In the Flick of an Eye

The Mississauga Majors continue to dominate in the Eastern Conference. The Majors are considered a strong favourite to emerge out of the East based on a slew of prospects, five of which are NHL draft eligible. Devante Smith-Pelly has taken his game to new heights soaring out of the gate with 23 points through 20 games to lead the team in scoring. Blessed with depth up front, Gregg Sutch and Riley Brace continue to establish themselves in the league as well while impressing NHL scouts in the process. JP Anderson has won his fair share of games and first year defender Stuart Percy is subtly making contributions to stay in the lineup.

The Mississauga Majors are considered a strong favourite to emerge out of the East based on a slew of prospects. McKeen's Director of Scouting David Burstyn profiles several minor Majors including Devante Smith-Pelly, Gregg Sutch, Riley Brace, Rob Flick, JP Anderson, Joseph Cramarossa and Stuart Percy.

Devante Smith-Pelly (2010), RW, Mississauga

Has taken over the reigns offensively while playing on the top unit with Cizikas and a revolving cast of wingers .. has emerged as a scoring threat due to his sheer will and determination to bully himself into the zone .. he has a linebacker's type of build to him and stays low to the ice with a hunched over skating stride making it hard to pry the puck away from him .. takes the most direct route to the net and blowing by defenders in the process .. finishes checks and asserts himself physically .. can be guilty of not moving his feet when the play switches directions .. he needs to exhibit the same urgency away from the puck as he does with it .. he tends to trail plays defensively and therefore is not involved .. his attitude and aggression enhance his playing style .. he is not a great playmaker and will often make a drop pass or deliver a quick short pass for his faster, more skilled linemates to gain the zone while he darts for the net .. goes to the front of the goal and has soft hands to control rebounds and slide them past a goalie .. makes strong plays in tight spaces, as he sees his options down low and in the slot .. he could still stand to be more patient with the puck .. emerging as a go-to-guy offensively, which should only help raise his draft stock.

Gregg Sutch (2010), RW, Mississauga

Sutch missed the first 13 games of the season due to a freak ankle injury sustained in the last exhibition game against the Petes .. has looked rather sluggish in his return with a mere assist in seven games, despite being given primetime opportunity to score on the PP .. is behind plays and does not quite seem to be in sync with breakouts or the overall systems .. uninvolved and not showcasing consistent efforts to get to the front of the net .. not naturally aggressive, Sutch does not use his body as much as he should to change the complexion of the game with a timely hit or even a fight .. over handles the puck and does not boast a strong skill set .. employs a wide looping style of skating as opposed to stop and starts .. attempts to bang and crash but his hits usually take him out of the play .. not playing up to his potential, as he has yet to find his grove, which is affecting his overall grade.

Riley Brace (2010), LW, Mississauga

Brace is an interchangeable winger whose smarts and above-average skill set make him a valuable addition to any line .. has auditioned on all four lines this season and not looked out of place on a fourth-line-checking-unit or a first-line scoring one .. works hard down low and his hockey sense propels him to succeed .. his feel for the game is good, which enables him to read plays and react accordingly .. not overly big, he is balanced and tough enough to endure abuse along the boards to win battles .. his work ethic makes him an option for coach Cameron in every situation, including protecting leads in the final minute of the game .. he willingly digs out loose pucks and makes strong offensive plays with the puck .. good at retrieving pucks along the boards and making a play .. shows little fear to make a play down low and administers the odd body check .. Brace's game is deceiving, as he does many little things right and has been a valuable contributor to the success of the Majors thus far.

Rob Flick (2010), C, Mississauga

Over looked last season, Flick is establishing himself as a brash forward who does not shy away from the physical aspect of the game .. has four fighting majors this season .. constantly throws his body at players and being a presence in the offensive zone .. not the most graceful of skaters, his stride is average as is his speed, but he has such a gangly frame that it is difficult to gauge what direction he is coming at you in .. his stickhandling skills are also choppy, but what Flick can do is score in close .. even though he would not be considered a natural finisher he has a whippy wristshot and a powerful release .. he presses down hard on his stick and gets his entire body weight behind his shots .. coach Cameron has been intelligent enough to put him on the PP to utilize his shooting skills in that regard as he has scored 80 percent (4-5) of his goals with the man advantage this season .. Flick continues to open up the ice for others with his abrasive style of play, which is slowly starting to take notice.

JP Anderson (2010), G, Mississauga

Despite an 8-2 record, Anderson has looked very ordinary this season, as only two of his eight wins are against teams with an over .500 winning percentage .. quick with his pads and reacts swiftly down low .. his biggest problem lies in that he is very small and does not cover much of the net .. when he drops to the butterfly, the top portion of his net is completely vulnerable .. he was able to offset this weakness last season due to his enormous confidence but this year, he does not appear to have the same swagger .. his shuffles appear to be smaller, so he is not able to slide across laterally as quickly as he has before .. could also stand to play the puck less, as he lacks confidence with it, yet wants to showcase his marginal skills .. quick glove hand, ok blocker .. he is a smart goalie who comes out to challenge and reads plays well .. his butterfly technique and the fact that he drops down too early is a concern at this point, as shooters may have figured him out .. still recovering from an ankle injury, Anderson does not look fully healed.

Joseph Cramarossa (2011), C, Mississauga

Cramarossa has made the most of his playing time by providing a dependable two-way game to the fold .. a decent skater, he plays through traffic and is a scrappy competitor .. shows little fear and given his modest size of (6-0, 180), he surprisingly creates room for himself by thrashing around violently .. needs to move his feet more, as at times, he can get caught watching the play .. needs to show more patience with the puck but this will come with additional playing time and experience .. defensively, he does an admirable job, always coming back and picking up his man in the slot .. not opposed to fighting, he has dropped the gloves already a few times .. is a versatile option at this point and should be a key contributor in years to come.

Stuart Percy (2011), D, Mississauga

Percy continues to play a solid defensive game and marries it well with shades of offence .. not a flashy player, he does all the little things well .. his biggest strength is that he understands his limits and plays well within them .. a gifted passer, he can make an accurate first pass out of the zone even when he has pressure on him .. he makes the most of his shifts and plays with poise and maturity that belly his age .. not a natural puck rusher, he usually stops short of the redline so he can support the play defensively should it suddenly switch .. the fact that he does not panic with the puck enables him to architect offensive plays from the backend and even though he is not considered an offensive defenseman he still makes plays that ignite the attack .. very composed with the puck and if he does not see a play he is not against throwing it down the ice for an icing rather than trying to force something, again showcasing his maturity .. Percy has slowly emerged as a top-six defender and is learning from a trio of NHL-drafted defenders while rounding out and improving his overall game .. a virtual shoe-in to make the U17 Team Ontario team.