EUROPE: Slovakia/Switzerland U20

Tatran Cup - Slovakia U20 (posted 9.25.06)

by Robert Neuhauser

Slovakia - Top performers

Lukas Skrecko (2007), G

Blessed with impressive size tools .. moves efficiently in the crease and stays square to the shooter .. decent side-to-side movement for a big man .. could pick up on his backwards skating and cover the upper corners more effectively .. above-average footspeed for a player of his size .. possesses decent reflexes and anticipation of plays .. okay resilience and athleticism .. relies on his fundamentals rather than on acrobatic saves .. possesses above-average fundamentals and doesn't flop around in the crease .. stays square to the shooter .. patient on the scoring chances .. waits for the opponent to make the first move and reacts calmly .. okay leg quickness .. angles shots into the corners well by using his pads .. prone to allowing the odd soft goal through his five-hole .. gets back up quickly .. okay orientation in the crease .. tough to beat on the initial shot .. cuts the angles adequately well .. willing to go out of the crease to limit the options of the shooter .. doesn't allow unnecessary rebounds .. okay handling of the rebounds .. a decent glove hand .. doesn't show trouble with shots aiming at his blocker .. a decent stickhandler .. confident in his stickhandling ability but is prone to risky passes.

Juraj Mikus (2007), D

A decent skater for a player of his size .. possesses an adequate acceleration and a decent first-step quickness .. could upgrade on his turns and lateral movement .. decent agility for a big man .. okay lower-body strength and balance .. should upgrade on top-end speed a defensive-minded blueliner .. possesses adequate stickhandling skills .. uses a long stick to make pinches .. hands aren't soft enough to make quick dekes when moving the puck out of his own end but this asset doesn't limit him .. distributes accurate passes on a short distance .. sees all passing lanes but is prone to odd mistakes when passing the puck on a long distance .. tends to make mistakes when heavily pressed .. can corral the pucks adequately well .. unleashes a decent hard slap shot with okay accuracy but the slap shot is too telegraphed .. useful as a powerplay pointman .. doesn't have the needed vision to quarterback powerplays effectively .. possesses impressive size tools but should become more of a dilligent combatant along the boards and in front of the crease .. doesn't play afraid but should hit more often .. only adequate positionally .. occasionally gets beaten in one-on-one situations .. a decent force on the penalty killing units .. got stronger during the recent months but still should bulk up .. a late '88 born defenseman.

Marcel Hascak (2007), RW

An okay skater with decent acceleration .. possesses above-average agility and first-step quickness .. could use more balance and lower-body strength .. should further upgrade on his top-end speed .. possesses okay stickhandling skills .. a decent passer with an okay vision and awareness of his linemates .. prefers passing to shooting .. anticipates the deflections of the puck well when stealing the puck from scrums .. could use a bigger variety of shots .. fires a quick accurate wrist shot which is the most dangerous from his arsenal .. decent snap shot .. average slap shot with an average accuracy .. possesses okay in-close finishing skills .. waits for the goaltender to make the first move .. patient with the puck .. not a big force in traffic but doesn't play afraid and works hard along the boards .. occasionally mucks for the loose pucks along the boards .. throws the occasional hit, but isn't a consistent physical menace .. still needs to bulk up .. shows a commitment to the defensive play .. blocks the passing lanes of the opposition fairly well .. an active force on the penalty killing units .. leads the play of the penalty killing box .. uses an active stick on the penalty kill .. above-average intensity and determination .. an okay forechecker .. difficult to keep under control for the opponents after a faceoff .. a right-shooting forward.

Branislav Rehus (2007), C

A decent skater .. uses a short quick stride .. okay agility .. possesses a decent first-step quickness .. could use further upgrading on his explosiveness and top-end speed .. progressed on his decent balance and lower-body strength .. a solid stickhandler who uses both sides of the stick blade .. capable of a surprising move .. above-average passing accuracy .. could deal with difficult passes more effortlessly but is decent in this asset .. decent hand-eye coordination .. could make better puck moves when pressed in heavy traffic .. okay patience with the puck .. decent vision and hockey sense .. an useful player on the powerplay units as the set-up man from the corner .. only adequate in-close finishing skills .. fires a hard accurate snap shot .. slap shot of adequate accuracy could be upgraded in terms of hardness .. willling to return to defense quickly .. is still raw in his defensive awareness despite the obvious effort .. should mark his man more quickly .. decent defensive positioning .. can be sneaky in traffic .. doesn't shy away from traffic and is willing to get dirty when the play gets physical .. regularly performs in traffic .. capable of laying hard hits on the opponents but still should get stronger .. willing to play through pain .. a late '88 born forward.

