Everybodys Tochkin

McKeen's correspondent Marlon Martens has notes on the Everett Silvertips including NHL draft picks Kellan Tochkin, Byron Froese, Cameron Abney and Rasmus Rissanen, as well as several 2010 draft-eligible prospects and 2011 hopeful Campbell Elynuik.

Kellan Tochkin (Van), RW, Everett

Not only is he a great playmaker, but makes the passes accurately and quickly .. top 10 in assists last season as a rookie with 54 .. creative and sees the ice well - makes finding the open guy look easy .. poised, won't shoot for the sake of taking a shot, as he would rather control puck until he finds an open man .. quick reaction time and hand/eye co-ordination can knock the puck out of the air at close range - even bat down a hard dump-in .. shifty, can stickhandle in tight situations .. knows where the puck is going before others .. moves feet quickly .. aggressive stick work on the fore-heck, but may have to play bigger and improve top-end speed to succeed at the next level .. will improve any teammates statistics.

Byron Froese (Chi), C, Everett

Patient player who finds the open ice .. accurate wristshot, scored from just inside the blueline .. creatively tried a between the legs pass at the side of the net .. tenacious on faceoffs, but could be more aggressive along the boards .. spirited penalty kill, quick first steps with lots of point pressure - just couldn't knock down any passes that went through him .. higher top-end speed would've allowed him to become a threat on a 2-on-1 break .. tends to float into areas after assessing situations by skating wide circles - could use more intensity and hustle at the right times .. great utility man and effective on both sides of the ice .. will need to rely on his size more to bang in goals.

Cameron Abney (Edm), RW, Everett

Fighter .. sure can move for a big guy at 6-foot-4 .. causes turnovers racing for pucks on the forecheck .. gets rid of the puck quickly, doesn't stickhandle very much .. 'A' for effort, comes to work .. understands the game, twice anticipating where the puck was going ahead of the play .. covered the point when a d-man pinched in .. can hit you hard, but could hit more often .. avoids careless penalties .. could be a real threat if he develops a pair of hands.

Campbell Elynuik (2011), LW, Everett

Made the most of his few shifts .. can skate, stickhandle and hit .. weaved through several in the neutral zone, dumped it in and nailed the d-man on the receiving end .. already a physical force and plays up to his 6-foot-3, 176-pound frame .. taller than his father, former NHLer Pat Elynuik .. if he's consistent with this style of play and has good hands he could be an early draft selection.

Rasmus Rissanen (Car), D, Everett

Skates smoothly and effortlessly forwards and backwards, but could improve top-end speed…at 6-foot-4 and 192 pounds, he is unfazed physically when taking a hit .. used as a screen in front of the net on the PP and not afraid to mix it up after the whistle .. must improve accuracy and control with his hard shot .. nice one-touch passes with the man advantage, however his decision to pass to the inside of the ice on an outlet caused a turnover .. needs to improve on-ice awareness .. was burned going deep after his goalie tapped to alert him that a penalized player was stepping on the ice .. while playing the point on the PP, he tried to poke it through a forward resulting in a breakaway goal .. possesses great size, grit and skating, just needs to shore the mental part of the game.

Alex Theriau (2010), D, Everett

The fast horse out of the gate, coming across the ice several times to win puck races ..could smooth it out at slower speeds .. already logging top-4 minutes, top PK unit duties .. leaves it all out there, dug feverishly along the boards at the end of a long shift .. has defensive smarts and the body for it .. makes the smart play .. not a big hitter yet, but will drop the mitts to defend a teammate.

Radko Gudas (2010), D, Everett

If hip checks counted as goals, he'd lead the league in scoring .. great open-ice hitter, not intimidated and will drop the gloves .. no one wants to play against this unflinching agitator .. plays gritty even against a team he only sees once a year .. a slick skater but got beaten twice wide while going backwards going for the puck .. will sacrifice himself - hustled back so hard, he knocked the net into the back boards .. dove on his belly to swipe out a puck .. drives to the net and loves to use his accurate wristshot, even from far out .. leads the team in plus/minus (plus-21) and PIM/game .. scoring at a point-per-game average .. played for the Czech Republic at last years World Juniors .. if he improves his defensive smarts and maintains the intensity and offense over the course of the season, he'll be the spark every club is looking for.

Gabe Minville (2010), D, Everett

Big, solid defenseman skates well for his 6-foot-3, 217-pound frame, but could use a little more top-end speed and agility .. muscled his way along the boards by two attackers while stickhandling .. puck still tends to get away from him - like a hot potato .. joined the rush, but could only muster a weak wrister .. while bagged at the end of a long shift, he still kept his feet moving .. for a player who models his game after Chris Pronger, he could throw the body more and take ownership of his side of the ice .. definitely has the size, skating and defensive mind to be a top prospect - just needs to work on his puck control, shot and outlet pass…once he realizes the potential of the body he possesses - watch out.

Kent Simpson (2010), G, Everett

A tall (6-3) and technical netminder, his calm play resembles that of Leland Irving .. plays well positionally, but continuously drops into a butterfly, sometimes before the shot is released .. covers the five-hole well, quick blocker, but the glove side speed needs improvement .. can skate extremely quickly and can stickhandle the puck, ripping it up the wall .. fantastic focus and concentration .. gives very little rebounds, even absorbs shots up in the neck and chest area .. plays at the top of the crease .. showed agility by doing the splits, covering post to post .. competitively fights for every shot .. must work harder on tracking the puck through a screen .. swift leg reflexes, kicking back to make toe saves .. got backed into the net on a breakaway and allowed a goal glove side .. managed 27 games as a rookie last season and already boasts a .918 save percentage in 7 games (4-3, 2.49 GAA) .. look for his stock to increase more if he can start stealing games.