitant to go in to traffic .. doesn't appear to be overly strong on his skates and can get bodied out of the play a bit too easily .. loves to keep his feet moving and look for the holes in the defensive coverage .. sports a fairly quick stick .. rarely had the puck on his stick for any length of time .. played on both special teams. (39gp, 16-15-31)

Nick Ross (2007), D, Regina

His strong suit isn't rushing with the puck, at least end-to-end .. uses good judgement when to finesse a point shot or to try and simply just blast it .. does a nice job distributing the puck as he carries it up the ice .. good hand-eye coordination .. usually effective at keeping the puck in front of him and is positionally very sound .. might lack elite top end skill, however seems to think the game at an extremely high level .. will move in from the point, yet isn't a huge risk taker .. a regular on the powerplay, but rarely saw time on the PK .. has chemistry with Logan Pyett. (37gp, 5-9-14)

Linden Rowat (2007), D, Regina

Fairly athletic, but is better when he stays on his feet .. poor at stopping the shootins .. rarely handles the puck and even rarer still is when he effectively moves the puck up the ice .. very quick at being able to get across the goal and has the ability to make highlight reel saves .. will come out to challenge the shooter .. extremely alert in goal and is usually set for the initial shot. (11-13-1-3)