Other players

Branislav Konrad (2007), G

An adequately-sized goalie who plays more of a butterfly style .. takes advantage of his strong reflexes and athleticism .. possesses above-average leg quickness .. good resilience and dexterity .. decent anticipation of plays .. smart at reacting at the developing plays .. can move efficiently in the crease .. decent skating skills .. possesses an above-average lateral movement .. okay backwards skating .. could use upgraded footspeed .. gets back up quickly when dropping to a butterfly .. plays an active game despite lying on his back .. stays square to the shooter .. decent positional play in the crase .. an okay quick glove hand .. worse on the blocker side .. should orientate in traffic better .. decent at angling the shots in the corners .. challenges the shooter .. possesses an okay mental toughness .. average stickhandler, but is willing to play the puck .. should make more accurate passes .. catches right .. a late '87 born goaltender.

Tomas Magusin (2007), D

Possesses a gigantic but very lanky frame .. a sub-par skater with a not very effective stride .. slow acceleration and first-step quickness .. can get beaten by speed .. needs to work on his turns and lateral movement .. speed can be only particularly improved with adding more lower-body strength .. should upgrade on his overall mobility .. more of a defensive-minded rearguard .. stays back in his own zone rather than rushing the puck .. needs to upgrade on the timing of his offensive support .. occasionally prone to falling back behind the plays .. decent stickhandling skills .. uses his reach adequately well at blocking opposing passing lanes and pinching the puck .. decent positional play .. focuses on staying with his man and doesn't make many glaring mistakes in his own end but can be vulnerable to opponents who can make him moving .. only adequate positional play .. doesn't have the vision to emerge as an offensive blueliner .. tends to pass the puck to the teammate nearby him .. a diligent player but shows a limited ability .. needs to bulk up considerably and make his giant frame to his advantage .. doesn't hit hard and tends to push the opponents out of the scoring lanes instead of hitting them.

Matej Cunik (2007), D

A decent skater but a player of his size still needs to develop a better propulsion .. blessed with an adequate acceleration and lateral movement .. shows quick turns and adequate speed both straightaway and backwards, but a middle-sized defenseman needs to upgrade on his top-end speed .. possesses decent lower-body strength and balance .. possesses an above-average offensive flair but is limited in his effectiveness by an average hockey sense .. possesses decent puckhandling skills .. supports the offense with accurate passing skills on the short distance but is inconsistent in this asset.. adequate timing of his passes .. can make plays from both sides of the stick but should play with his head up more .. decent on the powerplay units .. solid shot from the point with a decent accuracy .. suffers from the odd positional lapse and is average in the defensive zone coverage .. would be more effective if he would calm down on the penalty killing units .. an average factor in one-on-one situations .. needs to work harder down low and clear the crease with a bigger determination .. doesn't play afraid, but isn't much of a physical force despite a decent stocky frame.

Tomas Brnak (2007), D

A diminutive defenseman .. a solid skater with an okay stride .. possesses decent bursts of speed .. solid agility and lateral movement .. still could use more balance .. difficult to outskate .. a two-way defenseman .. compensates his severe size deficiency with his creativity and smarts .. decent stickhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. can move the puck out of tight spaces .. possesses decent offensive flair .. okay offensive vision and awareness of his linemates .. capable of delivering crisp accurate outlet passes .. occasionally tends to overhandle the puck in order to make the perfect play .. would be more effective if he would keep things more simply .. decent powerplay quarterback but doesn't stand out in this role .. won't ever be much of a physical presence despite an okay build frame .. too small and gets outmuscled in physical battles by bigger opponents .. tends to use his stick instead of his body .. adequate pinching .. should upgrade on the pep of his shots from the point as he shows trouble with getting them through .. slap shot is too telegraphed .. okay hard snap shot .. stays in position adequately well .. tends to fly around a bit on the penalty killing units.

