Future Watch 06: Littles Big Potential

Standing 5-foot-10 and weighing a mere 185 pounds, Bryan Little has been on the receiving end of some nasty hits during his major junior career.

Little, a sophomore forward for the Ontario Hockey League's Barrie Colts, has earned a reputation as one of the most natural goalscorers in the league ever since his rookie season in 2003-04. The downside, however, is opposing teams – especially some of the bigger defensemen in the league - key in on him.

"There are some big guys and I've gotten cranked pretty good a couple times this year," Little said.

Little isn't surprised with the attention he's getting. After all, it's not too often a 16-year-old rookie leads his team in goals. Little scored 34 goals and added 24 assists for 58 points, finishing second on the team in points to fifth-year veteran Cory Stillman who had one point more.

BEST FIRST YEAR PLAYER

Little's hard work paid off as he ran away with rookie of the year voting, beating Owen Sound's Stefan Ruzicka and Peterborough's Liam Reddox. All the recognition meant Little was even more of a target in his second season in the OHL.

"It was worse at the start of the year when I was just getting mauled," he said.

Colts general manager Mike McCann sought more offence for his team and on Dec. 1 traded for high-scoring veteran Rob Hisey. The addition of Hisey not only gave Barrie more offence, it also gave Little more room to work his magic.

"Ever since we brought Hisey in it's taken some attention away from me," Little said.

Even with the acquisition of Hisey, Barrie head coach Marty Williamson still used Little as his go-to guy.

"The thing about Bryan is that he just never lets you down," Williamson said. "He always gets it done and scores big goals for us. He oozes confidence and that's why we feel so comfortable putting him out there."

THE WHOLE PACKAGE

Little does more than just score goals for Barrie; he's also one of their top penalty-killers.

"He brings the whole package," Williamson said. "He plays great defence, plays in all situations and he's a leader on the team. Bryan just does everything and as a coach you can't ask for anything more."

Neither can National Hockey League scouts.

Since Little's birthday is in November 1987, he isn't even eligible for the draft until 2006. With two solid OHL seasons already under his belt, Little would be a surefire first-round pick if he were eligible for the draft in 2005. One more year in Barrie just gives him one more season to move up the rankings. Little's already being considered as one of the players who could potentially be picked first overall.

"Every kid who grows up playing junior hockey dreams of going first overall," Little said. "It would be an enormous honour… You hear rumours and stuff and guys talk about how high you can go but I try to put it in the back of my mind for now. I know I still have another year so I try not to think about it right now."

INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR

As good as he's been in the OHL, he's also experienced success playing for Team Canada in two international tournaments. Little was part of the gold medal winning Team Ontario at the world under-17 hockey challenge and also won gold playing for Team Canada at the under-18 world junior cup in August 2004. He said winning the gold medal on the under-18 team was one of the most exciting moments in his young hockey career.

For most players, the under-18 and under-17 tournaments are stepping stones to represent Canada on one of the biggest stages in hockey: the under-20 world junior hockey championship.

"You play for the under-17 and under-18 teams and you want to keep going in that system," Little said. "It would be an enormous honour to play for that team."

The timing couldn't be better for Little as Canada sent 20 19-year-olds to last year's tournament with Sidney Crosby and Cam Barker being the only players eligible to return in 2006. With Crosby's future up in the air, all 13 forward spots could very well be open on the team.

Team Canada head scout Blair Mackasey said Little's speed makes him very well suited for playing on the larger international ice surfaces. Mackasey said Little's chances of playing on the under-20 team are strong.

"There's no reason to think he won't be on the world junior championships team this year or next year," Mackasey said. "But a lot will have to do with how he progresses."

Unfortunately for Little, a concussion during Barrie's first round playoff loss against the Ottawa 67's sidelined him from playing for Canada at the under-18 world championships in April. Mackasey said had it not been for the concussion, Little would have been on the team.

"He was one of our top forwards (at the under-18 world junior cup in August) and we'd obviously like to have him here but his injury forced him out," he said.

WILLING TO DIG IN

Perhaps one of Little's most underrated qualities, Williamson said, is his competitiveness.

"Bryan's not a very vocal guy, but he's so determined," Williamson said. "He has that winning attitude that he wants to win every shift and that rubs off on everybody else."

Little's determination is one of the reasons he was Barrie's nominee for the Red Tilson award for the league's most outstanding player. Even though Corey Perry took home the trophy, Little's value to his team certainly doesn't go unnoticed.

"You can't win without players like Bryan Little," Williamson said. "He's extremely important to us and we wouldn't be where we are without him."

And that's exactly why opposing teams' bigger players try neutralizing Little through physical intimidation. While they may be bigger than Little, he knows they're not always going to slow him down.

While his speed helps him prevent taking some big hits, Little has a good outlook on the physical play.

"The bigger they are, the bigger they fall."