Golden Puck: Nemisz Clarington Stud

The 35th Annual Golden Puck Tournament, held recently in Waterloo, is a showcase for OHL clubs to survey midget and minor midget AAA players from northern Ontario. We look at a number of the standout performers including Justin Larsen of the Peterborough Petes, Anthony Peters of the Huron Perth Lakers (younger brother of Justin Peters), Tim Billingsley of the Cumberland Barons, and the lethal Greg Nemisz of the Clarington Toros.

Clarington Toros (2-2-0)

Greg Nemisz (C), 6'3/160 - Clarington Toros

An absolute stud of a player with definite top 10 OHL draft potential .. looked dangerous on every shift .. looked a tad fatigued as the tournament progressed as Clarington's schedule was a tough one .. fluid, silky-smooth skater who reaches top speed in two strides and literally blows by defenders on the outside .. remarkably creative, sets up his teammates often with perfect feeds .. commands respect and space from opposing defenders .. extremely difficult to contain as he is capable of eluding coverage even in tight spaces with two or three quick moves .. scored a hat-trick in one game, beat the goalie with a shot from the forward and the backhand, and finished the feat with a deft one-on-one move that froze the goalie completely .. beat three defenders to score a shorthanded marker .. never stops moving .. generates delicious speed through the neutral zone .. also boasts a physical element to his game - will dish out hits and look to finish his checks .. a potentially dominant force who can beat you on one shift with his scoring and passing abilities, and then physically annihilate on the next .. hit everything that moved on a few particular instances .. will need time to fill in muscle to his sinewy frame - which could be a scary proposition .. makes others around him better - a rare trait.

John Bull (D), 5'10/145 - Clarington Toros

Logged heavy minutes and didn't get pushed around despite his lack of weight .. even threw his body around a bit to prove that he wouldn't be intimidated by bigger competition .. can move the puck up the ice with a quick first pass or by rushing it himself .. however, he lacks effective stickhandling and is usually dispossessed once he gains the offensive zone or is forced to dump it in .. gets 'A' for effort as he never stops trying to make a play .. works hard to get back if he is caught up the ice .. distributes the puck and sees the ice fairly well .. limited speed with no extra gear.

Chad McDonald (D), 5'11/155 - Clarington Toros

A good skater with decent acceleration .. launched numerous attacks in which he headmanned the puck himself, though only with modest success at this event .. slippery as an attacker, rolls off players in the offensive zone .. boasts a solid offensive skillset .. makes a strong first pass out of his zone and possesses a nice hard low shot .. thinks offense first and will go out of his way to sustain attacking pressure, such as diving and sacrificing his body to keep the puck in the zone.

Nicholas Diachenko (LW), 5'11/160 - Clarington Toros

A solid skater with decent speed .. really digs into the ice .. hard-nosed player who drives to the net and competes effectively .. showed good strength in all areas of the ice .. slotted into more of a grinding roll, however he possesses some offensive ability that makes him dangerous if presented with a scoring opportunity .. most effective down low, attacking from behind the goal line .. excels at stickhandling around the net and trying to catch the goalie sleeping with a quick wraparound .. a regular on the penalty-kill unit .. one specific area that needs attention is his shot which lacks sting at this stage in his development.

Huron Perth Lakers (3-1-0)

Anthony Peters (G), 6'1/170 - Huron Perth Lakers

Best goalie in the tournament by far .. handed the eventual champions Don Mills their only loss of the tournie, a 2-0 shutout .. younger brother of Justin .. solid netminder who is very composed and confident in his crease .. no panic point .. makes tough saves look routine and frustrates shooters with his relaxed approach .. never caught out of position as his big frame covers most of the net .. forces shooters to go upstairs and then foils bids with his active limbs .. a hybrid goalie who plays equally well whether standing or going down into the butterfly to make a save .. only drawback may be his subpar puckhandling skills, however he is undoubtedly considered a top three goaltending prospect for the upcoming OHL draft .. possesses the ability to steal games on a regular basis.