Marek Bartanus (TB), LW

A good skater for a big man .. an effortless stride and above-average first-step quickness .. solid agility and balance .. possesses okay soft hands and swift puckhandling skills but doesn't take a proper advantage of those strengths .. can maneuver in heavy traffic and execute at top speed .. makes hard passes, but needs to upgrade on timing .. a strong wrist and snap shot .. could use his hard accurate slap shot to a bigger extent .. tends to take the odd shift off .. not impressive when playing off the puck .. doesn't see the passing lanes quickly enough to create quality plays .. prone to playing with his head down .. his intensity in the defensive zone drops .. needs to develop a bigger commitment to the defensive play .. can get caught flat-footed in the neutral zone when not reading the plays properly .. isn't playing afraid and is solid in traffic, but should use more aggresivness .. sticks his nose into corner battles .. an average factor on the special units .. should upgrade on his defensive positioning .. prone to some undisciplined fouls .. should upgrade on his conditioning to be more effective .. prone to regular off-shifts .. needs to be more productive .. a right-shooting forward.

David Buc (2007), RW

A decent skater with an adequately fluid stride .. blessed with decent bursts of speed .. possesses only adequate top-end speed .. could use more agility in his play .. possesses strong lower-body and balance .. not very impressive offensive instincts .. shoots the puck often, utilizing on his decent shooting skills .. hard and accurate snap shot .. okay wrist shot with a fast release .. hard slap shot should be upgraded in terms of accuracy .. isn't overly creative with the puck .. lacks vision and hockey sense .. doesn't see the passing lanes quickly enough .. a limited factor on the powerplay units .. performs in the opposing slot where he looks for rebounds .. forces opposition to make mistakes with his tight forechecking but is inconsistent in this asset .. possesses the speed to return back in time on transitions, but is very raw in the defensive awareness .. should mark his man better .. doesn't back down from executing in traffic and isn't afraid of bigger opponents .. plays the body, but should hit more precisely and upgrade on timing of his hits .. plays a gritty game but should take a bigger advantage of his belligerence.

Michal Klejna (2007), RW

An offensive winger with good skating skills .. possesses a fluid stride .. an okay first-step quickness and top-end speed along with a solid agility .. could use more balance on his skates as he is still gets knocked down too easily .. a tricky puckhandler with a solid hand-eye coordination .. more of a selfish player who needs to learn how to use his linemates more often .. even if he is capable of crisp accurate passes, he is greedy in puck possession during numerous shifts and tries to deke all his way to the opposing goal .. unleashes primarily a quick accurate wrist shot .. slap shot needs to be more hard .. needs to develop more effective in-close finishing skills .. doesn't show a commitment to the defensive play and needs to mark his man faster in the defensive zone .. an average factor on the penalty killing units despite playing an active game .. doesn't have visible problems with the opponents playing his body, but isn't a player who would throw hits every shift .. needs to get stronger in order to battle himself into scoring areas .. tends to take odd shifts off an is inconsistent .. more productivity would help upgrade on his effectiveness .. a late '87 born player.

Patrik Lusnak (2007), RW

Possesses slick skating skills .. blessed with a strong footspeed and acceleration .. above-average agility and speed .. can outskate the defenders, but could use a better balance on his skates as he tends to get knocked off balance by bigger opponents .. can bring opponents out of position with his flashy moves .. good skill set .. crafty puckhandler with a solid hand-eye coordination .. succeeds in one-on-one situations thanks to his elusive stick moves .. likes to carry the puck into the offensive zone and then pass it to a linemate .. okay passing skills on a short distance .. occasionally dishes out a long pass but limited hockey sense hurts his effectiveness .. should develop a better awareness of his linemates .. should play with his head up more .. occasionally willing to shoot the puck, using primarily his wrist shot .. his slap shot needs to be fired more harder .. snap shot with average accuracy .. needs to develop more lethal sniper instincts .. isn't very effective in traffic thanks to his size deficiency .. doesn't play soft and visits the slot, but shows trouble when dealing with bigger opponents .. needs to improve on his defensive play .. doesn't seem overly inspired in his own end and marks his man slowly .. prone to taking off-shifts .. plays an energy game on the penalty killing units .. a late '88 born forward.

