Ellis on Wheels

While many teams in the QJMHL have received more attention due to their record or star players, the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles should not be ignored. This is a team that is balanced, well coached and competes every night. McKeen's correspondent Rick Springhetti looks at several youngsters playing important roles in the success of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles including defenseman Morgan Ellis.

Brad Cuzner (2010), LW, Cape Breton

Born in Nova Scotia, he is not the biggest player but he does battle hard for the puck .. good lower-body strength and coordination make him harder to handle against the boards than most people realize .. he does have only average speed .. pretty good hand-eye coordination .. shot is not especially hard .. has to work on his release in particular because at 5-foot-8, he will find it difficult to get near the net to score garbage goals .. absorbs hits properly, often managing to stay on his feet .. unsure of himself in the defensive zone .. seems to take an extra second to make a decision on who to cover or where to go .. willing to battle and tries to finish his checks .. doesn't get pushed around by anyone, even dropping the gloves if need be.

Morgan Ellis (2010), D, Cape Breton

Smooth skater in all directions .. average wristshot .. hits the net with regularity and keeps it low giving his teammates scoring opportunities via deflections or rebounds .. has trouble winning physical battles along the boards .. effective when he gets to play the puck and use his feet .. get's a little passive defensively .. skating ability helps his gap control when defending either in one-on-one situations or against multiple opponents .. also very effective at keeping opponents on the outside due to his excellent lateral mobility .. doesn't hesitate to give out some hard hits if possible.. may possess a higher upside offensively than imagined but his willingness to buy into the teams conservative style does not give him as much of an opportunity to show what he can do.

Viktor Hertzberg (2010), RW, Cape Breton

Sweden-born forward is playing his first year in the QJMHL .. was draft-eligible last season but went undrafted .. spots open teammates quickly and can get them the puck when he is not in movement .. when he is skating with the puck, he has a habit of playing with blinders and starts trying to get through all his opponents by himself .. hard wristshot that he releases quickly .. likes to create plays from the half-wall offensively until he has an opening near the center of the offensive zone in which he will move up quickly and take a shot on net .. good anticipation in the offensive zone gives him a chance to use that shot regularly .. defensively, he tends to play very high .. helps him cover the point man well but he should be supporting his teammates more when they are battling for the puck .. he does cover passing lanes very well and has enough jump on his first few steps when moving laterally to handle quicker players .. not a physical player, although he is willing to take a hit in the offensive zone.

Logan Shaw (2011), RW, Cape Breton

Big forward who should only get better as he grows into his huge frame .. skating is not agile at this point, in fact it's very choppy, but he is showing improvements on his pivots compared to last season .. plays the cycle game very well not only winning his battles but moving the puck to an open teammate quickly .. protects the puck very well .. manages to push opponents off the puck quickly due to his upper-body strength .. good work ethic on and off the ice .. team nominee for the scholastic player of the year award.