Hitmen Target top Spot

McKeen's correspondent Marlon Martens looks at several Calgary Hitmen, who continue to lead the WHL's Central Division. Drafted players Brandon Kozun, Joel Broda , and Kris Foucault are featured along with several prospects eligible for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft such as Matt Mackenzie and Austin Madaisky.

Matt Mackenzie (2010), D, Calgary

Levelled two men, even throwing hits at offensive zone blueline .. ability to push forwards over .. for the most part, he ties up the forward in front of the net well, more diligence needed to ensure they don't get second chances .. will try one-timing passes .. needs to be more aware of screening his own netminder .. can stickhandle and is confident with the puck in his own end .. good puck possession and finds the open man .. found an extra gear chasing a forward down .. skates quick enough to beat forwards to pucks on the PK .. blocked a Luca Sbisa one-timer and finished his shift on one skate .. knows when to pinch in from the point (kept play alive) .. an offensive D-man, he goes to the net on the PP looking for rebounds, and jumps in from the point often .. had 3 goals with 18 assists and is a plus-7 through 31 games.

Austin Madaisky (2010), D, Calgary

Big two-way defenseman who can clear traffic .. stands his ground well, hard to move .. takes ownership of his side of the ice and wins battles for pucks .. throws hits in offensive zone along the walls .. good hard clear on PK, and drove his man hard into the boards .. could be quicker .. can still be taken down (not for much longer) .. wants the puck on the PP for a hard low slapper (3 of 4 shots went wide) .. doesn't quit on the puck while falling down .. the first round bantam pick is a good defender, increasingly logging more icetime .. had 5 goals, 12 assists and was a minus-2 through 35 games.

Mackenzie Royer (2011), C, Calgary

Since moving to center from the left side, he's further involved in scrums and starting to push and shove more .. becoming more physical in front of his own net .. good vision .. uses quick short strides, and accelerates well .. feet are always moving .. has decent puckhandling skill, speed, intensity, and looks to finishes checks .. has 2 goals, 2 assists with a minus-3 rating through 23games.

Peter Kosterman (2011), D, Calgary

First round Bantam selection is a sound skater for his size (6-4), with skill and ability to make swift plays .. still quick to loose pucks .. getting some PK time, but shifts are short .. was the captain of Calgary South Flames - 2008 Alberta Cup Champs .. can't wait to see what he can do as he matures from his lanky frame .. is pointless with a minus-3 rating through 17 games.

Cody Sylvester (2010), C, Calgary

The Hitmen are hoping for a larger version of his speedster older brother Dustin of the Kootenay Ice .. shows lots of hustle and is quick on the forecheck .. average skater, but light on his feet with good acceleration .. used on every PK .. not afraid to shoot, his shot is accurate, but just not much behind it yet .. receives lots of icetime .. lifted a stick for a steal .. got sandwiched but stayed up .. cut in front of his own net and lost the puck .. improvement required on faceoffs .. can improve on his skating, stickhandling and put on some pounds to become a higher-end prospect .. definitely an energy guy .. has 3 goals, 3 assists and is a minus-5 through 34games.

Cody Beach (2010), RW, Calgary

Younger brother of Chicago Blackhawks' prospect Kyle Beach .. good long strides, he wins races and hustles back with similar intensity .. finds open ice .. towering at 6-foot-5, but has trouble staying up and it doesn't take much to knock him down .. average hands, co-ordination will come .. effectively uses his reach (wrap around attempts) .. stole puck with a diving sweep, then a great feed to the open man .. plays with some grit and is willing to throw the body .. took too long looking for an outlet pass and got checked .. tried to pass through a player in his own end .. great potential, if the hands come as he fills in, watch out .. has 1 goal, 7 assists and 72 PIM through 24 games.

John Lawrence (2010), C/W, Calgary

Snake bitten so far this season .. shows willingness to hustle when given the opportunity .. skilfully stole the puck and got a scoring chance .. has a long reach .. anticipated a play and broke up a pass .. was skating swiftly until getting hit hard, then unable to finish checks with any strength .. pops up quickly after getting bumped down but too often becoming victim of hits .. lost an edge in open ice .. not much icetime on a talent-laden club .. needs to give the club more reasons to give him more icetime .. is pointless with a minus-2 rating through 17 games.

Chase Schaber (2010), C, Calgary

Confident with the puck, instead of shooting he'll spin away and make a pass for a better scoring chance .. playing defence until he was 12 makes helping out defensively second nature .. has wheels and good speed bursts .. hustles shorthanded, overshot applying pressure at the point once .. hard to get off the puck .. still gets pushed around the boards .. likes stickhandling and showing his skill - went inside out on a d-man .. could shoot the puck more .. held a winning percentage in the faceoff circle .. finishes checks .. will drive the net .. was the extra attacker when the goalie was pulled .. a potentially great two-way forward .. has 7 goals and 17 assists with a minus-7 rating through 36 games.

Brandon Kozun (LA), RW, Calgary

Speedy sniper .. reads plays, intercepts pucks .. keeps feet moving after passing .. recovered well after taking a hard hit .. can hit the tape of a speeding skater .. backchecks to steal pucks without taking stick penalties .. a two-way forward who hustles back .. elusive, took three players to steal the puck away .. he's small, but continues to be competitive in the physical WHL, which bodes well for similar results at the next level .. has 19 goals, 44 assists and a plus-14 rating through 33 games.

Joel Broda (Wsh), C, Calgary

Can lower the boom and deliver a hard heavy shot .. picks his spots when to turn on the jets .. cruises the ice with lots of strength in his wide shoulders .. wicked wristshot - makes the stick bend .. back checks .. after getting knocked down he ook an undisciplined tripping penalty while on the ice .. needed to be more motivated earlier in the game and get involved sooner .. can skate when he wants too .. wins battles for pucks along the boards with his strength .. makes smart quick decisions with the puck .. could drive the net even more and really use his size to his advantage .. strong in the faceoff circle and is hard to move .. a defenders' nightmare .. a quick release, he can get the shot off at close range without having to handle it first.. has 20 goals, 22 assists and a plus-4 rating through 35 games.

Kris Foucault (Min), LW/RW, Calgary

Very noticeable on the ice, seems to be everywhere .. heads up stickhandling through the neutral zone with confidence .. delivers one-touch passes .. consistently skates hard .. owns a quick release and a hard-rising slapper .. deftly retrieved the puck through players' legs .. heroically dove and knocked the puck away on a breakaway chance for the opposition .. considerable goalie screen .. stole the puck shorthanded, skated back into his own end with it before firing it back down the ice .. likes to hit and looks to finish checks .. his offensive stats don't reflect his play in this contest .. has 11 goals, five assists and a minus-10 rating through 36 games.