Matej Cesik (2007), C

A decent skater but a player of his size still could use better wheels .. uses a short stride .. okay agility and footspeed .. adequate first-step quickness and acceleration .. decent top-end speed .. average balance on his skates .. a decent stickhandler .. eager to gain possession of the puck .. can deal with difficult passes adequately well .. uses both sides of the stick but doesn't make accurate passes on the backhand side .. could make better puck moves when pressed in heavy traffic and be a better force in one-on-one situations .. is precipitous once on a scoring chance which hurts his effectiveness .. doesn't stand out with his smarts .. average hockey sense .. should be more creative when performing on powerplay units .. slap shot of adequate accuracy could be upgraded in terms of hardness .. willling to return to the defensive zone, but is very raw in his defensive awareness .. average positionally .. prone to occassional floating in the defensive zone .. doesn't shy away from traffic, but isn't a player who would thrive under the physical style .. gets pushed arond by bigger opponents .. doesn't lay many hits on the opponents .. needs to get stronger .. should crash the net with a bigger determination .. should bulk up so that he can't be pushed out of scoring lanes so easily .. prone to taking off-shifts.

Robin Just (2007), LW

An okay skater with a decent smooth stride .. above-average agility and acceleration .. solid footspeed .. reaches top speed in a few strides but still should upgrade on his separational gear .. looks for breakaway chances .. should upgrade on balance and lower-body strength .. gets knocked off his feet by bigger opponents .. prone to obstruction fouls when quitting moving his feet .. a decent passer with okay tape-on-tape feeds when passing on a short distance .. possesses adequate vision and hockey sense but doesn't have the creativity to control the play of the line .. possesses okay stickhandling skills but should corrall difficult passes more effortlessly .. prefers passing to shooting but lacks quality hockey sense to be an effective playmaker .. doesn't play afraid .. battles in the corners but doesn't have the physical tools to battle the bigger opponents physically .. needs more strength to succeed in the trenches .. should be more patient when challenging the goaltender in-close .. an adequate array of shots but should fire the pucks more often .. okay accurate wrist shot .. should use his slap shot to a bigger extent .. returns to his own zone, but is very raw in this asset .. tends to run around instead of staying with his man .. average positional play on the penalty killing units .. should block the passing lanes of the opposition more conscientiously.

Matej Hamrak (2007), C

An adequate skater with an average stride .. shows decent agility but needs to upgrade on his slow first-step quickness .. needs a better top-end speed .. can't execute without having to slow down .. decent balance and lower-body strength .. prone to falling back behind the plays .. adequate stickhandling skills but should be capable of a bigger number of elusive moves to sneak past the opposing defensemen .. should corral difficult passes more effortlessly .. a decent passer on a short distance, but should be more aware of his linemates .. possesses adequate smarts and hockey sense .. prone to steering himself into nowhere occasionally .. uses his primarily his quick hard wrist shot .. slap shot lacks accuracy .. should develop smoother in-close finishing skills .. can make use of his size, but should play gritty on a more regular basis .. occasionally performs in the opposing slot .. inconsistent in his traffic awareness .. should drive the net harder .. a two-way forward .. willing to return back quickly to help out the defense .. raw in his defensive positioning .. plays a diligent game in his own end and battles along the boards .. spots his man adequately fast .. an average factor in the faceoff circle .. a right-shooting forward.

Tatran Cup - Switzerland U20 (posted 9.21.06)

by Robert Neuhauser

Switzerland - Top performers

Marco Maurer (2007), D

A solid skater for a player of his size .. uses a smooth stride which enables him to accelerate quickly .. okay lateral movement and pivots .. decent agility .. okay lateral movement and straightaway speed .. decent lateral agility ..decent balance but still could upgrade on lower-body strength .. okay top-end speed .. average stickhandling skills .. should upgrade on his ability to corrall difficult passes .. doesn't use the backhand side of his stick often .. can't move the puck out of tight spaces .. isn't very creative with the puck and tends to pass it to the nearby teammate despite his willingness to join the rush .. prone to fuzzy decisions with the puck when pressed .. doesn't stand out with his offensive vision and hockey sense .. more of a defensive-minded blueliner .. works hard in his own end .. decent positional play .. is willing to use his body when punishing the opponents along the boards, but tends to loose position when making a hit .. a determined hitter who plays a nasty game in his own end .. prone to the odd dirty foul .. a determined crease-clearer .. plays a feisty game in the slot .. unleashes a hard slap shot, but accuracy is an issue .. a decent asset to the penalty killing units but isn't effective on the powerplay units with his limited offensive ability.

