NHL: A Few Budding Leafs
The Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins had a chance to evaluate their young talent during a recent rookie tournament in Kitchener, Ontario. McKeen's correspondent Gus Katsaros was on hand and has notes for each team. Featured in this installment, are Luke Schenn (pictured) and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Darryl Boyce, C
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Captain of the rookie squad was at his best utilizing great speed and big-league acceleration, complemented by excellent agility and balance, making it difficult to knock off the puck, especially at higher speeds .. strange given that it should be easier to knock off balance with contact, he wobbled but didn't drop and took the puck with him .. a good shot, but didn't use it very much preferring the 'pretty' play .. physical, finishing his checks .. good passing ability .. could scramble trying to do too much in defensive zone coverage .. has to develop a better faceoff proficiency .. physical, finishes his checks, a testament to the rehab work on the shoulder he injured in the first game as a Maple Leafs forward, missing a check against Washington's Tom Poti and slamming into the boards.
Not a very noticeable effort in the two games on the weekend, and could use an upgrade in intensity .. skated into the play too late to become much of a non-factor on most occasions .. seemed to try to initialize too much when he had the sights set on his opponents, with a lumbering skating style that doesn't allow him to get to his checks very quickly .. needs to an improve his skating .. despite skating deficiency, he displayed good defensive zone positioning on coverage and wasn't afraid to throw around his 6-foot-4, 210-pound frame, especially along the wall, although he can operate in a bubble with his positioning and his back away from the play on the fourth goal versus the Penguins .. went hard to the net on the rush, with his stick on the ice, ready for the pass across, but gave up when the play went back the other way .. could be a bit more energetic on his shifts, stops moving his feet at times .. not afraid of contact but doesn't initiate as much as he should, and sometimes skates away too quick .. wide horseshoe strides, awkward startup stride .. long wingspan, used to take away passing outlets .. wide skating arc, doesn't get much acceleration .. has to get better pace/urgency into his game .. likely headed back to the 'Q'.
Saint John Sea Dogs scoring star, "DiDo" was a better performer against the Sens in Game 2, than the Pens in Game 1 .. flashy skater with good speed, dynamic change of pace and ability to slink through traffic and blow by unassuming defenders .. very feisty and physical, not afraid to get into dirty areas and along the wall, an enduring quality considering his thin frame (165 pounds) .. unnecessary stick swinging without provocation on the forecheck .. plays a good puck possession game, controlling and cycling well with space .. needs to bulk up a bit .. .. heard a lot of "DiDo" as he went into corners looking for loose pucks, not just throwing it into the slot, but rather taking it himself, or looking for an outlet .. took a good run at bigger Ottawa defenseman, Karlsson and knocked him down .. isn't shy to initiate contact .. hurt his shoulder on a shift in the second period against the Sens and kept on with the physical work .. .. smart positioning .. good skater, fluid and gets good speed fairly quickly .. very noticeable inside game, not sticking on the perimeters .. loves initiating physical work, along the boards and in open space, and also got back at the Sens player for contact on teammate .. excellent hands, shifty and creative, with good vision and execution .. .. tried some cute plays against the Penguins, like flipping the puck over a defender's stick and trying to maneuver around the player that would possibly work in the "Q" but not at a professional level .. showed the gumption to try this out, despite the inability to capitalize .. big heart and soul player that should make professional debut at Ricoh Coliseum this season.
Stefano Giliati, LW
Skates with a big horseshoe stride and expends a lot of effort for the end result .. big, strong strides in a wide stance gets good acceleration but can look very sloppy skating - especially with flailing arms side-to-side – but he has the ability to make tight turns/swirls in a small radius .. stops moving his feet in both zones and has to hustle back into position .. feisty with quick footwork but tries to do too much on his own, sometimes working in a bubble .. could upgrade defensive coverage and awareness, as he gets burned with quick movement around him while standing still .. also applicable in the offensive zone, although not as static there .. physical, not afraid to get involved on the boards or along the wall .. can be a little overzealous at times, overreacting to an offensive foray or getting too excited about a big hit and taking himself out of the play .. good hard, low shot that is accurate .. has good vision and decent creativity .. upper body strength allows him to fend off checkers when rushing the puck, and bouncing off him along the boards .. likely to stick with the Marlies where he made his debut last season.
