Joe Maire Tournament

Joe Maire Tournament (posted 9.19.06)

by David Burstyn

The 19th annual Joe Maire tournament was held earlier this weekend and featured 30 minor midget teams. The tournament features the best 15-year-old players eligible for the OHL draft, to be held later this season.

The Mississauga Jr. Ice Dogs were the favorites coming into the tournament after they successfully won the OHF Bantam Championship last season. They did not disappoint and after hard fought wins in both the semi final (Whitby Wild Cats) and the final (Mississauga Rebels) they won the Joe Maire tournament. Newly acquired Andrew Agozzino was named tournament MVP. Agozzino is highly regarded prospect, after playing a year up and captaining the Vaughn Kings last year he returns for his OHL draft year poised to make a statement.

McKeen's takes a first hand look at 25 prospects determined to shoot up OHL scouts lists.

Toronto Marlboros

Daniel Erlich (F) 5'6, 145 – Marlies

An extremely talented player with magical hands .. has very quick wrists, which enable him to dangle .. finishes plays but at times looks to be too fancy with additional pass .. never stops moving .. quick feet, with short bursts of speed .. an aggressive PK player as his small frame lets him roll of players and get into tight spaces .. boasts an impressive skill set that has been noticed despite his generously listed 5'6 height.

Ethan Werek (F) 6'0, 173 – Marlies

The last person to wear 91 for the Marlies was John Tavares, clearly, the coaching staff thinks enough of this kid to give him that number .. an exceptional puck handler who displays uncanny patience with the puck .. solid both ways as he readily helps out in the defensive side of the game .. great reach and size, is able to stick handle around players with ease .. good skater with long stride, not explosive but he is capable of good speed once his feet get moving .. completely dominated in the opener looking to make a statement but play fizzled a tad and was unable to lead his team to a berth in the tournament playoffs .. shows the potential to be first round material.

Jordan Mustard (D) 6'0, 153 – Marlies

A solid backend presence .. he skates well and can make a good first pass .. shows poise and is not easily hurried .. poised and relaxed he sets the tempo of the game from the back end, he is instrumental in architecting the attack .. a smooth skater who will need to continue to work on his foot speed .. emerging already as the number one defender.

Greater Kingston Predators

Taylor Hall (F) 5'11, 165 – Predators

Was by far one of the better skaters at the tournament .. has all the tools to be successful but needs to understand the team game better .. too often, he rushed the play coast to coast and did not utilize his teammates .. can stick handle in a phone booth .. should be very interesting to see how the experienced coaching staff is able to develop him throughout the season.

Jordan Mayer (F) 5'9, 165 – Predators

A highly skilled forward who does everything right .. offensively he can pass, shoot and score .. was the leading scorer for his team in the tournament .. great skater, blows by flat-footed defenders and eagerly crashes the net .. good feel for the game as he is very receptive on where to be in terms of positioning .. size does not seem to prohibit him and with overall skill set coupled with his skating ability, he is an early candidate for first round consideration.

Jake Logan (D) 6'2, 180 - Predators

Rock solid defender is virtually impossible to beat one-on-one .. an elegant skater who has mobility and good lateral movement .. he plays a very simple game as he is employed to do .. does not play outside his limits and is always the first defender back .. rarely over commits and plays rushing forwards with the intelligence of a three year OHL veteran as he angles off the player with a well timed stick check and is strong enough to eliminate that player afterwards .. very complete defender, should only get better.

Whitby Wildcats

Derek Foote (F) 5'11, 155 – WildCats

Led the tournament in scoring as he registered four goals in one game alone .. a quiet goal scorer, he creates his own chances .. great first step quickness and acceleration, he literally weaves in and out of traffic areas with ease .. must be mindful to keep his head up, however he did not get hit .. great slap shot and timely release of wrist/snap shot in close .. great hockey sense, he is a fixture on both the PP and PK unit .. he was successful in killing countless 3-5 penalty situations and even created opportunities to score on occasion .. the best player on a very talented team .. still a tad slender should he manage to increase his weight while maintaining his speed he should be able to step in and play in the OHL next season.