Lukas Stoop (2008), D

A decent skater for a player with above-average size .. uses a fluid stride .. okay speed both straightaway and backwards .. possesses an okay agility .. progressed in his first-step quickness but still could use a better acceleration .. solid on his turns .. decent balance .. okay lateral movement .. decent top-end speed .. works hard down low and isn't afraid of physical contact .. willing to drop the gloves .. an adequate force along the boards, but isn't a physically intimidating player .. decent positional play .. doesn't tend to make glaring mistakes in his own end .. should improve on his play in one-on-one situations as he gets beaten often .. an aggressive pincher .. a two-way defenseman .. willing to join the rush and move the puck .. solid vision and hockey sense .. decent puckhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. corrals the pucks well using both sides of the stick blade .. confident in his offensive ability .. capable of long hard accurate outlet passes, but could make them on a regular basis .. prone to occasional mistakes when moving the puck .. can make a surprise move .. fires quick shots from the point, but his attempts need to get through more regularly .. fires an accurate snap shot which is easily tippable .. capable of playing both powerplay quarterback and pointman .. distributes quick accurate passes on powerplays .. prone to the odd positional mistake on the penalty killing units .. shoots right .. a '90 born defenseman

Dario Burgler (2007), RW

A solid skater with good lower-body strength and balance .. displays a powerful stride and decent footspeed .. solid agility .. adequate top-end speed .. can sneak into scoring chances .. a competitive warrior who isn't afraid of playing the body, but keeps his mean streak hidden in a number of games .. decent toughness .. occassionally hits players along the boards and mucks in the corners .. eager for puck possession .. a decent passer who can make plays from both sides of the stick .. possesses decent puckhandling skills and vision .. should be more smooth in one-on-one situations .. isn't a very creative playmaker but regularly dishes out accuracy last passes in the opposing slot .. looks for an open linemate after dragging both defensemen at him .. more of a shooter than passer .. willing to shoot the puck utilizing on his solid variety of shots .. dangerous near the goal area .. possesses decent scoring instincts .. possesses a fast-released wrist shot .. fires a quick accurate snap and slap shot .. one-times shots well .. anticipates the deflections of the puck well .. battles traffic effectively, but is inconsistent in this asset .. adequate defensive awareness, but needs to further improve in this asset .. average defensive positioning .. should mark his man faster .. diligent on the penalty killing units but would be more effective with more smarts .. a late '87 born forward .. shoots right.

Steve Kellenberger (2007), C

A diminutive forward .. a solid skater with a fluid stride .. okay acceleration and top-end speed .. above-average agility .. capable of sharp turns .. okay footspeed .. adequate balance could still be improved .. won't jump at you with the smoothness of his puckhandling skills, but does his moves effectively .. capable of end-to-end rushes .. should further upgrade on his effectiveness in one-on-one situations .. likes to have the puck on his stick and create plays .. patient with the puck, waiting for the plays to develop and then making a quick decision .. possesses decent vision and hockey sense .. willing to shoot the puck .. solid variety of shots .. slap shot with an adequately fast release should be more harder .. his snap shot could be released more quickly .. okay wrist shot .. possesses tricky in-close finishing skills .. needs to pick up on his defensive awareness .. returns to his own end to help out the defense but is raw in this ability .. too slow at marking his man .. needs to develop a more regular mean streak and gain more strength .. should initiate physical contact more often .. relies more on his finesse than on toughness .. average in traffic .. more effective on open ice where he doesn't need to use his body.

Other players

Raffael Walter (2007), G

Plays more of a butterfly style .. possesses decent reflexes .. okay dexterity and quickness .. a decent skater, but should still improve on his lateral movement in the crease .. adequately quick when moving side-to-side, but leaves some holes for the shooter to aim at .. should upgrade on his footspeed .. decent resilience and athleticism .. should improve on his basic stance to leave lesser holes .. average anticipation of developing plays .. shows a penchant to allow the odd soft goal .. allows soft goals on his five-hole .. should try to outwait the shooter and not go down too early .. average down low .. a better factor against shots aiming at the upper shelf .. vulnerable to allowing unnecessary rebounds .. possesses adequate rebound control .. only adequate when handling traffic in front of him .. tends to flop around in the crease .. should develop better fundamentals .. could improve on his positional play in the crease .. possesses an above-average glove hand .. confident in his glove .. should challenge the shooter more aggressively .. possesses a solid focus .. shows decent stickhandling skills .. plays the puck often but should upgrade on passing accuracy.

