Latendresse a Hit at the ORT

The Montreal Canadiens may have hit the jackpot in the second round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft with the selection of Guillaume Latendresse. Just how deserving is he of the recent hype? We have notes on Latendresse and other Canadiens participants from the Ottawa Rookie Tournament.

Sebastien Bisaillon, D .. stocky rearguard was cool and collected on the pp, showing slick puck skills and fine puck distribution abilities .. did attentive work physically but still needs to fill out and be meaner .. struggled on some puck-clearing plays .. makes excellent agile cuts and in one instance he did a 360-degree Hossa-like move around Carolina's net, at even strength, when trying to set up a play .. good balance on his skates and surprises with nice vision and puckmoving instincts.

Alex Dulac-Lemelin, D .. long-range passer can unload some missiles .. showed a penchant for some brutal giveaways; made clueless passes right down the middle of the ice several times .. had trouble letting go of a slap shot at the point .. showed improved positional sense deeper into the tournament playing the man rather than the puck.

Kyle Chipchura, C .. strong on faceoffs and ties up his man with some jam along the boards .. quick feet, wastes no time when making a little drop pass to start a rush .. praiseworthy dedication on defense and he never stops moving .. at his best and nastiest he resembles Mike Peca somewhat but could be more consistently gritty .. love his defensive conscience and willingness to take the body .. quick stick corrals him a share of attempted clearing plays.

Maxim Lapierre, C .. speedy aggressive pest is tough and diligent along the boards and gets his stick involved .. tremendous burst of speed gets him racing into the zone and to the desired destination immediately .. very quick, surprisingly strong and ultra-annoying .. attacks the net vigorously .. love his go-getter approach.

Juraj Mikus, RW .. not a great skater but is an efficient one .. some minor balance/strength issues but gets himself involved in traffic .. not fast, but is deceptive and opportunistic .. style is a hybrid of European and North American; he's skilled yet has an honest, economical approach with the puck, willing to dump it in when necessary .. wins puck battles and drives the net, both essential qualities for pro success.

Sergei Kostitsyn, RW .. cerebral player faced some hard knocks, getting beat up pretty good along the boards by bigger, stronger guys .. his lower body could use some additional weight training .. did not show a gritty side until mid-to-late into the tournament, when he began to settle in and look comfortable .. hard working for the puck in the corners .. seemed unsure at times as to how to utilize his speed to its fullest .. does not have a goalscorer's razzle-dazzle like his brother; not the type to overwhelm the goalie with hesitation moves .. his forte is playmaking; with better linemates he would have piled up a few more assists, but there was no chemistry .. he has character.

Guillaume Latendresse, RW .. tough guy through and through played like he had something to prove .. his quickness is better; pivots effectively for a player his size and is an above-average all-around skater .. some of his turns are still a tad rough but forwards he was quite explosive .. dishes out powerful, balanced body checks with tremendous timing, whereby he just takes a guy's lower body right out from under him .. very strong on his feet for his age .. doesn't have elite-level hands but there is so much more to him .. doesn't go around defensemen as much as he drives through them and once rode right into Todd Ford, getting an interference penalty .. quick shot beat Todd Ford glove-side a the right faceoff circle .. punished Brett Carson on a clearing attempt with a hip check .. slap shot is the only facet that did not really impress; had a glorious chance to score on Nastiuk, but went way too high with the shot.

Matt D'Agostini, RW .. admirable effort in traffic despite obvious size/strength issues and overall inexperience .. soft hands on the puck, but gets knocked off balance pretty easily by bigger guys .. hard slap shot, but has do develop better accuracy .. a little slow to react to the occasional pass.

Cory Urquhart, C .. his hands haven't impressed as he is rough and inconsistent with the puck .. wrist shot lacks accuracy and release .. several failed hipchecks .. slap shot has some zip but wasn't utilized a lot .. even the AHL is not looking imminent.

Carey Price, G .. calm, collected approach as always .. must polish up his rebound control but he recovers very well by taking away the lower part of the net in serpentine fashion .. excellent balance and lateral movement .. loves to go out of the crease and help out his defensemen by playing the puck .. a Steve Later slap shot nearly went through his fivehole .. extremely light on his feet .. the only minor concern was that he seemed too in love with going down to his knees, though more for show than by instinct .. could one day make Habs fans forget Jose Theodore, if not for his play then at least for his Jose-like good looks.

Ottawa Rookie Tournament: The Top-10 Performances

1. Andrew Ladd, F, Carolina

2. Jeff Glass, G, Ottawa

3. Andrej Meszaros, D, Ottawa

4. Maxim Lapierre, F, Montreal

5. Vince Bellissimo, F, Carolina

6. Guillaume Latendresse, F, Montreal

7. Alexander Steen, F, Toronto

8. Rostislav Olesz, F, Florida

9. Kenndal McArdle, F, Florida

10. Patrick Eaves, F, Ottawa

For complete results, including standings and scoring leaders, click HERE.