Kiddy Cats
Bouwmeester
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The youngest Canadian to appear in the World Juniors (16.25 yrs), this year's
prized stallion was the near-consensus first-overall pick, before being denied
the honour thanks to GM Rick Dudley's draft-day dealings .. A spellbinding skater
with great size, acceleration and lateral movement, the hard-shooting Bouwmeester
is a conscientious defender, steadily adding more of a physical edge to his
game .. Will be a dominating neutral-zone force once he refines his finesse
skills and learns to be more selfish.
Weiss
Plymouth star led his club in scoring in both the regular season and the playoffs
(6-2-7-9), but battled a wave of injuries including a wonky shoulder at the
World Juniors (6-3-1-4), and then had his NHL debut marred by torn knee ligaments
in the final minute of Florida's last game .. A smooth, multi-talented pivot
with soft hands and outstanding two-way smarts, Weiss isn't overly big, but
boasts an explosive change of pace, creative distribution skills and a relentless
work ethic .. Was brilliant at times in his NHL trial.
Krajicek
After turning heads at Florida's camp, talented Czech sagged upon returning
for a second OHL term, however, he steadily emerged from the doghouse to make
a sparkling late-year NHL debut .. A silky-smooth skater with tremendous agility
and quickness, Krajicek is a talented puckcarrier and possesses a booming shot,
but has yet to physically mature and can be soft in his own end at times ..
Displayed remarkable composure in his brief NHL trial.
Shvidki
Dynamic Ukrainian first-rounder was tentative after missing the first 24 games
with a concussion suffered in training camp, and was demoted to Utah in December
and underwent season-ending ankle surgery in February .. An explosive, strong-shooting
winger, Shvidki excels in the trenches due to his great strength on the puck
and game-breaking acceleration, and has matured defensively, although he must
continue to upgrade his physical play and learn to better utilize his linemates
.. Potentially a star once he finds a comfort zone at the NHL level.
Olson
Rugged sixth-rounder (`00) made a quantum leap forward in his sophomore WHL
season, finishing second on the Winter Hawks in scoring with 40 goals, including
seven game-winners, while delivering a team-high seven points in the playoffs
(7-4-3-7, 2 GWG) .. Hulking, rangy winger with deceptive quickness for his size,
Olson sees the ice well, has good hands and can be an unstoppable force when
driving hard to the net, but he lacks intensity some nights and must learn to
take better advantage of his scorching slapshot .. Getting faster, however,
he is still green in some areas.