Sven Berger (2007), D

An adequate skater .. decent balance and lower-body strength .. doesn't look slow, but still needs to develop a smoother stride and bigger bursts of speed .. average first-step quickness .. adequate agility .. decent turns and lateral movement .. adequate backwards speed .. should upgrade on top-end speed .. decent puckhandling skills .. shows occasional problems when having to deal with difficult passes on the backhand side .. is at his best when playing a simple game with the puck .. accurate passer on a short distance .. average powerplay quarterback .. should learn when to jump into the plays as he tends to fall back behind plays at times .. prone to mistakes with the puck when pressed .. isn't very effective on powerplay units as he doesn't have the vision to quarterback them .. lacks the hockey sense needed to emerge as a two-way force .. unleashes a solid hard slap shot with average accuracy but should learn how to get them through regularly .. decent snap shot .. needs to learn how to make his size to his advantage .. isn't very willing to throw the occasional good hit .. average crease-clearer .. should be more feisty in the slot .. an okay force in his own zone with decent positional play but is prone to the odd positional mistake when pressed .. willing to sacrifice his body to block the opposing shots.

Jeremie Kamerzin (2007), D

An unimpressive skater .. slow acceleration and first-step quickness emerges as a major area of concern despite the adequate progress registered during the last months .. adequate agility and lateral movement .. decent backwards speed .. average top-end speed .. should upgrade on his turns and lateral agility .. shows trouble with opponents who can make him moving fast .. prone to obstruction fouls when quitting moving his feet .. adequate balance and lower-body strength .. more of a stay-at-home defenseman .. keeps his play simple and doesn't panic with the puck .. adequate stickhandling skills .. is stiff when asked to corrall the pucks on the backhand side of the stick .. isn't very imaginative with the puck, dishing it off rather than trying to create plays .. average vision and hockey sense .. prone to fuzzy plays when pressed .. accurate short-distance passes .. sometimes has trouble with keeping the play in front of him and tends to fall back .. fires a decent heavy slap shot, but needs to keep it lower on the ice .. useful as a powerplay pointman .. prone to positional mistakes in the defensive zone .. can make his size to his advantage when executing along the boards .. works down low and is willing to drop the gloves .. tends to loose position when hitting .. a decent crease-clearer .. a right-shooting defenseman.

Ralph Prinz (2007), D

An adequate skater .. only adequately effective stride .. should pick up on his first-step quickness .. displays an adequate acceleration .. okay footspeed helps him not to fall back too often .. okay balance on his skates .. decent agility and lateral movement .. adequately fast when turning .. only average top-end speed .. plays more of a conservative defensive style, but is willing to occasionally join the rush .. needs to learn when to jump into plays to avoid possible turnovers .. shows a slower reaction time when generating offense .. average hockey sense .. adequate stickhandling skills .. doesn't make many dekes when moving the puck out of his own end .. should corral the difficult passes more smoothly .. tends to pass the puck to the nearby teammate to make the safe play thanks to a limited creativity .. could use a better timing of his passes .. fires a quick hard slap shot .. a better powerplay pointman than quarterback .. average defensive positioning .. tends to chase the puck instead of staying with his man .. plays a diligent defensive game but occasionally gets flat-footed in the neutral zone .. solid reliability in his own end .. spots his man quickly and stays with him .. doesn't play afraid and throws decent hits .. prone to the odd dirty foul .. an okay hitter along the boards .. adequate crease-clearer .. doesn't take off-shifts and plays with an okay intensity and determination

Sebastien Schilt (2007), D

Possesses adequate skating skills .. should further upgrade on his top-end speed and develop a smoother stride .. shows a decent acceleration and footspeed .. first-step quickness needs more polishing .. decent agility .. possesses a decent lateral movement .. okay lower-body strength and balance .. decent backwards skater .. decent stickhandling skills .. should be smoother when corralling backhand passes .. average in the ability to cover the puck .. possesses an offensive flair but is prone to a precipitous offensive support and 'blind' passes .. an okay passer when distributing the pucks on a short distance but average hockey sense causes frequent brain cramps with the puck when misreading the play .. rushes the puck often .. should have a better offensive vision to emerge as a good powerplay quarterback .. prone to dumping the puck when facing a heavy pressure .. unleashes a quick snap shot .. should upgrade on the accuracy of the snap shot to avoid blocking of the shots .. fires a hard slap shot with okay accuracy .. an adequate force in the corner battles and in front of the crease when physically involved .. can dish out a solid hit, but needs a regular mean streak .. prone to headless play in the defensive zone, chasing opponents all the way down .. needs to upgrade on his positional play to be more effective.

