Memorial Cup: Gigantic Performances

The Vancouver Giants had many skeptics about whether they had blown a great opportunity to win a Memorial Cup when they didn't go out and mortgage the farm and acquire Carey Price. While there is no doubt that Tyson Sexsmith is not the next Price, he did the job when it counted and performed better than most expected.

We'll take a look at some of their prospects that are eligible for the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, many of whom were instrumental in their Memorial Cup success.

Jonathon Blum (2007), D, Vancouver

Partnered with Brett Festerling on arguably the Giants top pairing .. takes and gives the pass efficiently .. appears like he's added some beef to his slender frame or at the very least is looking more filled out .. plays a ton in all situations, including both special teams .. generally does a nice job of maintaining position on the puckcarrier .. during the early part of the Memorial Cup was pressured into many uncharacteristic errors and even lost position on one-on-ones, however settled down after a few games .. not a banger, choosing more to use his stick to back off puckcarriers for fear that he will knock the puck away .. isn't blessed with a rocket from the point, yet gets his shots through .. poised beyond his years and thinks the game at an elite level .. a lock to be selected in the first round. (5gp, 0-1-1)

Spencer Machacek (2007), RW, Vancouver

Boasts some zip to his wrist shot .. played on a line with Kenndal McArdle and Mario Bliznak .. seems to play better when it counts the most, however is still a complimentary or secondary player on any line he's on .. likes to go hard on the forecheck and finish his checks .. played on both special teams .. still prone to moments of inactivity and when he's not playing with fire can become rather ineffective .. seems to think the game well and is a good bet to be selected in the second round .. there is upside to his game, but the question is if it is enough to get him to be much more of a role player in the NHL. (5gp, 3-0-3)

Mitch Czibere (2007), RW, Vancouver

As the Giants acquired talent and recovered from injuries his role on the team seemed to drop .. offensively hasn't shown anything more than third line upside at the WHL level .. a useful penalty-killer and fourthliner given his work ethic and overall quickness .. has become all but all but an afterthought for the upcoming NHL Entry Draft, yet is still a serviceable player at the WHL level. (5gp, 0-1-1)

Michal Repik (2007), RW, Vancouver

Played on the number one line with Milan Lucic and Wacey Rabbit .. turned in a superb effort in the WHL playoffs and carried it over in to the Memorial Cup .. played with confidence and show cased the ability to elude checkers in the offensive zone .. boasted rarely seen grit and physicality to his game answering one of the biggest questions regarding whether he would he be able to raise his game when it mattered most .. displayed an increased willingness to fight through traffic, go to the dirty areas and compete physically .. improvement still wanted in going to the holes and shooting the puck more .. blessed with the speed and stickhandling ability to beat a checker on the outside .. a regular on the powerplay, but was even seeing time on the penalty-kill .. not a great checker as he sometimes gets caught going for the puck instead of making sure he's got his man .. must work on his clearing attempts as some were too easily kept in .. still needs to get stronger and would be well advised to return to Junior for another season of tutelage under Don Hay .. expect to see a nice improvement on his 59th place McKeen's ranking in our final report. (5gp, 3-4-7)

Brent Regner (2007), D, Vancouver

Does a nice job keeping on his feet and even when he does go down he bounces right back up .. generally terrific at the moving the puck and the opposition must be alert for the long stretch passes up to a forward slipping in behind the defensive coverage .. rarely tries to do too much in any zone .. sees some time on the powerplay .. reads the play well and usually can be counted on to deliver the puck to the correct teammate at just the right time .. boasts just enough speed to keep the puckcarrier to the outside as well as the positioning to keep him there .. still needs to add some strength .. can improve some in almost every area of his game as nothing really stands out .. paired on the Giants' third set with A.J. Thelen .. is another one of the Giants that should expect an improved final ranking. (5gp, 0-0-0)

Tyson Sexsmith (2007), G, Vancouver

Had a rough start to the WHL playoffs, but soon settled down and gave the Vancouver Giants tremendously stable goaltending .. still prone to playing too shallow in the net and given his glove could use some work it can leave him susceptible to being beaten top corner .. generally made most saves look easy and rarely expended more energy on a save than absolutely necessary .. unflappable almost to a fault .. not great at handling the puck, although isn't a liability when he leaves his crease .. might not have been the biggest reason the Giants won the Championship, but they couldn't have won it without him .. like Repik and Regner, should see a sizeable jump in the McKeen's Final Draft Rankings. (5gp, 1.40 GAA, 0.936)