Kurtis Bartiff (C), 5'10/155 - Huron Perth Lakers

Extremely fast and shifty player .. agile with soft hands .. did not have the best tournament however .. showed good anticipation skills .. so quick in takeoff which makes him a threat whenever he touches the puck .. could be a good sleeper pick in later rounds as he will need to put on considerable weight to make an impact at the OHL level.

Ryan O'Reilly (W), 5'10/155 - Huron Perth Lakers

The younger brother of Nashville draftee Cal O'Reilly .. actually playing a year above his age group as he is born in '91 .. a solid addition to the club .. at times is the best player on the ice for his team .. strong work ethic coupled with fine offensive tools .. always moving his feet .. a reliable and versatile player who can be put into any situation or any position at any stage of the game .. not afraid to work in the corners either and willingly gets his nose dirty .. a player to watch out for next season for sure.

Cumberland Barons (2-2-0)

Shawn Lalonde (D,C) 6'1/165 - Cumberland Barons

A solid mobile defender .. throws checks and looks to push others around .. displays good vision as he made several nice touch passes in the zone .. a very committed player, follows through while maintaining strong position.

Tim Billingsley (D), 6'1/170 - Cumberland Barons

Effortless skater who can control the game from the back end .. can rush the puck and is also capable of finishing a play .. scored many goals throughout the tournament .. quick feet and top gear make him a solid offensive threat .. possesses superb quarterbacking abilities .. positions himself well in the offensive zone .. handles the puck adeptly and makes strong puckmoving decisions.

Peterborough Petes (4-1-0)

Justin Larsen (C), 6'3/187 - Peterborough Petes

Assistant captain carried the team on his back .. creates room for himself by driving defenseman back and forcing them out of position .. works hard to get into scoring positions and lets his shots fly in the slot .. would have posted much better numbers here alongside more offensively gifted teammates .. delivered crisp passes all tournament long which his linemates failed to capitalize on .. boasts quick, soft hands and is able to weave around opponents with ease .. a main downfall however is his skating which is suspect in parts .. specifically, he doesn't have much of a first step .. however, once moving he is relatively fast .. possesses a healthy stride, so will perhaps add better takeoff speed as he matures .. his skating style is partially reminiscent of Jordan Staal .. will also need to make adjustments to his defensive game and his play away from the puck .. all but guaranteed to be selected in the opening round of the OHL draft, to a club looking to add size and scoring punch up front.

Tyler Baker (RW), 5'8/160 - Peterborough Petes

Despite his outstanding offensive contributions in the regular season he failed to translate that in this tournament .. seldom exhausts himself working to get the puck, often relying instead on others to do the dirty work and provide distribution for him .. shows decent speed and is always looking to charge toward the offensive zone even when the puck still hasn't left his end .. must make a more concerted effort to support his defensemen .. also stood out for his poor play along the boards .. easily knocked off the puck and consistently beaten to loose pucks .. based on this performance, a much higher dedication will be required to further his hockey career.

Marc Cantin (D), 5'10/160 - Peterborough Petes

A solid defender who impressed with his work at this event .. a slick stickhandler who shows confidence handling the puck .. displays good offensive instincts as he scored a goal off a rush he helped to create .. will often dart in and out of scoring areas on the powerplay, constantly giving opposing forwards fits on coverage .. his play is steadily improving and it will be interesting to see how he finishes the year.

Honourable mentions to Corey O'Brien who boasts a sturdy frame that can accommodate lots more bulk. He showed decent offensive abilities and good speed once he got moving. Another admirable quality was his ability to coral and control difficult passes to generate offense. Luke McKenzie, who is third in team scoring, has good size and excellent one-on-one skills. He attempts to assert himself physically and displays sound positional sense. However, his skating and shot power are only average at best. This also applies to another kid on the team named Bobby Orr, whose only connection to the Master is in name only.