Jeremy Gailland (2007), C

An okay skater .. shows decent acceleration and footspeed .. a longer stride would make him more effective .. adequate agility on his skates, but still should be improved .. should be more balanced on his skates and upgrade on lower-body strength .. solid puckhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. a swift stickhandler who won't undress the opposition with his moves but can make plays from both sides of the stick .. should cover the puck more effectively .. often leads the attack .. can get outmuscled by bigger defensemen, who can bring him out of scoring lanes .. needs to rely on sneaking through open space .. more of a playmaker than sniper .. solid at finding the open man with an accurate pass .. okay smarts and hockey sense .. needs to upgrade on his in-close finishing skills .. possesses decent wrist shot which he can effectively fire through a screen .. unleases a quick hard snap shot which can surprise goaltenders .. performs on special units .. should work with his stick more when on penalty killing units .. willing to return back to help out the defense, but is raw in his defensive positioning .. isn't a physically intimidating player even if he gets occasionally involved in corner battles .. prone to occasional cheap shots .. needs to bulk up to avoid getting outmuscled in the trenches.

Roman Schlagenhauf (2007), C/LW

An okay skater .. possesses a decent first-step quickness .. shows a solid agility on his skates .. blessed with okay acceleration .. possesses decent top-end speed but still could improve on this asset .. should add more bulk to his lower-body .. emerges as a swift puckhandler wit soft hands .. makes quick smooth moves .. likes to penetrate into the offensive zone with the puck on his stick and subsequently create plays .. solid at gaining offensive zone possession for his team .. doesn't loose puck-possession when deking his way out of the corners .. can play a sneaky game with the puck in traffic .. willing to perform in the opposing slot .. blessed with decent smarts and offensive instincts .. capable of quick tape-on-tape passes .. unleashes an accurate wrist shot with a fast release .. accurate snap shot could be harder .. doesn't use his slap shot very often .. capable of suprise moves when finishing in-close .. is willing to return to his own end to help out the defense, but needs to upgrade his defensive awareness .. average quickness of marking his man .. should improve on to upgrade defensive positioning .. limits the options of the opponents adequately well while performing on the penalty kill .. doesn't play afraid but isn't a significant physical force .. doesn't dish out many hard hits and relies more on his finesse skills .. prone to occasional off-shifts where he floats on the perimeter .. a versatile player who plays both center and left wing.

Gregory Sciaroni (2007), RW

A smallish player .. an okay skater with a fluid stride .. decent acceleration and top-end speed .. okay turns .. adequate balance could still be improved .. okay turns .. takes advantage of his quickness and mobility .. an okay puckhandler .. doesn't loose puck-possession when making a quick deke but should be more effective in tight space .. moves the puck out of the corners .. corrals difficult passes adequately well .. challenges opponents to one-on-one opponents often .. only adequate passing skills .. prone to 'blind' passes when not reading the plays properly .. accurate when passing the puck on a short distance .. overlooks the odd passing lane .. occasionally unprepared for receiving the puck .. average powerplay passer .. waits for the breakaway chances .. decent variety of shots .. fires a quick wrist shot with a decent accuracy .. an okay hard slap shot with a fast release could be more accurate .. his snap shot could be more harder .. average defensive awareness .. returns to his own end to help out the defense but is still raw in this ability .. should spot his man more quickly .. average defensive positioning .. uses an active stick on the penalty killing units .. doesn't show noticeable problems in traffic despite modest size tools .. willing to drive the net hard .. doesn't play afraid but gets outmuscled by the bigger opponents when the play gets physical .. prone to losing position when hitting .. a right-shooting forward.

