Chucko and Zajac: Salmon Arms Dynamic Duo

Kris Chucko and Travis Zajac have pro scouts salivating over the chances to draft either one of them at the upcoming 2004 NHL Entry Draft, especially since both will be able to take their time to progress at the college level.

Kris Chucko (2004), RW

Wears the C .. received a boarding penalty .. carelessly turned the puck over by throwing it in to traffic .. good forechecker, cuts down time and space .. has excellent mobility .. made a nice pass to a forward who was just breaking in to the open .. a mainstay on the power play .. saw limited time on the penalty kill .. comes back deep in his own zone to support the defense and picks up his man .. once again tried to force a pass that got turned over .. accepts the pass at full stride .. solid on his skates .. drives to the net and displays a willingness to get his nose dirty .. takes the body if opportunity presents itself .. takes a hit to make a play .. works hard in high traffic area to grab loose pucks .. will park himself in front of the goalie and give the defense as much abuse as he gets .. lively wrist shot .. deftly stickhandled his way in and around a maze of players .. although he didn’t take the majority of faceoffs, he was counted on to take quite a few .. has the ability to sneak behind the D and get open for the homerun pass .. crunched a player along the boards .. was assessed a borderline holding PIM .. effective along the wall and in traffic .. powerful skater and finishes his checks .. on successive shifts put a player over the boards with a clean hit .. looked ready and able to scrap once the game had gotten out of reach .. has a bit of a mean streak that can get the best of him if he’s not careful .. showed a propensity for finding open spaces .. has the strength, speed and desire to fight off checkers.

Travis Zajac (2004), C

A bit more of a perimeter player compared to his linemate Kris Chucko .. wears the A .. battles on the draw .. fluid skater and proved it by going end to end for a scoring chance .. has a superb burst to get up to full speed within a few steps .. dazzling skater with elite top end speed .. displays striking leaderships skills, a real student of the game .. finds the holes with seeing eye passes .. tremendous playmaker .. communicates with his teammates .. looked dangerous almost every time he was on the ice .. foundation of the Silverbacks’ special teams .. lined up at the point on occasion during a man advantage or when the teams were four on four .. usually the first forward to come back and always picks up his man .. has a bit of an edge .. tied up the opposition center on a draw and kicked it back to his teammate then broke free to receive a pass .. is the recipient of a lot of ice time .. exceptional vision compliments first-rate passing skills .. backed up and defenseman that pinched in .. formidable in most aspects of the game, although not particularly aggressive or physically intimidating, but doesn’t shy away from the rough stuff .. was counted on to help kill a few 5 on 3 man advantages and his precise artistry in the faceoff circle went a long way in accomplishing that goal .. will need to get stronger to take the body more successfully .. cuts down passing lanes on the PK .. has a knack for getting open .. beneficiary of extra ice time on other lines .. does most tasks equally well at full speed .. displays a sixth sense about when a play is going to open up before it does .. incomparable leadership skills .. generally composed and rarely takes himself out of position .. a master at the give and go .. powerful slap shot .. late in the game was in a scrum after the whistle and was sent to the dressing room with Chucko.

Craig Switzer (2004), D

Average size blueliner .. terrific speed with comparable mobility .. turned over the puck a few times trying to bring the puck out of his end .. on the PK and PP .. went for the high risk play by trying to strip a hard rushing forward, but missed both .. versatile enough to play either side depending on whom he’s playing with .. generally moves the puck crisply and right on the tape .. settled down and made a number of nice first passes to get the puck out .. got open to take the pass.

Spencer Dillon (2004), D

Played on the penalty kill .. delivered a nice pass to the forward .. drove the puck without hesitation while on the PK .. quick skater, but was less likely to join the rush than Switzer .. solidly built and rarely was bumped off the puck .. retaliated with a slash while killing a PIM to put his team down two men .. forces the forward to the outside using above average speed, mobility and strength.