Dale Mitchell, RW
Oshawa Generals forward pumps legs like a roadrunner with short quick strides and gets good speed and excellent acceleration .. quick shooting release .. has well-defined ability to accept passes at high-end speed without breaking skating stride allowing him to maintain motion and outmaneuver opposing defenders .. torpedo style, not afraid of the physical work along the boards, and makes B-lines for the front of the net .. have to love his hustle .. quick shot, hard just off the mark taken on the go with his feet moving .. small (listed at 5-foot-8) but with a 207-pound frame, using it in physical work along the boards and in open ice very effectively .. was hit by a Luke Schenn shot off the point, as he was hauled down in front of the Sens goalie .. had a greater impact and better game against the Sens, while looking defensively awkward against the Penguins.
Greg Scott, LW
Not blessed with elite hands but they are fairly soft .. he skated with purpose, using his body to be physical along the boards and in the slot, but could telegraph his approach a little better .. good offensive positioning, looking for clear space, although his lack of high-end foot speed, lackluster startup gear and average stationary skating edgework prevent him from moving around as much in the zone .. stops moving his feet becoming static and waiting for the play to come to him, instead of creating opportunities when he's in a lazy mood .. plays a good inside game, using his stick and body to forecheck, although he doesn't have the upper body strength to play such a style consistently .. hard working, industrious along the boards .. had a better second game, including a stint with Boyce on the top unit .. intriguing upside when he put in a determined effort, he was effective down low in the cycle .. could improve defensive zone positioning.
Unnoticeable in much of the tournament, playing a perimeter game and not getting involved much in the thick of action .. mainly watched, essentially waiting for the game to come to him .. when gaining control of the puck, he made smart decisions finding outlets and executing crisp passing ability .. a good skater (reminds me of a Marian Hossa skating stride, start up, especially with a bouncy first step, and change of direction), with decent transition ability, speed and decent acceleration, he stops moving his feet rendering him ineffective defensively and struggles to keep up when quick turnovers/transition overwhelm his respectable anticipation .. could be a bit more selfish taking shots where he passed it off .. good vision and ability to work in tight spaces, while sometimes making one too many moves .. goes to the front of the net without the puck in offensive zone possession, but becomes stagnant, and doesn't flow into open space .. could challenge more in forechecking .. has to keep his feet moving .. shows glimpses of top-six skills, although has to throw off the invisibility cloak.
Luke Schenn, D
Downright brutal on Saturday against the Penguins, the pride of the Leafs rookies was caught watching the puck too much in his own zone, not watching his man or opposition movement, sneaking behind him and making sketchy outlet decisions, a sign of nerves until he got his bearings .. changed dramatically on Sunday against the Senators where he turned in a much better performance, making an impression on the game, and showing glimpses of why Pierre McGuire dubbed him the "Human Eraser" .. showed better rushing ability and safer outlet decisions as tournament progressed .. has an excellent knack of getting pucks on net through traffic from the point, even when pressured, although he didn't display much of his big shot .. excellent skating ability, both backward and forward, and in transition .. had a fight in the third game against the Panthers, when opposition took a run at Dale Mitchell .. will make it difficult for the Leafs to send him back to junior, although Ron Wilson has indicated that he will have to earn a top-4 spot to remain with the Leafs.
Juraj Mikus, D
Very agile for his size, with a springy first step and bouncy skating stride .. once he hit stride he was fairly fluid with some jerky upper body movements .. somewhat inconsistent puck possession offensively, where creativity and vision was balanced with moments of hot potato where he could not wait to get rid of the puck .. was more composed in the second contest, although he struggled with physical work, and was out-muscled a lot in his own zone, however this could be overcome with some additional weight and strength conditioning (listed at 185 pounds) to compliment his 6-foot-4 frame .. has to move the puck off his stick quicker on the rush .. a project.