Fadri Lemm (2007), RW

A solid skater with solid acceleration and agility .. possesses decent first-step quickness .. adequate top-end speed and balance still could be improved .. boasts a powerful stride which is of okay effectiveness and will enable him to pick up on his skating .. a tricky puckhandler with decent hands .. corralls difficult passes with okay effectiveness .. can dangle the puck, but tends to loose possession of it in heavy traffic .. adequate portion of vision and hockey sense .. crafty passer who sees the positions of his linemates well but is prone to occassional breakdowns in this asset .. more of a playmaking forward .. solid wrist shot with a decent release .. uses primarily his wrist or snap shot .. his slap shot needs to be more accurate .. could develop more smoother in-close finishing skills .. average defensive awareness .. doesn't spot his man fast .. needs to limit the options of the opposing forwards better .. needs to show a bigger mean streak to complement his size .. should crash the net with a bigger authority .. tends to play a friendly style along the boards .. would be more effective if he would show a bigger fire along the boards .. prone to inconsistency and odd off-shifts which hurt his effectiveness .. should develop a better faceoff skill.

Christian Bielmann (2007), RW

A decent skater but needs to put significant effort in his skating .. should develop a more crisp stride .. decent acceleration and agility .. possesses adequate top-end speed .. capable of decent turns .. possesses decent footspeed .. okay balance and lower-body strength .. doesn't impress with the smoothness of his puckhandling skills, but does his moves adequately effectively .. should corral difficult passes more effortlessly .. adequate passing skills, but average hockey sense limits him .. overlooks the odd passing lane .. prone to precipitous plays under pressure .. accurate short-distance passes when not pressed .. possesses an adequate variety of shots .. okay hard nlap shot .. his accurate wrist shot could be upgraded on hardness .. needs to develop more lethal scoring instincts .. looks for the loose rebounds in the opposing slot .. needs to pick up on his defensive awareness .. doesn't possess quality defensive smarts .. raw in his defensive ability .. average penalty-killer .. not willing to return back on a regular basis .. possesses a decent mean streak .. battles for the loose pucks along the boards .. a decent hitter with an adequate timing of his hits.

Kevin Lotscher (2007), LW

Possesses okay size .. only an adequate skater .. should upgrade on his overall mobility .. capable of moving his feet fast, but lacks the needed stride effectiveness to emerge as a good skater .. doesn't look overly flashy and quick .. should upgrade on first-step quickness and top-end speed .. adequate acceleration .. average agility on his skates .. possesses okay lower-body strength and balance .. thick lower-body .. adequate stickhandling skills .. adequate at controlling the puck and dealing with passes .. doesn't dangle the puck in traffic .. prefers shooting to passing .. a decent short-distance passer but in general his hockey sense doesn't stand out .. possesses an okay variety of shots .. fires an accurate quick wrist or snap shot .. hard slap shot with a slow release .. should develop smoother in-close finishing skills .. doesn't play afraid and shows decent diligence .. needs more lethal scoring instincts .. mucks for the loose pucks in the corners .. performs in the opposing slot and pays the physical price to succeed .. shows a regular commitment to the defensive play .. returns backs instead of a rushing defenseman conscientiously .. blocks the passing lanes of the opposition fairly well .. a tenacious backchecker .. can read the developing plays in his own end adequately well, but is still raw in his defensive positioning .. a right-shooting forward.

Gaetan Augsburger (2007), LW

A decent skater .. possesses an okay acceleration .. decent first-step quickness and top-end speed .. could further upgrade on his balance and lower-body strength .. possesses an okay agility .. doesn't have the softest hands and tends to loose possession of the puck when making a quick deke .. decent corraling of difficult passes .. should cover the puck more effectively .. more of a playmaker than sniper .. aware of his linemates but prone to overhandling the puck .. average hockey sense .. adequate variety of shots .. unleashes primarily a quick wrist shot .. fires a snap shot with a fast release .. slap shot should be more hard and accurate .. should develop more lethal scoring instincts .. willing to dig for the pucks in the corners with average effectiveness .. is willing to perform in traffic despite average size tools but gets knocked off his feet too often .. inconsistent in his willingness to hit .. filling out for him left to do .. shows a solid commitment to the defensive duties and fits the mold of a two-way forward .. makes up for the mistakes of the defensemen .. decent defensive positioning .. spots his man quickly .. a better factor on the penalty killing units than on the powerplay units.