Medicine Men

McKeen's correspondent Marlon Martens has notes on several Medicine Hat Tigers including Emerson Etem who is currently ranked No. 22 by McKeen's for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Scott Mckay, Dylan Bredo, Kale Kessy, Dylan Busenius and goaltender Tyler Bunz are also featured.

Emerson Etem (2010), C, Medicine Hat

Out of California, Etem has made it clear he wants a shot at the NHL .. shares the rookie lead in goals (33) .. skates with dynamic, explosive bursts and really pushes out his legs .. loves racing down the wing to fire shots, and as demonstrated in the Top Prospects Game, picking the top corner .. gets plays started by out-dueling multiple players then getting pucks deep into the offensive zone .. has the ability to make something out of nothing .. continually wins races for pucks .. heads off breathing hard every shift, brings that high-energy style of play .. impressive ability to play without the puck, always moving and getting open .. great awareness, uses the drop pass along the boards while cycling the puck .. always ready to pounce on opportunities .. slick and hard to slow down .. willing to go to the front of the net, as he grows he'll be able to stay there longer .. can stickhandle in tight, scored by tipping a shot while being tied up on the PP .. knows where to place a pass .. on the PK, he backchecks, diving in front of a shot and then cleared the puck .. working on keeping his head up with the puck .. projected late first round pick. Stats: 65gp (65-33-26-59), plus-8, 20 PIM.

Scott McKay (2010), D, Medicine Hat

Versatile and speedy defenseman .. routinely intercepts passes at his blueline .. good acceleration backwards .. quick skater overall .. got pushed back in front of the net .. uses his stick a lot to pitch fork the puck out of skates .. while working to become more physical, he knows to use his strengths - speed and stick work .. sets up for a one-timer in the offensive zone on top of the circle .. even got a shift at forward .. he's really worked on his defensive game improving his plus/minus over the last two months and has cut back on penalties drastically. Stats: 42gp (42-2-2-4), plus-4, 36 PIM.

Dylan Bredo (2011), LW, Medicine Hat

Quick shot, quick decision making along boards near the point .. very short shifts, skating is fine .. already has decent size .. wins battles along the boards .. trying to showcase his skill by making a move 1-on-1 move, but the goalie got to the puck first .. making a strong case for more icetime.

Kale Kessy (2011), C, Medicine Hat

Delivers monster hits, stapling players to the boards while finishing checks .. a willing combatant with some reach .. loves to get his nose dirty .. looks to hit hard, but sometimes gets more of the glass .. his skating is like a locomotive on a railway track, chugging along slowly but once it gets up to speed it's full steam ahead and hard to stop .. can take a hard pass, chips in with some offense too .. showed some skill tipping a pointshot, but then fanned on the door step .. sound defensively, made a nice pokecheck .. provides the team with spark. Stats: 63gp (63-11-17-28), plus-12, 109 PIM.

Dylan Busenius (2011), D, Medicine Hat

Tigers first selection in the 2008 Bantam draft .. still learning some lessons, as his clearing attempts were not hard enough and played the puck and got beat .. he recovered, but screened the netminder .. must be more selective when chasing an opponent into the corner .. wouldn't have been rubbed out if he was faster .. got busted for a holding the stick penalty .. average skater .. shows signs of vision with great two-line passes .. look for steady improvement. Stats: 37gp (37-0-7-7), minus-2, 12 PIM.

Tyler Bunz (2010), G, Medicine Hat

Composed, butterfly-style netminder with stick skill, can fire it hard along boards .. plays deeper in goal .. covers bottom half well .. tracks the puck well laterally .. no problem with saves in close .. very flexible, yet nothing flashy .. willing to dive across the goal mouth superman style, as the second effort desire is evident .. impressive reaction toe save .. quick to his feet .. pops up effortlessly .. looks uncomfortable while trying to cover short stick side, falling awkwardly into the net .. calm, unfazed and emotionless after being barged over .. his long torso helps cover more net while playing positionally sound .. absorbs rebounds .. look for his stats to continue to improve, as he is relied on heading into the playoffs. Stats: 57gp (27-18-3-2), 3.01 goals-against average, .896 save percentage, 2 shutouts.