Ryan Martindale (F) 6'2, 160 – WildCats

A true goal scorer .. he can bury his chances and is lethal in front of the net .. his release and accuracy are his best weapons .. displays patience and forces the defenders to him, he sees the ice well and is probably not given enough credit for his passing abilities .. he is a good skater, who moves around the ice swiftly .. does not put himself in the danger areas to score and was rarely if ever seen in the corners .. a good stone that needs a little polishing.

Josh Shalla (F) 6'1, 180 - WildCats

A team player who competes and does what it takes to win .. a last minute player used by the coaching staff because he works hard and has a good understanding of the game .. not as dynamic as his peers, he still has a good skill set to draw from .. a fluid skater who is not overly fast but manages to get from point A to point B with favorable success .. does many little things right and his willingness to go into the corner and do the dirty work makes him a favorite with his teammates .. solid role player who makes others better and doesn't take the credit.

Brampton Battalion

Jason Holland (F) 6'0, 165 – Battalion

Holland comes into his draft year with much hype after scoring 100 goals last season .. he is a highly skilled forward who needs to apply himself every shift .. too inconsistent at times .. feisty and can play aggressive .. fluid skater who jumps on loose pucks .. decent shot puts himself in area to shoot .. a rather unimpressive showing for Holland however he is a dominate player who should play his way up scout's lists.

Tyler Randell (F) 6'0, 165 – Battalion

Great swift skater who can really fly .. hockey sense has to be questioned at times as he made poor passes that put his teammates in jeopardy of being hit .. thick size who did not really use it to his advantage .. failed to convert and capitalize on his chances .. while his statistics may have impressed last year, he along with teammate Holland failed to make the impression they are capable of .. too talented to be over looked.

Andy Bathgate (F) 5'11, 150 – Battalion

Grandson of NHL HOF Andy Bathgate, has good hockey bloodlines .. incredibly fast with tremendous first step quickness .. takes advantage of his speed but often stays to the outside refusing to drive to the net to create a better scoring chance or draw the defenders into taking a penalty in an attempt to contain him .. a better playmaker than a finisher as he sees the ice better than his team mates however, his shot for the time being is lacking.

Mississauga Ice Dogs

Andrew Agozzino (F) 5'9, 170 – Ice Dogs

Played a year up last year and captained the Vaughn Kings however decided to leave their team to join the powerhouse Ice Dogs .. a gifted player with a hair trigger release and hard shot .. swift, fluid skater with good movement .. goes into the corner but is selective as to whom he challenges .. good set of hands in traffic .. had difficulty understanding and playing within the new set of rules, took many penalties as a result .. should get more looks from scouts on a better team and it looks as if he is still considered the go-to-guy.

Casey Cizikas (F) 5'11, 180 – Ice Dogs

A skilled winger who likes to charge the puck up ice .. great feet and skating ability .. prone to trying to do too much and lack of strength makes it easy for bigger players to strip him of the puck .. excels in one-on-one situations when his first step can blow by defenders .. demeanor on the ice suggests he is a bit on the cocky side .. skill level is present however can he put all the other pieces together.

Michael Fine (F) 6'0, 200 – Ice Dogs

One of the bigger forwards coming into the draft .. he is thick but has not grown in the last few seasons and others are starting to catch up .. very skilled and smart player with great stick handling abilities .. reads and has a good feel for the game .. good at face-offs .. shows anticipation in all three zones .. he is a good skater and can explode when he sees a mistake or a loose puck, his speed is deceiving .. boasts a very complete game and is capable of scoring.

