Mooseheads-up

For the second straight season, the Halifax Mooseheads are at the bottom of the league standings. Times have been tough for the organization, however there seems to be brighter days ahead. The team has a core of young players that never quit and are giving opponents a tough time on most nights. Mckeen`s correspondent Rick Springhetti recently saw the Mooseheads in action and files a report on some of younger players set to make some noise in the upcoming years.

Konrad Abeltshauser (2010), D, Halifax

German-born forward has had an injury-plagued first season in Halifax .. should be one of the youngest players eligible for this seasons NHL entry draft .. not a very quick skater .. has even a harder time with pivots and lateral mobility .. this has made it difficult to handle quicker forwards who try to beat him on the outside .. tangles up forwards well in front of the slot .. shot is hard and heavy and he does hit the net with regularity .. not hesitant to use it either .. moves the puck out of his zone fairly well, sometimes surprising his opponents with some nice stickhandling up close .. give himself some extra time to make a play due to his habit of keeping his head up .. has a frustrating routine of always trying to move the puck at the back of his own net making it difficult for his teammates to produce offence on the rush .. currently, he seems like a long-term option for a team looking to draft a stay-at-home defenseman.

Mathieu Corbeil-Theriault (2010), G, Halifax

Big, athletic goaltender that plays a butterfly style .. extends his legs quickly for a player his size but does need to improve rebound control .... a little quick to drop down but he does take up lots of room nonetheless .. manages to hold on to the puck well on high shots .. keeps his glove high and blocker low as to better use his stick to block low shots .. has trouble getting back up quickly when he is down .. not much room for the shooter when he has a chance to move up aggressively .. handles the pressure of tight games well.

Carl Gelinas (2010), LW, Halifax

Small forward that plays with a ton of energy .. likes to handle the puck and is quick to find open spaces .. keeps his body low when he stickhandles so the opposition has a tough time trying to get the puck from him .. comes back hard to support his teammates in the defensive zone and plays forwards very aggressively .. nice skating ability, as he only needs two or three steps to get moving at top speeds .. not a very imaginative player with the puck in terms of passing ability .. has a habit of keeping his head low, which does not help .. shoots the puck regularly at the net the second he has it .. may want to slow things down a little and look for other options .. manages to gain position well along the boards, which helps him win many battles.. no issues with his work ethic.

Sawyer Hannay (2010), D, Halifax

Big defenseman with a ton of character .. will do anything he can to help and support his team .. plays a borderline dirty game by either using his stick or keeping his elbows high when dishing out hits .. choppy skater who lacks mobility at the backend .. pivots are difficult so he compensates by making wide turns .. has trouble making a good breakout pass so he will try to get it to the nearest teammate as quickly as possible .. can start scrambling a little in his own zone but generally keeps his game simple and safe .. uses his stick a lot to pressure the puckcarrier but needs to control it a little better, as he gets into penalty problems .. has a heavy shot that he keeps low .. willingly drops the gloves against the leagues toughest players and holds his own .. very popular and respected by his teammates.

Garrett Clarke (2011), D, Halifax

Nasty, physical defenseman that can be a bit of an agitator on the ice .. looks out for his teammates at all times and will not hesitate to take on much bigger opponents .. surprisingly, he is graceful skater with a nice stride .. very hard shot with a quick release .. needs to get more of them through traffic though .. defends fairly well due to his skating but needs to improve his ability to angle the opposing forwards .. leaves a bit too much of an opening on the outside .. sees time on the powerplay where he will often try to slow down the play, draw an opponent to him and then distribute the puck down low .. although this often works out, the problem is that he is caught flat-footed if his team loses control of the puck .. seeing a ton of minutes for a rebuilding Halifax team.. seems to be trying to cut down on his penalty minutes, as he does have a lot to offer to his team on the ice.

Gabriel Desjardins (2011), LW, Halifax

Quick forward who can move well in all directions .. cycles the puck down low very well .. aggressive forechecker that forces opponents to make plays quickly .. plays a simple dump-and-chase game .. doesn't take advantage of scoring chances when he has them .. would be better off slowing down the play, a little, as everything he does seems rushed .. tends to make passes to teammates when they are vulnerable or being covered .. strong player along the boards or in the corners, he will not always win his battles but will always put up a good fight .. does his best work when he is matched by other energy players .. could be the type of player that explodes offensively once he gains a little more experience.

Brent Andrews (2011), LW, Halifax

First-round pick at this years QJMHL draft for the Mooseheads .. slick puckhandler with soft hands .. can move the puck well in traffic .. doesn't hesitate to slow down the play in the offensive zone and draw opponents to him to create some room before distributing the puck to a teammate .. receives passes very well and will get control of the puck quickly .. average skater but there is room for improvement considering his age .. stride is a little choppy but he compensates somewhat by sheer lower-body strength .. doesn't quit on the play along the boards even when it seems that he has lost the battle for the puck .. has to improve his reads defensively but the effort is there so this aspect of his game should improve as he gains experience .. should shoot the puck a little more to help make him a little more unpredictable.