CSR Challenge Tournament Part Two

On the 17th and 18th of April, the QJMHL Central Scouting held it's annual two-day tournament called the CSR Challenge where about 150 of the best 15 and 16-year-old players were invited to strut their stuff in front the Scouts and GM's of the league. McKeen's correspondent Rick Springhetti attended and reports on some of the players that were present. Part two features the forwards.

Luca Ciampini (2012), LW, Chateauguay

Pure goal scorer has great offensive instincts .. not afraid to go in the slot and take the punishment needed to get the goal .. speed is average .. needs to improve his explosiveness in his first few steps .. handles the puck fairly well but gets over confident when things go his way and tries to do more than he can handle .. backchecks hard and helps clear the crease area when needed .. buries most of his scoring chances .. willing to battle along the boards .. initiates contact with authority .. dynamic player who forces opponents to always keep and eye on him.

Michael Clarke (2011), LW, Cole Harbour

Hard-working forward .. not hesitant to battle for the puck in the corners .. speed is only average .. could use some improvements in his first few steps .. good peripheral vision, he doesn't have the kind of pure skills to take advantage of it too much offensively, but it's a big help defensively .. could backcheck with a little more authority, as he is a little inconsistent in this aspect of the game .. effort level is there, but must learn how to better take advantage of his tools.

Nicolas Dionne (2011), C, Amos

Goes hard to the net .. very quick release on his shot and willing to use the one timer .. doesn't miss out on too many scoring chances .. fluid skater who gets some good speed on his first few steps .. works on his defense but doesn't always cover the passing lanes well .. keeps his body a little low when he handles the puck not giving him the chance to properly spot his open linemates .. not shy to take a hit to make a play but doesn't really initiate contact.

Charles Hudon (2012), C, St-Eustache

Not the biggest player out there, but was very strong nonetheless .. strong lower-body strength .. hard to get the puck away from him due to his speed and ability to keep his body low, which means defensemen get into penalty trouble when trying to slow him down .. gets involved in the defensive zone by cutting down passes and supporting his defensemen .. holds on to the puck a little too long at times .. twice was voted midget player of the month this season.

Raphael Lafontaine (2013), C, Gatineau

Good skater who can dart in and out of traffic very quickly, although at times, he seems to lose a lit bit of his balance when taking a sharp turn .. able to dish out a hard hit .. doesn't quit when battling against the boards .. defensively, he doesn't play the body as much as the puck .. stick stays active but will have to play a little more conservatively to the puckcarrier .. has a real strong backhand shot .. not afraid to get into the opposing teams slot and take punishment for a scoring chance.

Louick Marcotte (2012), C, College Charles-Lemoyne

Good-sized forward .. fluid skater .. shows some good skills but may be better off trying to simplify his game just a little .. can make some real good passing plays but, at times, tries too hard to create plays where none is available.. has to learn to use his size to create some space and better protect the puck.

Devon Oliver-Dares (2012), RW, Dartmouth

Offensive-minded forward can be a very dynamic on-ice presence if he has the chance to get the puck .. very quick skater who make sharp turns with ease .. hits his maximum speed in just a few strides .. gets tunnel vision once he gets going and doesn't spot his teammates on the ice .. has to battle harder along the boards, as that aspect of the game is lacking .. uses his stick to get control of the puck and will sometimes give his opponents a little extra shot .. shot is hard but he needs to hit the net .. has to give the same kind of effort defensively .. hangs very high in his own zone looking to steal the puck from opposing defenseman leaving his team short a man down low.