Toronto Red Wings

Johnny Szasz (F) 6'1, 205 – Red Wings

Has elected to play in the GTHL this season after playing his minor hockey in Brantford .. has good blood lines as his brother was a 3rd round pick of the Frontenacs two seasons ago .. thick, strong player who provides presence up front and creates room for himself as he intimidates players .. he has good hands but relies more in his ability to stir things up to create chances .. always moving his feet he can generate good speed when moving not so much at a stand still position .. a solid addition to a fairly skilled Red Wing team, he should get more attention playing in the GTHL.

Jesse Blacker (D) 5'11, 165 – Red Wings

Fairly small and slender by defenseman standards he is however very skilled and an effective puck mover .. good mobility coupled with quick feet allow him to converge on loose pucks and make a play .. good PP QB skills as he has cannon of a shot, sees openings, and is very cautious not too gamble and get beaten the other way .. experience in playing up last season has certainly improved his all around game.

London Jr. Knights

Josh Sidwell (F) 5'10, 150 – Jr. Knights

He plays much bigger than he is as he shows no fear rushing the net .. looks to be a difference maker every shift, working hard in the corners and battling for loose pucks .. great stride with powerful legs to thrust him into open areas of the ice especially working defenders to the outside .. protects the puck well and can fire off his shot with blazing speed, accuracy will need to be worked on .. needs to learn the nuances of the defensive game .. a very intriguing prospect.

Rob Flick (F) 6'2, 170 – Jr. Knights

A tall, aggressive coordinated player .. tenacious fore checker .. good speed generated by long smooth stride, good first step quickness .. has a decent shot but will need to continue to work on improving it, release, power, accuracy as it is all too inconsistent .. a nice combination of size and skill and should be rated in the top few rounds on most lists.

Barrie Colts

Garrett Wilson (F) 6'1, 175 – Colts

Not an overly talented offensive threat however, he is a very smart player who does many little things right .. not much finish he is more adept in setting up his team mates .. good size with the potential to fill out and get bigger .. not overly aggressive but uses his size wisely in corner battles or open ice .. a swift skater who is remarkably agile for a player his size.

Robert Visca (F) 5'11, 180 – Colts

An offensive dynamo with quick feet and quicker hands .. did not register many points on the score sheet but is an ultra talented player who is capable of taking the game into his own hands however needs to show that dominance every shift .. very raw package but has tremendous upside.

Mississauga Rebels

Taylor Carnevale (F) 5'11, 185 – Rebels

A sturdy, solidly built tank of a player who bull dozes his way through the opposition .. very hard worker never gives up, plays every shift as if he has something to prove .. not a pretty skater but gets around ok .. good hands and can physically assert himself in traffic, buying an extra second to make a play .. captain of the Rebels, the runner-up team in this tournament.

Josh Philips (D) 6'1, 175 – Rebels

A quick and agile defender .. seems to have a sixth sense as to where players are or where they need to be .. great first pass out of the zone or equally qualified to charge the zone with it .. opposition converged on him often and did not allow him to pick up speed, responded well to the pressure .. will still need to work on his coverage in front of the net as he gets a tad complacent and fails to recognize his man.

Toronto Jr. Canadiens

Ryan O'Reilly (F) 6'0, 180 – Jr. Canadiens

After playing a year up last season and was arguably Huron Perth's best player he decided to join the GTHL for more exposure .. younger brother of Cal O'Reilly however more of a finisher than a playmaker .. unbelievable bursts of speed .. quick hands, converts on his chances .. creates good scoring chances out of thin air and is so dangerous because of his speed, anticipation and uncanny hockey sense .. did not play the first two games as he was waiting for his release and paperwork to be finalized but made an immediate impact in the final game giving his team a new dimension and a scoring threat.

Pittsburgh Predators

Zach Tatrn (F) 6'2, 210 – Predators

An absolute beast of a player .. commands and dictates the tempo of the game when puck is on his stick .. very creative and highly skilled playmaker .. good hard shot .. surprisingly good footwork and speed .. lack of talented line mates will hurt him this season as he is makes plays his teammates sometimes do not expect .. a very promising prospect with potential and upside.